Allen County, Indiana - The whole text, 1905 (part 1 of 12)

Index

Cc Garey, Willis oW E isin sclera eke 530 Carroll, Charles tE. siese sene sli cane 516 Casselman, JONN.. ee eee a e 487 Chambers; Jobm iD aa nee oes 395 Cheney, Jamegt nener eene e 48 Clarks WilSON oeae ea a A ebro. 249 Colerick, Walpole G........)...... 169 Cooper Henrya dae eae ea ea a e E 259 Cooper william E ae E 317 Corpat Alphonseanre eee 478 Corbat | Pranks ier etree ee Decrees 478 Cosgrove, Franklin N............ 582 Covington, ChOmas ccs 474 Cressler. Alfred' Dy... auacce ae 416 Gunnison, Jamesa a a e e 462 D Daugherty, Alfredi A 540 Deming NASON L eeaeee a Aa 65 DeWald, George o ea E a 272 Dewald Ropert Wo T a 101 Diamonds, Adolph e oe 137 Dickerson William Sa ctr. ia 323 Diffenderfer, William A.......... 280 Downing, Jeremiah B............ 252 Dunkelberg, Charles A........... 405

Wheelock Kent Koce caera. enn er 233 Wiebke, Henry Aise sector 496 Wiese 'Christians non cere 246 Wilbur, George W........-«-+e0- 255 Williams, Jesse To as 22 cose eE 165 Williams, Samuel ie ese ose 73 WolfaSamuels.......25.2 ope 214 Woodworth, Mrs. Charles B...... 44 Worden.vJ ames) Dio... e EEN 88 Work Wesley Ti c.c2cn See eee 78 Wy bourns William Tee see 500 Y Yant, Cornellus. euo e meone kea on 576 Yaple Car aces eee rae 110 VA Zolars SEATON A E ee aE T 150

Personal Mention Col. Robert S. Robertson

Indiana has been especially honored in the character and career of her public and professional men. In every county are to be found individuals born to leadership in the various avocations and professions, men who dominate because of their superior intelligence, natural endowment and force of character. It is always profitable to study such lives, weigh their motives and hold up their achievements as incentives to greater activity and higher excellence on the part of others. These reflections are suggested by the career of one who has forged his way to the front ranks of the favored few, and who, by a strong inherent force and superior professional ability, directed by intelligence and judgment of a high order, stands today among the representative men of Allen county and northern Indiana. It is doubtful if any citizen of this part of the state has achieved more honorable mention or occupied a more conspicuous place in the profession which he represents than Robert S. Robertson, the well-known attorney of Fort Wayne, to a brief epitome of whose life the reader's attention is herewith invited.

Robert Stoddart Robertson was born on the 16th of April, 1839, at North Argyle, Washington county, New York, and is the son of Nicholas and Martha Hume (Stoddart) Robertson. The paternal grandfather, Robert Robertson, was born in October, 1755, in Kinross-shire, Scotland, on the farm of ""Touchie Miln," which had been inherited by the several generations of the family from their ancestor, Robert Robertson, of 1470. The grandfather, as a younger son, emigrated to the United States in 1793, settling in Washington county, New York, where he carved a home out of the wilderness, and there resided during the remainder of his life, his death occurring on the 6th of November, 1840. This farm is now owned by two of his grandchildren. Nicholas Robertson, father of the Colonel, was born at North Argyle, Washington county, New York, on May 12, 1803, and his death occurred there in 1896. He possessed great strength of character and marked ability, and stood high among his fellowmen, having served as postmaster of North Argyle and for many years as a justice of the peace. His vocation in early life was cabinet-making, but later he became a mill owner and operator. On May 27, 1831, Nicholas Robertson was united in marriage to Miss Martha Hume Stoddart, who was born in New York city on March 20, 1812, the daughter of Robert and Anne (Hume) Stoddart. Her lineage traces, on both the paternal and maternal sides, to prominent Scottish families - the Humes and the Stoddarts. The Stoddart family is "one of illustrious record, its name being derived from the term 'standard,' inasmuch as the first of the name went to England with William the Conqueror, as standard bearer for the Vicompte de Pulesden." The late Lyon King-at-Arms of Scotland came from this family. The Humes were also prominent in Scottish annals, and the Colonel's maternal great-grandfather was a captain in the British army during the American war of the Revolution, but subsequently married a Long Island girl and became a citizen of New York. The death of the subject's mother occurred on the 20th of January, 1867.

Robert S. Robertson received his elementary education in the common schools, supplementing this by attendance at Argyle Academy, his vacation periods being devoted to work in his father's mills. His boyhood experiences were much the same as those of most other boys reared in country villages, though he was considered more studious than others of his associates, being an omnivorous reader of the best literature within his reach. He early decided upon the law as his life profession, and to this end he, in 1859, became a student in the law office of Hon. James Gibson, in Salem, New York. In 1860 he went to New York city and continued his studies under the preceptorship of Hon. Charles Crary, author of that standard work, "Special Pleadings." In November, 1860, he was admitted to the bar, and in 1861 he went to Whitehall, New York, and entered upon the active practice of his profession, as successor to Hon. Jobn H. Boyd, member of congress from that district, who was retiring from the practice. His plans were soon interrupted, however, for upon the outbreak of the great Southern rebellion his love of country overrode all other interests, and he at once devoted himself to raising a company of volunteers. During the autumn and early winter of 1861 this company remained at Albany, but upon the order to consolidate parts of companies and regiments, his company became a part of Company I, Ninety-third Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, in which Mr. Robertson was mustered in as a private. Before leaving the state, however, he was appointed orderly sergeant. He participated in all the campaigns, battles and skirmishes in which his command was engaged, and gained for himself a splendid reputation as a faithful and courageous soldier. He was promoted to a second lieutenancy in April, 1862, to first lieutenant in May, 1863, and subsequently, for "gallant and meritorious services in the field," he received two brevet commissions - one from the President, conferring the rank of captain of United States volunteers, and another from the governor of New York, brevetting him colonel of New York volunteers. He served as personal aide to General Nelson A. Miles while the latter was in command of the famous fighting First Brigade, First Division, Second Army Corps, and while so serving was twice wounded, the first time at Spottsylvania Courthouse on May 12, 1864, where he was struck on the knee by a musket ball, and again on the 31st of the same month at Totopotomoy Creek, where he was shot from his horse in a charge, a minie ball passing through his abdomen from the front of the right hip to the back of the left. His wound was considered fatal, but he possessed a vigorous constitution, and recovered in a measure, and again entered the active service. However, during the siege of Petersburg, his wounds broke out afresh, and on September 3, 1864, he was discharged "for disability from wounds received in action." Subsequently Colonel Robertson received the "congressional medal of honor" for services rendered at Corbin's Bridge, Virginia, May 8, 1864.

20 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. ` Robertson & Bramhall. In 1866, acting partly on the advice of Vice- President Colfax, he came to Fort Wayne, where he has since resided, having been continuously engaged in the active practice of his profession. His abilities were soon recognized here, and during 1867-8-9 he served as city attorney. In 1868 he was the Republican candidate for state senator, but could not overcome the normally heavy Democratic majority. From 1871 to 1876 he served as United States commissioner and register in bankruptcy. In the latter year he was nominated for lieutenant-governor of the state, with Godlove S. Orth as gubernatorial candidate, who, it will be remembered, was compelled to resign from the ticket, and was replaced by General Benjamin Harrison. The ticket was defeated. In 1886 General M. D. Manson resigned the lieutenant-governorship, and in the ensuing election Colonel Robertson was chosen as his successor, and later, in the presence of the general assembly, took the oath of office. "Then followed what eventually proved to be one of the most critical and exciting periods in the political history of the state. The Democrats had decided to regard the election as unauthorized by law, and, having a majority in the senate, forbade him to assume the duties of presiding officer in that body, a position prescribed as the function of the office to which he had been elected. Attempts were made by the opposition to secure a judicial decision, by means of two injunction suits, but the outcome was a ruling by the supreme court to the effect that the legislature had exclusive jurisdiction in the premises. Upon making a second formal demand for his rights as lieutenant-governor, Colonel Robertson was forcibly excluded from the senate chamber. This action caused the wildest excitement, but the subject's calm, dignified and courageous bearing had great influence in averting a calamitous and disgraceful outcome of this deplorable affair. He counseled that no attempts by force be made in his behalf, but that the question be submitted to peaceful arbitration by the people. His attitude and wise conduct undoubtedly prevented a serious outbreak, which might have Proven disastrous to the welfare and dignity of the state. In all other functions of the office to which he had been elected the lieutenantsOovernor performed his duties without hindrance, and the people at large recognized his loyalty to the best interests of the state. While in that office he was for two successive years elected president of the state board of equalization, a position which had hitherto been invariably filled by the governor." Colonel Robertson was appointed by President Harrison, in 1889, a member of the Utah commission, and served efficiently in this connection until his removal by President Cleveland in 1894.

Soon after his arrival in Fort Wayne, Colonel Robertson formed a professional partnership with Lindley M. Ninde and Robert S. Taylor, under the name of Ninde, Taylor & Robertson, which association was terminated in 1868, after which the subject was associated with David P. Whedon, under the firm name of Whedon & Robertson, this relationship ceasing in 1871, when the senior partner removed to Utah. Soon afterward the firm of Lowry, Robertson & O'Rourke was formed, and so continued until 1876, when Mr. Lowry was elevated to the bench, Mr. O'Rourke receiving similar preferment the following year. Thereafter for a number of years Colonel Robertson was associated with Judge James B. Harper, and in 1894 formed a partnership with William S. O'Rourke, a firm which from the beginning occupied a leading place at the bar of the state. Asa lawyer Colonel Robertson evinces a familiarity with legal principles and a ready perception of facts, together with the ability to apply the one to the other, which has won him the reputation of a sound and safe practitioner. Years of conscientious work have brought with them not only increase of practice and reputation, but also that growth in legal knowledge and that wide and accurate judgment, the possession of which constitutes marked excellence in the profession. In the trial of cases he is uniformly courteous to court and opposing counsel, caring little for display, and in discussions of the principles of law he is noted for clearness of statement and candor. His zeal for a client never leads him to urge an argument which in his judgment is not in harmony with the law, and in all the important litigation with which he has been connected no one has ever charged him with anything calculated to bring discredit upon himself or cast a reflection upon his profession. By a straightforward and honorable course he has built up a large and lucrative legal business and has been successful beyond the average of his calling.

was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth H. Miller, whose grandfather, Alexander Robertson, came to New York in 1804. To this union were born the following children: Nicholas Alexander, now city attorney of Eureka, Utah; Louise, who is the wife of William H. Shambaugh, city attorney of Fort Wayne; Robert Strowan, of the Ferguson Palmer Lumber Company, of Paducah, Kentucky ; Mabel is the wife of Ernest F. Lloyd, who is engaged in the gas construction business in Detroit, Michigan; Annie M. is the wife of William N. Whitely, assistant manager of the Farmers' Co-operative Manufacturing Company, of Springfield, Ohio. Mrs. Elizabeth Robertson died in May, 1896, and subsequently, August 31, 1898, the Colonel wedded Mrs. Frances M. Haberly (nee Stinson), a lady known internationally as an authority on art and a lecturer in many states upon that subject. Politically, as has been before indicated, Colonel Robertson gives an earnest support to the Republican party. His fraternal relations are as follows: In 1862 he became a Free and Accepted Mason, and in this order has taken all the degrees of the Scottish Rite up to and including the thirty-second; he joined the Grand Army of the Republic in 1866, and has ever maintained an active interest in this association of his old comrades in arms; in 1882 he joined the Ohio commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and subsequently, in 1888, became a charter member of the Indiana commandery ; he also belongs to the Medal of Honor Legion. Socially, he is a member of the Fortnightly Club, of Fort Wayne. He was long a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Indiana State Historical Society and of the Congress International des Americanistes, of Europe. He is the possessor of an interesting and valuable collection of minerals, fossils and prehistoric curios of great value, and has devoted much attention to historical and scientific studies, having written many able and valuable articles pertaining to the results of his research, these having appeared in the reports of the Smithsonian Institution, in the North American Review, the Magazine of American History and other leading publications.

William P. Breen

Among those who have conferred honor and distinction on the bar of Allen county and that of the state of Indiana, whose jurists and legists have commanded the admiration and respect of men from the early pioneer epoch to the present, stands the subject of this brief sketch, - a representative member of his profession in the city of Fort Wayne, where he has been engaged in active practice for a quarter of a century.

William P. Breen claims the Hoosier state as the place of his nativity, having been born in the city of Terre Haute, on the 13th of February, 1859, and being a scion of stanch Irish stock. His father, James Breen, was born in the fair Emerald Isle, in the year 1820, where he was reared to maturity and where he received fair educational advantages, of which he made good use. In the year 1840, when a youth of twenty years, he severed the home ties and came to America, thoroughly imbued with the ambition and determination to make for himself a place in the world. He remained in the east for five years, at the expiration of which he came to Indiana and located in Terre Haute, where he continued to reside until 1863, which year marked his advent in the city of Fort Wayne. Here he engaged in the mercantile trade, with which he continued to be identified for many years, having built up a prosperous business, while as a man of inflexible honor, marked intellectual acumen and force of character, he attained to a position of prominence and influence in the community. He served for many years as a member of the city council, and at the time of his death was a valued member of the board of water-works trustees, while he was ever found at the front in supporting measures having as their object the welfare and advancement of the city of his home and of his loyal pride. He was summoned to the life eternal in the year 1883, having been a consistent communicant of the Catholic church, in whose faith he was reared, his wife likewise being a devoted member of the great mother church. The latter's maiden name was Margaret Dunne and she was likewise born in Ireland, the date of her nativity having been 1818, while she survived her honored husband by five years. The subject of this sketch is the only child born of this union.

William P. Breen acquired his preliminary education in the school maintained in Fort Wayne by the Brothers of Holy Cross of the Catholic church and supplemented this training by entering that great and noble institution, the University of Notre Dame, near South Bend, this state, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1877, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Endowed with alert mentality, ambition and initiative power, it is scarcely necessary to say that the young man had ere this formulated definite plans for his future career, deciding to adopt the profession of the law. In order to properly prepare himself for this important and exacting vocation Mr. Breen entered, in the same autumn of his graduation, the law offices of Coombs, Morris & Bell, at that time one of the leading law firms of Fort Wayne. Under most effective preceptorship he thus continued his technical studies with so much discernment, discrimination and assiduity that in May, 1879, he was duly admitted to the bar of his native state, and in the following September he began his practical novitiate in the work of his chosen profession, being only twenty years of age at the time. From the start he was associated with Warren H. Withers, and this loyal professional alliance remained unbroken and inviolate until the death of Judge Withers, on the 15th of November, 1882. Thus identified in their practice, the two were mutually helpful, utmost harmony characterized their relations and they retained a clientage which was of singularly representative order. After the death of his able and honored confrere and friend, Judge Withers, Mr. Breen continued an individual practice of constantly increasing scope and importance until 1893, in the spring of which year was formed the copartnership between himself and John Morris, Jr., an able young attorney and the son of Judge John Morris, who passed to his reward in 1905, having been one of the most venerable and distinguished members of the

The writer of this article has previously had the pieasure of entering a published estimate concerning the life and services of Mr. Breen, and feels that there can be no inconsistency in here quoting briefly from his earlier sketch: "In active practice our subject is eminently a man of resources. Always a student, careful in the preparation of cases and always quick to see and to anticipate difficulties which are or may be encountered, he has been enabled to so shape his various causes as to avoid these difficulties and obstacles. Strong and forceful in the presentation of his cases, he has gained the good will and commendation of both his professional confreres and the general public, retaining his reputation among men for integrity and high character and never losing that true dignity which is the birthright of a gentleman."

In his political allegiance Mr. Breen is known as one of Indiana's stalwart and aggressive Democrats, and in his characteristic, vigorous way he has done much to further the party cause, though never a seeker of political preferment. In religion he holds tenaciously and consistently to the revered faith of his fathers, and is one of the valued members and devoted communicants of the Cathedral church, Roman Catholic, in his home city, Mrs. Breen likewise being a devoted churchwoman.

On the 27th of May, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Breen to Miss Odelia Phillips, of Fort Wayne, where she was born on the 13th of March, 1859, being a daughter of the late Bernard Phillips, who was long a prominent business man and honored citizen of Fort Wayne, where both he and his wife died.

William David Page

The march of improvement and progress is accelerated day by day, and each successive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelligence and a greater discernment than did the preceding. Successful men must be live men in this age, bristling with activity, and the lessons of biography may be far-reaching to an extent not superficially evident. There can be no impropriety in justly scanning the acts of any man as they affect his public, social and business relations. Among the able and representative men of Allen county, Indiana, is William D. Page, who has had to do with matters of public interest and importance and whose executive capacity has been such as to enable him to achieve a noteworthy success, while the methods employed have been such as to gain and retain to him the confidence and high regard of his fellow men. It is both gratifying and profitable to enter record concerning the career of such a man, and in the following brief outline sufficient will be said to indicate the forceful individuality, initiative power and sterling character of a well-known citizen of Fort Wayne.

William D. Page is a native of the Wolverine state, having been born at Monroe, Monroe county, Michigan, on the 16th day of August, 1844. His parents were Rev. William and Frances (Durand) Page, the former a native of Middlebury, Vermont, and the latter of Bethlehem, Connecticut. In William Page's veins flowed English blood, while his wife was descended from sturdy French Huguenot ancestors. The subject of this sketch received his elementary education in the public schools, supplementing this by graduation at the West Rockford (Illinois) high school. He also pursued a course of study at Dr. Holbrook's Academy, at Clinton, New York, and later entered Hamilton College, located at the same

ALLEN "COUNEY INDIANA, 27 place. At the early age of ten years, the subject commenced to learn the printer's trade in the office of the Expositor, at Adrian, Michigan, and thus gained that practical knowledge and experience which has so well served him in his later enterprises. He made good progress in both mechanical and financial way and in 1866 became publisher of the Expositor. In 1871 he came to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and in 1874 founded the Fort Wayne News, which he successfully conducted until its sale in 1892 and which has been for many years one of the leading and influential newspapers in northeastern Indiana. In the dual capacities of publisher and editor, Mr. Page evinced qualities of the highest order, having both the executive ability and the clearness of vision to enable him to successfully guide his business affairs, while he has at all times wielded a forceful and trenchant pen.

When the dark clouds of civil strife hovered over our land, and the President found it necessary to call for volunteers to assist in maintaining the national union, Mr. Page was one of the first to offer his services, enlisting in April, 1861, in the Fifth Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry; but because of his youth he was not permitted to go to the front, being discharged by order of Brigadier General Rufus King. He afterward, however, served in the quartermaster's department through the last Shenandoah campaign, and, though not at the battle's front, he nonetheless contributed his quota toward the successful prosecution of the war. Mr. Page was at Harper's Ferry on the night of President Lincoln's assassination and was present at the grand review of the victorious armies at Washington, probably in many respects the most impressive military spectacle the world has ever witnessed.

On the 24th of September, 1866, William D. Page was united in marriage with Miss Chloe Elizabeth Warner, who was born at Adrian, Michigan, April 7, 1849, the daughter of T. C. and Elmina Warner. To Mr. and Mrs. Page have been born two children, Frances Elizabeth Page-Willey and Josephine Page-Wright. In religion Mr. Page and family are connected with the Presbyteriar. church, and take an active interest in all movements looking to the moral, educational and social advancement of the community. In politics, Mr. Page has, ever since attaining his majority, given a stanch support to the Republican party, and has served the public as postmaster of Fort Wayne for eight years, proving one of the most capable, as well as most accommodating and popular, incumbents of this office. He also served for six years as president of the board of trustees of the Eastern Indiana Hospital for the Insane. His interest in all that concerns the progress and prosperity of Allen county is unabating, and those who have known him since his first advent here are numbered among his cherished and devoted friends, while he commands unequivocal esteem in the community at large.

Hon Patrick S. O' Rourke was a unique and pronounced character in the history of northern Indiana and his strong imprint may be | found on the business, political and social events of his day. Summing up mere years briefly, he was born September 30, 1830, and died February 12, 1898, - not a long lifetime as years are counted, but as deeds are reckoned, a fair and goodly portion of time. His birthplace was Newark, New Jersey, and he was the son of Christopher and Ellen (Flannagan) O'Rourke. The father was a man of pronounced business ability and was prominent as a railroad contractor, having been identified with the building of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad. It was not at all strange that the son should drift into work similar to his father's and in 1856 he took a position as conductor on a construction train, soon after being promoted to freight conductor, and in three years from the beginning he was made conductor on a passenger train. In 1866 he became master of transportation of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad and in 1871 was appointed assistant superintendent of the Michigan Lake Shore road, but, before the expiration of the year, was made superintendent of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, in which capacity he remained until the time of his death. These rapid promotive changes involved no shifting of employers, and thus for nearly half a century he was identified with one system of railways. Be it said Mr. O'Rourke was a faithful employee as well as a capable employer. One of the secrets of his successful life was that he believed in conscientious work and that a thing that was worth doing was worth doing in the very best manner possible. No make-shift or compromise answered the purpose; he had no patience with half-hearted service and, as an employer, he would have none of it. The man who shirked was the man who very soon found himself out of his employ and it was equally sure that the man who did his duty and his best was certain of continued favor. He loved justice and exercised it in all of his dealings and no man could say that he had been dealt unfairly with knowingly. His record as a railroad man stands unblemished and his long career in the capacity of superintendent is one of which the most critical might be proud. His best energies found expression in practical work and his services were valued accordingly.

Mr. O'Rourke was twice married, the two children of the first union being Mrs. John H. Cody and Mrs. George Waltke. Mr. O'Rourke's second wife bore the maiden name of Eliza Boulger and the children born to them were as follows: Mrs. J. W. Hunter; William S. O' Rourke, the well-known attorney of Fort Wayne; Edward O'Rourke, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Mrs. Charles Keasey, of Kendallville, Indiana; Mrs. William Wagoner and Miss Grace, both of Fort Wayne.

In religion Mr. O'Rourke was a Catholic; not half-hearted, neither narrow nor bigoted, but a Catholic in the truest and most dignified sense of the word. He was devoted to his religion and had abundant and abiding faith in it, and his activity in connection with various organizations attached to his church brought him into much prominence. He organized the St. Joseph Benevolent Society of the Cathedral of Fort Wayne, which has been a power for good from the day of its inception; in 1893 he organized the American Sons of Columbus and promoted the sister society, the Daughters of Isabella. He also organized the first branch of the Catholic Knights of America in Fort Wayne and was supreme trustee one term.

In politics Mr. O'Rourke was a Democrat of the most pronounced and virile kind. He had faith in the party and some of his best and most brilliant efforts were directed in its behalf. The politics of his home city always claimed a lively interest for him and his endeavor was constantly for the betterment of them. In 1896 Mr. O'Rourke disagreed with his party on the currency question and allied himself with the National Democrats, giving his support to Palmer and Buckner. As a writer and speaker upon political topics he had but few equals in Indiana or the west. He was a ready debater, a man of wide and comprehensive information and possessed a strong grasp on public affairs and was combative to perhaps more than an ordinary degree. His mind was well disciplined and lgocial and his command of language was notable, possessing a power of expression far beyond the ordinary. As a writer he was equally forcible and commanding and his literature is characterized by a ` splendid strength and virility. He was the author of a number of books and pamphlets, some of which had a wide reading. As the reverse side of the medal, - the complement of the practical, uncompromising business man, in which character he was perhaps best known, - his literary work along the line of romance presents an almost antagonism. His stories were full of fancy that suggests a Rider Haggard and no one can read them without experiencing a lively and devoted interest.

To write the history of Mr. O'Rourke would be to write a book and the limits of a brief sketch have already been reached. To sum up: He was a good man, - a man that the world was better for his having lived in it. He was a good husband and father, faithful and loving; a good citizen and friend, constant and reliable; a man in the fullest sense of the word, wide, comprehensive and far-reaching in life and personality, - a man to be missed and lamented; but his good deeds shall live after him.

Robert S. Taylor

One of the distinguished citizens and leading members of the bar of Allen county is Judge Taylor, who has made his home in the city of Fort Wayne for the past forty-five years. He has ever commanded uniform confidence and esteem as a lawyer and a citizen, has been a prominent and influential figure in political and general civic affairs. He was born near the city of Chillicothe, Ross county, Ohio, on the 22d of May, 1838, being a son of Rev. Isaac N. and Margaretta (Stewart) Taylor. His father was one of the pioneer clergymen of the Presbyterian church in Ohio, having been located in turn at Chillicothe, Celina and St. Mary's, that state, while in 1844 he removed with his family to Jay county, Indiana. A few years after coming to Indiana, inspired by devotion to the cause of education, he founded Liber College, near Portland, and in this well conducted institution many of the youth of that section laid the foundation for future honor and usefulness.

Robert S. Taylor secured his early educational discipline in the common schools of Indiana and in due time entered the college which had been founded by his honored father. In this institution he was graduated on the 30th of June, 1858, and within.a few months after receiving his diploma he was united in marriage to his classmate, Miss Fanny W. Wright. His attention was turned in the direction of the law, and he initiated his technical reading and study under the preceptorship of Judge Jacob M. Haynes, of Portland. In November, 1859, he took up his residence in the city of Fort Wayne, where he completed his work of preparation for the bar, to which he was duly admitted in this county, in the following year. During a portion of his first year of residence in Fort Wayne he was engaged in teaching school, and in November, 1860, he became a clerk in the office of L. M. Ninde, one of the representative members of the bar of the county at that time. Two years later he was advanced to a partnership, the firm of Ninde & Taylor being then formed. In 1866 Colonel Robert S. Robertson became a member of the firm, which became one of the most prominent and influential in northern Indiana.

Upon the establishment of the criminal court in Fort Wayne, in 1868, Judge Taylor was appointed its prosecuting attorney. Within the same year the firm of Ninde, Taylor & Robertson was dissolved, and the subject of this review was appointed judge of the court of common pleas. This position he held until the next election, when he was chosen to represent Allen county in the lower house of the state legislature. In 1874 he was the Republican candidate for congress from this district, his opponent being Hon. Holman H. Hamilton; and in 1880 he was again the nominee of his party for this high office, against Walpole G. Colerick. On each occasion he met defeat, as had been anticipated from the normal political status of the district, but in the latter instance particularly the great reduction of the adverse majority clearly demonstrated the high esteem in which Judge Taylor was held by the people of the district. He still takes an active part in political discussions and work, and is a popular speaker in all important campaigns. In March, 1881, Judge Taylor was appointed, by President Garfield, a member of the Mississippi river commission, to succeed General Benjamin Harrison, who had been elected to the United States senate. This position has occupied a large portion of Judge Taylor's time and attention to the present time. He still retains his residence in Fort Wayne and is engaged in the work of his profession, confining his efforts largely to cases of the more important order and being held in veneration and high esteem as one of the pioneer members of the bar of the city and state.

One child only has come to the home of Judge Taylor, a son, Frank B. Taylor, born November 23, 1860. He is a geologist, and has achieved high rank in that profession as a student of and writer upon the post-glacial geology of the great lake system of the United

Charles M. Niezer

For the high rank of her bench and bar Indiana has ever been distinguished, and it is gratifying to note that in no section of the commonwealth has the standard been lowered at any epoch in its history. To the subject of this review we may refer with propriety and satisfaction as being one of the able and representative members of the legal profession in Allen county; and that he is a native son of Indiana lends somewhat to the significance of the prestige which he has here attained.

Charles Mahlon Niezer was born in Monroeville, Allen county, Indiana, on the 31st day of March, 1877, and is the son of John Burnard and Sarah T. Niezer, natives of Indiana and Pennsylvania, respectively. The subject secured his preliminary education in the common schools of Allen county, and supplemented this by attendance at Notre Dame University, at South Bend, Indiana, Indiana State University, at Bloomington, Indiana, and Columbia University, New York city, receiving, successively, the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. He'had given close and conscientious study to the principles of law and jurisprudence, and immediately upon his admission to the bar, he, on September 19, 1901, commenced the active practice of his profession at Fort Wayne. His abilities were promptly recognized, and he has rapidly acquired a reputation as a shrewd, able and sagacious attorney, having a large and representative clientage. A man of courteous manners, genial disposition and genuine worth, he has won and retains a host of warm, personal friends. In 1905 the well-known legal firm of Olds & Doughman, of Fort Wayne, was dissolved, Mr. Doughman going to Cleveland as general attorney for the Lake Shore Railroad Company, and Judge Olds took as junior partner the subject of this sketch, the firm being known as Olds & Niezer.

Mr. Pfeiffer is a native of Allen county, and one of the representative young men of Washington township, of which he is serving as trustee at the time of this writing.

Mr. Pfeiffer was born in Washington township, this county, on the 29th of August, 1871, and is a son of Christian F. and Charlotte E. (Edwards) Pfeiffer, prominent and honored residents of the county, to whom more definite recognition is accorded in the personal sketch of the father, appearing on other pages of this work. The subject was reared on the farm and secured excellent business training, since his father dealt extensively in live stock for many years. After completing the curriculum of the public schools, he took a course in a business college in Buffalo, New York, where he was graduated. Fora time after leaving school he was engaged in clerical work in Buffalo, and he thereafter began to assume greater business responsibilities, advancing gradually to a position of prominence. He is now the local representative of his father as to the latter's large real estates interests in Allen and Huntington counties and the North Wayne addition to Fort Wayne. The latter, which originally comprised about one hundred and sixty acres, has been platted, and on it have been built a large number of attractive houses, the subject having entire control of the platting, improvement and sale of the addition.

In politics Mr. Pfeiffer accords an uncompromising allegiance to the Republican party, and he has been an active and effective worker in its local ranks. Recognition of his eligibility and personal popularity was given in a significant way in his recent election to the responsible office of trustee of Washington township, where he secured a large and flattering majority, though the normal political complex- ion of the township is strongly Democratic, and he was, as a matter of course, the candidate on the Republican ticket. In a fraternal way Mr. Pfeiffer is affiliated with the Royal Arcanum and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in the city of Fort Wayne, and his religious faith is that of the English Lutheran church, in which he was reared.

On October 7, 1896, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Pfeiffer to Miss Anna B. Redman, a daughter of David Porter Redman, a well-known stock dealer of Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeiffer have two children - Helen R. and Alice R.

Josepel I Hanna

This popular and representative citizen and prominent business man of Fort Wayne is a scion of one of the oldest and most honored families of Allen county, while he is a native of Fort Wayne, which city has ever been his home. He was born in the family homestead on East Washington boulevard, Fort Wayne, on the 17th of February, 1857, and is a son of Henry C. and Elizabeth C. (Carson) Hanna, the former of whom was born in Fort Wayne, and the latter in Cobourg, Canada. The father of the subject was one of Fort Wayne's prominent and influential business men and public-spirited citizens, and his name is indelibly inscribed on the annals of the beautiful Summit City.

Joseph T. Hanna secured his preliminary educational discipline in the public schools of Fort Wayne, and at the age of fourteen years he became a pupil in the excellent private school for boys conducted by F. W. Barron, near Cobourg, province of Ontario, Canada, while later he continued his studies at Dundas, that province. Mr. Hanna passed his young manhood as a traveling salesman, and later engaged in business for himself in his native city, where he is now at the head of the well-known firm of J. T. Hanna & Company, dealers in botimporters, agents, and handling goods of the highest grade. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with Wayne Lodge, No. 25, Free and tled goods, where an extensive enterprise is carried on, the firm being Accepted Masons.

On the 26th of April, 1893, Mr. Hanna was united in marriage to Susannah Vesta Alvaretta (called Sue Vesta), second daughter of Luke and Susannah T. Tousley and born and reared in Whitley county, this state. Mrs. Hanna traces her genealogy back to the fifteenth century, and among her American ancestors were men of dis- tinction in the colonial history of our nation and in the war of the Revolution. She is a lady of gracious presence and marked accomplishments, having been a contributor of both prose and verse of high order to various periodicals, and utilizing a nom de plume in the connection. She has thus devoted attention to literary work for a number of years past, while she is well known locally as an artist, and is held in high esteem in the social circles of the city.

The great value of woman's interposition in the practical work of medicine and surgery is now conceded on every side, though not many years have passed since the woman physician met with opposition and even ridicule on the part of the rank and file of the noble profession into which she has succeeded in making her way. She has proven herself strong, helpful, resourceful; has shown that true sympathy which transcends mere emotion to become an actuating motive in the relieving of suffering; and she has not failed in upholding the prestige of the profession from which she was formerly barred. The subject of this sketch is, without consideration of sex, one of the representative physicians and surgeons of Fort Wayne, and is thus well entitled to consideration in a publication which accords review of the careers of the leading members of the profession in Allen county.

Mary A. Whery was born in Whitley county, Indiana, and was educated in the public schools of her native county, at the Jefferson high school, of Fort Wayne, and at the Methodist College, of the same city. For a few years she engaged in teaching school in Whitley county. She was married to Dr. W. P. Whery in 1881, and under his preceptorship began the study of medicine and assisted in his office operations. Later she entered the Fort Wayne College of Medicine and completed the full course with honors, graduating in March, 1888. This college is a coeducational institution and requires women students to take all the same studies and to attend the same clinics as the male students. After graduating she practiced medicine and surgery with gratifying success, having adopted obstetrics and gynecology as her specialty, and has performed most of the usual operations connected with it, some them of peculiar difficulty. She acted as assistant to the chair of diseases of women in the Fort Wayne College of Medicine. She is a member of the Fort Wayne Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, as well as the Medical Association of the Upper Maumee Valley and the Tri-State Medical Association, and has read papers before them. She has served as delegate to the American Medical Association and to the Women's Medical Congress at the World's Fair, and in the latter was representative of the state of Indiana and read a paper there. She has served in several offices, including that of president, in the alumnae association of her college, and she has been elected a trustee of Hope Hospital, Fort Wayne, where she has been for years chairman of the training school for nurses, and has lectured on gynecology in that institution.

Few men of Allen county, Indiana, were as widely and favorably known as the late Louis Peltier, of Fort Wayne. He was one of the strong and influential citizens whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section of the state, and for years his name was synonymous for all that constituted honorable and upright manhood. Tireless energy, keen perception and honesty of purpose, combined with everyday common sense, were among his chief characteristics, and while advancing individual success he also largely promoted the moral and material welfare of his community. At the time of his death Mr. Peltier enjoyed the noteworthy distinction of being the oldest native of Ft. Wayne, his birth having antedated by sixteen years the incorporation of. Fort Wayne as a town, and during all the subsequent years of his life he kept in close touch with the growth and development of the city and county.

Peltier is a name prominently associated with the early history of Fort Wayne, and indeed of the entire northwest. The subject's grandfather, who was a Frenchman by nativity, came to America in an early day in company with Cadillac, Chapeteau and other of the courageous pioneers who settled about Detroit. The subject's father, James Peltier, a French Canadian, came to Fort Wayne about 1790 and engaged as a trader with the Indians. He was a surveyor, also, and was for some time engaged in carrying dispatches between Detroit and Fort Dearborn (now Chicago), traveling through the wilderness on horseback by way of Fort Wayne. James Peltier married Emeline Chapeteau, the granddaughter of Baptiste Maloch, a fur trader, and on March 15, 1813, their son Louis was born. The family were at that time living within the stockade walls of old Fort Wayne, and the child's earliest years were passed amid stirring scenes. The Indians were in an ugly mood, owing to their recent defeats, and made life precarious for the early settlers. It naturally followed that educational opportunities here were very meager, and such education as Mr. Peltier had was obtained from private instruction. His playmates were for the most part the young Indian boys and girls, and he learned their language perfectly, becoming from the first their friend, and receiving in return their utmost confidence. Through his earlier years Mr. Peltier found employment as an interpreter, traveling over the territory with the traders and acting as an intermediary in their transactions with the Indians. While yet in his teens, Mr. Peltier engaged to learn the carpenter and cabinet-making trade with James Wilcox, who had a shop on what is now Calhoun street. Here were made most of the coffins used for the burial of the dead, and this was the first undertaking establishment in Fort Wayne. Upon the death of Mr. Wilcox, four years later, in 1840, Mr. Peltier succeeded to the business. Shortly afterward Mr. Peltier went to Cincinnati, and then to New Orleans, remaining about a year, and then returned to Fort Wayne, where the remaining years of his life were spent. At this time he established undertaking as a definite department of the business, the latter line having been continued uninterruptedly ever since, first by the father and later by the son, James C. Peltier, who now conducts it, the former having retired from active participation in business in 1882. In his death there passed away the last representative of the earlier residents of the city, and whose life formed a connecting link between the present and the past. The venerable man had been in declining health for several years, though suffering from no definite disease, and at the last moment the weakened body sank so peacefully into the last sleep that those about his bedside were scarcely aware when the end came. Death occurred on ithe 22d of October, 1904, the subject thus being in his ninety-second year.

Though ever occupying a prominent place in the life of Fort Wayne, Mr. Peltier never held public office. His earliest political affilition was with the Whigs, and in 1852 he cast his ballot for General Winfield Scott. In 1856 he became a Democrat, and throughout the remainder of his life he continued faithful in his allegiance to that party. Mr. Peltier was a devoted member of the Catholic church, having been one of the first members of the Catholic congregation founded in Fort Wayne by the early missionaries, and when Father Benoit begani the erection of the cathedral here in 1860 Mr. Peltier was one of his strongest supporters and leading assistants.

Louis Peltier was twice married, his first wife having been Miss Laura Cushing, to whom he was wedded in 1833. To this union were born three children, of whom two survive, namely: Mrs. Ellen Meegan, of New York, and James C. Peltier, of this city, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Laura Peltier died in 1844, and six years later the subject married Miss Mary Nettlehorst, a native of Germany, who survives him. Mrs. L. C. Laughlin, of Tipton, Indiana, is the only surviving child of this union.

Louis Peltier was universally recognized as a splendid citizen, of lofty character, sturdy integrity and unswerving honesty. During the pioneer period he shared fully the trials and difficulties of those days. He was one of the sturdy figures upon which the burdens of the new community fell, and he struggled devotedly with others in bringing about the resultant evolution of development. Hand and heart and purse were always open to the necessities of his neighbors, and the record of those years is one of tireless and unselfish devotion.

Mrs. Charles B. Woodworth

The lady whose name appears above has long occupied a leading position in the best circles of Fort Wayne, and has taken an active part in movements tending to the advancement of the best interests of her sex. Early recognizing the value and importance of the woman's club movement, she at once gave to it her encouragement and active support, and few women of this city have done more than she in securing for the women of Fort Wayne the advantages and benefits derived from organizations whose aim and object have been uplifting and helpful, both socially and educationally. The possessor of charming personal qualities and recognized ability, she is properly considered a leader in the circles in which she moves, and exerts a definite and healthful influence upon all with whom she is brought into contact. .

Mrs. Woodworth is a native of the Lone Star state, having been born in Victoria, Texas, on the 28th day of December, 1852, the only child of Joel T. and Loly Arvilla (Cook) Case. Her ancestors for several generations have been American, while her parents were natives of Connecticut. The latter were, in their youth, brought to Ohio by their respective parents, this having been in the closing years of the eighteenth century, when the tide of emigration flowed toward the western states from the colonies of the east. Joel T. Case received a good education and took a degree in theology at Yale College, with the intention of entering the ministry of the Presbyterian church, but before becoming ordained he pursued other callings for a time, having, some time in the early '4os, established the Mobile Advertiser. In 1845 he joined the celebrated Santa Fe expedition, during the course of which he had a narrow escape from death. He with a number of his companions were captured by the Mexicans, and were drawn up in line to be shot, but his life was saved by his drawing a black bean, seventeen of which had been placed in a jar, in which one hundred and fifty-three white beans had also been placed, to correspond to the number of prisoners. Mr. Case subsequently followed his original intentions and entered the ministry at Victoria, Texas. - In a young ladies' seminary at this place the subject of this sketch secured a good education. On the 30th of January, 1873, she was united in marriage to Mr. Charles B. Woodworth, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was born in the latter city on December 3, 1848, the son of Dr. Benjamin S. Woodworth. This union has been a most congenial and happy one, and has been blessed in the birth of two children, Benjamin S. and Carl B.

Herman W. Tapp

As a contractor for stone and concrete masonry, Mr. Tapp occupies a prominent position in Fort Wayne, being a representative business man of the "Summit City," and one who is upholding the high reputation gained by his honored father in the same important field of industrial enterprise. He controls a large business, has executed contracts of great magnitude and his reliabilty and his fidelity to contracts are recognized wherever he is known.

Herman W. Tapp was born in the beautiful old capital city of Berlin, Germany, on the 14th of December, 1856, and is a son of Ferdinand and Wilhelmina (Siedschlag) Tapp, who immigrated thence to America in 1860, making the city of Chicago their destination and there remaining until 1865, when they located in Fort Wayne, where the father attained to a position of prominence as a bridge contractor, especially in the construction of high-grade railroad bridges, and other stone and concrete work. During the latter portion of his active business career he was associated with his son, Herman W., subject of this review, the operations being carried forward under the firm name of F. Tapp & Son, while of this firm Herman W. is the direct successor. Ferdinand Tapp died on the 29th of April, 1903, honored as one of Fort Wayne's representative citizens and business men, and his devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest on the 24th of January, 1905, both having been lifelong members of the Lutheran church.

Herman W. Tapp secured his early educational training in the parochial schools of the Lutheran church, and in the Fort Wayne public schools, while later he took a course in the Fort Wayne Commercial College. In the meanwhile, at the age of fifteen years, he began his practical apprenticeship at the trade of stonemason, under the direction of his father, who was a skilled artisan in the line. He followed the work of his trade about six years, and then engaged in contracting, as a coadjutor and partner of his father. He has ever since continued to give his attention to contracting for stone and concrete masonry, and his success has been practically unqualified from the start, while he has control of a large and important enterprise in his line, making a specialty of railroad work. His executed contracts in 1904 represented one hundred thousand dollars, at a conservative estimate.

In his political allegiance Mr. Tapp is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and while he takes a lively interest in the supremacy of the party cause he has never permitted his name to be considered in connection with public office. He has contributed liberally to the party work and his friends in the Republican ranks have urged him to accept nomination for the office of mayor of Fort Wayne, but he has felt no inclination to enter the political arena in this way, and has considered his business affairs worthy of his undivided time and attention. Mr. Tapp is an appreciative affiliate of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, being identified with the following named bodies: Wayne Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past master; Fort Wayne Chapter, No. 19, Royal Arch Masons; Fort Wayne Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar, and Fort Wayne Grand Lodge of Perfection, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which body of the fraternity he had attained to the fourteenth degree. He is also a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 19, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Fort Wayne Lodge, No. 116, Knights of Pythias. Both Mr. and Mrs. Tapp are active members of the Lutheran church.

On the 16th of February, 1878, Mr. Tapp was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth M. Winter, a daughter of Philip Winter, of Allen county, and they have had six children: Ruth died August 25, 1894; Frederick, Bessie, Elsie, Emma H. and Roscoe H. Bessie is the wife of Harry A. Ross, of Fort Wayne, and the family is one of prominence in the social life of the city, their magnificent home being one of the.most attractive in Fort Wayne, which is recognized as a city of beautiful homes.

James Cheney

James Cheney was the son of Roswell and Abigail (Williard) Cheney. His father, Roswell Cheney, was a native of Keene, New Hampshire, and his mother, Abigail Williard, was born in Vermont. Abigail Williard's father, James Williard, was born in England and came to America during the latter part of the eighteenth century. During the war of 1812 he remained a stanch Tory and after the termination of the war he went to Canada for a number of years. Roswell Cheney left his Vermont farm and came overland with his family to Toledo (or Port Lawrence, as it was then called) in 1834. Here he took up large tracts of land and' also established himself in a general merchandise business. And here he died in 1846, at the early age of fifty-six years. His wife survived him, dying at Logansport, Indiana, in June, 1861. They were the parents of three children, Roswell Williard, who died in Toledo - in 1844, at the age of twenty-six years; James, the subject of this sketch, and Cornelia M., the wife of George Knickerbocker, of Hillsdale, Michigan.

On the 15th of December, 1817, James Cheney was born at Sutton, Caledonia county, Vermont. At that early day the educational opportunities of a Vermont farmer's son were meagre. But here, as everywhere and at all times, the mettle of the scholar meant more than his educational system, and when James Cheney, at eleven years of age, left school and began clerking in a general store in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, he had made the most of his Opportunities and, leaving school, had but begun his real education, which continued through life. After three years he went into business for himself in Genesee county, New York, and later came with his parents to the village of Toledo. Here he was soon employed by S. & M. Collins at their Indian trading post, three miles from town. Soon he was sent to establish a branch store at Adrian, Michigan, and in a year was taken in as half owner. Upon the bankruptcy, soon afterward, of Mr. Collins, the firm became Cheney & Wilson and so continued until 1839, when Mr. Cheney bought out his junior partner and the firm became R. & J. Cheney, so continuing for three years. During this partnership the firm took a contract for the construction of three miles of the Wabash and Erie canal.

In 1842 Mr. Cheney went to Defiance, Ohio, where he held the state appointment as collector of tolls until 1845. At this time he built the Pavilion, a large hotel for the day, but sold it in 1847 and removed to a farm on the Maumee river, two miles from Defiance. In 1853 he sold this farm and in the following year established a banking house in Defiance, and later came to Fort Wayne, where he at once became identified with banking operations and other important business interests. In 1855 he removed to New York city, where he continued operations on Wall street with much success, also forming the acquaintanceship of many of the leading financiers of the day. In the spring of 1857 Mr. Cheney located in Logansport, Indiana, being one of the twenty distinguished gentlemen who organized the Bank of the State of Indiana. Of that score of brilliant men, headed by Hugh McCulloch, he was the last survivor. When the institution was finally merged into a national bank he became a member of its directorate, while he also served for a time as cashier, remaining in control of the most of the stock until his death. He also became a heavy stockholder in the National City Bank of New York. His activities were so far-reaching and varied in the great domain of financial and industrial operations that it is impossible to enter into details concerning them in an article of this nature. We may offer a brief resume, however. He was interested in the construction of the Atlantic cable, being associated with other leading financiers, and for many years he was an active operator in the great stock market of the national metropolis. In 1858, in partnership with J. Uhl, he erected a flouring mill in Logansport, Indiana, and a few years later he sold his interest to his partner's sons. He maintained his home and business headquarters in New York from 1872 until 1878, when he returned to Fort

Wayne. Here he remained as president of the Fort Wayne Gas Light Company from 1878 until 1894, when the gas company sold its stock to the Dietrich syndicate. Mr. Cheney was associated with Jay Gould in the reorganization of the Wabash Railroad Company, of which he was a stockholder until its final sale, in 1885, while he was appointed a trustee on the mortgage in connection with the Central Trust Company at the time of this sale. He was actively identified with the Masonic fraternity for many years, taking his dimit only when the infirmities of advanced age rendered it impossible for him to attend the dodge meetings.

We find it apropos to quote from the appreciative estimate published in a Fort Wayne paper at the time of Judge Cheney's death, which occurred at his beautiful home on Spy Run avenue, where his declining years were passed in practical retirement, though he continued to exercise a general supervision of his financial interests until his summons came, his death occurring on the 13th of December, 1903. "Judge Cheney's career was a remarkable one in many ways. He fought his way by his inherent ability to a place among the foremost financiers of America. Quiet and unobtrusive always, he was better known in the financial circles of Wall street than in the affairs of his own city. Though a leading factor in some of the greatest movements of modern times, his was an unassuming nature. A man of few words, he acted rather than talked, and even his most intimate friends hardly appreciated the tremendous part played by this modest gentleman in the financial world. Mr. Cheney was a man of keen business insight and was a born financier, yet he never departed from the path of absolute rectitude and honesty. In all his long and useful life two qualities - integrity and love of justice - were especially noticeable." His success in life was such as would command respect and admiration anywhere. His results were not accidents, as all his operations were managed with farseeing shrewdness. He had the genius of hard work and the instinctive knowledge of men which guided him so safely in his choice of business associates. Most orderly, exact and just in all his business dealings, he required the same methods in others. He managed to make money as dry goods merchant, contractor, miller, banker and as stockholder in many industrial enterprises. Absolutely independent in thought and action, he would charge no usurious rate of interest, yet neither would he give except to a cause which commended itself to his best judgment. Firm and unbending in his duty, his strict integrity made him always just and honorable in all his dealings. His own diligence and his fidelity in the many positions of trust he held made him quick to appreciate these qualities in others. In private life he was the most companionable of men. Whatever the subject of conversation, his comments were never shallow, but always thoughtful and keen. His long, busy life gave him many opportunities of observing state and national affairs. His pleasant narration of these experiences made him a most entertaining talker, while he was noted for the dignity and polish of his manners. Although he had been reared a Congregationalist, he leaned to the Quaker belief, especially admiring the absence of display in their manner of life and their simplicity of thought. Mrs. Cheney was a Presbyterian and Mr. Cheney was one of the chief benefactors of the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne.

That a man of so broad a nature should feel a deep interest in matters of public polity was a foregone conclusion, and in his earlier years Mr. Cheney took an active part in political affairs in Ohio, while he never wavered in his allegiance and fealty to the Democratic party.

On the 2d of May, 1842, Judge Chency was united in marriage to Miss Nancy B. Evans, who was born in Defiance, Ohio, on the of February, 1824, and whose death occurred on the 27th of June, 1895, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Knight, of Fort Wayne. She was a daughter of Pierce Evans, one of the representative citizens of Defiance county, where she was reared and educated. She was a woman of gentle and gracious personality and for many years was prominent in the social life of Fort Wayne, while her earnest Christian character was a source of inspiration to those who came within the sphere of her influence. In Mount Hope cemetery, at Logansport, Indiana, are laid to rest the remains of Judge Cheney and his devoted wife. They became the parents of four children, Helen, who is the wife of John A. Kimberly, of Neenah, Wisconsin ;

Roswell W., who is engaged in business in California, and who served during the Civil war as a member of the Ninth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry; Mary Cornelia, who is the wife of Hon. John C. Nelson, of Logansport, Indiana; and Alice, who is the wife of Charles S. Knight, of Fort Wayne.

James M. Robinson

The history of a county or state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly a chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by those of its representative citizens and yields its tributes of admiration and respect to those whose works and actions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride. Among the prominent citizens of Fort Wayne, Allen county, Indiana, who are well and favorably known because of the part they have taken in public affairs is James M. Robinson.

Mr. Robinson was born in 1861, the place of his nativity having been on a farm in Pleasant township, this county. His parents were David A. and Isabella (Bowen) Robinson, both of whom were natives of the state of Ohio, the former having been born in 1834 and the latter in 1833. In the year 1855 they came to Allen county, Indiana, and took up their abode on a frontier farm. On this pioneer homestead they reared their three children, of whom James M., the immediate subject of this sketch, was the youngest. The subject is of Scotch-Irish descent, his ancestors having come to this country in its early history and settled in Virginia and New Jersey. They were of sturdy, patriotic stock, and at least one of these ancestors served in the defense of the colonies during the Revolutionary war. The subject's father served in the Union army during the Civil war as a member of the Thirtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and in the battle of Chickamauga he was wounded and captured and sent to Libby prison, returning to Indiana at the close of the war.. However, because of the lack of proper care, his wound eventually resulted in where he acquired that vigor of body, clearness of mind and firmness of character which contributed in so large a degree to his subsequent success. His educational advantages were limited to the common schools of Allen county and the city of Fort Wayne. The family were poor, and before completing his common school course he found it necessary to employ his leisure hours in earning money with which to pay for his books and clothing. He was employed as a newspaper carrier for the Daily News, and at the age of fourteen years was promoted to the position of collector for this paper. At the age of fifteen years he secured employment as a machine hand in the wheelworks of N. G. Olds, at a wage of seventy-five cents per day, and which enabled him to contribute to the support of his mother, of whose comfort and welfare he has ever been tenderly solicitous. Early deciding to make the legal profession his life work, young Robinson employed all his leisure moments to the earnest study of such legal authorities as he could gain possession of, and in 1881 he entered the law office of Colerick Brothers, distinguished members of their profession, making such advancement in his studies that in 1882 he was admitted to practice in the United States and state courts. Thereafter his rise in the profession and success in securing a representative clientage was pronounced and certain. His qualifications as a lawyer were soon recognized, and in 1886 he was unanimously nominated for the office of prosecuting attorney of Allen county and overwhelmingly elected, being again nominated and elected in 1888. In 1892 he made the race for the Democratic nomination for congress, but was defeated in the convention by five delegate votes by Hon. W. F. McNagny, who was elected. However, in 1896, Mr. Robinson was the recipient of a unanimous nomination for congress, the first time this high compliment was ever paid a candidate in the twelfth district. Mr. Robinson was triumphant at the ensuing election, running about eight hundred votes ahead of the presidential ticket. In 1898 he was again unanimously nominated for congress and elected, leading the state ticket in his district eleven hundred votes. In 1900 the same story was repeated, he again leading his ticket by several hundred votes, and in 1902, for the fourth consecutive time, he was elected to represent the twelfth district in the national congress, thus breaking the two-term rule that had for so many years prevailed in this district.

In 1904 he was still again the candidate of his party for this high position, but in the landslide of that year he went down to defeat with the rest of his party ticket, being defeated by Hon. Newton W. Gilbert. Early in his mature life Mr. Robinson displayed rare ability as a public speaker, and to this, as well as his personal popularity, may be attributed his success as a politician. He is a stanch Democrat in a partisan sense, and also a democrat in the broader sense of the word, his interests and sympathies being ever with those from whom he sprung - the laboring man and the masses; and herein lies his strength with the people. Such pronounced success as he attained with a minimum of time certainly bears emphatic evidence of the honest worth and unmistakable capacity of the man, and that it has been richly merited none can doubt who have watched his efforts and advancement.

In 1900 Mr. Robinson was united in marriage with Miss Lily M. Deihl. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Robinson is now engaged in the active practice of his profession in his home city and at Washington, D. C., and has a large and representative clientele.

John Morris

The strong, true men of a people are always public benefactors. Their usefulness in the immediate and specific labors they perform can be defined by metes and bounds, but the good they do through the forces they put in motion and through the inspiration of their presence and example is immeasurable by any finite gauge or standard of value. The late Judge John Morris, of Fort Wayne, was such a man. The nestor of the bar of Allen county at the time of his death, he was also one of the best known and most distinguished citizens of northeastern Indiana, while his life and services have entered into and become an integral part of the history of this commonwealth. To epitomize his life and character within the limits of a publication such as this is impossible, but less than most men intellectually his equal does he need the voice of eulogy. The stalwart proportions of his living presence were realized in the void made in his death, and "his works do follow him."

John Morris was born near New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 6th of December, 1816, being the fourth in a family of twelve children. His paternal great-grand father, Jenkins Morris, was a naval engineer who immigrated from Wales to America in the latter part of the eighteenth century, settling in Loudoun county, Virginia. His son John, grandfather of our subject, removed from the Old Dominion to Ohio in 1801, taking up his abode in the wilds of Columbiana county, where he purchased a tract of land and began the development of a farm. On this place his children were born, as were also those of his son Jonathan, father of him whose name initiates this sketch, while the old homestead is still owned and occupied by direct descendants of the Morris line. Jonathan Morris married Sarah Snider, who was of German descent, her family having

The earlier years of Judge Morris' life were passed upon the old homestead farm of which mention has been made, and until he was fifteen years of age his life was not different from that of the aver- - age farmer lad of the locality and period: During the winter months he attended the Quaker schools in the neighborhood, the same being exceptionally good for those primitive days. At the age of fifteen, with the idea of gaining a more advanced education, young Morris went to Richmond, Indiana, where he entered the well equipped academy there, maintained under the auspices of the Society of Friends. In this institution he devoted three years to the study of history, natural philosophy and mathematics, and after thus completing his course he returned to New Lisbon, Ohio, where he devoted the ensuing three years to work at the trade of millwright. During this time his studies were not neglected, literature and mathematics claiming his enthusiastic attention.

Judge Morris had attained to his legal majority before he turned his attention to the profession which was to be so signally honored and dignified by his identification therewith. He initiated his reading of the law in New Lisbon, having as his preceptor William D. Ewing, who at that time one of the leading members of the Ohio bar. Four years later, in 1841, Judge Morris was duly admitted to practice, at New Lisbon, while it may be stated that at that time examination for admission to the bar was a considerably more formidable proceeding than has obtained in more recent times. Among those associated in the examination of the ambitious young attorney were Judges McClain and Hitchcock, of the Ohio supreme court; Edwin M. Stanton, who later became secretary of war in the cabinet of President Lincoln, and David Tod, who later served as governor of Ohio and as United States minister to Mexico. Immediately after being thus granted admission to the bar of his native state, Judge Morris formed a professional partnership with Hiram Griswold, with. whom he was associated in practice for three years. He grew restless under the conditions encompassing him and determined to locate in some growing town further to the west, believing that he could thus secure better opportunities for growth and success in his chosen pro- fession. In 1844 he came to Indiana and located in Auburn, DeKalb county, which was then a distinctively new section of the state, with primitive life in evidence in the straggling little village in which Judge Morris established himself in practice. He met with no insignificant success, his practice being extended not only into the courts of DeKalb county, but also into those of the surrounding counties, while his reputation and professional prestige grew apace. Of this portion of the life of our honored subject another has pertinently written as follows: "Many were the legal battles which he waged for clients in those pioneer days, not alone in the county courts, but also before the pioneer justices of the peace, whose conception of the law was often limited, but whose sense of common justice between man and man was not often at fault. It was one of the delights of Judge Morris' later life, when retrospective thought or some incident carried his memory back, to recount anecdotes of the courts and cases, the clients and the colleagues of pioneer days in northern Indiana."

In 1852 Judge Morris was the Whig candidate for judge of the common pleas court of the district comprising DeKalb and Steuben counties, and though the circuit was strongly Democratic he was elected. He had achieved front rank as a practicing attorney, and it is recorded that his career on the bench was equally creditable. In the year 1857 Judge Morris removed from Auburn to Fort Wayne, where he achieved the highest eminence in his profession, and where the remaining years of his long, useful and noble life were passed. He located here upon the invitation of Charles Case, forthwith becoming a member of the law firm of Case, Morris & Withers. Mr. Case was later elected to congress, and under these conditions, in 1864, Judge Morris entered into professional partnership with his lifelong friend, Judge James L. Worden, under the title of Worden & Morris. Judge Worden was elected to the supreme bench of the state in 1870, and Judge Morris continued to be associated with Mr. Withers until 1873, when he became a member of the law firm of Coombs, Morris & Bell. Touching pertinent points in his career, we are able to quote somewhat freely from a previously published sketch of the life of Judge Morris: "In 1881 the Indiana legislature provided for a commission as an auxiliary to the supreme court, designed to relieve that body of the press of business which was accumulating more rapidly than it could be disposed of by the regular court. The act provided that the members of the supreme court should appoint five commissioners to serve in such capacity, and it was arranged by the judges that each should select one member of the commission from his own judicial district, and these selections were then confirmed by the court. Judge Worden, though a Democrat, promptly chose his friend, Judge Morris, who was a Republican, as a member of this commission, and in this capacity Judge Morris served from April 27, 1881, to September 1, 1883, when he voluntarily resigned, to resume the practice of law in Fort Wayne. While on this commission Judge Morris decided a total of one hundred and seventy-five cases, which are reported in volumes 73 to gt of the reports of the supreme court. His decisions are characterized by lucid style, sound logic and a strong sense of justice and equity. Resigning his place upon the supreme court commission, Judge Morris resumed practice in Fort Wayne, with Charles H. Aldrich and James M. Barrett, under the firm name of Morris, Aldrich & Barrett. He remained at the head of this firm until Mr. Aldrich removed to Chicago, in 1886, after which Judge Morris and Mr. Barrett continued the business, as Morris & Barrett, until 1891. In the latter year the firm of Morris & Barrett and the firm of Bell & Morris united under the firm name of Morris, Bell, Barrett & Morris, the individual members being Judge Morris, Hon. Robert C. Bell, Hon. James M. Barrett and Samuel L. Morris. This was widely recognized as one of the very strongest law firms of the Indiana bar. It was continued for a period of seven years, until January 1, 1898, when Mr. Bell retired from the firm, and the firm became Morris, Barrett & Morris.

"When the federal bankruptcy law went into effect, in 1898, providing, among other things, for a referee in bankruptcy for the district of Fort Wayne, Judge John H. Baker, then upon the bench of the United States court for the district of Indiana, appointed Judge Morris as the first referee in bankruptcy for this district, and he withdrew from his legal partnership. Within a short time Judge Morris discovered that the burdensome clerical duties of the position were not to his liking, and he resigned the office, resuming the practice of law, in partnership with his grandson, Edward J. Woodworth. Here, at an age long past that at which most men have been compelled to relinquish even an attempt at business or professional life, Judge Morris retained a close touch with legal affairs, and exercised by close attention a directing hand in the legal practice of the firm. At more than four score years of age Judge Morris yet appeared in court in active practice, and it has only been within the past two years that his extreme age and enfeebled condition prevented an active participation in the work of the profession he adorned for so many years."

One who was long and intimately associated with Judge Morris has offered the following estimate: "His success as a lawyer was due to the careful preparation of every cause in its minutest details, to his strong sense of right, to his absolute integrity as a counselor, and to his high regard for the truth, as well as the law. No breath of calumny ever assailed his professional or private life. No suspicion of wrongdoing ever compromised his personal honor. He always enjoyed the confidence of courts and juries, and the respect, esteem and love of his professional associates. By hard labor, close attention to business, an indomitable will, unimpeachable integrity and unswerving fidelity to clients, he soon reached the front rank of his profession, and for more than fifty years he enjoyed the distinction of being the recognized leader of the bar of northern Indiana. The members looked to him for guidance and his influence among them has been unmeasured. He possessed the highest qualifications for a judge - independence, clear perception, patience in argument, thoroughness in investigation, sound judgment and absolute integrity, both moral and intellectual."

In politics Judge Morris was originally affiliated with the Whig party, but he cast his lot with the Republican party at the time of its organization, and ever afterward accorded to the same his unequivocal allegiance. He was frequently importuned by party leaders to accept nomination for important office, but declined all such overtures, loving his home and his profession too deeply to enter the tumultuous arena of practical politics. He was a man of the highest intellectuality and of pure and lofty ideals, while to him came the affection and regard of all who came within the sphere of his gracious influence. We are pleased to quote farther from the tribute paid him in a Fort Wayne newspaper at the time of his death: "Judge Morris was of charming personality, and he has been in the completest sense a type of the grand old man. Somewhat frail of figure, yet singularly erect of form and active in movement, with pleasing, regular features, hair and beard white as purest snow, he was a striking figure. Unfailingly affable, polite and genial, his manner was quiet and dignified, yet in no degree wanting in cordiality. Thoughtful of the rights and feelings of others, tender-hearted as a woman, generous to a fault, Judge Morris quickly won and steadfastly retained the unbounded respect and friendship of all with whom he was thrown in contact. His life has been an exemplification of the sturdy yet unobtrusive virtues and the polished graces of a dignified, courteous, kindly gentleman. In professional and personal life alike Judge Morris' position has always been one of exceptionally high degree, and in his career, private and public, was a the noblest type of American citizenship."

At New Lisbon, Ohio, on the 27th of April, 1841, was solemnized the marriage of Judge Morris to Miss Theresa Jane Farr, who proved to him a devoted wife and coadjutrix, their felicitous married life extending over a period of more than half a century, and the gracious ties of companionship being broken by the death of Mrs. Morris, in September, 1902. Three sons and three daughters survive the honored parents. Samuel L. and John, Jr., are representative members of the Fort Wayne bar; Stephen is an attache of the Old National Bank, of this city; Martha is the wife of James C. Woodworth, of Fort Collins, Colorado; Julia M. is the wife of E. A. Barnes, of Detroit, Michigan, and Miss Mary remains in the beautiful old homestead on Maple avenue, where the death of the loved and devoted father occurred on Saturday morning, February 4, 1905. In his death the city lost one of its most distinguished citizens, the bar of the state one of its worthiest members, and the world a man of signal purity of character, one whose life counted for good in all its relations. Judge Morris was a firm believer in the Christian faith, and his lfe was in harmony therewith. He was for many years a regular attendant of the Wayne Street Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife also was a devoted member.

Martin T. Geake

Chosen, in the general election of November, 1904, to represent Allen county in the state legislature, Mr. Geake was accorded a gratifying mark of popular confidence and esteem in the section where practically his entire life has been passed, and, as representative from the twelfth district, he is one of the youngest members of the sixtyfourth general assembly of the Indiana legislature, even as he is one of the prominent and popular young business men of Fort Wayne and a member of one of our honored families.

Martin Thomas Geake, more familiarly known by his second name, was born in the city of Toledo, Ohio, on the 29th of April, 1881, and is a son of William and Alice (Clayton) Geake, who have maintained their home in Fort Wayne for nearly a quarter of a century. The father of our subject is one of the representative business men and honored citizens of Fort Wayne, where he is an extensive contractor in cut-stone work, in which line his operations are of very wide scope, being excelled by those of few if any contractors in the state. William Geake was born in the city of Bristol, England, in 1849, and was a lad of five years when his parents, in 1854, came to America, locating in the Dominion of Canada, where they remained four years, at the expiration of which they returned with their children to England, where they passed the remainder of their lives. In 1868, shortly before his twentieth birthday anniversary, William Geake again came to America, and he first located in Oswego, New York, whence he removed to Toledo, Ohio, a few months later. In the city last mentioned he engaged in contracting for cut stone, in partnership with his cousin, John J. Geake, and they built up a prosperous enterprise. He remained there a number of years, and then removed to Emmet county, Michigan, locating near the city of Pe- toskey, where he took up a quarter section of wild land and became one of the pioneers of that locality, where he maintained his home about six years. He then came to Fort Wayne, with whose industrial and civic affairs he has ever since been identified, being one of the most substantial and prominent stone contractors in the state, and having done a large amount of important work in connection with the erection of public buildings in divers parts of northern Indiana. He is specially weil known in Masonic circles, being an appreciative a prominent member of the time-honored fraternity, in which he has attained to the maximum degree possible to be gained in America, being raised to the thirty-third degree in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, northern Masonic jurisdiction, while he is past grand master of the Masonic grand lodge of Indiana. He is also identified with the Royal Arcanum and the Sons of St. George, and in politics is a stanch Republican. In 1873 was solemnized the marriage of William Geake to Miss Alice E. Clayton, of Toledo, Ohio, and of their nine children we enter brief record as follows: Hon. William C. is deputy attorney general of the state of Indiana; Charles H. is superintendent of the Geake stone business, in Fort Wayne, the enterprise having been established by his father in 1884; Sarah A. is the wife of Delmer Franklin, of Chicago; Charlotte E. is at the parental home; Martin Thomas is the immediate subject of this review; Edith B. and Ella G. remain at home and are students in the Fort Wayne high school at the time of this writing; George Pixley is a student in Howe Military Academy, at Lima, Indiana, and Samuel Sweet is attending the city schools of Fort Wayne.

Martin Thomas Geake was an infant at the time of his parents' removal to Fort Wayne, and here he was reared to maturity, duly availing himself of the excellent advantages afforded in the city schools and being graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1899. After leaving school he became actively associated with his father's business operations, with which he is still identified, and he has shown himself to be an able and progressive young business man and one of marked initiative and executive aptitude. Ever since attaining years of maturity he has been an ardent advocate of the principles of the Republican party and has been one of its prominent and popular young devotees in Fort Wayne. Exceptional dis- tinction and honor were conferred upon him in his election, in November, 1904, to represent the twelfth district in the lower house of the state legislature, in which he has taken his seat at the age of twenty-three years. Like his honored father, Mr. Geake is a loyal and appreciative affiliate of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has advanced to the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, being identified with the Consistory of the Valley of Indiana, at the state capital, in which he has been duly crowned as a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. He has held various official positions in the different Masonic bodies in Fort Wayne, and is enthusiastic in the work of the grand order with which he is thus identified. Mr. Geake is a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church, being a member of Trinity parish, in his home city, and also being a member of the fine vested choir for three years. The subject is a young man of sterling character and one whose career is one of promise, both in a business and civic way, for in the matter of political prestige he has gained a noteworthy precedence for one of his years, and bases the same on personal popularity and eligibility, the fealty and loyalty of influential friends and the high standing of his family, so that his ambition for a political career may readily be indulged and fostered in case he sees fit to remain in the public service. He still remains a member of the home circle, where he is held in affectionate regard, not as the member of a dignified legislative body, but as "Tom," the cherished son and brother.

As a physician and surgeon of high attainments and distinctive precedence, and as one of the popular representatives of his profession in the city of Fort Wayne, Dr. Deming is entitled to consideration in his work.

Nelson Lloyd Deming was born in Danbury, Connecticut, on the 21st of November, 1868, and is a son of Charles J. and Annie Maria (White) Deming, both of whom were born and reared in that state, being representatives of old and prominent New England families. The father has been engaged in mercantile and railroad work during the major portion of his active career, and died August 30, 1905. He was a member of the Connecticut legislature and served three years as a Connecticut volunteer during the Civil war, being adjutant of the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery. Dr. Deming secured his early educational discipline in the public schools and in a private school in New York city, where he was prepared for matriculation in the scientific department of the Sheffield Scientific School, from which he graduated in 1890 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. He soon afterward (1890) entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city, now known as the medical branch of Columbia College, where he completed the prescribed course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1893. From May of that year until October, 1894, he served as interne in the city hospital of the national metropolis, while later he held other hospital appointments which gave him exceptional advantages for clinical work and study, while he continued in practice in New York until 1896, when he came to Fort Wayne, where he has built up an excellent general practice and is regarded as one of the leading medical practitioners of the younger generation in the city. In politics the Doctor is an advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party. His religious connection is with the Protestant Episcopal church, while professionally he is allied with the American Medical Association, the Tri-State Medical Society and the Allen County Medical Society, and also belongs to the Berzelins Society of Yale College.

On the 16th of November, 1898, Dr. Deming was united in marriage to Miss Louise Carnahan, who is a native of Indiana, being a daughter of William L. and Clara (Hanna) Carnahan, the former of whom is deceased, while the latter maintains her home in Fort Wayne. Dr. and Mrs. Deming have two children, Nelson L., Jr., and Mary Louise.