WHITNEY COUNTY, INDIANA
BIOGRAPHIES
HON. JOSEPH WILSON ADAIR.
No profession develops with so much
accuracy and vigor man's
native intellectual powers as
that of the law. While it opens a vast field for profound philosophic
inquiry and research it at
the same time imperiously demands
an acute and close observation of the daily workings and practical
experiences of nearly every
phase of life. In its record and
principles it reaches back into the mist of ages long since historic, yet in the
application of those
principles to daily use the possessor
must keep his mind constantly fixed
upon the stupendous progress of modern improvements as well as upon the far more extended and complicated machinery of modern society. A moment's reflection will serve to show that, aside from the
patient and laborious task
necessary to accomplish successfully
a work of such vast proportions, he who would rise to eminence in this most arduous and far-reaching of
callings must possess a sound
mind, keen discernment, and
clear discrimination and practical judgment. He must be capable of extracting
great principles of
jurisprudence from amid the
rubbish of ages, and stiff, stern
and inflexible though they prove, they must in his hands be made sufficiently
malleable to be applied to the rapidly changing necessities of a
progressive and gradually developing state of society.
The mere disclaimer and sentimental dreamer will find in this
profession no field suited to his talents or exertions. The lofty aims
of a practical wisdom, of a far- reaching and sagacious philosophy can
alone be tolerated in an arena which more perhaps than any other
demonstrates the law of the survival of the fittest, and it is but
natural that those who have thus attained merited distinction should
possess a charm and force which commend them to the favorable
consideration of every sound thinker. There is a growing interest in
tracing the record of one who, by sheer force of will and the powers of
a native genius, has reached an elevated position in public confidence
and wielded a wide and wholesome influence for the general good. Who,
living truth and integrity for their own sakes, has undeviatingly
followed his dictates, regardless of personal consequences, and risen
to a commanding place at a bar long distinguished for the ability and
high standing of its legal talent.
Of this class of lawyers the Hon. Joseph Wilson Adair, judge of the
thirty-third judicial circuit court, and for a number of years one of
the leading practitioners of the northern Indiana bar, affords an
illustrious example. Like the majority of those who have attained eminence in legal circles,
his success, both in the
practice and on the bench,
has come to him as the reward of profound research, energetic action and
honorable endeavor, and with
a laudable ambition to
dignify his calling and make it what it has ever purported to be— a potential,
as well as an active agency
for the administration of
justice among men, he has steadily advanced along the line of distinguished service until now, in the prime of his
physical and mental powers,
and the largest development of
his professional ability, he stands
a conspicuous type of the successful,self-made man of to-day. Judge Adair is a native of Noble county, Indiana, where his birth occurred on November 29, 1843. His father, Joseph E. Adair, was born in Ireland and came to America in early
childhood, settling with his
family on a farm near New
London, Ohio, where he grew to maturity, familiar with all the duties that usually fall to the lot of those reared in close touch with nature, amid the active scenes of rural life.
When a young man Joseph E. Adair married Miss Elizabeth Winders, of
Maryland, and subsequently,
in 1837, removed to the new
and sparsely settled county of Noble,
Indiana, locating on January 1st of that year in what is now Washington
township, of which they were
among the earliest pioneers.
Here Mr. Adair entered four hundred acres of land, which was very heavily timbered, but, nothing daunted by the discouraging prospect, he at once
erected a diminutive log
cabin, with clap-boards, daubed
with mud and furnished with a rough puncheon floor, which afforded a
fairly comfortable shelter for the family until replaced by a more
commodious and substantial structure after years. This frontier
cabin commanded a beautiful site on the banks of the Tippecanoe and for
several years was frequently visited by the Indians, between whom and
the inmates a spirit of amity and good will seems to have obtained. The
country at that time was largely as nature had created it, the few
small clearings of the settlers being mere niches in the dense forests,
in the midst of which various kinds of wild animals roamed in large
numbers, some of them, like the wolf and bear, ferocious and during
certain seasons destructive to live stock, and not infrequently proving
dangerous enemies to man himself. Game of all kinds was plentiful and
easily procured and as Mr. Adair was fond of hunting and an exceedingly
accurate marksman, many deer, wild turkeys, geese, ducks, squirrels,
etc., fell before his unerring rifle, in this way the table being
supplied with the choicest of meats during the greater part of the
year. Immediately after providing a shelter for his family Mr. Adair
addressed himself to the more formidable task of clearing his land and
preparing the soil for cultivation, to accomplish which required hard
and continuous toil, such as the present generation can illy conceive,
much less realize and appreciate. By persevering industry, however, he
gradually succeeded in removing the forest growth and in the course of
a few years had a goodly number of acres under cultivation. By
gradually extending the area of tillable land his efforts were in due
time rewarded, as he finally developed an excellent farm on which were
made some of the finest and most substantial improvements in the
county, and in time he substantial improvements in the county, and in time he became one of the prosperous and well-to-do men of his community. In
connection with agriculture
he dealt quite extensively in
live stock, which he purchased throughout
a large area of his own and neighboring-
counties and drove to Cincinnati, Columbus and other shipping points, where he disposed of his animals at
handsome profits. So
encouraging was his success in
this line of business that he continued it as long as he lived and it was while on his way with a herd of cattle to
Cincinnati that he was
stricken with cholera and died
at Wilshire. Ohio, October 9, 1849. Joseph and Elizabeth Adair were the
parents of a large family,
thirteen children in all, of
whom five are still living, Mrs. Mary Correll, Mrs. Elizabeth Burke, Joseph W., subject of this review, and Dr. Thomas E. Adair, who is practicing medicine in the town of Moline, Kansas. Some years after the death of Mr. Adair the widow became the wife of C. B. Wood, but both have passed from the scenes of their earthly
struggles and trials to the
land of silence.
Reverting to the personal history of Judge Adair. it is learned that as a youth and
during the earlier years of
his boyhood he was subject to
those wholesome family influences
which give the proper direction to moral character; and to parental precept
and example may doubtless be
traced, in a large measure,
the germs of the honorable and manly
ambition which now distinguishes him as a public man. He was reared on the old family homestead, early bore his share
of the labor required to clear
the fields and cultivate the
same and grew up to the full stature of vigorous young manhood,
with the conviction that labor is honorable and that success in any
line of endeavor must be the result of patient, energetic individual
effort. While still a mere lad he entered the district schools, where
he pursued his studies until the age of seventeen, when by reason of
his advancement he engaged in teaching, which profession he continued
during the winter seasons for several years, meeting with success as an
able and painstaking instructor. During this period he manifested a
decided taste for books and such was his desire to add to his store of
knowledge that he eagerly read every book and periodical to which he
could lay his hands, and in this way not only laid broad and deep the
foundation of his subsequent career as student and lawyer, but also
became widely informed in general literature and the leading questions
of the times. His early and strong manifestation for learning induced
him at the close of his first term as teacher to strive for still
higher intellectual attainments. Accordingly. he entered a college in
the city of Fort Wayne, under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal
church, where he remained one year, and subsequently prosecuted his
studies for two years in Wabash College, Crawfordsville, the meanwhile
devoting the winter months to the work of teaching. Having a decided
preference for the law, which early attracted him, he decided to make
the profession his life work and in due time he entered the office of
Hon. H. D. Wilson, of Columbia City, subsequently judge of the
thirty-fourth judicial district, under whose instructions he continued
until his admission to the Whitley county bar in 1869.
Judge Adair brought to his chosen calling
a mind well disciplined by intellectual and professional training and it was not long until his abilities were duly
recognized, as is attested by
his rapid rise at the Columbia City
bar. He practiced alone until 1873,
when he became associated with Judge James S. Collins, the partnership thus formed lasting until 1883, during which time it achieved marked success in the
courts of Whitley and other
counties, the two gentlemen being
retained as counsel in the majority of important cases adjudicated in this section of the state. Discontinuing the
firm at the expiration of the
period indicated, Mr. Adair
has since been alone and before his elevation to the bench it is not too much
to assert that he easily
stood at the head of the bar
to which the major part of his practice was confined, and for a number of years there was seldom a case of any import in which he did not appear either for
plaintiff or defense. Perhaps
one of the most noted cases
in which he was engaged was the trial of Doctor Gotwald, of Springfield, Ohio,
for teaching and preaching
doctrines contrary to the
accepted creed of his church and for which he was called upon to face a charge of heresy. Judge Adair appeared for the defendant and it was through his efforts mainly that the accused was acquitted, but
not until after a most
interesting and in not a few
respects sensational trial. As already indicated, Judge Adair stands in the front
rank of his profession in his
native state and his record
as a practitioner is not only brilliant,
but is above the suspicion of anything savoring of dishonor. In the commencement
of his legal studies lie made a thorough elementary preparation and having
a retentive and disciplined memory, combined with remarkable quickness
or readiness of manner, he is enabled instantly to render available all
his learning and experience. It is in a great measure owing to these
and other equally fortunate circumstances that he was enabled so soon
to attain a commanding position in the profession and to win a
reputation such as few achieve in a much longer and more varied period
of practice. His highest ambition has been to excel in the line of his
calling, to attain a thorough mastery of the legal science, and to this
end he has with singleness of purpose directed the untiring industry
and energy of a lifetime. Shrewd, keen, ever on the lookout to detect
the weak points in an adversary's position, his ready exposure of the
weakness frequently gives force and influence favorable to his cause
beyond the power of the severest logic or closest reasoning. Careful
and judicious in the preparation of legal papers, painstaking and
thorough in their presentation to the court. he leaves nothing undone
in matters confided to his charge and frequently secures verdicts at
the hands of juries by skillful and elaborate arguments, presented with
power and great magnetic force. Another marked feature in his
professional career is his faithfulness and untiring devotion to the
interests of his client, no matter ho\v trifling the amount or how
uncertain the prospect of remuneration for his services, he works just
as hard and with the same zeal as though the case involved large
interests and abundant rewards.
In addition to the position the Judge he now holds and so faithfully
fills he has at different times been chosen to other stations of honor
and trust, having been elected superintendent of the Whitley county
schools in 1880 for one intendent of the Whitley county schools in 1880 for one term, and in 1889 was made mayor of Columbia City, filling both
offices with credit to
himself and to the entire satisfaction of the public. In the latter year he was appointed judge of the district
composed of the counties of
Whitley and Kosciusko, and in
1890 was elected judge of the thirty-third
judicial circuit, which position he has held by successive re-elections to
the present time, his record
since entering upon the
discharge of his judicial functions, fully sustaining his erstwhile reputation as an able and brilliant lawyer and justifying
the people in the wisdom of
their choice. Judge Adair
came to the bench eminently qualified for its many high and arduous duties and
he has admirably tried to
prove worthy of the important
trust reposed in him and meet the wants of the people of the circuit in all
matters of law, justice, and
equity. Methodical in the
disposition of business, fair and essentially impartial in his rulings, clear and unequivocal in the enunciation of his
decisions, and withal
gentlemanly and courteous to
members of the bar and to all having business in court, he has deported himself with such becoming grace and dignity as to
adorn the high station to
which called and earned an
honorable reputation among the most distinguished jurists of Indiana.
It would indeed be anomalous if, with such an intellect as Judge Adair
possesses, he did not with
the varied subjects that have engaged
his attention, deeply study and carefully weigh the claims of revealed religion. This he has done with the happy result of strengthening and every day making
brighter and surer his faith
in an all-wise Father
who doeth everything well and in his
son. Jesus Christ, through the atoning merits of whose sacrifice he
expects ultimately to enjoy in a far greater degree the consolation and
solace which have been such potent factors, in molding his character
and shaping his destiny, not only for the life that now is, but for the
far more abundant life beyond death's mystic stream. For many years he
has been a firm believer in the Christian faith and as a faithful and
zealous member of the Lutheran church has made his influence felt in
every laudable activity for the moral and spiritual advancement of his
fellowmen. For thirty-two years he has had charge of the same class in
Sunday school and during this time has never been absent from his place
nor reached the school after the exercises had begun. Upon the minds of
the young he has left an influence for good which time will never erase
and by his consistent Christian life and upright course of conduct, as
well as by honorable professional and official career, he has won and
retained the warm and abiding friendship of all classes and conditions
of people with whom he has been brought in contact. Amid the
multifarious and exacting duties of the bench the Judge finds pleasure
and recreation in agricultural pursuit?, owning a half section of fine
tillable land, on which he has made many valuable improvements. He
takes great interest in the cultivation of this place and in the
raising of fine breeds of stock and in all that pertains to advanced
agricultural methods he is justly considered an authority.
On July 27, 1867. Judge Adair was united in marriage with Miss Amelia
M. Young, of Wolf Lake, Noble county, daughter of John and Sarah Young,
the union being blessed with two children, Jessie, the wife of E. K. Strong, and Josephine, now Mrs. Clyde Kein. of Kendallville, Indiana,
The home of the Judge and his
estimable wife has long been
noted for its free-handed, open-hearted
hospitality and their children, as well as themselves, occupy prominent
positions in the best social
circles of their respective places
of residence. Judge Adair is
essentially a man of the people, with their interests ever at heart, and proud of his
distinction as a citizen of a
country for whose laws and
institutions he has the most profound admiration and respect, while his strong mentality, ripe judgment and
unimpeachable integrity
demonstrates to the satisfaction of all his ability to fill honorably important official station and to
discharge worthily high
trusts. In the larger sense of
the term he is a politician and gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, but at
no time has he been a partisan
or resorted to the
questionable methods of those who make politics their chief aim in life.
Like many truly great men, he
shrinks from, rather than
courts, notoriety, his becoming modesty and desire to keep as much as
possible from the public gaze
being among his most pleasing
characteristics. He has long been
a prominent member and active worker
in the Masonic fraternity, in which
he has risen to high
standing, being past master of the
lodge to which he belongs, besides holding for a period of thirteen years the
position of high priest of
the chapter, and is also a
Knight Templar and a member of the
Indianapolis consistory, S. P. R. S.
Thus, in a brief and cursory manner have been set forth the leading facts and
characteristics in the career of one of Indiana's eminent jurists
and distinguished men of affairs who, by a life of integrity, laborious
study, energy, activity, and devotion to duty, has been honored by his
fellow citizens and who occupies to-day a first place in their
affection and regard. Beloved with a fervent warmth of attachment by
all who know him personally and respected by men of all parties he now,
in the prime of life and the vigor of his mental powers, stands at the
head of his profession at the northern part of the state and an
acknowledged leader in matters of public import. In the future, should
he see fit, there are no honors to which he may aspire and no place
which he would not fill with dignity and honor to himself and credit to
his state and country.
MATTHIAS SLESMAX
The family of this name, long well
known in Whitley county, is of German origin and natives of Baden, a
grand duchy ' of the empire. The father dying at the old" home, left
his widow in straitened circumstances, and she decided to try her
fortunes in the new world, so in 1840. set sail for New York. The
passage was long and tedious, but the plucky woman finally reached her
port of destination and immediately made preparations to travel to the
West in search of a home. At that time Ohio was a kind of Mecca for
incoming emigrants and hither the new arrival made her way. Reaching
Seneca county after a tedious trip, she took up her abode there, but
after a' residence of four years concluded to travel still further
westward, this trip ended at Columbia City in September. 1844 - 445 and
from that time until the present the descendants and from that time
until the present the
descendants of this German woman have been identified with the growth
and development of the county. She brought with her as her principal
assets four sons, whose names were Michael, Jacob, John and Matthias.
The first mentioned worked at the wagon maker's trade until his death
in 1878 and became widely known as a skilled mechanic. John enlisted,
when quite young, as a soldier in the Mexican war. afterward became a
blacksmith in Columbia City and was killed by lightning while engaged
in building the pike from Fort Wayne to Lima. Jacob, now a man of
advanced years, is still living in Columbia City. The mother died many
years ago, after reaching the age of seventy.
Matthias Slesman, youngest of this family, was born in Baden, October
6, 1833, and hence was but seven years old when his mother crossed the
ocean. He learned the carpenter's trade, but in addition to this was
engaged in farming and teaming. He has prospered and at present owns a
farm of one hundred and sixty acres, five and one- half miles north of
Columbia City, in Thorncreek township, which he has improved until it
has become a valuable piece of property. Aside from his business, he
has been active in various lines, including politics, and at one time
was deputy sheriff for a term and also served as marshal of the city.
In 1870. he built a comfortable residence on North Line street and has
lived in the same for over forty years. His political affiliations have
always been Democratic and he has represented his party as delegate to
various conventions. In 1864, when thirty-one years old, he married
Elizabeth Sipe, who was born in Ohio in 1842 and come here with her
parents, who settled on a farm in Columbia township. Mr. and Mrs.
Slesman have had eight children, of whom six reached maturity. Adam
died at the age of thirty- six : William is a resident of Columbia City
; Margaret, wife of Charles Battles, who lives in Chicago; Franklin is
a street car conductor in Chicago ; Harmon is now operating the farm in
Thorncreek township, but was for a while a street car conductor in
Chicago ; Charles is a railroad clerk in a Chicago transfer office.
BURDETTE F. McNEAR
One of the live business
establishments in Columbia City is the harness store conducted by
Trembley & McNear, which started March i, 1898, on a small
investment. They at first handled buggies only, but other lines were
added until now they carry a full assortment of harness, trunks, robes,
suit-cases and other articles, with annual sales of from twenty
thousand to twenty-two thousand dollars, employing three assistants,
occupying a building twenty-five by one hundred and fifty feet, the
location being most desirable. Some years before the Civil war, Josiah
F. McNear came to Whitley county with his father, Philip, who engaged
in farming. The son was here married to Antoinette Tucker and taught
school for several years. He then went to Kansas, where he spent five
years in agriculture, when lie returned to Whitley county, and was
variously engaged. About 1880 he came to Columbia City, and was engaged
in the hardware business for ten or twelve years. He is now a carrier
on the rural mail delivery service of the county. He is a veteran of
the Civil war, having served throughout that struggle as a member of
the Seventy-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, becoming
lieutenant of his company. Burdette F. McNear, son of Josiah F., was
born at Douglas. Kansas, January 7, 1872. His mother died when he was
thee and a half years old and for a while he was entrusted to the care
of his grandfather. For six years he was in the family of George Dice,
west of Churubusco, and attended school at the latter place for two
years, during which time he lived with an uncle. Subsequently he
attended school at Columbia City, took a course in a business college
and was for a while in the commercial department of the Valparaiso
Normal. At intervals he clerked in a hardware store, acted as reporter
for the "Mail" and made himself useful in whatever his hands could find
to do. For a year he was a commercial traveler, selling hardware over
Indiana for a Fort Wayne firm, and eventually entered into the
partnership above described, a line of trade to which he seems
peculiarly well adapted. October 31, 1900, Mr. McNear married Miss
Edith, daughter of Alfred Ale, a cabinetmaker. Mrs. McNear, who is a
native of Kosciusko county, is a popular lady, taking active part in
the Coterie Literary Club.
FRANKLIN PIERCE BRIDGE
The Bridge family has been identified
with Washington township for more than half a centurv . and different
members of it have made their influence felt in connection with farming
interests. It was in 1845 that Levi and Rebecca (Hines) Bridge arrived
in \Yhitley county, coming from Cleveland. Ohio. Five years later they
bought a farm in Washington township near the present village of Laud,
and their remaining years were devoted to the active work of improving
the property. The father died at the age of sixty-two, while his wife
survived until her seventy-seventh year. Of their nine children to
reach maturity, three sons and two daughters are living in 1907.
Franklin Pierce Bridge, now deceased, was born at Cleveland, Ohio,
January i, 1853. When about corning of age he learned the carpenter's
trade, but after working at the bench several years took charge of his
mother's farm and managed it until her death, nearly eight years later.
Upon the settlement of the estate he bought out the other heirs. He
made expensive improvements, including an open ditch through the place,
beside laying a great deal of tile, thus making it one of the most
productive farms in the township. He died May 7. 1899. as the result of
a kick from a horse received twenty-seven hours previously. In politics
he was an ultra Republican and was also an active member of the Knights
of the Maccabees, whose impressive burial sen-ice was used in paying
the last sad rites to one highly respected by all. - May 20. 1880, Mr.
Bridge married Miss Elsie Lenwell, whose parents were pioneer settlers
of Kosciusko county, and who later settled in Washington township. She
was born in 1856, was seventeen years old upon coming to this county,
and twenty-four at marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Bridge had four sons: Arthur,
who married Rosa Rupert, manages the old sons: Arthur, who married Rosa
Rupert, manages the old homestead ; Salathiel Castle is bookkeeper in
the First National Bank at Columbia City; Emmet, having finished the
high school course at Columbia City, is a teacher in the old home
school ; Clemmet, twin brother of the last mentioned, is a student in
the freshman class at Wabash College.
ROSANNA CRIDER
Indiana was still a young state when
Francis Tulley was married in Ross county, Ohio, to Mary E. Nickey, of
Augusta county, Virginia, and came with his bride to Whitley county.
This was in 1834, and previous to that time, friends had already
settled in the same vicinity, Samuel Smith had built the first cabin in
the township, subsequently named after him, and this rude structure was
occupied by the Tulleys during the owner's temporary absence. Francis
Tulley built the second cabin in Smith township, and here he made his
home for over forty years, meantime accumulating four hundred acres of
land most of which he distributed among his children. In 1872, he
removed to Columbia City, where he lived in retirement until his death,
twenty-four years later, in 1896, surviving his life companion one
year. The children of this pioneer couple were four in number: Rosanna;
William A., proprietor of a repair shop in Columbia City : Cyrus B.,
lawyer and member of the legislature, who died at his home in Columbia
City, aged fifty-five ; and Wesley C. who lives on the old homestead in
Smith township. Rosanna Tulley, eldest of these, was born in Smith
township, September 15, 1834, this being the same year in which her
parents came. Neighbors were few and far between, wolves were plentiful
and made the lonesome night still more dreary by their dismal howling,
it being the custom of the settlers to fire guns to frighten them away.
Indians were also numerous, though not hostile and often called at the
Tulley cabin for food or out of idle curiosity. If Rosanna's birth was
romantic, her youth and girlhood were none the less so, though they did
not differ materially from those of other pioneer children in the
western wilderness. She had to "pitch in" to help clear the farm and
many a sturdy blow she struck with ax or. mattock, to say nothing of
holding the plow, feeding the stock, and attending to the household
drudgery. The first school she attended was kept in the kitchen of her
parents, and was taught by an Eastern man named Wisner. Her father had
to work out to secure food for the family, and often put in three days
of hard work for one bushel of corn meal. He had brought with him from
Ohio a team and cow and had to cut a road through the woods to his
land. She and her mother spent many weary hours spinning and weaving
cloth with which to make wearing apparel for the household. November i,
1855, when she was twenty-one years of age, there was a pioneer wedding
at this rude cabin in the woods, the contracting parties being John
Crider and herself. The groom, who was but two months older, had come
into Smith township with his parents when about fifteen years of age,
and as a wedding present his father gave him a horse and cow. The
bride's dowry consisted of two horses, two cows, a sheep and forty
acres of wild land.
They went to housekeeping in a small frame structure, and with the
sturdy courage characteristic of those times, faced resolutely toward
the future. Before marriage Mr. Cricler had taught school at intervals
and he kept at this occupation intermittently for some time after. He
was, however, of an ambitious turn of mind, and aspired to something
higher than grubbing and township teaching. In 1872, he removed to
Columbia City, was elected township assessor and during spare hours
devoted himself to the study of the law. Forming a partnership with his
brother-in-law, Cyrus B. Tulley, he entered actively into practice
until 1882, meantime running a hardware store. His death occurred at
Churubusco November 6, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. John Crider had three
children : Noah W., the oldest, taught school and dealt in musical
instruments, books and sewing machines and died unmarried at the
residence of his mother after two years' illness of consumption, aged
twenty-six years. Rosa May died in infancy and Bertie Wilson died in
1885, when eleven years old. just two months after his older brother
had passed away. Since 1874, Mrs. Crider. the bereaved mother and
widow, has lived in her residence on North Line street, and devoted her
life to works of charity and religion. A lifelong member of the United
Brethren church, none have done more than she to forward the interests
of this denomination. The structure in which the services are held is
situated on the corner of Chauncey and Market streets facing the
courthouse square and bears the name of Tulley-Crider Memorial church,
being, as the name would, indicate, a building put up in honor of the
family, and erected largely through the efforts of Mrs. Crider. During
all these years she has continued to support the church liberally, not
only by generous contribution of funds but by individual effort and all
her personal influence.
