The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-21
THROUGH AN OLD DIRECTORY
indianapolis, It's People and Business,
MOreth aQuarter of a Century Ago.
Who Are Left of the Old Merchants. the Old
City Officers, the Old Preachers, Etc
Curious and Forgotten LORE

Curious and Forgotten Lore.
The other day, having aleisure half hour, a re-
porter looked through the pages of an Indian.
apolis city directory of the year 1860. handed to
him by an antiquarian friend. Twenty-six yeare
is long period in the rapid pulsing business
life of a city and large number Of the names
in the book are no longer the names of living
men. However quite number of the young
and struggling business men of 1860, the adver-
tisers in the book, are yet among the living and
prosperous. Mortality tables show the days Of
the advertiser to be long in the land, fact
demonstrated by perusal Of this directory OF
over quarter of century ago. Among the
number are to be found the names OF E. G.
Atkins, saw manufacturer; l.. W. Moses the
spectacle man; H. Bamberger, the halter, then az
now at No. 16 East Washington street;
w. p. Bingham g. Co., jewellers; Merritt
g. Coughlen, wooden manufacturers; Stew.
wart Il Bowen and Merrill g. Co.,
booksellers the two houses, now making the
great house of the Bowen Merrill Company; J. g
p. Granting, merchant tailors; Spiegel Thoms&
Co., furniture; l. L. Frankem, timer; Virgins
& Chambers (now Chandler G. Taylor'sl foundry;
Clemens Vonnegut dealer in hides and shoe find
ings (now hardware); Williamson g. Haugh.
wrought and cast iron railing, now grown into
the great industry of Haugh, Ketcham g. Co.,
at Haughvlle; Charles M. Raschig, tobacconist.
then the ''sgn of the tin Indian; NJ. Pouder q
r. Borst meat Market B. f. Gresh brass and
string band Miss e. Lueders. embroidery; VIM.
Daggett. confectioner, John Moloney boots and
shoes; Locke & Munson, lightning rods,
with q lurid picture of an unprotected
barn struck by the electric fluid
There Is also the modest advertisement OF II. j.
Calling, "real estate and insurance agent" af
forwards inventor of the celebrated gun; the adj
vertisement of Samuel w. Gulck, s'fresco, seen
ic and pictorial painter" who wore his hair in
long black ringlets, and was for years we'll
known character here; of VIM. Y. Wiley, real
estate whose sfor sale" stakes picketed the city
to that extent that an Eastern traveller wrote
from here that Indianapolis was a beautiful lit
tie city of about $1,000 people, and all for sale
by VIM. Y. Wiley" of that mad wag Martin
Igoe, attorney at law; of Louis Lang, who kept
the most fashionable liquor house of that time
and many others-ghosts OF days that are gone
OF the city officers, James d. James, treas
urer; Jefferson Springstien, marshal; Jacob J.
master, and Byron K Elliott, attorney. still sur.
vive, together with Theo. p. Haughey aud AM
drew Wallace, then councilmen from the Second
ward; Alexander Metzger, from the Sixth and
Thomas Cottrell and Charles Richm Inn, from
tbs Seventh-the city then having only seven
wards. There were no ''policemen;" A. ID. Rose
was captain of the watchmen.
OF the county officers there are still living:
John Coburn, Judge of the Court of Common
Pleas; Jno. G. New clerk; Fred Knener. princi-
pal deputy; John Wallace sheriff; Jacob w.
Wright, auditor Fabins NJ Finch was judge OF
the then Fifth judicial circuit, and w. P. Fish
back prosecuting attorney
"The indianapolis steam fire department.
Joseph w. Davis chief engineer, consisted OF
only three companies. There were four military
companies, the Indianapolis City Greys, the City
Greys Artillery, the indianapolis National
Guards and the Marion Light Dragons f. A.
Colescott was captain of the City Greys Artil-
lery. The Greys infantry company was Differed
follows: E. Hartweil, commandant; w. f.
Harris, first lieutenant; r. S. Foster, second
lieutenant Byron K Elliott. third Lieutenant
T. F. Holland, fourth lieutenant; George Butler,
first sergeant H. W. Carlisle second sergeant
e. c. Brundage. third sergeant; S. w. Elliott.
fourth sergeant; G. S. Butterfeld, fifth sergeant
James 0. Brown first corporal; w. F. Oglesby,
second corporal; T. s. Campbell, third corporal
j. N. Mayhem, fourth corporal; Thomas Nc
Baker, quartermaster, George Rhodius. ensign;
S. w Elliott, secretary.
The National Guard were commanded by lr-
win Harrison; Winston P. Noble. first lieuten-
ant Harvey Bates, second lieutenant; James
Drum. third lieutenant; Charles Coulon, fourth
lieutenant John Limbley ensign; w. w. OAR
nall first sergeant; George w. Sloan secong SER
geant; Dorman Davidson. third sergeant; L.
Adams. fourth sergeant; Capt Myron North,
drum major: E. e. Ward first corporal; David
Braden, second corporal; l.. r. Garner, third
corporal; James Moore, fourth corporal John
Fahnestock, secretary; j. r Bracken, commits
sary; DR.. John NJ Kitchen, surgeon. The
Dragons were oficered as follows: John Love,
commandant Harrison Fl. Dodd, FIRST lieutenant;
John w. Murphy, second lieutenant Francis
Cunningham, secretary.
Of all the pastors who officiated in the TWEEN
ty-nine congregations Of that day, but two are
yet occupying pulpits in this city-Rev N. A.
Hyde. Congregationalist, and Rev. August Bes-
sonies, of St Johns Catholic Church,
The newspapers and periodicals then. beside
the Journal and Sentinel, were the Locomotive,
Saturday literary paper. published by Elder d
Hardness, both of whom are still living; the
Volksblatt, B9tticher q Seidensticker Freia
Presse, Richard Henninger; Indiana American,
Thomas A. Goodwin; Herald and Era tUni'
versaistl, Williamson g. Lee; Witness (Baptist).
NJ. g. Clarke Christian Record lDsciplesl, Eli
1ah Goodwin; Indiana Farmer, ); n Ray; indi-
ana School Journal tmonthlyl O. Phelps Re-
postory lcolored), quarterly devoted to reli-
gion and literature, Elijah Weaver.
1t was long before the days of the city library
The State library with its 10000 volumes was for
the use of judges, State officers and profes-
SIGNALS, and not open to girls and BOYS hungering
for brain food. The Center township library
was free, to be sure. bat it was open but one day
in the week. Saturday. and then for only three
hours. Besides there were less than thousand
volumes, though of good class of reading The
Marion county library, good institution in its
time had i $50 volumes 1t was open on Satur-
days from 8 A. NJ. to 3 p. NJ; terms 70 cents
year for two books, SO cents for one book.
The Independent Order of the Sons of Malta
was then in the height Of its pride and splendor.
A few months later came the expose by Frank
Leslie which knocked il into cooked hat. Cor
tez Lodge, No. l." the Supreme Grand
Council for the State of Indiana and the place
of meeting in the hall on the north side Of
Washington street, between Meridian and Penn
syvania streets The grand officers were: FL.