The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-17
Coming to This City in 1858, He Mt
Once Became Actively Identi-
fed with Its Growth.
LARGE PROPERTY INTERESTS
HE GAVE PERSONAL ATTENTION TO
HIS BUSINESS TO THE LAST.
His Partnership with f. G. Cornelius
Continued Through Thirty-Seven
Years-Leayes n Family.

Norman S. Byram, one of the Oldest and
best-known business men of Indianapolis,
| died last night, after an illness of two
| months, at his home, 1916 North Illinois
| street. Mr.. Byram had been In ill health
| for two years and had been confined to his
| home since about the first of May His
| death resulted from exhaustion due to his
| age and a long-life Of hard and constant
work About his death-bed his wife and
children were gathered. His wife was
Isabella Pursell whom he married at Har-
rison, o., in 1857. His children are Henry
G. Byram, Oliver T. Byram, Mrs. w. n.
Gates and Norman S. Byram, jr., all living
in this city. For several days his death
had been matter of certainty and the end
came peacefully at IL o'clock last night
No announcement of the funeral arrange
ments has yet been made.
Mr.. Byram's birthplace was Chenango
Forks, Chenango county. New York. His
father worked in wooden mill at that
place His own first recollections date back
to the days at Dryden. N. Y, from which
the elder Byram emigrated with his family
In 1887 to Brookville, Ind. There were three
children in the family, of whom Norman
was the oldest. AT Brookville his father
earned livelihood as an auctioneer and a
manufactures of razor strops. Norman
made many razor strop in his fathers
factory.
lie received a meager education in the
common schools. The family was poor and
often he went about with one or more of
his toes sticking out Of his shoes
His natural bent was for clerical work
but when employment in that line WAS
not TO be had he busted himself during
his young manhood by husking corn for
farmers about Brookvle or wheeling
stone at Is cents a day for both kinds of
work He spent some time also clerkinr
In store at Metamora, receiving SO a
month.
His next position was deputy auditor of
Franklin county. This position he held
two years, notwithstanding his father was
Whig and the auditor a rock-ribbed Dem
ocrat. AS deputy auditor he received $50 a
year. He next entered a dry-goods store at
Brookville as clerk and bookkeeper.
LOCAL CITIZEN BY ACCIDENT.
he became a citizen of indianapolis al
together by accident. John D. Rowland.
a leading lawyer OF BrookviIIe. had some
business TO transact in Indianapolis and
commissioned young Byram to attend to it
On that trip he became acquainted
through John r. Eddy whom he had met
previously in Brookville, with oliver Tou-
sey, head OF the retail dry-goods firm OF
Tousey & Eddy. This firm had a store az
the northeast corner of Illinois and WASH
ington streets, where the Claypool huild-
ing now stands. He learned that the firm
needed bookkeeper and he made an en-
gaSement TO fill that place.
When Mr.. Byram came here in March
1855, Indianapolis was a town of 900 peo-
pie. He was put 10 work selling goods for
the firm, and In that capacity became ac-
quainted with nearly every woman in the
city. In addition he gained the acouaint
ance of many men who afterwards became
prominent in the life of the State and Ma
tion. Benjamin Harrison was a struggling
young lawyer; Volney T. Malotr now af
the head OF the Indiana National Rank
then messenger boy in the branch of
the State Bank Of Indiana, from which the
Indiana Bank grew; George w Sloan was
a clerk in the drug store of Craighead q
Browning, on the site where Dr. Sloan's
present business is. Others he was asso-
ciated with were +. NJ. Churchman who
became a well-known banker Thomas III
Sharpe. James NJ. Ray. Lucien Barbour
and George Merritt. When he came here
there were but three newspapers-the Jour
nal, the Sentinel and the Locomotive Mr.
Byram met all OF the men of prominence
IN Indianapolis during the forty-hve years