NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH MANCHESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
Volume XXIX, No. 4, November 2012

 

THOMAS R. MARSHALL ELECTED VP!
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO!

 

 Thomas R. Marshall, 1912 drawing by Launer


One hundred years ago, North Manchester’s native son, Thomas R. Marshall, was elected Vice-President on the national Democratic ticket headed by Woodrow Wilson. To acquaint the American public with the candidate during the 1912 campaign, the Publicity Bureau for the National Democratic Party released the following article (see page 2) about Marshall and his wife Lois.

 

 

MRS. TOM’S PART IN THE ELECTION

 

Just about the time that thousands of friends of Governor Thomas Riley Marshall were anxiously wanting to shake his hand in congratulations on his acceptance as candidate of vice-president on the Democratic ticket, a smiling woman stepped before him, and if one could have heard what she whispered in his ear it would have been something like “Now, hurry in, Tom, and change your clothes.”

 

And Tom Marshall forgot to shake hands with the enthusiastic friends until he had carried out the orders of Mrs. Tom.

 

Indiana has honored four of her sons as vice-presidential candidates on the Democratic ticket, but the crowds that greeted Governor Marshall in the big coliseum in the state fair grounds, Indianapolis, on Tuesday were the greatest in the history of the party.

 

The west wanted to show the east what could be done in notification honors, and, while Mrs. Marshall was happy, of course, over the honors for her husband, she was also worried, for her husband comes mighty close to being father, husband, son and partner all in one. And when a woman has that combination on her hands to care for she has every right to be worried.

 

Governor Marshall will never gain any honors as a hammer thrower. He is not built that way.

 

While all the country was reading the vigorous words of Governor Marshall which told the voters what he expects Democracy to do in carrying out the pledges for the next four years it’s worthwhile to know what part a woman is taking in the affairs of the campaign—how Tom Marshall happens to be in the position in which he stands today.

 

The good people of Columbia City, Ind., never thought “Thomas Riley Marshall was a “marrying man.” For forty years he had lived with his parents, nursing both his father and mother, who were invalids, which was the reason Governor Marshall was not a marrying man. He felt his first duty was to his parents.

 

After the death of his parents Governor Marshall dived deeper into his law practice, and one day an urgent case took him to Angola, Ind. His duties called him to the county clerk’s office, and there he met Miss Lois Kimsey, daughter of the county clerk, who was assisting her father in the office.

 

From that day Governor Marshall had more business around the county clerk’s office in Angola than any lawyer in half a dozen nearby counties.

Governor Marshall was forty-two years of age when he was married, Mrs. Marshall being nearly twenty years his junior.

 

The Marshalls had been married only a few weeks when the future vice-president was called to an adjoining county on a case that would consume some five or six weeks of his time.

 

“Now, I did not want to be starting off like that,” Governor Marshall explained to a friend one day, “so I just told Mrs. Marshall that I thought she should go along. And she did.”

 

Since then Governor Marshall has never made a trip without Mrs. Marshall going along. They have traveled all over the country together; they go to banquets and political meetings together until the friends of the Indiana executive refer to him and his wife as the “pards.”

 

“Tom Marshall is not over strong,” explained one of his friends. “While not a delicate man, his constitution is not of the most vigorous type. When he gets into a political battle he forgets his weakness. He gives all that is in him, and that will tell on any man. Mrs. Marshall soon discovered that the governor would become heated in making a speech and the next day his voice would be husky. She decided that he had better give up some of the handshaking and take care of his health first. So when you find him making a speech when he has finished he does not stay around to hear the applause of the audience. Rather, he hurries to his room and changes his clothing.”

 

“Some people have said that Tom Marshall is not a handshaking politician. He is not. His wife thinks it is more important to guard his health than to carry out the old time policy, and she is correct, as she is in most all other things.”

 

The Marshall home is typical of the mistress. It is a home of books, and still one does not feel “bookish.” One of the Marshall friends said he always felt like eating when he entered the Marshall home in Columbia City or the executive mansion at Indianapolis.Mrs. Marshall believes in a home first, and the “home air” prevails.

 

“If Governor Marshall ever occupied the White House people would not know that historic institution,” declares an admirer. “Mrs. Marshall would have it a real home. People would feel comfortable even in the midst of the gold and glitter.”

 

But it is not only as a wife and the mistress of a home that Mrs. Marshall shows her ability. She is a politician and a clever one. She also has a remarkable memory.

 

Governor Marshall has earned the reputation of being in a class of story tellers all by himself. He can remember stories, but he forgets names. A name is something to be cast aside with Governor Marshall, and this is one of the regrets of his life, if he has any regrets. The governor is not a worrying man. He is somewhat a fatalist, but if he could he would like to remember names; but, not having that ability, he does not worry, for Mrs. Marshall is the name rememberer of the family.

 

She has a peculiar ability along this line. Not only does she remember the last name, but any combination of names comes as second nature to her, and she carries this ability on down to the children and cousins of anyone seeking the governor.

 

While the governor is shaking hands and trying to remember whether his caller is Jones or Smith, Mrs. Marshall is busy supplying the information and asking about all the relatives.

 

Governor Marshall has no brothers or sisters, and his parents being dead leaves him somewhat barren of relatives.

 

Governor Marshall’s friends are enthusiastic over his home life. When he has started on talking of his wife a new light in the Hoosier executive comes to the surface. They come near being ideal married partners.

 

“I was talking to Tom one day,” explained one of his most intimate friends. “We were leaning back, and Tom had been telling some of his good stories to illustrate various topics of our conversation. We were waiting for Mrs. Marshall to come back from a shopping tour, and I happened to remark that I liked Mrs. Marshall better every time I met her.

 

“Well, now that’s the way she strikes me, Jim,” he said, “We have been married some sixteen years, and as time goes that is a long or short period, just as you think. To me it is but a fleeting day. Then I think back over my married life and find I have grown to know Mrs. Marshall better every day. A man must not only love but he must also respect his partner in this life—respect her in all things. She must have wonderful qualities to make the love and respect grow deeper and better each day. That’s been my history.”

 

“The fact that Mrs. Marshall has been in sympathy in my work, my play, my life, is good. But I have been in sympathy with hers. Ours is not a one sided life. We have been partners, and that’s the way it should be in this world.”

 

Mrs. Marshall has watched over his administration of the affairs of Indiana with a jealous care. There has been nothing of the spectacular in his administration. It has been a sane government. The laws that he has fought for and won show the spirit of the man. They are uplifting. They deal with the improvement of man, woman and child.

 

While Governor Marshall is described as a “tender hearted” executive, nevertheless, he is a fighter. He belongs to the old fighting stock of Virginia.

 

Governor Marshall is not a dodger. He has his opinions, and he lets them be known. While he is an organization man, he knows that organizations are not perfect—that they can make mistakes. If they make mistakes he thinks it is his duty to say so and get the saying over at the first possible moment.

 

 

Ed. Note: This article appeared during the 1912 presidential campaign in an Iowan newspaper, the Albert City Appeal, on August 30, 1912. The drawing of Thomas R. Marshall on the front page was by “Launer” in 1912.


 

 

 

Blackmore Cigar Box Label, North Manchester 

 

 

BLACKMORE CIGAR COMPANY OF NORTH MANCHESTER
By John Knarr

 

Karl Morris, a local cigar-maker, had an enlarged, smoke-filled vision. Morris wanted to place North Manchester on the national map in the cigar industry. In 1920 he came to town during the waning months of the Woodrow Wilson-Thomas R. Marshall administration. He had married a local girl, Milma Hinkle, daughter of Henry and Sarah Hinkle. Milma’s older sisters were Grace (m. Frank R. Davis, 1909) and Georgia (m. Benjamin H. Willis, 1910). Census research reveals that Morris previously had considerable cigar making experience in Seattle and Boston. His parents lived in a Russian Jewish neighborhood in Chicago; their mother tongue  was “Yiddish” according to the 1920 census.

 

Morris’ first ads in the local newspaper began appearing in December 1920. Morris bragged that his factory was producing 1,000 Blackmore cigars a day! He marketed the Blackmore brand through a far-flung network of distribution. He had agents in states such as Pennsylvania placing display advertising. For instance, George R. Jones was a distributor of the Blackmore Cigar in Lebanon, PA. A display ad in the Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon, PA (June 16, 1921): “IF YOU HAVE NEVER SMOKED THE BLACKMORE CIGAR TRY ONE. 10 Cents. It Has the Quality.”

 

Morris solicited cigar factory workers from the southern part of Indiana. He placed several HELP WANTED ads in a Greene County newspaper (Linton Daily Citizen) in May of 1922 attempting to recruit “cigarmakers, rollers and bunchbreakers” and offering “steady work and good pay.”  I wonder how many of our readers now know what a bunchbreaker did in the hand-rolling days of cigar-making!

 

Linton with a population of a few thousand was a community approximately the same size of North Manchester. Located southeast of Terre Haute, Linton is located about the same distance (20 miles) from the Wabash River as is North Manchester. Before 1920 a cigar factory had filled the second floor at 74 S. Main, Linton, Greene County. But by 1921-1922, the second floor was vacant and Linton’s cigar workforce was no longer employed.

 

By late 1920 in North Manchester, Morris had occupied a large empty brick building for his cigar factory. His cigar rollers sat by the windows facing west on the second floor of this building. There is some similarity between the Linton and North Manchester operations. Interestingly, similar to the placement of North Manchester’s historic business district on the National Register, Linton’s Commercial Historic District has also been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other claims to fame: David Letterman’s mother is from Linton, Indiana. In the movie “Hoosiers”, Hickory High barely beats (56-55) the orange-shirted Linton Wildcats to advance to the state finals. Remember how Hickory’s small guard bucketed two underhanded free throws with three seconds left? In that film Hilliard Gates was a radio announcer and the “Manchester High School Fight Song” was heard, music written and composed by Harold Leckrone.

 

Advertising by Karl Morris appeared in January 1922 for a new five-cent brand, “The Little Quaker”. But shorty after this, Karl and his wife would leave N. Manchester. They were listed in the 1924 and 1925 city directories for Ft. Wayne. By the 1930s his wife had remarried. Milma (1893-1958) is buried in North Manchester’s Oaklawn cemetery. We do not know the fate of her first husband, Karl Morris. His father, Karl Morris, Sr., died in Chicago, December 25, 1927. Karl and Milma had a son Max Morris, born in 1919. From Max’s marriage application, we learn that his father was born in the Ukraine. Yet, Karl had declared “Native Born” on his WWI draft registration card. Please contact the Center for History if anyone has information on Karl Morris (born July 17, 1876), or if you know any descendant or relative of the Morrises who might have memories or mementoes from that period. Karl Morris of  local  cigar fame can not be found in the 1930 or 1940 censuses. Also, contact us should you have additional information or know of the existence of any business records belonging to the Blackmore or other local cigarmaking operations.

 

NOTES: Another cigar factory existed in 1915-1916 in North Manchester, namely Chester W. Kilborn’s cigar business. There has been some confusion about Morris and Kilborn. In his 1950 article on local business, “Industries Past and Present”, William Billings referred to Blackmore ca. 1915 when in fact Morris’ Blackmore did not appear until 1920.  These two cigar factories operated at different times, but apparently in the same building, locally known as the Ridgely building or the Cigar Factory.

 

When local old wooden cigar boxes are examined, one finds the factory number (used for IRS purposes) on the bottom to be different. The wooden Blackmore cigar box has Factory No. 302 (6th Dist Ind 50) printed on the box bottom, whereas the wooden Kilborn cigar boxes have an earlier number on the bottom, Factory No. 239. Since Kilborn’s cigar-making enterprise in North Manchester took place about five years earlier than Karl Morris’ operation, the sequence of numbers makes sense. Cigar manufacturing factory numbers have been required by law since the 1860s inasmuch as revenue laws have applied to tobacco since the Civil War. Such factory numbers were originally assigned by the IRS in the order of operation.

 

The embossed high quality, stone lithographic Blackmore cigar box label (see page 6) depicted R.D. Blackmore, a nineteenth-century English author. Three of Blackmore’s novels were referenced on the label itself--Clara Vaughan, Lorna Doone, and Craddock Nowell.

 

World War I interrupted Kilborn’s enterprise. In the 1919 business directory for Marion, IN, Chester W. Kilborn was listed as a cigarmaker. Kilborn died in 1931 and was buried in Marion’s IOOF cemetery. Prohibition and the post-war production of cigarettes diminished the popularity and demand of cigars produced by such manufacturers as Kilborn and Morris. Moreover, mechanization and automatic rolling machines led to the dominance of larger enterprises in larger cities.  


 

NORTH MANCHESTER’S COMMERCIAL CENTER
(1850 CENSUS)

Researched by John Knarr

 

Beginning in 1840, the U.S. Census takers asked people their occupation. Daniel and Martha (Patterson) Marshall can be found in the 1850 census of Attica, Fountain County, Indiana. Daniel was identified then as a physician. Also living with them was Martha’s sister, Margaret Patterson. The canal, first used in 1843, linked Attica with Lagro in Wabash County. Shortly after 1850 Daniel and his brother Joseph purchased property owned by a Quaker family, the Thorns, on the developing commercial street of (North) Manchester. Daniel and Martha’s son Thomas Riley was born in 1854.

 

Among neighbors of the Marshalls were probably many of the following persons enumerated in the 1850 census, as living on (North) Manchester’s Main Street or its near vicinity. Identified below are selected households  (numbers assigned by the census takers), names of the head of the household and their respective occupations as identified in 1850.

 

204, Arthur Kennedy, Saddler
205, John W. Williams
206, Samuel Wertenberger, Saddler
206, John Cowgill, Boot & Shoe Maker
207, John Mylin, Carder & Fuller [wool carder & cloth maker]
212, Francis M. Eagle, Fuller & Carder
215, Weidner Price, Plasterer
216, Madison Wilson, Leather & Shoe Store
217, John Aughinbaugh, Tavern Keeper [Main & Walnut Streets]
218, Henry Shaubhut, Clerking
219, Garret Ring, Grocer
220, Henry Strickler, Dry Goods Merchant
221, Henry Daum, Wagon Maker
222, William Frame, Dry Goods Merchant
225, William E. Willis, Physician
228, Eliza B. Williams
229, Isaac I. Garwood, Physician
230, George Weidner, Carpenter
231, George Sheitts, Shoe Maker
232, Samuel Seibert, Tailor
233, John Alsap, United Brethren Clergyman
234, Nancy W. Thorn
234, Isaac Thorn, Drug & Shoe Store
238, Jonathan Addigton, Blacksmith
238, Jacob Abbot, Blacksmith
239, Joseph B. Harter, Dry Goods Merchant
242, Maurice Place, Teaching School
243, John Travis, Physician
244, Samuel Leonard, Foundry
246, John Townsend, Chair Maker & Painter
247, Mahlon C. Frame, Dry Goods Merchant
247, Benjamin Frame, Dry Goods Merchant
248, Eli Garmmery, Blacksmith
249, William Thorn, Merchant
251, John F. Smith, Cabinet Maker
251, William Krisher, Cabinet Maker
252, Christian Sheets, Carpenter
252, Robert Helvey, Carpenter
253, John Kinney, Shoe Maker
254, Henry Shield, Shoe Maker
256, Servis Davis, Chair Maker
256, Wyatt C. Kitchen, Tailor
258, David Weidner, Carpenter
260, Jesse White, Shoe Maker
261, Cornelius Wampler, Carpenter & Joiner
261, Jesse Stackhouse, Carpenter & Joiner
262, Thomas C. Johnson, Pump Maker
263, Jeremiah Lindsey, Wagon Maker
263, William Lindsey, Wagon Maker

 

Research Notes: In 1850 Daniel Marshall’s parents and many of Daniel’s brothers and sisters were living in Lagro Township. Thomas Riley Marshall, born in 1854, makes his first appearance in the federal census in 1860. The family was then living in La Grange, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. After the 1860 election of Pres. Lincoln,  the Daniel Marshall family returned to the North Manchester area, eventually moving to Pierceton where they can be found in the 1870 census. Although Daniel Marshall never served in the Civil War, two of his brothers (Woodson and Ezra) joined the Union army. A brother-in-law (John H. Lowe in KS) was classified as a “deserter.”

 

The numbering of households in the census helps us to understand the proximity of many households. It is not the same as actual street addresses. Street addresses evolved later. But comparing census numbers with the original lot numbers identified in deeds and land transactions can give us a better understanding of the relative physical locations of various households.

 

For convenient reference and orientation, the Original Plat map of North Manchester with numbered lots has been uploaded to the NMHS website and is linked to “Deeds”. Original Plat Lot sales by the town proprietor Peter Ogan to persons with surnames also listed in the above list include:


1. Ogan sold Lot 5 & 6 to William Willis in 1837 and 1838.
2. Ogan sold Lot 23 to Clark Williams in 1837.
3. Ogan sold Lots 21 & 22 to Joseph Harter in 1836.
4. Ogan sold Lot 165 to Isaac Place in 1839.
5. Ogan sold Lot 150 in 1841 and Lot 148 in 1846 to Samuel Leonard.
6. Ogan sold Lot 24 to Thomas Thorn.
7. Ogan sold Lots 138-144 in 1839 and Lots 1 & 2 in 1843 to John W. Townsend.
8. Ogan sold Lots 140-141-149 to Richard Helvey in 1840.
9. Ogan sold several lots in 1839 to Mahlon C. Frame & William Thorn: 114-115-125-151-152-166-168-169-175-176.


 

RELATIVE WEALTH IN CHESTER TWP (1850)
Census Research by John Knarr

 

The 1850 Census lists the declared value of real estate holdings. The following table ranks the wealthiest individuals in Chester Township in the range of $2000 and above. This list is dominated by the larger farmers but names of some merchants do appear as well. By the year 1850, the founder and proprietor of the village of Manchester, Peter Ogan, had moved to the Monticello vicinity, White County, Indiana. Peter’s brother John Ogan does appear in the 1850 census for Chester Township with a declared value of $1600 in real estate holdings. Difficulty in deciphering names and handwriting of census takers does pose a challenge at times. Best efforts were made, including cross-referencing with map, account book and directory data.


RE Value         Name   Occupation      Census Image

16000     John Comstock       Farmer                     27-190

10000     William Thorn         Merchant                  35-249

10000     Michael Knoop       Farmer                     28-196

8000       David Swank           Farmer                     28-198

6000       Joseph Harter          Farmer                     30-213

6000       Jesse Jinks               Farmer                     19-135

5600       Erastus Bingham     Farmer                     27-187

5600       Wm McConnel(?)    Farmer                     11-071

5000       Mahlon C. Frame    Dry Goods Merchant                    34-247

4400       Abraham Switzer     Farmer                     37-267

4250       John Aughinbaugh  Tavern Keeper         31-217

4000       Francis M. Eagle      Fuller & Carder        30-212

4000       Gabriel Swihart       Farmer                     30-208

4000       Aaron M. Simpson  Farmer                     23-160

4000       Jacob Widener        Farmer                     07-043

3760       John Sheets             Farmer                     33-236

3400       William E. Willis     Physician                 32-225

3000       William Wampler    Farmer                     37-266

3000       John S. Ullery         Farmer                     28-197

3000       Nathaniel Sellers     Farmer                     23-158

3000       John J. Shaubhut     Farmer                     22-150

3000       William Ross           Farmer                     22-151

3000       Elizabeth Ruse                                         22-152

3000       Aaron Collet            Farmer                     22-153

3000       Stephen Jinks          Farmer                     18-125

3000       Peyton Daniels        Farmer                     12-075

3000       Henry Strickler        Farmer                     11-069

2900       Charles Fudgers       Farmer                     06-036

2880       Andrew D. Parrett   Farmer                     22-154

2500       Elizabeth Shaubhut                                  35-255

2500       Israel Harter            Farmer                     37-268

2500       James Ridgley         Farmer                     19-133

2500       Anthony Clear(?)    Farmer                     05-027

2400       John Simonton        Farmer                     23-156

2400       Gideon Jinks           Farmer                     18-125

2200       James Darrow         Farmer                     24-163

2000       Madison L. Wilson  Leather & Shoe Store                   31-216

2000       John Harter             Farmer                     30-222

2000       Maurice Place          Teaching School      34-242

2000       Samuel Leonard      Foundry                   34-244

2000       Luther Wait             Miller                       24-164

2000       John Eby                 Farmer                     21-143

2000       Jacob Heckathorn   Farmer                     21-145

2000       Ichabod Comstock  Farmer                     21-147

2000       Alfred Hornaday     Farmer                     12-078

2000       John N. Stephens    Farmer                     10-066

2000       Bryant Fannin         Farmer                     09-059

2000       Frampton Rockhill  Farmer                     06-031

2000       Rudolph Krisher      Farmer                     05-025

2000       Benjamin W. Cowgill                              Farmer          04-023

2000       William B. Huffman                                Farmer          03-016


 

North Manchester Historical Society

2012 Highlights

Mary Chrastil, President

 

Top 2012 Highlights

 

1.    Technology improvements – high speed internet, more work stations leading to opening of front office.  Increased number of docent volunteers.  Increased hours open from 8 per week to 33 per week!

 

2.    Thomas Marshall Birth Home – 40 years after idea was conceived, the Thomas Marshall Birth Home was dedicated in October.  Through the years the house was purchased, fund raising was completed, the house was moved, restored and finally furnished.  Original research on the Marshall family was conducted.  The house is now open to the public the first Saturday of each month April through December.

 

3.    Year of the Opera Curtain – the restoration of a rare 1910 opera curtain in our collection led to 14 events and celebrations throughout the year.  There were lectures and unveilings.  Two original works of art were commissioned, and original research was undertaken.  Highlights were the commissioning of a contemporary opera curtain featuring current businesses and organizations and the performance of the Firehouse Follies, a local civic theater production based on past opera house acts.  Numerous community organizations and educational groups were involved.

 

4.    The Center for History received a national grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to have our collection and building evaluated by professionals in the field.  The grant comes at a perfect time for us as we plan our direction for the next 5 to 10 years.

 

5.    NMHS was invited by the Indiana Historical Society division of local history services to mentor another museum as they consider purchasing a new site and planning for the future.

 

6.    A second furnace and air conditioning system were installed on the main floor, leading to better collection preservation and a more comfortable building environment.  The work also involved upgrading some dubious electrical services that had been troubling us.

 

Other 2012 Highlights

 

1.    Reinstated volunteer recognition program.  Computerized records on volunteer hours, gift shop inventory, visitor statistics.

 

2.     Reinstated antique appraisal program.

 

3.    Historic Homes Preservation Group upgraded and sold two more homes, and is starting on a third, thus saving deteriorated properties and preventing them for becoming rentals liable to further deterioration.

 

4.    Produced three videos for sale:  1938 film See Yourself in the Movies, plus Building the Peabody Mansion, and The Moving and Restoration of the Thomas Marshall House.

 

5.    Revised and improved our programs for second and third grade student visitors to the Center for History to rave reviews from students, teachers and parents.

 

Cookie Exchange Next Year

What a year we’ve had at the North Manchester Historical Society.  Fourteen Year-of-the-Opera Curtain events, dedicating the Thomas Marshall House, our museum Conservation Assessment Program inspections by professional curators and architects, establishing an office at the front door (increasing our open hours from 6 per week to 33), and reestablishing our antiques appraisal and volunteer recognition programs! 

 

We had hoped to host a cookie exchange for Historical Society members in December.  We will defer this event until next year.  Meanwhile, please come to see the Christmas windows we have decorated on Main Street.  We are participating enthusiastically in Manchester Main Street plans to light up the town with white lights in every shop window.