History of Fort Wayne, (Allen County) Indiana United States of America

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Local History Notes:

FORT WAYNE, a flourishing town, capital of Allen county, Indiana, is situated at the confluence of the St. Joseph's and St. Mary's rivers, which form the Maumee, and on the Wabash and Erie canal, 122 miles E. N. E from Lafayette, and 112 miles N. E. from Indianapolis. Fort Wayne is a town of rapid growth, and is one of the most important places in the state. It is the western terminus of the Ohio and Indiana railroad, which connects with the Ohio and Pennsylvania railroad at Crestline, and is to be extended westward to Chicago. When this road is finished, Fort Wayne will be connected with Philadelphia by a continuous line of railway more than 600 miles in length. Another railroad is in course of construction to Muncie. Several plank-roads lead from this place to different parts of the state and of Ohio It has 8 churches, a bank, a Methodist female college, and 2 newspaper offices. The surrounding region is highly productive, and a large portion of the land is under cultivation On the site of the town was the old "Twightwee village," of the Miami tribe. Here Fort Wayne was erected in 1794, by order of General Wayne, and it continued to be a military post until 1819. The Miamies were removed beyond the Mississippi in 1841. Population in 1853, estimated at 6500.

Biographies:

Alexander Comstock Huestis, educator, was born in Perry, Wyoming county, N.Y., April 16, 1819; son of Jonathan and Catharan (Comstock) Huestie. He was graduated at Wesleyan university, Conn., in 1839 and was the principal of Palmyra academy, N.Y., 1839-40; Springville academy, N.Y., 1840-42; teacher of mathematics and natural philosophy, Norwalk seminary, Ohio, 1842-45; principal of high school, Sandusky, Ohio, 1845-47; and professor of mathematics and natural philosophy, and acting president, of Fort Wayne Female college, Ind., 1847-52. In 1852 he engaged in business in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was married, Aug. 17, 1841, to Sarah Dibble of Springville, N.Y., and after her death in 1887 Sir. Huestis male his bonze with their son, Cherries D.C. Huestis. He is the author of Principles in Natural Philosophy (1849). He was a well known Shakespearian scholar and bad completed at the time of his death the manuscript for a Complete Concordance of Shakespeare. He died at Fort Wayne, Ind., Jan. 23, 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Joseph Rademacher, R. C. bishop, was born in Westphalia, Mich., Dec. 3, 1840. He studied for the priesthood in St. Michael's seminary, Pittsburg, Pa., and was ordained, Aug. 2, 1863, by Bishop Luers of Fort Wayne, Ind. He was pastor of St. Francis's, Attica, Ind., 1863?69, where he also attended St. Joseph's mission at Marshfield; was pastor of St. Paul of the Cross, Columbia city, 1869?76; of St. Mary's, Fort Wayne, Ind., and chancellor of the diocese, 1877?80. He was rector of St. Mary's, Lafayette, Ind., 1880?83; was nominated to the see of Nashville, Tenn., April 21, 1883, and was consecrated in St. Mary's cathedral, Nashville, Tenn., June 24, 1883, by Archbishop Feehan of Chicago, Ill., assisted by Bishop Chatard and Bishop Borgess. He labored successfully in that diocese until transferred to the diocese of Fort Wayne, by pontifical letter dated, July 14, 1893, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Bishop Joseph Dwenger . Jan. 29, 1893. He resigned November, 1899, and died at Fort Wayne, Ind., Jan. 12, 1900.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Marshall Lowrie, clergyman, was born in Pittsburg, Pa., July 16, 1817; son of Matthew and Sarah (Anderson) Lowrie, and nephew of Senator Walter Lowrie . He was graduated from Lafayette college in 1840. and from Princeton Theological seminary in 1843. He was licensed to preach by the Newton presbytery, April 27, 1842, and was ordained at Blairstown, N.J., Oct. 18, 1843. He was pastor at Blairstown and Knowlton, N.J., 1843-45; at Wellsville, Ohio, 1846-50; at Lancaster, Ohio, 1850-56, and at Fort Wayne, 1856-67. He received the degree of D.D. from Miami university in 1858. He is the author of: Adam and His Times (1862); Esther and Her times (1862); The Hebrew Law Giver (1866); A Week with Jesus (1866); The Translated Prophet (1868); The Prophet Elijah (1869); The Life of David (1869); and a tract entitled: The Christian in the Church (1879). He died at Fort Wayne, Ind., Sept. 26, 1867.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

George Washington Whistler, engineer; was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., May 19, 1800; son of Maj. John Whistler and maternal grandson of Sir Edward Bishop. Major John Whistler (1756-(?) 1829), a native of Ireland, served as a Revolutionary soldier under General Burgoyne; immigrated with his wife to Hagerstown, Md., after the war, became brevet major, U.S.A., commanding the post at Fort Wayne in 1800, and was military store-keeper at Newport, Ky., and at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. George W. Whistler was graduated from the U.S. Military academy and promoted 2d lieutenant, corps of artillery, July 1, 1819; served on topographical and garrison duty, 1819-21; was promoted 2d lieutenant, 1st artillery on the reorganization of the army, June 1, 1821, and transferred to 2d artillery, Aug. 16; was assistant teacher of drawing at the Military academy, 1821-22; again on topographical duty, 1822-33, being promoted 1st lieutenant, 2d artillery, Aug. 16, 1829, and resigned his commission, Dec. 31, 1833. He was married, first, to Mary, daughter of Dr. Foster and Deborah (Delano) Smith. She died in 1827 and he was married secondly to Anna Matilda, daughter of Dr. Charles Donald McNeill of Wilmington, N.C. While an officer in the army Mr. Whistler was also associate engineer successively, of the Baltimore and Ohio, the Baltimore and Susquehanna, and the Paterson, N.J., and Hudson River railroads, 1828-32. After his resignation he was superintending engineer of the Locks and Canals company, Lowell, Mass., 1835-37, meanwhile acting as supervisor of the Stonington (Conn.) and Providence (R.I.) railroad, locating in the former place, 1837; was consulting engineer of the Western railroad from Worcester, Mass., to Albany, N.Y., 1837-40, and chief engineer of the same, 1840-42, making his home in Springfield, Mass. In 1842 he became consulting engineer of the projected railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow, Russia, a route covering 420 miles, and which was opened, Sept. 25, 1850. He also served as supervisor of fortification, arsenal and dock constructions at Cronstadt, and of other important engineering work. The decoration of the Order of St. Anne was conferred upon him by the emperor of Russia in 1847. A memorial monument was erected by American engineers in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y. He died of cholera in St. Petersburg, April 7, 1849.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor