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HISTORY OF
INDIANAPOLIS & MARION CO.,
INDIANA
By
B. R. SULGROVE -
ILLUSTRATED.
PHILADELPHIA
L. H. EVERTS & CO.
1884
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JOHN
F. RAMSEY. Among the earlier merchants of the
city were the late John F. Ramsay, in furniture, and
Jacob S. Walker.
John F. Ramsay, retired merchant, was born in
Lebanon, Ohio, Dec. 2, 1805. His parents, William
and Martha (Dinwiddie) Ramsay, were of Scotch descent,
and born in Kentucky, their parents being among the earliest
settlers of that State. William with his family
came to Indiana Territory in 1810, landing at the site of
the city of Madison, there being but one house erected at
this early period, which was occupied by the ferryman.
They settled near the site of the village of Hanover, about
two miles from the block house, to which they were compelled
to resort every night for protection from the Indians.
In 1812, the latter becoming very troublesome, John
was sent to his grandparents, near Georgetown, Ky., where he
remained a year. His boyhood was spent in helping to
clear the forests and in farm labors, the lad being
subjected to all the hardships and privations of pioneer
life. Educational advantages in the new country were
very limited. He attended school six months when in
Kentucky and a few terms in Indiana, walking a
distance of three miles to the school house. At the
age of seventeen he removed to Cincinnati, and was
apprenticed to Charles Lehman, at that time the
leading furniture manufacturer in the West. Serving
out his apprenticeship, he worked a year in the shop, after
which he repaired to Louisville, and from thence to New
Orleans and St. Louis, pursuing his vocation for a time in
each place. Returning to Indiana, he carried on his
trade near Madison and at Paris, Ind., and removed to
Indianapolis May 15, 1833. Purchasing the property
adjoining the ground now occupied by the Occidental Hotel
(which at that time was inclosed with a rail fence and was
planted with corn), he erected a building, opened a
cabinet-shop, and by close attention to business became the
leading furniture dealer in the place. With the advent
of railroad communication with Cincinnati, he abandoned
manufacturing and dealt exclusively in furniture made at the
latter place. After a successful career, having
obtained a handsome competency, he retired from business in
1870. He has been twice married, his first wife,
Elvira (Ward) Ramsay, having died in 1846. Five
children were born to this union, all of whom are now
deceased. He married his second wife, Leah P.
Malott, widow of W. H. Malott, of Salem, Ind., in
1848. Five children have been born to them, four of
whom are now living.
Mr. Ramsay was an ardent Whig during the
existence of that party. Upon its dissolution and the
organization of the Republican party, his strong
anti-slavery sentiments led him to become identified with
it. He has never held any political office other than
as a member of the Common Council, elected by the Whigs.
He has always taken a deep interest in matters affecting the
welfare and growth of the city, and in building and
otherwise he has done much toward advancing its material
interests. He has been a faithful and leading member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church during his entire fifty
years' residence in the city, and, with others of the early
settlers, ahs aided in giving an impulse to its moral and
religious sentiment, that has caused it to be noted as "the
City of Churches."
Source: History of Indianapolis & Marion County,
Indiana - Published by B. R. Sulgrove - Philadelphia:
L. H. Everts & Co.
1884 ~ Page 163 |
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