oo-i86? mil n u LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Chap. Shelf PRESENTED BY UNITED STATES OF AMEEIOA. / */ p~usr '/' V W^" (From a Painting, 185?.} ass Matthew Watson Foster, the youngest son of George Forster and Jane Watson his wife, was born at Gilesfield, County of Dur- ham, England, on the 226. of June, 1800. George Forster was a tenant farmer and the family of Jane Watson were tradespeople. The Forsters of this branch were quite numer- ous in the counties of Northumberland and Durham. The family dropped the letter r from the name after the emigration to America. One of Matthew's sisters was the wife of a bookseller and publisher of Newcastle-upon- Tyne. Matthew never went to school, but was taught by his mother to read and write, and at the age of ten he was placed in the bookstore at Newcastle, where, as a shopboy, he com- pleted his rudimentary education. The peace which closed the great war with Napoleon left England feverish and ex- 6 /Battbew XUatson jfoeter hausted.* The strain had been heaviest upon the middle and laboring classes, and with the conclusion concurrently of the Napoleonic and American wars, a large tide of emigration to the United States set in, composed in great part of the better people of the laboring classes who could command the means to meet the expenses of the journey and acquire lands in the new country. This tide soon became so large that the public press and government took alarm at the exodus, and measures were adopted to limit and discourage it as much as possible. f Among the earliest of the emigrants was George Fors- ter, who, with a portion of his family, landed in New York in 1815. For a few years they remained in that State, in the Hudson and Mohawk valleys, engaged in farming and gardening. Even at that early date this region was becoming so fully settled, and lands were so valuable, it was found difficult, with the limited means brought from England, to obtain farms sufficient for their needs, and in 1817 young Matthew, then a lad of seven- * Green's " History of the English People." f McMaster's '* History of the United States," vol. iv. 389- pioneer Dags teen, started out alone to look for a new and permanent home for the family in the compara- tively unknown territories of the Far West. At that day means of travel were very insufficient even in the more thickly populated portions of the country, and west of the Alleghany Moun- tains the roads were few and facilities for intercommunication almost unknown. Under the most favorable circumstances the journey of a lone youth into the heart of the Missis- sippi Valley was no slight undertaking ; but the financial situation of the family made it neces- sary for the young traveller to observe the great- est economy, and he started out from the Mohawk Valley, on his long exploration, on foot, carrying his knapsack, and for days and weeks he trudged along over the mountains, through the vast wildernesses of Ohio and Indiana, and across the prairies of Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, walking all the way, ex- cept as he secured an occasional ride from a "mover's" wagon going his way. In this undertaking he gave evidence of the energy and industry which were so characteristic of his after life. At the time of his visit, St. Louis, though a 8 rtBattbew THflateon jfoster town of less than four thousand inhabitants, was beginning to awake from the long quiet which had marked its history since its settle- ment by the French. Lewis and Clark's expedition, and the explorations of Pike and others, had opened up the country drained by the western tributaries of the Mississippi, and the vast regions of the Rocky Mountains, and the large stream of immigration from the Cen- tral and Southern Atlantic States pouring into the adjoining territory was giving new life and activity to the old town. The young pros- pector, as in later years he often narrated, fore- saw the prosperous future which was in store for the place so happily located geographically, and was strongly inclined to cast in his lot there. The question of the future political relations of the new State soon to be organized was agitat- ing the public mind, and it became evident to him that slavery was destined to be incorpo- rated in its Constitution, and that fact decided him reluctantly to give up that promising field, and he turned upon his course, and retraced his way eastward through Illinois as far as Albion, where there was a large colony or settlement of English people, and with them he remained for pioneer Dags a few weeks. But on his outward journey he had been much attracted by the fertile lands and finely timbered regions of southern Indi- ana, and he crossed over to the valley of White River, about twenty miles east of the old mili- tary post of Vincennes, and there selected the location for the future home of his family. After the necessary prospecting and arrange- ments had been concluded, he returned to the State of New York in the same manner he had come, and made his report. His father and mother and his two brothers, James and Will- iam, decided to go with him to Indiana, and in the year 1819 the family started. They had brought with them over the ocean household effects which were considerable. These were loaded on wagons which also carried the emi- grating party. Thus they travelled from the Mohawk Valley to the headwaters of the Alle- gheny River in the southwestern corner of the State of New York, where " flatboats " were obtained, and in these they made the long jour- ney of eight hundred miles by water into the Ohio, and down that river nearly to the conflu- ence of the Wabash. When the party reached Cincinnati, then a io flfcattbew "Cdatson poster flourishing town of eight thousand inhabitants, the wife of James Foster refused to go any farther into the unknown wilderness of the West, and insisted upon locating at that place, which seemed to her the remotest outpost of civilization. Her husband, therefore, purchased a small tract of land in the suburbs and made that place his future home. The growth of the city and the increased value of his land gave him a competency, which enabled him to spend the later years of his life in ease and comfort. When the family effects were being removed from the boat into the house which was to be their future home, as they put down a very heavy case, the former owner of the premises remarked that it must be full of British guineas. " Sir," said the wife Elizabeth, "if that were so, I would not have come to any place of yours." She was very proud of being the daughter of an East India officer and the niece of a bishop, and to the day of her death pined for " Old England." She was a woman of good educa- tion and gentle manners, and after she was past eighty "Aunt Betsey" used to delight the nephews and nieces by narrating her experi- ences in the society of her girlhood days. flMoneer Bags n The parents, then respectively seventy-nine and seventy-three years old, remained behind with James Foster in Cincinnati, and the two brothers, William and Matthew, again took to their boat, and with the household effects floated down the Ohio, nearly four hundred miles, to a small village which has since risen into the flourishing city of Evansville, and which, twenty-seven years later, became the home of the younger son. Here the boat was unloaded, and the effects were with great diffi- culty transported a distance of over fifty miles, as the roads then ran, to the point in the interior which had been selected. William Foster, the elder brother, who was already married, acquired a tract of land here, and began life for himself. The records of the Vincennes Land Office and of the Recorder's Office of Pike County, Indiana, show that on the eighth day of August, 1819, Matthew W. Foster received from the Government of the United States a patent for the following public land : The West half of the Southwest quarter of Section 25, Town 1 North, Range 7 West, being eighty acres. This tract of land was located about seven miles 12 dfcattbew "©Hateon poster northeast of Petersburgh, the county seat of Pike County, Indiana, and here the young man set to work to prepare a place to shelter his aged parents, who were thenceforth to make their home with him to the day of their death. The habitations of the people of the entire Ohio and Mississippi valleys of that day were almost universally log cabins. In some of the older and larger towns a few houses of frame existed, and, in rare instances, of brick. The first brick house in St. Louis, founded during the French occupation, was not built till 1813. With the material immediately at hand, and the aid of the few settlers in the vicinity, in a little while the trees were felled, and a log cabin erected, and Matthew started on the journey overland to Cincinnati, and in a few weeks returned with his father and mother. Nothwithstanding the trial of endurance and perseverance which had attended the long and tiresome journeys resulting in the selection of a final home in this new land and remote frontier, the young man of nineteen was entering upon greater hardships and a more severe test of his courage and persistency of purpose. Society in that new country was as rude and as desti- pioneer Dags 13 tute of the comforts of life as could well be imagined. Few roads worthy of the name existed, and travel was almost entirely on horseback. Along the banks of the Ohio and Mississippi, especially in the older towns, mer- chandise was on sale to a limited extent, but in the interior very few of the comforts of life were attainable; the furniture of the houses was of the most meagre kind; the clothing worn was almost exclusively home-spun and home-made; coffee was a rare luxury; sugar was obtained from the maple tree; and there are persons now living in Pike County who have paid as much as forty acres of good land for a single barrel of salt. The cabin which for a number of years was to be the home of the family, was composed of two rooms. The floor was of puncheons ; the side walls were of rough-hewn logs, and chinked ; the roof, of clapboards; the windows, closed with thick shutters, were without glass; the doors were hung on wooden hinges, and fastened with a wooden latch raised from the outside with a leather string; and the chimney, of logs, the hearth and sides of which being of clay. Into this tenement young Foster had brought his i4 dfcattbew Watson jpoeter aged parents, and he was to derive their means of subsistence from the eighty-acre tract of land which he had purchased from the Govern- ment, and on which he had erected his cabin, and not a rood of it was in tillable condition. Between them and subsistence stood the thickly studded giants of the forests. In one respect, probably, no part of our highly favored land was as richly endowed as the valley of the Ohio and its tributaries. All this vast region was an unbroken wilderness of trees the most diversi- fied in character and the most useful to man- kind. In the locality in question were found oak of the choicest qualities, black and white walnut, poplar, ash, maple, hickory, cherry, and many other varieties. Valuable as they were to man under other circumstances, to the hardy pioneer they were only an encum- brance and an obstacle to his means of a liveli- hood, to be removed and destroyed in the most speedy and effective manner possible. Unaided and alone, young Foster set to work to make a "clearing" in the unbroken forest, where he might plant Indian corn and vegetables. It was a task worthy of Hercules to attack those gigantic trees with a single axe, but he set to pioneer Dags 15 work with a will, and before a second season had passed he had tillable land sufficient to exhaust his utmost efforts at cultivation, the aged father only being able to look after the lighter work of the farm. And thus he and the young men of his day and region began the battle of life. During this period the father was the nomi- nal head of the household of three members, and he doubtless provided the money to pur- chase the land. For the first two years of their residence in Indiana, Matthew was a minor, and after his majority and up to the time of his father's death, in 1823, he lived in the family nominally as a hired laborer, as it appears from the settlement of the estate he was allowed wages at the rate of four dollars per month. The original inventory of the personal property of George Foster, deceased, taken August 7, 1823, in the handwriting of Matthew, still exists in the records of Pike County, and is interesting, among other things, as showing how meagre was the outfit of a farmer in the early days of Indiana. The inventory shows 2 horses, 9 head of cattle, 11 hogs, 1 wagon and harness, 1 plough, 1 hay- fork, 1 axe, 1 sprouting-hoe, 1 1 6 jflfcattbew TJQatson poster iron wedge, I log-chain, I large kettle, I oven, I pair steelyards, I gun, 2 beds and bedding, 4 chairs, 1 tea-kettle, 1 coffee-mill, 1 candlestick and snuffers, 6 plates, cups, and saucers, 1 set of knives and forks, /glasses [tumblers], 1 pitcher; and then follows an enumeration of articles of minor importance. But a noticeable part of the inventory was the silver tablespoons, tea- spoons, tongs, and punch-ladle, probably the only silver ones in the county, and evidence of the life of greater comfort they had left across the waters. Farming was the sole occupation of the people of the region for some years after the arrival of the Foster family. The products were mainly Indian corn and pork. The hogs were " mast-fed " for pork — that is, fattened in the autumn and winter on the nuts which were very abundant, running free in the woods, with an occasional feed of corn at the farm. Not until a later date was wheat cultivated, and no mills capable of making flour existed for many years after this period. The wants of the people were few, as they could live on corn- bread and pork, supplemented by the game, then very abundant, and they were able to pioneer 2)ag0 17 weave and make their own clothing. But in a little while the corn and pork produced greatly exceeded the local demand, and the surplus was forced to seek a market. This could only be found in one direction, to wit, down the current of the adjoining waterways, as trans- portation overland was out of the question, and steam navigation had not yet penetrated that locality. At that time and long after, till rail- roads began to change the current of commerce, New Orleans and the lower Mississippi Valley were the objective points of all commercial enterprises of Southern Indiana. The surplus corn and pork were loaded on a home-built craft called a flatboat, and thus taken to market. On such a craft, in the year 1820, Matthew Foster made his first trip to New Orleans as a hired hand or oarsman, eleven years before Abraham Lincoln's similar trip which has become so famous. The voyage down was attended only with the incidents of early river navigation, but the return journey was one full of hardships and dangers. Steam- boats had even at that early day made the voy- age from Pittsburg down to New Orleans, and forced their way back against the strong cur- 1 8 /Bbattbew TJClatson ffostcr rent of the rivers, to the wonder of the whole country; but they were so few and the voyages were so infrequent and expensive, they had not then become a general means of transportation, and the flatboat-men of the early days always made their return journey on foot. To a strong and hardy youth, who had already in this manner measured the long journey from New York to St. Louis and back again, tramping the twelve hundred miles which lay between the commercial emporium of the Southwest and his Indiana home was not an undertaking from which he would draw back; but aside from the test of physical endurance, there were dangers of no slight moment which might call into play the courage and presence of mind of even the daring backwoodsman. It was the practice to bring back the proceeds of the flatboat cargo buckled around the waist in Spanish doubloons or other foreign coin, and the route lay through the Cherokee and Choctaw Indian country; and in those turbulent and unsettled times the high- wayman and freebooter, who had made them- selves so notorious in the West, had not been entirely extirpated. In the long journey, prac- tice made him a rapid walker ; and as he neared I pioneer Dags 19 home, and became anxious to see his mother and friends, he was able to cover fifty and even sixty miles the last day. Two such round trips to New Orleans and return afoot were made by him before he began to use the steamboat for the up-river journey. He made his first voyage with his eyes and ears open. He noted the large production of sugar and molasses on the plantations of the lower Mississippi, and the scarcity and high price of the hoops used on the barrels and hogsheads. It suggested to him the first commercial ven- ture of his life. He called his neighbors to his assistance, and readily secured from the vast hickory forests at their doors a stock of hoop- poles sufficient to load a flatboat, in the con- struction of which he assisted, and, when loaded, assumed the command, took it to the lower coast, as the sugar region was called, and so disposed of the cargo as to make the venture a very profitable one. Thenceforward for a number of years he engaged actively in the building of flatboats, loading them with prod- uce, and taking them to New Orleans for a market. At first the business was a kind of cooperative undertaking, the neighbors uniting 2o Aattbew XQatson Jester with him by the contribution of the products of their farms, and joining together to build the boat upon which young Foster took this cargo to New Orleans. But his thrift and enterprise soon enabled him to conduct the business on his own account. He early acquired a reputa- tion as a skilful and prudent pilot through the tortuous rivers, full of snags and other dangers to navigation, often resulting in the wreck of the boat and the total loss of the cargo ; and he likewise became an expert trader, and some- times was enabled, by close attention to the market, or by seeking unfrequented localities, to make a profit on his voyage when the season resulted disastrously for others. The old-time flatboat which played such an important part in the early development of the great West has about passed out of existence. For the first half of the present century it was the chief means of transportation for the products of the Mississippi Valley. A writer describing the condition of this commerce about the year 1830, and referring to the part of the river front of New Orleans set apart for this traffic, says: " One could walk a mile over the tops of the flatboats at the landing, without pioneer ©age 21 going ashore." The business grew with Mr. Foster from year to year, till the number of boats despatched by him increased to ten or twelve in a single season. Flatboats were generally from seventy to ninety feet long and from twenty to twenty-four feet wide. The gunwales were made of poplar trees, which in that locality grew to great propor- tions, frequently one hundred feet to the first limb, and eight feet in diameter. One such tree would be split and trimmed, and would constitute the two gunwales of a boat, which was about seven feet high at the sides and nine feet at the centre, with a roof of thin planks. It had a " sweep " or long oar on each side, a long oar at the stern, and a short oar at the bow. A crew consisted of a steersman, usually a more or less expert pilot, and five or six "bow-hands." Such a boat could carry a cargo of three hundred thousand pounds of pork, or three thousand bushels of ear-corn, or four thousand five hundred bushels of shelled corn, which were the usual products loaded; but to these venison was added, especially in the earlier years of the trade, Mr. Foster hav- ing purchased four or five hundred pairs of 22 fl&attbew TJCiatson JFoster venison hams in a single season, at twenty-five to thirty-seven and a half cents per pair, paid for in merchandise from his store. At the beginning of this trade it was his practice to accompany his boat or boats, acting as steersman, and the voyage or round trip usu- ally occupied the time from March to June or July. But as steamboats came into more general use, after loading and despatching his boats on White River, he would later go to Evansville, the nearest important town on the Ohio River, embark on a steamboat for New Orleans, and meet his boats there, or at such other point on " the coast " as had been previously designated, and superintend the sale of the cargoes. The proceeds would then be converted into mer- chandise such as was demanded by the limited wants of his neighbors, freighted on steamboats to Evansville, and thence transported in wagons to Pike County. Soon after his father's death in 1823, he established a small " country store " on his farm, which became in a short time an important adjunct to his flatboat traffic, being a means of barter for the produce purchased from the farmers, and with which the boats were loaded. II. flDercantfle Xife The system of barter, so modestly begun on the eighty-acre farm, in a few years grew to such proportions that Mr. Foster found it necessary in 1827 to remove to Petersburgh, the county seat of Pike County, then a small town, but the centre of trade and social advantage of all the surrounding country. This change marks an important era in his life. It opened to him a new career as a merchant, broadened his opportunities and obligations, and gave freer play to his untiring energy. In those days little money was in circulation, and traffic was carried on by a system of barter, the mer- chandise being sold to the farmers on credit, to be paid for at the close of the season in the products of the farm, with some addition from the forest in venison and peltry, chief among which being coon-skins. This made it conven- ient, if not necessary, to continue and enlarge 24 d&attbcw THHatson ffoster the flatboat business. Besides, we hear soon after his coming to Petersburgh of his estab- lishment of a horse-mill and carding-machine for grinding corn and preparing the wool and flax for manufacture in the family looms. An old resident of Petersburgh writes: "I have known as many as fifty or sixty persons at this mill waiting their turn to grind. Sometimes they would have to wait two days to get their grinding." But with the spirit of improve- ment which characterized his whole life, in 1830 he established the first water-mill in the county, on Patoka River, about ten miles from the county seat, and this proved a great conven- ience to the people. Another important event in Mr. Foster's life followed his change of residence to Peters- burgh. His father, as already noted, had died in 1823, at the age of eighty-three, and he con- tinued to live with his mother in their cabin home till he came to Petersburgh. Then he took her to Cincinnati, where she remained with his elder brother James. Left alone, he became a boarder in one of the families of Petersburgh. An old lady still living in that place, in full mental vigor and memory at the age of ninety, /Mercantile Xffe 25 remembers him well as an inmate of her father's family as a boarder in those years of his bache- lor life. She takes great delight in telling of his courtship, the confidence he reposed in her, and his choice of Eleanor Johnson, " the belle of the whole county." The marriage took place June 18, 1829. The bride was the eldest daughter of Colonel John Johnson, whose father was a native of Virginia, and a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who emigrated to Ken- tucky; and the son, early in the century, settled at Vincennes, Indiana, and took a prominent part in the organization and history of the Territory and of the young State. He at one time acted as private secretary to General Will- iam Henry Harrison, Governor of the Terri- tory, participated in the battle of Tippecanoe, and rendered other important services during the transition period, which marked the acquisi- tion by the Federal Government of the title to the public lands through treaties and the with- drawal of the Indians from the Territory. The battle of Tippecanoe in 181 1 and the attack on Fort Harrison (Terre Haute) in 18 12 were the last contests of any importance in Indiana with hostile Indians ; but occasional massacres 26 Aattbcw XUatacn Jester occurred a little later, and for some years straggling bands loitered about the White River Valley. Eleanor Johnson, years after- wards, used to relate to her wondering children the stories of her own experience as a child, when the Indians invaded her mother's kitchen and carried off the dinner just ready to be served, her own meeting with a bear as she was riding through the woods, and similar adventures. Colonel John Johnson, about the close of the British war of 1812-14, left Vincennes and settled in Pike County, on a farm six miles southwest of Petersburgh. Here he erected a commodi- ous two-story frame house, a mansion in those days, then the only frame house in the county, the lumber to build it having been sawed by hand with whip-saws. The house was well furnished, and contained a good library, which was quite notable, as books were very rare. The farm was one of the best in Southern Indiana, with an extensive orchard, a hundred acres of cultivated land, a large frame barn, and all the conveniences which a prosperous and enterprising farmer would have. The Territorial and State records * show that Colonel Johnson * Dillon's " History of Indiana," passim. /Mercantile Xtfe 27 held many important official positions, among which maybe mentioned that he was a member of the first Territorial Legislature, and almost continuously served in that body; a member of the Convention which framed the State Consti- tution, and afterwards a State Senator; as also a trustee of Vincennes University, the first educational institution of higher grade in the Territory. He acted on a commission to revise the Territorial laws, and this and the prominent positions held by him on the committees of the Constitutional Convention would indicate that he was well versed in the law, though not edu- cated for the bar. It may be well to notice in this connection that Colonel Johnson had several sons and other daughters, all of whom inherited much of his ability and characteristics. The oldest son, Fielding Johnson, was a man of strong intel- lect and firm convictions. For some years he was engaged in mercantile pursuits in Peters- burgh, and afterwards in Evansville. The attempt of the South to extend slavery into the new Territories north of the Missouri Com- promise line led him to go to Kansas in 1856, and he took an active part in the stirring events 28 dfcattbew TKflatson jfoster of that contest. With the establishment of peace and order, he continued his mercantile pursuits, and died in Topeka, in 1872, leaving a considerable fortune to his children. His son, Major John A. Johnson, was a gallant soldier of the Union army during the Civil War, 1861-1865, was dangerously wounded, in consequence of which he became a physical and mental wreck, and died in 1894. Thomas Johnson, the youngest son of Colonel John Johnson, was a man of education and culture, served with distinction in the Civil War, rose to the rank of colonel, and died in 1882. It speaks well for the standing Matthew Fos- ter had obtained in the community that he was considered worthy to make an alliance with the family of Colonel John Johnson. He brought his young bride, then only seventeen years old, to Petersburgh, where he had erected a com- fortable log house adjoining his store, and she remained his faithful companion and helpmeet for the next twenty years, sharing with him the trials and labors of the rough frontier life, and being an essential factor in the work of estab- lishing his mercantile success, of the comfort of which she had little enjoyment because of her ELEANOR JOHNSON FOSTER (From a Painting, 1849.) Mercantile Xife 29 untimely death. She spent the flower of her womanhood in Pike County, and her social charms, her deeds of charity, her pious zeal, and her motherly devotion still linger in that community as a fragrant memory in the hearts of the older residents. She is especially re- membered for her activity in her relations as a Christian. The great revival of religion which spread over the whole country had its origin about the year 1800 in Western Kentucky and the valley of Cumberland River, and is one of the notable events marking the peculiar condi- tions and growth of the West, and the develop- ment of the United States. It grew out of the pioneer labors of a few Presbyterian clergy, who held the first camp-meetings known in the country, and organized what afterwards became the Cumberland Presbyterian denomina- tion.* The revival extended into Southern Indiana in the early years of the century, and had a marked influence in elevating the tone of religion and the morals of the people. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was for many years the only religious organization in Peters- burgh, and it has always continued a prominent * Hays's " Presbyterians," 145, 451. 30 flfcattbew Tldatson foster influence in that community. Mrs. Foster, fol- lowing in the footsteps of her mother, was an active member of this church ; her house was the place of entertainment of the clergy, who in the early years were itinerants ; and the local church relied upon this household as its chief support. The faithful manner in which she exemplified her faith and practice in her own family is shown in the fact that of her six chil- dren who reached adult years, five became mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Foster, after his marriage, continued more actively than ever engaged in commercial pursuits, maintaining, at the same time, the flat- boat produce business and his milling opera- tions. He was a busy man, but not too much absorbed in his own affairs to give some time to the demands of the community. We find that in 1 83 1 he was elected a judge of the Probate Court. In those days, when the legal profession was not overcrowded, it was the practice to choose for this court, which had mainly to do with the settlement of estates, intelligent lay- men who possessed the confidence of their neighbors. The election of Mr. Foster to this position at so early an age emphasized the high mercantile Xife 31 estimate by the people of the county of his education and integrity. It has been stated that he never went to school, and the only instruction he had received was from his mother before the age of ten, when he entered the book- store at Newcastle. In the few years he re- mained there he acquired a great taste for reading. The Waverley series of novels were just beginning to appear, and he devoured them with avidity, and in all his after life was a great admirer of Scott's prose and poetry. By the time he settled in Indiana he had read much, and, through his own inclination for learning, had mastered the elements of education, but he was by no means satisfied with this. The con- tents of the few books which were included in the family possessions brought from England were soon exhausted, and at that early day it was not easy to add to the number. Speaking of the dearth of books, he has said that he had ridden all day long to get a book, and that he had read every one he could buy or borrow in three counties. He was such a great reader that his mother became alarmed for his health, as after the long and exhausting work of the day he would read so far into the night that she 32 toattbew TKlatson jfoster refused to give him any candles, so that he used, in order to get light, to gather wood that would blaze; and thus he would read by the firelight long after the other occupants of the cabin were asleep. It was by night study almost exclusively during his after years that he acquired his vast store of information, as he was always a hard worked man, since his busi- ness demanded and secured all the hours of daylight. His children remember his long hours of night reading and study. As indica- tive of the character of his studies it may be stated that he pursued mathematics as far as calculus, and made such practical applica- tion of his acquirements as to become a good surveyor. History was a favorite study, and he was also fond of poetry, Shakespeare and Burns being his favorites, but he read and quoted freely from others. He memorized much of Shakespeare, Scott, and Thompson, and could recite the whole of many of Burns's poems, such as ' ' The Cotter's Saturday Night, " Honest Poverty," etc., as well as great por- tions of Scott's " Ballads," and Thompson's " Seasons." The Scotch and English border ballads and love songs especially delighted him, dftercantfle Xife 33 and travelling on long journeys through the woods, as he so often did with his wife and chil- dren, he used to while away the time and enter- tain them by singing these favorite songs. He had given little attention to the study of the law when he was made Probate Judge, but he soon mastered the State laws or statutes, read carefully Blackstone's "Commentaries" and other text-books, and became a fairly well-read lawyer, though he never attempted to practise. He held the position on the bench for four years, and acquitted himself so much to the sat- isfaction of the people they would gladly have continued him, but he had no taste for public office, and felt that his life-work was in his busi- ness pursuits, which were then calling for his undivided attention. From that time to the end of his life he was known as Judge Foster. Soon after his marriage and the renewal of housekeeping in Petersburgh, he went to Cin- cinnati and brought back his aged mother, and she remained with him till her death in 1834, in the eighty-ninth year of her age. There always existed between the mother and son an unusually tender and affectionate relation. He was the child of his parents' old age, both hav- 3 34 /ftattbcw "CClataon JFOBtet ing passed fifty years at his birth. The mother was a woman of considerable refinement, being of a family of well-to-do tradespeople, and the stories of her life show her to have been pos- sessed of great strength of mind, and character- istics which contributed to mould the life of her son, with whom she spent her latest years. She was an earnest Christian, and a great stu- dent of the Bible. Towards the end of her days she became a child again, but in her dotage her religious convictions seemed the brighter. It is related that she often did not get to the breakfast table until the meal was nearly finished, but when she came every one must wait till she had said grace ; and at that period her memory of the Bible seemed freshened, as after she had forgotten who her last and most dearly loved son was, she would repeat chapter after chapter with the greatest accuracy. Judge Foster often spoke of his mother, and always with the greatest gratitude and tenderness, and even to the day of his death he could not men- tion her name without the tears moistening his eyes. Her gentleness and devotion developed largely the affectionate side of his nature, as shown in his domestic life by the frequency d&ercantfle %ifc 35 with which he saluted his wife and children with kisses; and his brother James, who lived at Cincinnati, and with whom he usually ex- changed annual visits, he always kissed and embraced on his arrival and departure. In 1835 he retired temporarily from the mer- cantile business in which he had been engaged continuously for about fifteen years. The credit system was then almost entirely the method of business, accounts running from one end of the year to another, and being adjusted by barter, the farmer bringing to the merchant the surplus products of his fields, which the lat- ter sent to market in flatboats down the rivers. This constituted an endless chain of unsettled accounts which had accumulated into a very considerable sum. Judge Foster concluded that they could only be adjusted by going out of his mercantile business temporarily and giving attention to the collection of these accounts. A story of this period is told illustrative of some of the difficulties he encountered in this work. A fellow who had proved to be improv- ident and dishonest had secured considerable credit on goods purchased at the store, and after all other methods had been exhausted, suit 36 dfcattbew TOlateott ffoster was brought. The only evidence of the pur- chase and delivery of the goods was the entry in the books of the store, and the debtor testified upon oath that he had never received the goods. Nevertheless the magistrate gave judg- ment for the full amount claimed. The defend- ant expressed great surprise, and asked if he had not sworn that he never received the goods. ' Yes," said the plain-spoken squire, " but you swore to a d — d lie; Matthew Foster's books would send any man to the penitentiary." While he was engaged in the effort to settle his outstanding business, he transferred his resi- dence to a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he had purchased, situated one mile southwest of Petersburgh. Here, on a hill com- manding a full view of the main street of the village, he had erected quite a commodious house, and, for that period, one of imposing appearance. It was constructed of logs or hewn timbers, two stories high, with two good- sized rooms on the ground floor and a broad porch or open space between. The chimneys were built of brick made and burnt on the farm ; the windows of sash, and glazed ; the doors fitted with hardware fixtures ; and the house had ▼ ,■!. ^ ■■■'■ «.5% 2 VS"^'' Ji Mercantile %ite 37 many other evidences of great improvement and advance since the first cabin was built in 1819. There were also good outhouses, such as a cool dairy, and storehouse for provisions ; a smokehouse for curing meats, etc. ; and, a little later, a large and well-appointed barn of frame, which for years was the pride of the neighbor- hood. Judge Foster was not only a good farmer, but an excellent gardener, and very fond of flowers. This farm, as the writer re- members it in his childhood days, was a dream of beauty, a delight to his eyes as well as his stomach. The residence was set back from the main road quite a distance, and approached through a garden tastefully arranged and orna- mented with deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubbery, and a variety of flowers, vines, and arbors. On one side of this was a large orchard of fruit trees of the choicest varieties, and on the other side was the small fruit and vegetable garden, carefully laid off in walks and beds. A part of the furniture of the house, like that of most well-to-do farmers of the pe- riod, consisted of the loom and the large and small spinning-wheels. The rattle of the loom and the music of the spinning-wheels are still 38 flfcattbew Watson ffoster retained in the memory of the older children of this household. As late as 1843, when the oldest son was taken by his father to the State College at Bloomington, one or more of his suits of clothes, spun into yarn and woven into jeans in the home, was cut out and made up by the mother. Native-born residents of the county, still living, tell of the common practice in those early days of the manufacture on the farm of all the articles of wearing apparel — the leather tanned at home, and made into shoes; the hat of home-made felt or plaited straw, and the cap of coon-skins or other furs ; all articles of clothing made from flax, cotton, or wool produced on the farm, and woven into tow-cloth or coarse linen, jeans, or linsey-woolsey, and often also made from the skins of deer and other animals. Another attractive feature of the farm-house was the great, generous fire-place, five feet and more in width, with a broad brick hearth. In the deep recess was placed a great slow-consum- ing gum back-log, and the blazing fire was piled high with hickory from the huge wood-pile laid in close proximity to the house before the winter set in; and around the cheerful hearth Mercantile Xife 39 were gathered in the winter evenings the in- mates, reinforced often by the itinerant preacher (always a welcome guest), and the neighbors, and here were discussed the crops, the business, the religious meetings, the country gossip, and pol- itics. In front of the semicircle was placed a great basket filled with apples from the excel- lent orchard, and from which, at pleasure, the party helped themselves during the evening. Among the favorite sports of the farmers were shooting matches, at which they congre- gated in large numbers to test their skill as marksmen and contest for the prizes offered. The forests abounded in wild game, such as deer and turkeys, and not infrequently bears were found; and hence the early settlers were usually good marksmen. The older children of the family remember the pride their father took in exhibiting the prizes he won in these games; and the long rifle in its rack over the door in the living-room was a well-known household article. In those days the people gave themselves very much to the discussion of politics. Judge Foster completed his naturalization in 1823 ; and although seldom a candidate for office, and 4o dfcattbew *Kflat0on poster only for such as were unremunerative and de- manded of him as a leading citizen, he always took an active part in public affairs. He was a warm advocate of the system of protection to American industries, and public improvements through national aid, and was for many years a recognized leader of the Whig party in the county. He took a prominent part in the cele- brated Harrison campaign of 1840, and was an ardent admirer of Henry Clay, whose defeat for President in 1844 was a sad disappointment to him. An incident of the Harrison campaign is worthy of record. The excitement ran high, and his earnest temperament placed him in the lead of his party associates. Betting on the result was greatly in vogue, and being challenged by one of the opposing leaders, he made a wager, the Democrat placing a deed to his farm against Judge Foster's deposit of its value in money in the hands of the stakeholder. After Harrison's election was determined, the Demo- crat manfully came forward and authorized the stakeholder to make a delivery of the deed, though it took from him his whole estate, and left him and his family penniless. Judge Foster accepted the deed, and at once, by a similar dftercantile Xife 41 instrument, transferred it to the man's wife. But the incident was such a conspicuous illus- tration of the folly of betting, and the impres- sion made was so lasting, that he never again made a wager, and did all he could to discoun- tenance the practice. He frequently said to his children and friends, in a jocular way: " Never bet more than a picayune (a Spanish coin of six and a fourth cents), and never pay your gam- bling debts." For four years he gave active attention to the development of his farm, and to a second one he owned about two miles away, in the White River bottom. As indicating the extent of their production, it may be stated that on his home farm, besides other products, he fattened for market as many as two hundred hogs in a season, and his bottom farm yielded as much as twelve thousand bushels of corn, a large crop for those days of small farms and limited supply of labor. But in 1839 ne returned to his mer- cantile pursuits, having erected a large store building and comfortable residence in Peters- burgh, and from that time until his change of residence to Evansville he continued in this business, though still owning his two farms and 42 flfcattbew Watson jfoster maintaining the flatboat trade as an adjunct. to his store. In this year there came to his assist- ance a young clerk who remained in his employ for many years, and as a merchant, real estate and general dealer, and in public office, has since been and still continues a prominent and respected citizen of Pike County — Goodlet Morgan, Esq., from whom many of the facts of this memoir have been obtained. As the fruit of their marriage, and during their residence in Pike County, there were born to Judge and Mrs. Foster six children who at- tained adult age: George Foster (1830), Eliza Jane (1834), John Watson (1836), Alexander Hamilton (1838), Eleanor (1840), and James Hiram (1842). John Watson and Alexander Hamilton were born on the farm, and the others in Petersburgh. These children during their life in Pike County were raised much as the children about them, with more comforts and advantages than their parents, but in the sim- plicity of early Indiana days before the time of free schools, public libraries, newspapers, rail- roads, and the luxuries of modern times. They wore the home-made jeans and linsey-woolseys, and on the farm during the summer were happy jflBercanttle life 43 to run barefoot with a loose-flowing coarse linen or tow-cloth gown. The older ones were taught to take a hand on the farm, in the lighter labors of the field, and the dairy, and domestic tasks. Schools were only held for a few weeks in the winter months, on the subscription plan, and of these they took every advantage. The three older children remember with gratitude and great respect the venerable schoolmaster who taught in the old log schoolhouse a mile away from the farm, Franklin Sawyer, who did much to inspire their juvenile minds with a desire for an education, and exercised a salutary influence on the whole community. III. IRcmowil to Ewmsville Twenty-seven years of Judge Foster's life were spent in Pike County, the early ones full of trials and hardships, and the later ones in absorbing business cares ; but now in the prime of his manhood, and with a numerous family about him, he began to feel that he needed a broader field than the country store for the ex- ercise of his business talents, and better facili- ties for the education of his children. He therefore decided to change his residence to Evansville. This town had been located about the time of his arrival in the country, and was first seen by him as a hamlet of a few log houses in 1 8 19, when he came down the Ohio River on the flatboat carrying all his worldly goods, en route to Pike County. He had been cognizant of its history and slow growth from that time forward, as it was his landing-place on the return trips from New Orleans, it becoming the entre- "Removal to Evansville 45 pot for all the interior country watered by the Wabash and White rivers. He was early im- pressed with its advantageous situation geo- graphically, and felt that it might be made a great centre of trade and manufacturing indus- tries. He removed to Evansville in the spring of 1846, and at once established himself in gen- eral merchandizing. The town was then begin- ning to recover somewhat from the general bankruptcy of the country and the disastrous effects of the breakdown of the system of in- ternal improvements under State auspices, Evansville having been designated as the south- ern terminus of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and being greatly depressed by its failure. At that time the population numbered about three thousand five hundred. Within two years after his arrival his business had grown to an extent requiring larger accom- modation, and he purchased the lots on the corner of First and Main Streets, adjoining the State Bank, now the Old National Bank, and in the two buildings then standing he divided his business, according to the existing order of trade, into groceries and dry goods, which in those days embraced all branches of merchan- 46 Aattbew Matson poster dise, and entered upon a wholesale or jobbing trade which in a few years grew to compara- tively large proportions, and extended to the adjoining regions of Indiana, Illinois, and Ken- tucky. Under his enterprising spirit, the two frame houses in which his business was being carried on, and a residence house adjoining, gave place to the brick buildings which now occupy that corner, and which at the time were quite noted as constituting the most imposing block in the place, and marking quite an advance in architecture. Judge Foster was not a stranger in Evans- ville, and from the first his residence there was marked by an active interest in all public enter- prises calculated to advance its prosperity or to improve the social or moral condition of its people. He was an earnest advocate of the con- struction of the wharf or levee in front of the town to replace the bluff banks of the river, the first important improvement in its history. He took a leading part in the movement which re- sulted in the construction of the first railroad leading out of the place, known in its origin as the Evansville and Crawfordsville, now the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad. He was IRemoval to iSvmsvitte 47 made a member of the first board of directors, was largely influential in securing the subscrip- tions of stock upon which the road was built, gave to the enterprise much of his money and time, and remained a director up to near the close of his life. Soon after his arrival he was made a director of the Evansville branch of the Bank of the State of Indiana, the only financial institution in the town for many years. He was first associated with John Douglas as presi- dent, and afterwards with George W. Rathbone, at the time that Hon. Hugh McCullough, twice Secretary of the Treasury, acted as the head of the State organization, and with whom he estab- lished a close friendship. He remained a di- rector of the bank till his oldest son, George, became associated with him in business, and he retired from the position in his favor. He gave a great deal of his time to municipal affairs, having been early elected a member of the Common Council, and for several years was almost consecutively chosen a member. It was an office without compensation, and in the in- fancy of the city the most prominent citizens lent their services in this capacity to the pub- lic. Every good enterprise received his sup- 48 ZlBattbew Watson ffoster port, but he was especially interested in estab- lishing the free public school system, which has become so great an honor to the municipality, but which was only inaugurated after much dis- cussion and bitter opposition. He was always conscientious in the discharge of his public trusts, and spent much time on the Council, es- pecially when it acted as an Equalization Board in fixing the valuation of real property for taxa- tion. The assessment for a year when he had acted on the Board was severely criticized by Mr. Willard Carpenter, a prominent citizen, and a large owner of real estate, and he charged that the members of the Board had discriminated in favor of their own property. This was indig- nantly denied by Judge Foster, and in proof of his sincerity he offered to sell any of his real estate to Mr. Carpenter at the assessed value. In the heat of the controversy the latter ac- cepted the proposition, but, notwithstanding the judge owned a considerable number of business houses and unimproved lots, Mr. Carpenter selected a single piece, and that the lot on which the judge had built a very comfortable residence, and had only recently occupied it. Notwith- standing the lot selected was the one of all "Removal to JSvansvtlle 49 others the sale of which gave him the greatest inconvenience, and the selection was made ex- pressly for that reason, he very promptly ac- cepted its assessed value in payment, and re- moved to another house until he could build a new residence. Another incident is told, connected with the municipality, illustrative of his somewhat impetuous temperament. Mr. Carpenter was frequently before the Council, complaining of its action. During one of his criticisms he called in question the truth of one of Judge Foster's statements, whereupon the latter instantly jumped to his feet, seized an iron ink-stand on the council table, and hurled it at Carpenter, scattering the ink over his col- leagues at the table, and would have followed up the attack had he not been prevented by them. Among other of the movements to which he gave considerable attention was the effort to organize the merchants and capitalists of the young city into a Board of Trade, with a view to enlarging the area of its commerce, and making its advantages known to manufac- turers. He occupied the position of president of the Board for some time, and exerted him- self to make it a success, but only with indiffer- 4 50 rtftattbcw tUatson ffoetcr ent results, as the movement seemed to be somewhat in advance of the times. He was also active in the establishment of a library association, contributing to it many books and considerable sums of money. During his pres- idency several series of lectures by men of na- tional reputation were maintained. The asso- ciation continued its existence for many years, until absorbed in the Willard Library. When the family came to Evansville there was no church edifice of the Cumberland Pres- byterian denomination in the city, and they worshipped with the Presbyterian congregation which occupied what was known as the " Old Church on the Hill," the first house of wor- ship erected in Evansville, and the successor of which is the present Walnut Street Presbyterian Church. Judge Foster was not a church com- municant, but he was a thoroughly Christian man, was fond of and read much from the Bible, was a very regular attendant on the Sunday services, and always a liberal contrib- utor to religious causes. The children well re- member with what regularity and persistency after their dear mother's death he used to con- duct them twice each Sabbath to the " Old •Removal to JSvansvUle 51 Church," and seat them and the other attend- ants of the family in the two pews just in front of the pulpit. Immediately after the removal to Evansville Mrs. Foster united with a few other members in organizing a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She had been born in that church, her mother being an active mem- ber of it; she herself had been the main " pil- lar" of the congregation in Petersburgh, and she naturally felt a desire to worship with her own people. Steps were at once taken to erect a building; Judge Foster became president of the Board of Trustees, and contributed to the enterprise freely of his time and money; but Mrs. Foster was not permitted to see the con- summation of the movement to which she had consecrated her prayers and labors. She was not blessed with a strong constitu- tion, having inherited from her parents an affec- tion of the lungs, which required constant attention to her health. Her life on the farm and in the village in those early days was one of many privations and considerable manual labor. She was devoted to her husband's in- terests, and in her desire to assist and lighten his arduous cares she did more than was even 52 /ifcattbew Watson poster required of her. As the mother of eight chil- dren (two of whom died in infancy), she had many cares, and until the family came to Evans- ville, her life was necessarily one of much drudgery and privation. In the new home she was surrounded with unaccustomed comforts and relieved in great measure of household labors, but, unfortunately, the disease which she had inherited had taken fast hold ; and while for three years she greatly enjoyed her relaxation from care and work, she was never so strong physically as to really participate with much zest in her new life. Her devoted and dis- tressed husband did all that was possible, seek- ing to divert her mind and improve her health by visits with her by steamer to Cincinnati, and urging her to try the change of climate by a voyage to New Orleans; but she preferred to spend her last days among her own family, for whom she had labored and so unselfishly given her life. The immediate event which ter- minated her days well illustrates her spirit of sweet charity and self-sacrifice. Before steam navigation had been perfected on the western rivers, explosion of boilers of steamboats was very common and destructive of life. One of TRemoval to Bvansrtlle 53 these sad accidents occurred to the steamer " Embassy " just above Evansville, in 1849, an< ^ a large number of the dying and wounded were brought into an improvised hospital, and appeals were made to the women of the town to take charge of it as nurses. Mrs. Foster promptly responded to the call, and devoted several days to constant care of the unfortunate strangers; but during her labors she contracted a cold which, in her broken state of health, rapidly undermined her strength, and, after a few weeks' illness, she quietly passed away in the presence of her bereaved family. This sketch of her life may be fittingly closed by an extract from notes furnished for the preparation of this memoir, written by her eldest son, George, who knew her longest and best : I wish I could write you as I feel towards mother. When I remember her devotion to her children, her con- stant watchfulness for their comfort and welfare, and the tenderness with which she ministered to them, her affection for father, her Christian life — in fact, all that is lovely in woman — words fail me. I believe she sacri- ficed her life in her exertions for her family ; her greatest pleasure was in doing something for them. How thank- ful we should be that we had such a mother ! IV. Eoucatfon of tbe Gbfloren The death of his wife devolved upon Judge Foster the sole responsibility and care of six children from nineteen to six years of age. The oldest son had completed his school days, and was receiving his practical commercial education in his father's mercantile establishment ; but all the other children had to be trained and edu- cated for the duties of life. Of his tender care and earnest solicitude for them in this critical period, something may be seen in his letters to the various members of the family. He was a ready correspondent, and his absence from home was marked by frequent letters to his wife while living, and in later years to his children ; as for some time after he located at Evansville his business required him to make annual visits to New Orleans or to the cities of the Atlantic seaboard as far as Boston. During the first absence after the sad event which brought to Education of tbe dbdorcn 55 him so much grief and care, he wrote to his oldest daughter, then fifteen years of age, the following letter : New Orleans, February 2, 1850. My Dear Eliza : I arrived here this morning, and have spent the day in business about which I have written to George. I expect to go up the coast to-mor- row, and shall use all diligence to make my stay as short as possible, for my heart yearns towards home, and I am uneasy about my little ones, who are left with- out a head. I know George will do all he can to aid you in getting along with the children. Tell them it is my wish that they should be kind to one another, and obedient to you and George in my absence. I hope you will do all in your power to keep them clean and orderly, and to do so you must stay as much as possible at home, and have as little company as politeness will permit. My dear Eliza, this is the first letter I ever addressed you. Your mother was my earliest and dearest friend. To her my thoughts ever turned in my absence from home ; but that attraction, like all earthly good, has fled. As with feelings of deep and gloomy interest I now address you, all the past rushes on my memory. Twelve months ago, in all the fatal gloom of disease and death that then wrapped this city (the prevailing plague), I addressed my letters to your mother, in the fulness of hope and the bright anticipation of meeting her in health and happiness, but now — 56 flbattbew TKIlatson ffoeter You, my dear child, are the representative of that holy- mother to whom my heart ever turned with pleasing anticipation and love ; but she has gone whither we are all hastening, and where may God in his mercy allow us to meet her. My feelings are different from those I have ever experienced in my former absence from home. I am more anxious to return than ever before, yet the spe- cial object of my attraction at home is wanting. I wish I was with you, my dear children, yet I have not that hope of happiness that heretofore made my home so de- sirable. I am not wanting in love to my children, yet my home is not what it used to be, nor will it ever be, for its light and life is buried in the grave with your dear departed mother. Oh, my dear Eliza, imitate your mother's example, as you resemble her in person, and may Heaven give you her piety, her Christian meekness, her spotless reputation ; and may your life be like hers, pure and holy, and you will be the joy and solace of my old age. Kiss the children for me ; and may God bless you, is the prayer of your affectionate Father. On his return from New Orleans he found it necessary to give some special attention to the educational pursuits of the older children. He always placed a high estimate on the advantages of scholastic education, of which he had felt the sore need, and which he had so diligently Education of tbe Children 57 sought to supply by his own unaided efforts. He was accustomed to tell his children that it was the best fortune he could leave them, and that he was ready to give them as liberal and advanced schooling as their inclination and ap- plication would warrant. Although he was a strong advocate of the free public school sys- tem, it required a campaign of several years to secure its establishment in Evansville; mean- while he united with other citizens in maintain- ing a private academy, presided over for several years by an enthusiastic and trained educator, Professor M. W. Safford, a man who exercised a marked influence in inspiring the youth of that day and community to prepare themselves for a collegiate course. His oldest son, George, had already spent some time at the State University at Blooming- ton and a collegiate institute at Vincennes, and was then preparing himself by practical appren- ticeship for admission as a merchant into co- partnership with his father, which occurred soon afterwards. Eliza and John W. had prepared themselves in Professor Safford's Academy for advanced study, and in the autumn of 185 1 the former was sent to a female seminary at 58 flBattbew taatson foster New Albany, and the latter entered the fresh- man class at the State University, and two years later Alexander H. followed in the same institution. The letters of Judge Foster to these absent children reveal not only his great solicitude for their proper training and welfare, but develop traits of his character and mind which can best be shown by extracts from a few out of the many still preserved by the children. In a letter to Eliza at New Albany, dated at New York, October 19, 185 1, he writes: My Dear Child : Your very acceptable favor post- marked the 1 2th instant, but without date, I found on my return from Boston this morning. It did my heart good to find letters from my dear children couched in language of respect and kindness. I had two from George, one from John, and one from you, and I have reason to be proud of all of you, for all were well written, all evinced the right spirit — the spirit of improvement founded on correct moral principles. I wrote you from Boston, and as I have to reply to all my letters, you must be content with a short one this time. I am in very good health and spirits (your letters have cheered me not a little), and I hope to be able to get through with my business this coming week ; so you may begin to look for me in about two weeks, and expect that shawl I have in my trunk. Give my kind regards to all your young friends. JEoucation of tbe Cbtloren 59 The intimation in this letter that he would stop off on his way home, recalls the fact that it was his custom, during the absence of his chil- dren at school, to make them frequent visits, a practice not so readily observed in those days of imperfect locomotion. His letters were gener- ally commendatory and affectionate in their spirit, but sometimes he felt it necessary to deal in kindly reproof, as will be seen in the follow- ing extract from a letter addressed to John W., written a little later than the foregoing : Your last letter was dated the 8th ultimo, which was promptly replied to, and in which I enclosed you $20. Not having your acknowledgment of the receipt of it, I begin to think it must have miscarried ; and, indeed, from your silence, I am fearful something must be the matter with you — either disabled by sickness, or your absence has worked a change in your feelings, so that you feel no interest about your home associations, and only deem it necessary to write as a matter of business which can be put off until a *' convenient season." Your last letter showed a very great falling off in your home inter- est. The first two pages were occupied in excuses or other apologies for not writing oftener, and prove noth- ing at all. It is not necessary to have the latest news, nor to see much of the world, to make a letter interesting from a 6o dfcattbew TKflatson afoeter son to his parent. The news we have by telegraph as soon as it transpires, and the ways of the world are not of interest except as we are interested in or by them. But in the welfare of a child a parent always takes a deep interest (that is, a parent that feels as most parents do). Well, I should have felt an interest in knowing your boarding-house arrangements ; the name and char- acter of your host or hostess, as the case might be ; your room-mate, his disposition, his employments, amusements, and associations ; your studies, with ob- servations on the same. Little incidents attending you, impressions that are daily forming your mind and moulding your will, have far more interest to me than all the " foreign and domestic " items of all dailies you could quote were you in New York or Philadelphia. You are now at an age when impressions are made more lasting than perhaps at any other period of life ; and to know the effect that association and reading are making on your mind, is to me of deep interest; and did you open to me your mind freely, tell me your thoughts, feelings, and impressions, I would take much interest (as I feel more than anyone else) in pointing out error and in directing you to truth, as far as my experience and observation have aided me in finding them. For him farm life always had a fascination, and he considered it a useful part of an educa- tion. He therefore made it a point to have his sons possess some practical knowledge of it, Education of tbe Gbtloren 61 by spending one or more seasons on the farm in Pike County after the family removed to Evansville. Although it will anticipate events somewhat, in order to complete the extracts from letters to the children during their school days, two more are given below. John W. had completed his college course, graduated from the State Uni- versity, and was then in attendance upon the Law School of Harvard University ; and Alex- ander H., who had been pursuing his studies at the State University, had abandoned the plan of completing the regular course, and had writ- ten his father for permission to return home and devote himself to business pursuits. To this request his father replied under date of March 16, 1856, as follows: My Dear Son : Your very good letter of was duly to hand. We will be much pleased to have you home with us ; and If you have not progressed as far in the "higher branches" as some others, you have the " elements," and, if you wish, can improve yourself in the useful branches of a good education. We have work enough for you and a fair prospect for you to make yourself useful in acquiring the knowledge of a merchant. I am getting old enough to give up active 62 /Rattbew TKllatson ffoeter business, and if you prove yourself competent to give George the assistance he requires, I have no doubt he will be willing to exchange a " senior " for a "junior ;" but that will depend on yourself. I am satisfied you have ability enough to make a good merchant, but abil- ity is not all, nor is it half. Close application is much better. Very moderate ability, with close and unwearied application, will make a successful merchant, who, in the face of close competition, will come out far ahead of the abler or more learned merchant of negligent or care- less habits and of liberal or fast living. A merchant worthy of the name should endeavor first to acquire a reputation for honesty and uprightness. This can only be acquired by a firm determination to be always guided by one steady right, the great cardinal principle of right. This must be cultivated. Never suffer yourself to be led away by expediency, or by the fact that the person you are dealing with would take advantage of you, but act honestly and fairly with every one. If in your dealing with men you become satisfied a dishonest act has been practised on you, always avoid any business transactions with the party, but never retaliate. Be honest from principle, and forego an op- portunity even to make yourself whole, if you have to violate an honest principle to do it. This, my son, is the cardinal principle for a successful merchant — always, under every circumstance of prosperity or adversity, always do right, and act justly to all Boueatfon of tbe Gbfloren 63 In a letter from New Orleans to John W., at Harvard University, dated April 27, 1856, he says: Alexander has returned home and has gone to work. I think he has improved, and I have but little doubt he will do very well. George gives him three hundred dollars a year. I board him for one hundred, and he has two hundred to clothe himself and for pocket money. I will return him his board money when he becomes of age. I had two letters from home to-day. They were very glad tidings ; all were well, and mother and the children were at George's to supper. A few years more and the children will also have their own homes, and we will have taken our last supper on earth ; but this ought not to produce sorrow. Let us do our duty while we live. I hope to hear from you on my return home, if it so please heaven. May God bless you, and keep you in health till we meet again. From 1850 onward for several years Judge Foster was greatly absorbed in his large mercan- tile business and allied matters, such as his bank and railroad directorships, the erection of build- ings, and attention to public affairs. The fore- going extracts from his letters show his deep solicitude for his children's welfare, but, with the great pressure of business upon his time and thoughts, he found himself totally unable 64 dfcattbew "OClatson poster to give the attention to domestic affairs which was demanded by the growing needs of his family. On November 18, 185 1, he was quietly married to Mrs. Sarah Kazar, the widow of Nelson Kazar, a woman of mature age, for several years a resident of Evansville, where she enjoyed the highest social standing as a person of culture, intelligence, and Christian character. This alliance proved a most fortu- nate and happy one, as Mrs. Foster became at once a mother to the younger children, and by her amiable and conciliating disposition she gained the affection of the older ones, and they have always cherished for her the deep- est gratitude for her unvarying kindness to them, and for her devotion to and love for their father. As the fruit of this marriage there were born two children, Matthew William (1852), and Sarah Elizabeth (1857). Between these and the other children there has always existed the most harmonious and affectionate relation, and no difference has ever arisen to mar the peace of the family circle. As the mother enters her eightieth year, she is honored with the love and veneration of all the children, even to the third generation. SARAH KAZAR FOSTER (From a Painting, 1852.) V. Slavery anfc tbe Civil TJ&ar The political storm which broke upon the country with the repeal of the Missouri Com- promise, in 1854, and the attempt to force slavery into the Territories north of the line fixed by that Compromise, was one which caused Judge Foster much concern, and he was an active participant in the events to which it gave rise. Southwestern Indiana was largely settled by people from the slave States, and though there was a feeling generally prevailing that it was unwise to have disturbed the existing political conditions by the repealing act, when it came to a question of excluding slavery from all the new Territories of the United States, the pre- dominant sentiment of the inhabitants of that section of Indiana was against the anti-slavery cause. But the spirit of the young pioneer, which, in 1817, had led him to turn his back upon St. Louis and its tempting future of pros- 5 66 /Bbattbew THlatson ffoster perity because it was to remain a slaveholder's city, had, with nearly forty years of active par- ticipation in political affairs, ripened into an earnest conviction that slavery was a curse which, for the good of the country, should be exterminated. The presidential campaign of 1852 had re- sulted in the retirement of the Whig party from the administration of the national govern- ment, under discouraging circumstances, and the political convulsion of 1854 so divided its ad- herents that its further existence as a national organization became an impossibility. In Evansville and Vanderburgh County the large majority of the Whigs united with or organized the American party, popularly known as the ' ' Know Nothings ' ' from its early practice of secret meetings. Judge Foster sympathized with that party so far as it sought to remedy the abuses which had been created in the natu- ralization laws by the legislation of the States. For instance, there had been introduced in the revised Constitution of Indiana of 1852 a pro- vision which gave to a foreign-born person a right to vote after a residence in the country of twelve months, and this he regarded as an un- Slavery an& tbe Civil Mat 67 wise provision ; but he considered the secret meetings of the new party and its religious pro- scription as contrary to the spirit of our institu- tions. But his chief objection was that this party did not meet the great emergency which had been created by the aggressive spirit of the advocates of slavery extension. He therefore devoted his best energies to the organization of a " Free-Soil" party in his and the adjoining counties of the State. The term ' ' abolitionist ' ' was an epithet of reproach, in that day and region, applied to all who allied themselves to the Free-Soil party; and, with the overshadowing influence of slavery which existed on the opposite side of the river in Kentucky, it required considerable moral cour- age to take the lead in the organization of the new and proscribed party. Only a small band of the native-born citizens were found willing to join with him in the movement, but they received a considerable contingent from the for- eign-born citizens of German origin, who had fled from the tyranny and exactions of their own land, and had settled in Evansville in large numbers. Out of the Free-Soil elements of 1854 came the Republican party, which carried 68 /fcattbew tJWatson jfoeter on its first presidential campaign in 1856, with Fremont as its candidate. Judge Foster en- tered heartily into the contest, and was active in organizing a Republican club, in securing speakers, and in building up an anti-slavery sentiment in the community; but, with the best efforts of himself and associates, there were cast only three hundred and seventy-two votes for Fremont for President out of a total poll of three thousand and ninety-two in the county. The generation which has grown up since that eventful period can hardly realize the bitter spirit of proscription which existed in Evans- ville in the early days of the anti-slavery agita- tion. It was severe enough against those whose interests were confined to Evansville ; but in the case of Judge Foster it was the more marked, as his large wholesale trade extended into the neighboring regions of Kentucky and Tennes- see. He was not, however, deterred by the loss of trade, nor were he and his political asso- ciates discouraged by the small vote cast for their candidate. The excitement precipitated on the country in 1854 was not destined to be stilled or to pass away with the triumph of the Democratic party Slavery an5 tbe Civil TKHar 69 in 1856, and the organization in Evansville was kept up with renewed interest. Mr. Seward, in the East, proclaimed that the contest was an "irrepressible conflict," and that sooner or later the United States must become entirely a slaveholding or a free-labor nation; and Mr. Lincoln, in the West, declared that " a house divided against itself cannot stand," and that the Government could not endure " half slave and half free." The issue so clearly stated by the leaders of the anti-slavery party had for its practical application the fate of Kansas as a slave or a free Territory, and the whole country was kept in a state of feverish excitement, in which Judge Foster, with his ardent tempera- ment, participated to the fullest extent. His brother-in-law, Fielding Johnson, with whom he had been associated in business, about this time, as already stated, went to Kansas and be- came a personal participant in the contest, and this added to his interest and enthusiasm. Be- sides doing what he could to keep up the politi- cal organization and sentiment at home, he was active in collecting and contributing funds to aid in the support of free-soil emigration to Kansas. 70 fl&attbew TKlatson ffoeter About this time a public improvement in which he had taken much interest, and to which he had devoted considerable time, was com- pleted. As early as 1832, under a general sys- tem of public improvements through State control, the Wabash and Erie Canal was begun, and when completed was to connect Lake Erie at Toledo with the Ohio River at Evansville, traversing throughout Indiana the valley of the Wabash. While a resident of Pike County Judge Foster had been an enthusiastic sup- porter of this canal, and had devoted much time gratuitously to securing from the farmers the right of way through that county. The enterprise had shared the varying fortunes of the State public improvements, but after many disappointments, at the end of twenty-five years, it was finally completed. It was anticipated that the canal would open up to Evansville a new era of trade and prosperity, and, with the advice of his father, George Foster constructed on the bank of the canal in the city a large warehouse, and prepared to participate in the new commerce which it was confidently believed would be inaugurated. A few years' experience proved that all these hopes were illusory, as Slavery an& tbe Civil "Wllar 71 railroads and the Civil War were destined to change the methods and currents of commerce, and the canal itself was so poorly constructed as to make the expense of its maintenance such a burden it had finally to be abandoned. But this event was the occasion of the practical retirement of Judge Foster from active business. For forty years he had led a very laborious and exacting life, and now that he was nearing the age of sixty he felt that he might well seek some rest and relaxation in his latter days. Four of his children had com- pleted their education and embarked in their chosen pursuits. He had acquired a sufficient competency to enable him to live in comfort and to educate the younger children. He therefore gradually closed up his wholesale mercantile business ; Alexander H. was ad- mitted into the firm of which George Foster was the active head; and the father, while retaining for a time an interest, retired from the management of the new business which had been transferred to the large warehouse on the Wabash and Erie Canal. Henceforth he had more leisure to devote to his family and to public affairs. 72 flbattbew TJdatson poster The memorable presidential campaign of i860 was coming on, and the excitement on the slav- ery question started in 1854, in place of abat- ing, had grown in intensity. The intervening events had satisfied both sections of the coun- try and all parties that the issue so squarely made, especially as to the future of the Territo- ries and the new States, would have to be as squarely met and settled. The nomination of Mr. Lincoln for President by the Republicans added new zeal to Judge Foster's interest in the cause. There was much in common in their early experience, and they had been neighbors during Mr. Lincoln's life in Indiana. He had followed the Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858 with the closest attention, and it had greatly confirmed him in the anti-slavery cause. Since the Fremont campaign of 1856 the Republican party in Vanderburgh County had received many accessions, and it was hoping to carry a majority of the votes with it at the coming election ; but to accomplish this result it was important to make up a local ticket of such per- sons as would add strength to the national ticket, and Judge Foster was urged to allow the use of his name for that purpose. He might Slavers an& tbe Civil mat 73 have had any place he chose, but he had no desire for public office, and he only consented to the use of his name for the position of County Commissioner, an office similar to that of a city councilman, without stated salary. His admiration for Mr. Lincoln, and his de- votion to the anti-slavery cause, led him to give much of his time and means to the campaign, and he had the great gratification of seeing the county carried by a handsome majority, and also Mr. Lincoln triumphantly elected President of the United States. But his exaltation was mixed with serious concern. From the first he saw the gravity of the situation which con- fronted the country, with the transfer of the national administration from the slaveholders to the Free-Soil party, and he counselled modera- tion and conciliation in the conduct of the new government, in order to afford no pretext for the Southern States to inaugurate hostilities. He hoped and prayed for peace; but when the attack upon Fort Sumter, flying the national flag, came, which evoked a thrill of indignant patriotism throughout the entire North, he saw that the time for conciliation had passed, and gave his hearty approval to the President's call 74 /ftattbew THflatson tfoeter to arms. But he shared the mistaken belief of our most prominent public men that the re- bellion could hardly become general. The Pres- ident's first call was for three months' volun- teers, and the Secretary of State had expressed the hope that the danger which threatened the country might be overcome before that time had expired ; but it early became apparent that all the slave States were bent upon rebellion, and the President's call, which soon followed, for three hundred thousand troops for three years' service, was a recognition of the fact that the country had entered upon a great and ob- stinate contest. It was now manifest to Judge Foster that the resources of the Government would be taxed to the utmost, and he felt that it was especially incumbent upon those who had been instru- mental in propagating the political views which had resulted in the triumph of the Republican party to give their utmost aid to the Govern- ment in this hour of its supreme need. He was himself past the age when he could be ac- cepted in the army, but he encouraged the enlistment of two of his sons under the first call for three years, John W. and Alexander Slavers and tbe Civil m&x 75 H., and later in the contest, the younger son, James H. The first two had been recently mar- ried, and as they left their young wives behind, he gave them the assurance that these should be under his special care, and that whatever might be the fate of war, their wives and chil- dren should never suffer for the comforts of life. He not only furnished them the complete outfit for the service, but presented to the regiment to which they were attached a stand of colors of the richest material. In order to encourage the enlistment of troops he took the lead in a successful move- ment among the citizens to raise a fund to dis- tribute among the families of the soldiers who were needy, and as County Commissioner he secured further appropriations from the county funds. He was associated in all the organiza- tions for the relief of the soldiers in the field and the hospitals, and gave freely of his means to that end. The battle of Fort Donelson, one of the first important engagements in which his son John W. participated, was fought on the Cumberland River, within easy reach of Evans- ville by water. As soon as the news of the Union victory was flashed over the wires, a 76 flfcattbew THIlatson poster steamboat was chartered at Evansville, hastily loaded with supplies for the hospitals and lux- uries for the soldiers, a corps of volunteer sur- geons and nurses was engaged, in which prepa- rations Judge Foster took an active part; and when ready the steamer carried to Fort Donel- son the Chief Executive of the State, Gov- ernor Morton, and his staff, in which he included Judge Foster. Not unmindful of his promise made when his son enlisted, he took with him the young wife and the little baby, knowing how much they would cheer the soldier in the field. And by such acts as this, and by the most delicate and affectionate attentions, he did all in his power to comfort the sons' wives in their hours of loneliness and solicitude. When the Civil War occurred he had retired from business, and his leisure was given up almost exclusively to matters connected with that momentous event, such as organizations for the relief of the soldiers' families, collecting supplies and comforts for the armies in the field and the hospitals, the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, and movements for the encour- agement of enlistments to recruit the constantly depleted forces in the field. He was a diligent Slavery anO tbe Civil TKHar 77 reader of the war news which filled the daily- press; and the prolongation of the war, the defeats of the Union armies and the disap- pointments and discouragements of the contest greatly oppressed his patriotic soul. It would probably have been better for his peace of mind and his health of body if, in those terrible days, he had been more occupied with his own business. One who was intimately acquainted with him at that period writes: " His heart bled for his suffering country. His whole con- cern seemed to be for the cause of the imper- illed Union and its free institutions." He carried on a frequent correspondence with Governor Morton and generals of his acquaintance, respecting the conduct of the war and the measures taken for securing enlistment, and collecting and forwarding supplies to the soldiers. He wrote often, also, to his sons in the army, letters full of encouragement, advice, and criticism of the campaigns. An extract from one of the many letters to his son John W. will indicate the character of this cor- respondence which occupied so much of his time and thoughts. The latter was then on detached service in Kentucky under special 78 flbattbcvv 'Uaataon foetet orders from General Grant, and the letter to him is dated September 8, 1862: My Dear Son ■ I have no direct information from you since you left. I have written a letter or two, but in the state of communication I do not know that they reached you. Well, on the whole, things look rather blue. We have certainly been badly worsted on the Potomac. The in- vasion of Kentucky by Kirby Smith shows great lack of military management somewhere ; and if our Western commanders had any discretion they have exercised it to little purpose. That an army of twelve to twenty-five thousand men can march through our lines nearly down to the Ohio River, in front of the largest commercial cities of the West, without obstruction, except by a few raw, undisciplined volunteers thrown forward without a general officer to command, or any organization to meet it, shows great want of generalship and foresight. The raid of Morgan was " a recognizance in force " to feel the way for Smith, and ought to have put our mili- tary authorities on the alert. But perhaps it is all to accomplish some great purpose of the Almighty. If this great rebellion had been crushed out last spring, as it could have been if our military leaders had pressed things in a Napoleonic style — I say, if that had been done, slavery would have remained in statu quo. But this prolongation of the war, this again bringing it down to the border, will compel a different policy ; and, to use Slavery an& tbe Civil "BClat 79 the language of Fremont in his late Boston speech, " Our flag will cover none but free men." We are all glad to hear you came out of your fight with the guerrillas without damage and with success. May God in his goodness be always with you. The axiom of the ancients that " Fortune favors still the wise and brave " is true in war as in religion. A soldier or commander should be wise in his dispositions for a bat- tle, and never bring it on unless the chances for success are favorable ; but when in it he should evince bravery and cool judgment, with a quick eye to see weak points of the enemy, and energy to take advantage of them. Always impress this truism on your men, that " there is always less danger with our face to the foe than our back." My dear son, I feel proud of you, but I know we are all worms of the dust and mere instruments in the hands of the Almighty. May God in his kind provi- dence hold you in the hollow of his hand and make you the instrument of much good. By the way, I have been criticising your military movements, and I think with your present force you should have your base on the Ohio River, for many rea- sons. . . . We are all in our usual health. I feel some better than when you left. With much love I am your affectionate father. VI. Dis Deatb an& Character In the conclusion of the foregoing letter there is an allusion to the state of his health. In the autumn of 1862 there were indications that his usually robust constitution was giving way. His digestion became deranged, and that led to other disorders of his system. During the winter he was kept much indoors, and as the spring approached he became a confirmed invalid and was confined to his house. But he could read, and maintained unabated his inter- est in public affairs. He was no longer able to write to his sons in the army, but their wives read to him their letters, and he had the con- stant company and ministration of his family and friends. Early in April it became apparent that his sickness was unto death, and the sons were recalled from their regiments, to be present with the other members of the household at his approaching end. Dfs 2>eatb anO Character 81 He came of a long-lived family, his father, mother, and two brothers in America having attained fourscore years, and he had enjoyed almost uniformly good health during his busy life. But he worried greatly over the war, and naturally felt a deep concern for his sons in the field ; and the anxious state of his mind doubt- less affected his digestion and nervous system. His pastor, who was with him much in the latter days, wrote thus of his illness : In the struggle which is now going on for the preser- vation of the nation's life, there was no sacrifice which he was not ready and willing to make, if it would only inure to his country's good. His spirit, in this regard, was the spirit of one who could say,, and without exag- geration or conceit : dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. It is the writer's belief that extreme anxiety for the success of the Government was one of the causes which hastened his death. As the end of his life drew near he was per- fectly conscious of his impending fate, and pos- sessed his mental faculties almost to the final hour. Before the war four of his children had married, and were all living in their own houses in Evansville. It was a source of much gratifi- 82 flBattbew Watson poster cation to him that they were so happily estab- lished, and he took great pride in the grandchil- dren who were growing up about him. For some years it had been his practice to assemble all his children in the family mansion on Sab- bath afternoons, have a service of song, and gather them around the family table, grand- children and all, for supper. On Sunday, April 12, 1863, his end seemed very near, and in the forenoon all the members of the family were summoned to the sickroom. When told, " We are all here," he said, " I thank God for that." Then he asked one of his sons to read from the Bible and to lead in prayer; and afterwards there was sung, to his great enjoyment, several of the hymns which he loved the best, and which had been so often heard in the Sabbath evening song service, among them " How Firm a Foundation," " Rock of Ages," and " Jesus, Lover of my Soul." At noon he rested quietly, and again in the afternoon was repeated, at his request, a religious service similar to that of the morning. At its conclusion he called his children around him and said: " I want you, my children, to be, as a family, loving and affectionate towards each other. I want you to f)fs Deatb an& Gbaractet 83 love and fear God ; and I want to meet you all in heaven ; I expect to meet you there. Love your mother and be a comfort to her when I am gone, for she has been a good mother to you. And," said he, addressing the older members, " don't let the little ones forget me." Then he bade them individually farewell. It was a solemn and blessed time, a Sabbath scene which will never be forgotten by those who par- ticipated in it. Early on Monday morning, April 13, 1863, his spirit passed away. This biographical sketch of Matthew Watson Foster has been prepared in execution, in part, of his dying injunction that the " little ones," who had twined their affections so tenderly about his heart, should not forget him. Thirty- three years, the life of a generation, have passed since that memorable Sabbath. It was best that this sketch should be written after such an interval of time. The physical condi- tions of the country have undergone a notable transformation, the social and commercial rela- tions of the people are greatly different, and the nation has recovered from the blighting in- fluence of slavery and the desolations of war. 84 d&attbew Tldatgon ffoeter The "little ones" then, the men and women of to-day, and the ever increasing band of de- scendants, can look back upon that life which is an unconscious part of themselves, with the added interest of the years which make its experience a growing contrast with their own. This sketch has been written with a sincere desire not only to interest, but also to benefit, the children who have had little or no personal acquaintance with him whose life is herein por- trayed, and with that object in view it may be well to note some of his traits of character. Prominent among these were his independence and industry. The first was shown when a lad, in his resolute journey to the West and his loca- tion in the wilderness of Indiana, and was ever a feature of his life. Industry was ingrained in his nature ; he was a tireless worker with his hands, first in laying the foundation of his for- tunes in the log cabin, then on the flatboat, and all through his mercantile career. And coupled with these is the lesson, not to despise the day of small things. From lowly begin- nings he attained to affluence and public use- fulness. These traits led him by close application to 1bf6 Dcatb anb Character 85 make good the defects of early education. In his own case and in the training of his children he showed a high appreciation of scholastic attainments, and he left to the children of the community in which he lived a rich legacy, in the free school system of which he was one of the founders. His was an unselfish and public-spirited life. He believed that every citizen owed much to the community, and that he should lend his efforts and services to make it better and enlarge its sphere of usefulness and enjoyment. He therefore gave freely of his time and money to public enterprises and benevolent and religious objects. In the better sense of the word, he was much of a politician. He had well-settled opinions on public questions and always took an active part in the political campaigns. He was never an office-seeker and seldom an office-holder, but at all times exercised the right to participate in the direction of local and public administration. And in the highest significance of the term he was a patriot. Although born abroad, he came to this country in his childhood and was an in- tense American. 86 fl&attbew Matson ffoster He was preeminently a domestic man. He loved his home, and, aside from his business, found little to interest or attract him elsewhere. He had a somewhat hasty temper, but it had been schooled by courtesy and affection, which were his marked characteristics in the family circle. His private life was exceptionally pure ; no breath of scandal ever attached to his con- duct. His habits were above reproach at a time and in a community when society was somewhat crude and unrefined. He never used tobacco, drank no intoxicating liquors, was a stranger to profanity, abstained from cards, and sought to impress these habits upon his children. We know that his life was not lived in vain, for we have seen in this narrative how he blessed and benefited his family and his community. But his will be a broader and a far more useful life if, through his children and the reading of this little book, his traits of character shall be perpetuated in the lives of the "little ones" who he was so anxious should not forget him. I Li II I " I Hiii ! I 014 751 680 iii