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 3n (Wlemoriam 
 
 ISAAC DeGROFF NELSON 
 
 Died March 24, 1891 
 

X 
 
 Isaac De Groff Nelson was born in Poughkeepsie, 
 New York, on July 2, 1810. He died at his home 
 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 24, 1891. The 
 following spontaneous tributes of respect to his long 
 life of steadfast endeavor, which were called forth by 
 his death, are reproduced in a more enduring form for 
 the gratification of relatives and friends, to whom his 
 memory will always be dear. 
 
 "Green be the turf above thee, 
 Friend of our better days; 
 None knew thee but to love thee, 
 None named thee but to praise." 
 
 W. R. N. 
 
SKETCH OF HIS UFE. 
 
 Isaac De Groff Nelson was born in the town of 
 Poughkeepsie, County of Duchess, and State of 
 New York, on the 2d day of July, 18 10. His father, 
 Leonard Nelson, was a farmer, the son of John Nel- 
 son, a Revolutionary soldier who died soon after his 
 return from the army, but not until he had received 
 500 acres of land in the town of Dryden, Tompkins 
 County, State of New York, for heroic services during 
 the war. His mother's maiden name was Mary 
 De Groff, daughter of Moses De Groff of the same place, 
 whose whole family were conspicuous for their patri- 
 otism during the trying period of the Revolution, 
 especially Moses, the youngest of the family, on ac- 
 count of voluntary personal sacrifices while engaged 
 in guarding against the threatened invasion of the 
 British, and in preventing their intercourse with their 
 allies (the Tories) and the cowboys that swarmed all 
 along the east side of the Hudson River, between 
 Poughkeepsie and New York City, a region occupied 
 by a class especially noted for their wealth and loyalty 
 to the British crown. The De Groffs were in that par- 
 ticular line of service, and especially between Pough- 
 keepsie and Tarry town, at the time of the capture of 
 Major Andre, the British spy. 
 
 
The subject of this sketch was brought up to 
 agricultural pursuits, having only such very moderate 
 opportunities for a common school education, during 
 the winter months, as the rural district schools of that 
 day furnished. His father dying when he, the only 
 son, was 16 years of age, leaving a small farm 
 considerably encumbered, and with a feeble mother 
 and three sisters younger than himself (one of whom 
 was a confirmed invalid) to be supported mainly by 
 his individual exertions, he saw rugged times of un- 
 ceasing toil and hardship until he was 20 years 
 of age, when his ambitious nature prompted him to 
 suggest to a friend the propriety of his starting a small 
 country store. The suggestion met with some favor, 
 and, through the influence and credit of his uncle. 
 Amos T. De Groff, he was able to start the desired en- 
 terprise. The business, although limited, proved 
 quite successful and was continued for the benefit of 
 the whole family for the succeeding six years. In 
 1836 he and his sisters (his mother having previously 
 married again) emigrated to Fort Wayne, where he 
 resided the remainder of his life. 
 
 On August 23, 1838, he married Elizabeth 
 Rockhill, daughter of Hon. William Rockhill, an early 
 settler of Fort Wayne, who was a Van Buren elector 
 in 1836, and subsequently a representative in both 
 branches of the State Legislature, and a member of the 
 Thirtieth Congress of the United States. Although Mr. 
 Rockhill was always a practical farmer, he was also a 
 somewhat prominent politician and alwaj^s a Democrat. 
 
 Mr. Nelson's father was also a Democrat and a 
 politician of local note and success in his day. He 
 
belonged to the old Jeffersonian, Tompkins and Jack- 
 sonian school of politicians. He was elected to sev- 
 eral offices of trust, one of which he held at the time 
 of his death, at the age of 41, in the full vigor of 
 manhood and usefulness. 
 
 It would seem that the subject of this sketch had 
 inherited some of the political proclivities of his an- 
 cestors, who were all Democrats and participated 
 actively in the politics of the day, for we find him 
 elected a School Commissioner at 21, Postmaster at 22, 
 at Freedom Plains, N. Y., his place of business, under 
 William T. Barry, Postmaster-General ; appointed Com- 
 missioner of Deeds for the County of Duchess by the 
 Judges of the court at 23, and at 24 appointed to take 
 the county census — all of which trusts he discharged 
 with such fidelity that at the age of 25 he was elected 
 from his county delegate to the New York Democratic 
 State convention, which met at Albany for the purpose 
 of making nominations for State officers, but more 
 especially for the purpose of bringing forward promi- 
 nently the name of Martin Van Buren as a candi- 
 date for President of the United States. Van Buren 
 was subsequently nominated at the national conven- 
 tion and elected. It was more than an ordinary honor 
 to be a delegate to that convention, for it consisted of 
 only 128 members, apportioned according to the mem- 
 bers of the General Assembly, and Mr. Nelson (then 
 only 25 ) r ears of age) represented the largest county 
 in the State, except New York City and County, in 
 one of the most exciting and important conventions 
 ever held in that State. This convention, it was 
 thought, would, as it actually did, name the next 
 
 9 
 
President of the United States. Although Mr. Nelson 
 was the youngest member of the convention and took, 
 of course, no active part in its business, yet we find 
 him appointed one of the committee to invite Governor 
 Marcy to take a seat with the officers of the convention. 
 Since his residence in Fort Wayne, which dates 
 back to 1836, he has been actively engaged in public 
 and private business of various kinds, but most of the 
 time in agricultural, horticultural and kindred pur- 
 suits, occupations which always seemed particularly 
 congenial to his nature, and in which centered his 
 greatest pleasure. His rural home, Elm Park, four 
 miles east of the city of Fort Wa} r ne, was regarded 
 the finest and most complete place in the State in all 
 of its appointments. His farm stock consisted of all 
 of the finest imported breeds, and his orchards num- 
 bered over 4,000 bearing trees of the choicest fruits of 
 all kinds. His attractive Gothic house and convenient 
 out-buildings, his extensive and beautifully laid out 
 grounds, handsomely planted and decorated with the 
 rarest flowers, shrubs and ornamental trees, ap- 
 proached by suitable drives and walks, made it a place 
 of great attraction and pleasant resort for the numer- 
 ous friends of the family, and other visitors, particu- 
 larly pomologists, horticulturists, agriculturists and 
 stock breeders. On the occasion of the State Fair 
 being held at Fort Wayne in 1865 the entire Board of 
 Agriculture and other visitors, including Warder, 
 Meehau, Downing and Heaver, made a special visit to 
 his residence by cars tendered by the Wabash railroad 
 to see his place and inspect his grounds, which were 
 handsomely described by correspondents of the Chi- 
 
cago, Cincinnati and Eastern papers. He was foremost 
 in all movements to promote agricultural interests, 
 and furnished John Ljllie the money to establish the 
 first tile factory in the State. He underdrained every 
 acre of his own farm. 
 
 In June, 1840, when politics ran very high all 
 over the country, Mr. Nelson's zeal induced him to 
 purchase of George W. Wood the Fort Wayne Senti- 
 nel, a Whig paper in a then overwhelming Whig 
 County. He became its publisher and editor, and at 
 once changed its politics to that of a Democratic paper. 
 Its politics has remained the same to the present time, 
 and it is now the oldest Democratic paper in the 
 State. The politics of the county also changed, and 
 Allen County soon became, and is now, the banner 
 Democratic county of the State. Whether the paper 
 was instrumental in effecting so radical a change or not 
 it undoubtedly exercised much influence in that 
 direction. 
 
 In 1 85 1 Mr. Nelson was elected, without opposi- 
 tion, representative to the General Assembly of the 
 State. It was the first meeting of the Legislature 
 under the new State constitution. All the old laws 
 were abolished by the convention, and hence new 
 ones had to be enacted conforming to the new consti- 
 tution. Mr. Nelson was one of the active members of 
 that body, being on several important committees and 
 especially on the Committee of Ways and Means. He 
 was the author of, and championed through the Legis- 
 lature, what was known as the "Nelson Railroad 
 Bill," a general railroad law, under which, with some 
 slight changes, all the railroads of the State since then 
 
have been organized and are now operating. The 
 passage of this law was violently opposed by all the 
 members whose constituents were interested in roads 
 already in operation, or which had charters for the 
 purpose of establishing them. Immediately upon the 
 adjournment of the Legislature (which lasted nearly 
 six months as provided by the constitution) he as- 
 sisted in the organization of the Wabash road at a 
 meeting held at L,ogansport in June, 1852. This was 
 the first railroad organized under the general law. 
 
 In 1843 Mr. Nelson was appointed, after the death 
 of Major Samuel Lewis, Receiver of Public Moneys at 
 Fort Wayne. The district for the sale of public lands 
 extended from the Ohio State line to Howard County 
 on the Southwest, and included several Indian reser- 
 vations in which the Indian title had been extin- 
 guished, and which were mostly sold during his term 
 of office. His term expired very suddenty upon the oc- 
 casion of General Taylor's accession to the Presidency. 
 During his term as Receiver he was also appointed 
 Paymaster or age^nt for the payment of the annual an- 
 nuities of the Miami Indians resident in Indiana. He 
 introduced, with some difficulty, the system of paying 
 the Indians their annuities in silver, giving the money 
 to the head of each of the several distinct families, in- 
 stead of, as had been the custom, settling their accounts 
 first with the traders and paying the Indians the bal- 
 ance that was left, if anything, which was said to be 
 seldom the case. This was an innovation and a sore 
 disappointment to the traders, who tried to create some 
 trouble, chiefly through George Hunt, a well known 
 half-breed Indian, who was instigated by the traders. 
 
But the agent persisted in his determination, to the 
 great satisfaction of the Indians when made to under- 
 stand their interests, and to the special satisfaction of 
 the government at Washington, to which it had been 
 represented by the traders that the Indians had always 
 been satisfied with the old system of settlements, and 
 that a change would result seriously to the Indians 
 and traders alike. But after the payment was made, 
 so well was the department pleased with the manner 
 and success with which it was done, that the Hen. 
 William Medill of the War Department, upon the set- 
 tlement of Mr. Nelson's accounts, wrote under date of 
 Nov. 9, 1847, a complimentary letter, closing as fol- 
 lows : "Accept, if you please, the thanks of this office 
 for the performance of said duty" — a rare compliment, 
 and said to be unusual with the heads of departments 
 at Washington. 
 
 Mr. Nelson was twice elected Clerk of the Allen 
 County Circuit Court, and in 1873 was unanimously 
 nominated by a large convention composed of both 
 parties as candidate for the State Senate ; but, having 
 determined to retire from active political life that he 
 might pursue more uninterruptedly occupations in ac- 
 cordance with his natural tastes and inclinations, he 
 declined the honor. 
 
 He was for many years a life member of the 
 National Pomological Society, and was always fore- 
 most in all agricultural, horticultural, pomological and 
 similar organizations and enterprises of the day, 
 whether local, county, state, district or national. He 
 was in turn President, Vice-President and Secretary of 
 all of them. He was appointed by Governor Baker a 
 
 13 
 
member of the first Board of Trustees of Purdue Uni- 
 versity, properly the Agricultural College of Indiana, 
 which position he resigned in a few years on account 
 of other more pressing public and private duties. He 
 was appointed by Governor Williams one of the first 
 Commissioners for the responsible trust for the erection 
 of the new Capitol for the State of Indiana, in 1877, 
 which position he held until the building was com- 
 pleted, which was accomplished within the limit of the 
 first appropriation, a case almost without parallel. 
 
 In the conception and subsequent organization of 
 Lindenwood Cemetery, near the city of Fort Wayne, in 
 i860, one of the loveliest places in design, improve- 
 ments and ornamentation as a city of the dead to be 
 found anywhere, Mr. Nelson was one of the first 
 twelve incorporators, and was also the first President, 
 which position he still held at the time of his death. 
 
 In religion Mr. Nelson was an Episcopalian, and 
 was Vestryman and Warden of Trinity Church, Fort 
 Wayne, for more than forty years, and Senior Warden 
 at the time of his death, as he had been for many 
 years previously. 
 
 In all local and charitable institutions and public 
 enterprises he always participated to the extent of his 
 financial ability. Upon the completion of the Wabash 
 and Erie canal, which was the great event of the day, 
 he took an active part in getting up the celebration, 
 which occurred July 4, 1839, and was one of the 
 committee of invitation and reception. General Cass 
 delivered the oration, and all the dignitaries of the State 
 were present, as well as many from other States. Let- 
 ters of congratulation and regret were read from 
 
President Van Buren, from Webster, Clay, Calhoun 
 and Benton, and all the other prominent statesmen of 
 the nation to whom letters of invitation had been sent. 
 
 Mr. Nelson was essentially a self-made man, under 
 very disadvantageous circumstances, as we have seen. 
 He obtained what information he could between hours 
 of labor incident to a hard-working life on the farm 
 which was necessary to the support of those chiefly 
 dependent upon him for their maintenance and educa- 
 tion. And yet his writings on practical agriculture, 
 horticulture, pomology, rural architecture, on the 
 method of beautifying public and private grounds, 
 tree culture, etc., as well as on political subjects, es- 
 pecially free trade (the one great political hobby of his 
 life), are familiar to the reading public and popular 
 with those of similar tastes and cultivation of thought. 
 He assisted in establishing the first successful nursery 
 of fruit and ornamental trees in his section of the 
 State, and also assisted, in 1856, in the organization of 
 the first live stock company for the importation and 
 sale of blooded cattle, and was the largest purchaser 
 at the first sale. His stock always took first premiums 
 wherever exhibited in or out of the State, whether as 
 show cattle for breeding purposes or as fat cattle for 
 the butcher. He was well known as a first-class, in- 
 telligent breeder of Short Horn cattle and Cotswold 
 sheep, and at one of his sales he sold large numbers to 
 go to Illinois, Wisconsin and other States. He also 
 took over one hundred and fifty first premiums in 
 money and silver cups on fruit at different fairs in this 
 and other States. 
 
 Mr. Nelson was one of the original organizers, 
 
 ■5 
 
stockholders and treasurer of the first packet boat 
 company that operated on the Wabash and Erie canal, 
 and was also one of the stockholders of the Mauraee 
 City (Ohio) and Fort Wayne (Ind.) Steam-Boat Com- 
 pany, organized for the purpose of navigating the 
 Maumee river. He was the only Fort Wayne passen- 
 ger on the first and only trip the steamer made on 
 these waters. The river was at high water mark in 
 consequence of recent floods, completely overflowing 
 its banks and submerging the country along the entire 
 route. Mr. Nelson rode on horseback from Fort 
 Wayne to the "head of the rapids," near Maumee 
 City (where the vessel was built and chiefly owned bj'- 
 White & Kirtland, commission merchants), a distance 
 of nearly one hundred miles, leaving his horse there 
 until he made the adventurous round trip to Fort 
 Wa)me and back. The round trip was safely accom- 
 plished in six days by the captain dexterously dodging 
 floating trees, sawlogs, bridge timbers, fence rails and 
 a saw mill on their way to the lake. This was a trial 
 trip to test the practicability of the slack water navi- 
 gation between Fort Wayne and Lake Erie- The 
 scheme was considered impracticable and the steamer 
 was transferred at once to less dangerous waters, run- 
 ning, as was understood, quite successfully between 
 Maumee City and Detroit, via Monroe, Michigan. 
 
 He viewed with serious alarm the rapid increase 
 of intemperance and consequent vice and immorality 
 in our country, and religiously believed its progress 
 could never be arrested until the manufacture and 
 sale of all intoxicating drinks were prohibited b} r law, 
 and the law executed to the letter. 
 
LINDENWOOD CEMETERY. 
 
 The following paper was read by Oliver P. Morgan 
 before the Trustees of Lindenwood Cemetery at a meet- 
 ing held at their office in the Old National Bank, Feb. 
 7, 1887, and ordered spread upon the minutes, and the 
 subjoined resolution adopted. 
 
 The members of the Board present were: O. P. 
 Morgan, J. H. Bass, S. B. Bond, George H. Wilson. 
 
 W. T. Reitze, S. B. Bond, 
 
 Secretary. Chairman. 
 
 THE MONUMENT. 
 
 A little more than a quarter of a century ago the 
 grounds now known as Lindenwood Cemetery were 
 covered with forest trees and a dense undergrowth; 
 to-day they are a " beautiful city of the dead." Being 
 richly endowed by Nature with gentle undulations, 
 varied and diversified in form, and corresponding de- 
 pressions, in which convenient roadways have been 
 located, every lot is made easily accessible by a skill- 
 ful and tasteful hand directed by the President of the 
 association. 
 
 The Hon. I. D. G. Nelson was elected President 
 of Lindenwood Cemetery on May 14, i860, and has 
 been re-elected to that position every year since that 
 time. His wise counsels and intelligent zeal, as well 
 as his admirable taste, are seen in the well ordered and 
 
symmetrical plan of its grounds and lakes. Ljnden- 
 wood Cemetery all these years from its organization 
 till now has been cherished by its President as an ob- 
 ject of love very near to his heart, calling forth his 
 earnest interest and his thoughtful care, and Linden- 
 wood has responded to his affection by its ever increas- 
 ing beauty and restful charms. L,ook upon it when 
 you may, it calls forth admiration, and seems to say : 
 "Come unto me, all ye that are weary of life, with its 
 ills and cares and disappointment, and rest in my 
 bosom." The visitor lingers within its grounds almost 
 loth to leave that delightful spot, and instinctively 
 looks back to gaze once more upon its unfading beau- 
 ties ere he passes out of sight. 
 
 The Trustees feel that to Mr. Nelson they owe a 
 debt of gratitude for his long service in and unflagging 
 fidelity to the best interests of Lindenwood, and, as a 
 mark of their high appreciation of his valuable services 
 in making ours one of the most attractive cemeteries 
 in our land, they do now appropriate and set apart out 
 of the surplus funds in the treasury the sum of twenty- 
 five hundred dollars ($2,500), or so much of it as may 
 be necessary to defray the expenses of a monument, 
 to be erected and placed upon the lot owned by Mr. 
 Nelson in Lindenwood Cemetery; and it is the ex- 
 pressed wish of the Board of Trustees that President 
 Nelson shall select the material and design of the 
 monument and order its construction and its placing 
 on his lot at an early day. 
 
 Resolved, That the sum above named be appro- 
 priated for the uses and purposes therein expressed, 
 and a copy of the above paper be sent to Mr. Nelson. 
 
OBITUARY RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 Fort Wayne, Ind., March, 28, 1891. 
 
 Pursuant to a call the Trustees of Eindenwood 
 Cemetery met at the Old National Bank to consider the 
 death of the Hon. Isaac D. G. Nelson, President of the 
 Board. 
 
 The following preamble and resolutions were 
 adopted : 
 
 Whereas, The Hon. Isaac D. G. Nelson, the 
 esteemed President of the Board of Trustees of Ein- 
 denwood Cemetery, has been called from Time to 
 Eternity, therefore, 
 
 Resolved, That the Trustees of Eindenwood Cem- 
 etery hereby express their sorrow for the loss sustained 
 by them as a Board and the loss to the community of 
 a valued citizen; that as Mr. Nelson was connected 
 with the Cemetery Board from its organization, and 
 was its first and only President, and held that office 
 till the day of his death, we unhesitatingly acknowl- 
 edge his great worth, his active and intelligent zeal, his 
 unerring judgment in all matters connected with the 
 affairs of the cemetery. 
 
 Owing to his wise supervision and good taste Ein- 
 denwood to-day ranks in beauty and picturesqueness 
 with any cemetery in the State, if not in the West. 
 
 It was always to him a cherished spot, occupying 
 much of his time and thoughts, but more especially 
 during the last two years. The friends of Einden- 
 wood cannot place too high a value upon the services 
 
 19 
 
rendered by him in their behalf in arranging and 
 beautifying the final resting place of so many of our 
 citizens. 
 
 His was a busy and useful life, and his labors will 
 long be remembered and appreciated by those left be- 
 hind. A good man and a valuable citizen has gone 
 from us. We shall miss him, and shall cherish his 
 memory while life endures. 
 
 Ordered that the foregoing shall be spread upon 
 the minutes of the Board of Trustees and a copy 
 thereof be handed to the bereaved family with the 
 sincere sympathy of this Board. 
 
 O. P. Morgan, 
 
 Chairman. 
 
TRINITY CHURCH. 
 
 By request of the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal 
 Church, Hon. F. P. Randall prepared a memorial on 
 the life and services of the late Isaac DeGroff Nelson, 
 whom he had known intimately for over fifty years. 
 
 The paper was read at the parish meeting Mon- 
 day evening, ordered spread upon the records of the 
 Church and published. 
 
 Mr. Randall said : 
 
 In the death of its late Senior Warden, I. D. G. 
 Nelson, this Church has lost one of its oldest, most 
 active, exemplary, and revered members. His con- 
 nection with Trinity Church dates from its first or- 
 ganization, and for nearly fifty years he has been a 
 useful, devoted and highly esteemed member of the 
 same; and during all of that time his Christian zeal 
 never grew weary, nor did his devotion to true religion 
 ever abate. In his family he was an indulgent father 
 and a most kind and devoted husband. In his inter- 
 course with the world the justice, propriety and be- 
 nevolence of his conduct caused all to regard him as a 
 model citizen, whilst the ease and frankness of his 
 manners, a constant observance of the amenities of 
 life, and a sedulous regard for the feelings of others, 
 made for him personal friends of all with whom he 
 came in contact. Always candid, always pleasant, 
 
always courteous, he never offended by rudeness or 
 wounded by unkind remarks. 
 
 In his varied relations in life he received that 
 respect from others to which the excellence of his own 
 character so eminently entitled him. Kind and for- 
 bearing himself, he paid respectful regard to the opin- 
 ions of others. 
 
 During his long life he experienced prosperity 
 and adversity, but his practical good sense enabled 
 him to meet every emergency with calmness and self- 
 control. Without ostentation or obtrusion, in his own 
 quiet way, he had lived among us, a true Christian 
 gentleman. 
 
 The truth of the Christian religion impressed on 
 his youthful mind, cherished and matured in his riper 
 years, did by the blessing of God vouchsafe to him in 
 his last moments its hope and its consolation. 
 
 He has gone to his eternal rest. A noble granite 
 shaft looks down upon his new-made grave. Yet all 
 of Liudenwood, that beautiful home for the dead, is 
 his monument. Those pleasant walks, those shady 
 groves, those green and delightful lawns, those lovely 
 flowers, have all taken shape and form and made their 
 growth under his guiding and fostering hands, and 
 while grass grows and flowers bloom they will remain 
 to him a memorial. 
 
 Several days before his death he became satisfied 
 that his life's work was done, and he so told his family 
 and kindly and affectionately assured them that he 
 was prepared, ready and even anxious to depart. No 
 doubts or fears disturbed the Christian serenity of his 
 last hours. Death came to him, not as the king of 
 
terrors, but as a kind friend to open for him the door- 
 way to the home of the blessed. In the stillness of 
 the sick chamber he heard a heavenly voice, in subdued 
 and melting accents of tenderness and compassion, 
 saying: "Fear not, for I am with thee. Be not dis- 
 mayed, for I am thy God," and he might in truth have 
 adopted the words and sentiment of the great apostle : 
 
 "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of 
 my departure is at hand. 
 
 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my 
 course. * * * Henceforth there is laid up for me 
 a crown of righteousness." 
 
 How many 3^ears of an ordinary life does such a 
 dying moment overbalance. 
 
 "Servant of God, well done, 
 
 Rest from thy worldly employ; 
 The battle fought, the victory won, 
 Enter thy Maker's joy. 
 
 "Soldier of Christ, well done, 
 Praise be thy new employ, 
 And while eternal ages run 
 Rest in thy Savior's joy." 
 
TRIBUTES FROM THE PRESS. 
 
 THE FORT WAYNE SENTINEL. 
 At 8 o'clock this morning death separated all 
 earthly ties of Hon. I. D. G. Nelson, one of Allen 
 County's oldest and most prominent residents, and a 
 citizen whose very name was the synonym of all that 
 is esteemed in the eyes of men. 
 
 After a brief though painful illness, Mr. Nelson 
 passed to his last sleep, surrounded by a few relatives, 
 at his residence, 132 East Berry street. Although 
 very active in his latter j^ears, the footprints of time 
 stamped the infirmities of age upon his constitution, 
 until finally he laid down all earthly cares and waited 
 longingly for the immortal message to summon him 
 to the shore where "the weary are at rest." His last 
 illness dated from the time he attended the obsequies 
 of the late lamented Mrs. Susan C. Williams, at which 
 he was among the honored pall-bearers. * * * 
 
 The Lindenwood Association, with a high sense of 
 appreciation of Mr. Nelson's untiring labors in behalf 
 of improvements in the "beautiful city of the dead," 
 has erected on the Nelson lot a magnificent monument 
 for himself and family. Under the shadow of this 
 shaft already sleeps his wife. 
 
 The surviving children are : Mrs. Henry W. Bond 
 and Miss Eva Rebecca Nelson, of this city, and W. R. 
 
 25 
 
Nelson, of Kansas City, Mo. The late ex-Sheriff, 
 De Groff Nelson, also a son, died in May, 1887. Among 
 the grandchildren are Miss Eva Theodosia Nelson 
 and Mrs. Harry Metzgar. 
 
 THE FORT WAYNE GAZETTE. 
 
 It is with sincere regret that the people of the 
 State will learn of the death of Hon. I. D. G. Nelson. 
 Mr. Nelson was one of the pioneers of the State, a 
 gentleman well known throughout its borders, and 
 who in his long and useful life had contributed his full 
 share to her prosperity and in the development of her 
 great resources. He was for } r ears an honored resi- 
 dent of this city, and the people delighted to claim 
 him. An honorable and upright man, he was esteemed 
 by all, and in his death at a ripe old age he leaves 
 behind him the example of a life well spent, of a work 
 well done. Men of this kind are an inspiration to the 
 community, and, dying, require no monument to per- 
 petuate their deeds or their memory. 
 
 An honorable and upright man has departed ; 
 another of the pioneers of Allen county has been called 
 to his long reward. The death of Hon. I. D. G. Nel- 
 son occurred early yesterday morning at his home, 132 
 East Berry street. The deceased had been ailing for 
 some time, and for the last few days all hopes of his 
 recovery had been abandoned. At the time of the 
 funeral of the late Mrs. Jesse L,. Williams Mr. 
 Nelson was one of the pall-bearers, and he 
 then caught cold which finally culminated in the dis- 
 ease causing his death. A coincidence is here to be 
 
 26 
 
noted, that of the pall-bearers on that occasion two 
 have already passed beyond — Mr. Cochrane and Mr. 
 Nelson. 
 
 In the death of Mr. Nelson, Allen County loses one 
 of her most honorable citizens, and a man who has 
 through life been closely identified with all her inter- 
 ests, mercantile and agricultural. He was a man who 
 occupied many prominent places, positions of trust, 
 and in all he was the same straightforward and upright 
 person. Such men as he are a credit to a community, 
 and their good qualities always exert a good influence 
 upon the community, even long after they themselves 
 have passed away. * * * 
 
 The death of his wife, one year ago last October, 
 was a severe blow, and one from which Mr. Nelson 
 never fully recovered. So long had they trodden 
 together life's pathway that it made the separation all 
 the more severe. One of his sons, De Groff Nelson, 
 died a few years ago while serving as Sheriff of this 
 county. There remain three children, William R. 
 Nelson, proprietor of the Kansas City Star, Mrs. 
 Theodosia Bond and Miss Eva Rebecca Nelson. 
 
 The funeral has been arranged to take place from 
 his late residence, 132 East Berry street, to-morrow 
 afternoon at 2 o'clock, the services to be conducted by 
 Rector Seabrease- There will be honorary and active 
 pall-bearers as follows : Honorary — Dr. J. S. Irwin, 
 O. P. Morgan, F. P. Randall, J. K. Edgerton, W. T. 
 Abbott and W. H. Jones. Active— C. D. Gorham, C. 
 R. Higgins, S. B. Bond, J. D. Bond, Clark Fairbank 
 and John H. Bass. 
 

 THE KANSAS CITY STAR. 
 
 A dispatch from Fort Wayne, Ind., announces the 
 death at an early hour this morning of Isaac De Groff 
 Nelson, one of the oldest residents of that city and a 
 prominent citizen of his State. The immediate cause 
 of his death was the disease known as la grippe, but 
 he had already lived far beyond the three-score years 
 and ten, which is regarded as the full measure of 
 earthly existence. He was about 81 years of age, and 
 had lived a life of activity and usefulness, which en- 
 dured up to the very last hours of consciousness. 
 
 Mr. Nelson was a pioneer in Indiana, and was 
 identified with the growth of Fort Wayne as a busi- 
 ness center. He was known in earty life as a practical 
 farmer, as a merchant and a newspaper editor. For 
 many years he was editor of the Fort Wayne Sentinel, 
 and in that capacity did much to mould the sentiment 
 of his section and State- He enjoyed much political 
 distinction, having been elected several times to re- 
 sponsible local trusts in his own county, and having 
 represented his constituents in constitutional conven- 
 tions and the State Legislature. His last public service 
 to the State was as Commissioner for the erection of 
 the new Indiana State House, a duty which called him 
 to Indianapolis, where he resided for several years as 
 an active member of the State House Commission. 
 
 Upon his return to Fort Wayne, a couple of years 
 ago, Mr. Nelson resumed his interest in the care and 
 improvement of Lindenwood Cemetery, one among 
 the results of his energy and public spirit. Linden- 
 wood Cemetery is one of the loveliest places in design 
 (improvements and ornamentation set aside) in this 
 
 28 
 
country as a "city of the dead." Mr. Nelson was the 
 first President of the corporation which founded it, 
 and held that position at the time of his death. The 
 personal attention he gave to it was acknowledged a 
 few years ago by the Board of Trustees, who voted the 
 amount of money necessary for the erection of a hand- 
 some monument to his memory ; it was completed and 
 put in place before his death. In religion Mr. Nelson 
 was an Kpiscopalian, and was for more than forty 
 years Vestryman and Warden of Trinity Church, Fort 
 Wayne. 
 
 I. D. G. Nelson was essentially a self-made man. 
 He began life under circumstances which afforded 
 him but meager opportunities for education, and yet 
 he developed subsequently great ability as a writer on 
 practical agriculture, horticulture, pomology, rural ar- 
 chitecture, tree culture, public questions, and espe- 
 cially free trade, which was the great political princi- 
 ple of his life. He maintained his faculties and 
 energy up to the very last days of his career, and 
 took the same active interest in the welfare of his 
 country, his State and his city which he manifested 
 early in life. He was a strong and upright man in 
 business, in politics and in all social relations. He had 
 a high ideal of the duties of life. He was a good citi- 
 zen, and never spared himself in any emergency calling 
 for work or self-sacrifice. His long life was filled with 
 useful endeavor, and he will be followed to his grave 
 by the love of all who knew him and the respect of all 
 to whom he was known. 
 
 29 
 
THE INDIANAPOLIS SENTINEL. 
 
 Isaac De Groff Nelson, of Fort Wayne, died at his 
 home in that city yesterday at the advanced age of 81. 
 Mr. Nelson was one of the pioneers of Indiana, and 
 had been for more than half a century prominent in 
 the affairs of the State. He was a man of the highest 
 personal character, of excellent ability, of strong con- 
 victions, of great industry, and in every respect a most 
 useful and worthy citizen. He had been from his 
 earliest manhood an ardent Democrat. He retained 
 to the last his devotion to Democratic principles, and 
 always maintained that their rigid application would 
 solve all the real problems of government. During 
 most of his life he was actively identified with the 
 agricultural and horticultural interests of the State, 
 and he did very much for their promotion. As a 
 member of the board of State House Commissioners 
 during its entire existence Mr. Nelson rendered im- 
 portant service to the State. His unbending integrity, 
 his varied knowledge, his rare aptitude for de- 
 tails and his keen sense of public duty combined to 
 make him an invaluable member of the Board. Our 
 magnificent State Capitol was erected within the ap- 
 propriation and without a whisper or suggestion of 
 scandal or jobbery. It will be an enduring monument 
 to the memory of the men under whose auspices it was 
 directed, none of whom had a longer or more active 
 part in the work than Mr. Nelson. 
 
 His death, in the fullness of years and amid the 
 peaceful surroundings of an honorable retirement, was 
 a fitting close to an upright and noble life. 
 
 .-' 
 
THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS. 
 In the death of Hon. I. D. G. Nelson Indiana 
 loses a citizen worthy of all honor; one of those men 
 who are a moving factor in affairs wherever they find 
 themselves, an active principle in the progress of their 
 day and generation. In his long life and to his latest 
 day, Mr. Nelson was ever a participant, not a mere ob- 
 server. With quick sympathies he took vital interest 
 in all the movements of life. It was only a few days ago 
 that he was a contributor to the columns of the Labor 
 Signal of this city upon some phase of the great indus- 
 trial problem. When he lived in Indianapolis during 
 the many years of his service as a State House Com- 
 missioner, his alertness considered constantly sugges- 
 tions and projects for the good of this community. 
 Among many avenues of intelligent activity he was a 
 horticulturist, and while here he was urging wise use 
 and care of our parks and proper improvement of our 
 streets. He was a clear thinker on all problems ; had 
 a living interest in politics as a matter of principle. 
 He was a fine type of citizenship; one of the kind that 
 contributes most largely to the sturdy body of impulse 
 that makes real progress. He dies full of years and 
 widely honored. 
 
 meehan's (Philadelphia) monthly. 
 Mr. I. D. G. Nelson, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died 
 on the 25th of March in his 81st year. Mr. Nelson was 
 one of the original horticulturists of Indiana, and his 
 beautiful grounds and green houses were probably 
 among the earliest of the best laid out places in that 
 section of the country. His pretty green houses 
 
always attracted the lover of exotic plants who visited 
 that section, and whatever horticultural or pomolog- 
 icai societies met in that vicinity they were always cor- 
 dially and handsomely entertained at Mr. Nelson's 
 residence. In connection with his love for horticult- 
 ure he was very prominent and popular in public 
 affairs. 
 
 One of his greatest works of public usefulness 
 was the establishing of Lindenwood Cemetery, which 
 is one of the most beautiful in the country. In this 
 work he continued to take a warm interest up to the 
 time of his decease. On his own lot in that cemetery 
 the projectors erected a monument, on which the fol- 
 lowing is inscribed: " The Trustees feel that to Mr. 
 Nelson they owe a debt of gratitude for his long serv- 
 ice and unflagging fidelity to the best interests of 
 Lindenwood, and, as a mark of their appreciation of 
 his valuable service, order the erection of a suitable 
 monument on his cemetery lot." We often wonder 
 that those who would preserve their names to posterity 
 do not often interest themselves in securing public 
 grounds for either the living or the dead as Mr. Nel- 
 son has done; for our own part we would sooner know 
 that our name was connected with a public square, 
 or a beautiful cemetery, than have a monument in 
 marble or brass, such as is usually given to a military 
 or some other hero. 
 
 THE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL. 
 The most prominent man in Northern Indiana, as 
 far as active connection with the development of the 
 country is concerned, was the Hon. Isaac DeGroff 
 
 32 
 
Nelson, who died in Fort Wayne at 8 o'clock, March 24, 
 at his late residence. After a brief though painful ill- 
 ness, contracted at the time he attended the funeral of 
 the late Mrs. Williams. Mr. Nelson passed away, 
 closing an earthly career of usefulness to his country 
 and of unstinted devotion to his fellow-men. 
 
 When not serving the public Mr. Nelson was 
 engaged in farming, giving much time to stock-rais- 
 ing, horticulture and landscape gardening. He was a 
 member of the Trinity Episcopal Church and a devout 
 Christian. His wife has been dead for several years. 
 The surviving children are: Mrs. Henry W. Bond, 
 Miss Eva Rebecca Nelson, of this city, and W. R. Nel- 
 son, editor and proprietor of the Kansas City Star. 
 
 FORT WAYNE JOURNAL. 
 
 In spite of the most inclement weather, a large 
 number of the friends of the late Hon. I. D. G. Nelson 
 followed his remains to L,indenwood Cemetery yester- 
 day. At his late residence on East Berry street the 
 touching burial services of the Episcopal Church were 
 read by Rev. A. W. Seabrease of Trinity Episcopal 
 Church — of which the deceased was a life-long mem- 
 ber—and Dr. Moffat, of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 assisted in prayer. 
 
 After the short service, which the Church pro- 
 vides shall be read at the grave, his remains were laid 
 to rest in that "city of the dead" which owes so much 
 of its beauty to the fostering care which his loving 
 hand had lavished upon it during his life. 
 
 Mr. Nelson was one of the originators of Linden- 
 wood Cemetery and was the first and only President 
 
 33 
 
the organization has ever had, and the care and direc- 
 tion of its affairs have been to him a labor of love. 
 
 Intensely rural in his tastes and inclination, the 
 natural beauties of the spot gave him a wide field for 
 the exercise of that care and skill which were his, part- 
 ly the result of a long life devoted to the study of the 
 artistic side of rural affairs. 
 
 With Superintendent Doswell to carry out the 
 details of the work, Mr. Nelson planned all of the ma- 
 terial improvements which have made Lindenwood 
 the most beautiful burial place in Indiana. 
 
 As he was laid to rest beneath the shadow of the 
 majestic granite shaft with which his associates had, 
 during his life, commemorated the value of his serv- 
 ices as President, the thought that was uppermost in 
 the minds of the assembled mourners was that all 
 about him was a monument more beautiful and hardly 
 less enduring than the "eternal rock" which marks 
 his resting place and recites the value of his services 
 to his fellow-men. 
 
 THE INDIANA FARMER. 
 
 On Tuesday, March 24th, occurred the death of 
 Hon. Isaac DeGroff Nelson at his home in Fort Wayne, 
 one of the oldest, best known, most enterprising, pub- 
 lic spirited, upright and honored citizens of the State. 
 
 He was well known to our readers by his articles 
 on various horticultural and agricultural subjects, 
 which have appeared occasionally ever since we have 
 been connected with the paper. Our last number 
 contains a valuable communication from his pen, en- 
 
 34 
 
titled "Another Word on Orchard Grass," probably 
 the last he ever wrote for the public. 
 
 He was for many years a prominent member of 
 the State Board of Agriculture and of the State Hor- 
 ticultural Society, and was at one time President of 
 the latter bod}'. For several years past he has served 
 the State most worthily as a member of the Board of 
 State House Commissioners, which will be honored 
 as long as that noble building shall stand as having 
 exercised such care, prudence and economy in its con- 
 struction as to complete it within the limits of the 
 estimate of the architect. 
 
 He was born in the State of New York in 1810, the 
 son of a farmer, and in 1836 moved to Fort Wayne. 
 The illness from which he died was caused by a severe 
 cold contracted while attending the funeral of the 
 widow of Jesse Williams, another pioneer. 
 
 FORT WAYNE SENTINEL. 
 
 By the death of Hon. I. D. G. Nelson, the city of 
 Fort Wayne and the State of Indiana are deprived of 
 an honored and a valuable citizen, one who figured 
 prominently in life and who did much for the genera- 
 tion in which he lived. He was at one time the edi- 
 tor and proprietor of The Sentinel, and under his 
 charge it was changed from a Whig paper to an influ- 
 ential Democratic organ. This was in the year 1840, 
 and since then The Sentinel has remained true to the 
 Democratic faith. Mr. Nelson has been prominent in 
 politics and has filled with honor many offices to which 
 the people of the county have elected him. In all 
 his stations in life, as a private citizen and as an offi- 
 
 35 
 
cial, he has been true to the grand principles of right, 
 which ever actuated and controlled his actions, and he 
 passes to the great beyond with a life record that is 
 pure and spotless. Such men as Mr. Nelson are ex- 
 amples for the rising generation to imitate, and the 
 influence of his career will live for many years to 
 come. His bereaved family have the sympathy of a 
 wide circle of friends in both this city and throughout 
 the State. 
 
 THE KANSAS CITY EVENING TIMES. 
 
 Isaac D. G. Nelson, whose death at an advanced 
 age has just occurred at Fort Wayne, Indiana, was one 
 of the pioneer newspapermen of that State, a citizen of 
 the highest integrity and a man of many attractive 
 qualities. The Evening Times extends to Colonel Nel- 
 son of the Kansas City Star its sympathy. Colonel 
 Nelson had a right to be proud of his father during life 
 and his grief finds all newspaper men of his 
 acquaintance ready to show with him respect for the 
 memory of a veteran who was an honor to the 
 profession. 
 
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