John Cobb

Narrative:

     John Cobb was born on 10 Jun 1809 in Cumberland, Greene Co., Pennsylvania.^7,8,9
     He was probably one of the three males under age 10 listed in the household of his father, Joshua Cobb, in the 1810 Federal Census of Cumberland Twp., Greene Co., Pennsylvania.¹⁶

Moving West to Indiana --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     He moved down the Ohio River by flatboat to Dearborn Co., Indiana, with his parents in 1818.^17,18,19 He was probably one of the three males age 10 to 16 listed in the household of his father, in the 1820 Federal Census of Laughery, Dearborn Co., Indiana.²⁰
     He moved to Decatur Co. in 1821 with his parents.^21,22,23
     On 11 Apr 1834 John was granted a patent for 40 acres of land in Decatur Co., Indiana, under the Cash Entry Act of April 24, 1820. That act reduced the minimum price of public land to $1.25 per acre, but required payment in cash, not on credit.²⁴
     John married Maria Caffyn, daughter of Richard Caffyn and Lydia Casto, and older sister of the woman his brother Elkanah would marry the following year, on 11 Jul 1841 in Decatur Co., Indiana, with Jacob Martin officiating.^10,11,12
     John and Maria moved to Dearborn Co. about 1842. They appeared on the 1850 Federal Census of Aurora, Dearborn Co., Indiana, enumerated 26 Jul 1850, reporting real estate valued at $6500. Their children Davis, James and Thomas were listed as living with them, as was is younger brother, Elkanah, and Elizabeth Turney, age 15, who may have been a servant.²
     John and Maria adopted Mary Walsh, apparently about 1860. She is shown as adopted, with the surname Walsh, in the 1860 census, and with surname Cobb and no notation in the 1870 census.²⁵
     John and Maria appeared on the 1860 Federal Census of Aurora, Dearborn Co., Indiana, enumerated Jun 1860, reporting real estate valued at $50,000 and personal estate of $50,000. Their children Davis, James and Thomas were listed as living with them, as were their adopted daughter, Mary Walsh, and Ann Suring, age 15, a servant. His brother Oliver and his family are listed six households later, apparently living close by.²⁶
     He and Maria appeared on the 1870 Federal Census of Aurora, Dearborn Co., Indiana, enumerated 1 Jul 1870, reporting real estate valued at $40,000 and personal estate of $50,000. Their son Thomas was listed as living with them, as is their adopted daughter Mary Walsh, their eldest son James and his wife Martha Ella Trumbower. There was also an unknown apparent relative, Carrie Cobb, and a servant, Louise Rupker, age 17. His brother Oliver and his family are listed five households later, apparently living close by.²⁷
     John and Maria appeared on the 1880 Federal Census of Aurora, Dearborn Co., Indiana, enumerated 4 Jun 1880. Their son Thomas was listed as living with them, as were her mother, their adopted daughter Mary, and two servants, Carie Achman, age 22, and Augustus Gould, age 16.²⁸
     In 1868 John purchased the Aurora Commercial, a newspaper established in 1859. In June of that year a joint stock company, which had purchased the presses of that paper, established the Dearborn Independent. This paper was edited by John's son, Thomas, until Apr 1873, when it was sold to his cousin, Louis Willard Cobb, who then operated it.^29,30,31

Very Successful Businessmen --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     John and his brother Oliver were very successful businessmen, with interests in southeast Indiana, Cincinnati, and Mississippi. They owned a shipping business, chair factory, nail and iron works and a pork house.^32,33,34 They built a store room and pork house in 1850 at a cost of $5,000.³⁵ While Oliver seems to have regarded himself as a farmer initially, it is clear that both he and John were engaged in business in Aurora by the mid-1840s. They were engaged in pork packing extensively, shipping their product south, where they also had a business.^36,37

The Aurora Iron and Nail Company --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     The Aurora Iron and Nail Company filed articles of incorporation in Nov 1875. It was formed from the Aurora Iron Company, which had its origin as a rolling mill established in 1873 by John B. Evans, and the Haddock Nail Machine & Nail Manufacturing Company of Cincinnati. Capital stock was listed as $1,000,000, and the directors included Evans and Oliver Perry Cobb. It is not clear who the original officers were, but by 1881 the Cobbs were clearly in control. At that time, Oliver was the president and a director, and his brother John, his sons William and Frank, nephews John Dwyer and James A Stratton, and brother-in-law Lewis M. Foulk were all directors. Stratton was also the Secretary, and Foulk was the Treasurer.^38,39,40
     By Mar 1881 the company was apparently not doing well, and a group of Cincinnati share-owners filed suit, blaming the Cobbs. The suit, naming the officers and directors, and their banks as defendants, was brought by ten share-owners, owning about 5,900 of the 20,000 shares outstanding. They charged that management had purchased from O. P. Cobb & Co. large amounts of materials at much higher price than that company paid for them, and had let contracts for "certain pretended improvements" at the plant to Stedman & Co., a close associate of the Cobbs, at "extravagant prices." Some of the directors, including Oliver and John Cobb, were accused of taking "pretended and fictitious mortgages" from the company. The suit asked for appointment of a receiver and recovery of damages.⁴¹
     The company's defenders lost no time; two days after the reports of the suit, three letters appeared in the Cincinnati newspapers. One, signed by management, save Oliver, denied all the charges, stating instead that the company would have failed had Oliver not provided nearly all the working capital. Another, by three "citizens of the city of Aurora," said that the charges were unjust, and that they had faith that a full investigation would show that. The third, by a committee of the firm's employees, said the employees had never been compelled to deal at the O. P. Cobb & Co. store, refuting a charge not reported in the earlier articles, and saying the works was "as good and systematic as any we ever worked in."⁴²
     The trial for appointment of a receiver ended 19 Apr 1881 with the share-owners withdrawing their request after the judge suggested he was not inclined to appoint one. Oliver then announced he intended to begin the next day to start foreclosure proceedings on the mortgage he held against the company. A few days later a long article in the Cincinnati Commercial recounted the "great injustice" that had been done by a letter in the Cincinnati Enquirer containing "false and malicious statements." The article continued that "the hostility of the Enquirer to Mr. Cobb can easily be explained from the fact that one of the editors has had a personal difficulty with a son of Mr. Cobb's, and hence the paper never fails to have anything published against" him (the Enquirer article has not been found.)^43,44,45
     After a three week trial in the counter-suit by the Cobbs to foreclose on their mortgages, the judge ruled on 13 Jun 1881 that the mortgages were valid and the foreclosure could proceed.^46,47

The Aurora Chair and Furniture Manufacturing Company --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     The Aurora Chair and Furniture Manufacturing Company, established about 1868, was purchased by John Cobb & Co. two years later. The factory, located on Third and Bridgeway Sts., made wood and cane-seated chairs from locally produced materials.⁴⁸ On 4 Sep 1882 a fire originating in the factory destroyed a substantial section of downtown Aurora. The lost property was valued at $75,000. Of that $30,000, offset by $8,000 of insurance, was due to loss of the entire chair factory and a large amount of stock.⁴⁹ Within 100 days the factory was again in full operation, rebuilt with largely brick buildings.⁴⁸
     By 1885 the factory employed about 130 workmen earning over $30,000 annually. They were supplied with planners, band saws, lathes, boring, mortising and tenant machines, circle saws and other appliances, turning out some 200 dozen chairs a week. The factory produced principally fine walnut chairs in a large variety of styles, marketed in the northern states, from New York City to San Francisco, and to the federal government. A branch factory in Butlerville, Indiana, produced lesser quality goods, such as maple chairs, rawhide frames, and other cheaper kinds. The company then consisted of John, his two sons James and Thomas, and Stedman & Co.⁵⁰

Legal Troubles Prompt Unusual Wills --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     The Cobbs' legal issues led to some unusual provisions in their wills. When Oliver and his wife, and John's wife, wrote their wills they left their property to their daughters-in-law rather than to their sons, who were still living. It seems they feared that the sons were exposed to claims that could be made against their property.
     Oliver in his will dated 6 Oct 1890 left everything to his wife, but if she died before him the property was to be divided equally between his daughter, the wives of his sons, and the grandson of a deceased daughter.⁵¹
     The 16 Jan 1891 will of Caroline, Oliver's wife, left him a life estate in the property but only so long as no legal claims were made against it, in which case, or at his death, everything was to go to their daughter, daughters-in-law, and the grandson.⁵²
     John was named an heir in the will of his wife dated 3 Dec 1892 in Aurora, Dearborn Co., Indiana, which also left some property to their daughter and two daughters-in-law. It left him a life estate of their home place and other property, which at his death was to pass to a daughter-in-law at his death.⁵³ John had apparently transferred his property to his wife by 1892, as the family homestead was included in the property listed in her will. John died intestate, without a will, and his administrator told the court the only assets in his estate were some war claims which were then before Congress for allowance.⁵⁴
     John died on 15 Jun 1895 in Aurora, Dearborn Co., Indiana, at age 86.^13,8,14 He was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Aurora, Indiana.¹⁵