Published: August 29, 2008 10:45 pm         

Aldrich brothers were manufacturers

The Aldrich brothers came to Cass County at entirely different dates.

Nathan was several years older than William. He was born in 1794 of Quaker parents and moved to Rochester, N.Y., when he was 15 to learn the cabinet-making business. Nathan came to Logansport to visit in 1833 and returned to live in 1834.

William was born in 1808 in Vermont and in 1834 moved to New York to learn his trade as a machinist.

Nathan married Eliza Duncan on Dec. 12, 1827. They had three children: Lydia, a teacher in the Presbyterian School; Henry, a teacher in the Presbyterian School; and Susan.

Nathan stopped in Peru for a few months on his way to Logansport. He left Peru in April 1835 in a pirogue and landed at Fourth Street. He soon opened a cabinet shop on Third Street, slightly north of Broadway, on what is now the courthouse lawn.

William arrived in Logansport about 1862 and located a manufacturing business of woolen goods just south of the Wabash River on the Hamilton Race. The factory produced two- and three-ply stocking yarn for 80 cents per pound, No. 1 indigo jeans cloth for 80 cents per yard and woolen blankets for $1 per pound. He took Willard Nash in as a partner in 1868 and enlarged the business.

After a few years, he sold out his interest to Marcellus Nash, the brother of Willard. William moved to the north side of the Eel River just east of Sixth Street and ran a paper mill.

In 1839, Nathan moved from Third Street and opened a cabinet shop, foundry and machine shop east of Forest Mills on the south side of the Eel River. He was successful in business. In 1867, he was appointed Logansport street commissioner. Then on April 6, 1868, Nathan became a trustee of the Eel River Seminary and superintendent of the Sunday school in the Presbyterian Church. The temperance movement was becoming very strong in Logansport during this period. Nathan was elected vice president of the Cass County Union Temperance Society.

Nathan sold out his business interest in 1850 and moved to Neenah, Wis., to go into business with his son, Henry. That did not work out, and Nathan returned to Logansport in 1851 and began trading furs for the Northwestern Fur Co.

After working for the Northwestern Fur Co. for a few years, Nathan began selling insurance for the Aetna Insurance Co., Security Fire Insurance of New York, International Insurance of New York, Northwestern Life of Milwaukee, and Travelers Insurance. His office was at 328 E. Broadway.

William married Mary A. Aldrich who came to Logansport in 1845. They had two children: Mary Jane, who married Willard G. Nash, and William Jr. William’s second marriage was in 1853 to Ann E. Aldrich.

Nathan died March 5, 1875, and William died Oct. 18, 1885.

Richard B. Copeland is president of the Cass County Historical Society and can be reached at ptnews@pharostribune.com. The material for this article came from the CCHS research center.