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Tau Chapter of Beta Theta Pi
The Roll: 1846 - 1869
John Coburn
1846. John Coburn, Wabash Class of 1846, was the founder of Tau Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. He did so bringing official greetings from Oxford, Ohio where Beta's Alpha Chapter had been founded a mere seven years before. His friend, Oliver P. Morton, later Indiana's Civil War governor, was then a Beta at Miami and wished to see Beta Theta Pi flourish in the area. Whether he was selected due to friendship or because he was the top graduating student at Wabash, Coburn lost little time in establishing a solid fraternity.
Coburn was born in Indianapolis on October 27, 1825. He graduated from Wabash in 1846 and was a lawyer, judge and state legislator prior to the Civil War.
On September 16, 1861, he was appointed the first colonel of the 33rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The following month the regiment reported to George Thomas at Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and on October 21, defeated a small Confederate force in an engagement at Camp Wildcat, Kentucky. The 33rd remained in Kentucky and during a 60-day period in the winter of 1861-62, 62 men in the 33rd Indiana died due to disease and 511 were sick and hospitalized. (The maximum strength of a new regiment was approximately one thousand.) In June the 33rd took part in the skirmishes at Cumberland Gap with Colonel Coburn moving up to command a brigade while officially the regimental commander. The 33rd was active as a garrison force in East Kentucky during most of 1862 and was not engaged in a major military engagement until March 1863 at Thompson's Station, Tennessee. In this encounter near Franklin, the 33rd suffered an approximate loss of about 100 killed and wounded and 400 captured, including Colonel Coburn. By coincidence, on that same day Coburn's name was being presented in the U.S. Senate for confirmation to the rank of brigadier general. Coburn, a prisoner of the Confederate army, was sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Upon his exchange, Coburn returned to active service as a brigade commander and in 1864 served (as did the 33rd) in nine battles in William T. Sherman's Atlanta campaign. As brevet Brigadier General, he was the ranking officer present who accepted the surrender of Atlanta. On September 20, 1864, after three years of service, Coburn, who had not re-enlisted was mustered out.
After the War he was elected to the U.S. Congress for four consecutive terms,1867-75. His accomplishments in Congress included the formulation of a bill to provide military headstones for all Union soldiers. He also urged Congress to actively locate and preserve the documents which culminated in the publication of the 128-volume Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, War of the Rebellion.Coburn was U.S. District Judge in the Montana Territory before returning to practice law in Indianapolis. He continued the practice of law in Indianapolis, except for terms as U.S. Commissioner at Hot Springs, Arkansas and as Judge of the Supreme Court of Montana.
Activities in Indianapolis included work on the U.S. Post Office building, a term as a school commissioner, a founder of the Indiana Soldiers' Orphans' Home, and in work with the Indiana Historical Society in which his father, Henry P. Coburn, and his father-in-law, Charles H. Test, were early proponents. He was also the orator at the cornerstone-laying of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis.
Coburn died 28 January 1908 and is buried under a large obelisk monument at Crown Hill Cemetery, not far from the graves of Beta brother Governor Oliver Morton and fellow war comrade President Harrison.
This brief description is largely taken from the book Coburn's Brigade, by Frank J. Welcher and Larry G. Liggett as well as a major website managed by Liggett and his son. The book may be ordered at amazon.com.
John Shierer Hougham
1846; LL.D. Franklin, 1872. Professor of Physics and Applied Mechanics, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1882- 94. John S. Hougham from Franklin Indiana "graduated from Wabash College in 1846 and from 1848-1867 was Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Franklin College in Indiana. Also during this time he served as the Johnson County Surveyor and the City of Franklin Civil Engineer. From 1868-1872 he was the Chairman of Philosophy and Agriculture at Kansas State University. From 1872-1876 he was the Chairman of Agricultural Chemistry at Purdue University. This rare solar compass (PHOTOGRAPH) was made about 1860. At this time Hougham advertised as a maker of mathematical instruments in the Indiana State Gazetteer. - R. Elgin, History of Surveying" Died 1894. Manhattan, Kansas
John Lyle Campbell
1848; LL.D. Indiana, 1876. Prof. of Physics and Astronomy, Wabash College, 1852-03. Originator and Secretary of the U.S. Centennial Commission, 1872-76. Died 1904. Crawfordsville, Indiana.
John Wells Taylor
1848. Lawyer. Died 1886. Himrods, N.Y.
Jesse Lynch Holman
1849. Farmer. Lieutenant Colonel, 18th Indiana Volunteers 1861-63. Died 1883. Aurora, Indiana.
Varnum Daniel Collins
1850; Graduate, Union Theological Seminary, New York, 1853. Presbyterian clergyman. Pastor, Sydenham Church, London England, 1879-93. Died 1900. Washington, D.C.
George G. Bowman
1853. Farmer. Captain, 12th Indiana Volunteers, 1862-4. Died 1894. Monticello, Indiana
William R. Houston
1849. Winchester, Indiana
Steven Coles Tabor (Taber)
1849; LL.B. Indiana, 1852. Lawyer. Died 1907. Logansport, Indiana
William Augustus McCorkle
1850; Graduate, Lane Theological Seminary, 1853; D.D. 1871. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1896. Detroit, Michigan.
Ninian Steel Dickey
1848; Graduate Lane Theological Seminary, 1851. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1895. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Reuben Samuel Ragan
1848; LL.B. Indiana, 1852. Lawyer. Horticulturalist. Member of Indiana Legislature, 1860-1. Colonel and aide-de- camp to Governor Oliver P. Morton, 1861-5. Died 1895. Spencer, Indiana.
Nathanial Potter Coultrin
1845. Presbyterian clergy. Died 1877. Franklin, Indiana.
Francis Augustus Wilber
1850; Grad. Lane Theological Seminary, 1854; Ph.D. College of Wooster , 1875. Presbyterian clergyman. Principal of Central Collegiate Academy. 1873-80. Died 1909. Santa Monica, California.
Theodore Asbury Lemon
1850; M.D. Physician. Died 1869. Plymouth, Indiana
James O'Brien
1847. Lawyer. Lafayette, Indiana
Archibald Shields Reid
1852. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1898. Fulton, Wisconsin.
Newton William Darlington
1852. Methodist clergyman. Died 1898. West Union, Ohio.
John Dayton Condit
1852. Died 1902. St. Anthony's Park, Minnesota
Edward Elnathan Bassett
1851. Lawyer. Assistant Adjutant General, Iowa Volunteers, 1863-5. Died 1898. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Samuel Merrill
1851. For many years a publisher in Indianapoils (later Bobbs-Merrill). U.S. Consul General to Calcutta, India, 1890- 4. Lieutenant Colonel, 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 1862-5. Died 1924. Long Beach, California.
Milford B. (Bard) Shipp
1854. Tau Chapter was forced to exist in secret from 1850 to 1856 due to anti-fraternity regulations. Shipp is credited with officially "restarting" the chapter in 1856. After graduation, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and pursued law, medicine, and missionary work. A picture of Shipp appears elsewhere on this site.
William J. (Johnston) Twining
1854; Graduate, U.S. Military Acdemy (West Point), 1850. Professor of English, U.S. Military Academy, 1860-73; of Chemistry, University of Missouri, 1873-9. Commissioner of the District of Columbia, 1879-82. Died 1882. Washington, D.C.
Samuel Colville Vance
1859. Secretary-Treasurer, Upson Machinery Company. Colonel, 132d Indiana Volunteers 1862-5. Jacksonville, Florida.
George W. Richardson
1859. Lawyer. Died 1878. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Edwin R. (Rufus) Lewis
1861; A.B. Amherst, 1861; M.D. Harvard, 1867; Grad. Union Theological Seminary, New York, 1871. Physician. Prof. of Chemistry, Beirut College, Syria (now Lebanon), 1871-84; in Wabash College, 1884-8. Capt. 21st Massachusetts Infantry, 1861-4. Died 1907. Madison, Indiana.
William Clay Porter
1847; D.D.; also Knox. Presbyterian clergyman. Chaplain, 20th Indiana Volunteers, 1861-5. Died 1911. Fort Scott, Kansas.
John Louis French
1859; Graduate, Lane Theological Seminary, 1862. Presbyterian clergyman. Chaplain, 41st O.V.I., 1865. Died 1912. Searchlight, Nevada.
William Mather Dickey
1861; M.D. Physician. Died 1921. Elm Rock, Oregon.
Oscar Armstrong Hills
1859; D.D. 1876. Presbyterian clergyman in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Santa Barbara, and Wooster OH. He went to Western Theological Seminary after Wabash. He wrote an autobiography while living in Wooster which was published in 1905. Portions of this autobiography are on file in the Tau Chapter archives. Many of his children & grandchildren also became Presbyterian ministers. His son, Edward Roland Hills, lived in what is now the Hills- DeCaro house, built by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Oak Park, IL. Died 1919. Wooster, Ohio. Much of this information kindly provided by Steve and Betsy (Hills) Bush of Scarsdale, New York.
Emma Bennet 1860 *
A student at the nearby Waveland Institute. According to lore and chapter records, she was initiated but no official roll number exists.
Celia Crocker 1860 *
A student at the nearby Waveland Institute. According to lore and chapter records, she was initiated but no official roll number exists.
James D. Rabb
1860; Graduate U.S. Military Academy (West Point), 1861. 2nd Lieut., U.S. Army, 1861. Died 1861. Carrollton, Kentucky.
Raskin Epley Rhoads
1860. Lawyer. Judge. Professor of Law, Indiana Univ.. Member of the Indiana Legislature, 1864-6. Died 1895. Terre Haute, Indiana.
Ozra J. (Jennison) Dodds
A.B. Miami, 1861; LL.B. Cincinnati, 1866. Also Miami chapter. Lawyer. Member Ohio Legislature, 1870-2. Member of Congress, 1872-4. Trustee, Miami University, 1875-82. Lieut. Col., 1st Alabama Cavalry. died 1882. Columbus, Ohio.
Temple Cole Harrison
1863. Lawyer. Member of Indiana Legislature. Died 1876. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Elisha Morgan Jr.
1863. also Beloit chapter. Founder of the Beloit Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. President of Chicago Stamping Comany. Died 1882. Chicago, Illinois.
John Bigelow Fairchild
1863. Lawyer. Died 1914. Marinette, Wisconsin.
John Edward Cleland
1862. Phi Beta Kappa. Litt. D. 1898. Business director, Indianapolis Public Schools. Captain, 70th Indiana Vol. Inf. 1862-4; of U.S.C. Infantry, 1864-6. Died 1920. Indianapolis, Indiana.
James Cameron Fullenwider
1861. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1863. Waveland, Indiana.
Albert Barnes Clark
1863; A.B. Yale, 1864. Member of Skull and Bones (Yale). Phi Beta Kappa. Fruit grower. Died 1883. Orange, California.
James Richard Carnahan
1866. Lawyer. Adjutant General of Indiana, 1882-5. General-in-Chief, Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias. Lieut., 86th Indiana Vol., 1862-4; Capt., 1864. Died 1905. Indianapolis, Indiana.
John Allen Finch
1863; B.L. Indianapolis, 1866. Lawyer. One of two individuals for whom the Wabash College "Finch Fellowship" is named (the other being his father, Fabius Maximus Finch).Civil War soldier, 1863-1865, Rank of Private 132 Div. Indiana Vol. Infantry, Company G. Was an attorney, practicing with his father under the firm name Finch & Finch. Specialized in Insurance law and became one of the first Insurance Lawyers in the United States. Was the author of "Finch's Insurance Digest". Died "suddenly" in 1899 while on business in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (information from various sources including http://www.FinchRoots.com/index.htm#fellowship.)
Joshua C. (Clinton) Hadley
1864. Manufacturer. Capt., 70th Indiana Vol. Infantry, 1862-5. Died 1906. Logansport, Indiana.
James Harrison Meteer
1867.
Oliver Hammond Spencer
1862.
Mark Lane Milford
1864. Also Miami chapter. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1932. Portland, Oregon.
Edmund Elisha White
1864. Died 1896. Campbell, California.
Walter Lamb Sullivan
1864. Merchant. Died 1906. Evansville, Indiana.
Charles A. Parke
1864. Banker. Died 1900. Mt. Vernon, Indiana.
Abram Piatt Andrew
1864. Banker. Capt. 21st Indiana Battery, 1863-5. LaPorte, Indiana
Robert Bruce Frazier Pierce
1866. Lawyer. General Manager of I.B. and W. Railroad. Member of U.S. Congress, 1881-3. Lieutenant, 135th Indiana Vol. Infantry, 1865. Died 1898. Indianapolis, Indiana.
George Washington Harvey
1866. Lawyer. Marion, Indiana.
"Aunt" Jennie Blair
Assumed to have been the first officially initiated woman in Beta Theta Pi. She was initiated by Tau Chapter circa 1867. While we do not show an official roll number for her, her badge is on display at the Beta Theta Pi General Fraternity headquarters in Oxford, Ohio. Beta son: John Allan Blair 1893.
R.T. Tubbs
1867.
John H. (Henry) Beach
1866. Private, 136th Indiana Vol., 1862-4. Died in 1864. Rockaway, New Jersey.
Jacob Farrand Tuttle
1867. LL.B. Harvard, 1874. Lawyer. Died 1921. Denver, Colorado. "He was the son of Wabash College President and Mrs. J.F. Tuttle and was born 20 August 1846 in Delaware, Ohio. When he was one year old, his father received and accepted a call as a minister to the Presbyterian Church of Rockaway, New Jersey, as a collegue pastor with his father-in-law Rev. Barnabas King. Here the family lived for fifteen years and Farrand received his preparatory education in the schools of Rockaway and the Newark Academy. In the spring of 1861, his father was called to the Presidency of Wabash College. In the fall, the family moved to Crawfordsville and Farrand began a six years' course at Wabash. Two of the six were spent in the (former Wabash) Preparatory Department of which Professor A.M. Hadley was the Principal. He entered the Freshman Class in 1863 and after four years of study graduated in Jun 1867. He was an active member of the (former) Calliopean Literary Society and represented on several occasions his class and society in declamation, debating, and Junior essay contests. He started insurance work soon after graduation and also did work in surveying with the late (Wabash) Professor John Lyle Campell (Tau 1848), but later entered the law offices of Hon Edmund D. Halsey and Mr. Pickin, in Morristown, New Jersey, for the study of law. He entered the Harvard Law School from which he graduated in 1872/3, with credit to himself and class. Associated with him here was the Hon. Thomas R. Paxton, a valuable member of the Wabash Board of Trustees for many years. Up to January 1921 there existed a very close friendship between these two men which was terminated by the death of Tuttle. He spent several years in Wisconsin in business and in 1886 removed to Denver, Colorado, where he spent the remaining years of his life in practice of law, insurance, etc. In 1888 he married Mrs. Anna F. Davis, who died about four years after his death. He was quite literary in his tastes, and exceedingly fond of music. He was frequently called upon to deliver some of his lectures on "Washington", "Lincoln", "John Paul Jones" and other notable characters in American history. Patriotic organization, schools, memorial days all shared in the lectures many times. He was an enthusiastic member of the Sons of the American Revolution, The Society of Colonial Wars, and of the Society of the Cincinnati, the latter by inheritance from his father. He was also a Mason, and a Knight-Templar for many years. When in college he was initiated into the Beta Theta Pi Chapter... and was always much interested in the affairs of the organization. After going to Colorado he became associated with Alpha Zeta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi and was frequently present as a guest, or to repsond to toast, and enjoyed them greatly. On one occasion he was presented with a loving cup as one of the oldest members of the fraternity in the State of Colorado. On december 13, 1913, which was the twenty-fifth anniversary of that chapter, he responded to one of the toasts of the evening ' "Beta the Ideal." Whenever it was possible for him to attend these meetings and banquets he did so for enjoyed so many of the men he met. The pin which is being given into the keeping of the local chapter was worn by him for many years, and he took great pleasure and pride in showing it to his friends. Some of these were those who had known and expereienced the trials and tribulations of the earlier days of its existence, and he welcomed tidings of greater prosperity that placed Beta Theta Pi in the front ranks of college fraternities. Trusting this pin may awaken some interest in the earlier days of Wabash College we place it in your keeping. - Katharine E. Thomson, Josephine Tuttle Thomas" (This biography and the pin were given to the chapter in 1927. Sadly, the badge has been lost for many years. Mrs. Thomson was the original owner of the first Chapter House at 513 West Wabash and part of the Thomson-Ristine family - GBL)
Harvey B. Vance
1867. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Henry Zwingli McLain
1867; L.H.D. 1897. Phi Beta Kappa. Professor of Greek, Wabash College. Died 1907. Crawfordsville, Indiana.
John A. Kellar
1865. Also Hanover chapter. Lawyer. Died 1910. St. Charles, Mo.
Luke Wood
1868. Lawyer. Died 1876. Evansville, Indiana.
Claiborn Addison Young
1869. Clergyman. Soldier's Home. died 1914. Lafayette, Indiana.
John Allen Finch 1863
The Roll: 1846 - 1869
John Coburn
1846. John Coburn, Wabash Class of 1846, was the founder of Tau Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. He did so bringing official greetings from Oxford, Ohio where Beta's Alpha Chapter had been founded a mere seven years before. His friend, Oliver P. Morton, later Indiana's Civil War governor, was then a Beta at Miami and wished to see Beta Theta Pi flourish in the area. Whether he was selected due to friendship or because he was the top graduating student at Wabash, Coburn lost little time in establishing a solid fraternity.
Coburn was born in Indianapolis on October 27, 1825. He graduated from Wabash in 1846 and was a lawyer, judge and state legislator prior to the Civil War.
On September 16, 1861, he was appointed the first colonel of the 33rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The following month the regiment reported to George Thomas at Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and on October 21, defeated a small Confederate force in an engagement at Camp Wildcat, Kentucky. The 33rd remained in Kentucky and during a 60-day period in the winter of 1861-62, 62 men in the 33rd Indiana died due to disease and 511 were sick and hospitalized. (The maximum strength of a new regiment was approximately one thousand.) In June the 33rd took part in the skirmishes at Cumberland Gap with Colonel Coburn moving up to command a brigade while officially the regimental commander. The 33rd was active as a garrison force in East Kentucky during most of 1862 and was not engaged in a major military engagement until March 1863 at Thompson's Station, Tennessee. In this encounter near Franklin, the 33rd suffered an approximate loss of about 100 killed and wounded and 400 captured, including Colonel Coburn. By coincidence, on that same day Coburn's name was being presented in the U.S. Senate for confirmation to the rank of brigadier general. Coburn, a prisoner of the Confederate army, was sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Upon his exchange, Coburn returned to active service as a brigade commander and in 1864 served (as did the 33rd) in nine battles in William T. Sherman's Atlanta campaign. As brevet Brigadier General, he was the ranking officer present who accepted the surrender of Atlanta. On September 20, 1864, after three years of service, Coburn, who had not re-enlisted was mustered out.
After the War he was elected to the U.S. Congress for four consecutive terms,1867-75. His accomplishments in Congress included the formulation of a bill to provide military headstones for all Union soldiers. He also urged Congress to actively locate and preserve the documents which culminated in the publication of the 128-volume Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, War of the Rebellion.Coburn was U.S. District Judge in the Montana Territory before returning to practice law in Indianapolis. He continued the practice of law in Indianapolis, except for terms as U.S. Commissioner at Hot Springs, Arkansas and as Judge of the Supreme Court of Montana.
Activities in Indianapolis included work on the U.S. Post Office building, a term as a school commissioner, a founder of the Indiana Soldiers' Orphans' Home, and in work with the Indiana Historical Society in which his father, Henry P. Coburn, and his father-in-law, Charles H. Test, were early proponents. He was also the orator at the cornerstone-laying of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis.
Coburn died 28 January 1908 and is buried under a large obelisk monument at Crown Hill Cemetery, not far from the graves of Beta brother Governor Oliver Morton and fellow war comrade President Harrison.
This brief description is largely taken from the book Coburn's Brigade, by Frank J. Welcher and Larry G. Liggett as well as a major website managed by Liggett and his son. The book may be ordered at amazon.com.
John Shierer Hougham
1846; LL.D. Franklin, 1872. Professor of Physics and Applied Mechanics, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1882- 94. John S. Hougham from Franklin Indiana "graduated from Wabash College in 1846 and from 1848-1867 was Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Franklin College in Indiana. Also during this time he served as the Johnson County Surveyor and the City of Franklin Civil Engineer. From 1868-1872 he was the Chairman of Philosophy and Agriculture at Kansas State University. From 1872-1876 he was the Chairman of Agricultural Chemistry at Purdue University. This rare solar compass (PHOTOGRAPH) was made about 1860. At this time Hougham advertised as a maker of mathematical instruments in the Indiana State Gazetteer. - R. Elgin, History of Surveying" Died 1894. Manhattan, Kansas
John Lyle Campbell
1848; LL.D. Indiana, 1876. Prof. of Physics and Astronomy, Wabash College, 1852-03. Originator and Secretary of the U.S. Centennial Commission, 1872-76. Died 1904. Crawfordsville, Indiana.
John Wells Taylor
1848. Lawyer. Died 1886. Himrods, N.Y.
Jesse Lynch Holman
1849. Farmer. Lieutenant Colonel, 18th Indiana Volunteers 1861-63. Died 1883. Aurora, Indiana.
Varnum Daniel Collins
1850; Graduate, Union Theological Seminary, New York, 1853. Presbyterian clergyman. Pastor, Sydenham Church, London England, 1879-93. Died 1900. Washington, D.C.
George G. Bowman
1853. Farmer. Captain, 12th Indiana Volunteers, 1862-4. Died 1894. Monticello, Indiana
William R. Houston
1849. Winchester, Indiana
Steven Coles Tabor (Taber)
1849; LL.B. Indiana, 1852. Lawyer. Died 1907. Logansport, Indiana
William Augustus McCorkle
1850; Graduate, Lane Theological Seminary, 1853; D.D. 1871. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1896. Detroit, Michigan.
Ninian Steel Dickey
1848; Graduate Lane Theological Seminary, 1851. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1895. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Reuben Samuel Ragan
1848; LL.B. Indiana, 1852. Lawyer. Horticulturalist. Member of Indiana Legislature, 1860-1. Colonel and aide-de- camp to Governor Oliver P. Morton, 1861-5. Died 1895. Spencer, Indiana.
Nathanial Potter Coultrin
1845. Presbyterian clergy. Died 1877. Franklin, Indiana.
Francis Augustus Wilber
1850; Grad. Lane Theological Seminary, 1854; Ph.D. College of Wooster , 1875. Presbyterian clergyman. Principal of Central Collegiate Academy. 1873-80. Died 1909. Santa Monica, California.
Theodore Asbury Lemon
1850; M.D. Physician. Died 1869. Plymouth, Indiana
James O'Brien
1847. Lawyer. Lafayette, Indiana
Archibald Shields Reid
1852. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1898. Fulton, Wisconsin.
Newton William Darlington
1852. Methodist clergyman. Died 1898. West Union, Ohio.
John Dayton Condit
1852. Died 1902. St. Anthony's Park, Minnesota
Edward Elnathan Bassett
1851. Lawyer. Assistant Adjutant General, Iowa Volunteers, 1863-5. Died 1898. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Samuel Merrill
1851. For many years a publisher in Indianapoils (later Bobbs-Merrill). U.S. Consul General to Calcutta, India, 1890- 4. Lieutenant Colonel, 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 1862-5. Died 1924. Long Beach, California.
Milford B. (Bard) Shipp
1854. Tau Chapter was forced to exist in secret from 1850 to 1856 due to anti-fraternity regulations. Shipp is credited with officially "restarting" the chapter in 1856. After graduation, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and pursued law, medicine, and missionary work. A picture of Shipp appears elsewhere on this site.
William J. (Johnston) Twining
1854; Graduate, U.S. Military Acdemy (West Point), 1850. Professor of English, U.S. Military Academy, 1860-73; of Chemistry, University of Missouri, 1873-9. Commissioner of the District of Columbia, 1879-82. Died 1882. Washington, D.C.
Samuel Colville Vance
1859. Secretary-Treasurer, Upson Machinery Company. Colonel, 132d Indiana Volunteers 1862-5. Jacksonville, Florida.
George W. Richardson
1859. Lawyer. Died 1878. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Edwin R. (Rufus) Lewis
1861; A.B. Amherst, 1861; M.D. Harvard, 1867; Grad. Union Theological Seminary, New York, 1871. Physician. Prof. of Chemistry, Beirut College, Syria (now Lebanon), 1871-84; in Wabash College, 1884-8. Capt. 21st Massachusetts Infantry, 1861-4. Died 1907. Madison, Indiana.
William Clay Porter
1847; D.D.; also Knox. Presbyterian clergyman. Chaplain, 20th Indiana Volunteers, 1861-5. Died 1911. Fort Scott, Kansas.
John Louis French
1859; Graduate, Lane Theological Seminary, 1862. Presbyterian clergyman. Chaplain, 41st O.V.I., 1865. Died 1912. Searchlight, Nevada.
William Mather Dickey
1861; M.D. Physician. Died 1921. Elm Rock, Oregon.
Oscar Armstrong Hills
1859; D.D. 1876. Presbyterian clergyman in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Santa Barbara, and Wooster OH. He went to Western Theological Seminary after Wabash. He wrote an autobiography while living in Wooster which was published in 1905. Portions of this autobiography are on file in the Tau Chapter archives. Many of his children & grandchildren also became Presbyterian ministers. His son, Edward Roland Hills, lived in what is now the Hills- DeCaro house, built by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Oak Park, IL. Died 1919. Wooster, Ohio. Much of this information kindly provided by Steve and Betsy (Hills) Bush of Scarsdale, New York.
Emma Bennet 1860 *
A student at the nearby Waveland Institute. According to lore and chapter records, she was initiated but no official roll number exists.
Celia Crocker 1860 *
A student at the nearby Waveland Institute. According to lore and chapter records, she was initiated but no official roll number exists.
James D. Rabb
1860; Graduate U.S. Military Academy (West Point), 1861. 2nd Lieut., U.S. Army, 1861. Died 1861. Carrollton, Kentucky.
Raskin Epley Rhoads
1860. Lawyer. Judge. Professor of Law, Indiana Univ.. Member of the Indiana Legislature, 1864-6. Died 1895. Terre Haute, Indiana.
Ozra J. (Jennison) Dodds
A.B. Miami, 1861; LL.B. Cincinnati, 1866. Also Miami chapter. Lawyer. Member Ohio Legislature, 1870-2. Member of Congress, 1872-4. Trustee, Miami University, 1875-82. Lieut. Col., 1st Alabama Cavalry. died 1882. Columbus, Ohio.
Temple Cole Harrison
1863. Lawyer. Member of Indiana Legislature. Died 1876. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Elisha Morgan Jr.
1863. also Beloit chapter. Founder of the Beloit Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. President of Chicago Stamping Comany. Died 1882. Chicago, Illinois.
John Bigelow Fairchild
1863. Lawyer. Died 1914. Marinette, Wisconsin.
John Edward Cleland
1862. Phi Beta Kappa. Litt. D. 1898. Business director, Indianapolis Public Schools. Captain, 70th Indiana Vol. Inf. 1862-4; of U.S.C. Infantry, 1864-6. Died 1920. Indianapolis, Indiana.
James Cameron Fullenwider
1861. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1863. Waveland, Indiana.
Albert Barnes Clark
1863; A.B. Yale, 1864. Member of Skull and Bones (Yale). Phi Beta Kappa. Fruit grower. Died 1883. Orange, California.
James Richard Carnahan
1866. Lawyer. Adjutant General of Indiana, 1882-5. General-in-Chief, Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias. Lieut., 86th Indiana Vol., 1862-4; Capt., 1864. Died 1905. Indianapolis, Indiana.
John Allen Finch
1863; B.L. Indianapolis, 1866. Lawyer. One of two individuals for whom the Wabash College "Finch Fellowship" is named (the other being his father, Fabius Maximus Finch).Civil War soldier, 1863-1865, Rank of Private 132 Div. Indiana Vol. Infantry, Company G. Was an attorney, practicing with his father under the firm name Finch & Finch. Specialized in Insurance law and became one of the first Insurance Lawyers in the United States. Was the author of "Finch's Insurance Digest". Died "suddenly" in 1899 while on business in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (information from various sources including http://www.FinchRoots.com/index.htm#fellowship.)
Joshua C. (Clinton) Hadley
1864. Manufacturer. Capt., 70th Indiana Vol. Infantry, 1862-5. Died 1906. Logansport, Indiana.
James Harrison Meteer
1867.
Oliver Hammond Spencer
1862.
Mark Lane Milford
1864. Also Miami chapter. Presbyterian clergyman. Died 1932. Portland, Oregon.
Edmund Elisha White
1864. Died 1896. Campbell, California.
Walter Lamb Sullivan
1864. Merchant. Died 1906. Evansville, Indiana.
Charles A. Parke
1864. Banker. Died 1900. Mt. Vernon, Indiana.
Abram Piatt Andrew
1864. Banker. Capt. 21st Indiana Battery, 1863-5. LaPorte, Indiana
Robert Bruce Frazier Pierce
1866. Lawyer. General Manager of I.B. and W. Railroad. Member of U.S. Congress, 1881-3. Lieutenant, 135th Indiana Vol. Infantry, 1865. Died 1898. Indianapolis, Indiana.
George Washington Harvey
1866. Lawyer. Marion, Indiana.
"Aunt" Jennie Blair
Assumed to have been the first officially initiated woman in Beta Theta Pi. She was initiated by Tau Chapter circa 1867. While we do not show an official roll number for her, her badge is on display at the Beta Theta Pi General Fraternity headquarters in Oxford, Ohio. Beta son: John Allan Blair 1893.
R.T. Tubbs
1867.
John H. (Henry) Beach
1866. Private, 136th Indiana Vol., 1862-4. Died in 1864. Rockaway, New Jersey.
Jacob Farrand Tuttle
1867. LL.B. Harvard, 1874. Lawyer. Died 1921. Denver, Colorado. "He was the son of Wabash College President and Mrs. J.F. Tuttle and was born 20 August 1846 in Delaware, Ohio. When he was one year old, his father received and accepted a call as a minister to the Presbyterian Church of Rockaway, New Jersey, as a collegue pastor with his father-in-law Rev. Barnabas King. Here the family lived for fifteen years and Farrand received his preparatory education in the schools of Rockaway and the Newark Academy. In the spring of 1861, his father was called to the Presidency of Wabash College. In the fall, the family moved to Crawfordsville and Farrand began a six years' course at Wabash. Two of the six were spent in the (former Wabash) Preparatory Department of which Professor A.M. Hadley was the Principal. He entered the Freshman Class in 1863 and after four years of study graduated in Jun 1867. He was an active member of the (former) Calliopean Literary Society and represented on several occasions his class and society in declamation, debating, and Junior essay contests. He started insurance work soon after graduation and also did work in surveying with the late (Wabash) Professor John Lyle Campell (Tau 1848), but later entered the law offices of Hon Edmund D. Halsey and Mr. Pickin, in Morristown, New Jersey, for the study of law. He entered the Harvard Law School from which he graduated in 1872/3, with credit to himself and class. Associated with him here was the Hon. Thomas R. Paxton, a valuable member of the Wabash Board of Trustees for many years. Up to January 1921 there existed a very close friendship between these two men which was terminated by the death of Tuttle. He spent several years in Wisconsin in business and in 1886 removed to Denver, Colorado, where he spent the remaining years of his life in practice of law, insurance, etc. In 1888 he married Mrs. Anna F. Davis, who died about four years after his death. He was quite literary in his tastes, and exceedingly fond of music. He was frequently called upon to deliver some of his lectures on "Washington", "Lincoln", "John Paul Jones" and other notable characters in American history. Patriotic organization, schools, memorial days all shared in the lectures many times. He was an enthusiastic member of the Sons of the American Revolution, The Society of Colonial Wars, and of the Society of the Cincinnati, the latter by inheritance from his father. He was also a Mason, and a Knight-Templar for many years. When in college he was initiated into the Beta Theta Pi Chapter... and was always much interested in the affairs of the organization. After going to Colorado he became associated with Alpha Zeta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi and was frequently present as a guest, or to repsond to toast, and enjoyed them greatly. On one occasion he was presented with a loving cup as one of the oldest members of the fraternity in the State of Colorado. On december 13, 1913, which was the twenty-fifth anniversary of that chapter, he responded to one of the toasts of the evening ' "Beta the Ideal." Whenever it was possible for him to attend these meetings and banquets he did so for enjoyed so many of the men he met. The pin which is being given into the keeping of the local chapter was worn by him for many years, and he took great pleasure and pride in showing it to his friends. Some of these were those who had known and expereienced the trials and tribulations of the earlier days of its existence, and he welcomed tidings of greater prosperity that placed Beta Theta Pi in the front ranks of college fraternities. Trusting this pin may awaken some interest in the earlier days of Wabash College we place it in your keeping. - Katharine E. Thomson, Josephine Tuttle Thomas" (This biography and the pin were given to the chapter in 1927. Sadly, the badge has been lost for many years. Mrs. Thomson was the original owner of the first Chapter House at 513 West Wabash and part of the Thomson-Ristine family - GBL)
Harvey B. Vance
1867. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Henry Zwingli McLain
1867; L.H.D. 1897. Phi Beta Kappa. Professor of Greek, Wabash College. Died 1907. Crawfordsville, Indiana.
John A. Kellar
1865. Also Hanover chapter. Lawyer. Died 1910. St. Charles, Mo.
Luke Wood
1868. Lawyer. Died 1876. Evansville, Indiana.
Claiborn Addison Young
1869. Clergyman. Soldier's Home. died 1914. Lafayette, Indiana.
John Allen Finch 1863