Delaware County Infirmary Fire, 1915 (part 2)
Thirteen men lost their lives in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 23, 1915, when fire tore through the Delaware County Infirmary. They were faceless men were brought together by their unfortunate positions in life, each being some combination of elderly, disabled and destitute. Despite the heroic actions of men like superintendent Albert Clark, employee Charles Williams, residents “Skinny” Cavanaugh and D. F. Duke, along with countless unnamed others, not every life could be saved.
Most of the remains found would be burned beyond any hope of recognition. Only the first three, all found shortly after the fire was extinguished, were identifiable. The first, Charles Johnson, was discovered in the cellar still standing upright on a radiator that he had effectively ridden to the basement as the first floor burned out from under it. It isn’t known how he was identified. It could be that his body was not as disfigured as the others. Benjamin Stewart’s body was identified by his watch chain, while Francis M. “Frank” Crist was recognized by his watch and chain. Their remains were found near the south and west doors, but it isn’t known which was in which location. All three sets were removed to the morgue of Moffitt-Groman, undertakers. On Friday the March 26, while recovery efforts were still under way at the site of the fire, these three men were interred in Beech Grove Cemetery. Rev. Thomas A. Reynolds of the First Christian Church presided. Johnson, Stewart, and Crist were all buried in Section C, Lots 98, 99, and 100 respectively.
The remaining ten victims were found in a several areas of the ruins. Many were mere feet from safety. The remaining list included Samuel Carman, Luigi Cenacchi, William Lewis, William A. Madara, John Miller, Daniel O’Connor, Nelson Stout, Joseph Williston, Wesley Studebaker and William Studebaker. One week after the fire, these ten sets of remains were removed from the Moffitt-Groman Undertaking Parlor at 210 East Jackson and taken to Beech Grove for interment. Each was in its own small box since no one set of remains required its own casket. Each was marked with the location where they were found. Rev. Phineas E. Greenwalt and Rev. Mr. McClung (first name unknown) officiated. All ten were buried in a single grave, Section C, Lot 101. The space was paid for by a family member of two of those lost.
With limited information available, assembling the life stories of these men has proven to be a challenge. Several had been residents in excess of five years allowing them to be enumerated in the 1910 federal census. For other more recent inmates, information provided to the coroner’s office or county health department may have been rough guesses if all of the infirmary’s records were lost in the blaze.
Francis M. Crist was the son of Jacob and Sarah Crist. The family, including younger children Leander, Martha, Anna, Sarah J., Alonzo, and Jessie, and, for a time, Jacob’s mother, Lydia, lived on a fairly large farm in Wayne Township, Wayne County. Francis, or Frank as he was called, and Leander registered for the draft in 1863, but there isn’t any indication that Frank served. He married Druzilla Jane Morrow in 1864 in Wayne County. Frank and Jane had a son, James, and three daughters, Ida, Frances, and Eliza. Between 1880 in Wayne County and 1910 when Frank is enumerated in the infirmary, he and Jane divorced. It is not clear what brought him to Delaware County. Frank’s tombstone is one of only two erected on the four lots.
From the census, it appears that Samuel Carmen was born in Ohio in about 1843 making him about 72 years old at the time of the fire. His father and mother were said to be born in Maryland and Pennsylvania respectively. The closest match found is a Samuel Carman born in 1948, the son of William, born in Maryland, and Rhoda, born in Ohio. That Samuel married Susan (last name unknown) in November of 1869.
Luigi Cenacchi was an Italian immigrant born May 28, 1868 to Francisco Cenacchi and his wife. Luigi came to Eaton, Indiana, via train in about 1907. He made his own way to Muncie in very inclement weather. One foot was frozen on the way and Luigi spent all of his money, about $400, for medical care. Having no remaining funds, and likely at least partially disabled, he was sent to live at the infirmary. Local businessman, Joe Lippi, a native of Italy himself, learned of him about two months prior to the fire and made a point to visit Luigi. No doubt having someone to speak with was an unexpected surprise since the man spoke no English. Lippi later reported the man had been affected mentally over time and was tight-lipped about himself. He was able to provide contact information for a wife back in Bologna, Italy. Luigi’s entry on the 1910 census says he immigrated in 1906, but there are records for a Luigi Cenacchi who immigrated to the United States arriving on the S S Citta di Torino that sailed from Genova on March 22, 1905, and arrived in New York City on April 11, 1905. The man is listed as a 30 year old married workman and a native of Bologna. It appears the man was headed to Bolognesi Hatter Company at 29 Wall Street, New York City. It is unclear if this is the correct man, or how he got to Indiana if it is.
John Miller was an 85 year old widower at the time of his death. Census records indicate he and his parents were all born in Ohio.
Anthony Nelson Stout was one of five children belonging to Nathan and Mariah (McLaughlin) Stout of Mount Pleasant Township. Nathan was a farmer, as were sons, John C., and Anthony N., or Nelson as he was known. Nelson was born in Indiana in February, 1854. John was widowed young. He continued to maintain the family farm following Jesse’s death 1905. Mariah died in 1912. Nelson apparently remained on the farm his entire life until moving to the infirmary. He never married. In addition to John, siblings included a sister, Emma C. and two others whose names are not known having died as infants or small children. A reference to them is found in the 1900 census record, but they don’t appear on the three previous records.
Wesley and William Studebaker were father and son. John Wesley Studebaker was the son of David and Catherine (Rhodehamil) Studebaker. Wesley, as he was called, was born in 1849 but census records give conflicting information as to where. In 1850, he is listed as being born in Ohio and would have been a baby when the family came to Indiana. Later records say he was born in Indiana. Regardless, the family included older children Henry and Mary. Mary in 1860 and father David died in 1863. Wesley married Mary Michael on September 30, 1869 in Delaware County. Together they had at least four children, William S., Cara, Samuel and Lucy. William was born in September, 1869. In 1893, Wesley was boarding at 423 South Hackley Street in Muncie and worked at Mock Brother Brick Company. By the late 1890s, Wesley and son Samuel boarded at 1421 West 16th Street, then later at 138 South Kinney Street. Wesley and Samuel were working the Muncie Pulp Mill. William lived with them at the second address but didn’t seem to be working at anything steady. In 1900, William was living with his sister Lucy and her husband Oscar Dowling in Grant County. By 1911, Wesley and William were back in the Wheeling area. It is unclear what lead the father and son to end up in the infirmary. Wesley was 66 at the time of his death and William was 45. Lucy (Studebaker) Dowling Whetsel would in time pay for the cemetery lot containing the remains of her father, brother, and the other eight men and erected a stone in the names of Wesley and William.
For those remaining, their names are fairly common and a cursory search of readily available records turns up virtually nothing additional. They did not appear on the 1910 census enumeration leaving only the ages provided to the health department and cemetery, which may actually be a single source. Their names age listed ages were as follows: Charles Johnson aged 56, Benjamin Stewart aged 55, William Madera aged 63, Daniel O’Conner aged 75, William Lewis aged 73, Joseph I. Williston aged 76.
While these men were considered institutional ‘inmates’, they were in fact fathers and sons, husbands and brothers. There was talk some years back about placing some sort of historical marker at the site of the infirmary but that discussion never resulted in any sort of monument or sign being placed. The area is now the site of a modern nursing home. All that remains to mark their existence are two stones with three of the thirteen names placed in a quiet section of Beech Grove Cemetery of mostly-unmarked graves.
© On The Banks Of White River/Jennifer Lewis 2015
[This article appeared in the Delaware County (Indiana) Historical Society Newsletter, July/August, 2015]
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