Biography of James E. Rose, pages 514/515/516/517/518.  
History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, 
Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



The career of the well remembered gentleman whose name 
forms the caption of this biographical memoir was a 
strenuous and varied one, entitling him to honorable 
mention among the representative citizens of his day and 
generation in the county with which his life was so closely 
identified. Although his life record has been brought to a 
close by the inevitable fate that awaits all mankind, his 
influence still pervades the lives of a wide circle of 
friends and acquaintances who revere his memory. As a 
lawyer, jurists or private  citizen, he was always true to 
himself and his fellow men, and the tongue of calumny never 
touched him.  Judge James E. Rose, now deceased, who was 
not only a pioneer in DeKalb county, Indiana, but who 
became one of the well known jurists of the state, was born 
on December 22, 1832, in Mecca, Trumbull county, Ohio, and 
died at his home on South Main street, Auburn, Indiana, on 
April 20, 1909, at the age of seventy-six years. He was a 
son of John and Sarah (Coats) Rose, the former a native of 
Maryland and the latter of New York. The subject was 
descended from sterling old English ancestry on his 
mother’s side and Scotch on his father’s side.  On 
September 2, 1836, the family left their comfortable home 
in Ohio and braving the hardships and privations incident 
to frontier life, they embarked on their weary journey to 
the new home in the west, arriving at what is now Stafford 
township, DeKalb county, Indiana, on October 3d, having 
spent thirty-one days on a journey that now requires only 
six hours by railroad. That they were there in the actual 
pioneer period of the county is evidenced by the fact that 
at that time there were not twenty acres of improved land 
in the county. Amid such conditions James E. Rose spent his 
boyhood days, his playgrounds being a labyrinth of stately 
trees and tangled vines. His first educational training was 
received before the fireplace in his father’s cabin, his 
devoted mother being his teacher. It was several years 
before the country was sufficiently settled to establish a 
school, but by the age of sixteen years Mr. Rose had 
acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him to teach a 
common school.  He was thus engaged during the winter 
months, spending the summer vacations  in working on his 
father’s farm until he reached his twentieth year, when 
desiring a better education he entered the preparatory 
department of the Michigan Wesleyan University at Leoni, 
Michigan, where by great diligence he prepared himself 
within a year for  the regular university course. He took 
the scientific course and, excepting a few terms spent in 
teaching in order to raise funds for his collegiate 
expensed, he continued in the university until 1858, the 
close of his junior years. Upon leaving that institution he 
married Mary J. Moss, of Leoni, Michigan, then returning to 
the old home in DeKalb county, he resumed work on the home 
farm until October 1862, when he moved to Auburn, and 
became principal of the city schools.  At the close of the 
first winter term he entered the law office of James B. 
Morrison as a student and remained there until December, 
1863. He had a natural aptitude for law and made rapid 
progress in his studies, so that about fourteen months 
after entering the office Mr. Rose formed a partnership 
with Hon., E. W. Fosdick, and they opened an office in 
Butler for the practice of law. During the first year or 
two Mr. Rose was not overburdened with business, but this 
time was well occupied in assiduous study, thereby 
developing his legal knowledge and better preparing himself 
for the business that was to come to him later on. It was 
not many years before Mr. Rose became a busy man in his 
profession, his partnership with Mr. Fosdick continuing 
until after they had established a good practice, when by 
mutual agreement their association was dissolved. Mr. Rose 
continued in the active practice at Butler until October, 
1872, when he moved to Auburn and remained alone in the 
practice until July, 1873, when he formed a partnership 
with Hon, E. D. Hartman. This firm, under the name of Rose 
& Hartman, continued until July, 1881, when the partnership 
was dissolved and Mr. Rose continued in the practice alone 
until 1882 when his son James H., became his partner.  This 
firm grew in strength and business until they enjoyed the 
largest legal patronage of any firm in northeastern 
Indiana.  In addition to their ordinary local practice they 
were attorneys for the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, the 
Wabash railroad and the Toledo & Chicago interurban 
railroad. It was characteristic of Judge Rose that, busy as 
he was, he never relinquished his close and zealous study 
of law and he thus became well informed on the principles 
as well as the precedents to such an extent that he was 
frequently called upon by other members of the bar for 
advice an counsel. For nearly half a century Judge Rose was 
identified with practically all the important litigation 
tried in the local court and was employed in many cases in 
adjoining counties, while during this period the firm of J. 
E. and J. H. Rose was regarded as the leading law firm of 
DeKalb county. As a trial lawyer Judge Rose was vigorous, 
aggressive and thorough, while as a counselor he was 
conservative and safe. For a score of years the other 
members of the DeKalb bar regarded  Judge Rose as the dean 
of the bar and it was the custom to commemorate his 
birthday with social gatherings, at which he would regale 
his younger brethren with reminiscences of the early 
lawyers and judges. For nearly half a century Judge Rose 
was an active member of the Masonic order, in which he took 
great pride. In politics he was always a Republican and was 
active in the ranks, not for personal reward but from a 
sense of public duty. He was present at the historic 
gathering under the oaks at Jackson, Michigan, when the 
Republican party was born, and was thereafter one of its 
most earnest advocates. In 1876 he was nominated for judge 
of the circuit court of DeKalb, Noble and Steuben counties. 
About three years prior to his death Judge Rose was chosen 
by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company as a 
representative from Indiana on their board of directors, 
filling this position until his death. Of an intensely 
optimistic disposition, Judge Rose resolutely looked on the 
bright side of life, casting gloom aside and because of his 
genial and happy disposition he was a welcome visitor in 
any gathering, and was honored and respected for his noble 
traits of character, his uprightness, his courage and his 
sterling qualities. He was temperate in all affairs of 
life, a lover of home and lived an active and energetic 
life of usefulness.  Judge Rose was married three times, 
his first wife dying on February 5, 1872, leaving two sons, 
Frank E. and James H., and a daughter, Ella J.  Frank E. is 
now a railway superintendent at Trinidad. Colorado, while 
James H. is engaged in the lucrative law practice at Fort 
Wayne. Ella J. died on November 13, 1910. In the fall of 
1872 Judge Rose married Ellen D. Aldrich, of Butler, who at 
her death left one child, who died soon after the mother. 
On September 7, 1873, Judge Rose married Mary F. Nimmons, 
of Butler, the daughter of P. B. and May A. (Brink) 
Nimmons. Three children were born to this union: Mary E., 
Ines P. and Laura A.  Mary E. is the wife of E. W. 
Atkinson, a well know lawyer at Auburn, and they have two 
children, Virginia Rose and Joseph Edward; Ines in the wife 
of George E. Bengnot, who is a member of the firm Schaab 
Brothers Dry Goods Company at Auburn, and they have two 
children, Charles and Mary; Laura makes her home in Auburn 
with her mother. Mr. Rose has long been prominent in the 
social life of Auburn and was one of the charter members of 
the Ladies Literary Society of this city.  She was born and 
reared at Butler, her parents having originally come to 
this county from New York. Her father was born at Chenango 
Forks, New York, and was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, while 
her mother, who was born at Aesopus, New York, was of 
Holland ancestry, descended from the family of Anneka Jans, 
who owned sixty-five acres where Trinity Episcopal church 
now stand in New York city.  Mrs. Rose’s parents were 
married in Richland county, Ohio, in 1843, and came to 
DeKalb county, locating three and one-half miles southwest 
of Butler, where the father bought land that his brother 
James had entered from the government. This became the  
home and there they lived for many years. When they 
established themselves there only a small part of the land 
had been cleared and pioneer conditions prevailed. The 
father was accustomed to go to Defiance, Fort Wayne or even 
to Goshen to get grain ground and get flour, it requiring 
from two to three days to go to Defiance, through the trip 
could be made in less time on horseback when the matter was 
urgent. He was a life-long farmer but some time prior to 
this death relinquished his agricultural labors and moved 
to Butler. Mrs. Rose’s mother died in 1860, leaving five 
children: Laura, Sarah Catherine, Mary Frances, Emblem 
Bevier and Alice E.  Mr. Nimmons afterwards married Mary F. 
(Westfall) Nimmons, the widow of his deceased brother, 
Robert Nimmons. One son was born to them, who now lives in 
Butler. Mrs. Nimmons had one son, George R., by her first 
marriage, he living now in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Philip 
Bevier Nimmons was the trustee of Wilmington township for 
many years, and he and his family were prominent members of 
the Presbyterian church. Politically, he was a Republican 
and was actively interested in the success of that party. 
His death occurred on April 14, 1898. His widow now lives 
in Butler.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com