Gregg - Orpheus Milton
Source: History of Montgomery County, Indiana (Indianapolis: AW Bowen, 1913) p 1161
It is a pleasure to investigate the career of a successful self-made man of affairs. Peculiar honor attaches to that individual who, beginning the great struggle of life with honorable aims, gradually overcomes unfavorable environment, removes one by one the obstacles from the pathway of success and by the master strokes of his own force and vitality succeeds in forging his way to the front and winning for himself a position of esteem and influence among his fellow men. Such is the record, briefly stated, of Orpheus Milton Gregg, for several decades one of the most substantial, progressive and representative business men of Crawfordsville, and one of Montgomery County's most widely known citizens, and to a brief synopsis of life and characteristics the reader's attention is hereiwth directed. His protracted residence in the famous and beautiful Wabash section of the Hoosier state has made his name widely and familiarly known, principally as the head of the great Indiana Match Company and other large industries. His life and the history of this locality for a period of nearly a half century has been pretty much one and the same thing. He has taken a prominent part in the later-day growth of his city and county, proving to be one of their wisest counselors and hardest workers. He is known to be a progressive man in the broadest sense of the term; realizing the wants of the people, and he has tried to supply the demands of the vicinity honored by his citizenship generously and unspairingly. His has been a long business career of honor and trust, and no higher eulogy can be passed upon him that to state the simple truth that his name was never coupled with anything disreputable and that there has never been the shadow of a strain upon his reputation for integrity and unswerving honesty. Mr. Gregg is a consistent man in everything he undertakes, and his career in all the relations of life has ever been utterly without pretense, and for his genial nature, obliging disposition and unfailing courtesy he enjoys the confidence and good will of all classes, and the city of Crawfordsville and county of Montgomery can boast of no better man or more enterprising citizen. Mr. Gregg was born in Scott Township, Montgomery County, Indiana Oct 7, 1848 of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He is a son of Samuel H. and Sarah Louisa CHRISTMAN Gregg. The father was also born in this county, the date of his birth being June 11, 1827, and was a son of Alpheus and Cynthia KELSEY Gregg. Alpheus Gregg was born in Warren County, Ohi Jan 29, 1801 and came to Scott Twp, in early pioneer days, when this region was a wilderness and here he established the future hom of the family, through hard work, enduring meanwhile many hardships, as ever befalls those who invade the frontier. Here he spent the rest of his life engaged in general farming. He is remembered as a kindly and hospitable man, and was well versed in the Bible, often quoting whole chapters. He was not only up on religious matters, but was a well read man on general affairs of his time. HIs death occureed Sept 9, 1864, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1842. Three children were born to them: Amos; Phoebe Ann and Samuel H, father of our subject.
Samuel H. Gregg grew to manhood on the old home place, where he worked during his boyhood, assisting in developing the same. He received, at that period, such education as the earlys chools of his district afforded. When a young man he took up farming for a lifew ork and lived in Scott Twp, alter on near the village of Mace, which his fathe-rin-law had entered from the government. However, he decided to abandon agriculture when 24 and turn his attention to the business world, and with that end in view, he came to Crawfordsville, where, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Harvey N. CHRISTMAN, and Jesse W. CUMBERLAND, opened a hardware store on the site where the firts court house of Montgomery County stood. The firm was one that commanded respect and trade. Part of the time Mr. Gregg was sole owner. He continued to be actively engaged with this firm, with the exception of six months, when he went to Oregon, by way of NY City, the Atlantic ocean, crossing the Isthmus of Panama and thence by the Pacific Ocean. He went with the intention of locatin gin the far west, and he had quite a party of epople with him, including his son, OM Gregg, then 16 years old. On account of being so well known in Montgomery County and not finding conditions entirely to his liking in Oregon, Mr. Gregg decided to return to his native helath; whereupon he purchased the store and in 1870, upon the graduation of his son, our subject, with one exception, the largest of its kind in the state, continued successfuly until 181, when Samuel h. Gregg was forced to retire on account of failing health. About that time he was patentee on barbed wire fencing, and the Indian Wire Fence Company wa organized, of which the elder Gregg was a large stockholder and director and continued as a director in the same until his death. He was one of the leading business men and citizens of his day and generation, was widely known and highly esteemed by all. Politically, he was a Republican, but made no effort to be a public man. Fraternally, he beloned to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in his earlier life, and religiously he was a Methodist.
In 1847, Samuel H. Gregg and Sarah I. Christman were married. S he was a daughter of Jacob and Mary PHILLIPS CHristman. She was born in NC. Her parents were early settlers here, Jacob Christman having opened farms in Walnut and Union Townships, living there many years. He was very active in politics and was county commissioner from 1841 to 1847, and was at one time a delegate to a national Republican convention. He was a very strong abolitionist and had much to do with "underground railroad" work during the period of the Ware of the Rebellion. He was a successful farmer and was well known throughout the county, where he was a leader in public affairs. Three children were born to Jacob and Mary Christmasn, namely: Caroline, who died when 7; Harvey N, who was partnership on a farm with Samuel H. Gregg, also in the hardware business with him; and Sarah Louisa, mother of the subject of this sketch; her dead occurred 1861.
Orpheus M. Gregg received a good common school education in his native community, later attending Wabash College here; where he made an excellent record and from which he was graduated with the class of 1870 and at once began his long business career, which has been spent in Crawfordsville. At that time his father was proprietor of a large hardware store in the building now occupied by the furniture store of the grocery firm of Barnhill, Hornaday & Pickett, and the son was taken in as a partner. O ur subject practically had charge of the business the last five years preceded 1881, when the store was sold. They were also at that time part owners of Seawright & Company for about 3 years. It was at this time that OM Gregg's career as a manufacturer began, and it has continued ever since, and if the total payroll of the concerns he has fostered and promoted were to be given it would be an enormous sum and would to some extent show what he has done for the laboring class of Crawfordsville. On the organization of the Indiana Wire Fence Comapny, he was made treasurer and manager of the company, which responsible position he continued to hold in a manner that reflected credit upon himself and to the satisfaction of the stockholders until 1900 when it was sold to the America Steel &W ire Company. Mr. Gregg was president of the Columbia Wire Fence company of Chicago, a corporation owning all the patents on barb wire and one machinery for making barb wire. The firm was ably managed and was in fine condition. The firm started several young men in life. During this period our subject was also one of the leading spirits of the Dovetail Buggy Company and one of the most heavily interested financial backers of the same. This firm made buggies, the bodies of which werep ut goether by a patented process of dovetailing instead of screwing and nailing. He was one of the promoters of the organization of the Crawfordsville Wirebound Box Company, besides many other smaller financial enterprises. He was a director of the Elston National Bank from the time it was organized a few years ago until recently, when he resigned.
He was largely instrumental in the organization of the Gregg, Coutant & Gregg mitten and glove factory, which began operation in the YMCA building a few years ago and grew to large proportions later, when it was removed to the present factory building on E. Main St. Mr. Coutant retired a few years ago and the company has since been known as the Gregg Glove Company. It recently was disposed of along with two other factories, belonging to the same company, each employing about 100 people, to the Boss Manufacutring Company of Kewanee, Illinois. Charles M. Gregg, son of our subject, who was the manager and secretary of these three plants, was retained by the Boss Company to manage the three plants. The Indiana Wire Fence Company mentioned above, was the first large concern in which our subject proved his superior business acumen. He made it a great success, manufacturing wire under the patents perfected by his father. This company started operations in a small way in a part of the building now occupied by the SMith & Duckworth planing mill and later grew so rapidly that the buildings which now serve as the factory of the Indiana Match Corporation were constructed and occupied. here the business was materially enlarged by the addition of more barbed wire machines. Wire nails, staples, and woven wire fence were added to the output of the factory. This company enjoyed a large and lucrative business all over the country for a period of 10 years, when it was sold, as stated above, to the trust, in 1889. The new owners removed the machinery from the buildings and ceased operations. This threw a large number of men out of employment.
This condition made the organization of a new company very desirable, and OM Gregg decided to form a match company, which he did. THe new company took over the property of the Indiana Wire Fence Company and began the manufacture of square matches and continued with very gratifying success until the trade on the square match fell off until it was not profitable to manufacture them any longer. The new Indiana Match Corporation was then organized to take over the old Indiana Match Company, and at the commencement of the year 1912 the subject of this sketch retired from the active manaagement of the concern when the prospects for the new company were very bright as a result of his able management and wise foresight, he having been the president and general manager of the old match company from first to last. The firm has made an excellent showing since the organization of the present company and began making round matches. The payroll of the Indiana Match Company for the past 10 years has been $8000 per year. That does not include the payroll of the Gregg Glove Company which has for the last several years kept about 100 employees at each of their three plants. Form this concern our subject retired in 1911, in which year he also retired as director of Elston National Bank; but for a period of 40 years there was no let up in his strenous endeavors. There have been few working days that he has not been at the helm and there were few evenings that he did not visit his office. For sevearl months prior to January 1912, Mr. Gregg has been systematically retiring from the active business of a man who for more than 40 years has been one of the strong moving forces of the commercial life of Crawfordsville. His work has been of a kind that has made Crawfordsville a better town, both morally and physically. HIs voice has always been raised in the interest of the church, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Civic League & similar organizations. He was president of the local YMCA for a period of 15 years and in that time saw its organization, witnessed its growth and passed through a strenous debt paying campaign. He has served two terms as president of the state YMCA and is still director of that orgnization,b eing one of the two directors who has served the lognest. He has done a most noble work for the youth of the state in this connection and has received the praise of everyone having knowledge of the same. He has long been an active member of Center Church and was one of the prime movers and most active workers of the Civic League as well as in the fight for the cause of temperance in Crawfordsville. He is and has been for years a trustee of Wabash College. He was for years amember of the school board of Crawafordsville, and did much to help develop the present unexcelled school system. He was elected prior to the completion of what is now known as the old Central building, and during his tenure of office the Mills building and the lincoln school were erected, the old Willson school property was purchased and extensive repairs were made. When the Orphans Home was established, Mr. Gregg was active in the industrial work and was elected its first secretary and was closely allied with the work for the fatherless for many years. He has been active in thework of the Mission Sunday School.
Politically, Mr. Gregg is a Republican, but has never sought political honors, preferring to devote his time exclusively to business and other affairs. He belongs to the Ouiatenon Club, also to the Country Club of which he was one of the organizers. He is at present a member of the Commercial Club of both Crawfordsville and Indianapolis. He was formerly a member of the university Club of Indianapolis.
Mr. Gregg was married March 7, 1872, to Julia b. MILLS, a lady of culture, education and refinement, who has proven to be a most faithful helpmate, whose sympathy and encouragement have gone far toward the large success of her husband. She is a duaghter of the distinguisehed Indiana educator, Prof. Caleb Mills, a complete sketch of whose life and family appears on other pages of this volume.
To Orpheus M. Gregg and wife have been born 3 children: Frederick Marshall, born Jan 23, 1873, died Jan. 12, 1910 at the age of 37, when in the very prime of life and when giving great promise of a brilliant business career at the time of his death he was secretary of the Indiana Match Company, treasuer of the Central State Life insurance Company and was popular about the city of his nativity. He graduated from Wabash in 1893. He belonged to the Masonic Order and Center Presbyterian Church. He was a director and presiden tof the YMCA. He was married to Minnie SMALLEY, who, with an infant daughter, Caroline, survives. Charles Moores Gregg, our subject's second child was born on Oct 4, 1875, and has become one of the leading business men of Crawfordsville of the younger generation. He is at this writing manager of the Boss Glvoe Company of which mention has previously been made. He is a prominent in Masonic circles, having attained the 32nd degree; he is a kNights Templar and belongs to the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of Center Presbyterian Church. He graduated from Wabash Colleg ein 1895. He married Alta J. Rusk on Nov 1, 1900. Caleb Mills Gregg, the youngest of our subject's children, was born June 6, 1881 and died May 6, 1908, when 27 years of age. He, too, was a young man of fine mind, good address and of much promise. He graduated Purdue University, Lafayette from the mechanical and electrical engineering departments, class of 1903. He was in the employ of the Public Service Corporation in New Jersey for 3 years giving eminent satisfaction, until his health failed, being seized by walking typhoid fever and pneumonia from which he did not recover.
Personally, Orpheus M. Gregg is a man whom it is a pleasure to meet, being a companionable, genial and fair-minded gentleman, always polite, obliging and charitably inclined, and he numbers his friends only by the limits of his acquaintance and that indeed, is quite extensive. - typed by kbz