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Henry Saunders Bates

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Henry Saunders Bates

Birth
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA
Death
7 Jan 1895 (aged 43)
Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, USA
Burial
Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, USA GPS-Latitude: 39.1654587, Longitude: -86.5457535
Plot
Spencer Addition, Lot 194
Memorial ID
View Source
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 7, 1895, p. 4.

REGISTRAR H. S. BATES DEAD.
Taken Suddenly Ill Yesterday Morning at the College, and Died Last Night at 11 O'clock.

Registrar Bates went to the office of President Swain, in Owen hall, yesterday morning about ten o'clock, to get some papers. It was his intention to leave on the 10:48 train for Indianapolis. He went to the office alone, and when he did not come home at noon, his family thought nothing of it, as they thought he was at Indianapolis. About three o'clock in the afternoon Prof. Mottier and Janitor Stewart happened to pass the office, and noticing a key in the door, opened the door and went in.

There they found Registrar Bates sitting near a table. He was then unconscious and evidently had been for some time. Near him was a pool of blood showing that he had had a hemorrhage. Drs. Harris and Weir were hastily summoned, and did all that medical skill could do for the suffering patient. At nine o'clock last night it was only by the greatest exertion on the part of those in attendance that he did not go into convulsions. The physicians stated that the trouble was congestion of the base of the brain. At ten o'clock he was still unconscious, and the physicians regarded his condition as very dangerous. His family and several of his intimate friends were in attendance. His condition remained so serious that all thought of removal to his home was abandoned.

At eleven o'clock he began to sink rapidly, and ten minutes afterwards he passed peacefully away. He was unconscious from the time he was stricken until death relieved his suffering.

The deceased was among Bloomington's best known citizens, and his death will be mourned by both students and residents.

There will be no school today. The arrangements for the funeral had not been completed at 2 p.m. today.
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 8, 1895, p. 1.

FUNERAL TOMORROW.

The Funeral Services of Dr. Henry S. Bates Tomorrow Morning at 10 O'clock.

The funeral services of Registrar Henry S. Bates will be conducted tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, at the Kirkwood Avenue Christian church, Rev. T. J. Clark in charge. The death of Dr. Bates was the sole topic of conversation yesterday. Only a few knew of his sudden sickness Sunday, and the announcement of his death came as a sad surprise to the community. No man in Bloomington was more popular than "Doc" Bates. The street boy and the college professor were alike his friends. His was a lovable nature and it won for him a friend whenever he met a stranger. Not only did it win friends but it retained them. He was a good judge of human nature, and in his estimate of men he was rarely mistaken. He had faith in humanity, and in return was loved and trusted. Only recently he entered into a new field-a work that suited him, and he suited the work-and in the midst of high hopes and successful accomplishments he was stricken down. The messenger came to him while he was in the very room where he had won hundreds of friends by his faithful devotion to duty. Even a total stranger could have noticed a sadness about the buildings and campus yesterday. Something was missing, some winning personality gone.

In his home life he was the embodiment of life and love. To his family he was kind and generous, and to each member the vacant chair will be a constant reminder of a noble husband or an indulgent father. The religion of Henry S. Bate's was a practical one. Mere words did not satisfy him, but kind deeds and generous thoughts were his guide. He worked for the Master by doing good to His creatures. He believed in God, and was happy in that belief. That he lived a loyal life, was shown yesterday when his death was announced, for rich and poor alike were filled with sorrow.

All that is mortal of Henry S. Bates will be laid to rest tomorrow in Rose Hill cemetery. In the happy possession of the confidence of all, he was taken from our midst. Though absent in body his words and deeds will live in the hearts and minds of all those with whom he came in contact. In the loss of a kind husband, a loving father and a faithful friend, there is the consolation that

"There is no death,
What seems so is transition;
This life of mortal breath
Is but the suburb of the life Elysian
Whose portal we call Death."
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 10, 1895, p. 1.
[Note: A part of this item was cut off in copying as indicated by ellipsis.]

THE LAST SAD RITES.
All That Is Mortal of Registrar H. S. Bates Laid to Rest.

An Immense Throng View the Remains at The Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church.

The Services Very Impressive, and the Floral Offerings Were Numerous and Beautiful.

The remains of Registrar Henry S. Bates were taken to the Kirkwood Avenue Christian church yesterday morning at ten o'clock. From that time until half past one o'clock a steady stream of people passed by to get a last look at him who in life was their friend. Representatives of all classes were seen in the procession, and the sorrow shown indicated the love in which he was held by the thousands who knew him.

Long before the appointed hour for the services to begin the church was filled, and many were unable to obtain even standing room. The opening song was "Holy, Holy God Almighty" by the choir. Rev. T. J. Clark then read part of the ninth psalm, after which he led in fervent prayer. Wallace Pauley then gave the beautiful solo, "Then You'll Remember Me." This was a special favorite of the deceased, and it was appropriate that the piece that pleased him in life, should be a part of the services given just before the familiar features were hid from human eyes forever.

The address of Rev. Clark was full of sympathy and hope, and the example set before his friends by the departed brother was commented upon in a ...the hearts of those with whom he came in contact. The simplicity of his manners, the firmness of his friendship, and the soundness of his judgment made him a prince of the people.

"God keep for aye his noblest thoughts aflame,
His memory green."
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 10, 1895, p. 1.
[Note: The remainder of this item was cut off in copying as indicated by ellipsis.]

FACULTY RESOLUTIONS.

Resolved, That in the death of the registrar, H. S. Bates, the University has lost a faithful and efficient officer;

one who was devoted to the interests of the institution of which he was a member;

whose wise counsel was always timely; whose grasp of a difficult situation avoided many conflicts and misunderstandings;

whose clear insight into character and practical ways of dealing with men made the problem of University administration easier;

whose loyalty to his friends was intense yet never blind;

whose courtesy to all who met him was unfailing;

who possessed the vigorous elements of manhood and the natural refinements of a gentleman; whose deepest instinct was to enter sympathetically and helpfully into the ...
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 10, 1895, p. 1.

STUDENTS' RESOLUTIONS.

WHEREAS, It has pleased Divine Providence to remove from our midst our beloved registrar, H. S. Bates, and,

WHEREAS, He has always been a steadfast friend of the University and a devoted worker for its best interests and,

WHEREAS, By his close association, his warm sympathy, his good counsel, his personal friendship for all, he has endeared himself to us, therefore, be it

Resolved, That we, the students of Indiana University, regard his life as entirely successful and as a beautiful example of unselfish devotion to the welfare of those about him.

Resolved, That we recognize in the untimely death of Mr. Bates a serious loss to us and to the University, and that in these resolutions we express our sincerest sorrow.

Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family in this time of their greatest bereavement; and that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the family and also that copies be furnished the city and college papers for publication.
=====
Burial Records state: BATES, HENRY S / Date of Death - 1/1/1895 / Last Residence - (Blank) / Place of Birth - (Blank) / Age - 44 / Gender - M / Cemetery - Rose Hill / Section and Lot - Spencer Addition, 194
=====
Misc Newspaper Clippings:

1.) Bloomington (Monroe Indiana) Telephone, November 1, 1887, p. 1.

Frank Bates and wife from Indianapolis are in the city guests of H. S. Bates. Mr. Bates is a brother of our city treasurer and is a baggage master on the Wabash railway with headquarters at Indianapolis.

2.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Star, February 16, 1923, p. 2.

'DOC' BATES, SHOE MAKER, FOUNDED I. U. PHILOSOPHY

Story of Local People in 1880 Shows One "Tie That Binds" University Here.

One of the real masterpieces of Bloomington history, David Starr Jordan's account of how the Bloomington shoemaker, "Doc" Henry Bates, gathered Bloomington boys and men around him at his shop and founded the "School of Philosophy," was recently discovered in the possession of James Karsell, one of the principals in the story. Today when remarks are sometimes heard in rival cities that the university might be "transplanted," this account of Bloomington's intellectual contributions is an example of the tie that roots the institution here. It reads as follows:

"One Sunday about 1880 I gave a chapel lecture on Thoreau. The grocer and the shoemaker stopped to talk it over with me. They did not talk about me nor about my lecture. They were interested directly in Thoreau and it occurred to me that they knew as much about Thoreau as I did. Thoreau was a land surveyor, you remember, and he, too, after his fashion held, at Walden Pond, his own school of Philosophy. And then I learned that the grocer, Karsell, was a friend of the shoemaker, Bates.

"And as Bates sat and hammered the soles and stitched the uppers in the morning, in his little shoe shop on College Avenue, next to Collins and Karsell's store, he did a great deal of thinking. His mind turned on every subject which pertains to human life and human destiny. And then evenings the gentle old men and the wise young men of college gathered around him on stools and benches to gather in his words of wisdom. He was a master of that quaint, dry, Hoosier wit, which, in those days, blossomed into poetry in Jim Riley, into real eloquence in Will Bryan and which in its highest manifestations has rarely flourished outside of Indiana. Such was the Bates School of Philosophy in the early eighties. I was not one of the charter members of the group, I was too busy with fishes and people. I missed many of the best sessions, and now I cannot remember in detail a single sapient conclusion. But its general impression will always remain with me. What I hold was part of my early education, and one of far greater value than many experiences in more pretentious halls.

Henry S. Bates was born January 18, 1851, at Indianapolis, Indiana. When he came to Bloomington as the College Shoemaker, he was a rather tall, spare man with a good face, of the New England type, dark hair and eyes and a pleasant voice and manner. He spoke good English without effort at dialect and in fact without effort at anything or to be anybody or to be taken for anybody but himself.

"At his feet in those days, as I remember, were various students of note. After nearly forty years I can identify a few as prominent among them Will Bryan, Allan Philputt, Joe Swain, Joe Shea, the two Feslers, Bert and Jim Barton Evermann, Horace Huffman, Rufus Green, James Woodburn, Carl Eigenmann, Robert Aley, Fletcher Dressler, Will Rawles, Sam Harding, Robert Lyons, Ernest Lindley, Sam Smith, David Goss, Will Spangler, David Curry and the others who ruled the intellectual roost at Bloomington in those far-off days. With these boys were Karsell, the grocer, Judge Banta, professor of law, Lyons, the beloved pastor, and sometimes the venerable Dr. Kirkwood, whom we loved to call 'the Kepler of America.' Then there was Dr. James D. Maxwell, trustee and upholder of all good causes, and off and on as many more whom in my haste I have failed to mention.

"I remember but one article written by Henry Bates, but that one was worth recalling, and, for that matter, worth reprinting. It was the true story of an old hermit living near Bloomington, a man of one idea who gave his life to the discovery of the 'Unconditional Force of the Universe,' and to the invention of a machine which, by its own internal power should overcome 'friction and once started, should go on forever. When the machine was displayed before the School of Philosophy, it seemed to lack one single essential, the inventor could give no answer to the repeated questions, 'Will it work?'

"It would not! And no theoretical demonstration of its validity would avail with that critical audience. The old man died soon after his final disappointment. The machine which represents a lifetime of earnest, but unguided, thought, rests somewhere in the dusty garret of the Department of Physics.

"The beginning of the new century saw a charter member of the School of Philosophy placed in the chair of the University President. And then in gracious recognition, Dr. Swain made Henry Bates, University Register, and all-around advisor to the new men who came in. The shoe shop was closed and the School of Philosophy was merged at last into the great University.

"He died at Bloomington, January 7, 1895, and every Indiana man who knew him holds his memory green.

"DAVID STARR JORDAN."
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 7, 1895, p. 4.

REGISTRAR H. S. BATES DEAD.
Taken Suddenly Ill Yesterday Morning at the College, and Died Last Night at 11 O'clock.

Registrar Bates went to the office of President Swain, in Owen hall, yesterday morning about ten o'clock, to get some papers. It was his intention to leave on the 10:48 train for Indianapolis. He went to the office alone, and when he did not come home at noon, his family thought nothing of it, as they thought he was at Indianapolis. About three o'clock in the afternoon Prof. Mottier and Janitor Stewart happened to pass the office, and noticing a key in the door, opened the door and went in.

There they found Registrar Bates sitting near a table. He was then unconscious and evidently had been for some time. Near him was a pool of blood showing that he had had a hemorrhage. Drs. Harris and Weir were hastily summoned, and did all that medical skill could do for the suffering patient. At nine o'clock last night it was only by the greatest exertion on the part of those in attendance that he did not go into convulsions. The physicians stated that the trouble was congestion of the base of the brain. At ten o'clock he was still unconscious, and the physicians regarded his condition as very dangerous. His family and several of his intimate friends were in attendance. His condition remained so serious that all thought of removal to his home was abandoned.

At eleven o'clock he began to sink rapidly, and ten minutes afterwards he passed peacefully away. He was unconscious from the time he was stricken until death relieved his suffering.

The deceased was among Bloomington's best known citizens, and his death will be mourned by both students and residents.

There will be no school today. The arrangements for the funeral had not been completed at 2 p.m. today.
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 8, 1895, p. 1.

FUNERAL TOMORROW.

The Funeral Services of Dr. Henry S. Bates Tomorrow Morning at 10 O'clock.

The funeral services of Registrar Henry S. Bates will be conducted tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, at the Kirkwood Avenue Christian church, Rev. T. J. Clark in charge. The death of Dr. Bates was the sole topic of conversation yesterday. Only a few knew of his sudden sickness Sunday, and the announcement of his death came as a sad surprise to the community. No man in Bloomington was more popular than "Doc" Bates. The street boy and the college professor were alike his friends. His was a lovable nature and it won for him a friend whenever he met a stranger. Not only did it win friends but it retained them. He was a good judge of human nature, and in his estimate of men he was rarely mistaken. He had faith in humanity, and in return was loved and trusted. Only recently he entered into a new field-a work that suited him, and he suited the work-and in the midst of high hopes and successful accomplishments he was stricken down. The messenger came to him while he was in the very room where he had won hundreds of friends by his faithful devotion to duty. Even a total stranger could have noticed a sadness about the buildings and campus yesterday. Something was missing, some winning personality gone.

In his home life he was the embodiment of life and love. To his family he was kind and generous, and to each member the vacant chair will be a constant reminder of a noble husband or an indulgent father. The religion of Henry S. Bate's was a practical one. Mere words did not satisfy him, but kind deeds and generous thoughts were his guide. He worked for the Master by doing good to His creatures. He believed in God, and was happy in that belief. That he lived a loyal life, was shown yesterday when his death was announced, for rich and poor alike were filled with sorrow.

All that is mortal of Henry S. Bates will be laid to rest tomorrow in Rose Hill cemetery. In the happy possession of the confidence of all, he was taken from our midst. Though absent in body his words and deeds will live in the hearts and minds of all those with whom he came in contact. In the loss of a kind husband, a loving father and a faithful friend, there is the consolation that

"There is no death,
What seems so is transition;
This life of mortal breath
Is but the suburb of the life Elysian
Whose portal we call Death."
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 10, 1895, p. 1.
[Note: A part of this item was cut off in copying as indicated by ellipsis.]

THE LAST SAD RITES.
All That Is Mortal of Registrar H. S. Bates Laid to Rest.

An Immense Throng View the Remains at The Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church.

The Services Very Impressive, and the Floral Offerings Were Numerous and Beautiful.

The remains of Registrar Henry S. Bates were taken to the Kirkwood Avenue Christian church yesterday morning at ten o'clock. From that time until half past one o'clock a steady stream of people passed by to get a last look at him who in life was their friend. Representatives of all classes were seen in the procession, and the sorrow shown indicated the love in which he was held by the thousands who knew him.

Long before the appointed hour for the services to begin the church was filled, and many were unable to obtain even standing room. The opening song was "Holy, Holy God Almighty" by the choir. Rev. T. J. Clark then read part of the ninth psalm, after which he led in fervent prayer. Wallace Pauley then gave the beautiful solo, "Then You'll Remember Me." This was a special favorite of the deceased, and it was appropriate that the piece that pleased him in life, should be a part of the services given just before the familiar features were hid from human eyes forever.

The address of Rev. Clark was full of sympathy and hope, and the example set before his friends by the departed brother was commented upon in a ...the hearts of those with whom he came in contact. The simplicity of his manners, the firmness of his friendship, and the soundness of his judgment made him a prince of the people.

"God keep for aye his noblest thoughts aflame,
His memory green."
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 10, 1895, p. 1.
[Note: The remainder of this item was cut off in copying as indicated by ellipsis.]

FACULTY RESOLUTIONS.

Resolved, That in the death of the registrar, H. S. Bates, the University has lost a faithful and efficient officer;

one who was devoted to the interests of the institution of which he was a member;

whose wise counsel was always timely; whose grasp of a difficult situation avoided many conflicts and misunderstandings;

whose clear insight into character and practical ways of dealing with men made the problem of University administration easier;

whose loyalty to his friends was intense yet never blind;

whose courtesy to all who met him was unfailing;

who possessed the vigorous elements of manhood and the natural refinements of a gentleman; whose deepest instinct was to enter sympathetically and helpfully into the ...
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) World, January 10, 1895, p. 1.

STUDENTS' RESOLUTIONS.

WHEREAS, It has pleased Divine Providence to remove from our midst our beloved registrar, H. S. Bates, and,

WHEREAS, He has always been a steadfast friend of the University and a devoted worker for its best interests and,

WHEREAS, By his close association, his warm sympathy, his good counsel, his personal friendship for all, he has endeared himself to us, therefore, be it

Resolved, That we, the students of Indiana University, regard his life as entirely successful and as a beautiful example of unselfish devotion to the welfare of those about him.

Resolved, That we recognize in the untimely death of Mr. Bates a serious loss to us and to the University, and that in these resolutions we express our sincerest sorrow.

Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family in this time of their greatest bereavement; and that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the family and also that copies be furnished the city and college papers for publication.
=====
Burial Records state: BATES, HENRY S / Date of Death - 1/1/1895 / Last Residence - (Blank) / Place of Birth - (Blank) / Age - 44 / Gender - M / Cemetery - Rose Hill / Section and Lot - Spencer Addition, 194
=====
Misc Newspaper Clippings:

1.) Bloomington (Monroe Indiana) Telephone, November 1, 1887, p. 1.

Frank Bates and wife from Indianapolis are in the city guests of H. S. Bates. Mr. Bates is a brother of our city treasurer and is a baggage master on the Wabash railway with headquarters at Indianapolis.

2.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Star, February 16, 1923, p. 2.

'DOC' BATES, SHOE MAKER, FOUNDED I. U. PHILOSOPHY

Story of Local People in 1880 Shows One "Tie That Binds" University Here.

One of the real masterpieces of Bloomington history, David Starr Jordan's account of how the Bloomington shoemaker, "Doc" Henry Bates, gathered Bloomington boys and men around him at his shop and founded the "School of Philosophy," was recently discovered in the possession of James Karsell, one of the principals in the story. Today when remarks are sometimes heard in rival cities that the university might be "transplanted," this account of Bloomington's intellectual contributions is an example of the tie that roots the institution here. It reads as follows:

"One Sunday about 1880 I gave a chapel lecture on Thoreau. The grocer and the shoemaker stopped to talk it over with me. They did not talk about me nor about my lecture. They were interested directly in Thoreau and it occurred to me that they knew as much about Thoreau as I did. Thoreau was a land surveyor, you remember, and he, too, after his fashion held, at Walden Pond, his own school of Philosophy. And then I learned that the grocer, Karsell, was a friend of the shoemaker, Bates.

"And as Bates sat and hammered the soles and stitched the uppers in the morning, in his little shoe shop on College Avenue, next to Collins and Karsell's store, he did a great deal of thinking. His mind turned on every subject which pertains to human life and human destiny. And then evenings the gentle old men and the wise young men of college gathered around him on stools and benches to gather in his words of wisdom. He was a master of that quaint, dry, Hoosier wit, which, in those days, blossomed into poetry in Jim Riley, into real eloquence in Will Bryan and which in its highest manifestations has rarely flourished outside of Indiana. Such was the Bates School of Philosophy in the early eighties. I was not one of the charter members of the group, I was too busy with fishes and people. I missed many of the best sessions, and now I cannot remember in detail a single sapient conclusion. But its general impression will always remain with me. What I hold was part of my early education, and one of far greater value than many experiences in more pretentious halls.

Henry S. Bates was born January 18, 1851, at Indianapolis, Indiana. When he came to Bloomington as the College Shoemaker, he was a rather tall, spare man with a good face, of the New England type, dark hair and eyes and a pleasant voice and manner. He spoke good English without effort at dialect and in fact without effort at anything or to be anybody or to be taken for anybody but himself.

"At his feet in those days, as I remember, were various students of note. After nearly forty years I can identify a few as prominent among them Will Bryan, Allan Philputt, Joe Swain, Joe Shea, the two Feslers, Bert and Jim Barton Evermann, Horace Huffman, Rufus Green, James Woodburn, Carl Eigenmann, Robert Aley, Fletcher Dressler, Will Rawles, Sam Harding, Robert Lyons, Ernest Lindley, Sam Smith, David Goss, Will Spangler, David Curry and the others who ruled the intellectual roost at Bloomington in those far-off days. With these boys were Karsell, the grocer, Judge Banta, professor of law, Lyons, the beloved pastor, and sometimes the venerable Dr. Kirkwood, whom we loved to call 'the Kepler of America.' Then there was Dr. James D. Maxwell, trustee and upholder of all good causes, and off and on as many more whom in my haste I have failed to mention.

"I remember but one article written by Henry Bates, but that one was worth recalling, and, for that matter, worth reprinting. It was the true story of an old hermit living near Bloomington, a man of one idea who gave his life to the discovery of the 'Unconditional Force of the Universe,' and to the invention of a machine which, by its own internal power should overcome 'friction and once started, should go on forever. When the machine was displayed before the School of Philosophy, it seemed to lack one single essential, the inventor could give no answer to the repeated questions, 'Will it work?'

"It would not! And no theoretical demonstration of its validity would avail with that critical audience. The old man died soon after his final disappointment. The machine which represents a lifetime of earnest, but unguided, thought, rests somewhere in the dusty garret of the Department of Physics.

"The beginning of the new century saw a charter member of the School of Philosophy placed in the chair of the University President. And then in gracious recognition, Dr. Swain made Henry Bates, University Register, and all-around advisor to the new men who came in. The shoe shop was closed and the School of Philosophy was merged at last into the great University.

"He died at Bloomington, January 7, 1895, and every Indiana man who knew him holds his memory green.

"DAVID STARR JORDAN."

Gravesite Details

Birth year calculated using death date and age



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