Howard-Washington-Owen County IN Archives Biographies.....McDade, Philip 1826 - 
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Author: Jackson Morrow

REV. PHILIP McDADE.

   The writer of biography, dealing with the personal history of men engaged in
the various affairs of everyday life, occasionally finds a subject whose record
commands exceptional interest and admiration and especially is this true when he
has achieved more than ordinary success or made his influence felt as a leader
of thought and a benefactor of his kind. The subject of this review is eminently
of that class who earn the indisputable right to rank in the van of the army of
progressive men and by reason of a long and strenuous career devoted to the good
of his fellows and to the dissemination of the Gospel of peace throughout the
world he occupies a position of wide influence and has made a name which will
long live in the hearts and affections of the people.

   He is not only a brave and valiant soldier under the white banner of the King
of Peace but rendered gallant service in a more material warfare for when
treason was rife and the safety of the government threatened, he, like thousands
of other loyal Sons of the North, unhesitatingly joined the forces of the
national Union and in many campaigns and in not a few bloody fields of conflict,
nobly and faithfully bore his part in upholding the honor of his country's flag
until rebellion lay groveling with gaping wounds dealt by his and other strong
and sturdy hands.

   Philip McDade is a native of Washington county, Indiana, and seventh of a
family of eight children whose parents. William and Nancy (Fiddler) McDade, were
born in the states of Maryland and Kentucky, respectively. The father went to
Kentucky when a young man and was married in Bullitt county, that state, where
he lived during the balance of his lifetime. His widow came to Indiana in an
early day and figured in the pioneer history of Owen and of Morgan counties. She
is remembered as a most excellent and praiseworthy woman and for many years a
pious and highly esteemed member of the Baptist church. She died in the latter
county. The children who constituted the family of this respected couple were
Elizabeth, William, Matilda, Malinda, Joseph, Reuben, Philip and Mary, the
majority of whom have long been sleeping the sleep of the just.

   Philip McDade, whose birth occurred on the 20th day of September, 1826, was
early left an orphan from which time on he was obliged to make his own way in
his native county, and during a couple of months each year he was permitted to
attend the subscription schools of the county, devoting the greater part of the
time, however, to hard work in the fields. After the death of his mother he
labored by the month as a farm hand and while thus engaged managed to increase
his scholastic knowledge by attending during winter seasons the public schools,
which in the meantime had been established in Morgan county, proving an
inestimable boon to the youth of the country, especially those who, like the
subject, desired to advance in their studies and make the most of life's
opportunities. By industry and economy young McDade succeeded in accumulating a
sufficient sum of money to enable him, when a young man, to engage in business
at the town of Normanda, in Tipton county, where he opened in 1855, a general
store which soon gained a fairly successful patronage.

   Finding mercantile life rather irksome and by no means to his taste he
disposed of his stock after a short time and, returning to Owen county, where he
had formerly lived, resumed the pursuit of agriculture. Later he discontinued
tilling the soil and again turned his attention to merchandising, but engaging
in the grocery business which he carried on with reasonable profits until the
disturbed condition in national affairs induced him to sell out that he might
respond to the call for volunteers to help put down the rebellion.

   Rev. McDade's military career began a number of years previous to the
struggle between the North and South, having been one of the young men of his
country, who in 1847 took part in the war with Mexico, enlisting that year in
Company B, Fourth Indiana Infantry, under Colonel Willis A. Gorman. He
accompanied his command to the southland and during the two years ensuing shared
with his comrades the fortunes and vicissitudes of war in that remote country,
taking part in several battles and experiencing much active service ere the
stars and stripes floated triumphantly to the breeze from the hills of the
Montezuma. Returning home after the restoration of peace, he settled down to the
quiet pursuits of civil life and was thus engaged until the breaking out of the
rebellion, when, as already stated, he again responded to his country's call and
went to the front to battle for its safety. Mr. McDade was among the first in
his county to tender his services to the government in its time of need,
enlisting early in 1861 in Company B. Fifty-ninth Indiana Infantry, which he at
once accompanied to the scene of hostilities as first lieutenant where during
the four years following, he experienced all of the realities of warfare,
participating in a number of hard-fought battles and so conducting himself as to
earn an honorable record as a brave and gallant soldier. For meritorious service
he gradually rose from the ranks to the command of his company and as captain he
led his men through many trying and dangerous experiences, including the battle
of Island No. 10, the siege of Vicksburg and other engagements, besides taking
part in numerous skirmishes and doing a great deal of hard marching. While at
the front he became well acquainted with General Grant, between whom and himself
a warm friendly feeling appears to have obtained, and he was also on familiar
terms with a number of other superior officers to whom his bravery and gallantry
seem to have commended him. At the expiration of his period of enlistment Mr.
McDade returned home and the following year (1866) yielded to a desire of long
standing by entering the ministry of the Baptist church, preaching his first
sermon at the town of Quincy, Owen county. Later in the same year he was duly
ordained in the county of Clinton, after which he addressed himself manfully to
the duties of his sacred office, preaching during the several following years at
various places in other counties, establishing churches at different points and
proving a very able and successful evangelist and pastor. In due time he changed
his residence to the town of Deer Creek, Carroll county, and while living there
established a church at Galveston, which has grown into a large and flourishing
organization, besides ministering to other congregations and doing much personal
as well as public and religious work. From Deer Creek he took charge of a
Mission church in the town of Rensselaer, where he labored with much acceptance
for a period of three years and in 1888 removed to Monticello where the church
under his able and faithful ministration soon took on new life and became one of
the strongest and most aggressive congregations of that city.

   Severing his connection with the Monticello church after a successful and
popular pastorate. Rev. McDade moved to Kokomo where, in a life of honorable
retirement, he is spending the remainder of his days, enjoying the confidence
and esteem of his fellow citizens and at intervals attending to the duties of
his holy calling when his services are in demand. Long one of the progressive
men of his church in northern Indiana he has contributed greatly to its strength
and success in addition to which he has ever been deeply interested in general
religious work, irrespective of denominational ties and ready to co-operate with
orthodox ministers of whatever name or order in publishing the glorious truths
of the Gospel throughout the world. A close and critical Biblical student, a
forceful and logical speaker, and when married to his theme, truly eloquent, he
was always popular in the pulpit and seldom failed to move his auditors by the
earnestness with which he proclaimed his message. His services to the government
during the dark and troublous years of rebellion were not confined to the field
alone, having by his stirring words and influence induced a number of young men
to enlist at the same time, providing means for the support of wives and
children whose husbands and fathers were offering their lives for the country's
safety.

   In his political views Mr. McDade is a pronounced Republican, but by reason
of the strenuous nature of his ministerial duties and other work, he has never
taken a very active part in public affairs. although familiar with the leading
questions of the day and deeply interested in issues concerning which men and
parties are at variance. In the matter of citizenship and its duties he is and
always has been an intensely loyal American with a profound respect for law and
order, and an ardent love for the government for whose defense and perpetuity he
gave such gallant and ungrudging service. Very naturally for one of his
experience, he keeps in close touch with military matters and nothing affords
him greater satisfaction than to meet with his old comrades and recount with
them the stirring scenes and daring deeds of the iron days that tried men's
souls and tested their endurance. He is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, active and influential in all matters concerning the organization and
when able to be present at its sessions, acts as chaplain, in which capacity his
services are greatly appreciated by his fellow comrades. At this time he is the
only surviving veteran of the Mexican war in Howard county and one of the very
few in the state, the heroes of that conflict, having in the main, answered to
the final roll call and joined the great army of the silent majority. Rev.
McDade's domestic life dates from 1850 when he was united in marriage with Mrs.
Lucy (Jones) Asher, daughter of Thomas and Frances (Bibie) Jones, the union
terminating May 5, 1905, after a long and mutually happy wedded experience of
fifty-five years. Subsequently he entered the marriage relation with his present
wife, Mrs. Minerva (Wait) Dotterer, who has proven a true companion and helpmate
and to whom he is indebted for the greater portion of the comfort and
satisfaction which he now enjoys. Rev. McDade has no children of his own but he
has always had a warm feeling for young people and an abiding interest in their
welfare, many a youth through his influence has been induced to abandon the
paths of sin and seek the higher life and today, not a few strong substantial
God-fearing men attribute to him all of the success they have achieved together
with the development of the honorable characters which have given them high
standing in their respective communities. It is a matter of record and worthy of
note in this connection that Mr. McDade has married more couples and baptized a
greater number of candidates than any other minister in Howard county. Aside
from this it is impossible to estimate the good he has done, for like the
Master, he has ever been about his Father's business, devoting the best powers
of his mind to the active work of saving men, and now while no longer able to
prosecute his labors as in the days of his prime, he still preaches the word in
his daily work and conversation, the influence of his personality and the record
of .his long career of usefulness constituting a sermon of surpassing power and
eloquence. No man in this section of the state has a more extensive acquaintance
than he and certainly none can boast of as many devoted, admiring friends, all
of whom earnestly desire and hopefully pray that his earthly life may be
prolonged through many future years and that his influence for good may still
grow and bless his kind.


Additional Comments:
From:

HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY INDIANA
BY
JACKSON MORROW, B. A.
ILLUSTRATED
VOL. II
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

(circa 1909)

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