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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Des Moines C^ounty, Iowa

CONTAINING

BIOGRAPHICAL and GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES of \

MANY OF THE PROMINENT CITIZENS OF TO-DAY I

AND ALSO OF THE PAST

" Biography is the only true history" — Emerson

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO

HOBART PUBLISHING COMPANY

1905

■M-'t-ti (o

" The history of a nation is best told in the lives of
its people." — Macaulay.

Jq^iC'^-

:><. >^

•/

PREFACE

The present age is happily awake to the duty of writing its own records,
setting down what is best worth remembering in the lives of the busy toilers
of to-day, noting, not in vainglory, but with an honest pride and sense of
fitness, things worthy of emulation, that thus the good men do may live after
them. The accounts here rendered are not of buried talents, but of used ability
and opportunity. The conquests recited are of mind over matter, of cheerful
labor directed by thought, of honest, earnest endeavor which subdues the earth
in the divinely appointed way. " The great lesson of biography," it is said, " is
to show what man can be and do at his best." A noble life put fairly on record
acts like an inspiration, and no more interesting or instructive matter could be
presented to an intelligent public.

In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy
the imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in
poverty, by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others,
with limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and
women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the
land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as
statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every
walk of life who have striven to succeed, and records how that success has usually
crowned their efforts. It tells also of those who, not seeking the applause of the
world, have pursued the " even tenor of their way," content to have it said of
them, as Christ said of a woman performing a deed of mercy, " They have done
what they could." It tells how many, in the pride and strength of young man-
hood, left all, and at their country's call went forth valiantly " to do or die," and
how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned
in the land.

Coming generations will appreciate this volume, and preserve it as a sacred
treasure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way
into public record, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has
been taken in the compilation of the work, and every opportunity possible given
to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written ; and the pub-
lishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few errors
of consequence.

Yours respectfully,

HOBART PUBLISHING COMPANY.
December, ipOj.

■■ ./ pciiplc thai take no (ride in the noble acUwi'cmcnts of reniolc ancestors '.cil!
neirr acliiar anything; worthy to he remembered with pride
/'V remote •'cnerations." — Macaulay.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Des Moines County

PHILIP M. CRAPO.

Philip M. Crapo, numbered among the
honored dead of Burlington, was a man
whose Hfe work was of the greatest benefit
to his fellow-men. With a humanitarian
spirit and a breadth of view that enabled
him to realize the needs of the city, the con-
ditions that would work for its improvement,
and the possibilities for achievement, he put
forth strenuous and effective efforts, the far-
reaching effects of which will be felt for
years to come. He was born June 30, 1844,
and died Sept. 20, 1903, his loss proving a
universal sorrow in Burlington, and largely
throughout the State and nation wherever
he was known.

Philip Madison Crapo was a native of
Massachusetts, born June 30. 1844, in Free-
town. The Crapo family is of French
lineage, but he also traces his ancestry back
to the Pilgrim Fathers, and was very proud
of this American line. His paternal grand-
father, Benjamin Crapo, was born in Massa-
chusetts, and was a descendant of Pierre
Crapo, who was rescued from a French war
vessel that was wrecked prior to 1700 near
the Massachusetts coast, near Plymouth
Colony. Pierre Crapo married Penelope
White, a granddaughter of Peregrine White,

the first white child born in Plymouth
Colony.

Philip Crapo, Sr., father of him whose
name introduces this review, was born in
Massachusetts, and became a sea captain.
He wedded Hannah Crapo, also a native of
the Bay State, and a daughter of Richard
Crapo, who was a farmer there. The
fathers of both Richard and Benjamin
Crapo were soldiers of the Revolutionary
War. Of the si.x children born unto Philip
and Hannah Crapo only one is now living,
Mrs. William A. Ashley, of Long Plain,
Massachusetts.

Philip M. Crapo was reared in New
Bedford, Mass., where he acquired a good
education at the common and high schools.
He was but eighteen years of age when, in
response to his country's call for aid to
crush out the rebellion in the South, he
enlisted as a defender of the Union, becom-
ing a member of Company E, Third Massa-
chusetts Infantry. He did valiant service
for his country in the Civil War, returning
to his home with a most creditable military
record. Seeking first a favorable location
for an active business career and one which
would give full scope to his industry and
ambition — dominant qualities — he re-
moved to the West, settling in Flint, Mich.,

niOGRAPHKAL REIIEU'

wluTc III- ftipafji'il 111 l>ii.siiK-ss as a civil
fnginetT. After assisting in constructing
a portion of the Flint & Perc Marquette
Railroad he was employed in the adjutant-
general's office to assist in compiling a mili-
tary record nf the State, and was also in the
office of his uncle. Governor Crapo. while
he was filling the office of governor.

In 1868 he came to liurlington as the
special or general agent for the Connecticut
Mutual Life Insurance Company, having
charge of one of the southern districts of
the State. His territory was subsequently
increased so that it comprised the entire
States of Iowa and Nebraska, and he re-
mained in charge of the company's vast in-
terests in these States up to the time of his
death. In 1HS2 the Connecticut Mutual
Insurance Company made him its financial
correspondent for Iowa and Nebraska. He
then resigned as general agent and devoted
himself entirely to the management of the
company's investments. In acknowledg-
ment of his efficiency in this direction, Mrs.
Crapo was made the recipient of a testi-
monial from the company, done on parch-
ment in German text and rolled in a morocco
leather satin-lined case. This is one of the
mementos of the life work of her husband
that .she cherishes dearly. In part it says,
"And of the thousands of farms on which
his loans were made, the company did not
own a single farm, and never lost a dollar
. . . and foreclosures were very rare."

In addition to his extensive business in-
terests in connection with the insurance
comjiany, Mr. Crapo was actively concerned
in local afTairs, at one time being local
editor of the llm<-k-fLyc. and afterward a
frequent contributor to its columns. Every
movement which had a bearing upon the
material, intellectual, social, and moral wel-

fare of lUirlington was of <leei) interest to
him, and every progressive measure received
his indorsement and found in him an active
champion. He was a strong advocate of a
wagon bridge in connection with the rail-
road bridge not then completed across the
Mississippi River at Burlington. I5y a
vigorous effort he at one time expected to
bring the Iowa Central Railroad into Bur-
lington, hoping that its line might cross the
river here instead of at Keithsburg, and only
the refusal of the directors to lease or sell
the Burlington & Northwestern Railroad
prevented the consummation of the plan.

In 1887 Mr. Crajx) organized the Bur-
lington & Illinois Bridge Company and se-
cured a charter from Congress authorizing
them to bridge the Mississippi River. After
much lalvir and a large expenditure of
money Mr. Crapo ])repared the way for the
erection of a combined railroad and wagon
bridge, which would have given independent
railroad facilities to I'urlington. and also
established a more satisfactory communica-
tion with the farming districts of Illinois ;
but when the work was completed, and the
tax-])ayers of Burlington expressed them-
selves as willing to vote a large tax to aid
the |)roject, a majority of the members of
the I'lridge Company declined to assume the
rcsiKwsibility for the construction of the
bridge, and the work has not yet been done.

Not only was Mr. Crapo the president of
the Burlington & Illinois 1 '.ridge Company,
but he was also prominent in connection with
many business positions of marked imi)or-
tance. He was the president of the Bur-
lington hoard of trade, the president of the
Burlington & Henderson County Ferry
Company, the president of the Burlington
Commercial Club, a trustee of the city for
the ferrv franchise, trustee of the public

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

library, and a trustee of the Congregational
church. He took special pride in the fact
that he started the movement for the paving
of the principal streets of the city with brick,
addressing the city council by strong resolu-
tions prepared and introduced b\- him at a
session of the Commercial Club, the board
of trade, and public meetings of the citizens
called together by him for that purpose.
He was conspicuous for his advocacy of the
improvement of the Mississippi River, and
his efforts in behalf of improved waterways
were acknowledged b\' his appointment upon
a committee to prepare memorials to Con-
gress by not less than five of the great
conventions called to consider the question
of the improvement of the waterways.

These varied interests show the extent
and scope of his activity, and indicate his
value as a citizen, for his labors were of a
most practical character. Many improve-
ments looking to the betterment of Bur-
lington found him a champion. He was
truly public-spirited, and was never so happy
as when busily engaged upon some public
enterprise. His own time, his own labor,
his own money, were given lavishly where
the public interest was involved. He never
entered into any movement in a half-hearted
manner, but gave his full effort to carrying
forward to successful completion whatever
he undertook.

In politics, as well as in all civic move-
ments, he occupied a prominent position, and
few men were more familiar with the polit-
ical issues and events, and few enjoyed a
wider acquaintance among men of proini-
nence throughout the entire country. He
was always a Republican, and served his
party as chairman of the county and con-
gressional committees, as well as in other
capacities. He was nominated for the posi-

tion of State senator and in 1887 was
prominently mentioned for the office of gov-
ernor.

It was, however, more largely as a private
citizen of great public spirit and marked
business capacity that he was best known
to his fellow-townsmen. He worked inde-
fatigably as a member of the Commercial
Exchange, and as its president took an
active i^art as a member of the Ferry Com-
]jany. and did effective service on number-
less committees. He was a friend of the old
soldier, realizing fully the debt of gratitude
which the country owes the boys in blue;
and they, in turn, owe to Mr. Crapo a debt
of gratitude for what he did in their behalf.
He did more, perhaps, than any other man
in Iowa for the magnificent Soldiers' Home
at Marshalltown. His loyalty to Burlington
and his faith in its citizens was demonstrated
a number of years ago when the question
of the location of the National Soldiers'
Home was being discussed. A meeting was
held in Burlington to consider ways and
means of procuring the location of the home
in this city. The matter was taken up with
enthusiasm by the citizens, Mr. Crapo being
one of the leaders in the movement. The
tract of land south of Burlington known as
Picnic Point was selected as the site of the
home, and part of the money was subscribed
for it. The national board that had the
location of the home in charge visited Bur-
lington, and an effort was made to induce
the board to consider Burlington as the
site. The board, however, announced that
it would reserve its decision in the matter
until its meeting in Leavenworth. Mr.
Crapo was then appointed as a committee of
one to go to Leavenworth and push Bur-
Imgton's claim. At the meeting there, the
board announced that no oflfer of location

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIllW

could Ix" Cdtisiticrcd iiiiloss such an offi-r wa>
accompaiiii'tl by a guarantee bond of one
hundred thousand dollars. There was not
sufficient time for Mr. Crapo to communi-
cate with the citizens of Hurlington, but
without hesitation he himself sigfncd the
bonil. .Although his efforts proved fruitless,
it was through no lack of energy on his own
part or that of his fellow-citizens. .After-
ward Mr. Crapo was questioned as to what
he would have done if the citizens of Bur-
lington had failed to support him in his
guarantee of the hotid. lie smiled and said
that he had imt thought of it. and that he
had t<H) much lailh in the enteri)rise and the
public spirit of the citizens to think such a
thing could be possible. He said, however,
he would have personally carried out the
contract, and every one ac(|uaintcd with Mr.
Crai)o knows that he would have done so.
Having failed in his efforts to secure the
national home. Mr. Crapo turned his at-
tention to the organization of the Iowa
."soldiers" Home, and made a strenuous
effort to have its location at Ilurlington.
but again without success, the building
going to Marshalltown. In the work of
building and furnishing that institution Mr.
Crapo was untiring, and has always been
known as the " father of the home."

He has builded tor himself in lUirlington
two monuments more enduring than bronze
or granite — the public library and Crapo
Park. He found in the library an ill-
assorted collection of books that were looked
after in a dilatory manner, the collection
containing little that was of real value,
while a small tax was exacted from the
citizens who wished to make use of the
collection. Mr. Crapo's interest being
aroused in behalf of the public library, he
undertook the work of pushing the enter-

prise with characteristic energy". It required
some money to clear the collection of debt,
and he furnished the needed sum. .A new
law had been |)assed which enabled cities
to establish free public libraries. Mr. Crapo
led in the agitation, and from the beginning
was a firm friend of the library. His dona-
tions to the fine structure and to its splendid
contents represent a handsome fortune. He
never wearied of enriching the institution,
of which he was justly proud, and he gave
of his time and of his labor as freely as of
his wealth: and to his eternal vigilance,
no less than to his magnificent generosity,
is due the fact that liurlington to-day
possesses one really tine public structure in
its library, which will compare favorably
with those which are a .source of pride to
nnich larger cities.

.-\gain, his work in behalf of what is
known as Crapo P.irk of Ilurlington was
eijually commendable. Conceiving the idea
that Ihirlington should have a public park,
he recognized no obstacles, and overcame
all difficulties by determined purpose, giving
freely of his means as well as of his time
and energies. .\s the result, P>urlington
has a park of about one hundred acres
which, in the cour.se of time, after the
original plans are carried out, will be one of
the finest in the .State, if not in the entire
West.

Mr. Crapo was married in P.urlington,
Sept, 6, 1870, to Miss Ruth .\. Ray, and
this union was blessed with seven children :
Edith R., now the wife of Martin T. Bald-
win ; Phili]) .A.shley, Chester P., Ruth K.,
Clifford .M., Lucy H., and William M.
With the exception of Philip, all survived
the father. This .son, like his ancestors,
showed his patriotic spirit, and in the
country's hour of need, in 1898, he re-

DES MOISES COUNTY. IOWA.

spondee! to the call for troops for service
in the Spanish-American War, and died of
typhoid fever at Jacksonville Fla., in Sep-
tember, 1898. His remains were interred in
Aspen Grove cemetery. His sketch appears
elsewhere in this work.

Mr. Crapo was always deeply interested
in military affairs, and when the National
Guard of Iowa held its encampment at
Burlington, in 1888, the camp was called
Camp Crapo in his honor, and liis name has
been adopted by the local organization of
the Sons of \'eterans in Burlington.

Mr. Crapo was most generous in his
charity, yet thoroughly unostentatious, and
the general public knew little of his many
benefactions. He extended a helping hand
to many, and desired nothing in return save
that no one should know aught of the gift.
\Mien he passed away, the newspapers all
over the country recorded his death. His
])ortrait has adorned man}- magazines and
books. Friendship Lodge, No. 11, Knights
of Pythias, of which he was a member,
published resolutions of respect, as did the
Business Men's Club, while C. L. Matthies
Post, No. 5, G. A. R., and Company H, of
the Fifty-fourth I. N. G.. acted as escort at
his funeral. The \^'oman's Relief Corps
also attended the funeral in a body, and H.
Cj. Marquardt, mayor, issued a proclamation
closing all business houses during the
obsequies. Resolutions of respect were also
adopted and published by the library board,
by the Shakespearean Club, and by the
old soldiers in the home at Marshalltown.
The publishing house of A. C. McClurg &
Company, of Chicago, sent a letter to the
librarian' expressing sorrow for the death
of Mr. Crapo, and a memorial was sent from
the Connecticut Mutual Life .Association.
Xo one with whom he came in contact

failed to respect him. Men differed from
him in opinions, and he was ever fearless
in spreading his own views, yet all esteemed
him for his fidelity to his honest convictions.
He had the good will and confidence of men
throughout the country, — men high in au-
thority and men in the lowly walks of
life : and in Burlington, where he was best
known, he was well termed one of its best-
loved citizens.

JOSEPH W. BLYTHE.

JosKPH \\iLL[.\.M Blvthe, general coun-
sel for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad, at Burlington, Iowa, comes of
a family noted for strong intellectuality.
.\mong his ancestors were those noted in
educational circles and others along profes-
sional lines. Of Scotch lineage, the first
representatives of the name in America lo-
cated in North Carolina. Rev. James E.
Blythe, LL. D., D. D., grandfather of
Joseph W. Blythe, was a distinguished edu-
cator, for some years connected with Tran-
sylvania University, at Lexington, Ky., and
afterward president of Hanover College, of
Indiana. He was also at one time mod-
erator of the general assembly of the Pres-
byterian church, but his later years were
devoted more exclusively to educational
labors in the colleges.

His son. Rev. Joseph William Blythe,
was born in Lexington, Ky., pursued his
literary education in Transylvania L'niver-
sity, and then matriculated in Princeton
Theological Seminary. Following his or-
dination as a clergxnian of the Presby-
terian churcii. he devoted the first years of
his ministry to the home missionary depart-
ment of the church, and later accepted a

BIOCKArtUCAI. REl-IEW

pastorate in .Micliij,'an. ( )n leaving tliat
State he went to I'ittsbiirg, I'a., and subse-
quently to Cranberry, N. J. : after which
he removed to Hanover, Ind.. to become
financial officer of Hanover College, this
occurring ai)out 1856. He rei)rcscntecl the
financial interests of the college until i8<j2,
when he entered tlie army as chaplain, re-
maining in the hos])ital at Madis<in, Ind.,
until the close of the war. .Vfterward he
was pastor of the Presbyterian church at
Oiarleston, Ind., where he continued until
his death, which occurred in 1876. His
wife, Eleanor Henrietta (Green) Blythe,
the mother of the subject of this sketch,
was born in Lawrenceville, X. J., and was
a daughter of Caleb Smith and Eleanor
(Van Cleve) Cirecn.

Jo.seijh William Ulythe, in early boyhood,
was a student in the Lawrenceville school,
and was afterward a student in I'rinceton
College and in Hanover College. Prepar-
ing for the bar. he was for three years a stu-
dent in the office and under the direction of
Thomas S. Aitken, of Trenton, X. j. He
taught in the Lawrenceville school for three
years. The degrees of Bachelor of Arts
and Master of .\rts were conferred upon
him by Princeton College, aii<l that of Doc-
tor of Law by Dethany College, of Kansas,
and Hanover College, of Intliana.

Coming to Iowa in 1874. Mr. I'.lythe lo-
cated in ilurlinglon, was admitted to the
bar. and entered upon i)racticc. Soon after-
ward he formed a i)artnershi]) with the Hon.
Thomas Hedge, now a member of Con-
gress, under the firm name of Hedge &
Blythe. In 1876 he went into the service
of the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Kail-
road Company, as attorney for tJuir hnva
lines. Afterward he was appointed gen-
eral solicitor, and in 1901 general counsel.

f )n the 15th of ( )ctober, 1877, Mr. Blythe
was married to Miss Margaret E. Gear, a
daughter of John H. and Harriet Graham
( Foote) Gear. They have one son, Hugh
I'.lythe, born .\ug. 22. 1878, a graduate of
1 larvard Cniversity and Harvard Law
School.

WILLIAM CARSON.

GiMCN to the ])rosecution of active meas-
ures in business life, and possessing the
earnest purpose of reaching an exalted
standard of accomplishment, William Car-
son lias become one of the foremost men of
Burlington, a recognized leader in banking
circles, and at tin- same time a representa-
tive of that class of American citizens who
in the promotion of varied enterprises add
not alone to their individual prosperity, but
.ilso advance the general welfare and pros-
])erity of the cities in which lliey make their
homes.

William Carson was lx>rn in Eau Galle,
Wis.. Xov. <j, i85y, a son of William
and .Mary (.Smith) Carson. His paternal
grand fatlier. William Carson, was born
near (ilasgow. .Scotland, and following his
marriage to a .Miss Robertson he crossed
the .Vtlantic, establishing his home in In-
verness, Canada. His remaining days were
spent there and at Ouebec.

William Carson was born at Inverness,
Canada, in 1819, and comi)leted his edu-
cation in the schools of Quebec, but early
put aside his text-b<x)ks in order to become
a factor in business life. In his youth he
crossed the border into the L'nited States,
antl made his way southward to St. Louis,
.Mo. I^ter he retraced his steps until he
had reached the timber districts of Wis-

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

consiii, becoming one of the pioneers in the
lumber business of that State. He was
interested in mills at various places, in-
cluding Eau Galle. Eau Claire, and Qiip-
pewa Falls, and was associated for some
time in the lumber industrj' at Burling-
ton with the late E. D. Rand. They
were among the first to engage in the
lumber trade and to promote lumber
manufacturing interests in this city. Mr.
Carson continued with Mr. Rand until
the latter's death, and afterward conducted
the business alone until his own demise in
Eau Claire, Wis. He was at that time
seventy-nine years of age. He died full of
years and honors, his life crowned by suc-
cessful accomplisiiment, the resultant fac-
tors in his career being keen business dis-
cernment, the utilization of opportunity, and
inflexible integrit}- in all business transac-
tions. In connection with the lumber in-
dustry he became identified with the bank-
ing business at Eau Claire. His political
views were in harmony with the principles
of Democracy. He became known as a
philanthropist in Wisconsin, because of his
generous donations to various benevolent
movements as well as to individuals. He
stood in his old age, when crowned with
wealth and honors, where he did in his
youth, the champion of individual rights
and an admirer of strong and stalwart char-
acter. He was ever ready to assist tho.se
less fortunate than himself in the business
world, and his name is therefore held in
reverence by many who knew him in the
years of his activity. He wedded Miss
Mary Smith at Prairie du Chien, and they
became the parents of five daughters and
one son, all of whom are yet living. The
mother passed away in Eau Claire, Wis.,
nine vears ]irior to her husband's death.

William Carson acquired his preliminary
education in Eau Galle, and after studying
for a time in I'.urlington, and later in St.
Paul, Minn., comi)leted a high-school
course by graduation. He then entered
Cornell University at Ithaca, N. Y., where
he remained as a student for three years.
Following the completion of his college
course he entered upon his business career
in connection with the lumber trade at Bur-
lington as an employee of the firm in which
his father was a partner. Demonstrating
his business ability and enterprise, he was
made secretary of the company, and after-
ward vice-president, which position he yet
fills. The company has been incorporated,
anil as the years have passed by, the scope
of its activity has been increased until now
the annual output reaches twenty-five mil-
lion feet of lumber, while the plant covers
an area of fifteen acres. Mr. Carson is also
a director of the Rand Lumber Company,
one of the extensive enterprises of this
character on the river. He is likewise vice-
president of the Rice Lake Company at Rice
Lake, Wis. : vice-president of the Barber
Lumber Company, of Boise, Idaho ; vice-
president of the Cascade Lumber Company,
of North Yakima. Wash. ; and also a di-
rector in other lumber companies.

His prominence as a representative of the
lumber trade, and his business ability as
demonstrated in his successful control of
important industries of this character, led
to his selection for the presidency of the
First National Bank of Burlington. This
bank was organized forty-one years ago.
It is capitalized for one hundred thousand
dollars, there is a surplus of seventy-six
thousand dollars, and deposits amounting
to from eight hundred and fifty thousand
to one million dollars.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Carson was married, .\larcli 4, 1885,
to Miss Louise Cook, a daughter of Lyman
Cook, of Burlington, and they have two
children. Dorothy and Louise. They attend
and sui)|)ort the Congregational church, of
which Mrs. Carson is a member. Politically
Mr. Carson is a Democrat. His ambition,
however, has never been along jiolitical
lines, for his constantly expanding business
interests have claimed all his time and at-
tention. He has steadily advanceil in those
walks of life demanding intellectuality, busi-
ness ability, and fidelity. He stands to-day
as a prominent representative of the lum-
ber trade of the country, and although he
entered upon a business already established,
in enlarging and (k'veloj)ing this lie has
shown marked capacity for management
and ready discernment in mastering the
])roblems of an intricate business situation.

HON. WILLIAM HARPER.

Hon. \Villi,\.\i U.vrckk. full of years
and honors, having i)assed the eighty-
fifth milestone on life's journey, has lived
and labored to goodl\- ends, his life work
becoming an integral cha])ter in the his-
tory of Des Moines county and the State
of Iowa. He has contributed to its
pioneer growth, its business development,
ti> its political and educational progress.
The contem])orary and friend of many of
tile most distinguished men of the State,
he has been accorded a place in their
ranks by reason of his ability to handle
questions of great importance affecting
the weal or woe of the commonwealth,
and by reason of a character that, viewed
in the light of the past eighty-five years.

seems without a blemish. .\o historian
would claim to write of a faultless man,
and yet the mistakes that .Mr. Harper may
have made have been those of judgment
rather than intention : for a kindly spirit,
a sense of justice, unfaltering integrity,
and an indomitable adherence to upright
|)rinciples have ever been salient features
in liis career, and in ,ill Des Moines
county there is no man held in greater
love and respect than this venerable cit-
izen of .Mediapolis.

His life history began .\ov. 3. 1819. in
Koss county. ( )hio. His ancestral history
through many generations, both lineal
.111(1 collateral, has been Jlistinctively
.Xniericaii. altliougli farther back the line
can lie traced to (iennany. His paternal
great-grandfather. ,\dam Har])er. a resi-
<lent of rendleton county. West \'irginia,
settled on the headwaters of the .south
branch of the Potomac River, and became
a land owner in 1765. This place is
twelve miles north of the town of Mon-
terey, the county-seat of Highland county,
old \irginia. He was among the first
settlers of this ])oint. west of the Blue
Ridge .Mcnmtains in X'irginia. and went
through the hardships and dangers in-
cident tn ])ioneer life in that country at
that liiiie: tor in i7'>7 tlmse settlers were
e.\|)osed to the attacks of the Indians, who
waged a murderous warfare all along the
line of that settlement.

His farm was located across the south
branch of the Potomac valley, in a most
beautiful, |)ictures(|ue country, and in
i(>o<~> the I lid original log cabin in which
he dwelt as a pioneer was still standing.
There were abundant portholes in it,
through which he could fire his flint-lock
rifle in defense of his home against the

lit of th

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

incursions of the Indians. A large orchard
was on the place, located just northwest
of the house, which stood on a bench
overlooking the lower bottom ; and in one
corner of this orchard the old people
(Adam Harper and wife) were buried.
There was a cold spring on the place, and
a log milk-house was built near it, which
also was still standing in the year of 1900.

Adam Harper, Jr., married a Miss
Flescher, whose parents came from Ger-
many about 1735, and established their
home in the Old Dominion, then a part
of the colonial possessions of Great
Britain. Adam Harper, Sr., came to
America soon after the arrival of the
Flescher family, and also established his
home in Virginia. On Jan. 2, 1821, the
last will and testament of Adam Harper,
deceased, was presented in court, proved
by oath of Jonas Harmon and Solomon
Harper, two of the witnesses thereto, and
ordered to be recorded. Henry Flescher
became a major in the War of the Revolu-
tion, when the colonies entered upon the
struggle that brought independence to the
nation. He was a brother to the wife of
Adam Harper, Jr.

Adam Harper, Jr., grandfather of
William Harper, was born in Pendleton
county, Virginia, and became a farmer by
occupation. He removed from the Old
Dominion to Ohio in 1805, settling in
Ross county. Joab Harper, son of Adam
Harper, Jr., was a native of Pendleton
county, Virginia, now West Virginia. In
1805 he was brought by his parents to
Ross county, Ohio, where for many years
they carried on agricultural pursuits.
Having arrived at years of maturity, he
was married to Lydia Jones, a native of
Augusta county, Virginia.

In 1849 Joal) 1 lar|)er came with his fam-
ily to Iowa. He lived a quiet life, and
]iossessed a conservative nature; yet no
man was more stanch in support of the
principles in which he believed. He was
a devoted and loyal member of the Pres-
Ijyterian church, having united with thai
body after middle age, adhering to that
faith until his death, which occurred Sept.
17, 1882, when he was eighty-seven years
of age. He had for several years sur-
vived his wife, who passed away at the
age of seventy-four years. They reared
a family of six children, of whom we have
the following record : William, of Medi-
apolis ; John, also residing in Mediapolis ;
Robert J., of Manhattan, Kans., who was
formerly judge of the probate court of
Riley county; Joab, Jr., who was engaged
in the furniture business in Great Bend;
Kans., and later moved to Hutchinson,
Kans., where he died in June, 1901 ; Anna,
the deceased wife of Edward Heizer, of
Mediapolis ; and Adam, who died at the
age of seventeen years. The mother, Mrs.
Lydia Jones Harper, died Aug. 26, 1867,
at the age of seventy-five years, and, as
before stated, the father passed away
Sept. 17, 1882, at the home of his son,
Joab, with whom he had spent the even-
ing of life.

The first year that Robert J. Harper,
son of Joab Harper, was located in Des
Moines county, he taught school in the old
Jefferson Academy ; he later taught for
two years at Marion, Iowa, and still later,
for one term in a cabin east of Northfield.
The last year that he taught in Marion
he had over a hundred pupils and an as-
sistant teacher.

On Aug. 27, 1862, he enlisted as a
private in Company G, Eleventh Kansas

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

\ oluiitcir Infantry, and on organization
of the regiment, he was appointed regi-
mental (|iiartcnnaster sergeant, which
rank he held until Sept. 4, i8(')3. This
appointment was made by Col. Thomas
Ewing, who was a son of Thomas Ewing,
of Ohio, and the first chief justice Kansas
ever had.

In iWi_^ Mr. Harper was commissioned
first lieutenant and regimental commis-
sary of subsistence for his regiment by
the governor of Kansas. Immediately
after he was mustered into service he was
detailed to relieve Capt. \l. Graham, act-
ing quartermaster at Independence, Mo.,
where he remained until the spring of
l8f>4. He was tlu-n detailed by (ieneral
McKean as comiuissary of subsistence on
his staff, and post commissary at Paola,
Kans. He was also on the staff of Gen-
eral McKean's successors. General Sykes
and General I'.lunt. and remained at Paola
until iSf)4.

in the latter year his regiment was or-
dered to Fort Laramie, and west of here
he acted as regimental quartermaster and
regimental commissary of subsistence.
He also acted as adjutant of the regiment,
but at bis request was relieved of the
duties of adjutant. He served as regi-
mental (|uartermaster and regimental
commissary from the time he left Fort
Riley until he was mustered nut of serv-
ice, Aug. 19, 1865.

Thomas F'wing, the first colonel of the
regiment, was promoted to be a briga-
dier-general, and was succeeded by Col.
Thomas Moonlight. The regiment was
in command of Lieut.-Col. V. V.. I'lunib
the most of the time, he afterward becom-
ing United States Senator from the State
of Kansas.

Mr. Harper's military service, being in
the business \ra.Tl of the army, was very
pleasant. He had the confidence and re-
spect of his superior officers, as well as
the confidence and respect of the non-
commissioned officers to whom he issued
supplies. His civic life since he came out
of the army has been mainly official, he
having served as probate judge for eight
years, and as clerk of the district court
for twenty-two years. He has also been
police judge and justice of the peace of
Maidiattan City, and, in fact, from 1859
until he laid down the duties, burdens,
and responsibilities of business life, four
years ago, has acted in some responsible
official position.

There was nothing in the boyhood days
of William Har])er to indicate the suc-
cesses and honors to which he was to at-
tain in later years. He had the advantage,
however, of Christian training in his
home, while lessons of industry atul in-
tegrity were also instilled into his mind,
and have borne rich fruit in later years.
He knew what earnest toil meant in
his early youth, and when not engaged
in tlu- duties of the schoolroom was
busy with the work of the fields. His
educational advantages were afforded
by the schools of the home district,
and when nineteen years of age he
began teaching, from which titue for-
ward he has been an unfaltering cham-
])i(iii anil advocate of the system of public
instruction. He followed the ])rofession
in the winter months, while in the sum-
mer seasons his labors were given to the
,farm, being thus engaged imtil his re-
moval from Ohio to the West. At that
date, — October, 1842, — Iowa seemed far
distant, owing to the lack of transporta-

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

tion facilities; for the journey had to be In the early period of his residence in

made across the country or by water. thisicounty, however, Mr. Harper spent

Visiting Dcs Moines county, Mr. Har- three years in the citv of BVirlington, act-
per made his way to North Prairie, and ing a part of that time as teacher, and the
was so pleased with the district comprised latter portion as deputy clerk of the
in Yellow Springs township that he de- courts. He lived in the city from Sep-
termincd to locate there permanently, tember, 1846, until 1841). and he and his
The following winter he was employed to brother taught tlie first large select school
teach a school, which convened in a log .in Burlington, leasing the old territorial
church, and in February, 1843, 'le made hall, it being in the basement of old Zion
his first purchase of land, becoming owner M. E. church, for the purpose. The un-
of ninety-five acres on Section 17, Yellow dertaking proved a success, for in a short
Springs township. A short time before a time the building was completelv filled.
small cabin had been fniilt thereon, while Among the pupils were man\- who have
five acres of the land had been broken; since become famous. During that time
and Mr. Harper continued the further Mr. Harper and his brother were mem-
work of cultivation and development, un- bers of the Congregational church of Bur-
dertaking the task with resolute will, and lington, of which Dr. W'm. Salter was
recognizing fully the arduous work that pastor,
was before him. As an agriculturist .Mr. Harper was

Returning to Ohio in 1S43. Mr. Harper ever foremost, quick to adojjt new meth-
won a companion and helpmate for the ods that promised practical results, and
journey of life, being married Aug. 7, equally quick to use the improved ma-
1844, to Miss Harriet Heizer, who was chinery which in\ention placed upon the
born Oct. 8, 1819, in Ross county, Ohio, a market. Moreover he realized that labor
daughter of Samuel and Polly Heizer, is the ])asis of all success, and worked un-
who were natives of Virginia, and of tiringly and perseveringly to acquire a
("lerman descent. The wedding journey competence that would enable him to sur-
of the young couple consisted of a trip round his family with the comforts that
across the prairies by team, to the home make life worth living. As he prospered
which he had prepared in Des Moines he added to his original holdings, until he
county. They reached their destination owned a valuable farm of two hundred
Oct. 3, 1844, took up their abode in the and ten acres. In early days he followed
little cabin, and for four years lived in the plow himself, turned the furrows, har-
true pioneer style. But the untiring rowed the fields, and planted and har-
energy of Mr. Harper during that period vested his crops; but in later years pros-
was crowned with success, so that at the perity released him from this arduous
end of that time he was enabled to erect toil, and other interests have long since
a large and substantial residence upon his claimed his attention,
farm. It continued to be the family Following his removal to Mediapolis he
home until 1877, when they removed to was engaged in the real estate, loan, and
the village of Mediapolis. insurance business, in which he continued

niOGRArHlCAL REVIEW

until iSfji. when he was chosen |)resitlent
of the State luink of Mediajjolis. li> the
meantime, while livinp ui)on the farm, he
received his first commission as notary'
piil)lic from Governor Hemsteail, in 1850,
and has since acted in that capacity. Fol-
lowinp the close of the war his work in
this connection grew to extensive propor-
tions, demanding the greater part of his
time. He soon became an expert in pro-
bate business also, and there is perhaps
no man in Des Moines county who has
been called upon to settle up more
estates; for his trustworthiness in such
connections was well known, his business
honor and integrity standing as an un-
<|uestioiied fact in his history.

After being chosen to the presidency of
the State Bank of Mediajiolis, he grad-
ually disposed of all of his business inter-
ests save an occasional transaction in real
estate, his attention being given to the
bank, whicji under his carefid guidance
l)rospcred, becoming one of the strong
financial concerns of the coiuity. He is
now living retired, but it is safe to say
that there are few men in this sectit)n of
the State who have transacted more busi-
ness. Ix^th for public and for private in-
dividuals, than has William Harper.
Thrf>ugh many years he was the only man
whose name appeared on the list of
pioneers who remained in active connec-
tion with business pursuits.

Wielding a wide influence in public
affairs, Mr. Harper has left the imjiress
of his individuality for good upon public
thought and action through many years.
He has ever been fearless in defense of
his honest convictions, and nothing could
swerve him from a course which he be-
lieved to be right : yet he has never been

hasty in forming his conclusions, and has
always held himself amenal)le to reason
and to argument. In early life and until
he reached middle age he was a stanch
Democrat, and ujotu that party ticket was
elected to represent his district in the
third general assembly of Iowa, which
convened at Iowa City, in 1830.

.\ board of commissioners had been ap-
|)ointed by the second assembly to codif\
the laws of the State. This committee
comprised the following named : Charles
Mason, Stephen Hemstead, and W. Ci.
Woodward. This was known as "Mason's
Code."

His course tlurein was one which re-
flected credit upon himself and proved
highly satisfactory to his constituents,
and he relates many interesting incidents
in connection with the jiroceedings of that
early session of the Legislature. He was
chairman of the committee on enrolled
l)ills. and on agriculture ; was a member of
the committee on schools, and chairman
of the special committee to draft rules for
the government of the House. He was
also a member of the select committee to
iiu|iiire into the expediency of the govern-
ment of the I'nited States making dona-
tions of land to actual settlers. He gave
to each f|uestion wdiich came up for settle-
ment his earnest study and consideration,
and was connected with much of the im-
portant constructive legislation of that
early period.

Twenty years later he was again
elected to the House, served as chairman
of the committee orw common schools, and
was a member of the committees on State
university and judicial districts. He was
also chairman of the special committee to
examine the report of Charles .\. White

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

(

State geologist, with a view to publishing
the same. While in the House he formed
warm personal friendships with many oi
the distinguished men of Iowa, who
recognized the worth of the man, and his
superior capabilities.

Mr. Harper's position in the Legisla-
ture gave him excellent opportunity to
further the interests of the public schools,
which have always been dear to his heart,
and he was instrumental in laying the
foundation of the public-school system oi
Des Aloines county. His experience as a
teacher in earlier years gave him an in-
sight into the needs of the school system,
and this caused him to be placed in nomi-
nation for the office of county superin-
tendent of public schools of Des Aloines
county, to which he was elected and re-
elected, serving in all for six years. His
work in behalf of public education alone
would entitle him to rank with the dis-
tinguished men of the State. He was an
early promoter of Jefferson Academy,
afterward called Yellow Springs College,
and was president of the board of trustees
during the existence of that institution.

He informed himself thoroughly con-
cerning the status of the schools, their
possibilities and opportunities, and gave
his knowdedge to the public through the
columns of the local press m a manner so
concise and favorable that the reports
made a deep impression upon the minds
of Des Moines county's citizens. He
made a strong and forcible jilea for better
schools and broader opportunities, for
more efficient teachers and a higher
standard of (.-(lucation, and he had the
greatest appreciation for all who became
his helpers in this work. While in the
Legislature he put forth strong effort to

secure the passage of measures beneficial
to the schools, and though some of these
were lost, he yet sowed the seeds that have
in time produced the harvest.

When elected to the House in 1870, Dr.
licardsley was elected to the Senate ; and
later, at the convention of the Pioneer
I^aw-maker's Association, of Iowa, in its
liiennial session held in 1894, Dr. Beards-
ley spoke of the work in connection with
the common schools in the following man-
ner :

" In the important matter of public
education some things were undertaken in
both of those assemblies which could not
be carried to success, and which still
remain in abeyance. For example, in
the thirteenth, William Harper, of Des
Moines county, chairman of the commit-
tee on schools, introduced an elaborate
bill, codifymg the school laws and adapt-
ing them to the township district s\^s-
tem, which could have been adopted then
with much less difficult}- than now. But
the House killed the bill. The change is
still advocated by our most intelligent and
experienced educators. Thus the present
superintendent of j>uhlic instruction, in
his report for 1888-89, speaking of the
township system, says : ' This subject has
been so ably discussed by each of my pred-
ecessors in office that it does not seem
necessary to spend much time upon it in
this report. If the people of the State
could be made to understand how much
time, and money, and strength, is wasted
in carrying our present comj^lex system
into effect, and how much the efficiency
of the school could lie increased by the
adoption of the civil townsjiip as the unit,
they would demand that the Legislature
take immediate steps toward accomplish-

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW

m^ that result.' He follows this with
facts, fij^iircs. and ar)i;iimcnts to show its
correct iK-ss. In the fourteenth, the chair-
man ">t the committee on schools in tile
Senate intrnduced and securerl the |)as-
sape of a bill, both at the regular and ad-
journe<l sessions, for oom])ulsory eiluca-
tinu. In both instances it was dcf''ated
in the House, and it still remains to be
ad<>i)te<l, thoutjh succeeding superintend-
ents have advocated it. and slimved its
necessity by carefully gathered statistics."

Mr. Harper was instrumental in secur-
ing a change in the management of the
State L'niversity. which ])assc(l from the
charge of trustees to a board of re-
gents: for through the inlluence of Mr.
Harper and others the bill whereby this
change was effected was introduced. As
chairman of the committee on schools he
alst) jiromoted other effective legislation,
whereby the "graft" through the squan-
dering of the scho(jl lands was done away
with. .Mr. Har])er took an active interest
in the ])assage of the railroad tax bill, and
pending the passage of that bill (the
Russell bill) ofTered an amendment re-
taining four-fifths of the railroad tax col-
lected, in the counties through wliicli the
roads ])assed, and one-fifth to go to the
State, .\ftcr a long and very interesting
discussion, his amendment iiassed ; and
on his motion llie niUs were suspended,
and tin- bill ])assed by a vote of eighty-
tw<i for and eleven against.

During the momentous |)eriod of the
Civil War, .Mr. Ilar]ier, who up to that
time had been a stanch Democrat, became
a stalwart ad\ocate of the Union cause.
In the bitterness of feelings that then ex-
isted he made public refutation of an in-
sinuation luade by some of his party op-

ponents, that he was influencing Demo-
cratic voters against enlisting as volun-
teers in order ttj secure their supjiort for
Democratic nominees at the apj^roaching
election. In a letter which breathed the
true spirit of patriotism, he said : " I
have ever, so far as relates to party, en-
deavored to li\e the life of a consistent
Deiuocrat : but the time has arrivetl
when every true patriot shouhl be wiUing
to forego all party ditTerences, ancl rally
to the suijptjrt of the administration in its
elTorts to suppress a rebellion which has
already assumed such |)roportions as to
threaten the destruction of our govern-
ment. In a few weeks we will be called
upon to cast our votes for a candidate to
I'll! the highest office in the gift of the
State. ']"he (|uestion should not be, Is he
a Reiiublican ? Is he a Democrat? but.
Is he a |)atriot ? Does he love his country
more than his jjarty ? " Such was the at-
titude of Mr. llar])er, who gave stalwart
sujiport to the L'nion cause, and to the
administration <if President Lincoln.

When a call for three hundred thou-
sand troo|)s came it seemed as if there
would have to be a draft in Des Moines
county, and L"ai)t. R. 1!. Rutledge, pro-
vost marshal for this district, began look-
ing for a recruiting agent for lUirlington.
.Some one suggested Mr. HaT])er to him.
and .Mr. Harper's rejjly to the marshal
was that if he would give him the whole
county, .so that he could devote his entire
time to the work, he would accept. This
was granted, and lUirlington was made
one district. His ]ilan was to divide this
district into wards, so that he coidd get
local bounty from every township and
ward. On the closing day as much as
two hundred and fifty dollars was paid

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

recruits as bounty, and the draft was the Presbyterian church, and the able as-
avoided, sistant and co-operator of her husband in

While figuring prominently in connec- all of his church work. Of natural cul-
tion with civil, religious, and educational ture and refinement, her life, permeated
affairs, and with extensive business con- by her Christian belief, was full of kindly
cerns, thus leading a most busy life, Mr. spirit, of generous deeds, of ready sym-
Harper always found time for his family, pathy, and of marked devotion to princi-
for the promotion of the interests of the pie. In her church, even after she had
household, and the welfare and happiness become unable to leave her home, her fel-
of his wife and daughter. Most con- low-workers regarded her as still in their
genial in their tastes, married life to Mr. midst, and consulted her upon questions
and Mrs. Harper was an ideal one, and concerning the various church activities.
they traveled life's journey together She pondered deeply the questions con-
through many decades. cerning this life and its purpose, and its

Fifty years passed, and the young relation to the life to come, and her faith
couple, who, standing before the Rev. was sincere and unshaken at all times.
\\illiam Gage, were pronounced man and The resolutions of respect passed by
wife, celebrated their fiftieth wedding the Presbyterian Missionary Society, of
anniversary: on which occasion a large MediapoHs, included the following: "In
number of friends were present, including this bereavement the common words of
three who witnessed the original nuptials, sympathy seem meaningless. To us she
On the anniversary day the commodious was the loved sister, the trusted friend,
lawn around the beautiful home of Mr. one with whom we took sweet counsel,
and Mrs. Harper was decorated with Ian- Others may take up her work, but who
terns and supplied with seats. Mrs. Har- can fill her place in our hearts. She has
per, because of her invalid condition, was left us a legacy of loving and helpful
unable to appear in the open air; so the deeds, an example of patient, sweet sub-
friends assembled in the home, where, mission in suffering, and of joy in His
after the singing of, the hymn, "Blest Be will."

the Tie," and appropriate words from Mr. and Mrs. Harper were always

Rev. J. H. Marshall, Mr. and Mrs. Har- closely associated in their church work,

per were presented with an elegant gold- At the age of nineteen he Ix-came a

lined silver tea-set and other gifts, among
them a fine gold-headed cane, as me-
mentos of the happy occasion. An origi-
nal poem was also read, written by Mrs.
Jessie Harper-Heizer, of Sioux City.

member of the Presbyterian church, and
placed his membership with the First
Presbyterian cluirch organized in his lo-
cality, called the old Round Prairie
church, with which he was associate<l for

For a number of years Mrs. Harper several years. He later became a mem-
was in ill health, Init she bore her suffer- ber of the Yellow Springs Presbyterian
ings uncomplainingly, with true Christian church, at the time when a large number
fortitude. She had from early woman- of the two bodies united in the ne\v or-
hood been a devoted and loyal member of ganization, on account of the slavery

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

question. When the church at Mcdiapo-
lis was offianizcd he entered inti) relation-
ship with it, in fact assisted in its organ-
ization, and became one of its first ruling
elders, serving since that time. His wise
counsel. Christian spirit, and calm judg-
ment were helpful factors in the manage-
ment of affairs relating to the member-
ship and to the u]>l)uildiiig of the congre-
gation.

Twice he has been sent by the pres-
bytery of Iowa as a delegate to the gen-
eral assembly of the United States, the
first time in 1856, at New York city; and
twenty years later, — in 1876, — at Brook-
lyn, X. V. He was chosen from among
many who would have been pleased to
allend. and who were well qualified to
discharge the duties of a delegate; but
his peculiar i|ualificatii)ns caused his se-
lection, and he might well be proud of
the honor that was conferred upon him.
He took a pronounced stand in support
of humanitarianism when the question of
slavery was before the jjeople, and has
ever been deeply interested in all (|ik-s-
tions of reform, of improvement, and
progress. His aid has always been
countctl upon to further these, and he has
often done so at tin- sacrifice of his per-
sonal interests.

One of the most interesting features in
the home life of Mr. and Mrs. Harper was
their relation to their only daughter.
Lurissa Jane, who was always known as
Louie. She was born in Des Moines
county, Xov. 18, 1845, •""' after attend-
ing school in Kossuth, Iowa, continued
her studies in the State University.
When about twelve years of age she be-
came a member of the Presbyterian
church, with which her parents were

affiliated, and retained her membership
therein until after her marriage, when
with her husband she joined the Meth-
odist Episcopal churcli, in West Union.
Iowa, where they made their home. Hers
was spoken of as " one of the gentlest
natures that ever lived in West Union,"
and again we find the secret of this beau-
tiful life in the Christian spirit of Him
who came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister. She was always earnest, act-
ive, and helpful in church work ; and she
brought her Christianity into her home,
into her every-day life, and into her social
relations with fricn<ls and neighbors.

It was on Jan. i, 18G8. that she gave
her hand in marriage to William E.
Fuller, of West Union, Iowa, a man who
has won national reputation in connec-
tion with public life. .An attorney by
profession, he twice represented the
fourth congressional district of Iowa in
Congress, and was also a member of the
House in the State Lrgislature at one
time. For a number of years has been
United States assistant attorney-general
in connection with the Spanish Claims
Commission, at Washington. He is a
man of superior ability and intellectual
force, and has made for himself a repu-
tation as one of the distinguished men of
this State.

L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Fuller were born
nine children, of whom two died in in-
fancy, while four sons and three daugh-
ters survived to enjoy the comjjanion-
slii|) of a most devoted mother. The'
eldest, Levi, married .Miss Elizabeth B.
l>rown, a daughter of Alexander C.
Ilrown, for many years a merchant of
.Mediapolis, Iowa, but now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Levi I-'uller became resi-

DES MOINES . COUNTY, IOWA.

Carl W. Holbrook, who is secretary of
the chamber of commerce in Chatta-
nooga, Tenn. Stella is the wife of Rev.
Marcus P. McClure, of Stevens' Point,
Wis. Augusta is with her father, in
Washington, D. C. William Wirt, a
banker of Le Sueur Center, Minn., mar-
ried Ethel Smith, a graduate of Upper
Iowa University. Howard is a student in
the Iowa Methodist Episcopal College,
and Robert is a student in the military in-
stitute at Bordentown, N. J.

Mrs. Fuller was a most devoted wife
and mother, and a faithful friend. Her

dents of Chicago, and their children now City, a very distant relative, both being
represent the fourth generation of the descendants of Edward I'"uller, who came
Harper family. Harriet is the wife of to America in 1620, in tiie '■ Mayflower."

Mrs. Manning is very jtroiniiu-nl in so-
cieties for historical research and preser-
\ati(m. and her name is also associated
with \ari<ius benevolent works.

(Jne of the later events worthy of note
in the life of Mr. Harper, was the celebra-
tion of his eightieth birthday anniversary,
when he entertained a large number at
dimier, and on whieli occasion he was
]n-esented with a tine easy chair. .Such
occasions are memorable in the history
of the individual, and of all who attend.
J'"ive more years have passed since that
time, and Mr. Harper is yet a factor in
influence was like the perfume of the vio- the life of Des Moines county. He is now
let, permeating the home atmosphere and lix'ing retired, and yet there is perhaps
tlie social life in which she moved with a no man in the county whose advice and
force as sweet and penetrating as it Avas counsel are more frequently sought, or
delicate and helpful. She passed away more freely and helpfulh* given. There
after an illness of several months, at her is an old age which grows brighter and
home in \Yest Union, Nov. 2, 1901, and better, mentally and spiritually, as the
her funeral was one of the most largely years go by. giving out of its rich stores
attended in that city. of wisdom and experience ; and such has

Air. Fuller has continued his work in been the history of William Harper.
Washington as assistant attorney-general There are none who have come in con-
of the United States. He has been for tact with him who ha\e not entertained
many years prominent in public life, and genuine respect for his honest opinions
was a member of Congress during the and loyalty to his beliefs : for his integ-
fort}--ninth and fiftieth sessions. In rity in business, his public-spirited citi-
March, 1901, he was appointed by Presi- zenship, and his devotion to all that pro-
dent McKinley as assistant attorney-gen- motes material, intellectual, and moral
eral, which position he still fills, his progress of the race, .\lthough he has
special duty being to defend the govern- never sought to figure in public life, his
ment before the Spanish Treaty Claims native talents and his honorable conduct
Commission, in the suits brought by have made him a factor in much that has
American citizens for damages growing had its influence upon the welfare of the
out of the Cuban insurrection. General Stale, and he has left the impress of his
Fuller was again married, Dec. 2, 1903, individualily for good on the common-
to Mrs. Clara H. Manning, of New York wealth. Long after he shall have passed

BIOGKAriUCAL REllEW

away his words and work will remain as
a monument to his memory, their fruition
being shown in the lives of tliose with
whom he has been associated.

JOHN H. WYMAN.

Xo man in Burlington is better known
than jnhii 11. W ynian, for he is the oldest
business man of the city in years of con-
tinuous connection with its commercial in-
terests. Entering mercantile life here when
a youth of fifteen years, he has steadily
worked his way upward thrnugli the utili-
zation and mastery of opportunity, and has
found in each transition stage of his career
the chance for further progress and great
accomplishment. He is now at the head of
the firm of W'yman & Hand, incorporated,
dealers in carpets, .furniture, and queens-
ware, and occupies a foremost position in
public opinion because of a business policy
that he has ever maintained, that neither
seeks nor requires disguise.

Mr. W'yman is a native of Lancaster,
Mass., born in 1837, and is a representa-
tive of one of the oldest families of New
England. His ancestors came from Eng-
land in lf>35, settling in the colony of
Massachusetts ; and in lOfjO members of the
family removed to Woburn, Mass., where
they built a house, which is still in posses-
sion of their descendants. The \\'yman
family, always noted for patriotism, loyalty,
and public spirit, was well represented in
the colonial wars and in the war of the
Revolution. John R. W'yman. father of
our subject, born and reared in Massachu-
setts, was married t^iere to Miss Harriet
Rand. They came to Burlington about 1852,

but remained for only a few months, re-
turning to Massachusetts, where they con-
tinued to reside until called to their final
rest. The father, who was a farmer by
occupation, died in 1878.

J. H. W'yman acquired his early edu-
cation in the schools of his native State, and
when fifteen years of age accompanied his
parents on their removal to Burlington, but
unlike them did not return to New Eng-
land. .\llying his interests with the great
and growing West, he embraced the op-
portunities for business advancement here
offered, and in the course of years has be-
come one of the most prominent merchants
of the Stqte. Ik" was fifteen years of age
when he entered the general store of J. S.
Kimball & Company as a clerk, remain-
ing in their employ until 1864, when he
|)urchased an interest in the business, in
which he continued as partner for five
years. He then withdrew, and entered
business alone as a retail dealer in carpets,
and this enterprise has since been conducted
with good success. In 1879 he became as-
sociated with C. W. Rand as a member of
the W'yman-Rand tarpet Company, and
later they added a stock of furniture,
queensware, glassware, curtains, and other
household furnishings. The business was
inc()r))orated under the style of W'yman &
Rand in 1894, and a wholesale and retail
business has since been conducted. Mr.
Rand died in 1897, but the former firm style
has been retained, Mr. W'yman being presi-
dent of the incorporated com|>any. The
business has suffered from two conflagra-
tions, the first fire occurring in 1892, the
second on the 5th of January, 1904. Each
time a heavy loss was incurred, but the
business was resumed on a more extensive
scale than ever before, and has continuallv

DES MOINES COUNTY. lOlVA.

grown until it has reached very extensive
proportions. There are forty-five thousand
square feet of floor space in the present build-
ing, which fronts on both Fourth and Jeffer-
son Streets. A fine line of goods is carried,
and the liouse enjo_\s an extensive and sat-
isfactory trade. Their methods are in keep-
ing with modern business ideas, and the
plans inaugurated by the firm are attended
with practical results that indicate their
expediency. Mr. Wyman is a man of good
business discernment, of energy and reliabil-
ity, and the house of which he is the head
has become one of the leading commercial
enterprises not only of Burlington but of
the State.

'Sir. Wyman has been in business in this
city for fifty-two consecutive years, and is
furthermore entitled to distinction from the
fact that he was the first to sell goods out
of Burlington — its first commercial trav-
veler. In 1S59 'i^ drove a team on a trip
to Des JMoines, selling goods for J. S. Kim-
ball & Company. From 1885 until i8go
the firm of \\'yman & Rand maintained
branch stores at Ottumwa, Keokuk, Iowa ;
Hannibal, j\Io. ; and Carthage, 111. They
have a large storage building on Washing-
ton Street, w'hile the retail store has been
conducted at its present location for twenty-
three years.

Mr. \\'ynian was married to Miss Ange-
line Smith, a native of Burlington and a
daughter of Sanuiel Smith, a government
contractor, who built the first grist-mill for
the Indians in what is now Des Moines.
He also built the first courthouse at Rock
Island, 111., but made, his home in Burling-
ton. Mr. and Mrs. Wyman were married
in Burlington in 1858. They have one
•daughter, Frances, who is a graduate of the
Burlington schools, and afterward spent six

years as a piano stuilent in Berlin, Ger-
many, under Musquoski. She is now en-
gaged in teaching a class in music in Bur-
lington. Two children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Wyman are deceased. The family
hr)nic is at J2j North Sixth Street.

Mr. Wyman is a member of Friendship
Lodge, Knights of Pythias, also of the
IScncvolent and Protective Order of Elks,
:md for a half century has been identified
with the Congregational church. His ca-
reer should inspire all who read his life's
history with a truer estimate of the value
and sure reward of character. His busi-
ness career, though not without its reverses
and obstacles, has been marked by consecu-
tive progress relative to the growth of the
city, and to-day he stands pre-eminent
among those who have gained success and
an honorable name simultaneouslv.

HON. FREDRICK N, SMITH.

Hon. Fredrick X. Smith, of Burling-
ton, whose activity has been a controlling
factor in the material progress and political
interest of the State of Iowa for a third
of a century, stands to-day as a typical rep-
resentative of the spirit of the times, be-
ing closely in touch with the world's prog-
ress, and possessing an intellectual force
that enables him to understand existing
conditions and correctly value possibilities
and utilize opportunities, not only in the
field of commerce and finance, but also in
]iolitical matters where the general inter-
ests of society are affected. Supervising
his business interests, and meeting each
obligation because it has been the duty of
the day, he has at the same time, largely

lilUGKAl'HICAL REl lEW

unconsciously to himself, carved his name
deeply on the roll of tiie distinguished
citizens of Des Moines county. .\ native
son of the county, he was born at Pleasant
Grove, Washington township, Aug. 28.
1850, his father, .\. J. Smith, having be-
come one of the {)ioneer residents of this
])art of the .State. He is descended from
one of the old families of N'irginia. his an-
cestral history being given in connection
with the life record of his father on an-
other page of this work. He acc|uire<l his
preliminary educatiim in the public schools
of Des Moines county, and continued his
studies in Denmark Academy, the oldest
incorporated educational institution in the
State of Iowa. When his attention was
not occupied with the work of the school-
room, it was largely given to fann lalxjr.
for by practical experience he became fa-
miliar with the work of the fields as well
as with the control of the financial affairs
connected with his father's large agricul-
tural interests. More and more largely im-
portant duties were entrusted to him, and
as he grew to manhood he became accus-
tomed to handling enterprises of magnitude,
botli for his father and as an independent
o|)erator. One of the basic elements of bis
success is his power to recognize an i)p])or-
tunity for judicious investment. He has
never withdrawn from the occupation to
which he was reared, but has always con-
trolled extensive farming interests. ])ur-
chasing land from time to time in Pleasant
Grove and Washington townships, until his
reality holdings in the latter townshi]). in
the vicinity of Yarmouth, aggregate aj)-
proximately eighteen lumdred acres. He
occupied bis country home there until 1899.
when he purchased a beautiful residence at
864 Franklin Street, one of the most desir-

able residence districts of the city. In ad-
dition to "the supervision of his general
farming interests, he is engaged in the rais-
ing, buying, feeding, and shipping of stock,
han<lling alxnU two thousand head of stock
each year, while on his farm at Yarmouth
alone he now has ajjpro.ximately seven
hundred head of selected stock. In addi-
tion he owns and operates a ranch of five
thousand acres in the .State of Kansas, on
which be has a herd of fifteen hundred
cattle, and he s|)ends two or three months
each year upon the ranch in the necessary
supervision of the business and the tliscus-
sion of its conduct with his resident partner,
H. M. IVckham, of Xess City, Kans. His
business ca])acity has also permitted his
active connection with other commercial
interests, and fnr fifteen years he devoted
considerable attention to the buying and
storing of grain along the line of the Bur-
lington & Oskaloosa Railroad, being as-
sociated in this enterprise for a number of
years with R. M. Raab. of Burlington, and
George Zion, of Mount L'nion. In 1895 be
established the I'armers' Bank of Yar-
mouth, of which he has been president since
its inception. It is an excellent country
bank, tlrawing a good patronage from the
agricultural comnnniity, and Mr. Smith
brings to it the same keen ])erception and
discrimination which marks his successful
control of his other business interests. His
alteiitiirii, however, is given chiefly to the
investment of his capital in land, to the
control of his stock-raising interests, and
to the political affairs which have been in-
trusted to him.

Endorsing the jjrinciples of Democracy,
and deeply intereste<l in their adoption be-
cause he believes they contain the best ele-
ments of good government, it would be

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

[

difficult to find a citizen who has mani-
fested so sHglitly the spirit of tlie office-
seeker and yet has figured so prominently in
political circles. His fellow-townsmen, rec-
ognizing his ability and his devotion to all
that fosters public progress, first elected
him to office, and for twelve years he
rendered acceptable service as a member
of the township boanl of trustees, and for
twenty years he acted as a member and
treasurer of the school board at Yarmouth,
rendering effective service to the cause of
education along lines of practical improve-
ment. His fidelity and capability in local
office called to him public attention, and
led to the bestowal of further political
honors ; and his personal popularity was
attested wfien, as a candidate on a Demo-
cratic ticket, he won election in districts that
the same years gave large majorities to the
Republican candidates for governor and
president. In 1900 he was elected to the Sen-
ate of the twenty-ninth General Assembly
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation
of W. A. McArthur, and in 1901 he was
re-elected. During this incumbency he per-
formed valuable service for his constitu-
ents, while as a member of the committees
on compensation of public officers, ways
and means, federal relations, agriculture,
public libraries, cities and towns, and horti-
culture, he was enabled to make notable
contributions to the prosperity of the State
at large. As a constant student of the
public needs and an unfaltering supporter
of meritorious measures and methods.
Senator Smith became well known in the
capital, and it is the consensus of public
opinion that the influence he gained in the
matters of legislative polity was never mis-
used. He is equally true to private trusts,
as is demonstrated bv his administration

of various estates, of which he has been
maile executor.

In fraternal circles in Towa, Senator
Smith is also well known. He is a mem-
ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, and of Federal Lodge, No. 445,
Ancient Free and Accejjted Masons, at
Yarmouth, of which he became a charter
member, and which he served as treasurer
for many years. In all movements with
which he has been identified, his labors
and counsels have been eagerly sought and
their value proved. In many cases he has
subordinated his private interests to the
general good, and liis course in all relations
has been marked by justice and absolute
rectitude and impartiality as between man
and man in all his dealings and transactions.

In 1874 Mr. Smith was happily married,
near Pleasant Grove, to Miss Caroline Beck,
daughter of Conrad and Sophia Beck, who
were natives of Germany, and became
pioneer citizens of Des Moines county,
where through close application, unremit-
ting diligence, and judicious investment,
;\Ir. Beck became an extensive landholder
and one of the leading and representative
farmers of his section of the State. Both
he and his wife are now passed away. Mrs.
Smith was reared under the parental roof,
remaining at home until her marriage. In
addition to her attractive social qualities,
tact, and kindly consideration, which she
always displays in extending the hospitality
of their home to their many friends. Mrs.
Smith has been a most valuable companion
and helpmate to her husband in matters of
business concern, her judgment and advice
proving correct in many business transac-
tions, and their congeniality of taste along
many lines has resulted in an ideal home
relation. They have become the parents of

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEW

four children, but lost one son, Webster, at
the age of three and a half years. Three
sons yet survive : William B., who wedded
Miss Lilly Ashy, is engaged in agricultural
jnirsuits near Varniuuth ; Justus C. who
married Miss Kate WelK-r, of Memphis,
Mo., resides on a farm near .Mount Union;
and Ihirrell D. is yet attending school. The
greatest satisfaction that Mr. Smith has
gained in the accumulation of wealth has
come in the o|)portunity which it provides
him of promoting the comfort and liai)pi-
ness of his family. The genial and whole-
some traits of his nature and disposition
have won him many friends, in whose re-
spect and warm regard he finds the truest
reward for duty well done. .\s a member
of the body politic he has exhibited the
virtues of an ideal citizen, and his business
career has been marked by consecutive ad-
vancement, gaining in each onward step
a broader outlook, nor has his ])ath been
strewn with the wrecks of other men's
fortunes. The virile strength of the West
and the dominant s])irit of enterprise so
characteristic of this section of the country,
finds exemplification in liis career.

LA MONTE COWLES.

L,\MoNTE CowLiis, cit> attorney of Bur-
lington, is one of the leading representatives
of the Republican party in the first district
of Iowa. Absolute fidelity to the interests
of his clients, a wonderful capacity for hard
work, and systematic preparation of all
cases entrusted to his care, have been some
of the noteworthy factors in the achievement
of his success. It is long since he has had
much leisure, and it is fortunate for him

that he can find genuine enjoyment, as he
docs, in the line of endeavor which he has
chosen as his special work. Early in life
he leanied the hard but necessary lesson that
■■ nothing of value can be gained without its
eipuvalent,"' and therefore when lie entered
u])on the ])ractice of law he brought to bear
all of the talents with which nature had liber-
ally endcywed him, industry and persever-
ance being among these.

Mr. Cowles was born in Oskaloosa. Iowa,
.Sei)t. 30, 1859, and is a son of the Kev. W'.
1". Cowles, a minister of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, who for a half century devoted
his time and energies to the work of the gos-
pel. .Vt length he retired from active con-
nection with the ministry, and spent his last
days quietly at his home in Burlington, where
he died July 16, 1899. His wife bore the
maiden name of Maria Elizabeth LaMonte,
and was a representative of one of the old
Colonial families. The Cowles family was
also establisheil in America long prior to the
Revolutionary War, the first of the name
locating in this country about 1636. Many
of the ancestors of our subject were actively
connected with the i)atriot cause in the war
for independence. Reverend Cowles served
as revenue collector for the fourth district
under President Lincoln, IxHiig twice ap-
jjointed to that office, and the i)a])ers signed
by President Lincoln are now in possession
of La.Montc Cow-les.

The itinerary of a .Methodist nunister
caused frequent changes in the place of resi-
dence of the Cowles family during the boy-
hfxxl and youth of LaMonte Cowles, who
therefore attended school in various Iowa
towns. He pursued his more specific lit-
erary education in the Iowa Wesleyan Uni-
versity at Mount Pleasant, where he was
graduated with the class of 1879, winning

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

the degree of Ilachelor of Arts ; ■while later
the same institution conferred upon him the
honorary degree of Master of Arts. Going
to the W'est he was for four years a civil
engineer in the employ of the Union Pacific
Railroad Company and the Ikirlington &
Missouri Railroad Company, locating and
constructing their lines in Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, and other Western States. Desir-
ing, however, to become a member of the
legal fraternity, Mr. Cowles entered the law
office of Judge Power, of Burlington, where
he spent three years as a student, applying
himself assiduously to the mastery of the
principles of jurisprudence. Within this
time he was admitted to the bar, and after-
ward entered into partnership with C. B.
Jack, a relation that was maintained for
eighteen months, when Air. Jack removed
to Salt Lake City, I'tah. Mr. Cowles has
since been alone in general practice, and is
regarded as one of the working members
of the bar, preparing his cases with great
care, thoroughness, and precision, and pre-
senting his cause -with clear and cogent rea-
soning. He has an extensive and representa-
tive clientage largely in the line of corpora-
tion law. He is general solicitor for the
German-American Life Insurance Company,
of Burlington, and general attorney for the
General Agency Company, of Burlington.
He is also identified with several important
business enterprises, having direct bearing
upon the material prosperity and commercial
activity of the city, as well as providing a
source of gratifying income to the stock-
holders. Political offices that he has filled
have largely been in the line of his profes-
sion. He was city attorney for two years,
afterward referee in bankruptcy for six
years, and in 1904 was again elected city at-
torney, so that he is the present incumbent

in that office, and his early election was the
popular evidence of the trust reposed in him
after a former service in that position.

Recognized as one of the representative
Republicans of his district, and one whose
labors are of a practical and far-reaching
character, Mr. Cowles has been called upon
to serve in various positions in connection
with the management of the party's inter-
ests. He has been chairman of the county
and city central committees, and also chair-
man of the congressional committee of the
first district for ten years, acting in that posi-
tion at the present time. He has done much
active campaign work as a speaker in pre-
senting the issues before the public, and his
utterances are always clear, logical, and con-
vincing. He has been a candidate for county
attorney and for State senator, but the dis-
trict has a normal Democratic majority of
fifteen hundred, and on this occasion he met
defeat. He has, however, done effective and
valuable service for his party, and follcrwing
the close of the campaign of 1904 a local
pajjer said of him: " LaMonte Cowles,
chairman of the first district Republican
committee, finds deep satisfaction in the re-
sult at the polls. He had made it his per-
sonal endeavor to conduct an effective cam-
paign under conditions which largely elimi-
nated public meetings, street parades, and
brass bands. The usual concomitants of a
presidential campaign were not in vogue
this year. Here, as elsewhere in the United
States, the chief reliance of both parties was
in organization, leaving political discussion
chiefly to the press. Mr. Cowles quietly,
but sedulously, conducted the campaign
along less spectacular lines, and he has the
gratification of seeing'Mr. Hedge re-elected
by nearly five thousand plurality, the largest
ever given a candidate in this district."

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Cowles is a Mason, a member of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen, of the
Woodmen of the World, and the Benevo-
lent Protective Order of F.Iks. lie was mar-
ried on the 15th of Sept.. 1886, to Miss Hat-
tie E. Kane, who died Nov. 11. 1889, leav-
ing a daughter. Ethel M. On the 24th of
November, 1898, Mr. Cowles was again
married in Burlington, his second union be-
ing with Ida M. Miller, of this city. Their
home at 810 North Fifth Street was erected
in 1899, and is one of the attractive resi-
dences of the city, its hospitality being cor-
dial.

F. OTIS GRANDSTAFF.

F. Otis Grandst.m-i--, secretary of the
firm of Acres, Blackmar & Co., manufactur-
ing stationers of Burlington, has arisen to
this position from that of a humble employee
of the house, nor is there any unusual
phase in his business career, his advance-
ment Ix'ing gained through close applica-
tion, unfaltering energy, and a mastery of
every duty assigned him — qualities which
all may cultivate, and which never fail to
bring results.

F. Otis GrandstatT was born in Guthrie
county, Iowa, Nov. 18, 1866, his parents
being James and Martha (Frazer) Grand-
stafT. The father was born in Zanesville,
( )hio, in 1843, and was a son of Eli Grand-
staff, who became a resident of Zanesville
during the pioneer epoch in its history, and
there followed the shoemaker's trade for a
time, but later engaged in merchandizing
at other places. In 1854 he came with his
family to Iowa, locating near what is now
Guthrie Center, although at that time the site
of the town was an unbroken prairie.

There he secured a tract of land, made a
home, and developed a farm, but because
of the severe climate he and his son James,
with their respective families, removed to
.Mercer county. Mo., and in that locality
])urchased land. Mr. Grandstaff continued
to make his home there for some time, but
when in advanced years he took up his
abtide in the home of his daughter at Stan-
berry. Mo., spending his last days with her.

James Grandstaff was educated in Zanes-
ville. Ohio, and in the primitive schools of
Iowa such as were common in every pioneer
district. He has, however, been a close stu-
dent in later years, reading broadly, think-
ing deeply, and thus acquiring an intimate
knowledge not only of books, but of the
great questions which have been of con-
cern to the world in its progress toward an
advanced civilization. He was but eighteen
years of age when, in response to his coun-
try's call for aid, he enlisted in Company
I. Twenty-ninth Volunteer Infantry, being
with the regiment from its organization
until it was mustered out after the close
of the war. He was a non-commissioned
officer, but during the greater part of his
service acted as regimental quartermaster.

On his return from the army he was
elected county superintendent of schools of
Guthrie county, but resigned that position
in order to remove south with his family
and his father. He purchased a farm in
Mercer county. .Mo., where he continued to
reside until 1884. In that year he returned
to Iowa, settling at Leon, where he carried
on business for a time. At a later date he
occupied the position of recorder of deeds
in Decatur county for nearly six years, his
(ifticial service giving entire satisfaction.
L'pon his retirement from the office he again
became a factor in business life, and is now

R OTIS C.RAXDSTAFR

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

a furniture dealer and undertaker at Leon.
IJe is classed with the representative men
of that place, prominent in commercial cir-
cles and in public affairs.

In his political views he has ever been a
Republican, active in support of the party
and its principles, as was his father. In
September. 1865. he was married to Miss
Martha Frazer, their only child being F.
Otis, of this review. iSIr. and Mrs. Grand-
staff hold membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church, taking an active part in
the work of both church and Sunday-school.

F. Otis Grandstaff at the usual age began
his education, attending a typical country
school of northern Missouri. The little
temple of learning was a log cabin with
puncheon floor and slab benches. Later he
enjoyed the advantages of instruction in
the graded schools of Leon, Iowa, and sub-
sequently became his father's assistant in
his store, aiding him during the periods of
vacation and at other times when his .studies
would permit. He remained in Leon until
1890, removing to Burlington at the time
his father was made recorder of deeds in
Decatur county. Here Mr. Grandstaff en-
tered the employ of J. L. Kelly & Co., deal-
ers in agricultural implements, but after a
few months he secured a position with the
firm of Acres, Blackmar & Co., as book-
keeper, entering that service in August,
i8go. His capability won ready promotion,
and in each transitional stage of his busi-
ness career he has found opportunity for
further advancement and broader effort.
Eventually he became interested in the busi-
ness financially, and is now secretary and
general manager of the company, conduct-
ing the largest stationery manufacturing
business in Iowa, and giving employment
to a large force of operatives and local sales-

men as well as traveling men. The prod-
uct of the house is sold throughout Iowa
and surrounding States, and a liberal pat-
ronage is enjoyed because of the excellence
of the manufactured goods, the reasonable
prices, and the reliability of the house in all
trade transactions.

Air. Grandstaff has made for himself a
prominent position and honored name in
commercial circles, and yet is perhaps equally
known as the champion of Republican prin-
ciples, being recognized as one of the lead-
ing members of the party in this city. He
belongs to the county central committee, and
has been a delegate to many of the State
conventions. He has never sought or de-
sired office, however, although in March,
1904, he was elected councilman at large
for Burlington. As a member of the board
of aldermen he is now serving as chair-
man of the finance and judiciary committees,
and is also an active worl<ing member on
other committees, including the claims,
water, and light committees. He entered
upon his official duties with the same spirit
that characterizes his business career, that
of close application and a thorough mastery
of every dut\' that devolves upon him.

Mr. Grandstaff was made a Alason in
Malta Lodge, No. 318, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, and has since taken the
degrees of Iowa Chapter, No. i, Royal
.\rch Masons. Zerubbabel Council, Royal
and Select Masters. St. Omer Commandery,
No. 15, Knights Templar, and Zerapath
Consistory of Davenport, Iowa. He likewise
belongs to the Kaaba Temple of the Mystic
Shrine at Davenport. He is thus prominent
in Masonry, having taken most of the de-
grees, and with its teaching and tenets he
is familiar, while in his life he exemplifies
its beneficent and helpful spirit.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. CjrandstafF was married on the
twelfth of Xoveniber, i8yi, to Miss Anna
L. Failor, of Xewton. Iowa, a daughter of
I'eiijaiiiin M. and Sarali J. Failor. Thev
have two children, Benjamin V. and Martha.
They are members of the Presbyterian
church at Burlington, Mrs. Grandstaff hav-
ing served as its organist for many years.
She is also associated with the i)rominent
musical societies of the city, and is well
known in connection with many of the lead-
ing musical events of liurlington, while
her position in social circles is an enviable
one. The family home is at 1304 North
Sixth Street, situated on the Mississipj)!
River bluff, Black Hawk Rock, a notable
feature in the scenery along the river, being
immediately back of this ])n)])erty.

JAMES LYMAN EDWARDS.

J.\MEs Lym.\n Enw.xRDS, president of
the Merchant's National Bank of Burling-
ton, has attained distinction in' financial and
business circles as the youngest bank ])resi-
dent in Iowa of an institution of the size
and character of that of which he is now
the head. .\ native son of Iowa, his career
confers honor ii|)oh the State, illustrating
its possibilities and opportunities that lie
before the young man of determined pur-
po.se and laudable ambition. With a ready
recognition of opportunity, without which
there is no success, Mr. Edwards has stead-
ily advanced in those walks of life demand-
ing close application, strong intellectuality,
and determined purpose.

Born in Morning Sun, on Oct. 2, 1864, he
is a son of Manasseh and Orra W. (Hurd)
Edwards. Mis father was a native of

Wales, born Oct. 4, 1839, and in his child-
hood days was brought to America by his
parents, Mr. an^ Mrs. Hugh Edwards, who
established their honie in Iowa, the former
following the occupation of wagon-making
in order to ptovide for his family. Ma-
nasseh Edwards, having acquired his educa-
tion in the public schools of Iowa, learned
the trade of cabinet-making and located at
Morning Sun. There he was married to
Miss Orra W. Hurd. a native of Ohio, who
had come to Iowa with her parents in her
early girlh(x>d. In 1881 Mr. Edwards re-
moved with his family to Burlington, and
has since been connected with the lumber
business of this city. While a resident of
Morning Sun he was elected recorder of
Louisa county, and his capability led to his
re-election, so that he was the incumbent in
that |)osition for four years. His political
allegiance has always been given to the Re-
publican jjarty, but he has had little time or
inclination to seek public preferment. He
and his wife hold luemlx^r.ship in the First
Presbyterian church, and he has made for
himself a cretlitable name in social and busi-
ness circles.

James Lyman Edwards acquired his early
education in Morning Sun, continued his
studies in Wajjello, and after his arrival in
Biu-|ington in 1880 pursued a course of
study in Orchard City Business College.
He then secured a position with H. A.
Brown & Company, dealers in boots and
shoes, as a bookkee])er, but soon accepted a
similar position with the Burlington School
Furniture Comi)any, with which he re-
mained for two years. Later he spent a
brief period at Red Oak, Iowa, and then
entered upon his first active connection with
the banking business as an employee in the
Red Oak National Bank. On ( )ct. 21, 1885.

DES MO!KES COUXTV, IOWA.

he entered the .Merchant's Xational Bank of
Burhngton as general bookkeeper, and was
the accountant for the institution until Oct.
4. 1897, when he was promoted to the posi-
tion of cashier, acting in that capacit)- un-
interruptedly until April 28, 1904, when
he was elected president. The election came
to him as an honor, and one well deserved,
he being the youngest bank president in
Iowa, having control of a moneyed institu-
tion of such extent and importance as the
Merchant's National of Burlington. This
bank was organized in October, 1870, and
now has a capital of one hundred thousand
dollars, with surplus and undivided profits
amounting to one hundred and twelve thou-
sand dollars. In this respect the Merchant's ■
National surpasses any bank in the city. For
twenty years Mr. Edwards has been con-
nected with this institution, working earn-
estly and untiringly for its welfare, and
gradually he has gained advancement until
he to-day stands at the head of one of the
most important financial concerns of Bur-
lington. The bank occupies fine quarters in
its own building at the corner of Main and
Jefferson Streets, the building being ele-
gantly furnished and equiplped with every
modern device for convenience and safety.
There are also modern safety deposit vaults,
affording every possible protection to the
depositors.

]\Ir. Edwards is also a director of the
Merchant's National Bank, and is well
known in connection with other banking in-
stitutions, being a prominent representative
of financial interests of the Aliddle West.
He is a director of the First National Bank
of Dallas Cit\ . 111., and was one of the pro-
moters in building up this institution. He
likewise has made investments in other
banking houses outside of Burlington, and

is to-da\' one of the leading re])resentatives
of financial circles. He belongs to the Iowa
State Hankers' Association, of which he
was at one time vice-president, and he has
declined the ])residency on account of busi-
ness interests. He likewise belongs to the
An:erican I '.ankers' Association, and is a
regular attendant at its meetings.

In his political views Mr. Edwards is a
stalwart Republican, thoroughly informed
concerning the questions and issues of the
day. F'raternally he is connected with
Malta Lodge, No. 318, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He belongs to the Com-
mercial Exchange of this city, and he is a
men.ber of the First Presbyterian church
of Burlington. By the consensus of public
opinion he ranks with the leading men of
his adopted city, occupying a notable posi-
tion aniong those in control of financial in-
terests.' His energies have been directed to
banking as a focusing point, and his close
application, systematic effort, and unfalter-
ing purpose have resulted in the successful
culmination of his laudable ambitions and
expectations.

WILLIAM CLAIBORNE HUNT.

Theke is no name in Des Moines county
which carries with it more of integrity, of
uprightness, of earnest citizenship, or calls
forth more universal expressions of regard,
than that of W. Claiborne Hunt, now among
the oldest settlers in the county. Whatever
of virtue in the cha^cter of Mr. Hunt,
whatever of quality in his living, has been
directly founded upon traits inherited from
an ancestry rich in the virtues of patriotism,
loyalty, steadfastness, and principle, •which
to-day places him in the foremost ranks of

lilOGHAPHlCAL REl lEW

the highly honored and respected nu-n of
the coinnuinitv.

Mr. Hunt was born Jan. 21. 181S. in
I'ond county. Illinois, and is a son nf John
I'.ael and i'.stluT ( i'.artletl ) Ihnu. His
father was born in I'altiinore. Mil.. I'eb.
2, 1 7" I, and located in liond cf)unty in 181 1.
wliere he Ixnight a large farm, and was en-
gaged in general farming for many years.
He died Feb. 21. 1850, at the age of seventy-
nine years. The mother of our subject
was Ixirn in (Ireenbrier county. West \'ir-
ginia, June 27. 1773. and survived her hus-
band eight years, dying Scj)!. 10, 1858.
They were the ])arents of eleven children,
of whom all are dead but three : Claiborn,
of this review: l'>thiT. tlie wife of I'eter L.
Delashnuitt, of .Montgomery county, Iowa;
and Louise Hunt, who resides near Chicago.
Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were devoted members
nf the Methodist chunli. and the former
was a firm Democrat, but by no means an
oftice-seeker. He served all through the
War of 18 1 2, stationed at Edwardsville,
Madison county, 111.

Claiborn Hunt attended the district
schools in Bond county for a short time, and
then later pursued his studies in a little old
log schoolhouse in McDonough county. Illi-
nois. He then reiuaincd on his father's
farm till he was about twenty-one years of
age, when he went to Eddyville, Iowa, in
i83r), and lived alone on a piece of land for
awhile.

Nov. 21, 1843, Mr. Hunt married .Miss
Ann Smith, who is a daughter of Peter and
Martha (Ellison) Smith, and was born in
Sutton, luigland, .-Vug. 15. 1821. .\ full
history of her |)arents will appear in the
sketch of her brother. Sanniel Smith, on
another ])age in this book. Mrs. Hunt was
educated in the Moravian school, in Eng-

land, and came to .\merica in 1835 with her
parents. After the marriage of this worthy
couple they settled on forty acres of land
in L'nion township. Des Moines county,
and at first lived in a little log house in
the old-fashioned pioneer times. I-'roni time
to time he added more land, made the im-
provements of a substantial kind which are
necessary for the progressive farmer, and
built a comfortable brick residence. Ik-
carried on farming and stock-raising, and
continued to live on this farm, which had
increased to one hundred and fifty acres
under his careful management and general
supervision, for over fifty-seven years. In
Kpi Mr. Hunt sold his entire farm, and
shortly afterward moved to the city of Ikir-
lington and purchased a beautiful home
at loi W<3o;llawn .Avenue, where he and
.Mrs. Hunt can have more frequent social
intercourse with their many friends and ac-
(luaintances. and spend the evening of their
active and well-spent lives in case and pleas-
ure. I'nto .Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were born
eight children, of whom si.x are living :
Laura, married Albert (umn. of Cobden,
111., and died in ujoi, leaving threo chililren,
Josephine, Lucy, Elizabeth, and George:
Williaiu .\., an emi)loyee of the Rand Lum-
iK-r Company, of I'.urlington, Iowa, residing
at 101 Woodlawn Avenue. He has one son,
Harvey, who is a railway jwstal clerk, and
lives with his parents. Jose]>hine. died Sept.
2'i^. 1872. Esther, is the wife of H. J. Whip-
l)le. who had liiree chililren ))\ his former
marriage (.-Kmy, Elsie, and James), who
are students in a I'oston college. Mr. and
Mrs. W hipi)le formerly resided in South
Dakota. biU now live in Cuba. Charles C,
who is also in Cuba, with his sister. Martha
I'., married l->emont Jackson, and Jives on
a farm in Kansas. She has three children.

DES MOfXES COUNTY, IOWA.

Claiborne, Josephine Denirali, and Frances.
I'Vancis Bell, a farmer in Union township,
and has three children, Nixon Claiborne,
tiray, and Robert. Dr. John P., a prosper-
ous dentist in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, has seven
children: Ethel AIa_\-, James, Arthur, Paul,
.\nnie Christine, Alice, and Walter.

Mrs. Hunt has becii a devoted member
of the Methodist church for over fifty years,
and in her younger days was much inter-
ested in Sunday-school work. Mr. Hunt
has always cast his vote for the Democratic
candidates, but did not care for office,
though he served his district as school di-
rector for six years. Time has dealt gently
with this aged and worthy couple, as soon
the sixty-second anniversary of their mar-
riage will be celebrated — a happy occur-
rence which falls to the lot of but very few.
Mrs. Hunt made a visit to the land of her
birth alone several years ago, and Mr. Hunt
is also physically able to visit his children
often. They have noted many vast changes
in the county during their long sojourn
through life, and can give some very inter-
esting accounts of the pioneer times of fifty
years ago. \\'hat Air. and Airs. Hunt have
accomplished in life by their moral and up-
right lives can not be measured in words ;
the fruits of their living will go on beyond
the borders of the present, and blossom
again, bringing into the lives of those yet
to come the beauty and richness of unselfish,
pioneer lives, strong in the elements upon
which a statehood is alwavs founded.

GEN. JAMES A. GUEST.

Gen. James A. Gue.st, of Burlington,
promiiient in commercial, social, and mili-
!arv circles, was born in Lvons, Wavne

county. X. Y., May 4, 1845, his parents
being Josepli and Lydia (Curtis) Guest.
The ancestry of the family can be traced
back to Joseph Guest, w^ho left England as
a passenger on the ship " Delaware " about
1645, a"d established his hdme at Swedes-
boro, becoming the progenitor of the family
in .\merica. The house which he builded
there of imported brick, is still standing.
William C. Guest, one of the descendants
of Joseph Guest, and the grandfather of
General Guest, was an officer in the Seventy-
first New York Regiment in the War of
1812. He commanded a company of
cavalry and was stationed at Black Rock,
now I!ufl:"alo, X. Y. Previous to the war he
had removed from New Jersey to Lvons,
X. Y., becoming one of the pioneer resi-
dents of that district. Following- the ces-
sation of hostilities with England, he went
on a trip of six hundred miles through the
forests to Philadelphia, taking with him a
drove of horses. He died in that city, of
imeunionia, the result of exposure and hard-
ships while on the trip. His wife, who bore
the maiden name of Alary Wallace, w^as a
relative of Sir John Wallace, of Scotland,
and with her parents she emigrated from
Scotland to New Jersey.

Joseph L. Guest, father of General Guest,
was born in New Jersey in 1809, and dur-
ing his infancy was taken by his parents to
X'ew York. His mother remained a resi-
dent of Lyons after her husband's death,
and Joseph there spent the days of his youth
and acquired his education. He became a
merchant tailor, and removing to the West,
spent his remaining days in Michigan. He
married Lydia Curtis, a native of Pennsyl-
vania, Avho died when licr son James was
nine years of age.

[ames A. Guest iiursued his education in

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEW

Lyons. N. ^'.. Cfimpk-tinfj his cnursc in tlie
academy there, anil at the age of seventeen
enlisted in defense of the I'nion, becoming
a meniher of C'onipaiix C ( )ne Hundred and
Sixtieth \ew N'ork Infantry, thus joining
tlie army in i8f)2. He was first sent to New
York and thence to \e\v Orleans, going
with Cicneral Uanks's expedition. They
made the trip by ocean on transports and
were twenty-nine days in reaching the
southern port. Mr. Guest jiarticipatcd in
twenty-one engagements with his regiment,
being for two years in Louisiana, after
which he wa.s in N'irginia under command
of Generals Grant and Sheridan. The
regiment proceeded by steamer to I'"ortress
Monroe, where the troojjs joined Grant's
forces, and later they particii)ated in the
movements in the Shenandoah Valley under
Sheridan. Mr. Guest was severely wounded
at the battle of Winchester, where Sheridan
made his famous ride, and was in the hos-
pital for tw^o months afterward. He then
rejoined his regiment, with which he served
until nuistered out on account of the ces-
sation of the war. He was then serving as
first sergeant, and was commissioned by
Governor Fenton of New York as second
lieutenant, but could not get his commission
because of his regiment's being below the
re(|uired numerical strength. Prior to the
close of his service he was sent to Georgia
to quell a negro insurrection there. In
November, 1865, he was discharged, having
served for three and a half years, during
which time he did his full duty as a soldier
in one of the most fiercely contested wars
in all history.

Returning to Lyons, N. \ ., General
Guest pursued a course in Ames Business
College, at Syracu.se. and then came to
Iowa, settling at l'>elle Plain, where he en-

gaged in business, meeting with success dur-
ing his seven or eight years' coiniection with
its commercial interests. He came to Bur-
lington in 1875. and iK'cair.e connecte<l with
the piano and organ trade, purchasing the
interest of Mr. I^nge in the firm of Lange
& \'an Meter, the leacling music <lealers of
the city. The firm name was then changeil
to \an Meter & Guest, .\fter two years
Mr. Guest ])urchased his partner's interest,
and has since comlucted the business alone.
L'nder his guidance it has continually ex-
panded, and has now reached very exten-
sive and profitable proportions. He now
handles Chickering & Sons and other high-
grade jiianos. having the sole agency for
Iowa and j)ortions of other States. His
business in Burlington now occupies his
entire business block, three stories in height,
at 106 North Main Street. He also has
branch houses at Des .Moines, Cedar Rap-
ids, ( )ttumwa. Iowa, and Monnunith. 111.,
and furnishes employment to a large number
of traveling and local salesmen. His trade
has grown along substantial lines, and his
business, conducted in harmony with mod-
irn ideas of jirogress in conunercial circles,
and in strict confo'rmity with the highest
commercial ethics, has brought to him a
Very gratifying prosperity.

Always deeply interested in music. Gen-
eral Guest has been active in securing the
best musical talent for Burlington in con-
certs and other ])ublic performances, and
in promoting musical education and cul-
ture here, and his efforts have been far-
reaching in this particular.

General Guest is perhaps e(|ually well
known in military circles in Iowa, having
become identified at an early day with the
Iowa National Guard as captain ofr Com-
pany H, Second Regiment. He was after-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

ward promoted to the rank of major, lieu-
tenant-colonel, and then to the colonelcy.
The regiment was composed of twelve com-
panies, representing twelve towns and cities.
Subsequently he was elected brigadier-gen-
eral of the First Brigade, and his labors
have been effective in promoting the inter-
est of the national guard and in the forma-
tion of a military organization which is a
credit to the State.

In his political views General Guest has
always been a Republican, but never an
aspirant for office.

He is a member of Malta Lodge, No. 318,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of
which he is a past master; Iowa Chapter,
No. I, Royal Arch Masons ; St. Omer Com-
mandery, No. 15, Knights Templar, of
which he is past commander. He is also
past grand commander of the grand com-
mandery of the State of Iowa, and thus one
of the foremost representatives among the
Knights Templar of the State.

In community aft'airs he is deeply inter-
ested, his efforts having proved of practical
benefit to the city in many ways. He was
president of the Commercial Exchange, the
leading manufacturers' and jobbers' club
of IJurlington, and served as such for
three years. His co-operation can always
be counted upon for the furtherance of any
progressive measure for die city, and his
influence has been an essential factor in win-
ning support of popular measures for the
public good.

General Guest was married to JNliss
Louise M. David, of Burlington, a daugh-
ter of Col. John S. David, who was born in
Kentucky, and was one of the prominent
pioneers of Burlington. He built the first
warehouse along the river here, was also
engaged in the grocery business, and oper-

ated quite extensively in real estate, build-
ing a number of city blocks in the early
years of his residence here. His labors
largely promoted the early growth and sub-
stantial development of Burlington. The
marriage of General Guest and Louise M.
David was celebrated June 6, 1876, and they
have one son, Lyman, who is with his father
in the music business. They are members
of the Episcopal church, of which General
thiest has served as vestryman and warden.
Their home, at No. 1020 North Fifth
Street,- is the center of a cultured society
circle. Long residents of Burlington, they
have a wide acquaintance and a host of
warm friends.

The career of General Guest has been
marked by consecutive progress in busi-
ness and military life, and undoubtedly he
could have won political honors had he so
desired, but he felt the pursuits of private
life as abundantly worthy of his best efforts,
and these have been so discerningly directed
in the fields of business activity as to win
a gratifying measure of success, and gain
a place as one of the leading representa-
tives of commercial interests in his adopted
citv.

T. W. KRIECHBAUM.

T. W. Kriechbaum, who, entering busi-
ness life as a messenger in the German
American Savings Bank, has for a num-
ber of years been cashier of that reliable
institution, having advanced through con-
secutive stages of promotion to his present
responsible position, was born in Burlington
in i860. His father, John P. Kriech-
baum, was a native of Darmstadt, Germany,
and at the age of twelve years came to

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

America with his parents, the family home
beinp established in Burlington, Iowa, in
1837. John P. Kriechbauni learned the
cooiKTS trade, and for many years owned
and conducted a cooperage business in this
city. He was married in Burlington to
Miss Elizabeth Funk, also a native of
Darmstadt, and unto them were born
eleven children, six of whom are now liv-
ing: August B., Charles. Fred, Edward,
T. VV., and Nellie. The daughter is the wife
of Rev. F. D. Burhaus. a Congregational
minister of Chicago. The father, John P.
Kriechbauni. died June 7, 1887. at the age
of seventy years, his birth having occurred
on the 5th of March. 1817. He had retired
from active life when about si.xty years of
age. thus s])en(ling the last decade of his
earthly pilgrimage in well-earned rest from
labor. His political support was given to
the Democracy, and for one term he had
served as alderman. He belonged to the
German Evangelical church. Mrs. Kriech-
bauni died in February, 1905.

At the usual age T. W. Kriechbauni be-
gan his education in the public schools of
his native city, and continued therein until
he had mastered the high school course.
.•\t the age of seventeen, three years after
the organization of the German American
Savings Bank, he became a messenger boy
in that institution. He was soon made a
bookkeeper, and continued in that capacity
until the retirement of \V. A. Torrey, whom
he succeeded in the position of cashier in
1897. He has contributiil in no small de-
gree to the success aii<l development of
the bank, and has intimate and' thorough
knowledge of the banking business in every
department.

In 1883 Mr. Kriechbauni was united in
marriage to Miss Sophia M. Xiehaus, a

native of Burlington, and a daughter of
J. I-'. \V. Nichaus, now deceased, who at
one time was engaged in furniture manufac-
turing in this city. His wife, who in her
maidenhood was Lazetta Von Palgenmeier,
is of German birth, and is still living. Two
chililren have been born unto Mr. and Mrs.
Kriechbauni : Horace T., a graduate of the
Burlington high school, and now a student
of medicine in the Xorthwestern I'niversity
at Chicago; and Walter, who is attending
the high school of this city. In 1891 Mr.
Kriechbauni built his present home at 413
South Gunnison Street. He is a member
of Des Moines Lodge, No. i, .Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, of which he is
treasurer, and of St. Omer Commandery,
No. 15. of which he is treasurer. He also
belongs to Excelsior Lodge, No. 268, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and is
serving as its treasurer, and is likewise a
member of the Commercial Exchange. He
ranks as one of the enterprising business
men of Burlington, equally active in matters
of citizenship as in financial circles, and
his broad humanitarian spirit is indicated
by his liberal and frequent contributions to
churches, hospitals, and charities.

WASHINGTON DALLAM GILBERT.

W. Dai,l.\m Gilbert, for forty years one
of the most prominent business men of Bur-
lington, was born in Cassville, Crawford
county. Wis., in February, 1829, while his
parents were temporarily residing there
on their way from Kentucky to Prairie du
Chien, Wis, The grandfather, Samuel Gil-
bert, was a native of \irginia. whence
he removed to Kentucky. His business

WASHINGTON DALLAM GILBERT.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

4 9-

was that of a tobacco-planter, and he owned
a number of slaves in Kentucky ; but be-
coming convinced that the system of sla-
very was wrong, he freed all of his bonds-
men.

Samuel Gilbert, Jr., father of W. Dallam
Gilbert, was a native of Kentucky, and
married Philotheta Parker, who was born
in Oneida county, New York, in 1798.
She was a representative of one of the old
families of this country, and England, be-
ing a lineal descendant of the Parker earls
of Macclesfield, the original ancestor in
America having come from England to
Massachusetts about 1645. There he es-
tablished his family, and later the Indians
massacred the parents ; but the children es-
caped, hiding in the grass. The youngest
one, Samuel, reached adult age, afterward
removed to Coventry, Conn., and lived to
the very advanced age of one hundred and
six years. He built the first house and barn
in Conventry, and was the first deacon in
the first Congregational church there. His
descendant, the father of Mrs. Philotheta
Gilbert, was a soldier in the War of 1812.
He removed with his family from New
York to Louisville, Ky., in a covered wagon
when his daughter was fifteen years of age,
and there she afterward formed the ac-
quaintance of Mr. Gilbert and gave to him
her hand in marriage. In 1827 they re-
moved to Galena, 111., which was then en-
joying a period of rapid growth and pros-
perity. Later they went to what was then
the territory of Michigan, settling in Cass-
ville, and two years afterward started for
Prairie du Chien, then an extreme outpost,
where Fort Crawford was built. The
pioneer settlers freely mingled with the
Sacs, Fox, Winnebago, and Menominee
Indians. Mr. Gilbert was one of the ear-

liest lumbermen in the ujiper cnuntrv, tak-
ing an active part in reclaiming the natural
resources of the State for the uses of the
white man and in promoting its material
prosperity. Alxnit 1845 'le removed from
Prairie du Chien, Wis., to Albany, 111.

W. Dallam Gilbert spent the first sixteen
years of his life at Prairie du Chien, where
he pursued his education under private tu-
tors, and later he accompanied his parents
on their removal to Albany, 111. At that
age the spirit of commercialism had so de-
veloped itself that he determined to take a
raft of logs down the river to Fort Madison,
which task he successfully accomplished,
selling the logs for his father. Subse-
quently he accepted a position as clerk for
the Nelson & Gilbert Company at Wilson's
Landing, Wis., and at the age of nineteen
years, in connection with a brother, he pur-
cliased a lumber mill at Eau Clair, Wis.,
the plant being located on the present site
of the town. Thus he became actively as-
sociated with the lumber industries of the
State. In 185 1 he came to Burlington,
Iowa, where, in connection with John W.
Gilbert, he established a lumber business
that grew to extensive proportions, becom-
ing known far and wide. Their patronage
increased with the growth of the State and
its wonderful development. They had the
keen foresight to anticipate what would
be the needs of the commonwealth in their
direction, made judicious investment in for-
est lands, and utilized their timber inter-
ests in the manufacture of lumber that
found a ready sale on the market and
brought to them a splendid financial return.
Mr. Gilbert dealt largely in pine lands, and
operated mills in Minnesota and Wiscon-
sin. He also owned extensive pineries in
Washington. He likewise became a large

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

owner of l!iirlingfton real estate, antl laid
out two additions to the city which bear
his name. He and his business associates
probably did more toward the upbuilding
and development of Burlington than any
other individual or corporation. Mr. Gil-
bert erected many houses, which he sold
on easy terms, thus adding to the material
improvement of Hurlington, and making
|)()ssiblc the ciwmrshi]) of homes to many
men in moderate financial circumstances.
He also became prominent in banking
circles, and was a director of The Mer-
chants .National liank and an officer of the
German American Savings Bank.

Mr. Gilbert married .Miss Hetta Wells
Merrill, who was born in Plymouth, X. H.,
in 1835, and when seven years of age re-
moved with her parents to Boston. In
1859 she gave her hand in marriage to Mr.
Gilbert in Burlington, having in the mean-
time accompanied the family on their re-
moval to this city. She is a daughter of
Stevens Merrill, formerly a resident of
Warren and Plymouth, N. H., and Boston,
Mass., coming from the latter jilace to Bur-
lington, where he purchased the home now
occupied by his daughter, Mrs, Gilbert, at
910 Jefferson Street. It was then situated
in the midst of a hickory grove, but now
stands thirty feet above the street level.
Part of the house — known as " Hickory
Grove " — is more than sixty years old.
Late in life he sold this property to Mr.
Gilbert, whose widow now resides there
with her only remaining daughter, Mrs.
Gate Wells, and the latter's son Gilbert.
Mr. Merrill was of an old Quaker family
<lescended from Nathaniel Merrill, who
located in Ipswich, Mass., in 1633, and
two years later became a pioneer settler and

founder of Xewburyport. The Merrill
family was originally, however, of Hugue-
not origin, living at Auvergne in the south
of France, and the name there was spelled
Du .Merle. Representatives of the name
tied to England at the time of the St. Bar-
tholomew massacre. They were connected
with the French nobility, "and at the time
of the removal to England the fleur de lis
(Ml the shield was displaced by a peacock's
head, the crest remaining the same.

W. D. Gilbert died .April 16, 1894, leav-
ing to his widow and daughter a large
estate. Xot only had he controlled exten-
sive business interests, being for forty
years an active representative of trade rela-
tions in I'lurlington and in the West, but
was also prominent in the conuuunity af-
fairs of the city. He belonged to the Ma-
sonic fraternity, was a member and liberal
contributor to the Congregational church.
He served in the city council, and was once
defeated for the office of mayor when a
candidate on the Democratic ticket. He
possessed a social, genial nature that won
him warm friendships, while his business
successes awakened for him the admiration
and respect of all wlm knew aught of his
history. His name is inseparably associ-
ated with the progress and upbuilding of
Burlington along many lines, and no his-
tory of the city would be complete without
a detailed account of his career. Mrs. Gil-
bert, prominent in social and church cir-
cles in Burlington, is now the president of
the Xorman Circle of Kings Daughters.
Mrs. Wells is president of the Burlington
Musical Club and regent of the Burling-
ton Chapter of the Daughters of American
Revolution, and a member of the Society
of the Colonial Dames of .America.

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

HON. JOHN GRAHAM FOOTE.

The memory of Hon. John Graham
Foote will always be associated with the
city of Burlington, Iowa, as a pioneer and
prominent leader in her upbuilding and de-
velopment, and not only did he accomplish
much for his adopted city, but throughout
a long term of years he exercised a wide
and beneficent influence upon the public
affairs of the State of Iowa. Mr. Foote
was born at Middlebury, Vt., April 21.
1814, a son of Justus and Harriet S. (Gra-
ham) Foote, of that fine old Puritan stock
which for nearly three centuries has so
potently shaped the course of American
history. The founder of the family in
America was Nathaniel Foote, who was
born in England in 1593, married in that
country Elizabeth Denning about the year
1615, and had two sons and five daugliters.
His name first appears this side the Atlan-
tic in the records of Massachusetts Bay
colony for 1633, when he took the freeman's
oath. It also appears conclusively that he
had land assigned to him at Watertown.
Mass., and later he became a pioneer settler
of Wethersfield, Conn., his name appearing
in the charter as one of the patentees. He
died in 1664, aged fifty-one years, and his
wife, Elizabeth, on July 28, 1683, aged
eighty-eight years. His eldest son, Nathan-
iel, was born in England in 1620, married
Elizabeth Smith, of Wethersfield, Conn., in
1646, and by her had three sons and one
daughter. He died in 1655. at the age of
thirty-four, after having spent the greater
part of his life in Wethersfield. Samuel,
second son of the foregoing, was born at
Wethersfield. Conn., in 1649, n:arried Mary
Merrick, of Springfield. Mass.. in 1671, and
was a resident of Hatfield, ^lass.. the date

of his death being Sept. 7, 1689, while his
wife died Oct. 3, 1690. He was the father
of five sons and three daughters, and Daniel,
the fifth son, who was born at Hatfield in
1689, married .Mary Collyer, of Hartford,
Conn., in 17 18, they residing at Simsbury,
Conn., where the\- had four sons and four
daughters. Daniel Foote died July 15,
1740, aged fifty-one years, and his wife on
June 17, 1769, aged seventy-one years.
Samuel, eldest son of Daniel, was born at
Hartford, Conn., in 1719. and married
Lois Loomis on Nov. 24, 1743, by whom he
had five sons and five daughters. They re-
sided in Simsbury, Conn., and he died Sept.
18, 1775. Elijah, third son of- Samuel
Foote, was born at Simsbury, Conn., March
14, 1755, and was twice married, first on
Dec. 12, 1771, to Mary Latimer, who died,
survived by five sons and one daughter.
The second marriage was to Zerniah Bar-
ton, at Norwich, \'t., and by this union
he had two sons and one daughter. He re-
sided at Simsbury, New Haven, Middlebury,
Conn., and Fairfield, \'t., and some place in
New York, and his death occurred in his
seventy-second year, in 1828. while his wife,
Zerniah, died in 1827. Justus Foote, fourth
son of Elijah, was born at Simsbury, Conn..
June 24, 1782, and on April 15, 1810, mar-
ried Harriet S. Graham, daughter of Rev.
John Graham, of Suffield, Conn. They re-
sided at IMiddlebury, \'t., and he died, June
10, 1829, aged forty-seven years, while the
date of his wife's demise was April 20, 1865,
in the seventy-sixth year of her age. To them
were born five .sons and three daughters.
and their second child was John Graham
Foote, whose name introduces this review.
In the maternal line, Mr. Foote was de-
scended from James Graham, Marquis of
Montrose, who was born in Scotland in

BIOGRAPHICAL REllEW

1612. and ilicil in i()5i. An intermediate
descendant of this nobleman was Andrew
Graham, who died in June, 1785, aged
fifty-seven years. Rev. John (jraham, son
of Andrew, was born in Scotland in 1694.
came to America when ymniji. and began
his career as a minister of the gospel at
twenty-seven years of age. He .settled at
Stafford, Conn., in 1723, and died at South-
burg, that State, Dec. 11, 1774. His son,
also Rev. John (Irahain, was born 1722. and
died at .Suffield, Conn., in i7'/>. aged seven-
four years. Harriet Swan Graham, daugh-
ter of the second Rev. John Graham, and
mother of our subject, was born at West
Suffiehl. Conn., and married Capt. Justus
Foote. at Middlebury. \'t.. .\|)ril 15. 1810.
She died in lUirlington. Iowa. .April 20. 1865.
It is now more than one hundred years since
her father was pastor of the church at West
Suffield, Hartford county. Conn. He was
one of the early graduates of Vale College,
having been a member of the class of 1740.
Hon. Joini Graham Foote, as a boy and
young man, received the best schooling avail-
able at that time, for he was educated at
Middlebury College. .Middlebury. \'t.. but
[)refiTring an active and practical lite to the
pursuit of a learned profession, he learned
the trade followed by his father, who was
a saddler in Middlebury. The stories of
the great new West, however, appealed to
his imagination, and his love of enterprise
and worthy endeavor, and in 1835 he came
westward to St. Louis, \yhere he acted as
a clerk until 1843, which was the date of his
coming to Burlington as the rejjrcsentative
of his employers in .St. Louis, for the pur-
pose of establishing here a branch of their
large hardware business. Tn Burlington,
on Aug. 20. 1845. he wedded Miss Kliza
Jane Ewing, and to them were born four

children, but oi the number only one grew
to maturity, this being Harriet, who married
I'Vank R. nurham. then chief clerk of the
I'urlington ])ost<ifficc, and has two sons and
a daughter. Harriet luxUe. John (iraham,
and George l-'oote. .Mr. Durham is now de-
ceased, having died June 30. 1891. Eliza
lane ( Fwing) l-'oote. first wife of our sub-
ject, died Aug. 5. 1853. aged twenty-nine
years.

In 1855. .Mr. I'ooie again married, his
.second wife being Miss Mary E. Merrill,
who survives him. Mrs. Foote is descended
from Nathaniel Merrill, of England, who
lan<led at Ipswich. Mass.. in 1634. The
family originally emigrated to England
from .\uvergne, I-'rance, shortly after the
.Massacre of St. Bartholomew, in all jiroba-
bility. as they were Huguenots, and fled
from I-rance for safety. They first located
in Worcester. England, and later in Sussex,
whence they came to .America. They were
descended from the old Auvergne family of
\h\ Merle. Families of the same name are
.still to be found in that and other provinces
of I''rancc. while the names Des Merles, Du
Merles. Dnmeril. and other ft)rms are modi-
fications of their patronymic. Their an-
cestral home in .Auvergne was at Place de
Dombes. In .America, the family has sup-
plied many Congregational and Methodist
ministers of ability, as well as a number of
men eminent in other spheres of life. Mili-
tary henx;s also are not lacking, as Sir
Peter Merrill, of this family, and member
of the British .Army, was knighted in 1634.
while a descendant of N'athaniel Merrill
was a member of the .State Legislature of
Massachusetts, and captain of the military
comi)any raised in his own town for service
in the Revolutionary War. This was Sam-
uel .Merrill, and his part in the war was an

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

active one, he taking part in the battles of
Ticonderoga, and being present at the sur-
render of General Burgoyne. His son
Jesse, then a boy of sixteen years, was a
private in his father's company. After the
war Samuel Merrill removed to Vermont,
where he was also a member of the State
Legislature, and prominent in public afifairs.
His son James, on leaving college, located
in Philadelphia, where be became associated
with the famous Thaddeus Stevens, and oc-
cu])ieil a prominent place as membur of the
.State bar. The marriage of Nathaniel Mer-
rill ])robably took place in England, and the
name of his wife was Susanna, but her
family name is not known, although it is
sujjposed to have been \Mllerton. He was
the father of seven children, and his resi-
dence during his later years was at New-
buryport, Mass., where he died March i6,
1665. The subsequent generations are,
briefly, as follows : Abel, born 1654, and
married Priscilla Chase: Abel, l)orn 1671,
and married Abigail Stevens ; Abel, born
1698, and married Ruth Kclley ; .Stevens,
born T731, and married, first, Sarah Chase,
second, Mary Noyes ; Joseph, born 1764,
and married Sarah Copp : Stevens, bom
1790, and married Mehitabel Worthy
Wells. The mother of Airs. Foote was
a member of the celebrated Wells family,
so long known in the afifairs of New Eng-
land, and her great-grandfather, .Sanniel
\\'ells, of Plymouth, N. H., was commander
of the State militia. Mrs. Foote's father.
Stevens Merrill, was sheriff of Grafton
county, N, H., and Plymouth, that State,
and later removed to Boston, where he en-
gaged in the dry-goods business and also
took up the brokerage business. He was
attracted to California in 1849 upon the dis-
coverv of gold in that State, and was en-

gaged in mining oi)erations. there for several
years, but in 1853 he returned East, and set-
tled in Burlington, Iowa, where he died in
1863, in his seventy-si.xth year. His wife,
who was born at Plymouth, N. H., in 1797,
died in Burlington, Jan. 12. 1886, aged
eighty-eight years. Mrs. Foote, widow of
our subject, was born at Plymouth, N. H.,
.March 19, 1832, and received a good educa-
tion in the public schools of Boston. She
came to Burlington in 1854, at the age of
twenty-one years, accompanying the other
members of the family, which comprised
six sons and four daughters, who grew to
maturity. She was married to Mr. Foote,
the year following her arrival in Burlington,
and of their union were born three sons, two
of whom died in infancy, while one, Graham
Merrill, born in 1856, married Anna Joy, in
1880. He has one son, Graham M., Jr.,
born March 7, 1889, who survives. He was
educated in the public schools of Burling-
ton, and is now engaged very successfully
in business at Long Beach, Cal.

Mr. Foote, on coming to Burlington, con-
ducted a hardware store in the interest of
his emjjloyers, but established an independ-
ent business, having enjoyed great success
as manager. This enterprise he prosecuted
with such effect as to raise himself to an
important position in the commercial world
of southeastern Towa in a few years, and to
it he gave close attention during the greater
part of his active life, being engaged in the
hardware business here for a period of
thirty-three years in all. Outside this field
of endeavor he was also active in almost
every enterprise that held out a reasonable
prospect of advancing the welfare of his
adopted city. He was interested substan-
tially in the building of its first railroad, the
lUirlington & Missouri River, and for a

.•>4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

.time was treasurer of the company, while he
was later a member of the board of direc-
tors of the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad
Company, and of the directorate of the Car-
thajje & iUirlinj^ton C"om])any. He was a
promoter and director of the first company
to rnn a telegraph wire into r.nrlinfjton, thus
bringing the business interests of the city
into contact with the great financial and
commercial centers of the East. In the
world of finance his ]i(>sition was likewise
One of undisputed supremacy, and he took a
leading part in the organization of the First
National I'.ank of Burlington, of which he
was afterward a director and vice-president,
and to his sponsorsliij) and business aliilily
this great institution doubtless owes much
of the j)rcstige which it enjoys to-day.

While Mr. I'"oote was very successful in
the conduct of his private affairs, and pur-
sued his object with a ])crsistency of purpose
which overcame all obstacles, he never for-
got that he owed service to his State and
his country, and throughout his whole ma-
ture life took a helpful part in the work of
politics. Originally a W hig, he joined the
l^epublican m>>\ement at its inception, and
was one of the ])rominent organizers of that
party in Iowa. In the fall of 1861, he was
triumphantly elected, on the Republican
ticket, to the Senate of the State of Iowa,
as being best t|ualified in those troublous
times to represent his district, and as one
who, amid the e.xcitement of civil war, might
be relied on to act with calmness, integrity,
and efliciency, and to cast the weight of his
counsel and his vote on the side of right and
justice at all times. The trust reposed in
him by his fellow-citizens proved to be well
placed, for he served as senator from 1862
to 1865, inclusive, with great honor to
himself and to the highest .satisfaction of his

constituency, and was able to procure much
beneficial legislation. He was also chair-
man of a board of three commissioners for
the con.struction of the capitol building of
the State of Iowa, and the manner in which
he dischargetl this great trust won general
admiration. ( )ne who was long and in-
timately connected with the jHiblic business
of the State and who is considered among
the foremost authorities on the subject.says:
"He (Mr. T'oote) |)ersonaIly di.sbursed two
million eight hundred seventy-si.x thousand
three hundred dollars through a period of
fourteen years, not a dollar of which money
was misap|)ro]iriate(l, and no breath of sus-
l)icion ever followed this large expenditure.
It is (|uoted as a marvel of the times that the
rigid. u])right honesty of John G. Foote
made it ])ossible to get so great a structure
built for such a ])rice." Mr. Foote was also
connected with Iowa politics by the mar-
riage of his sister. Harriet Foote, fourth
child of the family of which he was a mem-
ber, to John H. Gear, in Burlington, Dec. 15,
1852. Mr. Gear enjoyed a national reputa-
tion, and his career, including his brilliant
administration as governor of Iowa, is too
well known to reiiuire extended mention in
this article. Mrs. Gear was born Nov. 16,
18 1 8. and was first married to Joseph C.
Ketchum, at .Middlebury, \t., .April 22.
1835. ^l'*" li^* been spoken of as "one of
Iowa's most remarkable women." while her
wisdom and guidance were ever a great helj)
to her distinguished husband, and much of
the success of his career was doubtless due
to her aid antl advice.

During the later jiortion of his life, .Mr.
I'ooto retired from business and |)ublic
activities, and gave his efforts in an in-
creased measure to the work of the Christian
f;iitli. of which he was a devoted follower.

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

He became a member of the Congregational
church in 1853, and wa^ long a faithful
and helpful laborer for its advancement, and
for the success of its Sunday-school work,
being for a long term of years a teacher in
the Sunday-school. In this capacity he gave
to those under his instruction the richest
treasures from the storehouse of his mind,
and many have had CMUse to remember his
counsel with fondest gratitude. In the
church he held the office of deacon for a
long period. The place left vacant by his
demise is now in a sense fully occupied by
his widow, for she is a very active and in-
fluential member of the church. In 1865,
Mr. Foote was a member of the national
council of Congregational churches that met
at Boston, and, standing around Plymouth
Rock, where the ancestors of our subject
had landed two and a half centuries before,
joined in the Declaration of Faith which
is now generally recognized as the highest
and most enlightened and advanced expres-
sion of Christian faith and ecclesiastical
order yet made by any large and delibera-
tive body in the world. In 1867, he was
elected a corporate member of the American
Board of Commissioners of Foreign Mis-
sions, and gave his assistance and attention
down to his eightieth year to the questions
that have attended, and at times have em-
barrassed, its great and glorious work.

In his home, the life of Mr. Foote was
ideal, for there lo-\e and cheer, fidelity and
truth, ever reigned, and the spirit of his
home he carried with him into the world of
Christian work. It was his happy lot to
be connected with many religious enterprises
which still survive as monuments of his de-
votion and faith. He was one of the found-
ers and original incorporators of the Chi-
cago Theological Seminary, and a memljcr

of its first board of directors. He was a
lifelong supporter of the institution, obliga-
tions which he assumed in this connection
having since his demise been met bv his
widow. He was an earnest student of the
Scriptures, and was of a devout mind and
spirit. He possessed a fine intelligence, a
broad and comprehensive human charity,
and a high and steady Christian character.
He was universally esteemed and by many
fondly beloved. He died March 4, 1896.
Mrs. Foote is d member of the First Con-
gregational church of Burlington, of the
Daughters of the Revolution, of the Young
Women's Christian Association Auxiliary,
a member of the missionary society of the
church, and treasurer of the Ladies' Aid
Society of Burlington Hospital. She is
a lady of distinguished ability, and has long
made her home the center of a cultured
social circle.

JOHN C. FLEMING, M. D.

Dk. John C. Fleming, a general med-
ical practitioner of Burlington and local
surgeon for the Chicago, Burlington &
Ouincy Railroad Company, \\as born in
Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, Nov.
24, 1848. and represents one of the old
families of that locality. Tlie founder
of the family in America was the great-
grandfather of Dr. Fleming, who died at
sea, while on his way from the north of
Ireland; but his famih' continued on their
way to the Xcw Wcirlil. and cstabHslied
their home in Huntingdon county, where
his descendants have since l)een foun(.i.
Janus Fleming, father of Dr. Fleming,
was a silk-!:nitter. cmiijoycd in tlie mill'^

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of Huntingdon county, where he spent his
entire life.

Dr. ricming, having accjuircd his pre-
liminary education in thi: jjublic sch(X)ls,
continued his studies at Tuscarora Acad-
emy, in Juniata county. Pennsylvania,
and later he entered Kishacoquilis Semi-
nary, in Mifllin county. Tennsylvania.
He attended those institutit)ns of learning
through the summer months, and in the
winter sea.sons engaged in teaching
school, that he might secure the funds to
meet the expcn.ses of his own education.
He was thus engaged until twenty-one
years of age, when, having determined to
make the practice of medicine his life
work, he became a student in the office
and under the direction of Dr. John Mc-
Culimigh. who ])lanne(l his course of
reading until he entered upon a course of
lectures in Jefferson Medical College, at
I'hiladelphia. On the completion of a
three-years' course, he was graduated in
1871. with a class numbering one hun-
<lred and twenty-seven members. He
then entered ujion the active practice of
medicine in the office with his former
preceptor, remaining in the East until
1877. when he settled at P.urlington, and
has since followed his profession here
with constantly growing success.

From 1880 until 1886 he served as
county ])hysician for Des Moines county,
and for two years of that time was also
city physician and health officer. About
188S he was ap])ointed local surgeon for
the Chicago, lUirlington & Quincy Rail-
road, and has since acted in that capacity.
He is also examiner for the New York
Life Insurance Company, and for a simi-
lar ])eriod. fifteen or twenty vears. he has
been thus connected with the Ivcjuitable

Life .\ssurance Society, of New N'ork,
and the .Mutual Benefit Insurance Com-
I)any. of New Jersey. He performs ail
this professional service in addition to the
duties of a large general practice. He has
never had a partner, and his success has
come in direct recognition of his profes-
sional skill and ability, won through care-
ful |)reliminary preparation and thorough
investigation and broad study since leav-
ing college. He keeps in touch with the
advanced thought and improved methods
of the profession, and has practiced along
scientific lines, with the result that his
labors have been most effective in check-
ing the ravages of disease and alleviating
human suffering. He has, too, the strict-
est regard for a high standard of profes-
sional ethics, and therefore commands the
respect and confidence of his professional
brethren. He belongs to the Des Moines
.Medical Society and the .American Medi-
cal .Association. In his political views
and affiliations he is an inde])endeiit
Democrat.

In March. 1894, Dr. Lleming was mar-
ried to Miss Ida Weber, a native of Bur-
lington, anil they have one son, John C,
Jr. Readily received into cultured so-
ciety circles, their own home is also noted
for its generous and gracious hospitality.

WILLIAM W. COPELAND.

\Vii,i.i.\M W. CorEi,.\M>, prfmiinent in
commercial, financial, and political circles
of Burlington, has since 1887 been con-
nected with the active business life of the
citv. This is an era in which the small
tradcsni.in |)lays very little |)art in the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

public life of a community, for the traffic curing a position as clerk in a general
of the country is managed by large con- store. His ready adaptability was soon
cerns, but the promising feature in the manifest, and he eagerly availed himself
business conditions of the day is that the of every opportunit}- to master the prin-
clerk of to-day may be the merchant of ciples of mercantile life. When twenty-
to-morrow, controlling interests of mag- one years of age he engaged in business
nitude having important bearing upon on his own account in Mifflin, Pa., pur-
the business life and prosperity of his chasing a stock of new goods and opening
community. Such has been the career of a general merchandise store, in which he
Mr. Copeland, whose foresight, sound met with success from the beginning: but
judgment,and unfaltering enterprise have believing that there was a still wider
taken tangible form in his rise from a field in the Middle West, he came to Bur-

humble clerkship to the ownership of an
extensive commission house.

Born in Mifflin, Juniata county, Pa.,
Oct. 7, 1856, he is a son of John M.

lington, Iowa, in 1887. For a short time
he traveled for the Standard Oil Com-
pany, but soon engaged in the commis-
sion business in Burlington, under the

and Katherine (Hartmann) Copeland. The firm name of Copeland & Martin, this re-

famih', of English lineage, was founded
in Pennsylvania at an early day in its set-
tlement, the grandfather, Willis Cope-
land, being one of the pioneers of that
State. He spent his entire life there, fol-
lowing the occupation of farming, and
John M. Copeland, the father, was born
and reared in the Keystone State, still
making his home in Mifflin, where for
many years he has been employed as
storekeeper by the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company. He served the Union
cause in the Civil War. and gives his po-
litical allegiance to the Democratic party,

lationship continuing until 1903, when
Mr. Copeland purchased his partner's in-
terest, becoming sole proprietor of a
large fruit and commission business,
hardly excelled in volume in the Middle
West. His location is at the corner of
Front and A^illey Streets, where he occu-
pies a large building, with railroad tracks
passing in front, thus enabling him to un-
load direct from the car to the house.
He carries on a wholesale business ex-
clusively, and largely handles his goods
in car-loads, receiving from and shipping
to all parts of the United States. He em-

by which he was elected to the office of ploys a number of traveling men who sell

to the trade in Iowa and adjoining States,
and the business has been gradually ex-
panded from a small nucleus to its pres-
ent extensive proportions — this gratify-

treasurer for Juniata county in 1888. His
wife, born in the same locality, is a
daughter of William Hartmann, of Ger-
man descent, and the family were mem-
bers of the Lutheran church.

ing result being achieved through the

William W. Copeland was educated in ability and watchful care of Mr. Cope-

the public schools of Mifflin, and was land.

reared upon a farm, where he remained Xot confining his attention alone to the

until sixteen years of age, when he ven- commission business, Mr. Copeland has

tured into the field of commercialism, se- become well known in financial circles in

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEW

coniicctit)n witli the .Merchants Xatiunal
Bank, of which he has served as director
for several years. He is also one of the
founders of the Clinton Copcland Candy
Company, which was incorporated in
1898, when he was elected its first presi-
dent, in which ])ositi()n he has since
served. Tiiis has likewise been a success-
fid enterprise, and the company erected a
commodious and well-e(|uipped factory in
1905. Employment is furnished to about
seventy-five peo|)le, and the business has
become one of the leading manufacturing
enterprises of lUirlington.

Mr. Copeland is a leader in Republican
circles, and }et is not a politician in the
common acceptance of tlial ti-rm. Deeply
interested in jiolitics from the point of
view of the business man and citizen, his
opinions carry weigiu in the councils of
the |)arty. Despite bis undoubted inlht-
ence. he has never been a candidate for
office here, although while in business at
.Miftlin, I'a., he was aiipointed postmaster
at that ])lace, his being one of the first
appointments made fluring the Garfield
administration, and held the office until
the election of President Cleveland, when
he resigned. On the organization of the
Burlington Water Company in this city
two directors were appointed by the
mayor to represent the municipality in its
board of directors, and Mr. Copeland was
first apjjointed by a Democratic mayor to
this position, which he now holds under
a Republican incumbent. In 1903 he was
elected a director of the Burlington Hos-
pital, and on the expiration of his term
was re-elected in 1905. His membership
in the Commercial Exchange of I'lurliiig-
ton dates from its organization, he having
served for a time on its land site com-

mittee; and in Eeijruary. i<X>5. he was
elected its president. Fraternally, he is
connected with Malta Lodge, .Ancient
I'ree and .Xccepted Masons, and is deeply
interested in all that pertains to the ma-
terial, political, social, and intellectual
progress of his adopted city.

Mr. Copeland was married Dec. 2^,
1879, to Miss Mary .\. Miller, of Burling-
ton, a daughter of Henry Miller. They
have one son. Joini R. COjieland, who is
now connected with the Clinton Co])e-
land Candy Company. .Mr. and Mrs.
Copeland attend and support the Congre-
gational church, of which Mrs. Copeland
is a nuMni)er, and they occupy a fine home
at 405 .South Tenth Street. It is such
men as Mr. COpeland, men of strong in-
telligence and marked enterprise, that
have made Burlington a commercial and
industrial center of the Middle West, and
as the architect of his own fortune he has
also builded wisclv and well.

WILLIAM FISCHER.

WiLLi.vM Fischer, general merchant
at Augfusta, Des Moines county, Iowa,
where he has been engaged in business
since 1868, and where he has occupied
the office of postmaster during the major
portion of the time since 1S78, is one of
those indomitably courageous Americans
who found in early poverty the stimulus
to exertion anil the starting point on the
road to success. Of German nativity,
.Mr. Fischer was born March 13, \'8<},C\. at
Limburg on the Lahn, in the ilukedom of
Nassau, now the province of Hesse-Nas-

DES MOrXES COUXl'V. IOWA.

sail, a son of George and Anna Alarie
(Koch) Fischer.

;\[r. P'isclier remained at home with liis
parents and attended schodl until he was
fourteen years of age, when he went to
Cologne on the Rhine to engage in learn-
ing the drug trade. There he remained,
meantime utilizing his spare time to ac-
quire a reading and writing knowledge of
the English language, until the year 1854.
He then decided to emigrate to the land
of more abundant opportunity on this
side the Atlantic, and taking passage at
Antwerp, after a voyage of six weeks'
duration he landed at New York. Thence
he went to Buffalo and secured work in
a Ijutcher shop, where he continued until
January, 1855, the date of his coming to
Iowa. For a short time after his arrival
in the West he stayed with relatives in
Keokuk county, Iowa, but being eager to
begin his active career, he went to Bur-
lington in the spring and there secured a
position as clerk, which he continued to
hold until 1868, making many .friends and
establishing a reputation for efficiency
and ability in practical affairs. As a
young man he exercised constantly the
virtues of care and economy, never throw-
ing away the fruits of his labor in useless
dissipation or pleasure, and thus in a few
years he found himself the master of in-
dependent resources. In 1868 he came to
Augusta, and with his earnings purchased
an established mercantile business, in
which he has ever since been engaged
with excellent success.

At Burlington, in October, 1857. Mr.
Fischer wedded Aliss Mary Louise Brun,
a native of Alsace-Lorraine, and to them
were born seven children, of three ^of
whom thev were bereaved in the course

of a single week through the agency of
the dread typhoid fever. One daughter
and two sons grew to inaturit\-. Louise,
who married Charles Lauer, resides at
Winfield, Iowa, and they have two chil-
dren. Arnold and .\da. I-'.dmtuul. who
married Miss Agnes McKibbin, had his
home in Nebraska, where his death oc-
curred in 1895, he being survived by two
children. Forest and Fay. Arnold, now
residing in Denmark, Iowa, married Miss
Margaret Gallagher, and they have three
children. Jfirl. Frieda, and Floyd. The
mother of the family is now deceased,
having died in 1896, and was buried in
Aspen Grove cemetery in Burlington.

Mr. Fischer has since remarried, the
date being Sept. 27, 1898, when he was
united in bonds of holy matrimon}' to
Miss Ida L. Kinzie. Mrs. Fischer was
born in the village of South Augusta,
Denmark township, Lee county. Iowa, in
the year 1857, a daughter of Alexander
and Emily (Shoester) Kinzie. She early
received a good education, and for a time
she was engaged in the work of the teach-
ing profession, teaching two terms in the
home school. At the expiration of that
period she became a dressmaker, and this
she continued until the time of her mar-
riage. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kinzie,
came to the West from Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, in 1840, soon after their
marriage, and immediately settled in
Augusta township. Mr. Kinzie was
comparatively wealthy at the time, but he
invested in a flouring mill, which he lo-
cated on the south side of the river; but
this enterprise proved unsuccessful, and
he lost a large part of the capital which
his business ability had enabled him to
acquire i)rior to that time.

It/OCh'.ll'IlJi.lL KEVIIiW

At various times since i8<i8 Mr. Fischer
has ailded to his property in Augusta,
so that at the present time his material
interests lure are quite extensive. In
1877 he bought the old Moffett mill at
this place, and conducted it for a ])eriod
of twenty years, at the end of which time
he tore down the i)uilding and disposed
of the machinery. This institution
played an im])ortant part in the early set-
tlement of the West, being the first mill
to be established within the borders of the
present State of Iowa. A few years ago
Mr. Fischer raised the old burr of the
mill from the river bed, it being the first
of the kinil to be brought across the .Mis-
sissip])i River, and ])resented it to the
trustees of Crapo park, at Burlington,
where it may now be seen, a reminder of
pioneer days and an evidence of com-
mendable ])idjlic spirit on the ])art of Mr.
Fischer. This tendency on his ])art has
been characteristic of him ever since his
arrival in .America. He became a natur-
alized citizen of the United States, and
partici])atcd in tlie election in i8f)0. sup-
porting the Re])ublican ticket, headeil by
.Abraham Lincoln ; and even prior to that
time he had taken an active part in poli-
tics, being a member of the Republican
marching club in iSsf), and taking an ac-
tive share in the campaign for the election
of John C. Fremont for the jiresidency.
He has frequently served his party as
delegate in county conventions, and his
fellow-citizens early showed their appre-
ciation of his services and bis ability and
integrity by electing him to the oflfice of
township clerk, in which he served for a
number of years, or until the pressure of
private business compelled him to refuse
further honors. Fraternallv. he is a mem-

ber of Hiram Lodge No. 7. Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, in which he has
held the office of secretarv, and also been
active for the advancement of the local
interests of the order.

Mr. Fischer's career is one full of les-
sons for struggling youth, for when he
came to .America as a young man he was
entirely without means, exce|)t enougli t<i
supply the barest necessities for a short
time; but by industry, honesty, and a
right use of his natural ability he has
risen to a position of prominence in the
community, and achiex'ed a business suc-
cess of no small proportions. He de-
serves the highest praise for his resolu-
tion in pnrsuiiig for long years one un-
. deviating path of endeavor, and moreover
he has won by his course the admiration
and regard of a multitude of friends.

JOHN M. MERCER.

John M. Mkkckk, j)racticing at the Bur-
lington bar as the senior member of the
well-known law firm of Mercer & Mercer,
has not only attained prestige as an able
representative of the legal fraternity, but
also as one of the foremost re])resentatives
of Democracy in his district ; anil although
his association with the party is not of as
active a character as formerly, he is never-
theless a champion of the principles of
Democracy, and has wielded a wide in-
fluence in political circles.

.\ native of Illinois, Mr. Mercer was bom
in Kewanee, Aug. 28, 1858. His father,
William Mercer, was born in the parish of
!)nimi)re. County Down. Ireland, and came
with bis i)arents to America when about

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

twelve years of age, settling near Allegheny mother were reared in the Ihiited Presby-

City, Pa. He afterward removed to Henry teriaii churcli, but in later years, with all of

county, Illinois, where he grew to man- their children excepting John M., became

hood upon his father's farm, situated at communicants of the Episcopal church.
Virginia Grove, through which ran Indian In his youth Jnhn .M. Mercer came with

Creek. Not desirous of making agricultural his parents to Burlington, where he was

pursuits his life work, he learned the paint- reared, and acquired his preliminary edu-

er's trade in Allegheny City, Pa., and was
afterward employed by the Burlington &
Missouri Railroad Company, at Burling-
ton, about 1867. Pie went to the West
during the gold rush of 1863, and prospered

cation through attendance at the public
schools. He is also a graduate of the
Aliens Business College, and on complet-
ing his course there he entered the law
office of Newman & Blake, under whose di-

during that trip. He spent about three rection he did his preparatory reading, prior

years in the Pacific Coast country, being to entering the law department of the State

in the gold fields of California, Idaho, and University, from which he was graduated

Oregon. Then returning to Burlington, with the class of 1880, the degree of

he continued to make his home in this city Bachelor of Law being then conferred

until his death, which occurred .A.pril 4, upon him. In September of the same year

i8go. For some years he was at the head he opened an office for practice in Burling-

of the locomotive painting department of ton, and has since been a member of its

the Burlington Railroad, thus occupying a legal fraternity, gaining the prominence that

responsible position in connection with in- results from comprehensive understanding

dustrial interests in this city. He held of the principles of jurisprudence, inastery

membership in Washington Lodge, No. i, of the salient points of a case, and the clear

Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which and forceful presentation of his cause be-

he was a past noble grand. In early man-
hood he married Sarah Chambers Miller,
who was born near Downpatrick, in County
Down, Ireland, and came to the United
States when about thirteen years of age, and
is now living in Burlington. They were the
parents of eight children : William G., who
has charge of the Buffington \\'heel Works,
at Burlington ; Elizabeth ^^'eede, the wife of
W. H. Rhein, of Lander, Wyo. ; Samuel
Chambers, deceased ; John M. ; Charles and

fore court or jury. He acted as private
secretary to Judge Tracy for two years,
while the latter was president of the Bur-
lington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Rail-
road, during its construction in the North-
west. Later he formed a law partnership
with Samuel K. Tracy, a son of Judge
Tracy, who was general solicitor for the
Burlington, Cedar Rapids, & Northern Rail-
road Company, and who was succeeded
in the firm by George S. Tracy, which con-

Laura, who have passed away : Margaret nection was maintained for several years

Jones, who has been a stenographer in the
office of her brother John for twelve years :
and Olive Ruth, who since her graduation
has been a teacher in the North ( )ak pub-
lic school of Burlington. The father and

under the style of Tracy & Mercer, the dis-
solution of the partnership occurring in
1891. In June, 1904, Mr. Mercer was
joined in a partnership by his son, Herbert
]\[iller Mercer, and the firm stvle is now

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEW

Mercer & Mercer. Tluir clientage is large
and of an important character, and the de-
mands which his professional duties make
upon John M. Mercer leave him little
leisure time for outside interests. He is
professionally and financially interested in
several leading enteqiriscs of the city, being
vice-president, solicitor, and a director in
the Tabor-Burns Paper Box Company, and
one of the incorporators, directors, and so-
licitors for the Evans Automatic Car
Coupler Company, of Burlington, organized
for the purpose of manufacturing an auto-
matic coupler which is pronounced by ex-
perts the most practical coupler ever tested.
The patents therefor have recently been
issued and manufacture of the couplers will
be proceeded with.

Mr. Mercer is a Democrat, and in former
years was very active in the party councils.
He served as clerk of Burlington township
for four years, was surveyor of customs for
four years under President Cleveland's first
administration, city clerk for eight years,
and city attorney for two years. In recent
years he has not been active in the work of
the party, his profession demanding all of
his time and energies, and yet in the per-
formance of his duties of citizenship he is
never remiss, and labors earnestly and ef-
fectively for the welfare of his adopted
city. Fraternally, he is connected with
Iowa Camp, \o. 98. Modern Woodmen of
America, and has represented the local or-
ganization in both the State and national
camps. He became a charter member when
the camp was organized in Burlington in
May, 1885, and was its first camp clerk;
during the nine years last ])ast he has
acted in that capacity. He is also a mem-
ber of the Royal Neighbors and the Fra-
ternal L'nion, and was a charter member

of Lodge Xo. 89, Benevolent and Protective
Order of P'lks, and a member of Flint Hills
F^odge, \o. 39, Knights of I^ythias. His
religious faith is indicated by his member-
ship in the 13a])tist church. He ser^•ed for
live terms as moderator of the Baptist As-
sociation and for five consecutive terms as
trustee anil deacon of the Walnut Street
Baptist church. He was also for many
years a trustee and for several years secre-
tary of the board of trustees of Burlington
University, more recently known as Bur-
lington Institute.

On Feb. 23, 1881, Mr. Mercer was
married to Miss Jennie M. Bernard, a
daughter of Cornelius and Martha M.
( White) Bernard. Her father was one of
the pioneer settlers of Des Moines county
and a public-spirited man, who aided in the
growth and development of the city, contrib-
uting largely to its material improvement.
He helped in a financial way to develop
the street railway system and the railroads
leailing out of the city to the north. Coming
to the West from \'ermont, he lived for
many years in Burlington, one of its capital-
ists and leading men. His widow still
survives him, and makes her home with her
children. Mrs. Mercer was born and reared
in Burlington, and is a member of the
Stars and Stripes Chapter of the Daughters
of the .American Revolution, being de-
scended in the maternal line from five
ancestors who fought in the war for inde-
pendence.

Mr. and Mrs. Mercer have four children :
Herbert Miller, Harry Bernard. Ralph Paul,
and Jane Annette. The second and third
sons are in the employ of the Tabor- Bums
Paper Box Company, while the eldest son
is practicing law with his father. He ac-
quired his education in the Burlington public

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

schools, the BurHngton Institute, and the
State University, from the law department
of which he was gradviated with the degree
of Bachelor of Law in 1904. He is now
the junior member of the law firm of Mercer
& Mercer. This name has long figured
prominently in connection with the legal
records of the city, for John M. Mercer
possesses the strong mental force, marked
individuality, laudable ambition, and un-
swerving purpose which are ever concomi-
tants of successful accomplishment.

EMIL G. BANDLEON.

Emil G. Bandleox, vice-president and
secretary of the Wyman & Rand Company,
is a notable example of a feature in the
business world to-day, — that is, it is the
young men who are at the head of the lead-
ing business concerns of the country, in-
fusing their enterprise and energy into the
commercial, industrial, and professional
world, with the result that America has
become a commercial center of the world.
Mr. Bandleon is now active in the man-
agement of one of the leading mercantile
houses of Burlington, — Wyman & Rand,
Incorporated, wholesale and retail dealers
in carpets, rugs, draperies, curtains, furni-
ture, and china and glassware.

Emil G. Bandleon was born in Burling-
ton, April 26, 1876, a son of George and
Nancy (Pfister) Bandleon. The father
was born in Heidenheim, Wurtemberg,
Germany, and the mother's birthplace was
also in that locality. The ancestry of the
Bandleon family can be traced back to
France, and the grandfather, after serving
in the Napoleonic wars, went to Germany.

George Bandleon learned the cabinet-
making trade in his native country, and
after coming to America in 1855, he es-
tablished his home in Burlington, Iowa,
where he resumed his labors along that line.
He had remained a resident of this city for
some time when gold was discovered in
California, but he did not tarry long after
that, being among the first to go to the
mines. He spent some years on the Pa-
cific Coast, being quite successful in his
search for gold, and then returned over-
land to Burlington, where he built what was
later known as the Lower Town Brewery.

Entering into partnership with his half-
brother, George Bosch, they began the op-
eration of their plant, which stood at the
intersection of what is now Angular and
Main Streets. The firm soon secured a
large trade and conducted a prosperous
business until 1884, when the prohibition
law of Iowa went into effect, and they dis-
continued their business, Mr. Bandleon re-
tiring permanently, and throughout his
remaining days enjoyed a well-merited rest.
He died at the age of fifty-nine years, and
is. still survived by his wife. They had
two children : Mattie, now the widow of
Charles H. Wyman ; and Emil G. The
father was also interested in other business
enterprises of the city, and his labors con-
tributed to its industrial and commercial
activity, as well as to his individual success.

Emil G. Bandleon was educated in the
public schools of Burlington, being gradu-
ated from both the ward and high schools,
while later he pursued a commercial course
in Elliott's Business College. Shortly after
the completion of his studies he entered the
house of Wyman & Rand as assistant book-
keeper, later becoming head bookkeeper,
and after the death of Charles Rand he pur-

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEW

chased his stock in ihe concern, and was
elected vice-president, while subsecjuently
he was also chosen secretary. He entered
the firm in 1894. The business was estab-
lished in 1852, and incorporated in 1903.
They conduct a wholesale and retail trade
in carpets and rugs, mattings, curtains, wall-
paper, wood mantels, tiling, parquet floor-
ing, furniture, and china and glassware at
313 to 317 Jcflferson Street, and both de-
partments of the business have a good pat-
ronage, so that the sales reach a large
annual figure, and the stockholders receive
a good return from their investment. The
policy of the house is indicated by the
prompt attention given orders, the courtesy
shown to patrons, and the straightforward
methods which characterize every trade re-
lation.

Mr. Bandleon in his mercantile career
displays the traits which are in keeping with
the progressive spirit of modern business
life, being watchful of every opportunity,
and carefully considering every step made,
that it may be one of advancement, bring-
ing him continually nearer the goal of de-
sired success. His political support is
given the Republican i)arty, and his social
relations are indicated by his membershiii
with Lodge No. ?<7,, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of I-:iks, the Burlington Golf
Club, and ilu- I'.nrlington Boating .Asso-
ciation.

CASWELL HANNA.

To trace the genealogy of Mr. Hanna,
anil toll the story of his inuncdiatc and
remote ancestors in their struggle with
the hard conditions of life in the New
World, would be in large measure to

write the history of the .American people.
The story of the hardy and fearless pio-
neers, who in the early days followed the
westward-moving frontier of civilization,
is an inspiring one, and the record of their
achievements reveals the causes of our
national greatness and power. On the
paternal side, the first .American ancestor
of our subject was the grandfather, who
emigrated frcim Ireland at a very early
date, in company with his two brothers,
and settled in the Carolinas. Thence he
afterward removed to Indiana, and the
original homestead which he purchased in
Union county, that State, is now owned
by his grandson, the farm being operated
at the present time by a great-grandson.
His son, James Craig Hanna, father of
Caswell Hanna, was born in the State of
North Carolina, Oct. 19, 1793, removed to
Union county. Indiana, at about eighteen
years of age, and there remained until
^^^7, when he decided to try his fortune
in the more remote West. In Indiana he
did farming to some extent, but also con-
ducted a grocery store, and was a stock-
buyer, buying hogs and shipping to the
Cincinnati market. On coming to Iowa,
however, he purchased, in .\ugusta town-
ship, Des Moines county, the farm on
which our subject now resides, and de-
voted his linic exclusively to agriculture.
He ])laced a portion of the land under
cultivation, began the work of clearing
away the forests, and erected a commodi-
ous log house, in which he established
himself and family in cifcunistances of
comparative comfort. There he resided
until his death, which occurred at his
home on Sept. i, 1839. after a short illness
of one week, which was the result of an
injury accidentally received. He was a

CASWF.Ll. HANNA.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

man of progressive tendencies, and in his
political affiliations was a lifelong member
of the Democracy.

While residing in Indiana, James Craig
Hanna wedded Miss Eleanor Crawford, a
member of one of the well-known old
families of Virginia. She was born about
fifteen miles from the city of Richmond,
Va., on July 25, 1793, and resided at the
place of birth until about fifteen years of
age, at which time she removed with her
parents to Indiana. It was in that State
that she received her education, and there
also she was married to Mr. Hanna. They
were the parents of eight children, of
whom our subject is the only one now
living, as follows : Elizabeth A., born July
16, 1814; William C, born March i, 1816;
Phoebe, born Oct. 16, 1818; James L.,
born May 5, 1822; Mary Jane, born Nov.
13, 1824; Rebecca, born June 19, 1827;
Sylvester, born Nov. 29, 1829; and Cas-
well, who is the 3'oungest of the family.
Eleanor Crawford Hanna was, during her
early life, a member of the Presbyterian
church, but there being no organization of
that persuasion in Danville, she joined
the Congregational society on her re-
moval to Iowa. She died Nov. 11, 1856,
■and both she and her husband are buried
in Blakeway cemetery, Augusta township.
Mr. Hanna chose this place, and was the
third man to be buried there.

Caswell Hanna, whose name lends title
to the present review, was born Oct. 24,
1832, in Union county, Indiana, where he
resided until his fifth year. He then re-
moved with his ])arents to Iowa, arriving
in Des Moines county in the month of
November, 1837, ^"d located on the farm
which he still occupies. He received his
first knowledge of books in the rural dis-

trict school near his home, the school be-
ing conducted in a log schoolhouse which
his father had furnished the money to
build. He was ambitious of still farther
advancement along the paths of educa-
tional progress, however, and afterward
pursued courses of study both at Daven-
port and at Mount Pleasant, thus acquir-
ing an excellent preparation for the du-
ties of active life. On the completion of
his education he returned home and took
charge of the farm, where he has ever
since continued, with the exception of a
lirief period spent in Nebraska. His
mother acted as his housekeeper until her
demise, which occurred when he was
twenty-four years of age. He engaged
very successfully in general farming, and
also to some extent in stock-raising. In
fact, such was his success that he was en-
abled to erect a large and substantial
dwelling-house, a large barn, and other
necessary buildings, and moreover added
one hundred and twenty acres to the farm.
He himself purchased the home farm
from the heirs, and with what he has
added to this his holdings now aggregate
two hundred and sixty-two acres of rich
and productive agricultural lands located
in Augusta and Danville townships.

On May 30, i860. Mr. Hanna was
united in marriage to Miss I-Vances Ellen
Ainsworth, a daughter of Elijah and
Electa (Fox) Ainsworth. The father of
Mrs. Hanna was born in Mindeti, N. Y.,
whence he removed to Watertown, in the
same State. In the latter place he resided
for a numlier of years. l)ut came West in
the fall of 1846. and located at West
Point, Lee count}'. In 1848 he removed
to a farm near .\ugusta, Des Moines
county, where he engaged in agricultural

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IFJV

pursuits until tlu- linn- i)f liis death,
wliich dcciirrfd Aug. 30. 1864. His
widow, wlio was born in X'erniont, Dec.
II, 1812, survivctl liini many years, and
died March 6, i8<)i.

Mrs. Ilanna is, like our subject, de-
scended from old colonial ancestry, and
her great-prandfatber. Daniel Ainsworth,
\vho was born at Woodstock. Conn., Oct.
21, 1724, served in the Trench and Indian
War in 1738, under Col. John Murray,
and later as a soldier of the Revolutionary
War. He married, first, Sarah Uuffbee,
and for his second wife, Elizabeth Corbin,
of Dudley, Mass. His death occurred in
the year 1810, at Cherry Valley, N. Y.
In the maternal line the great-grand-
fatlur of Mrs. Hanna was William Fox,
wlio was born June 28, 1760, ])robably at
Nevvburg, X. Y. When he was but two
years of age his father died, and bis
mother returned with her two small boys
to her native place. Woodstock, Conn.
Altbougb be was but little more than
sixteen years old at the lime of the revolt
of the colonies from liritisb rule, he en-
listed in the Continental army, and bore
a man's part as a soldier of the Revolu-
tionary W ar.

To Mr. and Mrs. Ilanna have been
born three children, as follows: Charles
Henry, now engaged in the coal and ice
business at Garden City, Kans., married
Miss Minnie Roberts, of Missouri, and
they have two children, Ross l-'lmo and
Lola Helen ; Emily, who is at home with
her parents: and Willis Ross, who also
resides at the ])arental home, antl ojier-
ates his father's large farm.

Mr. Hanna is eminently fitted by nat-
ural ability and educational advantages
for leaderslii]), ;ind affairs of ])ractical

politics have always absorbed a large pro-
portion-of his thought and activity. He
is well known as a prominent and influ-
ential worker for the success of the Dem-
ocratic party in Des .Moines county ; and
such is the popularity he enjoys, and such
the trust reposed in him by his fellow-
citizens, that he has held ])ul)lic office
continuously for more than hall a cen-
tury, or since he was twenty-one years of
age. and it may be said in explanation of
this remarkable record, that he has at all
times justified the confidence of the peo-
])le. I'or a long term of years he held the
office of justice of the peace, and during
that time it was universally recognized
by his constituents that his rulings were
dictated by a sense of absolute justice be-
tween man and man without regard to
weallii or station. Since 1872, or for a
period of thirty-three years, he has been
district and township treasurer of the
school board of .Vugusta township
schools, as well as being elected to a num-
ber of other offices of trust, and has done
much for the cause of education, in which
he is a firm believer, regarding it as the
basis of free institutions. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church, in
which for many years he held the office of
trustee, and has ever been active in relig-
ious and humanitarian work. In politics
he has always been on the side of protect-
ing the jnirity of the ballot and safeguard-
ing the popular liberties, and in religion
his name is identified with liberal and
charitable ideas and views. By reason of
his long residence here, his well-known
and varied abilities, his success in what-
ever he has attem])ted, his honorable
share in advancing the moral, material,
and si)iritual welfare of his community,

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

his steadfast devotion to the cause of
ri,q-Iit and justice, and his adiiiiralile Chris-
tian character, he has become known,
by reputation, at least, throughout Des
Moines county, and enjoys amicable in-
tercourse with a large number of friends,
and is esteemed and respected wherever
known.

James Lewis Hanna was born near
Dunlapsville, Union county, Ind., May 5,
1822, and died at his home in Des Moines
•county, Iowa, Sept. 27, 1895, aged seven-
ty-three years, four months, and twenty-
two days.

He removed to Iowa with his father's
family in September of 1837, and was
united in marriage to Elizabeth Moore,
Jan. 8, 1846. To this union were born
five daughters and three sons, as follows:
Mrs. Rebecca Phillips, who now resides
at the old family home; Mrs. Frances
Rhodes, of New London, Iowa ; Mrs.
Mary E. Alexander, now deceased; Mrs.
Sadie Melcher, of Burlington ; Dr. Harry
Zaiser ; J. M. Hanna, of Des Moines,
Iowa; Mrs. Bettie Cleaver, of Keokuk,
Iowa ; and Dr. W . B. Hanna. of Chicago,
111.

It was forty-five years prior to his de-
mise that he located on the farm which
was the scene of that sad event. Had he
lived until Jan. 8, 1896, he would have
celebrated his fiftieth wedding anni\-er-
sary. He was converted to the faith of
Christianity at the watch-night meeting
at Long Creek Methodist Episcopal
church, and united with that church on
Jan. I, 1S51). under the pastorate of Rev.
J. C Thompson, ever after continuing
one of the faithful members until his
death. He was alwavs readv to advance

the true interests of the church by every
means in his power, counted no self-sac-
rifice too great which contributed to that
end. He was among the early pioneers
of Danville township, and bore his part
niantuUy and courageously in endiu^ing
the hardships incident to the settlement
of a new country. He was a public-
spirited man, with advanced ideas as to
culture and education, earnestly second-
ing all early ambition in his children.

During the latter years of his life he
was severely afflicted, and fully -realized
the uncertainty of life, always expressing-
his willingness to die when the time
should come. Truly hath (iod taken
home unto himself a good man. I-"uneral
services were conducted by Rev. George
Filmer. on Sept. 29, 1895, ^t Long Creek
Methodist Episcopal church.

A very large number of old acquaint-
ances, relatives and friends attended the
funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Hanna at Long
Creek church, at eleven o'clock, Thurs-
day morning, Jan. 15, 1903. The services
were conducted by Reverend Crull.

Elizabeth Moore was born near
Moundsville, W. Va., the eldest child of
Francis and Anna Moore. She came to
Iowa in 1S31). and was married to James
Lewis Hanna Jan. 8, 1846. On the farm
on which she died she lived for fifty-two
years, dying Jan. 12, 1903, aged eighty-
four years, two months, and twenty-
six days. She was the mother of five
daughters and three sons, and there were
twenty grandchildren, sixteen of whom
are still li\ing. and three great-grand-
children. One brother, W. R. Moore,
and two sisters, Mrs. Sarah Jester and
Mrs. Maggie I'arriolt. sur\i\e her.

H10GR.WHR.il Rlil I Elf

She was ci>nvcrti-<l and united witli tin-
Methodist Episcopal church when four-
teen years of ajj;e. and was a loyal, con-
sistent nienilter for seventy years. I'ntil
incapacitated by the infirmities of age,
she was ever faithful in the discharge of
her formal religious duties, considering
it no sacrifice to deny herself that she
might assist in advancing the mission of
the church, .^lie was a tlevoted mother,
and always enjt>yed the society of young
peo|)le. As a neighbor she was most
kin<l and helpful. She longed to go to her
heavenly home, having the fidl assurance
of a blessed entrance.

JOHN W. VAN OSDOL.

The name which intro<luces this review is
one well known to the citizens of Des Moines
county, where he was born Jan. 20, 1844,
being the son of William and Hannah
(Banta) Van Osdol, both of whom were
natives of Kentucky. The father was lx>rn
in 1816, and was a miller by trade. When a
boy. he emigrated to Indiana with his par-
ents, settling in Switzerland county, where he
grew to manhood, and where he was married.
He came to Des .Moines county at an early
day, and purchased eighty acres of partly im-
proved land in Section 4, Hcnton township,
and there lived for si.\ or eight years. Later
he bought a farm in Franklin townshi]>.
where lie settk-<l tor a short time, and then
purchased the site of the old I'ranklin Mills,
lie built the original mill, which was used as
a sawmill, but afterward converted it into a
flouring-mill. and there he lived. carr\ ing on
the business of milling until 1856.

After being engaged in the niercaiitilc

business in Mt. I'leasant for four years, he
bought a farm in Section 33, Benton town-
ship, where he lived till his death, which
occurred Oct. 3. 1868. He was a public-
spirited man, and was ever ready to do his
duty in matters pertaining to the welfare of
the community. L'pon the death of Mr. Van
( )sdol. his widow removed to Mediapolis,
where she resided for some twenty-four
years, until her death in July, 1892, at the age
of sixty-seven years, and was buried by the
side of her husband in the cemetery at
Franklin Mills.

They were the parents of twelve children,
of whom ten are living: Mehala, widow of
J. W. McDonald, resides in .Mediapolis;
Melissa, widow of J. W. King, and also a
resident of Mediajjolis; Martha, has been a
teacher in the high school for many years ;
John \\'., our subject: .Melinda. wife of T.
.*>. I'oole. a .Methodist minister now located
on -Mt. Pleasant circuit, whose daughter
l-vdia is a missionary in India; Mary, wife
of Nicholas Boyce, of Iowa City; Jane, wife
of Henry Walker, of Mediapolis; Anna, now
.Mrs. Frank Corder, of .Mediajjolis ; Minnie,
the wife of .\lbert Hollinger, of Burlington,
Iowa; and Birdie, who married John I'iper,
and lives in .Mediapolis.

( )ur subject received his early education
in the common schools of Franklin township
and in the high school in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
.Although only eighteen years old. on his
country's call for preservation by her pa-
triotic sons he enlisted, -Aug. 19. 1862, in
Company (i. Twenty-fifth Regiment Iowa
N'olunteer Infantry, at Mt. Pleasant, and
was discharged at X'icksbnrg in 1864, im-
mediately re-enlisting in Company H,
I-'orty-fifth Regiment Iowa Volunteer In-
fantry. He participated in the battles of
I'hickasaw llavou. .\rkansas Post, was also

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

at the fampus siege of Vicksburg, and was
honorably discharged at Keokuk, Iowa, in
September, 1864. After his discharge he
returned to the home of his father, who at
that time resided in Benton township, and
remained on the farm assisting his father
three years ; after which he went to Medi-
apohs, where he was engaged in the stock
and grain business for four years, in partner-
ship with his brother-in-hiw, J. W. McDon-
ald, doing a successful business under the
firm name of McDonald & Company. They
erected a large elevator, which is still the
only one in Mediapolis, and conducted an
extensive and prosperous business. In 1876
they sold the elevator and business, and Air.
Van Osdol rented the farm of two hundred
and eighty acres which he has now owned
for several years, and which he bought in
October, 1892. His farm is now all under
cultivation, and he has made substantial im-
provements upon it, erecting a handsome
two-story frame house, a commodious and
modern barn, as well as other necessary
buildings, and is now engaged in raising
a high grade of hogs and cattle, besides
carrying on general farming quite exten-
sively.

Oct. 10, 1867, occurred the marriage of
Mr. Van Osdol and Miss Lydia Poole, who
was born in Benton township, on the farm
which is now her home. She is the daughter
of Robert and Lydia (Saddler) Poole. Her
father was born in Clarke county, Ohio,
Aug. 3, 1817. his parents being born in
Virginia. Air. and Airs. Poole were married
in 1839, and in 1841 the young couple
emigrated to Iowa, which was then only
slightly improved. The land was unbroken,
and fierce wolves and wild deer roamed over
the prairie, while neighbors were far apart.
Thev bought three hundred and sixtv acres

of partly imi)ro\'e(l land, and erected a log
cabin, in which they lived in true pioneer
style for the next ten years, when Mr.
Poole erected a large and handsome res-
idence. Other improvements were made
from year to year, and the farm was in-
creased to four hundred acres.

It was upon this place that their six
children were born, two of whom died in
infancy. The others are : Nancy E., who
married William Foster, of Mediapolis ;
Thomas S., educated in a private school in
Burlington, and also in a conmiercial college
in Chicago, now a minister of the Methodist
Episcopal church, stationed at Bentonsport,
Iowa, being ordained in 1878 ; Lydia, wife of
John Van Osdol, of this review ; Eliza
Josephine, wife of Samuel V. AlcCallister,
of Columbus, Ohio.

Air. Poole retired from farming in 1881,
and moved to Mediapolis, where he lived
retired till his death, which occurred Sept. 6,
1894. Airs. Poole died Jan. 27, 1896, and
both were buried at Kossuth, Yellow
Springs township. They were active Chris-
tians from early childhcK^d, and took a prom-
inent jaart in church and Sunday-school
work, being for many years members of the
Alethodist Episcopal church, and active in
organizing and building the church at Tama-
town, Benton township. Air. Poole was
steward of the church for over forty years,
and one of its most liberal supporters, and
in 1884 was lay delegate to the Iowa annual
conference. He was also justice of the peace
for twenty years and town.ship clerk for
many terms. They were greatly comforted
by seeing all of their children become Chris-
tian men and women, and happily situated
in life.

L^nto Mr. and Airs. Van Osdol were bom
three children, all living in Des Aloines

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

coiiniy : Thomas ( )., was bom in Benton
township. June 21, i8^>8. He was educated
in the common schools, finisliing with two
years at Mediapolis. He married Miss Mat-
tie L. Walker, daughter of Isaac and Han-
nah (Frientl) Walker, and tliex have four
children, all born in Henton township: Alma,
Mary, John, antl Wren. They live on part of
tlie home place, where he is engaged in
farming. He is secretary of the Benton
township school board. Xora M.. married
James R. Walker, son of Isaac and Hannah
(Friend) Walker, and they also live on a
part of Mr. Van Osdol's farm, and have
had seven children : Jay, RoUic, Ralph, Dale,
Thomas, deceased, Howard, deceased, as is
also an unnamed infant. Zora M., is a mem-
ber of the class of 1907, Iowa Wesleyan
University at Mt. Pleasant, low'a.

Mr. Van Osdol is a member of the
Tamatown Methodist church, of Benton
township, and has been one of the trustees
for some years. In politics lie gives alle-
giance to the Republican party, and has
been the school treasurer for his district for
eighteen years. The welfare of the town-
shi]). the needs of the church, and the sup-
port of e<lucation are all subjects in wliii.-li
he is much interested. Me is a man of Ijroad
and liberal views, and this, together with the
upright moral life he has led. makes him of
great value in the comiininity. where his
friends are without number.

FRANK M. SMITH.

As an eminent 1\ successful farmer and
business man and a n'ember of one of
the older and lietter-known families of
Des Moines countv, Frank M. Smith oc-

cupies in tiie community a position of
considerable prominence. He is now re-
siding on his large farm of three hundred
and twenty acres in Section 15, Pleasant
throve township, and besides the pursuit
of agriculture is interested in a number
of other prosperous enterjirises. Mr.
Smith was born in this township on
.March jo. 1848, a son of Andrew J. and
Jane (Westfall) Smith. The father was
a native of the Olil Dtjminion, and was
liorn in Washington county, that State,
Dec. 28, 181 1, first coming westward with
his parents in 1817 and locating in Clarke
county, Indiana. I'rom Indiana he came
to Des Moines county, Iowa, in 1H43, ar-
riving on the first day of May in that
year, and settling in Pleasant Grove
townshii). He was a poor man, his entire
cajjital at that lime being about sixteen
dollars in money; but he secured work
plowing up the virgin ])rairie for other
settlers, and by strenuous effort soon
placed himself upon an independent foot-
ing, besides li(|uidaling some iiulebted-
ness which he had previously incurred.

A few years after his arrival in the
State he purchased a farm of eighty acres
in this townshi]). and on .\pril 18, 1847,
he married Miss Westfall. .\ (piick per-
ce])lion of oi^iJortunity and an unfailing
attention to his work marked him in all
that he di<l. and he ra])idly achieved pros-
periiN on a large scale. He increased his
original ])urchase of land from time to
time, and at one period was the owner of
one thousand and three hundred acres in
Des Moines county. His main interests
were farming and the raising and feed-
ing of cattle and high-grade stock. Hard
and persistent work was the secret of his
success. His education was rather limited.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

and for tlie most part was obtained after
he had reached manhood's estate, but by
faithful appHcation and the exercise of
native ability he overcame this limitation.

Politically a Democrat, he was honored
by election to the office of county super-
visor, and also was for a number of years
trustee of his township. He and his
wife were supporters of the Universalist
church, which they attended. His death
occurred Dec. i6, 1903, in Pleasant Grove
township, and interment was at Pleasant
Grove cemetery. He was a man of fine,
strong, and upright character, an excel-
lent example of American manhood at its
best, and enjoyed the general respect in a
remarkable degree.

The mother of our subject was born in
Alleghany county. New York, June 20,
1829, and in girlhood came with her
parents to Iowa, where her father died
when she was quite young. She was the
mother of a large famih', there being
twelve children, all of whom still survive.
She died at Yarmouth, Washington town-
ship, in 1895.

Mr. Smith, the subject of this memoir,
received the advantage of a good training
in the district schools of his native town-
ship, and on attaining his majority pur-
chased one of his father's farms, consist-
ing of eighty acres near Yarmouth, where
he conducted operations in the line of
general farming and stock-raising for
four years, at the expiration of which
period he disposed of his holding and
removed to Page county, Iowa. At the
latter place he remained for two years,
and then returned to Pleasant Grove
township, there purchasing a farm, which
he conducted for four years. Later he
purchased, and for four years farmed one

hundred and twenty acres of land in Keo-
kuk county, and subsequently spent three
very successful years on a farm of two
hundred and ninety acres which he jjur-
chased in Jefferson county. Returning
to Des Moines county, he purchased his
present farm of three hundred and twenty
acres, which lias been the place of his
residence continuously ever since, and al-
though the land was at that time already
partially improved, he has by constant
care and the expenditure of much time,
energy, money, and thought, succeeded
in raising it far above its former condi-
tion, and made it a model of its class.
He had the misfortune to lose the original
residence building by fire, but this he has
replaced with a large and substantial
dwelling-house. liesides general farming
he has given much attention to the rais-
ing of fine stock, making a specialty of
Shorthorn cattle and Chester White hogs,
for both of which his farm has become
widely and justly celebrated. He also
raises some fine sheep and Angora goats,
having two hundred of the latter at the
present time.

On Dec. 20, 1869, Mr. Smith was united
in marriage to Miss Caroline V. Jones,
who was Born in St. Louis, Mo., a daugh-
ter of Edward and Mary A.' (Justas)
Jones. ^Ir. Jones, who was a farmer and
millwright, came to Iowa about the year
1855, locating in Washington township,
this county. He died there at a very ad-
vanced age, l)ut his widow still survives
at the age of eighty-eight years, and is
residing in St. I-ouis. They were the
parents of eigiit children. Mrs. Smith is
now deceased, her death having occurred
at the home in Pleasant Grove, Aug. 16,
i8i;9. She is buried in Pleasant Grove

BIOGRAl'HKAL RH JLH'

township. She was a member of the
Cumberland I'reshyterian church, a
woman of beautiful ciiaracter, a devoted
wife, and a loving mother, and in turn
was beloved by all. To Mr. and Mrs.
Smith were born four children, all born
in Washington townshii). as follows: .Al-
bert J., now engaged in the hotel and liv-
ery business at Burnside, 111., married
Miss Ellen Wasson. at Pleasant Grove:
Edward A., now residing on his farm in
Pleasant Grove townshij). married Miss
Elizabeth Wasson. daughter of .\. J.
Wasson, a pioneer settler of this town-
ship, and they had four children, Myrtle,
Clarence, Leo, and one child which died
in infancy; Mary J., wife of John F. Des-
pain of Pleasant Grove township, has
five children, Roy, Earl, Cecil, Ruby, and
Gladdys ; and Minnie, who married
Thomas J. Lee, a farmer of Henry county,
Iowa, and has two children, Francis and
Mabel.

Mr. Smith has long taken ])art in puidic
affairs as a leading member of the Demo-
cratic party, and has occupied the office
of director of schools for the past seven-
teen years, being ])articularly interested
in all that ])ertains to education, and be-
lieving that tlurein lies tJK- chief security
of popular liberties. Two years ago he
was elected to the office of township trus-
tee, which he still holds, and as one ac-
customed to the details of practical busi-
ness his administration has been one of
uniform efficiency. Tie is a director of
the Henry County ■i\li|ilii>iu- Company,
holds the same office in the Yarmouth
Mutual Telephone Company, and never
refuses supjit^rt to any worthy project
looking toward fnitluring tin- host inter-
ests of the contmimitv in which his

career is being passed. Eminently con-
servative, he is nevertheless not inimical
to progressive and liberal views, and his
jiosition is distinctly one of recognized
leadership in many lines.

JOHN ROSS SUTHERLAND. D. D.

Dr. Jou.n Ross Sutherland, pastor of
the First Presbyterian church of Burling-
ton since February, 1896, was born in Ox-
ford county, Ontario, a son of Alexander
Campbell and .Margaret (Ross) Sutherland.
His father was born in Sutherlandshire,
Scotland, representing one of the oldest
families of that land, the shire being named
in honor of his ancestors. Earlier genera-
tions of the family became prominent in
business and professional life. Alexander
C. Sutherland was reared to manhood in
his native country, and was there married,
his wedding journey being a trip to Canada,
where he settled, turning his attention to a
general contracting business. He resided
there imtil his death, becoming successful in
business life and prominent in local political
circles, being recognized as one of the lead-
ers of the Conservative party. He did not
seek office, however, but wielded a wide
influence in matters affecting general wel-
fare. An active member of the Presbyterian
church, he served for many years as one of
its elders. His death occurred in 1889, and
his wife survived him for only a few hours,
passing away on the night following his
burial. They were the |«rents of seven
children.

Dr. Sutherland acquired his early edu-
cation in the schools of his native town, and
prepared for college at the grammar school

DES AIOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

in Woodstock, Ontario, subsequent to vvliich
time he matriculated in Knox College,
Toronto, and later continued his studies in
Toronto University. His preparation for
the ministry was made as a student in Au-
burn Theological Seminary at Auburn,
N. Y., and in the JNIcCormick Theolog-
ical Seminary in Chicago, 111., following
which he was ordained by the presbytery
at Indianapolis, Ind. His first pastorate
was at Grand Haven, Mich., where he
remained for six years, his labors there
being crowned with marked success, his
church growing in numerical and spiritual
strength. At one time eighty-seven people
were received into the church as the result
of special meetings held by Dr. Sutherland.
At other times additions were made to the
membership, and thus the church grew in
strength and in the power of its influence.
On leaving Grand Haven Dr. Sutherland
accepted a call from the First Presbyterian
church at Jacksonville. 111., to succeed Dr.
Glover, who had been pastor for thirty-
seven years. His services there covered
four years, and during that time the church
edifice was destroyed by fire, and he lost
thereby his library and manuscripts. His
congregation then worshiped with the Cen-
tral church, of which Dr. Harsha was
pastor. Dr. Harsha and Dr. Sutherland re-
signed their pastorates with the view to hav-
ing the two churches unite, and the latter
then accepted a call from the First church
of Rockford. 111. He went from that place
after a successful pastorate of five years
in response to a call from the Second Pres-
byterian church of Pittsburg, Pa., and in
the latter city became prominent in a move-
ment to consolidate the Second and Third
churches under his pastorate. It was the
intention of the amalgamated congregation

to occupy the Third church building and to
sell the property of the Second church, the
proceeds of the sale to be used as an en-
dowment for institutional work. About
fifty members of the Second church, how-
ever, opposed the movement on the ground
that they were strong enough to maintain a
separate church organization. The con-
solidation, however, was consummated ; but
those who were opposed presented a protest
to the synod during the absence of Dr.
Sutherland, and on learning of this, he re-
signed, although opposed in this step by
the almost unanimous vote of his parish-
ioners. He then supplied the pulpit of the
Central Presbyterian church in Buffalo,
N. Y., during the absence of its regular
pastor in Europe, until called to Burlington,
Iowa, as pastor of the h'irst Presbyterian
church of this city, .\fter his arrival here
the First church building was partly des-
troyed by fire, and the edifice was rebuilt
and redecorated. Other material improve-
ments have been made, and the church has
also grown spiritually, while the work has
been carried on successfully in various lines
of church activity. Dr. Sutherland has
twice been a member of the general assem-
bly, and is now a member of the special
committee of the general assembly on min-
isterial sustentation. The degree of Doctor
of Divinity was bestowed upon him by
Wooster University of Ohio.

Dr. Sutherland has directed his efforts
into the lecture field and the realms of lit-
erature. He has been a frequent contributor
to magazines, and he is a member of the
"Victoria Institute, the philosophical society
of Great Britain, He has also been a suc-
cessful lecturer upon popular subjects. His
writing Embraces a witle range, his con-
sideration being given to the great economic

RIOGRAPHIC

and sociological jjroblcms as well as those
which have direct bearing upon the church
and its work. He has now under |)rc|)ara-
tion a work on the ApocalyiJse. and he has
delivered a course of lectures on that book.
Dr. Sutherland is identified with the .Ma-
sonic fraternity as a member of King Solo-
mon Lodge, No. 53, Free and Accepted
Masons, which he joined at Woodstock, On-
tario, blit he has never taken an active part
in its work. He was married to Miss
Adclia Mathews Atkin, of New York City,
and they have three living children : Mrs.
Margaret J. Sprole, Florence M., and
Frances (i. Without invidious distinction
Dr. Sutherland may be termed one of the
leading divines of the Presbyterian denomi-
nation. His latent intellectual powers have
been developed and strengthened in his
study of the great (piestions which through-
out the ages have had their effect upon
human character and destiny. His broad
humanitarianism has been manifest in ready
sympathy for those who needed the aid and
encouragement of their fellow-men.

DAVID HARRIS McKEE.

D.wii) IIakkis McKkk, i)roniiiKiit in
banking circles of Iowa, attaining prestige
becau.se of his close ap])lication, his thor-
ough mastery of every detail of the business,
and his recognition and utilization of op-
portunity, is now president of Danville State
Savings P.ank, of Danville; cashier of the
Citizens' State I'.inik, of Mediajjolis; bank
examiner for the State of Iowa; and pres-
ident of the [Jankers' Association of the
State. The honors which have been accord-
ed him have been worthily won and worn,
and lie ranks to-day willi the representative
ir.en of the .Middle West whose enterjirise

IL REVIEW

has been the resultant factor in the ui)bnild-
ing of this section of the country. He was
born .\ng. 27. 1869, in Washington county,
Iowa, his parents being Sanuiel F. and
Hannah (Harris) McKee. He attended the
[)ublic schools of his native county, and
afterward ])ursiied an academic course,
which was completed by graduation with
the class of 1888. His father was the
founder of the institution in which he ended
his school life.

After putting aside his text-books he en-
gaged as a clerk in the Washington National
I'.ank. with which he was identified for
about .seven years ; and Jan. i, i8g6, came to
the Citizens' State liank, of .Mediapolis, as
cashier, being selected for the position by
its founder, Mr. Thomas. He has since
acted in that capacity, and the success of
the institution is largely attributable to his
etTorls. The bank was organized in 1896
by John L. Thomas, who has since occupied
the i)residency, while the other officers are,
Joseph I'larton. vice-president: D. H. Mc-
Kee. cashier; and M. C Bridwell. assistant
cashier. These gentlemen constitute the
board of directors, together with S. J. Hus-
ton, J. L. Jones, John T. Beckman, Henry
r.reder, Herman Walker, .\ugust I-'. Peter-
son, (). F. Higbee, W. S. Husted. Herman
.Myers, and W. 1). Ilutchcroft. The state-
ment of the condition of the Citizens' State
r.ank at the close of the business year end-
ing Feb. 16, 1905, was as follows: —

I^.ins and Discounts . .$.;6i.825.is

Overdrafts 1.645 72

Keal I-lstalc and Personal Property 17.01 l>!o

Cash Due from Hanks .W.'VtM

$3JO,327.2i

Capital $50,000.00

Surplus 10,000.00

Undivided Protits 2,788.17

Dividends Unpaid 3,060.00

Deposits 254,479.04

$320,327.21

DES MOfXES COUXTV. I Oil' A.

The 'tollowina;' comparative statement,
showing the increase in the following prin-
cipal accounts of the bank, is an indication
of its prosperity and of that of the coni-
niunity : —

March i, 1896.

Capital $25,000.00

Surplus and Profits i6.3.6g

Deposits 14,882.65'

Loans and Discounts 27,525.30

M.VRCH I, 1S98.

Capital $25,000.00

Surplus and Profits 3.465.73

Deposits 70.890.72

Loans and Discounts 78,152,97

;M.\rch I, 1900.

Capital $25,000.00

Surplus and Profits 6,865.88

Deposits 103,548.92

Loans and Discounts 115,657.28

AL^RCH I, 1902.

Capital $50,000.00

Surplus and Profits 7,784.39

Deposits 227,723.02

Loans and Discounts 227,103.73

AL\RCH I, 1904.

Capital $50,000.00

Surplus and Profits 14,699.93

Deposits 229,771.04

Loans and Discounts 241,503.85

^L\RCH I, 1905,

Capital $50,000.00

Surplus and Profits 20,678.95

Deposits 261,631.83

Loans and Discounts 276,683.14

Paid in dividends to stockholders during this
period, $20,462.00.

W'itli ready recognition and utilization
of opportunity, David H. McKee was the
promoter and organizer of the Danville State
Savings Bank, of which W. H. Hurlbut
was chosen the first president ; but in the
second year Mr. McKee was elected presi-
dent, and has since occupied that position,
with J. H. Dodds as vice-president, and
George H. Giese, Samuel Xau, A. P. Cald-

well, 1;. W. Shepherd, and Wmids .\l. Irwin
as directors. The organization took [jlace in
1900. and the report of the bank at the close
of business, .March 31, 1905, was as fol-
lows : —

RESOURCES.

Loans and Discounts $144,707.60

Deposits in Banks 54.125.23

Real Estate 3,53i.6o

Cash 2,968.21

Expense 1,256.951

Overdrafts 381.37

$206,971.00

LI.\BILITIES.

Capital $12,000.00

Surplus 5.000.00

Profit and Loss, Interest, and Exchange 2.951.93

Cer. Demand 117.00

Deposits 186.902.07

$206,971.00

That .Mr. McKee has been instrumental
in organizing and promoting two of the
strong financial concerns of eastern Iowa,
brought to him the recognition and ap])recia-
tion of other representatives of the same line
of business activity, and led to his appoint-
ment as treasurer of the Iowa Bankers'
Association in 1903. In 1904 he was chosen
vice-president, and in June, 1905. he was
elected to the presidency of the association.
On Jan. i. 1903, he was made State bank
examiner, and is still tilling that position.

In fraternal relations he is a Mason, hav-
ing been identified with the lodge in Medi-
apoHs since 1897. Perhaps no better indica-
tion of his character and standing in banking
circles can be given than to quote from the
pamphlet published by the Iowa Bankers'
Association, June 15, 16, 1904. In the course
of the meeting, when the election of officers
was in process, .\lr. \'an \'echten, address-
ing the chair, said : —

"I desire to ])lace in nomination one whom
we know verv well, and who is hig^hlv re-

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEIV

gardcd by every member of the association,
Mr. David H. McKce, of Media]xjlis, wbo
served us so efficiently as treasurer during
the last year."

Mr. Uolch: " I desire to seconti tbe nom-
ination."

Mr. Young: " I desire to say a word in
seconding that nomination. The name of
D. H. McKee is very jjleasantly associated
with my hfe as a banker. Like some others
of you gray-haired men liere, a part of my
duties has been to ecUicate into the banking
business the boys of my town. .\iiii>ng
them, a few years ago — and I won"t tell
how many, for you might then guess David's
age — • a white-haired boy applied for a posi-
tion in the bank I have been connected with
for many years. We gave him a minor
position in that bank, which he filled so well
that from day to day he advanced in his
work, and came to be known by others as
worthy of a better position than we gave
him. They sought his services, and he has
built 11]) in an adjoining town a fine business,
and has become, I can say, a fine banker.
He has served you well as your treasurer.
I feel I am a kind of father to Dave, and
I could not refrain from asking tlie i)riv-
ilege of heartily seconding that nt)mina-
tion." (Applause.)

.Mr. Jordan: "I niove tliat the secretary
he instructed to cast the unanimous ballot
of the as.sociation for Mr. McKce as our
vice-president."

CHRIS MATHES.

The important part which Chris Mathes
has taken in advancing the material up-
building and coiumercial progress of Bur-
lington has made him one of the real u])-

builders of the city, and his labors, both
for the development of his ])rivate busi-
ness interests and for the county's welfare,
have been of such a character as to entitle
him to distinction and honor. Few men
have been so uniformly respecte<l, and his
closest friends arc found among the lead-
ing business men and citizens of promi-
nence in r.urlington.

.Mr. Mathes was born Aug. 31, 1833, in
Ludwigsharfen, on IJodensee, in Baden,
Germany^ His father, S. Mathes, was a
prominent business man of that town, in-
terested in a pottery. He was al.so a suc-
cessful teacher, and filled the jjosition of
postmaster. He became actively involved
in the revolution of 1848, sjjeaking and
writing in behalf of the cause of freedom
as o])i)ose(l to the practices of monarchical
ride, and was recognized as a leader in the
movement to secure greater liberties for
the people. He came to America in 1849,
but returned to Germany in 1850, and his
death occurred there in 1863. His wife
liore the maiden name of Julia Wiedenhorn.
and her death occurred in 1864. In their
family were four sons and four daughters.
lliose now living in America are Otto
.Mathes, a resident of Burlington: and Mrs.
l"ackler. of Cincinnati. ( )hio. ( ( )tto died
.May 10. i(p5.)

Chris Mathes, the youngest son of the
family, attended the public schools, and also
continued his studies under jirivate in-
struction. His father was serving as post-
master of Ludwigsharfen at the time of
the revolution, and his son Chris was ap-
pointed postmaster at Engen March i, 1849.
and although only fifteen and a half years of
age at the time, he successfully conducted the
office till June l, 1852, when he resigned to
come to America. He successfully passed

CHRIS MATHES.

DES MOLXRS COUXTV. IOWA.

an examination which won him the place,
and took charge of the office in a town of
two thousand inhabitants, and also had
charge of the mails for thirty-three villages,
covering five rural mail routes. He dis-
charged his duties in a most commendable
manner from IMarch, 1849. i-intil June i,
1852, when he came to the United States
in order to avoid military service in the
Fatherland. He came to this country with
a brother and sister, taking passage on the
sailing vessel, " Corinthian," bearing three
masts. They were thirty-seven days in
making the voyage from Havre, France, to
New Orleans. JNIr. Mathes brought with
him a letter of recommendation to the Ger-
man consul at New Orleans. He had in-
tended remaining there, but on account of
the yellow fever the consul advised him to go
North, and he made his way up the river to
St. Louis. He found that fever and ague
there prevailed, and being unable to obtain
employment he went to Alton, 111. The
Chicago & Alton Railroad was then being
built. He worked in a general store there
from Dec. i, 1852, until ;\Iarch, 1853, for
four dollars per month, after which he went
to Cincinnati, Ohio ; but again he was un-
successful in his search for work, and he
joined a brother in Buffalo, N. Y., where
for a year he was employed in a grocery
store.' He was able to read and write the
English language when he arrived in this
country. Some of his relatives located in
Cincinnati in 1854, and he joined them
there, finding employment in a retail store
and manufacturing drug house. He after-
ward traveled for a year in the West, South-
west, and North for a company- engaged
in the manufacture of pocketbooks and bank
cases, carrying many samples, and he found
that an cnjo\al)le occupation, for he traveled

largely by water — on the Ohio and IMissis-
sippi rivers.

Mr. Mathes arrived in Burlington Oct.
12, 1857, and bought out a candle, lard, and
oil factory, the firm of Hecker & Mathes
succeeding that of Miller & Hagenian. The
business was thus continued for four years,
when Mr. Mathes purchased his partner's
interest, becoming owner at the time that
President Lincoln was inaugurated, Alarch
4, 1 86 1. He continued business alone until
1880, being engaged in the manufacture of
soap, lard, oil, and candles, at the corner
of (Jsborn and .Agency Streets, where now
stands the hide house. In March, 1867, he
suffered through fire and the reduction in
market prices a loss of sixteen thousand
dollars. The steaming factory and rendering
establishment were completely destroyed,
but with determined purpose he set about
to retrieve his losses, and continued in
business until 1900. although he discon-
tinued his manufacturing interests in 1880.
He did not close out his tallow and hide
business, however, until 1900.

Many other business enterprises have felt
the stimulus of the efforts and keen dis-
cernment of Mr. Mathes. In 1888 he
turned his attention to the paving-brick
business, being active in the organization
of the Granite Brick Company, of which
he was secretary, treasurer, and manager
until 1902. In this enterprise he was as-
sociated with Charles Starker, E. Hage-
nian, Carl Nies, C. Heil, \\". W. Baldwin,
and the company was incorporated for
twenty-five thousand dollars. They manu-
factured paving brick exclusively, and Mr.
Mathes sold his interest to the new com-
pany in 1902. In 1876 he became a partner
of C. G. Ward, constituting the Silver
-Spring Mineral Water Company, Mr.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mathes actiiij^ as Irk ikkfi-per ami also as
si-crctary and treasurer. In 1880 he j)iir-
cliascd his partner's interest anil reor-
ganized tlic business under the name of C.
Mathes & lirother. I'ive years later he
bouj^ht his brother's interest and tcMik his
son, 11. .\. .Mathes, into the business under
the linn style of Mathes & Son. Since
Kjoo it has been carried on under the name
of 11. .\. Mathes. l-or .some years Mr.
.Mathes was also a director of the Iowa
.^tate .'Savings Hank. He has thus been the
promoter of many leading enterprises which
have contributed to the business develop-
ment of the city.

In iW/) Mr. .Mathes was one of the or-
ganizers of the German-. Vnierican School
.Association, became a director, and was
l)resident for a number of years. This
company conducted a school in llurlington,
owning ])roperty at the corner of Seventh
and Washington Streets, but when the ])ub-
lic-school system of the city was iiii|)roved,
discontinued its school.

In 1S6S Mr. Mathes was elected a mem-
ber of the county Ixiard of su]>ervi,sors for
one term, doing much for public progress
through the exercise of his official prerog-
atives. His incumbency in that position
covered fifteen years, and from January,
i8qi, until January, 1905, he served as
chairman nI the county board, his course
being eminently .satisfactory to the entire
county. He won high encomiums from
Democrats and Republicans alike, for he
never allowed ])artisan prejudice to inter-
fere with the faithful performance of his.
dutie.'^. In 1892, under his regime, new
countv insane asylum and intiniKiry build-
ings were erected, at a cost of about fifteen
thousand dollars, but these were destroyed
by fire on the 15th of July, 1901. With the

exception of one shed all of the buildings
were burned, twelve in number, including
the barns as well as the hou.se. In 1902
new buildings were erecteil, including the
county asylum, infirmary, barns, and other
out-buildings — a blacksmith sho]), engine
house, and others, — making in all twelve
buildings. These buildings for the inniate>
are of stone and, brick. lessening the liability
of fire, and the cost of construction was
seventy thousand dollars. The barns and
ice-house are frame structures. .Mr. .Mathes
was chairman of the board of supervisors
at the time when all these improvements
were made. During his incumbency over a
hundred steel bridges were erected, to-
gether with a large number of stone cul-
verts and arches. It was his plan to make
improvements of a lasting and permanent
character, and he thus did much for the
county along the line of substantial im-
provement. In 1882 he served as alderman
at large of lUirlington. Mr. .Mathes gave
his political support to the Republican
party until 1883, when the prohibition law
went into effect and demoralized all the in-
dustries that he had fostered. He then
joined the ranks of the Democracy, and
has since been one of its advocates. He
was nominated and elected to a position on
the board of supervi.sors without his solici-
tation, and was re-elected again and again
when other candidates on his ticket were
defeated — a fact which indicated his per-
sonal popularity and slK)wed the confidence
reposed in him by his fellow townsmen.
.■\gain he was a candidate in i(X>4, but in
that year, in the great Re])ul)lican landslide.
he was defeated, which has been a matter
of uniform regret, exjiressed by Repub-
licans as well as Democrats, for no county
supervisor has done as much for the county

DES MOINES COUNTY. 10 IV A.

as did Air. Mathes, whose first interest
seemed always the welfare of the general
public, and whose efforts were of a most
practical and far-reaching character. He
assisted in organizing, in if^qj, the State
Association of County Supervisors at Des
Moines, and was its first president. In 1893
he organized the Board of Supervisors'
Association of the First Congressional Dis-
trict, was its president the second year and
again in 1903. He is now the oldest mem-
ber of the board of supervisors of the State.

Mr. Mathes became a charter member
of the Commercial Club upon its formation
in 1888, and has since been identified there-
with. He became one of the seventv-five
charter members of the Crystal Lake Club.
is now serving as one of its directors, and
was vice-president for many years.

In Burlington, in 1859, Mr. Mathes was
married to Miss Rosa Seibel, who was born
in Germany and came to this city in 1857,
her parents having previously died. They
have two children : Herman A., the elder, is
agent for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing
Company at Burlington, and has his own
bottling works. He married Miss Petty
Heil, and they have a son, William A., who
is with the Bicklen-Winzer \Miolesale Gro-
cery Company. The daughter, Ottillie J.,
at home, was for several years chairman of
the program committee of the Woman's
Musical Club, of this city, which indicates
her position in musical circles here. The
family home is at 726 North Fourth Street,
and was erected in 1871. Mr. Mathes is
recognized as a man of unfaltering honor
and integrity, who has a wide acquaintance
in this city and throughout the State, and
his friends are among the leading repre-
sentatives of business and social circles in
Des Moines countv.

SURPRISED SUPERN'I.SOR

Hon. Cliris. Mathes Presented a Beautifnl
Loving Cup. A Token, of the Apprecia-
tion of Long and Faithful Service. Judge
Pozver Made Presentation.

One of the happiest incidents that has
ever taken place within the grim walls of
the county building occurred at eleven
o'clock yesterday morning. The board of
supervisors was busy at work, complet-
ing Mts labors and getting ready to make
way for the new board, several of the new
officials were patiently waiting to be sworn
into office, the auditor was closing up his
books, preparatory to handing them over
to his successor, when Judge J. C. Power
stepped into the office, followed by a delega-
tion of perhaps "fifteen or twenty, includ-
ing a bunch of newspaper men and other
good citizens. The judge begged to in-
terrupt the proceedings of the board, and
immediately addressed himself to the chair-
man and to the assemblage.

He said that all would agree with him
that ours is the best country upon earth and
that Iowa is the best State in the Union,
and it is a matter easily demonstrated that
Des Moines is the best county in the State.
This, of course, she owes to the men who
have made her what she is ; and in no small
degree to the men who have managed her
public afi'airs. She has been singularly
fortunate in selecting good, competent, and
faithful men to manage her public affairs.
It is always a credit to a man to fill an office
in a manner that is for the best interests of
his community, but it is more especially
to be noted when a man virtually neglects his
own affairs, in order to minister the public
business, and when he does this in a manner
that no reasonable man can find fault with.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Thus while we have had very many faithful
officials, the services that the present chair-
man of the board of supervisors has ren-
dered are simply unc(|uallcd. Judge Power
spoke of the fact that although enormous
sums of public money had passed through
Mr. Mathes's hands, no one had ever ac-
cused him of having an itching palm, not
the slightest suspicion ever having attached
to his management of the finances of the
county ; he spoke of the great services that
Mr. Mathes had rendered the county in
actively furthering the cause of good roads,
and of the changes worked in the county
buildings, of the fine institution, which is a
credit, not only to the county, hui to the
State. He referred to the fact that the
man who looked after the business and the
finances of the county with unceasing
vigilance never forgot the poor and the un-
fortunate, and gave of his own and of his
valuable time without stint to make the
wards of the county happy. But valuable
and v;irie(l as tlic services had been, which
Mr. Mathes has rendered his county and
his fellow-citizens, perhaps the greatest
.service that he has rendered has been to the
generation who will be the voters and the
office holders of to-morrow. He has shown
them the worth of good. true, loyal, effi-
cient, faithful service, and the appreciation
shown him will not be lost upon them.
■' And now it becomes my most pleasant
duty, Mr. Mathes, in the name of your
many friends to ask you to accept this token
of their ajipreciation of your faithful and
untiring service ; and when you have en-
joyed a period of well-earned rest, perhaps
to again take u]> the burdens and to assume
the duties which you have discharged with
such pains-taking care and such marked
success."

The surprise was complete. Mr. Mathes
had not the remotest idea what was desired
of him, when the judge a.sked permission
to break in upon the regular proceedings.
He soon gathered himself together, however,
and replied in a few words, coming from
the heart. He accepted the gift in the spirit
in which it was tendered, and deeply
touched by the words of commendatior»
from a political op])onent, he was actually
beginning to grow proud of his record.
The judge replied that the sentiments were
not his alone, although he shared them fully
and com])letely, but virtually those of the
community, and after a hearty hand-shake the
ceremony was over, and the board resumed
its deliberations.

The pretty keepsake consists of a three-
handled solid silver loving cup, on a solid
silver tray, and a large spoon. On the cup
is engraved the following: —

TO HON. IIIKIS. M.XTIIKS.

/;/ token of your long and faithful seri'ice,
to Dcs Moines County.

VOIR KKIKNDS.

January 2, i</J5.

The platter is inscribed with the names
of the following citizens, who had chosen
this method of showing their appreciation of
the valuable and unselfish services rendered
the community by the Hon. Chris. Mathes:

Thos. Hedge. W. W. P.aklwin, Lyman
11(1 wards, J. L. W'aite, Geo. S. Tracy, Carl
Lolimann, H. C. Mohland, C. E. Perkins,
\\'m. Carson. \\'. P. Foster, Max E. Poppe,^
.'^t^ause P.ros., A. C. Zaiser, C. C. Paule,
v.. Hagemann, Chas. Adnknecht, G. H.
Higbee, John C. Power, Alex Moir, F. O.
Grandstaff, L. C. Gie.seker, J. W. Blythe,
Geo. C. Boesch. H. S. Rand, Theo. W.
Kriechbaum, J. T. Remey, H. A. Leipziger,
Thos. Stivers.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

E. W. JOHNSON.

E. W. Johnson, postmaster of West
Burlington, Iowa, a position which he has
filled with honor and efficiency for a long
term of years, is a representative of one of
the older families of Des Moines county.
He is the son of William Ferdinand John-
son, who was born in Bedford county,
Pennsylvania, the son of Joshua and Sarah
(Burbridge) Johnson. The father of our
subject passed his early years in his na-
tive State, later, however, removing to Vir-
ginia, where he wedded Miss Isabel Parrott ;
and shortly after this event they decided to
cast the hazard of their fortunes in the
then new and undeveloped country known
as the West. Pursuant to this project, they
emigrated to Iowa, locating in Des Moines
county, and in the year 1836 took up their
residence in Flint River township, where,
in association with his brother Washington,
William Ferdinand Johnson entered a tract
of government land, and this he owned
during the remainder of his life. He was
the father of ten children, whose names in
the order of birth are as follows : Sarah
Louisa, Luther B., Anna R., William R.,
John, Edgar W., Denton, Christopher,
Susan B., and Mattie. The mother of this
family died in 1863, and later Mr. Johnson
remarried, his second union being. -with Miss
Mary E. Burk ; but of this marriage no
children were born. As a man of public
spirit he was an active worker in the ranks
of the Republican party, and was an earnest
and constant supporter of the cause of tem-
perance, for which he accomplished much
in the course of his long and useful life.
At the same time his adherence to the prin-
ciples of right in all fields of human rela-
tionship caused him to take a deep interest

in the cause of the church, he being a devout
believer in the doctrines of Christianity and
a helpful member of the Methodist Episcopal
denomination. He appreciated the privi-
leges of independence and freedom which
belong to a frontiersman's life, and was
known far and wide as a skilful woods-
man and hunter — a character in which he
formed relations of intimacy and friend-
ship with all ranks and conditions of people
throughout a large extent of territory, be-
ing everywhere honored for the simple and
rugged virtues of his mode of life and
thought. On the other hand his own home
■was always the scene of a large and lavish
hospitality, for his disposition was pre-
eminently social and charitable.

Edgar W. Johnson, the subject of this
review, traces his lineage to a remote period
in the past, and through his maternal great-
grandmother Brown, whose maiden name
was Ball, enjoys a not distant relationship
with George Washington, father of Amer-
ican liberty. He is a native of Lincoln
county, Missouri, of which place his par-
ents were temporary residents during a
period of two years, and there he was born
Jan. 16, 1849, returning with his parents to
Des Moines county, Iowa, where he received
a good education in the public schools, as
well as an excellent home training in the
lessons of agricultural industry and in the
principles of the religious faith of his par-
ents. On leaving school he took up farm-
ing as a regular occupation, and this he
pursued •with great success for about twenty
years : but in 1889 he sold his farm interests
and removed to West Burlington, where he
engaged in mercantile business, in which
he has ever since continued : and in this
latter work he has also reaped the full re-
ward of industry, ability, and the conscien-

BIOGRAPHICAL RliVIFAV

tious application of his powers to tlic work in
hand. His political faitli is that of the Re-
publican jiarty, and as a reward for his
valuable services to that organization he was
appointed in iScjo to the office of postmaster
of the villat,'e nmiir the administration of
President llarriscm. was reappointed under
the administration of President McKinley,
and has since continued to occupy the posi-
ticjn to the general satisfaction of the com-
nuinity, giving to its duties the same careful
attention and wise oversight that have made
him so successful in his private business.
Mr. Johnson was united in marriage
with Miss Elizabeth J. Inghram, daughter
of John and Sarah .\nn (Delashmann)
Inghram. and to tluin have been born three
daughters and one son, all of whom are
residents of West Burlington, as follows:
Grace, wife of A. L'. Winkler; Edna, wife
of John Peoples; Mattie, wife of George C.
Scholes ; and Horace, wlio wedded Miss
Agnes Johnson, l-'raternally Mr. Johnson
enjoys desirable connections, being a mem-
ber of the Knights of Pythias and of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen,
tlirough all the chairs of which latter or-
ganization he has passed ; and politically he
is known throughout Dcs Moines county
as one of the leading Republicans of this
section, while his high personal character
has won a place for him in the esteem of
his friends and the general public which is
indeed enviable.

LOUIS WEINSTEIN.

Louis W'einsteix, of Burlington, who
aided in shaping public thought and action
in the State of Iowa, and left an indelible
impress for good, was one of the ablest
journalists of tbt- Mi<l(llc West. He was a

man of wide influence, yet he never used
this to further his own ends. Through the
columns of the llm^'k-Eyc, with which he
was so long connected, he preached the gos-
l)el of hope and perseverance, of the power
of lalxir and the |x>ssibility of accomplish-
ment, and his own life was an excmplificati<jn
of all these. L'nconsciously to himself, he
proved in his own life the value of the princi-
ples which he published, the force of the facts
which he presented, and many there were
who listened to his counsel and heeded his
admonitions to their own betterment. His
superior intellectual force, his genial man-
ner, and clear presentation of his thoughts,
made him a most delightful companion, and
as the champion of many measures of direct
and permanent benefit to the State, he proved
so valuable a citizen that his death was
deeply de|)lored thrt)ughout the common-
wealth.

Louis Weinstein was born in Schwerin,
Mecklenburg, Germany, Jan. 12. 1846, and
in the schools of the Fatherland he acquired
a good practical education that served as an
excellent foundation for the superstructure
of learning to which he constantly added as
the years went by, and his reading embraced
all the various lines of thought commanding
public attention, as well as the classic literary
productions of all the ages. He came to
.\merica at the age of sixteen years, and
after being employed in a dry-goods store
in Xew York for a time, he went to the
South, where he maintained business con-
nections until alxiut 1870. Proceeding
northward, he went to Omaha, Nebr., where
he engaged in the dry-gcmds business on his
own account ; but. like thousands of others,
met reverses during the wide-spread financial
panic of 1873.

Xot long afterward he came to Hurling-

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

ton, making this city his permanent home.
He arrived here in 1876, and was employed
in Liebstandter's dry-goods store; but hav-
ing a talent for newspaper work, he soon
became editor of the hnva Tribune, and in
1879 associated himself with Jacob Wohl-
wend in the publication of the German
paper. Becoming traveling deputy in con-
nection with the office of internal revenue
collector, under John Burdette, then of the
Tlawk-Evc his ability was recognized, and
the position of managing editor of the
paper was oftered him and accepted. He
acted in that capacity, to the material bene-
fit of the paper, until he was stricken with
locomotor ataxia, when he was forced to
relinquish the business affairs of the office,
but he never ceased his literary work and
editorial writings until within a few days
of his death. No greater valor or more stal-
wart heroism has been displayed on the
field of battle or in the face of danger than
was shown by Mr. Weinstein, when, under
almost constant suiTering, he continued his
writing, preparing editorial after editorial
for the paper, and discussing the great polit-
ical and sociological problems claiming
public attention. A noticeable feature of his
writings was the note of hope and encour-
agement that pervaded it ; there was never
a pessimistic utterance or the least suggestion
of doubt as to the ultimate triumph of all
that works for permanent good. One of his
associates on the Hawk-Eye. writing of him
at the time of his death, said: "Mr. Wein-
stein was pre-eminently a journalist. He
may have inherited some of his talent and
passion for the profession, his father being
one of the guild. He possessed the rare
gift of being able to differ from others, to
even administer very hard blows, and yet
to keep his temper, and to arouse no lasting

ill-feeling or animosity in those who went
down before him. He was broad, just,
liberal, fair, and honorable. He could advo-
cate a reform and carry a movement to suc-
cess without appealing to the prejudices of
his supporters or ruthlessly trampling upon
those who differed from him. He could
meet you in fair fight, and victor or de-
feated, would be happy to welcome you as a
friend, to .share his mental repasts, or, if
need be, his last dollar with you. It is not
belittling his magnificent gifts, his fine edu-
cation, to say the most striking element of
his newspaper life was industry, and the
pages that he turned out in connection
with journalism would form, not a respect-
able number of volumes, but a respectable
library. He was a born politician. Had he
devoted the same energy to furthering his
own interests that he was ever ready to de-
vote to the cause of his friends, greater
honors and emoluments would have fallen
to him.

Air. Weinstein, however, filled some
public positions, and the duties of these he
discharged with the utmost fidelity and
ability. It was inevitable that some public
service should be asked, some honor be-
stowed, upon a man so eminently qualified.
He was for two terms collector of internal
revenue for the southern district of Iowa,
receiving appointment under President
Harrison's administration. He was for
fourteen years a trustee of the Iowa School
for the Deaf, at Council Bluffs, discharging
his duties with satisfaction to the State
officers and Legislature. He was largely in-
strumental in raising the standard of the
school and promoting its efficiency ; and
when failing health prevented him from
continuing his connection with the school,
he maintained the deepest interest in its

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

work and progress, using liis inHucnce for
its ii])lniil(ling. I'or many years he was
also oil* inspector, continuing in that office
U]> to the time of his deatli. He served as
chairman of canii)aign committees, and his
opinions carried weight in tlu- councils of
the Re])ul)hcaii party. Me was a close and
discriminating stu<lent. and his analytical
mind enabled him to understand with rare
keenness of mental vision the value and
possibilities of any political measure. His
inlhience. i)erha]3s. was e.xerted in a polit-
ical wa\ most widely through the columns
of his pai)er, for his discussion of jiroblems
created widespread interest and discussion,
and the seeds of truth thus sown often bore
ridi fruit.

.Mthough leading a most busy life. Mr.
W'einstein always found the opportunity to
enrich his own niiiid by broad and varied
reading, and was not only familiar w itli the
classical in literature, but in other lonns of
art as well. His home became the center
of a cultured society circle, iik-ii of intel-
lect gathering there to discuss with him
the leading (|uestions of the day or the
problems that literature has preserved to
us. It would 1h- (liflicuh tci ii;ime one man
in T'.urliugton who liad more sincere frienils,
for those who knew him well regarded him
with genuine affection. He was a gentleman
and a scholar, devoted to the highest ideals,
and of this class were his friends. He was,
moreover, quick to recognize and ap])reciate
all that is commendable in others ; and al-
though the demands u]jon his attention were
man\', he always found time for a hearty
hand-shake and word of greeting for those
who sought an audience with him.

To a man of strong mind, high jnirposes,
lofty ideals, and with a clear understanding
of the purposes of life, it was most natural

that liis. deepest interest centered in his-
home. He was married in 1880 to Miss
Loui I^TJk, and they had two children, Ed-
ward and Dora, who, with the wife, sur-
vive him. His first thought was for his
fainil\. and to them the richest elements of
his character and the greatest depths of his
tenderness were most often shown. With
lieroic eflfort he labored for the family and
the age in which he lived, and his life, with
its note of cheer and sympathy, as well as
his writings, was a source of inspiration to
those with whom he came in contact. Well
might it Ix" said of him, as of the Koniaa
statesman of old : —

" His life was Kcntle. and tlic elements
So mixed in him that Nature might stand np
And sav to all the world. " This was a man.' "

HENRY THIE.

I1i:nkv Tini:, who now resides on hi-'^
large and well-improved farm of one lum-
dred acres in l""ranklin township, is a
worthy representative of the sturdy Ger-
niau-.\n)erican stock to which Des Moines
coimty is .so deei)l\ indebted for her present-
ilay prosperity. .Mthough |)ast the allotted
mark of threescore years and ten, he is a
strong, active man, taking part not only in
the work of his own farm, but also retain-
ing a deep interest in the affairs of the
coninuiiiitN .

Henry Thie, .son of Henry and Louisa
(l'"llerhof) Thie, was born in Prussia,
West Phalen, Ciermany, Teh. 18, 1S34.
There be received his education in the com-
mon schools. When he grew to manlvHxl
he was exempt from .serving in the regular
army of the Fatherland, not being accepted

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

■on account of havintr a stiff finger. He was
raised with a thoroiie:h practical knowledge
of agriculture, and followed this occupation
until he came to America, in 1857.

In this country he began to climb the
ladder leading to success by working at
first by the month on a farm, receiving
seven dollars a month for his services. He
worked in this way for about four and a
half years, and rented farms for the ne.xt
seven years. He was located for a time
in Buryngton township, and for three years
in Union township. Through thrifty ways
and careful management of farm affairs,
he made such a success of these ventures
that in 1869 he felt warranted in purchas-
ing a farm of his own. He bought eighty
acres in Section 26, Franklin township, the
only improvement then on the place being
an old log shanty. He lived in this for a
year, then added one room, and made this
his home for several years. Then he built
his present comfortable residence, and has
from time to time built a number of other
commodious farm buildings, as they were
needed, and has otherwise generally im-
proved the place until it is one of the best
equipped farm homes in the community.

In 1878 he bought eighteen acres of tim-
ber land, and has at other times added to
his original holdings, until now he has one
hundred acres after signing over sixty
acres to one of his sons. His farm is un-
usually well stocked with fruit, as he has
set out about one hundred fruit trees, be-
sides a fine vineyard of about two hundred
stocks. Water is furnished for the farm
by a good wind pump, and the conve-
niences of the farm are such as to make it
a most desirable home.

Feb. 25, 1862, Mr. Thie was united in
marriage to Miss Christina Distelhorst,

daughter of Charles and Christina
(Diercks) Distelhorst. She was al.so a
native of West Phalen, Germany, being
born there May 17, 1843, and coming to
America when she was only two \'ears of
age. They became the parents of eight
children, of whom seven are still living.
The children are as follows : Henr_\-,
Charles, William, and John are located
near Mediapolis, Yellow Springs township ;
Fred lives next to his father ; Herman and
Louisa are at home: Kdwanl died in 1880,
aged about two years.

Mrs. Thie died June 17, 1905, aged sixty-
two years and one month. She was an
earnest Christian woman, a faithful wife,
and a loving mother, and she left a place
in the home circle that can never be filled,
the memory of her loving kindnesses and
her unselfish acts of service remaining in
the hearts of husband and children like
a benediction.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Thie were members
of the Evangelical church. Mr. Thie was
baptized in this faith in Germanv, and has
been a member ever since coming to .\mer-
ica. He is now president of the organiza-
tion, having held that office for many years.
In his political belief, Mr. Thie is an ad-
herent of the Republican party, and is a
trusted counselor in the assemblies of the
party, always standing for the best inter-
ests of the entire community, as he sees
them. That he enjoys the confidence of
the neighborhood, is evidenced by the fact
that the citizens of his township have
repeatedly bestowed upon him the highest
honor in their power to give, by electing
hitn trustee of the township. The first
time that he was thus honored, he was
elected for two consecutive terms, but re-
signed during the second term, serving two

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

vcars. Later lie was aj^in elected to this
same office, and after serviiiij two years
was elected to the office of county super-
visor, being elected in 1903, ami still serv-
ing in tliis capacity.

.Aside from farming. Mr. Thie has never
been identified with any business except
during two winters, when he. with a cousin,
was engaged in work in a pork house:
but that he has undoubted business talent
and sagacity of a high degree is amply
proved bv the success he has made of all
his ventures in connection with his farm,
as well as by the unciualified success that
he has made of the affairs of the township
that have come under his supervision dur-
ing the years he has served the public as
trustee and as supervisor. He is a man
who has won success not only in a mate-
rial sense, but also in tiie better sense, in
that he has won and well merited the con-
fidence and respect of all with whom he
has come in contact in the various rela-
tions of life.

WILLIAM HENRY MOREHOUSE.

\\ I I.LI AM Hk.nkv Mokf.iiouse, in whose
life record there is much that is worthy of
the closest and most reverent emulation, and
who.se memory is dear to the large circle of
friends who knew and honored liim dur-
ing his active life, was born Jan. 10. 1832,
in Saratoga county. New York. F.ntoring
the public schools of his native State, he
laid there the foundation of his education ;
but most of his youth and all the years of
his earlv manhood were sjient in the West,
for in 1846 he removed to Illinois, locating
in Kane county. It was in Kane county

that he was united in marriage, in 1839, to
.Miss Minerva .\. .Mc.Arthur, and the same
year he united with the Haptist church, a
connection which he faithfully maintained
until his death. In Illinois he engaged suc-
cessfully in the pursuit of agriculture until
1861. when he went to ( Htuniwa, Iowa, to
act as agent for the .American Express
Company, continuing in that ]x>sition for
some years. I^ter he went to Janesville,
I'remer county, Iowa, and embarked in a
mercantile enterprise, for which he was
well fitted by his marked aptitude and
ability for the conduct of practical affairs,
which he possessed in a remarkable degree.
The (|ualities of determination and self-
reliance, which had stood him in such
good stead during the earlier years of his
independent career, now broiight him suc-
cess in this new venture, resulting in a pros-
perity that was in some sense commensurate
with his merits, great as these were. Two
years subsequent to the hokling of the Cen-
tennial Exposition at l'hiladel])hia. which
Mr. and Mrs. Morehouse attended, they
removed to lUirlington. where they built
a pleasant and commodious home at 523
South Garfield .Avenue, still occupied as
her residence by Mrs. .Morehouse.

.\lthough Mr. Morehouse always main-
tained a home in lUirlington after removing
to this city, and was intimately c<innected
with the advancement of lUirlington in
many lines of progress, he was interested in
many outside enterprises, notably the Hank
of Hrookings. at I'.rookings. S. Dak., which
he established about the year 1883 with a
paid-up capital of $30,000, he becoming
president of the institution, and his brother,
(ieorge Morehouse, cashier. It may be said
with truth that to his intelligent and care-
ful supervision ;iiid direction the bank

DES MOIXr.S COUNTY, IOWA.

principally owed its success, together with
the vital force which his strong personality
infused into the workings of all its depart-
ments; for he possessed the rare gift of
being able to impart to his subordinates the
effective and triumphant energy which so
strongly marked his own career. He was
also treasurer, cashier, and member of the
board of directors of the Home Life As-

C'olo,. and later l)ecame manager of the
( )verland Cotton Mills at Denver, but is
now in charge of a banking institution in
Arizuna. He married Miss Zora Fink.

Too much can ncjt be said of the man
whose life forms the subject of this review.
Selfishness was a thing unknown to him,.,
and his constant thought and care were oc-
cu])ied in doing good to others. Although

sociation, a company of which a brother of a lifelong member of a political party, the
Mrs. Morehouse, M. C. AIc.Arthur. was
for several years president.

The wife of our subject was born in
Dryden, Tompkins county, N. Y., in 1837,
and both her parents dying when she was

Republican, and in a position to command
much of its influence for his own Ijcnefit
had he so desired, he never cared for the
personal honor of j^ublic office, and largely
devoted his life to Christian work, in and

yet quite young, she came West with her out of the church, carrying always in his

two brothers at the age of seventeen years,
making her home in Kane county. 111.,
where she was a teacher in the public
schools until the time of her marriage. She
is a woman of unusual ability, and despite
advancing years she still retains that fresh-
ness and buoyancy of mind and spirit
which are the invariable accompaniments
of true culture. Mrs. Morehouse has one

heart the most absolute and trusting faith in
the humble and self-sacrificing Christ,
whom he sought to the best of his ability
to make the criterion of his earthly exist-
ence. Pre-eminently religious, he was at
the same time a patriotic citizen, a loyal-
hearted friend, and a noble example of true
manhood. His interest in church work was
perennial, and he held the office of treas-
sister, Mrs. Lydia Repass, who makes her urer of the First liaptist churcli, was a

home with her, and who, with her hus-
band, came to Burlington at about the same
date as did i\Ir. and Mrs. Morehouse, the
husband's death occurring in ISurlington
in 1878. One son, '\\. A. Repass, is a
resident of Fremont, Nebr., while a grand-
daughter. Mrs. \\'illiam Henry Plock, re-
sides in this city. No children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Morehouse, but they early
took under their care and reared Edwin
M., son of the Reverend Doctor Hurd. of
the Baptist church, giving him a father's
and mother's affection and the advantage
of a good education in ])ublic school and
business college. He was for seven or
eight years bookkeeper in a liank at Denver.

member of its official board, and was a
member of the building committee which
erected the ]jresent magnificent structure.
He was also one of the official board of the
Baptist College of Burlington, in the wel-
fare of which he was deeply interested. In
his fraternal connection he was long an
active member and worker in the Masonic
order, in which liis loss was deeply de-
plored. He (lied at the Homeopathic
Hospital, Chicago, on Monday. June 17,
iqoi, and his funeral services were con-
(hicted at the home on \\'ednesday, June 19,
by his old pastor. Rev. Euclid B. Rogers, of
S])ringfield. HI., the ceremonies being in
charge of the Knights Templar, of which

»'4

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEIV

ho was ail lionorol im-mber. Interment was
in tlie Aspen Grove cemetery. Mr. More-
lionse wa.s above all else domestic in his
preferences, devoting his spare time to his
home and the comjjanion of his joys and
sorrows, and her niemi>ries of him remain
as a precious and iR'antifid ])(>ssession. To
him belonged many sterling traits of char-
acter, and his high moral .sense, his un-
faltering integrity, and his broad sympathy
won him un(|ualitied confidence and the
<lcepest regard of all. His kindly spirit and
genial disjjosition brought him frjpnds, and
he had the happy faculty of drawing them
closer til him as die vears went bv.

HON. SILAS A. HUDSON.

Hon. Sil.\.s A. Hudson, deceased, who
was one of the jjioneer settlers of Dcs
Moines county, and became a man of de-
cisive character, serving as minister to
Central .\mcrica, and exerting no unim-
portant influence u|)(>n the people with
wh(jm he came in contact, was born in Ma-
son county, Kentucky, Dec. 13, 1815. His
father, ISailey Washington Hudson, was a
native of l-"auriuier county, N'irginia, born
.•\pril 15. 1782. He was descended from
one of the old families of England that was
established in N'irginia in colonial days. He
served with distinction in the War of 1812,
participating under General Harrison in
the battles of Tiii])ecanoe, the River Raisin,
rmd tile Tliames. lie and his brother
Sanuiel had |)reviously settled in Masnn
county, Kentucky, where they jointly pur-
chased seven lunulred and sixty acres of
land, known as the family homestead.
There I'.ailev W. Hudson married Miss

Susan .\. tirant. a sister of Jesse R. and a
daughter of Noah Grant. The last named,
one of the patriots of New England, be-
longed to the party of seventeen men who,
disguised as Indians, threw the tea over-
Ixiard in I'.oston harbor, and thus instituted
what has since been known in history as
the lioston tea-party. Several years after
his marriage Mr. Hudson entered into part-
nership with Xoah Grant, Jr., his brother-
in-law. under the firm style of Xoah Grant
&' Com])any, and they conducted one of the
leading mercantile enterprises of Maysville,
Ky. Mr. and Mrs. Hudson became the par-
ents of seven children : Silas A. ; Noah
Grant, born June 2},, 1817; John \'., born
July 2, 1819: IVances .\., .March 20. 1821 ;
Walter Warder, June 11. 1823: and Peter
Todd, Oct. 26, 1825. The two last named
were among the early settlers of I'urlington.
and aided in molding the pioneer history of
this part of the State. Walter W. Hudson
came to lUirlington with his brother Silas
in 1839. He was a soldier of the Mexican
War. serving WMth the Eifteenth Regiment
under ("dldiiel Howard, and he ]}artici]jated
in the engagements at National liridge,
I'ueblo. Cluirubusco, Molino del Rey, and
Chepultepcc. At the last named he was
the first to carry the flag over the walls, and
the lone Iowa Company was given the
credit of running up the first I'nited .States
flag over Che])ultei)ec and garrisoning the
fort. I'ollowing the close of the .Mexican
War, and U]Jon the commendation of Col-
onel H()ward, Walter W. Hudson was .ap-
pointed a lieutenant of the First United
Slates Regular Infantry by President Polk.
He was then sent to the Rio (irande, where
he had charge of the troops that were pro-
tecting the line of forts then being built
along the frontier. In an engagement with

nJ> \X ^ >^vivAX\^

DES MOIMiS COUNTY. IOWA.

the Imlians lie was woundeil at J<"ort Hud-
son (which had been named in his hontjr),
and lie died at Mcintosh near Lorado,
Texas, April 9, 1850. In his deatli the
L'nited States Army lost one of its most
promising, energetic, and efficient officers.
Peter Todd Hudson came to Burlington in
1845, and made his home with his brother
Silas until after the discovery of gold in
California, when, hoping to realize a for-
tune in the mines on the Pacific Coast, his
brother fitted him out with teams and suffi-
cient means to go to the far West. He re-
mained for two years, taking advantage of
various business opportunities, and then
because of failing health he returned to
Burlington. In 1857 Silas A. Hudson sent
him to Denver, Colo., where he opened a
supply store, being one of the first settlers in
that place. He was among the discoverers
and aided in the early development of the
mines at Breckcnridge, and in fact was the
founder of that place, naming it in honor
of J. C. Breckenridge, a personal friend of
the Hudson family. During the first year
of the war of the rebellion he was driven
away by the Indians, and he returned to
Burlington to join General Grant's staff.
He entered the service with the rank of
captain, and was subsequently promoted to
that of lieutenant-colonel. He served with
General Grant, taking part in all the battles
fought b}- that intrepid commander, from
Vicksburg to Appomattox, and was offered
by General Grant the position of senior
major in the regular army, but declined to
accept this military position. He remained
on General Grant's staff' until 1867, when
he resigned and went to California, where
he was engaged in the stock business. He
was afterward offered by General Grant
the office of United States marshal of Cali-

fiirnia, but also declined to serve in that
cajjacity. He is now living in Colusa
county, California.

.Silas .\. Hudson acquired a liberal edu-
cation in the Maysville Academy, at Mays-
vilje, Ky., and largely supplemented his
intellectual training by private study.
Through travel he gained the culture and
knowledge which can be obtained in no
other way. He left home when seventeen
years of age, and spent the succeeding year
in travel, visiting the leading cities of
America. He first visited Burlington in
1837, and also touched at other points on
the Mississippi River, but returned to St.
Louis, where he continued to reside until
1839, after which he made a permanent
settlement in Des Moines county. He pur-
chased a lot on Jeffer.son Street in Burling-
ton, and in 1840 erected two brick houses,
which at that time were superior to any
dwelling of the city. Becoming a factor in
mercantile circles, he engaged in the stove.
tin. and hardware business, with which he
was identified for more than twenty years,
having a large jobbing trade and also con-
ducting a number of branch hou.ses in other
Western towns. He possessed marked busi-
ness capacity, unfaltering energy, and with
keen foresight understood the conditions
of the ^^'est and its probable development,
which enabled him to anticipate future
needs and to meet them in a manner that re-
sulted beneficially to his community, and at
the same time brought liim desirable pros-
])erity. Thus he contributed to the material
welfare of the localities with which he was
connected in mercantile lines, but he prob-
ably became best known through his ac-
tivity in political work.

From his youth Mr. Hudson was deeply
interested in the question of politics, and

BIOCRAPIIICAL REllEW

rt-ad cverv thing that he could find Ix^aring
upon such subjects, so that when lie reached
manhood he was well informed concerning
the |)olitical history of his country, and
had intimate knowledge of the leading (|ues-
lions of the day, as well as of the careers
and records of all of the prominent public
men. The fir.st national election in which
he took part was in the pre.si<lential cam-
])aign of 1H36. when he gave his support to
tjeneral Harrison, casting his first l)allot
at Louisville. Ky. He was an ardent sup-
])orter of the W hig party, and after his ar-
rival at Turlington he wrote the call that
organized the Whig party in this territory,
giving his supiwrt to its nominees during
the existence of that great political organi-
zation.

Mr. Hudson left liis impress u])nn the
political history of hjwa. being very in-
Huential in her affairs. He was clerk of
the Territorial Legislature anil also first chief
clerk of the House in the State organization.
During the legislative session of 1842-43 the
territorial laws were revised by the general
asseml)ly, and in this work .Mr. Hudson
largely assisted, as he ilid when the laws
were again revised in 1846-47, being
adapted to the State organization. In 1862
lie rendered valuable service because of his
intimate knowledge of the needs and con-
ditions of the commonwealth. He was the
author of the city charter of ISurlington and
its principal ordinances under which the
city was g<iverned for more than thirty
years, jjreparing these documents in 1845.
He used the charter and ordinances oi the
city of Cincinnati as a basis upon which
to work, and the pajjcrs were so correct as
to construction and so adequate to the city's
needs that there was no change made in
three decades. In coninuinitv affairs Mr.

Hudson was actively intercste<l. holding
many im])ortant offices. He was a nieni-
Ikt of the city council for fourteen years,
and was mayor of I'urlington in 1855-56,
holding- that position at the time the Chi-
cago, liurlington & Ouincy Railroad was
constructed to this city. He was also act-
ing mayor during the two previous terms.
He filled a number of minor offices, serving
for some time as a member of the scIkxjI
lx)ard. .At the time of the establishiuent of
the Xew Xork Tribitiic .Mr. Hudson Ix'-
came one of its subscribers, and for more
than twenty years was an influential and
valued contributor to its columns, as he was
also to the Louisville Journal, its editor
being (ieprge D. Prentice. He was from
early life an intimate friend of .-Vbraham
Lincoln : and. recognizing his great quali-
ties, he became a cham|)ion of his cause in
connection with the jiresidency when the
subject of the choice of a candidate was
being discussed by the jieople in i860. He
used the columns of these influential jour-
nals to bring the name of Lincoln promi-
nently before the pid)lic. and in connection
with Horace Greeley he arranged to have
.Mr. Lincoln go to Xew York, where he
made the great speech that so seriously hurt
Mr. .'-Reward's chance for the presidency.
Mr. Iluilsoii was also instrumental in hav-
ing .Mr. Linci)ln come to liurlington, where
he was listened to by many citizens who still
reside here. This was the only time that
the martyred president ever spoke in this
city, and his subsequent election and re-
election were largely aided by the voice and
pen of his old friend. The cordial rela-
tion existing between them was never in-
terruptetl until the assassin did his deadly
work and the nation mourned a martyred
])resident.

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

Mr. Hudson was always a stanch friend
and admirer of (jeneral (jrant. who was
an own cousin, and with whom lie had been
in a measure in close relationship in his
youth, each living at different periods at the
home of the other. Naturally Air. Hn<lson
was an ardent supporter of the war, and
was among- the first to take an active and
prominent part in raising and forwarding
troops. During the war he spent a part of
the time in the field with (ieneral (irant, and
at the siege of X'ickshurg he had a narrow
escape. Raising his head above the breast-
works, several rebel bullets instantly whis-
tled about his head, one cutting a crease
in his scalp; and because of his injury he
was almost a constant sufferer afterward.
He never wavered in bis allegiance to the
Union cause until its preservation was an
established fact. Outside of offices con-
nected with the municipal government he
did not seek political prominence, yet in
March, i86«j. he was ap])ointed by President
Grant to the position of United States min-
ister to Central America. On that mission
he was eminently successful. Previous to
his residence there the commerce between
the United States and Central .America
was very limited. He devoted himself to
increasing the trade with the states there,
and soon after his arrival he arranged for
the landing of the vessels of the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, running between
San Francisco and Panama. .According to
the terms of the treaty these were to stop
at five jjorts of Central America. These
and other- means which he employed led
largelv to diverting the trade of Central
America to this countr_\-, and the immense
commerce which succeeded was the legiti-
mate outgrowth of his efforts. He not only
rendered valuable service to the United

.States during his ministry, but also did able
work for the people of Central America as
well. 'J'hat country was in a state of con-
stant revolution at the time, and the friendly
offices of tile legation were being constantly
eni])loyed in behalf of foreign residents
coming under the displeasure of the govern-
ment. The creditable manner in which his
services were rendered to all ])arties led to
the government's consenting that he should
represent foreign residents in Central Amer-
ica, hi this way he represented nine dif-
ferent nationalities, including Switzerland,
which country has ever since confided to
the American ministry, elsewhere as well
as in Central .\merica, tiie protection of
her citizens abroad.

In 187 1, after five successive battles, the
rebels won their way to the city of Guate-
mala, and demanded its surrender. On this
occasion the government placed Mr. Hud-
son at the head of a commission, investing
him with the power to treat w ith the rebel
general and his forces for a change of
government, and this commission was suc-
cessfully concluded. Owing to the bitter
opposition of General Barrios, second in
command, the commission met with almost
total failure. The bloody-minded half-
breed chief had enlisted and led the ad-
vance columns, and held them under prom-
ise that the plunder of the city should be
given up to them for their services, and
he would listen to no other terms. When
the commission had advanced within about
a furlong of the rebel forces, they were met
and halted by the officer commanding, and
informed b\ him that he was ordered to
turn back all parties seeking personal in-
terviews with the general-in-chief. and to
fire upon them it tjiey refu.sed. .Mr. Hud.son
stated to him the object of the commission;

lOO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

that it was inailc up of the representatives
of friendly powers, and that in tlieir qiiahty
as such they could accejn no such answer,
especially from a lesser officer than the
geiiera!-in-chief : that the commission ex-
pected, and would give him a reasonable
time to furnish, a fittintj escort to the camp
of the general-in-chief, and should he fail
to do so they w'ould undertake to find their
way unai<led. After much parley with him
by others, an<l no movement being made
toward j)roviding an escort. Mr. Hudson,
announcing his purpose, and accompanied
by the I nited States consul, rode forward,
while all the others sought cover outside
the sweep of the battery i)lanted in front
of them. They were allowed to approach
within forty or fifty yards of the guns, while
every demonstration of a purpose to fire
upon them was being made. At length the
commander ordered the gunners not to fire,
and came forward, meeting Mr. Hudson and
his com]janion. declaring that he could not
execute the order, and that he would furnish
an escort as reciuested and go with them
himself to insure their safety and freedom
from unpleasant stoi)])ages. Here they were
again joined by their colleagues. Mr. Hud-
son afterward learned that this officer was a
nephew of General Granados. the rebel com-
mander, and that in em])loying the friendly
offices of the United States legation in be-
half of ]>olitical suspects a short time before
he had secured the relea.se of his brother,
who had been condemned tfi be shot as a
spy. and that this brother was present with
the commrmder. |)k'a(ling with him in .Mr.
Hudsons behalf until he was successful in
his attem])t to have the life of Mr. Hudson
spared.

In comjiany with both parties they ]iro-
ceeded to the camp of General Granados.

reaching there about lo i-. m. The greater
])art of the night was spent in arranging the
terms by which the ])ersonnel of the gov-
ernment could be changed ]>eacefully and
further loss of life anil properly be avoided,
and not offend the mercenary I'.arrios and
his followers. Hy the terms of the com-
pact the rebel troo])s were commanded to
stack their arms four miles outside of the
city, which they did to the number of about
twenty-four thousand, and to enter Guate-
mala as private citizens. The next morning
at ten o'clock they met on the government '
plaza and elected, viva voce. General Gran-
ados provisional i)rcsident : who, as such,
by the terms of the treaty was required and
did issue writs of election to the several
deiiartments for the election of new mem-
bers of congress and the organization of the
government under the existing law. This
l)ut an end to the revolutionary troubles
during the residence of Mr. Hudson in that
city.

-In 1873 .Mr. Hudson resigned, and re-
turned to his home in Burlington, where
he lived until his death. In his domestic
relations he was happy. In 1844 he mar-
ried Miss .Ann Caldwell, a native of Ken-
tucky, born Jan. 14, 1826. Of this mar-
riage there were three children : Virginia.
Imrn Oct. 23. 1845; Marietta, born June
25. 1848: and Walter Werder. born Aug.
25, 1850. The second daughter died Jan.
II. 1874. Mrs. Hudson died on the 13th
of March, 1851, and on Jan. 11, 1853, Mr.
Hudson was again married, his second
union being with Serena GrifFev. who was
born at Morgantown, \\ . \ a.. July 23. 1825.
and was the fifth in a family of twelve chil-
dren, ten of whom reached adult age. nine
daughters and a son coming to Burlington.
Her father, VN'illiam Griffey, was born July

(

DES MOIXES COUXTV, IOWA.

lOI

4. 1787, and was of Elnglisli descent. He
was a successful merchant at Morgan-
town, and was an iron manufacturer. He
was married Oct. 28, 1810, to .Miss Mary
Spitzer. a native of Winchester, \'a.. and of
German descent. Mr. Griffey was obliged
to pay a large security debt, and nearly all
of his property was swept away in this
manner. He had to take as partial indem-
nity for his loss the negroes that had be-
longed to the man who failed, and these he
allowed to purchase their freedoni as they
were able to do so. Mr. -Grififey came to
Iowa in May, 1837, proceeding down the
(^hio and up the Mississippi rivers by
steamer to where the village of Burlington
stood. It then contained only a few houses.
^Ir. GrilTey took up land, and in connection
with r\lr. Sherfy operated a sawmill on
Flint Creek and one in Illinois. Later he
opened a clothing store on Jefferson and
Main Streets, where he remained until his
death, which occurred Jan, 11, 1848. His
wife, who was born June 15, 1795, .died in
1850. Their children were Leanna, who
married Charles Medara, and died in the
spring of 1838: Henry, who went South,
and was not heard from after a time ; Le-
vara, who married David Rice, and died
leaving a famil_\- : -Alary, the wife of John
Johnson, of Denver; Airs. Hudson; Delia,
who married Capt. Thomas French, and
is a widow, living at Cripple Creek, Colo. ;
Ellen, who is the widow of Daniel Cox,
and resides in Burlington, Iowa : Laura, de-
ceased ; Martha, the widow of \\'illiam Hill-
iiouse, and now living with her mother ;
and Caroline, who died after attaining early
womanhood.

During the last ten years of his life Mr.
Hudson w'as an invalid, suffering from
paralysis. His mind was very clear and

alert, and he maintained a deep interest in
public affairs unlil his demise, which oc-
curred Dec. ly, 1897. In thQ management
of his varied enterprises Mr. Hudson was
successful, and he ac(|uired a competency,
enabling himself and family to live in ease
and comfort. His was, indeed, a well-spent,
active, and useful career, characterized by
unfaltering devotion to the general good
as well as to his individual interests. He
was a co-laborer and colleague of many of
the eminent men of the nation, and the
labor which he did when serving as min-
ister to Central .\merica still finds its
fruition in tlie national trade relations
which have since existed between the two
countries.

ADRIAN SCHULTES.

\\ HEX the tocsin of war sounded,
Adrian Schultes res])onded to his coun-
try's call for aid, put aside personal con-
siderations, and followed the banner of
the Union to the liattlefields of the South.
He is now a veteran of the war, and de-
serves all the honor and credit which is
given to the boys in blue. He is, more-
over, one of the most jirosperous and suc-
cessful farmers of Huron township, hav-
ing now extensive landed possessions, all
ac(|uired through his own labors. He
was born March 4, 183^5. in Baden, Ger-
many, his parents being .Michael and Bar-
bara (Fisher) Schultes. He was edu-
cated in the public schools, but his oppor-
tunities in this direction were very
meager, for at about seven years of age
he began to earn his own living. In ac-
cordance with tlu' l;i\vs of the land he
had to render nnlitar\- service to his

I02

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lEW

country wlu'ii twonly-onc years of age,
antl Ik- rc-iiiained with the army for six
years, being aide-ile-camp the second
year. He was reared, however, to farm
work, ancl has always been identified with
agricultural |)ursuits.

It was in May, iS<)i, that .Mr. .^chultes
arrived in America, locating first at Port
Jervis, X. V. He afterward came to Bur-
lington, Iowa, but not being able to get
more than eight dollars per month for
his services here, he went to Wisconsin.
After a hriil i)eriod he enlisted at .Me-
nominee, Wis., as a member of Company
D, Fifth Wisconsin Infantry. The regi-
ment was mustered in at Madison, Wis.,
and was assigned to the army of the Poto-
mac. With his command Mr. Schultcs
participated in many im|)ortant engage-
ments, including the battles of Fred-
ericksburg, Gettysburg, Rappahannock,
Mine Run, the Wilderness. S])ottsylvania
Courthouse. North .\nna River, Hanover
Conitliouse. Cold liarlior. and the assault
on Petersburg. He was afterward called
to Washingtt)n, and fought at lulward's
Ferry, Snicker's Gap. I'elleville, and Win-
chester. He was on picket duty for thir-
teen (lays, and in the fall of 1864 returned
to Washington, after which he was sent
to Petersburg. l-'eb. 17, i8()5, at Cold
Harbor, his bayonet was struck with a
bullet, which split and cut his face to
some extent. He was also in the battle
of Hedges Run and in the storming of
Pcter.sburg. He became ill at l-'reder-
icksburg because of wounds he had sus-
tained, and was in the liosjiital for four
months. He was t;iken prisoner during
the first day's battle of the Wilderness,
but was held as a cai)tive for only a brief
period, his forty men with him cajituring

a cin-ps of three liundre<l men. The com-
mand received an honora1)lc discharge at
Hall's Hill, \'a., and the corps made its
review aliout two weeks later.

I-'ollowing the close of the war .Mr.
.^chultes returned to Wisconsin and later
came to Des Moines county, Iowa, locat-
ing in Huron township, where his sister
lived. Here he carried on farming for a
time and in 1867 he bought eighty acres
of land and later purchased one himdred
and fifty-nine acres. The latter tract was
afterward sold to .Mr. W'aiUeigh and is
now owned by Mr. Xewhouse. His farm
of one himdred and twenty acres lay on
Section 24. and to this he has a(l<led
until he now has a valuable and extensive
farm coni|>rising five hundred and ninety-
four acres on Sections 24 and 19. and
he also has thirty-four acres on Section
2f>, Huron township. He raises and
feeds about fifty-five calves each year, and
has also engaged extensively in raising
horses. All of his land lies along the
river Ixittoni exce])t the thirty-four-acrc
tract of timber and, take it all. constitutes
a beautiful farm, which is very rich and
|iro<iuctive and is highly tilled. His
methods are ])ractical, .systematic, and
prove residtant factors in winning him
success, and he is to-day accounted one
111 the leading agriculturists of his coiu-
nuinit) .

.Mr. .Schultes w:is married l'\l). iS. iXOS.
to Miss Emerence Worley. a daughter of
Joseph and Harbara (Shinzer) Worley.
and a native of I'.aden. Germany. They
have one child. Tinney. who was born
Ian. 14. iK()i). and an a(lo])ted daughter,
.Mary, who was born .\pril 8. 1881, and is
now the wife of Benjamin Luckinbill.

Mr. Schultes is a stanch Rei)ublican in

DES lilOIXES COUXrV. IOWA.

103

politics but lias lu-vcr sought or desired
office, iJreferring to give his undivided at-
tention to his business interests, in which
he has met with signal success. He is now
a member of Shepard Post, Grand Army
of the Republic, Mediapolis, and thus
maintains pleasant relations with his old
army comrades. In all matters of citizen-
ship he is as true and loyal to his country
as when he followed the old flag upon
southern battle-fields. In his religious
faith he is a Catholic. His determination
to seek a home in America was a wise one,
for here he found improved business op-
portunities, and by the utilization of the
advantages which have come to him he
has gradually worked his way upward
from a humble financial position to one
of affluence, and the young man of limited
financial circumstances who arrived at
New York in 1861 is now one of the pros-
perous farmers of Huron township.

ISAAC NEWTON McCLURE.

The business interests of Alediapolis,
Yellow Springs township, Des Moines
county, are well represented by this gentle-
man, whose enterprising spirit is in har-
mony with the progressiveness of the West.
He is a prosperous dealer in a general mer-
cantile business in Mediapolis, and is one
of the native sons of the county, his birth
having occurred here Feb. i, 1844. His
parents were William and Cynthia (Evans)
McClure, and were among the very early
pioneers of Des Moines county, settling in
Yellow Springs township in i83<), where
they entered from the government a tract
of land about four miles north of Mediap-
olis, upon which farm they resided for

many years. Tliis worthy gentleman <lic(l
in 1864, aged fifty years, and his wife
passed awa\- in 1895, aged seventy-seven
years. They liad led lives of great useful-
ness, and their memories are still cherished
by many throughout this section of the
country.

The subject of this review was reared
on his father's farm, where he remained till
he reached his majority. His parents gave
him a liberal education, first sending him
through the district school (if their town-
ship, and later giving him a course of
study in the schools of Mt. Pleasant. Iowa.
.Still later he attended the Yellow Springs
Academy, located in Kossuth, Iowa. These
courses of study were of great value to
Mr. McClure, and were the foundation of
his mercantile success in life.

In 1872, at the age of thirt\- years, j\lr.
McClure entered upon mercantile pursuits,
and the well-known firm of Ilrown & Mc-
Clure was formed, which continued busi-
ness for thirteen years. He then, with
J. O. Roberts as partner, further continued
the business, the firm doing business under
the name of McClure & Compan_\-, which
lasted for a period of seven years.

The next three years this large house
was run by I. N. McClure alone with great
profit and success. Mr. McClure then took
in Mr. A. J. Evans as a partner, and liung
out the sign of McClure & Evans, which
attracted the passer-by for five years, when
the firm was again changed. For the past
si.x years Mr. J. P. Helphrcy has been en-
gaged in business with Mr. McClure, and
to-day they do an important part of the
business of the town, having a general
store, which has been greatly enlargeil un-
til it is now the Mammoth Store, both in
name and nature, of that section of the

I04

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAIFAl'

country. Every department is well filled
witli a fine assortment of the best of p<x)ds,
and are all in cliarjje of reliable and ac-
commodating clerks. The numerous cus-
tomers of this great department store,
which resembles those of much larger
cities, are not confined to the city of its
location alone, as the trade reaches out
over a vast territory of the country.

Dec. I. i8()9, Mr. McLlurc became the
husband nf .Miss Elizabeth Susan Parrett,
a young lady of much ability and refine-
ment, who is the daughter of Jo.seph and
.Molcna (Carley) Parrett, of Greenfield,
Ohio, liitn Mr. and Mrs. McClure three
children have been lx)rn, all of whom are
grown to maturity, and well settled in life,
and are a great source of comfort to their
parents. The children are as follows :
Marcus P., a i'resbyterian minister, of
.^(evens' Point. Wis.: Louie Maggie, mar-
ried the Rev. Herbert W. Reherd, pastor
of ISethany Church of Detroit, Mich.;
and I'ranklin Evans, a successful and well-
known ])liysician of .\eenah. Wis.

In politics, Mr. McChire has always been
a Ke]nil)lican, but has never aspired to any
jjublic office. He and his wortiiy wife are
respected and devoted members of the
Presbyterian church, and are actively en-
gaged in the advancement of religion. Mr.
McClure is well and generally known and
respected throughout the county as a man
pos.sessing sterling business qualifications.
He has always been much interested in any
and all jirojects that would work a direct
benefit to tiie town or counts . and has been
a leader in contributing to any enterprise
of worth or merit that would in any way be
of assistance to the young people in his
vicinity. His long term of years in such
a large business has brought him in con-

tact with hundreds of the residents of the
surrounding country, who all hold him in
the kindest regard and as a man above
reproach.

CASPER H. BREDER.

.\.\io.\(; the sons of the Fatherland
who have come to .America and won suc-
cess and i)roniiiience. and at the same
time been recognized as valued and
worthy citizens of the communities in
which they live, i.s numbered Casper H.
Ilreder, who was born in Westphalia,
(iermany. .\pril 5, 1826, and who now
lives on his large farm in Benton town-
■^hip. .Mr. I'lfeder was educated in Ger-
many. an<l livetl there until he was twen-
ty-six years of age. his parents dying in
that cfiuntry.

In 1S3J .Mr. r)reder came alone to the
I'nited States, and arrived in \ew York
City without any money, having to bor-
row fifty cents from a friend to get to
Lockport, X. V. Since that time he has,
unaided and by his own efforts and tal-
ents, clindied the ladder of success, his
achievements forming a lesson in self-
hel|) worthy of stuilious consideration by
all younger men. He remained in Lock-
port, for two years, after which he came
to r.urlington, Iowa, where he worked
as a laborer. Here his native thrift and
good management were such that at the
end of five years he was able to come to
I'liUoii township, wluiH- lu- l)()ught a
farm of oiie hundred and si.x acres, which
he cleared. Later he sold that, and
bought his present farm of one hundred
and eighty-seven acres, besides other
|)roperty. Here he has lived ever since.

CASl'liK II. BKEUKR.

MRS. ELIZABETH S. BREDER,

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

107

constantly making improvenicnts. till Henry, lives in Franklin townshi]). and

now he has one of the best-kept farms in carries on farming: John, owns a hotel

the comnnmity. He has put up a large, and is in the real estate business at Hugo,

substantial house with modern im])rove- I. 1".; and Tillie, who lives at home,

ments and has erected other buildings as Henry married Louisa Alever, daughter

need arose, all increasing the value of of Herman .Meyer, and thev are the par-

the place, as well as adding to the com- ents of four children, Bessie, Clcll, Floyd,

fort of living on it. .Mr. I'.reder has car- and L'rsula. John married Miss Mis-

ried on general farming- and stock-rais- souri Pershing, a native of Pennsvlvania,

ing successfully, and has owned other and has three children : X'erne, .Alice, anrl

farms ; but as it took too much of his Harry.

time, has sold out ;niil invested the pro- lioth Mr. l/ireder and his excellent wife

ceeds differently, becoming a stockholder were members of the Evangelical church,

in the Citizens' State Bank of Mediapolis, in which they were highly regarded as

of which he is also a director. people whose lives kept close to their

In 1865 Mr. Breder became interested professions, making religion sincere and

in bee-keeping, and started them with one practical in every case. For a nmnber of

or two stands. Liking bees, he has made years Mr. Breder has been a deacon in

a study of improved methods, and from that church, and is known as an active

the small beginning he increased it to and efficient official. In all questions af-

one hundred stands, that in themselves fecting the public welfare, as well as in

were valuable. A few years ago he sold his private life, Mr. Breder's influence has

many of his stands ; but has increased always been on the side of strictest in-

them to large proportions again, being in tegrity and morality.

this as in all else successful in his under- He has always been active in local ])ol-

taking. itics, serving the Republican ])arty in \ ari-

Mr. Breder was married in Lockport, ous capacities, in which his energy and

N. Y., in 1854. His wife was Elizabeth unwavering loyalty have been important

Schaffer, who was also born in Germany, factors in its success, for he is possessed

and came to the L'nited States the year of practical abilit}- of an unusual order,

she was married. She was a worthy He enjoys vast popularity in his own

helpmeet, as well as a loving companion communit}- and throughout I)es Moines

to her husband through a married life of county, as is e\idenced b\- the fact that

forty-seven years, helping him through although he has never sought for polit-

the struggle of the early \cars, and en- ical ])referment, he has been repeatedly

joying with him the fruits of their laljors, called upon to fill .some of the minor offi-

in later years. She de])arled this life ces, such as were within the jjower of his

July 25, 1901, at the home place. She neighbors to bestow upon him. The ca-

was the mother of six children. Of these reer of this sturdy citizen of our great

one died in infancy, Louis died at the commonwealth is and should be full of

age of six years, and Elizabeth at the age insjiiration for all young men, especially

of two. The three living children are: lor those who depend for advancement

io8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ii])iin their own efforts ami devotion to
duty.

He has made his way in the world by
his own efforts, and by liis in<lnstry. He
lias done his lull share toward making
the country what it is to-dav.

HERMAN G. MARQUARDT.

In the field of political life and com-
mercial activity Herman G. Marquardt has
won distinction, and to-day is numbered
among the leading influential and honored
citizens of lUirlington. In his business ca-
reer his efforts have been so discerningly
directed along well-defined lines of labor
that he seems tn ha\c realized at any one
point of progress the full nuasure of his
possibilities for accomplishment at that
point, and the line of achievement with him
has ever been the path of honor. He is,
however, a director of public thought and
opinion in jjolitical circles, and one who has
wielded a wide influence. The consensus of
public opinion and the evidence of history
shows that there has been no more efficient
mayor of Burlington than Herman G. Mar-
quardt.

He was born in the province of Posen.
Prussia, Germany, April 20, 1853. His
father, John G. Marquardt, born in the
kingdom of Prussia, afterward established
his home in that part known as the province
of Posen. During the greater part of his
life he was a she])lKr(i. He served in the
Prussian army in the revolution of 1848,
and in his later years he was again a shejv
herd. In 1864 he came to .America, leaving
Germany on account of tiie anti])athy that

e.xisted in that country for his religious
views. He was a Baptist, and determined
to make his home in .America, where one has
freedom to worship (jocI according to the
dictates of his conscience. He located first
in Goshen, Ind., living there for a few
months during the time of the Lincoln and
the McClellan campaign. He afterward
went to Bloomington. III., anrl worked for
the Chicago & .Alton Railroad, his death
occurring in that city in 1875. His wife,
who in her maidenhood was Johanna Dor-
othy Bloch, died in 1872. They had but
two children who reached mature years:
Herman G. and Carl Louis, the latter now
pastor of the Baptist church at St. Joseph,
Mich.

Herman G. .Manpiardt was a youth of
eleven years when he came with his parents
to the New World. He pursued his educa-
tion in the common schools of Germany and
of this country and also in a business col-
lege at Bloomington, 111. Subsequently he
worked in the shops of the Chicago & Alton
Railroad Company at that place as an em-
ployee in the coach dei)artment. Previously
lie engaged in clerking. He was with the
railroad comjiany for about four years, when
he removed to I'urlingfton on account of his
health. He was with the Orchard City
Wagon Company for a short time, then em-
barked in the grocery business at the corner
of Osborn Street and .Agency Avenue,
w here for three years he was connected with
Chris Jordon, IT" has continuously engaged
in the grocery trad? for a (|uarter of a cen-
tury, and, with the i'xcei)tion of three years,
has been alone in business. For about
eighteen years he has been located at No.
1500 Osborn Street. He has practically
built his home and store on this corner. He
Keeps enlarging the place in order to accom-

DBS MOf.MlS COUXTV. IOWA.

niodate his growing; business, his investment
in buildings alone anioiniting to alxuit fifteen
thousand dollars. He is now i)roprietor of
one of the largest grocery houses of the city,
and his patronage is steadily increasing, for
he enjo\s an unassailable reputation for re-
liability, as well as for the excellent grade
of goods which he carries.

On New Year's eve, Dec. t,i. 1874, at
Eloomington, 111.. Mr. Marquardt was mar-
ried to Miss Hedwig Kietzmann. a native of
Germany. There are six children living:
Herman : Charles ^^'.. who married Nettie
Lohmann, and has a daughter, Dorothy ;
John Henry, who is a graduate of the high
school : Clara : Lydia, who was educated in
the high school and a business college of
Burlington ; and Herbert, who is attending
grammar school. Herman, Charles, and
John are assisting their father in the grocery
business.

The parents are members of the Baptist
church, active and influential in its work,
and for nineteen years Mr. Marquardt was
■superintendent of the Sunday-school. He
has served on the school board of Burling-
ton for six years, w^as its president for one
term, has been chairman of the teachers"
committee, and also served on the high
school committee, and it was during his in-
cumbency that the west high school was
built.

He was elected councilman at large for
two years on the Democratic ticket, and
while serving as a member of the board of
aldermen was chairman of the claims and
other committees, including the police com-
mittee and the judiciary committee. He
served from 1898 until 1900, and in the
latter year was elected mayor, being re-
elected in 1902, both times as a candidate of
the Democracy. He has frequently attended

the State conventions of his jiarty as a del-
egate, and his opinion and counsel are highly
valued by his political colleagues, both in
State and county.

His administration of municipal affairs
was most beneficial to Burlington ; in fact,
liis incumbency covered one of the most pro-
gressive periods in the city's history, largely
owing to his ])ractical efforts in its behalf.
Franchises were granted to the People's
Cas Light & Electric Company, street rail-
way, also to the Citizen.s' Water Company
lo operate the water plant, but the term of
the lighting contract having expired, a new
lighting contract was made. Many public
improvements and reforms were instituted
and carried forward to successful comple-
tion. Mr. Marquardt was particularly care-
ful concerning the expenditures of public
moneys. He advised public conferences be-
fore measures were finally adopted, and
during the term of four years the bonded
debt was reduced one hundred thousand
dollars, this representing the largest re-
duction ever made in the same period in the
city's history. He kept himself well in-
formed concerning the financial condition
of the city, and insisted upon the expendi-
tures being kept within the revenues,
promptly vetoing any measure that would
exceed the tax levy or appropriation. He
was a strong advocate of permanent im-
provement, the effect of which would be
lasting.

Mr. Marquardt is a con.servative man,
and yet never hesitates to uphold progress-
ive measures when his sound judgment
sanctions. He is extremely practical, as
shown in his business, political, and social
life, and there is no man in Burlington who
commands more uniform confidence and re-
spect than does Herman G. Marquardt.

I lO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

WILLIAM H. SMITH.

William H. Smith, one of the early
settlers of Des Moines county, and now
a venerable citizen of almost eijjlUy years,
was born in (ireen county. Illinois, Jan.
20, 1826, his i)arents beinjj Jeremiah
.Smith, Jr.. and ICllen .M. (I'otts) Smith.
The father was born in I'ickaway county,
Ohio, and i)ecanie a resident of Illinois
at an early day in its development, set-
tling in (jreen county, where he jjiir-
chascd a tract of land and engaged in
farming. P'or a sliort time he was also
engaged in merchandizing at Whitehall,
Green cminly. and he remained a resident
of Illinois until 1H33, when he came to
I'lurhngton. There he followed mercan-
tile pursuits, being what was then known
as an Iiulian trader. He bought their
furs, which they brought in from a broad
e.xtent of territory, selling them goods in
return. He was located on Front Street,
a little north of Columbia, at the time of
his coming there being only one other
store in the place. lie was well ac-
(|uainted with lllack Hawk and all the
other noted Indians, and entertained
I'dack Hawk and his wife many times.
He also had a strong inlluence with the
Indians — more than any other man who
ever lived about here.

Later, as the Indian trade diminished,
and the country became settled, he con-
tinued as a gener.il merchant. .As gov-
ernment contractor he built the grist-mill
for the Indians south of Agency City.
He also purchased a farm two miles west
of the city, giving a part of his time to
its cultivation and improvement. He
had three hundred acres of land, the
greater ])art of which In- li.id ])urchased

and liuilt a house on before moving to
llurlington. Later he ])ut a ])art of it
under cultivation. He made all the im-
provements upon that pro])erty. and it
was his home uj) to the tinu of his death,
which occurred in 1852. when he was
fifty years of age. tjeneral farming,
stock-raising, and general merchandizing
elaimi'd his time an<l energies, and he was
known as a most enterprising, reliable,
and successful business man.

His ])olitical allegiance was given to
the Democracy: and. well fitted for lead-
ership, he was several times elected to
the .State Legislature. He served as a
member of the Legislature when its ses-
sions were held at (ireen l>ay. Wis., trav-
eling by land and camping out on the
trip. The country was not settled, at
that time Iowa being a part of Wisconsin
Territory. He was also a member of the
House after Iowa Ix-came a State, and he
erected a building in Uurlington in which
the sessions of the Legislature were held
for some time. This building, whicii
stood beside his store, was destroyed by
tire during the first session of the Legis-
lature.

He was a man of superior individuality,
firm in his convictions, and of strong |)ur-
|)oses, anil he left his imjiress for good
upon the legislation of the State and its
ileveloi)ment along other lines. .\t the
time of the I'.lack Hawk war he joined
the army, serving until the close of hos-
tilities. A part of his farm is com])rised
in what is now known as Smith's addi-
tion to tlu' city of Uurlington. and ])art
of which is still owned by William H.
Smith. His wife, who was I)orn in Ohio,
became a resident of Illinois at a verv
earlv dav, and was there married. She

DBS MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

1 1 1

was a (lc\'oteil iiu'iiiher of llic Alctlnulisl
church, and departed this life al)Out 1885.
In their family were eiijht children, of
whom seven are yet living, namely :
William II.; George F., deceased; Sam-
uel; Etna, the widow of William Masl ;
Amelia, the widow of A. T. Hay; Iowa
J.; Lycurgus; and .\dna. who resides in
Burlington. The four eldest were horn
in Illinois, and the others in llurlington.
Iowa J. Smith was said to he the first
white child horn in the territorv of Iowa,
after which it was given its name.

William H. Smith was a lad of seven
years when, in the fall of 1833, he came
with his parents to Iowa. He accpiired
his education in the common schools of
Burlington, and worked u])on the home
farm when not busy with his te.xt-hooks.
After completing his education, his en-
tire attention was given to the labors of
field and meadow, and he remained at
home until thirty years of age. when he
took charge of his father's farm !iear
Burlington. He also engaged in the
manufacture of brick in the city for sev-
eral years, and a year prior to his father's
death he. with his father, purchased a
farm in Jackson township, comprising
six hundred and fort}' acres of land. He
])laced all of the improvements here, and
made it a splendid jaroperty, and a part of
it is now owned by his brother Sanuiel.
William H. Smith, however, cultivated
the land for about ten years, and then
went to Idaho, where he engaged in min-
ing for four years. He was one of the
first miners in Boise county, and his
venture there proved successful. He left
Burlington in May, 1862, and drove a mule
team through, they being three months
on the journey from t'ouneil Ithifts to

I'owder River, on the eastern Iioundary
of Oregon, the first mining cam]) they
came to, and then was in the rush to
I'loise county, Idaho, where he obtained
good ])lacer diggings, and remaineil till
1865. He retiuMied to Burlington by way
of the isthmus, where he followed the
trade of carpentering, and also gave a
part of his time to thecultixation and de-
\elopment of the farm, which is now
owned by his brother .Sanuiel. .Mr. Smith
is the owner of a number of dwellings
and other i)roperty in Burlington, which.
he rents, and receives therefrom a good
income; but for the past decade he has
li\'ed with his brother on the farm, and
his attention is largely given to its im-
])rovement. He is also extensively engaged
ill the production of honey, giving much
study and attention to the modern methods
of handling bees.

Ill his political views William H. Smith
is a Republican, and for several years he
has held the office of justice of the peace,
lieing the present incumbent in that po-
sition. He is a member of the .Methodist
church, having filled dilTerent offices, and
has led an upright, honorable life, com-
mending him to the confidence and good-
will of those with whom he has Ijcen
associated.

Samuel .Smith was born at Whitehall,
111., and when a year old came to Iowa,
since which time he has lived in Des
Moines county, accpiiring his education
in the schools of Burlington. He has al-
ways been a farmer, devoting his time
and attention to agricultural pursuits
throughout his entire life. He purchased
his present farm in Jackson township
from his brother William, and here he
has since lived.

112

filOCR.IPHIt.lL Kl:l Jhll-

WILLIAM E. JONES.

'I'liK aljiivc name is one thai is familiar
ti> till- citizens of Dcs Moines county, for
it belongs to one of the oldest residents of
Washington townshi]), who is now retired
from the iliities which have so lon.:^ en-
grossed his attention as a farmer and stock-
raiser. He was born in Wales. May 3,
1826, and when thirteen years of age. went
t<j the city of Liver))oi>l, where he remained
till 111- was twenty-one years of age, bein^j
eiii^aged [)art of the time as employee in
the (Jueen's tobacro warehouse. He then
came to America, and after landing in .\ew
York was emjiloyed for a time as a steam-
boat hand ; remained there for a short
time, and then went to .Madison, Conn.,
where he was engaged for two years on a
sloop transporting ijotatoes to New York.
His next move w-as to the South, where he
located in .\ew Orleans, and secured em-
ployment in the gas wocks, and also fol-
lowed steamboating for some time.

In 1850 he settled ])ermanently in Iowa.
;nui in 1852 purchased one hundred ami
si.xty acres on Section 24. in Washington
township, Des Moines county, where he
at once became an active farmer and pros-
perous stock-raiser. He soon sold eighty
acres, and later bought ten more, making
ninety and one-half acres. .Mr. Jones trans-
formed this hare and wild ])lace into one of
beaut) and cultivation. liiV Ikiuic, barn,
and other necessary farni buildings are
good and durable, and to-day both field
and meadow yield rich golden harvests.

Sept. 2, 1852, Mr. Jones married .Miss
Elizabeth Morris, who was also born in
Wales, and came to .\nierica when a yo.'ug
girl with her parents, who located in the
State of ( )liio. In 1X41 they came to Iowa,

and settled in {-"ranklin township, Des
.Moines county, where her father carried
on farming and blacksmithing for many
years. I^ter they moved to Louisa county,
where Mr. Morris died, Nov. 11, 1869.
March 16, 1899, Mrs. Jones passed away
at the home ])lace, at the age of seventy-
one years and eight months. She was a
member of the Congregational church, a
kind and loving mother, a devoted wife,
and a true friend.

Mrs. Jones left the following six chil-
dren: William M., resides in .Mt. Union,
Henry county, where he is engaged as a
farmer. He married Miss Clara Lusk, and
they have seven children: Elmer .M., Wal-
ter .M., Lincoln O., Harry, .\letha H., Ri:th
L'., and Delia. John E. married .Miss
lunma .Muelkerson. and has two children:
Elsie M. and Leila 15. He is a traveling
man residing in Winfield, Henry county.
Mary is the wife of William H. Myers,
who was born in \'ellow Springs township,
and is a son of Richard and Henrietta
Myers. Mr. and Mrs. Myers reside with
the parents of .Mrs. Myers on the home
place, and thus relieve the duties of Mr.
Jones. Sarah J. is the wife of John C.
I'ye, of Washington township, and is the
mother of one son, .Morris C. .\nna L. is
now Mrs. A. H. Featherby, of Yarmouth.
Iowa, where Mr. I'^eatherhy has a hard-
ware store. Lincoln H. lives in Nebraska.
Ill- married .Miss .\nna I've, and they have
two daughters, .Vgnes and Dorothy. .\11
the above-named children were born in
Washington township on the home place.

Politically, .Mr. Jones is a strong Repub-
lican, and has held nearly all the townshi])
offices, and those of road supervi.sor antl
.school director for many years, attending
to all duties in a verv satisfactorv manner.

DBS MOIXliS COl'XTV. lOir.l.

He is a devoted and conscicntiinis niem!)er
of the Con,q;reg"ational church, and lives up
to his Christian profession in all walks of
life.

Besides the beautiful farm mentioned in
this review, Mr. Jones also has eighty acres
of land in Henry county, Iowa, and also
eighty acres in Washington township on
Section 34. He truly is a self-made man.
Starting in life as a steamboat hand, liy his
untiring energy and perseverance he has
progressed step b\- stcj). till to-day, in the
evening of life, he has accumulated a com-
fortable competence, and is able to live in
retirement, and thus enjoy the labor of his
early life. He also possesses those quali-
ties which have insured the making of
friends whose esteem and confidence he
enjoys to an unusual degree.

DAVID WILLIAM DAVIS.

David William D.wls, who claims \'ir-
ginia as his native home, and who owes all
his prosperity to his own willing hands, in-
tegrity, untiring energy, and conscientious
dealings with his co-laborers in life, is a
son of David William and Catherine (Cur-
ran) Davis, and was born in iMartinsburg,
\'a., Aug. 17, 1823. His parents had
eight children : James : John : George ; Eliza
(Mrs. Solomon Morgan): Julia, deceased:
Ann Amelia (Mrs. James Kilmer) : an un-
named infant, deceased : and David William,
subject of this review. The parents died
within six months of each other, when
David was but seven years old. and on this
account his education was very limited,
though he well remembers the little old log
cabin in which the school was held.

.\ short time after the death of his ]iar-
ents he was bound out to a man by the name
cif William .Xble, but on account of the
unkind treatment he received, his brothers
were compelled to take him away, and
settle him in his brother John's home, wliere
he remained for five years : and when about
nineteen years old, he was apprenticed to
his brother George, who was a tailor. After
completing this trade he was a journeyman
for a number of years, but growing rest-
less at this he worked for a while for his
brother John, who was a butcher. Want-
ing to see something of W'ashington City,
he determined to go. arriving there the day
James K. Polk took his seat as president
of the Inited States. Here he spent six
months working in a butcher sho]\ but
was not contented, and so returned to his
native home in \'irginia. When about
twenty-five years old he moved West, lo-
cating on a farm in \'ellow Springs town-
ship, Des }doines county, Iowa. lu 1849
he was seized with the gold fever, and
started to California with a Mr. Veich and
John Hunt. They went overland, and thus
saw much of the country, as well as experi-
encing some thrilling times. There was
scarcely a day that they did not meet or
encounter some Indians. One day a man
in their emigrant train from Illinois, who
had no love for the Indians, swore he would
kill the first one he saw. Soon after say-
ing this he saw a redskin sitting on a large
ledge of rocks sunning himself, and taking
deliberate aim, he shot and killed the Indian.
The tribe to which the dead Indian be-
longed consisted of about two hundred, and
w-ere camped close by where the shooting
occurred. In a short time up rode the
chief and a band of his tribe and demanded
the paleface that killed their Indian. .As

114

BIOGRAI'lllCAL REllEW

the emigrants refused at first to give up
their man. tlie cliief at once took all of their
stock and supplies away. . This step on the
jiart of the chief crippled the progress of
the emigrants very much, who held an-
other hasty conference and decided to give
up the man, which they were very sorry
to do. The red men then returned all stock
and supplies confiscated in a half hour, and
the unfortunate man was hoppled and put
on a pole hitched to a pony, and drawn at
a terrible rate over the plains, and this was
the last seen or heard of him.

Reacliing California. .Mr. Davis remained
six years, and was engaged mostly in min-
ing; but on account of bad luck overtaking
him he was compelled to work at his trade.
In 1855 he returned to Burlington, making
this city his home ever since. During the
year i860 our subject opened a meat
market in the building where the central
fire department is now located, where he
continued business for five years, when he
sold out. After this he worked for a num-
ber of years at the butcher-shops of sev-
eral different men till about 1900, when he
virtually retired from active business.

Mr. Davis was married Oct. 4. 1849, to
Miss Amanda Patterson, daughter of
Robert and .Maria (Hukill) Patterson.
This union was blessed with three children :
Prudence died when eighteen years old :
Robert Franklin, and Ada Maria (Mrs.
Willis Carson), both of Oskaloosa. Iowa.
I'nth our subject and his worthy wife arc
consistent members of the Methodist church.
Politically, Mr. Davis is a strong Democrat,
and has always tried to serve his party to the
best of his ability in a private capacity.
This aged couple have lived in their pres-
ent home. 161 1 .\gency Street, since 1855.
The first house he built Innned in 1866, and

soon afterward he built his present brick
house, which is a model of neatness and
home pleasantness. Such a large portion
of Mr. Davis's life having been spent in this
iocality, his history is therefore largely
familiar to his fellow townsmen, who rec-
ognize the fact that his has been an honor-
able career, worthy of their respect, con-
fidence, and regard.

JOHN L. THOMAS.

< )ni; fact that stands out prominently
in the history of the .American re])ublic.
and has been illustrated again and again
in the lives of her peo])le, is that she owes
much of her greatness and supremacy to
the enerfi;y. indomitable will ])Ower, and
cnmmanding moral character of citizens
who trace their origin to foreign lands.

John L. Tlmnias, a well-known resident
of Mediapolis, Iowa, is a native of South
Wales, born near .Xewcastle, and is a son
of Daxid and .Mary (Lloycl) Thomas, his
father being a farmer in his native coun-
try. \\ hen a boy, the subject of this
sketch left the paternal home, and en-
gaged in any kind of work that came to
his hand. IJeing of an ingenious turn
of mind, he worked at many occupations,
and mastered the trade of stone-mason
without serving a regular apprenticeship.

Deciding to try his fortunes in the New
World, he came to .\merica in 1854, lo-
cating first at Newark. ( )hio. where he
engaged in work as a stone-mason. From
there he removed to Louisa county, Iowa,
working at the same trade in Columbus
City. In September. 185''), he removed to
Des Moines counl\ . where he worked on

//A>vu < (/A^~^^^x,

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

a farm in Section 8, P'ranklin township,
and afterward rented a farm for a num-
ber of years.

His first purcliase of lantl was forty
acres in Section X, I'ranklin townshi]j. to
which he added by subsequent purchases
until lie had a farm of two hundred and
eighteen acres. (Jn this place he lived
until 18S4. when he sold out and retired
from farming', removing to Mediapolis,
which has ever since been his home.

He has also become tlie owner of val-
uable ])roperty in Alediapolis. and in i8<;o
built the first bank building, and organ-
ized the first banking institution, in this
village. This is known as the State Bank
of Mediapolis, and he was elected and
served on its board of directors. In the
fall and winter of i8<)5-c)6 he organized
the Citizens' State Bank of ]\Iediapolis,
of which he has ever since been president.
Both of these institutions are considered
the strongest banking houses in this part
of the State.

He is a Republican in politics, and a
warm supporteF of that party's princi-
ples. Though not an aspirant for polit-
ical honors, he has taken an active interest
in local affairs, and has served as town-
ship trustee. He has often been a dele-
gate to county and State conventions, and
was a delegate" to the convention that
nominated Governor Shaw. He has al-
ways been devoted to the cause of ptib-
lic improvements, and was the builder of
the Dudley Hotel in 1903-04, wdiich was
named in honor of his wife. He has been
a liberal supporter of religion, gi\'ing
generously on all occasions, irrespective
of creed and denomination.

Upon mo\ing to Mediapolis he virtu-
allv retired from business, except that he

continued to look after his own pro[jerty
interests, which were very extensive. He
is one of the largest property owners of
Mediapolis and that vicinity. The cor-
rectness and accnrac}' of his business
foresight ma\' be instanced in connection
with the building of the Dudley Hotel, in
1903, for he executed this project against
the advice of many leading citizens, and
}et the investment has ])roved to be one
of the wisest and most profitable he ever
made.

In November, 1881, Mr. Thomas was
married to Mary A., daughter of David
and Martha (Evans) Dudley, and a na-
tive of Licking county, Ohio. David
Dudley was also a native of Wales, and
emigrated to this country in 1842. select-
ing Licking county, (Jhio, as his place of
settlement.

Mr. Thomas's success in life is a good
illustration of what can be accomplished
by industry, integrity, frugalit}', close at-
tention to business, and good manage-
ment. When he came to .\merica his sole
capital was good heahli. correct morals,
and an earnest determination to succeed.
To-day he is enjoying the fruits of a well-
spent life, a life lived in accordance with
the rules he earh- laid down for his guid-
ance, and is in the possession of a com-
fortable competence.

In Alay, 1886, he and his wife started
for a well-earned holiday, visiting various
parts of ^^'ales and England, and spend-
ing three months on the trip. When he
emigrated to America he came in a sail-
ing vessel which took five w'eeks and
three days to make the passage across
the .Atlantic. ( )n his return to his native
land he crossed in eleven days, a good
illustration of modern progress.

ii8

BIOGRAPHICAL RElIEir

Mr. Thomas is well known and iii)j;hlv
esteemed in Des Moines county, and
wherever he is known. He has always
been considered as one of the leading
business lights of this part of the county.

HON. ELLISON SMITH.

Hon. Ellison Smith, in whose life
record there is much tliat commands the
highest praise, and wliose meiiiory is dear
to a large circle of friends who knew and
honored him during his active life, was
one of the noble figures in the history and
development of this section of Iowa,
being known throughout Des Moines
cminly, and in a measure throughout the
State, as one who was singularly devoted
to all that might conduce to the moral
and spiritual advancement of mankind, as
well as being always among the lirst to
aid any worthy movement for the material
upbuilding of the community in which
he made his home. He was born at
Skipton, in Yorkshire, England, March 8,
1825, the third of a family of ten children,
son of I'eter and Martlia (Ellison) Smith,
and acc<inii)aiiir(l ]ii> parents to .\inerica
in 1835.

The father, who was also a native of
Yorkshire, was by trade a miller, follow-
ing that occupation in I-".ngl;nul ; but on
coming to America he purchased a farm
of three hundred acres three miles south
of r.urlington, Iowa, and devoted himself
to agriculture. Cira])pling with the hard
problems of ])ioneer life and frontier con-
ditions, he cleared away the encumbering
forests, freed the jiroductive forces of the
soil, erected buildings, and establisheil a

home for himself and his family. It was
here that he resided until the lime of his
death, which occurred in 1870, at the age
of seventy-five years. He was a member
of the Episcopal church, maintaining this
connection through life, and while he was
always wisely conservative in all things,
he was a friend of true ])rogress, and at-
tained a gratifying degree of pecuniary
prosperity. The mother of Ellison
Smith was also a native of England, and
she attained to the age of eighty-one
years, her death occurring in 1881. She
is survived by five children, all of whom
are residents of the Middle West.

Mr. Smith obtained his formal educa-
tion almost, wholly in his native country,
the only schooling which he received sub-
sc{|uent to his tenth year being that of a
si.x weeks' term in the jiublic schools of
liurlington township, Des Moines county.
Despite the meagerness of his early ad-
vantages, however, he formed a taste for
reading, which he always retained, antl
through habits of reflection and intelli-
gent observation he became possessed of
the extensive knowledge and broad views
which made him a man of true and uni-
versal culture. With the exceiUion of a
short ])erio(l, during which he learned and
worked at the brickmaker's trade, he re-
mained with his |)arents until his twenty-
sixth year.

( )n .\i)ril 9, 1851, he was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mary .\. Hunt, d.iughter of
Jesse and Delinda ( Kirki)atrick ) Hunt.
The father of Mrs. Smith wa> i)orn June
20, 1807, at Knoxville, Tenn., whence he
removed with his parents to Illinois when
only five years of age. The family lo-
cated in llond county, where they en-
g.'iged in farming, and where the yoimg

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

119

son was (.'ducatL'd in tlie pnhlic school.
Later he was em])loye(l upon the home
farm until he was twenty-two years of
age, at which time his marriage took
place, and he began independent farming
operations in Illinois. This he continued
until 1834, when he removed to Iowa,
choosing a location at what was then
known as Flint Hills, and is now included
within the corjjorate limits of the city of
lUirlington. There he purchased the
farm which is at present occupied by his
only son, John I'.., and there he resided
continuously until his death, which oc-
curred July 16, 1893,

He was the owner of five hundred acres
of valuable land in Des Moines county,
comprising some of the richest agricul-
tural tracts in the middle Mississippi val-
ley. He was a member, and a generous,
loyal supporter of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and as a man of great pub-
lic spirit, he felt a genuine interest in
political questions, acting from principle
with the Democratic party. His wife,
who, like himself, was a devoted member
of the Methodist Episcopal denomination,
died June 25, 1871, at the age of sixty-
three years. She was born at Madison,
111., a daughter of Francis and ^lary ( Gil-
lum) Kirkpatrick. Her father was a
native of Georgia, whence he came to
Illinois immediately upon his marriage,
making the journey in company with a
number of other pioneers, and traveling
overland by teams. He was of old colo-
nial ancestry, and the great-grandfather of
Mrs. Smith, widow of our subject, was a
soldier of the Revolutionary War. losing
his life in the southern branch of the
service.

To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born six

children, all of whom sur\ive. .Mice is
the wife of jnhn Cavenee, a ranchman
and stock-raiser of ISroken How, Xebr.,
and they have one son, Paul. By a
former marriage to J. .\. Wright. .\1. D.,
who died in 1882. she has another son,
Ray I'xhvord. Samuel .V., who is a farmer
at W'ilsey, Kan., married Miss Orlena
t\Trel, of Danville, Iowa, and they have
one child, Jesse C. Jesse M., now a mer-
chant at I'rovo, Utah, married Miss Etta
Seamons, and has one daughter, Mary.
Virginia is the wife of H. T. Catlin, who
is engaged in railroad work at Hutchin-
son. Kans., and they have one son, Carl,
Walter E., now a farmer of Xorth Platte,
Xebr., married Miss Cora Peterson, of
Dan\ille, and they have two sons. Paul
and Hugh. Jean P., youngest child of
Mr. and Mrs. .Smith, was born Jan. 12,
1867. and after completing the work of
the public schools of Danville, matricu-
lated and ])ursued a course of study in
Parsons College, at I'airfield, Iowa. On
leaving college in 1886, he went to Jewell
City, Kans., and engaged in the banking
business, continuing there with success
for five years. In i8()i he removed to
Kansas City, Mo., and was there con-
nected as chief clerk with the Xational
Bank of Commerce for a period of six
years. After two years spent in Danville,
he formed a connection with Armour &
Company, at Omaha, for a further two
years, and then returned to Danville,
where he has resided continuously since,
engaged in the care and supervision of
the old home farm. He is possessed of
great natural gifts, and holds a high and
enviable place in the general esteem, both
for his ability and for the ])robity of his
personal character.

BIOGR.IPIUCAL REI -inW

liniiK-diatily after his niarriafjc to Miss
llunt Mr. Smith removed to Danville
townshij), purchasing there a farm on
which they resided for eleven years. In
i8'>5 they ajjain removed, estahlishinjj
their home in the village of Danville, and
also ])urchase(l a farm of one hundred
acres witliin the ])resent corporate bound-
aries of the village. This new home was
the place of .Mr. .Smith's residence during
the remainiler of his life, aiid here he
gave much attention to farming accord-
ing t(j the most modern and a])provcd
scientific methods. To him very largL-ly
is due llie magnificent system of soil
drainage which has added so much to the
value of agricultural lands in Dcs Moines
county, and for a number of years he en-
gaged in the sale of tiling as part df his
regular business. He also built the ele-
vator at Danville, and entered the grain
business on an extensive scale, continu-
ing to conduct the enterprise with signal
success until his death. lie was re-
sourceful, progressive, and alert, and in
whatever he , attempted his achievement
was sure to be more than ordinarily not-
able, and of enduring value and signifi-
cance. 15y the ])urity and strength of his
character he commanded the unqualified
confidence of the peo|)le, and as a lead-
ing member of the Democratic ])arty,
with which he was closely identified dur-
ing the major portion of his active life,
he exercised a widespread and intimate
inthunce upon the ])ublic alTairs of his
tinu'.

In 1889 Des Moines county chose him
as its representative in the State Legis-
lature of Iowa, and in this capacity he
serveil his fellow-citizens fnr two years,
with great credit to himself and l;isting

benefits to his constituency. He was al-
ways active 'in the c<induct of townshi|>
aflairs, ami was for many ye.'irs a town-
ship scho<jl director, for he was aii ear-
nest advocate of the State public school
system, believing that therein lay the
foundation for the perpetuity of the State
and popular government. In addition to
his more immediate business and pul>lic
interests, he was extensively connected
with I'.urlington institutions, and the uni-
form saneness and correctness of his
opinions rendered his counsel widely
sought in financial circles. .\ natural
leader of iiKii. all looked to him for guid-
ance in times of doubt and crisis, and
desjiite the stress and jjressure of his
private aflfairs, none ever ap])ealed to him
in vain. Himself no sectarian, his entire
life was molded upon the highest moral
])rinci])les, and was in close accord with
the myriad ujiward tendencies of human
society.

Mr. Smith \va> an es])ecially |)o])ular
man among the higher classes. I'.usiness
men admired the masterly ability which
won him success in the world of action.
His unimpeachable character stood for
great ])rinci])les which have left their im-
])ress upon the community ; and the de-
votion to his home life, which was one
of the strongest of his characteristics, in-
stinctively appealed to all who revere the
highest and holiest of relations. The
moral and mental purpose of his life will
li\e beyond the brief ])eriod which com-
]jasscd his existence, and still inlluence
and u|)lift his fellow-men. He died July
3, i8<^3, sixty-eight years of age, and
his remains rest in Aspen drove cem-
etery, at I'.urlington. Mrs. Smith is a
ple.'isant kuly of distinguished ability an<l

DRS MO/XHS COUXT)-. lOir.l.

121

many social s^races, and licr lionu- is the
center of a generous Init refined and (|uiet
iiiispitality.

HOWARD A. MATHEWS.

Howard A. Mathews, who for the third
term is filhng the position of county super-
intendent of schools, and whose labors have
been effective in raising the standard of
public instruction in Des Moines county,
was born in Danville township, Sept. 27,
1866. His father, Henry C. Mathews, was
born in Michigan during a brief residence
of his parents there. They had come from
New York to the Middle West, and re-
moved from Michigan to Illinois, and later
to Des Moines county, Iowa. The grand-
father was a millwright by trade, and was
interested in pioneer days, in establishing
mills at Lowell, Henry county, a few miles
south of Danville, one on either side of the
Skunk River, and operated by water power.
For many years he was thus identified with
the early industrial development _of this
part of the State, while later he turned his
attention to farming. He was also one of
the early school teachers of the State, and
his labors proved an important factor in
promoting progress and upbuilding here.
He died on his farm, aged seventy-six.

Henry C. Mathews, father of Professor
Mathews, was only two years old when
brought by his parents to Des Moines
county, and under the parental roof he was
reared amid pioneer environments. After
arriving at years of maturity he married
Miss Cyrene E. Dodds, who was born in
this county. Their wedding was celebrated
in Danville, March 19, 1864, and they began
their domestic life upon a farm. Mr.

Mathews was engaged in agricultural pur-
suits throughout his entire life. He owned
four hundred acres of land in Danville
township, constituting a valuable farm, and
he was also active in community interests,
serving as township trustee for many years
and otherwise supporting progressive and
beneficial measures for the general good.
His political support was given to the Re-
publican party and he was a consistent
member of the Congregational church. He
died in 1897, at the age of sixty-two years,
and his widow still resides u])on the old
homestead near Danville. They were the
parents of eight children, and with one ex-
ception all are yet living, namely: Henry
Sherman, of Danville, who married Lu-
cretia Beck; Howard A.; Warren L., who
married Ida R. Mi.x ; Willis S., who mar-
ried Edith Ferinsworth ; Grace A. ; Birdie
B., who is engaged in teaching in the pub-
lic schools : and Fred D. The deceased
daughter was Lilly Mathews.

Professor Howard A. Mathews was
reared upon the home farm, and his early
education was acquired in the district
schools, supplemented by study in the Dan-
ville high school, from which he was gradu-
ated with the class of 1887. He began
teaching in the public schools, and was thus
identified with the educational interests of
the county for twelve years, or until elected
to the office of county superintendent in
September, 1899. He was for one year
principal of the schools of Danville, and
was teaching in the Maplewood school
south of Danville when elected to the office
of county superintendent in 1899. His
nomination came entirely without his solici-
tation, and was a public recognition of his
ability as an educator and his worth as a
citizen. He discharged his duties with

122

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJ'IFAV

such satisfaction to the general public that
he was re-elected in m/ji. and again in
1903. so that he is now serving his third
term, and under his guidance the schools
have made satisfactory progress. He is
continually studying out new methods for
improving the schools along practical lines,
and he has the faculty of securing the co-
operation of the teachers and arousing their
zeal in behalf of the imi^roved plans which
he introduces. He is a member of the State
Teachers' Association and the Southeastern
Iowa Teachers' Association ; was chairman
of the county su])crintendent's section of the
Southeastern Iowa Association held at lUir-
lington in 1903.

Professor Mathews was married in Dan-
ville, in 1896, to Miss Emma A. Gugeler,
who was born in Danville tt>wnship, Des
Moines county. Oct. 29. 1870. and they
have three children: Alvin G., George H.,
and Grace .A. Mrs. Mathews is a daughter
of Fred Gugeler, who was born in Ger-
many, and his wife. ^L'l^y (Xau) Gugeler.
who was born of German parentage, in Des
Moines county. They now reside upon a
farm in Danville township, and their chil-
dren arc : Henry, deceased ; Charles, who
married Pearl Carter : Mrs. Lizzie Dodds ;
Mrs. Hmma Mathews: George, .Anna, and
Maggie, all at home.

In his political views Mr. Mathews is a
Republican, well informed concerning the
questions and issues of the day, and yet
never active as a politician. He belongs to
the Congregational church, and has wielded
a wide influence for the betterment of his
fellow-men along the lines of intellectual
and moral progress, while his own sterling
worth and allegiance to high principles have
gained for him the uniform regard of the
residents of eastern Iowa.

WILLIAM FREDERICK CAVE.

•

W'lLLIA.M I'KEOEUICK CWE, woll knOWU

in business circles in Burlington as a dealer
in coal and wood, came to this city from
Ontario, Canada, in i8(>i. his home in the
Dominion having been about sixty miles
from the city of Toronto. He was born
there June 23, 1855, a son of Edward and
Mary A. (Mair) Cave, the former a na-
tive of England and the latter of Canada,
the mother's birth having occurred in the
same house in which the subject of this
review was born. Many of the ancestors
were English, but on the paternal side Mr.
Cave is descended from French Hugue-
nots. His great-great-great-grandfather
was in the seventeenth century a colonel on
the staf? of William, Prince of Orange,
afterward king of England, when he was
warring against King James over Cathol-
icism. The paternal great-grandfather. Mr.
Cave, who was a native of Ireland, left
that kingdom and settled in Wiltshire, Eng-
land, ui)on a farm of five hundred acres, and
this property has since remained in the
care of his descendants, the ])lace being
called Long Newnton. That the estate was
])rosperous is indicated by the fact that when
the grandfather of Mr. Cave retired from
farming in 1857, he sold stock from Long
Newnton netting him one thousand and
nine hundred and seventy pounds, three
shillings, and three pence, ecpiivalent to
about ten thousand dollars in United States
money. Thomas Mair, the maternal grand-
father, was born in Yorkshire, England, and
as a young man emigrated to Canada, set-
tling on the Penetanguishene Road, where
he entered into a contract with the I'.ritish
government to supply the garrisons at
Penetanguishene and the fleets on the upper

DBS MOfXRS COUXTV. IOWA.

123

lakes with beef, pork, and other meats. He
bought hvestock over a large extent of
territory to fulfil his contracts, all of this
being driven overland to the designated
points. At his home he had a large stock
farm, and to this he imported some of the
first blooded stock in Canada, including
English coach horses, Durham cattle, and
Leicestershire sheep, doing much by his
praiseworthy activity in this line to im-
prove the stock in that portion of the Do-
minion. He married a lady who was a
native of Kent, England, and who after the
death of her first husband had come to
America as lady's maid to the wife of the
governor of Upper Canada, she being a
lady of superior attainments and culture
and the widow of a wealthy lace manufac-
turer of London, who lost his fortune and
died at the close of the Peninsular war,
leaving his widow in very straitened cir-
cumstances. She married Thos. Mair in
Toronto, and had strong influence over him,
he appreciating the fact that she had always
been accustomed to the advantages of
wealth, and putting forth every eflr'ort in his
power to provide her with all that he be-
lieved would promote her happiness and
welfare. He had removed from Toronto
to County Simcoe, in the Province of On-
tario, in 1 819, and there he died at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-one years and six
months. To him and his wife were born
three daughters, who grew to maturity,
these being Elizabeth, who married James
F. Wickens ; Hannah, wife of Frederick
Usher, Mr. Wickens and Mr. Usher be-
ing both members of prominent families ;
and Mary A., who became the wife of
Edward Cave, and the mother of the sub-
ject of these memoirs.

Edward Cave was born in Wiltshire,

England, in the \ear 18 1 S, and was there
educated, coming to IJarrie, County of
Simcoe, L^pper Canada, in 1845. In that
county he purchased a farm and successfully
conducted agricultural niierations until the
time of his coming to jjurlington with his
son in 1892. He married Miss Mair in
1847. and to them were born six children,
only one of whom, William F., attained
maturity. Airs. Cave died in 1868, and her
husband's demise occurred at the home of
their son in l^urlington in 1894. Both were
members of the Episcopal church.

The mother of William Frederick Cave
died when he was thirteen years of age, and
afterward he was a member of a household
that numbered only his father, his grand-
father and himself. The public schools
afforded him his educational privileges, and
he remained upon the home farm during
the period of his boyhood and youth, as-
sisting in its development and improvement.
He afterward became the owner of one hun-
dred and eighty acres of land in Canada,
comprising four farms, and at one time he
also owned the old homestead, covering
two hundred and fifty acres. .\t length he
sold his farm property in Canada and came
to Burlington in 1891. Here he secured
employment in a rolling mill, and afterward
in the shops of the Chicago. Burlington &
Quincy Railroad, having charge of the tool
room. In 1896 he bought a coal and wood
yard of Joseph Slocum on Osborn Street,
and two years later he bought out his pres-
ent location at 833 Jefferson Street of W. W.
Kennear. He uses three teams in the de-
livery of coal and wood, selling only to the
retail trade. He deals in anthracite, Illinois
soft coal, smithing coal, and coke, and in
addition to the conduct of this business he
operates a farm of seventy acres two miles

124

niOGRAPHICAL REVIPAV

from the city. He is also interested in
mining property in Colorado. Mr. Cave has
extensive fraternal connections, having been
matle a Mason in Des .Moines Lodge. Xo. i,
of lUirlington, and being also a member of
Iowa Chapter, No. i. Royal .Vrch Masons,
and of the Indei)endent Order of Foresters,
of Burlington, of which latter he has l)een
chief ranger.

Mr. Cave was marricfl in the township
of Ore, in Ontario, Canada, Dec. 17, 1872,
to Miss Emma Liicy Harrington, who was
born in the State of Now York, and is
of English parentage, her birth occurring
two weeks after the landing of her i)ar-
ents, James and Ruth Harrington, in the
Xew World. They were farming people,
and removed from the Empire State to
Canada. The father is now deceased, but
the mother is residing in ^'<lungstown,
( )hio. Mr. and Mrs. Cave have become the
i;areuts of nine children: Emma Mary is
the wife of Frank B. Wilson, of Burlington,
a son of Captain Frank Wilson, of Cleve-
land, (^hio: Roland Mair wedded Winni-
fred N'andervere, and is enii)lnye(l in the
shops of the Chicago, I'.urlington & Ouincy
Railroad ; Edward H.. who married Bea-
trice Rosendalc. of New York City, at-
tended the country schools of Canada, and
was first connected w'ith editoral work in
Cleveland, Ohio. He was for a time ed-
itor of the Sfortiiti^ Coods Dealer, of St.
Louis, was afterward on the Motor Review,
and is now editor in chief of Field and
Sfreaiii. James F. is with his father in the
coal business. Gertrude E. is a teacher
of nnisic. Ernest Alfred, .Arabella O.,
Coral Ruth, and Roderick Baldwin arc all
at home with their parents. The family
home is at 1902 West .X venue, a two-stor\
residence of eight rooms standing in the

midst of two city lots. In his political
views Mr. Cave is a Rei)ublican, but the
honors and emoluments of office have had
no attraction for him, as he has ever pre-
ferred to concentrate his energies upon his
business affairs. He was reared in the
Episcopal fait|i, but is now a member of
the Presbvterian church.

CHARLES WILLIAM HUNT.

-Mu. Hlnt, who is the oldest living rep-
resentative of one of Des Moines county's
pioneer families, was born on the farm on
which he still resides, in Union town-
ship, Dec. 2^, 1839. a son of Samuel and
.Martha (McGee) Hunt. The father was
a native of I'ond county, Illinois, where hi^
birth occurred on Jan. 21, 1809. and where
he resided until attaining his majority. .At
that time he removed to Macomb, McDon-
ough county. 111., and for several years fol-
lowed various occupations in that city. But
in 1835 he joined the great westward move-
ment, and. coming to Des Moines county,
entered from the government one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Union township.
He then returned to Macomb, where he
wedded Miss McGee. In 1838 he brought
her to Iowa, and they settled on his home-
stead. The land was in its wild state, and
he was compelled, in common with the other
courageous pioneers of his day, to surmount
great difficulties in jireparing it fur cultiva-
tion. These difficulties he attacked with the
high resoluticm which always characterized
him, and in a few years he cleared away
much of the forest, brought the prairies
under the dominion of the jilow. and from
till' wilderness began to reap the hard-earned

■X.

c:
z

"X.

c
z

DBS MO/XliS COrXl)\ IOWA.

127

fruits of toil. In addition to fanning he
became to some extent interested in raising
and feeding stock, in which he achieved a
fair proportion of success ; and he also en-
gaged largely in buying and selHng farm
property, at one time being the owner of
approximately eight hundred acres in Des
Moines county. He continued to reside on
the land where he first settled until the time
of his death, in November, 1889. The de-
mise of his wife occurred Dec. 9, 1885.
Both were members of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and were earnest and helpful
workers in that denomination. To them
were born twelve children, of whom our
subject is the eldest, and the others are in
order of age as follows : Sally, wife of Mr.
McCash ; Alary Louise, wife of Mr. Harris ;
Samuel B., of Burlington township ; John
McGee, of Illinois ; Jesse Buchanan, also of
Ilhnois ; Elizabeth, wife of Mr. W'alden :
Lydia Mildred; Douglas; Lillian, wife of
Mr. Leak ; Lucy, wife of Mr. Mast ; and
Esther. The father of this family was a
man of wide acquaintance, and as a lead-
ing member of the Democratic party of his
day was frequently elected to ]niblic office,
holding at various times most of the posi-
tions within the gift of his township.

Charles W. Hunt is indebted to the dis-
trict schools for his early knowledge of
books, and at the age of seventeen years he
became a student in the Baptist College at
Burlinglon, where he followed a course of
study occupying two terms. L'pon the con-
clusion of his education he returned to the
farm, assisting his father until his twenty-
first year, when he inaugurated his inde-
pendent career by renting land and begin-
ning farming operations on his own account.
Thus he passed the first two years of his
manhood, but in the spring of 1862, in com-

pany with five young men of the neighbor-
hood, he crossed the plains to the Territory
of Idaho, taking four years for the trip.
They were drawn thither by the excitement
and consequent pros])erity attending the dis-
covery of gold on Salmon River. For two
years after his arrival Mr. Hunt engaged in
freighting in the gold district, and met with
great jjecuniary success; but in the follow-
ing two years he invested extensively in min-
ing stocks. This, however, proved unprofit-
able. In February, 1866, he returned to
Iowa to resume his former occupation of
farming, and on Christmas day, 1866, he
was imited in marriage to Miss Hilary Eliz-
abeth Burge, daughter of Samuel and
Martha (Wootten) Burge. Mr. Burge was
a native of Maryland, being a son of Adam
and Elizabeth lUirge, and was born in 1813.
His father was a minister of the Methodist
church. .Samuel Burge grew to manhood
in \'irginia, learned the cabinet-maker's
trade, and in early life traveled about con-
siderably, but finally settled in Tennessee,
where he met and married his wife, who-
was a native of Nashville, being born in
1821. In 1847. a few years after their mar-
riage, they came to Des Moines county,
and established their home in Burlington,
where Mr. Burge opened a retail furniture
shop on Jefl'erson Street, doing all kinds of
repair work for many years. To Mr. and
-Mrs. Burge were born seven children:
William is a railroad man living in Kansas
City ; John is also a resident of Kansas
City; Sanuiel died in California at the age
of forty-eight years ; C. W., of Burlington,
is a railroad man ; Anna, deceased ; Thomas,
deceased. Mrs. Burge died in Burlington,
Julv 8. 1859. Several years after the death
of his wife, Mr. Burge moved to Kansas
Citv, where he again engaged in tiie furni-

128

biogr.iphic.il review

tiirc business, continuing at it for many
years. Retiring from business, he turned
his estate over to his sons, and died in Kan-
sas City, Oct. 8, i8y2. Mr. and Mrs. lUirge
were both members of the Methodist cluirch,
and all of their children were reared in that
faith.

To Mr. and .Mr.s. Hunt have been horn
three sons and one daughter, as follows :
Samuel Etlgar, who married .Miss Smith;
Charles William, Jr.. who is at home; Harry
Walter, also a member of the ])arcntal house-
hold : and luniice ICUkI. wife of I^. W.
Smith. The year fojlowing his marriage
Mr. Hunt purchased a small farm, consist-
ing of forty-five acres, and in addition to
this rented about one hundred and sixty
acres, which he cultivated. \ ie has always
farmed at least two lumdred acres, and uni-
form success has enabled liim In increase his
first purchase, so that at the [)rt.sent time
he is the owner of two hundred and sixty
acres, excellently imjiroved, and comprising
some of the finest and most productive agri-
cultural land in I'nion township or Des
Moines county. He has always been an
admirer of high-grade horses and cattle.
and has his farm well stocked with fine ani-
mals. He has engaged to .some extent in
cattle raising and feeding, always with suc-
cess, and has given much thought and care
to the development of a fine orchard, which
now graces his farm and yields an impor-
tant annual revenue. The work of the farm
has absorbed the greater portion of his at-
tention, and although he has been a student
of political questions, always acting with the
Democratic party, in whose main tenets he
is a thorough believer, he has never been an
aspirant for public office, finding am|)le em-
ployment in keejiing his farm uj) to the high
standard which he has set for it. He is

cheerful and genial, an obliging neighbor
and a loyal friend, widely known and pop-
ular. Mr. and .Mrs. Hunt attenil and sup-
jiort the .Methodist Episcopal church.

THOMAS STIVERS.

Tiio.\i.\s Stivers, publisher of the Ei'cn-
iiit; Gazette at lUirlington, is a native of
I'omcroy, Meigs county. Ohio, and was born
ill [S44. llis father. Aaron Stivers, was
descended from an old Holland family that
was established in America in the early
part of the seventeenth century. The great-
grandfather was a soldier of the Revolu-
tionary War. and the grantl father was a
soldier of the War of 1812. .-\aron Stivers
was a civil engineer, and probably surveyeil
the first railroad line constructed in Iowa,
this being prior to 1844. He was identified
with railroad construction many years, thus
contributing toward the development of the
State. .\s the years passed, and he saw
<>])])ortimity for judicious investment, he
purcha.sed lands and acquired considerable
proj)erty. When the family came to the
West in 1876 the home was established in
( )sceola, but Mr. Stivers spent his last days
in .\fton, Iowa, where he died in 1S95. His
son Henry built the old narrow-gauge rail-
road, extending between Des Moines and
( "lainesville. Mo., and was its general super-
intendent anil manager for several years,
in this line the father was also interested.
Henry Stivers is now a banker and farmer
at Osceola, Iowa, thus being closely con-
nected with the business interests of that
locality. A (laughter, Jcimic Stivers, be-
came the wife of S. M. Leach, of .\del.
Iowa, who was one of the World's h'air

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

I2g

commissioners and a member of the Re]iuli-
lican State central committee. He is con-
nected with financial interests at Aclel as
president of a bank there. A half-sister
of onr subject, Susie Stivers, is living at
Osceola, Iowa, and for many years was
principal of the Afton Normal School. The
mother of Thomas Stivers died when
twenty-eight years of age, and the father
afterward married Miss Sophronia Cole,
who is living in Osceola with her daug-hter
Susie.

Thomas Stivers spent his early vouth in
his native village, began his education there,
and after com]:)leting the high-school course
also enjoyed the advantages of academic
instruction. At the age of sixteen years he
entered a printing office and learned the
printer's trade, and between the years 1870
and 1884 he devoted his time and energies to
newspaper work in Atchison, Kans.. being
city editor of the Atchison Champion and
also owner of the Atchison Patriot. At
length he disposed of his newspaper inter-
ests in that city and removed to Leaven-
worth. Kans., where he built a nnile street-
car line. This he equipped and controlled
for a time, but eventually sold that property
and removed to Burlington in 1887. Here
he purchased the Burlington Gazette, a daily
paper, which at that time had a city circula-
tion of only five hundred and sixty-two.
The paper had been established in 1836. It
has had a remarkable evolution, keeping in
touch with the progressive spirit .of journal-
ism. The paper has had a continuous ex-
istence from territorial days, having been
established in Burlington when the city was
known as a part of the Black Hawk Pur-
chase, its owners being CyrUs Jacobs, a
young lawyer, and James Clarke, a practical
printer.

X'arious changes occurred in ownership
as the years passed, and among its editors
and publishers have been many men who
have attained State and National reputations
in connection with public interests. In the
decade ]jreceding the Civil War the Gazette
was the State organ of the Democratic party
and the champion of the Iowa senators,
Hon. A. C. Dodge and Hon. G. W. Jones,
ably defending them through the great
struggle of the Kansas-Nebraska act. Up
to this time the Gazette had been published
as a weekly paper, but in 1853 the tri-weekly
issue was begun ; and after Iowa became a
State the name of the paper was changed
to the Iowa State Gazette. Different men
l)urchased, owned, and controlled the paper,
and different changes occurred in the name.
It was on June I, 1867, that the word Argos,
whicli then formed a part of the title, was
dropped, the paper becoming known only
as the Gazette. On Sept. 24, 1874. the
Gazette Printing Company was organized,
and in 1887 Mr. Stivers and his associates
purchased the paper with all its franchise
and good-will. Its equijiment at that time
was of the most primitive, with a noticeable
absence of improved machinery, and its
entire circulation by mail and carrier was
less than one thousand copies. Since then
improvements have been continuouslv made,
until the Gazette office has no equal in
equipment in this country in a city of the
size of Burlington. It is a practical demon-
strator of the acme of modern invention.

In 1904 occurred changes, nearly fifty
thousand dollars being invested in machin-
ery and material for the publication of its
papers. Under the management of Mr.
Stivers a new press, the Goss straight-line.
has been installed. It is a double-deck
perfecting press, turning out twenty-five

I ;o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

thousand folded, jirintcd Gazettes in an
hour. There is also a battery of Mergen-
thaler linotype machines, with all necessary
cquijHiients for |nil)lishing a modem evening
daily, 'i'lie paiier has also been a financial
success, and the circulation in the city now
exceeds thirty-eight hundred co])ies. and
there is also a large outside patronage. The
paper has ahvays been the clianii)ion of
Democracy. u])holding the i)rinciples of
Jefferson. .Madison, and other old-time lead-
ers of the jjarty. It is now the champion of
.sound-mf)ney Democracy, having supported
Palmer and I'.uckner. and in the recent cam-
l)aign Parker and Davis. The Gazette is
furnished with the associated press dis-
patches, and in addition has a large and
efficient corps of reporters throughout the
State gathering the news that will be of the
greatest interest to Iowa readers.

Mr. Stivers has always been active and
inlhicntial in jiolitics. d<iing much for his
party aside from the strong influence which
he exercises in connection with the publica-
tion of the Gazette. He attends to the con-
ventions of his party, yet has never sought
or desired political i)refcrmeiit.

Mr. Stivers was married in Fomeroy,
Ohio, in 1870, to Miss Frances Metcalf. of
McConnellsville, Ohio, and tluy have one
son. fieorge. who is now business manager
of the Gazette. They lost a daughter, who
was the wife of W. G. Coffin, and died at
Memphis, Tenn., leaving a son, Joseph, who
is now living with his grandfather. The
family home of Mr. and Mrs. Stivers is at
1122 Smith Street. Mr. Stivers is a mem-
ber of the Benevolent and F'rotective Order
of Elks, the Commercial Club of Ilurlington.
and the dolf Club. He is a man of marked
business tact, a representative journalist,
wide-awake, alert, and enterprising, regard-

ing his field of activity not only as a busi-
ness but as a profession, giving broad scope
not only for the acquirement of a financial
reward, but also for the e.xercise of a g<Kid
influence.

THOMAS T. EVANS.

( ).\ the pages of the pioneer history of
Des Moines county ajipears the name of
Thomas T. K\ans. who assisted mate-
rially ill the early development of this
liarl of the .State, and aided in reclaiming
the wild land for the pur])oses of civiliza-
tion. .\ native of Wales, he was born
about iScK), and ac(|uired his education in
the public schools of that land. He after-
wartl learned the weaver's trade, becom-
ing an expert in that de]jartment of labor.
He wove in all colors and designs, and
because of his superior ability was able
to command good |)ositions. He was
married in his native country to .Miss
.Mary .Morris, who was al.so born in the
little rock-ribbed land of Wales, her natal
year being 1804.

Desirous, however, of enjoying the bet-
ter business op])ortunities of the .\ew
World, ;mcl the higher wages here paid,
Thomas T. Kvans crossed the .\tlantic to
the United States in 1833, settling first at
Ruscanee, \. V., where with his wife and
three chilclren he established his home.
They crossed the .Atlantic on the old sail-
ing vessel, " Sidol," which several years
afterward was lost at sea. and nine weeks
had been added In tlu' cycle of the cen-
turies before anchor was dro|)ped in the
harbor of \ew York, .\bout 1835 the
family went from the l".iii])ire State to
I'ortage county. ( )hio. where the father

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

engaged in the transfer or teaming busi-
ness, making tri])s from Portage eounty
to Pittsburg. liis residence in the Buck-
eye State cox'ered about nine years, after
which he came to Des Moines county,
Iowa.

It was in May, 1845, that Mr. Evans
arrived in this State. He purchased forty
acres of land, and later he entered one
hundred and sixty acres from the govern-
ment, through the meilium of a Mexican
land warrant which had been granted to
a soldier of the Mexican war in recogni-
tion of his service, the soldier selling the
same to Mr. Evans. In this way the lat-
ter became owner of a quarter section in
Washington township, about a half mile
west of the boundary line of Yellow
Springs township. His son, "Moses, also
bought eighty acres in the same neigh-
borhood, but in the spring of 1850 he
went to California, attracted by the dis
covery of gold on the Pacific Coast.
Later he returned to his farm, bringing
with him about two thousand dollar^
whicii he had made in the mines of the
West. He died in Des Moines county in
1854, leaving his property to his father,
and this was the family homestead until
the death of the parents.

Mr. Evans was an enterjjrising agricul-
turist, placing his land under a high state
of cultivation, and li\-ing a busy, useful,
and active life. He died in 1855, and
within a week his wife and two daughters
passed away, Catherine Sophia being then
si.xteen years of age, while Mary .Augusta
was fourteen years old. John Jones, an
old-time friend of Mr. Evans who had
lost his wife in Des Moines county and
afterward resided in different places, con-
tracted the cholera, and Mr. Evans, out

of the kindness of his heart, went to nurse
liim during that illness. He then re-
turned home, bringing with him the
dreaded disease, and he and his wife and
daughters all succumbed to it. There
was only one other death from cliolera
in the locality, a girl by the name of
\'irgin.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans were the parents
(if ten children : Elizabeth, a resident of
Portland, Ore., is now the widow of
William P. Jones, who died in 1896;
Moses, died wdien twenty-four years of
age; Henry; Ann, married Frederick
Gowdy, of this county, and died in 1878;
James Grimes, died at Salenas, Cal., in
July, i<p3; Catherine Sophia, died of
cholera; Mary Augusta, whose death was
occasioned by the same disease; Joseph,
died in Des Moines county in July, 1867,
at the age of twenty-two years; Jane,
died in San Francisco, Cal., in 1903, be-
ing survived by her husband, Andrew
(iartley, a former resident of Burlington,
Iowa ; and Thomas Charles, living in
Winona county, Iowa.

Henry Evans, to whom we are indebted
for the history of Thomas T. Evans and
his family, was born April 8, 1832, in
Wales, and was therefore onl}- about a
year old when his parents came to Amer-
ica. He pursued his education in the
schools of Ohio and of Des Moines comi-
ty, Iowa, and for a time was a student in
the public schools of Burlington. In 1853
he went to California, sailing from New
York on the steamer "Star of the West,"
by way of Nicaragua, and was engaged
in mining there when he received the sad
news of the death of his father, mother,
and two sisters. It was accompanied by
an ajipeal for him to return home, which

132

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ho <lid hy way of Tanaina. for he was left
the eldest of the family, ami naturally the
obligation of larinj: for the younger mem-
bers fell upon him. lie therefore re-
turned to Iowa, anil took charge of the
old home place, and of his younger broth-
ers and sisters. He continued the man-
agement and operation of the home farm,
there residing for six years.

Dec. 12, i8<ii. he was married to Miss
Catherine Williams, a daughter of W . W.
and Margaret (Owens) Williams. .Mr.
I-'vans brought his l)ride to the old home-
stead, and ("mally jiurchased the interest
of the other heirs in tin- properly, con-
tinuing to reside thereon until he pur-
chased an additional tract of one hun-
dred and sixty acres. Upon this quarter
section he erected a new and commodi-
ous residence, residing here until his re-
tirement from business life in i8<)2. when
he then removed to .Mount Pleasant. lie
owns an extensive tract of land, which is
devoted largely to the raising of stock,
making a s])ecialty of Hereford cattle and
Poland China hogs. This ])lace is oper-
ated by .Merrett T. Evans.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans's children were:
Margaret Ann. who tlied in i8<^: .Vustin
J.; Will II.; .Merrett: .\ugnsta : Laura,
wife of .\. W . .Miller; P.ertha. <lied at the
age of five years; and one that died in
infancy. The family have all attended
the Iowa Wesleyan Cniversity and are
Melhoilists.

Mr. Evans was elected townsliii) trus-
tee on three difTereiit occasions on the
Rejniblican ticket, and he has always
been a stanch a<lvocate of the principles
of the party. .Almost his entire life has
been passed in this county, where he lo-
cated when a lad of twelve years, and he

has therefore witnessed the many changes
that have occurred here as the locality
has |)Ut off the evidences of frontier life
and taken on all the improvements of a
modern civilization. His business aflTairs
were capably managed, and his close ap-
plication, frugality, strong purpose, and
laudable ambition enabled him, as the
years passed by. to add annually to his
income. He is now one of the extensive
land owners of the county, ami leaving
the care of his farms to others, he is now
enjoying a well-earned rest.

MERRETT THOMAS EVANS.

One of the most prominent and pro-
gressive of the younger farmers of Des
Moines county is Merrett T. ICvans, now
living in Washington township. L'pon
the farm where he yet resides he was
born Jan. 16, 1876. his parents being
Henry and Catherine (Williams) Evans,
who are living retired in .Mount Pleasant.
The family was eslal)lislu'<| lure in pio-
neer times by the grandfather. Thomas
T. Evans, a native of Wales.

The subject of this review j)ursued his
early education in the district schools, and
afterward entered the Iowa Wesleyan
I'niversity at .Mount Ple.isant. lie was
also a student in the high school, and in
the college at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, be-
ing a graduate of the former. His edu-
cation completed, he returned to the old
home farm and began its <le\ elo|)inent.
He is now in control of an extensive tract
of land of nine hundred and eighty acres
in Washington and bellow Springs town-
shii)S. Des Moines county. Here he is

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

133

engaged in the breeding and raising of
cattle, having about one hundred and
fift}' head upon his place each year. He
also feeds about the same nundjer of
hogs, and his stock-dealing interests are
bringing him very gratifying success.

Sept. 14, 1897, Mr. Evans was married
to Miss Florence Bowman, a daughter of
Henry I'owman, and they now have four
children: Henry, born Aug. 10, 1898;
Dorothy, born Feb. 9, 1900; Tom, born
July 12, 1902; and Mary Frances, born
Aug. 25, 1904.

Mr. Evans, as the result of his study
and consideration of the political issues
and questions of the country, has given
his support to the Republican party. He
belongs to the Alpha Beta society,
a Greek letter fraternity with which he
became connected while attending col-
lege at Mount Pleasant. He also be-
longs to the Methodist Episcopal church,
and is now serving on its official board.
He is a young man of strong purpose,
laudable ambition, and determined will,
qualities which are always essential in a
successful business career, and in the con-
trol of extensive farming and stock-rais-
ing interests he displays excellent busi-
ness ability and executive force.

SAMUEL H. F. WILSON.

S.VMUEL H. F. Wilson, one of the vener-
able citizens of Franklin township, was born
in Moundsville, near Wheeling, W. Va., —
then a part of Virginia, — June 30, 1827,
and when a youth of eight years was
brought to Iowa by his mother in 1835. He
is a son of George and Rebecca (Parrott)
Wilson. The father was born in the east-

ern part of West Virginia, and throughout
his entire life followed the occupation of
farming. His death, however, occurred in
Virginia when he was thirty-two years of
age, his son Samuel being at that time a
young lad of seven summers. He was a
member of the Methodist church, his life
was honorable and upright, and in his busi-
ness undertakings he prospered, being' rec-
ognized as one of the enterprising and pro-
gressive agriculturists of his community.
His political allegiance was given to the
Whig party. His remains were interred
at Moundsville, Va.

The following year the mother brought
her family to Iowa. She was born in Berk-
ley county, \'irginia, and was educated in
the common schools of her native State.
Her parents were William and Susan (Tur-
ner) Parrott. Her father was a farmer
and slave-owner of West Virginia, and a
very prominent and influential man in that
State, where his death occurred. Mrs. Par-
rott afterward came to Iowa. She had a
family of nine children, all of whom ac-
companied her to this State in 1836. She
brought the first slave into Burlington, and
freed him here, and continued a resident
of Burlington until her death. For a short
time she conducted what was then called
the Wisconsin Hotel, but the name was
afterward changed to the Mansion House.
It stood on the northeast corner of Colum-
bia and Main Streets, and the location is
now used as a restaurant. On disposing of
the hotel business, Mrs. Parrott went to
West Burlington, and her death occurred
in 1 85 1, when she had reached the advanced
age of seventy years. She had three sons
and six daughters, all of whom have now
passed away, namely : Christopher C. ;
Lawson S. ; William: Mrs. Rebecca Wil-

134

HIOGRAriUCAl. RLllLir

son; Mary Ann. who married Aaron I'liil-
lips; Martha, who became the wife of
TliomaN I'.allzer; Isabella, the wife of Wil-
liam I". Johnson; Jane, the wife of Robert
Chaifant : and Elizabeth, who married
Sheiiherd Ijtelller. All became residents
of this coi-.nlv. and were prominent to a
greater or less extent in business life and
jmblic interests, but all have now ])asse(l
away. Mrs. \\ il.son, coming with her two
sons to Des Moines county, located in T'lir-
linpton. where she lived until her death.

I'or her second husband. Mrs. Wilson
married Charles Madera, then a resident
of Burlington, and otic of the early set-
tlers of the county, who became a man of
marked i)rr)minence and inlluence in his
conmiunity. I-'or some years he served as
juflge of the probate court, and was after-
ward coimty treasurer, filling the latter
position at the time of his death. He acted
as probate judge from 1837 until 1842, and
during that period had charge of every
estate settled at that time. \'arious posi-
tions of trust an<l res])onsibility were con-
ferred upon him. and he was widely known
for his fidelity and reliability. Me was rec-
ognized as a leader in political matters, and
had the entire confidence of his fellow-men.
even those who ditTered from him in jm-
litical views respecting him for his honesty
and worth. His business career was equally
notable. He was engaged with Shepherd
l-oefiler in the dry-goods business at I'ur-
lington for a number of years, and built and
owne<l the first saw-mill on I'lint River.
He passed away when .ibout fifty years of
age, and Mrs. Madera died at the age of
fifty-one years in liurlington. She held
menibershi]) in the .Methodist church, in
which she was an active and devoted
wnriver. His fraternal relations were with

the ( )dd h'ellows Society, and in the lodge,
in public life, and in his srxial relations he
was esteemed for his genuine worth. By
this marriage there were a daiighter and
four sons, but only one is now living.

Samuel H. 1*". Wilson and his oidy
brother, Joseph .\. Wilson, remained with
their mother after her second marriage,
making their home with .Mr. and .Mrs. Ma-
dera while they lived.

.Mr. Wilson, of this review, was educated
in the common schools of liurlington, and
he and his brother were among the early
pui)ils of .Mrs. .Sheldon, who taught one of
the first schools in the city, and was well
known as ".Mother .Sheldon." When six-
teen years <jf age he entered upon his busi-
ness career as a .salesman in the dry-goods
store of John R. Campbell & Company,
with whom he remained for some years,
and then began clerking for H. H. Scott
& Coin])any. in whose employ he continued
imtil 1850. He next went to California,
where he engage<l in mining for some years,
and he also carried on the stock business,
buying and selling cattle and horses. He
returned to I'urlington in 1856. and after
a short stay in that city, again made his
way to the West. He was wagon-master
for Majors Russell and Waddel during the
.Mormon war in Ctah. continuing with the
army throughout the Mormon troubles un-
til iSiwi, ill' then engaged in freighting,
transporting freight by ox-teams from Ne-
braska C"ity to Heiiver. it requiring thirty
days to make lli.it trip. The winter of
1851; was sjieiu in Denver, and tlu- next
spring he took a train of twenty-seven
wagons an<l hauled lumber for the express
comi)any, the lumber being used in the
building of stations along the express line
for a distance of three hundred miles. In

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

135

J 860 he returned to Iowa, where he re-
mained until the following year.

When the country became engaged in the
Civil War, Mr. Wilson, his patriotic spirit
aroused, offered his services to the govern-
ment, enlisting at Burlington in Company
C, First Iowa Cavalry, with which he spent
three years and four months, receiving an
honorable discharge at Davenport, where
he was also mustered out. He was sta-
tioned most of the time in Mississippi, and
took part in a number of important battles
and skirmishes. His only brother, Joseph,
who was a harnessmaker by trade, was also
in the army, and died at St. Louis, Mo.
When the war was over he returned to
Burlington, where he engaged in the feed
and livery business for about two years,
and then conducted a dair)^ and engaged in
farming in Franklin township on the place
where he now resides. He has made all of
the improvements upon this farm. His
original house was destroyed by a cyclone
in 1890, and during the summer the family
lived in tents until the new residence was
erected. For the last forty years, Mr. Wil-
son has been engaged successfully and ex-
tensively in the breeding of Poland China
hogs, and his stock has taken many pre-
miums at the State and county fairs. He has
one hundred and sixty acres in the home
place, and the farm is valuable because of
the care and labor which he has bestowed
upon it and the practical and modern meth-
ods which he has followed.

Mr. Wilson was married in 1865 to Mrs.
Lydia Upton, nee Eagle. Her mother has
been three times married, her second hus-
band being Levi Gridley, and her third
husband, Hezekiah Archer. She is now
more than ninety-eight years of age, and
makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.

By their marriage eight children have been
born : George, who died in infancy ; Dan,
who resides upon the home farm ; Fannie,
the wife of Ernest Starbuck, a wood-turner
of Peoria, 111., by whom she has two chil-
dren, Daisy W. and Julian B. ; Susan, who
died at the age of seventeen years ; Nellie,
who died at the age of two years; Sam,
who is engaged in the hotel business in
Kansas City ; Fred, who is operating the
home farm ; and Daisy, the wife of E. H.
Lutton, of Mediapolis, Iowa.

Mr, Wilson votes with the Republican
part}-, which stood by the Union in the
dark days of the Civil War, and has always
been the party of reform and progress. In
all matters of citizenship he is as loyal to
his country as when he wore the blue uni-
form of the nation. He has never sought
to figure prominently in public life, how-
ever, preferring to give his attention to his
business interests, and as an agriculturist
has won creditable success, becoming the
owner of a valuable farm. His life history
has been a varied one, and during his
service on the plains and on the battle-fields
of the South he has had many interesting
and exciting experiences, which, if written
in detail, would prove the old adage that
" truth is stranger than fiction." He is
now living amid comfortable surroundings,
spending the evening of his days in quiet
upon the home farm, and is one of the
respected and worthy residents of Franklin
township.

GEORGE SWENY.

One who has for a long term of years
occupied a prominent place in the develop-
ment and material and spiritual progress of
Burlington is George Sweney, who was born

136

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

in Warren county, Ohio, Oct. 28, 1820, a
son of Robert and Mary (King) Sweny,
the father being of Pennsylvania birth and
Scotch extraction, while tlie mother was a
native of Virginia and was of German and
EngHsh parentage. Both laid down the bur-
den of life at Lebanon. Ohio, and are there
buried. The father, who passed the greater
])art of his active life as a miller, was a
veteran of the War of 1812. in which he
served as a lieutenant in the anny of Gen-
eral Hull, and participated in the surrender
near I'ut-in-Bay, in Lake Erie. Two
brothers of our subject were soldiers of the
Civil War. one of whom held the rank of
lieutcnaiil. and lost his life by falling from
a boat and drowning. The other brother,
James, now of the Soldier's National Home
of Kansas, had one son in the Spanish-
.\mcrican War.

Mr. Sweny's early years were passed in
ac<iuiriiig an education in the jiublic schools
and in the work of his father's large farm,
the sugar camp, the saw-mill, and the grist-
mill, and at the same time he learned the
trade of cabinet-making, at which he con-
tinued to work with much success for
fifteen years. In the spring of 1845 h^
wedded Miss Margery J. Scarff, by whom
he had one child, Joanna Janetta, who died
in Burlington at the age of five years. Mrs.
Sweny. who was of Quaker parentage, died
about the year 1852 in Kenton, Ohio, and
was buried in Xenia, Ohio, her old home.
From 1845 to 1849 ^^^- Sweny was en-
gaged in the drug business in Xenia, at
the end of that time removing to Kenton,
where he resided until 1853. engaged in
drug and jewelry business. The latter
year is the date of his removing to Burling-
ton. Shortly after coming to the West he
purchased an interest in J. W. Price's drug

store, but the partnership lasted for only
two or three years, the business being
conducted during that period at the comer
of Washington and Third Streets under the
style of Price & Sweny. On severing this
relation by the sale of his interest, Mr.
Sweny engaged in the insurance business,
which he carried on in connection with ex-
tensive real estate and loan operations. He
also served as receiver for several firms,
in this capacity having charge of numerous
concerns in bankrujilcy. His investments
in real estate were very large. He pur-
chased a farm and much suburban property,
nearly all in its primitive wooded state, the
latter of which he platted under the names
of Sweny's and the Highland .\dditions to
r.urlington. these comprising in all about
thirty acres. The additions lie next the
Mississippi River, in the southern portion
of the city, and include some of the finest
residence ])roperty in Burlington. Always
l)ublic-.spirited, he labored earnestly for fif-
teen years to secure the opening and im-
provement of South Main Street to the
present city limits, and finally, upon the city
council's offer to open the street provided
half the estimated cost be borne by those
directly interesteil, he to<ik personal charge
of the matter, and by diligent and unremit-
ting labor raised and collected subscriptions
to the required amount, four thousanrl five
hundred dollars. He was also instrumental
in securing the building of the street-car
line into that part of the city, and built some
fifteen or twenty residences in Sweny's Ad-
dition, paving all the sidewalks abutting
his property on Main Street, and otherwise
improving the addition, thus becoming a
benefactor of the southern part of the city,
and doing perhaps more than any other one
man to aitl and encourage its development.

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IO]VA.

At Burlington on Feb. ii, 1868, Mr.
Sweny was united in marriage to Miss
Mar_v H. Pine, who was born in New
Jersey, but was reared and educated in
Philadelphia, the daughter of Ebenezer
Pine, of New York. ]\Irs. Sweny's father
was in Philadelphia a wholesale and retail
merchant, and both he and his wife, who
before marriage was Naomi Higbee, of
New Jersey, were of old English Quaker
stock, the Higbee family in America having
been founded by seven brothers who immi-
grated together from England and settled
at Higbeeville in New Jersey. Mrs.
Sweny's great-grandfather Brannon was a
noted Quaker preacher, while on the other
hand her great-grandfather Higbee- so far
disregarded the tenets of his sect at one
time during the Revolutionary War as to
enlist for a time in the patriot army, with
the design, however, of protecting his own
home, and it may be further urged in ex-
tenuation that he was then a young man.
Pine Street in the city of Philadelphia was
named for the family of which Mrs. Sweny
is a member.

Reared in the Quaker faith, the wife
of our subject united in 1868 with the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which she
has ever since been a faithful and consist-
ent member. Mr. Sweny himself has been
a member and a worker in that denomina-
tion since the age of sixteen, and almost
continuously since that time he has been
a member of the official board, serving at
different times on the respective boards of
the three Methodist Episcopal bodies of
Burlington. He is a member of Grace
Methodist Episcopal church, in the move-
ment for whose erection he was a leader,
and it was Mrs. Sweny who chose its name,
bestowing upon it that of Grace Episcopal

church of New York, in which city she had
relatives. While making his residence at
Xenia, Ohio, Mr. Sweny served on the
church's official board, was class leader,
steward, and trustee, and was likewise en-
gaged and connected while at Kenton,
where much of the time he was also
superintendent of the Sunday-school. In
the organization of the Sunday-school as-
sembly and camp-meeting of Bluff Park
at Montrose, Iowa, he took an active part,
and to his eft'orts is largely due the cele-
brated artesian well that is such an attract-
ive and popular feature of the grounds.
He still maintains a cottage at the park,
and for many years was accustomed to
spend a portion of the season there As one
of the board of trustees and a member of
the various committees of the association,
he has given much time, money, and earnest
effort to advance its interests. At one
period he was president of the association,
member of the board of trustees, and at the
same time was serving upon eight different
committees, these being the committee on
grounds, finance, transportation, sale of
lots, artesian well, sanitarium, old institute
property and the executive committee. He
has ever been a most generous supporter
of all religious movements, giving freely of
his substance to the churches, and offering
his financial aid in all departments of their
work.

In the early days of Iowa's development
Mr. Sweny bought a great deal of prairie
land in different places, and laid out towns
on the sites thus selected, laying out in
this manner a number of now flourishing
count}'-seat towns and owning much prop-
erty outside of Burlington, particularly at
xA.fton. But his interests are now Almost
exclusively in this c\\.\, where he is still

138

IHOCR.irmC.lL HLl 11:11 ■

largely intcrcslcil in rial estate, owning
])racticall.v all of the Sweny Addition and
a numlK-r of lots and some very handsome
residence buildings in the Highland Ad-
dition. Besides his activities in real es-
tate, he was one of the organizers of the
Merchants .National Hank of lUirlington.
in which he is a stockholder and director,
and it may be said that the institution owes
much to the In-nefit of his advice and
counsel.

In his fraternal connection. Mr. ."^weny
is a member of Washington Lodge. No. i,
Intlependent ( )rder ( )dd I-"cllows. having
been affiliated with the order continuously
since 1853, when he became a member at
Kenton. ( )hio. He has also been a member
of the (irand Lodge of Iowa, and a number
of vcars ago was elected and served as its
grand chaplain.

Mis political faith is thai of the Repub-
lican party, of which he has been an ardent
sui)porter since its organization. He was a
delegate frfim ( )hio to the national conven-
tion at Niagara l-'alls, X. Y., which placed
General W'iiilkld Scntt in nomination for
the i)residency of the L'nited States. As
one taking a prominent |)art in |)olitics of
the time, he became |>ersonally acipiainted
with m;my famous men. including General
Corse, Governor Gear, and Judge Xewman.
and was an intimate friend of Senator
Harlan, who, after the removal of .Mr.
Sweny to losva, secured for him ;m ap-
pointment to a departmental office at Wash-
ington, wluTf he >ervf(l diirititj .-| session of
Congress.

Mr. and .Mrs. Sweny have a beautiful
home, one of the earliest in that part of the
city, at 113 Clay .Street, built by Mr. Sweny
in 1876, the year of the Centennial Exposi-
tion at l'liila<le|)hia. wliicli they attended.

and here they have resided ever since, the
center of a generous and courtly hosi)itality.
They have reared two children, the daugh-
ter and son of Mrs. Sweny's sister, these
Ix'ing Anna L. I'rowne, now wife of H. W.
Huford, Chicago, who has one son, Joseph
I'.rowne; lUiford and Harry G. Mrowne,
the latter of whom, now conducting a suc-
cessful commission business at r)maha.
Nebr., married Miss Lena Xisscn, and has
two children. Clarissa and Ward Livings-
ton.

Our subject retains many interesting and
instructive memories of the early days of
Burlington, and mentions especially that
Prospect Hill, on which now stand many
of the city's finest residences, was then al-
most entirely covered with underbrush and
woods, and having hut two dwellings upon
its whole extent, was a favorite resort of
picnic ])arties. For his part in her upbuild-
ing and advancement along many lines, the
city of Hurlington owes him much. He
not only deserves the high credit which
belongs to the title of self-made man,
to which he has an indubitable right,
but he is justly the recipient of much
honor from all who know him because
he has helped many others. I'tterly un-
selfish in all tli;it he has done, he has
never sought jirivate gain at ])ublic expense,
but has i^roved himself an altruist by life-
long devotion to the general welfare, seek-
ing to confer U|>on all the material and
s])iritual benelits which his broad human
sympathy will not allow him to arrogate to
his own use alone. Such a life is a blessing
to any city, and is a credit to .American
ideals of citizenship and Christian man-
hood.

That Mr. Sweny posses.ses business and
executive ability of a remarkable order, the

DES MOIiXES COUNTY, IOWA.

I3y

great success he has achieved is ample proof,
for his accoiiipHshment in the field of prac-
tical affairs is beyond all praise, and has
elicited universal commendation. That such
a man should have many true and devoted
friends is almost a matter of course, and
this pleasure he enjoys in an eminent de-
gree. But when the facts of his life are
sifted and weighed, it will be found that the
most important thing of all is not the suc-
cess he has achieved by reason of his great
natural gifts and determined personality,
not the friendship, admiration, and applause
of his fellow-nien, not even the benefits he
has directly conferred upon others, but the
eternal potency for good which exhales
from his life as a whole, the supreme benefit
of his example to generations yet to come,
the fact that he has been broad-minded,
charitable, and self-reliant, — a cultured gen-
tleman, a Christian, and a true man.

WILLIAM VAUGHAN LLOYD.

William Vaughan Llovu has had the
honor of serving his city as councilman
for two years, has been an esteemed
member of the schoolboard for several
terms, and is the valued cashier of the
State P.ank of Mediapolis. He is the son
of William H. and Cordelia (Tupper)
Lloyd, and was born July 30, 1861, in
Brooklyn, Queens county. New York.
When he was quite a small lad his par-
ents came West, and located in Washing-
ton county, Iowa, where he first entered
upon his school duties. After finishing
the common schools of his county, he
pursued his studies in a business college
in Iowa, and obtained a full knowledge

of all branches of business, doing justice
both to himself and to his teachers.

I-"or the next ten years he held the re-
sponsible position of bookkeeper in the
National Bank at Brighton, Iowa, giving
great satisfaction to his employers, who
were very fond of him. In 1891 the
State Hank of Mediapolis was organized,
and Mr. Lloyd was chosen as the honored
cashier of the same, which position he
has held ever since, reflecting great credit
upon himself by the manner in which he
has always conducted this office of trust
in liehalf of his superiors.

.\ug. 4, 1884, Mr. Lloyd was married
to Miss Ella T. Parson, the bright and
attractive daughter of R. F. and Lucinda
(Aliddleton) Parson, of Brighton, Iowa.
This happy union has been blessed with
four children : Vaughan E., an assistant
in the bank with his father ; Teressa, stu-
dent in the high school ; Cordelia, a student
in the grammar schools : and little Doris,
at home.

Mrs. Lloyd is a prominent and in-
fluential member of the Presbyterian
church, always contributing liberally to
the support of the same. Mr. Lloyd has
been a strong Republican ever since he
was old enough to discriminate for him-
self, in wdiich party he takes a very active
interest : it, in return, has so appreciated
his ability as to place him at the head of
several positions of trust. He is now
treasurer of the school board, of which he
has been a member for one term ; has
served as city councilman for one term of
two years; and in 1889, he was elected to
the responsible office of treasurer of the
town, which he filled with great care and
accuracy till 1808. Mr. Lloyd is also
identified with the Media]iolis Lodge of

I40

HlUuK.ll'Jlli.lL RLl- JJ.II

IndcpiiKknl Order (Kid I'elluws, Ix-ing a
riS|KCti'd iiuiiil)i'r fi)r sonu- years.

There is perhaps im man better knt>wii
and hettcr acf|iiaiiited in tlie whole city
of Mediapolis, or throiiphoiit the entire
township, than is our subject. The vari-
ous ini|Hiriant and responsible positions
he has held fully denotes with what con-
fidence and resjiect he is regarded. His
courtcH)us, gentlemanly, and accommoda-
ting manner to every one, young or old.
rich or jmor. has made hini a long list of
true friemls anil admirers of which any
man might well be proud. His great suc-
cess in life has been largely due to his
own efforts, and his record for truth, u])-
rightness. and constant activity will serve
as a wiirthy example to the young.

ULRICH ITA.

Llkkii Ita. 1 'resident and Manager of
the Embalming Burial Case Comi>any, of
Burlington, was born in Stamheim, Switz-
erland, a son of Melchoir Ita, a native of
Switzerland, who for eighteen years ran a
government stage between Stamheim and
Frauenfeld, a distance of about twelve
miles. The father of our subject died in
1859. and the mother, who before marriage
was Margaret Marthaler, in 1862. they
Ix-ing survived by seven children, as fol-
lows: l-'lizabeth. wife of Jacon Mueller, of
Switzerland : Melchoir. who died in 1869
at I'lirt Madison; Margaret, widow of F.
Deutsch, of Switzerland ; I'lrich. the sub-
ject of this review ; Conrad, who came to
Uurlington with our subject, and is now
associated with him in business ; Heinrich,
of X'ienna. .Austria, who is a celebrated hat

manufacturer. su])])lying his product to all
parts of the worUl, and em])loying approx-
imately two hundre<l peo])le : ami Godfrey,
also of X'ienna.

In his native city Mr. Ita was educated
in the connnon and high sclnwls. and after
the com])lotion of his formal training served
an apprenticeship of two and a half years
ti) the ti-atle of cabinet-making. He then
worked as a journeyman for a perif)d of
four years through .Switzerland and France,
ami in i8^)8 arrived at a decision, which he
immediately executed, to. come to -Vjiierica
to take advantage of the broader o])|xirtu-
nities of the New World. In the same year
he located in Burlington, and for approx-
imately four years worked as a cari)enter.
He now relates, as a matter of interest to
those who have since watched his great
progress, and are cognizant of his present
])osition. that during this jjcriod he assisted
in the building of the residences of E. D.
kand and Mayor .\dams. two of the finest
in the city. Later Mr. Ita became foreman
of the Daniel Winters jilauing mill, occupy-
ing that place for about five years, or until
he Ix-came associated with Mr. Robert Wolf
in the furniture manufacturing business.
This firm, known as Wolf & Ita. occupied
the present locati<Mi of the Leopold Desk
Com])any. where they erected the first brick
building upon the site. In iSSi. Mr. Ita's
health having suffered considerably from
his close application to the exacting duties
of business during the last few years
previous to that time, he sold his interest
in the manufacturing enterjirise to Mr.
Wolf, and returned to Europe for a tem-
))orary stay. His trip abroad ])roved ben-
eficial, and on his return here in 1882 he
again entered active business, becoming a
stockholder in the Embalming Burial Case

ULRICH ITA.

DES sMOINES COUNTY. lOJl'A.

14;

Compaii}', a corporation dating from 1876,
and assuming the management of its plant.
On the death of Dr. Baile}- he was made
president and manager, and the other offi-
cers of the corporation are Conrad Ita, sec-
retary and treasurer, and five directors, Ul-
rich Ita, Conrad Ita, Helen Ita, and Win-
field Bailey.

The Embalming Burial Case Company
are manufacturers and jobbers of all kinds
of undertakers' su]jplies, and about thirty
workmen and office assistants are employed,
besides five traveling salesmen. Before the
building of the present modern structure,
the business was conducted in the stone
building at the corner of Eighth and JelTer-
son Streets, now occupied by the Iowa
Grain and Provision Company. The pres-
ent factory site, which has two hundred
feet front, is located at 1105 Agency Street,
and since the management was vested in
Mr. Ita, the plant has been enlarged, com-
prising a four-story brick warehouse 50 x
120 ft., a machinery building and engine
room 160x60 ft., of brick, and one story
in height ; a frame drying house 18 x 40
ft., and a lumber shed 50x60 ft. in dimen-
sions. The business is one of the most suc-
cessful in this line anywhere in the West,
and it is almost exclusively to the faithful
efforts and great ability of Mr. Ita that its
large prosperity is due, he devoting his
whole time to its advancement and welfare,
and bringing to the performance of his task
an energy that surmounts and overcomes all
obstacles. The plant, which is a model one
in every respect, was constructed in fulfil-
ment of his ideas and plans. It has steam
heat throughout, and is well lighted, ven-
tilated, and cared for.

In Burlington, in 1873, Mr. Ita wedded
Miss Julia Shu]3ert, who died in 1874, and

to them was Ijorn one child, I'. Ita, now
of Chattanooga, Tenn. He has since re-
married, having been united in marriage in
1876 to Miss Carolina Bergman, of Bur-
lington, and they reside at 1 107 Agency
Street. To Mr. and Mrs. Ita have been
born four children ; Helen, Arnold C, God-
frey J., and Walter H., all of whom have
been given the best of educational advan-
tages, including the privileges of the public
schools of Burlington and Elliott's Business
College. The father of Mrs. Ita was by
trade a stone-mason, but both parents, who
were of German descent, are now deceased,
although she has in Burlington one sister,
Mrs. .Augusta Lippert.

Mr. Ita is vitally connected with the
springs of industry in his adopted city, and
among his other activities is a stockholder
and director of the German-American Sav-
ings Bank. Fraternally, he is a member of
Excelsior Lodge, Independent Order Odd
Fellows, and his religious connection is
with Zion Evangelical church, in whose
work he takes a prominent part. He is
one of the men to whom Burlington owes
much in the way of industrial progress and
conservative enterprise, so that his name
stands high upon the roll of her benefactors,
while his great personal worth has made
him a host of friends.

Mr. Ita in the summer of 1905 again Vis-
ited his native land, accompanied bv his
wife, and enjoyed a well-merited rest from
business cares.

LOREN B. BURNHAM.

LoREN B. BuRNii.\M, who is engaged
in the real estate and loan business, and
was the organizer of the Republican Club
of Burlington, was born in Paola. Kans.,

1+4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Fcl). 17, i8<^/j, and is descended from New
Enpland ancestry. I'he history of the
family at even a more remote period is
ascertainal)le. for it is definitely known
that there were four brothers of the name
of Bnrnham who came from Enjjland to
the New World in the seventeenth cen-
tury, established their homes in this coun-
try, ami founded families whose descend-
ants are now found in various sections of
the L'nited States. The preat-great-prand-
father of Loren I!. I'.urnham was the
owner of a vessel wiiich .sailed from New
England in the Revolutionary War as a
privateer, and was never heard of again,
nor was any news ever received from the
officers or the mcnd)ers of the crew, so
that it has never been definitely known
whether the vessel was destroyed by the
enemy or was sunk in a gale.

James liurnham. the great-grandfather
of our subject, was a gifted man, a gradu-
ate of Yale, an artist, and a scholar. He
painted a jiicture of Yale College, which
is now in |)ossession of Loren I'>. liurn-
ham. Me resided in New l])swich. X. H..
and devoted his attention to the su]>ir-
vision of his agricultural interests. There
his death occurred. He left thirteen chil-
dren, of whom John A. lUirnham. the
grandfather of our subject, was the eldest.
He became a machinist by trade, and for
many years was in charge of a large cot-
ton mill at Manchester. X. 11. lie gained
a good business start in the ICast and after-
ward went to Delaware. ( )hio, where he
established a foundry, and in its con-
duct became wealthy, but later he lost
most of his fortune through endorsing
notes for his friends. Subsecpiently he
established a linseed oil mill at Delaware.
Ohio, and prospering in its conduct, con-

tinued in its operation from 1850 until the
latter years of his life. His birth occurred
in 1 "<)<>. and he passed away in Delaware,
Ohio, in 1880. at the age of eighty-one
years. His last wife was seventy-five years
of age at the time of her death. He was
three times married, his tirst wife being
Mahitable Jenness, who died at the birth
of her fourth child, who also died at that
time. She left three children — John J.,
Emily, and James E. I'y his second mar-
riage, to Miss Palmer, he had one child.
By his third wife there are two daughters,
Kate and .\da. Kate became the w ife of
.\lfred -Vrlhur. founder of the Cleveland
School of .Music, one of the leading edu-
cational institutions of this character in
the L'nited States. During the Civil War
In- enlisted as a musician in the same regi-
ment of whitl) William .McKinley was a
member, and they became close |)ersonal
friends, a connection that was afterward
maintained. He was also a personal friend
of Marcus A. Hanna.

James V. lUirnham, father of Loren 15.
r.uridiam. was born in X'ew I])swich. .X.
II.. I'el). ,23. 1833. lie pursued a connnon-
school education, but was a great reader
from his early life, and became an excep-
tionally well-informed man. He was a pat-
tern-maker by trade, and when nineteen
years of age he came to Iowa, making the
trip westwaril by way of the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers, reaching I'.urlington
on ilu- cl.iy on which Eranklin Pierce was
elected |)residein of the l'nited States.
Here he secured emi)loyment in the Ilen-
drie I-'oundry. and after two week>" work
his ability won recognition in promotion
to the ])osition of foreman of the i)altern
shoi)S. .About a year later he became ill
with l\phoi<l fever, and when he was able

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

145

to travel, he returned to Ohio. During his
visit in that State he was married to Miss
Kate Stailey, a daughter of Christian and
Maria Stailey, natives of Pennsylvania,
descended from German ancestors. After
their marriage Mr. Burnham went with
his bride to Kansas, and located on a
claim near Paola. His wife's people also
emigrated to that locality at the same
time. Mr. Burnham acted as a scout for
General Kearney and other military com-
manders operating from Fort Scott, and
was then in great personal danger at the
time of the border troubles. He saw serv-
ice until the close of the war, and was a
notable figure in western military history
at that time. He was also proprietor of
a furniture store at Paola, Kans., during
the period of the war, and after the ces-
sation of hostilities he removed to Leav-
enworth, Kans., where he took charge of
the pattern department for Wilson, Estes
& Fairchild, founders. He remained there
for seven years. Later John F. Burnham
and Frank B. Jagger purchased some of
the machinery from the old oil mill in
Ohio, and built the first oil mill in Iowa
at Burlington, in 1856; and in 1874 James
F. Burnham returned from Kansas to this
State, and took charge of the oil mill as
superintendent. There he remained until
1880, when there occurred a great change
in the ownership of the mill, and the firm
style of J. R. Burnham & Company was
assumed. At that time F. B. Jagger,
Marcus Simpson, and James F. Burnham
built a linseed oil mill at Third and Elm
Streets, and conducted it until 1S87, when
it was sold to the National Linseed Oil
Company, and went into the trusts, Mr.
Burnham accepting the superintendency
of the manufacturing department, thus

having supervision over fifty-six mills in
the United States. He continued with the
National Linseed Oil Company until 1897,
when he resigned, and removed to a large
stock farm west of Burlington, on which
he remained until his death on the 27th
of July, 1901. His widow still survives
him.

Mr. Burnham was president of the first
park board of Burlington, being elected
to that position by popular suiifrage, and
acting in that capacity for two years. In
politics he was a Republican. He was
reared in the faith of the Episcopal
church, and was once junior warden in
that church in Burlington. He was noted
for his charity, being a man of kindly
spirit and generosity ; and yet. though his
benevolences were many, his gifts were
made so unostentatiously that often none
knew thereof save the recipient of his
bounty. He was one of the organizers of
the first Odd Fellows' lodge in Leaven-
worth, Kans., and was ever faithful to
the teachings of the organization, which
inculcates the principles of brotherly
kindness and mutual helpfulness. In his
family were two children : Charles F., a
resident of Montrose, Iowa ; and Loren B.

Now a well-known factor in the busi-.
ness and political circles of Burlington,
Loren B. Burnham attended the public
schools of the city in his early boyhood,
was afterward graduated from Elliott's
Business College, and subsequently con-
tinued his studies in the Baptist Uni-
versity. Entering business life he spent
one year with the Drake Hardware Com-
pany, of Burlington, and in 1884 he en-
tered the service of the National Linseed
Oil Company, at Burlington, being con-
nected therewith until 1889 as book-

.46

BJOUK.lFHU.iL KLI Ihll'

keeper. In that year lie removed to Gro-
ton, S. Dak., wlu-re he was manajjer of a
mill for the National Linseed Oil Com-
pany until Xovembcr, 1891, when he came
to Burlington, and here apain represented
the same company until i8<;8. when he re-
moved to his farm, residini.; thereon for
three years. He then sold that pro])erty,
and bewail operatinfj in real estate and
loans in lUirlingtoii, and to this field of
business activity now ilirects his ener-
gies, having a good clientage. He has
thoroughly informed himself concerning
realty values, and is thus enabled to ne-
gotiate important realty transfers, and to
place loans advantageously to those in-
terested as well as to himself.

On .\ug. 20, 1889, Mr. Burnham was
married to Miss Mary E. Rickards, a
daughter of Phillip H. and Rebecca A.
(i'erry) Rickards. Mr. and Mrs. Burn-
ham have one child, Ada A. Politically,
Mr. I'.uridiam is a Republican, prominent
m the work of the party ; and lie was one
of the organizers of the I\e|)ul)lican Club
of Burlington, in 11)04. wiiicli was found-
ed upon lines making it a permanent or-
ganization. He has been its secretary,
and now is the vice-presi<lent. Fraternally,
he is connected with the Independent
( )rder of ( )dd I'ellows. the Woodmen of
the World, and the .Modern Woodmen of
America. Much of his life has been passed
in P.urlington. and his fellow-citizens are
familiar with his einiable record.

JOHN ANDERSON.

-Jr)iiN Ander.son, of Me<liai)(>lis, is
numbered among the enter|)rising mer-
chants of eastern Iowa, and his efforts
along commercial lines ha\e always been

productive of success in gratifying meas-
ure. He is a son of Magnus and Johan-
nah (l)aiiielson) .\nderson, and was bi>rn
in Sweden. Ajiril 11, 1S50. He attended
the schools of his home ])lace till he was
seven years old, when he came across the
great .\tlantic to .\merica with his par-
ents, who located in Chisago county,
.Minnesota. He went to the district
schools of this county for a while, and
later finished his education in the schools
of Pepin county, Wisconsin.

Soon after his school life was ended,
he was married to Miss Sarah J. Hidden,
Jul\ 20. 1871. .Mrs. .\nderson is a daugh-
ter of .Milton and .Matilda ( Fuller) Holden.
Mr. and .Mrs. .\nderson became the par-
ents of five children : Mabel, married Dr.
T. F. Cook, a prosperous dentist of Medi-
apolis; Maude, assists her father in his
general store; Xorman F.. a clerk: John
Clarence, a student of the high school;
and Ceorge Wesley, who died Jan. i.V
i8<p. at the age of three and a half years.

The three years prior to his marriage
he clerked in a general store, and then for
the ne.xt two years worked in the saw-
mill which was conducted by his father
and father-in-law. About this time he se-
cured a good position at Reed's Landing
with the Knap|) & .Shout Comi)any, hav-
ing full charge of their store, and with
whom he remained for some sixteen
years. He then bought out this company,
and became sole proprietor of the store.
His ability, courtesy, and close ai)i>lica-
tion to his business soon built him a pros-
perous traile with all the ])eople, and he
continued with great success in this store
for nine years, when his store and goods
were burned, and were a total loss. He
then, on .\pril 15. i8i)(). move<l to Medi-

DES MOINES COUXTY, IOWA.

147

apolis, where he purchased the general
merchandise store of C. H. Parrott, and
has since been conducting this large
store, enlarging his stock until he now
has one of the most extensive stocks of
goods in the village.

Mr. Anderson is a solid Republican,
and, as e\'ery American citizen should do,
keeps well posted on all the political
questions and issues of the day. \\'hile
he lived at Reed's Landing he held sev-
eral offices of trust, being appointed post-
master by President McKinley, which
position he held for four months, when
he resigned. He was also the treasurer
of the town, as well as treasurer of the
school board, both offices, being filled to
the entire satisfaction of the citizens of
Reed's Landing. In the spring of ii;o5
Mr. Anderson was elected a member of
the council of Mediapolis, which office he
is now filling. He was at one time a
member of the Ancient Order of United
Workman for about ten years, but has
now dropped his membership.

In summing up this review, we find
that Mr. Anderson has gradually ad-
vanced from the position of a clerk to be
the proprietor and owner of a large store
which is filled with everything up-to-date
that goes to make up the stock of a gen-
eral store, and which is doing a fine busi-
ness under the good judgment and busi-
ness qualities that he possesses. Those
qualities which have insured him success
in the business world, as well as making
friends, whose esteem and confidence he
enjoys to a marked degree, are notice-
able to the extreme, and his motto is :
'"A square deal to one and all."

Mr. Anderson and his family are con-
sistent members of the Methodist Ejiisco-

pal church, in which he is an active
worker. For over twenty-eight years he
has been a member of this denomination,
and twenty-six years of this time he has
served as superintendent of the Sunday-
school ; and during his six and one-half
years' residence in Mediapolis he has
seven times been elected to this office.

DANIEL KELLY.

Amo.n'g the self-made, energetic, and
progressive men of the village of Mediap-
olis is Daniel Kelly, and his reputation is
well deserved, for in him are embraced
the characteristics of an unbending in-
tegrity, unabating industry, and an en-
erg^ that never flags. Mr. Kelly is a
native of Pennsylvania, his birth having
occurred at Brady's Bend, Aug. 15, 1848.
His parents, Daniel and Elizabeth (Mac-
Keever) Kelly, moved to Linden, Ind.,
near La Fayette, when our subject was a
lad of seven years. They did not remain
long in Linden, and soon took up their
residence in Jasper county, Indiana,
where Mr. Kelly was a prosperous
farmer for two years. Moving again,
this time to North Judson, Stark county.
Ind., he engaged in the mercantile bus-
iness, in which he continued until he
enlisted in the Civil War, and served until
its close. He enlisted as a member of
the Twenty-fifth Indiana Regiment. Mr.
Kelly was wounded in battle and was
allowed to come home on a furlough to
be cared for. After being honorably
discharged from the war he moved to
Galveston, Cass county, Ind., and again
engaged in the mercantile business, con-

1+8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tinning in the same till liis death, which
occurred in March, i8<^,v His wife died
about 1867.

The schwil privileges of our subject
were exceedingly limited, as he was only
permitted ti) attend school for a very
brief time; but his father took great pains
to teach him in all the common studies,
antl lie has gained a vast amount of
kn«)wk<lge from his general reading: and
to him the broad school of experience has
really taken the i)lace of a cours^ in a
higher school or a college, so that his
own efforts have |)ractically graduated
him. Mr. Kelly started his business
career as an a])])rentice in a tin-shop,
where he served three years, and then
worked as a journeyman for the follow-
ing four years.

In 187.^ he located in Mediapolis, and
o])ened a stove and tin store, together
with a repair shop, in which business he
continued for about twelve years. He
then added a stock of hardware, and
shortly after engaged in partnershi]) with
Mr. 1'". i-"ry. wIkj w^as in the furniture
and undertaking business. This firm con-
tinued till 1801. when the partnershi]) was
dissolved, and Mr. Kelly conducted the
store alone till i8<^3. when he sold his
stock to Welsh & Wilson. Mr. Kelly has
had a very successful business life, and is
now abundantly able to retire from active
duties and enjoy the well-earned fortune
accumulated during his younger days.
He is now practically out of business.

Mr. Kelly was married to Mi.ss Hannah
Jane King, May 18. 1879. Mrs. Kelly is
a daughter of James William and Malissa
(Van Osdol) King. They are the i)ar-
ents of five children: Mary ICditli, the
wife of I. W. Cficavne. anil resides in

W'averly. Iowa : Franklin Lloyd, Cather-
ine May. William Walter, and Dale Mac-
Keever. all at home. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly
are faithful members of the Methodist
church, in which the former has been a
steward and trustee, and is now the ])resi-
dent of the board of trustees. They have
a hand.some and commodious residence
on the main street of the village, which
is also one of the attractive features of the
village. Through the long years that Mr.
Kelly has been engaged in mercantile
business as a member of several firms, his
accpiaintance in business and social circles
has been continually broadened, while his up-
right course has won for him the unqualified
regard of his fellow-men, and his record
is worthy of the emulation of all young
men.

CHARLES F. SCHRAMM.

CnAR[,ES F. ScHR.vM.M. Starting out to
make his own living at the age of thirteen
vears. is now, a half century later, one of
the most ])rosperous and prominent mer-
chants of Burlington, having since 1863
been connected with the large <lry-goods
business, of which, conducted under the
name of the Schramm & Schmieg Dry-
goods Company, he is the vice-president.
A large ])ercentage of the leading business
men of this city are of German birth, and
among those whose lifework has been cred-
itable alike to the land of their birth and
the land of their ado]>tion, Mr. Schramm is
foremost.

.\ native of Bavaria, Germany, he was
horn in 1823. and when eleven years of age,
acconi])anied his parents, J. C. and Mar-
garet Barbara (Kiesling) Schranun. to

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

1+9

America. They were also natives of the
Fatherland, and were there reared and mar-
ried. In 1837 they started with their fam-
ily for the New World, crossing the ocean
in a sailing vessel, which was seventy-seven
days in making the vo_\age. Mr. Schramm,
as a member of the Prussian army, had
served in the famous battle of Jena, in 1806.
He followed both farming and merchandi-
zing, and after emigrating to the United
States engaged in the grocery business in
Circleville, Ohio. Later he came to Bur-
lington, arriving on the yth of May, 1849.
He died the following day of cholera, being
at that time sixty-seven years of age. His
wife survived him until 1850, when she, too,
died of cholera. A sister of Qiarles F.
Schramm, Mrs. IMargaret Teuscher, resides
in Burlington. Her husband, who was at
one time engaged in the retail grocery busi-
ness, and served as county treasurer of Des
Moines county, is now living retired in Bur-
lington.

Charles F. Schramm had no opportunity
to attend school after leaving the Father-
land, and the education he has acquired,
making him a well-informed man, has been
gained through reading, observation, and
experience. When thirteen years of age
he began serving as clerk in the postofilice
at Circleville, Ohio, and later engaged in
clerking in the dry-goods store of S. & B.
Olds, of that city, with whom he remained
until 1843, when he came to Burlington,
and accepted a position as salesman with
the firm of Postelwaite & Craigen, dry-
goods merchants. He afterward went to
Fannington, \'an Buren county, where he
clerked for his brother, George Schramm,
who is now living retired in Des Moines,
at the advanced age of ninety years. Charles
Schramm remained in Fannington until

1853, when he returned to Burlington, and
entered mercantile life on his own account
with J. S. Schramm as a partner, this con-
tinuing until 1859. Having lost his wife
and three children within a \ear, he went
to Texas, where for one year he lived the
open life of the plains for the benefit of his
own health. Returning to Iowa, he joined
Mr. Schmieg, in 1863, in the establishment
of the business which has since had a con-
tinuous existence.

During the period between 1861 and
1862, Mr. Schramm spent two months with
the Second Iowa Regiment as clerk to J. T.
Stewart, a lieutenant at Bird's Point, Ky.,
and Cairo, 111. He was also one month
with the Seventh Iowa Regiment as sutler,
and with J. R. Nelson as a clerk.

Returning to Burlington, he joined Fred-
erick Schmieg in the establishment of a dry-
goods business on Jefferson Street, between
Water and Main Streets, where they con-
tinued for twenty years. They then estab-
lished a wholesale house at no North Main
.Street, and in 1903 the business was in-
corporated with F. Schmieg as president ;
C. F. Schramm, vice-president : and Arthur
•Schramm, secretary and treasurer. They
carry a large line of dry-goods, notions, oil
cloths, and table furnishings, and occupy
three floors and basement of the building.
Five men are employed in the store, and
the house is represented on the roa^ by four
traveling salesmen. The business has con-
tinually grown, expanding to large propor-
tions, until the trade now covers a large
territory. Throughout almost his entire life
Mr. Schramm has been connected with the
dry-goods trade, and his long experience,
keen discernment, and business sagacity
have been the foundation upon which he
has built his success. The policy of the

ISO

lilOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

liousc lias over bci-n fair dealing antl good
iiKTcliantlisc. and tin- rqiutatiijn wliicli they
sustain in coniniercial circles is one which
any man might \k ijroiid to possess.

In 184S. in I'armington. Mr. Schranmi
was married to Miss Charlotte Benson, a
native of Ohio, who died July 23. 1858.
They became the parents of four children,
only one yet living: Arthur, of I'.urling-
ton, who luarried Mary (iagc. and has
three sons. I'red. Arthur, and Edwin. Mr.
Schramm was again married in I'arming-
ton. Iowa, in 1862. his second union being
with Miss Jennie I'erry. They had eight
children, five of whom reached mature
years, hut all are now deceased. The wife
and mother died in 1884, and was buried in
.\s()en Grove cemetery. On the i6th of
April, 1885. Mr. Schramm married Miss
l-'lla Haskell, of Burlington, and they reside
at 1 102 South Third Street, where Mr.
.Schramm has made his home since 1858.

Mr. Schramm is a member of Des
Moines Lodge, Xi>. i. Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He gives his supjjort
to tile Trinity Lutheran church. His wife
is a very active worker in the Congrega-
tional church, and along many benevolent
and charitable lines. She belongs to the
Ladies' Aid Society of the Burlington Hos-
pital, to the auxiliary of the Young Men's
Christian Association, is a teacher in a
sewing school, and also belongs to a musical
club. Her elTorts have been of a most
])ractical and helpful character, and many
have benefited by her labors. Mr. Schramm
is a conservative gold-Democrat, and in
matters of citizenship, relating to the wel-
fare and improvement of I'urlinglon espe-
cially, he is most jirogressive, contriljuting
to many measures for the general good.
His career demonstrates in the highest ami

broadest sense that nationality or birth does
not determine, in this country, either in
si)irit or degree, the future standing of any
one, either in finance, patriotism, or society
— the American idea of the " common
brotherh(X)d of man."

HORACE PATTERSON.

In the |)ioneer days of Des Moines
county's tleveloi)ment the Patterson fam-
ily w'as established within its borders,
and from that time to the present its rep-
resentatives have taken an active and
helpful part in matters pertaining to the
general ])rogress. They have been the
champions of many measures for the pub-
lic good, and none have been more help-
ful in public work. Horace Patterson has
won a foremost place in the ranks of the
leading agriculturists of the county, and
as the result of judicious investments is
now one of the i)rosi)erous citizens of
southeastern Iowa.

Mr. Patterson is a son of John and
Martha ( Darbysbire) Patterson, his birth
occurring .March 17, i8f«, on the farm on
which he now resides. His father, Hon.
John Patterson, was a son of Charles and
\'irginia (Dawson) Patterson, and was
born ( )ctober, 1820, near Cumberland,
Md.. in which ])lace he received a very
limited education. His first occu|)ation
in life was to drive the transportation
wagon on the national road between Cin-
cinnati and Baltimore. These huge wag-
ons preceded the railroads which are
stretched over the world so universally
to-day. Hotels and boarding houses were
verv scarce then ;ilso. and the two vears

DES MOINES COUKrV, IOWA.

151

that Mr. Patterson made these trips were After the death of Mr. Darl)yshire, Mrs.

full of hardships and privations. His Darbyshire lived with her daughter in

mother died during the '30's, and his Burlington, and died in 1863.

father came West and settled in Keokuk Hon. John Patterson and wife were the

county. Iowa. ' parents of thirteen children — six boys and

In 1840 Hon. John Patterson came to one girl living, and five boys and one girl

Burlington, and his first few years were dead. They are: John William, lives in

spent on the farm of the late Judge Ma- Kansas; Charles, died in infancy; Charles

son and Alexander Hilleary. for whom he T., resides in Burlington, and was born

worked by the month. In 1841 he mar- March 6, 1847, and always assisted his

ried Miss Martha Darbyshire, daughter fathe^ on the farm till 1874. when he took

of John and Jane (Barret) Darbyshire. charge of the Burlington street railway

Her parents were English, and were for his father, which position he held for

raised in the city of London. Mr. Darby-
shire had a cabinet-shop attached to his
home, and had on one occasion just fin-
ished a very fine chair for the ruler of
Austria when a fire broke out which de-
stroyed shop, home, chair, and all. Mrs.

eighteen years. May t8, 1871, he mar-
ried Miss Fynetta Arrowsmith, and has
one daughter, Laura .Almcda ; Frances
Elizabeth Patterson, married Theodore
Thompson, and resides in Burlington on a
farm : Henry, died when young; Wallace,

Patterson was then but a mere child, but died at the age of eight years ; Mary was

distinctly remembered being carried out
from the fire in her high chair. In 1833
the Darbyshires came to America, and
located near Bushnell, 111. They brought
their own twelve children and two belong-

two years and Henry D. was three years
when they died ; Horace, of this review ;
Edward, now in business in Des Moines ;
Everett, died when two j'ears of age ;
Weslev, lives at Patterson Station ; and

ing to a friend with them. During 1835 George, in Burlington.

the}' moved to Burlington, where another
child was born, and where Mr. Darby-
shire died. This large family of children
are dead except the Reverend Mathew
Darbyshire, who is the oldest settler in
Washington, Washington county, Iowa.
One of the Darbyshire girls married a
gentleman by the name of Smith, and

\\'hen the parents of our subject began
life together, Mr. Patterson was in debt
fifty clollars, and they had to begin house-
keeping in very small quarters. They
first rented the old house of one room on
the Judge Mason farm, where they were
very comfortable for a while, and later
rented a part of the Hilleary farm ; and

used to live on a farm which is part of in [846 he bought fifty-two acres of land

Crapo park. In 1834 Mrs. Patterson came
to visit her, and her sister ofifered her a
half of this large farm if she would but
stay one year with them. Mrs. Patterson
did not accept this generous offer, but re-

about two and one-half miles from the
center of the city from the late Governor
Grimes. He then farmed for many years,
and became a noted stock man, introdu-
cing the better grade of cattle and hog's

turned to her home; however, she came in this part of Iowa. His labors were
the next year to reside in Burlington, crowned with great success, and in a few

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

yi-.'irs Ik- jmrchasi-il a tariu of sonu- four
luiiulrcd and lliirty acres from the late
Dr. Cliambcrlin, wliich was located at
Patterson's Station. He kept on invest-
ing in farm land — bnyinp the Darbyshire
farm and two from the l)arl)yshire hoys
— till at the time of his death he owned
over nineteen hundred acres of cultivated
and swamj) land. I-'ortune truly smiled
on him. as he rose from workinjj at fifty
cents a day to he a ca])italist and stock-
holder in many ililTerent enterprises. He
was the president of the Ajjricultural So-
ciety for years, umler whose direction
this society was in a very flourishing con-
dition, and was then always able to meet
all i)reminms. He was a large stock-
holder in the ( iernian-.Vmerican ami Mer-
chant's .Xational and Iowa State liank,
and also a director of the first bank men-
tioned for years.

The city of IJnrliiiglon is indebted to
Hon. John Patterson and Judge Mason
for the building of the water works. .Mr.
Patterson was first vice-president and
then ])resident of the water company.
In 1873 the first street railroad was built,
and John Patterson was one of the orig-
inal founders. It was |)Ut into o|)era-
tion Jan. 8, 1H74, and in 1883 the car barn
with all of its contents and some of the
])rivate ])roperty belonging to Mr. Patter-
son was destroyed by fire, .\fter this he
assimuMl entire control of the whole south
hill line. In i8<;2 the electric cars were
]nit into ojjeration. and Mr. Patterson sold
out entirely to the Electric Com])any.

In i^olitics he was one of the strongest
Rei)id)licans, and served his township,
county, antl State in several different of-
fices. He was a man who believed in the
publi'- •-■■III ml <\ vtiMn t(i a large extent, and

was always hapjjy when he could pro-
mote the etliicational interests in any
way. His ability was ever of the best, and
all trusts held by him were discharged with
the greatest of care and accuracy. For
.several years he was township trustee,
county trustee, school director, and had
charge of the ])oor in lUirlington township
for several terms. In 1881 he was elected
to the State Senate.

.\s .Mr. Patterson advanced in years,
his health became somewhat im])aired,
and at times he was a great sufi'erer, so
that some of his active pursuits of life
had to be abandoned : but the great and
universal interest he had taken in all i)ub-
lic enterjirises was still maintained to the
end of life. He was a large well-built
man, with a kind word for all. and of a
very generous nature, ever seeking to as-
sist the ])oor and needy. He contributed
the ground for the -Spring drove church,
and also contributed largely towards the
building of the same. .After a long and
useful life he was compelled to lay down
his burdens, and on .May 18, iSt/), jiassed
])eacefully and <|uietly away, at the age
of seventy-si.\ years. His loss was one
greatly de|)lored by not only his imme-
diate family and friends but by the whole
community at large. His life was an
upright one, his business principles were
of tile highest, and the position he took
in all ])ublic enterprises is equaled by
very few. His name will ever be revered
by one and all. His good wife, who also
liad know II much of the early struggles
and |)rivalions of (lioneer times, and was
a woman of strong character, possessing
all tile \irtnes that make an iileal wife
and loving mother, survived him for some-
vears. She did not remain in the countrv

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

153

a great length of time after her husband
died, but made her home with her sons,
and passed away Dec. 13, looi, at the
home of her son, George Patterson, of
BurHngton. iMr. and Airs. Patterson sleep
side by side in the beautiful Aspen Grove
cemetery.

Horace Patterson, of this review, re-
ceived his early education in tlie public
schools of Burlington townshij). and later
attended the high school, after which
he took a commercial course in Elliott's
Business College. He first launched out
in life as a traveling salesman and later
as bookkeeper for Robert Donahue, with
whom he remained for eight years, when
he had a desire to return to the home
farm. He rented this large place of four
hundred and twenty-one acres, for one
year, but this year he has the superintend-
ency of the same, and raises stock and
grain to a very large extent. His stock
comprises horses, cattle, and hogs.

His land is rich, and is close to the
railroad station, which is a great advan-
tage to him in handling the product of the
farm.

Oct. I, 1890, Mr. Patterson was married
to Aliss Carrie Newman Acres, who was
born and educated in Burlington. Her
parents were Stephen and Sarah ( New-
man) Acres, both old and highly re-
spected citizens of liurlington, where for
many vears Mr. Acres was identified with
the firm of Acres & Ijlackmar, who dealt
largely in paper goods. Mr. and Mrs.
Acres were the parents of a large family,
some of whom are dead. A more com-
plete record of Mrs. Patterson's parents
will be found in connection with that of
Mr. Scott Wortring, who is a brother-in-
law of Mrs. Horace Patterson.

Mr. Patterson is a member of Excel-
sior Lodge, No. 268, Indejjendent Order of
( )ild b'ellows, of Burlington. His worthy
wife is a member of the Methodist church.
He followed in the political footsteps of
his father in choosing the platform that
he thinLs meets the requirements of the
people. He conducts his business in a
manly manner, and is always much inter-
ested in any measure that will be for the
promotion and general gooil of the
county. The home of Air. and Mrs. Pat-
terson is ever open to the hospitality of
man}' friends, where many social and
pleasant gatherings are held, and they
are recognized as firm friends and good
neighbors.

GEORGE 'WALLENTIN.

George Wallentin is the owner of a
valuable and highly productive farm on Sec-
tion 34, Franklin township, constituting the
northwest quarter. He has resided in the
county for a comparatively brief period, but
has become well known here as an enter-
prising agriculturist and stock-raiser. His
birth occurred in Bavaria, Germany, July
31, 185 1, his parents being Zachariah and
Eve (Weiss) Wallentin. In the year 1871
he crossed the Atlantic from the Father-
land to Baltimore, Md., and made his way
into die interior of the country, settling first
at Delavan. III. He had at that time less
than ten dollars. He then secured employ-
ment on a farm six miles east of Delavan. in
Boyington township, Tazewell county, and
two years later he began farming on his own
account, investing his savings in eighty
acres of land in tliat locality. There he re-
sided until February, 1891, when he came

154

lilOGRArHICAL REllliir

to Dcs Moines county, Iowa, having dis-
posed of his property in Illinois. Here he
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of
land on Section 34. of which twenty-five
acres was covered with tiinl)cr. but he has
since cleared fifteen acres of that tract. Ik-
has also erected a pood hay barn, and other
necessary outbuilding.s. and has continued
the active work of the farm until he has a
splendidly developed jiroperty. His is one
of the fine residences of the township, and
cverythiu}; about his place is neat, thrifty,
and attractive in appearance. In addition
to the tilling of the soil he has engaged quite
extensively and successfully in stock-rais-
ing, having a good herd of Shorthorn and
Hereford cattle, and is a heavy raiser of
Poland China hogs. In liis methods he is
practical and enterprising, while his labors
prove profitable.

May II, 1875, -^'''- Wallentin was mar-
ried to Miss Mary Hendricker. who was
born in Mason county, Illinois, and pursued
her education in the schools of Beardstown,
that State. Her parents are Frederick and
Elizabeth ( Kulil) Hendricker, both of
whom were natives of Germany, the former
burn in Hanover and the latter in Sa.xony.
Mr. and Mrs. Wallentin have become the
parents of four daughters and three sons :
Carrie, now the wife of Jacob Fix, a farmer
living in Cramer, Nebr. ; Bertha, the wife of
Brick M. Moore, a farmer of Shelby county,
Iowa ; Philip, who is living in Des Moines
county ; Christian, Lydia, Hulda, and Fred-
erick, all at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Wallentin arc members of
the Methodist Episcopal clnirch. and in his
political views he is a Re|)ublican. He has
served as district supervisor and as school
director for several years ; but is not a pol-
itician in the sense of office-seeking, for he

feels that his business affairs are worthy
his best eflorts, and to his farming interests
he gives his time and attention, with the
result that he is prospering in his undertak-
ings.

In 1900 Mr. Wallentin took a trip back
to Germany, and there visited his former
home, where still reside some of his brothers
and sisters, as well as other relatives.

JOHN BOESCH.

JniiN I'orscii. viewing the world, its
iippnrtuiiitics and its duties, from a practical
and also a humanitarian standpoint, so lived
as to gain success in business and also win
the regard and respect of his fellow-men.
In his career, justice, kindness, and philan-
thro])y went hand in hand with keen busi-
ness discernment, indefatigable energ}-, and
strong purpose, and his well-rounded char-
acter, showing forth all the traits of hon-
orable manhood, constitutes an example
worthy of emulation, and should serve as
an incentive and inspiration to those who
knew him.

John Bocsch was born in West Phalen,
Germany, April 4, 1839, at what was the
old family homestead, his father, Louis
Boesch, there following the occupation of
farming until i8.j6, when he came to
.America. He came to New Orleans, and
then up the Mississippi River to Burling-
ton, and soon afterward settled in Tama
township, Des Moines county, where he re-
sumed agricultural pursuits, continuing the
cultivation of his farm here until his retire-
ment from active business life. He then
made his home in Burlington until his
death.

^ ^x-e^(S^

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

157

A youth of seven years when his parents
came to Iowa, John Boesch acquired his
education through attendance at the dis-
trict schools of Des Moines county in the
winter seasons, while in the summer months
he worked upon his father's farm until
twenty-one years of age ; but not wishing to
engage in agricultural pursuits as a life
work he came to the city on attaining his
majority and entered the employ of J. S.
Schramm, with whom he learned the first
principles of commercial life. He remained
with that house for sixteen years, gradually
working his way upward from one position to
another of greater responsibility ; and finding
in each advance step a broader outlook over
the business world, with clearer knowledge
of its demands and possibilities. Leav-
ing the employ of I\Ir. Schramm about 1875,
he formed a partnership with his brother
under the firm style of C. F. & John Boesch,
dealers in dry-goods, their store being lo-
cated at the corner of Fourth and Jefferson
Streets. The business was conducted suc-
cessfully for seven years, at the end of which
time John Boesch withdrew, and the fol-
lowing year, 1884, he founded the business
which is still conducted under the name of
The John Boesch Company, at the corner of
Fifth and Jefferson Streets. This location
was by many considered too far from the
then business center of Burlington to be an
advantageous one, but the foresight of Mr.
Boesch was demonstrated by this move, for
from the time that he opened his store there
the business center has gradually extended in
that direction, until now many of the lead-
ing commercial enterprises of the city are
located in the immediate neighborhood of
the house of The John Boesch Company.
With his new enterprise Mr. Boesch at first
occupied but a single room with his stock

of dry-goods, but the business maintained
a steady and healthful growth, and he
soon had to' enlarge his stock to meet the
growing demands of the trade and to in-
crease his space in order to properly dis-
play the stock. He became the first tenant
of the Masonic Temple, and the business
now occupies all of the storeroom of the
building and also the double storeroom in
the adjoining building, giving a frontage
of ninety feet. With the expansion of the
business The John 'Boesch Company is
now controlling one of the largest dry-
goods and millinery houses of this part of
the country. Mr. Boesch established cer-
tain commendable business principles, from
which he never deviated. He conducted
his store upon a strictly cash basis, and ex-
emplified in his career the truth of the
old maxim that " honesty is the best policy."
His standing in business circles was unas-
sailable, and among his associates of the
commercial world he had not only an ex-
cellent financial rating but was recognized
as one who never made an engagement
that he did not keep nor incur an obliga-
tion that he did not fulfil.

In politics he was rather independent, and
was never an aspirant for office : but matters
of citizenship having for their object the wel-
fare and substantial progress of the com-
munity received his earnest endorsement.

Mr. Boesch married ]Miss Anna Deichert,
of Burlington, w^ho was born in this city, her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Deichert, be-
ing among the pioneer residents here. Mrs.
Boesch died in November, 1872, leaving
three children, while one died at the time
of the mother's death, while later Frank L.
passed away, being then eleven years of age.
The others are George C. and Clara M., the
latter the wife of P. IM. Smith, of Burling-

158

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IEW

ton. After tlie deatli of his first wife Mr.
Boescli married Miss Sarah Buhrmaster,
of Burlington, who is still living. Mr.
Boesch died April 15, Kpi. after a resi-
dence of more than four decades in Bur-
lington and of almost two-thirds of a cen-
tury in the county. He had long been an
active member of the German Methodist
church, and was for many years a member
of its board of stewards and a priniioter
of the various church activities, lie was
a liberal supporter of many philanthropic
measures, and thus he exem]ilified the hu-
manitarian sjjirit which formed so .salient
a characteristic in his life record. All men
knew him to respect him. many to love
him. l'"or many years he resided with his
family in a beautiful home on North Fourth
Street, and it was there that the best traits
of his life shone forth most clearly, indi-
cated by an untiring devotion to his family.

GEORGE C. BOESCH.

George C. Boesch, president and mana-
ger of The John Boe.sch Company of Bur-
lington, allying his forces with the great
commercial movement which has made
America pre-eminent in many lines of busi-
ness activity, and which has continuallv
promoted the upbuiUling and welfare of the
city in which he resides, was born in i'.iir-
lington, Aug. 24. 1866. a son of John
Boesch, the founder of the dry-goods house
now under the direct control of him whose
name introtluces this review.

George Boesch. having obtained his more
specifically literary education in the schools
of Burlington, afterward pursued a course
in a business college, and then entered his

father's store, having already become quite
familiar with the business through the as-
sistance which he had rendered in its con-
duct while not engaged with the duties of
the schoolroom. He became a permanent
factor in the business ab<iut the time of the
founding of the present store, and although
not a partner, he became active in the man-
agement, and, as the years advanced, more
and more relieved his father of the heavier
burdens and responsibilities of conducting
the growing enterjirise. .After the death
of John Boesch a partnership was .formed
under the name of The John Boesch Com-
pany, with tiie three heirs as owners, and
George C. Boesch as manager. July i,
i(p2. the business was incor])orated with a
capital stock of seventy-five thousand dol-
lars, of which George C. Boesch is president,
and Mrs. C. M. Smith is secretary. The
store was conducted along the original lines
instituted by the father, and continued to
be equally successful. In December, 1903,
they bought the stock of the William Gus-
hard Dry Goods Company, occupying the
two adjoining stores, and thus doubled their
floor space and largely increased their stock
and facilities. They now have the largest
street frontage of any retail store in the
city, and do an extensive and profitable
business, employment being furnished to
more than fifty people.

George C. Boesch, accorded by the con-
sensus of public opinion a place among the
foremost merchants and business men of
the city and State, has displayed the quali-
ties which have caused his co-operation and
counsel to be sought in the ccmtrdl of ntlier
enterprises. He is now interested in one
of the leading shoe hou.ses of the city, —
that of Hertzler & Boesch, whose place of
business adjoins that of the dry-godds

DES MOINES COUNTV. IOWA.

159

house, and is also connected therewith.
This firm was organized in 1901. and en-
tered upon an era of prosperity and growth
which yet continues.

Mr. Boesch was married, June 28, 1893,
to Miss Leonora Heins. of Jordan, Minn.,
a daughter of H. H. Heins. They have
three children: Melbourne H., Lenore J.,
and Marjorie M. The parents are members
of the First German Methodist church of
Burlington, and not only do they contrib-
ute generously to its support, but give of
their time and efifort for the furtherance of
the cause, Mr. Boesch now serving as Sun-
day-school superintendent, a position which
he has filled for ten years. The family
home on North Fourth Street is a most
attractive residence, and one of its chief
charms is the atmosphere of cordial hos-
pitality which there prevails.

PROF. CHARLES WACHSMUTH.

Brightly emblazoned on the world's roll
of famous names hs that of Prof. Charles
Wachsmuth, who made his home in Bur-
lington for a period of forty years and dur-
ing that time acquired a high place among
the scholars and scientists of the Western
hemisphere. He was born Sept. 13, 1829,
in the city of Hanover, Germany, of dis-
tinguished ancestry, his father being Judge
of the .Supreme Court of the Kingdom of
Hanover. ( )rphaned by the death of his
mother when still very young, he received
the tenderest care from his remaining par-
ent, who destined him for the profession of
law. To his own and his father's great grief,
however, he was obliged, at the age of six-
teen years, to give up all studies on account

of failing health. In 1832 he came to
America, being sent to New York as agent
for a Hamburg commercial house, but find-
ing the climate of the latter city inimical
to his health, he decided to try the West,
and came to Burlington. Iowa was then
a young and undeveloped State, but he had
faith in its future, and here he resided dur-
ing the greater jiart of his life.

On first coming to Burlington, Professor
Wachsmuth engaged in the grocery busi-
ness, in which he continued for ten years.
In 1855 he was united in marriage to Miss
Bernhardine Lorcnz, who survives him.
Finding that his life in the dry Western
country did not afford the desired condi-
tions for improvement in his health, he
sought the counsel of a ]3hysician, who ad-
vised him to spentl as much time as possible
in the open air. and suggested the collec-
tion of fossils as a suitable avocation. He
at once adopted the idea, and from that time
a new life began for him. That he himself
then had no idea how important his achieve-
ments would be, may be seen from the fact
that at first he used a cigar box to contain
his collected treasures. This soon gave
way to a cabinet which he purchased, and
at the end of a year an entire room was
required. In later years he built a fire-
proof house, which now contains the greatest
collection of fossil crinoids in the world.
The collections attained such dimensions
that the celebrated Professor Agassiz, on
his lecture tour through the West, came to
see it, and commended it highly for its
completeness, size, and the care and ac-
curacy displayed in its cataloguing.

In 1865 Professor \\'achsmuth closed out
his business, and, accompanied by Mrs.
Wachsmuth, made a trip to Europe. A
vear later he returned to Burlington, re-

i6o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

solved to devote liis life to scientific pur-
suits — niainly tt) research in connection
with crinoid fossils. In 1873 Professor
Atjassiz paid a second visit to liurlinj^on.
He found the collection greatly increased
and improved, and expressed the wish to
procure it, and that the owner mifjlit ac-
company it and take charge of all crinoids
in the Museum of Comparative Zoology
in Harvard University. With this Pro-
fessor W'achsnuitli complied, remaining in
Cambridge until the death of Professor
Agassiz. In 1874 he and Mrs. Wachsmuth
made another trip abroad, visiting Euro])e,
Asia, ant! .Africa, returning at the expira-
tion of a year. Having relinquished his
title to his collection in favor of the Uni-
versity, he did not own, at the time of re-
turning to this city, a single specimen : but
he was soon at work again with his collect-
or's hammer, spending every fine day in
the (|uarrics, and it was there that he one
day met and became accpiainted with Mr.
Frank Sjiringer, with whom lie furnuMl a
friendshi]) that lasted until the death of
Professor Wachsmuth. Thereafter they
were associated in collecting, and also col-
laborated in the writing .'uul ])reparati<>n of
their works. .\ few years later Professor
Wachsmuth, with his wife, made a number
of collecting tri|)s through Indiana, Ken-
tucky, Tennessee, and .Alabama, bringing
home manv Ix^autiful sjiecimens ; and he
was not only fortunate in his quests, but
these southern tours resulted in much ben-
efit to his health, and he counted the time
thus spent as among the hapi)iest days of
his life. In 1879 Professor Wachsmuth
and Mr. Springer published the first i)art
of "Revision of Palaeocrinoidea ; " and
after having finished the latter juirt in the
fall of 1886, he began the preparation of

his greatest work, " The North .\merican
Crinoidie Camerata," at which he labored
continuously for seven years, without in-
terruption except from illness, which was
all too frequent. That he did not live to
see the publication of this moninnental work
is one of the most profound regrets of all
his friends. The last years of his life were
a time of great Ixxlily suffering, one attack
of illness succeeding another, but that for
which he himself most grieved was the
failure of his sight, which, of course, inter-
fered seriously with his work. During all
bis sufferings, however, he remained cheer-
ful, and never uttered a word of complaint.
He passed awa_\- on the seventh day of Feb-
ruary, 1896, and was interred in Aspen
(^irove cemetery, where his la.st resting-place
is marked by a plain stone, on which his
name is graven.

Professor Wachsmuth was a member of
the .Vmerican .Vssociation for the Advance-
ment of Science, of the Geological Society
of .\merica. of the Iowa Academy of
.Science, of the Im[)erial Society of Natural
Sciences of .Moscow, and corresponding
member of the Philadelphia .-\cademy of
.Science. He was a man of great mental
))owcrs, jjossessed of a high and unselfish
entiuisiasm for his work, and by the ad-
mirable traits of his character won the
regard ami respect of all.

JOAB C. COMSTOCK.

TiiK history of the Comstock family in
the West properly begins with the career of
Joab Comstock, of Connecticut, who was
horn .\])ril 4, I7()8. and died .\pril 14. 1827.
In iliat State lie married Eunice Willev,

DES MO/XHS COUXT)'. IOWA.

i6i

and they decided to try their fortunes in the
then new country of Ohio. Loading their
household goods upon a two-wheeled cart
drawn bv a yoke of oxen, they started on the
long journey overland, traveling by short
stages on account of their slow-paced team,
occasionally halting to cook food or to rest
bv the way, but always looking hopefully
forward to their destination, and pushing
on Avith high courage and resolution day
after day, in spite of the hardships they
were forced to endure. Thus they finally
arrived in Hamilton county, Ohio, near the
new city of Cincinnati. There they cleared
a space in the virgin forest, established their
humble home, and began the work of till-
ing the soil and sowing the seed which was
to bring forth rich harvests in due season to
repay them for all their toil.

At that early outpost of civilization the
pioneers resided for a long term of years,
and there on Feb. 9, 1804, was born to them
a son, Joab, who was to become the father
of our subject. As the boy grew unto the
estate of manhood, he exhibited unusual
abilities, and by hard study qualified him-
self to enter the ranks of the profession of
medicine. Shortly after he began medical
practice he wedded Miss Jane Lemmon,
who was a native of Ireland, whence she
emigrated to America -with her parents at
a very early date. They first settled in
Alaryland, but afterward removed to Ohio,
where she met and married Mr. Conistock.
The young physician continued his profes-
sional duties for a time after his marriage,
but the heritage of his pioneer ancestry led
him to look with longing eyes toward the
vast new West that was then being opened
to settlement beyond the Mississippi River,
and he determined to ascertain for himself
the measure of its possibilities. He there-

fore set forth on horseback, rode through
the trackless forests of Indiana, across the
broad prairies of Illinois, and made his way
to Iowa. He was much impressed with the
country, and returned to Ohio with very
favorable accounts of its natural resources.
In consequence of this trip he brought his
family to Iowa in 1839, coming by the river
route, and arriving in April of that year,
and at once purchased a farm in Section 20
of Union township. Des ^Moines county.

Having purchased a farm, Mr. Comstock
set about the duties of his new life with his
characteristic energy. He erected a com-
fortable dwelling and a few necessary build-
ings, and engaged in farming, which he
continued for many years with remarkable
success. He also gave special attention to
stock-raising and fruit-growing, in both of
which he was signally sviccessful. From
time to time he purchased additional land,
as opportunity offered, until he had increased
his holdings to approximately six hundred
acres of productive lands, comprising some
of the most fertile soil in the Mississippi
valley. He was a man of adamantine char-
acter, and as an influential member of the
Republican party was a number of times
honored by election to the various township
offices. He and his wife were throughout
life devoted to works of religion and charity,
and were faithful and active members of the
Wesleyan Methodist church. He himself
entered the ministry of that denomination,
and by the eloquence of his oratory, the
strength of his character, and especially by
the purity of liis life, did much for the ad-
vancement of public morals, a fact which
entitles him to be especially remembered and
honored among the pioneer ministers of Des
Moines county. He was eminently public
sjiirited, and was always ready by any lion-

l62

IUU.,RAI'HILAL KJ.l 11:11

orahic mcaiis in his power to encourage any
movement <>r assist any enterjirise designed
to enhance the interests of tlie conniuniity
in which he hyed. As a pioneer in a new
and nndevclojied country he was necessarily
called upon to endure many privations, but
he ever lx)rc iiis part luanfully and well, and
thus he earned for himself the respect and
gratitude of succeeding generations. Among
the men of his own day he ever enjoyed
high honor, and everywhere his name was
spoken with peculiar respect. Late in life
he retired from the conduct of active affairs,
and removed to I'.urlington. In that city
the remainder of his days were ])assed in
ease and comfort, and there his death oc-
curred when he was appro.ximately seventy-
eight years of age. His wife died when
al)out seventy-three years of age, and both
are buried in Union townshi]). They were
the parents of twelve children, four of whom
still survive. Mrs. Comstock was a woman
of iKantiful Christian character, and ably
seconded her husband in the many good
works to which he devoted so much of his
life.

Joab C. Comstock, the subject of the pres-
ent review, is a native son of Des Moines
county, and was born l*"eb. 2, 1843. on the
original farm purchased by his father. Joab
Coiustock. in Section 20 of L'nion townshi]).
His early knowledge of books -was gained in
the rural district schools near his home, but
desiring further advancement along educa-
tional lines he later became a student in
Knox College, at Galesburg, 111., and also
for a tiiue attended business college at
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., thus securing an ex-
cellent preparation for the actual duties of
life. He has always been especially inter-
ested in the cause of education, a taste which
he shares with his brother, Milton L, Com-

stock, who for many years occupied the chair
of mathematics in Kno.x College, and is still
a resident of ( ialesburg.

< )n the conclusion of his formal education
.Mr. Comstock returned to his iiarental
home, where he assisted in the work of his
father's farm until 1864. In that year, hav-
ing gained his father's consent, he enlisted
for the defense of his country in Companv
I i, I-'orty-fifth Iowa Infantry, in which he
served, being employed in guard duty, until
the autumn of the .same year, when he re-
ceived honorable discharge and was mus-
tered out of the service at Keokuk, Iowa.
His military record further includes his con-
nection with the liurlington contingent of
the Iowa State militia, in -which he after-
ward received appointment as first lieuten-
ant. After leaving the army he once more
returned to the home farm, on which he has
ever since resided, and once more. took up
his task of mastering the principles and de-
tails of agriculture. He did not confine his
efforts to situple farming operations, how-
ever, although always highly successful in
liiis branch of his work, and on his large
farm of one hundred antl tifty-four acres in
Sections 16, 17, and 20 he now has an
orchard of five hundred young apple trees,
all of choice selected varieties, and promis-
ing a very handsome profit in the near
future, besides a large orchard of three hun-
dred trees now in the full tide of bearing.
These latter yield each year many times the
cost of their planting and maintenance, and
for his wide foresight and well-timed enter-
prise Mr. Comstock deserves all praise, for
his success has encouraged many others to
imitate his worthy example, and thus the
productive powers of the farm are being
more intelligently exploited throughout this
section to-tlav than ever before. In addi-

DBS AfOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

163

tion to farming and horticulture, he has had
very flattering success in the raising of high-
grade stock. All the improvements on the
farm have been installed by himself at vari-
ous times, and their perfection constitutes
one of his chief claims to consideration. He
has erected a large and substantial residence
building, besides a large barn and other nec-
essary structures, and modern machinery is
used throughout.

Into the life of Mr. Comstock there early
entered an element of romance, which has
tinged with its roseate hues the whole of
his after years, and has no doubt been one
of the most important influences in shaping
his character. Near his boyhood home there
lived another pioneer family, people of dis-
tinguished ancestry and of the highest
standing in the community, and one member
of. that household was a little daughter, to
whom he was attracted almost in infancy.
The families dwelt less than a mile apart,
and the two children were almost constantly
together, being reared in an intimacy closer
than that which often exists between brother
and sister. Playmates in early childhood,
they afterward became schoolmates and
classmates in the little rural school, entering
hand in hand, so to speak, upon the pleasant
paths of learning, and remaining fond com-
panions and playmates still. Happy in their
school work and in each other's society,
they failed to note the changes wrought by
passing years, but more and more the boy
came to admire his girl friend for her beauty
of face and of character, while she learned
to look upon him as the embodiment of her
noblest ideals, and thus, at the dawning of
that golden age called youth, they found
that without their knowing it their child-
hood comradeship had grown into a senti-
ment of warmer and deeper regard, that of

their first and only love. He knew that he
could not claim her hand in marriage for
many years to come, but, fearful lest they
should become estranged, or that the prize
should be won by another, he solicited her
promise when she was but sixteen years of
age, with full confidence that although they
might be separated by circumstances unfore-
seen, yet she would remain true to her
plighted troth. It was not until the 26th day
of April, 1866, that Miss Nancy A. Avery
and Joab C. Comstock were united in bonds
of holy matrimony, the ceremony being per-
formed at the home of Rev. W. F. Baird
at Burlington.

Mrs. Comstock was born in Union town-
ship, Des Moines county, Iowa, a daughter
of Henry and Mary (Ogle) Avery. Her
parents were among the early pioneers and
leading land owners of this section, and as
the family is descended from old Puritan
and Revolutionary ancestry, and attained a
position of prominence in Des Moines coun-
ty, it has been deemed advisable to devote
a separate article to its history and gene-
alogy. To Mr. and Mrs. Comstock have
been born four sons and two daughters, as
follows : Henry Lewis, born April 9, 1867,
now residing in Union township, where he
pursues the trade of carpentering, married
Miss Lizzie Delap, of Lee county, Iowa,
and they have one child, Rolland : Ella,
born Aug. 29, 1868, and educated at the
University at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, re-
sides at Lewiston, Mont., where she is en-
gaged in teaching nuisic and dressmaking;
Milton E., born May 9, 1870, now follow-
ing the carpenter's trade in Union township,
where he resides, married Miss Minnie Zim-
merman ; Flora J., born Oct. 31, 1872, is
the wife of Frank Roberts, a farmer of
Henrv countv, Iowa, and thev have six

164

HIOC.RAl'llUAL RlillEW

cliililRii. Kvirclt William, lx)rn Nov. 23,
1895, Howard I'raiik, born Dec, 26, i.SyO,
Mary Alice. iKirn Jan. 22. i8<;9. Flora Grace,
born Sept. 13, lyoo. Opal licllc. born
Sept. 18, 1902, and Elizabeth Klla, born
March 5, ujos; Fremont I., born Sept. i,
1878, who condncts a ranch at Lcwiston,
Mont. ; and Jesse J., born May 3, i88ri. who
is a member of the parental household. .\11
the children of .Mr. and Mrs. Comstock en-
joyed excellent educational advantages, and
in the world oi i)ractical affairs have ex-
hibited conuiiendable enterprise and marked
ability. Mr. Comstock himself has devoted
his talents almost exclusively to business,
with what result is already well known. On
the other haml. he has never been indifferent
to the public welfare, being an active sup-
porter of the Republican party in both local
and national contests. For President Lin-
coln he cast his first vote in the fall of "64,
and has voted the straight Republican ticket
ever since : and while he has consistently re-
fused to seek the honors of high ])plitical
office, he has at the urgency of his friends
acce])ted the supervisorship of higlnvays and
the direction of ))ul)lic schools at various
times, being a director of his school for
fourteen years, thus rendering very efficient
service. In his fraternal relations he is a
member of Matthies Post, No. 5, Grand
.\rmy of the Republic, of Burlington. His
integrity as a citizen and as a man have
never been called into (|uestion, and he com-,
mands the uniform confidence and gooil-will
of all with whom he has been associated.
His position among the substantial and jiro-
gressive citizens of Des .Moines county is
one of the very highest, and by reason of his
successful career, his representative char-
acter, and his wide ac(]uaintance, he is well
<leserviiig of a prominent i)lace in a work of

the ])resent nature. The names ol .\lr. and
Mrs. Comstock are spoken with respect and
esteem in innumerable homes, and their
friends are legion. Long ami far have they
journeyed together, their lives ever with
truth and loyalty marked, and with .self-
sacrifice and mutual helpfulness gloriously
crowned.

JOHN H. GIESE.

.\ .\.\Tivii of Des Moines county, Iowa,
who was born in Pleasant Grove township,
and now resides upon his farm of two hun-
dred and ninety-nine acres of rich farm
land, is John H. (iiese. He is a son of
John and Margarctta (Dcnghausen) Giese,
and was bom New Scar's day, 1849. His
parents were born in (jermany, near Han-
over. The father came to .\merica when
(|uite a young man. being only seventeen
years of age, and after landing in New
York, continued his journey west till he
reached Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was en-
gaged as a laborer for several years ; later he
canu- to Iowa, and located at P>urlington.
where he became a citizen of the I'nited
States. June 14, 1847. After working in a
brick-yartl there for one year, he moved to
Pleasant Grove townshiji. where he pur-
chased a farm afljoining the projjerty now
owned by his son. John II. This farm of
eighty acres consisted mostly of timber land,
which he at once began to clear and prepare
for a home. He was a very active and pros-
perous man in his day. and as time ■went on
he added to his first ])urcha.sc till he owned
some three hundred acres of well-improved
land, carrying on general farming and
stock-raising to a large extent. He was al-
ways a strong Democrat, but was more

JOHN H. GIESE.

DES .][OINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

i6-

interested in educational matters than in
politics, being a member of the school board
for a number of years. He was a member
of the German Lutheran church. He was
born April 19, 1817, and died April 26,
i8g6, about seventy-si.x years of age, and
is buried in the cemetery in Pleasant Grove
township.

The mother of our subject came to
America about the same time that her hus-
band did, and also resided in ( )hio for a
while, where she was married in Cincin-
nati. Mr. and Mrs. Giese were the par-
ents of eight children, five of whom are
living. Our subject is the third child in
age. Mrs. Giese is now about eighty-five
years old, has ahvays been a very active
woman, and still enjoys attending to some
light duties. She was born Oct. 21, 1 81 8.
She, also, is a devoted member of the Luth-
eran church. Her declining days are spent
at the home of her son. Dr. G. F. Giese. of
Danville, Iowa, where he is practising his
profession.

John H. Giese, of this review, attended
the common schools of Pleasant Grove dis-
trict, and remained on the hon:e farm
assisting his father till he was twenty-
three years of age, and then took a trip
to the Pacific Ocean, and located in Fresno
county, California. He remained there for
eight years, being engaged in general farm-
ing, having taken uj) land from the gov-
ernment — a homestead of one hundred and
sixty acres, and a pre-emption of one hun-
dred and sixty acres. He then returned
to the home place in Iowa, and purchased
a farm of two hundred acres adjoining the
home place, and erected a beautiful large
two-story frame house, a modern barn, and
other buildings which are necessary for
stock and grain. Success has crowned his

every effort, and he has added to his orig-
inal purchase till now he has one of the
largest farms in the township, consisting
of two hundred and ninet}-nine acres. He
raises Poland China hogs ~ and Hereford
cattle very extensively.

When Mr. Giese was about twenty-five
years of age he married Miss Minnie Howi-
son, Dec. 31, 1874. Mrs. Giese is a native
of Delaware county, Ohio, and a daughter
of Edwin and .Sarah (Calvin) Howison.
Her father was born in Prince William
county, \'irginia, and moved to Ohio at an
early date, where he was a prosperous
farmer in Delaware county for manv years.
He came to Iowa in 1857, and located in
Des [Moines county, ■where he continued
farming in Franklin township for several
years : he also farmed in Pleasant Grove
township some years, till 1873, when he
moved to California, locating in Fresno
county, where his death occurred when he
was eighty-four years old. He reposes
in the cemetery near Fresno, Cal. He
was a Democrat, but never aspired to pub-
lic recognition. When a very young man
he joined the Methodist church. Mrs.
Giese's mother survived her good husband
some time, her death occurring in March,
1905, in California, at the age of ninety-one
years. She was born Sept. 25, 1813.

Mr. and Mrs. Howison were blessed with
seven children, of whom three are living,
and all but ^trs. Giese reside in California.
Mrs. Giese received her education in the
district schools of Pleasant Grove township.
To Mr. and IMrs. Giese have been born
three children, all living: Charles was bom
r)ct. 31, 1875, in California, near Fresno,
and attended the medical college at Iowa
City, Iowa, where he was graduated, and
also the medical college at Columbia, l\Io.

1 68

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

He also was graduated with great credit in
1905 from the St. Louis Medical Cnllege.
He is also a graduate of the Howe Academy
at Mt. i'leasant, Inwa. Dr. lliese is now
l()cate<l at Iloldrege. Nehr. Mary Ciiesc
married Dr. larl K. Kitchey, a dentist,
of Xew London, Iowa; Mrs. Ritchey was
l)orn in Cahfornia, and eihicated at Mt.
Pleasant, Iowa. Raymond C is atten(hng
tlie schools of I'leasant (Irovc township.

Mr. Giese followed in the footsteps of
his father, as he has ever been a strong
Democrat, holding the position of to\vn-
ship trustee for some years, and has-been
the trusted treasurer of the school board
for several terms. Mr. Giese and his g(X)d
wife are influential members of the Cumber-
land Presbyterian church, where the former
has been deac<in for fifteen years, louring
the long \ears of .Mr. (iiese's residence in
Des Moines county he has gained the con-
fidence and good-will of the |)eople by his
honesty and integrity, and as a citizen re-
ceives the highest resjiect and esteem of all.

HERMAN WEINRICH.

Herm.vn W'Ei.N'Kien makes his home in
Hurlington, but his labors have had di-
rect effect ui)on the commercial activit\-
and coiisr(nu-iit prosperity of Iowa and
other States, for the boundaries of the
city have not limited his cai)abililics. He
is a typical re])resentative of the Ameri-
can spirit which, within tbo jiast century,
has ;icliieved a work that ;irouses at once
the astonishment and admiration of the
world. Hurlington is fortunate in that he
allied his interests with hers, for his
labor. ;iTid the lal)or he employs, have

contributed s<j largely to its business de-
velopment an<l substantial upbuilding.
He is not so abnormally develo])ed as to
be called a genius: but is one of the
strongest Ix'causc one of the best-balanced,
ihe most even and self-masterful of men.
and he has acted so well his part in both
|)ul)lic and private life that Hurlington
has been enriched by bis example, his
character, and his labor.

.Mr. W'einrich was born in Cassel, Ger-
many, in 1S45. a son of Carl Ludwig
.\ugust \\ einricb. who died at the age of
sixty-three years, while acting as an offi-
cer in the department of the interior in
the princii)ality of Hessen. The maternal
ancestors of our subject were French
Huguenots, who were driven out of
I'Vance because of their religious belief.
They settled in (iermany. but adhered to
the l-"rench church; and .Mr. W'einrich. of
this review, was taught to speak rrench.
it being retained as the language of his
people. During the Revolutionary War
in America, certain of the princi])alities
of Germany made contracts with Eng-
land, whereby their soldiers should fight
in the linglish army, in order to sulxlue
the uprising among the colonists. August
\\ einricb, grandfather of Herman W'ein-
rich. was among this nundier. serving
with the Hessian soldiers. While on a
transport returning to his native country,
the vessel was blown by contrary winds
into the torrid zone, and there becalmed
for many weeks, until the provisions- and
water gave out. Many died as the re-
sult, and Mr. W'einrich lost his eyesight.
I-"inally, however, the ship was blown out
to sea, and .\ugust W'einrich. with a few
others, reached his old home, but he
never recovere<l his sight. In tin- fainilv

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

i6q

of Mr. anil Mrs. Carl Ludwit;- August
\\^einrich were thirteen children, of
whom Herman was the fifth. l*"ive are
still living in (iermany, while Emma
Weinrich is now living in lUirlingtun.
The mother died when Herman was liut
two \-ears old, and the father died when
the son had reached the age of thirteen.
At the usual age Herman Weinrich be-
gan his education. In addition to his na-
tive German tongue he early learned to
speak French, then the Swedish and Nor-
wegian languages, and later English. In
his youth he served an apprenticeship in
a dry-goods factory, and for two years
he traveled for a firm, selling cassimeres
and broadcloths to merchant tailors and
wholesale dealers in Norway, Sweden,
Finland, and Belgium, traveling in those
days altogether by ship or cart. He after-
ward traveled for a year, selling perfumes
for L. T. Pivet, a Paris manufacturer.
In 1865 he came to the United States
on a side-wheel steamer, the " Bavaria,"
being eighteen days en route. A brother,
Christian \\'einrich, had preceded him to
Des Moines county, Iowa, and was en-
gaged in farming here, and Herman
Weinrich joined his brother, and began
shucking corn : but he found his hands
too tender for that kind of work. His
English pronunciation being poor he
started to school, in order that he might
perfect his knowledge of the language,
and when twenty-two years of age he
"stood up and spelled down" with lads of
eight or ten years. His perseverance,
however, soon enabled him to overcome
the disadvantage of unfamiliarity with
the language, and to enter business life
and make steady progress therein. He
conducted a country store for foui; vears

at Pleasant Grove, and held the position
of postmaster under President Johnson,
at a salary of twenty-four dollars per
year. There were three mails each week,
brought to the office on horseback.

Coming to llurlington, Mr. Weinrich
acted as traveling salesman for the
Hawkeye Woolen Mills for a }'car. and
then purchased a dry-goods store at
Brighton, Iowa, where he remained for
a year, during which time he became a
member of the Masonic fraternity. Re-
turning to Burlington, he was for six
months proprietor of a grocery store on
South Hill. He then again went u])on
the road for T. W. ISarhydt, dealer in
i;oots and shoes, for two years, after
which he entered the commission busi-
ness on Front Street, and was at the same
time city wharfmaster, and the first agejit
for the Diamond Joe line of steamers,
which, however, had but one boat in the
service.

Mr. Weinrich was for a brief period en-
gaged in bottling beer with A. G. Busch,
and in 1876 he began the manufacture of
vinegar and pickles on Front Street, be-
ginning the business on a small scale.
He was the pioneer in the pickle business
in Iowa, being the first to manufacture
pickles for commercial purposes. He put
up two thousand bushels of pickles the
first year, most of wdiich were cucumbers
which he raised himself. He also manu-
factured about five or six l^arrels of vine-
gar per day. In the early development
of the business Mr. Weinrich went upon
the road to introduce his product, while
four men were employed in the factory.
The \'enture proved successful from the
beginning, and has constantly grown un-
til it has reached mammoth proportions.

I70

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ht'ing now OIK- of tlic largest ciilcrprises
of the kind in ilu- Lnitcil Slates, the
honsc being represented In twelve travel-
ing salesmen, wliilc fifty men are em-
I)lo\e<l on an averajj^e in the plant at Bur-
lington. There are branch houses at I'ort
Madison, Iowa, and salting houses at
Cedar Rajiids. Iowa, and New I'lm,
Minn.: and for eighteen years a factory
has been in o|)eralion at Kansas City,
.\lo. There are ten receiving stations in
Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, with local
agencies at Des Moines, St. Joseph,
( )maha, and Council RlufFs, and the trade
extends over Iowa, Illinois, Missouri,
Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, South
Dakota, and Kansas. .\s the business cx-
))anded it was removed from the original
location to more commodious cpiarters
on Third Street — the building now occu-
pied by Chittenden & Eastman's factory.
In I line. iS<)8. a Second removal was ni;ule
to the present location at the intersection
of Central .\venue and .\gency and ()s-
born Streets. The business was incor-
porated in iS8i, under a ten-year's char-
ter with 1'". A. Smith as president and H.
W'einrich as secretary and general man-
ager. The charter was renewed and the
business re-incorporated in i<;04, with the
following officers: II. W'einrich, presi-
dent : Carl W'einrich. secretary and treas-
urer: and II. K. and » '. 1.. W'einrich and
I'. Richards, directors, in addition to the
officers. In addition to vinegar and
pickles the com|)any puts up chow-chow,
Holland onions. mustar<I. catsuj). sauer-
kraut, sweet cider. S|);inish olives, horse-
radish, ]H'pper-sance. Worcestershire sauce,
mincemeat, apjile butter, and preserves,
and the quality of the product insures a
ready sale for the outi)Ut.

Mr. W'einrich is regarded as one of
the most successful business men of
I'.urlington, nor have his efTorts been
confined to one line, for in addition to
the develoi)ment of his extensive ))ick-
ling business, he is now the president
of the Northwestern Cabinet Company,
which was incorporated for thirty thou-
sand dollars ; the ])residcnt of the Hur-
lington Basket Com])any; a stockholder
in the Iowa .State Savings Bank, a
stockholder in the pickle manufacturing
business of Steinhors-Morrine Fickle
Company, of Kansas City, Mo. ; the own-
er of valuable improved and unimproved
|)ro])erty in Uurlington : and the owner of
one thousand acres of land near Kings-
ton, Iowa, devoted to general farming
purposes and the raising of hogs and cat-
tle. In view of the fact that on landing
in .\merica he clerked for a short time in
the dry-goods store of Greenbaum-
Schroeder and Company, and began life
in Iowa at husking corn, his present pros-
perity is all the more notable and praise-
worthy, showing what can be accom-
plished through determined puri)ose and
honorable, unceasing efTort.

Mr. W'einrich was married, in Musca-
tine, Iowa, in i8"i, to Miss Emma Ober-
mann, who was born near that city, a
daughter of Karl V. and Marie ( Krehe)
Obcrmann. lu-r f.ilher .-m eminent minis-
ter of the Lutheran church, then located
at Muscatine, Iowa, but now deceased.
Her luother is still living, at the age of
seventy-three years. For twenty years
Mr. and Mrs. W'einrich have resided at
408 Iowa Street. Tlu'v have six children:
Carl; llcnnan: ()scar: Ilatlie. the wife
of Ernest X'olger, of Chicago: .August:
and Irma. .Ml who are old enough have

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOJI'A.

completed the graniniar and liigh-school
courses of Burlington, and attended the
State University at Iowa City, August
pursuing the law course there. Mrs.
Weinrich has four sisters: Mrs. Gustave

the development of the county worthv of
most honorable mention in a historical work
of this character. A prominent representa-
tive of this class of estimable citizens in
Des Moines county is Carl J. H. Bloom-

Goppelt, of Chesaning, Mich.; Matilda. berg, of Yellow Springs township, where

he resides on a large and highly improved
farm in Section 17. and successfull)- con-
ducts a business of general farming and
stock-raising.

Mr. Bloomberg is a native of Sweden,

the wife of William Henniker, of Musca-
tine; Bertha, wife of Oscar Grossheim.
of Muscatine; and I\Irs. Louise M. Baetz-
ner, of Burlington. There are four broth-
ers and two sisters of the familv now de-

ceased, there having been eleven children having been born in Flisbv, Yonkopings,

in all.

Air. Weinrich is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, and of the Benevolent
Protective Order of Elks, a director of
the Commercial Exchange, a trustee of
the Library Board, and a member of the
Crystal Lake Club. In politics he is a
Republican, and always advocates move-
ments that tend to benefit the city and
promote its substantial improvement. He
is modest and unassuming, and indis-
posed to attract attention either to his
success in business or to his deeds of
charity.

CARL J. H. BLOOMBERG.

In order to properly and fully under-
stand the greatness of the country in which
we live, it is necessary to make a study of
the various sources from which that great-
ness arises, to analyze its elements, and de-
termine the importance of these elements.
In such an inquiry we find that in Des
Moines count}- a very great measure of
.credit is due to families of Swedish ori-
gin, and that the energy, enterprise, and
dogged determination of this class of citi-
zens have made the part played b\' them in

S.vveden, Nov. 30, 1847. He was the son
of J'ohannas and Sarah (Stehr) Johnson,
lie was one of a family of eight children,
of whom four, Gustave A., Carolina,
Sophia, and Claus, are now deceased.
Those still living are : Tena ; Matilda ;
.\manda, the wife of Charles Adolphson,
of Yellow Springs township ; and Carl
Johan Helmer, the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Bloomberg's father lived in Sweden
until the time of his death, which occurred
in 1880, when he was seventy-one )'ears of
age. After that his mother came to Amer-
ica, and made her home with her children
till the end of her life. She died at the
home of Mr. Bloomberg, Aug. 29, 1892,
aged eighty-three years.

Mr. Bloomberg received his early edu-
cation in the public schools of his native
land, and also learned the shoemaker's
trade, thus following the example of his
father, who pursued that trade. Mr.
Bloomberg followed this occupation as long
as he remained in Sweden, and for several
years after coming to America. He came
alone to America in 1870, landing at New
York. He located first in Sheffield, Pa.,
May 3, 1870, and taking up his trade, re-
mained there until the following 4th of
July. At that time he went to Oquawka,

172

BIO'JRAI'HIC.IL REl lEll'

Henderson county, 111., engaged as a farm
hand, and remained there initil August,
1872, wlun he went to Keithsburg, 111. At
Keithsburg he again worked at his trade,
being in the employ of Thomas Sauster,
with whom he remained for about four
years. By this time his health began to
fail, as the result of his sedentary occupa-
tion, and he decided that it was necessary
for him to find work that would permit
of his being in the outdoor air. Accord-
ingly he again went to work on a farm, and
has made farming his life work ever since.

Jan. 21, 1884, Mr. Bloomberg came to
Des Moines county, Iowa, and bought a
part of his large farm of one hundred and
twenty-one acres in Yellow Springs town-
ship. Since taking possession of this place
Mr. Bloomberg has fenced his proi)erty,
improved all the buildings, built another
substantial barn, added modern implements,
and brought the entire place up to its pres-
ent high degree of excellence. In 1903,
he purchased an addition to the farm of
two hundred and eleven acres, this land
also lying in Section 17. Each year has
seen additions made to the conveniences
about the home, until now he has one of
the most comfortable homes, as well as one
lit tlic most efficiently cultivated farms in
the entire community.

In addition to his success as a general
farmer, he has made a specialty of breeding
.fine cattle and hogs, until he is recognized
throughout the township as having done
much to raise the standard of the stock
kept in the county, and also much to ad-
vance the material prosperity of farmers
in general. He makes a specialty of the
INjUed Angus cattle, kee|)ing on an aver-
age about forty-two head of this breed.
He has nvi-r eighty head of hogs, raising;

the Poland China and Duroc Jerseys. The
entire appearance of his home and the sur-
rounding farm is a constant tribute to the
great success that this man has made : and
when it is remembered that all this has
iDecn built up by his own efforts, starting in
his youth without resources, none who see
it can fail to honor and admire him for
what he has accomplished.

Mr. Bloomberg was married on Christ-
mas day, 1874, in Gladstone, 111., to Miss
Marie Louisa Peterson, daughter of Xels
and Caroline (Johnson) Peterson, who
was herself a native of Sweden, being born
in V'immerby, Sweden, Sept. 24, 1855. She
came to America when only sixteen years
of age, coming with a friend who had been
in .America and had returned to Sweden
for a visit. To Mr. and Mrs. Bloomberg
have been born eleven children, as follows :
Henry Oliver, born Aug. 30, 1877, died
March 22, 1879; Durward LeRoy, born
Aug. 14, 1880: Mabel M., born Jan. 21,
1883, and Myrtle R., born Dec. 7, 1884,
have both become teachers, and have won
excellent reputations in their chosen pro-
fession by the thorough and efficient work
that they have done in the district schools
of Huron township, where they are both
now engaged in this work ; Emma R.. horn
Oct. II, 1886, is at home: Florence H.,
born Oct. 3, 1888, is a student in Elliott's
Business College, where she is taking a
course in stenography and typewriting;
Hazel B., born Aug. 8, 1890, and Ethel C,
born Oct. 29, 1892, are lx)th attending
high school in Mediapolis; Ruby P., born
Jan. 7, 1894; Carl L., born Sept. 8, 1896;
and Louis Glenn, born Jan. 5. i8f)9. Mr.
and Mrs. Bloomberg have a hai)py, genial
family, that shows the result of the Chris-
tian inlliience in the home, — a familv of

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

173

which they have every reason to be proud.
Mr. and Airs. Bloomberg are devoted
members of the Swedish Lutheran church
of Mediapolis, and have raised their family
in that faith. Mr. Bloomberg has served
the church faithfully and well as a trustee
for over nine years. In his fraternal rela-
tions, he was at one time a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, hold-
ing membership for about three years in
the lodge at Keithsburg, 111. During this
time he held the office of junior warden in
the organization. Genial, ever courteous,
he is justly popular, and his many friends
rejoice at the measure of prosperity that
has come to bless him in his home, and
hope to see him and his estimable wife live
many more years to enjoy the hard-won
fruits of their toil together.

JOHN CHRISTIAN SCHMIERS.

One of the most successful and widely
known representatives of the lumber inter-
ests of Des Moines county is the subject
of this sketch, who is at the present time
sole proprietor of the West Burlington
Lumber Company. Mr. Schmiers was born
in Westphalia, Germany, Aug. 2, 1855, the
son of Henry Bernard and Elizabeth
(Kluster) Schmiers, and received his early
education in the schools of his native land,
this being followed by a course of instruc-
tion in the science and art of architecture ;
and after completing his education along
theoretical and practical lines, he began his
life work by taking up the trade of carpen-
tering, which he followed with success until
1876, when he enlisted in the German
army, and followed its fortunes as a soldier

until 1879. Enlisting as a private, he was
promoted during his second year of service
to the rank of corporal, continuing to hold
that rank until his discharge.

Following the termination of his military
service, he resumed his trade of carpenter-
ing, in which he continued for a number of
years ; but the greater opportunities offered
by America appealed to his desire for
progress and spirit of enterprise, and on
April I, 1884, he embarked for the New
World, and landing at the port of New
York, he proceeded directly to Waukegan,
111., where he was engaged in the work of
his trade until January of the following
year, when he came to Des Moines county,
Iowa, locating at Burlington.

In the latter city he devoted his energies
to carpenter work until 1897, when, in as-
sociation with Lawrence Kemmig, he en-
gaged in the lumber business at this place,
under the firm style of the West Burlington
Lumber Company. In 1898 George Riddle
became a member of the firm, and this triple
partnership was continued for one year,
at the expiration of which period Mr.
Schmiers purchased the interest of ■ Mr.
Kemmig, and at the end of the second year
he bought the interest of the remaining
partner, thus becoming the sole proprietor
of a large and rapidly growing business,
and one in which his talent for managing
enterprises of magnitude eminently fitted
him for the attainment of success ; and it is
along this line of activity that he has since
devoted his abilities to the upbuilding of the
community in which his useful career is
being passed, while at the same time his
enterprise, integrity, and ability are bring-
ing him a substantial pecuniary reward.
The annual volume of business transacted
amounts to approximately $15,000, and in

174

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

addition to lumber, all building materials
are handled, including brick, lime, cement,
and in fact all material necessary for the
construction of high-grade dwelling houses
of the most modern type.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Schmiers
holds membership in the Ancient Order
of United Workmen, and has held all the
principal official positions of the local or-
ganization of the Woodmen of the World,
and of the Loyal Mystic Legion of America,
in both of which orders he is a member and
valued worker, while he also sustains simi-
lar relations with the Burlington X'olunteer
Relief Department, and is local representa-
tive of the Iowa Bankers' Life Insurance
Company. He thus occupies a prominent
position in fraternal and social circles, in
which he is widely known and enjoys a
gratifying degree of popularity. In his
attitude toward political questions he is in-
dependent, not being closely associated with
any phase of strictly partisan activity, but
using his influence on the side of good gov-
ernment according to his individual estimate
of candidates and measures. He has at
heart the higher interests of the community,
and is a member of the Catholic church,
and a consistent supporter of its work.

On March 25, 1881, Mr. Schmiers was
united in marriage with Miss Christina
Rumtch, daughter of Henry and Christina
Barbara Rumtch, and to them have been
born fourteen children, as foUorws : Mary,
who is at home; Henry Bernard, also at
home; Anna Christina, who was the wife
of Harry Robert Wright, and died Nov.
12, 1904, leaving one child (Marie .^nna) ;
Joseph John: ( ecilia Kemila ; \'cvanclia
Marie ; Jennie Louisa ; Mary Elizabeth ;
Theresa Marie ; Henrietta, who died at
the age of three months ; Edward Chris-

tian ; Lena Anna, who died at the age of
five months ; and William and Gertrude,
twins, the former of whom died at birth.
Miss Mary Schmiers acts as bookkeeper for
the business, and as her father's secretary,
and in these capacities renders valuable as-
sistance in the complicated affairs that
make up the large total of transactions.

Our subject is a man of unusual executive
ability, as is evidenced by the fact that dur-
ing his earlier activities, and before he be-
came his own employer, he never worked
long in any position without being promptly
promoted to a manager's or foreman's posi-
tion. On leaving the army, he went to the
city of Strasburg to take emiiloyment in
the government shops, and there he was
soon raised to the position of head foreman,
while during his employment in the shops
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad he had charge of all the plans,
himself making plans from the blue prints,
and laying out all the construction work.
This valuable trait of character he carried
with him through his whole business life,
and to it he owes the major portion of his
great success, in connection, of course, with
his reputation for unfaltering integrity and
honesty in every relation of life, and the
genial and social disposition that has won
for him such a host of loyal and admiring
frienils.

HORACE J. YALEY.

When the aged fall before the scythe
of Time, their end is looked upon as being
in a certain sense the culmination and ful-
filment of tlioir lives ; and while the coming
of death is ever an occasion for sorrow, the
natural human emotions are softened in

HORACE J. VALEV,

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

such cases by the knowledge that tlie allotted
tale of years has been told, the earthly
destiny achieved ; but when the grim Reaper
invades the greener fields, lays low our best
and most promising, cuts off youth and
young manhood in the full vigor of its
power, the unexpected visitation is pecul-
iarly sad. and we mourn with a sorrow
that is not easily consoled.

Horace J. Yaley, son of George Wash-
ington and Jane (Harris) Yaley, was born
in Burlington, Iowa, May lo, 187 1, and
it was here in his native city that he re-
ceived his early education in the public
schools. He afterward removed with his
parents, however, to Thayer, Kans., where
he continued his studies in the high school.
Not content with the equipment thus se-
cured, he pursued a course of study in the
business college here after his return to
this place : and following his graduation
he began his active life by engaging in
school teaching, first in the public schools
of the county, and later in the business col-
lege for a period of three years, during
which he was highly successful, and accom-
plished results which were universally com-
mended among educators of note, as well
as among practical business men. He then
became manager of the Business Exchange
for a further term of three years, discharg-
ing his new duties with signal ability and
adaptability to conditions as he found them,
and at the end of this time, feeling that the
hour had arrived for him to begin the true
work of his life, he resigned his position
and entered the law school at Iowa City,
from which he was graduated on the fif-
teenth of June, 1893. He at once entered
the law office of ex-Senator Harper, with
whom he continued for a year, and then
established himself in independent practice

for a similar period, with offices, in the
Tama Building, where he achieved success
from the beginning, and in 1903 became a
member of' the law firm of Huston, Holstein
& Yaley. On the anniversary of this event,
and just one year later, occurred his un-
timely death, on July 29, 1904. Seldom, if
ever, has the city of Burlington sustained a
more grievous loss or one more generally
and deeply realized as a public misfortune.

On Aug. 15, 1893, Mr. Yaley wedded
Aliss Ella DeHague, daughter of John L.
and Elizabeth (Welker) DeHague, and
there graced their union one child, Hor-
acena Lenore, born three weeks after the
death of her father.

His political affiliation was with the Re-
publican party, in which he was looked upon
as a rising man, and one who would in a
very short time attain to a position of in-
fluence and power by reason of his great
talents and the sterling qualities of his char-
acter, combined with a genial and unselfish
disposition which endeared him to all, and
won for him the confidence of whoever
came into contact with his engaging per-
sonality.

Fraternally, he was already prominent,
being a member of Excelsior Lodge and
the Encampment of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and of the local lodge of
the Independent Order of Foresters, hav-
ing passed through the chairs of both
lodges, and having acted as their represent-
ative in their respective grand lodges. He
was an attendant of the Methodist Episcopal
church, to the support of which he contrib-
uted, and was possessed of a keen and active
interest in all movements calculated to en-
hance the general welfare. He was a man
of exceptional strength in his profession, an
ideal citizen and husband, enjoved the close

178

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

friendship of many of the city's Icatlers in "Vcar l!(X)k," H)Oi.of the Iowa Society of

thought and action, was loyal to all his obli- the Sons of the American Revolution :

gations of whatsover nature, and enjoyed "Alexander Blair is on the Pennsylvania

great popularity, while among those who rolls as a j)rivate soldier in the Revulu-

knew him well it was universally felt that tionary War, from Cumberland county,

had he been sjjared he would have risen to having entered at Carlisle in 1778."

heights of genuine and lasting eminence. William IMair, under age in 1778,

Mrs. Valey is a woman of true culture
and many social graces, and her pleasant
home at 717 South Ninth Street is the cen-
ter of a refined circle.

WILLIAM BLAIR.

\\'iLLi.\M IJl.mk was the son of Alex-
ander Blair, son of John Blair, of County
.\rniah. Ulster, Ireland. Alexander came
to .America in the first quarter of the
eighteenth century, making his home
seven miles from Lancaster, I'a. There
he grew to manhood, and married Eliza-
beth Cochran, of Scotch- Irish lineage;
and while they were still residents of
that hjcality tluir son William was born,
in 17^)0. Ten years later they were resi-
dents of Cumberland county, near the
mouth of the Juniata. The names of
Alexander I'lair and his sons, John,
Thomas, and William, are on the military
rolls of Pennsylvania as soldiers of the
American Revolution.

In the office of the clerk of the county
commissioners' court of Schuyler county,
Illinois, under date of Sept. 3. 1832, is
fouiKJ the "Declaration of William Blair,
in order to obtain the benefit of the pen-
sion act of Congress, passed June 7,
1S32." This gives a detailed account of
his services in the Revolutionary War.
The matter is found lirietlv stated in the

served as his father's substitute, under
Ca|>tain (jeorge P.ell, two months at Bald
Magle and I'enn's X'alley, Pa. He re-
enlisted May, 1779, for five months in
Captain Henry Dougherty's company,
and served under General John Sul-
livan in the campaign against Brit-
ish, Tories, and Indians in Xew ^'ork,
and was permanently disabled at the
battle of Chemung, but rejoined and
was mustered out with his regiment.
Again he enlisted. June. 1780. in Caj)-
tain (jill)ert McCoys Rangers, and
served on the frontier until discharged in
January, 1781. From this "declaration"
we leafn that he was born in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, in i7r)o, and was
seventy-two years old when application
for ]>ension was made. .\lso that when
enlisting as a "Pathfiniler of the Revo-
lution" under Cieneral Sullivan, he re-
ceived ten dollars bounty. Later he was
l)aid for the entire service in depreciated
currency.

When he took his father's place in the
service, twci lirntluis liail .ilready been in
service. Lieutenant John Blair was under
(ieneral Irvine, and a ])risoner at Quebec.
Captain Thomas Blair was wounded at Gulf
Mills, near N'alley I'orge, and carried an
ounce ball in his shoulder for life. But
before the Blairs were soldiers they were
pioneers. .\t the close of the French and
Indian war they left their Lancaster
countv home and settled on the luniata

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

179

River, and were tax-payers in Cumber-
land county from 1770 until 1782. At
the close of his Revplutionary service
William Blair married, before he had at-
tained his majority, Catherine, daughter
of Thomas and IMary (Rutledge) Evans.
Very soon thereafter they migrated by
pack-horse over the mountains to West-
moreland county, then including much of
the western part of the State. A year or
two later the removal to Kentucky oc-
curred, floating down the Ohio from Fort
Pitt to the mouth of the Limestone. At
Cane Ridge, Bourbon county, Ky., a fort
or station was built for protection against
marauding Indians, in which the families
of Alexander Blair, his son William, and
his son-in-law James H. Manara found
shelter for some years. Both Mr. Blair
and his brother-in-law, Alanara. took
active part in the forays into the Indian
country in those troublesome days. And
other trouliles followed — disturbances by
ambitious party leaders, insecure land
titles, and above all, the great influx of
slaves and the attendant evils.

In 1797 Blair and Manara removed to
the Northwest Territory, making settle-
ment near Chillicothe. Here Mr. Blair
raised his family, and here his wife died
in 1817, leaving ten children. Four of his
sons took part in the War of 181 2. He
removed to Flat Rock, Ind., in 1820, and
remained two or three 3-ears, thence to
Sangamon county, Illinois, and later to
Schuyler county, j)erhaps in 1827. In the
winter of 1837-38 he came to Iowa, mak-
ing his home in the northern part of this
county, and died there in 1840. He is re-
membered by few of the present inhab-
itants. He is not known to have visited
Burlington after passing through to his

Round Prairie home. In 1839 the citi-
zens invited him to celebrate the Fourth
of July with' them, and the late Hon. W.
C. McCash went with a carriage for him,
but he was unable to attend, though
highly appreciating the profliered honor.

He was a member of the Presbyterian
church, and in ( )hio and Illinois, at least,
was a ruling elder in that denomination.
Although not permitted by age and
feebleness to tlo much directly in the
making of Iowa, his descendants have not
Ijeen so limited. ( )f his nine children
who reared families, each family has,
sometime, somewhere, been represented
here, and some of them remain. But this
representation is not confined to Iowa.
Descendants are to be found in at least
twenty-three of the com moil wealths of
our nation, reaching from Connecticut to
California, \\'ashington city to the State
of Washington, and from Minnesota and
Dakota to Texas. His grave is about
three miles northeast of Kossuth, and he
was the first adult buried there.

In recent years descendants of William
Blair erected over his grave in Round
Prairie cemetery a fine granite monu-
ment, bearing the following inscription : —

WILLIAM BLAIR.

Born, Lancaster Co., Pa., 1760.
Died, Des Moines Co., Iowa, 1840.

A Soldier of the American Revolution.
.\n Elder in the Presbyterian Church.
A Pioneer in Pa., Ky., Ohio, Ind., 111.,
Iowa.

His second son. Hon. Thomas Blair,
legislator of Iowa when this State formed
a part of the Territory- of \\'isconsin, and
a pioneer whose labors proved a very im-

,8o BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

purtant cloment in tlu- uiibuilding of this John IJox. G. \V. Teas, Eli Reynolds, and
section of tlie State, was l)orn in the fort David R. Chance. Major Jerry Smith
in ISourhon county. Kentucky, May 5, ^^a^ a merchant ; .Major Hartlett Teas was
I78<> Thomas IJlair hepan his pioneer- ^ lawyer; Colonel Ingram was a farmer,
ing by walking all the way from the old and had been a member of the \irginia
home in Kentucky to the new home in Legislature : Colonel Leftler was a farmer
Ohio. In 1812 and 1813 he served his and lawyer, and had been the colleague of
country as a soldier in the scconrl war |,,h„ Tyler in the United States Senate
with Kngland, as did three of his broth- from Virginia, and with him resigned on
ers. defending the northern frontier, account of the "expunging resolutions"
.\fter the war was over, in 1K16, he mar- trouble; i'.lair was a farmer: Jenkins was
rii-.l Miss .Margaret Job. who was born in a physician; so was (1. W. Teas, and also
llaltimore. .M.I.. Oct. 13. 1788. and was a a Methodist preacher; Hox and Chance
daughter of .Morris and l.ydia (I'.ond) ^vere Campbellite preachers; Reynolds
Job. .Morris Job, was, with his father, ^as a physician. I'.lair served at Bel-
.Xrchibald, and brothers, Daniel and ,„ont. at the a.ljourued meeting at I'.ur-
Thomas, disowned by the Friends Meet- IJnjrton, at the called meeting at the same
ing for participation in the Revolutionary place. June 1, 1838, and the first Iowa
^^ •'"'• Territorial Legislature. After his retire-
In 181.) Thomas I'.lair removed to Flat „ient from the Iowa Legislature Mr.
Rock, Ind., and in 1821 to .Morgan county, \\\^\y took no prominent part in political
Illinois. Later he crossed the river into affairs. He was originally an .\nti-
I'ike county, Illinois, was a commissioner slavery Whig, and upon the organization
for the organization of Schuyler county, ^f the new Republican party to prevent
an.l was elected a mcTuber and chairman the further extension of slavery, he be-
of the first board of county commission- came one of its stanch and stalwart advo-
ers. Still seeking a better country, he c:ites. In religious faith he was a Pres-
came to Des Moines county, Iowa, in hyterian, and for more than fifty years a
i8,u. and in the following spring settled ,-uling elder in that church, lie was one
in Round I'lairie, where he m.ide his of the first session of the church at Rush-
home throughout his remaining days. He ville. 111. From the time of his retire-
and his family are counted in the first cen- nient fr.)m jjublic life his attention was
sus ( i8.V>) of the Iowa district of Wiscon- given in undivided manner to his farming
sin Territory. In 18.^6 he represented Des interests until the infirmities of old age
Moines county in the first W isconsin Ter- became too great for him to take an active
ritorial Legislature, and two years later part in agricultural life. His later years
was a member of the Territorial Legis- were spent (piietly in his country home,
lature of Iowa. Members of the first ever striving for the best interests of his
Legislature of Wisconsin were: Council, neighborhood, its churches and its
Jeremiah Smith. Jr., Jesse I'.artlett Teas, schools. He died on a part of the farm
an<I Arthur 15. Ingram: Ilou.se, Isaac Lef- which had been his first home west of the
Her, Thomas I'.lair, Warren S. Jenkins, river, near Kossuth. Oct. ^K 1875.

DES MOIXES COUXTV. IOWA.

i8i

David Evans Blair, was born March
25, 1793. near Paris, Bourbon county. Ky.
He was the fourth son of W'iUiani and
Catherine (E\'ans) lUair, natives of
Pennsylvania, who had migrated to Ken-
tucky nine or ten years previously. W'hen
he was between four and five years old,
the family removed to Northwest Terri-
tory, settlintj near Chillicothe. He "jrew
to manhood here, and Sept. 9, 181Q, in
Fayette county, Ohio, married Sarah Job,
daughter of Morris and Lydia (Bond)
Job, of Baltimore, Md., and immediately
emigrated to Flat Rock, Ind., and two
years later to Illinois. After a brief stay
in .Morgan county he crossed over to the
Military Tract, Pike county. In 1824,
when Edward Coles made his great fight
against a convention to legalize slavery,
he, with his brother Thomas, traveled to
.\tlas by canoe and on foot, camping out
by the way, a round trip of one hunclred
and twenty miles, to vote "no conven-
tion."

On the organization of Schuyler county
he was elected the first county assessor.
He was county treasurer in 1827, and as
such entered the land for a county seat
on which Rushville is built. He carried
the sih'cr to Springfield, fifty miles, on
horseback, and the records show he was
paid two dollars and fifty cents for the
service.

He was a claim-maker in the "new pur-
chase" as early as 1834, and brought his
family here. May 8, 1836, while it was
yet Michigan Territory. During claim
days he was an "arbitrator." and aided
much in enforcing claim laws in the
region between Flint River and the Iowa ;
and at the laud sales in 1838 was "bid-
der," and as such bought all settlers'

claims sold at that time in Huron and
Yellow Springs townshijjs.

He was a member of the Iowa Territo-
rial House of Representatives in 1841 and
1842, and also in the first (jeneral Asseni-
l)ly of the -State of Iowa in 1846. He was
alwa\'s \\ hig and Republican in politics,
and was a member and office-bearer in
the Presbyterian church. He died at his
home, near Kossuth, Oct. <), 1874.

Of the descendants of Thomas Blair
there remain in Des Moines county. Mrs.
Elizabeth Reed, ]\Iiss Margaret Rankin,
]\Iiss Martha Catherine Rankin, grand-
daughters, and Archibald Reed, a great-
grandson. .\11 li\e in Kossuth. Of the
family of D. E. ISlair, the youngest son,
Alorris \\'illiam Blair, resides on the old
homestead. According to tradition his
uneventful career began in Pike county,
Illinois, west half, southeast quarter of
Section 35, Township 2 north, I west,
fourth principal meridian. He was

brought to Alichigan Territory May 8,
1836. and two days later to his present
residence, from which he has never been
absent for ten months in the sixty-nine
years since, having purchased the farm
at his father's death. Here he worked, as
farmers do, in summer and attended
school in winter. He w^as a student in
the academy at Kossuth in 1845 ^iid 1846,
and in 1847-48 was in Des Moines Col-
lege, an institution in \\'est Point, Lee
county, short-lived, hut helping in the
education of Re\'. \\". Wright, Kansas;
Rev. Father Clement Lowry, Texas ; Hon.
W. E. Hepburn ; the late Hon. Samuel M.'
Clark, and others. Later he kept school
se\'eral winters. He has long been con-
nected with the official administration of
the schools of the neighborhood. As town-

l82

BIOGRAPHICAL REl lEW

sliip clerk for Yellow Sjjrinj^s he was ex-
officio secretary of the townshii) I)oard,
and when Kossuth became an indeiiend-
ent district, became its secretary, later be-
came its treasurer, and is be^jiiinin^ liis
thirty-fourth consecutive term in that
office. He was also treasurer of Kossuth
Academy. In 1862 he was appointed di-
vision assessor of internal revenue for
Des Moines county on the recommenda-
tion of Thomas Hetlge, Sr.. and endorsed
by Senators (Crimes and Harlan, without
solicitation or prior knowledge on liis
part. He resigned March 31. 1865. his
farming interests recpiiring his entire
attention.

He began \iitint; llie Republican ticket
about 1854. :inil lias continued to do so
"early and often " ever since, having
missed but one election. He has no social
or business affiliations except membership
in the Society of the Scotch-Irish in Amer-
ica. an<l that of the Sons of the .Vmerican
Revolution, in the latter tracing eligibility
to membership from every ancester liable to
military duty at the time of the war for
independence.

FREDERICK ALONZO SMITH.

Frederick Alonzo S.miiii. at one time
a promoter of manufacturing interests in
Burlington, and active also as an operator in
real estate, is now living retired in the en-
joyment of a handsome competence that lias
come to him as the direct reward of labors
unremitting and honorable. Recogizing
that his opportunity had come, and utilizing
his possibilities in the field of practical
business endeavor, he made his labors at

once a source of profit to himself and also
of value to the city in the promotion of its
commercial activity.

Mr. Smith is a native of Massachusetts,
his Ijirth having occurred in Otis. Berkshire
county, on Dec. 31, 1828. his jiarents being
Enos and Millie MofTatt (Shaw) Smith.
His paternal grandfather, Curtis Smith,
was a resident of Haddam, Conn., where
he followed the occu|)ation of farming. He
married .-\seneth Brainard. and in later
years removed to Otis, where his son Enos
was then living. He had served as a cap-
tain in the State militia, and was prominent
in community affairs, wielding a wide and
beneficial inlluencc.

ICnos Smith was reared to manhood in
Haddam, Conn., and soon after attaining
his majority removed to Otis, Mass., where
lie followed the trade of blacksmithing,
which he had learned in his native State.
He was married, in Otis, to Miss Millie M.
.Shaw, a daughter of Joshua Shaw, and sub-
secjuently they removed to Stockbridge,
.Mass.. where Mr. Smith owned a farm.
Taking u]) his abode thereon, he lived in
jjractical retirement from further business
cares until his death, his remains being then
interred in the Stockbridge cemetery. Suc-
cessful in business, lie was also active in
political and cluircli circles, and in con-
nection with many concerns touching the
varied interests and affecting the welfare of
the State. He was a representative to the
Cieneral Court or Legislature of Massachu-
setts, and gave his allegiance to the Whig
party until its dissolution, when he joined
the ranks of the Republican ])arty. He held
membership in the Congregational church
of Stockbridge, and was a man who stood
for advanced ideas and progressive thought.

Frederick .Monzo Smith, having acquired

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

183

his early education in the schools of Otis,
continued his studies in the Lee boarding
schools, of which Alexander Hyde was
master. He afterward remained at his
father's home until his removal to the West
in the fall of 1852. He located first at Chilli-
cothe, Ohio, and there had what was known
as a Yankee notion wagon, from which he
sold goods in the outlying settlements be-
yond Chillicothe. Succeeding in that enter-
prise, he determined to carry his labors into
other frontier districts, and in 1855 arrived
in Burlingfton, Iowa. Here he made ar-
rangements to travel for Samuel Robinson,
and thus became one of the early commer-
cial travelers of the State. At that time
there were no railroads, and he made his
trips with his own team, visiting all of the
settled portions of Iowa. Following that
pursuit until the fall of 1859, he then em-
barked in business on his own account, but
still remained upon the road in connection
with the cigar and tobacco trade, main-
taining an office during this period in Bur-
lington. In 1863 he opened a tobacco store
and began the manufacture of cigars, also
dealing in all goods of that line. His was
one of the first extensive cigar manufactur-
ing plants of Burlington. The business
grew with the expansion of the city, and
Mr. Smith improved every opportunity for
broadening the scope of his business career.
In 1866 he admitted George Scott to a
partnership, and later the tobacco interests
of Burlingfton were consolidated under the
firm name of Smith, Scott & Company, an
extensive plant being opened on Main Street,
where employment was furnished to one
hundred and fifty operatives. The firm
added a general tobacco business, manu-
facturing all kinds of cigars and other man-
ufactured products from the tobacco plant.

In connection with Mr. Scott, Mr. Smith
purchased Mr. Bolton's interest in i868,
and the business was continued successfully
until the fall of 1869, when a fire destroyed
their plant and stock, involving them in
great loss. They however resumed opera-
tions almost immediately, purchasing the
large building at the corner of Valley and
Third Streets, and equipping it for the con-
tinuance of their manufacturing interests
and trade. This building was sixty by one
hundred and twenty feet, four stories in
height, with basement, and was a brick struc-
ture. ]\Ir. Smith also bought twenty feet
of ground adjoining, on which he erected
a four-story building for the firm of Acres,
Blackmar & Company, which firm has since
occupied it. Mr. Smith continued in the
business until 1879, when another fire oc-
curred. In the meantime Mr. Scott's in-
terest had been purchased by Harry Cook,
and the firm of Smith, Cook & Company
was then formed. Following the fire of
1879 they settled up affairs and closed out
the business.

Mr. Smith was also one of the promoters
in the establishment of the Burlington
Pickle factory, and the business was in-
corporated in r88o with Mr. Smith as presi-
dent. He occupied that position for a
number of years, during which time the
business expanded until it reached large
and profitable proportions. It is still in
successful operation ; and although Mr.
Smith has severed his connection with the
business, he still owns a half interest in the
building in which it is carried on. He has
invested quite extensively in real estate, be-
ing at one time the owner of large farming
interests. He also built a beautiful home
on the bluff, comer of Eighth and Columbia
Streets, where he has extensive grounds.

1 84

lilOGR. IPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Smith was married to Miss Lucy
I'arkor, of Sandusky, Lcc county, Iowa, a
dauphtcr of Itcnjamin I'arker, of Kinsman,
( )liio. They have one daughter. Millie, now
the wife of E. P. Eastman, of this city.
Mrs. Smith died in December. 1895. She
was a memlxT of the Presbyterian church.
and .Mr. Smith has always been a contrib-
utor to its sujjport and attends many of
its services. In politics he has been a
Republican through the years of the party's
existence, but has had no |)oiitical aspira-
tions, preferring to give undivided atten-
tion to his business affairs, which, capably
conducted. lia\i.' been resultant factors in
the ac(|nireinciit of a liandsome and well-
merited fortune.

GEORGE M. WOODWARD.

George M. Woodw.xrd. (jne of the
prominent and well-known farmers of
Union T(jwnship, was born ujxjh the farm
where he now makes his home March 2,
1866. He is a son of Erastus and Martha
(Comstock) Woodward. His father was
born -May 12. 1826. in Windsor. \'t., and
is a son of Erastus and Sarah ((jilson)
Woodward. The father of our subject had
five brothers and four sisters. His mother
died in 1870, aged eighty years, and his
father in 1874, at the age of seventy-seven
years.

Mr. Erastus Woodwanl. Jr.. received
his education in .Meriden, X. 11., where
he took an academic course, graduating
in the class of 1847, and in that \car
he left home. He traveled about till 1850,
when he went to California. Here he
passed through some hardships and strange

experiences, but remained till 1853. when
he returned to his native State ; going to
Indianapolis, Ind., he purchased a horse,
and in this manner made the trip to Bur-
lington, Iowa, buying two hundred and
fifteen acres of land on Sections 11, 12, and
14 in Union township. Scarcely any im-
provements had been made upon this land,
but he immediately began its cultivation,
adding more acres till he had two hundred
and ninety-three acres in extent, being one
of the finest and best improved farms in
Des Moines county, and all the result of
his own labor. The rucle log cabin, in
which, for a time, he lived in true pioneer
style, has long since given place to a large
stone dwelling, 34 x 50 feet, two stories in
height. I'pon the land will be found all the
necessary buildings for a well-regulated
farm, and everything denotes thrift and
energy-.

In January. 1854. Mr. Woodward was
united in marriage with Miss Martha J.
Comstock, w^ho was born in Hamilton
county. Ohio, Dec. 13, 1837, and is a
daughter of Joab and Jane (Lemmon)
Comstock, the father a native of Ohio, and
the mother of Maryland. Mr. and Mrs.
Comstock came to Des Moines county in
1837, being among the early pioneers, where
the death of the latter occurred May zy,
1875. the husband surviving until 1881.
Both were devoted members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church.

Mr. and Mrs. Woodward were the happy
parents of ten children, seven ol whom are
now living: Vandoran. born Feb. 16, 1855.
is now a merchant in Kansas City. Mo. :
.Amy E.. born Sept. 10. 1856. became
the wife of W. W. Gearhart. a farmer of
Fair Field. Iowa : Sarah Jane, born ( )ct.
7. 1859. died April 9. i860; Gideon, who

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

185

was born Aug. 16, 1862, attended the high
school of BurHngton, and was also a stu-
dent of the State University of. Iowa City,
Iowa, where he learned to be a civil en-
gineer. He married Miss Isa Barnes, and
they went to India as missionaries from
the Methodist church and were very suc-
cessful for a while ; but the climate did not
seem to agree with Mr. Woodward's
health, and he was called to his final home
in 1901. He was a bright, active young
man, always earnestly engaged in Christian
work and was ever a dutiful son, a de-
voted husband, and a kind and loving
father. Though several years have come
and gone since Gideon Woodward was
among his associates, and time has scored
three years since he bade adieu to his scores
of friends, yet his memory is still tenderly
enshrined in the hearts of all who knew
him, and his life made a record that was a
blessing to all. Martha H., born Sept. 15,
1864; George M., born March 2, 1866, sub-
ject of this review; Lucy C, born Sept. 27,
1868; Joab T., born April 16, 1871, died
April ig, 1873 ; Frederick A., born Nov.
II, 1873; and Eunice E., born July 30,
1874. The parents took great pains to edu-
cate their children well. Mr. Woodward
died the day before Thanksgiving, Nov.
26, 1901, the same year his son Gideon
died. Mrs. Woodward is still living, and
makes her home in Davenport, Iowa.

In all social, public or religious enter-
prises Mr. Woodward took an active in-
terest. In religious thought he was liberal,
while his estimable wife is a member of the
Methodist church. Politically, he was a
Republican, and held various township
offices ; for many years was township clerk
and also a member of the County Board of
Supervisors, and during his term of office

the plan of the railroad bridge was sub-
mitted. He was a school director for thirty
years, and aided largely in the building up
of educational institutions. He was presi-
dent of the Des Moines County Farmers'
Mutual Fire and Lightning Insurance
Compau)- for ten years, which under his
management was very successful. Among
the representative farmers and respected
citizens of Des Moines county none stood
higher in the esteem of all than did Mr.
Woodward, and we are pleased to record
the sketch of so prominent a gentleman.

Our subject received his education in
the district schools, and later attended the
school in Burlington for two years. He
spent one year on the Pacific Coast, after
which he was on the home farm with his
father. Feb. 19, 1896, he married Miss Ber-
nice Hathaway, daughter of Charles and
Anna A. (De Lashmett) Hathaway, of
Flint River township, but now of Burling-
ton. Mrs. Woodward was born March 18,
1872, in Burlington, Iowa. Her father was
born in New York and when a youth was
brought by his parents to Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa ; before he had reached his majority
he had served three years in the Civil War.
After this he was in business in the city of
Burlington, but soon bought a farm in
Flint River and Union townships, and later
in Flint River township, where he was a
very successful farmer and where he lived
till he retired from active life. Mr. and
Mrs. Hathaway now reside at 134 South
Central Avenue, in Burlington. He is a
Republican, but not a politician. He and
his good wife are members of the Presby-
terian church.

L^nto Mr. and Mrs. Woodward three
children were born : Homer, Adna, and
Maxine.

1 86

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAIFJI'

About the time Mr. Woodward was mar-
ried he bef,'an to farm for himself, and after
his father's death he took the old home-
stead and is one of the- practical, prosper-
ous farmers of the township. He is a
stanch Republican, but has never been an
aspirant for any office, yet always ready to
assist his party to the best of his ability.
He and his worthy wife are devoted mem-
i)ers of the Methodist church, ever willing
to aid the cause of Christianity with time,
money, or ability. Mr. W'oodward has in-
herited many of the sterling qualities of his
departed father, and he is universally re-
spected in his comnnuiity. where his name
is above reproach, and he and Mrs. Wood-
ward enjoy the hospitality of many of the
homes of the township and county.

WILLIAM B. HUNT.

WiLLi.\.M l!. Hunt, a farmer and worthy
representative of one of the pioneer families
of Des Moines county, now living in Bur-
lington, was born in Union township, Oct. 4,
1857. He is a descendant of Simon Hunt,
a native of Liverpool, England, who came to
America prior to the Revolutionary War,
and settled in Maryland, being at that time
thirteen years of age. He lived upon a
farm, and eventually engaged in farming
on his own account. He married and
had five sons and two daughters : namely,
Samuel, Joshua, John, Wesley, Abraham,
Xackie, and Mrs. Sally Roberts. The chil-
dren were all born in Maryland, but re-
moved to Wasiiinglon county. Tennessee,
and it is probable that the father also went
to that State.

John Hunt. »>ii oi Simon llunt, and

grandfather of William P.. Hunt, was bom
in Maryland, Feb. 2, 1776, and became' a
resident of \\'ashington county, Tennessee,
where he married Esther Rartlett, a native
of that State, torn June 27, 1783. They
were the parents of eleven children, four of
whom were born in Tennessee, while
Samuel was born in a blockhouse in Madi-
son county. Illinois, and the younger mem-
bers of the family were lx)rn in Piond county.
-Many of the Hunts went to Illinois in 181 1,
and were in Madison county at the time of
the War of 1812. Considerable difficulty
with the Indians was experienced about that
time, and the Hunts, together with their
neighbors, built a blockhouse, in which they
sought protection against the invasions of
the red men. Later John Hunt and his
family went to Bond county, Illinois. He had
served in the War of 18 12 as a teamster, his
duty, however, calling him only a short
distance from home. He took up consider-
able land in Bond county, but later removed
to McDonough county, Illinois, settling ten
miles east of Macomb on the Quincy road.
He had betwiiii four and five hundred
acres of land there, and continued a resident
of that county until 1836. living in true
pioneer style; for that was then a frontier
region, in which few settlements had been
made, while the work of cultivating farms
and otherwise improving the country had
been scarcely begun. About 1836 or 1837
he brought his children, who were not then
married, to Des Moines county. Iowa, trad-
ing his Illinois land for property here: and
again he became a frontier settler. ai<ling in
reclaiming this portion of the State for the
uses of the white man. He secured a tract
of land and developed a farm, becoming
one of the leading agriculturists of his
community. He died Feb. 21, 1850. when

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

187

seventy-four years of age, and his wife died
Sept. 10, 1858, when seventy-five years of
age. Their children were as follows ;
Lydia, who was born Aug. 23, 1803, and be-
came the wife of Robert Coles ; Charles
Wesley, born May 25, 1805, father of our
subject; Jesse, born June 20, 1807; Mary,
who was born Nov. 22, 1809, and became
Mrs. McAdams ; Samuel, born March 25,
1813; Nancy, born Aug. 10, 1815 ; William
C, born Jan. 21, 1818; John B., born May
25, 1820; Esther, who was born Feb. i,
1823, and married Linus Delashmut ;
Louisa, born July 21, 1825 ; and Sarah
Almira, born April 8, 1832. Of this family
Jesse Hunt was the first to come to Des
Moines county, arriving in 1834. Samuel
arrived about the same time, and they took
claims together, after which Samuel re-
turned to Illinois, but a year later again
came to Iowa. Charles Wesley also came
in 1835. They entered some land from the
government, and also bought some : and
at his death Jesse Hunt left four hundred
acres, and Samuel Hunt between two hun-
dred and fifty and three hundred acres.

C. Wesley Hunt, son of John Hunt, was
born in the vicinity of Nashville, in Wash-
ington county, Tennessee, Feb. 2, 1776,
and when the family removed to Illinois,
he made the journey on horseback. He
resided successively in Madison, Bond, and
McDonough counties, in that State, and in
1835 came to Iowa. He taught school in
Des Moines county, being one of the earliest
teachers of the State, and in other ways
he contributed to the pioneer development
of Iowa, aiding in laying the foundation for
its present progress. He lived upon a farm
about three miles west of Burlington, and
prospering in his undertakings he left a
farm of three hundred and fiftv acres of

land, well improved with good buildings, so
that its value was greatly enhanced thereby,
as well as through the cultivation of the
fields. He was married in 1840 to Miss
Eliza L. Foster, a daughter of Constantine
and Margaret (Sayre) Foster, who came
from New Jersey to the West, Mrs. Hunt
having been born at Cape ]\Iay, that State.
They traveled in a covered wagon to Ohio,
and afterward went to Sangamon county,
Illinois, where Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Hunt
were married. She was then the widow of
a Mr. Berry, and had one daughter, Frances,
who afterward married Frank Lodge, and'
is now living in Bement, 111. While living
in Illinois, C. Wesley Hunt became a soldier,
of the Black Hawk war, enlisting from
McDonough county, and in later years he
received a pension in recognition of his
services. He died Nov. 6, 1903, at the age
of eighty-eight years, his birth having oc-
curred May 25, 1805, while his wife, who
was born May 13, 1820, died Jan. 28, 1895.
They were the parents of nine children :
Harriet, who married John H. Shepherd,
of Fort Madison, Iowa ; J. Benton, who is
living in Muscatine, Iowa ; Catherine, the
wife of H. Woods Robinson, of Chicago ;
Elbridge, who died at the age of twenty-
eight years ; Charles, a resident of Atlantic,
Iowa ; Joseph, who died at the age of
twenty-three years ; Lee, who died at the
age of three years ; William B. ; and Lou E.,
the wife of Charles E. Peasley, of Strong-
hurst, 111.

William B. Hunt obtained his early edu-
cation in the public schools of Burling-
ton, and afterward attended the old Baptist
College, and also the Burlington Business
College, being thus well equipped, by thor-
ough mental training, for the practical and
responsible duties of life. As soon as old

1 88

PlOCRAl'mCAL h'Jll J nil'

enough to liandlo the jilow lie began work
in the ficlils. and he continued to engage in
agricultural pursuits. \\ lien twenty years
of age he assumed the management oY the
old homestead, where his father had settled
in if'jlS. transfi>rniing a wild prairie tract
into well-cultivated fields. Mr. Hunt ulti-
mately came into possession of the old
lumiestead, and is now the owner of three
hundreil and twenty acres of land, on which
are substantial buildings and many modern
imj^rovements, constituting this a valuable
I)ro]H'rty. He engaged in the raising and
feeding of stock, making a specialty of cattle
and hogs, anil he continued in the active
management and ojjcration of his farm until
iS()i, when he removed to Burlington,
where he has since resided, his home being
at 317 S. Central .\venue.

Mr. Hunt is not only known as a leading
agriculturist, but is also prominent and in-
lluenlial in public alTairs. anil was called to
represent his district in the State Legisla-
ture, where he served for four years, attend-
ing three sessions. He was elected in 1896
upon the Democratic ticket, and took an
active and helpful part in securing the
passage of measures which he believed
would ])rove benelicial to his district and the
commonwealth. His public record is com-
mendable, for he ever ])laced the welfare of
the State before jiartisanship or self-ag-
grandizement. I'Vaiernally, he is connected
with Burlington Lodge, No. 84, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks.

On the 2.vl of December, 1885, Mr. Hunt
was married to Miss .Mice M. Stewart, of
Danville, this county, a daughter of W. H.
and Sybil ( Higley) .Stewart. She is a great-
great-granddaughter of William Messenger,
who was a colonel in the Revolutionary
War, enlisting In mi Massachusetts. Later

the Messengers removed to Ohio, and the
Higleys lived at W'indom, Ohio. The
Stewarts were of Scotch descent, and Mrs.
Hunt's father was born in Hamilton county,
Ohio, and came to Iowa in 1839, with his
father, James Stewart. The Messengers
came at an earlier day, and both families
were pioneer settlers of Des Moines county.
Hiram Messenger, grandfather of Mrs.
Hunt, owned a tavern at Danville and also
a farm in the same locality, and both he and
his wife died in Burlington, at an advanced
age. W. H. .Stewart and his wife settled on
a farm in the vicinity of IMnville. He died
Feb. 9, 1904, but his wife is still living.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have been bom
two children, Clara Louise and Helen. The
family have many friends in Burlington and
throughout the county and Mr. Hunt, as
one of its native sons, has made a life record
which reflects credit upon the place of his
nativity, for he has been found trustworthy
in citizenship, faithful in friendship, and re-
liable in all business transactions.

GEORGE B. P. CARPENTER.

George V>. 1'. C.\ki-enter, of Burlington,
whose mercantile career, characterized by
all that was straightforward and honorable,
and in harmony with the highest commercial
ethics, won for him the confidence and
respect of his fellow-men. while his manly
virtues and kindly, considerate sjjirit gained
him warm and enduring friendships, was
liorii in New Hollaii>l. I'a., Dec. ig. 1836.
H.e was the son of .\iitlioiiy and C'atlierine
C"ari)enter, who went to Pennsylvania as
children, the father from (iermany, and the
mother from Ireland. I'or nianv vears the

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

191

father engaged in the jewelry business at
New Holland, remaining a resident of that
place until his life's labors were ended in
death. He died about the time of the Civil
War, but his widow lived many years
longer, surviving all of her children except
G. B. P. Carpenter, who was a most devoted,
loyal, and loving son, never letting a year
pass without returning at least once to the
old home to visit his mother. She passed
away about 1877. In the family were
twelve children, of whom A. W. Carpenter,
one of the pioneer residents of Burlington,
was the eldest, while George B. P. Car-
penter was the youngest.

In his native town G. B. P. Carpenter
spent the days of his boyhood and youth and
acquired his education in the public schools.
He learned the first principles of the jewelry
and watch-making business with his father
in New Holland, and later went to Phila-
delphia, where he entered upon a regular
apprenticeship to the watch-making trade,
thoroughly mastering the business in every
detail. He then came to Burlington, ar-
riving in this cit}- in May, 1856. Here he
entered the employ of his two brothers,
Anthony W. and William Carpenter, who
were engaged in the jewelry business, re-
maining in that connection with the house
until a few years later, when William Car-
penter died, and George B. P. Carpenter
was admitted to a partnership, under the
firm name of A. W. Carpenter & Brother.
The business had been establish by the senior
partner in 1837, and was therefore one of
the pioneer mercantile enterprises of the
city. It was also soon recognized as the
leading jewelry house of Burlington — a
position which it has since maintained.

Upon the death of A. \\'. Carpenter, the
remaining brother admitted his nephew.

E. H. Carpenter, son of A. W. Carpenter, to
the firm, which became known as G. B. P.
& E. H. Carpenter, their store being located
at the corner of Third and Jefferson Streets,
the firm owning the building. In this line
of commercial activity Mr. Carpenter con-
tinued with marked success up to the time
of his demise, which occurred May 3, 1880,
and since that time E. H. Carpenter &
Son have conducted the store, which for
almost threescore and ten years has been
a factor in the business life of Burlington.
In 1861 occurred the marriage of George
B. P. Carpenter and Miss Sarah Stockton,
a daughter of Judge L. D. Stockton, a
prominent citizen of Burlington, now de-
ceased. There was one child of this mar-
riage,— Flora, the wife of C. E. Brooks,
who is connected with the National State
Bank of Burlington. Mrs. Carpenter died
in 1863, and on the sixth of October, 1868,
Mr. Carpenter married Miss Ella Harman,
who was born in this city, a daughter of
Phillip Harman, who died in California
during her early girlhood. He was a con-
tractor and builder of Burlington at an
early day and went to California for the
jjenefit of his health, but after three months
died of heart trouble. His wife, who bore
the maiden name of Eliza Hayden, is a
native of Ohio. Following the death of her
first husband, she married L. M. Runyan,
a native of Kentucky, the wedding being
celebrated in Burlington. Mr. Runyan
conducted a grocery store in Burlington
from 1857 until 1878, and for a long period
lived retired in this city. He and his wife
now make their home with her daughter,
I\Irs. Carpenter, at No. 102 Polk Street.
Mrs. Runyan came to Burlington in 1838,
when it was a small town containing only
two brick houses, and she has seen it develop

ig2

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

to its present extensive propi)rtions, with all
i>f the iinprovenients and e<|uipmcnts of the
larger cities. Mrs. Carpenter is her only
child. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter became the
jiarents of throe children, of whom one died
in infancy: l-llsie is the wife of William M.
Davis, a practising attorney of Iowa City,
Iowa: I'orter ilarman. who learned telcg-
raj)hy in liurlington, is now with the Chi-
cago, lUirlington & Quincy Railroad in their
offices at Chicago.

In his jiolitical aflilialinn .\lr. Caqjcnter
was a Democrat. Me l)el«mged to the
Methodist Episco])al church and took a very
active and efficient part in its work, doing all
in his power to promote its growth and
extend its intluence. .Mrs. Carpenter also
belongs to the same cluirch. and is a member
of the Ladies' :\icl Society. .At the time of
the Civil \\'ar Mr. Car|)enter, because of
his Quaker principles, did not enlist in the
army, but his sympathies were with the
Xorth. He was always a jiublic-spirited
citizen, doing everything in his power to
promote the welfare of his adopted city and
State. He built a fine home at loo Polk
Street in 1878, but after his death, Mrs.
Carpenter sold this property to Frank Mil-
lard, and has since lived with her mother
at 102 Polk Street, where they have a beau-
tiful residence overlooking the Mississippi
River.

During his last two years Mr. Carpenter
was in ill health and spent considerable
time in travel, hoping to be benefited there-
by. He went to Florida and Colorado, and
was at Pueblo when he was taken suddenly
worse, and was advised by his physicians
to return home. He rallied under the treat-
ment given him, and feeling nnich better,
started for Burlington. Even at Ottunnva,
Iowa, he said, " 1 am all right now," but be-

fore the train had reached FairfieUl he had
expired. His death caused universal sorrow
in Burlington. .\n old-time friend said of
him: ".As a young man no one in Burlington
had more or warmer friends. The circle of
his ac(|uaintance was large, and his cheerful,
lively disposition, his cordial manner, and
his thorough manliness made him one of the
most ]X)pular young men in the city. He
was very successful in business, his friendly,
hearty ways contributing greatly to that
result." .Ml through his life he had "the
love and honor of troops of friends." There
was nothing narrow or selfish in his nature ;
on the contrary, he was kind, generous, and
good, faithful to his friends, and having no
enemies. In his business career he did not
prosjier at the sacrifice of other men's for-
tunes,— as is too often the case at this day,
— but in the field of legitimate trade ac-
cumulated his comjjetcnce as the result of
diligence, enterprise, and honorable dealing.
He was yet in the prime of life when called
to the home beyond, but in the forty-four
years of his earthly pilgrimage he accom-
plished much g(X)d, his being such a life as
awakens the faith and confidence of men in
their fellow-men, and ins|)ires their ennila-
tion of his noble example.

WILLIAM C. CROSS.

\\'n.Li.\.M C. Cko.s,'^, who is engaged in the
insurance business in Burlington, and who
is very prominent and widely known in
.Masonic circles, was lx)rn in Georgetown,
.Mass. His father, Cieorge G. Cross, of New
England parentage, was a painter by trade,
and conducted a paint store in connection
with his brother-in-law, George P. Folson.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

193

He was also proprietor of a hotel at Wolf-
boro, N. H. At the time of the Civil War he
went to the front with a regiment of artillery
from Rhode Island, and dietl in 1867 as the
result of concussion from cannonading.
His wife, who bore the maiden name of
Mary A. Hatch, is now living in Dover, N.
H. In their family were five children, of
whom William C. Cross was the second in
order of birth, and the only one now living.
In his early boyhood days William C.
Cross accompanied his parents on their re-
moval to Dover, N. H., where he was reared
to manhood, and acquired his education in
the common and high schools. After put-
ting aside his text-books he accepted a
clerkship in a dry-goods store, where he
remained for five years, then removing to
Michigan, settling at East Saginaw, where
he entered railroad services, with which he
was connected for a long period as a repre-
sentative of the operators' department of
several great railroad systems. He first
engaged with the Flint & Pere Marquette
Railroad as a brakeman on a passenger
train, and later was the company's repre-
sentative and handled a gang of men in
construction work on the building of an
extension to its line. He was for four years
conductor on a passenger train on the three
divisions of that line, going from Saginaw
to Detroit, Toledo to Holly, and Saginaw to
Ludington, Mich. He ran the first passen-
ger train out of Ludington, and doubled one
week after the Ludington extension was
completed. In 1877 he resigned his posi-
tion with the Flint & Pere Marquette Rail-
road and came to Burlington, where he
entered the service of the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy Railroad as brakeman on the
freight run between Burlington and Ottum-
wa, acting in that capacity through nine

months. He was then put on a construction
train as foreman of a gang working in the
summer months, and was appointed a regu-
lar freight run in the winter season. He
laid the iron on the Red Oak-Griswold ex-
tension of the O. system. He acted as clerk
for trainmaster J. W. Working of the
operating system for seven or eight years,
and during the memorable railroad strike
of 1888 he was appointed general yard-
master of the Burlington system at Bur-
lington. In 1890 he was made trainmaster
of the east Iowa division, in addition to his
other duties as general yardmaster. In i8g8
he retired from railroad work and estab-
lished himself in the insurance business,
representing such companies as the Conti-
nental German Alliance, Aachen-Munich,
the .Etna Accident, and many other good
hre and accident insurance companies, with
offices in the Parson's Block, and during
liis connection with the business he has
secured a good clientage.

Mr. Cross was married in 1873 in East
Saginaw, ]\Iich., to Miss Maggie Landis, a
native of Ohio, who was reared in Mich-
igan.

He is very prominent in lodge work, es-
pecially in Masonry, and for long years has
been a worthy exemplar of the craft. He
belongs to Des Moines Lodge, No. i,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and
was made a Mason in Saginaw, Mich., Jan.
2, 1884. He is now a pastmaster of the
lodge, and in September, 1874, he took the
degrees of the Royal Arch and now belongs
to Iowa Chapter, No. i. Royal Arch
i\[asons, of which he is the present high
priest. On the fifteenth of November, 1900,
he took the Knights Templar degrees in St.
Omer Commandery, No. 15, Knights Tem-
plar, and is past eminent commander. He

194

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

is likewise a meniljcr of Zari-path Consistory
of Davcni>ort, having attained the thirty-
second degree of tlie Scottish rite in August,
1886; wliile on the tenth of February. 1887,
the thirty-third degree of Masonry was con-
ferreil upon him — an honor to which few
attain. He is also a member of Zerubbabel
Council, of Burlington. f)f which he is thrice
illustrious master. lie belongs to Burling-
ton I^dge, \o. 84, Benevolent and Protect-
ive Order of Elks, of which he was past
most exalted ruler in 1900. and is past dis-
trict dc])uty grand e.xalted ruler of Iowa.
For eight years he has been trustee of the
local lodge in Burlington. He is, perhaps,
one of the best-known Masons in this sec-
tion, thoroughly familiar with the teachings
and tenets of the craft, and in iiis life
exemplifying its beneficent si)irit.

He was formerly a member and served
on the executive committee of the order of
Railway Conductors. In politics he is a
Democrat, but has never sought or desired
political preferment. Mr. and Mrs. Cross
attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of
which she is a member.

EDGAR THOMAS JACKSON.

In preparing a work of reference of
this nature for the use of later genera-
tions, the historian is proud to record the
names and achievements of the brave
pioneers who came when the countrv was
new, and braved the hardships of frontier
life in order to open the way for the civ-
ilization, wealth, and prosperity that we
now enjoy. E. T. Jack.son, whose name
leads this article, is a worthy rei)resenta-
ti\e of one of the pioneer families that

have won distinction and respect in Des
-Moines county.

The founder of this family in Des
Moines county was Xehemiah H. Jack-
son, grandfather of our subject, who came
to this region when it was government
land, and homesteaded a large tract.
Xehemiah Jackson, was born at .\ddison,
.\ddison county, \'t., in the year 1801. and
lived there till manhood. Some time after
his marriage he went to New York State,
near Oswego, where he remained for two
years. From there he moved with his
father, the great-grandfather of our sub-
ject, to Illinois, w'herc he remained one
year, and in 1834 came to Iowa.

The trip from .\ew York to Illinois was
made in a wagon drawn by an ox-team,
six weeks being required to make the
journey. On coming to Iowa, Nehemiah
Jackson homesteaded a farm of three
hundred and twenty acres in Section 19,
Benton townshij). the present farm of our
subject, his grandson, as well as the farm
on which another grandson, Burton Jack-
son, now resides. Here he built a log
cabin, by his own labor even splitting the
clapboard for a roof, and hewing a floor
out of s])lit hickory with an adze. After
lie had made the beginnings of the new
lionie, he brought his family from Illinois,
they arriving in June, 1835.

They crossed the river at Burlington on
a llatboat. Burlington was then a village
of log huts, with only one frame building
on the north side of the landing. Their
first year's crop was five acres of small
corn. Old Black Hawk, with one hun-
ilred warriors, soon camped b}' their
home, and wanted to "swap" some things
tor salt. The country was unoccupied at
this time, and Mr. Matthew Lattv was

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

195

the only other settler in this part of the thoroughly informed on all the \-ital top-
country for miles around. He had come ics of the day.
as early as 1833. While he was receiving his education

Nehemiah Jackson was the main pro- he was also assisting in the heavy farm

moter of the cause of education in the work always to be found on a pioneer

community. Whenever a settler came in, homestead. He always made his home

he at once went to see him, and inquired on tlie place which his father had pre-

if he had children, and if he was in favor empted, adding to it another forty acres,

of schools. At first they were compelled Besides general farming, he carried on a

to have subscription schools, but later he stock-raising business very successfully,

aided in getting public schools. His ac- raising many Shorthorn cattle and Poland

tivity in this and other lines pertaining to China hogs. He inherited part of the

the public welfare made him practically home place, and to this he made-additions

the foremost man of his neighborhood from time to time until he owned three

until the close of his life. He died at hundred and forty acres of farm land, all

the home place on Alay 26, 1853, and lies improved except a small tract of timber,

buried in Loper cemetery, at Sperry. Alyron H. Jackson was a Republican in

In early manhood, before leaving Addi- his political faith, throughout his entire

son, Nehemiah Jackson was united in life, and was always active in politics, al-

marriage to Miss Lucy Pond, who sur- though he preferred to be part of the

vived him by twenty-five years, her death power behind the throne, rather than to

occurring in 1878, when she was at the aspire to public office for himself. Al-

age of sixty-six years. To them were though he was in the midst of a strong

born several children, of whom two. El- Democratic community, his reputation

Hot F. and Mrs. Melissa Howard, made for being a public-spirited citizen who al-

their homes, in later years, in Malcolm, ways sought for the best interests of the

Nebr. ; while Myron H., father of the sub- community, made him a very influential

ject of this history, made his home on the figure in all political aiTairs. He served

old homestead. as justice of the peace for a number of

Myron Hull Jackson was born at Ad- terms, with credit to himself and satisfac-

dison, Vt., April 25, 1828, and was only tion to his neighbors. He was also Re-

five years old when, with his parents, he publican township chairman for many

made the long overland journey to Illi- years, and an indefatigable worker for the

nois, and seven when they came to Iowa, good of his party, at the same time being

His schooling consisted of a few terms at broad and liberal in his views,

the district schools of Benton township. In early manhood Myron H. Jackson

supplemented by home lessons. The became a member of Pisgah Baptist

home environment was such as^ to en- church, at Sperry, remaining an active

courage him to add to his education by member till the end of his life. He was a

his own efforts, and he became a great trustee and deacon in this organization

student and reader, being throughout his for something like forty years. He al-

mature years a man who was always ways took great interest in church mat-

196

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tcrs, giving liberally to its support, and
also taking an active part in revival ser\'-
ices. His life was that of a Christian
man and a good neighbor. Hesides his
eflforts in church work, he was also an
earnest worker in the cause of temper-
ance. He was a power for good in the
community to a ri])e old age, passing
away at his home near I.atty, Jan. i, 1902,
in the seventy-fourth year of his life.

.\t the age of twenty-seven, Myron H.
Jackson was united in marriage at Sperry,
Iowa, on Jan. 18, 1855, to Miss Sarah
Penny, whose home was near Latty.
Mrs. Jackson was born in \\'estmoreland
county, Pennsylvania. Jan. 30, 1830. the
daughter of John and Rebecca (Wed-
dell) Penny. The father, John Penny,
was a native of Pennsylvania, born
Scjjt. II. 1802, and came to Iowa in
November. 1844, locating one mile
east of I.atty. He was a farmer and
miller, and was married Sept. 12, 1822, to
Miss Rebecca Weddell. He took a prom-
inent ])art in the politics of the new coun-
try, following the fortunes of the Demo-
cratic party, and was elected to the House
of Representatives in the Territorial Leg-
islature of Iowa, which met at that time
at Iowa City.

John Penny also lOiind lime to carry on
active work in church matters, being a
member of the Baptist church at Sperry,
and acting as deacon for a number of
years. He died Dec. 14, 1886. His wife,
Rebecca Weddell, also came of an old
1 Vnnsylvania family. She was btfrn Jan.
30, 1805, and lived till Oct. i, 1880, when
she died at the home place near Latty.
She was a devoted Christian, holding
membership in the Baptist church. Mr.
and Mrs. Penny were the parents of a

large family of children besides Sarah, the
wife of Myron H. Jackson.

Mrs. Myron H. Jackson, mother of our
subject, is still living, and resides on the
old home place, making her home with
her son. To Mr. Jackson and her were
born nine children, of whom seven are
still living. Those living are as follows :
Fremont, of .\ltamont, Kans., whose wife
was Miss Mattie Hunt, and to whom have
been born three children, Clay, Josephine,
and Frances ; Hattie, wife of James
Howard, of Danville, Iowa, to whom have
been born three children, Murle, Grace,
and Wallace; Denira, wife of Wallace
.Miller, of Mediapolis, to whom have been
born two sons and one daughter, Espey,
Genevieve, and Burton ; Burton, of Latty,
whose wife was Miss Idaho Pershing, and
who has a little adopted daughter, Fthel :
Fulgar. whose career is the special subject
of this review; I-'rank. whose home is in
Prosscr, \\'ash., where he has a farm ; and
Sadie, who is at home.

Edgar Thomas Jackson, the immediate
subject of this history, was born on the
home ])lace, .\ug. 3, 1868, and received
his early education in the district schools
and in the Burlington high school. After
leaving high school, he spent a term in
the Dixon Business College, at Dixon.
111. Most of his time there was given to
the stud,v of telegraphy, .\fter attaining
a mastery of this profession he secured a
position as operator and station agent for
the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, at
Kamrar, Hamilton county, Iowa. This
l)osition he filled very satisfactorily for
two and a half years. At the end of this
time his father needetl his assistance so
greatly that he returned to the home
place and took the supervision of the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

197

farm. At this work he has been very
successful, making a specialty of stock-
raising, raising high-grade cattle and
hogs, and some sheep, besides carrying
on general farming.

On Sept. 16, 1903, E. T. Jackson was
united in marriage to Miss Emma Jack-
son, the daughter of William and Adeline
(Wassom) Jackson, of this township.
Mr. and Mrs. William Jackson came from
Pennsylvania, and have always followed
the business of farming. To Mr. and
Mrs. E. T. Jackson one son has been
born, William Herbert, born Oct. 14,
1904.

Following in the footsteps of his father,
Mr. Edgar Jackson has shown his love of
country by taking an active part in the
political life of the community, affiliating
himself with the Republican party. He
has served for about five years as chair-
man of the township central committee of
his party, and has several times been a
member of the county convention. In
the midst of his other interests, Mr. Jack-
son has always found time to advance
the cause of right in the community by
doing his share of church work. He is a
loyal member of the Baptist church at
Sperry, of which his father and mother
and his maternal grandfather and grand-
mother were members, the grandfather
and father both being deacons for many
years. Mr. E. T. Jackson has always
worked in the Sunday-school in various
capacities, and is also clerk of the church.

Coming of an excellent family, genial
by nature, and possessing a high degree
of nati\e ability, Mr. Jackson enjoys the
fullest confidence of all who know him,
confidence in the soundness of his judg-
ment, the absolute rectitude of his every

act, and in his ability. Mr. Jackson is a
man of such force of character that while
achieving a private business success he
can contribute in a material degree to the
general advancement and upbuilding of
the communitv.

SAMUEL E. NIXON, M. D.

Dr. Samuel E. Nixon, one of the
prominent physicians and surgeons of Bur-
lington, was born at Guyandotte, W. Va., on
Aug. 9, 1849, his parents being Edward
and Mary Ann (Phelps) Nixon. The
Nixons, several generations remote, were of
German birth, but persecution in their na-
tive land drove them to Ireland, and from
that country Alexander Nixon, the great-
grandfather, came to America. Because of
the non-emigration act of Great Britain,
he had to leave Ireland secretly, and swam
out two or three miles in order to reach a
vessel bound for an American port. He
then hid in the hold until the anchor had
been lifted and the ship under way. He
settled in Marietta, Ohio, then a wild fron-
tier district, and was often engaged in
fighting Indians, who still roamed over that
section of the country. He was also a
great hunter, and spent much time in the
forests with his gun. At his death he left
a large family.

His son, who was also named Alexander
Nixon, possessed many of his father's sa-
lient characteristics, and lived a life very
similar to his. He married, and by that
union had eight children. Later, after his
first wife's decease, he married a widow
with eight children, and they had five chil-
dren, making twenty-one children in their
family. Alexander Nixon, Jr., died at tlT"

I0»

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

age of sixty-five years, ami his wife passed
away later, at the age of seventy years.

Edward Ni.xon, father of Dr. Nixon, was
born at Marietta. ( )hi(>, June 15. 1815. and
became a merchant taii>>r: hut his health
failed him. and accordingly he removed to
West \irginia in 1840. He was a stanch
Abolitionist and a very outspoken man.
Because of his vie%vs concerning the slavery
question he was obliged to leave the South,
and came to Iowa in 1852. He was forced
to make his escape secretly anil at iii^ht.
and he took with him two horses and some
of his clothing. He owned property to
the value of thirty thousand dollars in West
Virginia, but was obliged to leave this, al-
though afterward through an agent he
received five horses for his property. He
came by wagon to Iowa, settling near
Dubuque, where he' secured land at a
dollar and a quarter per acre He was
himself in ]ioor health and his wife was
sickly. In West N'irginia he had iiiarrii-d
Mary Ann Phelps, who had gone South to
teach school. She "was born'in Cambridge,
Mass., in 181 7, and was a daughter of
Samuel Phelps. Her paternal grandfather
was a soldier of the Rev>)lntinnary War.
and served in the battles of Lexington and
Concord. Her father was a carpenter and
builder. Mrs. Nixon was educated in a
young ladies' school in Cambridgi-, and
afterward went to West X'irginia. where she
had wealthy relatives living. After .Mr.
and Mrs. Nixon came to Iowa they suffered
many of the discomforts and hardships of
pioneer life. Mr. Nixon had to go to
Kentucky to get the horses that came to
him from his West X'irginia property.
There were great snowstorms the first win-
ter, and although Mr. Nixon was a man of
great energy and endurance, the exposure

■which he suffered in a night, while going
three miles from a neighbor's house to his
own cabin, leading a horse through the
crustecl snow, so exhausted him that he
was confined to his bed for a year. As soon
as possible, however, he resumed his labors
and made two trips a day, thirty-two miles,
hauling rails through the cold and snow, in
order to fence his farm. An earnest Chris-
tian man, he ])laced his faith and dependence
in (iod, and in time was enabled to over-
come all the early difficulties which at-
tended his life in Iowa. He remained upon
his fanii until i8<'i5, when he removed to
Danville, where he engaged in merchandi-
sing, but later he resumed agricultural pur-
suits near Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Dr. Nixt)n, who was one of a family of
five children, remained at home and as-
sisted his father until seventeen years of age,
when he started out ujion an independent
business career. When hut thirteen years
1 if age. however, he ran a header for weeks,
cutting wheat, and made three dollars per
day. When seventeen years of age he began
teaching school in McDonough county, and
s|)ent two years in teaching in or near Table
Cinive, 111. His leisure hours were de-
voted to study, and this greatly broadened
his own education, giving him a good foun-
dation for his professional learning when
he entered Hahnemann Medical College at
Chicago, from which he was graduated with
the class of 1874. He read medicine in the
office of Dr. W. T. X'irgin, of Burlington,
and after his graduation was associated
with him in practice for a year. He was
then alone in practice for four years, after
which he became the successor of Dr. \'ir-
gin. who removed from the city. He has
since prospered, and now has a large and
continually growing practice. The con-

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

igg

sensus of public opinion concerning his
ability is most favorable, for he has many
times demonstrated his skill and compre-
hensive knowledge in the manner in which
he has handled difficult cases. He belongs
to the Iowa State Homeopathic Medical
Society.

Dr. Nixon was married, in 1878, to Miss
Lucy Wilcox, who died in March, 1892.
Their only child died in i88g. On the 30th
of June, Dr. Nixon was again married, his
second union being with Miss Mary Hill-
house, who died July 26, 1900, leaving two
children : Edwin Allen and Norman Ken-
nett. On Nov. 25, rgoi, Dr. Nixon mar-
ried Mrs. Mary A. Kunz, a daughter of
L. Link, a retired merchant and capitalist of
Burlington. She has a superior musical
education, having received training under
noted teachers in Germany and France.

Dr. Nixon has advanced high in Ma-
sonry, belonging to Malta Lodge, No. 318,
Ancient Free and Accepted ^lasons, of which
he is a past master: Iowa Chapter, No. i.
Royal Arch Masons ; St. Omer Command-
ery. No. 15, Knights Templar, of which
he is a past eminent commander ; and
Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine, at
Davenport. He is also a member of the
Crystal Lake Hunting Club. A man of
scholarly attainments and broad mental cul-
ture, occupying a position of prominence in
professional circles, he ajso enjoys the
social life, which indicates a well-rounded
nature.

DR. WILLIAM HENRY RANDALL.

Dr. \'Villi.\m Henry Rano-all was for
thirty years a resident of Augusta, and
during that period he occupied so high a
position in the public esteem that no his-

tory of Des Moines county would be com-
plete which did not accord to his name
and life a prominent place. Dr. Randall
was born in Wilton, Me., on the 14th day
of June, 1830, a son of Esek and Edith
(I'ickens) Randall. The father, who was
by trade a miller, was a native of Middle-
boro, Mass., the date of his birth being
1800, and was a son of Joshua Randall,
whose wife was a member of the Hoar
family of Massachusetts. Joshua Ran-
dall, who was a minister of the Methodist
Episcopal church, removed to Maine
when his son Esek was in infancy, and in
that State he passed his reinaining years.
He became the owner of a farm near the
town of Wilton, and while engaged in
farming also continued his w'ork as a min-
ister of the gospel, until he came into dis-
agreement with his •congregation regard-
ing some point of doctrine, when he ceas-
ed preaching, and thereafter devoted him-
self to farming.

Esek Randall grew to manhood near
\\'ilton, and having received a good edu-
cation, became a teacher. He later pur-
chased a mill at East Dixfield, Me. He
v\-as the father of seven children, of whom
our subject was the fourth, while he him-
self was a member of a family of five
brothers, two of whom were graduates of
Bowdoin College, one. of these being a
classmate of the poet Longfellow. Two
of his Ijrothcrs followed the profession of
law, while another embraced a business
career as a merchant.

The subject oi this memoir early be-
came a student in the academy at Thet-
ford. \'t., where he pursued a course of
study, and on the completion of his work
there he followed the paternal example
and took \m teaching. He was teaching:

200

niOGR.U'UJt.lL REVIEW

at Upton. Worcester county, Mass.. in
1853 wlun Ik- met Miss Martha Fowlor,
who afturward l)ccanK' liis wife. He
taught there for a few years, ami then be-
gan the study of nuilicine in the medical
college at Castleton. \'t., from which he
was graduated with the degree of M. D.
aljout the year 1S57. A believer in the
splendid future of the West, he at once
removed to Illinois, locating at Ingraham,
Clay county, where he rapidly built up a
large practice. Meantime he had main-
tained a corres])ondcnce with Miss Fowl-
er, and in 18^10 returned to I'pton, Mass..
where on June 14 nf tiiat year they were
united in marriage. They took up their
residence at Ingraham. 111., but in i8<')3
the perils of the great crisis through which
the nation was then passing appealed so
forcibly to Dr. RanJlall's patriotism that
he returned to the Mast an<l enlisted in a
Massachusetts regiment as a private. He
was first stationed at Gallope Island, a
training camp, and after a few weeks .Mrs.
Randall visited him there, and carried
him a commission as assistant surgeon in
the Nineteenth Maine Regiment. She
then went to the home of her father,
where she remained during her husband's
service with the ;irni\-. lie went at once
to the front, where alxiut a year later his
distinguished abilities brought him ap-
pointment as surgeon with the rank of
major. He continued with the Federal
forces until the end of the war. when he
was mustered out of the service with his
regiment at Augusta, Me. Mrs. Randall
was there to meet him, and shortlv after-
ward they went to live at Rome, Richland
county, Ohio, making that their home un-
til their removal to Augusta, Des Moines
county. Iowa, in 1869.

Miss Martha M. Fowler, who became
the wife of Dr. Randall, was born at L'p-
ton, .Mass., a daughter of Hiram and
-Anna (Whitney) Fowler. Her father
was a native of Rohobeth, Mass., and in
addition to his occupation of farming was
very well known as a lecturer. The
mother, born in Upton, belonged to that
celebrated Whitney family which has for
one of its members the famous Fli W'hit-
ney, inventor of the cotton gin. She was
a woman of ability and culture, and to
her children were given the same advan-
tages of excellent academic education
which she herself ehjoyed.

To Dr. and Mrs. Randall were born
two children. Anna, born in Clay county,
Illinois, married W. A. Murphy, and now
resides in Denmark township, Lee county,
this State. -She has three children : Mar-
tha, a graduate of Denmark .\cadcmy and
of the Husiness College at Dixon, III., and
now a teacher in Lee county; .Annabel, at
l)resent a student at Denmark Academy;
and Randall, a ])upil in the grammar
grades at Denmark. Osman, the second
child of Dr. and Mrs. Randall, was bom at
Rome, Ohio, in 1867. and died at .Au-
gusta, Iowa, in 1874.

While Dr. Randall was all his life
greatly interested in |)ublic affairs and in
all matters of politics, his professional
practice was at all times so great in vol-
ume that he was unable to give more than
a modiciun of his time to partisan activi-
ties. ISorn and reared a Democrat, he
early allied himself with the Republican
party, his first ballot being cast for Gen-
eral Winfield Scott for the presidency in
1852, and his second vote for John C.
Fremont in 183'). He also ever evinced
absorbing interest in the jirogrcss and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

20I

welfare of popular education, which he be-
lieved to be thoroughly in concord with
V his exalted ideals of American liberty.
From a material point of view he was
highly sirccessful, as his medical practice
was very lucrative. He was a man of
strong and resolute character, noted for
the purity, integrity, and fearless up-
rightness of his life, and was possessed of
natural talents far beyond the ordinary.
It was in no selfish spirit that he dedi-
cated his powers to the service of human-
ity, and he received his reward in the high
respect and warm regard in which he was
ever held by those who knew him. He
died at Augusta on Dec. 23, 1899. A de-
voted husband, a loving, indulgent father,
and a strong, true man, he has left a mem-
ory and an influence that shall long en-
dure. Mrs; Randall is a lady of excep-
tional ability, of pleasing presence and
conversational powers, and inherits the
instinctive culture of her many genera-
tions of Puritan ancestry. She has a wide
circle of acquaintance, and her home is
the center of a refined hospitality.

JOHN CALVIN McCLURKIN.

The great Mississippi valley, with its
broad prairies and rich lands, furnishes
splendid opportunities to the farmer and
stock-raiser, and Des Moines county is
an attractive district of this great region
for him who would win success in the
raising of stock or in the cultivation of
cereals. Mr. McClurkin is to-day a prom-
inent representative of the former depart-
ment of business, and has a valuable tract
of land in Yellow Springs township. He

was born in Louisa county, Iowa, Aug.
29, 1846, his parents being Matthew and
Eliza Ann (McClure) McClurkin. The
mother died in Louisa county when her
son John was only six years old. The
father went to California during the gold
excitement on the Pacific Coast, making
his way to that far-off country in 1849,
but he died within a day and a half's
travel of the mines, his remains being in-
terred there.

After the death of his parents, John C.
McClurkin went to live with an uncle in
the paternal line, and remained with him
until he attained his majority. He was
educated in the district schools, was
reared to the occupation of farming, and
has always followed that pursuit. He
came to Des Moines county about 1863,
when a young man of seventeen years of
age, and was here employed as a farm
hand for some time, working persistently
and earnestly in order to acquire a sum
of money that would justify him in the
purchase of land.

Mr. McClurkin enlisted in Company H,
Forty-fifth Iowa Infantry, at Morning
.Sun, and was mustered into s'ervice at
Keokuk. They went down the Missis-
sippi River, and from thence to Corinth,
where they were stationed to do guard
duty at the railroad bridge over the river
at Moscow. He served with his regiment
until he received his honorable discharge
from service at Keokuk, the time of his
enlistment being for one hundred days.

About 1875 he bought a farm of T
Reed, and he now owns two hundred and
forty acres of valuable land in Yellow
Springs and Washington townships,
eightv acres being in the former and one
hundred and sixtv acres in the latter

202

lilOGRAl'llH. AL RIUIEU-

township. Hero he raises and feeds from
one to three car-loads of cattle each year,
and he also has ii])on his place about sev-
enty-five head of hops of the I'oland
China breed. He is an excellent judge
of stock, and is thus enabled to make
careful ])urchases and profitable sales,
lie finds that the l>ranch of business
which he has chosen as a life work gives
him ample op])ortunity for the exercise
of his business talents and industry.

March ii. iS<Sf). .Mr. .McClurkin was
niarried to .Miss .Malxina Louisa Keed, a
daughter of David and Helena Jane
(Carithers) Reed, a native of Indiana.
Si.x children have been born of this
union: .\nna Jane, David R<n', .Mildred
Eliza, Leila Myrtie, Lizzie Viola, and
John Calvin.. Mr. McC'hirkin lias sjjcnt
his entire life in Iowa, covering now a
period of almost si.xty years. His atten-
tion and interests have been concentrated
upon agricultural pursuits, and he is now
a prominent re])resentative of stock-rais-
ing here. His business methods will bear
(lie closest investigati(»n and scrutiny,
and the extent of his operations have
maile him ])rosi)erous.

WALTER G. STEINGREABER.

.\ \r.KV promiiK-nt resident of Des Moines
county, Iowa, and one who is numbered
among the most infiueiitial citizens of Ben-
ton township, is Walter G. Steingrealjer,
who was born in Saxony, Germany, Dec.
2". 1S44, the son of Charles and Henrietta
Steingreaber, both natives of Saxony. The
father of our subject was by trade a glazier,
an occupation which he followed until com-

ing to .\merica, but after purchasing a farm
here he devoted himself exclusively to its
cultivation, and continued to reside upon it
until his death, which occurred in 1889. in
the seventy-ninth year of his age ; while the
mother died in 1893, aged eighty-three
years, lloth were faithful memlx-rs of the
Lutheran church, and the father, who took
an active interest in political affairs as a
member of the Republican party, was very
successful in a material way, becoming one
of the notably prosperous and influential
men of his day in this section. The mortal
remains of both were laid to rest on the
home farm, which is still owned by members
of the family. To them were born six chil-
dren, as follows : Charles, who died at the
age of thirty-six years: Agnes, Hetwig, and
Louise, also all deceased: .iinl Walter G.
and William R., the latter of whom being
the only one born in America.

In Xovember, 1850, our subject came to
.America with his parents, landing at .\ew
Orleans, whence they proceeded ii|) the .Mis-
sissippi River to Ijurlington, and located
on an eight>-acre farm purchased by the
father in lUirlington township, four miles
north of lUirlington, on the Irish Ridge
roail. Here Mr. Steingreal)er passed the
days of his youth as his father's assistant in
the work of the farm, and meantime ac-
f|uirecl a good common-school education in
the district schools of his township, which
he later supplemented by a complete course
of training in the Commercial College of
.Burlington, thus evincing an unusual enthu-
siasm for the cause of education, and at the
same titiie acquiring exceptional |)rei)aration
for the business and duties of his later life.

On Dec. 2^, 1871, Mr. Steingreaber was
united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Hunter,
daughter of William and Rebecca (Givens)

WALTER G. STEINGREABER.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

ao5

Hunter, the father being a native of Ireland,
whence he emigrated to the United States
in 1838, setthng in Durhngton township,
Des Moines count}-, in 1840, purchasing a
farm there and engaging in farming very
successfully. He died at the age of eighty-
three years, while the demise of his wife
occurred in her seventy-sixth year, and both
are interred in the Wykert cemetery, in Bur-
lington township. It may be here recorded
as a matter of interest that the fathers of
Mr. and Mrs. Steingreaber, respectively,
were born on the same day ; namely, June 11,
1810. To our subject and wife have been
born seven sons and daughters, as follows :
George, who resides at his father's home,
and works the farm : Bessie A., wife of
William I. Burkholder, of Wisconsin, who
has four sons, Richard, W^alter, John, and
Ralph : and Laura, William C, and Hettie
R., who are still at home : while the third
and fourth children in the order of birth
died in infancy. W\ were born at the present
home of the family, and here have received
the best educational advantages as well as
an excellent home training.

Upon his marriage ^Nlr. Stemgreaber
settled in Benton township, where in 1871
he purchased his present large and valuable
farm of two hundred acres of fertile and
productive farming lands ; and here he has
engaged in farming and stock-raising, plac-
ing most of the land under cultivation, and
by means of ceaseless and unflagging in-
dustry, combined with sound business judg-
ment, has secured from the soil in various
forms a very generous return for the outlay
of labor, capital, and ability Avhich has gone
toward its development. It now bears the
appearance of a modern establishment of
the very highest class, and the owner has
installed many up-to-date improveirents.

among which might be included the large
and impressive structure which serves as
the family residence, and has become the
center of a large hospitality.

At the beginning of the Civil War our
subject was still a very young man, but in
P'ebruary, 1864, he enlisted for the service
of his adopted country in Company E,
Twenty-fifth Iowa \'olunteer Infantry, and
proceeding at once to the front, received
two serious gunshot wounds in the battle at
.Vtlanta, Ga.. on account of which he was
honorably discharged as unable to perform
further military duty. As another and highly
regrettable result of his wounds, he was
compelled to sufl'er the loss of his left leg
below the knee. The public spirit -which
he showed in time of war by thus exposing
himself to all its perils for the sake of the
general welfare, has remained with him
through life, and has been carried into other
fields of endeavor where its usefulness has
been no less in-iportant, for as an influential
worker in the ranks of the Republican party
he has borne a very important part in shap-
ing the affairs of the community in which he
resides, so that he has fully discharged the
responsibilities belonging to the high station
in which he is placed by the confidence and
esteem of his fellow-citizens. Many public
trusts have been his, as he has been at vari-
ous times elected to the several township
offices, and for six years was a member of
the board of supervisors of Des Moines
county. Fraternally, he sustains member-
ship relations with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows in Benton Lodge, No. 277,
at Latta, Iowa, and is also an honored mem-
ber of Matthies Post, No. 5, Grand Army
of the Republic. He is widely known as a
successful farmer of the most progressive
type, while his political activities have made

2o6

BlOGR.U'lllLAL KLl ILlf

his name familiar throughout the extent of
Des Moines anil neightx^ring counties; and
wherever he is known, he has made many
friends by his genial traits of character and
by the well-known facts of the honor, up-
rightness, and fairness which have marked
his w1k>1c career.

A. J. SMITH.

A. |. S-MiTH, a pioneer of Des Moines
count V of 1837, remained a resident of
Washington and Pleasant Grove townships
for sixty years ; and while witnessing the
development and growth of the county, he
also rendered material assistance in its im-
provement and progress, especially along
agricultural lines, wherein he so directed
his labors that he became one of the ex-
tensive land owners and prosperous farm-
ers of the State. He was born in Washing-
ton county, Virginia, in 181 7, and was de-
scended from old colonial families of the
South, his ancestral connection with that
portion of the countrj- dating back to an
earlv epoch in its settlement. Robert
Smith, Ixirn in N'irginia, espoused the cause
of the colonies during the Revolutionary
War, and after the return of peace con-
tinued his farming operations in the Old
Dominion uniler the rule of a republican
form of government, which he had aided in
establishing. His son, Daniel Smith, also
a native of \'irginia, was reared there to
the occupation of farming, and following
the attainment of his majority was married
to Miss Isabel Gilson. a native of North
Carolina, and a daughter of William Gil-
son, who was likewise an agriculturist, ;iiul
was of Irish descent. In the spring of

1818 Daniel and Isabel Smith emigrated
westward to Washington county, Indiana,
where for five years he engaged in the
operation of rented land, and then re-
moved to Rush county, Indiana, in 1823.
.\ frontier district, he was enabled to
purchase government land, and secured a
tract of eighty acres covered with timber.
There were many Indian settlements in that
portion of the State, and the pioneers were
just planting the seeds of civilization and
improvement. Mr. Smith built a little cabin
and began the difficult task of cutting down
the trees, clearing away the brush and
roots, and preparing the land for the plow.
\\hen he had cleared a small portion, a
crop would be planted ; and for twelve
years he continued the work of improving
his farm, in the meantime increasing its area
by the purchase of an additional eighty-
acre tract. He then sold his farm and
removed to Hancock county, Indiana, where
he ])urchased one hundred and sixty acres
of land, continuing its cultivation until his
life's labors were ended in death, Dec. 29,
1848, when he had reached the age of sixty-
five years, ten months and twelve days.
His wife long surviving him, died Aug.
15, 1864, at the advanced age of eighty-one
years and twenty-three days. He was a
Whig in his political views, and while living
in Rush county, and again in Hancock
county, he served as probate judge, and
his efforts proved a substantial factor in
iil)hi>ldiiig the political and moral status
(jf the pioneer localities with which he
was connected, while his labors advanced
the material development. Both he and his
wife were members of the Presbyterian
church. They were the parents of sixteen
children, and with one exception all reached
adult age.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

20/

A. J. Smith accompanied his parents on
their various removals until he reached the
age of twenty-five years, and knew full
well the difficulties and hardships which
must be met in a frontier district ; for he
experienced many of these in his youth as,
living in a pioneer log cabin, he assisted in
the arduous task of developing a new farm.
He realized also that a frontier region of-
fered good opportunities to the agricultur-
ist, and accordingly, in 1837, he came to
Des Moines county, Iowa, which was at
that time a part of the Territory of Wis-
consin, locating first in Pleasant Grove
township, where he purchased one hundred
and twenty acres of land on Section 10. He
continued its improvement for twelve years,
and then bought a farm on Section 11,
which he made his home for ten years,
removing, at the expiration of that period,
to Washington township. After three
years, however, he returned to Pleasant
Grove township, settling on Section 15,
where he remained for twenty years, when
he took up his abode on Section 5, where
he remained until retiring from active
business and locating in Yarmouth. After
the death of his wife, which occurred July
14, 1897, he made his home with his chil-
dren, Fredrick N. and Mary J. Redfern.

His activity in business affairs mav be
judged from the fact of his extensive in-
vestments, his capital being secured entirely
through his own labors. After giving to
each of his children a farm, he still re-
tained possession of fifteen hundred and
eighteen acres of land in Des IMoines
county. As his father was a poor man, he
received no financial assistance at the be-
ginning of his business career, but on the
contrary worked for twenty-five cents per
dav, when he started out in life.

W'hen he came to the West,, he had sixty-
four dollars in money and two ox-teams,
and with these he began breaking prairie.
As his financial resources increased he
bought land from time to time, and through
cultivation and the consequent rise in prop-
erty values, incident to the settlement of
the country, this property commanded a
high market price.

j\lr. Smith was ably assisted and encour-
aged by his wife, who was indeed a faith-
ful helpmate and companion to him on life'-s
journey. On the i8th of April, 1847, he
married Miss Jane Westfall, a native of
New York, born June 20, 1829. They be-
came the parents of twelve children : Fran-
cis M., born March 20, 1848, a resident of
Pleasant Grove township ; Frederick N., of
Burlington : Isabella, bom Aug. 30, 1852,
now the wife of David L. Davis, of Clinton,
Mo. ; Asbury D., born March 17, 1854, liv-
ing in Keokuk county, Iowa ; A. J., born
"June I, 1856, of Colony, Kans. ; Mary J.,
born March 26, 1858, the wife of Ira Red-
fern, a retired farmer of New London, Henry
county, Iowa; R. A., born April 8, i860,
now living in New London ; A. E., born
Feb. 18, 1862, a resident of New London ;
John H., born Oct. 30, 1864, residing in
Des Moines county ; Minnie, bom Nov. 12,
1865, the wife of George Overman, of this
county : Squire, born Nov. 18, 1867, resid-
ing in Washington township ; and Ira, born
Feb. 23, 1870, and now living in New
London.

A. J. Smith, an advocate of Democratic
principles, was elected on the party ticket
to local offices of honor and trust. He
filled several positions in his township, in-
cluding that of trustee for several terms,
and was also a member of the county board
of supervisors for one temi. He accumu-

208

BiouKArmcAL NEriEir

atcd wealth, yet there was no selfishness in
the use which he nia<Ie nf it. To his family
he was most kind anil generous, and he
possessed a benevolent spirit that prompted
ready and substantial assistance to those
in need and to various charitable institu-
tions. He was deeply interested in the
cau.se of education, religion, and temper-
ance, and in fact was the champion of all
measures and methods which he believed
would uplift humanity. His life develop-
ment was like the substantial growth of the
pioneer district with which he allied his in-
terests at an early day — constantly broad-
ening its outlook and its activities to meet
the changing conditions of the times, and
keeping abreast with the i^rogress of public
till Plight as well as the business transitions
that bronglit material results. There was
in him a ilejith of character and a weight
of purpose that transcended all shams, and
that won the recognition of his fellow-men
in the respect and confidence which they
so freely accorded him. He died Dec. i6,
KJ02, and the remains of his wife rest bv
his side in Pleasant Grove township.

JAMES ANDREW TOMLINSON.

Jaaiics Amjri:w To.mijnson, who was
for many years a respected and highly
honored resident of I'.urlington. Iowa,
was born in Marion county, Indiana, on
.\pril 24, 1843. son of William Hughes
anil .Martha Tomlin.son. His eariv edu-
cation was obtained in the |)ul)lic schools
of his native State, and later he attended
a school in Chicago. On the comple-
tion of his schooling in the Orchard City
r.iisiness College he lugaii accpiiring the

trade of car])entering, contracting, and
Iniilding. which he followed very success-
fully throughout the remainder of his life.
He made a speciality of moldings and
carvings, in the designing and execution
of which he was an expert. He was also
a stair-builder, which at that time was a
trade of itself.

He came to the West early in the his-
tory of this, then undeveloped region, lo-
cating in Burlington, and it was here that
he was united in marriage Dec. 15, 1868,
with Miss Dora .\ndress, daughter of
Daniel S. and lilizabcth W'orden (Mit-
chell) Andress. the latter of whom bore
the name W'orden in honor of a relative,
.\dmiral W'orden, of "Merrimac" fame.
.Mrs. Tomlinson is a native of Ilurlington,
having been born on lower Main Street,
then very sparsely settled, Nov. 15, 1848,
and her parents were pioneers who came
to Iowa from Switzerland county, Indi-
ana, about the year 1845. ' 'i"-' father
was a contractor for brick work, which
business he followed in IJurlinglon until
the time of his death, Oct. 25, 183K. .Mr.
and Mrs. Andress were the i)arents of
eight children: Roell, now deceased: a
son who died in infancy: Dora, widow of
our subject : I'.ishop j. I. ; I )illoii X. S., an
extensive stock-raiser of western Iowa;
Mary Celia, deceased ; Mason, deceased ;
and Martha .•\delaide, also deceased. His
widow sur\ived him many years, she
dying Feb. 24, 1903. Mrs. .\ndress was
united in marriage with William K.
I'rown as her second husband. Mr.
Hrown was an old resident of Des Moines
comity.

Mr. Tomlinson enlisted in Comi)any G,
Teiub Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
was with the ;irnu- of the Cumberl.ind.

DES MOINES COUNTY. lOU'A.

209

and also with Sherman on his march to
the sea. serving the full four years. He
was wounded at Chickamauga, and never
fully recovered, and also received a sun-
stroke, which later was reall\' the cause of
his death.

Fraternally, our sul)ject was a member
of the Independent Order of Good Tem-
plars, and as a man of exemplary char-
acter and unusual ability, was popular and
highly esteemed. He was for many years
an acti\-e member of the Methodist
church, where he held all of the church
offices, and was also Sunday-school su-
perintendent and a teacher. He was also
a fluent speaker, having on many occa-
sions lectured on temperance, and did
much efficient work for the cause.

Mr. and Airs. Tomiinson remained in
Burlington till 1877, when they moved to
Wilson county, Kansas, where he went
into business with his brother-in-law, but
later engaged in farming. He did not
spend all of his time on his farm, as he
carried on contracting for several months
in the year.

March 9, 1883, he received a sunstroke
while working on a contract near home
which, connected with the effects left
after his war infirmities, proved fatal. He
is buried in Kansas. He was much re-
spected, and left many friends and rela-
tives to mourn his untimely death. Mrs.
Tomiinson closed up her husband's estate
and with her three children, all under five
years of age, returned to Burlington. She
is a lady of some conversational powers,
possessing wide general information, and
her pleasant home at 216 South Central
Avenue is a center of social activity. She
is a member of the Methodist church.

Mr. and Mrs. Tomiinson were blessed

with three sons and one daughter: Frank;
Guy James: Grace Inez, who was a beau-
tiful young woman, becoming the wife of
Orson P. Johnson, and died in Elrick,
Iowa, aged nineteen years; and Homer
Watt.

Guy James is the only remaining child.
He was born in the State of Kansas, Jul)'
10, i876,and received his education in the
public and high schools of Burlington and
Elliott's Business College of the same
place, after which he read law in the of-
fice of Attorney Fred Courts, of Morning
Sun, Iowa. Rising rapidly he was ad-
mitted to the bar on Jan. 17, 1901, when
twenty-three years old. Soon after this
he formed a partnership with Mr. Courts,
with whom he has ever since been asso-
ciated, and has from the first been un-
usually successful, enjoying a very exten-
sive and lucrative practice and marked
popularit}' in his adopted city, where he
is considered a rapidly rising young man
and destined to attain many positions of
distinction in his profession. When he
was a mere boy he began to assist his
widowed mother, assuming the duties of
the man of the house. On Oct. i, 1902,
he wedded Miss Cora E. Long, daughter
of Nimrod Long, of Crawfordsville, Iowa,
who before her marriage was a teacher in
the public schools, and to them two chil-
dren have been born : Eustace Worden,
born July 24, 1903 ; and Grace Aline, born
Oct. 12, 1904.

Mr. Tomiinson is rapidly becoming an
influential member of the Republican
party in his community ; and in the frater-
nal world he has a very desirable stand-
ing, having been made a Mason, and also
a member of the Chapter in 1903, and
also holding membership in the Knights

2IO

niOGRAPniCAL RFJIEW

of I'ytliias. Me is a leading iminhcr (if
the Methodist Episcopal church; has held
the office of president of the l-lpwurth
League, as well as that of superintendent
of the Suiula\ -school, and has for many
years been prominent in the work of the
church, in whicii he has always taken the
deepest interest. As a type of energetic
and consecrated Christian manhood, his
character is well deserving of study by all
the rising generatinii who cherish high
and wortliv ideals.

WILLIAM W. TURPIN.

Mr. TuRi'iN is not one of those who be-
lieve that distinguished ancestry confers a
claim to special consideration, or that blue
blood is superior to personal merit, but in
common with all thinking men has neverthe-
less realized that honorable traditions have
their value, and has therefore taken some
pains to preserve such frag^nents of family
history as have ctime down to him. The
name of Turpin originated in rierniany. but
was early carried by emigration to Eng-
lanil, where the family became quite numer-
ous, and assumed a position of prominence
in connection with many of the leading
events of English history. The branch re-
maining in Germany also attained to promi-
nence, one of its members becoming a cele-
brated general and ruler ; and another, who
entered the service of the church, even ris-
ing to the occupancy of the papal chair at
Rome. During one of the earliest voyages
of the " Mayflower," members of the Tur-
pin family were aboard, and they settled in
Massachusetts, to take up the difficult life
of pioneers in an unknown land, clearing the

forests, tilling the unfruitful soil, and bear-
ing their part in the various Colonial,
Indian, and British wars of the time.

At the time of tlie War of the Revolu-
tion many of their number were engaged on
the side of the patriot cause. Later, a por-
tion of the family drifted southward to
Delaware, and still later to Virginia, while a
brother of Mr. Turjiin's father, in an at-
tempt to e.\plore the western wilderness
witli a view to founding there a home,
crossed the Alleghany mountains, and no
trace of him was ever afterward found. On
the maternal side Mr. Turpin is descended
from the Driscoll and Moore families,
prominent in early .\merican history as
soldiers and statesmen. Later these families
became scattered, so that during the Civil
\\'ar some donned the blue and others the
gray ; and on many a hard-fought field a
brother sought a brother's life, or there
was the unnatural spectacle of a father ar-
rayed against his son, or a son against the
author of his being, in fierce and deadly
conflict. The Driscoll family is of Scotch
extraction, and its history after settling in
America is well known.

William Turpin, father Df our subject,
was born Dec. 27, \~<j^. in the State of
Maryland ; and in Delaware he married
Miss Sarah Elizabeth Moore, a daughter of
Judge Moore, of ^\■ashington, D. C, who
was a native of Delaware, and prominent in
the commercial and political affairs of his
time. To them were born four children, of
whom William Wailes, the subject of this
review, was the eldest. Alice is now the
wife of Archibald Burgess, a native of
Patterson, N. J., and at present a resident
of the city of Washington. He is a veteran
of the Civil War, having run away from
home when quite yoimg to enlist in the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

Ill

Union army. Levin Denvvood, the second
son, died in 1858, as the result of an attack
of rheumatism, caused by his accidentally
breaking through the ice. Laura Virginia,
the youngest child, is also deceased, her
death having occurred in 1868.

William W. Turpin was born Oct. 7,
1849, at Salsbury, in what was then Somer-
set county, Maryland, and there he obtained
his early knowledge of books in the old
Salsbury Academy, which he attended until
his enlistment in the United States navy,
with the exception of two years spent as a
grocery clerk. In 1864 he entered the
navy yard as weigher and receiver for the
Bureau of Construction and Repair, with
which he was identified in the same capacity
for four years, at the end of that time com-
ing to the West and locating at Hannibal,
Mo., in 1869. Led to take this step by a
worthy desire to achieve an independent
position in the world, he decided to learn a
trade as the means of acquiring a compe-
tence, and therefore began work as a brick
mason. As compensation for his services
while learning the trade he received his
board and for the first year $60, for the
second year $100, and for the third $150 —
a rate of payment that was small even in
those days, and one which is proof of his
strength and steadiness of purpose in pur-
suing his chosen object regardless of diffi-
culties.

At Shelbyville, Mo., June 25, 1873, Mr.
Turpin was united in marriage with Miss
Emma Dobbin, daughter of Leonard Dob-
bin, who for many years held the office of
county clerk for Shelby county, Missouri.
To Mr. and Mrs. Turpin have been born
three children, one of whom died in in-
fancy, another, Virginia, died in early child-
hood, while one survives, this being Willie

May, aged twenty-two years, who is at
home with her parents. After his marriage
Mr. Turpin removed to St. Louis, where he
engaged as a brick mason, and removed a
second time in 1876, coming at that time to
Burlington. During approximately the first
eighteen years of his residence in this city
he was employed as a journeyman mason,
but at the expiration of that period he be-
came a contractor, erecting the Tama build-
ing, acting as superintendent of construc-
tion for the Federal building, and doing
the brick work on the Charles Blaul resi-
dence, the Derby mill, and many of the
most substantial residence buildings of Bur-
lington. For a number of years he was
superintendent of the Pauly Jail Company,
and by virtue of this connection acted as
supervisor of construction of the jails at -
Carmen, N. Y. ; Montpelier, Vt. ; Sonora,
Texas ; Eddy county, N. Mex. ; Newton,
N. J. : and many other jails and peniten-
tiaries, including the United States peni-
tentiary at Great Salt Lake.

In 1889 Mr. Turpin was elected a super-
visor of Des Moines county, but resigned
the following year in order to accept an ad-
vantageous offer from the Pauly Jail Com-
pany, of St Louis, with which he continued
until 1893, when he resigned to become
superintendent of the Federal building in
Burlington. Later he re-engaged with the
Pauly Company, for whom he went to
Montpelier, Vt., to build the jail at that
place. Two years later he again resigned,
and became traveling representative of the
Merchants' Life Association, of Burlington,
in which he now holds the office of treasurer.

In his political affiliation he is a lifelong
Democrat, and has always taken an active
interest in public affairs, serving his party
with conspicuous ability in many important

212

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

capacities, and tlurcby acquiring a very
gratifying pujuilarity and inlhicnce. In 1902
he was elected by the voters of the city of
Burlington as alderman-at-largc, an office
which he occupied until 1904 with credit to
himself and his constituents ; and in the
autumn of igoo he was elected secretary
of the Burlington I'loard of Education, an
office which he still holds. Fraternally, he
is a charter member of Lodge No. 84.
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks ; is a
thirty-second degree Mason ; a member of
the oldest Masonic lodge in the State of
Iowa, of which he has been elected junior
•warden, but declined the honor : and is
identified with the local organization of
the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
through all of whose chairs he has passed.
Mr. Turpin takes a just pride in his reputa-
tion as a high-class mechanic, and his solid
qualities have won him the esteem of the
community in which he lives, for he is re-
spected as a man, as a citizen, and for his
thorough integrity and sound business judg-
nunt, which has enabled him to acquire a
competence. He has been higlilv successful
in a material way ; and while his natural
modesty has always preventc<l him from
urging his own claims to recognition, he
has many friends whose confidence in his
ability has brought him bef.)re the public
ill a very favorable light.

CHARLES ENDE.

.•\ \.\i.UKi) element in the development of
I'.urlington has been largely su|i])licd by the
Fatherland, and of this Charles Ende is a
rei)resentative. He was torn in Schwarzcn-
fels. Electorate of Hesse, Oct. 29, 1837, and

came to the L'nited States with his father, a
brother, and two sisters in the year 1851.
His father, however, was not the first of
the family to emigrate to .America : there
were several precursors. A cousin of Mr.
Ende's grandfather came over as an officer
in the Hessian Au.xiliaries in 1776. He was
severely wounded at the storming of Fort
Washington, and taken prisoner at Trenton.
During his captivity he married an .\mer-
ican, and in 1783 took his wife with him
to Cassel. It seems that after some time,
becoming homesick, she induced her hus-
Iwnd to take her back to her native land.
.•\])parently he was easily prevailed upon to
accede to her wish, having during his seven
years' forced sojourn become quite attached
to this country. In the cour.se of time cor-
res()ondencc ceased between him and his rel-
atives in Germany, and all efforts made in
later years to trace their descendants were
unsuccessful.

In 1845 an uncle of Mr. Ende's, Carl B.
.\lerz, emigrated to .\merica, locating near
Beardstowii. 111. In 1852 he removed to
r.urlington, Iowa, and for a time was the
publisher of the first German newspaper
in Iowa. Some years later he purchased a
large farm near Sigoumey. Iowa, where he
settled, and remained up to the time of his
death in 1902, reaching the ripe old age of
eighty-eight years.

A cousin, Fritz von Ende, came to New
( )rleans in 1847, and afterward located in
( ireenville. Texas, where his widow and
children still reside.

.Mr. luide's grandfather. Carl von Ende,
was a minister of the Reformed church, at
.Vetra, a small town in Ilesse-Cassel. He
had si.\ sons, Mr. Ende's father, Ferdinand
von Ende, being the youngest. Two of his
brothers were officers in the Hessian contin-

CHARLKS ENDE.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

215

gent of Napoleon's armies, and both fell in
battle, one in Spain and the other in Russia.
A third served in the campaign of 1815, as
volunteer in a battalion of sharpshooters,
largely recruited from the students of the
School of Forestry, which he was attending
at that time.

Conrad Merz, the grandfather of Mr.
Ende on the mother's side, born about 1775.
completed his studies at the Catholic Sem-
inary in Fulda, and later became private
secretary to the bishop. In 1810, when
Prince Carl von Dalberg was made grand
duke of Fulda by emperor Napoleon, Mr.
Merz received an appointment in the finance
department of the new government. This
position he held until 1815, when the great
political changes of that period caused him
to resign. He retired in his prime on a lib-
eral life pension, granted by the Bavarian
government, and became a gentleman of
leisure. He died in i860.

Ferdinand von Ende, Mr. Ende's father,
was born in 1803, at Netra, where he was
reared, and began his education in the com-
mon schools. From there he went to a
higher school at Eisenach, and subsequently
graduated from the gymnasium at Cassel,
the capital of the electorate of Hesse. Thus
being properly qualified, he was matric-
ulated as a student of law in the State Uni-
versity at Marburg. After having obtained
his degree of Doctor Juris, he prepared for
and successfully passed the state examina-
tion incumbent upon an aspirant for gov-
ernment office. In due time he was ap-
pointed to a position on the judiciary, which
he retained until 1851. During his term of
service he was repeatedly promoted, and at
the close of his official career was associate
judge of one of the higher courts. Political
troubles, so prevalent all over Germany in

those days, and from which the electorate
of Hesse was by no means exempt, caused
him to resign and emigrate to the United
States, preferring t6 live in a land of liberty
that promised a better future for his chil-
dren.

Ferdinand von Ende was united in mar-
riage to Miss Nanny Merz, of Fulda, in
1836. She died in the year 1847, leaving
four children who reached mature years, and
one who died an infant, soon after the
mother. Mr. Ende's father spent the first
winter near Beardstown, 111., and in the
spring of 1852 moved to Des Moines county,
Iowa, where he purchased a farm about two
and a half miles from Burlington. There
he resided until 1864, when, after about a
year's sojourn in St. Louis, he took up his
abode in this city, and lived retired from
that time until his death, which occurred in
1885.

Charles Ende acquired a liberal education
for his age in Germany, and was a youth of
fourteen years when he came to the New
World. He lived with his father, brother,
and sisters on the home farm until 1855.
From that time until i860 he worked out
at various places. — Pittsfield, Quincy, and
Galesburg, 111., and Des Moines, Henry,
Lee, and Decatur counties, Iowa, being
among the number. In the spring of i860
he started from Burlington on the way to
St. Joe, Mo., there to join a wagon train
for the newly discovered gold region of Col-
orado. Pike's Peak was the name it went
by in those days. He was accompanied as
far as Hannibal, Mo., by his brother Fred,
who was bound for Greenville, Texas, where
he is still living. They did not meet again
until after the War. Mr. Ende then learned
for the first time that his brother had been
compelled to serve in the Confederate army

2l6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

for nearly three years. The trip across the
plains in those early clays, and the life in
the mining camps, proved highly interest-
ing, with a touch of the romantic that gave
it an additional charm. The hardships and
privations of travel were easily overcome by
a robust body, and amply compensated by
the delights of outdoor life. Game of all
kind was plenty, even buffaloes could be
seen in numbers. At Fort Kearny the outfit
met the first Indians, and later on passed
several of their villages, which were closely
inspected by the members of the train. The
Intlians. being perfectly peaceable, seemed
to be pleased to have visitors, and accepted
little gifts, such as tobacco, matches, and
bread, with great avidity. In the hope of
finding gold, however, Mr. Ende was sadly
deceived, and accordingly returned to Iowa.
Crossing the Missouri River at Omaha in
December, i860, he arrived at Burlington
about Christmas. From Burlington he went
to Chicago for two months, and afterward
found employment on a farm near Gales-
burg, 111.

On Sept. 7, 1861, he enlisted at Burling-
ton as a private in Company F, Fifth Iowa
Cavalry, and was mustered out of service as
first lieutenant, Aug. 11, 1863. He was
with the Western army, operating in Ken-
tucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and
Mississippi. The regiment to which Mr.
Rnde belonged left Benton Barracks, St.
Louis, for Fort Henry, February. 1862. It
remained stationary in the vicinity of I-'orts
Heiman, Henry, and Donelson till June,
1863. While stationed at the above-named
places, the regiment was principally en-
gaged in fighting bushwhackers and par-
tisan rangers, and in scouting. Engage-
ments during this period were as follows :
August, 18^2, Rolling Mills, near Fort Don-

elson : September. 1862, Clarkesville, Tenn. ;
October, i8<i2, Wagner's Landing, Tenn. ;
Xovembcr, 1862, Garrettsburg, Ky. ; Jan-
uary, 1863, Waverly, Tenn.: February.
1863, Fort Donelson. In May, 1862, when
out on a scout, Mr. Ende was taken prisoner,
and with a number of other comrades sent
to Jackson, Miss., where they were paroled
and brought into the I'nion lines near
Corinth under a flag of truce, in charge of
Major Thompson, ex-secretary of the in-
terior under President Buchanan. General
Halleck, ignoring the obligations of the
parole, ordered the men to report for hos-
pital duty at once, and when they refused,
upon'the plea that such would be a violation
of their parole, sent a platoon of infantry,
with bayonets fixed, to drive them to work.
In June, 1863, the regiment was transferred
to Murfrcesboro, where it joined General
Rosecrans' army. July 3, 1863, the regiment
was again detached, and after a week of
escorting trains to the front, ordered to Mc-
.\linville. During the short stay with the
main arin\ it had seen some hard service.
October, 1863, the regiment participated,
under General Crook, in the pursuit of
Wheeler. I'pon this occasion, the battalion
to which Mr. Ende's company belonged
made a very successful charge on Wheeler's
rear guard, at Sugar Creek, taking a num-
ber of prisoners. Jan. 6, 1864, Mr. Ende
re-enlisted, and returned from veteran fur-
lough to Xashville. March 30, 1864. May
26 he was detached with thirty men to
garrison a blockhouse erected for the pro-
tection of a railroad bridge over Richland
Creek, near I'ulaski, Tenn. July 10, 1864,
he joined, with his command. General Rous-
seau at Decatur, Ala., and took part in the
expedition to Montgomery. The regiment
had barely returned when it was ordered out

DES MOIXES COUA'TY. IOWA.

again on the disastrous McCook raid. Here
Air. Ende had a httle extra experience.
Having lost his horse in crossing the Chat-
tahoochee River, he was left behind, and it
took him ten days to reach his command at
Marietta, Ga. After the fall of Atlanta, the
Fifth Iowa Cavalry, which at that time was
attached to Kilpatrick's Division, received
orders to proceed to Louisville to be re-
mounted, and then return to Nashville.
When Hood began his advance upon Nash-
ville, the regiment was ordered to Columbia,
where it soon encountered the enemy. After
a short skirmish the command was relieved
by infantry, and sent ten miles up Duck
River to guard fords. The day following the
regiment distinguished itself by cutting its
way out through a vastly superior force that
had surrounded the brigade. During the
battle of Franklin the regiment was scouting
on the right flank.

Mr. Ende could not participate with his
regiment in the battle of Nashville, since he
had been appointed judge advocate of a
general court martial convened by order of
General Wilson, commanding the cavalry
corps of the military division of the Mis-
sissippi. It took about two months to try
the cases which had accumulated. His task
completed, Mr. Ende was relieved, and re-
joined his regiment at Gravelly Springs,
Ala., where General Wilson was assembling
three divisions of cavalry, and making prep-
arations for the last and most successful raid
of the war. The Fifth Iowa Cavalry was
assigned to Alexander's Brigade of General
Upton's Division, After the cessation of
hostilities the Fifth Iowa was stationed for
some time at Macon, Ga. ; then at Atlanta,
from whence it was ordered to Nashville;
at which place, after having been mustered
out Aug. II, 1865, the regiment embarked

for Clinton, Iowa, and there was paid oiT
and disbanded.

A closing incident of Mr. Ende's military
career worth mentioning is that while
stationed at Atlanta, on May 14, 1865, he
was detailed to take charge of a detachment,
furnished by the regiment, to help guard
Mr. JefTerson Davis from Atlanta to
Augusta, where he was turned over to an-
other command which took him to Fortress
.Monroe. Strange to relate, Mr. Ende, al-
though lie served during the entire war,
and took part in a number of hard-fought
engagements, was never wounded.

Mr. Ende came back to Burlington in
November, 1865, and made a permanent
location here, joining his brother-in-law in
the purchase of a brewery. The latter is
located at 1307 ]\Jt. Pleasant Street, and as
the years have gone by marked improve-
ments have been made. With the exception
of three years, the business was conducted
continuously, and during the time mentioned
the firm acted as agents for Lemp's St.
Louis beer. The partnership was dissolved
in September, 1902, since which time IVIr.
Ende has conducted the business alone, and
is having a good local patronage. The
plant represents an investment of about
twenty-five thousand dollars.

Mr. Ende is a member of the Turnverein,
and was a charter member of Matthies
Post. G. A. R., which was organized in
1866. He was elected alderman, and served
as a member of the city council from the
second ward for four years. He was chair-
man of the police committee during both
terms of his ofifice.

On Oct. 3, 1869, in Liberty, Mo., Mr.
Ende was married to Miss Thusnelda Louise
Leopold, a native of Liberty, and of German
parentage. Her father and mother came to

2l8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

this country in 1834. She died in 1902. and
her remains were interred in Aspen Grove
cemetery. L'nto Mr. and .Mrs. Ende were
born four children: Carl, who married Miss
Alice Ankeney. and is now living at Iowa
City, Iowa, is a graduate of the State
University of Iowa, and also of the Gottin-
gen I'niversity of Germany, the latter con-
ferring the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Since 1899 he has been instructor in chem-
istry at the State University of Iowa, and
quite recently was promoted to an assistant
professorship. The second son. August,
is also a graduate of the State University of
Iowa. At one time he entered Cornell
L'niversity, of New York, taking special
work in mathematics. After completing his
university course he held the position of
instructor in mathematics in the State Uni-
versity, resigning to go into business. He
is now assistant manager of his father's
business. Marie, the only daughter, is at
home, and the youngest son, Henry, was a
student in the Burlington High School. The
family residence is at 722 North Third
Street, the old Starker home. Mr. Ende.
having been endowed by nature with ex-
cellent health and a vigorous constitution,
has retained in a great measure the capacity
for work and the enjoyment of the out-of-
door sports (if his younger days.

JOHN RENNER.

Joiix Kenner, inventor, dealer in wall-
jiapcr. paints, and artists' supplies, and con-
tractnr in interior decorating, is controlling
a business the extent and importance of
which makes him a leading representative
of industrial interests of the citv. while his

inventive genius has gained him recognition
far iK-yond the limits of liurlington.

.\ native of southern Germany, he was
born July 8, 1852, his i)arents being Johan-
nas and Elizabeth ( Katz ) Renner. When
he had obtained a fair education in the
sciiools of the Fatherland, he began learning
the trades of jiainting, paperhanging, dec-
orating, ami ui)holstering, serving a full
api)renticeshiij. « ithin which time he became
an experienced and expert workman. He
afterward served as a journeyman in a num-
ber of the leading cities of his native land,
and afterward in France and Switzerland,
and in 1S81. thinking to enjoy still better
business oi)|)()rtunities in .\merica, he saile<l
for Xew York City, where he arrived on
the first of March. There he remained until
July 3, 1882, when he came to Burlington.

For twenty-three years Mr. Renner has
now been connected with the industrial in-
terests of this city. He was first employed
for three years by the firm of W'yman &
Rand, in their u])holstering and carpet de-
partment, and in Ai)ril. 1S85, he begati busi-
ness on his own accoimt, under the old ])ost-
office. I^ter he removed to the present lo-
cation of Hefner's tinshop, where he re-
mained for about a year, and then removed
to his present ])lace of business, at 612
Jeflferson .Street, where he ci inducted busi-
ness for three years, after which he moved
across the street to more commodious quar-
ters, occuping 707-9-11 Jefferson Street.
There he was successfid, and remained
seven years, and in 1896 returned to his
present location, at 612 and 614 Jeflferson
.Street, occupying three times the sjjace he
did the former time at this location. He
carries on both a wholesale and retail busi-
ness, dealing in all kinds of art goods, wall-
paper, paints, and varnishes, and he also

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA:

219

employs a number of experienced workmen,
who execute the contracts which he takes
for interior finishing and decorating. He
stands as one of the foremost representatives
of this line of business in Iowa, his long
experience, thorough training, and naturally
artistic taste combining to make him a leader
in the business.

His attention, however, has not been con-
fined wholly to his mercantile and industrial
interests, for on the first of Alay, 1900, he
bought a park of four acres, which he has
since improved, and his inventions have
many times been valuable additions to the
mechanical world. He has wide knowledge
along mechanical lines, and in fact possesses
natural genius, in afldition to thorough scien-
tific knowledge of mechanics arid architec-
tural engineering and drafting. He can
make his own plans, and can embody his
ideas in tangible form. On the sixteenth of
August, 1887, Mr. Renner got out a pat-
ent on an ironing board, and in 1903 he
secured a patent on his ball-bearing exten-
sion window shade, having patents on this
in the United States, Canada, and England,
securing the same in England, .April 9, 1903,
and in Canada, June 2, 1903. He has re-
cently commenced the manufacture of this
shade, and reserves the countries mentioned
for his output. He has also patented, Jan.
7, 1902, a device for locking the axle on
shade rollers. It is dust proof, and can be
applied to any mechanical contrivance of
any size. He also has another lock patent
for a window bracket, and is the inventor of
a wire bracket for the correct adjustment
of the window cord. This is known as a
wire pulley, and gives an equal friction to
both cords, thus making a perfect adjust-
ment. His patent for a round axle for win-
dow shades, carpet sweepers, etc., was se-

cured Sept. g, [902, and he has another pat-
ent on the table on which window shades
can be made very rapidly and of any size.

On the second of April, 1881, Mr. Renner
was married to Miss Lena Xeff, a daughter
of Johannes and Mary (Hellstern) Neff,
bv whom he has two sons, John and Frank,
twins, who are their father's assistants in
business, John attended the German and
public schools of Burlington, and in seven
months completed a course in the Gem City
business College at Ouincy, being the first
student from the State of Iowa to complete
the course in such a short time, or with such
honors, for his scholarship gave him an
average grade of ninety-si. x and two-sev-
enths in seven studies, and a standing of one
hundred in bookkeeping. Frank having atr
tended the same schools in Burlington as
his Ijrother. continued his education in El-
liott's Business College, of this city. Both
sons possess an artistic taste and tempera-
ment, and have given nnich time to the
study of oil painting and various kinds of
decorating. They also possess considerable
musical talent and ability, and in business
have demonstrated the possession of those
traits which insure success. They are able
assistants of their father, and the parents
have every reason to be proud of their sons.
When ;Mr. Renner came to America he had
a capital of six hundred dollars, but through
illness this sum dwindled away until there
was nothing left. When he arrived in Bur-
lington he had only fifty dollars, but he
possessed what is better than money — cour-
age, determination, and good ability, sup-
plementing intellectual force. These qual-
ities have served as the foundation on which
he has reared the superstructure of his
prosperity and which has enabled him to
build up a large business, until he now car-

a2o

lilOGRArmCAL REVIP.W

ries a stock more complete than that found
in any establishment of the kind in America.
Mr. Rcnner is a member of tlie Court of
Honor and of the Woodmen of the World,
while politically he is independent, voting
for the candidates rather than the party.
He reserves for himself the right of form-
ing an unbiased opinion and accords to
others the same iirivilcge. He displays
many of the sterling characteristics of his
race, and moreover he has those qualities
which in every land and clime command re-
spect and confidence.

JOHN SIEGMUND SCHRAMM.

A FEW years ago the city of Burlington
lost by the hand of death a citizen whom she
could ill afford to spare from the activities
of her commercial and social life; one in
whose heart her interests ever held a first
place, and one whose passing was deeply
mourned by those who were familiar with
the rare (|ualitics of his heart and mind, as
well as the great ability which distinguished
him and was known to all. Mr. Schramm
was horn at Plech, Bavaria. Germany, a
son of John Cliristo])her and .Anna Margaret
(Kessling) .Schramm. His education was
begun in the public schools oi I'lech, and at
the age of thirteen years he went to Culm-
bach, where he served an apprenticeship of
five years' duration in a mercantile house,
at, the same time taking lessons in Latin
and French. The father discharged his
seven years' term of military service under
Frederick the Third, and was engaged in
the great battles of Jena and .\uslerlitz,
and others of less importance, after which
he returned home and flevoted himself to

mercantile business. For political reasons
the elder Schramm resolved to emigrate to
.\merica, crossed the ocean, and in Septem-
ber, 1837, landed with his family at the port
of New York. .\ few days later they started
for Missouri, but on account of sickness
were obliged to stop at Circleville, Ohio,
where i)ur subject secured a position in a
printing office, whidi he continued to occupy
for five years, tlioroughly mastering the
jirinting art anfl the English language.

In Augu.st, 1842. Mr. Schramm arrived
in liurlington, and two days afterward se-
cured employment with the Gazette; but the
paper was sold shortly thereafter, and as
his services were no longer needed, lie made
a trip to St. Louis, where he invested his
savings in a small stock of groceries, with
which he established himself in business in
]*)urlin.gton. He gave the strictest atten-
tion to business, and was successful from
the beginning : but as he was a nnisician of
pronounced ability, he spent at this early
period of his career three evenings of each
week in training a band which he founded,
the first ever organized in Burlington. His
musical tastes continued with him through
life, and he long devoted a great deal of
his valuable time to work of this character
for the benefit of the public and his adopted
city. On .March 15, 1843, he wedded Miss
Harriet -Morgan, daughter of Jonathan Mor-
gan, one of the earlier settlers of Des Moines
county, but during the cholera epidemic of
1850 Mrs. .'Schramm died, together with one
child which hail been born to their union.
The mother of Mr. Schramm al.so fell a
victim to the ravages of this terrible plague,
which desolated .so many homes through-
out the length and breadth of the land, and
her own demise had been preceded by that
of her husband in 1849. ^^r. Schramm after-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

221

ward remarried, having on March 24, 1852,
been united in bonds of matrimony to Miss
Ameha Williams, a daughter of Silas Wil-
liams, and to them were born the following
children, who survive him : Henry C, of
Burlington, who married Miss Ida H. Copp ;
Lucia L., of Burlington, now the wife of
T. G. Foster; Frank E., of Burlington,
who married Miss Carrie Ashe Higgason;
Charles E., of Burlington, who married
Miss Fannie G. Anderson; Walter S.,
cashier of the First National Bank of
Burlington ; Ralph E., of Detroit, Mich. ;
Anna P., now Mrs. J. E. Doane, of Thomp-
son, Conn. ; and Miss Jessie.

In 1854 Mr. Schramm formed a partner-
ship with his brother, Charles F., to con-
duct a dry-goods business. This arrange-
ment was continued for five years, and then
the partnership was dissolved on account of
the ill health of Mr. Schramm's brother.
He then assumed sole charge of the busi-
ness, which he conducted at the store at 218-
220 Jefferson Street, enlarging it with the
growth of the city, and always meeting the
increasing demand with a promptitude,
thoroughness, and energy that indicated a
strong grasp of changing commercial condi-
tions and an appreciation of modern meth-
ods. In this manner, and almost exclusively
by his individual efforts, he built up the
great business known as the J. S. Schramm
Company, now for the most part owned and
managed by the heirs of his estate. Three
of his sons are now active in the firm, these
being Henry C, Frank E., and Charles E.
The mother and her daughter Jessie have
their home in the large and handsome resi-
dence at 616 Columbia Street, where they
dispense a generous but quiet hospitality.

The political faith of Mr. Schramm was
that of the Democratic party, to which he

gave his allegiance after long and careful
consideration, and to whose tenets he was
ever loyal. Fraternally he was for thirty-
two years identified with the Masonic order,
being a Knight Templar and a member of
Malta Lodge of this city. He was also a
member of the Commercial Exchange, and
took an active part in its work. In his re-
ligious connection he was a member of the
Lutheran church, although during the latter
years of his life he attended the Presbyterian
church, of which he and his family are mem-
bers, while he himself, many years ago,
assisted materially in the work of its choir.
For a long term of years he was a member
of the board of directors 'of the independ-
ent school district of Burlington, and was
a stockholder, director, and vice-president of
the German-American Savings Bank, as
well as being financially interested in va-
rious other leading corporate institutions and
enterprises of Burlington. He gave freely
of his time and substance to the conduct and
promotion of public affairs, assisting every
movement that had for its object the up-
building of Burlington, among other things
lending substantial encouragement to the
establishment of the public ferry, which
he regarded as especially important. No
form of pledge or subscription paper hav-
ing that end in view ever passed him with-
out his signature ; no church or charity ever
appealed to him in vain, and for the needy
he was always a refuge. As an employer he
was respected and beloved by those con-
nected with his business during all the years
of his mercantile activity in Burlington,
where the greater part of his life was
passed ; and he was an ideal citizen ; so also
was he a model head of his family, — kind,
considerate, self-sacrificing, cheerful, affec-
tionate, and loval. To few men have been

222

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

vouchsafed so many of the graces and vir-
tues that go to the making of a beautiful
character. He ilit<l I\'l). 17. iS(»8. imivcr-
sallv mourned.

WILLIAM ALBERT KENDALL.

Till-; name which appears above is a
famihar one in Burhngton in business cir-
cles, as he has been connected with the rail-
road life of the town for over thirty years,
during wliich lime he has accomplished
much fur the interests of the road, and at
the same time has become one of the best
citizens of the city. W. A. Kendall is a
son of .\lbert and Sarah Cornelia (Higley)
Kendall, and was lx)rn in .Marion, Iowa,
April 4, 1847. His father was born in West
Granby, Conn., and was a wagonmaker by
trade. His mother was the second child
of Abiel and Prudence (Crane) Higley,
and was born at West Granby, Conn., May
2\. 1S22.

The parents of our subject were married
Nov. 9, 1840, in Granby, and in the follow-
ing spring they removed to Bloomington,
111., going westward wMth Mr. Higley's
family. .Xfter residing several years in
Bloomington, they located in Marion, Iowa.
Mr. Kendall did a profitable business at his
trade in both Bloomington and Marion,
making sales tliroughout the State in its
early history. Ik- was afterward engaged
in the hardware business. Mr. Kendall died
Jan. 19, 1877, and ]\Irs. Kendall survived
him about eleven years, her death occur-
ring Dec. 8, 1888. Their home was an ideal
one in the truest meaning of the term, and
on many occasions was the center of large
family gatherings. The domestic life of Mr.
and Mrs. Kendall was brightened bv three

children : Flora, who is dead ; W. A., of this
review ; and Wellington Jerome, who mar-
ried Miss Emma E. Braucht at Findlay,
Ohio, and died at Marion, Iowa, leaving
three children, Carl, Alberta, and Ralph.
Mr. and Mrs. Kendall are buried at Marion,
Iowa.

W. A. Kendall received his education in
the common schools at Marion, and at the
age of seventeen or eighteen years he worked
for the express company at Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, for two years, which fairly initiated
him in business. After running as express
messenger between Farley and Cedar Rap-
ids for awhile, he went to La Porte, and
worked for a year for the Cedar Rapids &
Xorthern Railroad. The next two years
he was employed ii) Waterloo by the same
road. He also worked for the Burlingjton,
Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad for
several years while living in Waterloo.

Mr. Kendall displayed much ability as a
railroad man. and in the early '7o"s he was
|)romote(l to be agent, hohling also the ticket
and freight agency of the liurlington. Cedar
Rapids & Northern, with headquarters in
Burlington, Iowa, where he has since re-
sided. Several years ago this road was
bought by the Rock Island, when Mr. Ken-
dall became the commercial agent of the
same, and also of the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific, having his office on Jefferson
Street.

Nov. 18, 1875, Mr. Kendall wedded Miss
Jane Elizabeth Frantz. who was born in
Annville, Pa., Nov. 3, 1848. Mrs. Kendall
is the oldest daughter of John and Lucy
.Ann ( I'relingheusen) I'rantz. whose inter-
esting sketcli may Ix^ found in this botik.
Mrs. Kendall received her education in the
public schools of Burlington. Iowa, and
later was a valued teacher in the same

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

223

schools for a short time. This union has
been blessed by two children, both of whom
were born in Iturlington : Leslie, a graduate
of the high school ; and Reginald W., born
Sept. 3, 1884. The latter was a student at
St. Albans, Knoxville, 111., and also took
a course in St. John's military academy at
Delafield, Wis. Rex, as he is familiarly
called, is now a student in the scientific de-
partment at Ames. He and his sister Leslie
are both devoted members of the Episcopal
church.

Mr. Kendall is a leading Democrat, but
can not be induced to hold office, preferring
to assist his chosen party in the capacity
of a private citizen. He is a great reader
on all subjects, and his beautiful home at
803 North Eighth Street is well stored with
books of all kinds. They also have in their
possession a copy of Dr. Martin Luther's
Bible in German, which is prized very
highly by them.

During all the long years that Mr. Ken-
dall has been in the employ of the railroad,
he has ever discharged his many duties in
a faithful and honorable manner. He is
pleasant and jovial, and always courteous
and accommodating. He and his faithful
wife have aided many in times of distress,
and their friends are numbered all through
the State.

JOHN FRANTZ.

John Frantz, deceased, was a man
whom to know was to honor and respect,
for in all life's relations he was true to up-
right principles, and from his fellow-towns-
men he received the esteem and friendship
which is everywhere accorded genuine
worth. He was a son of John and Elizabeth

(Cleigh) Frantz, and was born in Annville,
Pa., Sept. 3, 182 1. His father died when
Mr. Frantz was only five years of age, and
the lad was adopted by a Mr. Hostetter,
who was a farmer. There were four chil-
dren in his father's family, all of whom are
now dead. His mother died in 1873. He
received his substantial education in the dis-
trict schools in the neighborhood of his
adoption. Soon after bidding adieu to his
school books, Mr. Frantz learned the trade
of a carriage-trimmer with the well-known
firm of John Allwein, and after the com-
pletion of his trade he remained in Mr. All-
wein's employ till 1864, when he came to
Burlington, Iowa.

Sept. 24, 1844, he was married in Jones-
town, Pa., to Miss Lucy Ann Freylingheu-
sen. Mrs. Frantz was born in Jonestown,
Pa., Jan. 24, 1827. Her father was born in
1791, and served through the War of 1812,
and her grandfather was a warrior in the
Revolutionary War. Mr. Freylingheusen
was a field physician in Pennsylvania for
years. He died Sept. 15, 1834, aged sixty-
two years. Mrs. Freylingheusen survived
her husband some ten years, her death oc-
curring m 1864. They were the parents of
seven children, of whom three are now liv-
ing: Maria married ^^'illiam Woomer, and
their son, Ephraim. served through the Civil
War, and lost a leg in the great conflict.
Mr. Woomer was later LTnited States Sen-
ator from Lebanon county, Pa., for two
years, and died a few years ago. Peter, who
served all through the Civil War, being in
the battle of Gettysburg and manv other im-
portant battles, now lives at an advanced
age in Jonestown, Pa. He sang in the Lu-
theran church in Jonestown for forty-two
consecutive years. Sarah married Thomas
Miller, of Lancaster county. Pa., who was

224

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

a jlriiinimT l>iy in the Civil War at the many men in the different departments,
battle of Shiloli. FroylinRheusen Miller, Mrs. I*"rantr was a home-loving and a home-
known as I'Veylie, was a drummer lx)y in making woman, and was greatly beloved
one of the Ohio regiments. Mrs. Miller re- by all who knew her. She was a lifelong
sides in Uayton, Ohio. George Washington member of the Lutheran church, as were the
Freylinghcusen also served all through the most ai her large relationship. Mrs. Frantz
Civil War, and died in 1903. Lucy .\nn was called to her final rest Dec. 18, 1890.
was the wife of our subject. Elizabeth .Mr. Frantz survived his wife about four
Freylingheusen lives in Lebanon, I'a. Ella years, his death occurring Jan. 14, 1894.
marrieil John L. Saylnr. the present owner Mr. Frantz was always a stanch Demo-

an<l proprietor of the .Mlwein carriage fac- crat. and was postmaster in .Annville, Pa.,
tory, in Annville, Pa. Mr. Savior has served for fcnir years, during Buchanan's admin-
in the Legislature of Pennsylvania. istratioii. He was a quiet, conscientious

Mr. and Mrs. I'rantz were blessed with man, who made duty before pleasure his aim
nine children: Jennie A. married William in life, lie early established a high grade
A. Kendall, whose sketch appears on an- oi j)rinciples ujion which to shape his busi-
other page in this volume ; Rebecca is the ncss career, and though many times he had
wife of James Simpson, of Petersburg, V^a. ; much to endure, still he was never even
Lucy is the wife of E. D. Morgan, foreman tempted to swerve from the straight and
of the freight house of the Rock Island narrow course. Mis affection for his fam-
Railroad, with headquarters in P)Urlington, ily and home was strong, and his friendships
Iowa; John C. is also connected with the were deep ;m(l lasting.
freight department of the Rock Island Rail-
road, and lives in Burlington : Elizabeth ■

married Andrew Anderson, who died in
1902. Mrs. .Anderson conducts a grocery
in Burlington. Iowa : .Mhcrta became the
wife of Dwiglit Stevens, and died in Seattle,
Wash., Dec. 25, 1892, and is buried in .Aspen
Grove cemetery, in Burlington, Iowa ; Dr.
Charles P. Frantz is the youngest child.
and is a pros|)erous eye. ear. and throat
specialist in Burlington, Iowa.

.After coming to Burlington Mr. l-'ranlz
entered into partnership with Jedidiah Ben-
nett, opening up a carriage factory on the
corner of Third and Columbia Streets.
They continued in business over thirtv-five
years, shipping many carriages and buggies
to all parts of the Northwest. Their work
was always of the best, and the factory was

F. A. ROE, D. D. S.

Dr. Frf.dickk k .Ai.i;i;kt Rok. who was
well settled in the practice of his profession
at Madrid in 1896, illustrates in his own
experience what nia\ be accomplished in
a few years by a young man of courage and
determination of purpose, in the way of
higher instruction and adequate prepara-
tion for discharging the duties and sur-
mounting the difficulties of a professional
career.

He was born at Swan Creek, 111., Sept.
28. 1868, and received his early education
in the graded schools of Burlington. .After

comjileting his work in the public schools,
a great benefit to the town, as they employed he took a commercial course in the Orchard

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

225

City Business College, on completion of
which he entered the employ of Kant &
Kriechbaum, retail dealers in stoves and
hardware, remainintj there some time with
credit to himself and satisfaction to his
employers. In 1888 he accepted employ-
ment in the station department of, the St.
Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway
Company, — now the Great Northern, — con-
tinuing with it till 1889, when he entered
the State University of Iowa. While in
the employ of the Great Northern, he began
reporting for the papers, and continued
this connection during the eight years
spent at the University. He graduated
from the classical course in the Iowa City
Academy, preparatory to proper classifica-
tion in the University Department of Lib-
eral Arts.

He visited the World's Fair at Chicago
in the interests of a Minnesota paper, and
in the fall of 1893 entered at the University
for the dental course. He completed this
course, and received his degree of Doctor
of Dental Surgery in March, 1896. In the
meantime he had passed the examination
before the State Board of Dental Surgery,
and had been licensed to practice. In the
spring of 1895 ^^ went to Madrid and
opened an office, since which time he has
been regularly engaged in the practice of
his profession, with a success that vouches
for the thoroughness of the University's
course in fitting graduates for their life
work.

Sept. 17, 1895, Dr. Roe was married in
Burlington to Miss Flora May Samson,
A. M., daughter of Professor William J.
Samson, A. M., of the Burlington schools.
She is a graduate of the Iowa Wesleyan
University, and was professor of Greek
and Latin in the Burlington Institute for

two years preceding her marriage. The
\oung couple spent the school year of
1895-96 in Iowa City, where Mrs. Roc took
a course in the Musical Conservatory, and
pursued literary and post-graduate courses;
and on Dr. Roe's graduation, they went to
Madrid to commence housekeeping, and re-
mained happily settled in that bright and
prosperous little city until September, 1898,
when they moved to Burlington. Here Dr.
Roe has continued his professional work
in the Tama building, with a constantly in-
creasing practice. He has one of the best-
equipped offices in this part of the State,
having modern apparatus and electrical
equipment throughout. That he is a close
student', keeping up with all the latest dis-
coveries of value in his profession, is evi-
denced by the recognition that his contem-
poraries in the work have accorded to him.
In 1905 he was in attendance at the Iowa
State Dental Convention, in session at Des
Moines, and was named as a delegate from
that body to the National Dental Conven-
tion meeting at Buffalo, N. Y.

Dr. Roe, as well as his talented wife, has
decided musical ability, and he has for the
past six years been a member of the choir
of the First Methodist Episcopal church, of
Burlington.

The point that we wish particularly to
make, as an encouragement to young men
of ambition and small means, is that from
the time Dr. Roe left the commercial school
in 1887, until his final graduation from the
Iowa State University in March, 1896, he
received no financial aid from any source
other than his own efforts yielded, yet he
was able in these years, step by step, to
climb the ladder of scientific and practical
knowledge to the point we have seen ; and
now, still a young man, he .finds himself

226

BIOCKAl'lllLAL REllEW

well started in a prosperous career. It is
worth while, now ami then, to call atten-
tion to the hcneticence of institutions of
learning, the laws, and the conditions of
society in a free land, all of which make
these thiufjs possihle. In view of these
things, let no young man, struggling to
obtain an education such as will fit him to
enter the walks of professional life, despair
of reaching his goal.

ALBERT JAMES ROE.

Albert J.\Miis Rok, who faithfully
served his country in the Civil War, and
who was for sixteen years a resident of
Burlington, was horn in Oneida county,
.\. v.. Oct. 8. 1842. When a young lad
he came to Iowa with his parents, Elisha
C. and Alinira ( Merihue) Roc, the family
Ikmik- being established in ndaware county.
In the sch(K)ls of that locality he acquired
his education, and in April, 1861, he re-
sponded to the first call of the president for
troops to aid in crushing out the Rebellion.
He was then but nineteen years of age, but
the flame of |)atri()tism burned brightly in
his breast, and he at once ofTered his aid in
defense of the L'nion, enlisting as a member
of Company F, Twelfth Iowa regiment,
which was assigned to the .\rniy of the
Potomac.

Mis first enlistment was lor three years,
or during the war, and he participated in
many important engagements, including
the battles of I-'ort Henry, I-'ort Dnnelson,
Shiloh, the •siege and capture of \'ick.>;burg,
etc. He was honorably discharged in Janu-
ary, i8()-], but re-enlisted in Ajiril of the
same year, and served uulil the close of

the war. Because of ill health he was ap-
])ointed to the position of hospital steward
at Sedalia, Mo. Mrs. Roe also went to
Scdalia, and became the matron of the
hospital there, acting in that capacity for
nine months. Mr. Roe was finally ordered
back to his regiment in the South, again
becoming a memlxjr of his old company.
He was with Sherman on the celebrated
march to the sea, and was also in the grand
review in Washington, being honorably
discharged in June. 1865, in the capital
city, where he was also mustered out of the
service.

While home from the war after his first
discharge, Mr. Roe was married, April 13,
1864, at Ilelleview, Iowa, to Miss Sarah
Louisa Dunn, a daughter of Peter and
Anna (Lenahan) Dunn. They became the
|)arents of six children : Charles E., a
machinist of Burlington, living at 816 Or-
chard St. : Etta K.. who became the wife
of Dr. C. L. Paisley, a [)racticing physician
of I'^armington, died Se])t. 2, 1894, leaving
a daughter, Etta Roe ; F. A., who is en-
gaged in the practice of dentistry, in Bur-
lington: Nellie .M.. the wife of John R.
Ping, an attorney of the State of Washing-
ton : and two who died in infancy.

Mr. Roe was a resident of Muscatine.
Iowa, until 1874, when he came to Des
Moines county and settled in Burlington.
Soon afterward he |)urchased the pro])erty
now occupied 1)\' bis widow, lie engaged
in the wood and coal trade, and had a good
business, which enabled him to provide a
comfortable living for his family. His
energy and earnest labor were leading fac-
tors in his business life, and his home, now
occu()ied by .Mrs. Roe. stands as visible
evidence of his thrift and industry.

He died Sept. 9, i8yo, respected by all

DES AIOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

227

who knew him. He was a member of the
Masonic fraternity, and of the Grand Army
post of Burlington. In his poHtical views
he was a stanch Republican, but never as-
pired to office, preferring to concentrate
his energies upon his business aiTairs. He
was never remiss in the duties of citizen-
ship, however, but gave stalwart support
to each progressive measure, just as he had
upheld the integrity of the Union when
threatened by the disloyalty of the South.

ROBERT J. BURDETTE.

Robert J. Burdette, humorist, lecturer,
and preacher (for in that line of progres-
sion has he won his way to the hearts of
the American people until his name is a
familiar one in almost every household of
the land), was for many years a resident
of Iowa, and first became known to fame in
connection with the Burlington Haivk-Evc
He was born July 30, 1844, in Greensboro
county. Pa., a son of Frederick E. Burdette,
of Virginia, who was of Huguenot lineage,
while his mother was of Welsh and German
ancestry, and through her he inherited from
a long line of Welsh ancestors his Christian
name of Robert Jones. When he was two
years of age, his parents removed to Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, and in 1852 made their way
by the water route to Peoria, 111., for the
era of railroad transportation was then un-
known. In the public schools of Peoria he
received his intellectual training, being
graduated from the high school with the
class of 1861, but his entire life has been
a school in which his mind has constantly
broadened and his perceptions deepened.
He has been a student of human nature

more than of all else, giving deep and
earnest consideration to the questions
which aflfect the race, its welfare and its
progress.

He had hardly left the schoolroom when,
in July, 1862, about the time of the eight-
eenth anniversary of his birth, he enlisted
as a private in Company F, Forty-seventh
Illinois Infantry, and thus served until the
close of the Civil War. He left the military
for the civic department of the government
service, becoming a mail agent, and in
1869 he entered upon what proved the ini-
tial step of his journalistic career, becom-
ing proof-reader on the Peoria Daily
Transcript. Eventually he was made night
editor; and, ambitious to enter upon an in-
dependent venture in the journalistic field,
he began the publication of the Peoria Rc-
z'iciu, an evening paper, about 1871. This
did not prove successful, however, and in
1872 he became city editor of the Burling-
ton Hazi'k-Eyc, where he rapidly rose to
fame through his humorous articles pub-
lished in that paper. In the winter of 1876
he went upon the lecture platform in con-
nection with the Redpath Lyceum Bureau
of Boston, and his fame on the platform
became international.

Robert Jones Burdette, with a chivalry
that has always been typical of his nature,
accredits his success in life in very large
measure to the influence of the two ladies
upon whom he has conferred his name.
His first wife, Caroline Garrett, was born
and reared in Peoria, a daughter of the late
Auren Garrett, one of the pioneers of that
city. Fler father, whose death occurred
July 13, 1905, had for seventy-two years
been a resident of Peoria, where he located
in 1833, when it contained a population of
little more than five hundred. His father.

228

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Auf^ustus ( ). (Jarrctt, was the pioneer hotel
proprietor of that city, and at one time a
prominent factor in public affairs there.
He continued liis identification with the
business inti-n-;is nf I^c.ir!.i imiil l)i< di-aih
in 1867.

Auren Garrett was born in Litchfield,
Conn., Sept. 29, 1818, and his boyhood days
were passed at Honcoye I-'alls, X. V., until
he was fourteen nr fifteen years of age,
when he accompanied his parents to the
great West. They embarked on a sailing
vessel at BufFaKj for Chicago, but Auren,
the eldest son, traveled overland with a
valuable team of horses and wagon, reach-
ing I\'oria in the early part of August,
1833. The parents and other members of
the family bad arrived but a few days be-
fore, after completing the trip by water.
.\uren Garrett for many years followed
steaniboatiug on the Illinois River, acting
as pilot for more than two decades ; and
when his diligence and economy had
brought him a little capital, he invested
in a stock of merchandising, and eventually
became extensively engaged in dealing in
crockery and wall pajier, continuing in
trade until his retirement from active busi-
ness cares in the evening of life. His last
years were s])enl in the home of his daugh-
ter, Mrs. David .Muir, at 1115 North Glen-
dale Avenue, Peoria, and there he passed
away, survived by but one daughter of his
first marriage, Miss Medorah Hall Garrett,
of Rosemont, Pa. Three daughters of the
second marriage are living: Mrs. David
T. Muir, of I'eoria ; Mrs. A. B. Humphrey,
of Santa Monica, Cal. ; and Mrs. E. E.
Newman, of Los .\ngeles, Cal. Mr. Gar-
rett belonged to that class of splendid ]>io-
necr settlers who recognized and improved
the op|)ortiuiili('s of the great West, .-unl

while advancing individual success, con-
tributed in substantial measure to the de-
velopment and growth of his adopted city.

It was in Peoria that Robert Burdette
and Caroline Garrett were married, and
after residing for several years in Burling-
ton they removed to Philadeljjhia, Pa., and
later to .\rdmore, a suburb of that city.
It was the influence of .Mrs. Burdette that
led her husband into his humorous writing,
and, as he said, "gave him strength, cour-
age, hope, and good sense ;" contendiivg
that in everything she told him to do he
prospered, and that every time he went
again^st her advice he failed. She was a
lady of scholarly tastes and habits, recog-
nized her husband's talents, and ambitious
for his recognition, because of his power,
inspired him to put forth his l>est effort, and
gain a place in the world for which nature
intended him. Those who know aught of
Mr. and Mrs. Burdette in their home life
recognize its close approach to the ideal.
For many years an invalid, he was most
ilfvoted to her care and welfare.

They had but one son, Robert, Jr., who
is now on the reportorial staff of the Ihnck-
Eyc. He was born at Burlington, .\]iril 10.
1877, and attended the Haverford College
Gramniar .'school, of Haverford, Pa., and
also Haverford College, .\fter a year spent
abroad with his parents, he began news-
paper work on the Philadelphia livening
Bulletin, and is now with the Hawk-Eye.
Well known in the city of his birth and
residence, he is ])articularly active outside
of business circles in the work of the Bap-
tist church.* Mrs. Burdette passed away in
the month of May, 1884, and not long after-
ward Mr. Burdette removed to Bryn Mawr,
Pa., where he lived with his sister-in-law.
Miss Medorah H. Garrett.

DES MOfNES COUNTY, IOWA.

229

Mr. Burdette continued for some years
his active literary work in the East, writing
for papers and magazines and going upon
his lecture tours in the winter seasons un-
der the management of the Redpath Lyceum
Bureau. He has been a well-known con-
tributor to the Ladies' Home Journal,
Brooklyn Eagle, Philadelphia Press, Lip-
pincott's Aiagasiiie, Life, and other publica-
tions. Among his writings, aside from his
articles for the magazines and journals of
the country, are : "Chimes from a Jester's
Bells," "Sons of Asaph," "Modern Temple
and Templars, or Life of Russell H. Con-
well," "Smiles Yoked with Sighs ;" while
his lectures cover the following subjects:
"Rise and Fall of the Mustache," "Advice
to a Young Man," "Home," "Move On,"
"The Woman with the Broom." His latest
production is "Rainbow Chasers."

In 1898 Mr. Burdette was married to
Mrs. Clara B. Baker, of Pasadena, who,
like his first wife, has been a constant
source of inspiration and encouragement
to him in his work. In her maidenhood
she was Miss Clara Bradley, a native
of Wisconsin. She married Professor
Wheeler, of the university of that State.
In those early years Mr. Burdette formed
the acquaintance of Professor Wheeler and
his wife, and a strong friendship sprang up
between them ; but later the Wheeler fam-
ily removed to California, where Professor
Wheeler died, leaving a young son, Roy
Bradley, the latter now at Pasadena, Cal.
He was graduated from HarVard Univer-
sity with honors in June, 1904. Mrs. Bur-
dette lived in California for some time, and
then married Colonel Baker, an e.x-Confed-
erate cavalry officer, and later a lawyer of
considerable reputation on the Pacific
Coast. Following his death, Mrs. Burdette

occupied her handsome residence on Orange
Grove Avenue in Pasadena, living there
for several years with her son Roy. In
1898 she became the wife of Robert Jones
Burdette, and they maintained their resi-
dence in Pasadena.

It is there that Robert Jones Burdette
entered upon the work of the ministry, sup-
plying for one summer the pulpit of the
First Presbyterian church, after which he
became pastor for the newly organized
Temple Baptist church of Los Angeles,
Cal. He has for many years been a firm
believer in the doctrines of the Baptist
denomination, and having been ordained
to the ministry, he is devoting his time to
the upbuilding of the church there, which
in 1906 contemplates the erection of a
structure valued at a million dollars, to
contain an immense auditorium reserved
for the church, while the other rooms will
be used for office purposes.

Mrs. Burdette, who is famed for her busi-
ness ability throughout California, is one
of the leaders in this enterprise. Under
all the humor that has brightened the lives
of the thousands throughout the land who
have been interested readers of all that has
come from his pen, there is in Robert J.
Burdette a depth of character and humani-
tarian spirit that are manifest in every writ-
ten and spoken utterance. He has broad
himian sympathies ; and while he frequently
treats of the harmless little foibles of human
nature, the prejudices in which it indulges
and the foolish actions which it perpetrates,
his fun is kindly, tender, and considerate.
Without special educational privileges, he
has become a scholar through deep reflec-
tion. He has gained an intimate knowledge
of the trend of the world's progress, the
possibilities for human development ; and

230

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

in all of his work there has been a spirit
of hiimanitarianisin that, like his humor,
has been a radiating influence for good.

DR. JACOB S. CASTER.

Dk. J.\c.ob Sylvk.ster C.\ster, Mayor of
Burlington, called to the office in 1904, by
the largest vote ever given in the city to
its chief executive, stands as a high type
of our American citizonshi]) — a man whose
business success is tho direct outcome of
consecutive and honorable effort, and whose
political career has been actuated by high
principles and lofty patriotism, as exempli-
fied in his tangible and practical labors for
the public good.

A native of Iowa. Dr. Carter was born in
Franklin Mills, DecatUF county, Sept. 15,
i860, his parents being Dr. Paul and Nancy
(Hatfield) Caster. His paternal grand-
father, John Custer, for so the name was
then si)elled, was of German lineage, of an
ancestry that was represented in Pennsyl-
vania at an early day. He removed from
the Keystone State to Hagerstown, Ind.,
becoming one of the pioneers of that lo-
cality, and there Dr. Paul Caster was born
and reared. The latter, subsequent to his
marriage and the birth of their eldest child,
came with his family to Iowa, settling in
Decatur county, where he early followed
the wheelwright's trade and also engaged
in tJK- milling business, being one of the
pioneer representatives of industrial inter-
ests there. In 1866 he took up the profes-
sion of magnetic healing, and gained wide
and lasting reputation by his skill and
efficiency. Removing to Ottumwa. Iowa,
be erected a building there, in iSfK), at a

cost of eighty-six thousand dollars — now
the Ottumwa Hospital. There he treated
people from nearly all parts of the world,
patients coming to him from distant sections
of this country, as his fame spread abroad
and his power was demonstrated by the
practical residts that attended his efforts.
He died in .\pril, 1881, while his wife
passed away when her son Jacob was but
two years old. Paul Caster married, second,
Mrs. Sarah Ferl, a widow of a soldier who
was killed at Lookout Mountain, Tenn.

To the first marriage were born five chil-
dren : Mary Ann, wife of Samuel Gilbert,
both dead ; John L., Samuel L., both of
whom live in Ottumwa; Sallie, wife of
( ieorge Rutter, of Chicago ; and our sub-
ject.

To the second marriage were born three
children: Lizzie, who died in childhood:
W'm. : and Ella, wife of Seneca Cornell,
County Attorney of Wapello county, Iowa,
and Xettie. now Mrs. Bangs, of Ottumwa.

.Vccomiianying his parents to Ottumwa,
Iowa, when about eight years old. Dr. Cas-
ter continued his education in the public
.schools of that city, and later entered the
Commercial College, from which he was
graduated. During the last five years of
his father's life he was associated with him in
practice as superintendent of his infirmary.
It was the father's earnest desire that the
son should take up his profession, but Dr.
J. S. Caster refused because of the close
confinement necessitated in the conscientious
performance *of the duties involved. In-
stead he turned his attention to the ma-
chinist's trade, and for nearly nine years
was in the service of the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy Railroad Company, in that
ca|)acity. He came to I'urlington while so
eniploved, and while •^tijl in the railroad serv-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

233

ice he treated a number of charity cases here,
his sympathy being aroused and his broad
humanitarian principles prompting his ready
aid in behalf of those who had not the
means to secure other professional treat-
ment. The cures he effected drew to him
the attention of many of the citizens of
Burlington, and many pleaded with him to
treat members of their families. Thus,
without effort on his part, he gradually
worked into a practice that made heavier
and heavier demands upon his time and
attention, until he resolved to direct all his
energies into the channels of magnetic heal-
ing, and in 1889 he opened his office. Since
that time patients have come to him in Bur-
lington from forty different States and Ter-
ritories, extending from Maine to California,
and from the Canadian border to the Gulf
of Mexico. Since the third of September,
1 89 1, he has kept a record of his business,
having given eighty thousand treatments,
of which thirty-four thousand were to resi-
dents of Burlington — showing his high
position in the public regard in his adopted
city.

In his political views Dr. Caster has al-
ways been a Republican, and the questions
and issues of the day have claimed his ear-
nest consideration and careful thought. He
has come to be recognized as a leader in
the ranks of his party in Burlington, and
in 1897 was chosen alderman, being the
first Republican elected to that office in the
third ward in many years. In 1904 named
as his party's canidate for the highest office
within the gift of the city, he was elected
mayor of Burlington by a plurality of 1992,
the largest received by any mayoralty candi-
date in Burlington. Thus, with the en-
dorsement of public opinion, he entered the
office, and the favorable regard evinced in

the ballot has been in no degree set aside
or modified as he has discharged the onerous
duties which devolve upon him. When he
took the office after a Democratic adminis-
tration, there was an indebtedness for com-
pleted contracts amounting to $108,992, and
yet Dr. Caster has been enabled to do a
large amount of paving, repairing, and
other practical and beneficial work. The
fines from the police department have aver-
aged over eight hundred dollars per month,
against less than one-half that amount in
previous times. His administration of the
aff'airs of the city is conducted along strictly
business lines, appealing to the sound judg-
ment and keen discernment of the citizens,
and his course is winning high encomiums.
He was elected president of the Iowa
League of Municipalities, at the convention
held at Burlington in October, 1905.

Dr. Caster has attained high rank in
Masonic circles. He is a member of Des
Moines Lodge, No. i. Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, of Burlington, has taken
the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite
in the consistory at' Davenport, and also
belongs to Kaaba Temple of the Mystic
Shrine, at Davenport. He is likewise a
member of Excelsior Lodge, No. 268, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, of which
he is a past noble grand, and Eureka En-
campment, No. 2, together with the auxil-
iary — the order of Rebekah, belonging to
Paul Caster Lodge, No. 348, which was
named in honor of his father. He is like-
wise connected with other fraternal organi-
zations, and is in full sympathy with the
beneficent spirit which forms the basis of
all these organizations.

On the 23d of March, 1880, Dr. Caster
married Miss Mary Biederman, formerly
of Ottumwa, Iowa. They had four chil-

234

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

drcn, but the tirst born dii-d at the age of
cigliteen months. The others are Charles
E., of Burlington, who married Anna E.
Stoerzbach ; Mable R. and Mary E., at
home. Dr. Caster is a member of the First
Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife
and daughters arc members of the Christian
Science church. They have a beautiful
home at the corner of High and Fourth
Streets, in one of the most attractive resi-
dence portions of the city.

Through the open door of oi)piirtunity,
which is the ]jride of our .\nierican life,
Dr. Caster has made his way to profes-
sional, social, and political prominence, and
in the light of public criticism, whereby
every individual is judged, his course will
bear the closest investigation, and can not
fail to awaken admiration. A blending of
geniality and dignity in his manner, of
courtesy and kindliness in his deportment,
of big purpose and honorable action in his
political career, he stands among the rep-
resentative men of Burlington — an honor
to tlie city which has honored him with
high oflicial preferment.

HENRY JOHN DUSTMAN.

Henry John Dustman, known in busi-
ness as J. H. Dustman, who, becoming an
independent factor in business life in Bur-
lington in 1877, has since made continuous
advancement in commercial circles until he
is now one of the leading grocery mer-
chants of the city, controlling a trade, which
in its extensive dimensions, is an inde.x to
his ability and enterprise, was born in Prus-
sia, Germany, a son of H. J. and Mary
(Bcrksteigle) Dustman. When four years

of age he was brought to America by his
parents, who located first in St. I^niis, Mo.,
and after a few years came to Burlington,
where he continued his education in the
public and private schools, having already
mastered the elementary branches of learn-
ing in St. Louis. Leaving school, he as-
sisted his father in the further development
and improvement of the home farm until
seventeen years of age, when he went to St.
Louis, Mo., where he learned the cabinet-
maker's trade, which he followed until 1877.
He then engaged in business for himself as
a furniture dealer on North Hill, his store
being located at the corner of North and
Seventh Strefcts, where he remained for a
year. He then removed to his present loca-
tion, continuing in the furniture business
alone for about two years, when he joined
his brother, .\ugust J. Dustman, in a part-
nership, and they dealt in both groceries
and furniture. When two years had thus
passed he ])urchased his brother's interests,
and has since confined his attention ex-
clusively to the grocery trade. The broth-
ers erected the buildings which now stand
at the corner of Eighth and North Streets,
— a visible proof of their enterprise and
executive ability. I'nder the capable guid-
ance of Mr. Dustman his trade has steadily
increased until it is hardly surpassed in the
grocery line in the city. The tasteful ar-
rangement of the store, the carefully selected
stock, the straightforward business methods
employed, combine to make his career a very
prosperous one. In connection with gro-
ceries he also handles hay, grain, and feed.
Mr. Du.stman, in matters relating to the
city's welfare and progress, is deeply inter-
ested. For two years he has served as a
member of the school board and has also
been a member of the board of trustees of

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

235

the Ikirlington Hospital since 1900. His
political allegiance is given the Democratic
party. Fraternally, he has been connected
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
since 1872, always holding membership with
the lodge in Burlington, in which he has
filled a number of offices. He has mem-
bership relations with the Zion German
Evangelical church and is at present vice-
president of the board of trustees and has
also served as deacon. He is thus deeply
interested in the intellectual and moral de-
velopment of the community, and possesses
a benevolent spirit which has been manifest
in many acts of charity.

On the 14th of October, 1875, Mr. Dust-
man was married to Miss Paulina Paule,
a daughter of Jacob and Christina (Wehrt)
Paule. She died Sept. 22, 1882, leaving
three children: Ida C, Phillip H., and
Lydia Mary. On the fifth of June, 1884,
]Mr. Dustman was again married, his second
union being with Emma Paule, by whom
he has one child, Selma D. His obligations
to his family, his fellow-men and his city
have always been conscientiously discharged,
and by reason of his close application
strong purpose, commendable ambition,
and unflagging perseverance, he has gained
a creditable place among the reliable and
successful merchants of Burlington.

JOHN BAPTIST RITZMANN.

John B,\pti.st Ritzm.\nn, with one ex-
ception the oldest merchant of liurlington, in
years of continued connection with commer-
cial pursuits here, was born in Shefifhouser,
Switzerland, ^larch 12, 1834, his parents

being Casper and Margaretta (Deuber)
Ritzmann. He jnirsued his education in
the public schools, and afterward learned
the blacksmith's trade, which he followed
until his immigration to America in 1854.
He crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel,
which completed that voyage in forty-two
days, dropping anchor in the harbor of New
York. ' He afterward went to Toledo, Ohio,
and in 1856 he came to Burlington, where
he secured a situation in a machine shop,
being thus employed until after the outbreak
of the Civil War.

In September, Mr. Ritzmann, in response
to the call of his adopted country for aid,
enlisted in the army, becoming a member of
Company F, Fifth Iowa Cavalry, with
which he served for three years. He was
stationed at or near Fort Donelson, and did
actual duties for scouting parties in that
portion of the country. In July, 1863, he
went with General Cook on a scouting expe-
dition to Huntsville, Ala., after which he
returned to Pulaski, Tenn., reaching that
place on Christmas Day of 1863. He was
in many skirmishes, and was for a time on
detached duty, serving with the Michigan
Cavalry, on account of having no commis-
sioned officers in his own company, because
of re-enlistment of the men of the regiment.
He was then sent with the non-veterans to
Chattanooga, and was attached to General
Thomas's courier line, and had command of
Post No. I, going with him as far as At-
lanta, after which the regiment returned to
Nashville with General Thomas. It was at
that place, on Oct. 30, 1864, that Mr. Ritz-
mann was honorably discharged, his term
of service having expired. While with Gen-
eral Thomas he was wounded in the head
by a rebel ball, but he continued in the ranks,
not losing anv time. He was alwavs a faith-

236

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ful soldier, true and loyal to his duty, and
with a creditable record he returned to his
home in Iowa.

Again locating in Burlington. Mr. Ritz-
mann embarked in the grocery business, and
is now the second uklfst business man, being
located at 875 Jefferson Street, where he
has remained continuously since 1867. He
has for many years enjoyed a large patron-
age, handling a general line of groceries,
and also dealing in hay, grain, and feed.
His business has had a steady and healthful
growth, and its extent is now such that he
annually receives a good income, which
supplies him with all of the necessities and
many of the comforts of life.

Mr. Ritzniann was married Sept. 21.
1861, to Miss Mary .\. Mischler, a daughter
of Baptist Mischler. They have six chil-
dren, namely : Rosalie, the wife of J. C.
Kimball, a resident of Burlington township,
Des Moines county, where he follows farm-
ing ; Adel and Clara, both at home ; John X.,
who is living in Pike coimty, Missouri : and
Matilda and Mary, at home.

In his political views Mr. Rilziiiaiiii is a
stanch Republican, and is interested in llie
growth and success of his party, but has
not .sought or held office, save that he served
on the relief commission f>f the county.
He is a prominent and valued member of
the Grand .\rmy jmst in Burlington, in
which he has held all of the offices. He
takes great pleasure in this association with
his old comrades-in-arms, and in recalling
the signals and events of the war. He has
ever been /progressive in citizenship, desires
the progress and improvement of his city.
•State, or nation, and dnring his long resi-
dence in l>urlin'.jtnn he has made a most
creditable record as a reliable business
man.

JOHN T. BECKMAN.

John T. Beck.man, secretary and treas-
urer of the Moehn Brewing Company, of
Burlington, was bom June 7, 1854, in
Franklin township, Des Moines county, and
is a son of Theodore and Berdine (Nie-
mann) Beckman. The father was born in
Westphalia, Germany, in 1821, and came to
the United States in 1848, crossing the At-
lantic to New Orleans in a sailing vessel,
which left the port of Bremen. After reach-
ing the Crescent City he proceeded up the
Mississippi River to Fort Madison, Iowa,
where he secured employment at eight dol-
lars per month. He thus worked f(jr two
an<l a half months, his day extending from
eight o'clock in the morning until ten
o'clock at night. He afterward came to
I'urlington, and spent a year and a half in
the Postlewaite distillery, and during that
period he earned enough to take him to Cal-
ifornia. Attracted by the discovery of gold
i>n the Pacific Slope, he determined to make
his way to the I'^ar West, with the hope of
rapidly realizing a fortune there. He bought
a ])air of oxen and a wagon, and proceeded
across the country, going by way of the city
of Council Bluffs up the Platte River and
across the Rockies to Sacramento. He there
engaged in mining for others until he was
enabled to make a start for himself. The
journey across the plains was made in coiu-
pany with Fred Diercks and James Murj^hy.
Mr. P.eckman remained on the Pacific Coast
for about two years, and met with fair suc-
cess in his undertakings there, bringing back
w ilh liim enough money to enable liim to |)ur-
chase eighty acres of land, where he now
lives. .Xs his financial resources increased
he added to this property, until his realty
holdings now aggregate one thousand acres.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

237

Following his return to Iowa Mr. Beck-
man was married in Burlington to Miss
Berdine Niemann, who was born in Ger-
many, and came to the United States about
1850, sailing from Bremen. She was four-
teen weeks on the voyage, and after reach-
ing the shores of the New World made her
way direct to Burlington. She was accom-
panied by her father, John Niemann, three
brothers, Clement, Bernard, and John, and
her sister Elizabeth, who afterward mar-
ried Fiedal Hartman, of Burlington. The
brothers settled in Burlington, and died leav-
ing families. Mr. and Mrs. Beckman had
become acquainted prior to his sojourn in
California, and they were married in 1853,
settling on his farm, where they have since
lived, he becoming one of the most pros-
perous and extensive agriculturists of this
part of the State. Nine children were born
unto them, John T., Sylvester, Mary, Frank,
Matilda, Henry, Annie, Theodore W., and
Frances.

John T. Beckman pursued his education
in the common schools, and in his youth
assisted in the operation of the home farm,
becoming familiar with all the duties and
labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist.
He remained with his father until nearly
twenty-seven years of age, and was then
married and began farming on his own ac-
count, being associated with agricultural
interests until 1892. He then devoted his
attention between farming and general mer-
chandising, and he still conducts both busi-
ness enterprises, with the assistance of those
whom he employs for the purpose. In No-
vember, 1904, he removed to Burlington,
although he had been associated with busi-
ness enterprises of this city for some time
previous. In February, 1902, he became
secretarv and treasurer of the Moehn Brew-

ing Company, which position he still fills,
and is a stockholder in the Citizens' State
Bank, of Mediapolis, and in the Danville
State Bank. His business enterprise, laud-
able ambition, and strong determination have
led him out of the field of limited endeavor
into broad activity, and he is to-day a rep-
resentative business man of this city and
county. His progress has been made con-
tinuously and along safe lines, and while ad-
vancing his individual interests he has also
contributed to the growth and improvement
of business conditions of the county.

On the 20th of April, 1880, Mr. Beckman
was married to Miss Theresa Ritter, a
(laughter of John Ritter, of Fort Madison,
and they had six children, of whom three
died in infanc}'. Those living are Edward
J., Mary, and Theresa. The wife and
mother died in 1892, and on Feb. 12, 1895,
Mr. Beckman was again married, his second
union being with Julia Walz, at Burlington,
a daughter of Dennis Walz. There is one
child of this marriage, Theodore.

In his political affiliation Mr. Beckman is
a Democrat, and he has held several town-
ship offices, including those of trustee and
assessor: In matters of citizenship he is
always public-spirited and progressive, and
his co-operation has proved a valued factor
in promoting many measures for the public
good. He is a man of distinct and forceful
individuality, who has left and is leaving
his impress upon the business world.

JEROME EDWARD HEDGES.

Jerome Edward Hedges represents a
prominent pioneer family of Des Moines
county, as he has been a resident of this

238

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

county for sixiy-tivc \cars, liis birth liav-
ing occurred July 12, 1S40. on the farm
where he yet resides. His parents, Joash
and Ehza (Stage) Hedges, canie to Des
Moines county about the year 1836, when
this was largely an unimproved wilder-
ness. Burlington was but a small town,
and the country round about was unim-
proved, only a few settlements having been
made here and there over the firairies and
along the streams.

Joash Hedges located in Huron town-
ship. wluTc he established a pioneer home
and remained for in;iny years. He was
born in I'ickaway county. Ohio, in 1808.
and departed this life in December, 1875.
while his wife's death occurred in June
of the same year. They were the par-
ents of si.x children: Joshua, Richard.
and Benjamin, all deceased; Sarah, liic
wife of Dr. Antrabus, who is living in
Kansas: Jerome E. : and one that died in
infancy.

The taniily shared in all the liar(lship>
and privations incident to frontier life.
and as the years passed by devcloi)e(l
there an excellent farm. It was upon this
])lace that Jerome E. Hedges was born
and reared, and he retains vivid recollec-
tions of pioneer conditions and environ-
ments, his mind forming a connecting
link between the primitive past and the
progressive present. His education was
obtained in the early subscription schools.
The schoolhouses were built of logs, with
puncheon floors and slab seats, while a
rough slab laid upon wooden pins driven
into the wall served for desks. Greased
paper was used for windows, and the
methods of instruction were almost as
[)rimitive as the schoolhouse.

One of Mr. Hedges' teachers, whom he

well remembers, was .Mrs. Lizzie Ripley.
He had the privilege of attending school
only through the winter months, for in
the summer seasons he worked upon the
home farm from the tiuie his age and
strength permitted. He also early learned
the blacksmith's trade under Xels Brown,
and established a shop of his own about
1SO5. I"or thirty-hve years he continueil
;it this trade, doing the blacksmithing for
the i)cople of his locality, his excellent
workmanship securing him a good ])at-
ronage in that line.

He has also followed farming through
many years, and is to-day the owner of a
valuable tract of two hundred and sixty-
three acres, of which one hundred and
thirty-three acres are a part of the old
homestead farm which his father pur-
chased of a Mr. W'estphal on arriving in
this county. In his farming operations
Mr. Hedges disi)lays business ability and
executive force, which have been strong
elements in his ])rosperity.

iiis home is on Sections 13. 14. and 18.
antl he has placed most of the improve-
ments upon his farm. His residence is
one of the most modern and attractive
homes in this section of the county, and
in the rear stand good barns and out-
buildings, which in turn are surrounded
by highly cultivated fields. In addition
to the raising of the cereals best adapted
to the soil and climate, he also raises
some cattle and hogs.

Mr. Hedges has likewise been an active
participant in public affairs. He has
served as school director for many years,
and was treasurer of the school board for
about twenty-two years, still serving in
that office. He was postmaster of the
village of Huron for thirty years, and re-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

239

signed his position in 1903, having
throngh that long period discharged his
duties with promptness and fidelity. His
co-operation can always be counted upon
to further any movement for the general
good, and his worth is widely acknowl-
edged by all who know him.

On March 8, 1866, Mr. Hedges was
married to Miss Vina Luckenbill, a daugh-
ter of Benjamin and Mary (Myers) Luck-
enbill, and a native of Huron township,
born April 28, 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Hedges
have two children, Eliza and Benjamin,
both at home. The family are well known
in the county, I\Ir. Hedges having a partic-
ularly wide acquaintance because of the
long years of his residence here. His
memory is stored with many of the his-
tone annals of the county, and he relates
in an interesting manner many anecdotes
of the early days when pioneer conditions
existed.

JOHN PETER GINGRICH.

John Peter Gingrich, of Burlington,
Iowa, now leading a retired life at his pleas-
ant home, 1720 South Street, was born in
Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, in June,
1826, a son of Jacob and Catherine (Miller)
Gingrich. He was educated in the common
schools of his native State, and his father
being a captain and owner of a freight boat
on the canal, he also entered that employ-
ment, at which he was engaged from the age
of nine years to his eighteenth year. He
then began working on a farm, so continuing
until 1862, when, on September 12, he en-
listed at Harrisburg, Pa., in Company E,
Seventeenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and

served until July 5, 1865, when he received
honorable discliarge at the city of Cincin-
nati. Mr. Gingrich was a member of the
Army of the Potomac, and was in battle
shortly after enlistment, the occasion being
an attack by the Confederate forces near
Washington. The attack was sudden, and
he accompanying his captain in a hasty rush
to the skirmish line, the officer made his way
along a small valley, while Mr. Gingrich
took the higher ground, and being visible to
all the hostile forces scattered over a vast
expanse of surrounding country, became the
central target of a heavy musket fire. Hun-
dreds of bullets whistled and hummed about
his ears, but he arrived at the scene of action
untouched. Afterward he took part in the
attack on Washington which was led by
Early, the Southern general, and in many
other skirmishes and fierce engagements, but
received no wound. He was one of the body
guard of Abraham Lincoln at Washington,
D. C, for six months acting as guard during
Lincoln's trips in the country, where he
spent many nights.

Mr. Gingrich has been twice married,
first to Miss Mary Ann Galbach, daughter
of Gabriel and Marian (Marquardt) Gal-
bach. Mrs. Gingrich died in 1861, survived
by one child, Clara Ann. On Dec. 17, 1868,
he wedded Miss Margaret Applegate,
daughter of Robert and Rebecca (McMoni-
gle) Applegate, and to them have been born
four children, as follows : Elizabeth ; Ida ;
Coretta, wife of Andrew Phillip Mesmer ;
and Minnie May, wife of Emil Zimmer;
Mary Ada died at age of one year and nine
months.

Mrs. Gingrich was born in Brown county,
Ohio, April 19, 1836, and removed with her
parents to Burlington in 1848. Her father,
who was by trade a cooper, and also did

240

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

farming, died May 15, 1852, and her mother
March 27, 1852, botli aged forty-two years.
Mrs. Gingrich had a brother, Andrew, who
enHstcd at Keokuk in the Civil War in the
Second Iowa Infantry. He was in the bat-
tle of Corinth and with Sherman on his
grand " march to the sea." After serving
to the end of the war, he was honorably
discliargcd. Mr. Aj)i)legatc ii.sed to be pilot
on the Mississippi, but later passed away.
The name of John Peter Gingrich is one to
which high honor attaches for his faithful
service to the nation in time of her peril, and
for duty conscientiously performed in days
of peace.

ALBERT HACKER.

A WIDELY known citizen of Des Moines
county, Icrsva, and one who for many years
has been a prominent representative of the
business interests of this portion of the State,
is Albert Hacker, now residing on his farm
in Section 20, of Burlington township. Mr.
Hacker is a native of Germany, the date of
his birth being June 25, 1837, and it was
there that he received a good and permanent
grounding in the common branches of edu-
cation in the public schools. He is the son
of Carl and Louisa Hacker, both natives of
Germany, where the father passed his life as
a successful farmer, and where both died
at an advanced age, and were buried, they
never having visited this country.

In iiis native land our subject attained to
years of maturity, and began the active work
of his life by taking employment in a flour-
ing mill, in which he continued until about
his thirtieth year, when he resolved to avail
himself of the greater and more abundant
opportunities awaiting his enterprise and

abilities on this side the Atlantic, and taking
passage to New York, came directly to Iowa,
locating temporarily at Burlington. He
remained in that city for only a short period,
however, before taking work by the month
on a farm, a -work in which he spent the
ne.xt three years, during which time he be-
came familiar with the language and cus-
toms of the country, and by the practice of
industry and frugality was enabled to ac-
cumulate a sufficient cajjital to embark in
independent business. With this he pur-
chased a remunerative dairy route in Bur-
lington, and by careful management and
unceasing attention to the needs of the pub-
lic, as well as by making at all times the
fullest and best use of his resources, he
achieved a substantial success — one which
has well repaid nim for the time, labor, and
executive ability which he has expended
in its promotion. For the first ten years he
rented his present farm for dairy purposes,
at the end of that time buying it outright,
it then consisting of one hundred and fifty
acres of fine land, to which he afterward
added twenty acres ; and here for many
years he kept never less than fifty, and often
as many as one hundred cows, himself con-
ducting the enterprise until about four years
ago, when he sold the business, and since
that time he has been leading a retired life
at his farm, enjoying in ease the fruits of
his long and successful career. Having
never given more than a passing attention
to agriculture, and now having no further
use for his land for his dairy, Mr. Hacker
has recently sold one hundred and t^venty
acres of his valuable farm land as an addi-
tion to the city of lUirlington, receiving pay-
ment therefor at the rate of somewhat more
than one hundred dollars an acre.

Mr. Ilackcr has been twice married: first

ALBERT HACKER.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

243

to Miss Louisa Ries, by whom he had two
children : Albert, who died at the age of
six months ; and Louisa, who became the
wife of George Fetsher, a street-car con-
ductor of Burlington, and has two children.
The demise of the mother of this family
occurred at the home farm, and she is in-
terred in Burlington. The second wife of
our subject was Mrs. Rose Sleter, now also
deceased, who was the widow of William
Sleter, by whom she had four children :
Anna, deceased ; Charles ; William, de-
ceased ; and George. To her and Mr.
Hacker were born six children, as follows :
Albert, a farmer of Des Moines county,
who married Miss Emma Fildi, and has
one son, Carl ; Edward, who resides at his
father's home ; Caroline, now deceased, who
married Fred Hadley, and was the mother
of two children, Ralph and Eva ; Laura,
who married Frank Hardley, of Burlington
township, and has one child, Florence ; Os-
car, who died at the age of six months ;
Emma, who died at the age of six and one-
half years ; and Helene, who is a member
of the paternal household. To all his chil-
dren Mr. Hacker has supplied the advan-
tages of an excellent education, thus dis-
charging one of the highest obligations of
citizenship in the land where he has attained
such great and well-merited success as a
result of his own unassisted efforts ; for his
achievements are indeed his own, and the
energetic, honorable, and upright course he
has always pursued has made him many
friends, who admire his character and
greatly value him for his social qualities.

A fine portrait of Mr. Hacker appears at
the beginning of this article, which will
he fully appreciated by his many friends,
not only in his own township, but through-
out the whole county.

ANDREW FRENCH CARITHERS.

The pleasant memories which cluster
around the names of those who were ac-
corded a representative place among men
during life are to be perpetuated only in
history, and it is both the duty and the
pleasure of the historian to record the life
record of Andrew French Carithers, who
in pioneer days became a resident of Des
Moines coullty, and for many years fig-
ured prominently in agricultural circles.
Moreover, his labors were of direct and
permanent benefit in the moral develop-
ment of the community, through his
activity in the church. In all life's rela-
tions he was found so honorable and up-
right that his name came to be a synonym
of integrity in his adopted county, and
he was best loved by those by whom he
was best known.

Andrew F. Carithers was born near
Fairville, Tenn., June 19, 1823, his par-
ents being John and Elizabeth (Clark)
Carithers. The family in the paternal
line is of Irish lineage, the grandfather of
our subject being Andrew Carithers, who
came from Ireland to America. He wed-
ded Esther French, who had also come
from the Emerald Isle early in the decade
between 1740 and 1750, being at that time
nine years of age. From a notice in a
local paper at the time of her demise it is
found that she was a centenarian when
called from this life.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew (French) Carith-
ers, grandparents of our subject, lived in
Pennsylvania, and there their four chil-
dren, Mary, John, Andrew, and Rebecca,
were born. The parents were members
of the Seceder church, but became Cove-
nanters after their removal to Tennessee,

2+4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

where Andrew Lariilurs died Sept. 2,
1827. His widow siil)se(|uently removed
with her family to Princeton, Ind.. and
died there in 1846. (This would make her
more than one hundred years old if she
came to America in 1740, at the age of
nine.)

The maternal grandparents of Andrew
French Carithers were John and Isabelle
(McCaleb) Clark. The former was born
Oct. 31. 1767, and died Apl<l 29, 1838,
while his wife was born March 16, 1767,
and died Oct. 29, 1797. They were the
parents of four children : Mrs. Elizabeth
Carithers, John, William, and Mathcw
Clark. The parents came from Ireland
about 1792, when their daughter was but
three years of age. They settled in South
Carolina, and afterward removed to east-
ern Tennessee, locating on the Holston
River, near Knoxville, where John Clark
remained until his removal to Princeton,
Ind., in 1837. There his death occurred
the following year. He was a ruling
elder in the Reformed Presbyterian
church, and was connected with the New
Side after he came to Princeton. He was
extremely well read, being especially
familiar with the Scotch authors. In all
life's relations he was a man of genuine
worth, of kindly, affectionate nature, and
very faithful to his family .-ind friends.
He was twice married, and had two sons
that remained in eastern Tennessee.
There is but little known concerning his
wife, who bore the maiden name of Isa-
belle McCaleb. for she died many > ears
ago. Her daughter and grandchildren,
however, remember her most kindly, so
that she must have been a lady possessed
of many excellent traits of character.

John Carithers, the father of .Andrew

F. Carithers, was born Aug. 7, 1788, and
was married to Flizabeth Clark of Knox-
ville, Tenn., April 10, i8io. Soon after-
ward they removed to Lincoln county,
Tennessee, where their family of nine
children were born. They were there
connected with the Hepziba Congrega-
tion of the Reformed Presbyterian
church, of which Mr. Carithers was
elected ruling elder in 1822. In 1836 he
removed to Princeton, Ind., purchasing
about two hundred acres of land in Gib-
son county, upon which he and his wife
spent their remaining days. In the year
of their arrival there the Princeton Re-
formed Presbyterian church was re-
organized, and John Carithers was elected
ruling elder. He died in 1864, having for
a number of years survived his wife, who
passed away in 1846.

He was over six feet tall, erect,
straight, and of dignified appearance.
Moreover he possessed superior intellect-
ual endowments, had a fine voice, ex-
pressed his thoughts fluently and easily,
and at all times his life was actuated by
principles founded upon Bible truths as
taught in the Westminister- confession of
faith. He was a power for good in the
church and in his neighborhood. He en-
gaged in teaching school in the districts
in which lie li\e(l. and among his scholars
was the gentleman who is now editing the
Princeton Clarion, and who said of Mr.
Carithers : "This father, who died thirty
years ago, was noted in the neighborhood
in which he lived for his integrity and
eminent Christian ch.-iracter. and was
careful to train his household in the
truth. The efTects of this training are
yet seen, — ' he being dead yet speaketh '
in the generations- that follow him."

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

24.-^

His wife is remembered to have been farm work, and he thus assisted his father

rather stout, of about medium height, and for a number of years. Sept. 12, 1848, he

of bright, sunny disposition, endearing was united in marriage to Miss Mary

herself to all who knew her. The follow- Louisa Reid, a daughter of \A'illiam and

ing is the record of their family : Isabelle .Vnna (Work) Reid. She was born in

Rebecca, born Oct. 26, 1814, married Washington county, Indiana, July 7,

James Wilson, Aug. 9, 1838, and three 1831, in which county she was also edu-

children were born to them : Mary E., cated. Her father, a native of South

who died in infancy ; John C, who died in Carolina, resided in that State during

the Union army; and Isabelle, who mar- early manhood, and in 1798 removed to

ried T. J. Scott in 1867, and is now living Clark county, Indiana, where he followed

in Princeton, Ind. Esther Aseneth, the farming. Because of slavery he lived at

second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John various places for about two years, first

Carithers, was born Sept. 9, 181 7, married in Washington county, Indiana, where he

J. \V. Paul in 1839, '^'''d died near Garnet, became acquainted with, and married,

Kans., Jan. 6, 1897. Mary Lizada, born Miss Anna Work, with whom he returned

April 15, 1819, was married in 1853 to to Clark count}-. Her father was one of

William Stormont, and died Jan. 19, 1894. the leading millers of Clark county, being

Andrew French is the next of the father's owner of what was known throughout the

family. John C. Carithers, born Sept. 20, State as the Tunnel Mills.

1825, married Anna Mclntire July 4. 1865, About two years after their marriage

and died Feb. 20, 1903. Josiah E., born Mr. and Mrs. Carithers came from Iowa

•Nov. 19, 1828, was married Dec. 2, 1850, to Des Moines county, arriving here in

to Elizabeth Lockhart. Helen J., born 1850, at which time Mr. Carithers entered

April 13, 1831, became the wife of David one hundred and sixty acres of fine land

Reid, of Rush county-, Ind., and they re- on Section 7, Yellow Springs township,
moved to Morning Sun, Iowa, where Mr.
Reid was ruling elder of the Reformed
Presbyterian church at the time of his
death. Melvina L., the youngest meni-

As he was ill at the time, his good friend
and neighbor, Samuel McElhiney. carried
money to the land office and had' the land
entered in his name, but upon returning

ber of the family of John and Elizabeth home made the deed over to Mr. Carith-
Carithers, was born Nov. 30, 1833, and in ers. Many hardships and trials were to
1863 became the wife of William Peoples, be borne in those early days, and the
who died April 2/, 1896, leaving four chil- financial resources of the young couple
dren, who reside in Princeton, Ind. were limited ; but they struggled onward
Andrew French Carithers began his and upward persistently and energetic-
education in the schools of Tennessee, ally, and as the years passed prospered in
and later attended the common schools of their undertakings. There has never
the Hoosier State, for he was but thirteen been a cent of mortgage upon their beau-
years of age when his parents removed to tifnl farm. Mr. Carithers placed his de-
Indiana. After putting aside his text- pendence upon the safe and substantial
books his entire attention was devoted to qualities of indefatigable energy and per-

246

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

severance. He raised liis first crop
where the brick business block in Morn-
ing Sun now stands, his wife dropping all
of the corn for that crop. Year by year
the work of inijjrovement was carried for-
ward, and the farm is now one of the most
attractive in the township, the home be-
inp surrmuuled by beautiful shade trees,
wiiicii are greatly admired by all.

The journey to the country was made
with an old team and wagon, which con-
tained all of their earthly possessions.
On account of the swampy condition of
.the country at that time, their travel was
fraught with many difficulties and hard-
ships. The horses tired soon because of
the condition of the roads, and finally had
to stand a few days in order to rest.
They stop])ed in an old deserted log
house, but after cleaning it out it became
(|uiU' comfortable, and proved a nnicli
l)otter shelter than they had enjoyed
while camping along the way. Soon,
however, they traveled on, selected the
land for their future home, and built a
siuall log cabin twelve by fourteen feet.
To this primitive home additions and iiu-
provements were made as such became
necessary, and finally the cabin was re-
placed by a modern frame residence,
which stands to-day as one of the beauti-
ful and substantial homes of the town-
ship. The im])rovements on the farm
were all placed there by Mr. Carithers.
who set out many walnut trees around
his residence, and otherwise beautified
the property and added to its value. He
was thoroughly jirogressive and enter-
prising ill all lliat he did. and prospered
as a farmer and stock-raiser.

Mr. and Mrs. Carithers had a family of
four children: .Mice, born March 23,

1852, was graduated an the completion of
the classical course at Geneva College, in

1877. She then went as a missionary into
the Indian districts, in 1870, where she is
still engaged. Work, born, Dec. i<^ 1854,
was graduated froiu (jeneva College in

1878, and from .\llegheny Seminary in
1883. He was then licensed and installed
as ])astor of W'ilkinsburg congregation by
the I'ittsburg I'resbytery, June 20, 1883,
and was aijpointed missionary to the
Indians in 1888. There he is successfully
laboring still. He married Miss Klla
George, of \'enice. Pa., May i, 1883. and
they have a tlaughter, Mary. .\nna
Carithers, born .May 2y, 1861, is the wife
of Rev. Thomas Patton, who is pastor of
the Reformed Presbyterian congregation
at Coldenham, X. V., and they have a
son, Ernest. Isaiah Reid, the other mem-
ber of the Carithers family, is represented
elsewhere in this work.

.\ndrew l-'rench Carithers departed this
life Jan. 8, i<)03, and his family lost a kind
and loving husband and father, while to
the comiuimity, which was made better
by the life of this good citizen, his death
was also the occasion of deep and wide-
spread regret. He possessed many ster-
ling traits of character that were well
worthy of emulation. .\ lifelong member
of the Reformed Presbyterian chiirih. he
served for fifty years as an elder in the
church in Des Moines county, with which
he was so long connected, and in which
he was a most active, influential, and help-
ful worker. On the fiftieth anniversary
of his eldershi]) a celebration was held by
all those who had serveil with him as
elder in the church in Sharon and in
Morning Sun. The occasion was a de-
lightful surprise to .Mr. Carithers, who

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

247

was presented by his friends with a gold-
headed cane bearing the inscription : —

From Sharon R. P. Church

A. F. C.

From Session Sept. 9,

1852-1902.

In his life he, exemplified the golden
rule, doing unto others as he would have
them do unto him. In all business rela-
tions he followed the idealistic principle
of making his business afifairs of service
to his fellow-men, as well as a source of
profit to himself. As a pioneer he took
a very active and helpful part in the early
improvement and progress of the county,
and his influence was ever on the side of
right, substantial development, and moral
advancement. He was honored by all
who knew him for the success which he
achieved, for the straightforward methods
he followed, and for the good which he
did in the world ; and left behind him a
memory which is as a blessed benediction
to all who knew him. His widow, now
in her seventy-fourth year, is an ideal
mother and a lady respected and loved by
all who have the pleasure of her acquaint-
ance. She is still living on the old home-
stead which her husband entered so many
years ago, and with her daughter still
presides as hostess over this hospitable
home.

ROBERT G. ROBB.

Among the highly honored and re-
spected farmers who claim A\'ashington
county, Pennsylvania, as their birthplace,
one who has carefully noted all the vast
changes in llurlington for over forty

years, and now is quietly enjoying some
of the results of the many hardships he
was obliged to undergo in his younger
days, is Robert G. Robb, whose life rec-
ord we are pleased to place before the
many readers of this review.

Robert G. Robb is a son of George and
Jane (George) Robb, and was born in
Washington county, Pennsylvania, Oct.
14, 1832. He received a good, substan-
tial education in the district schools of
his native township, after which he en-
tered upon the farm duties that generally
fall to the lot of a farmer's son. He was
a very industrious boy, and very handy
with the saw and hammer ; between times
with his farm work he would practice us-
ing them, and soon became a carpenter
of much ability. He worked at both
farming and building for many years.

In 1874 he located in Des Moines
county, and his earnings of the past en-
abled him to purchase one hundred and
sixty acres of land, which is the farm he
now resides on, and was formerly owned
by Joseph McElhiney. He later sold
forty acres of this place to his son. Be-
sides engaging in general farming, with
the best of results, he raises a number of
pure Short Horn cattle. He had one ani-
mal of this breed at the World's Fair,
which took the fourth prize. ' When Mr.
Robb moved onto this farm it was in
need of many improvements, and he at
once began the erection of several neces-
sary buildings. He has also repaired and
remodeled the house, and now his farm,
with its substantial improvements, is con-
sidered one of the finest in the township.

Oct. 13, 1859, Mr. Robb joined heart
and hand with Miss Mary S. McLough-
lin, who was a daughter of Samuel and

248

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Margaret (May; Mcl.oiiphlin. This
union was blessed with six cliiltJren. as
follows: George M., formerly located in
New York, is a minister, now residing in
Philadelphia, where he works with much
success; Samuel Edmund, a bright young
man with many friends, departed this life
at the early age of twenty-five years ;
John J. is a prosperous farmer of Yel-
low Springs township ; Thomas C, also
tills the soil to a large extent, in the same
township with his brother John ; Jennie
E., the beloved widow of Robert F.dgar,
married Robert M. McFarland, and will
live on Mr. Robb's home place: Margaret
May is em|)loycd in one of the large mil-
linery stores in the city of Des Moines.
.\lter sharing the joys and sorrows of
married life for some seventeen years,
Mrs. Robb was called to the home be-
yond the skies July 30, 1876.

Nov. 8, 1878, Mr. Robb married Miss
Susan K. Kilpatrick. a daughter of Dan-
iel and .Mary Kilpatrick. and they arc the
parents of (^ne st)n. William .M., who has
taken a theological course in Allegheny
City, Pa., in prejiaration for the ministry,
and is now at home. Mrs. I^obb was born
in|Monroe county, Indiana, March 2. 1845,
and moved to N'ellow .S])riiigs township
with her ])arents many years ago. .\
sketch of John Kilpatrick will lx> found
on another page in this review, which will
speak more nt length of Mrs. Robb's
fatiu-r.

.Mr. and .Mrs. Kobb are devoted and in-
fluential members of the Reforni Presby-
terian church, where he has been elder
for many years : tlicy also belong to the
Reform .Association. Mr. Robb has led
a busy life, his strenuous nature being ut-
terlv o])posc(l 1<) indoli'iici' ;ind idleness.

and through his perseverance and dili-
gence, and his careful management of
business affairs, he has won creditable
success, being now one of the substantial
and valued citizens of Yellow Springs
township, where his family is accortled
an enviable position in social circles.

JOHN GARDEN.

John Garden is a self-made man in
the truest, fullest sense of that term, for
he started upon his business career with
no money. P>y working in a saw-mill, and
renting land for some time, he accumu-
lated a sum sufficient to enable him to
purchase a small tract of land. His lab<:>r
has been unremitting, and his careful
management antl enterprise have resulted
in making him to-day one nf the largest
land holders of the county. He now re-
sides on a farm in Danville township,
about a hall a mile from Middletown.

He was born in Haiuilton county, Ohio,
July 27, 1824. his parents being William
and Sarah (Radcliff) Carden, both of
whom were natives of England, whence
ilu'v came to the I'nited States, settling
in Hamilton county, Ohio, in the year
iSiy. There they resided for a long pe-
riod, the father being engaged in farming
until the year 1857, when he came to
Iowa, locating in Danville townshij), Des
Moines county. Here he made a home
for himself and family, continuing to re-
side upon his fariu until his life's labors
were ended in death at the age of eighty-
six years. His wife passed away at the
age of eighty years, both dying in the
house now occupied by John Canlen.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

2+9

They were the parents of eight children, July 20, 1848, Mr. Garden was married,

of whom three are still living. in Hamilton county, Ohio, to Miss Mary

When he was thirty-three years of age Cornick, who was born in that State, and
Mr. John Garden bought eighty acres of is a daughter of John and Susan (Baugh-
prairie land, and thirty acres of timber, in man) Gornick, both of whom died in
Danville township, on which there was a Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Garden have become
small frame house, but he has since the parents of seven children, six of
erected a large and attractive building, whom are yet living: John, a farmer, re-
He has also built an extensive and sub- siding at Los Angeles, Cal., married Miss
stantial barn and other out-buildings, and, Jennie Long, and they have four children,
in fact, has made his property a model Grace, Harry, .Albert, and Afary; Mar-
farm. Here he has since lived, engaged garet is the wife of John Sellers, a farmer
in general farming pursuits. He has also of Flint River township, and they have
added to the property until he now owns one child, Glara ; Clara is the wife of J. S.
five hundred acres of land in Des Moines Hanna, a farmer, of Las Animas, Golo.,
covmty, and with the exception of twenty and they have two children, Bessie and
acres, the entire amount is in Danville Walter; George is a druggist, residing at
township. His farms in this county are Long Beach, Cal.: Ella is the wife of
rented, and bring him a good income. In Maurice Utter, of Danville township, Des
addition to his realty interests here he is Moines county, and they have two chil-
the owner of four hundred eighty acres of dren, Leslie C., twelve years of age, and
improved land in Dawson county, Nebr. Frank AL, five years old: Charles C. oper-

Alr. Garden has always been a public- ates the home farm in Danville township ;
spirited and progressive citizen, being an and Frank died at the age of four years,
advocate of everything that tends to im- Mr. Garden ha,s become a respected,
prove his community, and the champion valued, and worthy citizen of Des Moines
of every means for public progress. On county, where he has now lived for many
questions of national importance he votes years. He has figured prominently in
with the Democratic party, but at local local affairs, and his influence is for every
elections, where no issue is involved, he measure that tends to progress and im-
casts his ballot for the candidate whom he provement. The success of his life is
thinks best qualified. He was elected due to no inherited fortune, no happy suc-
county supervisor for three terms, or cession of advantageous circumstances,
nine years, being chosen to that office in but to his own sturdy will, steady applica-
1887, and serving until 1896. Many im- tion, and tireless energy,
provements were made during the period William Garden, deceased, brother of
of his incumbency, including the building John Garden, was born in Hamilton
of the county jail, the Weaver bridge, and county, Ohio, in 1829. He married Miss
many other bridges. Two large build- Isabella S. Aliller, daughter of William
ings at the county poor farm were also and Elizabeth (Reed) Miller. Soon after
erected, and one hundred acres were their marriage they settled near "Jim-
added to this farm. town," this county, where they resided

2 50

BIOGRAPHICAL REV 1 EH'

for two years. In i860 Mr. Garden
bought a home in Danville township, and
it was here that his death occurred Feb.
14, 1866, in the prime of life, when all
seemed brightest and most attractive, and
when his business career, which had been
so successful, was continually commented
on by his friends and neighbors. He and
his devoted wife were members of the
Congregational church.

Mr. and Mrs. Garden had eight cliil
dreii. These all received the best of edu-
cation, and with the exception of two,
were all teachers for a time. Mr. Gar-
den was one of the most energetic of
men, the best of husbands and kindest of
fathers, and was never known to do an
unkindness to a single person. His loss
was a sad blow to his friends and the
communitv.

SAMUEL A. FLANDERS.

Samuel .\. Fl.anders, in whose life rec-
ord there is much that is worthy of emula-
tion, and whose memory is dear to the hearts
of a large circle of friends who knew and
honored him during his active life, was one
of the noble figures in the history and de-
velopment of this section of Iowa, being
known throughout Des Moines county as
one who was singularly devoted to all that
might conduce to the moral and ethical ad-
vancement of mankind, as well as being
always among the fir.st to aid any movement
for the material upbuilding of the com-
munity in which he made his home. He was
bi>rn in ("oncurd. X. H.. May 23. 1832, a
son of Jacob and lluldah (.Abbott) Flan-
ders, his grandparents being Richard and
Mary Ghandler (West) Flanders and Sam-

uel and Mary (Story) Abb«itt. Richard
Flanders was a soldier of the patriot army
in the war of the American Revolution, and
the rille which he carried through that early
conflict is still in the possession of the family,
being now in the keeping of his great-grand-
son, Daniel J. Flanders, son of the subject
of this review.

Samuel A. Flanders entered the schools
of Goncord at the usual age and was well
educated, he fitting himself for the profession
of teaching, which he followed for some time
after completing his studies. At the age of
twenty-two, however, he felt an ambition to
enter into the larger life of the West, then
first opening to the world its magnificent
field of o])i)ortunity, and came to Burling-
ton. Here he taught for a time in district
schools near the city, and here on Oct. 24,
1854, he was united in marriage to Miss
Martha A. Hilleary, who was bom near
r.iirlingtnn April 12, 1837, a daughter of
Alexander and Sarah (Morgan) Hilleary.
Alexander Hilleary was a native of Virginia,
whence he emigrated when a young man to
Ohio, and later to Burlington, entering gov-
ernment land here in Burlington and Union
townshijjs, where he acciuircd- almost seven
hundred acres of the finest agricultural
lands in the Mississijjpi valley. After com-
ing to Iowa he spent the remainder of his
life on these farms ; and as he had been a
fanner all his life, he still continued this
occupation, in addition devoting much at-
tention to fruit growing on an extensive
scale. He was born in Virginia, May, 1808,
and died .\pril 3, 1891. Sarah (Morgan)
Hilleary, mother of Mrs. Flanders, -was
hnrn in 1S18, and died .\ug. 29, 1877. She,
like her husband, was a prominent member
of the Baptist church, and was of distin-
gnisli^'d family, being the daughter of Will-

SAMUEL A. I'l.ANDKRS.

MRS. SAMUEL A. FLANDERS.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

255

iam Morgan, who was a native of Virginia,
and came westward, first to Illinois and later
to Burlington, near which he entered a large
tract of government land, on which he con-
ducted farming operations, and as a promi-
nent and substantial citizen and a man of
ability and exalted probity became the first
judge in Burlington. He was a soldier of
the War of 181 2, and was ever_animated by
true patriotism and a desire to add to the
public welfare. He and his wife died at
Middleton, Iowa, and are there buried.
Their names are inscribed upon the honored
and honorable roll of the pioneers of Iowa,
that hardy and valiant race of men and
women who made the commonwealth what
it is to-day, and theirs is a firm and lasting
place in the history of the West. They en-
dured many hardships, and at one time were
driven from their home by hostile Indians,
husband and wife being forced to flee. They
escaped from the Illinois side by walking
across the Mississippi River on the ice. Mr.
Morgan's real estate holdings comprised
much of the present area of Burlington, and
he at one time had planted in corn the site
upon which the union depot now stands.
Mrs. Flanders is one of a family of ten who
grew to maturity, while there were thirteen
children in all, as follows : Eliza, now de-
ceased ; Martha A., wife of our subject ;
Elizabeth, deceased ; John J., killed while
in service in Missouri in the Civil War;
Mary J., now a resident of California,
is the widow of Albin Parsons ; William
C, resides in southern California ; Ma-
tilda, married John Martell, and is now
deceased ; the eighth and ninth children in
order of birth were two daughters who
died young; Lewis N., a physician, and
is located in California ; Ida Emma, wife
of Oliver Van Winkle, resides at Mount

Pleasant, Iowa ; Frances, widow of H. B.
Moore, resides in Denver, Colo. ; and Clara,
wife of Foss Slingloff, lives in South Bur-
lington.

Wlien the Civil War broke out, Mr. Flan-
ders enlisted in Company D, First Iowa
Cavalry, and was wounded in Lafayette
county, Missouri, Sept. 24, 1861, for which
he drew a small pension. March 11, while
at home, Mr. Flanders was besieged by non-
imion men for taking a copperhead pin from
one of their number. These nonunionists
threatened to mob him if he did not give up
the pin. This Mr. Flanders refused to do,
telling them he looked upon the pin as he did
upon a rebel flag. When Mr. Flanders's
L^nion neighbors heard of these threats, they
came at once to his home, and offered to
stand-by him to the very last. The mob did
not venture to come themselves, but sent
an officer to speak for them ; but when he
saw Mr. Flanders was so well protected, he
retired at once, and advised the mob to be
off as soon as possible. Mrs. Flanders has
the pin in her possession to-day.

In 1866 Mr. Flanders was elected to the
House of Representatives for one term, and
also served as clerk of the same body. In
1868 he was a correspondent of the Yearly
Hawk-Eye.

Upon his marriage Mr. Flanders pur-
chased a farm of one hundred and thirty
acres in Augusta township, where he devoted
his time to farming for a period of fifteen
years, at the expiration of which time he
sold it and removed to Union township,
where he bought a farm of fifty acres. This
he made his home during the rest of his life,
and as he had learned the trade of car-
pentering in his boyhood, working at it in the
intervals of teaching school, he built on the
land a fine home, doing the work himself.

256

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

To Mr. ami Mrs. Flanders were born seven
children, six of whom survive, as follows:
Sarah .Mice, born Oct. 27, 1855, married A.
15. Finney of Sharon. V't. ; Hulda Viola,
born Jan. 21, 1858. married Charles N.
.Morgan, of Concord, N. H.", and they have
one (laughter. Eslclla ; Daniel Jacob, bom
.March 6, i8(^>i, a resident of Des Moines
county, living on the old homestead ; Mary,
born July 31. 1865. married P>ank Hunter,
of Cedar Ka])ids. Iowa, and they have two
^■ons, Milo F, and Daniel F. ; Matilda H.,
born Oct. 23. 1870, married W. F. Segner,
■who resides at Lake City, Iowa, and they
have a son. Robert W.. and a daughter,
Marjorie E. ; Martha Pearl, torn May 28,
1874, married Sylvester S. Merrill, of Con-
cord, N. H., now residing in Pasadena, Cal.,
and they have two daughters, Martha Pearl
and Mary Elizabeth.

Mr. Flanders was very successful as a
farmer and in a material way. but he did
not allow his mind to be absorbed by the
pursuit of business to the exclusion of
higher interests, and was a faithful member
and worker in the llaptist church in Augusta
township, for .several years holding the office
of deacon. Mrs. I-'landcrs is also identified
with the r.aptist church, holding her mem-
bcrshi]) in lUirliiigton, and since the death
of her liusliand lias shown herself a woman
of ability in matters of business as well as
a lady of most estimable character, she hav-
ing purchased an adilition of forty acres to
the fariu, from which she draws a handsome
revenue. The portion devoted to fruit grorw-
ing she manages jjcrsonally, and the re-
mainder she rents, fler home is the center
of a profuse hospitality, and she has many
friends who value her for her social gifts
and fine personality. Mr. Flanders died
June 28. 1887, and his remains repose in

.\spen Grove cemetery, Burlington. His
death was the occasion of deep and wide-
sjlread regret, for he was an upright and
honorable man in every respect, and won the
esteem of all and the love of many. In his
family he was a kind and devoted husband
and father, his best characteristics being re-
served for those of his own household ; and
yet he was broad and humane in his sym-
pathies, charitable, kindly, and ever devoted
to the performance of duty as he saw it. Of
him it may be truly said that none knew him
but to love him, none named him but to
praise.

DANIEL J. FLANDERS.

A I'ROsriiROf.s and progressive farmer of
I'nion township. Des Moines county. Iowa,
is Daniel J. Flanders, who was born in this
township March 6. 1861, a son of Samuel
and Martha (Hilleary) Flanders, and re-
ceived his jireliminary education in the dis-
trict schools. Later he entered Elliott's Busi-
ness College at P.urlington. Iowa, where he
engaged for a time in a course of commercial
study, comprising a mastery of business
forms and principles, and after the comple-
tion of his education he remained at his
father's home until attaining his majority.
In 1S82, at the age of twenty -one years, he
Went West as a fireman on the Burlington.
Cedar Rapids & Xorthern Railroad, and
about 1887 was promoted to the position of
engineer, which he occupied until 1899,
when he resigned and began farming opera-
tions. In the year 1900. however, he again
Avent West, becoming an engineer on the
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, running out
of Pueblo. Colo., the route including the
famous Grand Caiion and the " hanging

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

257

bridge." After a stay of several months he
returned to Iowa, and purchased a tract of
eightj-three acres of fine agricultural land
in Union township, southwest of Burlington.
A portion of this he aftervyard sold, and pur-
chased a farm of seventy-one acres, but to
the latter he has added until he now owns
in all ninety-three acres, largely timber lands.
Here he carries on general farming and the
usual amount of stock-raising. In 1892 he
was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Law-
son of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They have one
child, Nellie Alice.

Mr. Flanders maintains an abiding inter-
est in public affairs, but is strictly nonpar-
tisan in his political views, giving the sanc-
tion of his ballot to the man he esteems best
fitted for public office, regardless of narrow
lines of party affiliation. His fraternal re-
lations connect him with Aldebaran Court,
Tribe of Ben Hur, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
and he is also identified with the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers at Cedar Rapids,
Lodge No. 159. As an engineer he has an
enviable record for efficiency, and is widely
known among railroad men throughout the
West ; while as a man and a citizen he takes
high rank in the community in which he now
resides, and in which he has always been
known.

JOHN L. KELLEY.

The middle western section of the
American L'nion is essentially the home of
progress, and throughout all the States
composing this section the name of John L.
Kelley, of Burlington, is well known as that
of a leader along lines of steady and ener-
getic advancement. For many vcars he has

been engaged in the wholesale and retail
trade as the principal member of the firm of
J. L. Kelley & Company, dealers in agri-
cultural implements and vehicles, and also
maintaining storage and transfer depart-
ments.

]\Ir. Kelley was born near Steubenville,
Jefferson county. Ohio, a son of James and
Jane (Keen) Kelley, the father a native of
Pennsylvania and of Scotch-Irish descent,
the grandfather having emigrated from Ire-
land to America, and the mother. Jane
Keen Kelley, being a native of Ireland.
The parents of our subject celebrated their
marriage in Jefferson county, whence they
removed to Carroll county and remained for
some years. They then decided to locate in
the West, and descending the Ohio River to
its confluence with the Mississippi, ascended
the latter stream, landing, Oct. 29, 1849,
at Keokuk, intending to travel overland to
Van Buren county, Iowa, where the father,
who was a farmer, had purchased land.
They traveled by wagon as far as Primrose,
stopped at that place overnight, and while
there the father was seized with sudden ill-
ness and died the following day, survived
by a family of ten children, eight of whom
were young, our subject being at that time
only about ten years of age, although two
were older and were married. Thus left
alone in a strange land and with the sole
care of a large family, the widow kept the
children together on the farm, living there
until 1870, when she removed to Birming-
ham, where she resided' until the time of *
her death. Feb. 12, 1887. She is buried
in Birmingham, as is also her husband. Of
the ten children, the first five, Mary Ann
(Davis), William. James H., Sarah Jane,
and Matilda (Eccles), are now deceased.
Our subject is the si.xth, and the others in

258

BIOuR.irHlCAL REVIEW

the order of birth are as follows: Eliza C.
(Robinson), also deceased; Samuel S.,
who is living retired from active life, being
a resident of Santa Rosa,' C al. ; Frank F.,
a farmer and stock-raiser near Phillipsburg,
Kans. : and Rolx?rt R.. retired, of Colorado
Springs.

Mr. KcUey was reared in the work of
agriculture mi the home farm, at the same
time beginning his education in the dis-
trict, schools and later entering the collegi-
ate institute at Birmingham. Enthusiastic
in the cause of self-improvement, he also
became a student at Jacksonville, 111., in
Berean College, at that ti'me a denomina-
tional institution under the care of the
Christian church, but not now- in existence.

His pursuit of education, however, was
cut short by the beginning of the Civil War,
for in that momentous crisis he felt that
his su|)rcme duty was to his country, and
in iS()i he enlisted at Mount Pleasant,
Iowa, in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry under
Col. A. B. Porter and Capt. A. R. Pierce.
He became (luartermaster sergeant and
company clerk, having charge of the camp
equipment and making out the payrolls, but
in addition did constant duty on the skirmish
line all through the States of Mississippi,
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Ten-
nessee, serving under the command of Gen-
erals Grant and Shermaii at V'ickburg and
Memphis, and with the latter through some
of his later campaigns ; with General Wil-
son on the famous " Wilson's raid : " and
with other noted generals of the rnion
army. He also participated in tlie cajjlure
of Atlanta, and accomj)lished appro.ximately
four years of hard, faithful, and useful serv-
ice during the most precious period of his
vigorous young manhood, thus dedicating
himself wholly to his country and his coun-

try's cause in the hour of her direst need.
Fortunately, he received no wounds in bat-
tle, but he suffered at one time a severe
injury to the shoulder and a broken collar
bone by a fall from his horse, and the
southern climate seriously affected his
health, he being in a hospital at Memphis
for as much as two months with a grave
attack of malarial fever. His military serv-
ice terminated at .\llanta, Ga., and he made
final settlement of his official accounts at
Davenport, Iowa.

On returning to this State Mr. KcUey re-
sumed farming for a time on his mother's
farm in \'an Buren county, and also taught
school in both Iowa and Illinois, about six
years in all. For two seasons he traveled
in northern Missouri as sales agent for the
implement firm of Elliott & Thompson, of
Birmingham, and meeting with great suc-
cess in this line of endeavor, entered the
business for himself at Burlington in 1870.
Here for twelve years he continued in the
same line in partnership with William El-
liott, and D. Mc.Millen, under the firm style
of Elliott, Kelley & Co., Mr. McMillen not
being active in the management. Mr. Elliott
retired in 1882, and while the name "of the
firm remained unchanged for two years, it
has been known since 1885 as J. L. Kelley
& Co. Originally conducted at Valley and
Front Streets, for the last sixteen years the
business has occupied its present location
at the corner of Fourth and Market Streets,
where a fine brick structure. Tki x no ft. has
been erected especially for the use of this
firm, having an adjoining lot 20 x no ft.
used as yards for .storage, etc. Mr. Kelley
is one of the pioneers of the wholesale im-
])lement business in the West, and from
the first has met with large success in the
rich agricultural States of Iowa, Missouri,

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

259

and Illinois, where his numerous traveling
agents have done much to introduce the most
modern and approved machinery and thus
popularize its use in what is perhaps the
greatest and wealthiest farming territory in
the United States. This is a work of which
he mav well be proud, and certainly one
which is worthy of his best and most ener-
getic endeavors. Viewed in its proper light
of a public benefaction, the success which he
has thereby achieved becomes a cause for
self-congratulation on the part of all who are
interested in the development of the Middle
West and of the nation.

Mr. Kelley owns a number of building
lots in Burlington and a pleasant home at
1 108 South Fourth Street, where he resides
with a nephew who is in his employ,
William A. Eccles, who married Miss Fan-
nie Augutta, of Burlington, and has one
child, Jane. Another nephew, W. W. Rob-
inson, who married Miss Caroline Holstein,
is also in Mr. Kelley's employ. Our sub-
ject has been connected with various other
enterprises than that which he now directs,
having been a stockholder in the Embalm-
ing Burial Case Company and in the North-
western Transportation Company. In fact,
he has borne a prominent part in the city's
activities, for he was a charter member of
the Commercial Club, and was a member
of the Burlington Board of Trade, since
merged with the Commercial Exchange,
and acted as its president, a position in
which he was able to exercise an active and
stimulating influence. Although long affili-
ated with the Republican party and feeling
an intense interest in public affairs, he has
never been an aspirant for office. He was
a charter member and assisted in organiz-
ing Matthies Post, No. 5, Grand Army of
the Republic, having attended the State En-

campment at Des Moines as representative
of the Post, and having also served as a
member of the committee to meet Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant at Omaha and escort him
from Council Bluffs to Burlington at the
the close of his celebrated tour around the
world.

Mr. Kelley has always lent his heartiest
aid and personal encouragement to relig-
ious movements, and since about the year
1872 has been a helpful member and worker
in the First Presbyterian church of Bur-
lington, in which he holds the office of dea-
con, and whose present handsome and im-
pressive church structure he assisted in
erecting. Among all who appreciate purity
of private character and a high standard
of commercial integrity, his name is held in
especial honor, for in his career are these
virtues especially exemplified, and it may
be said without extravagance of language
that an examination of the facts of his life
reveals nothing to condemn and much that
is worthy of the highest praise. And herein
he has won the highest form of success, for
while right actions carry their own com-
pensation, the good-will of friends is an
extra reward that makes them more than
worth while, and Mr. Kelley enjoys in an
eminent degree the respect, admiration, and
warm reeard of those who know him.

JOHN WAITE.

Hon. John Cas.san Wait, of New
York City, civil engineer, counselor at
law, and author, has in preparation a
large volume, "The Wait(e) Family in
America," from which, by permission,
material is drawn for this genealogical
record of John Waite, of Flint River

26o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

township, deceased. The authdr traces
the English lincaRc. The word "Wait,"
anciently spelled Wayghte, W'aiet, Wayte,
and with other variations, is derived from
the Old High German Wachten (to keep
watch ), and, in the sense of guard or watch-
man, is ciiiiimcin ti> all the Tintunii- lan-
guages.

The original W'aytes were found in
England, immediately after the Xorman
Conquest, only among the retainers of
the king, princes, and great barons : and
among their other functions was that of
music and minstrelsy. The name fre-
(|uently occurs in the British records. In
.\. I). 1075. William the C(3nqucror gave
the earldom, city, and castle of Norwich,
in England, to "Ralf de Waiet." who mar-
ried Emma, sister of Roger, Earl of Here-
ford, cousin of the Conqueror.

The earliest record found, and the
source from whence all hy the same name
seem to trace their origin, was Ralf de
Waiet. There is no question among
genealogical gleaners but that Ricardus
Le Wayte. of County Warwick, who was
in 131 5 escheator of counties Berkshire,
Wilts, Oxford, Bedford, and Bucks, was
a lineal descendant of Ralf. Thereafter
the name was written Wayte almost ex-
- clusivcly until others of the name came to
New England, when that was discarded
and Wait, or Waite. used insteacl.

The Wayte families were ])rctiy well
distributed over the central portion of
.Southern England, extending thence to
Northern Wales, and from there some of
them migrated to New England. Among
these were three brothers: Richard, the
eldest, born in 1596; Gamaliel, in 1598;
and Thomas, in 1601. They were cousins
(if 'I'liomas Wavte. who was a member of

parliament, and one of the judges who
signed the warrant in 1649 for the exe-
cution of Charles the First. The late
Morrison Remick Waite, chief justice of
the United States, traced his lineage to
Thomas Wayte. the Regicide. Col. John
Wait, the fifth justice of the supreme
court of Rhode Island, was a great grand-
son of Thomas.

The three brothers arrived in Boston
in 1634. Richard, who becainc marshal
of the colony, and Gamaliel, remained in
Boston. Thomas settled in Rhode Island.
The third son of the latter was Sergeant
ISenjamin Wait (1644-1704), a soldier
and scout, who lived at Hadley in 1665,
at Hatfield in 1668, in western Massa-
chusetts. He was engaged in various In-
dian wars, and was slain in the battle be-
tween the colonists and the French and
Indians at Deerfield in 1704. The New
England Historical and Genealogical Reg-
ister, Marshall Field's Genealogy of the
Field Family of Conway, Craft's History
of Whately, and numerous local records,
tell of the exploits and heroism of this
intrepid Indian fighter. One of the most
interesting of his experiences, recounted
in prose and verse, is the storj' of the
Indian attack upon Hatfield, Sept. 19,
1677, the capture of Benjamin Wait's wife
and children by the Indians, who took
them to Canada, his long and determined
|)ursnit. and final recovery of them. The
mother gave birth to a daughter while in
captivity, who was named "Canada," and
one of whose descendants founded Smith
College, at Northampton. !\Iass.

Several generations of the family re-
mained at Hatfield, Whateley, and vicinity,
varintis members serving in the colonial
wars and the War of the Revolution.

DBS MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

261

Each of the descendants of Benjamin,
in the line of this local sketch, bore the
name of "John" in succession: John, born
at Hatfield, Mass., 1680, died there in
1744. He. like his father, was a sergeant
and commander in many excursions, and
was in the fight with the French and In-
dians at Deerfield when his father was
slain. John, born at Whateley, Mass., 1703,
died there in 1776. John, born in 1743,
served in the War of the Revolution, and
died at Norwich, N. Y., in 1801. John,
born at \Miateley in 1777, lived at Nor-
wich and Oaks Corners, N. Y., and Ches-
terfield, Mich., and died at the home of
his son at Ravenna, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1863.
He served in the War of 1812. He mar-
ried Abigail Cranson, who was born May
7j 1781, and died at Chesterfield, Feb. 11,

1854.

John ^Vaite, the seventh in the line
from Thomas, of Rhode Island, was the
third in a family of ten children, and was
born at Oaks Corners, New York, where
he was employed in farming, and later
learned the cooper trade. He removed
to Ravenna. Ohio, when a young man.
and established himself in his trade. He
married, April 9, 1835, Miss Martha
Amelia Clark, daughter of Ephraim and
Ala Amelia (Sperry) Clark, who were
among the early immigrants from Con-
necticut upon the "Western Reserve,"
that portion of Northeastern Ohio orig-
inall\- belonging to the State of Connecti-
cut.

Later in life Mr. ^^'aite engaged in the
marble business, and also took contracts
for the construction of railway water-
tanks. In 1867 he remo\ed to purling-
ton, Iowa, and engaged in the retail gro-
cery trade the senior member of the firm

of Waite, Trenor & Co., and later in
the commission business under the firm
style of Waite & Leebrick; After a few
years in the city, Mr. Waite bought a
farm in Flint River township, which he
inipro\'ed and where he lived for many
years, until advancing age and failing
eyesight compelled him to retire from
the active management of the farm.
While visiting his daughter in Peru,
Kans., he died, June 11, 1894, and was
buried in Aspen Grove cemetery. Bur-
lington, Iowa.

Mr. \\'aite and his family were mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church.
For many years he was trustee and stew-
ard of the church a,t Ravenna, to which
he was a liberal contributor. In politics
he was a Whig, with free-soil proclivities,
and became a member of the Republican
party at its birth, and was always a faith-
ful adherent of its principles and policies.
Strictly temperate in his habits, he was
a consistent advocate of the temperance
cause. Conscientious, fair-minded, > and
scrupulously honest in all his dealings,
tolerant of the opinions of others, Mr.
\A'aite was imiversally respected as a
man of probity and honor, and held in
friendly esteem by all who knew him.

Mrs. Martha Amelia (Clark) Waite
was born in Tallmadge, Ohio, Feb. 1,
1819. Both of her parents were natives
of Connecticut, and descendants of earl}'
settlers of Xew Haven. The Clark gen-
ealogy is as follows : James Clark came
from England and settled in New Haven,
Conn., in 1638. His son, Samuel Clark
died in New Haven in 1729 ; Samuel
Clark. Jr., New Haven, 1673- 1754; Heze-
kiah Clark. Southington, Conn., born 1710:
Ephraim Clark, Southington, 1748-1828,

262

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

was a soldier in the W ar of the Revolu-
tion, and is buried at Mesopotamia, Ohio;
Ephraim Clark, Jr., born at Southington
in 1777, removed to Ohio, and settled
first at Burton, i/'K). an<l later at Tall-
madge, where Martha, the fifth of a fam-
ily of seven children, was born. Mr.
Clark removed to Ravenna after the
death of his wife, in 1833, where he died
March 3, 1858.

Martha married Joiin \\ aitc at Ra-
venna. Ohio, in .-Vpril, 1835. Her ma-
ternal ancestry is traced from Richard
Sperry, who came from England and
settled at Xcw Haven, Conn., in 1640,
and died 1698. Ebenezer Sperry, born in
New Haven 1663; Isaac Sperry, New
Haven. 1703-1 751 ; Hezekiah Sperry, born
1746, removed with his family to Meso-
potamia, Ohio, where he died in March,
1850. His daughter, .Ma Amelia, who
married Ephraim Clark, Jr., was a native
of W'oodbridge, Conn., and traveled on
horseback to the new home of her par-
ents in Ohio, lived at Mesopotamia until
her marriage, and then settled in Tall-
madge, where she died Oct. 2. 1833. Mrs.
Waite was a devoted wife and mother,
whose home was her delight, and to
whose hospitalities friends were always
welcome. .\ lifelong member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, lu-r last
audible words were: "Jesus, receive my
spirit."

Mr. and Mrs, W'.iite were buried in
Aspen Grove cemetery, at Burlington.
Their children arc: .\melia. died in
childhood ; John L. Waite, of Burlington :
Mrs. Mary Ella Hartzell, Peru, Kans. ; all
born at Ravenna, Ohio.

Mary Ella, born March 22, 185 1, mar-
ried (i) John Monroe Eads, who died

Nov. 12, 1880. Their two children are:
Alma Weston Eads, born July 31. 1877,
at Burlington, died July i, 1894, at Peru,
Kans. ; and John Dale Eads, born at
i'.urlington, Nov. 15, 1880. Married (2)
Nov. 10, 1885, to Randall Mc.\llister
Hartzell. who was born at Newport. Pa.,
Nov. 9, 1838. They had four children:
Max Waite Hartzell, born .\ug. 28, 1886,
at Peru, Kans. : Dwight McAllister Hart-
zell, born Dec. 4, 1888, at Peru, and
died Jan. 3, npi ; Harold Clark Hartzell,
born -Aug. i, i8f)r, and Dorothy Waite
Hartzell. born .Nov. 18. 1894.

JOHN L. WAITE.

The genealogA- of the Des Moines
county descendants of Thomas Wait, who
came from England and settled in
Rh(j(le Island in 1639, and his son Ben-
jamin, of Hatfield, Mass., 1644-1704, is
outlined in the sketch of John Waite, of
Flint River township, of the sixth genera-
tion. His son, John Lenian Waite, who
came to Burlington in 1862, was born at
Ravenna. Ohio, Aug. 29, 1840. and edu-
cated in the Ravenna public schools, sup-
plemented by instruction in a private
academy and a commercial school in
Chicago.

When seventeen years old he took up
telegraphy as a temporary employment,
serving at Lebanon and Cleveland, Ohio;
Chicago, 111.; and Burlington. Iowa; in-
cluding the su]x-rinten(lency of the Bur-
lintrton iK: Missouri River telegraph line,
1863-64. Retiring in 1869, he engaged in
his favorite employment, newspajier
work, beginning on the I'urlington

CU CK.,i}iz^

DBS MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

26s

Hawk-Eye (then published by Edwards &
Beardsley), as city editor and market re-
porter. Later, with a number of citizens
interested in the A. T. Hay Electrical and
Metallurgical discoveries and inventions,
Mr. ^^'aite devoted three years to their
development.

In 1874 he resumed work on the Haivk-
Eye, as associate editor undeY Mr. Frank
Hatton, who had bought the paper. When
Mr. Robert J. Burdette retired from the
staff in 1876-77, to enter the lecture field,
Mr. Waite succeeded him as managing
editor, resigning in 1882 to accept the
postmastership of Burlington, to which he
was appointed by President Arthur, serv-
ing one term of four years. On July 2^,
1885, he assumed the management of the
Hawk-Eye as editor and publisher, in
which work he continues. In 1898 he
was appointed postmaster by President
McKinley, and was reappointed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt in 1902.

Mr. \\^aite was married Sept. 21, 1864,
to Miss Letitia Caroline Williams. Mrs.
Waite is a native of Burlington, editor of
the Woman's Department of the Hawk-
Eye, and author of a booklet of religious
themes, "By The Thorn Road." They
have three children: Clay Milton Waite,
business manager of the Hawk-Eye, who
married Miss Ida May Southwell, March
9, 1892: ]\Iiss Jessie Benning Waite, who
married \\'illiam Henry Davidson, man-
aging editor of the Hazvk-Eye, April 15,
1902, and who have one child, Barbara
Waite Davidson ; and Miss Lola Waite, —
all residents of Burlington.

In politics, Mr. Waite is a Republican.
He and his family are members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church, and actively iden-
tified with church and philanthropic work.

JOHN BLAUL.

Prominent among the energetic, far-
seeing, and successful business men of Iowa
is John Blaul. His life history most happily
illustrates what may be attained by faithful
and continued effort in carrying out an hon-
est purpose. Integrity, activity, and energy
have been the crowning points of his suc-
cess, and his connection with various busi-
ness enterprises and industries has been a
decided advantage to this section of the
State, promoting its material welfare in no
uncertain manner. He is one of the fore-
most representatives of commercial inter-
ests in Burlington, and with advancing
years has broadened the scope of his labors,
finding in each stage of his career oppor-
tunity for further advancement.

The Blaul family is of German lineage.
The grandfather, the Rev. John Blaul, a
native of Germany, was a minister of the
Evangelical Lutheran church. His son,
John Blaul, who became the founder of the
family in the New World, and the promoter
of the important business enterprises of Bur-
lington now conducted under the name of
John Blaul Sons' Company, was born in
Hesse-Darmstadt, Dec. 18, 1826, and was
educated for the profession of school teach-
ing. He came to America in 1850 upon a
sailing vessel, and between three and four
months had passed before he reached his
destination. He went first to Norwich,
Conn., afterward to Bangor, Me., later to
Boston, Mass., and thence came to Burling-
ton, where his remaining days were passed.
He continued a resident of Bangor until
1856, working at first for sixty cents per
day, for he was unacquainted with the lan-
guage of the people, and had to take any
position that offered until he was better

266

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

qualified to meet trade conditions in the New
World. He worked for a time in a machine
shop in IJanpor. and later in Boston, but
finally was induced to ccimc to Burlington by
an old frield, August Poehler, who was also
a mechanic, and employed in that capacity in
this city. Mr. Blaul. making his way west-
waril, obtained a [Kisition in a tinshop, where
he remained until 1857. -when he embarked
in a retail grocery business as a partner of
Theotlore I'ochler, on Front Street, Mr.
Poehler having established the store some
time previous. These gentlemen were also
closely associated because of the fact that
they had married sisters.

This partner.ship continued for many
years, when Mr. Poehler withdrew and
joined his brother .August in business, while
Mr. I'.laiil continued alone in the retail gro-
cery trade iinti! tlie close of the Civil War
in 1865. Mr. Blaul then sold out to his
former partner, and in 1866 he opened a
wholesale and retail business at 113 Jeflfer-
son Street. In 1867-68 he was associated
with f'hilip 1 locrr in a wholesale and retail
grocery business, one being upon the road,
while the other managed the business in Bur-
lington. In 1869 Mr. Hoerr sold out, and
established the first cracker factory in Bur-
lington.

From that time until 1882 Mr. jllaiil was
alone in business, but at that time admitted
his oldest son and later his other sons to a
partnership. .\t that time the name of John
Blaul & Sons was assumed, and the busi-
ness became exclusively wholesale. The
father remained a partner and the controlling
head of the house until his death, which oc-
curred Jan. 2~. 1885. He war; a prudent,
conservative man, whrtse advancement came
through his own untiring efforts, keen dis-
cernment, and the careful husbanding of his

resources. He concentrated his energies
upon his business afTairs, and his name be-
came a synonym for hon<jrable dealing and
connncrcial success. He was plain and un-
ostentatious in manner, but possessed the
worth of character that won him the confi-
dence of the entire business community.

John Blaul, Sr.. was married first in Ger-
many to Miss Maria .Anna Neufeld, who
died in Boston, Mass., in December. 1854.
The children of that marriage died in in-
fancy, with the exception of John Blaul, who
is now at the head of the grocery house.
In 1837 John Blaul, Sr., was again married,
his second union being with Katherine
Knoener, a daughter of Charles and Kathe-
rine Knoener, who were natives of Germany,
and came to Burlington early in the '50's,
from Lippe, Detmold. Her father was a
school teacher and taught in the parochial
schools of Burlington, in connection with the
carrying on of agricultural pursuits. His
daughter. Mrs. Blaul. died in .August, 1902.
The children of this marriage are Charles ;
Theodore; Lewis; Amelia; Pauline, who
died in 1901 ; and two who died in child-
hood.

John Blaul, Jr., whose name introduces
this record, was born in Boston, Mass.. Feb.
II, 1853. and was brought to Burlington in
1857. He pursued his education in the
grammar and high schools of this city, and
in his boyhood spent all his spare time in his
father's store, so that he gained thorough
anil practical knowledge of the business.
.P'rom the age of sixteen years all of his time
was devoted to the grocery trade, and he
remained an employee of the house until
1882, when he was admitted to a partnership,
lie was married May 13. 1877, to .Miss
Louise Dewein. of Burlington, a daughter
of Jacob and Catherine (Meier) Dewein,

DES MOIA'ES COUNTY, IOWA.

267

who came to Burlington in 1841, her father
becoming a shoemaker of this city. His
daughter Louise was born April 13, 1853,
and unto Mr. and Mrs. Blaul were born
seven children : Milton, Mark, Robert, and
Selma, who are living, and Clara, Louise,
and John, who died in childhood. Mr. Blaul
has the pleasure of having his two oldest
sons employed in the firm, and he hopes to
make grocerymen out of them. John Blaul
is a Democrat in his political affiliation, and
served for two terms, or four years, as alder-
man of the city. He is deeply interested in
public progress and improvement, and has
been a co-operant factor in many measures
for the general good. He belongs to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Business Alen's Association, and is a finan-
cier of marked ability, strong purpose, and
unflagging energy.

Charles Blaul, our subject's brother, was
born in Burlington, July 28, i860, was edu-
cated in the public schools, and like his
brothers received his business training under
the direction of his father. He became a
partner in 1882. He spent eight years upon
the road as a traveling salesman, and he now
has charge of the coflfee and spice mills of
the company. He was married in Wapello,
Iowa, to Miss Jessie Stephen, a daughter of
Levi and Jane (Dickeson) Stephen. They
have one child, Jessie Marie.

Theodore Blaul, born Feb. 23, 1862, was
educated in the public schools, and became
a member of the firm in 1882. while the fol-
lowing year he -went upon the road as a
commercial traveler for the house, but since
1886 has had charge of the canning plant,
which is -worked in connection with the busi-
ness of the firm. He was married Oct. 14.
1886, to ?^liss Emma L^terkircher, a daugh-
ter of P. F. Unterkircher.

Lewis Blaul, born Oct. 16, 1863, was a
public school student until 1879, when he
entered his father's store, and has since been
in the counting house. He was admitted to
the firm in 1885, and was head bookkeeper
and cashier for a number of years, but in
1902 he retired to his farm south of Burling-
ton. He has never resumed active work in
the store, although he retains his interest
therein : and he also has other extensive in-
vested interests in commercial enterprises
of Burlington.

After the admission of the sons to the
business, the extent and scope of the trade
was greatly enlarged. The elder sons be-
came partners in 1882, the younger in 1885.
Not only have they conducted a wholesale
grocery business, but they have also made
a special feature of the importation of coflfee
and spices, grinding their own spices and
manufacturing flavoring extracts and bak-
ing poAvder. They have also established a
canning factory in connection with the busi-
ness, putting it in operation in 1895, and have
since canned tomatoes, pumpkins, hominy,
and apples, and expect soon to can baked
beans. In the manufacturing department
one hundred people are employed, in the
canning defiartment fifty people. Altogether
there are five hundred people dependent
upon the business of this firm, including the
families of proprietors and employees. The
business was at first conducted at 113 Jeflfer-
son Street, where John Blaul, Sr., purchased
property, which the family still own. In
1880 he built a store at 113 N. Third Street,
between V'alley and Market Streets ; and in
1892 the brothers erected the ]5resent fine
structure now occupied by the company, to
which the addition was built in 1903. The
lower story is of stone and the two upper
stories are of brick. There is fine trackasre

268

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

in the rear. The ])resent canning factory
occupies the site of tlic old Sunderland mill,
and in fact the old building' still stands on a
corner of tiie lot. On the tirst of February,
1903, the business was incorporated under
the name of John I'laul Sons' Company, with
John Ijlaul as president : Charles P.laul. vice-
president ; Theodore Blaul, treasurer ; E. G.
Koonz, secretary. John, Giarles, Theo-
dore, and Lewis Blaul, together with W. H.
Ripley, A. J. Riepe, and E. B. Kerns,
constitute the board of directors, several of
whom arc traveling salesmen. They now
have eighteen traveling salesmen on the road,
covering much of the West and Northwest,
besides a portion of Illinois, and the volume
of their business is indicated by the fact that
so many commercial travelers are now em-
ployed. From a small retail grocery trade
the enterprise has developed until it has
reached extensive proportions, covering
many brandies, each one supplying a large
jjatntnage. The annual business has reached
a very large figure, and the house has ever
maintaine<l an unassailable reputation, the
straightforwanl policy inaugurated by the
father being maintained by the sons. They
are men of resourceful business ability, who
have found in the business conditions of the
present opportunity for advancement and
successful accomplishment, and their posi-
tion in commercial circles of Burlihgton is
second to none.

THEODORE BLAUL.

TiiEOiX)RE Bl.mil, jvho in his utiliza-
tion and recognition of business ()])])nr-
tunity and his close application and well-
directed efforts has contributed to the de-
velopment and success of one of the lead-

ing commercial enterjjrises of Burlington,
was born in this city, Feb. 23, 1862, and is
of German <lescent, his grandfather, the
Rev. Juhn IJlaul, having been a minister
of the Evangelical Lutheran church in
Germany. His son and namesake, John
Blaul, was bom in Hesse-Darmstadt,
Dec. 18, 1826, and was educated for the
teacher's profession. Imt in 1S50 crossed
the Atlantic on a sailing vessel, and from
that time forward the whole course of his
life was changed. lie spent a brief period
in Norwich, Conn., and was afterward
employed at mechanical pursuits in Ban-
gor, .Me., at first working for sixty cents
])er day until he had mastered the English
language and rendered his labors of more
value. He was afterward employed in a
similar ca])acily in Boston, Mass., and
then, through the influence of his old
friend, .\ugust Poehler, he came to Bur-
lington. .\ year's .service in a tinshop here
was followed by his entrance into the re-
tail grocery trade, and tliis was the begin-
ning of the extensive wholesale business
of John Blaul Sons Company.

Theodore Blaul, educated in the com-
mon schools and in a business college of
this city, i)ractically grew ui> in the busi-
ness, and at the age of eighteen took a
permanent place in the store, acting as
sjiippiiig clerk for tw'o years. Later he
went u])on the road as a' commercial
traveler, thus re]irescnting the house
for five years; an<l after being admitted
to a partnership in 1885, he took charge
of the coffee-roasting departijient, which
was then added to this business, and for
five years renuiined at its head. The
succeeding five years were spent by
him as city salesman. He assumed
the management of the business of the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

2bg

Burlington Canning Company, a branch
of the business of the firm, which was
established in 1895. Here tomatoes,
pumpkins, hominy, and apples have been
canned, and after a year a pickling de-
partment was added, and olives, catsup,
and other goods in the pickle line, were
put up. Theodore Blaul now has charge
of the canning department and of special
lines of goods in the house, including
syrups and cigars, and also has charge of
the buildings. The present commodious
building occupied by the firm was begun
and the east side completed in 1903. The
original building is sixty by one hundred
and forty feet, and the L is forty by one
hundred and twenty feet. The brothers,
each having charge of some special
branch of the business, have developed
one of the leading commercial enterprises
of the State, with a trade that is increas-
ing each year, and the policy of the house
is one that commends itself to their many
patrons.

In 1886 Mr. Blaul, of this review, was
married to Miss Emma L. Unterkircher,
a daughter of P. F. Unterkircher, of
Burlington. They have four children :
Phoebe C, Theodore F., Emma Louise,
and Arthur Philip. Mr. and Mrs. Blaul
are members of the Presbyterian church.
Socially he is connected with the Burling-
ton Boating Association, the Burlington
Golf Club, and the Crystal Lake Fishing
Club. His political allegiance is given to
the Republican party, and he keeps in
touch with the questions and issues of the
day, although never seeking political pre-
ferment. He is a genial, courteous gen-
tleman, a -pleasant, entertaining com-
panion, and has many stanch and admir-
ing friends among all classes. As an en-

ergetic, upright, and conscientious busi-
ness man and a gentleman of attractive
social qualities, -he stands high in the esti-
mation of the entire community.

LOUIS BLAUL.

Louis Bl.\ul, of Burlington, Iowa, oc-
cupying a prominent position in the pro-
gressive business circles of the city as
vice-president of the Schmidt Hardware
Company, was born in Burlington, Oct.
16, 1863, a son of John and Catherine
Blaul, a full account of whose lives and
ancestry will be found elsewhere in this
volume. Mr. Blaul is indebted to the
public schools of this city for his early
education, but after leaving the work of
his preliminary studies he entered El-
liott's Business College of Burlington,
and pursued a course of training in busi-
ness principles and commercial forms.
Thus equipped for practical endeavor he
entered his father's business, in which he
continued until attaining manhood's es-
tate. This training under the paternal
direction has since proved of great value,
and has played an appreciable part in his
later successes.

On April 17, 1895, Mr. Blaul wedded
Miss Bertha Paehler, of Lawrence, Kan-
sas, a daughter of Theodore and Sophie
(Tappe) Paehler, and four children grace
their union, these being Sophie C, Bertha
P., Laura L., and John Louis. Mr. and
Mrs. Blaul are prominently identified with
the work of the Congregational church,
of which they are members and generous
supporters ; and in a social way. Air.
Blaul is a member of the Burlinsrton

2 70

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Boating Association. Politically, he is
allied with the Republican jiarty, but de-
votes his attention |)ricii)»lly to matters of
business rather than to i.artisan activity.
His rise has been steady and his success
marked, and he enjoys a decree of popu-
larity which is bright with promise for
the future, as well as being the best possi-
ble testimony to the strength, u])right-
ness, and integrity of his character.

P. A. ANDRE.

Every great, monumental success con-
tains lessons of infinite value for the be-
ginner in business or any chosen line of
activity, and the commercial and indus-
trial leaders of the rising generation can
do no better than to apply themselves to
the study of the careers of men whose
integrity, industry, self-reliance, and sin-
gleness of purpose have elevated them to
commanding positions in the wofld of af-
fairs, and won them reputations for al)il-
ity and exalted character which neitlu r
time nor ill-fortune can mar or destroy.
Such a success anil such a life arc those
of P. A. Andre, of Burlington, Inwa, ])ro-
prietor of the Green Horn shoe store, and
for half a century one of the leading mer-
chants of that prosperous city, which
numbers him among its early pioneers,
and owes him much for his part in its uj)-
building and marvelous development.

Mr. Andre was born .\ug. 22, 1830, in
the duchy of Xassau. Prussia, and emi-
grated to .\merica with his father's fam-
ily in 1848, stopping for a time at Xew
Orleans, later at Louisville, 1\\-.. and com-
ing to I'lUrlington in 1S31. lie is one of a

family of three brothers and one sister,
these being as follows: Christian, now liv-
ing retired at 1604 Summer Street, Bur-
lington ; ( ieorge, for many years a grocer
in Burlington, later entering the ministry,
and on the failure of his health going to
England, whence he returned, and be-
came interested in banking at Pckin, III.,
amassing wealth, and residing at that
place until his death, greatly regretted by
all who knew him for his high personal
character and great scholarship; P. .\.,
the subject of this review ; Catherine, who
is unmarried, and resides at iTno South
Fourteenth Street, lUirlington.

All the sons acquired the shoemaking
trade, but for about si.\ years after com-
ing to Burlington I'. .\. .\ndre was va-
rioii>ly employed, carrying a hod as ma-
son's hel]ier. doing farm work, clerking in
a grocery store, and similar occupations —
whatever offeretl ordinary remuneration.
In 185J lu- wedded .Miss Catherine
.Scheurs, a native of Albany X. V.. and of
I'ennsN Ivania Dutch parentage.

The first connection of Mr. .\ndre with
I lie shoe business in this city was as clerk
in the shoe store of J. M. Caflfrey. whose
employ he entered in 1857, aiid in which
he continued for five years. :ind was then
taken into the business as a partner, hav-
ing demonstrated himself to be the pos-
sessor of unusual talent for business man-
agement. I'our years later, up<in the de-
parture of Mr. CalTrey for the State of
Xew 'S'ork, he purchased the business
ujion very favorable terms, -and has ever
since conducted it with signal success,
there having been no time during the last
fifty years at which it has not enjoyed a
fair degree of prosperity. The store has
alwavs been located on Jefferson Street,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

271

and Mr. Andre is the oldest merchant en-
gaged in continuous business on that
thoroughfare, while the name of the
Green Horn shoe store has become a
household word throughout a vast ex-
panse of territory. In addition he has
extensive real estate holdings in this city,
and has made many real estate loans, hav-
ing by virtue of his extraordinary ability
and aptitude for practical affairs, built up
an ample fortune. To his credit also
stands the Andre Building, erected by
him, which is one of the substantial busi-
ness blocks of Burlington, and is now oc-
cupied by the J. S. Schramm ilry-goods
store. His entire active life has been de-

' voted to business exclusively, and the
persistency with which he has refused to
allow any other interest to distract his
attention may be shown by the fact that
although he visited Philadelphia and Chi-
cago during the periods of the Centennial
and Columbian Expositions, rcspecti\-ely.
he did not attend either of them, fccliii^i;-
that other matters were more important,

.and that his individual responsibility re-
quired another and different use of his
time. One exception must be cited, how-
ever, namely, his earnest and devoted
work for the church, the only organization
of whatsoever nature in which he holds
membership.

The circumstances leading up to the
naming of the Green Horn shoe store are
interesting in the light of past events and
significant facts of American history. It
is related that during the days of the
great transcontinental rush of pioneers to
the unoccupied territorj' of the Far West
for purposes of settlement, in which the
long journey was commonly made over-
land l)v wagon, a familv of these travelers,

on their return, disappointed and penni-
less, from the new country to the East,
stopped at the Andre store and traded a
pair of deer horns for a pair of shoes.
These were nailed over the door, and
later were painted green, hence the name.
This shoe store is no doubt the oldest
anywhere in this portion of the West.
Its original number was 44 Jefferson
Street, but is now 218, a fact which illus-
trates forcibly the remarkable growth and
expansion of the city since the days of its
foundation. Mr. Andre divides his time
between the store and his outside affairs,
but is usually to be found at his old place
of business.

To Mr. and Mrs. Andre were born three
sons and two daughters, John H., Ed-
ward, P. Henry. Lulu, and Lydia. Mrs.
Andre died Jan. 18, 1881, and lies at rest
in the Andre mausoleum in Aspen Grove
cemetery, — a magnificent structure with
solid cement foundation, granite Ijase,
and superstructure of Joliet limestone,
constructed at a cost of $7,000, and
requiring a year for its completion. It
was erected by Anderson, -of Chicago,
who constructed the Grant monument at
Riverside and the Douglas monument in
Chicago.

Mr. Andre has been a lifelong member
of the Washington Street German Meth-
odist church, in which he has ever been
and still is a very faithful and helpful
worker, acting as class-leader and in other
positions for many years. He was closely
associated with the late Mr. John Burg in
the building of the present house of wor-
ship, and their names are chiseled in the
corner stone. He gave two years of his
time to soliciting for the building fund,
besides making a mbnev dbnation of verv

272

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEIV

generous proportions. In 1887 he erected
a palatial home at the corner of Eighth
Street and Maiden Lane, at a cost of $18,-
000. and it is there that he resides, with
his two daughters.

Mr. Andre has always been identified
with the Kepuhlican party since its for-
mation, and at one time received nomina-
tion for member of the board of super-
visors of Des Moines county, although
the usual Democratic majority was too
large to be overcome. His place in the
esteem and regard of his fellow-townsmen
and of all his personal acquaintances is
exceedingly high, for he commands that
res])cct which rests on cluiractir and nota-
ble and worthy achievement, and is one
of those rare personalities upon whom the
confidence of the public is bestowed as it
were by natural right. Self-made, the
architect of his own fortunes, he has made
his way upward resolutely and b\' his own
merits to a height which few attain and
for which few are so well fitted as he.

JOHN H. ANDRE.

Burlington claims among her native
sons John II. Andre, wlio for three dec-
ades has been a cons])icuous figure in her
commercial life, and stands to-day in the
forefront of progress. Mr. Andre was
born March 2, 1853, the son of P. A. and
Catherine (Scheurs) .^ndre, and is in-
debted for his early training to the jniblic
schools of his native city. On comple-
ting his preliminary schooling, however,
he decided in favor of a broader prejiara-
tion for future contingencies, and matric-
ulated in Brvant & Stratton's Business

College, in which he pursued an extended
and careful course of study in commercial
forms, methods, and principles, thus mak-
ing a thorough i)rovision against the de-
mands of practical life, which he has since
met. in all their modern comi)lexity.

.\Ithough the senior .Andre was himself
engaged in business, he desired that his
son should become a railway engineer,
and this career was mutually decided up-
on. Circumstances rendered his assist-
ance necessary in the father's shoe store
for a time, however; arrd having once en-
tered upon this line of work, the earlier
project was abandoned, and he has now
been engaged in tin- retail shoe business
continuously for a ]>eriod of thirty-five
years. He retains numerous memories of
early business conditions in Iowa, and re-
lates a variety of reminiscences in a most
interesting manner, mentioning among
other things, that formerly the farmers
were accustomed to travel to Burlington
from great distances, and as a result us-
ually spent the greater part of the night
in making their |)urchases, in order to
make their absence from home duties as
brief as jiossible. On these trips, which
were made no oftener than was necessary,
bundles of sticks were brought to town
as measures of boots and shoes to be
bought for those members of the family
who remained at home.

Mr. ,\n(lre at the present lime acts as
buyer for the store, as bookkeeper and
cashier, and has charge of the firm's ad-
\-ertising. being virtually in the position
of manager, which he has occupied for
many years, and in which by the exercise
of tact and executive ability he has mate-
rially added to the reputation and pros-
l)erity of the establishment.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

At Wapello, Iowa, May 22, 1881, he
was united in marriage to Miss Emma
Griebel, of that place, who was formerly
prominent in church work as Sunday-
school superintendent and church organ-
ist, and for twenty years they have occu-
pied a pleasant home at the corner of
Eighth and Division Streets, where they
are the center of a devoted circle of
friends, and enjoy an environment of re-
finement and culture. As feeling a gen-
uine solicitude for the general good, Mr.
Andre takes part in public affairs as a
member of the Republican party, but has
never sought political office, confining his
activities to private business and the use
of his influence in the interest of good
government.

EDWARD ANDRE.

Edward Andre, son of P. A. Andre,
was born in Burlington, June 20, 1856,
and has been connected with the Green
Horn shoe store in a clerical capacity for
the major part of the last thirty years,
during which time he has formed a large
circle of acquaintance in this city and
vicinity. He wedded Miss Anna Rom-
key, and one child graces their union,
this being a son, Dale. The family re-
sides at Seventh and Maple Streets. Mr.
Andre has won general respect and con-
sideration, and has many friends.

the trade of carriage blacksmith; but
after the failure of the large factories at
this place on account of eastern competi-
tion, he entered the shoe store, in which
he has been engaged as a clerk for
twenty-three years.

On Dec. 24. 1882, he married Miss
Clara Glendy, of Omaha, Nebr., and they
have one daughter, Pearl, who is organist
of the First Baptist church of Burlington.
Their home, built in 1897, is located at
the corner of Division and Gunnison
Streets. The family are earnest Sunday-
school workers, and Mrs. Andre is also a
member of Whatsoever Circle of the
King's Daughters, in whose work she
takes a prominent part.

A large measure of popularity has
come to Mr. Andre, and in 1902 he re-
ceived the honor of nomination for the
ofifice of county clerk of Des Moines
county at the hands of the Republican
party, although he was subjected to de-
feat, as the county is strongly Demo-
cratic. His religious connection is with
the First Baptist church, to which he has
Ions: sfiven his services as usher, while he
has also been a member of the official
board for a long term of years. Frater-
nally, he has membership relations with the
Woodmen of the World, in which he has,
at various times, held the several offices.

THOMAS CARGILL ROBB.

,^ ^„„,,„,, . ,,„„„ Thomas Cargill Robb, a breeder of

P. HENRY ANDRE. ^, , , ,. . • ^r „ c ■

Shorthorn cattle, livmg m Yellow Spruigs

P. Henry Andre was born in Bur- township, was born in Washington county,

lington, Iowa, June 21, i860, son of P. A. Pa., Jan. 7, 1867, his parents being R. G.

Andre, and after leaving school learned and ^lary (McLaughlin) Robb. He is in-

274

lilUiuRAI'UKAL REriRU'

debtee! to the district-school system of Iowa
for the greater part of the education he ac-
quired, although for three years he was a
student in the schools of Indiana. He was
reared as a farm lad. and early took his
place behind the plow, assisting his father
in the various departments of farm labor
until he began farming on his own account.
In the fall of 1898 he purchased eighty and
one-third acres of land from the heirs of
Dr. Robinson, in Section 18, Range 3, west,
and in 1903 he bought an adjoining eighty-
acre tract on the north from the children of
Theron Robinson. I'or this he paid a little
more than ninety-four dollars per acre. He
now has a beautiful place, well tiled, and im-
]irovcd with all modern conveniences. None
of the accessories of a model farm of the
twentieth century arc lacking, and lie takes
just ])ri(le in tlic tine appearance of his
place.

Mr. Robb has purchased to some extent
imported Shorthorn cattle, but has never
made exhibition of his stock but once, when
in 1904 he exhibited a young calf at the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis,
winning thereon a prize of eighty-two dol-
lars. He has long been known as a breeder
of Shorthorn cattle, and at this writing he
has about thirty-five head of fine registered
stock of that grade upon his place. He has
held a number of sales, some of his stock
bringing very high prices. On one occasion
he sold a two-year-old heifer for ten
hundred and thirty-five dollars. He now
has two imjjorted cows upon his farm, one
of which has given him a calf every ten
months. 'Hie sales have netted him about
four hundred dollars each. In addition to
tile raising of cattle, .Mr. Robb is also (juite
extensively engaged in raising and feeding
Poland China hogs.

The home life of Mr. Robb is very pleas-
ant. He was married, Feb. 12, 1895, to
Miss .\nna E. McElhinney, a daughter of
Robert A. and Margaret Jane (McGurk-
in ) McElhinney. She was born in Wash-
ington township, June 30, 1870, and there
is one child by this marriage, Mar}- Mar-
garet, whose birth occurred Nov. 14, 1901.
The parents are members of the Reformed
Presbyterian church. Mr. Robb has long
resided in Iowa, and has witnessed many
changes here. At the same time his busi-
ness career has kept pace with the uniform
growth, and he is to-day controlling ex-
tensive and profitable stock-raising interests,
while his property is the visible evidence of
his life of well-directed labor and business
discernment.

ROBERT A. LOMAX.

Progress has always centered in the
towns and cities, and civilization has been
advanced, not by the individual, but by the
concerted effort of many, directed b\- the
mind of one who possesses keen sagacity
and appreciative understanding of possi-
bilities, and an adaptability that enables him
to utilize the means at hand and to combine
forces so as to produce new possibilities.
It is along such lines that all business
activity has been secured, and it has been
through the direct efforts of Robert A.
Lomax that business enterprises have been
built up which have been of marked benefit
to the community in ■which they are located,
as well as a source of wealth and profit to
himself. He is now a promirient capitalist
of Burlington, Iowa, where he has resided
for the past six years. He has largely re-
tired from the active world, giving his

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA:

275

supervision merely to his invested interests.
A native of Ohio, Robert A. Lomax was
born in Wilmington, Clinton county, Jan.
31, 1842. His parents were William P.
and* Mary (Rankin) Lomax, the former
being born in Gilford county. North Caro-
lina, in December, 1801, and came to Ohio
with his parents when nine years of age,
remaining on their farm till 1853. He then
moved to Henderson county, Illinois, where
he bought a large farm, and after the rail-
road was bulk, opened a general store. The
station of Lomax was located on his farm.
The father of our subject died Sept. 7, 1878,
aged seventy-seven years. He was a Repub-
lican, and was commissioner of Henderson
county for several terms, and served as
justice of the peace for years. The mother
of our subject was a daughter of William
Rankin, who was born in Ireland, and who
came to America when a boy ten years of
age. Mr. Rankin's folks settled in Port
William, Clinton county, Ohio, where they
bought large farming interests, and where
Miss Rankin met and married Mr. Lomax
in 1834. Mr. Rankin died in 1855, and his
daughter, Mrs. Lomax, passed away Jan.
16, 1888, at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Besides
Mr. Robert A. Lomax, of this review, his
parents had one daughter, Elizabeth, who
was born in Ohio, and married Adam
Foggy, and passed away on. Easter Sunday,
April 23, 1905, in West Point, Iowa.

Mr. Lomax received his early education
in the common schools of Henderson county,
Illinois, and later attended the academy at
Denmark, Iowa, where his studies were of a
substantial nature. He then assisted his
father on his farm of four hundred acres
till about 1870, when he engaged with his
father in conducting a general store in
Lomax. After his father died he conducted

the business for several years, and then sold
the store and turned his attention to his
farm property, where he raised the finest
kind of stock to a very large extent, and has
from time to time added to the original
farm, until to-day he is in possession of some
twelve hundred acres of improved, rich farm
land. He has always been a stanch Repub-
lican, and held the office of postmaster at
Lomax from 1870 to 1888, and was also
county commissioner for six years, both of
which offices of trust he filled with much
care and attention. In the fall of 1899 Mr.
Lomax moved to Burlington, Iowa, and
took up his abode in a handsome residence
located at 211 Polk Street, which is one of
the attractive streets of Prospect Hill. Here
he lives in ease and luxury, while his im-
mense farms in Illinois are in the hands of
responsible and trusted tenants.

March 22, 1871, Mr. Lomax became the
life companion of Miss Armina D. Paul,
daughter of Melzar and Mary Ann
(Wescott) Pavil. Airs. Lomax was born in
Plessis, Jefferson county, N. Y., June 6,
1842. Her father was born in Vermont,
Nov. 3, 181 1, and conducted a hotel at
Plessis, N. Y., for thirty )ears. He finally
located in Terre Haute, Henderson county,
111., for his health, where he died Feb. 20,
1889. During his short residence in Terre
Haute, Mr. Paul was a commissioner of the
county. Mrs. Paul was born in Syracuse,
N. Y., and died in Terre Haute, 111.. April
17, 1 89 1. They were members and liberal
supporters of the Methodist church.

L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Paul six children
were born, all of whom are dead but Mrs.
Lomax and Melzar A. Paul, wiio has been
an active farmer since boyhood, and resides
in Terre Haute, 111., and has one daughter,
Alice, who is the wife of Percy Penny of

276

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Stronglnirst, 111. Alvah Paul, brother of
Mrs. Lomax. enlisted in Torre Haute, 111.,
in Company 13, Ninety-first Regiment Illi-
nois \'olunteer Infantry, anil served all
through the Civil War as lieutenant. After
the war was over, he returned to Illinois,
where he soon died, as he lost his health
while serving his country in this national
conflict. May 8, 1876. the oldest sister of
Mrs. Lomax married Dr. j. .A. James, of
Terre Haute. 111., who also enlisted in the
same comjjany with her brother Alvah. and
held the position of captain with much dig-
nity. Rhoda Paul, another sister of Mrs.
Lomax. married J. (J. Anderson, who was
sherifli of Henderson county for thirteen
years, served all through the Civil War, and
also represented Henderson county in the
State Legislature. He now resides in
Chicago, where he holds a responsible posi-
tion in the revenue office. Fraternally, Mr.
Lomax is a Mason of the thirty-second
degree.

Besides the hundreds of acres of valuable
land in Illinois and the ideal home in P>ur-
lington, mentioned above. Mr. and Mrs.
Lomax have a pretty place in southeastern
Texas, which contains a fine orchard of
twenty acres, upon which he raises all kinds
of fruit but apples and cherries. For the
last thirteen years they have spent the win-
ters on their property in Texas, and have
thus escaped much of the cold of the long
Northern winters. They spend the summers
in Burlington, and are the owners of a
beautiful automobile, from which they de-
rive much pleasure.

Mrs. Lomax is a devoted member of the
Methodist church, where her husband also
attends, although his mother was a Cumber-
land Presbyterian antl his father a member
of the Giristian church. Mr. Lomax has

always been a man of resourceful business
ability, and his success may be attributed,
in part at least, to his ready recognition of
opportunities, his understanding of public
neefls, and his ability to meet these. What-
ever he has undertaken in his business
career has been carried forward to success-
ful completion along lines of activity that
command the highest respect and confidence
of the public. His methods have ever borne
the closest investigation and scrutiny, and
while splendid success has attended his
labors, he owes his prosperity to traits of
character that all might envy.

SAMUEL SMITH.

S.XMUEL S.MiTii, deceased, was a repre-
sentative of one of the oldest pioneer fami-
lies in Des Moines county, and was himself
an honored citizen of the county for many
years : but it is not these facts alone that
entitle him to mention in this volume, but
because of his activity in agricultural cir-
cles, his honor in business life, his loyalty
in citizenship, and his devotion to all that
pertains to the welfare and progress of his
town, townshi]). and county. He also
served his adojited country with much brav-
ery and fortitude. Mr. Smith was born at
Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, England, Oct, 26,
1826. His parents, Peter and Martha (Elli-
son) Smith, were also natives of England,
his father being born in Yorkshire, Mav 13,
1795. His mother was born in Sutton, Jan.
22, 1800, and was the eldest of five children.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith were married, when
very young, in England, where the former
was engaged in farming and milling till 1835,
when the declining pros|)ects of business led

SAMUEL SMITH.

PETER SMITH.

MRS. MARTHA SMITH.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

279

him to lease his comfortable home and cross
the great Atlantic, in order that his eight
children might have a better chance in life.
They left Liverpool, April, 1835, the second
Sunday after Good Friday, and came by
way of New York direct to Sangamon
county, Illinois, where Mr. Smith intended
to locate ; but hearing of the "Black Hawk"
purchase, he turned his attention to Iowa.
On their way by teams across the country
they lost their youngest child, Albert, aged
eight months, near Rushville, and his re-
mains were brought on and buried at their
new home. Aug. i, 1835, they crossed the
Mississippi River, and from thenceforth
were prominently identified with the young
and growing city of Burlington. He bought
three hundred and seventy acres of fine land
on the ]\Iason road from a gentleman by
the name of Bullard, upon which there was
an old cabin, with ten acres under cultiva-
tion. Mr. Smith at first had considerable
trouble with squatters, who tried to jump
his claim, and at one time was assisted by
the settlers, — two hundred or more, — who
peaceably removed from his land a man
whom he had warned off, and burned his
cabin. In about four years this land came
into the market, and Mr. Smith secured a
title from the government. They were also
more or less troubled by the Sac and Fox
Indians, who wanted mostly food and cloth-
ing; and it was in this way that the children
learned much of the Indian dialect. He was
engaged in general farming, raising wheat
very extensively for the markets, and be-
came a prosperous stock-raiser also. In
1 84 1 he began to burn lime, being one of
the first and largest dealers in this article.
As time went on he built a very large and
comfortable stone house and erected a mod-
ern barn, and his jjlace, known as "Rock-

wood Grange," was one of the most beauti-
ful and best-cultivated farms in Burlington
township.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith were blessed with
fifteen children, of whom ten grew to man-
hood and -womanhood: Ann is the wife of
Claiborne W. Hunt, of Burlington, Iowa ;
John, deceased ; Ellison was a prosperous
farmer of Danville, and died July 5, 1893 ;
Samuel, of this review; William, a lumber
merchant residing in Richland, Iowa ; Ed-
ward, died in Des Moines county Aug. 12,
1898; James, was actively engaged in agri-
culture in western Iowa, where he died Nov.
29, 1889; Jane, married- William Finch, of
Macoupin county, Illinois ; George, a farm-
er, lives near Leon, Iowa ; Sarah, lives at
1610 South Street, Ikirlington. Besides,
these, five died in infancy. On Jan. 21,
1869, fifty years from the day that this
youthful couple stood up in the quiet Eng-
lish church and joined their hearts and
hands for life, they again stood up before
their children and children's children to cel-
ebrate their golden wedding. In rehearsing
the joys and sorrows of the past, their te-
dious struggles up, and peaceful passage
down, the hill of life, and in thanks, con-
gratulations, and good cheer, the day was
spent. Before night closed this beautiful
and impressive scene, the fervent words of
that grand old hymn (Mr. Smith's favor-
ite), "Before Jehovah's aAvful throne,"
united all hearts and voices in praise to the
Almight}-, and thus this anniversary was
ended. In a little over a year from this joy-
ous time a sorrowful family was gathered
under the same roof, for the kind husband
and loving father was cold in death. He
died Jan. 25, 1870, in the seventy-fifth year
of his age. Mr. Smith was a fine old gen-
tleman, possessing those noble characteris-

28o

BIOCRAl'lilCAL REVIEW

tics that make the true man and loyal citi-
zen, and his sudden deatli was a blow to
friends in all stations of life. His wortliy
wife survived him many years. s|>ending the
evening of her peaceful life on the old home-
stead with her sou Samuel, of this review,
and her dau>,'liter Sarah, who both rendered
their mother every kindness in her widow-
hood. Mrs. Smith passed away April 25,
1 88 1, in the eighty-first year of her age.
She, t<To. had experienced many hardships,
but had struggled on and u]war<i, and was
of a very happy and cheerful dis])osition,
possessing a warm and loving heart espe-
cially for those in distress. Mr. and Mrs.
Smith are both buried in the shade and c(xil
of .'\spen Grove cenu'tery.

Mr. Samuel Smith, of this review, re-
ceived his early education in the schools of
his native ])lacc, and was about nine years
of age when his parents came to .\merica.
He remained upon his father's farm till
1850, when he decided to go West, and
started over the i)lains with an ox-team, be-
ing three months and twenty days on the
way. Arriving in Hinggold, Cal., he was
very successful in digging gold. In the
summer of 1851 he made a visit to his old
home, where he reiuained till the following
spring, when accompanied by his brother
William, he again made the trip to Cali-
fornia, crossing the plains with a team, and
engaged in mining and tending water works.

When the Civil War broke out, Mr.
Smith at once gave proof of his allegiance
to his adopted country, and enlisted in the
Fourth California Infantry, in which he
served for three years, having charge of a
scouting party for about half of the time,
the regiment doing duty in .'\rizona. New
Mexico, and Washington Territory. He
was a brave and gallant soldier. :m<l was

honorably discharged at the close of this
great rebellion at I'ort Juiiia, Cal. He then
spent a few months in the mountains to re-
cruit his health, and in 1865 left Santa
Cruz county for his old home in Iowa,
where he took charge of the farm. He was
actively engaged as an agriculturist and
stock-raiser till 1887. when he and his sister
Sarah rented the old homestead and moved
to Rurlington in 1888. This same year he
was a])pointed to fill the une.xpired term of
W. E. Woodward as justice of the peace,
and was re-elected three terms. The first
of June, 1896. he was appointed overseer of
the poor, which office he filled to the satis-
faction of all till his death. These offices
were bestowed u|)on him by the Democratic
party, of ■which he was a strong and hearty
supporter. He was a member of Des
Moines Lodge, No. i. Ancient Free and
.\cceptcd Masons: Iowa Chapter, No. i,
Uoyal .\rch Masons; and St. Omer Com-
mandery. No. 15, Knights Templar. He
also belonged to Matthies Post, No. 5,
(irand Army of the Republic, and Wash-
ington Lodge. No. I. Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, all of Burlington. The last
years of his life were sjjent at his pretty
home on South Street, where his faithful
and devoted sister Sarah ke[)t house and
.idministered to his wants. Miss Smith is a
lady of great refinement, and was educated
in the Deniuark .Academy. She has traveled
a great deal in the United States, and has
also made a trip of a year to the home and
birthiilace of her parents beyond the sea.
She still resides on .South Street, sur-
rounded by many friends and kind neigh-
bors. After several luonths of suffering Mr.
Smith was called to join those near and
dear to him Sept. 17. 1901. in the seventy-
fifth \'ear of his age. His (le.ith brought

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

281

universal sorrow, and the county lost a good
citizen, a man whose greatest pleasure was
found in doing good in his quiet, kindly
way ; a citizen whose first thought was for
the welfare of his country and the commu-
nity in which he resided. He was conscien-
tious in all things, and usually attended the
Baptist church, but his mind was unbiased
by any particular creed. His life is a fitting
example to many starting out on the rough
voyage of life, as he began at the very bot-
tom round of the ladder ; but by great activ-
ity, honesty, and uprightness he was en-
abled to accumulate a comfortable compe-
tence. His memory will long be cherished
in the hearts of his many friends and rela-
tives.

EDWARD W. ROMKEY.

Edward W. Rom key, assessor of Union
township, Des Moines county, Iowa, and at
the present time residing on his farm in
Section 16, belongs to the younger element
of progressive and conservative men whose
influence is proving valuable to the commu-
nity. Mr. Romkey was born July 3, 1869,
at the home where he now resides, the son of
Conrad D. and Catherine (Klaus) Romke\-.
Conrad Romkey was a native of Berlin, Ger-
many, at which jjlace he was born in the
year 1804, and whence he came to America
at thirteen years of age. Taking passage in
a sailing vessel, he landed at Baltimore after
what was probably one of the most remark-
able voyages in point of length ever re-
corded in the annals of ocean travel for a
similar distance, as the trip occupied all told
163 days. Proceeding to Pennsylvania, he
remained' in that State for some time after
landing, but later removed to the city of

Defiance, Ohio, where he engaged in the
building of canal boats, and also ran a dry
dock. This line of activity he pursued until
1866. at which time he again decided to re-
move westward ; and coming to Iowa, he
located in. Union township, Des Moines
county. There he purchased the fine farm
of 160 acres on which his son, Edward W.,
now resides, and one year after his arrival
erected a large and substantial dwelling-
house. He engaged in general farming with
signal success, and continued to make this
place his home until the time of his death,
which occurred Jan. 5, 1880. The element
of religion was a strong factor in his life,
and as a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal church of Burlington he gave gener-
ously of his means for the support of Chris-
tian work, while his conduct was faithfully
modeled upon the highest moral and spirit-
ual ideas. Public affairs absorbed much of
his attention, and to questions of politics he
devoted much deep and conscientious study.
His partisan allegiance was in the main
given to the Republican party, in whose
general principles he was a firm believer ;
but he sometimes supported the Democratic
ticket, and a significant fact is that he never
voted for a candidate for the presidency of
the United States who was not elected, thus
proving that on great questions of public
policy his judgment was always in accord
with the general consciousness of the nation.
Certainly he could in no way have shown
more effectively that he was an American
of the Americans. He was a man of sound
practical judgment and unusual business
ability, while the finer phases of his char-
acter were such as to win universal admira-
tion, so that he enjoye'd in an eminent degree
the esteem of those who knew him.

It was while making his home at Defi-

282

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ance, ( )lii<i, that Conrail Ronikcy wedded
Miss Catlierine Klaus. She was born in
Germany, and as a young woman came to
the United States, landing at New Orleans,
whence she came North and went to live
in Ohio just prior to the Civil War. She
still survives, at the age of seventy-six years,
and is now a resident of the city of Burling-
ton, Iowa. Like her husband, she early be-
came identified with the Methodist Episco-
pal church. She is the mother of nine chil-
dren, eight of whom arc now living, and to
the welfare of her family she has ever given
the most devoted care, rearing them in true
reverence for religion and for ethical \n\n-
ciples.

Edward W. Romkey, subject of this re-
view, who is the eighth child in order of
birtli of Conrad and Catherine Romkey, re-
ceiveil a good common-school education in
his native township, but desiring some fur-
ther and more adequate preparation for the
work of his life, also matriculated in the
llusiness College of I'.urlington, in which
institution he accomplished much that has
since proved of decided value to him. On
the conclusion of his course of study at
Burlington, he returned to the parental
home and resumed the work of the farm,
and this he has ever since continued, with
the exception of a period of three years,
during which time he resided at Stockwood,
Clay county, Minn., engaged in farming.
.■\t that ])Iace he purciiased a farm, which
he afterward sold, however, and returned to
this ])la(.-f.

In L'nion townshi]) on Dec. 27, 1894, Mr.
Romkey was united in marriage to Miss
Nellie R. Staff, daughter of John and Rachel
(Ramsey) StafT. Mf. Staff is a native of
Sweden, from which country he emigrated
to America as a young man ; and Mrs.

Staff, who was born in Scotland, crossed
to this side of the Atlantic at twelve years
of age. They were among the pioneer set-
tlers of Iowa, early locating on their farm
in Union township, where they still live, and
their part in the development and upbuilding
of this portion of the State is one for which
they deserve credit, for the hardships of
pioneer life on the Western frontier were
very real and very formidable, requiring
courage and unfaltering determination to
endure. They enjoy an enviable standing in
their community. To Mr. and Mrs. Rom-
key has been born one child, a daughter,
Nellie Ruth, born at Stockwood, Minn.,
Dec. 29, 1895.

Mr. Romkey is essentially a man of prac-
tical affairs and business tendencies, and
while he has of necessity given his ]irincipal
care to his farm, on which he maintains
first-class buildings and equipment, and into
the management of which he has introduced
the most modern and up-to-date ideas and
methods, he has also taken a leading part in
.some of the broader movements of the times.
In 1902 he was one of the incorporators of
the Burlington Rural Telephone Company,
organized with a capital stock of $5,000,
which was subsequently increased to $25,-
000, and was elected first president of the
company, an office which he occupied until
January, UJ05, thus giving to the infant or-
ganization the benefit of his executive abil-
ity during the critical perifxl of its existence.
During his administration and under his
cart- two luimlrcd and fifty instruments were
installed, with contracts on hand for approx-
imately fifty additional. In January, 1905,
he was elected secretary and treasurer of the
company, to whose interests he is at present
devoting the major portion of his time, and
the prosperity of the organization is becom-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

283

ing more pronounced and rapidly increasing
in many ways. It is safe to say that no
single enterprise ever inaugurated within
the confines of Des Moines county has con-
ferred greater benefits upon the farming
communities, or has been equally beneficial
in such a variety of ways, while the future
of the movement is pregnant with possibil-
ities as yet not dreamed of. The promotion
and supervision of such a great undertaking
requires a union of business qualifications
which is indeed rare, and that Mr. Romkey
has achieved so marked a success in so brief
a time is a matter for congratulation to all
concerned. Mr. Romkey is also actively
interested in local politics as a faithful
worker in the ranks of the Republican party.
At the same time, he has never been rabidly
partisan in his views, and has always be-
lieved that honesty and, fairness are just as
necessary in politics as in private life, and
that no party is justified in using question-
able means to secure the triumph of its views,
as the right to rule belongs to the majority
and not to the skilful manipulator. In recog-
nition of the confidence reposed in his ability
and integrity by his fellow-citizens, he was
elected when quite a young man to the office
of trustee of Union township, which he oc-
cupied for a number of years with credit to
himself and his constituents, and at the pres-
ent time he holds the office of township as-
sessor. While immersed in the multifarious
afifairs of public and business life, however,
he has at no time lost sight of the higher in-
terests or been unmindful of his duties to
religious and humanitarian movements.
He is a consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal church of Union township, to the
various departments of whose work he lends
substantial encouragement and support in
generous measure. A man of genuine mod-

esty, he has never been disposed to call at-
tention to his own merits, rather preferring
to let his work speak for itself. Quiet and
unassuming, he is nevertheless of a genial
disposition, and has the gift of winning and
keeping friends. He enjoys unbounded
popularity in Union township, and is in
touch with many of the leading business and
public men of Des Moines county, who
respect him for the solid qualities of his
character.

MICHAEL HENRY GAHEGAN.

Michael Henry Gahegan, at the pres-
ent time the oldest representative of the
business and commerical interests of West
Burlington, Iowa, was born in Rochester,
Monroe county, N. Y., Aug. 24, 1846, the
son of Michael and Alary (Follen) Gahegan.
His early education was begun in the public
schools of Rochester, but in 1856, when
ten years of age, he removed with his par-
ents to Burlington, and here his education
•was completed in the public schools of the
city, and in Saint Paul's Catholic parochial
school.

On the completion of his formal training,
he began his independent career by taking
a position in the Putnam mill, driving the
first delivery wagon that was ever driven in
the city of Burlington, and thereafter do-
ing all the hauling from the mill. His first
work at this mill, however, which was done
in i860, was the marking or branding of
barrels, and during the twelve years that he
was in the employ of this institution, he
worked his way from the most humble posi-
tion to the highest, — that of general miller,
— ■ thus proving himself possessed of true
executive ability. He was at various times

284

BIOGRAPHICAL RlUlllU-

engaged in the work of every department,
acting in every capacity, and achieving suc-
cess in all ; but in 1875 he decided to re-
sign, and accepted a position in Mr. H. E.
Hunt's grocery .store, where he remained for
two years, acting as clerk : after which he
was employed as clerk in the steam bakery
of Phillip Hare for two years, and then
returned to the mill for one year.

He next formed a partnership with
George Moran, changed to the firm style
of Gahegan & Smith, and for a year they
conducted a grocery business on South
Ninth Street, at the end of which time he
purchased, individually, a portion of the
firm's location, and embarked in an inde-
|)i-n<k'iit grocery enterprise. This was con-
tinued until 1883, when he came to West
Burlington and started a general store, and
in 1884 sold his interest in the grocery store
at Burlington to his partner, Henry Andre,
who had been associated with him for a
time. In 1890 he engaged in the commis-
sion business in Burlington, locating first
on Main Street, and later on Valley Street,
and this was continued, in connection with
his grocery business on the corner of Ninth
and Maple Streets, for a pcridd of approxi-
mately three years, with considerable suc-
cess, yielding very satisfactory returns.
He then returned to West Burlington, as-
suming his ])resent business.

On May 30. 1860. Mr. Gahegan was
united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Col-
gan, daughter of Charles Colgan, and to
them were born eight children, of whom
two died in infancy, and four died later, of
consumjjtion, as did also the mother of the
family, the date of her death being April i,
1887. in the forty-first year of her age, she
having been born in i84r). Of the children,
Marv and Sadie died in infancy : Harrv

died at the age of thirty-three years; Ralph
at the age of eighteen years ; Ruth, born
in 1882, died in 1896; Charles, born in
1872, died in 1904; while those living are
Frank, born Sept. 6, 1875, ^nd William,
born March 10, 1885. On Oct. 18, 1888,
Mr. Gahegan was again married, his second
wife being Miss Mary E. Carl, and they
are the parents of five children, as follows:
Leo, born Feb. 9, 1891 ; Maranica, bom
Feb. 2, 1892: Leander, born Nov. 13, 1894;
Michael, born Dec. 26, 1895; and Harry,
born May 12, 1897.

Mr. Gahegan's religious faith is that of
the Catholic church, to the support of which
he is a generous contributor ; and fra-
ternally he is a member of the West Bur-
lington Lodge of the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. His political allegiance
he gives to the Dcniocratic party, in which
lie has been a very prominent worker for
many years, and has received at the hands
of his fellow-citizens many public trusts,
which are evidence of the high esteem and
confidence •which he enjoys from those who
know him. In 1883 he was elected to repre-
sent the fifth ward of Burlington in the city
council, and in 1885 he was elected trustee
of Flint River town.ship; while under each
of the two administrations of President
Cleveland he received appointments as post-
master, and discharged the duties of that
highly responsible jmsition with great effi-
ciency and to the entire satisfaction of the
public. Thus his whole career has been
successful to an unusual degree and in every
particular, for he is in the best sense of the
word a self-made man, having begun at the
bottom of the business ladder, and by his
own industry, care, foresight, and good
judgment attained his present desirable posi-
tion among the substantial interests of the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

285

community. At the same time he has
proved himself to be the possessor of busi-
ness talents of most diverse character, and
has made many friends, who hold him Kn
honor and esteem as an excellent example of
thorough integrity and high-minded citizen-
ship.

JOHN DIETRICH BERGES.

Rev. John Dietrich Berges, for many
years a minister of the German Evangel-
ical church, and now living retired in Bur-
lington, was born in Prussia, Germany, Jan.
28, 1838, his parents being Herman Henry
and Louisa (Ellerbrok) Berges. He was
a student in the public schools of his native
land until fourteen years of age, and when
a young man of seventeen years he came
alone to America and began preparation for
the ministry as a student in Eden College,
in Warren county, Missouri, from which
institution he was graduated on the com-
pletion of the regular course with the class
of 1866. He was ordained to the ministry
in June of the same year, and soon after-
ward began preaching, his first charge be-
ing at Strausburg," Tuscarawas county,
Ohio, where he remained for about two
years. He was afterward at Ackerville,
Washington county, Wis., where he con-
tinued for four years, after which he spent
a similar period at Primrose, Lee county,
Iowa. His pastorate at Wheeling, Minn.,
covered nine years, and then after a year
spent in Missouri, he had to leave that field
on account of ague, and removed to Switzer,
Ohio, where he remained for nine years.
He spent four and a half years at Vienna,
Dorchester county, Md., where he did some
colonization work, founding a German

colony. Later two years were passed at
Troy, 111., and he afterward removed to
Farina, that State, remaining in Fayette
county for two and a half years. That was
his last charge, for, on account of impaired
hearing, he gave up the active work of the
ministry, and in 1903 removed to Burling-
ton, where he is now living retired. He had
devoted thirty-seven years of his life to
active pastoral duty as a minister of the
German Evangelical church, and in many
places where he was located the churches
with which he was connected enjoyed great
growth and spiritual awakening. A zealous
worker, an earnest speaker, and one whose
life exemplifies his faith, he has not been
denied the harvest that follows the sowing
of the good seed.

Mr. Berges first visited Burlington in
1856, and remained here until i860. Fol-
lowing his retirement he again took up his
abode in this city, where he is now perma-
nently located. He was married, April ^29,

1867, to Miss Elise Moery, who died July 14,

1868, leaving a daughter, Emma Lydia, born
Jan. 23, 1868. On the fifteenth of April,

1869, he married Elizabeth Guth, and the
only child of that marriage died in infancy,
while the mother's death ocurred in 1870.
A.ugust 3, 1871, Mr. Berges married Wil-
helmina Guth, a sister of his second wife,
and they became the parents of eleven
children : Anna Catharine, born April 14,
1872; Herman Lorenz, who was born Jan.
23, 1874, and died April 10, 1899, while his
wife, whom he married April 22, 1897, and
who bore the maiden name of Emma Wittig,
died Jan. 7, 1898, at the age of twenty-two
}ears ; Ludwig Johannes, born Dec. 6, 1875 ;
Ludwig Edward, born Dec. 24, 1878 ; Anna
Maria Sophia, was born Aug. 16, 1881,
and <licd April 23, 1904: Martha Emma.

286

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

born Nov. 30, 1883 ; Karl Arthur, horn July
18, 1886: Hcinriih Oscar, born Oct. 29,
1888; Adolph rhillip. Iwrn May 22. 1891;
Paul Theodore, lK>rn .Nov. 17, 1893; and
Kmil Guth, lx)rn July 4, 1898, and died
July 28. 1899.

Politically, .Mr. Jlerges is independent,
although he usually supports Republican
princi])les. He cast his first presidential
vote for Abraham Lincoln, and has gen-
erally exercised his right of franchise in
support of the candidates of that party. He
was at one time postmaster at Wheeling,
.\Iinii., for four years, but otherwise has
held no political office, preferring to give his
undivided attention to his church work. He
yet occasionally fills a pulpit in the absence
of a regular pastor, but is jiractically living
retired at his pleasant home at 2020 Sunny-
side Avenue.

JOHN HENRY BERGES, SR.

JoiI.N Hii.XRV i'.ERGKS, Sk.. wllO is HOW

living a retired life in Burlington, where
many years ho labored persistently and in-
defatigably in the acquirement of the com-
petence which he now enjoys, was born in
E.xetcr, Prussia, Germany, Nov. 3, 1829,
his parents being John Henry and Louisa
(Ellerbrok) Picrges. He obtained his edu-
cation in the public schools, and when in
his fifteenth year he began working on a
farm for three dollars and a half per year,
together with his clothes and laundry.
When seventeen years of age he began
.learning the slnx'maker's trade, which he
followed in the Fatherland until the fall of
1853, when he made arrangements to come
to America.

In October of that year, bidding adieu

to home and friends in his native country,
Mr. berges took passage on a sailing vessel,
which after si.x weeks reached the harbor
of New Orleans. He at once started u]) the
river to Hurlington, but the ice in the river
impeded progress, and he was forced to lay
over for days at diflferent places, lieing ob-
liged to remain at Quincy for three weeks,
so that it was not until the seventeenth of
March, 1854, that he reached his destina-
tion.

Upon his arrival in iSurlington, Mr.
Berges secured work at, a dollar a day on the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad,
which was then IxMug Iniildcd, being em-
ployed in that way until July, 1855, when
he began work fur the Burlington & Mis-
souri Railroad. After a short time he
worked by the month for a .Mr. l'"letcher
in the Barrett House, and then again en-
tered the service of the railroad company,
working for three months on the line west
of Burlington. In the winter months he
engaged in sawing wood wherever he could
gel work to <lo. and in the following sum-
mer he .secured a position in the Gilbert
Lumber Yard. He again sawed wood in
the following winter, and in the spring
wcjrked in the Henry foundry, where he
remained until the spring of 1859, when he
became a hand at threshing. Later, in the
railroad service, he was engaged in load-
ing ties and wheels until the fall of 1859,
after which he was employed at the gas
works until the s]iring of 1884, covering a
period of twenty-three and a half consec-
utive years, during which time he won pro-
motion through capable service, acting as
foreman for fifteen years. During one
year, on account of ill health, Mr. Berges
engaged in no active business save the
building of a residence adjoining his pres-

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

287

ent home. In the fall of 1859 he had pur-
chased his present comer site, on which
was a little two-room coUage, to which he
afterward added, until, with the many im-
provements he has made, he now has a
pretty home at 1301 Corse Street. In 1886
he accepted the position in charge of the
improvements at Aspen Grove cemetery,
continuing in that place for thirteen years,
when, in June, 1900, he resigned his position
and retired to private life, enjoying the
fruits of his former toil. His life has been
a very active and busy one, and although
he came to America empty-handed, he had
the energy and determination that enabled
him to make the most of his opportunities,
and in due time gain success.

On the tenth of September. 1854, Mr.
Berges was married to Miss Louisa Wal-
dorf, a daughter of Charles and Louise
(Castrup) Waldorf. .They have six chil-
dren : Herman Conrad, born March 4, 1855,
lives within sight of his father's home ;
John Henry, born Jan. 12, 1857, is clerk-
ing in Schramm's store ; Christina Louisa
born Sept. 20, 1859, and living at the cor-
ner of McLane and Bartlett Streets, is the
widow of John Loose, who was killed on
the railroad in 1882; Mary Magdalene,
born Jan. 10, 1862, is the wife of William
J. Swigart, a farmer ; Anna Maria Fred-
erica, born March 3, 1865, died at the age
of three months ; Wilhelmina Sophia, born
July 6, 1868, is the wife of William Kuer-
ger, who is clerking in his brother's' grocery
store ; Edward Deidrich, born April 16,
1871, completes the family. Mrs. Berges
died Dec. 16, 1900.

Mr. Berges is a member of the German
Evangelical church, with which he has been
identified since his arrival in Burlington.
Politically, he was a Republican until

Grant's election, since which time he has
held himself free from party ties, although
he voted for McKinley and Roosevelt for
the presidency. In 1882 he was elected a
member of the city council and served for
one term. He has been a resident of Bur-
lington for more than a half century, and is
therefore a witness of much of its growth
and improvement, and has taken just pride
in what the city has accomplished. His
own personal career has also been marked
by steady progress, and the poor young man
who came to America is now one of the
respected citizens of Burlington, with a
comfortable competence for his old age.

NILS ANDERSON.

Nils Anderson, long known as a highly
successful business man and leader in
public life of Des Moines county, was
born in Christianstad, Sweden, Nov. 10,
1848, a son of Sven and Lucy (Tufveson)
Anderson. He was one of a family of
seven children, of whom only one other
now survives, this being Anna, wife of
Anders Nilson, of Sweden. The father,
who was an architect, died in Sweden
about the year 1833, ^.gcd forty-four
years. He was survived for a few years
by his wife, her demise occurring in Sep-
tember, 1857, in the thirty-ninth year of
her age. Both were members of the
Lutheran church, by whose teachings
they guided the course of their lives.

A paternal grandfather of our subject,
Anders Lock, was in the regular army,
and later took part in the war of the Al-
lies against Napoleon I. Born in 1775,
he died in 1880, having attained to the

288

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

remarkable age nf alnmst ».>ne hundred
and five years. lie Mirvived a iininber
of his own children. i)f whom there were
twelve. The maternal grandfather Tiif-
vesun likewise reached old age. and died
in his native land at the age of seventy
years.

Mr. .-Xnderson's parents having died
when he was but a mere boy. he was left
to shape his own career, and with oply a
small anu^unt of financial resources.
This he em])loyed in gaining an educa-
tion, first c(>mi)leting the work of the
common schools, and later taking a i)ar-
tial course of study in the " Kristianstads
Elemcntar Laroverk." On leaving school
he a])prenticed himself to a shoemaker,
learned the trade, serving for that pur-
pose a term of three years without ])ay
except board and lodging.

In 1870, having definitely decided to
try his fortune in .\merica, he emigrated
to this country, and coming West, located
in I'.urlinglon. where he embarked in the
boot and shoe business. This enterprise
he afterward discontinued, and took em-
ployment in the A. Kaiser clothing house
as a clerk. In 1878 he entered the em-
l)lov of the Chicago, ISurlington & Oiiincy
Railroad Company as a clerk in the land
de])artment, remaining in that position
until January, 1887.

.Meantime, Mr. Anderson, by reason of
his steady career of strict integrity, his
genial manner, and his Sdci.il dis|)osition.
had made hosts of friends; and having
joined the ranks of the Democratic party,
by whose principles of political e(|nality
he was strongly attracted, he became
very prominent in its work, taking a
leading part in its counsels, and by his
zeal and ability contributed largely to its

success, serving as delegate to various
conventions.

In recognition of his work he was nom-
inated by the i)artv. in i88<), for the office
of county recorder of Des Moines county,
and was elected, entering ujion the official
duties Jan. i, 1887. Mis first term was
marked by such uniform and high effi-
ciency that he was re-elected, and in fact,
he developed such a considerable degree
of popularity by his careful and con-
scientious attention to iluty at all times,
that he received four re-elections, serv-
ing in all five terms, in i8<;7 he was the
nominee for county treasurer, and was
elected : but after serving one term he
refused to become the nominee for re-
election. In 18178 he was nominated by
the Democratic i)arty for State treasurer,
but his nomination occurring m such a
strong Kejniblican State, he was defeated.

Since returning to private life he has
been engaged in the real estate business,
in which he has been very successful, and
now holds the responsible position of
treasurer of the Swedish Lutheran Mu-
tual Fire Association. This Association
embraces all the churches and parsonages
of the I'nited States and Canada of the
Swedish Lutheran denomination, with
risks outstanding oni' million ti\e hun-
dred thousand dollars.

In 1875 Mr. .Anderson was married to
Miss Matilda Thornquist, who died two
years after marriage, her death occurring
Dec. i~, 1877. This union was blessed
with one child, who is also dead. . On
Nov. 6, 1883, he married Miss .Vugusta
Thornquist, a sister of his first wife, and
to them have been born three children,
as follows: Carl I'lato, Lillie .Matilda,
and Roscoe Isedore.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

289

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson arc botli con-
sistent members and among the princi-
pal supporters of the Swedish Lutlieran
church, in which the former has held the
responsible position of trustee for many
years. Mr. Anderson is of a very pa-
triotic family, having had two uncles who
defended their adopted country through-
out the Civil War. One, Gustaf Ander-
son, was killed at the battle of Shiloh ;
and the other, Carl Boja, was fatally
wounded, and died in a hospital near
Gettysburg. As a business man he stands
among those who have achieved notable
success. He is a man of broad and lib-
eral views, public-spirited, quiet, and un-
pretentious, one whom it is a pleasure to
know, and an honor to count among one's
friends, and stands high in the confidence
and counsels of his fellow-men.

. CHARLES W. RAND.

As junior partner in the firm of Wyman
& Rand, Mr. Rand was numbered among
the best-known younger business men of
this section of the West, and was regarded
as one destined to attain a high plane of
usefulness and distinction. A native of Bur-
lington, he was a member of a pioneer fam-
ily of this city, his parents having settled
here as early as 1839. The date of his
birth was Feb. 12, 1855, and he was the son
of Hon. E. D. and Carrie (Sherfey) Rand.
Charles W. Rand received an unusually
thorough and fitting preparation during his
early years for the duties of the brilliant
career which he stibsequently achieved.
After completing a course in the public
schools of Burlington, he entered the high

schools of the city, completed the work of
the curriculum, and was graduated ; thence
passed to a Business College, of Burlington,
where he pursued a course of study lasting
two years ; and, as the final phase of his
apprenticeship, went to Chicago and took
employment with the famous commercial
house of Marshall Field & Company. -There
he remained for a period of five years, fa-
miliarizing himself with the actual details
of commercial method and practice, and at
the expiration of that time in 1879. he be-
came the partner of Mr. Wyman in the
wholesale and retail carpet and furniture
business. This enterprise had at that time
attained the annual volume of $150,000, and
under the name of the Wyman-Rand Carpet
Company maintained branch houses at Keo-
kuk and ( )ttumwa. Iowa, and Carthage, III,
thus constituting one of the chief commer-
cial institutions of Burlington.

Mr. Rand's business activities were always
extensive, and he was instrumental in the
incorporation in May, 1886, of the North-
western Manufacturing Company, of Bur-
lington, with a working capital of $26,000
and a surplus of $14,000, employing an aver-
age of one hundred and ten workers
throughout the year, and having an annual
output of $100,000 worth of stock. Of this
company he was president, and he was also
president of the Rand & Leopold Desk Com-
pany, its successor; while in addition he was
identified with the Duncan & Schell Furni-
ture Company, of Keokuk, the Wyman &
Rand Carpet Company, of Keokuk, and was
a member of the Keokuk Mercantile Asso-
ciation, which erected the building occupied
by the last two firms. This is one of the
finest business blocks of Keokuk, and the
plans for the structure were the personal
work of Mr. Rand. He was connected with

2 go

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

various local corporations, being a director
of the National State Bank and of the com-
pany owning the Ijurlington Opera House.
In C'hicagK, on Sept. 4, i8Xf), he wedded
Miss Lilian C. lliggins, who was born at
Mendota, 111., a daughter of Hiram Higgins,
of Chicago, and to them were born three
ciiildren. who survive. ICldridge D.. Charles
\\'.. and Lilian. Mrs. Rand now resides
with her father, who has a palatial home in
Los .Vngeles. Cal. Mr. Kand gave his po-
litical allegiance to the Republican party,
but he was a broad-minded student of pub-
lic affairs, and as such was rather indejiend-
ent in his modes of thought. To him the
truths of Christianity appealed in their
si)iritual and humanitarian aspects, and he
devoted much time and moncr to the work
of the Congregational church, of which he
was a member and which he served in the
office of trustee. He was a man generally
beloved by those who knew him intimately,
and he won the regard of all by the nobility
of his character — by his strength, upright-
ness, great ability, which made him emi-
nently successful in the incc])tion and con-
duct of gigantic enterprises, and for his
thoroughly ]ihilanthropic spirit. He died
March 6, 1900.

JOHN VOGELGESANG.

ITiGii in the honorable roll of names
which represent the early .settlers of Des
Moines county. Iowa, stands that of John
Vogelgesang. greatly esteemed for those
traits of character which have made him a
successful farmer and business man. and
an ideal citizen. Mr. X'ogelgesang. who
resided on his fine farm of one hunilred and

si.xty acres in Section 20, Burlington town-
ship, was born in Germany, June 9, 1833,
anil there received his education in the pub-
lic schools ; but believing that greater oppor-
tunities for self-advancement awaited the
young and ambitious man in the New World
across the .\tlantic, he early decidetl to leave
his native land and seek his fortune in
America. Pursuant to this project, in
March. 1852, when he was only twenty
years of age, he took passage in an old-time
sailing vessel, and after a long and tedious
voyage of forty-three days" duration, landed
at the port of Xew ( )rleans. whence he pro-
ceeded up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers
to Cincinnati.

.•\s the beginning of his new and inde-
])endent career, he there entered the employ
of a gardener, engaging in that -work for
the space of one year, at the end of which
time he resolved to push farther westward,
and traveling again by way of the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers, ascended the latter
.stream to lUirlington, Iowa, where for a
time he was cmi)loyed as a day laborer,
while looking about for more suitable work.
Later he learned the trade of coopering,
in which he thenceforth engaged continu-
ously for about eighteen years, ^vith much
profit : but he then decided to seek a wider
field of labor, and rented a farm in Burling-
ton township, engfaging in agrictdture for
some years, at the expiration of which time
he was enabled, as a result of his previous
frugality, care, and industry, to purchase
a farm of one hundred fifty-five acres just
north of his present residence, for a dairy
site — in which he immediately launched
his spare capital. From this venture he
received very gratifying returns, as he
always maintained a large and fine herd,
and in a short time built up an extensive and

JOHN VOGr.LGKSANG.

MRS. ELIZABETH VOGELGESANG.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

295

profitable business. On that farm he had
his home for about ten years, and then pur-
chased an adjoining ten acres on which he
erected his present residence, a large and
handsome stone structure, for which the
material was quarried by Mr. Vogelgesang
on his own farm, and which is known as
one of the finest dwelling houses in Burling-
ton township. Here he resided until his
death, which occurred on May 29, 1905,
beloved by all who knew him.

The parents of Mr. Vogelgesang emi-
grated to America about one year after his
own coming, and located in the city of Bur-
lington, where they conducted a boarding-
house. The father, John \^ogelgesang, was
drowned in the Mississippi River while re-
turning from a visit to his daughter, and
this sad occurrence was followed, about a
year later, by the death of the mother, who
was unable to recover from the shock of
her husband's untimely end, and whose grief
was rendered especially bitter by the fact
that the body was never recovered.

Our subject was twice married, his first
wife being Miss Mary Mossfield, a native of
Germany, and to them were born three chil-
dren, as follows : Mary, wife of Adolph
Schaenar, now conducting a soda-bottling
works in Burlington ; John, who died at
three years of age ; and Minnie, who died
when but six weeks old, and at whose birth
the mother's death occurred. All the de-
ceased are buried in the Catholic cemetery,
at Burlington.

In 1865 Mr. Vogelgesang wedded, as his
second wife, Miss Elizabeth Wiedmann,
who was born in Germany, and in 185 1,
when in the eighth year of her age, came to
America in company with her grandmnthor,
her father having previously emigrated to
this country. To Mr. and Mrs. Vogelge-

sang have been born six children, all of
whom are living, as follows ; Herman, who
is a farmer of Henry county, married Miss
Ellen Stratman. and has three children,
Walter, Ada AL, and Emma; Theodore,
who is an expressman, residing in Burling-
ton, Iowa, married Miss Fredric Hagenber,
and has two sons, Arthur and Ralph ; Lewis,
' residing in Burlington, has three daugh-
ters, Mabel, Bertha, and baby unnamed ;
Paulina, now the wife of Charles Meller, a
farmer of Burlington township, has four
children, Gertie, Rachel, Mark, and Hilda;
John E., who resides with his mother ; and
Otilla, also at home. All these children
were born in Burlington township, and here
have received the inestimable advantage of
excellent education and home training, and
have always taken a prominent place in
the social circles of the community. Mr.
Vogelgesang was, in fact, able to give his
children a better and more thorough equip-
ment for the work of life than he himself
enjoyed at the beginning of his long and
useful career. A believer in modern ideas,
he was ever actuated by the most progress-
ive principles, and the success he attained
is ample proof of the wisdom of his course.
A member of the Catholic church, he con-
tributed liberally to the support of the cause
of religion, while his interest in public affairs
and the welfare of his adopted country and
of future generations made him a member
of the great Democratic party, in whose doc-
trines he was a consistent believer. Hon-
orable his course always was, and fair the
name he left to his children, for he is a man
whose every act bore the stamp of upright-
ness and strictest honesty, and his reward
is the profound respect and high regard of
his fellow-men. We present the portraits
of Mr. and Mrs. Vogelgesang.

2q6

BIOGRAPHICAL RhnHV

SIMEON RUSSELL.

Ln- the history uf Simeon Russell there
is iinich that should serve to inspire and
encourajje young men, for liis record
proves that success is not a matter of
genius nor the outcome of fortunate cir-
cumstances, \n\\. may i>e gained through
strong determination, ambition, and ear-
nest labor, Practical industry, wisely and
vigorously applied, never fails of success:
it carries a man onward and upward,
brings out his individual character, and
acts as a ]»>worfnl stimulus to the efforts
of others.

The greatest results of life are usually
obtained by simple means and the exer-
cise of the ordinary qualities of common
sense and ])erseverance. The every-day
life, with its cares, necessities, and duties,
affords ample opportunities for acquiring
e.xpeiience of the best kind, and its most
beaten paths provide a true worker with
abundant scope for effort and for sclf-im-
prcjvement. It was along such lines that
.Mr. Russell won a place of ])rominence in
business circles. It is, therefore, with
])leasure that we present to our readers
his life history, for he well deserves men-
tion among the representative men that
in the past days or at the jiresent time
have been closely connected with the
business development of Des Moines
county.

Simeon Russell, son of Christopher and
Jane ( liowmanj Russell was born Jan. 25,
1825, in Xew Castle county, Delaware.
His parents were natives of Pickering,
Yorkshire, England, coming to Delaware
in early pioneer times and locating on a
farm. They were tiie i)arents of seven
sons, six of wlioni grew to inanliood :

Christopher; John; Robert; William;
Stephen, who died when a babe, and was
i)uried at sea; Thomas; and Simeon, of
this review, who is the sole survivor of all
these brothers. Christopher Russell,
father of these sons, was called to his
final home April 12, 1847, at the age of
sixty-eight years, his wife i)receding him
to the unknown world many years, dying
in 1826, when Simeon was but one year
of age. They are both buried in N'ew-
port, Delaware.

Mr. Russell spent his boyhood days
with his father on the farm, attending
school at the Richardson district school.
Cut his school days were of short dura-
tion, and his education has been largely
derived from extensive reading and the
daily experiences of life. Being blessed
with an extraordinary memory, he ])OS-
sesses a rare mind equaled by few.

In 1 84 1 he went to Maysville, Mason
county, Ky., and though l)Ut sixteen years
of age, he began to learn the trade of a
bricklayer. lie spent four years in learn-
ing this trade with his oldest brother, at
whose home he resided. In the fall of
1845, he returned to Delaware, where he
worked at his trade till March 3, 1849,
when lie went to Cincinnati, Ohio. .Vfter
a year's residence there, he went again to
Maysville, Ky., and in the spring of 185 1
he decided to come West, and chose lUir-
linglon as the scene of his future home.

-At this time the North Hill school,
which was the first public schoolhouse
in Burlington, was under erection, and it
was upon this building that Mr. Russell
did his first day's work in Burlington;
and two days after he began to work his
employer recognized his ability as a
skilled mechanic by jiaying him twenty-

DES MOINES COUNTY, /OffV/.

297

five cents a day more than any other
journeyman. I'he following spring, he
Isegan contracting for himself, and has
erected many of the finest buildings in the
city. He built the South Hill school in
1852; the South Boundary in 1861 ; the
Germania in 1866; the Hibernia, now
known as the Washington, in 1875 ; the
Prospect in 1871;; and superintended the
building of the Saunderson and the pres-
ent Sunnyside in i8gi. In 1855, the Cum-
berland Presbyterian church was erected
uiKler his guidance and direction, and St.
Paul's church the following year. Many
residences have been built by him, and,
in fact, in no direction can one look with-
out seeing grand Ijuildings which stand
as testimonials of his skill and labor.

During the last year or two that Mr.
Russell was in active business, i\[r. Frank
Orm. now deceased, was in partnership
with him. They erected the German
P>ank block in 1883 and a number of other
buildings. In addition to the above, when
brick paving was first introduced in the
city of Burlington on Jefferson Street
from Main Street west to Seventh, Mr.
Russell was chosen by the city engineer
to superintend the same.

Pie was not only one of the best
mechanics in the State, where his rare
ability and sound judgment were recog-
nized by all. but he was a man who was
exceedingly careful in everything he un-
dertook. It ccrtainl}' must be a great sat-
isfaction to him to know that in all tlie
forty years he was in active business he
nevei' had an accident befall any of the
hundreds of men in his employ. He
thoroughly believed that what was worth
doing at all was worth doing well, and
many of the prominent business men of

the city to-day point with pride to the
fact that they l)egan their business career
by working for Simeon Russell.

He has always taken a great interest in
all movements or enterprises that would
be of sulistantial benefit to the city or the
community at large. We know of no
one who has taken more~ interest in edu-
cational lines, firmly advocating that a
good ])ractical education is the best legacy
that a parent can give to his children.

Sept. 19, 1854, Mr. Russell and Miss
Elizabeth- Whitaker were married, at the
home of her parents, on the " borders of
Canaan" township, Henry county, Iowa.
The Reverend Henry Wilbur, of Mount
Pleasant. Iowa, performed the ceremony.
Mrs. Russell is a daughter of (George and
Jane (Wood) Whitaker, and was born in
Leeds. Yorkshire, England, Nov. 23, 1832.
Her father was born in Armley, near
Leeds, Yorkshire, England, Nov. 20. 1808,
and her mother was born in Wortley,
Leeds, Yorkshire, England, Julv 31. i8o8.
They came to America in 1849, coming
by the way of New York in one of the
old-style sailing vessels known as the

Fidelia." which made the trip in twenty-
eight days. They settled first in Cincin-
nati, Ohio, but did not remain long, com-
ing to Burlington, Iowa, March 3, 1850.
In England, Mr. Whitaker was a white-
smith and bellhanger. which trade he fol-
lowed for a number of years after coming
to 15urlington. Later he bought a large
farm in Henry county, where he lived till
1857, when he and Mrs. Whitaker took
the three younger children atid made a
trip to the land of their birth.

They remained in England about a year
and a half, when they again returned to
Burlington, and purchased a farm in

208

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEIV

Franklin township, whi're he \\.i> en-
gaged in gt-neral farming till 1867. when
he sold his place and moved to the city,
and took up his residence at 1013 South
Fifth Street. A few years after coming
to the city to live, he retired from active
business.

Mr. and Mrs. W'hitaker were married
when only a little over seventeen years
of age, and became the parents of nine
children, who all grew to maturity but
one: .\ngcla. died in England; James,
passed away in lUirlington ; Elizabeth,
wife of Simeon Russell, of this review;
Joseph, died in .\rkansas; Mary Jane,
died in lUirlington ; William, a resident of
Jefferson county. Iowa: Emma, died
when a babe in England ; Sarah, resides
in Odessa, .\Io. ; George F., one of the
oldest conductors on the Wabash Railroad,
with headquarters in Detroit, Mich.

Mr. Whitaker died at his home very
suddenly, March 26, 1887, being in his
seventy-ninth year. Ills good wife, who
had been his faithful companion in life
for over sixty-one years, was separated
from him but four short weeks when she
too was called home. Her death occurred
at the Iionie of her daughter, Mrs. Simeon
Russell, April 23, 1887. and she was also
in her seventy-ninth year. They sleep
the sleep that knows no waking 'neath
the shady trees in .\spen (irove cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell have been blessed
with seven children: .Angela, who died on
her first birthday, Sept. 12. 1856; George
S., married Miss Mary Mulligan, of Chi-
cago, Jan. 23, 1883. and they have five
children, who were all born in Cedar Ra])-
ids, Iowa, but the oldest, George S., Jr.,
was born in I'.urlington. Inwa, at the
home of his grandparents, Oct. 17, 1883;

Emma I-ouise, born July 19, 1885 ; Co-
rinne X., born Oct. 2, 1888; Hortense E.,
born Sept. 17, 1891 ; Mary XaDeane, born
.\ug. 22, 1893.

George S. Russell and family reside in
Meini>his. renn., where Mr. Russell is
general manager of the Standard Car
Record C"ompany and also chief clerk in
the freight de])artment of the Illinois
Central Railroad. Emma J., the third
child, resides at home with her parents;
\\ illiam C, is train dispatcher on the
Great Northern Railroad, and lives in
I'.reckenridge, .Minn. He married Miss
Sarah. Russell, of \'olo. Lake county. III.,
Se])t. 19, 1888. They have four children:
Edith \'irginia, born in Burlington, Iowa,
Sept. 4, 1889; William C, Jr., born in De-
troit. .Minn.. Feb. 21, i8<>7; Frank .\., born
in I'roctorknolt, Minn., May 27, 1900;
Alice Lucile, born in Livingston, Mont.,
A])ril 10. 1903. Clara E., the fourth child
was one of the most capable teachers in
the city schools of lUirliiigton for many-
years ; S. Lillian, the youngest daughter,
is a successful teacher in the South Hill
school, in her home city ; John Byron
died Sei)t. 8, 1872, aged thirteen months.

.Mr. and .Mrs. Russell spared no pains
to give all of their children good and sub-
stantial educations, and all but William
are graduates of the Burlington high
school. William virtually took the
course, but quit just before the year
closed. George S. is also a graduate of
the Baptist College, and was a student in
Mr. Graff's and Professor Gordon's
schools.

Politically, .Mr. Russell is a Democrat
of the old school, and though never solic-
iting office, his skill and (|ualifications
won for him the position of city building

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

299

commissioner during the years of 1885
and 1886. ^^llile possessed of the cour-
age of his convictions, he has the happy
faculty of dififering from one and yet not
antagonizing his opponent.

Although our subject has been in very
delicate health for over thirty years he is
always cheerful and happy, loving to tell
the younger people of "the good old
times," and enjoying jokes to their fullest
extent. Mr. Russell has been retired
from active business for the past fifteen
years and is spending the evening of his
well-spent life at his pleasant home at
521 North Seventh Street, on which lot
he and Mrs. Russell have lived for over
fifty years.

Mrs. Russell is one of the oldest mem-
bers, both in age and membership, of the
First Baptist church, where her husband
also attended in his younger days. Sept.
19, 1904, the golden wedding of this
worthy couple was celebrated at the
home place, when all the children (except
William, who was detained on account
of sickness) and five grandchildren
gathered around the family board ; and
during the afternoon and evening two
very pleasant informal receptions were
held, when throngs of friends of the past
and present, in all stations of life, called
to extend congratulations and good-will
on this rare and happy occasion accorded
to but few. The success with which Mr.
Russell has met in life is not all entirely
due to his own efforts, for it can be truth-
fully said that man never possessed a bet-
ter or more devoted helpmate. Her love
for husband and children can he likened
to nothing less than the love of Christ
to fallen men. Wherever there are bur-
dens to bear, she bears them, or sacrifices

to make, she makes them, ])erforming
deeds of love and charity and comforting
hearts. She does not consider rest, ease,
or toil, so long as she can minister to
those she loves, and can lighten their bur-
dens. Such a life spent in apparent ob-
scurity, "far from the crowd's ignoble
strife," is as beautiful as sunlight and
sweeter than the dews of heaven. Mr.
Russell has ever lived a life which has
borne testimony to an honorable char-
acter, sterling purpose, and to upright
principles. He has always done well
whatever he undertook, and in all that
goes to make up a strong and unfaltering
manhood, worthy of the highest respect
of his fellow-citizens, he "is ever_\- inch a
man."

ORA JACKSON GOULD.

The name which appears above is a
familiar one in the business and social
circles of Burlington, for he has been con-
nected with the commercial life of the
city for fifteen years. He has also ap-
peared before large audiences on several
occasions as a lecturer, in which capacity
he has become very popular. He is a son
of Archibald C. and Elizabeth (Parker)
Gould, and was born in Crawford county,
Illinois. Aug. 2-/. 1862. His ancestors
were originally from Scotland, coming to
America in early pioneer times and set-
tling in Tennessee. His father, who was a
farmer, and always followed this pursuit,
was born in Maryville. Tenn., in 1835.
His grandparents on his mother's side
were natives of ]\Iaryville, Tenn., going
from there to Crawford county. Illinois,
where his mother was born in 1844, and

JOO

BIOGRAPHICAL KEIIEW

who I-. h..u ihc oldest livinjj relative of
former |)resi<lent Andrew Jackson, mak-
ing her home at Arkansas City, Kans.

After attending the public scho<}ls in
Crawford county, Mr. (iould entered the
De Pauw LInivcrsity, of Indiana, where he
was a student for four years, obtaining a
thorough education. In 1887 he i)egan
tile life of a newspaper man, engaging
first with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
and the St. Louis Republican for a year,
and later reported for the Daily Traveler,
in Arkansas City, for two years. .Vbout
this time .Mr. Gould entered upon the
career of a humorous lecturer, engaging
with the Slayton Lyceum Bureau, of Chi-
cago, for a term of four years. It was
during this time that he delivered his lec-
ture on " Smiles " to one of the largest and
mo-it refined audiences ever gatherer] to
listen to a lecture in llnrlington. and who
all e.\])ressed themselves well pleased
with the speaker, and proud to claim him
as a citizen of the Orchard City. Sever-
ing his connection wilii the I'.ureau. .Mr.
Gould took up a ])erm;ineiU residence in
Burlington, and for the past twelve years
has been engaged with Mr. Conrad Lutz
in the printing business, being the pro-
prietor of the Des Moines County Direc-
tory, which he has i)id)lished every two
years. He has also been associated in the
land department of the Santa Fe Railroad
under the management of the Southwest-
ern Land Com|)any since Feb. H). i<)04.

Mr. ( iould was marrii'd Sept. 11. i88g,
to Phoebe Z. Swan, daughter of John and
Caroline (Bonar) Swan, her birth occur-
ring in Henry county. Iowa. Mr. and
Mrs. Gould are the i)areiUs of three chil-
dren : .\lfen S.. born in .\rkansas I'ily.
K,in~ . Inl\ 2(y iSiio. ;i student in the pub-

lic .schools: Helen Kevelle. born .\ug. 6.
1893: Howard Kennedy, born March 18,
i8<)7. .Mr. (lOuld and his wife are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian church. Politic-
ally, our subject was reared in the Demo-
cratic faith, but he voted for McKinley
;ind Roosevelt. I-'raternally. he is a mem-
ber of the Knights of Pythias in Burling-
ton, and has held all the high offices in liis
lodge. He is also a memlxT of the \\'oo<l-
nien of the World and" of tiie .Modern
Woodmen of .\merica.

His strong and ui)right manhood, his
relial)ility in business transactions, his
loyalty to the tenets of the different so-
cieties with which he is connected, all
make a man whom to know is to respect
and honor, hnbued with the progressive
spirit of the West, he has advanced to a
creditable position in social circles, and
is none the less prominent in community
affairs along fraternal and political lines.

J. KEN MATHEWS.

J. Kkn Matiikws, postmaster at Medi-
apolis. Iowa, is well known in financial
circles, and his business and executive
force have made him one of the repre-
sentative citizens of this part of the
county. He is a son of James and .M;ir\-
Fllen (Itariiard) Mathews, and was born
in Martinsburg. lierkley county, W. Va..
March 23. 1855. His ancestors on both
sides were formerly from Wales. His
]iarents both died in Martinsburg. W. \'a..
his father dying .\ug. 1. 1888. at the age
of seventy-one years, and his mother
|)assing away in May. i88<). aged seventy
\'ears. This X'irginia cou])le \"ere the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

301

parents of tliirteen children: Anna M.;
Wilber F. ; \'irginia B. ; Florella A. ;
Sarah P.: Alary E. ; Daniel H.; Matilda,
who died in infancy: J. Ken, of this re-
view; Lavinia C. ; Francis A.; \\'illiani
and Charles both dying in infancy.

After taking a course of study in the
common schools of Martinsburg, our sub-
ject worked in the grocery store of his
father for a short time. His aspirations
were to be a jeweler, and he apprenticed
himself to this business for three years,
being a part of this time in his native vil-
lage and a part of the time in Cumberland
and Frothburg, Md. At the expiration of
this time he was a competent jeweler, and
returned to his home place, entered a jew-
elery store and learned the mercantile
part of the business, and remained for
four years. He then became a traveling
jeweler through Pennsylvania, with head-
quarters at New Bloomfield, Perry
county. Pa.

After being on the road three years,
and meeting with much success, Mr.
Mathews located in Unadilla, in eastern
Nebraska, where he established a busi-
ness for himself, continuing in it four
years. Selling out his store he moved to
the western part of Nebraska, where he
took up one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Chase county. Also, in the village
of Champion, he and Silas \V. Kelly
bought out a printing establishment, and
began publishing a news sheet called the
Cliasc County Champion. During the
five years that they published this paper,
Mr. Mathews was appointed postmaster
under President Harrison, and held this
office for two and a half years, his wife
acting part of the time as his assistant.
He now sold his printing interest to his

partner, and moved to Colorado Springs,
Colo., and engaged in the commission
and grocery business. At the end of one
year he wound up his store in Colorado
Springs and spent a number of months in
traveling through the country. In 1892
he located in the city of Mediapolis, Iowa,
where he was established in the jeweler's
business, doing a prosperous business
until 1899, when he sold his store to D.
A. Dale. He is now postmaster of the
city, having been appointed to this re-
sponsible position in 1897, ^"^ which ap-
pointment meets with the approval of the
citizens of jNIediapolis.

While living in Nebraska he joined the
Knights of Pythias, later transferring his
membership to Colorado Springs, and
was again given a card of transfer when
he left there that he now holds. Polit-
ically, he is a strong Republican, - being
elected b\' this party as a councilman and
a member of the school board.

June 6, 1894, Mr. Mathews became the
husband of Miss Alargaret C. Davis,
daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Adele
Mary (Selders) Davis. The wedding
took place in Stuttgart, Ark. Mrs. Math-
ews' father's family was also from Wales,
and her mother's family was from Ire-
land. Her father in his younger days
was a carpenter and contractor, but had
always lived on a farm as a farmer until
he was married. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are
botli living and reside in Iowa City, Iowa.

Mr. and ^Irs. Matliews are the parents
of three children : Glenn Davis, born
March 17, 1896; Mary Elizabeth, born
May 2, 1899, '^"fl 'l'*^'! ^^ Iowa City. Iowa.
July 30, 1905, from a severe surgical oper-
ation : and James Howard, born Dec. 26,
1901.

302

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. and Mrs. .Mathews arc devoted
members of the Methodist church, where
the former is an esteemed steward. They
are both popular and inHuential people
of Mediapolis, having a large circle of
friends in the village and in other parts
of the county. He is a man well versed
on all the issues of the day, and one who
has learned much from travels and ex-
perience, and has always lived the life of
a just man.

JOHN WEBSTER GILBERT.

John Wkhster Gilbert, whose energy
and genius for the promotion and conduct
of extensive business interests left their
impress upon the industrial and commercial
life of Burlington, so directed his efforts as
lumberman, manufacturer, and merchant
that he is well entitled to the term " captain
of industry." Throughout his entire busi-
ness career he was connected with ilic lum-
ber trade. THs birth occurred near Louis-
ville, Ky., Dec. lo, 1824, his parents being
Samuel and Philotheta (Parker) Gilbert.
When he was three years of age his parents
removed to Prairie du Chien, Wis., and the
father operated a saw-mill in the pineries
at Menominee. The son acquired his edu-
cation in the public schools of Prairie du
Chien, and in his youth was much wMth his
father, so that from early life he was more
or less familiar with the lumber business.
His education comjileted, he became his
father's active assistant in the conduct of
his lumber interests, and continued with
him until his majority, when he became a
pilot on the river, taking rafts down from
the upper Mississi])i)i to Burlington, St.

Louis, and other points. His work was an
important part of the service in connection
with lumbering at that day, for it was
before the era of steamboat transportation.

In 185 1 Mr. Gilbert located in Burling-
ton, and established one of the first impor-
tant lumber yards of this city, being
associated with his brother, W. I). Gilbert,
under the firm style of J. W. & W. D.
Gilbert. The yard was located at the corner
of Eighth and Jefferson Streets, where busi-
ness has since been maintained, it being
there conducted at the present time by Mr.
Gilbert's son and his partners. It is so
situated that the tracks of the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad passed
through at the time of the building of that
line, thus affording splendid shipping facil-
ities. The yard covers four city blocks, and
was laid out by Mr. (iilbert, whose success
from the beginning was uniform and rapid.
At a later day the third brother, James
I sham Gilbert, joined those already engaged
in the lumber trade, and subsequently
Thomas Hedge was admitted to a partner-
ship, under the firm style of Ciilbert, Hedge
& Company. They then added to their
plant a large planing-mill and sash, door,
and interior-finishing plant, under the firm
name of Xairn. (iillis &: Com])any. Mr.
Gilbert was prominently and actively identi-
fied with that business up to the time of his
death, and it has since been continued under
the same style, his son, S. P. Gilbert, repre-
senting the (iilbert interests. The lumber
business enjoyed a continuous growth,
exjianding with the development of the city
and surri>unding country.

Mr. ( Iilbert was also identified with bank-
ing, being a director and the vice-president
f)f the German .\merican Bank. He contrib-

■i.y H^n-^ T=.ylc=:

^^'^^^^

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

305

uted in substantial measure for the estab-
lishment and conduct of new enterprises in
the city, and was financially interested in
the Glazeby Carriage Works, erecting the
building for the plant. Other interests felt
the stimulus of his co-operation and wise
counsel. He was a supporter of the various
railroad lines that have been extended
through Burlington, and his firm was the
builder of the well-known Gilbert Block,
one of the substantial structures of the city.

On the 22d of March, 1853, John Web-
ster Gilbert married Miss Harriet Hol-
brook, who was born in Columbia, near
Hartford, Conn., a daughter of Silas and
Mina (Little) Holbrook, a lady of natural
refinement and culture, upon whom the pass-
ing of time has left but little trace. She
is descended from early colonial ancestry,
the original representatives of the Holbrook
family in America having come from Eng-
land in 1635, at which time settlement was
made in Weymouth, Mass. Her grand-
father, John Holbrook, was a resident of
Columbia, Conn., and there Silas Holbrook
was born and reared, his attention through-
out his active business life being given to
agricultural pursuits. The Littles were also
of an early New England family. Mr.
and Mrs. Gilbert became the parents of
four children, two of whom reached matu-
rity, but James L died in 1895. Samuel P.
Gilbert is his father's successor in the lum-
ber trade of Burlington.

Mr. Gilbert died Jan. 16, 1897. He was
an attendant and supporter of the Congre-
gational church, which called him to the
office of trustee. His political allegiance
was given to the Republican party, and he
served as one of the early aldermen, and as
street commissioner of Burlington, but in

later years the extent and importance of
his business interests precluded the pos-
sibility of office-holding, even had he
entertained political aspirations. His inter-
est in Burlington and her welfare, however,
never abated, and his co-operation in every
movement for the general good proved a
far-reaching and beneficial factor in her
upbuilding and progress. His keen dis-
cernment and sagacity were manifest in the
careful and conservative manner in which
he conducted financial interests. Moving
slowly and surely in every transaction, he
had few superiors in the steady progress
which invariably reaches its objective point.
The story of his achievements from an
unimportant position in business circles to
a place of prominence and leadership, with
an investigation into the methods that he
followed, will inspire all who read it with a
truer estimate of the value and sure rewards
of character.

SAMUEL GILBERT.

Samuel Gilbert, of the firm of Gilbert,
Hedge- & Company, lumber dealers of Bur-
lington, was born in this city, Nov. 25, 1863,
a son of John Webster Gilbert, who is rep-
resented on another page of this work.
Having mastered the common branches of
learning in the city schools, he entered the
State L^niversity at Iowa City. Iowa, from
which he was graduated with the class of
1884, the degree of Bachelor of Arts being
conferred upon him. Subsequently he pur-
sued a business course, and then entered
the employ of the Gilbert-Hedge Lumber
Company. As his father advanced in years
he more and more largely relieved him of

;o6

ninr.RAPHICAL REl lEW

the active care and mana};cinciit of his
extensive business interests, and for some
years prior to his death represented him
entirely in the business. The Gilbert-Hedge
Lumber Company, which entered upon ex-
istence over a half century apo. was incor-
porated in 1900, at which time "Samuel
Gilbert was elected secretary and treasurer
— his ])rcsent connection with the coqwra-
tion. He is also a director and a second
vice-president of the German American
Bank, thus succeedinjj his father in the lat-
ter institution as well.

Samuel Gilbert was married < )ct. 30.
i&ji. to Miss Winifred Lewis, of Iowa
City, and they have three children : Ruth
P., Harriet H., and James L The parents
are members of the Congregational church,
of which Mr. (Jilbert is a trustee.

P. F. UNTERKIRCHER.

\'o history given in this volume illus-
trates more clearly the power of honesty,
perseverance, and enterprise as resultant
factors in the business world than does the
life record of P. F. Unterkircher. de-
ceased, who. coming to this country empty-
handed, steadily worked his way ujjward
until at his death he left behind him not
only a handsome com|)etence but also an
unsullied record. He therefore commanded
the uiK|ualified respect of his fellow-citizens,
while his many acts of benevolence and
unostentatious generosity gained their lo\e
and admiration.

Mr. Unterkircher w-as born in Mezigen,
Germany, .Xov. 31. 1826. and died in lUir-
lington. Aug. 31, 1893. He acquired such
education as was aflforded bovs in the mid-

dle station of life in his native country
at that day, and was afterward api)renticed
to a weaver. When he had mastered the
business, he followed it on his own account,
meeting with success ; but believing the
.\'ew World wouhl offer better business
opportunities and surer reward for labor,
he left the Fatherland when twenty-seven
years of age. and landed at New York,
whence he made his way to Clinton, Mich.,
where lie began weaving. He soon left the
loom, however, to engage in the tanning
business, and in time became manager and
afterward owner of the establishment in
which he had at first been but a minor em-
ployee. While residing in Clinton he was
married, in 1852, to ]\Iiss Philipina Johns.
In 1863 they removed to Des Moines
county, Iowa, taking up tlieir abode near
Augusta and residing there for four years.
Coming to Ilurlington in 1867. Mr. Unter-
kircher operated a brewery, which was later
sold to the firm of Werthmueller & Ende,
and is now conducted by Charles Ende, on
Mount Pleasant Street. Mr. Unterkircher
afterward engaged in the steam laundry
business with George A. Duncan, conduct-
ing the first establishment of the kind in
the city. In a few years He became inter-
ested in the livery business, purchasing the
.'■Stewart stal)les : and this business grew and
l>rospered, so that in the course of time he
was enabled to extend the scope of his busi-
ness by adding an undertaking establish-
ment. He remained owner of the livery
and undertaking business until his death,
although his sons became associated with
him : and in his last years, when he was
siilTering from ill health, they largely con-
triilled the business, although acting largely
uj) in his advice and profiting much by his
liusiness sagacity and experience. Through

DES MOIXnS COUXTV. IOWA.

507

the careful conduct of his business inter-
ests, he was enabled to accumulate consid-
erable propert}-. and he left a large estate,
the visible evidence of his life of intense and
well-directed activity. His word was as
good as his bond, his honesty in all business
matters being proverbial. Throughout his
entire life he progressed, because he was
ever alert for opportunity for advancement,
and utilized all such to the best possible
ends.

In 1888 Mr. Unterkircher was called
upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who
died that year in Ihirlins^ton. They were
the parents of twelve children. He sur-
vived his wife for about five years. He
was a member of Harmonia Lodge, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows ; Stephenson
Lodge, Ancient Order of United Work-
men ; and the Iowa Grove Order of Druids.
He was a man of most kindly spirit, gener-
ous in giving to the poor and needy, and
yet entirely free from ostentation in his
many benevolent acts. In fact he desired
that none should know of his gifts. He
was always interested in the welfare of the
city, was the champion of many measures
for the public good, and his support of pro-
gressive public measures caused him to be
honored while he lived and occasioned deep
and widespread regret at his death. At
one time he served as alderman of Burling-
ton. Seven years prior to his death he
made a trip to Germany, both for the pur-
pose of seeing his native land and also in
the hope that his health might be improved.
He visited several water cures, but received
no permanent benefit; and he never re-
covered his former strength, although his
fatal illness covered only a few weeks. No
citizen that the Fatherland furnished to
America was ever more respected in Bur-

lington or was more justly entitled to public
regard, not only because of the success he
achieved, but also by reason of the straight-
forward methods he employed, and his
broad humanitarian spirit, manifest in
kindlv deeds.

F. L. UNTERKIRCHER.

F. L. Unterkircher, of the firm of F.
L. & G. L. Unterkircher, liverymen and
funeral directors, and also identified with
other business interests which are bringing
to him success, was born in Tecumseh,
Mich., in 1856. His father, P. F. Unter-
kircher, was at one time a very prominent
business man of Burlington, and the pred-
ecessor of the present firm in the livery
and undertaking business. He died in this
city, Aug. 31, 1893. The subject of this
review is the eldest in a family of four sons
and four daughters, the others being:
Emma, the wife of Theodore Blaul, of the
John Blaul Sons Wholesale Grocery Com-
pany, of Burlington ; George L., a partner
of F. L. LTnterkircher, and the manager of
the livery business ; Ida, the wife of Clare
Jordan, of Burlington ; Nellie ; Horace ; and
Blanche L.

F. L. Unterkircher pursued his educa-
tion in. the schools of Burlington, to which
city he was brought by his parents in early
boyhood, and after putting aside his text-
books he entered his father's employ. After
the father's death he and his brother,
George L., established their present exten-
sive business as liverymen and funeral
directors, F. L. Unterkircher having charge
of the undertaking department. No finer
nor more complete establishment of the

3o8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

kind can be foiiiul in the State. Their
building of three stories and basement con-
tains a fine, chapel with accomodations for
two hundred people. The building is of
Milwaukee brick, elegant in every particu-
lar, and they carry a very fine line of under-
taking goods. The livery is also in this
building, which has a frontage on Third and
on X'allcy Streets. It was erected at a cost
of thirty-five thousand dollars, and with
the stock of undertakers' supplies, hearses,
carriages, horses, and harness, the business
represents an investment of sixty-five thou-
sand dollars, without doubt the largest
amount in a joint business of this kind in
the State. Mr. Unterkircher is a graduate
and registered embahner. his certificate be-
ing the tenth issued in Iowa under the
present law requiring examinations before
the State board of health. It is almost need-
less to say that the business of F. L. & G.
L. Unterkircher is one of the most exten-
sive of its kind in Iowa.

F. L. Unterkircher is a director of the
Business Commercial Exchange and of the
Citizens' Bridge Company. He is also
president of the General .-\gency Company,
an adjunct of the German-American Equa-
tion Premium Life Association, of which
he is second vice-president and a director
and stockholder. His business sagacity
and enterprise have been manifest in the
able handling of involved and important
business conditions, and his methods, capa-
ble of bearing the closest investigation,
have made him successful and prosperous.

Mr. Unterkircher is very prominent in
fraternal circles, • holding membership in
Malta Lodge, Xo. 318, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons ; Excelsior Lodge, No.
268, Independent Order of Odd Fellows;
Burlington Lodge, No. 84, Benevolent

Protective Order of Elks ; .Aerie No. 750,
Fraternal Order of Eagles : Seminole Tribe,
No. 46, Improved Order of Red Men ; the
Modern Woodmen of America : the Wood-
men of the World : and the Knights of the
Maccabees. He has passed through all the
chairs of the Odd Fellows and Workmen
lodges, and has represented the latter in
the grand lodge. In his political views he
is a stalwart Democrat, a leader in the local
ranks of the party, and has served as a dele-
gate to the State conventions, where his
opinions have carried weight in the coun-
cils of the party. He served as county
coroner for sixteen consecutive years, be-
ing elected on the Democratic ticket,
without soliciting a vote, and his term ex-
pired in 1900.

On the 2 1 St of October, 1879. Mr. Unter-
kircher was married, in Burlington, to Miss
Amelia Meyer, who was born in Franklin,
Iowa, a daughter of Dr. P. D. Meyer, an
army physician, who died in the Civil War.
His wife died at the home of her daughter,
Mrs. L'nterkircher, in 1889, and was buried
in Aspen Grove cemetery, while the father
was buried in the National Soldiers' ceme-
tery, at Lexington, Ky. The brothers and
sisters of Mrs. Unterkircher are Charles G.
Meyer, of Tiffin, Ohio; Philip Meyer, a
resident of Stockton. Cal. : and Mrs.
Lucinda KaufTman, of St. Louis. Mr. and
Mrs. Unterkircher have two children. Alma
and Delia. The former is a graduate of
Mount St. Joseph's College, at Dul)U(|ue.
She does most artistic pen and crayon
work, and is also proficient on the piano.
Mr. L'nterkircher is prominent in business,
social, and political circles, an enterprising
business man. alert and progressive, whose
efforts have touched the general interests
of society and promoted the public good.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

309

G. L. UNTERKIRCHER.

As the successor of his father, Mr.
Unterkircher is the representative of one of
the oldest and most successful business en-
terprises of Burlington, Iowa. At the
present time he is a member of the livery
and undertaking firm of F. L. & G. L.
Unterkircher, located at the corner of Third
and Valley Streets. He was born in this
city May 10, 1863, a son of P. F. Unter-
kircher, a full sketch of whose career ap-
pears elsewhere in the present volume, and
his preliminary education was in the public
schools. This was followed by a thorough
course of training in the Bryant & Stratton
Business College of Burlington, and while
still a boy he entered the work of his
father's livery and undertaking establish-
ment on Washington Street, being after-
ward taken into membership in the firm of
P. F. Unterkircher & Sons, which was
continued until the death of the senior
member on Aug. 31, 1893. Thus he was
reared in the business with which he has
all his life been identified, and acquired that
familiarity with its details which has been
such an important factor in his success.

After the father's death Mr. Unterkircher
and his brother, F. L. Unterkircher, leased
the Washington Street business for a period
of five years, the two other brothers, C. L.
and H. O. Unterkircher. taking the Colum-
bia barn on North Main Street. During the
currency of this lease the firm of F. L. &
G. L. Unterkircher erected the present
building at Third and Valley Streets, taking
possession in 1896. The building was con-
structed at a cost of $65,000, and $40,000
was invested in stock, $35,000 of this
amount being devoted to the purchase of
livery stock and equipment, including fif-

teen closed carriages or opera coaches, two
pall-bearers' wagons, twenty-five single
rigs, two ambulances, four hearses, three
undertaking wagons, one large brake or
picnic wagon, five two-seat, extension-top
carriages, two buckboards, two golf
wagons, and sixty head of horses of ex-
ceptionally high grade. In connection
with the undertaking service a large and
artistically decorated chapel, with a seating
capacity of two hundred, was built in 1902,
an addition which has elicited much com-
mendation from the public. In both livery
and undertaking equipment this establish-
ment takes rank with the best to be found
anywhere in the Middle West. The build-
ing, which is of buflf brick, consists of three
stories and a basement, and every depart-
ment is thoroughly complete and modern in
all its appointments, all lighting, bell, and
other apparatus being of the latest and most
approved types. Mr. Unterkircher's brother
has charge of the undertaking department,
but he himself has the entire management
of the immense livery business, and in addi-
tion he engages in the purchase and sale
of horses on a large scale.

On Sept. 12, 1882, Mr. Unterkircher was
united in marriage to Miss Jennie Keegan,
a native of Burlington and of German
parentage, and to this union has been born
one child, a daughter, Grace, who was grad-
uated from the Burlington high schools,
finished her education at Mount St.
Joseph's College, Dubuque, and is active in
the musical circles of the city, being a
member of the Burlington Musical Club.
The family ocupies a handsome residence
at 807 North Third Street, built by Mr.
Unterkircher in 1901, and situated on the
bluff^s overlooking the magnificent prospect
of the Mississippi River.

3IO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Besides his more immediate business in-
terests, our subject is a member of the
board of directors of the (iemian-American
I-lquation I'remium Life Assuciation and is
also a director of the (ierman- American
Afjency Company. His social and frater-
nal relations are quite extensive, he being
a member of seventeen societies, among
which may be mentioned Harold Lodge,
Independent ( )nler ( )dd Fellows ; Benevo-
lent Protective t )rder of IClks ; Iowa Camp,
Xo. 98, Modern Wbodmen of America : the
Woodmen of the World : Piurlington Tent.
Xo. 87. Knights of the Maccabees; the
Fraternal ( )rder of Eagles; I'urlington
Turners" Society : the Schwabischer So-
ciety ; the Ues Moines County Sterbekasse-
vcrein ; Lincoln Lodge, Xo. 125, Ancient
Order L'nited Workmen: Orchard City
Club; Commercial .Men's Exchange; and
the liusiness Men's Club. He has long
been a worker and influential member of
the Democratic party, frequently serving as
its local representative in the State conven-
tions of Iowa and in other important capac-
ities, and in 1899, in recognition of his
loyalty and ability, he was nominated and
elected to the office of coroner of Dcs
Moines county, a position in which he
served for four years, or until 11)04, to tlu'
universal satisfaction and with great effi-
ciency. He is a man gifted with keen
discrimination and sound judgment in all
matters of business, and has acliie\e<l a suc-
cess in the comhict nf tlu- vast interests
under his control that may well be ad-
mired, while at the same time he has won
the general esteem b\ his fidelity to exalted
principles of right and justice. He has the
talent for making and kee])ing frien<ls. and
enjoys an extended circle of amicable rela-
tions.

CHARLES T. UNTERKIRCHER.

Till-; thriving city of I'.urlington is nothing
if not progressive, and excellently repre-
sentative of this tendency is Charles T.
L'nterkirciier, of the firm of L'nterkircher
Brothers, proprietors of one of the most
modern livery establishments in the State,
of Iowa. .Mr. L'nterkircher is a native of
I'urlington, where he was born .\pril 14,
1867, at the old family home, 313 Wash-
ington Street. This house, which is still ,
standing and occupied by tenants, dates
from the early days of I'lUrlington's history,
and in its construction were used some of
the timbers from the scaffold on which were
hanged the notorious Rogers brothers.
Our subject is the son of P. F. L'nter-
kircher, who, in the i)eriod before the con-
.struction of railways in this section, drove
a stage from Burlington to Wapello, and
from Burlington to Mount Pleasant, and
also conducted a livery barn.

It was mainly in the public schools of his
native city that .Mr. L'nterkircher received
his formal training, he being educateil in
both the German and English languages
and UK-thuds, and after leaving school was
engaged with his father in the livery barn
until his parent's death on Aug. 31,
1893. The livery barn was maintained on
Washington Street, but about three months
before the demise of the elder L'nterkircher
a new barn was com])lete<l at 506-8-10
.\t)rth .Main Street, aiul used as a boarding'
stabU-. In i8()4 Mr. L'nterkircher formed
a partnershij) with his brother, II. O. L'nter-
kircher, to conduct a general livery and
boarding business at the latter location,
and here they have ever since remained,
building up a large, highly profitable, and
ever-increasing patronage by means of care-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

311

ful management, courtesy, sound judgment,
and honest and upright deahng under all
circumstances. The barn is a model of
commodiousness and high-class equipment,
being in dimensions 60 x i lyY^ feet, two and
one-half stories in height, besides a large
basement, all constructed of brick and stone,
with every stall a box stall, 10 x 1 1 feet,
The lights, elevators, alarm clocks, alarm
bells, and call bells are operated exclu-
sively by electricity, thus securing the maxi-
mum of safety and efficiency. Thirt_\
buggies are maintained, as well as seven
surreys and one golf wagon, while there
are thirty-two head of horses, all of good
stock and far above the average to be found
in livery establishments, even in larger
cities.

(3n Nov. 17, 1903, Mr. Unterkircher
was united in marriage to Miss Mabel
Reid, a daughter of Millard Reid, who
is prominent as a contractor in this city,
and is a brother of Captain Reid, well
known as a veteran of the Civil War.
Mrs. Lmterkircher's parents reside at 863
Court Street, and she is one of a family of
two brothers and four sisters, as follows :
Frank and Harry Reid, both of Burlington ;
Mrs. Gertrude Hill, of Chicago; Mrs.
Unterkircher, wife of our subject ; Miss
Ruth Reid, who is now a student in vocal
music in Chicago ; and Verna, who is at
home with her parents, and is in the North
Oak school. Mr. Millard Reid, as a con-
tractor, has been the builder of many of
the most handsome residences in the city
of Burlington. Mr. and Mrs. Unterkircher
occupy a very pleasant home at 931 Garden
Street.

Mr. Unterkercher has had a variety of
experiences, and has been uniformly suc-
cessful in all he has undertaken. As a

young man he was for a year and a half
employed in James Love's book store, and
in January, 1899, \vhile connected with his
father's business interests, he became a
licensed embalmer. He is well known in
Democratic circles as a political worker,
and for a period of two and one-half years
served as -assistant deputy county clerk
under the administration of County Clerk
C. P. De Hass. His course has ever been
steadil)' upward, so that he has won the
unqualified respect of his fellow-townsmen,
and as a man and a citizen he enjoys a
reputation and standing unsurpassed.

CHARLES HENRY HAIGHT.

Charles Henry Haight, deceased,
was born in Des Moines county, near
Kingston, in 1875. His parents were
Henry and Margaret (Gibson) Haight.
The Haights were among the earliest of
English emigrants to come to America.
They were Quakers, of Somersetshire,
England, and came in their ship, the
"Abigail," stopping first about ten miles
from the place, afterward the site of Bos-
ton. But having a grant of land thirty
miles long and twelve miles wide on the
Hudson River, they afterward went to
New York. In 1816 Cornelius Haight
left New York, and in 1838 came to Iowa.

The Haights belonged to the gentry,
and were, as their book of genealogy ex-
presses it, "people of consequence," and
had their coat of arms. Some ten years
ago Mrs. Haight's home was destroyed by
fire, and many relics of that first Haight
family, brought from England, were
burned. With them was an old Bible of
King James's time, containing their rec-

312

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEW

<<rds for over two luindrcd years: but
there was saved an old book of genealogy
of the family, which contained the births
and deaths for many generations back.

Margaret E. Haight's ancestors were
from X'irginia and Maryland. William
Gibson, with his relatives, the Greggs.
Willises, and Shannons, came to Belmont
county in iSoTi. Two of the Shannons
were afterward governors; one, Wilson
Shannon, was governor of Ohio. Later,
in 1810, William Gibson removed to Co-
lumbus, Ohio, and here James W'illis Gib-
son, the father of Mrs. Haight, grew to
manhood, and in 1830, with his family,
came to Iowa.

In 1872 Margaret K. (Jibson was mar-
ried to H. H. Haight, anil three children
were born to them : ]\Iartha .-Vgnes,
Charles Henry, and Jessie. Mr. Haight
died in 1887, when Charles Henry was
twelve years old. He was a bright and
intelligent boy, and when a mere lad took
the control of bis mother's large farm, and
managed it wisely and well. He was
unusually fine looking; was six feet three
inches tall, fair, with dark blue eyes and
black, curling hair. He was the only and
idolized son and brother, and here, in the
beautiful hoine he lia<l built for his
mother, on .Aug. 2(). i<X)4. he ])assed
awav.

FRED WILHELM BAUER.

Fkki) Wit^iiKL.M ]').\l:i:r, subject of this
sketch, a son of Frederick and Sophia
(Berks) Bauer, was born in Seehaiisen.
Germany, Feb. 16, 1853. He grew to
manhood on his father's farm, attending
the free schools of his birthplace till he
was fourteen vears old.

In 1872 he bade good-by to his native
land, crossed the .\tlantic, and took up
his residence in Burlington, Iowa. He
first worked in the lumber-yard, then at
teaming, and later |)ulled lumber from the
river for Gilbert & Rand for five years ;
after which he was employed for three
years at Aspen Grove cemetery. In i8g6
he bought the old Waite homestead, con-
taining .some eighty acres in l-"lint River
township, and on March i, 1905, added
thirty-five more to it. Here he does gen-
eral farming and gardening, has twelve
cows, and he and his sons each have two
horses.

Oct. ID, 1872, Mr. Bauer was married in
Burlington to Miss Dora Elizabeth
Meyer, daughter of Christ and Elizabeth
(Moretz) Heyer, whose birth occurred
in Heuster, Germany, March 30, 1852.
When only twenty years old she left
her home and friends, and came to
.\merica by way of \ew York, com-
ing directly to lUirlington, making the
trip in three weeks, two of which were
on the sea. Here she met her lover, and
the wedding occurred two days after her
arrival. By. their marriage twelve chil-
dren were born, nine of whom are
living: Fred William, of St. Louis;
Louisa Martha, married Max Yearner, of
Dutchtown : William Fritz, of St. Louis;
Carl George, a farmer of Des Moines
county: \\ illielinina Louisa, of St. Louis;
Frank, \'elte, li^lsie. and .Arthur, all at
home. The children who died are: Ernst
Carl, born Feb. 3, 1882, died July 30, 1893 ;
i'anlina .Mollie, born Sept. 20, 1883, died
Oct. 29, 1884; Velte, born March 13. 1885.
died April 20, 1886.

Mr. and Mrs. Bauer are members of
the German Evangelical church. He is a

FRED WILHELM BAUER,

DBS MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

member of the Ancient Order of United
\\'orknien. and held membership in a
German secret society for twenty-three
years, but has now dropped out. Politic-
ally, he is independent. In perusing this
•record we find that our subject com-
menced life without much financial aid,
but by his business ability, energy, econo-
my, and enterprise, he has steadily gained
of the world's goods until now he has
a comfortable competence, and in every
relation of life, public or private, has
borne the re])utation of an upright man
and a good and progressive citizen.

J. C. KOONZ.

J. C. KooNZ. who conducts a locksmith
and general repair business in Burlington,
and who is one of the most prominent repre-
sentatives of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows in Iowa, was born in Wurtemburg,
Germany, on the fourth of December, 1845.
His father, John Koonz, a native of Ger-
many, became a contractor and builder and
was an especially fine workman. Many im-
portant contracts were awarded him, espe-
cially for the erection of churches. He
married Anna Sauter, and in 1853 they
completed arrangements to come to Amer-
ica. They were just on the eve of leaving
Germany, in fact, the passage was en-
gaged and the tickets obtained, when the
father became ill. Six weeks later he died,
at the comparatively early age of forty-
seven. His wife carried out their original
plan of immigrating to the New World,
and settled at Greenfield. jMass., where she
died at the age of eighty-seven years.

Mr. Koonz, of this review, was then only

about eight years old. He was for two
years a student in the public schools of
Greenfield, and he learned many valuable
lessons in the school of experience and
through reading and observation. There
were five sons in the family, and the mother
was left in limited financial circumstances
at the time of her husband's death. Those
still living are Martin, a resident of Shel-
burne Falls, Mass., and John, who resides
in (jreenfield, Mass.

J. C. Koonz, the youngest of the family,
entered the employ of J. Russell in cutlery
works at Greenfield, Mass., being appren-
ticed at the age of ten. He remained in
that establishment until 1872, working his
way upward from the position of errand
boy at twenty-five cents per day until he
was entrusted with most delicate work, the
sawing of ivory. To that task he devoted
his attention for ten years, making handles
from elephant tusks which were worth from
three to si.x dollars a pound. He was the
only one employed at that difficult work,
the expensiveness of the material being such
that the work was entrusted only to an
expert. On leaving that position he was
receiving a salary of about five dollars per
day.

Removing from Greenfield to Holyoke,
Mass., Mr. Koonz there became superin-
tendent of the cutlery works of F. R. Qiap-
man & Co. His thorough and comprehen-
sive knowledge of the business enabled him
capably to fill any position connected there-
with. He possesses marked mechanical in-
genuity, and from his boyhood has been
able to perform in excellent manner in the
line of mechanical construction. He con-
tinued with the Holyoke Company as super-
intendent until 1879, when he came to Iowa,
settling at Ottumwa, where, with two

3i6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

nephews, he opened an establishment of liis
own for the purpose of manufacturing
table cutlery. The business was carried on
under the name of the Ottumwa Cutlery
Company, Mr. Koonz being as-iociated with
it until 1 88 1 . when he sold out and removed
to Burlington. Here he established a cor-
poration known as the lUirlington Cutlery
Company, cajjitalizeil for fifteen thousand
dollars. Air. K(jonz was one of the leading
stockholders and the superintendent, and
iluring the last few years of the existence
of the company was secretary and treasurer.
Tlu' husiness was conducted successfully
until the fall of 1884. when it was closed on
account of the free tariff schedule under the
Wilson's free trade bill. He had fifteen
thousand dollars invested in the plant,
and employment was furnislied to between
eightv and one hundred girls, boys, antl
men. hut the shops had to be closed down,
and they lost all of the stock, for they
could not meet the competition of foreign-
made goods. In that year Mr. Koonz
o|jene(l a general re])air shop, which he is
still conducting. He is an expert safe o|)enet
and has done all such work in Burlington
for years. He now has a locksmith and
general repair establishment at 208 North
Main Street.

In 1868 in (ireenfield. Mass., Mr. Koonz
was married to .Miss Christina Class, a
native of Ciermany, whence she was
brought to America in 1846 when a year
old. They have two sons, Edward George
and Clarence Arthur. The former luarried
F^lora .M. Xorling and resides on Garfield
Avenue in Burlington. He is credit mana-
ger antl secretary for John I'.laul & Sons,
wholesale grocers, lie has one son, Ivd-
ward Clarence. Clarence .\rthur Koonz,
who married Marv .Selzer, and has a son.

John Charles, is living at Sioux City, Iowa,
being assistant manager of the wholesale
grocery house of W'arfield, Pratt & Howell.
Both sons are graduates of the high school
and a business college of Burlington. Mr.
and .Mrs. K<x)nz reside at the corner of*
Mighth and Angular Streets, and the hos-
])itality of their home is greatly enjoyed by
many friends who esteem them highly for
their sterling traits of character.

l-'or about a third of a century Mr. Koonz
has been a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, having joined
I'ocomptuck Lodge, Xo 67, of the juris-
diction of Massachusetts at Greenfield in
1872. The same fall he became identified
with the encam]}ment, and passed through
the chairs in both bodies in about two years.
He was luade a member of the grand lodge
and of the grand encam|)ment at I'.ostou in
1876, aixl attended its sessions until 1879,
or until he left Massachusetts for Iowa. He
has devoted much time and effort to ( )dd
l-'ellowship and belongs to no other organi-
zation. He is now identified with W'a.shing-
ton Lodge, Xo i, at Burlington, and has
held every office in the suborilinate lodge,
and all in the grand lodge except that of
grand treasurer. He is now a member of
Eureka Encam|)ment, Xo. 2. at Burlington,
and was representative to grand lodge at
Dubuque from Burlingfton in 1883. He
has attended each session of the grand
lodge since 1881, but only four times as a
delegate. He was elected grand junior
warden of the grand encampment in 1887:
in 1888 was elected grand senior wartlen :
in 1889, graiul high priest, and in 1890,
grand patriarch. He was for two years
elected from the grand encampment as
grand rejiresentative to the sovereign grand
lodge, at Chattanooga in 1895, at .Atlantic

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

!i7

City, N. J., in 1896. He was appointed to
fill a vacanc}- in the office of grand secre-
tary caused by the death of William Garrett,
who had filled that position for forty-two
years. Mr. Koonz served from February.
1895, until ( )ctober of the same year. In
that year he was elected grand warden and
in 1896 was elected deputy grand master,
while in 1897 and 1898 he was grand master.
He served for two years in the sovereign
grand lodge as grand representative from
the grand lodge, attending the sessions at
Richmond, \'a., in 1899, s"'^' Indianapolis,
Ind., in 1900. This is a record in Odd
Fellowship that is, perhaps, equaled by no
other member of the order. He was ex-
tremely active in securing, at the Dubuque
session of the grand lodge, the meeting of
the grand lodge for Burlington at the fol-
lowing session, beating Des Moines by two
votes on the second ballot. At this time he
became known as a worker, and by acting
as assistant to William Garret he also won
renown in the order. He has a wide ac-
quaintance in Odd Fellowship throughout
the entire country, and is one of its most
prominent and respected representatives.

His political allegiance is given to the
Republican party. He is a member of the
Episcopal church, and at one time served
as vestryman for several vears.

WINFIELD SCOTT WOTRING.

WiNFiELD Scott Wotring, who for
thirty-seven years has been connected with
the Ilurlington postoffice, employed therein
continuously since 1873, is now superin-
tendent of carriers and also of the money-
order department. Under different admin-

ii.trations he has been retained in the office,
his ability and fidelity causing his reten-
tion, while his obliging manner and unfail-
ing promptness are the causes of his popu-
larity with postmasters and public.

Mr. W'otring was born in Licking county,
( )hin, July 14, 1S47. His father. Abraham
W'otring, was a native of Pennsylvania, as
was also his grandfather. His birth oc-
curred in 1821, and in early life he learned
the carpenter's trade, which he followed for
many years. Removing to Burlington, he Vv'as
identified with the building interests of this
city for many years, and at his death, which
occurred in 1885, he left a comfortable home
at 723 North Eighth Street. He was
married in Ohio to Miss Jane Chrissinger,
also a native of Pennsylvania, who survived
him until i8go, and was then laid to rest by
his side in Aspen Grove cemetery. They were
faithful members of the Methodist Epis-
copal church. In their family were three
children : William, who died in Burlington,
at the age of twelve years; Winfield S., of
this review : and Melissa, widow of George
Ouinby. who for many years was engaged
in the wholesale music trade in Burlington,
and afterward lived retired in Monmouth,
111. There his death occurred, and Mrs.
Ouinby is yet living in Monmouth.

It was in 1848 that the parents removed
with their family from ( )hio to Burlington,
and Winfield S. Wotring, then but one year
old, was educated in the public schools here,
in Elliott's Seminary (a Methodist Epis-
copal school), the Baptist College, and
Bryant & Stratton's Business College, of
Chicago. During the Civil War, when the
soldiers were being transported from Bur-
lington to Chicago, Mr. Wotring, then fif-
teen years of age, acted as a newsboy on the
trains, selling papers and fruit to the en-

3i8

BIOGRArHICAl. REl lEW

listed men who were going to tlie front. He
desirt-d to enlist also, but his father opposed
this, because of his youtli, antl after going
with the soldiers to Cairo, III., he returned
home. He then entered the postoflice, in
1 86 1, under Postmaster James Fo.x Abra-
ham, as assistant mailing clerk, and served
for fwo years, when he resigned to accept
a clerkship in the otTice of Leo Carper,
superintendent of the Chicago, Burlington &
(Juincy Railroad. .\x that time all freight
was transferred across the river by ferry,
for the bridge was not then built, and Mr.
W'otring's duty was to check ami keep rec-
ord of all such transfers : but he was
wanted again in the i^ostoffice. and was
urged to return. Finally consenting, he was
made mailing clerk. Thomas French suc-
ceeded .Mr. .Abraham in the postoffice. re-
maining there for six months, ami retained
Mr. WOtring in iiis service. C Dunham
was then made postmaster, and Mr. Wdt-
ring remained for one year under I'resident
Grant's administration, when he resigned
his position in the postoffice and joined his
brother-in-law, (ieorge Ouinby, in the con-
duct of a wholesale music business, under
the name of Ouinhx's .Musical Emjiorium,
on Main Street. Mr. Wotring was asso-
ciated -with this for three years, and in 1870
and 1 87 1 -was engaged in the grocery busi-
ness on the corner of l'"i;j;hth and South
Streets as a nuinher of the lirm of Ouinby
& Wotring.

In 1873 he was api)ointe(l hy rostmastcr
N. P. Sunderland to the position of registry
clerk, and when Frank Hatton succeeded to
the position of jiostmaster, he was ])romotet!
to the |)osition of su|)erinten(lent of the
money-order department. \\'ben j. 1,.
Waite became postmaster, he retained .Mr.
Wotring in that position, and also made

him sui>erintendent of carriers, a position
which he has since filled untler the succes-
sive administrations of Postmasters Waite,
Hutchinson, Martin, Curran, and Waite.
He has remained in the oflicc continuously
since 1873, while the entire service which
he has renilered in connection with the
liurlington f)()stoffice covers thirty-seven
years. This fact alone is a commentary con-
cerning the character of the service he has
rendered.

On the 17th of March. 1870. .Mr. Wot-
ring was married to Miss Sarah |. .\cres. a
daughter of Stephen T. .\cres, of the firm
of .\cres, lilackman &■ Comijany, of liur-
lington. .Mr. Wotring was for two years
vice-president of the .\cres-Blackman Com-
pany, and after the death of Mr. .\cres he
was made a trustee of the .\cres estate, in
ctnmection with his brother-in-law, William
I'ilger.

.Mr. and .Mrs. Wotring are the parents of
three children: (ieorge O., -who for five
years has been in the office of the Crane
Com])any. of Chicago; Walter S., a stu-
dent of mechanica! engineering in Burling-
ton : and Clarence .\., who is attending
l-llliott's Business College, of this city. The
family home is at Jzt, North Figlith .Street,
an eli'ven-room residence, which has been
rebuilt l)y .Mr. Wotring and is now a most
comfortable and attractive dwelling, where
hospitaIit\- reigns supreme. In ])olitics he
is a Rei)ul)lican, and he belongs to the
Orchard City Himting and Fishing Club.
Both he and his wife are members of the
l'"irst .Methodist Fjjiscopal church, and Mrs.
Wotring belongs to the King's Daughters.
Long residents of Burlington, they have a
wide an<l favorable acquaintance, and the
circle of their friends has grown year by
year.

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

319

JOSEPH KLEIN.

For many years Mr. Klein was well
known to the people of Burlington, making
many friends and being very successful in
a business way. He was a native of Prus-
sia, where he was born Jan. 6, 1832. and
when only ten years of age became an
orphan by the death of his mother, after
which sad event he was compelled to rely
largely upon his own efforts for his support.
In 1854 he came to America in company
with his father, and first took employment
in a stone quarr\- ; but he was ambitious to
better his condition, and in the year 1869
he established himself in the grocery busi-
ness at the corner of (Jak and Osborn
Streets, where he achieved great success
by his natural business ability and by care,
industry, and tact. In his first location he
continued throughout his active career, con-
ducting the business for a period of eight-
een years, at the expiration of which he
retired, and took up his residence at 13 13
Osborn Street, where his widow still re-
sides. There he died Dec. 20, 1888,
and was buried in the Catholic cemetery,
much lamented by all who knew him and
respected by all. He was a faithful mem-
ber of St. John's Catholic church, and was
connected with the various German socie-
ties of this city, while his political allegi-
ance was given to the Democratic party.

On Nov. 4, 1858, Mr. Klein wedded, in
Burlington, Miss Magdalene Pauly, who
was bom in Baden, April 13, 1840, and to
them were born six children, who still sur-
vive, these being as follows: Mrs. Philip
Leicht : .Mrs. John W'ehman ; Mrs. .Michael
Weicher ; Joseph Anton ; John, engaged in
the grocery business at 818 Maple Street,
in partnership with his brother-in-law,

W. H. Tegtmeyer. under the firm name of
Tegftmeyer & Klein: ?^linnie, wife of Mr.
Tegtmeyer ; and Henry, who is a clerk in
the employ of Strauss Brothers.

Mrs. Klein emigrated from her native
land to the I'nited States in 1855 in com-
pany with her parents, embarking at Havre
on a sailing vessel, and landing at New
Orleans after a voyage of thirty-eight days'
duration. Both her parents are now de-
ceased, as are also her brothers and sisters,
of whom there were twelve, all of whom
died voung. Mrs. Klein has witnessed
many important changes brought about by
the development of the city since her first
coming to Burlington, and recalls especially
that upon her arrival there were no side-
walks on Jefferson Street extending farther
west than Fourth Street. For the first
two years she resided on Jefferson Street,
but for fortv-five years she has resided on
( )sborn Street. She has extensive property
interests here, being the owner of three
brick and three frame dwelling houses and
one three-story building in the Grimes
block, from which and from other sources
she enjoys an ample income. She has many
friends, and finds much pleasure in social
intercourse.

JOHN P. WEIS.

John P. \\''eis, whose business estab-
lishment ranks among the oldest and most
successful of its kind in Burlington, and
who, himself a musician of ability, has done
nuich to promote the progress and popu-
larizing of that art in his adopted citv, was
1)1 irn at Hollsfreid Kolmar Lan, Sweden,
May 31, 1854, a son of A. P. and .\. Louisa
W'eis. The parents of Mr. Weis were both

320

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

natives of Sweden, and botli passed their
entire lives in that country. The father,
who, thougli making his home at H oils-
fried, was a contractor and builder, and
conducted his business in all tiie large cities
of Sweden, <lieil about 1890, and the mother
when our subject was but ten weeks of age.
Moth were members of the Lutheran church.

.Mr. W'eis's father provided for him the
opportunity to obtain a good education in
the i)ublic schools, of which he took the
fullest advantage, and afterward, at the
age of fourteen years, entered a mechanical
school, where he passed several years with
great ])rofit. In consideration and recogni-
tion of his ]irogress at school and evident
practical ability, he was promoted, in his
nineteenth year, to the foremanshi]) of a
large factory in his native city, a position
whose responsibilities he discharged with
success for a period of two years. Thus
his iirosjiects in Sweden were of the best,
Ijnt believing that greater freedom of ac-
tivity awaited liini in America, he emi-
grated hither in 1H77. landing at I'hiladel-
phia and proceeding to Andover, Henry
county, 111., where he immediately began
taking and executing building contracts.
In that manner he was there employed for
three years, accumulating a considerable
capital and meantime learning the language
of the country. In iSSo he removed to
Galesburg and entered the service of the
Chicago, I'lurlinglon & (Jniiicy Railroad
Company in llie riiii>liing (k']);irtnient of the
sho])s. While there he wedded, in March,
1882, Miss Caroline Sophia Nelson, who,
like himself, had been born in .Sweden and
emigrated to AnuTica. locating in Gales-
burg.

The date of Mr. \\ eis's removal to Tur-
lington was May, 1884. Here he first en-

gaged in contracting and building, erecting
many of the finest residences and other edi-
fices of the city, among which may be men-
tione<l the residences of Henry H. lirown,
Arthur Churchill, Charles W'aldin, and at
Riverview Park that of Henry .\ Eastman,
besides many others ; also the remodeling
of the German Methodist Kpisco])al church
and the I'irst I'.aptist church, Washington
Street, for which he did all the finishing
antl carpentering work. .\s an employer of
labor his ))ay-roll was large, and he con-
tinued in the contracting business on an ex-
tensive scale for twelve years. In 1895 he
established a nuisical business, occupying
the i)roperty at 711 Jeffer.son Street, where
he carried a large line of |)ianos, organs,
violins, and other .stringed instruments and
general supplies. In more recent years he
has added one of the best line of phono-
graphs to be found anywhere in this sec-
tion of the West, and by giving especial at-
tention to this de])artment has built u]) a
large patronage. Mr. W eis is not unin-
terested in public affairs, for indeed he has
devoted to them much study, and is in his
political alliance a member of the Repub-
lican part), in who.se tenets he holds stanch
faith : but he has always ajiplied himself
to private business rather than to partisan
activity, never failing, however, to cast his
ballot in favor of pure government.

To .Mr. and Mrs. Weis have been h rn
four children, who survive: ICleanor, who
was educated in llurlington high schools,
has had nuisical training since her eighth
year, has taught music since she was fifteen
years of age. and enjoys an enviable re])uta-
tion as a i)ianist : Reynold, now in high
school, also enjoyed the privileges of nui-
sical instruction after becoming eight years
of age, and now at the age of fifteen has

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

321

been giving lessons on the violin for two
years, having at the present time a class of
fifteen pupils ; Helmer, aged twelve, is yet
in the public school: Enfried, aged seven,
is a fine vocalist, having, sung on several
occasions in the opera house, and received
the praise of many competent critics. Mr.

They were natives of Ohio, were married in
Yellow Springs township, Des Moines
county, and for many years lived in Huron
township. It was in 1839 that John Waddle
came to Iowa and purchased land near
Northfield. After a few years he sold this
and bought near Kossuth, making his home

\\'eis has built a beautiful home at mo upon this farm until a few months prior to

Bartlett .Street, where he has resided dur- his death, when he sold his property. He

ing the past twenty years, and is sur- died in Yellow Springs township, March lo,

rounded by an accomplished and happy 1894, at the age of seventy-seven years, and

family, an atmosphere of music and esthetic his wife died in the same toAvnship, Feb.

pleasure. He is himself a natural musician, 26, i8gi, at the age of sixty-four years.

has cultivated his talent to a high degree of
perfection, and is consequently well quali-
fied for the conduct of such a business as
that in which he is engaged. In this he has
always been very successful, acquiring a
generous competency and the means for

Both were buried in Old Round Prairie
cemetery. They were members of the
Presbyterian church. Mr. Waddle was an
old-line \\'hig in early life, while later he
became a supporter of the Republican
party, and filled a number of township

developing in his children the talent which offices with credit to himself and satisfac-
he has transmitted to them in such a marked tion to his constituents.

degree. He is well known in Burlington
and surrounding cities, and his home is a
center of culture and friendship.

Robert C. Waddle, the third in order of
birth in a family of ten children, all of
whom reached mature years, was educated
in the district schools of his township, and
assisted his father upon the home farm
until about the time he attained his major-
ity. He then learned surveying, which he
has followed to a greater or less extent all
Robert Courtney Waddle, horticultur- his life. During the greater part of the
ist, and secretary of the Des Moines County time for the past thirt}- years he has served
Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, as county surveyor, rendering acceptable
is also well and widely known by reason of service in that position, as is indicated by
the fact that for about thirty years he has the fact that he has long been retained in
served as countv surveyor. He is now the office.

ROBERT COURTNEY WADDLE.

living on Section 12, Union township, en-
gaged in the cultivation of fruit, and his
well-directed business efforts are bringing
to him very desirable success. He is a
native son of this county, born in Huron
township, Jan. 4, 1848, his parents being
John and Mary Ann (Howery) Waddle.

In 1877 Mr. Waddle was married to
Miss Agnes Hannum, a native of W'ashing-
ton county, Iowa. They have never had
any children of their own, but reared the
two sons of Mrs. Waddle's brother, Carl A.
and Harry Hays Hannum, whose mother
died when the younger was onl\- a few

322

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

weeks old. The year following his mar-
riajje Mr. Waddle purchased his present
farm of thirty acres, which is devoted to
the raising of fruit. He now has one thou-
sand ap])le trees, three hundred and fifty
pear trees, and one hundred plum trees,
besides considerable sinall fruit. In se-
lecting his fruit trees, he is particular to
get those varieties which are noted for
flavor as well as size, and because of the
high grade of his products, he finds a ready
sale on the market for all he raises.

Mr. Waddle exercises his right of fran-
chise in sup|)ort of the men and measures of
the Republican ])arty, and is unfaltering in
his advocacy of its principles. Upon the
death of Mr. C. M. Garman, in April, 1903,
he was ap[)ointcd secretary of the Des
Moines County Mutual Fire Insurance
Company, and has since acted in that ca-
pacity. His wife is a member of the I'nited
Presbyterian church, and he attends its serv-
ices and contributes to its support. He is
a self-made man. ■\vhiise financial .ulvan-
tages in youth were few, but who has
through the careful husbanding of his re-
sources, his unfaltering perseverance and
diligence, met with ;i fair measure of suc-
cess.

JOSEPH A. LLOYD.

Any work which has for its object the
philoso])hicaI exposition of tin- history of
a community, with a view to its adoption
by the present or future generations as a
guide or an ins])iration in the daily affairs
of liff, must in a large measure de.il with
the origins of that society, with the
primeval condition of the land, and with
the careers and characters of the men and

women who, urged by the stimulus of
some supreme conviction, waged war
with hostile nature, pushed back her bor-
ders, and reclaimed her hitherto wild and
untamed forces to the uses and i)ur|)oses
of civilization.

Of the well-known ])ioncer families
that made I3es .Moines county what it is
to-day, — one of the richest agricultural
sections of the .Mississippi valley, —
Jose])h .\. Lloyd is a worthy re|)resenta-
tive. and a record of his life, showing the
relation in which he stood to tlu- early
(leveloi)ment of Iowa, will be valuable as
illustrating inan's power over environ-
ment, as an example of high achievement
through noble and inflexible resolve.

Joseph .\. Lloyd was born in Dearborn
county, Indiana, near the city of Cincin-
nati. .March 6. 1826, the son of William
II. and .\ancy (Shaw) Lloyd. The
father and mother were both natives of
the State of Ohio, the father being born
ni-.ir lA-lianon. • )lii<). .Vine children were
i)orn to them, of whom three are still liv-
ing. In 1834 the family came to Iowa,
jose|)h being at that time about fourteen
years of age. There was no land sold
west of the Mississii)])i River to any one
previous to this family's purchase. They
settled first in Lee county, where the
father operated a farm in Green Hay
townshi]). .\fter farming there for a few
years, they moved to Oes Moines comity,
l)nl he never engaged in ,icti\e life .ifter
coming to Des Moines county. He died
in 1840, at the age of about seventy years.

Farm life in Des Moines county at that
lime was a very iliflFerent matter from
that with which we are familiar to-day.
The early jiioncers had to settle down to
a long fight w ith the wilderness, — a fight

JOSEPH A. LLOYD.

DBS MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

325

which was to issue in such splendid tri-
umj)ii ill later years, and whose object
was to secure "the glorious privilege of
being independent." Theirs was a life of
many cares, and was necessarily much
concerned with the acquirement of
worldly wealth ; not because they con-
sidered material benefits as the highest
good in life, but because they saw that
these might be made the means to spiri-
tual ends, and that the successful tiller of
the soil has the strength to resist the
march of wrong and to help forward the
cause of right.

Joseph A. Lloyd obtained his early
education in the common schools of Lee
county, and worked on the home farm till
he was about twenty-one years of age.
He then began working for himself by
working Ijy the month on farms in tlie
neighborhood, doing this until the break-
ing out of the Civil War. Then the call
of his country in her time of need
sounded clearly to him.

He enlisted in 1863, in Company C, of
the Thirtieth Infantry Volunteers, and
served till the end of the war. He was
engaged in a number of the more impor-
tant battles of the war, as well as many
skirmishes. He was at the siege of
Vicksburg, and during the fight was
wounded in the wrist. While on the
march to the sea with Sherman, he re-
ceived another wound, in the battle at
Resaca, this wound being in the shoulder,
and being of such a serious nature that he
was left there in the hospital. When the
long, cruel conflict was over, and the cit-
izen soldiers were dispersed to their
homes, Mr. Lloyd received his discharge
at Davenport, Iowa, and came to Des
Moines countv.

Here he located on a farm in Franklin
township, where he purchased eighty
acres of land, and made a home. To this
farm he added, from time to time, until
he owned one hundred and twenty acres
of fertile farming land, besides some tim-
ber. There he engaged in general farm-
ing and stock-raising until 1900, when he
retired from active life, and moved into
Mediapolis. In that city he has erected
a large and beautiful home, in which he
is content to pass the evening of his life
in peace and (|iiiet, and leave the struggle
to others, knowing that he has borne his
share through the heat of the day, has
faithfully fulfilled all the duties that have
devolved u])on him, and has earned the
rest that he is now enjoying.

Mr. Lloyd was married on Oct. 18,
1871, to Miss Sarah Haynes, a native of
Des Moines county, being born in Frank-
lin township, and the daughter of Gard-
ner and Sarah (Porter) Haynes. The
father was born Feb. 11, 1816, in Dutchess
county. New York, and came to Iowa at
an early age, locating in Franklin town-
ship, this county, and engaging in farm-
ing. He was very successful, and became
a farmer on a large scale, and well known in
the county. He died on the home place,
Jan. 25, 1897, at the age of eighty-one
years. The mother was also a natix-e of
Dutchess county, New York, and died on
the home place in Franklin township,
Nov. I, 1891, at the age of seventy-four
years. She was one of a family of five
children, four of whom are still living.
Mrs. Lloyd received her education in the
common schools of the conimunil\-. and
remained in the home conmnmity till the
time of her marriage.

Politicallv, Mr. Llovd acted with the

326

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IEIV

Republican jjarty. and is one of its highly
valiieil nicnihcrs in his township, possess-
inj^- nnicli indiuMicc in its councils, using
his inlliKMKc in acconUmcc with the i)ur-
cst dictates of integrity and honor. He
and his wife attend antl su|)])ort the IVe.s-
hyterian church, doing much l)y the influ-
ence of their lives t(j advance the cause of
right. I'lu- keynote of Mr. Lloyd's life
and character is integrity and fidelity to
his ohligations in all his relations with
his fellow-men. and such has been the
strict uprightness aiui unswerving direct-
ness of his course that to Iiini all accord
admiration, resjiect. and genuine regard,
lie li.is a wide ac(|uaintance. and to write
tile chronicle of his life, his wori<, and his
success is a pleasure which will be
shared, as readers, by many friends,
whose esteem he h;is won in full and
generous measure.

REVEREND WILLIAM VANCE.

Tiir. world passed favorable judgment
upon the life of Reverend William Vance,
for there were many elements in his char-
acter wiiich commanded for him universal
confidence and esteem. The place which he
occupied in the regard of those with whom
he came in contact was a tribute to that
genuine worth and true nobleness of char-
acter which are everywhere recognized and
honored. He acce])te<l life as one long
course of sjjiritual warfare, and to him
was vouchsafed a great victory over the
forces of evil because of his conscientious
use of great natural gifts, and because of
his infinite, unfaltering trust in a Higher
F'ower.

William N'ance was bom in Westmoreland
county, l\Minsylvania, I'eb. 14. 1821, the son
of Joshua and Elizabeth (.Murphy) Vance.
Tile father, Joshua \'ance, was a farmer by
occupation, but died when his son William
was quite small, and from that time on
William \'ance lived with his maternal
grandfather Murphy, who was also a
farmer. He received a good common-
school education, and learned the carpenter's
trade.

.At the age of seventeen \ears he was con-
verted, and became a member of the Church
of God: and being of a thoughtful turn of
mind and having a devout nature, he was
strongly imj)resscd by the idea that his
field of labor lay in the Christian ministf)'.
By the time he had reached the age of
twenty-two years he was licensed to preach,
and followed that as his profession through-
out the remainder of his life.

He was married in Westmoreland county.
I'ennsyivania, Dec. 24, 1841, to Miss Fannie
Leighty. She was also a native of West-
ninreland county, being born Mav 11. iSji.
die daughter of I'eter and Xancy (.Myers)
Leighty. She was reared on a farm and
received a fair common-school education.
Her religious training was in the Church of
God. In the sjiring of 1850 Mr. and Mrs.
\'ance left rennsylvania, and came to Iowa.
.\ company of seven families loaded their
goods on a lx)at, floated down the Ohio, and
came by steamer up the Mississippi to Bur-
lington. For a time they lived in Harmony
Settlement, southwest of Danville. Later
they moved to Doddsville, and lived there
twelve years on a farm. Reverend \ance
k-e])t u]) his ])reaching and let his family
carry on farming. To them were born eight
cliildren, of whom six are still living. The
eldest. Mary .\nn. died single. Peter now

DFS MOIXnS COUNTY, IOWA.

327

lives near Sperry, Iowa, aiul a complete
sketch of his life appears elsewhere in this
volume. Alarion was married to Miss Alary
Landers, and died in Danville township,
in 1880, leaving one son. Ross, who now
has his residence in Ottumvva, Iowa. Maria
is the wife of Walter Bishop, of Pleasant
Grove township. Henry married Miss Mar-
tha Anderson, and now has his home in
Henry county, Iowa. Samantha married
William P. Denny, who died Dec. 9, 1904,
leaving two children, Fannie and James.
Alice is the wife of Roll }»[oore, of Dan-
ville township. Edward was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mary Blodgett, and lives in
Pleasant Grove township.

Reverend Vance came to Iowa with but
little, but both he and his family were good
managers and thrifty in their ways of living,
so that when he left the farm he was the
owner of one hundred sixty-five acres of
good land. After leaving the farm he moved
to New London, where he lived for eight
years. After that he came to the home of
his daughter, Mrs. Denny, where he made
his home until the time of his death, which
occurred about two months after he came
there to live.

Reverend Vance was a Republican in
his political beliefs, but was in no sense a
politician, feeling that he could advance the
cause of good citizenship more by the ex-
ample of an upright life than he could by
entering the turmoil of party strife. His
lamented death occurred Feb. 26. 1904, and
his remains are interred in P>urge cemetery.
New London. For more than fifty years he
labored faithfully as a minister of the gospel,
and his social, kindly nature endeared him to
hosts of friends. Though he has passed
away, yet his memory is cherished by those
with whom he came in contact. He left his

impress for good upon all who knew his high
Christian character. His career was one
long benediction, and the bright example of
his life shall be an inspiration to lead the
coming generations to higher things. The
world is better because he lived.

PETER VANCE.

Peter V.\nce, whose residence in Des
Moines county dates from 1850, is a son of
William and Fannie ( Leighty ) X'ance, and
was born in Westmoreland countv, Pennsvl-
vania, on Oct. 12, 1844. About six years
later his parents started with their family
from the Keystone State to Des Moines
county, Iowa, making the journey by boat
down the Ohio River from Pittsburg, and
up the Mississippi to Burlington. A settle-
ment was then made in Danville township,
where the father worked at the carpenter's
trade for a number of years, and in 1853 he
purchased land in Franklin township. Soon
afterward, however, he sold this tract and
returned to Danville township, where he
spent his remaining days, with the exception
of a few years passed in New London.
Through a long period he actively and suc-
cessfully carried on agricultural pursuits.
and his life was characterized by honorable
dealing and indefatigable energy. He died
in Danville township. Feb. 26. 1904, at the
ripe old age of eighty-three years, his birth
having occurred Feb. 14. 1821. He had
three children when he brought his family
to the West, and here he reared a family of
eight children.

As before stated, Peter \"ance was in his
sixth 3-ear when he accompanied his parents
to Iowa, and in Des Moines coiuUv he was

328

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

reared, acquiring his education in the public
schools. In his youth he assisted his father
upon tlie hoiiie farm until he entered mil-
itary service. At the time of the Civil
War he responded to the country's call for
aid, enlisting in 1862, at Doddsville, Iowa,
as a member of Comi)any G, Thirty-ninth
Inwa Infantry, lie was mustered in at
Davenport, and i)artici])ated in various
battles in western Tennessee, and went from
Chattanooga to Atlanta, and thence to the
coast under command of General Sherman
on iiis famous march to the sea. He took
part in the battle of .Mlatoona I'ass. one of
the most fiercely contested engagements of
the war. It was from this battle that the
message was sigfnalled at the time that the
.song, "Hold the Fort," was written. Mr.
Vance continued to serve his country until
1865, having marched with Sherman through
North and South Carolina, and participated
in the grand review at Washington, the most
celebrated military ]>ageant ever seen in the
western hemisphere. Here he was mustered
out in June, 1865, and honorably discharged
at Clinton, Iowa. With a creditable military
record he returned to his home, and he now
maintains pleasant relations with bis old
army comrades tbrougb bis meitibirsliip in
Sbepard I'ost, Grnnd Aniiv of the l\i'])nl)lic.
at Mediapolis.

Throughout his entire life Mr. X'ance has
devoted bis energies to farming and stock-
raising, wliicb he is now successfully carry-
ing on. He first inircbased land about 1890,
becoming owner of forty acres on Section 12,
I'ranklin township, to which be has added
from time to time until bis possessions now
aggregate one hundred and ninety acres, a
part of which lies in Benton township.

On March 6, 1879, Mr. \'ancc was mar-
ried to Miss Eliza Haynes, a daughter of

Gardner and Sarah (Porter) Haynes. They
are the parents of six children : Edgar,
Elsie, William Gardner, W'alter, Burton, and
Sadie, all at home. Mr. X'ance is a member
of the Masonic lodge at Mediapolis. In
politics he is a stalwart Republican, standing
firmly by the party which was the cham|)ion
of the L'nion cause in the dark days of the
Civil War. and has ever stood for progress
and iiuprovement. He is, however, without
political aspiration, and has ever given his
undivided attention to bis business interests,
in which he has met with gratifying success.

STEPHEN CARTWRIGHT.

Stei'MKN C.\i<i WKiGiiT. for many years
a successful farmer, and now living retired
at 311 South Garfield Avenue, Burlington,
is numbered among Iowa's native sons, hav-
ing been born July 29, 1848, in Augusta
townsbi]). I)es .Moines county, the son of
William I". Cartwright, a native of Dela-
ware, who came to Iowa in 1839, and died
when our subject was but nine years of age.
.Mr. Cartwrigbt's mother tlied when be was
only five years olil. and bis father remarrietl.
The elder Cart-wright, who was a farmer,
became quite wealthy, owning at the time of
his death four fine farms.

The subject of this review passed his
first years on his father's farm, receiving
his education in \\'innebago School District
Xo. 2, so called from a tribe or band of
Indians who formerly roamed the woods in
that neighborhood. The original frame
school building has since been displaced by
a fine stone residence, opposite which stands
.\sbury Chapel, the ]>lace of worsbiji ff)r
the local congregation of the Methodist

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

329

Episcopal church. Mr. Cartwright is one of
a family of nine brothers and sisters, as
follows : H. W., of Bitrlington ; Susan,
widow of Robert Lynn, deceased, of Mount
Pleasant ; Eliza, who resides with Susan at
Mount Pleasant ; Lydia, wife of James
Hankins, of Agency, Iowa : Fannie, wife of
James Castile, of Pierce county. Nebr. :
Stephen, our subject, and William, of Ot-
tumwa, Iowa, are twins : Sarah Jane, wife
of Oscar Bryson, of Villisca, Iowa ; and
Rachel, wife of James Short, of Henry
county, Iowa.

Remaining at home until attaining his
majority, Mr. Cartwright then rented land
and farmed for a time in Henry county, then
returned to Des Moines county, and after
his marriage in 1873, bought land in Flint
River township. After remaining there a
year, he sold that farm, rented land for a
time, and again purchased land, this being
ninety acres in Union township, which he
still owns. Since acquiring the original
tract in 1876, he has constantly added to it
until at one time he owned two hundred and
sixty acres, but has since sold a portion to
his son, and the farm now consists of one
hundred and seventy-five acres of fertile and
extremely productive agricultural lands in
a high state of cultivation, one hundred and
twenty-five acres of which is prairie land.
He has introduced modern methods into its
operation, and made many improvements
of the first ordei" of excellence, including a
two-story frame house twenty-two by
twenty-eight feet, with an addition sixteen
by twenty-four feet, and a barn thirty-six
by forty feet. Besides general farming,
he has given much attention to raising and
feeding thoroughbred stock, especially
Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs,
with which he has alwavs been successful

to a very gratifying degree. Among the
notable features of the farm is a magnifi-
cent artesian Avell that is the envy of all who
have been privileged to see it. In the year
1887, in the effort to get good water during
the drought, Mr. Cartwright put down the
well, digging twenty-six feet and boring
seventeen feet, at which depth he struck
a vein of Howing water which runs con-
stantly and is apparently inexhaustible. A
modern and complete system of piping
carries the water to the desired points. The
water is somewhat mineral, containing
iron, sulphur, salt, and magnesium, and as
it is the onl}- well of the kind in the town-
ship, or indeed anywhere near, its discovery
created great excitement, and led many
others to attempt to strike the same vein,
but all these attempts have been failures.

Dec. 31, 1873, in Asbury Chapel, Mr.
Cartivright was united in marriage to Miss
Margaret L. Blakeway, who was born in
Des Moines county in 1857, the daughter of
John C. and Priscilla Blakeway. Her par-
ents, who were reared in Virginia, were
married in Palmyra, Mo., and the father
died Feb. 19, 1902, in his seventy-sixth
year, while the mother's demise occurred
Jan. 22, 1900, in the seventy-second year
of her age. They are survived by nine chil-
dren, these being in the order of birth as
follows : William Dement, of Stockton, Cal. ;
Elizabeth Eleanor, widow of Nathan Colby,
of Burlington : Alargaret Louisa, Mrs. Cart-
wright : Alice Emily, wife of Peter Magel,
of Union township ; Edward Emmett, of
Danville, Iowa ; Thomas LTlysses, of Kan-
sas ; John Carson of Augusta township, Des
Moines county ; Frank, of Burlington ; and
Hattie Jane, wife of Harry Bolan, of St.
Louis, Mo.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright have been

330

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IEW

born one son and two daughters, to all of
whom they "have given the best of etUicational
prei)aration for life, combined with ideal
home and religious training. John Wesley,
the eldest, resides on a farm near Leaven-
worth, K:ms. He married Miss Almina
Hensley, and the\ have four chihiren. Clay
Whitford. Helen Lucile, Margaret I-lorence.
and Harold Wesley, .\bbie May. the second
child, is a graduate of Elliott's Business
College, of Ihirlington, but gives her prin-
cipal attention to music, for wliich slie has
a decided talent, having received frei|uent
encouragement from recognized masters of
the art. .Mice Maud is the wife of Estile
Kgan, a farmer near Hamilton, 111., and
tlie\ have two children. Margaret Gertrude,
and .Mice Eveline.

Mr. Cartwright has ahvays ixen inter-
ested in questions of government, and has
consistently cast his ballot in favor of good
government as a member of the Republican
party, and although he has never sought
pulilic (iftic(,\ lias at various times consented
to serve bis neighbors and friends as direc-
tor of the public schools, and also for several
years as road su])ervisor, doing much to
promote the cause of good highways in bis
district. The higher interests of mankind
have been for him an imceasing study and
field of endeavor, and while living on the
farm he was member of the Methodist
F.piscopal church at .\sbury Chapel, to the
building of which be was a liberal and
generous ccinlrihnlor. I'Or five years be
held the office of steward of the cliurch, and
his part in the work of the Sunday-school
was ever an active and helpful one. In
October, 1903, when he removed to tUir-
lington and ])nrcbased the pleasant and
connufxlious lionie on Garfield .Avenue
which he now occupies, he transferred bis

niemlxTship to the First Methodist Episco-
pal church i>f liurlington. .\ man of
marked strength of character, Mr. Cart-
wright has fairly won the success which he
now enjoys by his individual efforts, and
throughout his entire career he has pre-
served that exalted sense of justice and the
rights of others which springs from his
innate integrity, uprightness, and scrupu-
lous honesty. These unbending virtues of
his character have won him the well-
merited respect of all, while his genial and
social disposition have brought him a wide
acquaintance and many friends, and it may
with truth be said that his life is one of the
highest types of success in every scn.se of
the word, emlwdying. as it does, prosperity
both material and spiritual, and finding its
culmination in the secure and undying pos-
session of an honored and honorable name.

CHARLES WESLEY WAITE.

TiiiiKK is probably no one among the
traveling men of the .Missis.sippi valley
who is more favorably known and re-
spected than the subject of this review.
He has been on the road practically all
his life, and by his energy, ability, and
courtesy has achieved success and made
a host of friends all along the line.

Charles W'aite is a son of I'lenjamin
I'ranklin .uid .Mary jane (Curtis) Waite,
and was born in Dayton, ( )bio, March i,
i><4<j. His father was born in West Kush-
ville. Ohio, in iSiS. where he received his
education and was reared to manhoo(l.
He went to Davlon at an early day. and
went into the dry-goods business, where
he continueil to he a prosperous merchant

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

331

till he retired. Politically, he was a
Republican, but never really aspired to
office, though his ability and good judg-
ment placed him on the school board for
a number of )'ears, and during the war
he was the trusted officer to distribute
money to the widows and orphans.

From childhood Mr. W'aite had been
raised in the Methodist faith, and was
one of the most devoted members of this
church, alwavs taking much interest in
the Sunday-school work, where he was
superintendent for many years. He was
also a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows. His death occurred in
Dayton, Ohio, in 1890, in the seventy-
third -^ear of his age. He had assisted in
many ways to make the city a prosperous
and thriving one. and his death was
mourned b}' all who knew him, as his
influence had ever been for good, and w'ill
be long felt after his very name shall
have passed out of the minds of men.

Mrs. Waite, mother of our subject, was
born in Perth Amboy, a city on the coast
of Xew Jersey, and when very young
went to Dayton with her parents, where
she grew to womanhood, and where she
was married. She, too, was an earnest
member of the Methodist church, and
was a woman of much refinement and
culture, who took rare delight in doing
good for others. In 1871 she passed
away in the city of Dayton, which had
been her beloved home for so many
years ; and there in the beautiful ceme-
tery, in the shade of the trees, she and
her husband are buried.

Of the eight children born to this
W'orthy couple, six grew to maturity :
(i) Benjamin T., died in Indianapolis,
Ind., in 1885: (2) Caroline, married the

Rev. James H. (iardner, a Methodist min-
ister of Delaware, Ohio, and has two
daughters, both married. (3) Amelia E.,
has been married twice. Her first hus-
band was a Mr. Sv^-eet. They were the
parents of one son, Frank \\'. Sweet, who
made his home with his uncle, the subject
of this re\-iew, in 1888, and attended
the schools in Hurlington. During 1888
the Rev. G. J. Johnson held a revival
in Burlington, and Mrs. Sweet's son was
among the converts. He was baptized by
Dr. Johnson, March 25, 1888, and is
now a prominent Baptist minister in
Adrian, Mich. After Air. Sweet died, his
widow later married Albert J. William-
son, of Piqua. Ohio, who is now de-
ceased, and Mrs. Williamson now makes her
home with her son. Rev. Frank \\'. Sweet.
(4) Charles Wesley, our subject. (5)
.\nna Eliza, the wife of Charles S. Sulli-
van, who is a book merchant in Dayton,
Ohio. (6) Sarah Josephine, married Rob-
ert Cunningham, who owns a book-store
in Delaware, Ohio. Two died in infancy.

Air. A\'aite received his education in the
public schools of Dayton, where he was
graduated from the high school. After
he laid aside his text-books he clerked for
several years in a store, where he soon
learned the business. When al)out twen-
ty-one years of age, he began to travel,
and has virtually been on the road ever
since in the employ of Eastern firms, be-
ing now with a Chicago compan}- with a
territory out of Chicago and headquarters
in Burlington.

April 23, 1879, ^^^- ^^ aite married Miss
Fannie A. David, who is a daughter of
Barton T. and Frances Ann (Rosser)
David, whose history will be found on
another page of these sketches, in con-

332

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

nection willi that of his son-in-law,
Charles M. Garnian. Mrs. Waite was
born in the city of Burlinpton, Iowa,
where she attended the common schools
and grew to womanhood.

.Mr. and .Mrs. Waite have been blessed
with six children as follows: Stella
David, married Augustus R. Kuhlemeier,
a mechanical engineer, resides in Chicago.
an<l has one son, Charles A.; Carrie M.,
wife of John Clymo, an employee of the
Chicago, liurlington & Quincy Railroad:
Charles Wesley. Jr.. travels for the \\ yeth
Hardware Com|)any, of St. Joe, Mo., and
resitles in llurlington: Louise Guest, at-
home with her parents: Ralph G.. resides
in Des Moines: one child died in infancy.
The above-named children were all born
and educated in Kurlington.

Ill ii')liiics .Mr. Waite has ever been an
ardent Re|)ul>lican, giving his hearty sup-
port and influence to promote the best
interest of his i)arty. He has also fol-
lovve<l ill the footste|)s of his father and
grandlather in his religious views, having
long been a member of the .Methodist
church. Mrs. Waite was raised a Baptist,
but is now a member of tile .Methodist
church. .Mr. \\ aite has taken all the de-
grees in .Masonry uj) to and including the
3J(1 degree, being a member of the lodge.
chapter, and commandery at Galesburg,
and of the consistory and Kaaba Temple
of the Mystic Shrine at Davenport. His
trips take him from home a great deal,
as he is gone three and four weeks at a
time: but when he is in the city, enjpys
tin- comforts of his pretty home at 002
.Summer Street.

The business methods adopted by .Mr.
Waite have been of the very highest, and
are largely the secret of his success and

I)ro.sperity. He is warm-hearted, po.ssess-
ing a genial manner and cordial disposi-
tion which have made him popular in
both business and fraternal circles, and
he is kindly welcomed in all places.

REV. WILLIAM F. COWLES, D. D.

Rev. Willi.vm Fletcher Cowi.es, de-
ceased, who -was one of the leading divines
of the Methodi.st Episcopal church of Iowa,
was Ixmi in McGranville. X. Y., May 11,
1819, and died in Burlington, July 14, 1899,
at the age of eighty years, two months, and
three days. In the paternal line he was
descended from the Puritans and Cove-
nanters, while his ancestry in the maternal
line was traced back to Richard Gardner,
wln) came to .America on the " Mayflower."
His parents, however, were of the .Method-
ist faith, and their home was always the place
of entertainment for the itinerant minister
who visited their neighborhood. Reared in
a Christian atmosphere, the seeds of truth
and of devotion to the church were early
sown in the heart of William Fletcher
Cowles. and in due time bore rich fruit. He
was his father's companion, and learned from
that godly ni;m many valuable lessons. He
attended all the church meetings with his
father, and when twelve years of age -was
converted : and later, making confession of
bis faith, he joined the church, and from that
time forward was actively engaged as a
laliorer in the .Master's vineyard, although
he did not at once ally himself with the min-
istry. The Rev. Peter G. Bridgman, pastor
of the Methodist Episcopal church, at Gren-
ville. X. W, gave him a license to exhort,
without his solicitation. This strengthened

/;H^.^,n^

DFS MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

335

•his conviction in the Christian religion and
the plan of salvation ; but he planned to be
a good lawman rather than a preacher, and
as a preparation for a life vocation he entered
upon the study of medicine, attending Cort-
land Academy, and occasionally engaging
in teaching in the public schools, working at
honest labor in order to acquire the funds
necessary to complete his college education.

In July, 1841, the Rev. D. A. Shepherd,
presiding elder of the Cortland district,
gave him a license to preach, and this also
came to him unsought. In a short time he
went to Hudson, Ohio, where he engaged in
teaching in the public schools. During the
winter of 1841-42 a great religious revival
swept over the country, and Rev. Cowles,
active in the work, was appointed assistant
pastor for the remainder of the year, and
recommended to the Northern Ohio confer-
ence for admission ; but that conference be-
ing overcroAvded, he entered upon church
work under the elder in the Michigan con-
ference, and was admitted on probation in
the fall of 1843, while in 1845 he was or-
dained deacon, and in 1848 was made elder
by Bishop Janes.

During his ministry in Michigan, Rev.
Cowles served as pastor of the Methodist
churches in Ionia, Mapleton, and Grand
Rapids. In 1850 he was transferred to the
Missouri conference, and in 1851 to the Iowa
conference, his first pastorate in this State
being at Keokuk. In 1852 he was sent to
Dubuque, and in 1853-54 he was in Bur-
lington, during which time he built the
Ebenezer church. In 1855 he went to
Keokuk, and in 1856-57 was agent for the
Iowa Wesleyan University. He served as
presiding elder of the Oskaloosa district
from 1858 until 1862; was pastor of the
First Methodist church at Oskaloosa in

1863-64; of the First Methodist church of
Ottumwa from 1865 to 1867; at Eddyville
in 1868 ; Muscatine in 1869 ; the Main Street
Methodist church, of Mount Pleasant, in
1870 : presiding elder for the Muscatine
district in 1871 ; and in 1872 was again
appointed agent for the Iowa Wesleyan
University. From 1873 until 1876 he was
presiding elder of the Mount Pleasant dis-
trict : was pastor of the Simpson church at
Oskaloosa in 1877-78; at Grinnell in 1879;
presiding elder of the Burlington district
from 1880 until 1884; pastor of the Method-
ist church at Knoxville in 1885 ; at Albia
in 1886; the Main Street Methodist church
at Ottumwa in 1887 ; and in the fall of 1888
he took supernumerary relations, which he
held until his death. The history of the
church records his work, which, character-
ized by conscientious zeal and earnestness,
was not denied the full harvest nor the after-
math.

Rev. Cowles led the delegation of Iowa to
the general conference in 1872, this being
the fourth time that the honor was conferred
upon him, and he vv'as alternate in 1876. He
was a member of the board of trustees of the
Iowa Wesleyan University from 1870 until
his death, was president of the board from
1873 '■'"til 1878, and its vice-president dur-
ing the two succeeding years. He was a
member of the board of trustees of the Epis-
copal residence from i88r to 1884, and
preached the centenary sermon in 1885, while
the preceding year he was a member of the
committee on centennial commission. He
was secretary of the State camp-ground
meeting committee and also on the commit-
tee on conference boundaries and the com-
mittee appointed to unify the Methodist Col-
leges of Iowa. These committees, of which
he was a member from 1878 until 1885, dealt

336

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

with many live questions. The history of
the conference and university shows that he
was well acquainted with parhamentary
tactics, and that he solved many ilifficult
problems which came before those IxMlies.

A man of scholarly attainments, he (pos-
sessed also a large amount of that quality
which we call common sense, and -which is
frequently lacking in the student. He was
strong in debate, forceful in argument, log-
ical in his deductions, and at the same time
his utterance, his acts, and his very life were
permeated with that s])irit of sympathy which
is one of the basic elements of Christianity.
He was in touch with every department of
the church work, and was especially friendly
and helpful to the young men in the minis-
try and in the church. He kept informed on
all the great questions of the day affecting
our national honor and progress, and in ante-
iRlhim days was a fearless advocate of the
Abolition cause, advocating the freedom of
the slaves at many of the leading meetings
of his church and also at many great gather-
ings of a secular character. His clear,
cogent reasoning and unanswerable argu-
ments at camp-meetings and other places
won hundreds of converts to the cause of
liberty, and .so excited the antagonism of the
friends of slavery that his life Avas often in
jeopardy. He was a coworker with such
men as .Senator I larlan. Senator (Irimes, and
other strong advocates of freedom. He was
apjKiinted by President Lincoln to the posi-
tion of collector of internal revenue for what
was then known as the fifth district of Iowa,
with lHad(|uarters at Ottunnva, and thus
served fnnii iS(i5 until 1868.

Rev. Cowles was three times married.
On the if<th of September, 1846, he .was
united in the holy bonds of matrimony with
Miss .Mexina lUanchard, of Lvons, .Mich.,

and they became the parents of five children,
of whom three are living: Elloura C, the
wife of A. C. -McColm, of Sheldon, Iowa;
Eliza A. ; and William 15., of Omaha, The
wife and mother died in 1855, and in 1857
Rev. Cowles wedded Miss Elizabeth La-
Monte, of Keokuk, Iowa. They ha<l four
children, two living: LaMonte, of Burling-
ton, represented elsewhere in this volume ;
and Gardner, of Des Moines, Iowa. Mrs.
Elizabeth Cowles died in .\ugust, 1873, and
in 1876 Rev. Cowles married Mrs. Martha
Lovett P.arnes, of Ottumwa, the mother of
Dr. C. E. Barnes, of Burlington, with whom
she resides on Summer Street.

After entering into supernumerary rela-
tions -with the church. Rev. Cowles built a
home at 707 Summer Street, Burlington, near
the Grace Methodist Episcopal church,
which was then under construction. He
superintended it's finances during its erection
and u]) to the close of the last conference
year. .Maii\ times the church was greatly
embarrassed, but his counsel and heroic
efiforts rescued it from danger and distress,
he frcvpiently advancing large sums of
money to meet emergencies. Full of years
and honors he passed to his reward, the
funeral services being held at his home July
17, 1899. The measure of good which he
accomplished can not be taken until his
labors cea.se their fruition in the lives of
those whom he influenced. Tangible evi-
dence of his work was seen in the substantial
growth of the church and the erlucational
institutions with which he was comiected.
and the record of those who became converts .
under his preaching can ;dso be obtained;
but this is but a poor estimate of his worth
and -work, for he planted the seeds of truth
in many hearts, and each day the harvest is
ripening.

DBS MOIXES COLWrV. IOWA.

337

JOHN J. FLEMING.

John J. Fleming, a leading real estate
and loan agent of liurlington, also asso-
ciated with other business interests of the
city, so that his activity and the scope of
his labors make him one of the leading
residents here, was born at Donaldsville,
La., March 19, 185 1, his parents being
Aiichael and Bridget (Alaher) Fleming.
The paternal grandfather, John Fleming,
was a resident of Mitchellstown, in county
Cork, Ireland, where he conducted a mer-
cantile enterprise, and was also prominent
in politics. He was known as a pacificator.
He was also active in military afifairs, serv-
ing as a lieutenant under the famous Daniel
O'Connell, who shone as one of Ireland's
bright political stars during the troublous
period of 1798-99. This was just preceding
the passage of the .\ct of 1800, wherebv Ire-
land was deprived of the political rights
which up to that time she had enjoyed.
John Fleming died about 1823, when forty
years of age. He left a comfortable pn^p-
erty and a large family. Michael Fleming,
the sixth in order of birth among seven
children, was born in 1823, just prior to
his father's death. In his youth he attended
the common and national schools of Ire-
land, pursuing his studies until sixteen years
of age, when he entered u])i)n his business
career as a clerk in the employ of the Hack-
ett Distillery Company. He occupied that
position for two years, after which he
crossed the Atlantic to St. Johns, New
Brunswick, where he started a repair shop,
which he conductefl for two years. He then
went to F.oston, .A I ass., where he entered
the coffee and tea importing house of .\p-
pleton Brothers. A year later he went to
New Orleans, where he followed the

cooper's trade, having his works at Don-
aldsonvilie, and using his own boats and
barges to convey his jiroduct to the Xew
( )rleans market. His business grew to
extensive ])roportions, and he eniploved
about twenty-five men in its conduct. He
tliere continued in business until 1858, when
he came with his family to Burlington,
Iowa. Here he continued in the c(iQperage
business for a short time, after which he
established a retail grocery. The business
developing, he conducted a large grocery
house on Jefferson Street, at the corner of
l-'ifth Street, until about 1875, when he
retired from business. He was for ten years
subsequent to that time police magistrate
of Burlington ; was also justice of the peace.
He was ver}- fond of books, and was a well-
read man. In his political affiliation he
was a Democrat, taking an active interest
in politics, and keeping well informed on
the questions and issues of the day. His
religious faith was that of the Catholic
denomination, and he was active in church
work, contributing liberally to its support,
and doing all in his power to advance its
cause. Strictly temperate, he was a man
of high ]irinciples, conscientious in pur-
pose, upright in action, and never faltering
in the performance of any duty which de-
volved upon him. In his official service
he was a terror to habitual criminals, for
they knew that he would not exert clem-
ency when justice demanded punishment.
He was serving as magistrate at the time
of the great railroad strike, and he did as
nuich as any one man to keep the law-
breakers from interfering with those who
worked for the railroad company.

In 1850. at Xew Orleans, Michael Flem-
ing was married to Miss Bridget r^Iaher, a
daughter of Kyran and Margaret (Carey)

338

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mahcr, who was Ijorii near Kilkenny, Ire-
land. Her father was a farmer, who had
extensive landed holdings in that county,
where he was well known and highly re-
spected. He died at the age of sixty
years, and his wife, surviving him, passed
away when about seventy-five years of age.
They were the jiarcnts of three sons and
four daughters, and with one exception all
of the children came to America ; one son,
however, still lives on the old homestead
in the Emerald Isle. Mrs. I'leming came
to America in 1849, an<l lived with her
married sister in New Orleans until her
marriage. She was boril Feb. 29, 1824,
and died .\pril 14. 1900. She was very
active in church and charitable work, and
was greatly beloved by her children, making
it the puqiosc of her life to promote the
welfare and happiness of her children. She
had a large circle of friends, and enjoyed
the highest regard of all who knew her.
Although about sev'enty-six years of age
at the time of her death, she retained her
yinithful looks in a remarkable degree.

L'nto .Mr. and Mrs. I-"leniing were born
four sons and five daughters, all of whom
reached years of maturity: John J. is the
eldest. Daniel died in New Orleans about
five years ago. Mary resides in St. Joseph,
Mo. Klizabeth became a Sister of Charity,
and died in Chicago in 1904. She had been
mother su])erior in Iowa City ; Kansas City,
Mo. : in Lincoln, 111. : lioulder, Colo. ; Des
Moines, Iowa: anrl in Chicago. She took a
most li(.li)l"iil i);irt in building up Catholic
schools and in teaching boys, and was very
prominent in the work to which she directed
her efforts. Margaret became the wife of
W. P. McDonald, of St. Josejih, Mo., a
wholesale shoe merchant. Joanna and
Agnes became mcmluTs of the same order

to which their sister Elizabeth belonged.
Edmund K. is commercial agent for the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy I^ailroad
Com])any. at Chicago. William P. is Ixiok-
keeper in the .National State Dank in Bur-
lington. Michael Fleming, the father, died
in I'ebruary, 1904.

John J. I-'leming j^ursued his early edu-
catitm in the i)ublic schools of Burlington,
and continued his studies in Notre Dame
University, jnitting aside his text-books at
the age of eighteen years to enter upon his
business career. He Ijecame a clerk for B.
and II. 1). Ilowar<l in their wholesale dry-
goods business, and sul)se(|uently became
bookkeeper for their successors, L. H. Dal-
lioflf & Company, continuing with the two
firms for three years. He then entered the
office of the Burlington & .Missouri Rail-
road Company as chief clerk and assistant
paymaster, filling that position for two
years, when he entered the National State
Bank of Burlington, where he remained for
twenty-seven years, acting as cashier during
fifteen years of that time. In h/xt he re-
signed his position and took charge of the
affairs of Mrs. E. D. Rand as her trustee,
and likewise assumed the management of
tlie property of Charles W. Rand, deceased,
of whose will he was made executor. In
connection therewith he makes loans and
places investments. He is one of the direct-
ors of the National State Bank. ;ind is one
of the trustees and the treasurer of the
I'urlington free ])ublic library. He is ])resi-
<lent of the Burlington Construction Com-
pany, which erects buildings, also builds
sewers and paves streets. This company
has erected churches and schoolhou.ses, and
has done nuich important work in connec-
tion with the im|)rovement of the city. Mr.
Fleming is likewise president nf the Gran-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

339

ite Brick Company, manufacturers of vitri-
fied brick, and is a director of the Kelly
Land and Fuel Company. In his political
affiliation he has always been a Democrat,
but has never sought or desired public
office. He is a member of St. Paul's Cath-
olic church, of which he is a strong sup-
porter. He is a past grand knight of the
Knights of Columbus, and is district deputy
of that order, having charge of the councils
of the order at Burlington, Fort Madison,
Keokuk, and Ottumwa.

Mr. Fleming was married in May, 1884,
at Parker, Penn., to Miss Mary Bracken, of
that place, born Feb. 13, 1863, a daughter
of Patrick and Esther M. Bracken. Her
father was a contractor, and operated in
Pennsylvania and Maryland extensively.
He built all of the Western Manyland Rail-
road, and parts of the line now included
within the Pennsylvania Railroad system.
He afterward became an extensive oil oper-
ator in Pennsylvania. He died in 1892, his
remains being interred at Oil City. His
wife, who bore the maiden name of Miss
Braden, is a representative of an old Revo-
lutionary family, and a niece of ex-Gover-
nor Johnson of Pennsylvania. Unto Mr.
and Mrs. Fleming have been born six chil-
dren : Esther Marie is a graduate of Mount
•Aloysius Academy, Cresson, Pa., from
which institution her mother was also grad-
uated. Philip Bracken is a graduate of
the Burlington high school. Agnes is a
student at Mount Aloysius .Academy.
Elizabeth Pollard, Mary Braden, and John
J., Jr., complete the family. Mrs. Fleming
takes a ver}- active part in church work,
and for a long time was at the head of the
reading circle connected with St. Paul's
church, and is a member of the Ladies'
Musical Club. She is actively interested in

literature, and her home is the center of a
cultured society circle, in which she dis-
penses a gracious and cordial hospitality.
Mr. Fleming belongs to the Burlington
Boating .Association, of which he was for
years an officer, acting for three years as its
president, and is also a member of the Bur-
lington Golf Club. He is accounted one
of the eminent residents of the city, promi-
nent in its business, social, and church
circles, and standing as a representative
.American, capable of planning and control-
ling extensive interests, and at the same
time finding opportunity for other interests
in life that lead to the development of a
well-rounded character.

DR. JACOB W. PRICE.

Dr. Jacob W. Price, for nearly twoscore
years engaged in the drug business in Bur-
lington, and widely known in the city and
contiguous territory, was born Dec. 20, 1833,
in Franklin county. Indiana, a son of Henry
and Sarah (Wolf) Price. The Price fam-
ily dates from the Colonial period prior to
the Revolutionary War, the first known
member being Elijah Price, who was ap-
pointed a member of the committee formed
at Philadelphia to resist " the stamp act " — ■
a movement which culminated in the well-
known ■■ Boston Tea Party." Although
Elijah Price was a Quaker, and therefore
theoretically opposed to forcible resistance,
he joined in the work of the committee,
which sent resolutions of sympathy to the
people of Boston. The father of our subject
was a native of Fayette county, Pennsyl-
vania, and the mother, of Washington
county, in the same State, thev being: mar-

•340

BIOGRAPHICAL Rlil'lEW

ricti ill the latter county. They came through
the wilderness in 1827, and settled at Brook-
ville. Ind., the father, beinp a fanner, taking
up land in the Whitewater bottoms, where
he owned twi> hundred and sixty acres.
They were the parents of twelve children, of
whom nur subject is the fifth in order of
birth, and ten f)f whom attained maturity.
The father's death occurred in 1855 in the
fifty-fifth year of his age, and the mother
died in iHjf) at the age of sixty-five years.
Sarah \\ oil I'rice was the daughter of Jacob
Wolf, a relative of the iSritish General Wolf
who was killed at the ca])ture of Quebec.
Jacob Wolf died in Pennsylvania, as did
also the father of Henry Price.

Dr. Price was reared on his father's farm,
attending the public schools, and after an
independent course of study received a de-
gree from r.nicikville College. Ilis formal
educati<in ended at the age of nineteen years,
when he began leaching, having charge of
schools in Indiana and Illinois, ilis JKahh
being poor, he traveled extensively in the
hope of improvement, going west by way of
the ( )hio and Mississi])j)i Rivers, from which
lie landed at the i)rincii)al towns; and in
1859 went as far west as Minnesota. There
he traveled over the entire State, living
largely among the Indians, and by means
of the outdoor life became possessed of a
vigorous and robust physical constitution.
Besides his academic education. Dr. Price
had received the training of a civil engineer,
and expected to take part in the government
surveys during his western tour ; but Con-
gress made no approjiriation for the jiurpo.se
that year, so that oidy local surveys were
attempted, and he returned home. Thence
he went to Kentucky, traveling in the south-
western portion of that State as agent for
Dr. (iunn. l'i)on the inauguration of the

Civil War he started for home, but at Cin-
cinnati enlisted in the Woodward Guards,
composed principally of students and recent
graduates of the Cincinnati high schools.
Knthusiastic in his country's cause, he en-
listed for three months in May. 1S61, in
Company D, Second Kentucky Infantry, and
on Ilis discharge he re-enlisted in the same
com]jany and regiment, serving for three
years, or until June, 1864. During the
major portion of this ])eriod he was a mem-
ber of the pioneer corps, but saw much
active service in battle, nevertheless, includ-
ing the liarbersville fight, the fighting along
the Kanawha River, in numerous skirmishes
under General Cox. on the western slope of
the .Mleghany Mountains, and the battle
of Shiloh, in which he participated as a
member of Nelson's Division, the advance
of r.ueH's army. Willi this army he also
took |)art in tire battle of Perrysville, when
General Pragg was defeated and turned
back from his atlem])te(l raid through Ken-
tucky, and he assisted in the relief of Gen-
eral Xegley, who was besieged at Nashville
in 1863. The roll of his battles includes
moreover tluit of .^tone River and the suc-
cessfid stand made against the Confederate
forces on the night of Dec. 31, and Jan. 1
and 2, 1862-63, while he viewed the battle
of Chickamauga as a member of the pioneer
corps, and in the same ca])acity assisted in
preparing the way for the army in its suc-
cessful assault on Mission Ridge. During
his entire service he was never absent from
duty a single day — a record which may be
truly characterized as remarkable.

.\t the close of the great conllict Dr. Price
came to Iowa, locating at Burlington, where
he entered the drug business, l-'or thirty-six
years, or from 1863 to 1902, he continued
at the head iif a very successful and highly

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

341

remunerative business in this city, building
up one of the leading pharmacy stores in
this portion of Iowa. In addition, he has
devoted considerable attention and effort to
minor enterprises, and was at one time a
stockholder and director of the Burlington
Rolling i\Iill Company, for whom he acted
as manager for some time, during which
period he placed the affairs of the concern
in a very satisfactory condition. In 1902 he
exchanged the drug store for a large tract
of land in Kane county, Kansas, comprising
one thousand six hundred acres of fine and
fertile wheat lands : and besides this, his
land holdings include a sixty-four-acre tract
in the suburbs of Burlington and the prop-
erty on North Third Street, on which stands
his large, handsome, and modern residence.
For thirty years he has been engaged in
treating hernia and handling trusses, in
which he still continues, as he has acquired
a reputation that would not permit him to
retire from the work.

In 1866 Dr. Price was united in marriage
to Miss Mary A. Favor, a native of Roch-
ester, N. Y., and a daughter of W. B.
Favor, since of Burlington. To them have
been born two children, Henry B., now a
lieutenant in the United States navy, and
Delia May, who died in 1892, just after her
twenty-first birthday. She was a graduate
of Burlington high school, and for one year
attended the Boston Conservatory of Music.
Henry B., son of our subject, is a graduate
of Burlington high school and of the United
States Naval Academy, class of 1893, and
first served for two years on the "Balti-
more," at the Asiatic station, then on the
" Philadelphia," with the Pacific squadron,
and later with the " Baltimore," on which
he took part in the battle of Manila. For a
time he had charge of the steam engineer-

ing at Pensacola, and later was placed in
command of the navy yard there. During
the Boxer rebellion he was with the China
squadron, and served on the " Don Juan de
Austria," one of the Spanish ships cap-
tured at Manila in 1898. He did much coast
■work in the Philippines, including a great
deal of active fighting, and there for a year
he also had command of the " Iris," a large
supply ship. Later he was assigned to the
receiving ship ", Lancaster," at the League
Island navy yard, and has recently been
transferred to the " Iowa," with the Atlantic
squadron. Our subject was formerly a
business partner of Governor Gear, and by
the kindness of the governor his son re-
ceived his appointment to the navy unso-
licited.

Dr. Price has been a faithful supporter
of Republican policies ever since the organ-
ization of that party, having voted for John
C. Fremont for president in 1856, and has
at no time ceased to feel a personal interest
in public afifairs, to which he has given
much intelligent study. He is a member of
the Grand Army of the Republic, an ex-
commander of his post, and succeeded the
late Mr. Crapo on the committee on publi-
cation of military records of distinguished
officers of Burlington and of members of
C. L. Matthies Post, No. 5, Grand Army of
the Republic. His part in life has been a
noble one, far beyond all need of praise,
and as he was one of the first in war, so
also he has manifested unflagging loyaltv
in days of peace. Advancing age has left
undimmed all the powers of his mind, and
he is to-day, as he ever was, a man of strong
and vigorous mentality, rich with the fruits
of broad and liberal culture. Eminently
successful in material affairs, he has reached
that height h\ no sacrifice of moral principle.

342

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEli'

and stands as the cniboilinicnt of fair and
iiprij^lit integrity, one whose name is spoken
with honor wlierevcr known. To him IJur-
linpton owes much, and the world no less,
fur liumaiiity is better by reason of his ex-
am]>le. Mr. i'rice is an earnest and devoted
meml)er of the Methodist Episct)pal church,
which he joined in early boyhood. When
he first came to Uurlinpton he joined the
( )ld /.ion church, inlnnluccd the system of
finance that is now used, and was a member
of the finance conunittee for many years,
and also Sunday-school superintendent for
twelve years. He is also a good singer, tak-
ing great interest in leading the congre-
gation in singing, and made a success as
luusical director of the church, lie was
one of the builders of the First Methodist
church, contributing one thousand dollars
towartl the erection of the same. Mr.
I'rice is still firm and unshaken in the faith
of his father and the gos|)el, and at the ])res-
ent time holds an official position in the
(jrace Methodist Episcopal church.

HOWARD AMES LANGLEY.

Hovv.\Ri) .Vmics L.wgley, now deceased,
was a veteran of the Civil War, and well
known in the industrial circles of Burling-
ton, where he lived for so many years as an
upright and respected citizen, and one who
was a self-made man in the closest apprecia-
tion of the word. lie is a son of Smith
Langlcy, and was born Jan. i6, 1827, near
Northfield, Mass., where he lived till he was
about six years of age. His parents then
moved to New York, where his father died
when lie was but twelve years old, and his
mother joined the father in four years. Both

are buried in Canisteo, N. Y. They were
the parents of nine children, all of whom
have joined the silent majority long ere this
writing.

When Mr. Langley"s parents died he had
a married sister living in Canisteo, .\. Y.,
who with her husband was appointed guar-
dian of him and his younger brother,
Charles. The Ixiys remained for a few years
with their sister, and then became restless
and determine<l they would see .something
of some of the Western States, and so ran
away from their foster home with little or
nothing of this world's goods. As all boys
who embark on such a journey, they had
many har(lshii)S to undergo, but their cour-
■ age never failed them : they were deter-
mined to succeed and decidedly opposed to
returning to New York. Charles finally
went to sea, and eventually became a cap-
tain, and died a number of years ago in
Boston, where his widow still resides.

Mr. Langley, of this review, traveled for
many years all through the Central States,
working mostly for stone-masons, so that
in 1867, when he first came to Burlington,
Iowa, he was a master mechanic in this
line of business.-

The railroad bridge across the Mississippi
Kiver was in process of construction at this
time, and Mr. Langley at once secured work
on it. cuttinLr and laying many of the large
stones used in the piers of the bridge. When
the Burlington high .school was erected, .Mr.
Rolx-rt Donahue, recently deceased, and
Thompson McCosh were the contractors for
the stone work of it, and Mr. Langley and
Mr. Augsburger laid all of the ft)undation
1)\ tlie day for them. Mr. Langley also was
engaged for one year on the Keokuk canal,
during Avhich time he generally visited with
his familv on Sundavs.

HOWARD A. LANGLEV.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

345

On Nov. 26, 1866, Mr. Langley was mar-
ried in Red Rock, Marion county, Iowa, to
Mrs. Mary Reed, who is a daughter of
William and Mary (Holmes) Wilkin,
whose birth occurred in Highland county,
Ohio, Aug. 18, 1835. Her father was born
in the State of Pennsylvania and her mother
in the State of Virginia. Mrs. Wilkin came
to Ohio when but a babe four weeks old, was
married in her adopted home, and died in
July, 1874. Mr. Wilkin, who was a very
prosperous farmer, died in February, 1850.
They were blessed with eleven children, of
whom fotir are living : James Wilkin, re-
sides in Maquon, Knox county. 111. ; Eliza-
beth, wife of Henry Robey, lives in For-
sythe, 111. ; Curtis, lives in Kenton, Ohio ;
and Mary, who is the \yidow of our subject.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Langley have been
born two daughters : Mary Alice, a gradu-
ate of the Bellevue Hospital, N. Y., and who
follows her chosen profession with much
success in Burlington ; and Ivy A., who is a
graduate of the Burlington high school and
has been a valued teacher in the West Hill
school of the same city for the past ten
years.

Mrs. Langley also had two sons by her
first husband, John Reed, whom she married
in Red Rock, Iowa: Curtis Reed, born in
1858, and died in New Mexico in 1881 ;
Melville Reed, born in 1861, and resides in
Joliet, 111., where he is connected with a
railroad construction company.

When the Civil War broke out Mr. Lang-
ley enlisted in the Sixteenth Wisconsin In-
fantry, but as he had some work under head-
way- that he could not leave, he did not enter
into service till September, after which he
served his country with much credit for
three years and five months without a fur-
lough. His first engagement was in the

battle of Shiloh. He helped to cut a ditch
from the Mississippi River into Lake Provi-
dence to flood the country. Under General
Logan he assisted to build Fort Ransom and
to tunnel under Fort Hill ; and when Vicks-
burg surrendered, the pioneer corps, of
which he was a member, under General Mc-
Pherson, went into Vicksburg, he being one
of the first Union soldiers that entered the
city, and saw General McPherson raise the
stars and stripes on the court-house there.
Mr. Langley received a painful wound in
the battle of Corinth, which he carried till
death. After being honorably discharged
he returned to Burlington, and was engaged
at his trade for many years till poor health
and the infirmities of old age compelled him
to give up active business life.

He was a member of the Grand Army of
the Republic, and also a devoted member of
the Christian church, which he joined in
Marshalltown, Iowa. He had a political
career equalled by very few, not because he
ever held office of any kind, as he never
aspired to political honors ; but, however, it
was a career of which he was very proud,
and one that he carried out in a very retir-
ing and unpretentious manner.

He was a strong Republican, although
his father and brothers were equally as
strong Democrats. Mr. Langley had the
pleasure of voting for every Republican
candidate who ran for the presidency of
this great, free country. The very last
time he was permitted to leave his home
he cast his vote for William McKinley on
his second election. Jan. 15. 1901, this
large and robust-looking man was com-
pelled to lay down the burdens of this life
and was called to his home beyond the
skies, and at his own request he was laid
tenderly to rest in the place set apart for

346

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEll'

the honored soldiers in Aspen Grove cem-
etery. He was a man possessing many of
the noblest principles of life; his word
could be relied iiijon, his work was always
of the best, and promptness with his fellow-
nun was carried out to the letter. His
nature was a sunny one, and within his
bosom throbbed a heart as wami and kind
as it was large. Time may come and go,
but -Mr, Langley will not soon be forgotten.
His widow, who is a lady of much refine-
ment and possessing many personal attrac-
tions, is nicely situated in the old home-
stead at 1410 Grove Street, enjoying the
companionship of her daughters and is a
woman greatly beloved for her many
virtues.

DANIEL Y. COX.

Danikl Y. Cox, whose earthly career
exceeded the scriptural limit of human life
by almost a full score of years, was burn in
Casstown, Ohio, Nov. 2, 1822, and passed
his boyhood and part of his youth as his
father's assistant in the work of the farm,
but at the age of eighteen years left home to
learn a trade, that of carpenter, which lie
followed for the remainder of his life. In
1848 he decided to identify his fortunes with
those of the great West, and came to Bur-
lington. Here, in 185 1, he was united in
marriage to Miss Ellen C. Griffey, and to
them were born seven children, of wliom
five are now living, as follows : Winfield, a
resident of P.urlington, where he is engaged
in the ice business, married Miss Emma
Mozea; Ellen N'irginia is a im-inlur of her
mother's household ; Martha, a graduate of
the Burlington high school, has for the past
ten years held the position of principal of

the Saunderson school ; George G., of the
International Insurance Company, of Chi-
cago; and Mary, wife of .\ugustus A. W'al-
din, of Burlington, has one child. Hazel.
.\Ir. Cox passed his entire active life in the
work of his trade, and in addition did some
contracting, being in Ixith successful to a
satisfactory extent, and i)roviding well for
those dependent upon his labors, for he was
domestic in his tastes, and was always will-
ing to sacrifice much for the happiness of
those he loved. .Xbout a year and a half
before his death he suffered an attack of
])neumonia and la grippe, and from that
time his health failed constantly until July
5, 1902, when he passed from earth to the
better world, lamented by many friends and
by those to whom* he was bound by the
sacred ties of kindred and long association.
He was a religious man in the best sense of
the term, was a faithful member of the
■•"irst Methodist E])iscopal church, and at
f>ne time was active in the work of the Sun-
day-school.

.•\lthough he never cared for the honor
of public office, he was always interested in
the welfare of his country, and in his younger
years voted with the Whigs, becoming a
member of the Republican party on its or-
ganization.

He built a comfortable residence in Bur-
lington, at 420 Maple Street, which is still
the family home. He lies buried in the As-
jjcn Grove cemetery, beside his two sons.
David, the elder of these, who died at the
age of twenty-nine years, was also a car-
l)enter, and had extensive fraternal connec-
tions, being a member of the .Masonic
< hikr. the Royal Arcanum, and the .An-
cient Order of L'nited Workmen. Edwin,
the younger, who died at the age of seven-
teen, was at the time a student, and the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

347

direct cause of his death was brain fever,
induced by overstudy.

Mr. Cox was a modest and unpretentious
man, never aspiring to more than what
was justly due him, and with a highly de-
veloped sense of fairness and justice to
others. In manner he was quiet and re-

cipal portion. He died of pneumonia in
1848, his own demise being followed in
1850 by that of his wife,- whose fatal illness
was cholera. They were the parents of ten
children, five of whom still survive, as fol-
lows : Mrs. John Johnson, of Denver, Colo. ;
Mrs. Sirena Hudson, of this city; Mrs.

served, rarely expressing his opinions, but Thomas French, now of Crystal Lake, Colo. ;

when he did so it was with such conspicuous
ability and point that he was always lis-
tened to with the attention and respect due
to a thoughtful and original mind. Honest,
upright, and loyal in all his dealings with
his fellow-men, he was everywhere respected
and honored for the great virtues of his
character, and had many friends.

Mrs. Cox was born at Morgantown, Va.,
Dec. 14, 1829, and came to Burlington at
the age of seven with her parents, William
and Mary (Spitzer) Griffey, who were

.Mrs. Martha Hillhouse, of Burlington.

After the death of her father and until
her marriage, Mrs. Cox was a teacher in
the public schools of Burlington, being
assistant to the principal. Miss Holbrook,
later Mrs. Luke Palmer, and now deceased.
At that time Burlington could boast only
two public schools, that in which Mrs. Cox
taught being held in a rented room in a
log cabin situated on the river bank near
the foot of the present Cedar Street. Here
she taught during the school years of 1848

married at Newmarket, \'a., their native and 1849, the term being three months in
place, coming to Burlington in 1837. The duration, and the school consisting of about

father, who was a tailor, had a shop and
clothing store on Jefferson Street. He was
a member of the Masonic order, and had
before coming West served his country as
a soldier in the War of 1812. He was quite

forty pupils, for whose instruction the
teacher was paid a salary of six dollars a
month. Her own education was received
in private schools in Burlington. She is a
woman of broad general information and

well-to-do, and in Virginia was the owner much natural ability, possessing conversa-
of a number of slaves, kept mostly as house tional powers and social gifts which have

drawn about her many loyal and admiring
friends.

servants. He was opposed to all unkind
treatment of slaves, and never sold one, but
freed all in his possession on coming to
Iowa. On locating in Burlington he bought
property, and started in partnership with
others to build a grist mill, but through
manipulation of the other interests in the F. H. A. Koch, the founder and pro-

company, was forced out, and thereafter moter of the German-American Equation

F. H. A. KOCH.

confined his attention to his tailoring busi-
ness and clothing establishment. He pos-
sessed much business ability, and amassed
a considerable fortune, but by reason of an
unfavorable turn of events lost the prin-

Premium Life Association, which, formu-
lated and conducted upon the original
plans instituted by him, has become a
leading organization of this character in
Iowa, was born in Westphalia. Germany,

348

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIFAV

Sept. 2(>. 1S45, ami in ilic |)iil)lic schools
of his native land ac«|uircd his education.
He came to the L'nited States when
tvventy-t\v(j years of ajje. making his way
to I'ittsfield, I'ike couiily. 111., was there
engat,'i-(l in business as a dealer in musi-
cal instruments, and also as a hfe- and
fire-insurance agent. Desiring better
educational advantages, as a further
preparation for life's work, he became a
student in the W'esleyan College, at W'ar-
renton. Mo.. an<l later, returning to Pitts-
field, he resunii'i! business there. He
si)ent about twenty years in Pittsfield,
and in 1886 removed to LUirlington,
where, in 188", he put into execution
plans wliicli lu- jiad formulated and per-
fected after much earnest consideration,
and thus s|)rang into existence the (jcr-
nian-American .Mutual Life Insurance
.•\s.sociation, now called the (jerman-
.\merican M(|uation Premium Life .\sso-
ciaiion, of which he has been secretary
from the beginning. its other officers
are: l-'rank S. C"liurchiil. president;
lion. John Zaiser, vice-president; Henry
.Miller, treasurer; P. C. Naumann, med-
ical director; and La Monte Cowles, legal
adviser. Mr. Koch is also secretary of a
General .-\gency Company, which was
established to secure business for the Ger-
man-.\merican L(|uation Premium Life
.Association.

In .March. kS;!). in Piiistield, 111., .Mr.
Koch was married to Miss Lizzie C.
llerling, a native of that State, and they
became the ])arents of nine children, of
which three are now living: Dr. F. E.
Koeii, a |>hysician of Murlingloii ; I.. II.
Koch, engaged in the life insurance busi-
ness; and Robert T., at home, — 715 Gar-
field .Avenue.

.Mr. Koch is a mend)er of the .\ncient
Order of L'nited Workmen, and a Master
Mason of Des Moines Lodge, No. i,
.\ncient Free and .\cce])tcd Masons. His
political views accord with the princi])les
of the Republican ])arty. He is a member
of the (ierman .Methodist E]>isciipal
church, taking an active part in its work,
and serving as church trustee and Sun-
day-school superintendent.

FREDERICK E. KOCH. M. D.

Dk. I'kkdkkic k I^. l\n( II, engaged in the
practice of medicine and surgery in lUir-
lington, was born in Pittsfield, 111., I-"eb. 10,
1878. His father. I-~. H. .\. Koch, of this
city, a native of Germany, at an early age
was left an or|)han and thrown upon his
• own resources. He has a sister still living
in Germany, but with this exception all the
other members of the family have jiassed
away. .\t his father's death, 1". H. .\.
Koch was adoi)tcd into the family of a
farmer and was reared to agricultural jnir-
suits. It was during his boyhcnid that he
was brought by this family to .America, his
\outh being largely passed upon a farm
near Pittsfield, III. He attended school
however, at Morton, Mo., and afterward
became a student in the German Methodist
College ^t W'arrenton, Mo., completing his
education in that institution. He worked
his way through school, ambitious to enjoy
good mental training and disci]ilinc as a
preparation for life's ])ractical duties.

Me was a successful agent aild canvasser
in early manhood, selling books in the
Middle West, and later he engaged in the
sale of pianos for a year. He then turned

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

349

his attention to the music business, conduct-
ing a music store in Pittsfield, prior to his
removal to Burlington early in the '8o's.
Here he engaged in the insurance business,
representing a Burlington company that has
since passed out of existence, his territory
lying largely in Dakota. When the Ger-
man-American Equation Premium Life
Association of Burlington was formed, he
became one of its stockholders, and is now
secretary of the company, which has entered
upon a period of prosperity with a business
that is increasing annuall}-.

He is deeply interested in all relating to
the welfare of the city, and has been particu-
larly active in church work, serving as
superintendent of the Sunday-school for
many years. He married Elizabeth C. Her-
ling, who was born in Quincy, 111., of Ger-
man parentage. Their marriage was cele-
brated in Pittsfield, 111., and they have three
children : F. E. : Lewis H., who is with the
German American Insurance Company ;
and Albert.

Dr. Koch began his education in the
public schools of his native city, afterward
entered the public schools of Burlington and
spent two years as a high-school student
here, following which he matriculated in
the Iowa Wesleyan University, at Mount
Pleasant, where he remained for three years.
When his more specifically literary educa-
tion was completed, he began preparation
for the practice of medicine as a student
in the office and under the direction of Dr.
Naumann, of Burlington, and later entered
the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
St. Louis, in which institution he was
graduated with the class of 1901. Thus
equipped for his chosen calling, he estab-
lished an office in the Odd Fellows' Build-
ing in Burlington and entered upon his field

of labor, in which he has been making con-
tinuous advancement, as he has demon-
strated his ability to cope with the complex
problems which continually confront the
physician and surgeon.

He is a member of, and camp physician
for, the Woodmen of the World in Burling-
ton, and also belongs to, and is examining
physician for, the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, the Knights of the Maccabees,
the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and the
Degree of Honor, while in the line of his
profession he is connected with the Des
Moines County Medical Society. He is
also examining physician for a number of
the old-line life-insurance companies.

Dr. Koch is a member of the Orchard
City Hunting and Fishing Club and is
prominent socially. He belongs to the Ger-
man Methodist Episcopal church, of which
he is serving as treasurer and steward, and
he also belongs to the Epworth League. He
reads, writes, and speaks German fluently,
and has many opportunities to use this
knowledge in his practice as well as in his
church and social relations. He is a man
of high principles, of laudable ambition, and
strong purpose, and in professional circles
has gained a position which would be credit-
able to a man of much greater age.

JAMES THOMPSON PORTER.

James Thompson Porter belonged to
one of the prominent and highly respected
pioneer families of Des Moines county.
He was the second son of Thompson and
Sarah Ann (Abbott) Porter, being born
on his father's farm, near Burlington, in
Union township, Des Moines county, Oct.

>50

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lEW

lo, 1846. His fatluT was tlic son of Lewis
Porter. Inirn Nov. 27. 1783. and Henrietta
( Hackle\ ) I'orttr, Ixmi Dec. 23, 1778.
There were seven children in llie family
of Lewis I'orter. as follows: Mary, born
Jan. 20. iScrf); Nancy, born June 8. 1810;
Lewis, born Nov. 9. 181 1: Thoni|)son,
father of our subject, born in one of the
X'irginias, .March 24. 1S13; l-^lizabeth. bom
Feb. 4. 1815; .Samuel, born Nov. 23, i8uj;
.Mexander, born \ov. 28. 1824. Mr. I'or-
ter moved from X'irpinia to Zanesville,
Ohio, where, on .March 24, 1S42. he married
Sarah .\nn .\bbott, near L'niontown. Mrs.
Porter was born Dec. 27. 1821, and was
the daughter of Hays and Elizabeth
(Snow) ,\bbott. Her brothers and sisters
were: Susan, who married Xathan Miner;
Lorenzo: Mary Jane, the wife of Jacob
Norris : Llizabeth. .Mrs. Hi'iijaniin Miiri)hy;
Minerva, married Tliomas be La]>i).

In 1842 Mr. and Mrs. Thompson Porter
moved from ( )hio to a farm in Des Moines
county. Iowa, wlure they resided till their
death, the former dying Sept. 12. 1869,
and the latter passing away C^ct. 22, 1866.
To this couple were born eleven children,
four of whom dii'(l in early childhood:
Lewis .Mexander. born Jan. 27. 1843:
James Thompson, born Oct. 10. 1846; Mary
Elizabeth, born .\pril 7. 1848: .\merica,
born Jan. 28, 1850: Henrietta .Amanda,
born Jan. 8, 1852; Amelia, born June 28.
1833: Minerva, born June 24, 1854; John,
born May 29, 1856; Samuel, born June 16,
1857; Douglas, born Nov. 17, 18511; Ilattie.
born Aug. 7. i8(')i.

The marriages of the abnvf-mentinned
children of Thompson Porter occurred as
folhnvs : Lesvis married Susan Waterhouse.
and they had one son, Charles Th()mi)S(in,
born ( )ct. 19, 1867. They resided near

( )akvirie. Iowa, where Mr. Porter died Ai)ril
13. i86*<. James Thompson Porter, of this
review, married I'lorence Genevieve Murch,
of Lturlington, May 5, 1886. Mary E. mar-
ried Henry M. Bush, I-'eb. 9, 1887, and now
resides in Canton, Mo. .Minerva became
the wife of Henjamin Murphy, and they
arc the |)arents of three children, Elbri<lge
Thompson Ran.som, Melvin Edward, and
-Mary .\merica Ik-lle. The n;other of these
last-named children died Feb. 5. 1894.
Samuel is the husband of Eudora L. Shu-
mate, married Oct. 3. 1887. They have two
children: .Mary Henrietta, born July 9. 1891,
and William Thomi)S(jn Xiephi, born Dec.
8. 1895. They make their home in Pulaski,
Iowa ; Hattie Porter married William G.
Renz, Jan. 2"/, 1892, and they had one
son. James .Augustus, born Oct. 8. 18(^5,
who died when a few months old. They
also live near Canton, Mo.

James Thomjison Porter, our subject,
grew to manhood on his father's farm.
wlure he attended the district school for
several years. He Avas a bright student and
a great reader, and stored his mind with
many advanced ideas. When he was t\<'enty-
two years of age. his parents passed away,
and the care of the home and alsp of his
brothers and sisters fell ujjon Mr. Porter
and his two older sisters. They worked
long and hard, and finally succeeded in
clearing the hoiuc of the indebtedness. Po-
litically, Mr. Porter was a Democrat, and
served his native townshii) as school direc-
tor and as clerk for two terms, from 1883
to i8c^(), inclusive. He was elected town-
.ship assessor, which office he held for two
years, when he moved to Henry county,
Imva, near Winfield. His wife, in maiden-
hood, was Miss Florence Genevieve Murch,
and is the second daughter of Samuel

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

551

Franklin and Alary (Bennett) Murch.
Mr. jNIurch came to New York City from
Devonshire, England, with his parents, John
and Elizabeth ( Stocker) Alurch in 1831,
when he was less than one year of age, he
having been bom June 12, 1830. His
parents had six children : John, married
Sophia Smith ; Frances, the wife of James
Hutson ; J\Iary, married Charles Davis ;
James, wedded Mary Bermingham ; Eliza-
beth, died in childhood ; Samuel, married
Mary Bennett, in Wilkesbarre. Pa., Jan.

2, 1855. Mrs. Murch is the oldest daugh-
ter of John Taylor and Hannah (Miller)
Bennett, and was born Jan. 23, 1834.
Her grandmother, Sarah Taylor, was
the granddaughter of President Zachary
Taylor. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett had five
children : Martha, married Charles Stull ;
Katherine, who became Mrs. Lanning
Rinehimer : Hannah, the widow of Joseph
Robbins : George, married Anna Morrison ;
and Mary, widow of Samuel Murch.

When qtiite a young man Mr. Murch
began his first work in his father's rope and
twine factory at Newtown, Long Island.
His father's family was very musical, and
were among the first to purchase pianos,
which instruments were very rare in those
days. Air. and Mrs. .Murch began their
domestic life in Montoursville, Pa., from
whence they moved to Williamsport, the
same State. In 1866 they Came to Mt. Pleas-
ant, Iowa, where they remained till 1868,
when they located in Burlington, and where
Mr. Murch worked at his trade of a stair-
builder until death overtook him July 2j.
1895. Seven children graced this iinicm : The
oldest, an unnamed infant, born March 2Ti.
1856; John B., born Aug. i. 1857; Samuel
F., born Sept. 9, 1859: Ella O., born May

3, 1861, was graduated fnmi the high school

June [3, 1879, and the year following re-
ceived her diploma from the cit\' training
school, and is now the successful first as-
sistant teacher in the Sunnyside school, in
Burlington, Iowa : Morence G., wife of our
subject, born Nov. 24, 1862, also a gradu-
ate of the Burlington high school and the
city training school, and was one of the effi-
cient teachers in Dcs Moines county for four
years, when she became the wife of Mr.
Porter; Hammond L., born Aug. 25, 1865,
attended high school for a while, and then
took a course in Elliott's Business College
in Burlington, and later took a two-years'
course in his favorite study, music, in Cin-
cinnati, Ohio. He is one of the leading in-
structors in music in the city, and also one
of the prominent merchants, dealing in all
kinds of musical instruments and musical
merchandise. He married Minnie Lillie, of
P>urlington, May 27, 1897, and to them
one son, James Bennett, was born, Sept.
20, 1899.

Mr. and Mrs. Porter began theii" wedded
life near Burlington on a farm, where, but
a few rods from where Mr. Porter was
born, their son, James Murch Porter, was
born, April 22, 1887. On March 7, 1888,
they moved to a farm which Mr. Porter had
purchased, one and a half miles from Win-
field, Henry county, Iowa. This was a
lovely home, which Mr. Porter took much
interest in, and was constantly improving
and beautifying. In this home, Oct. 18,
1892, their daughter, Florence Bessie Por-
ter, was born.

\A'hen the State bank was incorporated in
W'infielrl in 1893, ^I''- ^nd Mrs. Porter be-
came stockholders, and at the first meeting
of the stockholders of the same, Mr. Porter
was elected one of the directors of the bank,
and also a member of the auditing commit-

352

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tec, wliich offices Ik- licld until he moved
away from the village. In 1902 his health
liecame impaired, and thinking a change
of climate mis^ht prove beneficial, he sold
his farm and stock, and removed his fam-
ily to ( )klahoma City. The weather being
unfavorable. Mr. Porter received a severe
cold in making the trip to his new home,
and ])neumonia at once seized him, and in
three weeks from the day that he left his
old home in W'infield he ])eacefully and
calmly passed away, March 18, 1902. The
next day the bereaved wife, accompanied
by her son and daughter, brought the re-
mains of the loving husband and kind fatiicr
back to r.urlington. where on March 22,
1902, tliey were laid to rest in beautiful As-
pen Grove cemetery. Mr. I'ortcr was a
bright and active man, thoroughly fitted for
business, either on the farm, where he was
most successful in all his undertakings,
or in commercial circles. His principles
were honorable and upright, and he pos-
sessed the confidence and good-will of tiie
entire community, ami he left a record of
which his friends and family may well Ix"
proud. After the death of Mr. Porter. Mrs.
Porter purchased a temporary home on
Foster Street, in P.urlington. in order that
her children might have good educational
advantages. Her son Murch attends the
high school, and her daughter Bessie is a
student in the West Hill school, and both
also pursue their study of music, for which
they have a decided love and ability.

NELS C. HANSON.

Nels C. Hanson, well known through-
out Des Moines county. Iowa, as an able
leader in [lublic affairs, and now engaged

in agriculture and stock-raising on his
fertile and productive farm of forty-three
acres in the northwest corner of Section
ifi. L'nion townshij). is a native of .\al-
l)org. Denmark, where he was born /Vug.
j6. 1863, a .son of Christian C. and .\nna
Hanson. When about six years old he
removed with his parents to America,
after a voyage of approximately twelve
days landing at Castle Garden. New York.
Coming thence directly to Iowa, they lo-
cated in Union townshi(), Des Moines
county. There the father, who was by
trade a blacksmith, started a shop, and a
year or two later was able to purchase
a satisfactory location for a home. He
first erected a log house, in which the
family lived for about fifteen years, at the
exjiiration of which period he built a good
frame dwelling. .\t about this time also
he abandoned his trade and gave his at-
tention exclusively to farming: and as his
original purchase of land comprised only
ten acres, he ac(|uired additional holdings.
The bouse still stands, now being occu-
pied by his son Henry.

.At the time of the emigration of the
family to America there were six daugh-
ters and one son, the latter the suliject of
the present review. One son, Henry,
was born in Cnion townshii). .Ml the
children grew to uialiirity. and they are
in order of birth as follows; Caroline, who
now resides in Cedar county, Iowa, mar-
ried Xels Fulgsang, and they have seven
children : Sine, who married Peter Peter-
.son, is now tleceased, having died in
Cedar county, survived by five children :
Mary, who married John Swan, lives in
West liurlington. and has two children :
.Xels C. the subject of this review; Han-
nah, who now resides in Burlington,

NELS C. HANSON.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

355

Iowa, married Peter Simonson, and has
one child ; Carrie, who married Conrad
Schwartz, and has five children, resides
in Winfield, Iowa; Minnie, who is the
wife of George Schafer, resides in Chi-
cago ; and Henry, who resides at the par-
ental home, married Miss Laura Hegley,
and they have two children.

Christian C. Hanson, founder of this
family in America, enjoyed the advan-
tages of a good education, having in his
native land received an excellent training
in a military school, and as an officer of
the Danish army, took part in the war be-
tween his country and Germany in 1848.
He had the good fortune never to be
wounded, but the whole-hearted charac-
ter of the man and his service in those
trying times is indicated by the fact that
he was awarded a medal for meritorious
conduct. His devotion to the Fatherland
in no way exceeded his loyalty to the land
of his adoption, and on coming here he
made a conscientious study of public
questions, as a result of which he became
a supporter of the Republican party. He
was a lifelong student, being a lover of
reading and research along intellectual
lines. His nature, too, was deeply relig-
ious, although he never became identified
with any particular church, and it was
characteristic of him that he was ready at
all times to sacrifice his own ease and
pleasures for the benefit of those who
were near and dear to him. Thus, while
he realized that for himself and his wife
the conditions of life would have been
easier in Denmark than in this country,
he never regretted that he had removed
to America, as by so doing they conferred
a great benefit upon their children. He
provided for each of his children a good

common-school education, and to their
welfare he devoted the best efforts of a
long life of arduous toil. He died July
24, 1893, but the mother is still living,
and makes her home with the children.

Nels C. Hanson received a fairly com-
plete common-school education in the dis-
trict schools of Union township, and early
began to assist his father in the support
of the family by hiring out to a farmer
when only ten years of age, working by
the month, and receiving for his labor the
sum of eight dollars a month. Not sat-
isfied with his education, he matriculated
in a business college at the age of seven-
teen years, but lacking financial resources,
he was compelled to give up this line of
study after one month. He had inherited
from his father a taste for good reading,
however, and in this way he largely made
up for the deficiencies of his formal train-
ing and supplied his lack of the usual
advantages, for he began this method of
self-culture when but a small boy, and
has ever since continued it with increas-
ing enthusiasm. He has in his home a
library of five hundred volumes, being the
largest in Des Moines county, outside of
the city of Burlington. He still worked
at farm labor, however, until his twenty-
second year, when he bought one hundred
and twenty acres of land in Hamilton
county, Iowa.

In Union township on Feb. 18, 1886,
Mr. Hanson was united in marriage to
Miss Sophia Schwartz, a native of that
township, and daughter of Fred and Car-
oline Schwartz, who were both born in
Germany. For two years Mr. Hanson
and his bride resided at the farm in Ham-
ilton county, but at the expiration of that
period he sold the farm there and removed

356

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

to Burlington, where he lived for approxi-
mately six years, engaped in various oc-
cupations. Durinjj; two years of this
time he was shipping clerk in the office
of the I'lurlington Saildlery Manufactory,
and for the following three years he re-
sided at Galcsburg. 111., as the representa-
tive of the same firm. He then purchased
the farm which he now occupies, and here
he has established for himself and family
a fine home. To Mr. and Mrs. Hanson
have been born two children. Irwin, born
in ISurlington, Iowa, March, 9, i8qo; and
Myrtle, born in I'urlington July 13, 1803.
Since taking up agriculture as a per-
manent l)usincss, .Mr. Hanson has been
much interested in the improvement of
farm stock, and in addition to exercising
a constant care in improving the stock on
his own farm, owns shares in the Burling-
ton Percheron Horse Company, which
numbers among its members many of the
most progressive farmers of Des Moines
county. His activities, in fact, have ex-
tended to almost all matters of commu-
nity interest. In 1901 an agitation was be-
gun for tile formation of a rural telephone
company for this community, the project
being chiefly promoted by Mr. John Mil-
ler, who then lived in Union township
and had witnessed the develo])nient of a
similar jjlan in \\'a])cllo county. In the
autumn of that year meetings were called
to consider the measure, but the project
was finally abandoned. In November,
igoi, Mr. Henry Magel, .Mr. ILinson. and
Mr. Ed Romkey took it up. ami elTeclcd
an incorporation with a ca])ital stock of
$5,000, securing contracts from about
thirty-three patrons. Mr. Hanson was
made the first secretary and treasurer of
the cor])oration, a position which he oc-

cupied until Jan. i, 1905; and during this
period so great was the success of the en-
terprise that the capital stock has been in-
creased to $^5,000 and the patronage has
risen to three hundred instruments. The
com|)any furnishes excellent service, and
in bringing to their neighbors this great
gift of civilization, Mr. Hanson and his
associates performed an act which enti-
tles them to be considered true jniblic
benefactors. In addition to his other du-
ties, Mr. Han.son has occasionally found
titiu- to act as an auctioneer for the ac-
commodation of a friend or neighbor, and
has had considerable success in this line,
but does not follow it regularly.

When yet quite young Mr. Hanson be-
came an active worker for the success of
the Republican i)arty, whose principles
embody his ideals of popular government,
and at an early age began serving his
party in both county and state conven-
tions. In recognition of his services he
received in ii)Oi the nomination for rep-
resentative of Des Moines county in the
Iowa -State Legislature, and although the
|)arty is greatly in the minority here, he
attracted such a strong following that he
was again made the standard bearer.
This hoT)()r was entirely unsought on his
|)art. but his ]>ersonal popularity carried
him forward, and in the coimting of the
ballots it was found that he lacked only a
few votes of election. Co-existent with
his activities in public life he has always
maintained a warm interest in humani-
tarian and religious work, and in 1S99 be
became a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church. From this body he has re-
ceived license as an exhorter, a branch of
the work in which he has accomplished
much, and he has also served as sujierin-

DES MOINES COUXrV. IOWA.

357

tendent of the Sunday-school. His labors
in this tit'ld have always been so mark-
edly successful that he has been solicited
and even urg'ed to devote himself to the
regular ministry of the gospel ; and should
he ever decide so to do, the consumma-
tion would doubtless mean much for his
denomination and the great cause for
which it stands. In his fraternal rela-
tions Mr. Hanson is a member of Excel-
sior Lodge, Xo. 268, Independent Order
Odd Fellows.

In these modern days of intense special-
ization, when most men find time to do
nothing except along one narrow line of
restricted endeavor, it is very encourag-
ing to find a man who has not paid for
his success at the cost of his own self-de-
velopment. Naturally gifted with varied
and versatile talents, Mr. Hanson has, by
extensive experience in practical affairs,
touched the circle of an ideal career at
almost every point. Honor, reputation,
and loyal friendship he has won by the
strength and sincerity of his purpose.
His work in religious and fraternal cir-
cles, in the political world, and in the
home community have been a help and
encouragement to many, while his suc-
cess in a business way should inspire the
young with the thought that even in this
day of specialization a man may attain to
high material achievement and still de-
velop a broad and many-sided character.

JACOB ANDREW PILGER.

Jacob Axdrew Pilger. now deceased,
was for many years a prominent, influential,
and honored resident of Burlington, Iowa.

His history is closely interwoven with the
business development, the political life, and
the moral advancement of this city, and so
honorable and upright was his life that he
enjoyed in marked degree the unlimited con-
fidence and good-will of those with whom he
was associated. His life record, too, is
most commendable on account of the ex-
cellent success which he won in the control
of legitimate business interests ; and no
history of Burlington would be complete
without the record of his career.

Air. Pilger was a native of the Hawkeye
State, being born in the city of Burlington,
Feb. 26, 1846. He is a son of Jacob and
Caroline (Bertsch) Pilger, both natives of
Germany. His father was born in Baden-
hausen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, May
ID, 1817, and he was a son of Ernst and
Philippina Pilger. He grew to manhood
in his native country, and came to America
with his parents in 1838, locating first in
.Seneca county, Ohio. Aug. 8, 1838, in
Columbus, Ohio, the marriage of Jacob Pil-
ger and Caroline Bertsch was celebrated,
and in 1840 the young couple left Ohio for
liurlington, crossing the river on the fourth
of January. They were not satisfied with
their \\'estern home, and went to Louisville,
Ky., where they remained till April, when
they came back to Burlington, but only to
remain a month or so, -when they took up a
residence in Kentucky for some three years.
Coming again to Burlington in 1852, he
soon opened a general store, which he con-
ducted till his health failed in 1859, and he
was obliged to close out his business. He
then embarked in a vineyard, purchasing
eighty acres on what is now known as Sun-
nyside. The last few years of his life were
spent in retirement. In early life he was a
supporter of the Democratic party, but in

358

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

later times he joined the Republican ranks.
Mr. and Mrs. Pilger had eight children:
Ernest, died in Gennany in 1885 ; William,
engaged in real estate and insurance busi-
ness, residing in liurlington; Jacob, of this
review ; Theodore, a merchant of Loop
City, Nebr. ; Lewis, agent of the Mutual
Benefit Life Insurance Company, of New
Jersey, and lives in Burlington ; Philippina.
wife of Adolph Bosch, of Peoria, Kans. :
Henrietta, widow of the late Frank Kooper,
resides in St. Louis. Mo. ; Emma, married
Charles Cooper, who is at Argentine, Kans.
Mr. Pilger died at his home, ^larch 30,
1888. Mrs. Pilger passed away May 31,
1893.

Our subject was educated in the public
schools of Burlington, and when about
seventeen years of age entered the store
of his uncle, Fred Lindstadt, who was a
dealer in leather goods. After clerking
there for some time, he went on the road
as a traveler for the wholesale house of A.
Kaiser, who was tln-n the leading clothier
(if the city. He remained with Mr. Kaiser
till Jan. I. 1874. when he and his brother
William npi-ncd a wholesale grocery store at
209 Main Street. He was very successful
in this store, and each year a greater trade
was established. They employed a number
of salesmen, as well as traveling represent-
atives, ami this large wholesale house be-
came an important factor of both city and
State.

March 2G. 1874, Mr. Pilger and Miss
Josephine M. Harper were married. Mrs.
Pilger is a daughter of W. W. and Mary
(Lunbeck) Har|)er. and was born in Mt.
Pleasant, Iowa, May 26. 1850. receiving
her education in the public schools in Bur-
lington, in which city she has always re-
sided. Her parents were both natives of

the State of Ohio, being born about eleven
miles apart. Mr. Harper's birth occurred
in Good Hope, Feb. ii, 18 r 6, where he
attended the common schools, and when
quite young entered a store as a clerk. He
later opened a dry-goods store, which he
conducted till 1843, when he came to Iowa
and located in Mt. Pleasant, where he had
a general store, dealing in fine silks, stoves,
tinware, dishes, hams, sugar, and in fact
everything that was necessary to supjjly the
growing demands of the people, for some
nine years. In the fall of 1852 he brought
his family to Burlington, and started a boot
and shoe store, which he conducted with
great success for over twenty years, having
his son I'.rainard. now deceased, as a partner
a part of the time. Mr. Harper was always
one of the strongest advocates of the Repub-
lican party in the city, but never aspired to
office. He was a life-long member of the
First I'.aptist church. He was a man of an
exceedingly jileasant address, of a bright
and hajjpy disposition, a warm heart, and
his business principles were above reproach ;
and though it has been .some years since he
laid down the cares and burdens of this life
to enter into the rest prepared for mortal
man, still his memory is fresh in the hearts
of all, and his many good deeds of kindness
meted out to the afflicted will long be re-
membered. His death occurred at his home
828 North l-"ourth Street. Dec. 6. 1893.

Mrs. Hari)cr was born in Greenfield, Ohio.
July 30, 1821, where she spent all of her
girlhood days, and where she was married
Dec. 9. 1840. She too joined the First Bap-
tist church in this city in 1852, and is the
oldest member, both in age and membership,
of this place of worship. She is now in her
eighty-sixth year, and for many years has
been denied the |)rivilege of attending church

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

359

service and the freedom of social life, as she
is blind. But with so great an affliction laid
upon her she is ever bright and cheerful, and
can relate many pleasing incidents of the
pioneer times. She makes her home with
her daughter, Mrs. Pilger, and is patiently
waiting the Master's call to join her loved
ones on the other shore.

Mr. and Mrs. Harper were blessed with
seven children, two of whom died in infancy
in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Brainard D. was
born in Greenfield, Ohio, Dec. lo, 1841. His
early schooling was begun in the public
schools of Alt. Pleasant and Burlington, and
later it was pursued in the business college
and concluded in the Baptist Institute, of
Burlington, where he lacked but two months
of graduating when the Civil War broke
out. He responded promptly to the national
call, and enlisted in Company G, Twenty-
fifth Iowa Infantry, being mustered into
service in Burlington as first lieutenant. He
participated in the siege of Vicksburg, and
was at Chattanooga, and many other battles.
As he contracted bowel trouble, he was
obliged to return home to recuperate ; and
■when better, he formed a company of his
own — Company D, Forty-fifth Infantry,
called out for three months only. After be-
ing honorably discharged, he returned at
once to Burlington, where he became a part-
ner with his father in the shoe store. He re-
mained in this business till 1872, when his
health failed, and he was obliged to go West.
For a number of years he had a general
mercantile store in Evans, Colo., and then
went on a ranch, engaging in the buying
and selling of fine cattle. He next moved
to Greeley, Colo., where he was the county
treasurer for six years. His great ability
was soon recognized, as the important posi-
tions filled by him will testify. For several

years he was the cashier of the First Na-
tional Bank of Greeley, and also cashier of
the Union Bank in the same city, and upon
the death of the president of the last-named
bank he was promoted to the office of presi-
dent. This office he held for nine years,
when death overtook him very suddenly, and
a place of business, and social and home cir-
cles, were made void, and a deep sorrow cast
over the city and surrounding country of
Greeley. He had long been the popular
overseer of the poor, and a man who was
Iionored and respected in the truest meaning
of the word. As a boy he was bright and
active, especially devoted to his parents. He
was an exceptionally fine penman, and a
man of noble character, fine executive ability,
broad and liberal in all things ; and these,
combined with his kind and loving heart,
are hard to portray with the pen, as words
fail to fully express the true worth and value
of such a man. His death occurred May 24,
1905, and his funeral was perhaps the larg-
est ever held in Greeley. Mr. Harper was
married Oct. 10, 1865, to Miss Jennie G.
Bruen, of Illinois, who was born in Orange,
N. J., and who is now living in the beauti-
ful and costly residence planned and erected
by her late husband. They never had any
children, but out of the generosity of their
hearts they adopted a niece, and gave her a
splendid education : and it was a great com-
fort to Mr. Harper to see her married com-
fortably and happy, and to build her a hand-
some home close to his own, so that he might
have the pleasure of his grandchildren
every day. Vinnie R. Harper is the widow
of J. B. Fidlar, and resides in Davenport,
Iowa. She had one son, William, who is
dead : Josephine is the widow of the sub-
ject of this review ; Ella married Air. C. E.
Bell, of Greenfield, Ohio, who died a few

360

BIOGRAPHICAL REllEW

years ago. She has one (laughter, .Mary U.
Bell. Mrs. Hell later married Albert M.
Mackerley, a la-vvyer and real estate man,
of Grcentield : I'rank I. Harper, lives in
Denver, and has three children.

The health of Mr. I'ilger becoming im-
paired, he was obliged to give up active
duties and retire, with the hope of soon be-
ing restored to health again : but alas, this
was not so ordered, and on Jan. i. npo, he
and his brother sold their large and pros-
perous wholesale grocery. Strange to say,
it was just twenty-six years to a day that
this store was operated by the Pilger Broth-
ers. What a change has come to Mr. Pilger
during his long and useful business career.
When he began life he had nothing to bank
on but his willing hands and energy. By the
closest of ai)j)lication he advanced step by
step till he became one of the jiroprietors
of a large paying establishment. He erected
one of the handsomest residences on North
Hill at ?>2(i North Sixth Street, where, as
the slow but sure malady of Rright's Dis-
ease made inroads upun liim. lie was given
the very best of care by his ever-faithful
and devoted wife. Medical aid could not
stay the hand of death, and March 1 1. 1902,
this once active and comparatively young
man was numbered among the silent ma-
jority. In his death his wife lost a loving
husband, the city one Avho could be illy
sjiared from the business circle in which he
had moved for so many years with credit
to all, and the social circles he was wont to
join at times sustained a loss of one dear
to all.

I'olitically, -Mr. i'ilger gave his sui)i)ort
and hearty co-operation to the Republican
party, but could never be induced to accept
any office, firmly believing his services were
more valuable to the party as a private citi-

zen. He was progressive and enter])rising.
and ever rejoiced in the prosperity of his
home city. Fraternally, he was identified
with the Masons and ( )<ld Fellows, and was
a member of the Independent CJrder of
L'nited Workmen. Mr. I'ilger was of a
genial disposition, and his friends were
legion. He was essentially a home-loving
man, and took but little part in ])ublic affairs.
His business and home were the two impor-
tant factors in his life. His knowledge of
commercial affairs was deep and extensive,
and the s])lendid success achieved by him
stands as a pattern of what industry, integ-
rity, and ability may do. He was loyal in
his friendshi])s, and it may be truly said his
word was as good as his bond.

Mrs. Pilger, who is a lady of much cul-
ture and refinement, resides in the lovely
home mentioned above, and is well known
among people of this city, where she has
friends unnumbered.

CAPT. SAMUEL BROWN HEIZER.

A PROMiNKNT, distinguished, and highly-
intelligent citizen, one who has served
his country in time of great need, and
who has held most of the offices of the
town where he now resides, is Samuel
Ileizer. lie is the second son of Na-
thaniel and lllizabeth (Brown) Heizcr,
and was horn in Ross county. Ohio, Feb.
22, 1842.

I'efore he was one year old his parents
moved to Des Moines county, where they
purchased one hundred and twenty acres
of land, — eighty in Section 2'). "S'ellow
Springs township, and forty in Benton
township. They later bought sixty acres

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

361

more in Section 29, and at one time owned
two hundred and eighty acres in this part
of the county.

j\lr. Heizer, Sr., was a farmer all of his
life. His birth occurred Nov. 12. 1808,
and he passed to his final reward June
17, 1886. His faithful wife was born Oct.
3, 1810, and joined her husband in the
realms beyond the view of mortal eye
Feb. 3, 1894. Their children who grew to
maturity were : Martin L. ; Samuel
Brown, of this review; David Blair; and
Joseph Stewart. Our subject received the
greater part of his education in the Yel-
low Springs College, at Kossuth, Iowa, and
later attended the State University, at
Iowa City, for one term.

\\'hen Mr. Heizer was only nineteen
years old he joined the army in the Civil
War in the defense of his country, making
a record as a soldier of which his friends
and family are justly proud. He enlisted
first April 20, 1861, in Company E, First
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, being mustered
into service May 7, 1861, at Keokuk,
Iowa, where he served for three months,
till Aug. 20, 1861. July 28, 1862, he en-
listed in Company C, Thirtieth Iowa In-
fantry, at Keokuk, and there he was mus-
tered into service, being assigned to the
Army of the Tennessee, Fifteenth Corps.
He served with this company throughout
the rest of the war, being honorably dis-
charged June 5. 1865, at Washington, D. C.
He was in the Grand Review, and had
participated in the following noted bat-
tles : Wilson's Creek ; Arkansas Post ;
Chickasaw Bluflfs; Jackson, Mississippi;
the assaults and siege of \''icksburg ; two
at Jackson ; one at Brandon, Cherokee
Station, Alabama ; Lookout Mountain ;
Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Resaca,

Georgia; Dallas; Kenesaw Mountain;
two battles at Atlanta; Jonesboro; Love-
joy Station, Savannah, Georgia; Colum-
bia, S. C. ; Bentonville, N. C, and in many
minor engagements. Beside acting as a
private in the war, Mr. Heizer held sev-
eral higher offices, being promoted at the
organization of his regiment to first ser-
geant, and May 30, 1863, was made first
lieutenant, and June 15, 1864, was made
captain, in which capacity he served until
the close of the national conflict. Dur-
ing these five long years of hard service
our subject was much afflicted with
malaria, and at one time, while on a long
march through the hot sun, received a
severe sunstroke.

After his discharge in W'ashington, he
came direct to Des Moines county, and
engaged in the merchandise business in
Kossuth, and a little later took up farm-
ing for a short time. He then located in
Muscatine, Iowa, having there a store for
three and a half years. At the end of this
time he came to Mediapolis, and opened
an insurance and notary public's office,
where he soon worked up a fine paying
business. Being a man of much force and
executive ability, he was at once elected
to serve the people in their city govern-
ment, being mayor, member of the school-
board, township assessor, and clerk of the
township, which latter office he is now
holding. Each and all of the responsible
duties were discharged with great care
and accuracy, Mr. Heizer keeping the
city's interest ever in mind, and thus, un-
der the guidance of so wise a ruler, the
city made many steps of improvement.

Mr. Heizer was married to Miss Mar-
tha E. Canfield, Oct. 3, 1865. Mrs. Heizer
is a daughter of Thomas H. and Eliza

362

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

JaiK- (Hrewcr) Canficld. This union was
blessed with five children : Kate Lorena,
who has taiipht school in Arizona the
greater part of her life, but has been lo-
cated for the past two years in Monte
Vista, Colo., teaching in the city schools;
Clara Irene married \i. \\ . Johnson, and
they reside in Nebraska ; Fred Louis, a
printer in the News office, at Mediapolis;
Grace Myrtle, a teacher of the piano and
organ, at home: Albert William Torrence.
assistant postmaster at .Media[)olis.

Mr. and Mrs. Ileizer took much inter-
est in giving their children as good educa-
tion as possible. Mr. Heizer is identified
with several of the secret societies, being
a member and the commander of Shep-
pard Post, G. A. R., at Media])olis. This
post received its name in honor of John
F. Sheppard, our subject's friend, a mem-
ber of his company. This post now has
thirty mend)ers. there being at one time
ninety-six members. He is a mendjcr of
the Masons of Mediapolis, having been
Master, and has held nearly all of tin
offices. He is also a member of the In-
dependent Order Odd Fellows, in which
he has held all of the offices. To these
various societies he is loyal and true, and
derives much pleasure from them. In
religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Heizer arc
Presbyterians, baviiii; juiiiid ihe Presby-
terian church many years ago, and in
which our worthy subject is elder and
church treasurer. They have seen this
church grow from time to time, and they
are now looked tijjon as pillars of the
same.

In closing this record, we find that as
a student our subject was always in the
lead ; as a soldier he was brave, courage-
ous, and stout-hearted, readv at a mo-

ment s warning to obey any command,
cheerfully undergoing any hardships or
privations for the sake of the flag he
loved, and was ready to follow it even
to death, if need be. As a public-spirited
man he has been active and enterprising;
as a business man his reputation has been
established along upright and moral lines;
and as a representative of his party in
serving the city in so many offices he has
been faithful, and one whose judgment
could be relied upon. Both Mr. Heizer
and his wife stand high in the esteem of
the community, enjoying to an unusual
degree the confidence and respect of their
fellow-citizens.

EDWARD GILLAM ARCHER.

Fdwaki) Ciillam Arciikr. deceased, who
was one of the foremost representatives of
agricultural interests in Iowa, being an ex-
tensive land-owner and stock-raiser, was
born in Bond county. Illinois, .Aug. 10, 1822.
I lis father. I Jezekiah .Vrcher. was a native of
North Carolina, and after arriving at years
of maturity, wedded Mary Black, a native
of Tennessee. Throughout his entire life
he followed the occupation of farming. In
his early married life he removed to Bond
county, Illinois, where he entered land from
the government, and in the course of years
improved several farms. Again he became
identified with pioneer development through
his removal to Iowa, in 1833. He settled
.ibout five miles southwest of Mediapolis,
on Section 6, Franklin township, and bought
a claim, there s])ending his remaining days.

As a frontier settler be was familiar with
the experiences, hardships, and privations

(^Z^/^^^le/:^^

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

363

which constituted the hfe of the early resi-
dents who came to the West and reclaimed
this gfreat section of the country for the
purposes of civilization. He reached the
advanced age of eighty years, passing away
June 9, 1872, having for a long period sur-
vived his wife, who died in 1855, when
fifty-six years of age. Both were con-
sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and their Christian faith formed a
permeating influence in their life, leading to
honorable relations in business as well as
social circles.

His political views accorded with Whig
principles in his early manhood, and he
afterward became a stanch abolitionist, so
that when the Republican party was
formed to prevent the extension of slavery,
he joined its ranks, and continued to advo-
cate its principles throughout his remaining
days. He was especially interested in the
cause of public instruction, and did every-
thing in his power to further the welfare of
the schools in his locality. His business
enterprise, keen discernment, and sound
judgment proved the basis of a success
which was as gratifying as honorable, for
he accumulated a fortune. To his children
he was most liberal, giving to each of his
sons a farm.

Unto 'Sir. and Mrs. Archer were born the
following named : George, a resident farmer
of Salinas county, Cal. : William, who fol-
lows agricultural pursuits in the same
county ; Nancy, the wife of E. L. Thomas,
a farmer of Yellow Springs township : Ed-
win G. ; DeWitt T., of California ; John, a
farmer of Stockton, Cal. ; and Elizabeth, the
wife of Milton Thomas, who is residing in
Los Angeles.

Edwin G. Archer was a lad of eleven
summers when brought by his parents to

Iowa, and upon the home farm he was
reared to manhood, pursuing his education
in the public schools, and thus becoming
well equipped for life's practical duties.
He remained with his father until he was
twenty-one years of age, and then received
from him a grant of one hundred and
sixty acres of raw land on Section 32, Yel-
low Springs township. Immediately after-
ward he began the development of the prop-
erty, and resided thereon up to the time of
his death, the farm being still in possession
of his widow.

As the years passed by, however, he made
investment in other real estate, and event-
ually became the owner of about one thous-
and acres. He was extensively engaged in
tilling the soil and in stock-raising, and the
volume and importance of his business in-
terests made him one of the foremost repre-
sentatives of agricultural life in Iowa.

It is to this great department of labor
that the State largely owes its prosperity
and upbuilding, and in this connection Mr.
Archer was a representative second to none
in Des Moines county, and hardly surpassed
throughout the commonwealth.

In 1870 he began the breeding of Short-
horn cattle, purchasing his first thorough-
breds in that year. He became owner of
three animals bought of Mr. r^Iiller. of West
Liberty, Iowa, and he continued in the busi-
ness throughout his remaining days. He
always had a good herd of thoroughbred
cattle, and in more recent years he gave his
attention largely to the breeding of thor-
oughbred horses, his first purchase being
made in Kentucky, in 1879. Most of his im-
portations came from that State, and his an-
nual sales for many years averaged more
than five thousand dollars. He often had as
high as one hundred head of fine horses on

366

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

his farm at a time, and he diil his own ship-
ping. He was an excellent judge of stock,
and through his business interests became
widely known, not only in Des Moines
county and in Iowa, but in other States as
well ; and was held in high esteem for his
honorable business methods. .Although he
never trained horses for the track him-
self, some of his stock made good records
on the track.

I-\'b. 20. 1851. Mr. .\rcher was united in
marriage to Miss Mary E. Talbot, a daugh-
ter of .'\quilla and Emily Talbot, of Ken-
tucky. .Mrs. .\rcher was born in Shelby
county. Kentucky. July I, 1829. and when
three or four years of age was brought to
Indiana by her parents, who settled in Put-
nam county, where her father purchased
land. The year of their arrival in Indiana
was 1832, and in 1842 they came to Des
Moines county, Iowa.

Mrs. Archer remembers many of the
hardships and experiences of pioneer life.
The family home was a log cabin, which
sttxKl for many years as a mute reminder
of the early days, showing through contrast
the progress and improvements of to-day.
Her father met with a creditable measure of
prosperity in his farming operations, and
became a representative citizen of the local-
ity in which he liade his home.

Mrs. Archer was one of a family of
twelve children, seven sons and five daugh-
ters, of whom four sons and two daughters
are yet living. Like the other members of
the household, she acquired her education in
the early subscrii)tion school of pioneer
times. She was also carefully trained to the
work of the hou.sehold, and was thus well
prepared to take charge of a home of her
own at the time of her marriage.

Thirteen children were born of this mar-

riage, of whom eleven are now living:
James Madison, born March 4, 1852, is
now living near .\urora, Xebr., where he
follows farming, and is married ; George
Henry. Ijorn Nov. 6, 1853, is living on the
home place; Charles, bom March 11, 1855,
resides near Great IJend, Kans. ; Emily, born
July 27, 1859, is the wife of John T. Will-
iams, a railroad man. living at Oakland,
Cal. : John V.. born .Aug. 10, 1861, makes
his home south of .Mcdiajiolis ; Thomas, born
.April 2, 1863, is living in Clyde, Mo.; Sam-
uel, born March 24, 1865, resides near
Gardner City, Kans. : Xancy .A., commonly
called I'irdie, Ixirn Jan. 19. 1867, is living
in I toward county, Xebr. : William, born
l"eh. 24, 1869, is a resident of Colorado;
Jennie, born Dec. 13, 1870, is the wife of
William J. Lane, a farmer, near Mediapolis ;
Ida, born Feb. 6, 1875, '^ ^'^^ w'ti*: of Ed-
ward Robinson, who follows farming near
-Mediapolis: and two children who died in
infancy.

The father passed away ( )ct. 24, 1902,
and was buried in Linn Grove cemetery,
where a family monument has been erected
to his memory. He was a member of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church from the
age of twenty-one years, lived an earnest,
consistent Christian life, and for many years
served as elder in his church.

In politics he was a Republican, and ever
loyal to the principles which he believed
concern the duties of citizenship. For eight
or nine years ]irior to his demi.se he was in
poor health, and his son conducted the
farm during that time.

He was a man of clean, upright character,
nt innate refinement and culture, and broad
humanitarian princiiiles. He desired the
betterment of conditions, the alleviation of
all that works hardship to mankitid, and was

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

367

-the champion of truth, justice, and right.
His genuine worth, his unflinching honesty,
and his hel])ful interest in pubHc affairs,
all made him an honored citizen, and won
for him the unqualified regard of many
friends.

Airs. Archer is also a member of the
church, and her children are Christian peo-
ple, holding membership in various denomi-
nations. In March, 1902, she removed to
Mediapolis, where she purchased a commo-
dious and attractive residence. She is still
very active in church work, and is widely
and favorably known here, occupying an
enviable position in social circles.

HIRAM SPURLOCK HARRIS.

The name which forms the title of
this article is well worthy of a place in
the present volume, as the representa-
tive of a family widely known in con-
nection with commercial interests of Des
Moines county, — a family which has
made its name the symbol for success,
loyalty, and devotion in many other
States of our nation. Hiram Spurlock
Harris, who as a pioneer in the develop-
ment of the river navigation and allied
industries of Iowa contributed in large
measure to the substantial upbuilding
and progress of the commerce of the
State, was descended from stanch, patriotic
Revolutionary ancestry.

James Harris, grandfather of the sub-
ject of this sketch, and founder of this
branch of the family, was a native of
North Carolina, of Irish descent, and was
a soldier in the War of the Revolution.
He was well advanced in vears at the

time of his death, dying in Tennessee, in
which State he lived after the close of the
Revolution. He had four sons and one
daughter.

The daughter, Betsey, commonly called
"Aunt Betsey," was born in Tennessee.
After her marriage to Robert Walker, she
went with him to Columbus, Ky., where
they made their home. They were very
successful, accumulating considerable
property. During the Civil \\'ar they
were driven out of their beautiful home
in Columbus by the Union soldiers, and
about a year later Mrs. \\'alker died near
Xashville, where they had taken refuge,
at an advanced age.

Her brother, William Harris, uncle to
our subject, moved from Tennessee to
Illinois at an early day, even before it was
a territory, and ran a ferry-boat across the
Mississippi at Cape Girardeau. Subse-
quently he moved to Helena, Ark., where
he lived until the time of his death, some
years before the Civil ^^'ar.

David K. Harris, son of James, and
father of the subject of this article, was
born in Tennessee, but at an early age
moved to Kentuck}-. He was a merchant
in Kentucky in early life, and when the
War of 1812 broke out, he sustained the
reputation for bravery and patriotism
gained for the Harris name by his father,
James Harris, the Revolutionary hero, by
becoming a participant. .\fterward his
friends and fellow-countrymen show'ed
their appreciation of his integrity and
valor by sending him to the Kentucky
State Senate for term after term, imtil
he had served in that position for sixteen
years.

Seeing the great advantage being
offered by the new lands being settled in

?68

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the W csl, lie moved to I'olk county, Iowa,
in 1845, l>efore Iowa was admitted to the
Union, and that same fall took up his
abode in Ilurlinj^ton. Here, as in his old
home in Kentucky, his force of character
and integrity gave such confidence to
those who came in contact with him, that
they showed their recognition of his abil-
ity by bestowing upon him honor after
honor, lie was justice of the peace for
sixteen years, also served as city alder-
man for I'urlington, and held various
other official positions of prominence and
trust.

In his early manhood. David K. Harris
was married to Anne .^purlock, a native
of Virginia, and a daughter of John ."^jjur-
lock, another hero of the Revolutionary
War. in which he was a chaplain. John
S|)urlock was of English descent, though
he liinisclf was a native of \'irginia. lie
lived to a good old age. and had a family
of four sons and six daughters to heliJ
spread his good influence. His occupa-
tion through life was that of a ministtr,
and being a man of strong character, he
was a power for good in his day. His
daughter Anne, Mrs. Harris, showed the
results of this earnest Christian teaching,
being always one of the most faithful of
the workers in the church.

Air. and Mrs. Harris were both stanch
members of the Christian cluirch. TDavid
K. Harris was an elder in the church, and
they had the ])leasurc of entertaining at
their home in this city the well-known
pioneer minister, .Mexander Campbell.

.\s early as 1848, Mr. and Mrs. Harris
purchased the ])remiscs afterward occu-
l)ied by his son. Hiram Spurlock Harris,
and now by Miss P.irdie A. Harris.
There they lived until the death of Mr.

Harris in i&*), aged seventy-four years.
His wife survived him some ten years.
To them were born five sons and eight
daughters, of whom three, Elizabeth,
Hiram S., and James L.. lived to be well
past middle life. James being still living.

James L., brother to Hiram S., was
born in Kentucky in 1839, and was only
eleven years of age when the family came
to Burlington. The journey to the new
home was made l)y all on the same llat-
boat, coming down the liig Sandy River
in Kentucky, down the Ohio, and \\\i the
Mississippi to Uurlington. Some of the
pieces of furniture and some vases that
were brought on that tri]) are now in pos-
session of Miss liirdie .\. Harris.

.-\fter growing to manhood, James L.
Harris ran, built, and owned several
steamboats that ran on the river. He
iiad the ".\nnic Gordon." "("lussie Gor-
don." "Petrel." and "Penguin." Now at
the age of sixty-six he has been retired
for some time.

Hiram S. Harris, the immediate sub-
ject of this article, was born at Preston-
burg, Ky., March 13, 1833, and was only
twelve years old when he came to Iowa
with his parents. He lived in Iowa from
that time till his death, living forty-eight
years of the time in one house. During
forty-five years of this time he was inter-
ested in upbuilding the navigation inter-
ests of the .Mississip|ji, being engaged
first in rafting, later in steamboating on
the river. He kept up his interest in
steamboating even after he became owner
and manager of the hotel known as the
Harris House.

July, 1855, Mr. Harris was united in
marriage to Elizabeth Marshall, daughter
of a .Scotchman. Henry Marshall, who

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

369

lived in New Wilmington, Pa. Eliza-
beth Marshall was born in New Wil-
mington in 1835, and died in Burlington,
July 27, 1892. She was an amiable
woman, beloved by all who knew her,
and having an influence for good over all
who came in contact with her. She was
a devoted member of the Presbyterian
church. She and Mr. Harris had a long,
happy, prosperous married life together,
and did much in many ways to advance
the welfare of their home city. Mr. Har-
ris's efforts towards the improvement of
river navigation, as well as in the con-
ducting of his hotel, did much towards
raising Burlington to her present position
■of commercial importance. While Mr.
Harris found his time so taken up with
commercial interests that he could never
wish to ask for political preferment, he
was a stanch believer in and a supporter
of the principles of the Democratic party.

To Mr. and Mrs. Harris were born
four children, two sons and two daugh-
ters : John M., who died at the age of
eighteen months; David Kelsey, born
Dec. 29, 1858, died Feb. 22, 1903; Ida
June, died Aug. 23, 1894, at the age of
twenty-one years, and Birdie A., present
owner of Harris Hotel.

David Kelsey Harris was educated in
the Burlington High School, and was
trained to a business career. He had
charge of the hotel from the time he was
fifteen years old until the time of his
death at the age of forty-five. He trav-
eled a great deal for pleasure, visiting
California. Canada, Yellowstone Park,
and other places of interest in our
country.

Since the death of David K. Harris, in
1903, the management of the hotel has

devolved upon Miss Birdie A. Harris,
who was also educated in the Burlington
high school. In this work she has, by
her good management, shown herself to
be possessed of fine executive ability, as
well as a social disposition, which has
done much to bring about the high degree
of success which she has attained. In
consequence of these qualities she enjoys
to-day the admiration and respect of
those who know her, for the uprightness
and strict integrity which mark her life
record ; while her personal loyalty and
the social virtues of her character have
made her a host of friends. All in all,
she is a worthy descendant of ancestors
who have written fair pages on the na-
tion's history.

FRANK X. KUECHEN.

Frank X. Kuechen, although born in
the German Empire, has been a citizen of
Burlington, Iowa, for over fifty years. His
personal efforts and his championship of
many public measures have resulted in the
city's benefit and upbuilding. For ten
years he was an honored councilman of the
city, discharging all of the duties in a very
satisfactory manner. He was connected
with several of the leading dry-goods
houses also for over twenty-five years,
whereby he established a reputation as a
salesman of great ability.

Frank Xavier Kuechen is a son of Arnold
and Mary (\'on Stephen) Kuechen, and
was born in Aix la Chapelle, Germany,
March 4, 1834. His parents were also
natives of .Aix la Chapelle, Germany, and
came to America b\- wav of New Orleans

370

BiOGR.u'jiic.iL Ni-iir.n-

in an old-time sailinp vessel in the year
1848. In those days it took a much longer
time to make a voyage to the Xew World
than it does at present, and yet Mr.
Kuechen's parents made the trip in about
fifty-five days, which was much shorter
than many who came about the same year.
His mother was a daughter of Francis and
Maria Von Stephen, both natives of Aix
la Chapellc. Germany, where they kept a
hotel for many years. Mr. Kuechen's father
was a cloth maker in Germany, where he
had a large woolen factory, and our sub-
ject is in possession of a piece of cloth that
his father made for a suit of clothes for
Napoleon. This woolen factory was de-
stroyed by fire in 1847, and as most of the
factory and contents were a total loss, little
or nothing remained for them to bring to
America. The parents of our subject set-
tled in West Point, Lee county, Iowa, where
his father opened a general store, which he
conducted fur a number of years with much
success.

Of the thirteen children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Arnold Kuechen. parents of Frank X.,
nine were burn in Germany and four in
West Point, Iowa. One of their sons died
on the sea when coming to this country,
and all of the others have pas.sed away but
our subject, and Clara, who is now the
widow of the late .August Litmer, of the
well-known firm of Litmer Lirothers, deal-
ers in oil to a very large extent, in Cincin-
nati. Ohio. Gustavus Kuechen, brother
of I'Vank X., of this review, was a promi-
nent surgeon in the Civil War, and was a
graduate of a Xew York medical college.
After the war was over, he located in
Keokuk, Iowa, where he stood at the head
of his profession and where he was greatly
respected and beloved by rich ami poor

alike. Words can hardly express the great
charity of his big heart, and with what suc-
cess his practice was conducted till death
overtook him about 1870. The parents of
Mr. Kuechen are also dead.

Mr. Kuechen first attended school in the
kingdom of Wurteniburg, Germany, and
later pursued his studies in a fine college
in Germany, where he became very pro-
ficient in Latin. Greek, and I'rench, and
graduated with great credit to his teachers
and parents, .\fter coming to West Point
with his parents he remained there one
year and then went to St. Louis, Mo.,
where he went into a wholesale grocery
store and remained there till the cholera
broke out, when he became bookkeeper in
a large castor oil store for one year.
May I, 1852, Mr. Kuechen came to Bur-
lington and accepted a position as clerk
in W. II. Postlewaite's general store, in
whose employ he remained for nine years.
While in Mr. Postlewaite's employ the
dress goods known as French merino was
first brought to Iowa. He then clerked in
what was called " The People's Store,"
which was owned by a Mr. Perkins. For
the next fifteen years he was head clerk in
the C. B. E. C. & A. Parsons dry-goods
store, where he acquired a large trade.
L'pon leaving the Parsons store Mr.
Kuechen was an em])loyec in the well-
known dry-goods store of Greenbaum &
Schroeder, where he remained till this firm
failed. The above two firms are all dead
except Mr. Edward Parsons, of Dixon,
111., and Mr. .Schroeder. of Chicago.

On Dec. 2f), i8f)i. .Mr. Kuechen was
married to Miss Martha Saloma Linn, a
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Swine-
heart) Linn, whose parents were born in
( )hii). came to Iowa in the early pioneer

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

371

times, and settled near New London. The
father opened a store and located his
family on a farm near by. Mrs. Linn died
in 1843, in New London, when Mrs.
Kuechen was only two years of age, when
her oldest sister, Emeline Linn took upon
herself the responsibility of Mrs. Kuechen's
childhood. Mr. Linn passed away in
August, 1 88 1. They were the parents of
nine children, all of whom are dead but
Mrs. Kuechen, wife of our subject, a sister
and a brother. Mrs. Kuechen was born
in Sommerset, Perry county, Ohio (which
was also the home of Phil. Sheridan), May
14, 1839. When Mrs. Kuechen was mar-
ried, her sister Emeline went to live with
her, and there made her home until death
took her to her heavenly home, Oct. 31,
1900.

Elizabeth Linn, sister of Mrs. Kuechen,
married Mr. Davis, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa,
who was one of the founders of the Iowa
Wesleyan University of Mt. Pleasant, and
who also contributed largely to the erec-
tion and support of the same. It was in
this university that Mrs. Kuechen received
her education. Sylvania J. Linn resides in
Los Angeles, Cal.

By the second marriage of Mr. Linn to
Miss Rhode R'larlow, five daughters were
born, of whom four are living: Catherine,
wife of William Banister, of Atchison,
Kans. ; Irene, who married George Ram-
say, of Des Moines county : Alma, wife of
Malin Gladman, is dead, and Mr. Gladman
married her sister Jennie for his second
wife, and resides in Hastings, Nebr. ; and
Mary, wife of Wm. Whaley, of Boston,
Mass.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kuechen seven chil-
dren have been born : Walter, who died in
infancy ; Emma Svbilla, wife of Albert

Edward Reid, a merchant of Walla Walla,
Wash. They have three children, Martha
Amarilla, Albert, and Paul Kuechen.
Elizabeth Linn, a successful teacher of the
third grade in South Hill school ; Abigail
Parsons, who married Robert Wilson
Robinson, a conductor on the railroad.
They have three children : Robert Wilson,
Jr., Francis Clarence, and James Richard.
Delia French, a valued teacher in the
Saunderson School in Burlington ; Francis
Albert, an efficient postal clerk ; Clarence
Sylvania, a machinist, located in Denver,
Colo. Mr. and Mrs. Kuechen and family
are devoted members of the Methodist
church, and take much pleasure in sup-
porting the same.

Fraternally, Mr. Kuechen is a mason of
the third degree. He is a strong Democrat,
and has served the city in several offices.
In 1864 he was elected alderman, which
office he filled to the satisfaction of all for
ten years. During this time he saw the
city improve a great deal — many hollows
which were very unsightly were filled, and
miles of macadamizing were laid. Along
in the early '70's Mr. Kuechen and Mr. L.
Teedrick were sent as a committee from
the council to Columbus, Ohio, to investi-
gate the water works of that city, as the
question of water works was being agitated
to a great extent at that time. Mr. Kuechen
also acted as mayor pro tem to fill the
vacancy of L. Teedrick. During the last
few years he has been township clerk
several times. Owing to the poor health
of Mr. Kuechen he is retired from active
business, and is spending the evening of
his busy life with his family at his ideal
cottage, 143 South Eighth Street, sur-
rounded by his faithful wife, who is a lady
of much culture and refinement, and his

372

BIOGRAl'tllLAL REVIEW

loving children, whose sole aim is to shed
comfort and happiness around him. The
rare business qualifications of Mr. Kuechen
have always been recognized by the com-
munity, and his enterprising spirit for the
general improvement of the city has been
an inspiration to many, while the large
warm heart possessed by him has made for
him friends bv the hundred.

JOHN B. HUNT.

TiiEUii is no family which has been
longer in Des Moines county, or is more
prominent and universally respected, than
the Hunt family. Their ancestry can be
traced back to noble men ami women who
came from l-'ngland over a hundred years
ago. Of this large family five brothers, —
Jesse, Charles Wesley, Samuel, Clai-
bournc, and jolui 1!.. — came to Iowa in
the early '30's, and settled on farms close
to each other in what was knowm as the
Hunt Settlement, ai)out three miles from
the city. .\ sketch of tiic Hunt family
vi^ill be found in connection with that of
William 1j. Hunt, on another page in this
book.

Jesse Hunt, father of our subject, was
born in Tennessee in 1807, and in 1813
went to Edwardsville, I!on<l county. 111.,
for a number of years freighting from
there to St. Louis with ox-teams. He
later entered a large tract of land in Mc-
Donough county, Illinois, where he was
engaged in farming till the whites opened
Iowa for settlement, in 18,^3, when he
took advantage of the liberal otTer of the
government ami ])re-empted a farm of
about ti\e hundred acres in ."-iections ~

and iS, Burlington township, which place
he greatly im])roved from year to year,
mostly with his own hands.

In those early pioneer days a farmer
did not have the convenient tools to work
with that he has to-day, but had to con-
tent himself with a common saw and ax.
One of the first log buildings that Mr.
Hunt built, with nothing but an ax, is
still standing on the old home place,
where his son takes the best of care of it.
Mrs. Hunt joined her husband in 1834,
and they were blessed with five children,
of whom three are living: Mary, the
widow of Ellison Smith of Danville,
Iowa; Illinois, the wife of William Smith,
of Richmond. Iowa; and John, of this re-
view.

.Mrs. Himt was a woman of much
force of character, and though she en-
dured with her husband the many hard-
ships of frontier life, yet she bore all in
a kind anil ])atient manner, and was a
woman beloved by one and all. Her
death, which occurred June 25, 1871, was
deplored by many. Mr. Hunt survived
his wife nearly twenty-two years, his
death occurring July 16, 1893.

During his residence of sixty years on
this one farm in Des Moines county, .Mr.
Hunt made vast changes and substantial
improvements till at the time of his death
it was considered one of the best farms of
the county. He was a very ])lain ami un-
pretentious man, but an exceedingly kind
and obliging neighbor, ever willing to
assist those about him who met with
reverses. His whole life was one of
honor and uprightness, and when his
earthly labors were finished many were
led to say that the world was made better
;inil l)ri^hter hv his life.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

373

Our subject was born on his father's
farm in Des Aloines county, Iowa, Aug.
8, 1845, ^'''d received his education in the
district schools of the county. He re-
mained with his father till the latter
passed away, when he bought the home
farm, and still resides there. He is very
much attached to the place, and keeps it
much the same as his parents did, being
extensively engaged in farming and stock-
raising.

Like his father, Mr. Hunt is a good
Democrat, but does not take an active
part in politics. He is well posted on all
of the issues of the day, being a great
reader. Of much reserve and dignity, he
constantly reaches out to the poor and
needy without his right hand knowing
what his left hand doeth. His business
life has always been just and pure, and
there is no one in the county more es-
teemed and respected than Air. Hunt and
his good wife.

ANTON LAUER.

Anton L.\uer, a retired farmer, now
living at 171 5 South Street, in Burling-
ton, was born in Crimea, in Russia, Feb. 8,
1833, his parents being Anton and Johanna
(Easier) Lauer. He pursued his education
in the public schools there, and at the age of
sixteen years came to America, making the
voyage on a sailing vessel by way of the
Black and Mediterranean Seas through the
Straits of Gibraltar, and across the Atlantic
to New York City, where he arrived after
one hundred and four days spent on the
water. He then traveled across the country
to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until

1850, and in that year came to Burlington,
arriving here about the time of the cholera
epidemic. The journey to America and the
subsequent removals were made in company
with his parents and their family. Several
of the people who came with them to Iowa
died of cholera in Burlington, but the Lauer
family fortunately escaped. Not long after
their arrival the father purchased one hun-
dred and fifteen acres of land four miles
southwest of Burlington, at the Hunt Set-
tlement, and there the family lived for a
long time. The mother passed away about
three months after they took up their abode
on the farm, but the father reached the ad-
vanced age of eighty-five years. Eventually
he sold his farm to his son Anton, and re-
moved to Burlington, where he engaged in
business, and at a still later day he went to
Davis County, Iowa, where he purchased
three hundred and twenty acres of land,
making his home thereon for a number of
years. At length he sold that property,
and bought one hundred and forty acres at
Augusta, Iowa, and following the death of
his second wife he made his home with his
son, passing away in May, 1897, at the age
of eighty-five years. The children of his
first marriage are as follows : Anton ; Theo-
bald, who died at the age of sixty-four
years ; Lydia, the wife of Christian Meyers,
of Burlington ; and Adolph, who is an in-
surance agent, in Burlington. For his sec-
ond wife, the father chose Henrietta Krue-
ger, and their children are: Mrs. Julia
Stark, the deceased wife of a Presbyterian
minister; Edward, deceased; Charles, Fred,
and Ferdinand, all living in Winfield, Iowa ;
Lincoln, a dentist of California ; Herman,
who when last heard from was in New
York ; and John, who is engaged in the
practice of dentistry in California.

374

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Anton Lauer learned the trade of wagon-
making in early life, and subsequently en-
gaged in the grocery business, conducting a
store at the corner of Third and Washing-
ton Streets, in Burlington, in 1856. At a
later day. however, he tumed his attention
to farming, and in that undertaking met
with very gratifying success. As years
passed, he made judicious investments in
|)n>])erty. .iiul is to-day the t)wner of six
hundred and twenty-four acres of valuable
land, comprised within four farms in Canaan
tovvnshi]), near Mount L'nion. All of these
are now o|)crated by his children. He was
recognizetl as an enterprising and progress-
ive agriculturist, who carried on his farming
in accordance with modern ideas of im-
provement and (progress, and remained ac-
tively connected with the work of cultivating
his fields until 1899. when he removed to
Burlingtiin, and jiurchased his present home
at 1715 South Street, where he and his wife
now live retired.

On the 20th of October, 1857, Mr. Lauer
was married to Miss Caroline Eckey. a
daughter of Christoph and Clara (Luhbert)
Eckey. They have become the parents of
nine children, who now live : Johanna, the
wife of Charles Kords, of Mount Cnion :
Victor, a farmer of Mount Union; Edmond
L., also a faniHT ; Amelia, the wife of Louis
iiaker. an agriculturist: Laura, the wife of
William liaker, who follows the same pur-
suit; Alfred, a farmer; Evalina, the wife of
John Keitzer, a farmer; .\ntcin, who is also
engaged in the tilling of the soil ; and
Martha, the wife of Ernest Kurrle, of Bur-
lington.

In his political views Mr. Lauer has been
a stanch Republican since casting his first
presidential vote for John C. Fremont, sup-
porting each nominee at the head (A the

ticket since that time. He was elected time
and again as treasurer of his school district,
and held that office for twenty-five vears.
He is a man whose business and political
integrity are above question, and his entire
life has been characterized by honorable pur-
pose. He was for many years an active
factor in business circles of Burlington, or
in the agricultural circles of the county, ami
his careful management, guided by sound
judgment, su])]jlemented by business probity,
gained for him the success which he is now
enjoying, and which enables him to live
retired.

MARTIN MOEHN.

Marti.v MoEiix is president of the
Moehn Brewing Company, of Burlington,
and in the development and upbuilding of
this business has displayed marked enter-
prise, keen discernment, and methods of the
pioneer, in that he has inaugurated new
plans and carried them forward to success-
ful accomplishntent and completion. He
stands to-day as one of the representative
men of the city, enjoying the fidl confidence
of the business community.

.Mr. Moehn was born in Burlington, Iowa,
in iSCio. his parents being Henry and
Moneka (111) Moehn. both of whom were
natives of (iermany. They were married,
however, in Burlington, and Henry Moehn
remained a resident of this city for about
fifty-four years. He was one of its early
settlers, and took an active interest in its
development and progress. _ He was a cooper
by trade, and embarked in that business in
Burlington on a small scale ; but gradually
his trade increased, and he eventually owned
and operated a large cooperage business,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

375

but had retired from active life some years
prior to his death. He displayed unfalter-
ing diligence in his business career, and his
labors were attended by gratifying success.
The family were members of the Catholic
church. Mr. Moehn, however, belonged to
no secret or fraternal organizations, but
wherever known in social or business circles
commanded the respect and good-will of his
fellow-men. He was twice married. The
children of the first union are JNIrs. Senn
and Mrs. Muckinsturn, a widow, who is
residing on South Hill in Burlington, His
second wife was the mother of our subject,
and there are four living sons of this mar-
riage : Charles, who is a cooper of Burling-
ton ; William, a farmer of Des Aloines
county ; John, of Burlington : and Alartin,
of this review. The father's death occurred
in 1897, and thus passed away one of the
pioneer settlers of the city, who for many
years had been the champion of all pro-
gressive movements for the substantial de-
velopment and progress of Burlington.

Martin Aloehn, who was reared to man-
hood in the city of his nativity, attended the
public and German schools, after which he
became a student in Bryant and Stratton's
Business College. His first business venture
was in the grocery trade, and in connection
with his store he also conducted a saloon.
This he carried on for four years, when he
sold out to Barney Nieman. He then
turned his attention to the bottling business,
which he carried on in a wholesale way for
the old Bosch Brewery, and also for other
breweries, buying barrel goods, which he
prepared for the market by putting it in
bottles. He was in business in connection
with the old Western Brewery, and later he
engaged in the cooperage business, manu-
facturing all kinds of wooden kegs. For

eighteen months he conducted his shop un-
der the name of the Martin Moehn Cooper-
age. He then sold this business and leased
the Western Steam Brewery, which was
one of the oldest business landmarks on the
Burlington tracks, established fifty-five years
ago. Indeed, it was one of the first pro-
ductive industries of the city. Mr. Moehn
operated this brewery successfully for thir-
teen years, or until the present magnificent
brewery, which he owns to-day, was ready
for occupancy. The old plant has been
closed down since the opening of the new
one. The Western Brewery was owned for
many years by the Bosch family. While
he was yet successfully operating that plant
known as the ^loehn's Western Brewery,
Mr. Moehn conceived the idea of erecting
a new and strictly modern brewery that
would not only be a credit to the city, but
would have a capacity commensurate to the
increasing demands of the trade. A com-
pany was organized with a capital of one
hundred and ten thousand dollars, and a
brewery and necessary buildings were
erected at a cost approximating the capital
stock of the company. There is not a finer
brewery in point of architecture in the coun-
try, nor a plant more complete in every de-
tail and appointment than the elegant new
structure of red brick which was built by
Mr. Moehn. It is absolutely complete in
every detail, and strictly modern in every
particular. The officers of the company and
its principal stockholders and directors are
]\Iartin Moehn, president : Barney Nieman,
vice-president : and John T. Hickman, sec-
retary and treasurer. The annual output
is thirty thousand barrels, and employment
is furnished to twenty men at the plant,
while upon the road they have a traveling
representative. Five teams and wagons are

376

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

used in delivering the product to the rail-
road stations for shipment and to the city
trade. The leading brand is called "Moehn
Select," and a wholesale and family trade
is carried on. So capably and successfully
was the business of building the new brew-
er)- managed that not a day was lost in mov-
ing from the old quarters into the new. The
present brewery was opened to the public
l)\ a big reception held in the spring of
1904. The business is now very extensive
and profitable, and the success of this great
productive institution of Burlington is
largely dm- to the enterprise and efforts of
Mr. Moehu.

On the 30th (lay of May, 1882, in Bur-
lington. .Mr. Moehn was married to Miss
Julia Schultz, a native of Germany, and
they now have five children, nanielv :
George, who, having pursued his education
in the high school of Burlington, the .'\cad-
emy of our Lady of Lourdes, and a Busi-
ness College, where he pursued bookkeep-
ing, stenography, and typewriting, is now
serving as bookkeeper at the brewery : .\u-
gusta, a grafluate of the Burlington high
school; Martin. Bertha, and Robert are all
at home.

In his political affiliations Mr. Moehn
is a Democrat, and he and his family are
all communicants of .St. Paul's Catholic
church. IK' is a charter member of the
fraternal order of Eagles. The familv home
is at the corner of Seventh and Arch Streets,
and was erected by Mr. Moehn in 1892.
Had he desired, he wnuld li;ive fmuid little
opportunity for active ])(>litical service, ow-
ing to the demands made upon his time and
attention by his constantly growing busi-
ness. However, in all matters of citizenship
he was progressive and gave a generous
financial support to every movement for the

public good. He is indeed one of the rep-
resentative men of the city, active in con-
trolling its important commercial and in-
dustrial interests.

GEORGE F. EBERHART.

I'kkm.m-.-^ one of the most widely known
citizens of Burlington, Iowa, is George F.
Eberhart, who since December, 1887, has
held the position of depot master at this
point for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad Company. Mr. Eberhart was born
in the city of St. Louis, Jan. 16, 1851, the
only son of John G. and Mary (Reichman)
Eberhart, both natives of Germany, in which
country they celebrated their marriage,
coming to the I'nited States and locating in
St. Louis in 1848 or 1849. The father of
our subject worked as a shoemaker in St.
Louis, having learned that trade in Ger-
many, and it was while residing in that city
that he enlisted in Company .\, First Mis-
souri Infantry. He served four years, or
during almost the entire Civil War, under
Generals Rosecrans and Siegel. and while
he never received a wound during the whole
time of his long and faithful service, he had
the misfortune to be taken prisoner by the
Confederate forces, and was confined in the
prison at Tyler, Texas, for ninety days,
under circumstances of great hard.ship. He
came to P>urlington .\pril Jo, 1865, and was
in the emjiloy of the Gilbert-Hedge Lumber
Com])any until ten years ago, when he re-
tired from active life. He died March 2,
1905, at the age of eighty-five years, and his
widow, the mother of our subject, resides at
15 10 Mark Lane, in her seventy-ninth year.
In St. Louis Mr. Eberhart received his

GEORGE EBERHART

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

379

education, and there he was employed as a
clerk and packer in the wholesale and retail
seed establishment of Barnum. Fenner & Co.
for a period of three years. On accompany-
ing his parents to BurHngton he entered the
Foote & Gear Woolen Mill, to run a finish-
ing machine, and there formed a pleasant
acquaintance with Governor Gear, who was
at that time identified with the business. In
the fall of 1868 he began work for the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad Com-
pany, under J. M. Jackson as a car repairer,
and later became a freight brakeman. run-
ning between Burlington and Ottumwa.
For six months he acted as Main Street
switchman, and then as brakeman on pas-
senger trains running between Burlington
and Council Bluflfs, until 1875, when he en-
tered the baggage service between the same
points. In December, 1897, in view of his
satisfactory service in all capacities, and his
versatile ability, he was promoted to the
position of depot master, which he has ever
since occupied with conspicuous success.
At Burlington, in April, 1874, he wedded
Miss Fanny C. \'ogt, a native of Buffalo,
N. Y., and daughter of the late Fred-
erick Vogt. Mr. Vogt, who died in igo2,
was at that time the oldest printer in Bur-
lington, and had been employed on the first
paper published in the city, the Patriot. He
established a job printing business under the
firm style of Vogt, Osborn & Snow, which
■ was later changed to Vogt & Son, and so
conducted until he sold his interest. He
then started a market garden on Sunnyside
Avenue, which he continued until the time
of his death. To ]\lr. and Mrs. Eberhart
have been born two sons, Cyrus L., who
graduated from the public schools, the Bur-
lington high school, and Elliott's Business
College, taking a course in shorthand and

bookkeeping in the latter institution, and is
now check clerk in the Chicago, Burlington
& Ouincy freight office ; and George F., who
died at the age of six years. The family
residence is at 1308 North Oak Street,
where Mrs. Eberhart, who is a member of
the Ladies' Aid Society of the German
Lutheran Church, entertains many friends.
i\Ir. Eberhart was formerly a member of
the Knights of the Maccabees and of the
Iowa Legion of Honor, but has allowed
these connections to lapse. He is a charter
member of the Lone Tree Hunting and
Fishing Club, he having been the seven-
teenth to enroll his name as a member, and
for the past eight years has served as one of
the club's directors. He is a favorite with
the traveling public, to thousands of whom
he is personally known, and has earned their
regard by faithful attention to the duties of
his position, which, besides calling and re-
porting all trains in and out, include a close
supervision of the personal welfare of the
passengers and patrons of the road. A man
of fine, commanding physique and sanguine
temperament, his geniality, courtesy, and
consideration for the rights of others have
done much to lighten the burdens and in-
crease the pleasures of travel for those with
whom he comes in contact, and he enjoys a
very general and kindly regard and esteem.

GEORGE GIBSON.

George Gibson, one of the leading rep-
resentatives of agricultural interests in Des
Moines county, whose record proves the
force of industry, keen discernment, and
persistency of ]nirpose as factors in a busi-
ness career, is living on Section 4, Augusta

38o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

township. He was born in Crawford
county, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1839, his
parents being Joseph and Hannah ( Slin-
son) Gibson. The fatlicr was born in West-
moreland county. I'a., in 1X04, and the
mother near (ireenvilie, .Mercer county, I'a.,
in 1807. and it was in the latter county
tiiat their marriage took place. 15y trade
Joseph (jibson was a blacksmith, and in
early life followed that ])ursuit. l)ut later
turned his attention to farming. He lived
for a time in Trumbull county, Ohio, and
there two children were born unto him and
his •wife, but they died in infancy.

George (jibson was reared upon his
father's farm in the place of his nativity,
supplementing his early educational advan-
tages by a good academic cour.se. and con-
tinuing ujion the old homestead in Pennsyl-
vania until his removal to Iowa in 1865.
In the family were two sons and two daugh-
ters, and one of the daughters just before
coming to the West had married David F.
Parshall. who accompanied them on their
removal to this State. Mr. and .Mrs. Par-
siiall then located in Lee county, where they
still reside. The family of Josejih Gib.son
loaded their goods on a boat at Pittsburg,
and reshi])i)ed them at St. Louis for Bur-
lington. They .sold their property in Penn-
sylvania the year before, and Joseph Gibson
and his eldest son. James S. Gibson, had
come to the West in search of a location,
visiting Illinois and Missouri. They had
expected to locate in Missouri, but James
Gibson believed that it was not safe to settle
there, as the Civil War had not closed, and
in consequence they came to I'urlington.
Nf)t long after, they rented the farm which
they subsequently ])urchascd. .A year later,
however, they removed to another farm,
where they spent two years; .iiicl it was

about this time that George Gibson returned
to the East, where he worked at the car-
penter's trade. In i8f)8 the father pur-
chased four hundred and thirteen acres of
lantl situated on Sections 4 and 5, Augusta
township, and here the family took up their
abode, where James S. Gibson, the eldest
.son, afterward lived, and where his family
still make their home. There Joseph Gib-
son continued to reside until called to his
final rest abcjut iSJ^S- He had survived his
wife for a few years, her death occurring in
1881. They became the parents of seven
children, five of whom reached mature years,
while four are still living here: James S..
who is mentioned in connection with the
sketch of .Allen Gibson on another page of
this work : Essington, who resides at Nord-
hoff. \entura county. Cal. ; Caroline, the
wife of .Alfred Gregg, a resident farmer of
.Augusta t(Twnship : George, of this review:
and Sarah E., the wife of Uavid Parshall.
of Lee county.

The father was a Whig in his political
views in early days, and later became a Re-
publican, continuing to give that jiarty his
support throughout the remainder of his
life. He was a member of the Congre-
gational church when in the East, and he
and his wife joined the church of that de-
nomination in Danville, low'a.

.\s before stated. George Gibson came
with the family to Des Moines county, but
after a brief period spent here, returned to
the East, where he engaged in carpentering.
In 1868 he once more came to Iowa, and
assisted his father imtil the ])lace was paid
for. While each knew wli.it ])art of the
farm was to be his. they contimied to Avork
together for several years, engaging in till-
ing the soil and in feeding cattle, the busi-
ness ])roving jirofitable.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

381

In May, 1871, George Gibson was united
in marriage in Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania, to Miss Mercy Dickey, who was born
in that county, and was a daughter of John
and Maria (Espy) Dickey. She acquired
a good education, and taught in tlie public
• schools in Des Moines and Lee counties.
Mr. Gibson had known her in the East, and
also after her removal to Iowa. In 1873
Mr. Gibson erected his first buildings upon
his present farm, and all of the improve-
ments here stand as monuments to his enter-
prise and labor. He set out the shade trees
with his own hands, has built fences, and
secured the latest improved machinery.

Unto ^Ir. and Mrs. Gibson were born
four children, of whom one died in infancy.
Norva L. acquired a good education, being
a graduate of Denmark (Iowa) Academy,
and of Oberlin College, of Ohio. In the
latter institution she completed a course in
physical training and literature, and she is
now a teacher in South Bend, Ind. Zoie
J. was a student in Denmark Academy, and
is a graduate of Elliott's Business College.
She is now at home, as is Clifford D., who
is a youth of sixteen years.

Mr. Gibson is a stalwart Republican, and
cast his first presidential ballot for Abra-
ham Lincoln in i860, since which time he
has supported each nominee at the head of
the national ticket. The cause of education
finds in him a stalwart advocate, and as a
director he has done effective service in be-
half of the schools. His life has been actu-
ated by honorable motives, being charac-
terized by industry. Centuries ago a Greek
philosopher said, " Earn thy reward : the
gods give naught to sloth," and this truth
has been verified throughout all the suc-
ceeding years. Realizing the force of the
statement, George Gibson has worked per-

sistently and energetically, and to-day his
labors are crowned with a comfortable com-
petence.

ALLEN ESSINGTON GIBSON.

Allen Essington Gibson, whose home,
" Edgewood," is on Section 5, Augusta
township, represents one of the old and hon-
ored pioneer families of Des Moines county.
The name of Gibson has figured prominently
in connection with agricultural interests in
this part of the State from an early day, and
the subject of this review was born in the
house which he yet occupies, June 12, 1880,
his parents being James Stinson and Sa-
lome (Burton) Gibson. The father was
born in a schoolhouse, then occupied by the
family, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania,
Aug. 30, 1826, and was a son of Joseph and
Hannah (Stinson) Gibson. When he was
onlv a rear old his parents removed to Kins-
man. Trumbull county, Ohio, where his
father conducted a blacksmith shop. There
the family lived until James was eleven
years of age, after which they removed to
Crawford county. Pennsylvania, establish-
ing a home in the midst of the pine regions
in that locality. They resided there until
1865, and in the meantime James Gibson
acquired a good education through attend-
ance at the public schools and through study
at home. He gained a thorough knowledge
of geometry, trigonometry, surveying, al-
gebra, and other high-school branches, and
became a teacher, after which he was con-
nected with educational work in one capacity
or another through much of his life.

While still living in Pennsylvania, James
Gibson was united in marriage to Miss Anna
C. Frev, and unto them were born two

382

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

(laughters, Alice T. and Frances E. The
former is now tlie wife of Walter J. Hornby,
a resident of Passadena, Cal., and she has
four chiUlrcn : Ralph \\'., Lloyd Gibson,
Eleanor, and Catharine. I-'rances E. mar-
ried Frank Levcrett, professor of geology
in Denmark Academy, of which institution
she ^^■as a graduate, as was her sister. Pro-
fessor and Mrs. Levcrett afterward removed
to Madison, Wis., and later to Chicago,
where she died July 10. 1892, but her re-
mains were interred in Long Creek cem-
etery, in Des Moines county.

Mr. Gibson lost his first wife Sept. 23,
1864, in Crawford county, Pennsylvania.
After they came to the \\'est he made his
home with his parents, and it was here that
his daughters were reared. On the 21st of
June, 1877, he was united in marriage to
Miss Salome Burton, of Pleasant Ridge
township, Lee county. Iowa, a daughter
of Asa and Minerva E. (Beach) Burton.
She was born in Glover, Orleans county,
Vt., Aug. 24, 1838. Her father was born
near Norwich, \'t., while her mother's birth
occurred at Sandy Hill, X. Y., where their
marriage was celebrated. Mrs. Gibson was
seven years of age "when her parents removed
to Lee county, Iowa, her father purchasing
land in Pleasant Ridge townsliij), whore he
carried on general farming until his death,
which occurred when his daughter was
twelve years of age. In 1849 he had crossed
the ])lains to California. Mrs. Burton con-
tinued to reside upon tlic djil luiiiic farm in
Lee county until eighty-two years of age,
when she was called to her final rest, and
like her husband her remains were interred
in Denmark cemetery. Of the second mar-
riage of James .S. Gib.son there were three
children, but LeRoy Herbert, who was burn
Sept. 18, 1878. died on the 8th of .April,

1879. 'File youngest child, Mary, who was
boni .\ug. 12, 1882, died Aug. 18, 1885.
The second and only surviving child is .-Mien
E. Gibson, of this review.

The father continued to carry on farming
up to the time of his death, and also fol-
lowed surveying. He became the owner of
the old homestead property on which his
parents had located in pioneer times, and
there his widow and only surviving son
now reside. He was a stanch Republican
in politics, and was an earnest supporter
of the cause of education, serving as secre-
tary of the school board in his community,
and doing everything in his power to
advance the cause of intellectual develop-
ment. In all of his business affairs he was
methodical and systematic, and throughout
his entire life he kept a diary, which is now
in possession of his son.

Allen Essington Gibson, whose name
introduces this record, ac(|uired his early
education in the district schools, and after-
ward attended Denmark Academy for three
terms. He was reared to farm life, assisting
his father in the operation of the farm until
the latter's death, and is now managing the
property, being one of the wide-awake and
l^rogressive young agriculturists of the
community. Everything about the place is
kept in excellent condition, and the well-
tilled fields give promise of golden harvests.

On the 1st of June, 1904, in Burlington,
Mr. Gibson was united in marriage to Miss
F'lla Gertrude Stone, who was born in
Wyandotte, Mich., Sept. 18. 1884. and was
only two and a half years old when brought
to Burlington by her parents, William James
and Catherine (Trout) Stone, who are still
residents of the city. She had a good com-
nion-sclinol education, and was an earnest
Christian woman, active in the work of

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

383

the church and a devoted Sunday-school
teacher. One child was born of this mar-
riage, Grace, who died at birth, and the '
young wife and mother passed away April
15, 1905, her remains being interred in Long
Creek cemetery.

Like his father, Mr. Gibson is a Repub-
lican, his first presidential vote having been
cast for Theodore Roosevelt. He belongs to
Danville Lodge, No. 48, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, and is accounted one of
the leading young farmers of his commu-
nity, having a large circle of friends in the
county, in which his entire life has been
passed.

MELVIN DELOSS CONLEY.

Melvin D. Conley, a prominent and
well-to-do farmer, residing on his farm
of eighty acres in Section i, Huron town-
ship, is the son of Lewis and Betsey
(Hutchins) Conley, and was born Feb.
26, 1850, in Jefferson county. New York.
His father was the oldest child of Thomas
and Silva Conley, and was born in the
town of Leroy, JeiTerson county, N. Y.,
Nov. 20, 1822.

Soon after his birth the parents of
Lewis Conley moved to Alexandria, Jef-
ferson county, N. Y., and located on a
farm on the shore of Butterfield Lake,
where Lewis grew to manhood. He was
elected one of the school directors, and
was appointed a committee of one to se-
lect a teacher, which he went about in a
quiet way. His friend, Elder Starkev,
was holding protracted meetings at Ma-
comb, St. Lawrence county, some twenty
miles away; and returning from there,
he told the young school director he had

found a teacher for him, at the same time
gi\-ing hini a minute descrii)tion of the
young lady, and casually adding that she
would be just the girl for a wife.

These recommendations seemed sufifi-
cient, and Mr. Conley authorized Elder
Starkey to engage the young lady to
teach for three months, which he did,
making the arrangement that the young
school director should meet her on a cer-
tain day at the landing on Black Lake,
which was about four miles below Ham-
mond's Corners. When the time arrived
that he should go and meet the new
teacher, he took his team down to the
boat landing, and introduced himself to
Miss Betsey Hutchins. She was a daugh-
ter of Bradley and Syrena Hutchins, born
June 16, 1827, in the town of Lysander,
Onondaga county, N. Y. Miss Hutchins
was about eighteen years of age at the
time the young school director and com-
mittee of one beheld for the first time his
future wife.

During the winter he made frequent
visits to the home of Air. Bradley Hutch-
ins, and ]\Iarch 25, 1847, he married the
daughter. They began keeping house in
the town of Rossie, St. Lawrence county,
in a log shanty of one room about four-
teen b}' eighteen feet. The roof of this
shanty sloped one way and was made of
twigs put on like tiling.

Mr. Conley burned lime, at which he
was an expert, and after four months
they moved to their farm of eighty-three
acres in the town of Alexandria. There
was a good log house of two rooms on
this place, and here several of their chil-
dren were Iwrn. In December, 1849, he
sold this farm for a saw-mill and seventy-
one acres of land, about twentv acres of

384

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

which wore cleared, and the balance cov-
ered with ]>ine and hemlock timber. They
soon grew tired of this lonely and out-of-
the-way place, and did not run the mill
longer than two months.

Ill May .Mr. Conley, in company with
his brother Wesley, took a steamboat for
the West, leaving his family with his
father. 'J'luy were gone about four
months, spending most of the time at
Uatavia, 111.: returning home they sold
out, and on Oct. 14, 1851. left their early
home. They had a delightful trip, going
by boat from .Alexandria l!ay on the St.
Lawrence River, to Lcwistown. at the
head of Lake Ontario, then by stage to
Niagara Falls, and from there west to
Kane county. 111., where they located
at .'^ugar (jrove. renting a farm of two
hundred acres of land, all uinkr cultiva-
tion.

In the fall they .sold their crops and
started for Iowa, in company with his
father's family and her father's familv.
nundiering in all nineteen persons. They
made the trip with ox-teams and covered
wagons, being about three weeks on the
road.

Arriving at Lynn county, they lo-
cated about two miles from Palo; here
thev rented a log shanty, where, five
weeks after the long ox-team journey,
the third son. John Wesley, was born.
They afterward moved to .Mitchell county,
Iowa, where they purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land from the gov-
ernment, i^aying two hundred dollars for
it. Here Mr. Conley built a good log
house and lived tlun- till 1S58. when he
sold the farm and bought another abuul
two miles away, on Rock Creek.

March 20, 1850, he started for Pike's

Peak with his brother Wesley, where
they remained about two years, mining,
and in the winter burning lime in Golden
<iate. which then sold for one dollar and
twenty-five cents per bushel, it being
used in the building of the first buildings
of Denver. Dec. 20. i860, he returned
home and rented his father's farm.

in the fall i>f iS(>j he was appointed
])oslmaster at W'atertown, Iowa, in which
vicinity he lived till the fall of 1871, when
he went to a place about fifteen miles
north of Burlington, where there was a
saw-mill located, and here he remained
all winter at work. In a short time he
bought a little home at Kossuth, Iowa.
;ind li\(.<l there for ten years.

in 1873 he went into the saw-mill busi-
ness, in i)artnershi]) with Perry Jackson,
and they bought out the "Old Hollow"
saw-mill, and also purchased a large tim-
ber farm on the Mississippi bottoms.
Tli-jy sawed railroad ties, car lumber,
and l)ri(lge tind)er, and in 1876 moved
their mill over on l-'lint River, near
Dodgeville: later they moved the mill to
various localities, following that business
and farming till he moved to Cannon
Falls, .Minn. W hile resi<ling at Kossuth
his father died (March 13, 1885), within
six days of being ninety years old. Mr.
Conley became an expert cabinet-maker
while residing in Cannon Falls.

.Mr. and Mrs. Conley celebrated their
golden wedding .anniversary at the home
of their son. i)r. A. 'i". Conley, of Cann(in
I-'alls, March 2-,. i8<;7. In about Unw
years after this happy occasion Mr. and
.Mrs. Conley both (lie<l. the former dying
at (.'annon I'alls. Minn., in January, i<)Oi.
and his widow jiassed away the same
vear in Rochester, Minn.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

385

Mr. and Mrs. Conley were the parents
of the following eight ehildren : Dr.
Alonzo T., a practicing physician in Can-
non F"alls, Minn.: Melvin D., of this re-
view; John \V., is the Baptist minister of
the First church, in Omaha, Nebr. ; Dr.
Hiram E., located in Cannon Falls ; Mary,
widow of August Engstrom, late of Can-
non Falls, and a professor and county
superintendent of schools of Goodhue
county, Minn.; Emma E. is the wife of
Charles Curran, of Stevens' Point, Wis.,
who is the sujierintendent of the Young
Men's Christian Association of that
place ; George L. is a Baptist minister,
located at Blair, Nebr. ; Clinton E. re-
sides at Le Sueur, Minn., where he is a
practicing dentist.

Our subject obtained his education in
the common schools of Mitchell and
Floyd counties, Iowa. He assisted his
father on the farm for many years, and
in 1872 came to Des Moines county and
located in Kingston, where he engaged
in the timber and lumber business. He
continued this for some twenty years, in
various places. After living in Kossuth
for about eight years, he moved to
Louisa county, where he went into the
tile and brick business for three or four
years.

Ten years ago he purchased his pres-
ent farm of eighty acres in Huron town-
ship. He rebuilt the house then on the
place, put on many of the other improve-
ments, and has lived here ever since, en-
gaged in general farming and stock-rais-
ing. He also has a saw-mill, which iic
runs part of the time.

Dec. 21, 1876, Mr. Conley was married
to Miss Maggie Kinney, daughter of
Reuben and Judy (Spangingberg) Kin-

ney. She was one of ten children, and
was educated in Rock Falls, where she
grew to womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Kin-
ney were born in New Jersey. Coming
to Iowa, they located in Worth county,
near Plymouth, in 1865, where Mr. Kin-
ney carried on the trade of a carpenter
for many years.

To Mr. and Mrs. Conley has been born
one child, John L., who was born in Ben-
ton township, Des Moines county, Iowa,
Dec. 5, 1877, and is a graduate of the
high school at Kossuth, and of Elliott's
Business College, in Burlington.

After assisting for four years on the
home farm he went to Winfield, Iowa,
where he was employed for a short time
as bookkeeper in a hardware store. He
then accepted a position on the Chicago
Inter-Ocean as solicitor, remaining with
them for some six months ; he then be-
came clerk and bookkeeper of the Smith
Hardware Company, of Burlington, for
a year, when he went on the road for
them, where he now is.

He married Miss Catherine Eckhart,
daughter of W. S. Eckhart, of South Hill,
Burlington, who is an electrician for the
railroad. Mrs. Conley was educated in
Burlington, and lived there till her mar-
riage in August, 1900, the ceremony be-
ing performed in Quincy, 111. They now
reside in West Lilierty, Iowa, and have
one daughter, Frances \\'illard, who was
born at St. Francis Hospital, in Burling-
ton, Iowa, Oct. 30, 1901.

Mr. Conley, of this review, has been a
Republican till the last ten years, but
since then has voted the Prohibition
ticket. He is a member of the Presby-
terian church of Oakville, and has been
an elder for the last four vears. Mr.

386

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Conk-y is progressive and enterprising,
of a genial and sunny disposition, and
generous to a fault. His business has
prospered from the fact that he has al-
ways been fair and upright in all things,
firndy believing that honesty is the best
policy. He is a true friend to the coni-
nninity, and is highly esteciiu-d.

GEORGE W. STUCKER.

One who has always taken an active
interest in all that pertains to the welfare
and development of the community, being
recognized as one of the representative
business men of the county ; one who has
nobly defended his country in time of war
as well as in times of peace, is George W.
Stucker. He is a son of James and
Lanah (Cronk) Stucker. and is one of the
old settlers of Des Moines county. His
birtli occurred in Washington county,
Indiana, Feb. ii. 1840, and when only
nine years of age he came to Iowa with
his parents. His father was born in Ken-
tucky. July JO. iSod. ;in(l went In Indiana
at an early day. where he carried on farm-
ing in Washington county, and also worked
at the trade he had learned in his younger
days, — that of a shoemaker.

Coming to Iowa in iS4<> he located in
Pleasant (jrove township, where he
leased a farm for seven years. He then
moved to the village of Pleasant Grove
where he devoted his time to his trade
until his death, which took i)lace Oct. 16,
t88i, at the age of seventy-fne years.
His wife was born in Pennsylvania. Xov.
12, 1810, and |)assed away in Pleasant
Grove, Dec. 16, i87<;. Tluy were the

l)arents of twelve children, of whom but
four are living. Mr. Stucker first be-
longed to the old Whig party, but was
afterwards a Republican. They are both
laid to rest in the cemetery at Pleasant
Grove.

Our subject obtained his education in
the district schools of his native township
in Indiana, and in the common schools
of Pleasant Grove townshij). Iowa. He
remained on the farm with his |)arents for
some time after he had reached his ma-
jority. Upon the breaking out of the
Civil War he enlisted under the second
call at Burlington, in the fall of 1861. join-
ing Com])any K, Second Iowa Infantry,
and served till the close of this great na-
tional conflict. He was commander of
Coni])any K, Second Iowa Infantry, and
particijjated in the battle at Shiloh. in the
siege of \'icksburg, and was with Sher-
man on the memorable march to the sea,
having still in his i)Ossessinn the old
sword tli.'it he carried on this march
through the Carolinas to Richmond and
to Washington. He was wounded in the
war. but not seriously.

Upon the close of the war. when the
review was over, he resigned and re-
turned to Iowa, and purchased a fine
farin in Pleasant Grove township, where
lie contimitij to li\e ;in(l carry on general
farming until about twenty years ago,
when he bought his ])resent farm of forty
acres in Section 2^. the same township.
He also rents another farm, and is en-
gaged in farming and the cultivation of
fruit to a very large extent.

Oct. 2$. 1868. Mr. SliK-ker became the
husband of Miss Lavina Gannaway. who
was born in Pleasant Grove township,
and is the daughter of John and Xancy

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

387

(Zionj Gannaway. Air. Gannaway was a Republican, and cast his first presi-

a carpenter by trade, and located in Pleas- dential vote for Abraham Lincoln with

ant Grove township man}- years ago, much pleasure. He has taken the census

where he lived until his death. Airs, of Pleasant Grove township on two dif-

Gannaway also passed away in this town- ferent occasions. Words are too feeble

ship, and quietly sleeps beside her hus- to praise such men as Air. Stucker, who,

band in the village cemetery. They through industry, energ)', and economy,

were blessed with five children, three of have made for themselves a competence

whom are now living. and helped to build up a nation. The

As time has passed several children man}- sacrifices he made that he might

were added to the home of Mr. and Airs.
Stucker, as follows : John, a farmer in
Yellow Springs township, married Miss

defend the Stars and Stripes of this free
country show him to be a man of strong
principle, and his long residence and up-

Dora Butler, and they have one child, right dealings with his fellow-men have

Bessie. Waldo E. resides on a farm ad-
joining the home place, having one hun-
dred and twenty acres. He married Aliss
Faith \\'hitaker, of Jefferson county,
Iowa, and they have one child, Wendell.
Mr. George Whitaker. and Mr. ^Y. ^^'.
Whitaker, grandfather and father of Airs.
Waldo E. Stucker, also lived in this town-

made him friends bv the hundred.

JOHN C. SCOTT.

The last half century in Des Aloines
county is a period of great change. The
unbroken forests have been transformed
ship years ago, where they were prosper- into peopled regions, and the few and
ous farmers. Alary E., the wife of scattered hamlets, thin lines of frontier
Charles Collis, resides in Meadville, AIo., settlement, have become crowded and
and has three children, Howard, Lester, prosperous centers of trade, while some
and Ruth. Nancy, married Robert Ritchey, very considerable cities have risen, proph-
who is a farmer of Pleasant Grove town- ecies of a still more crowded population
ship, and has had four children, three of and more pressing industrial develop-
whom are living; Glenn, Geneva, and ment. Alea who were born and reared
Paul. George married Aliss Alice Glas- in this county, and who are still enjoying
glow, and lives on a rented farm of one an unabated strength and manhood, have
hundred acres, in Pleasant Grove town- seen such a transformation. Like Caesar
ship. \\'illiam C. Ethel G., and Roy P., they can say, "All of which I saw, and
all at home. Henry died when one year part of which I was." They have watched
old. The children were all born in Pleas- the growth of the countrv. and have done

ant Grove township, where they also re-
ceived their education.

Mr. and Airs. Stucker are both de\oted
members of the Cumberland Presbvterian

much to help things onward, as they have
had strength and opportunity. Air. Scott
whose name appears above, has done his
full share in the development of the com-

church, and have contributed largely to munity. in the history of which his own
the support of the same. Mr. Stucker is career forms an integral part.

388

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEIV

John Calvin Scolt. onu of the higlily
rfS])fCtcd citizens of Des Moines county,
and now residinjj on his farm of two hun-
dred and seventy-four acres on Section
.^f). in l-'ratiklin township, is a native of
tliis county, and has spent most of his life
in 'S'ellow Springs township, where he
was horn Sept. ID, 1856. His early edu-
cation was secured in the district schools
of his native township. an<l when <|nite
young he assiste<l in the cultivation of
the home farm, early assuming the re-
sponsibility of superintending all the farm-
ing operations. He is a descentlant of an
old Pennsylvania family.

His grandfather. John Scott, was a na-
tive of Westmoreland county. Pennsyl-
vania, who moved in early manhood to
l'"ranklin county, ( )hio. Here Jolin Henry
Scott, father of the subject of this article,
was born, and sjjent the early i)art of his
life. Jolm Henry Scott received his edu-
cation in the district schools, and was
brought u]) to a thorough knowledge of
practical farming. Here he was married.
Nov. 5, 1846, to .Miss Mary Ann Doran,
daughter of John and Rhoda (llaker)
Doran, who was born in Ham]>shire
county, Virginia, Feb. 22, 1827.

.\bout a year after his marriage, in
1847. when John Henry Scott was about
twenty-eight years of age, lu- and his wife
moved to Iowa, locating first in Lee
county; and a little later to Des Moines
county, where they settled in Yellow
S])rings townshi]). Here he bought
two hundred and fifty acres of land. Later
he sold this, but entered a cpiarter-
sectidii in bellow Springs township, and
bought an eighty-acre tract adjoining.
This was the beginning of the home
l)lace which the family still owns, and

have made additions to from time to time.
I'hey lived here for a time, then moved
to .St. l'"rancis county, .Missouri, where
they lived for a year or two. then moved
to Perry comity, Illinois. While they
were living in Illinois, Mr. Scott was
kicked by a mule and killed, July 22, 1864.
After his death, the family came back to
the farm in \'ellow S])rings township,
where they have m.ide their home ever
since.

John Henry .Scott was the father of
four children, of whom three are still liv-
ing: The eldest, .Albert Clay Scott, born
in 1S51). <lied in Nebraska on his way to
the California gold fields: John Calvin,
born Se])t. 10, 185*), on the home ])lace in
Yellow Sjirings township, has made that
liis home for the most of his life: Charles
Lincoln, born in St. Francis county, .Mis-
souri, and now lives in southwestern Col-
orado, where he is a miner, rancher, and
cattle-man; Henry Monroe, born in Perry
county. Illinois, and now lives in .Adams
county. Nebraska, but will soon remove
to Cnion county. Iowa, where he has re-
cently bought property.

John Cahin Scott, the immediate sub-
ject of this sketch, has, since the death
of his father, lived practically all of the
time with his mother, sui)erintending the
wiirking of the home farm. That lu' has
been \ery successful is evidenced by the
additions that have been made to the
farm, and the im|)rovements that have
been added from time to time. The farm
now consists of two htmdred and seventv-
four acres of rich land, fifty-three of which
lie in I'Vanklin township, the remainder
in -Section t,(>. N'ellow Springs township.
This land has been cleared and brought
under cultivation, a strong, substantial

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

389

barn twenty-four by thirty-two feet with
a lean-to erected, and in 1880 a large,
commodious house built. Aside from
farming, Mr. Scott has made a great suc-
cess of cattle-raising, paying a good deal
of attention to the breeding of his stock,
and making a specialty of the Duroc Jer-
sey breeds. He feeds from two to three
loads of cattle, and raises about a car-load
of hogs each year.

That Mr. Scott is a public-spirited man
is shown by the fact that, although he
has such heavy interests of his own to
take his time and attention, he has at the
same time been enough interested in the
progress of educational matters in the
community to act as director for the ])ub-
lic schools of the district for a number of
years. He was raised in the Presbyterian
church, to which he still gives his sup-
port. In politics Mr. Scott is a Repub-
lican, and takes an intelligent and thought-
ful interest in public affairs. He is much
esteemed l)y his friends and neighbors,
and takes a leading part in all local
affairs. He stands in the place of a good
man, and that he fills this place is no ex-
aggerated praise. His character is high,
his word is good.

FREDERICK BESSIN.

Frederick Bessin, who since 1869 has
been a resident of Burlington, was born in
Prissen, Schousen, Germany, April 16,
1839, a son of Peter and Lizzie (Velle)
Bessin. Following the acquirement of his
education in the public schools, he began
farm labor, and at the time he was eighteen
years of age was earning but twenty-five

dollars per year — such was the low rate
of wages in that country. He then learned
the trade of carpentering, doing all work
by hand, and he followed that pursuit until
his emigration to America, with the ex-
ception of a period of three years spent in
the German army. He enlisted in 1859,
in accordance with the military laws of his
native land, and served imtil 1862. He then
resumed carpentering, but thinking that he
would have better business opportunities in
the New World he made arrangements to
come to the United States.

It was in June, 1869, that he sailed for
New York, whence he came direct to Bur-
lington, where he has since lived. He was
first employed in a lumber yard for several
years, and then entered the service of the
old Narrow Gauge Railroad Company, with
which he continued for twenty-five years,
when he began working for the Chicago,
Burlington & Ouincy Railroad Company,
which purchased the Narrow Gauge line.
He has since continued in this employ and
is one of the old railroad men of the city,
having the entire confidence of those whom
he serves by reason of his fidelity, prompt-
ness, and efficiency.

Mr. Bessin was married, in January,
1867, to Miss Charlotte Bower, a daughter
of Frederick and Sophia (Dierks) Bower,
who was born May 5, 1848, in the same
locality in which her husband's birth oc-
curred, and who was educated there. They
are the parents of twelve children : Mary,
who died at the age of three years : Minnie,
who makes her home with her parents ;
Augusta, who died when but a year old ;
Charles, who was previous!}- a hostler on the
Rock Island Railroad and is now with the
gas works ; Anna, who is employed in the
home of Dr. Fleming : Lizzie, wife of Ed.

390

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

(ioldcn. a resident of Chicago; Frederick,
who (lied at the age of fourteen ; Mamie,
who died at the age of five years ; Helen and
Elsie, who are engaged in dressmaking ; and
^\■illianl. who died in infancy.

Ill his ]X)litical views Mr. Bessin is a
Democrat, exercising his right of franchise
in support of the men and measures of that
party. He and his wife hold membership
in the German Lutheran church. They
have resided continuously in Burlington
since coming to the L'nited States in 1869
and have made many warm friends in the
city.

He has a i)kasant Ikmiic at 1.^08 North
Seventh Street, which he lx)UglU soon after
coming to Burlington, and has lived here
since.

ALEXANDER WATSON.

l.N" the settlement of the West, the
pioneers had to face many trials and diffi-
culties. They had gone far from the con-
veniences and privileges of civilization.
Markets were remote, and communica-
tion difficult. Tlu- ])rairics were like the
ocean, and the roads primitive in the ex-
treme. Distances now measured by
hours, then required many days, and the
journey from Burlington to Chicago was
a ta.x on a stout heart. Schools were
few and far between, and when located
were of very inferior grade. But the
hearts on the frontier were brave, and
nothing discouraged the builders of the
great States that are now mighty em-
pires in themselves. They improved the
land, bridged the rivers, built the roads,
planted what are now great cities, and in
due time came the railroad and the tele-

graph and the mail to bring the ends of
the country together. The East and the
West at least were next-door neighbors ;
space was eliminated; time was annihi-
lated. To the prairies came the art and
refinement of New England ; learning
was no longer strange, and the school-
master was abroad in the land. 'Ihe Em-
|)ire State bej'ond the great river had
come to its own. The men who helped
in this great transformation should al-
ways be reverently remembered. It was
no slight task — the building of an empire
— that they undertook. Among them, and
entitled to an honored i)lace, is the man
whose name heads this article. Living
now on his well-kept, improved farm in
Section 2, Yellow Springs township, Des
Moines county, where he is passing the
sunset years of his life, he can think back
for a ])eriod of over sixty years to the day
when he first saw the wilderness that
then stood where we now see the broad
fields and well-tilled farms of Louisa and
Des Moines counties. He has seen the
marvelous changes that have taken place,
and has the proud consciousness of hav-
ing played a man's part in bringing them
about.

.\lexandcr \\ atson was born in Ross
county, Ohio, Jan. 14, 1822, the son of
.Alexander and Jane (Carr) Watson.
Here be attended the suljscription schools
of that early day, until in ( )ct., 1834, his
parents moved to Illinois, to what was
then known as part of Morgan county,
but which is now Scott county. There
also he attended the subscription schools,
living there until in 1843. .At that time
he came to Iowa, locating first in Louisa
county, where he bought one hundred
and sixty acres of land. Later he sold

>
o

>
D

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

393

this, and bought seventy-five acres of
wild land, which he partly improved by
building a house and bringing a part
under cultivation. Later he traded this
for other land in Louisa county, and lived
there until 1851. At that time he pur-
chased eighty-four acres in Section 2,
Yellow Springs township, Des Aloines
county. This was a part of the tract on
which he now lives, and he has made his
home there from that time till the pres-
ent. He has added to the original pur-
chase, until he now has land in Sections
2 and 3, and also fifty acres in Section i.
Conditions in this country when Mr.
Watson bought this farm were primitive
in the extreme, and of all the land that he
then purchased only ten acres had ever
felt the plowshare, while the only im-
provement that had been made on the
place was a small log house. All the im-
provements now to be observed on the
entire place have been made by Mr. Wat-
son during his ownership. He has
brought the land all under cultivation,
and has built many substantial farm
buildings, besides making other improve-
ments as need arose from time to time.
Mr. Watson has devoted most of his time
to the breeding and raising of fine stock,
raising just enough grain to supply his
cattle with feed and has been very suc-
cessful as a stock-raiser. For a time he
raised the Durham cattle, but later he
began making a specialty of the Hereford
breed. His land is now rented out, but
he retains active supervision over the
farming operations on all of it, even yet.
]\Ir. Watson was united in marriage on
Feb. 13, 1845, to Miss Lavina Ann Lee.
She was a native of Indiana, being born
in Bartholomew countv, that State, Feb.

7, 1829, the daughter of Robert W. and
Martha Thomas (Brannum) Lee. Her
parents were also early settlers in Iowa,
coming to this State in 1836, when she
was only seven years old. Mr. and Mrs.
Watson became the parents of five sons
and three daughters, of whom all but two
are still living: Martha Jane, died at
the age of six months ; David Willis, lives
in Sheridan, Iowa ; William H., makes his
home in Cass county, Iowa ; Armilda,
the wife of H. R. Stewart, of Yellow
Springs township, this county ; John M.,
resides in Yellow Springs township ;
Stephen A., died at the age of two years ;
James Jonathan, lives in Oklahoma;
Clara Ellen, the wife of Walter Umphrey,
and lives on the farm with Mr. Watson.
Mr. LTmphrey is a native ' of Louisa
count}', and was born Oct. 28, 1872, the
son of Francis Marion and Lydia (Mc-
Mannama) Umphrey.

Being one of the earliest settlers of Des
Moines county, and a man who has always
taken a strong interest in all ques-
tions affecting the public welfare, Air.
Watson is very well known throughout
the county, and is held in universal es-
teem for his qualities of sterling man-
hood, as well as for those more practical
qualities pertaining to business ability
which have built up for him such a high
degree of material success. He has al-
ways taken a great interest in the cause
of education, doing all that lay in his
power to advance the progress of popular
education in his community, and serving
as director of the public schools of his
home district for some time. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and not only lends it generous
support in a financial way, but by the in-

304

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

fluence of his life does much to spread
tlic iiitliicnce for good in his community.
I'olilicaliy, Mr. Watson was in his
early life a believer in tlie principles then
advocated by the Democratic party, and
cast his first presidential vote for Presi-
dent Polk, in 1846. Rut after the break-
ing out of the Civil War. and since the
second election of .\brahain Lincoln as
president, he has always voted the Re-
publican ticket. Mr. Watson is a man
whose soul is full of the truest patriotism,
and when the dark days of the Rebellion
came, longed to serve his country on the
field of battle, but could not go to the
front on account of his crippled condi-
tion. .-Mthough physically disabled from
taking active part in the war, Mr. Watson
has served his .country well and faith-
fully for many years, and his life stands
as a proof to those of a younger genera-
tion that the noblest citizenship and the
truest i)atriotism is not necessarilv that
which is seen in the midst of the bloody
battle-field, but that which serves the
country by faithful work and watchful
care in time of jjeace, when more insid-
ious foes may be undermining the wel-
fare of the nation while the majority of
the peojjle are resting in fancied security,
ignorant of any tlireatened danger. That
the people of his home community have
confidence in Mr. Watson's business
ability, in his interest in the welfare of
the community as a whole, and in his
thoroughgoing integrity, is evidenced by
by the fact that he was called upon to
serve them in the position of township
supervisor for a term of years. Person-
ally he is of a genial and generous dis-
position, and these characteristics, to-
together with his uprightness and justice

in all his dealings, have made for him
many friends. Now in the evening of
his life these friends and his children vie
with each other to show him the respect,
and to try to help bring tf) him the com-
fort, happiness, and peace that they feel
is the due of one who has so faithfully
borne the burdens of the day, and done
so much for the advancement of the com-
monwealth. .MI unite in agreeing that
.Mr. Watson's name deserves a high place
on the roll of honored names of Des
Moines county.

GEORGE JOHN REIS.

Geokgi£ Joiix Reis, one of the oldest and
best-known residents of Burlington, Iowa,
where he has resided almost continuously
since his birth, is a man whose influence
has ever been exerted on the side of right,
justice, and order. He was born in the city
of Burlington, Iowa, Oct. 18, 1842, being a
.son of Stephen and Margaret (Bauman)
Kcis. His father was an industrious cit-
izen of Germany until the latter part of his
life, when he crossed the .Vtlantic to .Amer-
ica, establishing liis home in Burlington,
Iowa, in 1837. He was ninety days on the
water, making the journey in one of the old-
time sailing vessels, which were not nearly
so well e(|uipped for the comforts and con-
veniences of its passengers as are the great
.ships of the present day. which plow the
rough and angry billows in some eight or
nine days. The father worked in the city
as a laborer. His death occurred in 1849.
The gootl mother came to .America, joining
her husband in Burlington in 1840, and
lived to celebrate her ninetieth birthday.

DES AJOIiXES COUNTY, IOWA.

395

This worthy couple were the parents of
three children: George J., subject of this
review ; Joseph H., a blacksmith, who re-
sides in Burlington, Iowa ; and Mary ( Mrs.
John Barnes), who lives in California.
About a year after the father and husband
died, the mother married again, her second
husband being Jacob Betzinger, a native of
France, by whom she had two children :
Margaret (Mrs. John Linder), who is a
widow, and resides at 408 North Sixth
Street, Burlington, Iowa. Mr. Linder died
in March, i88g. John C, the second child,
is a resident of St. Joseph, Mo. Mrs. Bet-
zinger's death occurred in 1891.

Our subject acquired his education in the
city schools of Burlington. Beginning life
for himself, he learned the trade of saddlery
and harness-making with Mr. Fred Lind-
stadt, being in his employ for two vears.
The next year he was employed by Mr. H.
B. Ware, who was a saddler in Burlington
at that time, and was the father of Eugene
Ware, the well-known poet, who has recently
resigned as- United States pension agent.
After this Mr. Reis went to Peoria, Quincy,
and St. Louis, working as a journeyman
in each place for several years, after which
he returned to his natal home, and went
into business with Mr. Fred Disque, the firm
reading, F. J. Disque & Co. They had a
first-class harness store, and occupied the
same rooms that our subject does now,
216 North Main Street. In 1888, Mr.
Reis bought out his partner and continued
in the business alone, and is now the old-
est harness-maker in Burlington, having
worked at his trade since 1857, and has been
in his present place since 1869.

His goods consist of harness, saddlery,
and horsemen's supplies ; also does repairing
and makes the greater portion of his harness

by hand. He is a skilled mechanic, and well
deserves the liberal patronage he receives
from the city and adjacent towns.

Mr. Reis was reared in the Catholic faith,
and is a devout member of St. John's Ger-
man church. Politically, he is independent,
voting for the man he thinks best qualified
for office. For nearly forty years this worthy
citizen has participated in the business life
of the city, and during that time has so con-
ducted all his affairs as to merit the conti-
dence and esteem of the entire community,
and no word of censure has ever been ut-
tered against him.

DR. R. L. COCHRAN.

Richly illuminated with the halo of
public esteem and regard is the name of
R. L. Cochran, D. D. S., both on account of
his long career of useful service in his pro-
fession and because of those sterling traits
of personal character which have won him
the universal commendation as an ideal citi-
zen and man. Dr. Cochran was born at
Wrightsville, York county. Pa., Dec. 18,
1843, ^ son of William and Eliza (Wilson)
Cochran, one of a family of nine children,
of whom all except himself and two others
are now deceased. He is the twin brother of
William Cochran, now deceased, who was
an Episcopal clergyman, and the other sur-
vivors are J. W. Cochran, of Jersey City,
N. J., in the employ of the Pacific Railway
Company, and Mrs. Sarah Wilson, of
Wrightsville, Pa. His father, William
Cochran, was in turn the son of William
Cochran, a native of Scotland, and the
mother -was born at Abbottstown, Pa., of
Irish parentage.

3o6

PIOGRAPHICAL REV I Ell-

Dr. (.'ochran's education was begun in tlic
common sclmols of liis native place, and con-
tinued in the public schools of Philadelphia
on the removal of his parents thither in 1853.
They remained in that city approximately
nine years, during which period he was
graduated from the common schools, and
attended the city high sch(X)l for two years.
He then returned with his parents to
Wrightsville, and still later removed to
Mechanicsville, where he commenced the
formal study of dentistry. Previous to this
time, however, he had done some work
along the line of his future profession, for
while residing in Philadel])liia he worked as
errand boy in a grocery store for Isaac
Griffith, who also practiced dentistry in a
room over the store, and liis compensation
for his service as errand boy was the privi-
lege of access to Mr. Griffith's library and
observing his operations. The father of Dr.
Cochran was a merchant, ami in the de-
rangement of business conditions which
acconi])anie(l the Civil War he became
bankru])t. thus leaving our subject almost or
entirely dependent upon his own resources
at a very early age. But the youth had
before him a definite purpose, to whose
attainment he brought great enthusiasm and
ability, and the stimulus of necessity but
called forth and developed those qualities
to which he now owes his success.

He attended the Pennsylvania College of
Dentistry in 1864, and then came to Bur-
lington, where he continued to practice
dentistry. The date of his coming to Bur-
lington was Sept. 14, 1863, and the chronicle
of his early struggle against ]ioverty and
unfavorable conditions here, bringing to
bear upon the problems which confronted
him all the tenacity and high courage for
which the mixture of Scotch and Irish blood

is famous, is one of absorbing interest and
valuable ins])iration for the present genera-
tion. Dr. Cochran was reg^ilarly graduated
in dentistry from the Missouri Dental Col-
lege in 1873. he having gone to St. Louis in
1870 to take u]) the work in that institution.

Dr. Cochran has been twice married ; first,
to Miss Maria Holland, by whom he has
two children: Mrs. Maude Spicer, of
Seattle, Wash. ( who has one daughter,
Kamona), and W. L. Cochran, who is con-
nected with the National Cash Register
Company. At liurlington, in 1893. he
wedded Mrs. Ella Dodge, and they have a
very plea.sant home at 816 North Sixth
Street, where they are the center of a
numerous and refined social circle. Dr. and
Mrs. Cochran arc both prominent mem-
bers of the Burlington Golf Club, while in
his fraternal connection Dr. Cochran is a
member of Des Moines Lodge, No. i.
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, through
whose chairs he has passed : and Mrs.
Cochran is a member and has held the offices
of both the Shakespeare Club and the I'. E.
O. Society of Burlington, she being a lady
of literary tastes and accomplishments, and
possessing marked ability.

The position of Dr. Cochran in his pro-
fession in the State of Iowa is one of emi-
nence and distinction, while he also ranks as
one of the oldest dentists in point of con-
tinuous practice in this section of the
Mississippi valley. He was one of the
founders of the Des Moines County Dental
Association, of which he is now acting as
president, is an honorary memljcr of the
Illinois State Dental Society, and is a prom-
inent member of the Iowa State Dental
Society, in which he has been honored by
election to all the offices within the gift of
the society, having lieen elected vice-presi-

DES .]fOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

397

dent in 1877, president in 1878, and after-
ward re-elected to the latter office. During
two years he was a member of the faculty
of the Dental College of the University of
Iowa, occupying the chair of Operative
Dentistry and Therapeutics. He was at one
time offered a chair in the Keokuk Dental
College, and in fact has at various times
been solicited to accept chairs or lecture-
ships in four different colleges ; but the
interest which he feels in the practice that
has come to him as a result of long years of
efficient effort in Burlington, together with
the intimate and amicable relations which he
sustains with his fellow-townsmen, have
always precluded his acceptance. In 1903
he was off'ered full control and management
of a well-known and prosperous dental col-
lege, but the foregoing considerations were
sufficiently potent to cause his rejection of
the flattering offer. Dr. Cochran is a
scholarly man, and has maintained his posi-
tion at the head of his profession by hard
study and conscientious devotion to progress-
ive ideas, while his skill and business ability
have enabled him to acquire a competence.
A self-made man, his career and his success
have been such as may well inspire a just
pride in himself, even as they inspire in
younger men the confidence and deter-
mination to rise to the plane of worthy
achievement.

JOHN R. CRAWFORD.

John R. Cjjawford. a farmer of Union
township, where he owns two hundred acres
of improved land, in addition to timber
lands, occupies a well-recognized position
among the most prominent stock-breeders
and raisers of Des Moines county. Mr.

Crawford was born on the farm which he
now occupies on the 2d day of March, 1858,
his father, William Crawford, having settled
here in 1851. The father was born near
Zanesville, Muskingum county, Ohio, March
20, 1820, and followed the occupation of
farming there until 1851, when he came to
the West, locating in Des Moines county,
Iowa, purchasing the farm now owned by
his son in 1855. The land was at that time
only very slightly improved, but by industry,
care, and application he made it productive
and profitable. At New London, Iowa, he
married Miss Jane Regard, who came to
this State from York county, Pennsylvania,
and they reared a family of eight children,
seven of whom still survive. The elder
Crawford participated in public affairs as a
member of the Republican party, but was
never specially active in partisan work. He
died April 28, 1878, while the widow still
survives, and is a resident of the city of
Burlington. She is a member of the Pres-
byterian church, as was also her husband.

Mr. Crawford, whose name lends title to
the present memoir, began his education
in the district schools, and later became a
student in Denmark Academy, which takes
rank among the oldest educational institu-
tions of Iowa and the West. On the con-
clusion of his studies he resumed the work
of the farm, taking entire charge of its op-
eration for his mother after his father's
death, and by his ability and energy soon
cleared the family homestead of the incum-
brance under which it then rested. During
the first year after attaining his majority he
worked for his mother at a wage of twelve
dollars a month, or $144 for the year ; the
second year he received $200, while the third
season he had a cash wage of $125 in addi-
tion to a two-thirds share in a sixteen-acre

398

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

field nf ci>rn, ami the wcallu-r i)n>ving favor-
able, he was able to reap a clear i)rofit of
nearly $500 — a very considerable sum for
a young man at the beginning of his career.
The following year he also remained at
home, receiving $100 in cash, twothirds of a
similar corn crop, and the product of a five-
acre meadow, and again made a handsome
profit. Thus he early became the possessor
of a comfortable capital, and this he invested
in a farm in Scotland county, Missouri.

On Feb. 21, 1883, Mr. Crawford was
united in marriage to Miss Lillie Gearhart.
of I'nion township, a daughter of Stephen
(iearhart. Mrs. Crawford is now deceased,
she having died l-"eb. 25. 1895. leaving
three children, liertha 1'... James .\rthur.
and 11a '/... all of whom have received excel-
lent educational advantages, and are popular
among the young people of the community.

Mr. Crawford resided on his Missouri
farm for twelve years, at the expiration of
that period returning to L'nion townshii)
and purchasing the old home farm. He
later .sold his holdings in Missouri, and has
devoted himself exclusively to building up
and improving his present farm home. To
this work he has devoted much time and
thought and a great deal of money, investing
$1,600 in im])roving his large barn, building
a new barn, erecting a windmill, and raising
and ini])riiving the family dwelling, mak-
ing also a fine tank-house of the best type,
lie makes a .specialty of raising high-grade
Polled .Angus cattle, and at the present time
has on his farm about one hundred and
thirty, of which eighteen or twentv are thor-
oughbred, while at the head of the herd is
a fine registered animal, whose apjiarent
qualities are a ])leasure to all admirers of
what is best in farm stock. Most of Mr.
Crawford's stock is registered, and one (»f

his important sources of income is the sell-
ing of calves for breeding purposes. He
has enlarged and improved the hog house
which originally stood on the farm as he
purchased it, and is an extensive raiser of
hogs, usually selling one hundred or more
each year. In addition, he gives much of
his attention to the raising of horses and
mules, and his stables are well known
through this section. He is a genuine lover
of good stock, so that his success is not in
any sense a matter of accident or good for-
tune, but has come to him as the result of
intelligent thought, study, and wide exjK'ri-
ment. .\s one who has the public interest
at heart, Mr. Crawford was one of the chief
promoters of the rural telephone system,
which now serves the country residents of
this vicinity, and he also takes part in polit-
ical activities to the e.xtcnt of never failing
to cast his ballot for good government. He
is a stanch Republican, but has never sought
public preferment. He is a scientific farmer
and stock-raiser, a believer in modern ideas,
and by his influence has done much to aifl
the progress of approved methods among
surrounding farmers. He is well known,
and has a wide circle of acquaintance an<l
friendship, and enjoys a reputation for ])ro-
bity and fair dealing which has come to him
as the reward of a long and U])right career.

PHILIP C. ANDRE.

I'liii.ii' C. Andrk, who is engaged in
gardening, but is largely living retired in
Burlington, was born in Miehlan, Prussia,
Ciermany, on the 30th of January. 1826.
His father, .Adam .\ndre, was a custom
shoemaker, who learned and followed his

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

399

trade in Germany. Crossing the Atlantic to
America, he became a resident of Louisville,
Ky. He landed at New Orleans, and went
up the river to Kentucky, where he con-
tinued to reside until 1852, when he came to
Burlington, and opened a shoe shop and
worked at his trade until 1863, when his
life's labors were ended in death. His wife,
surviving him several years, died in 1870.
She bore the maiden name of Philapena
Weis. They became the parents of three
sons and a daughter, as follows : Philip C. ;
George, who was a prominent grocer of Bur-
lington, and died in 1872 ; P. A., who has
conducted a shoe store in Burlington since
1857 ; and Katherine, who is also living in
this city.

Philip C. Andre spent the first twenty
years of his life in his native country, ac-
quiring his education in the public schools,
and learning the shoemaker's trade after
putting aside his text-books. He came to
America in 1846, making the voyage on a
three-mast sailing vessel, which was sixty-
eight days in crossing the Atlantic at that
time. It was called the " Espendola," and
carried three hundred and sixty passengers.
Severe storms were encountered, and the
vessel was attacked by pirates, but they were
frightened away when the cannon were
turned upon them. At length the vessel
dropped anchor in the harbor of New Or-
leans. Mr. Andre did not delay long in that
city, but made his way northward to Louis-
ville, Ky., where for four years he worked
at his trade of shoemaking. He then came
by boat to Burlington, arriving in this city
the loth of March, 1851. He found here a
small village with no railroad and no bridge
across the river. All shipments were made
by river boats. The winter of 185 1 and
1852 was a long and severe one, and Mr.

Andre suffered the usual hardships and
experiences of early settlers. He had two
brothers, who had come to Burlington in
1850, and in 1852 his parents arrived here.
His father owned about eight acres of land,
and Mr. Andre had become familiar with
farming methods as well as shoemaking.
In Burlington he worked with his father
in the shoemaking business for a time and
then accepted a position as a common
laborer. He acted as night watchman for
many years, being twenty-four years in the
Merchants National Bank, five years in the
Hawk-Eye Woolen Mill, and in the Putman
Flour Mill two years. He completed his
service with the bank when seventy-two
years of age. He was one of the most
trusted employees there, and through his
fidelity to duty he was long retained in the
service.

Mr. Andre has been very active in church
work in Burlington. Soon after his arrival
he assisted in building the first German
church here, it being erected on Columbia
Street in 1850. He was an elder in the first
German Evangelical church from 1854 till
1864, when he helped build Zion Evangel-
ical church and served as an elder from
its first election in 1864 to 1884, and has
been a member of the Sunday-school for
thirty-two years. During that period he
served as one of its teachers and also as its
treasurer and secretary. He has done every-
thing in his power to promote the cause of
the church, and his labors have been at-
tended with good results. His early polit-
ical support was given the Whig party, but
he could not vote until the time of the elec-
tion of 1856, when he supported John C.
Fremont. He was naturalized while in
Louisville, Ky. He served as school di-
rector for one term in an earlv dav, and the

400

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

cause of education has always found in him
a warm friend. He petitioned and carried a
proposition for cHvidiiig a district six miles
square and making an indepenilent district.
He was also instrumental in building the
West Madison School.

On the 1st of January, 1850. Mr. Andre
was married to Mary C. Woolman, who
died in January, 1899. Their children were :
Louisa, the wife of Rudolph Cook ; George
A., of Burlington ; P. Henry, a grocer of
this city ; John C, who is living at St.
Joseph, Mo. : Katherine M., the wife of
Charles Scholes, of Havelock, Nebr. ; Mar-
garet, the wife of George Harmer, of Bur-
lington : and John and Frank, who are en-
gaged in the grocery business. There are
thirty-one granflcliildren, and seven great-
graiidcliildrL-n.

Mr. .\n(lrc built his home in 1S54, and
has since occupied it. He bought the lot
in 185 1, covering one-half of block i, which
is in Barrett's Addition. The house is at
1604 South .'■iiiiiinicr Street. lie has three
and one-quarter acres of land across the
street. He is now engaged in the raising
of vegetables and fruit, and is doing a fair
business as a gardener. He saved from his
wages in the bank the money with which he
bought his home, and by the careful hus-
banding of resources he has been able to
assist his sons to embark in business. His
life has been quietly passed, while his has
been an active and useful career.

HENRY AVERY.

Henry Avery, now deceased, whose
home was on Section 21, Union township,
and wlio in an active and busy life achieved

a high measure of success, was born in
Greene county, Illinois, Nov. 5, 1821, his
parents being Robert and Nancy Avery.
His paternal grandfather also bore the
name of Robert, and was born March 5,
1765, while his death occurred Oct. 18,
1810. He was of English lineage, his an-
cestors having come from Bristol, Eng-
land, to America prior to the Revolutionary
War. He married Lydia White, a descend-
ant of Peregrine White, the first white
child born in New England after the land-
ing of the Pilgrims from the " Mayflower."
Mrs. Avery's birth occurred Jan. 27, 1763,
and she dc])artcd this life March 24. 1849.
The children of this marriage were as
follows: Daniel Clark, bom Oct. 26, 1791,
and died July 13, 1839 : John W., born April
'5- '793; Oren Smith, born Sept. 11, 1794,
and died .Vug. 3, 1836; Robert, born Feb.
20, 1796, and died Dec. 30, 1879: Lydia,
born Nov. 13, 1797, and died Sept. 3, 1862:
Margaret, born March 12, 1799, became the
wife of a Mr. Wheadon, and died Dec. 30,
1831 : Amelia, born July ifi, 1802, married
M. Millard, and after his death became the
wife of E. Fisher, a Methodist preacher;
Nancy, born July 13, 1804, and died April
17, 1805; and Arvilla, born Nov. 24, 1808,
and became the wife of M. Anderson.

Robert .\very, father of our subject, was
born in Massachusetts, Feb. 20, 1796, and
was married in Missouri to Mrs. Nancy
(Brown) Smelcher. She was a widow at
that time. Her birth occurred in North
Carolina, Sept. i, 1798. In 1835 t'^^y re-
moved from Illinois to Des Moines county,
Iowa, settling upon the farm that is still
owned and occupied by the Avery family.
Here Robert Avery purchased some land
and made his home luitil his death, which
occurred Dec. 30, 1879, while his wife

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

403

passed away on the i8th of January of the
same year. They were the parents of ten
children, and Airs. Avery had three chil-
dren by her former husband, which died
in infancy. In 1837 Robert Avery, Jr.,
was appointed county surveyor of Des
Moines county, and held the ofifice until
1840. The records which he made at that
time are still noted for their accuracy. Of
their children we have the following rec-
ord : Clarissa became the wife of Calvin
Gamage, and is now a widow living in
Mount Pleasant, Iowa ; Sarah Ann is the
widow of Austin Comstock, and lives with
her children in Chicago, 111. ; Elijah Lee
died in early manhood on the i6th of
October, 1843.

Henry Avery spent his boyhood days on
the home farm and attended the district
schools of the neighborhood. He was stu-
dious by nature, and made the most of his
opportunities, so that in early manhood he
had qualified himself for teaching, and fol-
lowed that profession for some time in the
country schools. He also learned survey-
ing tinder his father, Robert Avery, who
had followed it for many years. At an early
age Henry Avery also became interested in
fruit raising and in the nursery business,
and loved the study of horticulture. In this
department of labor he became widely
known, and in his home county his opinions
were regarded as authority on many matters
connected with horticultural pursuits.

On the 8th of May, 1842, Henry Avery
was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ogle,
who was born Jan. 28, 1824, and died
Sept. 12, 1865. There were twelve chil-
dren by that marriage, of whom six
reached years of maturity : Nancy Alice, the
wife of J. C. Comstock, who is represented
elsewhere in this work ; Robert Lee, who

died in Henry county, Iowa, leaving a wife
and three children ; Henry J., of Ottumwa,
Iowa, who is married and has five chil-
dren : Ella Arvilla, the wife of Karl Lisen-
ring, of Mount Pleasant, by whom she has
five children; D. N., who resides on the
old home farm ; Lora May, who is the wife
of Edson Drum, and resides near the
Kansas line in Missouri. They have four
children. After losing his first wife Mr.
Avery was again married, his second union
occurring on the 14th of November, 1865,
when he wedded Miss Sophia Albertina
Staff, who was born near Lincoping,
Sweden, and was a daughter of Charles
Magnus and Marguerite (Newburg) Staff.
Their home was situated in the county of
Ulrica, Sweden, and was called Aquanaise
(Oak Lake Point) because of its proximity
to Lake Aquan. Mrs. Avery was twelve
years of age when her parents came to
America. They made the entire trip bv
water, in a sailboat, landing first at New-
York, and thence proceeding westward by
way of the Hudson River, Erie Canal, the
Great Lakes, and on to Burlington. They
started on the 23d of June and traveled day
and night, reaching their destination on
the 28th of October of the same year. They
stopped at Sunderland's old mill, for the
only light visible was found there. This was
in the year 1850, in which cholera was prev-
alent, and a number of the passengers on
the boat died. The mother of Mrs. Avery,
on reaching this county, went up to the old
mill and asked for hot water, which was
given her, and she then made coffee. The
family brought with them the mone)- which
had been secured by the sale of their old
home in Sweden, and here the father pur-
chased a small farm in L^nion township.
He had served in the army while in Sweden,

404

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and tlu- outbreak of the Civil War follow-
ing his emigration to the New World, his
military sjjirit was again aroused, and he
enlisted in the Iowa Regiment known as the
Gray lieards. He took part in some skir-
mishes, and sustained injuries on account
of which he was afterward granted a jien-
sion by the government.

There were seven children born unto .Mr.
Avery by his second marriage: Ivinia M.,
who died at the age of two years and some
days: Ivan H. X., who married Christina
Helt. and died March 13, 1904: Oren Elmo,
who resides near Kingston, Iowa, and mar-
ried Nellie I'rockway, by whom he had
three children, Harry, Pearl, and X'iolet ;
John White and Dove Alinda (i.. both at
home; Ulive Marguerite, the wife of Mario
Van Cranach. As the years passed, Mr.
Avery prospered in his undertakings, and
was long known as one of the successful
antl ])roniinent agriculturists and horticul-
turists of Des Moines county. He started
out in life amid unfavorable circumstances,
but realizing that labor is the basis of all
success, he worked persistently and ener-
getically, r.rooking no obstacles that could
be overcome by determined and honorable
effort, he advanced by consecutive steps :
and as his capital increased, he made judi-
cious investments in real estate that brought
him a handsome return. L'ltimately he be-
came the owner of tracts of land in different
parts of the county and .State, his realty
possessions aggregating two thou.sand
three hundred and nine acres. He left to
each of his children a goodly heritage,
which he had accumulated by honest, per-
sistent effort. Moreover, in his business
career Mr. Avery was thoroughly reliable,
and his path to success was never strewn
with the wrecks of other men's fortunes.

for in all his dealings he was strictly fair
anfl honorable.

In his religious faith Mr. Avery was a
Methodist, was a most earnest and help-
ful wt)rker in the church, and contributed
liberally to its sup|x)rt. He served as class-
leader of his church, and he erected a house
of worship, called Shiloh church, on his
farm in I'nion township. There is also
upon the old homestead a cemetery known
as the .Avery cemetery, which his father,
Robert .\very, donated to the township. He
belonged to the Ma.sonic fraternity, and
was thoroughly conver.sant with its work,
its teachings,, and its tenets. He owned
a home in .Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where
he lived ■while educating his children. The
cause of education found in him a warm
friend, and he was a helpful supporter of the
Iowa Weslcyan College, holding six scholar-
shi]5s therein, and making frequent and
generous donations thereto. His life was
honorable, his actions manly and sincere,
and the world is better for his having lived.
He died Dec. 13, 1888, but his memory is
yet cherished by many friends as well as his
immediate family. In politics he was a
stanch Rei)ul)lican.

HENRY RITTER.

Honorable Henry Ritter is now living
a retired life at his beautiful home at 1837
Sunnyside .Avenue, in Burlington. For
many years his activity in the business world
was continuous and far-reaching, and as the
result of his close application to his work,
his persistence of purpose, and his honor-
able dealing, he has -won great success and
also an untarnislud name in business and

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

405

social circles. He has been honored with
the highest office in the gift of the people of
the city and has been representative of this
district in the State Legislature, which office
he is still holding. Henry Ritter is a son
of John C. and Mary (Kiintz) Ritter, and
was born in Ft. Madison, Lee county, Iowa,
Oct. ig, 1852. His father was a native of
Prussia, and was born Sept. 10, 1817. After
serving the Prussian army for two years he
came to America in 1842 by way of Balti-
more, and settled first in Smithland, Ky.,
where he learned the trade of bricklaying
and brickmaking. His residence in Smith-
land, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio, lasted for
some three years, when he moved to St.
Louis, Mo., where he remained for a few
years engaged in the burning of brick.
Soon after this he came to Iowa and located
in Ft. Madison, bought a strip of ground,
and in 1847 began to manufacture all kinds
of brick. He was thus employed till his
death, Avhich occurred July 29, 1885. His
life was honest and upright, and he was a
genuine pioneer leader. He belonged to the
Democratic party, and was township trustee
of Washington township, Lee countv, for
some years. The mother of our subject came
to this country with her parents when about
eleven or twelve years of age. They settled
in Des Moines county in 1848, locating on
a farm in what is known as the Hunt settle-
ment, about three miles south of Burlington.
She was married in 1849 and died in 1867,
having been the mother of ten children, of
whom five are living: Henry, of this re-
view ; John, married Anna Gahn, and is a
brickmaker residing in Burlington ; Joseph,
a twin of John, married Miss Ellie Burger,
of Deadwood, S. Dak., and lives in lona, S.
Dak., on a ranch : Mary, is the wife of
Frank Weidman, who works in the Chicago,

Burlington & Quincy Railroad shops n\
West Burlington; Benedict V., is engaged
in brickmaking in Denver, Colo. Mr. Ritter
received his substantial education in the
parochial schools of Ft. Madison and in
Pierson Business College of the same city.
He attended during winter terms only, and
worked the rest of the year. He remained
under the parental roof till he was about
twenty years of age, and learned all the arts
of brickmaking with his father. His first
situation with strangers was that of a clerk
in the grocery store of A. C. Cattermole, in
Ft. Madison. Oct. 29, 1872, he came to
Burlington, and entered the large grocery
of H. E. Hunt on Main Street as clerk, and
later as bookkeeper, where he was engaged
for the following si.x winters. The summer
months were spent by him conducting a
brickyard for his father. In 1876 he started
a brickyard of his own on Sunnyside Ave-
nue, where he employed a great many men
making all kinds of brick for Iowa and Illi-
nois markets. After some twenty-seven
years in this business he sold out his brick-
yard, and has been retired since 1904.

Nov. 28. 1876, Mr. Ritter was married to
Miss Minnie Vorwerk, daughter of Anton
and Clara (Eversman) \'orwerk. Mrs.
Ritter was born in Burlington, Iowa, July
20, 1854, and received her first instructions
in the private school of Miss Mercy Lewis,
and later pursued her studies in St. Paul's
parochial school, which was the first school
to have sisters known as Blessed Virgin
Mary's. Mr. Vorwerk -was born in Olden-
burg, Germany, Dec. 8, 1827, and came to
America in 1849, niaking the trip in an old-
time sailing vessel in one hundred days, land-
ing in New Orleans, where Mr. Vorwerk
celebrated his twenty-first birthday. He lo-
cated in Quincy. 111., where he became pro-

406

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ficient in the trade of a cooper. In 1850 he
came to Biirlin^on and worked at the
cooper shop of W'iUiani Eversnian, who is
an uncle of his wife, on the comer of Sev-
enth and Arch Streets, at a very low salary.
Hy close economy he was able to accumu-
late enough money to buy a lot on Sixth
Street, between Franklin and Iowa, and
built a small brick residence, the work be-
m^ executed by Simeon Russell and Henry
Stansbeck. Shortly after this he purchased
a lot adjoining his home, and o])ened a
cooper shop of his own, emjjloying twenty
to twenty-five men making barrels for
Schenck's pork house, Moir's distillery at
Oquawka, and Sunderland's flour mill. At
the end of twelve years his iiealtli failed, and
he moved to I'lint River township, where he
bought a farm, upon which he lived very
prosperously till 1900, when he retired from
farming and caiue to Hurlington to reside.
Mr. Vorwerk married Miss Clara Evers-
nian, Oct. 4, 1853, on her twentieth birthday.
She was born in Eburg, Hanover, Germany,
and came to America in 1849 when about
sixteen years of age, and made her home
with her uncle, William Eversman, -where
she met her future husband. Mr. and Mrs.
Vorwerk have hail eleven children, seven
of w-hom are living: Minnie, Mrs. Ritter,
wife of our subject : .\nna. married Joseph
Fisher, and lives on the old home place in
I-'lint River township, and has si.x children ;
Lizzie, the wife of Frank Beckman, a dry-
goods merchant of Rurlington, and they
have six children ; Clara, married Theodore
Raucnbuehler, of West Point, a butcher in
Hurlington, and they have four children ;
Mary, the wife of George Kestner, a farmer
on the Mason road in Burlington. Mr. and
Mrs. Kestner have three children; Dr. A.
H. Vorwerk, married Catherine Winkcl. of

Bancroft, Iowa, and resides in Burlington,
where he has been the county physician for
the ])ast two years ; Hattie, married A. H.
Demsey, a grtxrer of liurlington. Mr. and
.Mrs. \orwerk are spending the evening of
their lives at their ])leasant home on the cor-
ner of Garden and Iowa Streets. They have
celebrated their golden wedding, a blessing
which falls on a few only, and were happy
to have around them at the home of their
daughter, Mrs. Ritter, all of their children
and grandchildren.

.•\s the years passed Mr. and Mrs. Ritter
had six children adtled to their household ;
but they have been greatly atllicted, as death
has claimed all of these bright children but
one : Clara was Ixirn in Burlington, June
25, 1878, educated in Burlington and Quin-
cy, and on July 2, 1902, became the wife of
Nicholas Conner, who publishes three news-
papers in Dubu(|ue, Iowa. — Catholic West-
cm, Luxcnburf^cr Gazette. lx)th printed in
German, and the Catholic Tribune, printed
in English. Mr. Conner was born in Cape
(Mrardeau, .Mo., July 8, 1871. Mr. and Mrs.
Conner have two children: .\nnie Minnie,
born Jan. 19, 1903, and Nicholas, born .\]iril
17. 1905: Emma was born Jan. 13, 1880,
and died Xov. 30, 1890; Anna Minnie, born
I^'eb. 5, 1882, was educated in the Burling-
ton schools and the ladies' seminary of
Quincy, 111. She was a fine artist and good
musician. Her death occurred Dec. 2. 1902,
at the age of twenty years : Harry, an ex-
ceedingly bright and capable boy, bom Dec.
15, 1885, received his early education in the
schools in Burlington, was graduated from
high school and had just entered St. Francis
Salanus College in Quincy, and while on his
Christmas vacation passed away Jan. 4,
i<)04. .Although but seventeen years of age
lie was a very fine violinist of rare abilitv :

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

407

Anton Herbert, born Aug. 14, 1893, died
Nov. I, 1893. The deceased children are all
buried in Sacred Heart cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Ritter are devoted and con-
sistent members of St. John's Catholic
church, of which church the former is a
member of the finance committee. Mr. Rit-
ter is also a member of St. John's Benevo-
lent Society and the Roman Catholic Mutual
Protective of Iowa. In politics he has
always been a leader in the Democratic
party, and has devoted much time and at-
tention to the promotion and advancement
of the same. In 1888 he was elected alder-
man-at-large, and held this office with great
credit and ability till i8g6. In 1903 he was
the Democratic nominee as a representative
of the twentieth district to the State Legis-
lature, and was unanimously elected, defeat-
ing Peter Hanson, of Union township. By
amendment of the constitution Mr. Ritter
will hold over another term to the Legis-
lature, as the elections are now biennial in-
stead of annual.

While Mr. and Mrs. Ritter were in Des
Moines they made many warm friends, who
await their return with pleasure. In 1884
they erected their handsome residence on
Sunnyside Avenue, which joins Ritter's
park, also owned by Mr. Ritter, and the
whole place is one of the most modern and
attractive homes in the city. Since this
worthy couple lost their children they have
spent much time in traveling in all parts of
the United States. Surely Mr. Ritter is to
be congratulated upon the great success
with which he has met in business and social
circles. His early life was full of trials and
struggles, as he began empty handed, hav-
ing nothing to depend on except that which
his activity and industry brought him. His
days of labor were long and hard, but being

Ijlessed with a rugged constitution he was
enabled to toil on, and in the course of time
became one of the leading business men of
lUirlington, and later was enabled to retire
from active business and enjoy his labors
of the past. He is a man possessing a large,
warm heart, and his hundreds of friends
have long recognized in him one that is
true to himself as well as true and loyal to
others. His record in business was without
one blot, as he ever fulfilled his contracts to
the very letter, firmly believing that honesty
and uprightness in life are the best and safest
watchwords. He is blessed with a true and
loving wife, who has ever stood by his side
ready to assist at all times. Her kind and
loving deeds have reached many in distress,
and her quiet and beautiful manner, together
with her many accomplishments, have made
iier manv friends and admirers.

JAMES VANNICE.

James Vannice, who started out in
life for himself at a very early age, and
with a brave spirit and strong determina-
tion met the difficulties and obstacles that
lay in his path, has worked his way up-
ward to success, and is now classed with
the leading agriculturists of Des Moines
covmty. The experiences of pioneer life
in the wild West have been his, and for
many years his portion was that of unre-
mitting toil, but his persistency of pur-
pose and capable management have made
liim to-day one of the most prosperous
farmers of eastern Iowa.

Mr. Vannice claims Indiana as his
natal State, being born in Switzerland
county, Indiana, April 11, 1833. He came

4o8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of hardy ])ionecr stock, his great grand-
father having been one of the earliest set-
tlers of Kentucky. His grandfather,
Thomas X'annicc. was born in Kentucky,
and lived through the troublous times
when the early settlers were struggling
with the Indians for a footiinld in the
new country. The grandfather engaged
in a large number of Indian fights, when
the Indians had swooped down on the
feeble settlements to murder and destroy.
Later he moved to I'ennsylvania. and
there Abraham \ aniiici-. the lather of our
subject, was born and raised. In 1842 he
came to Iowa, locating in Des Moines
county, which was then all new. un-
broken land, without any settlements,
even Burlington being but a small place.
Here he took up land, and made his home
ill Yellow Springs township, until the
time of his death, which occurred in 18^)5,
he being at that time aged sixty-five
years. His widow, the mother of our sub-
ject, died in i88f>. at the age of ninety-
three years. They botii are buried in
Kossuth cemetery. They were the par-
ents of eight children, of whom James is
the third in ])()int of l)irth.

James \annice was only nine years old
when he came with his parents to Iowa,
but he had to assume the heavy burdens
of pioneer life soon after. He had very
meager chances for receiving any school-
ing, attending only about a week before
leaving Indiana, where he went to a
school kept in an old log house by a
young girl who was employed by private
subscription by the parents of the few
children who could attend, .\fter com-
ing to Yellow .S])rings townshi|), he was
able to attend but very little because of
the illness of his parents. His father was

a semi-invalid, so that from the time that
James was twelve years of age he was
the main su])port of the family. iMjrtu-
nately he had a thoughtful and reflective
mind, an observant disposition, and by
reading the pa])ers kept close watch on
the i)assing world, so that in due time he
became what might be fairly and justly
termed a well-informed man, a knowledge
largely acquired by himself, but none the
less, in the broadest meaning of the term,
an education, genuine and real. He has
been a subscriber to the I'urlington
llowk-Ilyc for over forty-five years.

( )n first coming to Iowa, the \'annice
family settled in Henton township, but
remained there only a short lime. nio\ ing
to a farm a little north of Mediai)olis. A
little later they moved onto the farm in
Section 3. \'ellovv Springs township,
where .Mr. \'annice now is, and have
made that their home ever since. They
were among the first white inhabitants
of the county, tlu- country being yet a
desolate and pathless wilderness. Indians
were very ])lentiful. and .Mr. \'annice re-
members that in going after the cows he
would have to follow the Indians trails.
On the farm which he now owns, there
was then located an Indian burying
ground. Here lie has met many of the
redskins while at his work, but was never
molested.

March 14. i86[. .Mr. \annice was
united in marriage to .Miss Paulina
Howe, daughter of .Macaijah and Sarah
(Miller) Howe. She was also a native of
the "Hoosier" State, being born in W'ash-
ington county. Indiana. Aug. 3. 1838. and
coming to ISenton township, Des Moines
county, when she was si.x years old. Her
mother died before the family left Indi-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

409

ana. Her father died in Benton township
in October, 1883, and her steii-niother
died in this county in 1002. Mr. and Mrs.
Vannice became tlie parents of eight chil-
dren, all hut one being still living, as fol-
lows: Ila Matilda, Peter, Andrew, James
Grant, Silenas, George, John, and Rosa,
who died at the age of four years.

Mr. V^annice has seen the land emerge
from primitive conditions to one of the
most favored spots on the continent of
America, covered with cities and villages,
churches and schools, furnishing the ne-
cessities and luxuries of life to thou-
sands of residents, and pouring forth a
steady stream of wealth to sustain the
workers of many a distant metropolis and
foreign land. He has borne a large and
important part in bringing about these
remarkable changes, this marvelous and
incomparable , development, this miracle
which has made the wilderness to bloom
and bring forth fruit abundantly. He was
considered one of the greatest workers in
the entire country, and bears the record
of having in one season cut, with the old-
fashioned cradle, seventy acres of grain.
It was by unremitting hard work that he
has accomplished what he has, and at-
tained his present degree of success.

He now owns two hundred and seven
acres of improved land in Yellow Springs
and Benton townships, besides fifty-nine
acres of timber near Kingston. His farm
lands are in an admirable state of cultiva-
tion, a fact which unmistakably proclaims
the possession of business ability of no
mean order. Moreover all the improve-
ments which now grace this immense
farm are of his own inauguration, as it
was entirely without buildings or other
improvements when first purchased. He

himself broke the sod with oxen. He has
become noted throughout the country for
his hardy endurance ; and this quality, so
helpful to the pioneer, has enabled him
to make his farm one of the finest in the
country. He has the place well stocked
with fruit trees of various kinds, and also
raises a great many cattle. He breeds
the Shorthorn and Hereford stock, and
sells a great many feeders and beef cattle.
Mr. Vannice's family has enjoyed all
the advantages of a sound Christian
training, for both he and his estimable
wife are consistent adherents of the
Methodist Episcopal faith, supporting the
church in a liberal manner, and contrib-
uting to the work of the denomination in
all its various branches. To his duties
as a citizen he has been no less faithful
and attentive, taking part in the political
aiTairs of county. State, and nation as a
member of the Republican party, whose
principles approximately rejnx'sent his
views of American governmental science.
He is now well past the allotted span of
threescore years and ten, and the life thus
])rolonged has been filled with success
and honor, while its latter years find him
enjoying the respect of all and the friend-
ship of many because of his kindly nature
and the sterling manhood of his character.

ANDY VANNICE.

Andy V.vnnice, junior member of the
successful and well-known firm of Van-
nice & Wichhart, who own a blacksmith
shop and manufacture wagons and car-
riages, is a son of James and Polina
(Howe) Vannice, and a native of Yellow

410

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Springs township, being born June i,
1865. His father is an honest and highly
respected farmer of Yellow S])rings town-
ship whose sketch appears on another
page in this work.

Our subject received a fair education in
the schools of his home place, and spent
his boyhood and early manhood on his
father's farm, learning much that would
be of great value to him in his chosen
vocation in life. It is often the practical
knowledge of the wants and actual neces-
sities of the average farmer that leads
many men to abandon farm work and
turn their attention to blacksmithing and
the manufacture of farm implements. It
was with this intention that Mr. Vannice
left the farm in 1891 and came to Mediap-
olis, where he purchased a half interest in
the blacksmith slio]). and also bought a
half interest in an establishment for the
manufacture of wagons and carriages.

In one year he bought out his partner,
and continued alone till 1898, when he
took Charles W'ichhart, whose sketch
also appears in this volume, into the busi-
ness as a full partner. Their shop was
built in 1900 by the present firm, and is
fifty by thirty-six feet, having an engine-
room attached, which is twelve by twenty
feet, with a four-horse gasoline engine
which runs their wood and metal working
machines. The upj)cr floor of this build-
ing is confined to painting and varnishing
and storing of buggies. They also have
another one-story building, eighteen by
twenty feet, which is used entirely as a
store-room. They are located on the
corner of Orchard and Columbia Streets,
an<l their shoji is well e(|ui])pe(l for gen-
eral blacksmithing, re])airing. and the
making of wagons and carriages, having

two metal-working machines, as well as
a number of wood machines. It is the
largest shop of the kind in Mediapolis.

Xov. 2J, i8<>5, Mr. \'annice married
Miss Mary Rlanche Deets, daughter of
William and Elizabeth (Kline) Deets.
They are the parents of two sons and one
daughter, Ruth, Paul, and Raymond.
Politically, Mr. Vannice is a stanch Re-
publican. Fraternally, he is a member of
the Independent Order Odd Fellows and
the Modern Woodmen, in which orders
he has held all of the offices. He was
elected a member of the town council,
which office he is now filling with
efficiency and to the satisfaction of all.
He is respected by all who know him.

JAMES W. ENKE.

J.\Mi:s \\ . Enke is an extensive
farmer and stock dealer of W'ashington
township, where in trade circles his name
is honored because he has ever been
found reliable and trustworthy. Mr.
Enke was born near Morning Sun, Louisa
county, Iowa, Sept. 21, 1856. The father
was born in the State of Pennsylvania,
and came to Iowa about 1855, locating in
Louisa county; here he was engaged in
general farming and stock-raising until
1872, when he purchased a farm of eighty
acres in Des Moines county, and lived
there till about ten years ago, when he
moved to Winfield, Henry county, and
bought another farm.

As Mr. Enke is now seventy-six years
old, he has given up the management of
this farm to one of his children. He was
raised in the Quaker faith. l)ul is now a

p]
Z

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

413

member of the United Presliytcrian
church. In politics he belongs to the Re-
publican party. His wife, who departed
this life Aug. 7, 1889, was born in Ohio,
and came to Iowa after her marriage.

death. She was the mother of fi\-e chil-
dren, three of whom still remain.

Mr. and Mrs. Enke have known each
other all their lives. They started to school
at the same time, and grew up together.

She was a conscientious member of the As the years came and went a son and a

Methodist church. They were the par-
ents of nine children, seven of whom are
still living, James W. being the only one
residing in Washington township.

Our subject lived near Morning Sun
till he was six years old, and attended
the city schools there for a short time.

daughter were added to the household- of
Mr. and Mrs. Enke, both of whom are
living: Nettie Ermina, is the wife of E. J.
Barton, a farmer of Washington township,
and is the son of Joseph Barton, whose
sketch will also he found in this book.
Mr. and Mrs. Barton have two children:

After his parents moved to Washington James Otis, and Lois Pearl. Emmer

township he was enabled to pursue his
studies a little further, but when about
thirteen or fourteen j'ears of age he was
obliged to quit school and work on his
father's farm, where he remained till he
reached his majority. He then started
out on his own responsibility, first rent-
ing a farm near Yarmouth, where he re-

Lesley married Miss Cora Chandler, and
resides in Louisa county, just across the
road from his father's home. They are the
parents of two children : Cecil James, and
Lloyd Lesley.

Mr. and Mrs. Enke are prominent and
influential members of the Methodist
church, where the former has been an

mained one year; he afterward came back esteemed class leader for the past eight

to Washington township, and for a few years. He is a trustee and the district

years rented his present farm of eighty steward of the church, and also the

acres on Section 5. As time advanced efficient superintendent of the Sunday-

and Mr. Enke was successful in his farm- school. He was also elected as lay dele-

ing and stock-raising, and was enabled to gate from Mt. Llnion to the lay electoral

lay by a neat little sum each year, so that conference held at Muscatine in '93. Mr.

he soon bought this farm, and has lived Enke has always given his political alle-

there ever since. He has improved and
beautified the place a great deal, and
takes much pleasure in seeing that every
part of it is well cared for.

Mr. Enke married Miss Mary Peel,
daughter of S. K. Peel, a pioneer farmer

giance to the Republican party, and has
ever been ready to assist in the fight for
their victories, but has never cared to
hold office of any kind. He is a man of
broad principles and helpful characteris-
tics, and during his long residence in

of Des Moines county, now a resident of Washington township has made his in-
Mt. Union. Mrs. Enke's mother was fluence felt in the promotion of the wel-
born in Madison county, Ohio, and died fare of the community. He and his
about twenty-four years since. In girl- worthy wife enjoy the respect and friend-
hood she united with the Presbyterian ship of all who have the pleasure of their
church, and remained faithful to it till her acquaintance.

+ 14

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

DAVID LEONARD.

David LkhnarJ). for many years promi-
nently identified ■with the public life of Des
Moines county, was bom March 12, 18 16,
in the State of Pennsylvania, and there re-
ceived his early education. His father. Rev.
,^bner Leonard, who also in later life be-
came well known in Des Moines county,
was likewise a native of Pennsylvania,
where he was born Dec. 13, 1787. was
reared, educated, and ordained into the
ministry of the Presbyterian church, a vo-
cation which he faithfully followed thrfuigh-
out the entire course <if his long and use-
ful life. At an early day he removed to
Truro, Ohio, and in 1842 he decided that
the field of greatest usefulness for the labors
of his sacred calling was the West, for
which reason he again removed in that year,
locating for a time at Burlington, later
erecting a small brick cottage just south of
the village of West Burlington, where the
remainder of his life was passed, lie pur-
ciiased a small farm of Mr. A. Bell, to which
he made subsequent additions, so that at
the time of his death he owned a tract of
seventy acres of fine agricultural lands.

Tn his native State he was united in mar-
riage to -Miss Elizabeth Letterman, who was
born June 27, 1788, and to them were born
in that .State five sons, one of whom died in
infancy, these being Hiram, Aaron, Levi,
David, and Isaac. Four sons grew to man-
hood's estate in Pennsylvania and Ohio ; but
all are now deceased, with the exception of
the youngest, Isaac, born in .\ugust, 1833,
and a veteran of the Civil War, who is now
a resident of Xew Jersey. The demise of
Rev. Leonard occurred at West Burlington.
Oct, 30, 1856, and that of his wife on Oct.
18, 1864, thus depriving the community of

two of its most valued members, for theirs
was the affection of all who knew them,
anil Rev. Leonard combined in his character
the simple Christian virtues and unusual
talents which made him a power for right
and for the uplifting of mankind.

David Leonard, the subject of this re-
view, taught school for a time at Truro,
Ohio, after the removal of his parents to
that place, but on coming to Iowa he estab-
lished himself in the nursery business, de-
voting the remainder of his business life to
the culture and sale of shrubbery and fruit
trees of choice varieties, in which he was
very successful : and by the application of
sound judgment and unfailing industry,
aided by the reputation which he acquired
for strict and invariable iiUcgrity in all his
dealings, he ac(|uired a very comfortable
competence, and rose to an important sta-
tion in the community. In his political
affiliation Mr. Leonard was originally a
Whig, and on the formation of the Repub-
lican ])arty he became a member of that or-
ganization, for the success of which he ever
after labored with earnestness and ability,
devoting much of his time and eflfort to
I)olitics and to public life, and being at one
time elected to the office of county super-
visor of Des Moines county, a position in
which he served with credit to himself and
benefit to his constituents. Ever desirous
to ])romote the general welfare by all
proper means within his power, he acted as
captain nf a company of the Home Guards
during the perilous period of the Civil War.
He always evinced great interest in the
cause of education, being for many years a
trustee of Iowa College, at Grinnell, where
his services were appreciated as most help-
ful, and he was considered one of the most
zealous and efficient members of the board

DRS MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

415

of trustees. His was a deep religious nature,
and although reared in the Presbyterian faith,
he later entered the Congregational church,
in which for a long term of years he held the
office of deacon, contributing generously to
the support of all the church charities and
various movements for the triumph of re-
ligion.

On March 2. 1841, Mr. Leonard was
united in marriage to Aliss Mary S. Dustin,
who was born Aug. 24, 1821, the daughter
of Nathan and Sarah Ann (Carpenter)
Dustin, and to them were born three sons
and two daughters : Howard, born Jan. 14,
1842, enlisted as a soldier in the Iowa
\'olunteer Infantry, and after a military
service of five months died in hospital as a
result of exposure on March 18, 1862.
Ann Eliza, born June 28, 1845, was mar-
ried on June 18, 1867, to Abner Clark
Leonard, who was born Sept. 9. 1847, son
of Hiram and Elizabeth (Patterson) Leon-
ard, and died, leaving four children, as
follows : Lillia May. who died at the age
of eighteen months ; Nathan Herbert, now
a resident of Illinois, who married Miss
Mamie Helen Paine, daughter of Peter B.
Paine, and has three children, Helen Dustin,
Howard Paine and Edith ; Abner Clark,
who died at about the age of nine months ;
and Charles Sumner, now living with his
mother, married ;\Iiss Pansy Lucile Price,
daughter of Jay F. and Emma Ruth
(Ewing) Price. David Hale, the third
child of David and Mary S. Leonard, was
born March 31, 1853, and died Sept. 22,
1854. Charles Sumner, the fourth child,
was born Dec. 30, 1855, and died Aug. 30,
1864. Lillia. the youngest, was born July
5, 1863, and died July 8, 1863. Mr. Leon-
ard's constant and extensive public activities
brought him into contact with all the lead-

ers of thought and action in this part of
Iowa, and he was widely known for his
public spirit, his high ideals, and his great
practical ability. His name was a household
word in countless homes, and the genial and
kindly qualities of his nature made friends
for him wherever he was known, while his
ability and upright course of life in all the
human relations which he formed won him
a host of admirers, and gave him the abso-
lute confidence and respect of all. His
death occurred Feb. 12, 1884, and that of
his wife on Feb. 21, 1894, and thus passed
away the older representatives of a family
to which much honor is due for its share in
the upbuilding of the community in which its
lot is cast, as well as for the high personal
character which distinguishes its members.

CHARLES JOHN ANDERSON.

Charles Johx Anderson, well kncAvn to
man}- of the people of Burlington as a
worthy member of the Swedish element,
which forms so large and valuable a por-
tion of the city's population, was born Aug.
20, 1827, in Sweden, a son of Andrew and
Sarah (Mansdaughter) Anderson. It was
in his native land that he received his edu-
cation, his teacher being his mother, as
there were at that time no public schools in
Sweden, now so justly famed for her mar-
velous educational system. The years of
his youth and early manhood he devoted to
the work on a farm, and also did consider-
able repair work for neighboring property
owners. His parents having died a short
time before, he came to America in 187 1,
coming direct to Des Moines county, where
he worked on a farm near Burlington for

4l6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

a Mr. Avery. In 1S74 he married Miss Eva
Johnson, dauglitcr of J(jhn and Sophia
Swanson, and after buying a house and a
two-acre Kit, he contiiuicfl farm work, work-
ing by the day thereafter. Five years
later he sold the house and lot, and pur-
chased a farm of f<irty acres at a cost of
$1,000, on which, in 1887, he erected a fine
modern residence. Here Mr. and Mrs.
Anderson continued to make their iiome
until 1902, when they sold their farm and
purchased their present home at 912 Foster
Street, where they have since resided.

Mrs. Anderson, like her husband, is a
native of Sweden, where she was born Dec.
27, 1828, and was trained by her mother in
reading, writing, and arithmetic, besides
weaving and all kinds of domestic em-
ployments. She came to Ainerica and
to Burlington in 1868, and was here em-
ployed in a number of well-known families
until her marriage with Mr. Anderson.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have relinquished
their part in active affairs, and are now
leading a retired life at their pleasant home.
They are consistent members of the Swedish
Methodist Ejjiscopal church, and Mr.
Anderson takes an interest in public affairs
as a supporter of the Republican party. He
has been successful in a pecuniary sense, and
enjoys the general regard and esteem for
Ills tint', inaiilv character.

JOHN WADDEL.

JmiN \\'.\oi)i:i„ at one time a resident
of Des Moines county, wds born in
Fayette county, Ohio, and is nund)ered
among the old pioneer settlers, whose
labors have laid broad and strong the

foundation of the present ]>rosperity and
|)rogress of this part of the State. Travel-
ing across the country by wagon in 1838.
he eventually arrived liere in the month
of l)ecend)cr, and settled on a farm a
little .south of the village of .\orthfield.
.Subser|uently he removed to Huron town-
ship, where lie resided until i8<j2, when
|)utting aside business cares, he took up
his abode in Kossuth, and li\ed retired
imtil called to his final rest.

.Mr. W'addel was married to .Miss .Mary
.\nii Howery, a daughter of John and
Hannah ('I'rout) Howery. a native of
Hamilton. lUitler county, ( )hio, born May
17, 1826. She became a resident of this
county when seventeen years of age, and
was married h'ere. I'or many years Mr.
and Mrs. W'adtlel traveled life's journey
iia])|iily together, as respectefl and worthy
farming peo])le. 'i"he wife died Feb. 28.
i8<)0. wliile .Mr. W'addel jiassed away
.March 10, 18(^4. They were the parents
of twelve children : James, who died at
the age of si.xteen years; Catherine, the
wife of J. Hugh lUanchard, went to()kla-
lioma : Robert C. married .\gnes Han-
nuni. anil lives near I'urlington ; Samuel,
who married Sophia W'oolsey, resides at
( )klahoma : .Mary, the widow of Frank
l-'riedman, is a resident of Kossuth ; W'ill-
iani married Ella Kerr, and makes his
home in Huron township; David married
Eliza Williams, and lives in Missouri"
Sarah Elizabeth, the wife of Oliver A.
W'addel: I'^leanor is the wife of Richard
Danc\', and resides al Kossuth ; and
.*susan, who married Joiiii White, lives
in \'ellow S])rings township. Mr. W'addel
died very suddenly, of heart failure, and
the community mourned the loss of one
of its representative pioneer settlers.

DES MOINES ■COUNTY, IOWA.

417

Mrs. Friedman, to whom we are in-
debted for the material furnished in this
sketch, was married on June 25, 1885, to
Frantz Paul Friedman, born Sept. 2,
1858, son of John Friedman, and a native
of Riceville, Wis. Three days prior to
his marriage he came to Huron township,
Des Moines county, and immediately aft-
erward went to Greenleaf, Ivans., where
he was engaged in business as a carpen-
ter and contractor until his death, which
occurred two years later, on July 1 1, 1887.
He left two children : Charles Robert,
liorn May 4, 1886; and Mary I^'rantz, born
July 21, 1887.

The birth of Mrs. Friedman occurred
Aug. 20, 1854, in Huron township, and
for half a century she has been a witness
of the events which have occurred to
frame the history of the county. In her
girlhood days, when living with her par-
ents, the only residence was a log cabin.
She occupied this until si.xteen .years of
age, when her father erected a frame
house, for which purpose he purchased
the first car-load of lumber that ever
came to Mediapolis. Mr. Waddel and his
family were typical pioneer residents, in-
terested in all that pertained to the wel-
fare and upbuilding of this portion of
the State. The work which Mr. Waddel
did for the improvement of Des Moines
county made him one of its valued citizens.

SAMUEL WADDEL.

Samuel Waddel is a retired farmer
living in Kossuth, and an honored pio-
neer settler of Des Moines county. The
first known representative of the family

in America was James Waddell (for so
the name was then spelled), who crossed
the Atlantic from County Derry, Ireland.
His grandfather participated in the siege
of Ireland by the Spanish.

It was in the colonial days that James
Waddell (born March 17, 1733), came to
the Xew World. His brothers, Samuel
and Francis, were soldiers of the Ameri-
can army throughout the Revolutionary
War, while James was also in the conflict
for a time.

They settled in Hagerstown, Md., and
later went to Pennsylvania, near Pitts-
burg, making the journey overland. From
that point they proceeded down the C)hio
River to Kentucky, and about twelve
years later located in Ross county, Ohio,
at a place then called Oldtown, but later
named Frankfort. There the brothers
jjurchased land, but subsequently re-
moved to Fayette county, Ohio, settling
near Washington Courthouse. Still later,
however, they returned to Ross county,
establishing their home near Greenfield.

James Waddell made his home in Ross
county until his death, and his remains
were interred in the Concord cemetery.
His wife bore the maiden name of Mary
Courtney, and after the death of her hus-
band came to Iowa, with her son John,
spending her last days in Huron town-
ship, where she died in 1845, at the age
of eighty-four years. Her grave is now
in a cemetery in that township.

John Waddel, father of our subject,
accompanied his parents on their \'arious
removals during his youth ; and follow-
ing the death of his father he removed to
Des Moines county, Iowa, in 1839. Here
he purchased four hunilred and fourteen
acres of land, all lying in Huron township

4l8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

save a tract of tliirly-four acres, wliich
was ill Yellow Sprinj^fs towiislii]). \\ ith
cliaractcristic ciu-rj^y aiul in true i)ioiieer
style he began the (levelo])nient of liis
farm, which in later years he divided
among liis children.

The In<lians had practically gone from
this pari of the country when he estah-
lisheil his home here: hut in 1840 a band
of about thirty came through the district,
and sto])pe(l at an old log farm house,
wliich was situated one-half mile east of
llu' \\ addel hi>me, and owned by W ni.
Kankiii. That night one of the s(|uaws
gave birth to a papoose, and the follow-
ing morning the ])arty started on their
way, the scpiaw being ])lace(I on to]) of a
large sled load of provisions. wraf)i)ed in
furs. Later the Indians went into cam])
on Mini Creek. These were the only red
men that Mr. Waddcl ever saw in this
country, save two w!io afterward stayed
all night at his home: Samuel W'addel
was at iliai lime a small lad, yet he re-
nuMnbers vividly ihe visit of the two
Indians.

Samuel Waddel and his two sisters re-
mained with ihe father until his death,
and as the two sisters never married, .Mr.
W'addel, of this review, took care of the
old homestead farm for them until thev
also imssed away. He is now in the eve-
ning of life, living alone in his pleasant
home in Kossuth, where he took u]) his
abode in i8f/). lie lakes his meals wilii
his niece, who lives near by, but kee])S
U|) a separate household. In the year
mentioned he sold the t)ld home farm to
\'ictor Lung, and is now Ii\ing retired.
Se])l. 7, ii;oo, he purchased the old
Kossuth College and grounds, ;m<l has
given a free lease of the same lo the

Mediapolis Chautauqua Association, which
hoi<Is annual meetings there.

Coming in pioneer times to Iowa, Mr.
\\'ad<lel has seen this country when it
was a vast, unbroken tract of prairie ; and
has watched the development and prog-
ress which have since Ijeen wrought, un-
til the wild district has been changed into
one of the mi>st prosperous sections of the
country. He has done his full share to
bring about this result, has aided in up-
building the natural resources of the
State, and has been very liberal in his
su])]A)rt of all measures for the jiublic
good along the lines of moral, intellectual,
and material progress.

He cast his first presidential vote for
Zachary Taylor, and also voted for Fill-
more. .*since the organization of the Re-
publican ])arly he has been one of its
stanch advocates. He has never held
office, save that of road su])ervisor. He
has long been a member of the Kossuth
Presbyterian cliurch. and. is now serving
as one of its elders.

Ueing a public-spirited man he has
always taken a great interest in the up-
building of the community, and its gen-
eral advancement. He was an advocate
for the cause of religion and education,
and is numbered among the leading rep-
resentative men of Des Moines county.
He <loes all in his power, personally and
financially, lo help jiromote any and all
enterprises of ;i imhlic nature, and for the
public good.

JOHN WILLIAM WADDLE.

For more than sixty-five years the
Waddle family has been assiKiated with the
annals of IJes Moines county, Iowa\ and

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

419

during that long period its record has been
an honorable one. Its various members have
been noted for their industry and integrity;
and while these characteristics have given
them standing in the agricultural and busi-
ness circles of the cornmunity, their kindly
disposition and general good-fellowship have
made and retained for them a host of friends.
Men can not live the friendly life without
finding friends ; and those who live neigh-
bors, find neighbors everywhere. " We see
what we are." The Waddles have been good
neighbors, kind friends, and honorable men
for long years, and have delighted in the
friends they found and the neighbors that
abounded. While these principles are true
of all, they seem especially illustrated in
the career of the Waddle whose name heads
this article.

John William Waddle is a native son of
Huron township, being born here on June
20, 185 1, and making this his home through-
out his entire life. He was the son of John
and Mary (Howery) Waddle, who were
among the pioneers who opened up this part
of the country to settlement.

The father was a native of the Buckeye
State, being born in Ross county, Ohio, in
1817, and coming to Iowa in 1840. The
mother, who also claimed Ohio as her natal
State, was born in Washington county, that
State, in 1827. They became the parents of
twelve children, as follows : James, Kath-
erine, Robert C, Samuel M., John W., Mary
B., David B., Elizabeth S., Margaret E.,
Susanna B., and two that died in infancy,
not named.

John W. \\"addle received his education in
the district schools, supplementing the book-
learning thus acquired by the reading of
his later'years and a thorough knowledge of
men, as well as of the practical affairs of the

farm and the neighboring community. He
was united in marriage, Feb. 19, 1879, to
Miss Ella I. Kerr, daughter of Robert A.
and Catherine (Luckinbill) Kerr. She was
a native of Iowa, born on May 30, i860.
Her father, Robert A. Kerr, was born in
South Salem, Ross county, Ohio, Oct. 2,
1835 ; and the mother, Catherine Luckinbill,
was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, Dec.
15, 1838. They were united in marriage on
June 22, 1858, and were the parents of only
one child, Ella, wife of our subject. ]Mr.
and Airs. Kerr were also pioneers of the
early days of Des Moines county, coming
here from Ohio in 1844, when the country
was comparatively new. Most of the sur-
rounding country was still covered with
timber and untouched by the plowshare.
They bravely withstood all the hardships of
the difficult task of opening up the country
to civilization, and lived to see many won-
derful changes, always doing their full share
toward the bringing about of these improve-
ments.

To Mr. and Airs. Waddle has been born
one son, Benjamin E., born March 23,
1884, who makes his home with them on
the home place. They own a beautiful large
farm of one hundred seventy acres of the
richest farming land in the county, located
in Sections 15, 16, and 27, in Huron town-
ship. The land is all under cultivation, and
well cared for, so that its fertility seems to
be added to from year to year, instead of
being diminished. The farm is well equipped
with the best implements and modern facil-
ities for making agriculture a scientific,
business-like pursuit. The family occupies a
very pleasant home, in which thev are sur-
rounded by the material comforts and many
of the luxuries, and it is a center of hospi-
tality for many friends. Besides a general

420

BIOGRAPHICAL RfiVIEll'

farming business, Mr. Waddle raises about
forty head of fine cattle, and from fifty to
sixty Duroc Jersey red hogs annually. He is
enterprising, public-spirited, and a believer
in jjrogress, and his influence and activ-
ities have been valuable to the community in
which he lives. Gifted with a capacity for
friendship and a pleasing personality, he
has won the general respect of all who
know him.

RICHARD LOGAN.

Ricii.VRD Logan, one of the most en-
terprising and progressive agriculturists of
I-'ranklin township, was born upon the old
family homestead Oct. 28. 1859. and at the
usual age entered the public schools,
wherein he acquired a good practical Eng-
ish education. During the periods of vaca-
tion he worked in the fields, and thus became
familiar with all the departments of farm
labor.

Since putting aside his text-books he has
given his undivided attention to agricul-
tural pursuits, buying his first forty acres of
land when he was twenty-one years of age.
It did not have a iiousc on it. In 1890, hav-
ing done well, he bouglit the adjoining farm
of one hundred and fifty-two acres, known
as the Thomas Ratliff farm. This was a
historic old |)lace, with a good house and
other buildings, where Mr. Logan makes his
residence now. He has since then added to
this, till now he has half a section all in one
body.

For some years he bred and sold Polled
Angus cattle for breeding purposes, but now
devotes his attention to raising and feeding,
selling one or more car-loads every year.
He was one of the organizers of the Medi-

apolis Mutual Telephone Company, and
helped to run the first farmers' line of tel-
ephone in his section.

Oct. 2, i8yo, Richard Logan was united
in marriage with Miss .\nna Todd, a daugh-
ter of .\ndrew and Margaret Todd, of
Franklin township. Her death occurred
Dec. ID, 1903, when she was thirty-six years
of age. Five children had been bom of that
marriage : Margaret T., born .\pril 29, 1891 ;
Samuel A., Nov. i, 1893: Richard W., Oct.
6, 1895; Everett R., June 28. 1899; and
Nellie Pearl, .April 2, 1901. With the ex-
ception of the youngest, all are in school.

Mr. Logan became a member of the Re-
formed Presbyterian church in 1890, but the
special congregation in which he placed his
membership has ceased to exist. In politics
he has ever been a stalwart Republican, thus
following in the political footsteps of his
father and grandfather. He takes a very
active interest in ])olitics, firmly supporting
every ])rinciple which he believes to be right.
He has been president of the school board
for fifteen years, and the cause of education
in this locality has profited by his efforts in
its behalf. Mr. Logan has a wide acquaint-
ance in his townshi]) and in Burlington, and
is known as an enterprising business man,
whose labors have been |)ractical. progress-
ive, and profitable.

SAMUEL LOGAN.

S.\MUEL Logan, following the occu-
])ation of farming in Franklin townshi])
was horn in Glens Falls, X. V., Oct. 30,
1830. His father. Richard Logan, was of
ICnglish or Irish descent, and came to
.\merica from Countv Derrv, Ireland,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

4-21

about three years before the l)irth of his
son Samuel. He had followed weaving
in his native country, but after crossing
the Atlantic to the New World, devoted
his attention to agricultural pursuits in
New York for some time. Eventually,
however, he came to the ^Middle West,
and died about a mile from the present
home of Samuel Logan, of this review.
He arrived here in 1851, and by judicious
investment and capably-managed busi-
ness interests, became a large landowner.
He wedded Mary Derr}-. who died about
1883, while Mr. Logan did not long survive,
passing away in 1887, his remains being
interred beside his wife at Linn Grove
cemetery.

Samuel Logan acquired his education
in the schools of Pittsburg, Pa., where he
also entered upon his business career by
working in a rolling-mill. He, too, came
to Des Moines county in 185 1, being then
a young man of twenty-one years, and
turned his attention to farming in Frank-
lin township, since which time he has
been actively interested in agricultural
pursuits here, winning a creditable meas-
ure of success as the years have gone by.

In 1858 Mr. Logan was united in mar-
riage to Miss Fannie Robinson, a
daughter of David Robinson, of Pitts-
burg, Pa. They have but one son, Rich-
ard, who is mentioned on another page
of this work, and who has become his
father's successor in the active work of the
farm, Samuel Logan having practically
retired from business life about fifteen
years ago. However, he still maintains
his residence upon the old homestead.
Through strict attention to business and
imtiring energy he has acquired a com-
fortable competence, and justl}- merits

the rest that he is now cnjo}ing. He has
lived in the county for more than a half
century, and is therefore numbered
among its pioneer settlers, to whom the
history of its development and progress is
well known.

CHARLES THADDEUS GRIGGS.

Charles Th.addeus Griggs, serving as
city marshal of Burlington, was born in
Madison, Ind., June 14, 1846, his parents
being William Mayhew and Malissa J.
(Shepherd) Griggs, the former a native of
Manchester, England, and the latter of
Bourbon county, Kentucky. Their mar-
riage was celebrated in Indiana. The
father was foreman of a packing house
at Madison, and was always identified
with that class of work. He died when
his son Charles was but four years of age,
and the mother afterward passed away at
New Albany, Ind., when seventy-six
years of age. They were the parents of
seven children, four sons and three
daughters, of whom two died when in
childhood. The others are Mary E., the
widow of Peter Huget, of New Albany,
Ind.; J. ^^'.. also of New Albany; Mrs.
Eliza E. McHugh. of Louisville, Ky. ;
Frank M., of New Albany; and Charles.

Following her husband's death the
mother removed to Louisville, Ky., and
there Charles T. Griggs attended the pub-
Ijc schools until twelve years of age, after
which he entered a flour mill and learned
the trade. He followed the milling busi-
ness for a number of years and estab-
lished a mill at Laconia. Ind., in connec-
tion with J. \^^ Griggs; but this was de-
stroyed by fire in 1885. He then resumed

422

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

work as a journeyman miller at Houston-
ville. Ky. lie visited Hurlin^ton in 1869,
and being ])leased witli the location he
established a grocery store, which he con-
ducted until 1873. In that year, how-
ever, he returned to Louisville, Ky.,
where he again worked at the milling
business. It was subse(|iient to this time
that he was owner of a mill at Laconia.
He came to ISurlington a second time
about 1893, and joined (leorge \V. Turner
in the connnission business as salesman
and l)uyer, being thus connected for
three years. He was afterwar<l ill for
two years, and after recovering his health
he became an active factor in political cir-
cles. He was appointed health inspector
under Mayor Mart|uardt, serving two
years, and during that time tiiere was a
smallpox siege, lasting about six months.
This made heavy demands upon his time
and attention, for it was necessary for
him to place guards, to attend to disin-
fecting, and establishing (|uar;mtin('s. In
April, 1904, he was a])])ointed (le])Uty city
marshal by .Mayor Caster, and is, in fact,
marshal. In this capacity he superin-
tends the posting of notices concerning
the paving of sidewalks and sewers, also
watches for street and alley obstructions,
and does much other effective service in
behalf of tlu- city, his offices being in the
city hall.

In ])()!ilics he is a standi l\ii)ulilican.
ami has siTvi-cl as city coinu-ilinaii for
two years, lie frccpuMitiy attends the
conventions of his ])arty. anil is untiring
in his efforts for its promotion. He was
also milk inspector, holding this position
through State apjiointment.

Not only in civic office has Mr. Griggs
manifested his lojalty to the public good,

but also in the field of militarN" action, for
at the age of sixteen years he enlisted as
a ilriver in the .\inth Indiana Infantry
under Cajjlain Ilezekiah ISrown. The
company was formed to drill at Indian-
a])olis and for two years was engaged in
driving cattle and taking supplies to the
army in the .'^outh, going fnjni Louisville
l)y train to the armies at (."hattanooga,
.\tlanta, Xashville, and other places. On
one occasion he was taken prisoner, while
on a sup])ly boat, the "I'elle Lee," on the
Tennessee River, the rebels taking the
l)rovisions ami then letting the pri.soners
go. On another occasion he was aground
on a sandbar in the Ohio River near
Caseyville, Ky.. when he was compelled to
empty his cargo int<_> the river, but he was
enabled to run bhjckade and escaped to
Evansville, Ind. .\t Stevenson, while
resting his cattle on the march, he was
cajnured by the rebels, who took him to
the IJellefont Landing on the Tennessee
Ri\ir. ami there he was paroled.

Mr. (iriggs was married in liurlington
on the 13th of March, 1873, to Miss Mar-
tha Turner, a native of England, and a
daughter of William Turner, who was a
man of ])rominence in Burlington, where
he was engaged in the grocery, flour, and
connnission business, but retired before
his death. Mr. and Mrs. Griggs have an
a(loi)ted son. Rev. Archie R. Griggs, who
is now |)astor of the Presbj'terian church
at joa<|uin, Wash. He married Lotta
Wiley, who died in 1904, leaving one
child. Rev. A. R. Griggs was educated
at Center College and Danville Academy.
He is a son of F. M. Griggs, and was
adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Charles T.
Griggs when but four years of age.

Mr. and .Mrs. Griggs are members of

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

423

the Grace Methodist Episcopal church,
and he is serving on the official board.
Their home is at 303 Sumner Street.
Fraternally, Mr. Griggs is connected with
Home Lodge, No. 29, Independent Order
Odd Fellows, of Louis\'illc. Ky., the Mod-
ern Woodmen Camp, No. 6088, at Bur-
lington, and he joined the Masonic fra-
ternity at Rockfield, Ky. His official
service and his military career have alike
been beneficial to his city and country,
and he may well be classed among the
representative men of Burlington.

FRANK C. NORTON.

Fr.\nk C. Norton, of Burlington, promi-
nent among the leaders of public life in Des
Moines county, was born in Burlington,
Dec. 3, 1868, a son of Dennis and Mary
(Hughes) Norton. The father of our sub-
ject was a native of County Roscommon,
Ireland, whence he emigrated to America,
coming to Burlington by way of New Or-
leans, at whieh port he landed. For a time
he engaged in draying, and then in grain
buying, first locating for the latter business
in Henderson county, and later at Carmon,
where he continued to conduct a prosperous
establishment for a long period. He re-
tired from this line of activity, however,
and the last twelve years of his life was
principally interested in board of trade
operations. He was active in politics as a
valued and valuable worker in the ranks of
the Democratic party, and was at one time
elected a member of the county board of
supervisors of Des Moines county, as he
enjoyed the full confidence and esteem of his
fellow-citizens. His religious faith was that

of the Catholic church, in whose work he
took an earnest part, contributing gener-
ously to its support. He was the oldest
member of the Burlington congregation,
and was numbered among the most loyal
sons of the church. It was in Burlington
that the parents of Mr. Norton celebrated
their marriage, and in this city the mother's
death occurred in February, 1889, the father
surviving until 1894. To them were born
eight children, of whom seven reached ma-
turity, these being, besides our subject :
John, who died at Burlington in 1897; Ed-
ward, William, and James, of Burlington,
and Katie, wife of F. E. Haley, of Des
Moines, all still living.

Frank C. Norton was educated in St.
Paul's parochial school in Burlington and
at St. Francis College at Quincy, 111., where
he took the commercial course of studv,
thus securing an excellent business and
academic training, and one which has proved
of immense value to him in his subsequent
career. The first work which he remembers
as yielding him a cash return was that of
selling the Chicago papers as a newsboy,
and he afterwards worked in a grocery store
for some time, but later entered the emplov
of J. J. Curran to learn the cigar-making
trade, at which he engaged as a workman
for three years. At the expiration of that
period he established an independent cigar-
manufacturing business, which he conducted
alone for three years, laying the foundation
for an extensive business. Admitting a
partner into the enterprise, he continued
its operation for a further three years, or
until i8g8. In that year he enlisted in the
Sixth Iowa Battery for the Spanish War,
but as the members of that body were un-
able to secure the calling of their battery
into the government service, he returned to

42 +

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

civilian life. On Nov. 15, 1904. he wedded
Miss Lillie M. Miller, daughter of Mrs.
Margaret Miller, of Iturlington.

Following and enlarging upon the pater-
nal example, Mr. Norton is a stanch be-
liever in the principles and policies of the
great Democratic party, to whose chosen
leaders he has manifested a lifelong and
imswerving loyalty, and he has long been an
earnest, insistent, and capable worker for
party success. His eflfurts in this direction
have won him marked appreciation from his
fellcrvv Democrats, and urged by his friends,
he became a candidate for tlie office of city
auditor of IJurlington in lyoo, to which he
was elected by a substantial majority. His
first administration having evoked expres-
sions of general satisfaction among his con-
stituents, his parly again made him its can-
didate, anil he was re-elected in 1902, and
still again in UJ04. He has served the De-
mocracy of Des .Moines county as a member
of its county central committee for a num-
ber of terms, having been for a short time
in igoi chairman of that important body.
An advocate of outdoor sports, he is act-
ively interested in the American national
game, and was one of the organizers of the
Iowa League of baseball clubs, of which
he became the first president in 1903, being
re-elected in 1904. He has extensive fra-
ternal connection, being a member of Bur-
lington Lodge, No. 84, Benevolent Protect-
ive Order of Elks ; Council No. 568,
Knights of Columbus; and Burlington
Lodge, No. 335, Ancient Order United
Workmen. To Mr. Norton alone is due
the credit for his successful career, for his
present honored standing in the community
is exclusively of his own building, and the
result of his personal efforts, unassisted by
powerful influence or aught save his natural

talents and strong personality. He has a
wide acquaintance throughout Des Moines
county, and has gained in an eminent de-
gree the confidence, admiration, and, above
all, the respect of his many friends.

WILLIAM STEYH.

\\ ri.i.iA.M .Stkvii, civil engineer, jjrom-
iiiently connected with the work of im-
provement in IJurlington, was Iwrn in
Hesse-Darmstadt, (iermany, in the town
of Kesselbach, on Se])t. 17. 1843. His
father. Daniel Steyh. was born in 1803,
and spent his entire life in (iermany. He
served for three years in the regular army,
and throughout the remainder of his life
l'c)l!o\ve<l farming, owning and operating
about forty acres of land. IK- married
Catherine Schaefcr, and both are now de-
ceased. They were the |)arents of three
sons and three daughters: Katherine. who
is living at the old home in Germany;
lialthaser, who resides at Frankfort-on-
the-.Main : C'hristine. who is living near
Frankfoit: W illi;ini : .Marie, who died in
("ierni;ui\ : and Henry, a harness-maker
of Burlington, who came to the L'niled
States wdien si.xteen years of age.

W illiain Steyh began his education in
the public schools of the FatherHlnd. and
afterward received private instruction
from a teaelur of mathematics in the
evenings, studying also draughting.
When in his fifteenth year he entered up-
on the practical duties of a business
career by joining a government surveying
])arty. ' When not engaged with his
studies, he was employed in various ways
— at land surveving, at public-road con-

■■

^,^H

|L.^H

IS^^^^^^ ^^^^^l^^^^^^^^^^^l

^^Bv^l^^^^^B

r ^ I .a^l

^^1

WILLIAM STICYH.

DES MOINES COUNTY, 10 IV A.

427

struction, and also at farming. When the full charge of the work- fif constructing
war broke out between Prussia and Aus- reservoirs and iniproNiug the grounds;
tria, in 1866, the government surveyors and when his task was completed, he re-
were thrown out of employment, and Mr. ceived a splendid letter of recomnienda-
Steyh then returned to the farm, where tion from Dr. Ranney.

he remained for a year. In the fall of 1873 .Mr. Ste\h tlid some

The following year, hoping to improve engineering work in ihirlington, and be-

his business connections by embracing gan by surveying and locating the first

the opportunities and advantages afforded Burlington street railroad — the South

by the New World, he crossed the At- Hill line. He had charge of this work.

lantic to America, locating first in \\'heel-
ing, W. Va., where he remained for two
months. He had relatives there, which
was the cause of his going to that citv ;

which he comjileted in the fall of 1874.
He then began the work on the North
Hill line, locating and su])erintending the
building of it for about two miles from

but not finding suitable employment Main Street. He was afterward engaged
there, he came west to Burlington. The for the survey and superintendence of
following spring he engaged with the construction of the West Hill and Pros-
Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in pect Hill lines. The duties in connection
the location and construction of its line therewith kept him employed until 1877,
from Afton to the Missouri River, and was when he returned to the serxice of the
thus employed as chainman, rodman and Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad
instrument man from 1868 until 1870, and Company, formerly the Burlington &
again from 1878 until 1882, when he had Missouri River I'iailroad Company. He
charge of location parties, and did general was in charge of its location and con-
work as a locating engineer and sujierin- struction work in Iowa until 1879,
tendent of construction. When he first through the two following years in Ne-
became connected with the road, he could Ijraska, and from 1880 until 1882 again in
not speak English. In 1870 he became Iowa. He had full charge of the location
connected with the grocery trade, forming and construction. In 1882 he was ap-
a partnership with a friend in Burlington, pointed city engineer by the board of
and was concerned in its management for aldermen, and ser\-ed continuously until
a year, after which he worked for the 1896, with the exception of 1884, — thir-
State at the Hospital for the Insane at teen years incumbency in the office, — dur-
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, building a reser- ing which time his labor was of such a
voir, settling basjn, and heavy stone ma- character that the" entire city acknowl-
sonry dam, laying out roadways, etc. He edged its benefit. He staked out the
was thus engaged for eighteen months, road.s, and also set out the grade stakes
including parts of the years 1S71 and 1872, for tlic paths in Crajxi Park, under the
and he also tiade a topographical survej^ park commissioners, and from 1898 until
of the grounds. He became acquainted 1900 was a park commissioner. He was
with the superintendent. Dr. Ranney, next in charge of the construction of the
who, recognizing his abilitv, offered him Wabash Railroad from .\ll)ia to Moulton,

428

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

resigning his position as ])arl< coniniis-
sioner in igoo, as his duties callcil liiiii
elsewhere. In that year he entered the
service of the JUirlington, Cellar Kapiils
& Northern Railroad Company in the lo-
cation and construction of a branch line
in South Dakota. Minnesota, and north-
ern Iowa, being thus enii)loved until \i)02.
In the S|)ring of that yi'ar he was em-
ployed by the Iowa Central with the re
location and construction of its line from
Searsboro to ("irinnell. Iowa. and was with
that C(>m])any until the winter nf 11)03.
.'^ince .\pril, 11)04. 'i<-' li<'^ again l)een city
engineer, elected to the position by popu-
lar suffrage, in this position he looks
after all public improvements, the grad-
ing and leaving of streets, the location
and construction of sewers, and inspects
all such \\(irk. lie was elected on the
Republican ticket, and was formerly
ajjpointed by a Republican city council.

.Mr. Steyh was marrierl at the home of
C'onrad I'feilT, in I'nion township. Dcs
Moines county. Sejjt. 11. 1873. to .Miss
Christina Pfeiff. She was bijrn upon a
farm, is of German i)arentage, and by her
marriage has become llie mother of five
children: Elizabeth, the wife of J. L.
'rem])le. of I'.urlington. em|)loyed in the
chief Ir.'iin (ii--]i,ilcluT"s office, and they
have one child, .Martha: Matilda, the wife
of Dr. r>. I'". Campbell of Rexburg, Idaho;
William M.. acting as his father's assist-
ant, and le.irning ci\il engineering; Mar-
garet and Florence, at home. The family
have a ])leasant home at 1213 Sumner
.'street, whicli was built by Mr. Steyh in
1875. and he also owns some tenement
property.

.\ great lover of nature, with strong
ajjpreciation for its varying forms and

beauties, he has a natural liking and apti-
tude for landscape ganlening, and reads a
number of technical journals upon the
subject. In 1897 he surveyed and laid out
the cemetery gnjunils at Ccntervillc,
Iowa, and in the winter of 1900 and 11701
resurveyed and laid out .some additions
to Asi)en Crove cemetery at Burlington,
Iowa.

N. P. SUNDERLAND.

X. P. SuM)F.RL.\ND, of Burlington, Iowa,
highly respected for his long and successful
career, and for the helpful part he has taken
in all movements along the lines of moral,
material, and spiritual progress, was born
Dec. 15, 1825, in Parke county. Indiana,
a son of Cornelius and Xancy (Page)
Sunderland. His parents were natives of
( )hio, in which State they celebrated their
marriage, whence they removed at an
early date to Indiana, where the mother's
death occurred in 1851. The father, who
was a farmer, then came to liurlington to
reside with his children, aixl it was in this
city, at the home of his son on Fourth Street,
that he died in the year 1856 at an advanced
age. Cornelius and Xancy Sunderland were
the parents of seven sons and three daugh-
ters, as follows: J. P.. William, Thomas,
N. P. (our subject). Israel. I. T.. David,
Rebecca, Phn?bc. and Hester, of whom only
t-\vo now survive, these being our subject
and Israel, who resides in Chicago. The
family is of German origin, and one of its
earliest members in .America was John,
grandfather of N. P. Surtderland. -who
served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War
and in the War of 181 2.

On his father's farm Mr. .Sunderland ac-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

429

quired his first lessons in conscientious appli-
cation to the duties of useful industry, and
at the same time he secured a fair education
in the district schools, to which, however,
he has added much by extensive reading,
observation, and reflection, for his range of
experience has been broad and of the kind
best calculated to enlarge the natural powers
of his mind. In common with sn many
young men of his day who have since made
their mark in the worlds of thought and
action, he taught in the rural school of his
immediate neighborhood for one term as a
beginning of his individual career. He then
entered a store at Rockville, in Parke county,
where he was employed for a time, and in
1848 he came West, arriving on October 2 of
that year in Burlington in company with his
four brothers, with whom he established
himself in business in the conduct of a flour-
ing mill. Steam power was used in the oper-
ation of the mill, which is still standing at the
corner of High and Front Streets, and here
they continued very successfully for five
years. At the expiration of that period,
however, Mr. Sunderland experienced a
strong desire to participate in the great
opportunities just then opening up on the
Pacific Coast, and in company with his
brother Thomas he set out for California,
traveling by the Isthmus route, which neces-
sitated going up the Chagres River in a
boat pushed by natives, and by pack mules
through a cut in the mountains to the walled
city of Panama, whence they proceeded by
the steamer "Panama" to San Francisco.
On the journey he contracted the dreaded
"Panama fever," and sufi^ercd a severe ill-
ness for a time, but remained in California
during the years of 1849-51. He did no
prospecting, but engaged in a variety of
enterprises and employments in San Fran-

cisco and the surrounding country, one of
these being a general store. He also pur-
chased at Sacramento a large hay stock, for
which he paid $3,500, and for some time fur-
nished miners and others with feed for their
mules. At one period he was employed in a
hotel, and while acting as its purchasing
agent had ample op]iortunity to become fa-
miliar Avith the phenomenally high prices
prevailing there at that time, paying as much
as $202 for a single dressed hog, or a rate
of one dollar a pound for pork.

In 185 1 he returned from California, again
by way of the Isthmus, and up the Missis-
sippi River to Burlington, but the home-com-
ing occupied less time than the outward
journey, which required four months. At
first he resumed the milling business, but
later entered the firm of Sunderland. Ken-
dall & Company, pork packers, located near
where the bridge now stands. This enter-
prise was a very extensive one, the company
maintaining three houses in Burlington, at
each of which forty thousand to sixty thou-
sand hogs were slauglitered each year, thus
furnishing employment to a great number of
laborers, and adding materially to the city's"
prosperity. Mr. Sunderland continued his
interest in the concern five or six years, or un-
til he received appointment to the office of
postmaster of Burlington under the admin-
istration of President Grant, taking office in
1871 and retaining it for nine years, during
all of which time he discharged its duties
with conspicuous fidelity and ability and to
the general satisfaction. This preferment,
so well deserved, came to him entirely with-
out effort upon his own jjart, through an
old-time friend. Senator Harlan, of Mount
Pleasant. The postoffice was not at that
time located in the present impressive struct-
ure, but was in the building which is now

430

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the Delano hotel. For four years Mr. Sun-
derland acted as county supervisor, and also
for a term of years he served his fellow-citi-
zens as city alderman-at-large under the
administration of Mayor Zaiser, during
which time he ])erformcd notable service for
his constituents, and occupied a position of
unusual influence in the municipal council.
Among other i)ublic honors and trusts to
which he was called was that of the chair-
nianshi]) of the county board, in which his
highly developed executive force was of
es[)ecial utility. To him in particular the
county farm owes much of its present effi-
ciency, and he it was who constructed the
first bam on the farm.

.\t Burlington on Jan. 8. 1856. in the
house in which he now resides, Mr. Sunder-
land was united in marriage with Mrs.
Martha Ellen (DeMotte) Thorpe, a native
of .Mercer county, Kentucky. She became
an invalid, and on July 16, 1898, her death
occurred in Chicago, where she was visiting
friends, and she is buried in .Xspen Grove
cemetery in Burlingtnn. Her loss was a
grievous one to her family and to the com-
numity, for thmugh a long life of devoted
and loving service she had become endeared
to all who knew her. To Mr. and Mrs.
Sunderland were born two children, -who
grew ti) maturity: William \\'.. of lUirling-
ton ; and Mary, who resides with her father
and devotes her time to water-color paint-
ing, an art in which she enjoys considerable
reputation and has been signally successful,
both in its artistic and its commercial as-
pect. She is a graduate of Burlington high
school and of the college at Xenia, Ohio, and
for a period of six or seven years was en-
gaged in giving lessons on the piano. Later
she taught a private class in crayon, but now
is occupied exclusively with her own work.

Enuna. a daughter of .Mrs. Sunderland's
first marriage, became the wife of J. C. Mc-
Kell. who was for twenty years a resident of
Burlington, but is now of Omaha.

.\ lifelong Republican, and always actively
engaged in the work of politics, the esteem
in which Mr. Sunderland is held by his party
is fully shown by the numerous important
]X)sitions in which he has been chosen to
serve the |)ublic. While yet a young man
he acted as delegate to the State convention,
but of late years has for the most part con-
fined his activities to acting as member of.
the board of election and of registration and
similar offices. For the last two decades he
has not engaged in any regular business.
He was one of the prime movers in the or-
ganization of the Merchant's National Bank
of Burlington, in which he was a stockholder
and held the office of director, but he has
since severed these relations. He is a man
of religious nature and conviction, and is
a member of the First Methodist Episcopal
clnircli 111 I'lUrlington, to the erection of
wliDSc i)rescnt house of worshij) he was a
substantial contributor. For many years he
has been acting as a member of the church's
board of trustees, and in this capacity has
exercised a large and helpful influence in its
aflfairs and in extending its scope of useful-
ness. .As a man of imtlagging honesty, in-
tegrity, and ujiright intent, he stands with-
out a superior, and while his pecuniary suc-
cess has been great, he has never lost sight
of the higher principles of conduct, so that
the truest monument of his life is the high
])ersonal character which he has formed and
for which he is honored of all.

Mr. Sunderland's public career has been
one of unswerving devotion to the cause
which he has served, while his private life
h.is been ei|ually good.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA
JOHN GEORGE BOSCH.

431

John George Bosch, a native of Ger-
many who has made his home for many

and welfare of this party. He was a
member of the Knights of Pythias for two
years, and served tliis lodge as secretary
one vear. He is a member of the German

years in Flint River township, where scores I.vUtheran Zion church. He is a man of

of his countrymen have made a settlement,
is a son of Melcher and Barbara (Hecker)
Bosch. His birth occurred Sept. 15, 1831.
His parents educated him in the common
schools of his birthplace. Being free

many experiences, and one well versed in
all the issues of the day. His great
energy, ambition, and activit}-, coupled
with strong principles of right-doing to-
wards all men, have won for him success

fron> school work he entered a brewery, and the respect and friendship of the entire
where he learned the business, at which he township.

was employed till 1854, when he came to

America.

After a long and tedious voyage of
fifty-two days on the water, he landed in
the great City of New York. He then Numbered among the well-known and

came direct to Burlington, joining his thoroughly representative business men of

JOHN G. BOSCH, JR.

brother, who was a brewer, and for whom
he worked some three years. His next
step was a venture in the dairy business,
which he carried on most successfully for
twelve years. Going out of this, he took
a much-needed rest of a whole year. In

West- Burlington, is John G. Bosch, Jr.,
who, in company with his brother, con-
ducts a model and up-to-date meat-market
at 105 Broadway, using the firm style of
Bosch Brothers. Mr. Bosch was born in
Burlington township, Des Moines county.

1871 he opened up a boarding-house at f^ct. 21, 1863, and received his education
852 Washington Street,' and conducted
this place till 1S75. when he bought his

present farm of forty acres in Flint River
township. Here he has since lived, carry-
ing on farming, general gardening, fruit
raising, and caring for a large vineyard.

April 19, 1861, he married Miss Susan
M. Boeck, by whom he has three children,
.August, John, and Charles, all living and
all at home. Mrs. Bosch passed away
Aug. 28, igoo, aged sixty-two years, leav-
ing her husband very lonely. She was a
good woman and kind neighbor.

Mr. Bosch has always been a stanch
Democrat, and though he has never as-
pired to any office, yet he has constantly
done all in his jiower to promote the good

in the public schools of that township and
in the German school at North Hill,
from which last he was graduated in the
class of 1877. After finishing his educa-
tion he was associated with his father in
the work of the farm until attaining his
twenty-first year, at which time he began
his individual career in life by acquiring
the trade of a butcher under the direction
of his maternal uncle, George Boeck, as did
also his brother.

After learning their trade the two
brothers, in company with Mr. Fred
Dane, went to Sioux City, and together
engaged in the meat business, where they
continued for one year with fair success,
at the end of which time thev returned to

432

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

West Burlington; and Iuto, Aug. 17,
1885, Bosch Brothers" im-at-niarket was
cstablisheil. under tlic same name which
it now bears, by the brothers John (ieorge
and August Adam Bosch.

Mr. Bosch is a stanch believer in the
doctrines and i)rinci])les of tlic Demo-
cratic i)arty, of which he considers him-
self a member, although he cast his vote
at the last two jiresidential elections for
McKinley and Roosevelt, respectively,
lie has ne\er asjiired to the honor of
])ublic office, and in his political activity
has been content to wield the force of his
individual ballot in the cause of good
government without hojje or tlmught of
reward. He has very desirable fraternal
connections, being a member of the
Knights of Pythias and of the Modern
Woodmen, in both of which he is a valu-
able and valued factor in ])romoting the
common welfare. In his religious rela-
tions he is a member of the German
Evangelical church, contributing liberally
to its support, and to all the departments
of its work.

On Oct. 26, 1892, he was united in
marriage to Miss Ida B. Sackbauer,
daughter of John Sackbauer, and to them
have been born two daughters and one
son, these being, Charlotte, Mclba, and
Edwin, all of whom have enjoyed ex-
cellent educational advantages.

.August A. Bosch, brother of our sub-
ject, was born July 30. 1862, and married
Miss Bertha Sackbauer, sister of Mrs.
John Bosch, and they have five children,
Gussie, Clarence, Meta, Mildred, and
Herbert.

The Bosch brothers enjoy a gratifying
degree of popularity in the community in
which they reside, and while industry,

native ability, and sound judgment have
enabled them to build up a very prosper-
ous and highly successful business, their
courteous treatment of the public and the
reputation which they have justly ac-
(|uired for strict integrity and scrupulous
honesty in all their dealings, have won
tluin manv friends.

THOMAS RICHARD RANKIN.

P'oR over fifty years Mr. Thomas R.
Rankin, of this review, has been one of the
leading business men of Burlington. There
is no man in the city at this writing who
has a record equal to his. He has not only
witnessed, but has aided largely in, the
growth and development of the city, and has
been among the first to assist in any public
good. He is a man of nearly fourscore
years, yet is as active and ambitious as
though he was just making a start on his
business career, and is proud to show a
continuous pay-roll which is now over fifty-
two years old.

Mr. Rankin is a son of William and
Catherine (Gault) Rankin, and was born in
Sevier county, east Tennessee, Dec. 11,
1827. His ancestry dates back to the times
of the Revolution, as his grandfather.
Richard Rankin, was the father of ten sons
and one daughter, of whom the following
four enlisted in the War of 1812 with their
father, and served under General Jackson :
Thomas, David, William, and Samuel
Steele. David was killed in battle with the
Indians in Alabama, at Horseshoe Bend, on
the Tallahassee River. There were also
fort\'-two men who were grandsons and
great-grandsons of his grandfather who

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

433

participated in the Civil War, six of whom
were of his uncle John's family ; also one
grandson. This uncle was called the father
of Abolitionism, and wrote a book called
"Rankin's Letters on Slavery," by which
Wendell Phillips and William Lloyd Garri-
son were converted to Abolitionism. It was
through personal contact with slaves that Mr.
Rankin wrote these letters to his brother
Thomas, entreating him to free all slaves in
his possession, which he did at the time of
his death. This uncle of our subject, John
Rankin, was a Presbyterian minister, and
gave most of the characters in L'ncle Tom's
Cabin to Harriet Beecher Stowe, and it was
in his home at Ripley, on the beautiful Ohio
River, where Eliza Harris, of this good old
book, sought refuge, and Mr. Rankin has a
picture of the same in his possession of which
he is justly proud. His grandfather also
had four sons who were Presbyterian min-
isters : John : William C, father of Thomas
R. ; Alexander T. : a;-id Robert H. He also
was the father of four sons who were elders
in the Presbyterian church.

The father of Mr. Rankin was born June
I, 1795, in east Tennessee, and in 1833 went
to North Carolina, where he remained four
years. He then went to Indiana, and after
a residence of four years removed to Iowa
in 1841. He had a charge in Yellow Springs
township, Des Moines county until 1842 ;
was in Marian, Linn county, until 1844; in
Plymouth, Hancock county, 111., for a year,
and then settled in Ouincy, 111., where he
remained until 1872, after which he came
to Burlington, Iowa. He died in Farm-
ington, Iowa, March 7, 1889, at the ad-
vanced age of ninety-four years. He was
married five times, and was the father of
seven children by his first wife, in the early
years when he began his study for the

ministry at Maryville College, east Tennes-
see. The first wife w^as of Scotch-Irish
descent, as were also the Rankins, and died
when Thomas was only six months old. Of
the seven children born of the first union our
subject is the only one living. John G.,
brother of Thomas, went from the Alission
Institute, in Ouincy, to Lane Seminary, in
Ohio, where he studied theology under
Lyman Beecher, the father of Henry Ward
Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Eliza-
beth C. Rankin, a daughter of the third
marriage, is now Mrs. J. W. Kennedy, and
resides in Chicago.

Our subject was educated in the ^^lission
Institute, in Ouincy, 111., which turned out
many men and women who were not able to
attend pay schools. There was a cracker
factory in connection with this institute, in
order that the boys might have work, and
it was here that ^Ir. Rankin learned the
baker's trade, at which he worked from 1844
to 1852 in Quincy. Coming to Burlington
in the fall of 1852 he built a bake-shop on
IMain Street, adjoining what is now the
Pauly house, the oven being built by Simeon
Russell, one of the first men ;\Ir. Rankin
became acquainted with in Burlington.
S. C. Treat was associated in business with
him, making the candy and bread, while Mr.
Rankin made the crackers. In 1855 they
moved around on Xorth Third Street, and
continued until 1857, when Mr. S. E. Taylor,
who now resides in Beatrice, Nebr., bought
out Mr. Treat. They made several changes,
also being in the old Ransom house, on
Jefferson Street, from ieS6i to 1868, and
were also largely engaged in the shipping of
fruits and vegetables. In 1870 they sold out
their bakery to Seamen and Harry Kendall,
and Mr. Rankin entered into partnership
with Gus Dodtre in the fruit business on

434

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

West Jefferson Street, and at tlie same time
bought out the Richey interest in the ice
business witli Mr. Dunn. In 1874 Mr.
Dodge ])urchase(l Mr. Dunn's share in the
ice business, and the tirni of Kankin &
Dodge then dealt in fruit and ice. This firm
continued until i8<jo, when Mr. Rankin
assumed control of tlie business alone : but
in 1900 took I-'orost F. Huston into partner-
ship with him. w licii the firm was known as
T. R. Rankin & Com])any. Mr. Rankin is
also half ])artner in the ice, wood, and coal
business with Mr. Duiui, they having an
office on Third Street. This continuous
business has given Mr. Rankin fifty-three
years' experience of mercantile life in the
Orchard City, of which his many friends are
ver)- proud.

.A|)ril 10. 1831, Mr. Rankin was married,
in Rushvillc. Schuyler county. 111., to Miss
Elizabeth A. Houston, daughter of Caleb
and Elizabeth (Purdy) Houston. Her
father was an Eastern man. being born in
New Hampshire, and at an early day located
iiT Columbus. Ohio, as a carix-nter and
joiner, where he was married in 1815. In
1830 he came to Reardstown. 111., and set-
tled on a farm near Rushvillc. where he
died in 1855. His good wife passed away
in 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Rankin adopted a
daughter, I-"mma G., who married J. \\'.
Comic, of Los Angeles, Cal., and has a son
and daughter, the latter the -wife of Carl
Stephens, who also has one child. Mrs.
Rankin died Aug. 21, 1903. She was a
woman respected and beloved by all.

Nov. II, 1896, Mr. Rankin married Miss
Harriet Houston, a daughter of John P. and
Elizabeth (Gray) Houston. Mrs. Rankin is
a lady of much refinement and culture, and
is constantly cngage<l in ])erforming deeds
of kindness to her friends antl neighbors.

She is actively connected with the Congic
gational church, of which they are both
memljers, the benevolent fund of which Mr.
Rankin has had charge of since 1870, and
has been an honored deacon for the past ten
years. In politics he has given his allegi-
ance to the Republican party, but has never
aspired to any office. He is a memlK'r of the
Royal Arcanum. He was not a soldier in
the Civil War, though he was in N'icksburg
for about four months, where he and .Mr.
Taylor took turns baking for the Thirty-
fourth Iowa Infantry.

Mr. and .Mrs. Rankin reside at 107
Marietta Street, very quietly and happily.
-Mr. Rankin has formed extensive business
and social relations, •where he has occupied
a foremost place ; and b\- patient and unre-
mitting attention to details, and the applica-
tion of correct and honorable business
principles, he has achieved success, and
to-day is one of the most respected an<l
honored citizens of Hurlington, and one of
whom we can justly say, " Who liveth not
for himself alone," but for the good of those
with whom he is associated in the daily
walks of life.

PAUL LANGE.

P.\i.?L Lanc.k. an early resident of Bur-
lington, where he located as long ago as
1854, a pioneer in its development, and long
one of the most widely known and influen-
tial political leaders of this portion of Iowa,
has lived until recently at his beautiful
country home in Cnion townshi]) adjoining
the cit\. Mr. Lange was born in Prussian
Silesia. Aug. 4. 1828. a son of Eli and
Christiana (Olrich) Lange, his father be-
ing a farmer, as were his ancestors for

DES MOIXES COUXrV. lOlVA.

435

many generations. He himself, however,
after receiving his preliminary education,
attended college, and on being graduated
and receiving his degree in 1849, began
teaching as his profession. He was from
the beginning sucessful in his work, and
was appointed to the priiicipalship of a
school at Frankfort, Prussia, where he con-
tinued until 1854. In 1853 he married Miss
Emily Du Puis, and the following year
resigned his position in order to come to
the United States in search of the more
abundant opportunities of a new country.
On coming to America Mr. Lange
located in Burlington, where he at first be-
came assistant engineer in the corps of
civil engineers engaged in surveying the
first Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Rail-
road route westward through Iowa. He
was employed in this capacity for two years,
and had the honor of riding on the first
locomotive to leave Burlington for the
west. On severing his connection with the
railroad company he began teaching music
in Burlington, being the first male music
teacher in the city. Having had the advan-
tage of a thorough musical training and
education, besides being possessed of ar-
tistic talents of a high order, he became at
once the leader of the local musical world,
being in point of fact the pioneer and father
of music in the city of Burlington. The
wife of Chief Justice Fuller, the daughter
of Governor Gear, and many other persons
of distinction were numbered among his
earlier pupils, while his patronage rapidly
increased as his work became more widely
known. He also organized the first musical
clubs and singing societies that were
formed in the city, thus performing a serv-
ice of the utmost importance, and one
which entitles him to lasting honor. His

success as a teacher and his growing popu-
larity in musical circles induced him to
establish a nuisic store, the style of the firm
being Lange & Van Meter. The store was
located on Third Street, and there he in-
troduced to the Western public the Stein-
way piano, selling the first to be brought
across the Mississippi River, and also the
Knabe and Chickering pianos. An inva-
riable rule of his business was to handle only
goods of the highest class, and in this way
he did much to educate the taste of his
patrons and popularize the best musical
instruments. In 1875, on the advice of his
physician, he sold his business and traveled
in Europe for a time, with the object of
improving his health, which had begun to
fail ; and on regaining his health he, with
Mr. Theodore Gulick, purchased the Iowa
Tribune, a German weekly paper published
in this city. They later changed this to a
daily publication, and as one of the leading
supporters of Republican principles in the
West it exercised a tremendous influence
in shaping public sentiment and the course
of events. As business manager Mr. Lange
continued to conduct the affiairs of the firm
for a number of years, but finally sold his
interest and retired from the work. In
1888 he again engaged in the music busi-
ness at his old location on Third Street, the
firm being known as Lange & Minton. In
this enterprise he continued with all his
former success for a period of fifteen years,
or until 1903, at which time he retired from
active life, disposing of all his business
interests.

Many years prior to his retirement Mr.
Lange purchased a fine home and small
farm in Cnion township near Burlington,
one of the most beautiful and artistically
arranged private parks in the county.

436

BIOGRAPHICAL REilElV

Slirubberv and many rare trees and liowers
ornament tlie <jnninds, making the place in
all respects an ideal one. A well-selected
orchard adds greatly to the material value
of the farm, as does also a fine vineyard,
from which a large quantity of wine is
manufactured annually. Mr. Lange in
i()05 sold this valuable property, and will
s])en(l his winters in New Mexico, prob-
ably for the remainder of his life.

In the leading political activities of his
time Mr. Lange has been a most impor-
tant factor. To him the Rei)ublican party
in Des Moines county and the State of
Iowa owes much. In recognition of his
services he was early ajipointed trustee of
the Deaf and Dumb School at Council
Bluffs, he devoting his talents to the wel-
fare of that institution for a number of
years. In the year 1882 he was made
United States Consul at St. Stephen. Xew
Brunswick. Canada, where he represented
government interests with distinguished
ability during a period of four years, at
the ex]Mration <if which time he resigned
his charge. Two years later, in 1888. he
was made the nominee of his party for the
office of county clerk of Des Moines county,
was elected, and in 1890, although the
county normally reliinis a Democratic ma-
jority of 1.500, was re-elected by a majority
of two hundred votes, a showing which
indicates in a remarkable manner his great
personal popularity. His varied activities,
extending over half a century, have brought
him a wide circle of act|uaintance, and be-
ing ever ready to promote the progress of
his community, he has entered into the
life of the people in the most intimate and
helpful way. For a long term of years he
acter as leader of the Turners" Singing
Society, while he was organist of the Con-

gregational church for fifteen years, or
until the increasing cares of business and
public life forced him to resign. He has
also allied himself with the chief fraternal
orders, being a member of the Masonic
lodge, chapter, and commandery, and of
the Ancient Order United Workmen.

Mrs. Emily Lange, wife of the subject
of this memoir, is now deceased, the date
of her demise being Xov. 24, 1897. She is
survived by four children: Herman, now
engaged in operating his father's farm ;
Otto T., who is in business at Watrous,
X. M. ; Carl E., a resident of lUir-
lington ; and Paul. Jr.. who is a |)rofessor in
the Deaf and Dumb Institute at Delavan,
Wis. Mrs. Lange was a member of the
Lutheran church, as is also our subject,
although he holds himself no sectarian, be-
ing an advocate of liberal views.

Herman Lange. son of the preceding,
was born in lUirlington Xov. 22, 1855, was
educated in the city public and grammar
schools, and after being employed for a
short time in I'urlington. came to the home
farm, where he has since resided. He at
once took charge of the fann, in the man-
agement of which he has been eminently
successful, and in addition to beautifying
the grounds in many ways be has built up
valuable vineyards, plum orchards, and an
extensive plantation of small fruits. In all
his work he has observed scientific prin-
ciples, and has introduced modern and ap-
proved ideas. He is progressive, alert, and
enterprising, and has many friends. In
his fraternal relations he is identified with
the Fraternal L^nion of America, of which
organization he is a conscientious and
valued niemlx'r, always willing, with his
energy and his enterprising spirit, to work
for the good of the society.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

437

F. C. IHRER.

A NOTABLE illustration of the fact that
it is the young men of the country who are
controlling its important industrial and
commercial interests, and pushing forward
the wheels of progress so that substantial
advancement is made in business life, is the
record of F. C. Ihrer. As president of
the Iowa Soap Company, and as a mem-
ber of the grocery firm of William Ihrer
& Sons, he has made for himself a splendid
record as a business man, and has displayed
those salient features of success which -will
lead to still larger and more important
undertakings in the future.

A native of Burlington, he was born ]upe
3, 1872, and is a son of William Ihrer,
whose birth occurred in Eslingen, Ger-
many. He came to America in 1869, when
twenty-one years of age, and, having learned
the painter's trade in his native land, he
followed that pursuit during the early years
of his residence in the New World. When
his labors had brought to him sufficient
capital to permit of his entrance into mer-
cantile circles as proprietor of a store, he
purchased a stock of groceries, in 1871, and
began business on his own account in the
old McCash building on West Jefferson
Street. There he remained until 1877.
when he removed to the corner of Sixth and
Jcfiferson Streets, where he carried on
business with constantly increasing success
until 1894, when he retired to private life,
being succeeded in the store hv his sons,
who assumed the , management under the
firm style of William Ihrer & Sons. He
now resides upon a farm three miles west
of Burlington, enjoying there the fruits of
his former toil. Prominent in the local
ranks of the Independent Order of Odd

Fellows, he belongs to Harmony Lodge,
No. 209, of which he is a past noble grand.
?Ie also belongs to Bethany Evangelical
German Lutheran church.

William Ihrer was united in marriage to
Miss Rose Warth, who was born in Wur-
temberg, Germany, and was married in
Burlington. By this marriage she became
the mother of eight children, of whom seven
are yet living : William F., a grocer ; F. C. ;
H. C., of St. Louis ; Charles, living in Bur-
lington ; Elizabeth ; Rosa ; and Lydia.

In his youth F. C. Ihrer attended the
public and parochial schools of Burlington,
and afterward entered Elliott's Business
College, from which he was graduated with
the class of 1888. He entered upon his
business career in his father's grocery store,
and applied himself assiduously to the
mastery of the business principles in force
in connection with the conduct of a success-
ful mercantile enterprise. He remained
there until 1S91, when he entered the office
of the Biklen-Winzer Grocerv House
(wholesale), and continued there until May.
1893. when he entered the emplov of J. W.
-Smithers. wholesale manufacturer of and
dealer in candy and crackers, for whom he
acted as city salesman and also as a travel-
ing salesman. Resigning that position he
entered the retail grocery trade as a partner
of bis Ijrother. William F. Hirer. They
purchased their father's store, which they
have since conducted under the firm name of
William Ihrer & Sons.

Mr. Hirer is a young man (if resource-
ful business ability and marked enterprise,
displaying keen discernment as well as in-
defatigable energy in the control of his busi-
ness affairs. In February, 1903, he became
connected with the Iowa Soap Companv as
its president, purchasing a large amount

438

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of stock on the rct)rganization of the com-
I>anv. The business was estabHshed about
fifteen years ago by J. \V. and T. W. Alex-
ander, and the former is still connected
therewith as vice-president and general
superintendent of the works. A reorgani-
zation was etTected on the 1st of January,
1894, and the present company was formed
in February, 1903. The business is capital-
ized for fifteen thousand dollars, and the
present officers are F. C. Ihrer, president ;
I. W. Alexander, vice-president; J. F.
Sclnvallcr, acting secretary and treasurer
( in i)lace of J. F. Barr, deceased) ; and
E. D. Wilson, department superintendent
and director. The company manufactures
laundry and toilet soaps, and the output is
two carloads per day, while en^pioyment is
furnished to eighty-five people. The plant
is located at 810 to 822 \'^alley Street, and
already the <|uartcrs are far too small for
the business, which is growing very rapidly.
There are fourteen traveling salesmen on
the road representing this house, and the
business is now pnjfitable. while the enter-
prise has become one of the leading product-
ive concerns of the city.

Mr. Ihrer holds niembcrshii) in Excelsior
Lodge. N'o. 2C<^. Independent Order of
Odd Fellows: .Malta Lodge, Xo. 218,
Ancient I'rce and Accepted Masons ; Iowa
Camp, Xo. (>8, Modern W'cxidmen of Amer-
ica, and .'\erie Xo. 750. Fraternal Order of
Eagles. He has the high regard of his
l)rcthren of these orders, and in his life
exemplifies their beneficent teachings. He
was married on the 6th of June, 1894, in
Burlington, to Miss Flora Legler, a native
of this city. Her father, Frederick W.
Legler, is a retired wagonmaker of Burling-
ton. Her mother died here in May, 1902.
Mrs. Ihrer has five sisters and one brother:

Freda, the wife of Charles Sclimidt, of Bur-
lington ; Lena, the wife of Fred \V'. W'ol-
bers, of this city ; Fannie, the wife of Her-
man Fausel ; Bertha, the wife of B. E.
Sparks ; and Fred \V. Legler.

Into Mr. and Mrs. Ihrer were Ixjrn three
children, but one died in infancy and one
at the age of five years. The living daughter
is Irma, who is with her parents at their
attractive home at 1222 Xorth Seventh
Street.

Mr. and Mrs. Ihrer ocoujiy an enviable
social position in I'.urlington. and he is
making continuous advance in the business
world, being already numbered among the
prominent representatives of industrial and
cq/nmcrcial life in his native city.

JOHN R. BRADEN.

John R. Br.xoen, in whose life record
there is much that is worthy of emula-
tion, and wiiose memory is dear to the
hearts of a large circle of friends who
kuL-w and honored him during his active
life, was one of the noble figures in the
history and develo])ment of this section
of Iowa, being known throughout Des
.Moines county ami eastern Iowa as one
who was singularly devoted to all that
might conduce to the moral and spiritual
advancement of mankind, as well as be-
ing alway.s among the first to aid any
worthy movement for the upbuilding of
the conmuiiiity in which he made his
home. He was one of the prominent
men of the county during his lifetime,
and took an active part in county affairs
for many years, being one of the early
settlers of the countv.

AJO^^^&L.j/jl^'-l^

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

441

He was born in Ross county, Ohio,
June 10, 1834, the son of James and Jane
(McClure) Braden. The parents were
also both natives of Ross county, Ohio,
being born near Rocky Springs, that
county. The father was a farmer, and
came to Iowa in 1844, bringing his family
with him, and locating on land a mile
west of Northfield, in Yellow Springs
township, where he lived the rest of his
life. He was very successful, having a
farm of three hundred acres, on which he
erected a large and substantial home.

His wife, Jane, was the daughter of
John IVIcClure, also an early settler of
the county, and when Mr. and Mrs. Bra-
den settled in their new home they were
in the midst of a large relationship. They
were both loyal members of the Presby-
terian church, of which James Braden
was an elder. They were the parents of
two sons and two daughters, as follows :
John R., the immediate subject of this
article ; Dean, who died while attending
school at Kossuth ; Mary Ellen, who
married Reverend Isaiah Reid, of Des
Moines ; and Minerva, who married John
H. Black, of Jefferson, Iowa.

James C. Braden, the father, died in
Des Moines county, in 1881, at the age
of seventy-three years. His widow sur-
vived him for nearly seven years, dying
in Greene county, Iowa, in 1887, at the
age of seventy-five years.

John R. Braden came with his parents
to Iowa when only ten years old, and re-
ceived his education in the district
schools of his home community, near
Northfield, at the same time assisting
with the work on the home farm. Thus
the years passed as he grew to manhood.
In young manhood he attended college

in Kossuth, learning much from books ;
but far more was learned in the stern
school of hard, practical farm work. In
the spring of 1858 he married Miss Mary
J. Carmean, who died in 1861, leaving an
infant son, who died soon after.

On the l)reaking out of the terrible
struggle between the North and the
South, Air. Braden, together with many
other patriotic hearts from Iowa, re-
sponded to the ])resident's call for troops,
and went to the front to fight for the
Union. He enlisted in October, 1861,
with Compan\^ K, b'onrteenth Iowa In-
fantry, starting for the front under the
folds of the silken flag of the Kossuth
Guards, a flag made by a score of ladies
of the community for Company K, and
presented to them just before they left
for the front. Mr. Braden won distinc-
tion in one of the earliest battles of the
war, the battle of Fort Donelson, where
for gallant conduct he was promoted to
the lank of sergeant. While in the army
he contracted typhoid fever, as a result
of the hard conditions of army life, and
this disabled him for service, so that he
was discharged for disability in July,
1863.

On April I, 1865, he was again united
in marriage, his second wife being Miss
Carrie E. Austin, a native of Ohio. They
returned to the home farm, where five
cliildren were born to them, three of
whom died in infancy. The two still
living are: Lulu, the wife of Grant
Gregory, of Burlington ; and Dr. A. L.
Braden, a successful physician, residing
at Wellman, Iowa. Mrs. Carrie Braden
died in 1873.

( )n March ir, 1880, Mr. Braden mar-
ried Miss Margaret ]. Barrett, of Ross

442

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

county, Ohio, daughter of Joseph and
Molcna (Cailey) Parrett. The father was
a native of Virginia, and came to Ohio at
the age of twenty-one. He hved in Ross
county from tliat time till his deatli,
which occurred at tlie age of seventy-
seven years. lie was a very successful
farmer and stock-raiser throughout his
life. Mis wife was born in Highland
county. Ohio, and lixed tlu-re till the time
of lier marriage. She died at the age of
seventy-eight years, dying in the same
house in whicli her husband had died,
both dying on their old homestead. They
were members of the l^resbyterian
church.

.\rrs. Braden -was educated in the com-
mon schools of Ross county, and later
at the .\cademy at Salem, Ohio, and re-
mained in Ross county until her marriage
to Mr. Braden. In i8i)i they left the
farm in Yellow S])rings townshij); and
built a handsome brick residence in the
city of Mediapolis, which became the
family home. Here Mr. Braden passed
to the life beyond on Aug. 30, 1901, at the
age of sixty-seven years, after more than
two years of intense suffering, and his
remains wore laid to rest in Kossuth
cemetery.

Early in life Mr. Braden united willi the
Presbyterian church, and his life was
ever a fitting ex|)oncnt of the teachings
of the faith in which lie was an earnest
believer. lie lived a thoroughly con-
scientious. Christian life, upholding the
l)est moral interests of the community,
and doing his dut\', as he saw it. in every
relation nf life. He held the position of
clerk of the session in the church, and
was one of the elders for more than
twenty years. He took an active interest

in educational matters, and did much to
advance the cause of popular education in
the community, acting as a member of the
school board for a term of years, and was
president of the board at the time of his
death.

He was a close student of all cpicstions
affecting the public welfare, taking an
especial interest in matters of municipal
governmeiu. He served for several years
as a member of the city council, doing all
that lay in his power to give the city a
strong, clean government. He held other
positions of responsibility satisfactorily to
his constituents and with credit to him-
self, and was always noted as being faith-
ful to every trust re|)osed in him. A true
and faithful husband, a loving father and
kind neighbor, his memory is cherished
by hosts of friends and acquaintances,
who honored and loved him for his many
sterling qualities.

HENRY BENNE.

Henry Benne, at one time actively en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits in Des
Moines county, and now living a retired life
in Burlington,' was a soldier in the Civil
War. and has demonstrated his loyalty to
his country in times of peace by faithful and
efficient service in local office. Though
born across the water, he has a deep and
sincere attachment for the stars and stripes,
and is one of the valued German-.\merican
citizens of r.urlington.

Mr. Benne, a son Herman and Christina
(Baker) Benne, was lK>rn in West Phalcn.
Germany, Jnly 15, 1830. He was educated
in the public schools of the Fatherland and

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

+43

spent the period of liis minority in that
country, but on the first of September, 1851,
at the age of twenty-one, he came to Amer-
ica, landing at New York City. The voyage
across the Atlantic was made in a sailing
vessel, and he was seven weeks upon the
water. He then went to Lockport, N. Y.,
where he lived for four and a half years,
giving his attention to farm labor during
that period. He afterward spent three sea-
son's at work on the Erie Canal, and in
1856 he started for Burlington, reaching
his destination on the seventh of April.

Here Mr. Benne turned his attention to
farming, which has been his principal oc-
cupation throughout his business career.
In July, 1856, he purchased eighty acres in
Benton township, Des Moines county, and
afterward by various purchases he became
the owner of two hundred acres in Benton
township, also, one-fourth section in Saline
county, Nebr., where his son now resides,
and eighty acres in Henry county, Iowa,
where the daughter lives. Year after year
he engaged in the tilling of the soil, placing
his fields under a very high state of culti-
vation and adding many substantial im-
provements to his home farm. In 1894 he
sold his farming interest in Des Moines
county, and removed to the city of Burling-
ton, where later he purchased the old rolling
mill site of twenty-two acres, but after-
ward sold that property to the county. In
1890 he had purchased his present home
at the corner of Central Avenue and Linn
Street, and since taking up his abode in
Burlington he has here resided. He has
lived practically retired since leaving the
farm, his labor and jutlicious investment in
former years bringing to him the prosperity
that now enables him to enjoy a well-earned
rest.

On the fourteenth of December, 1852, Mr.
Benne was married in Lockport, N. Y., to
Miss Marie Riepe, a daughter of Christian
and Mary (Lake) Riepe, who was born
in West Phalen, Germany, Jan. 26, 1831, and
came alone to America in 1852. She has
two brothers, Henry and Casper, who are
now living in Burlington, the latter a justice
of the peace. Mr. and Mrs. Benne have
become the jiarents of nine children : Ed-
ward, who was born March 5, 1854, and
resides in Nauvoo, 111. ; Nancy, who died at
the age of fourteen months ; Henry, who
died at the age of twenty-one years ; Louise,
who died at the age of two months ; Louisa,
the-wife of William Flaar, who resides in
Henry county, Iowa ; Lydia, the wife of
Mitchell Beard, connected with the city fire
department of Burlington ; Lillie, the wife
of Joseph Morrette, of Washington, Iowa ;
John, who is living near Milford, Nebr.,
upon the farm which he purchased of his
father ; and Alma, who died at the age of
one year and twenty days.

In October, 1864, Mr. Benne responded
to the call of his adopted country for troops,
enlisting as a member of Company G,
Fourth Iowa Infantry, in Burlington, under
Captain Shrei. He served with General
Sherman's troops and was on the celebrated
march to the sea, and also in the grand
review in Washington, where tlie victorious
army marched in parade through the capi-
tal city and passed the reviewing stand on
the White House grounds, where the presi-
dent cheered the return of the " boys in
blue." After serving until Aug. 5, 1865,
Mr. Benne received an honorable discharge
at Davenport, Iowa, was mustered out of
service, and then returned home. He was
once slightly wounded by a stray ball which
struck him in the elbow.

444

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Hennc lias always btcn a stanch
Democrat in his political views. In 1886
he was elected county supervisor, and by
re-election served for three consecutive
terms, or nine years, retiring from the
office in 181J5. He was superintendent f)f
the building of the jail in Burlington. He
also served as trustee of his townshii) for
seven years, resigning that office when
elected supervisor. He was a member of the
German Lutheran church, and while living
on the farm he served for six years as
trustee of the church to wliich he belonged.
His life has thus been of benefit In his fel-
low-men in days of peace and days of war.
He came to the United States with strong
purpose but limited capital, and in his busi-
ness affairs he achieved the success which
is the goal of all earnest and legitimate
endeavor.

FRED KOLKMAN.

Amdnc. the representative ami |)ros-
pcrous farmers of Des Moines county,
Fred Kolkman occupies a prominent
I)lace, his well-cultivated farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres in Washington
township adding greatly to the value of
the property in the community, lie was
born in Hanover, (iermany, July b. 1850,
a son of Diedrich and Dora (Fauldolph)
Kolkman both of whom were born in
Germany, and where liuy also died, the
death of the father occurring when our
subject was only a little boy. Mr. Kolk-
man was reared under the ()arental roof.
and lu- ixMiiaincd nn tin- lanii till In- was
seventeen years old. recei\ing a substan-
tial education in the schools of his home
place. He and his sister Mary, who mar-

rieiJ Henry .Mbers. and died in Missouri,
were the only members of his father's
family to come to America. Their voy-
age on the ocean was a long antl tedious
one. but they finally landed in Xew York,
and proceeded at once to the city of liur-
lington, Iowa, where Mr. Kolkman ob-
tained work on a farm in Pleasant Grove
t<jwnship for a number of years. He
worked in this tinvnship and Washington
ttiwnshi]) till he was married to Miss Liz-
zie Flaar, in 1874.

Mrs. Kolkman is a daughter of I'hillip
ami .Martha Henrietta (Saunders) F'laar,
and was born in Xew York. May 26, 1854,
and came to Iowa with her parents when
she was a child of about a year and a half
old. Mr. and Mrs. F'laar were both born
in Germany, and came to the United
.Slates shortly after they were married.
They remained in New York for a while,
where Mr. I'laar obtained work by the
day. On coming to ISurlington he se-
cured a situation in a butcher shop, and
later was engaged in the draying husi-
incss. He purchased a farm of forty
acres in IVnton townshij.. and kejit add-
ing to it till he had a nice place of one
hundred and si.x acres, wdiich made a
comfortable home for his family. Mr.
Flaar resided on this farm up to the time
of his death, which occurred when he was
si.xty-two years old. His widow is still
living at the advanced age of eighty-one
years, making lur inime with luT
daughter, Mrs. Kolkman. She is one of
the oldest members of the Lutheran
church, t )f the seven children born to
Mr. and .Mrs. Flaar. six still remain to
cheei and comfort their age<l mother.

Providence has certainly smiled very gra-
ciously upon Mr. and Mrs. Kolkman. for

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

445

unto them have been born ten children,
nine of whom are living: John, born
Nov. 30, 1874, resides on a rented farm in
Washington township, married Miss
Nora McCune, and has two children,
Gladys and Roy; Matilda, born April 8,
1887, the wife of W^illiam W'assom, a car-
penter, residing in New London, Iowa,
and have two daughters. Ruth and Ag-
nes; Edward, born Dec. 31, 1889, married
Miss Lena Totemire, and has a farm of
eighty acres in Henry county, Iowa,
where he resides ; Mary, born Aug. 28,
1885, is at home; Frederick Henry, born
May 13, 1888, assists his father on the
home place; Frances Nellie, born June
23, 1891, at home; Katherine Ora, born
Jan. 20, 1841, at home: Anna Louisa
Grace, born Nov. ly, 1896, at home: Fred
W'., born April 26, 1898, at home; Emma,
born Sept. 8, 1882, and died July 8, 1884,
aged two years and ten months. All of
these children, of whom Mr. and Mrs.
Kolkman may well be proud, were born
in Des Moines county, the six oldest
being born in Benton township and the
four younger ones in ^Vashington town-
ship. They have all received a good edu-
cation in the district schools of the town-
ships.

After the marriage of Mr. Kolkman he
located in Benton township, where he
purchased a farm of seventy acres of rich
land, which was partially improved, and
upon which he lived for seventeen years,
being successfully engaged in general
farming and stock-raising. In 1890 he
sold that farm, and bought his present
place of one hundred and twenty acres
on Sections t,2 and 33 in Washington
township. Since controlling this farm on
which he has ever since resided, he has

put up a large and substantial barn and
added many other valuable improvements.

Mr. Kolkman has seen many good im-
provements made in Des Moines county.
When he first came to the county a large
portion of it was covered with old tree
stumps and brush, and was in a very wild
condition generally. He has seen this
wild and unbroken state gradually disap-
pear, and acre after acre cultivated, until
to-day no county in the State is richer in
the number of its beautiful and valuable
farms. Mr. Kolkman deserves great
credit for the large part he has taken in
assisting to make this county such a fruit-
ful place. It has not been accomplished
without much labor and many sacrifices;
but Mr. Kolkman has lieen blessed with a
good rugged constitution and an indomit-
able will that knew no such word as fail,
and it is with pleasure that we can pre-
sent the record of such citizens to the
readers of this book.

He and his wife are members of the
Lutheran church, in which faith his large
family has been brought up. In politics
he has always been a Democrat, and
though not caring for public recognition,
has in every way given his efforts toward
the advancement and development of the
coiumunity, and has upheld good govern-
ment by voice and vote. He is recog-
nized as a man of sterling worth, and ap-
preciated for the many good qualities
which have made him of such use as a
citizen.

JOHN HUTCHISON.

When John Hutchison passed away,
Des Moines county lost one of its pioneer
settlers, — a man whose identification with

446

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

this section of the State dateti from a very
early period in tiie development and im-
provement of eastern Iowa. Moreover,
he had through a long business career
disjilayed the commendable traits of char-
acter which not only win success but also
gain the resi)ect. confulcnce. and good-
will of ids fellow-men.

He was born in County .\rniagli. Ire-
land. 1\1). 22. 1831. His parents. John
and .\gnes (.\ndrew) Hutchison, were
both born in County .Armagh. Ireland,
where they lived till i8()3. when they
came to the United States, locating in
Guernsey county, Ohio. They were the
parents of ten children. — three sons and
seven daughters, — who were all birn in
Ireland, and where three of them, a
daughter, Margaret, and two sons, James
and Thomas Hugh. died. The remain-
ing children all came to .\merica. One
year after coming to America the father
of our sidjject died, and his mother ])assed
away at his home in 1888, at the advanced
age of eighty-three years. Of the six
daughters surviving this worthy couple,
four of them reside in Des Moines county.
They are: Mrs. Isabella Moore: Mrs.
John MahafFry: .Mrs. Jane Carmichael :
and Mrs. John Heins. One daughter.
Mrs. Agnes Barris. lives in Ohio, and
one, Mrs. Margaret Carniichail. resides
in Red Oak, Iowa.

Mr. Hutchison, of this review, was
reared U])on his father's farm, receiving
his education in the district schools of
the county, and remained on the farm till
1837, when he came to .America, and set-
tled in ( )range county. Xew York. From
thence he moved to Muskingimi county,
Ohio, where he resided till he located in
Des Moines county, Iowa, in 1868. He

bought a farm of forty acres on Section
1 2. Washington township, and was en-
gaged in general farming and stock-rais-
ing. He lived on this place until his
death, a period of some thirty-five years.

.Mr. Hutchison served his country
throughout the entire Civil War, enlist-
ing in Com])any C, I'ifty-ninth Ohio
Guards, and after serving his time re-
enlisted in Companv 11. h'ifty-ninth Ohio
X'olunteer Infantry. He was with Sher-
man in the famous march to the sea, and
|)articipated in a number of the promi-
nent battles. He was not sick at any
time during the war, and walked all the
way to the sea with Sherman. He was
honorably discharged June <a 1865.

Politically. Mr. Hutchison was a strong
Re])ublican. and though never holding
any office, he was a man well posted
on all the points at issue,— energetic, en-
ter]>rising. and always interested in any
mo\(. that would work a benefit to the
community. When (|uite a young man
he united with the Reformed Presby-
terian church, ill Ireland, under Reverend
Savage, and has been under the ministry
of Dr. t'. I). Trund)ull since coming to
Iowa. He was a devoted and conscien-
tious member of the Covenanter church
of .Morning Sun, Iowa, for more than
thirty }ears. Rain or shiiu-. he always
was found in his seat at every meeting of
this house of (iod. .\othing that would
promnif iIk- cause of Christ was loo
great for him to undertake. He was one
of the pillars that the niendiers leaned on,
and his daily life exem])lified his |)ro-
fessed Christianity to a marked degree.
At his death this church lost a man who
was true to his God and his fellow-man,
and one whose jdace it will be hard to

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

4+7

fill, but his life, full of good deeds, will

be revered for time to come in the hearts

of his friends and neighbors.

The death of Mr. Hutchison occurred

at his home March 3, 1905, at the ripe

age of seventy-four years. He was held

in the highest esteem by those who knew

him best. He was buried in the beautiful

Sharon cemetery.

" Life's work well done,
Li''e's race well run,
Life's crown well won."

Mr. Hutchison's sister Isabella, now
the widow of John Moore, kept house for
him for the last thirty years or more, and
she ami her daughter still reside on his
farm. Mr. Aloore was born in Guernsey
county, Ohio, where he was a farmer till
he grew to maturity, when he moved to
Illinois and bought a farm, where his
death occurred in the fall of 1889. Mr.
and Mrs. IMoore were blessed with one
daughter, Jessie, who was born in Ohio,
March 28, 1868. Mrs. Moore and her
daughter are ladies of refinement and cul-
ture, and possess and exemplify the true
spirit of Christianity. They have many
friends in the county, who hold them in
the highest regard.

JUSTUS C. SMITH.

Des Moines county is the birth-
place of many of the men who have as-
sisted in the improvement and upbuilding
of many of the townships, and therefore
the}' well deserve mention in a record
among those who have been their com-
panions for many years. Justus C. Smith
is a son of Senator F. X. Smith, whose

sketch appears on another page in this
book, and was born in Yarmouth, Wash-
ington township, July 31, 1877, where he
received his early education. He also at-
tended the high school of Burlington, and
then assisted on the home farm till he be-
came a man.

On his twenty-first birthday he wedded
Miss Katherine A. Weber, who was born
in Burlington, and is the daughter of
Henry and Margaret (Schenk) Weber,
and to them has been born one child,
Helen Leona. Mr. Weber was born in
Alsace, France, and came to America
when he was about eleven years of age,
locating in the city of New Orleans,
where he learned the butcher's trade. He
had not been in New Orleans long when
his father and brother were taken ill with
the yellow fever, and died, and he at once
brought his mother to Burlington, where
he again obtained employment in a
butcher shop. In a few years he entered
into partnership with John Kauffer,
under the firm name of Kauffer & Weber.
This well-known firm continued business
till 1893. when ]\Ir. \\'eber sold his inter-
est in the meat market, and took up his
abode in Memphis, Mo., where he pur-
chased a large farm of two hundred acres,
upon which he farmed and lived till death
overtook him in 1897, at the age of fifty
years. Mrs. \\^eber, who was born in
Germany, came to the United States
when she was about sixteen years of age,
and is still li^•ing on the home farm in
^Memphis, Mo. Mr. and Airs, ^^'eber had
fi\-e children, all of whom are living, and
all, except Mrs. Smith, reside with their
mother on the home place. They are:
John H. ; Katherine A., wife of our sub-
ject ; Oscar W. ; Clara ; and Anna. Mrs.

+48

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Siiiitli received her education in the city
schools of lUirlinpfton and also attended
the Bentz conservatory of music in
Memphis, Mo., makinp a study of the
pianoforte.

Mr. Sniitli lives upon and works a fine
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in
Section 7, Washington township, on
which he lias placed many good improve-
ments. He carries on farming to a large
extent with much success, as well as rais-
ing stock for the markets. Besides this
property in IJes .Moines county Mr.
Smith is interested in land near Xcss
City, Kan. He is one of the stockhold-
ers of the Mutual Telephone Company of
Yarmouth, and is one of the stand-by
Democrats of the township.

.Mr. and Mrs. Smith are both members
of the Methodist church, of Mt. Union.
.Although they have not bceen residents
of Washington township for a great
length of time, still they arc both well
and favorably known, and by their up-
right lives and kind ways have won the
confidence and good-will of the entire
communitv.

BERNARD HALE.

A.MONG the very early settlers of Des
Moines county, and also of the State, is
the subject of this sketch. He has not
oidy witnessed the ra])id transformation
which has taken jiluce in Iowa, but has
stood at the front and borne his share of
the heat and burden of the day. Mr.
Hale is of English and (iernian descent,
his paternal grandparents being born in
F-ngland, :md bis nialeriial grandfather.

John llabb, Sr., was born in Germany.
The latter married Miss Susan B. Downer
.Miller, came to .\merica in 1837, and en-
tered land in Iowa.

Our subject is a son of Gardner and
Jane (Waters) Hale, and was born Oct.
12. i82^>, in Bark county. Indiana. His
father was born in Providence, K. I., Aug.
31, 1795, and located in Parke county,
Indiana, when a young man, where he
bought a farm and made a home. In 1836
he moved to Peoria county, Illinois, and
farmed until .\i>ril. 1837. when he brought
his family to Iowa, and entered a farm
consisting of one hundred and twenty
acres in Pleasant Grove township. This
was mostly timber land, but he cleared
it, and built a small house and log barn,
carrying on farming ver^- extensively. He
later replaced his unpretentious home
and barn by more substantial and mod-
ern ones, which were erected by his son,
of this review, who had learned the trade
of a carpenter.

Me was a mendier of the Cumberland
I'resbyterian church, and in politics was
first a Whig and later a Republican, but
not an office-seclcer. His prosperous life
closed on his farm in Pleasant Grove
townshi]) when he was ninety-two years
old. lie was twice married, his first wife
living but a short time and left no chil-
dren. His second wife. Miss Jane Wat-
ers, was born in South Carolina, anil came
with her i)arents to Parke county, Indiana,
where she was married. She was a de-
voted mend)er of the Cumberland Pres-
byterian church, and actively engaged in
all departments of the same. She pre-
cedjil her husband to the better land
some twenty years, dying when about
fifty-five years of age. She was an excel-

BERNARD HALE.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

451

lent woman, a kind and loving mother,
and a devoted wife. She and her hus-
band are buried in the cemetery in Pleas-
ant Grove township. Thej' were the
parents of eleven children, of whom but
two now remain, — Bernard, of this re-
view, who is the oldest, and William W.,
the youngest, who is a farmer, and resides
in Pleasant Grove township.

I\lr. Hale's education was obtained
after he was twelve years of age in the
Pleasant Grove township schools. He
assisted his father for a few years, and
then worked out by the month for the
farmers of the neighborhood, where he
also learned the trade of a carpenter.
When twenty-three years of age he be-
gan to work for himself at his trade, but
resided at home till he was twenty-seven
years old. The next two years he spent
in Sperry, Franklin township, working at
his trade, and then moved to Pleasant
Grove township, where he resided one
year.

In the spring of 1857 he purchased
eight)' acres in Section 28, Washington
township. The place was all wild land,
and all of the improvements have been
made b}' Mr. Hale. Since purchasing
this farm he has built two houses, the
first one being small and plain, but the
last one is a large and modern structure.
His barns and other buildings also give
proof of a practical farmer. For many
years he farmed very successfully, and
each year supplied the'market with a fine
grade of stock, till his children were large
enough to manage the farm, when he
again took up his trade as a carpenter.
He also owns ten acres of timber land
in Pleasant Grove township.

Mr. Hale is a Republican, and cast his

first vote for John C. Fremont for presi-
dent. He was justice of the peace for
three years and school director for a num-
ber of terms, and is now treasurer of the
school district. In religious faith he is
a Baptist, of which church he is a con-
sistent niemljer, and was deacon and trus-
tee of the church for some time.

Jan. 5, 1854, Mr. Hale wedded Miss
Susan B. Downer, who was born in Lu-
zerne county, Pennsylvania, and came to
Iowa in 1839 with her parents when eight
years of age. Her parents were Robert
and Lydia (Babb) Downer, the former
being born in Ohio and the latter in
Pennsylvania. Mr. Downer was a con-
tractor of public works, and followed that
business during his residence in Pennsyl-
vania. They came to Iowa in i83g, and
located in Franklin township, where the
grandfather, John Babb, entered a large
tract of land, and also bought a number
of claims, owning finally some fifteen
hundred acres, which he divided among
his children. Mr. Downer located upon
some of the land entered by Mr. Babb,
his father-in-law, where he farmed for a
number of years, and then moved to Illi-
nois, near New Boston, where his death
occurred at the age of forty-eight years.
His widow survived him for many years,
and also passed away at the home place
in Franklin township, Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Downer had nine chil-
dren, of whom six are living. Mr. and
Mrs. Hale were blessed with seven chil-
dren and five are living: James R. re-
sides on the home fami, which he farms,
and also owns forty acres of land in
^^'ashington township. His education
was obtained in the district schools, and
he has always been a great student and

452

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

reader, and is a scientific farmer. He
served the township as assessor for four
years, and has been secretary of the
school board for the past fifteen years.
He is a great lover of all field sports, be-
ing a member and corresponding secre-
tary of the New London Gun Club for
sonic time. Lette E. is the wife of Moses
M. Smith, of Oklahoma. Emma S. mar-
ried Alexander W'estfall, of Yarmouth,
March ~. 1880. She was born on the
hoine farm, was educated in the common
schools of Washington township, and is
a member of the Methodist church.
Since marriage they have always resided
in Washington township, where Mr.
Westfall was a fanner till five years ago.
They are the parents of eleven children,
all of whom are living, and are as fol-
lows': (i) Bertha M., lives with her
grandfather, the subject of this sketch ;
(2) Effie P., married Foster C. Jarvis, a
tinner by trade, of Jacksonville, 111., and
has two sons, I.yle and Foster E. ; (3)
Esta M., wife of Frederick Miller, a liv-
eryman of Yarmouth, who was born in
Woodford county, Illinois, came to Iowa
eleven years ago, and farmed in Wash-
ington township till a year ago, wlun lu-
moved to Yarmouth : (4) Chester .\., a
farm hand in Washington township; (5)
Orvia D., lives in Jacksonville, 111.; (6)
Edwin E., resides in Washington town-
ship ; (7) Howard A., lives with his
grandfather, of this review ; (8) Harry
E., (9) Ora, (10) Tracy D., (11) Daniel
B., all four at home. Ellen Hale is the
wife of Casper Oberman, of Washington
township, who is a farmer. Willis B.
married Miss Hattie Carie, and is a
school-teacher in Ruston, La. They have
two children, Cecil B. and Catherine.

Emulus Hale died when seven years of
age. An unnamed infant, deceased. Mr.
Hale's children were all born in Des
Moines county.

Mr. Hale is now in his eightieth year,
enjoying all the comforts and blessings
of old age. There is no man in the com-
munity more highly respected or es-
teemed than is he. His business life,
both private and public, has always been
honorable, his home life has been an
ideal one. and his Christian life is one
that all may pattern after; and though he
has had trials and sorrows here, we have
the assurance he will find joys without
number when he is called to join those
most near and dear to him.

FREDERICK VOGT.

Frederick Vogt was well known in in-
dustrial circles in Burlington, having lived
here some fifty years. He was always relia-
ble and trustworthy, and yet it was not his
business record alone that made him so wide
and favorably known in this city, his charac-
ter and upright manhood gaining him the
regard, confidence, and good-will of all, so
that his memory is still cherished by those
with whom lie was associated in the active
walks of life. Frederick's parents, Martin
and Mary Vogt, left their native land, Ger-
many, in March, 1836, and emigrated to
America, locating at Newburg, N. Y., on
the Hudson. Mr. and Mrs. Vogt were both
about thirty years old at this time. They
did not remain long in Ne^vburg, and
finally located in Buffalo, N. Y. They were
the parents of six children : Frederick, the
subject of this review ; Mary, married Mike

DHS MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

453

Stork, and resides at Buffalo, N. Y. ; John
and Peter, also residents of Buffalo; Eliza-
beth, the wife of Mr, Smith; Catherine,
married Mr. Baker, and is now dead. The
fattier was stricken with that dread disease,
cholera, and died Aug. 19, 1849. His wife
passed away April 28, 1888.

Frederick Vogt was born in Baden, Ger-
many, Feb. 24, 1829. He attended the
schools of his native land, and emigrated to
America with his parents in an old-time sail-
ing vessel. At the age of fourteen he en-
tered a printing office to serve an apprentice-
ship of seven years. He also started a Ger-
man paper in Buffalo called the Patriot, but
soon discontinued its publication. In 1855
he went to Chicago, where he was employed
in the job department of the Chicago Trib-
une, and in 1861 came to Burlington, being
employed in the same department of the
Hawk-Eye. He was later also associated
with John Daldorft' in the Iowa Tribune
office till 1878. He then retired from the
printing business, and spent most of his
time gardening on Sunnyside Avenue.

On Oct. I, 1848, Mr. Vogt was married,
in Buffalo, N. Y., to Miss Phoebe Esben-
schied, a native of Germany, and daughter
of Plansiur and Catherine (Baney) Esben-
schied. She was born in Furfeld, Hesse-
Darmstadt, Nov. I, 1829. Unto them nine
children -were born : Mary Catherine, born
in Buffalo, N. Y., Dec. 14, 1849; Frances
Cecelia, born in Buffalo, Dec. 12, 185 1,
married George Eberhart; Charles Fred-
erick, born at Buffalo, Feb. 2, 1854, married
Miss Emma Holcomb ; George Joseph
(whose record is on another page in this
book), born at Buffalo, March 3, 1856, mar-
ried Miss Annie Brocagan ; Amelia Cath-
erine, born in Chicago, 111., May 6, 1858,
married Jacob Wagener ; Louisa Rosina,

born in Chicago, July i, i860, married Fred
Jaegger; William Jacob, born in Burling-
ton, Iowa, April 25, 1864 ; Frederick Her-
man, born in Burlington, Dec. 12, 1866;
Carrie Ophelia, born in Burlington, Jan. 13,
1872 ; and Charles W., born in Burlington,
Sept. 25, 1877.

Mrs. Vogt's parents came direct to Buf-
falo from Germany, making the trip in some-
thing like forty-two days, in one of the old-
time sailing vessels. They settled at
White's Corners, and here both died, the
father in 1874, and the mother in 1871.
They were the parents of three children :
Adam, who still lives on the old homestead,
aged seventy-two years ; Mary, married Mr.
Simmons, and resides on Bennett Street,
just off of Broadway, in the city of Buffalo,
N. Y. ; and Phoebe, wife of our subject.
All through life Mr. Vogt was a strong Re-
publican, and his party won many victories
through his untiring efforts. Although
always enthusiastic, he never aspired to pub-
lic office. He however held several minor
offices in the city and township. Mr. Vogt
died April 2t,, 1902. His was a record well
to be remembered. Starting in life with
little save an iron will and great ambition,
but not knowing what it meant to fail in
any undertaking, he was enabled in the eve-
ning of his life to enjoy many home comforts.
Having been a man well informed on all
subjects of the day, and a man possessing a
bright and sunny disposition, he made
friends of all.

GEORGE JOSEPH VOGT.

George J. Vogt, who ranks as one of the
substantial and progressive merchants and
business men of the city of Burlington, Iowa,

454

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

was born March 3, 1S5'). in lluffali), X. \ .,
the son of Frederick and I'hillipina ( Esben-
schied) \'ogt. His ])arcnts. who were na-
tives of Ciermany, emigrated to America
when six or seven years of age, making tlie
voyage in the same boat, in company with
their parents, and settling in the city of Buf-
falo, wliere they grew to maturity and were
married. Practically the whole of Mr.
Vogt's life has been passed as a citizen of
his a(ln|)ied city, for he came with liis par-
ents to liurlington in 1861, when he was but
five years of age, and it was here that he
received liis education in the public schools.

For four or five years after finishing his
schooling he acted as his father's assistant
in his work of gardening, but at the end of
that time he decided to begin his career along
independent lines, and began to acquire the
trade of cigar-making, and this he followed
for a period of five years with great success.
He then decided, limvever, to accejit a more
advantageous jiroposition, and entered the
employ of the Derby Mills and Elevator
Company, with whom he continued for six-
teen and one-half years in a position of trust
and imjjortance and with nuitual benefit to
himself and his employers. This connection
was dissolved in 1896. and on June i of that
year he established himself in the flour and
feed business in I'lurlington. locating at zii.
North Central Avenue, where he still con-
tinues, and in this venture he has met with
very gratifying success.

On July 3. 1881, he was united in marriage
to Miss Anna .Angelina Rrockhagen. and to
them have been bom three daughters, these
being Clara Cordelia, who is employed as
clerk in the Boesch dry-goods store ; Grace
Elsie, musician and teacher of the piano ;
and Maude .Mice, wiio is also a musician
and is a teacher of the violin, all being at

JKjme with their parents. Mr. \'ogt is also
a musical artist, his specialty being the flute,
and with his daughters furnishes the music
for many social and public functions, the
family being professionally known as the
\'ogt orchestra.

The political allegiance of our subject is
given to the Republican party, in the sound-
ness of whose principles he is a firm believer,
although not himself an aspirant for political
honors or public office ; and fraternally, he
is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees
and the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
and for one year held the office of recorder
in the former order. .Mthough not a member
of any religious denomination, Mr. XOgt is
a regular attendant at the services of the
various churches, and contributes liberally
of his means to the sup|)ort of the cause of
religion. In a business way he has. by the
adoption of the most modern methods, by
virtue of his reinitation for U])right anrl
strictly just dealings, achieved a very flatter-
ing success, and been enabled to gain a com-
petency, while the geniality and engaging
traits of his character have won him a host
of friends.

JAMES A. HAWKINS.

In the front ranks of Des Moines
county's public life are a few younger
men who have attained to positions of
recognized leadership by virtue of high
|)ersonal character and natural gifts of an
exceptional order. With these is num-
bered the subject of this review, and he
enjoys a personal ac(|uaintance which is
so extended as to give rise to a universal
interest in the facts of his career. Mr.
Hawkins is a native of Burlington. b;i\-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

455

ing been born in tliis city Sept. 28, 1 87 1,
the son of John and Emily (Cullen) Haw-
kins, both of whom were well known in
Burlington. The father, who was born in
County Wexford, Ireland, on emigrating
to America, first located in the city of
New York, where for a time he was en-
gaged in business as a merchant tailor,
and whence he came to Burlington. Here
he conducted a shop at 306 North Third
Street for many years very successfully,
continuing in business at that location
until the time of his death, June 14, 1883.
His wife survived him for a long term of
years, her demise occurring April 18,
1807. Both were members of the Catho-
lic church, of whose moral and religious
teachings they were ever faithful follow-
ers. They were the parents of eight chil-
dren, as follows : Jennie, wife of Joseph
Robinson; John J.; Anna: Frank and
William, twins; Edward; Bernard; and
James A., our subject.

Air. Hawkins was educated in the pa-
rochial and public schools of Burlington,
receiving therein an exceptionally thor-
ough and practical preparation for the
active duties of his subsequent career, and
when only eighteen years of age began
his independent course in life by learning
a trade, that of the barber. He soon be-
came proficient, so that on attaining his
majority he decided to establish himself
in business, and opened a shop on Jetifer-
son Street. Here he from the first at-
tracted a large and profitable patronage,
which he retained until he disposed of the
shop in 1902, when he was elected by the
voters of Des Moines county to the office
of county recorder.

A lifelong Democrat. Mr. Hawkins is a
firm' adherent to the political faith of that

part}' and a believer in its exalted destiny,
while he has also during many years been
a most active worker for its success in the
field of local and county government.
Previous to his elevation to his present
position he served the party as a member
of both the county and city central com-
mittees, proving his, worth by his in-
tensely practical turn of mind and his
ability to produce concrete results in the
way of increased support for the party in
whose interest he labored with such un-
remitting diligence. His fraternal rela-
tions, which are extensi\e, are with the
Knights of Columbus, Aerie 150, Order
of Eagles, and the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, in all of which organi-
zations he is valued as an important fac-
tor, both for the high enthusiasm that
marks him in all he does and for the
sound and practical judgment which is
one of his most prominent characteristics.
Probably no young man in the public eye'
at the present time has a larger or more
admiring circle of friends, for his cordial
and attractive personality have brought
him into close relations with all the more
progressive element, and his loyalty, in-
tegrity, and fairness are the solid cjual-
ities which have won him an enviable
reputation and general and unqualified
esteem.

AUGUST F. BRINGER.

In any list of the enterprising and suc-
cessful retail grocers of iUirlington, Iowa,
the name of August F. Bringer must be
accorded a high place and standing, for he
is a man who has achieved his present po-
sition by native force of character and by

456

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

his own efforts unassisted by paternal
aid or adventitious circumstances. Mr.
Brinper is a member of a German family
which originally spelled its name IJruen-
ger, and he was born in Burlington,
March 15. 1855. a son of John Henry
Rringer. a native of Krfurt, Prussia, and
Anna Mary (^Kerker) Bringer, a native of
Enga, Prussia. The mother of our sub-
ject— who was one of a family of five sis-
ters and one brother — was twice married,
her first husband being a Mr. 01)ersdiel|),
by wlinni she had two children, one of
whom, Phillip, grew to maturity. She
married Mr. Bringer in Germany, and
they became in that country the parents
of two children. .Mary and John Henry.
Emigrating to .\merica in 1852, they
came directly to Burlington bj- way of
New CJrleans, after having spent seven
weeks crossing the ocean. Here the
father entered the employ of the firm of
Barry & Ciilman, later known as the Bur-
lington Lundjer Com])any. for whom he
acted as foreman for a number of years.
His death occurred in 1873, in the fifty-
fourth year of his age, while the mother's
demise was on March 8, 1901, aged
eighty-three years. To them were born
in Burlington three children, as follows:
August P., the subject of this review ; his
twin sister, Anna, now the wife of Louis
H. Oberschelp; and Fred.

Mr. Bringer was well educated in the
Evangelical l.utluran jiarochial school
and in the ])ublic schools of Burlington,
and at the age of si.xteen years became
self-supporting and independent by enter-
ing the employ of the nursery firm of
Xealey Brothers & Bock, of this city, with
whom he remained for three years. He
then accepted a position with the Bur-

lington Lumber Company, wliich he oc-
cupied for the long ])eriod of twelve
years. .\nd)itious of further advance-
ment, he then left this employment to
enter as clerk in a grocery store at the
corner of South and Central .\venues,
where he remained for nine years, study-
ing the business in all its details, becom-
ing familiar with the principles of its
management, acquiring valuable experi-
ence in practical affairs, and, most im-
l)ortant of all. making many friends by
his honorable and upright bearing and
engaging, genial per.sonality. After thus
serving a long and thorough apprentice-
ship, he entered business for himself, and
fur the last ten years, in partnership with
.Mr. John .\. Held, he has conducted a
large retail grocery store at the corner of
Central and Walnut Streets, where he
lias a constantly growing patronage.

On Oct. 25. 1879, ^Jr. Bringer was
united in marriage to Miss Louisa H.
Sander, ilaughter of Christian and Louise
Sander, natives of Hanover, who came to
.America in the late '40's or early "so's of
the last century. To .Mr. and Mrs.
liringer have been born five chihiren :
Willie H., Walter C, Harry 1'.. Laura M.,
an<l Raymond H.

Husband and wife are mend)crs of the
Evangelical Lutheran church, in which
Mr. Bringer occui)ied the office of deacon
for two years, being one of its leading
members, and of whose Sunday-school he
has been treasurer during the last six
years, always taking a prominent ])art in
the Sunday-school work.

I'Vatcrnally, he is a mendier of the .\n-
cient Order of L'nited Workmen, in which
order he is well known, and his political
allegiance is given to the Republican

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

457

party. The history of his business life
is one of uniform and uninterrupted suc-
cess; and while he has thus proved him-
self the possessor of marked ability, he is
also noted for his social qualities and the
broad humanity of his views.

GEORGE W. RIFFEL.

George W. Riffel, one of the early
settlers of the county, now residing on Sec-
tion 30, Franklin township, where he has
one hundred and seventy acres of rich farm
land, is a native of Ohio, his birth having
occurred in Fairfield county, that State,
April 16, 1835. In 1849 ^e came to Iowa
with his parents, George and Anna (Leit-
naker) Riffel. The father was born in Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania, and when a
young man removed to Ohio, settling in
Fairfield county, where he engaged in farm-
ing. He wedded Anna Leitnaker, a resi-
dent of that county, and they resided in
Fairfield until 1849, when they came by
wagon to Des Moines county, Iowa, being
thirty-one days on the trip. They settled
south of Burlington, where the father rented
a farm for a few years.

When his industry and economy had
brought him sufficient capital, he made pur-
chase of land in Pleasant Grove township
in 1853, becoming the owner of one hun-
dred and sixty acres. There he developed a
good farm, upon which he resided until the
time of his death. His energies and efforts
were devoted to the tilling of the soil and
the raising of stock, and his close applica-
tion and unremitting diligence were the
strong elements in his prosperity. He died
in November, 1869, at the age of seventy

years and four months, in the Catholic faith,
having been a communicant of the church
of that denomination at Dodgeville. His
political views accorded with the principles
of Democracy. Mrs. Riffel survived her
husband for some time, and died in 1893
near Pipestone, Minn., where she was liv-
ing with one of her sons. In the family
were nine children, eight of whom are still
living. She, too, was a member of the Cath-
olic church, and was an estimable lady.

George W. Riffel began his education in
the public schools of Fairfield county, Ohio,
and he also continued his education in this
county. When not busy with his text-
books, he assisted in the work of the home
farm ; and after leaving school he gave his
entire attention to farm labor upon the old
homestead until about thirty years of age,
when he rented a farm in Yellow Springs
township, making his home thereon for
three and a half years. On the expiration
of that period he purchased his present
farm, becoming owner of ninety acres ; and
as his financial resources have increased,
he has added to the property, until now
within the boundaries of the home place are
contained one hundred and seventy acres.
This is a valuable tract of land, on which
he has made all of the improvements, in-
cluding the erection of a good house and
other buildings. The work is carried on
methodically and with diligence, and the
fields return golden harvests, while the sales
of his high-grade stock add not a little to
his income.

Mr. Riffel was married, April 18, 1865,
to Miss Caroline Cockayne, who was born
in Flint River township, this county, and is
a daughter of Hiram and Elizabeth (Riggs)
Cockayne, both of whom were natives of
Marshall county, Virginia, and came to

458

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Iowa at an early epoch in tlic pioneer devel-
opment of Des Moines county. Tliey lo-
catccl in Flint River townshi]!, and the
father, a farmer by occupation, became the
owner of two hundred acres of rich land,
retaining possession of that farm up to the
time of his death, which occurred when he
was fifty-seven years of age. He voted
vvitii the Democracy, and shared in the in-
terest of all public-spirited citizens in the
welfare and progress of the locality. His
widow survived him for a number of years,
and passed away in November, 1898, when
her remains were interred by the side of her
husband in a cemetery in Mint River town-
ship.

Mrs. Riffel was born in Flint River town-
ship, and is indebted to its public schools
for the educational i)rivileges she enjoyed.
By lier marriage she has become the mother
of four children, all of whom were born in
Franklin townshi]), and are yet living: John
M., the eldest, residing in Burlington, is a
traveling salesman representing the H.
Weinrich rickle Works, wedded Mary
Kcegan, and has one son, Fred ; George H.,
a farmer residing in Franklin township,
married Miss Margaret Jackson, a daughter
of the lateCieorge Jackson, who is repre-
sented elsewhere in this work ; Nora M., re-
sides at home ; and William Roy. assists in
the operation of the home farm. All of the
children were educated in the public schools
t)f the township, and have also been stu-
dents in Burlington.

Mr. RifTel, a Democrat in political views,
gives loyal support to his party without
seeking office as a reward for his fealty.
He was reared in the Catholic faith, and is
still a conmuinicant of the church. His life
has been characterized by industry and en-
terprise, and he has regarded agricultural

pursuits as abundantly worthy of his best
efforts, in this department of labor achieving
a creditable prosperity.

JOHN LAHEE.

John Lahee, now deceased, was long
prominent in the business and political life
of Burlington and Des Moines county, and
the important role he played on both these
stages of action entitles his name to a place
on the roll of the county's honored citizens.
He was born May 7. 1820, at Martinsburg,
Lewis county, N. Y., the son of Timothy
Lahee, a farmer in comfortable circum-
stances, who was born in northern England
in 1795, came to America as a British
soldier in the War of 181 2, remained on this
side the Atlantic at the end of the war, and
died in New York. In New York the father
of our subject married Miss Catherine Buck,
who was born 1796 and died 1846. She was
the oldest daughter of Elijah Buck, a farn'fer
of Lewis county, whose ancestors were
Dutch and settled in Washington county.
New York, before the Revolutionary period.
His father, also Elijah Buck, bought the
township of Harrisburg. Lewis county, and
named it in honor of his friend. Governor
Harris, of New York. Amos, a brother of
Elijah Buck, was for many years a member
of the New York State Legislature, and was
the wealthiest merchant of the county.

John Lahee was educated in his native
town of Martinsburg and at Yale Academy,
after which he studied law in the office of
D. M. Bennett, of Martinsburg: and in 1849
he began the ])ractice of law at Rome. X. Y.,
where he remained for several years, en-
joying considerable success. Through the

JOHN LAHEE.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

461

influence of a relative who was superin-
tendent of stage lines and post routes be-
tween Burling;ton and the Missouri River,
he was induced to come West, and on Dec.
19, 1852, located at Burlington, opening a
real estate office here. In 1854 he formed a
partnership with M! . R. Brown, with whom
he conducted a real estate and abstract busi-
ness, and as the town grew rapidly, owing
to the construction of the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy Railway, their enter-
prise became very prosperous, continuing so
until 1858, when land, in common -with all
other commoditities, began to depreciate in
price. Mr. Lahee then accepted an appoint-
ment as agent for the Continental Insurance
Company of New York, the first company
of that State •which had entered into the
Burlington field. From that time the in-
surance business occupied the greater part
of his time, although he still continued to
give some attention to real estate and loans.
In 1868 he organized here a branch of the
Republic Insurance Company of Chicago,
and was elected its secretary. The issue
was a triumph for his business judgment,
for it proved very successful, although
finally checked by the disaster of the great
Chicago fire of 1871. From 1871 to' 1875
he was in partnership with the late Judge
Phelps, and it was during this period that he
participated in the organization of the Ger-
man American Savings Bank of Burlington,
becoming its assistant cashier and member
of the board of directors, positions which he
held for two years, his influence and coun-
sel doing much to put the institution upon a
firm basis and start it well on the way to
assured and lasting prosperity. He was
an expert on real estate values, and a good
judge of human nature, and the bank never
had to foreclose a single loan that he passed

upon favorably. This is an unusual record.
He was a very public-spirited citizen, and at
the beginning of the Civil War in 1861,
he, in association with W. D. Gilbert,
equipped an artillery company, known as
the Fletcher or First Iowa Battery, which
left this city and performed notable service
in the South, doing especially effective exe-
cution at the battle of Pea Ridge.

On Dec. 6, 1856, Mr. Lahee was united in
marriage to Miss Ellen F. House, of Rome,
N. Y., a granddaughter of one of the life
guards of General Washington. Mrs. Lahee
was educated at Mrs. Williard's School at
Utica, N. Y., and the Troy Female Semi-
nary, of Troy, N. Y. L^nto them were born
four children, of whom two survive, these
being John Stillman, at present conducting
the real estate, insurance, and loan business
founded by the father in Burlington, and
Effie Frances, who received her education
at Vassar College, New York.

Mr. Lahee was a well-known factor in
political afifairs, and although originally a
Democrat, later, in 1840, became a Whig,
being converted to that political creed by the
writings of Horace Greeley as editor of the
New York Tribune. On the breaking up
of the old party lines and the formation of
the Republican party, he enthusiastically
supported the new movement, and was a
delegate from Des Moines county to the
first Republican convention held in this
State, namely, that at Iowa City in 1854.
LTpon the organization of the party in Iowa
in 1856, he was chosen a member of the con-
gressional committee from the first district,
at once assimiing a position of leadership
in partisan counsels, giving the most earnest
eft'ort and thought to the cause, and making
a marked impress upon the trend of events.
In i860 he was elected clerk of the district

462

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

court for Des Moines county, being the first
Kei>ublican to hold that office in the county.
His interest in the workings of practical
politics continued for a long period, and
he lived to serve the party over whose in-
fancy he had watched in many a convention
hall and ])ost of honor. He was a man of
strong and determined character, frank, open
and above board as far as is consistent -with
the care of complicated and delicate inter-
ests, and commanded universal admiration,
while the cordiality and amiability of his dis-
position won him the friendship of the ma-
jority of those with \\ lioiii he was personally
acquainted.

JOHN S. LAHEE.

John S. L.mike, a representative and
worthy custodian of one of the ])ioneer busi-
ness interests of the enterprising city of
Burlington, is a native son of Des Moines
county, having been Ixirii in this city Jan.
12, 1864, the son of Juliii and Ellen F.
(House) Lahce. He is a member of a
prominent and well-known family, a full ac-
count of whose lineage and origin is included
in the record of the father's career, appear-
ing elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Lahee
received his preliminary education in the
public schools of Burlington, and later en-
gaged in a course of study in the Iowa State
University, at Iowa City, an institution
which enjoys high prestige by reason of
its many di.stinguished alumni.

In 1884 Mr. Lahee began his business life
in linrlington in the line of insurance, real
estate, and loans, in -which he has ever since
been engaged ; and by means of his native
.spirit of enterprise, his executive ability and
strong personality, combined with the repu-

tation which has come to him as a result of
his invariably honorable and upright course,
he has achieved a large and permanent
success. Gifted with a quick apprecia-
tion of opportunity, shrewd and discrim-
inating in his estimate of a business situation
or proposition, he has contributed his full
share to the city's progress, and it may be
said that his rewards have been in some de-
gree commensurate with his merits. .As the
successor of his father he is the representa-
tive of the oldest insurance business in the
State of Iowa, this business having been
established by the elder Lahee in 1854. and
having been in continuous operation from
that time to the present, or for more than
half a century.

Our subject has been a lifelong Repub-
lican in his political faith, and has always
taken an active part in political and public
afTairs. Soon after leaving college he was
chosen secretary of the Young Men's Re-
iniblican Club of Des Moines county, which
at that period was a very strong organiza-
tion and a factor in the political life of the
city, in which he performed valuable service.

In 1882 he was appointed disbursing
agent and chief examiner of the Chippewa
Indian lands, a lucrative position, but de-
clined the ap])ointment. For the four years
from 1889 to 1893 he was in the customs
service at Burlington, resigning his post in
the latter year, however, on account of the
pressure of private afTairs. During the
building of the present Burlington postoffice
structure, he was engaged in the work of
the su])ervising architect's office, of the
treasury department, he having charge of all
the accounts.

For many years Mr. Lahee has been very
]iromincntly connected with the musical or-
ganizations of Burlington. While a student

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

463

in tlie Uiiiversit}- of Iowa he was a member
of its military organization, and on leaving
school joined the Second Regiment of the
Iowa National Guards and became chief
musician of the regiment. He has been a
member of the Hayner Orchestra and of
the Burlington Boat Club band, and was
the founder and organizer of an orchestra
which he continued to direct for one year,
during which time it became well known
and popular. At the expiration of that
period the organization was taken in charge
by Professor Schramm, and has since been
known as the Schramm Orchestra. He also
founded an orchestra in connection with the
Presbyterian Sunday-school, and was for
a time its director, taking a very strong
personal interest in its progress and welfare,
and stimulating in its members a spirit of en-
thusiasm which made the organization justly
celebrated in local musical circles. He is a
charter member of the Burlington Commer-
cial exchange, and in his social connections
enjoys an enviable standing. He has mem-
bership relations with the Burlington Golf
Club, and is also a member of the Burling-
ton Boating Association, of which he served
as secretary for eight consecutive years. He
is an attendant of the First Presbyterian
church, with whose musical work he has
been prominently connected for a number of
years, having at various periods taken
charge of the Sunday-school music, a posi-
tion in which his unusual talents in this di-
rection were of marked benefit, and re-
sulted in a distinct rise in musical ideals and
accomplishment, thus implanting an influ-
ence which is yet apparent to a distinctly
perceptible degree. In all his labors he has
held in view a purely unselfish purpose,
without any thought of self-aggrandizement,
and simply from his love of good and con-

scientious work inspired b\' lofty aspirations.
He has thereby won the general respect and
achieved a success which is well rounded
and complete.

STEPHEN J. BECKMAN.

Stephen J. Beckman, attorney-at-law,
of Burlington, was born in this city Dec.
-7. 18/3' his parents being Stephen and
Mary (Eversman) Eeckman. The father
was a native of West Phalen, Prussia, born
Jan. 6, 1826. The mother's birth occurred
at Iburg, near Osnabruck, Prussia, Nov.
20, 1845. Stephen Beckman, Sr., came to
the United States in i860, crossing the At-
lantic to New Orleans, and thence proceed-
ing up the Mississippi River to St. Louis,
where he remained until 1863, having
charge of a dairy there. He afterward
went to Oquawka, 111., where he conducted
a wagon shop. He met with financial re-
verses there ; for the building of the rail-
road bridge at Burlington proved the death
knell of Oquawka, and business of all
kinds diminished in the town. Finding his
efforts there no longer profitable, Mr. Beck-
man removed to Burlington, where he con-
ducted a wagon-making shop until 1872.
He then entered the employ of the Bur-
lington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad
Company, continuing in that service as one
of its trusted representatives in the shops
for a quarter of a century. He died June
27, 1898.

His wife was sixteen years of age when
she came to the United States, landing at
New Orleans. She at once made her way
to Burlington, and two years later gave
her hand in marriage here to Mr. Beckman.
She died Jan. 10, 1901. In their family

464

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

wore seven children, (jf whom Sleplien J.
is the fifth. Tlie others still living are:
George C. a mechanic residing in Daven-
port. Iowa; Clara, the widow of H. W.
Lucliner. and a resident of liurlington ;
'.\nna: 1 knry ].. who follows carpentering
in Ihirlington ; and .Vannie .A., a stenog-
rapher for the Drake Hardware Company,
of this city. One son, John, died in infancy.
Stephen J. I'ecknian pursued his educa-
tion in St. John's parochial school until
thirteen years of age, after which he spent
two years as a public-school student in
Burlington. When a youth of fifteen he
entered u])on his business career as a de-
livery Ix)y in the postoftice. being thus cm-
ployed for a year and a half, after which
he spent one year as a student in Elliotts
Business College. He was for seven years
employed in llertzlcr's shoe store, but
throughout this period ii was his ambition
to become a member of the bar. He began
reading law when only fifteen years of age,
and he occupied his leisure hours largely
in this way. He had always looked to the
law as a profession, and his efforts were
directed toward that end.

At length, when he had saved from his
earnings a sum sufficient to enable him to
meet the expen.ses of a college course, he
entered the State University Sept. 13,
1899, and was graduated from that insti-
tution June 12, lyoi. He had clerked
every day in a shoe store at Iowa city dur-
ing his university course, studying law at
nights, and thus had made his way through
college, and he had money left at the close
of the course. He afterward made a tour
of Colorado and tin- West, looking for a
favorable location, but decided that lUir-
lington afforded sufficient opportunities, and
accordingly opened an office in this city in

.\ugust, lyoi. Here he has since remained
engaged in active practice, and his strong
and imyielding ()urpose, his devotion to
his clients' interests, and his cajiability re-
sulting from a "thorough mastery of \cga\
principles, have been the salient factors in
wimiing him a desirable position at the
liurlington bar.

In UJ04 .Mr. Beckman was the Demo-
cratic candidate for the office of city so-
licitor, and though he was defeated, he
ran a thousand votes ahead of his ticket, a
fact which indicated his personal poi>u-
larity and the confidence reposed in him by
the general public. He has always been
a stanch advocate of Democratic princijiles.
in religious faith he is a Catholic, and is
connected fraternally with the Knights of
Columbus. .\ young man of strong force
of character, with good intellectual endow-
ments and laudable ambition, he is making
rapid i)rogress as a representative of the
bar, and deserves much credit for what he
has already accomplished.

NICHOLAUS KELT.

Xaiioi,.\us Ilici.r, who follows farming
on Section 12, I'nion township, is a self-
made man, who. recognizing the value of
earnest labor and jierseverance, has through-
out his business career wrought along those
lines tuitil ho has become the owner of a
good farm property, making him one of the
substantial citizens of his community. He
was born in Bavaria. Ciermany, I"eb. 2. 1841,
a son of Nicholaus and KalJierine Helt, who
W'Cre natives of the same kingdom, and
spent their entire lives there as farming
people.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

465

Nicholaus Helt remained a resident of
Germany until i860, when at the age of
nineteen years he sailed for America, taking
passage on a westward-bound vessel at
Havre, France, and eventually landing at
New Orleans, after sixty-seven days spent
upon the water. He immediately came up
the Mississippi River as far as Burlington,
and has since made his home in Lee and
Des Moines counties. He started to earn
his living in the New World by working as
a farm hand, and after a few years he pur-
chased property with the money earned
through his own labor and saved through
his economy. He has since carried on agri-
cultural pursuits on his own account. From
1865 until 1890 he lived in Augusta town-
ship, and now makes his home on Section
12, Union township, where he has a well-
improved farm.

In 1865 Mr. Helt was united in marriage
to Miss Margaret Schulteis, a native of Ger-
many, who came to America when two
years of age with her parents, Henry and
Elizabeth Schulteis. They landed in New
York, and spent some time in Pennsylvania,
after which they came to Iowa, and were
among the pioneer settlers of Des Moines
county. Eight children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Helt : Katherine ; Anna ; Chris-
tina ; George, who died in 1903. at the age
of thirty-one years ; Emma ; Julia : William :
and one that died in infancy.

The family attend and support the Lu-
theran church. In his political views Mr.
Helt is a Republican, but does not consider
himself bound by party ties at local elections,
often casting his ballot regardless of party
affiliation. W^hile living in Augusta town-
ship he served for a number of years as
township trustee, and is now serving for
the second year in that office in L'nion

township, proving a capable ofificial. About
eight years ago he made a trip back to his
native land, visiting the scenes of his child-
hood and renewing the friendships of his
early years, although many of his early
companions had died or moved away. This
time it took him but seven days to cross
the ocean, while on his first voyage he was
almost ten times as long — a fact which
illustrates the great advancement made in
methods of ocean travel. He is fully con-
tent with America as a place of residence,
for here he has gained a good home and a
comfortable competence.

MAJOR FRED S. HOLSTEEN.

Major Fred S. Holsteen, popular and
prominent in legal, political, military, and
social circles in Burlington, where he
is engaged in the practice of law, and
where his influence has been beneficially
felt in many lines of activity and achieve-
ment, was born July 5, 1873, in the city
which is yet his home, his parents being
Sophus Freidrich Edward Kneiss Hol-
steen and Emma Amelia (Oelschlager)
Holsteen. The first of the family to come
to America was his grandfather, Nicolaus
Heinrich Freidrich Kneiss, who was a
doctor juris, and for a number of years
practiced law in Preetz, Germany. He
came to America vvith his oldest son,
Sophus, in 1846, to set his son up in busi-
ness, and assist in making a home for
him ; aliout two years later, he had his
second son, Charles, also come to Amer-
ica. In the fall of 1851 Nicolaus H. F.
Kneiss returned to Germany without his
sons, and immediately after landing he

+66

BIOGRAPHICAL REFIEW

was taken sick and was transferred to tlie
local Masonic Hosiiital, where he died on
Nov. 29, 1851, and was buried in the local
St. Catherine's cemetery. His widow,
Soi)hie Christine Kiiciss. resided, later on,
alternately in Preet/., Rensburg, and
Itzehoe, and died at the latter place on
Sept. 25, 1886, at a very advanced age,
leaving three chililren : Sophus and
Charles, named above, both residents of
Des Moines county, Iowa; and Regina
Louise Wilhclmine (Kneiss) Bruhn. then
residing at Itzehoe, now of Sude, Ger-
many.

.Sophus Holsteen was born in Germany,
Oct. 23, 1829, reccivetl a university educa-
tion, and after establishing his home in
America, engaged in the drug business.
.\t length his health failed him, and he
purchased land in the suburbs of Burling-
ton, where he carried on farming for sev-
eral years. He has long since, however,
abandoned active business cares, and is
now living on his farm in Benton town-
shi|). Des Moines county, Iowa, in hon-
orable retirement. He spends his winters
in various places, having been for two
years in Nova Scotia, while at other times
he has sojourned through the winter
periods in southern California. He was
twice married, and his first wife and two
children died in the same week. He af-
terward wedded Emma A. Oelschlager,
and they became the parents of fourteen
children, of whom ten are yet living —
eight sons and two daughters.
. Fred S. Holsteen, born u]ion his father's
farm near the suburbs of Burlington, is
a brilliant example of what a young man
mav <\o for himself. Until fifteen years
of age he attended the country scliools
througli tiie winter months, while in the

summer seasons he worked upon the
farm. He then obtained his father's per-
mission to go to Nauvoo, 111., where,
through his labor, he met tlie expenses
incident to a course in the high school
of that city, lie ajjplied himself with
such assiduity to his studies that he was
enai)led to complete a four-years' course
in three years, and was valedictorian of
the graduating class of 1893. Until he
had attained his majority he spent his
summer months in working upon his
father's farm. Not content with the edu-
cational privileges that he had already
secured, and strongly desirous of making
furtlier jjrogress in the line of intelleclual
development, alter reading law for a short
time in the office of Power, Huston &
Power, of Burlington, he entered the Bur-
lington Institute College, and was grad-
uated in 1895: and later the Iowa State
University, and was graduated from the
liberal arts course in 1898; while in 1900
he comjjleted tlie law course, was ad-
mitted lo the bar in Iowa, and thus be-
came qualified lor the practice of the pro-
fession which he has made his life work.
Throughout the period of his college
course he was very busy. In his youth
he displayed the great energy and execu-
tive force which have ever been dominant
factors in his career, and have made him
one of the successful and popular young
men of his native city. During his second
year at college he took part in the sopho-
more debate as the rei)resentativc of the
Zetagathian Society, in the fall of 1805.
and the following year was in class
debate. In his senior year he represented
the Zetagathian Society in preliminary
debate, and was one of the three chosen
for the intercollegiate debate.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

467

When he entered college he became a
private in the military department of the
university, and was promoted succes-
sively to the rank of first sergeant and
captain. He was also appointed profes-
sor of military science and tactics, and
commandant of the university battalion
with the rank of major, succeeding Lieu-
tenant H. F. Ely, of the United States
regular army, in the spring of 1899. Dur-
ing his sophomore year in the university
he was elected as assistant business man-
anger of the S. U. I. Quill, the paper of
the university, and the following year was
made manager, which position he retained
and capably filled until the beginning of
his senior year in the law course. In his
junior law year he was selected by Pro-
fessor Willis, in charge of the Iowa City
Academy, to teach political science and
civil government, which place he filled
with honor. In his senior year in the col-
legiate department of the university he
was president of the Zetagathian Society,
a position to which only seniors are eligi-
ble. Not only did Mr. Holsteen satisfac-
torily perform these various duties that
devolved upon him, at the same time pur-
suing his studies in the university and
relying on his own efforts for financial
support, but he made an excellent record
as a student, and thus entered upon life's
work thoroughly prepared for his chosen
department of activity.

However, desiring to put his theoretical
knowledge to the practical test, he
entered the law office of Dodge & Dodge,
at Burlington, with whom he read law for
a year following his university course.
His ambition still being unsatisfied, in
the fall of 1901 he entered the law depart-
ment of Yale Universitv, from which he

was graduated in the following June. He
was selected to represent the law depart-
ment in the contest with representatives
of other departments, and was one of the
six finally selected from all departments
as the representatives from Yale Univer-
sity. He was also chosen as one of the
three from the law department to debate
with representatives from other depart-
ments, and was decorated with a hand-
some gold medal at the close of the debate
as a badge of excellence. During the
spring term he was honored with the
presidency of the Kent Club, of Yale.

Following the completion of his course
at Yale, Major Holsteen returned to
Burlington to engage in his chosen pro-
fession, engaging largely in the practice
of economy and slightl}' in the practice
of law. Here he opened an office, and
practiced alone from August, 1902, until
February, 1903, when he became asso-
ciated with the law firm of Dodge &
Dodge, in whose office he had formerly
read law. This association continued
until July 29, 1903, when the firm of Hus-
ton, Holsteen & Yaley was formed, con-
sisting of Judge E. S. Huston, Fred S.
Holsteen, and Horace J. Yaley, which
continued one year, when on July 29,
1904, Mr. Yaley died. Since then the
firm is Huston & Holsteen, which ranks
with the leading law firms of the city and
State. He is thus actively connected
with the profession which has an impor-
tant bearing upon the progress and stable
prosperity of any section or community,
and one which has long been considered
as conserving the public welfare by fur-
tliering the ends of justice and maintain-
ing individual rights. His reputation as
a lawyer has been won through earnest,

468

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

honest labor, and liis standing at the bar
is a merited tribute to his abiHty.

In i8</j Mr. Holsteen joined the Iowa
National (juard as a private, and was
later promoted to the rank of first ser-
geant, then ea])tain, and is now major
of the I'ifly-fonrth Repjiment. He is
identified with \arious social and political
organizations, and is recognized as a
leader in the ranks of the Republican
party in his county, serving as a member
of till* Republican county central commit-
tee, of which he is now chairman.

Fraternally, he is connected with Malta
Lodge, Xo. 318, Ancient Free and .Ac-
cepted Masons, of which he was secretary
for two years, and he is a member of Bur-
lington Camp, No. 6088, Modern Wood-
men of America. He is likewise secre-
tary and treasurer of the Burlington
Commercial E.xchangc, and has served as
secretary of the Burlington Boating .Asso-
ciation. Of the college fraternal societies
he is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi ami
Phi Delta I 'hi. Endowed by nature with
strong intellectual powers, he has by
earnest study and close a])plication devel-
oped his native talents, and the consensus
of public opinion ranks him with the lead-
ing young lawyers, influential men. and
represenative citizens of Burlington and
his native State.

PHILIP ASHLEY CRAPO.

" Not a general giving his orders.
Not an officer wearing the gold.
But a true-hearted private in .service.
With the strength of a warrior of old.

" Not the glory of fighting in battle,
Not the glory of winning the day.

Hut the gIor>' of doing his duty
When his country's need pointed the way.

" Not a life with its joyous home-coming.
Not a life with ambition fulfilled;
For duty and death met together.
And his great heart of honor was stilled "

The above lines were writen as a tribute
to riniip .\shley Crapo. It is certain that
the death of no young man of lUirlington
has ever occasioned deeper or more wide-
-spread regret. He gave his life to his
country, being the only Burlington soldier
of the Spanish-.\merican War who was
called upon to make this sacrifice. Bom
in this city on the 25th of July, 1873, a
son of Philip M. and Ruth .\. Crapo, he
died at Camp Cuba Libre, Jacksonville,
Fla., Sept. 18, 1898, while serving as a
member of Company F, of the Fiftieth Iowa
Volunteers. He attended the public schools
of the city and entered the high school,
where he spent a half year. His education
thereafter was continued in the Phillip
Exeter .\cademy, at Exeter, N. IL, which
he entered in the fall of 1887, completing a
four years' course there with credit in 1891.
He was a thorough and diligent student,
making high grades in his studies, and was
alive to every interest in life, and justly
regarded his education as a preparation
for life's practical and responsible duties.
While in the academy he organized among
the students the Western Club, and was its
first president. His preparatory course be-
ing completed, he entered Harvard College;
but deciding almost immediately thereafter
to become a member of the bar, he was
transferred to the law school, froin which he
was graduated in 1894. While a student
in Cambridge he was nnich interested in
college athletics, and was at one time man-
ager of the baseball team. Later he was

C:*

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

471

president of the Omaha Tennis Association,
nor were his interests aside from his pro-
fession only in athletic lines, as is indicated
from the fact that he was selected as his-
torian of the Nebraska branch of the Sons
of the American Revolution. Returning to
Burlington he passed the examinations
which secured his admission to the Iowa
bar, ranking as one of the best two of
twenty-five candidates. Soon he was ad-
mitted to the Nebraska bar, and for a year
engaged in practice in Omaha ; but his laud-
able ambition led him to seek the broader
field and greater opportunities of the
American metropolis, and in the spring of
1897 he removed to New York city. There
he again successfully passed the required
examinations whereby he was admitted to
practice in the Empire State.

In the meantime Mr. Crapo had become
much interested in the great political ques-
tions of the day. Although a young man
he possessed a public spirit that would have
been creditable to one of twice his years,
and the important issues which divided the
two parties claimed his earnest thought and
consideration. While residing in Nebraska
he had been a member of the Republican
cit\' committee, and later was elected a mem-
ber of the State central committee. Follow-
ing his removal to New York he gave to the
world his opinions upon the questions of
finance in a short treatise of much credit en-
titled " Science of Aloney," and this work
being completed, he then entered upon the
practice of law, in which he continued until
the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.
He had displayed as a lawyer ability that
marked him as a man of much prominence
in the legal profession. He brought to
his chosen work certain rare gifts. His was
a high type of physical and intellectual

manhood, and all that he did was character-
ized by thoroughness and accuracy. He
had, too, the enthusiasm of a young man,
though he often displayed the mature
judgment of those many years his senior.
He enjoyed the commendatory appreciation
of many men of prominence in legal circles
in New York, and he gained there a very
excellent clientage for one of his years ;
but when he seemed at the very beginning
of a brilliant and useful career, the cur-
tain was slowly rising upon the last act in
his life drama.

The history of the causes of the Spanish-
American War is too well known at this
time to need recounting here. Ashley
Crapo was a diligent student of the signs of
the times, and after the proclamation of war
he at once manifested his desire to join the
army. Giving up a lucrative law practice
in New York, he returned hundreds of miles
to the West and went to Camp McKinley,
at Keokuk, and enlisted as a private of Com-
pany F, in the Fiftieth Iowa Regiment. In
charge of a squad he proceeded at once to
join his company at Camp Cuba Libre.
Speaking of his military service the Eve-
ning Gazette of Burlington said : " Here,
bred though he was in the very lap of lux-
ury, he exemplified the quality for which
the American is known the world over, and
at once adjusted himself to the plain fare,
the hard drilling, and almost drudgery of the
private soldier. He took his place in the
ranks as a private soldier, willingly, yes,
joyfully. For two months he drilled faith-
fully and uncomplainingly, shirking no duty
of any kind. He enlisted with but one
purpose in view — to fight for his country ;
and nothing, however unpleasant, made him
turn froiu the patriotic path he had chosen.

" Later, though still ranking as a private,

472

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Crapo was detailed as regimental
quartermaster's clerk, a duty which he ful-
filled as capably as he drilled and worked.
When finally he was stricken with malarial
fever, he refused to give up, and uncom-
jilainingly continued his duties. Finally his
condition became serious, and he was un-
able to leave the rude bed in the still ruder
' shack ' or house. Still, though the sur-
geons advised his removal to the hospital,
and offered him a furlough if he wished to
return to his Iowa home, he refused, pre-
ferring, as he told every one, ' to stay with
the boys.'

" He was finally taken to Saint Luke's
Hospital, in Jacksonville, and his parents,
hastily summoned, were at his bedside ; but
typhoid had set in, and he steadily became
weaker until his death resulted.

" Among his associates, his comrades in
the company and in the entire regiment,
Private Crapo was well liked. Without ex-
aggeration he was the most popular man in
the company. Big and brave, both in
stature and in heart, not a soldier but liked
and admired him. His ' shack,' or rather
his home in the company street, was a
favorite gathering place, and Private Crapo,
better educated than the majority, with
ready wit and willing to entertain every
one, was the life of the nightly assemblage
often until long after ' taps.' His many good
fjualities were appreciated by private and
officer alike."

His colonel, D. \'. Jackson, said: "It
always seemed a wonder to me that a young
man of his education, experience, and
tastes, could so readily conform to the hard
usages of military life, and so cheerfully put
up with the discomforts that a private
soldier is compelled to endure, and many
times I have looked at him admiringly as

he passed by, faithfully discharging every
duty assigned to him. Death seems to
love a shining mark. No acquisition of
territory or wealth can make up to the na-
tion the loss of such lives."

With the thoughtful consideration for his
parents which was ever one of his strong
characteristics, Ashley Crapo desired that
his parents should not be notified at first
of his illness : and when the news finally
reached tluMn. the mother was at Burling-
ton, but the father was in Hartford, Conn.
Each started for the bedside of their son,
arriving in Florida on the same day, and
were with him at the last. They then re-
turned with his remains to Burlington,
where he was accorded all the honors of a
soldier's burial, the remains being met at
the station by members of the Sixth Bat-
tery and the Grand Army Post, of Bur-
lington, together with members of Company
F. The Congregational church, in which
the funeral services were held, was most
beautifully draped by members of the
Woman's Relief Corps and Soldiers' Aid
Society, flags forming a background from
the altar up to the ceiling, while the floral
decorations were most profuse and beauti-
ful. The funeral sermon was delivered by
the Rev. Dr. Salter, who said : " We now
mourn the death of one whose life was full
of promise and hope, the pride of our
hearts, of his home, of our city, of our
schools, of our country. Endowed with a
clear and vigorous mind -that was enriched
by the best culture, and prepared for active
participation in the pursuits of business or
of his chosen profession, at his country's
call an enthusiasm for humanity inspired
him to leave the bright jirospects of pro-
motion and advantage that were before him,
and offer all, and offer his life upon the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

473

altar of the republic. He knew the perils
and hazards of war. He had heard them
from lips that he honored and revered. He
knew also how through such perils the
nation had been saved, and its career and his-
tory been crowned with new luster for future
times. A patriotic fire glowed in his bosom.
Such was his sense of the nation's honor
and glory, of its high place among other
nations, that he would allow no personal
consideration to hinder him from the sacri-
fice he willingly made with all a lover's
ardent devotion. Determined to share in
the conflict, the privations and hardships
of camp life he bore with uncomplaining
fortitude. Burdened with arduous and
extra duties, he would not allow failing
strength or wearisome fatigue to afford him
a reason for seeking relief and rest, but
with the firm persistence of his nature kept
at his work until disease seized upon him
with relentless grasp, and that young and
vigorous frame, that bright and pleasing
countenance, that warm and tender heart,
succumbed to the inevitable hour of waste
and dissolution and death.

" He was proud and happy to be a soldier
of the republic, and a grateful nation honors
his name and memory. It was not his
fortune to face the enemy upon the field of
battle, but his courage and devotion, his
zeal and resolution, were the same as that
of those who fought under Dewey or Schley
or Sampson, or at Santiago.

" The war was filled with unexampled
and entirely unexpected results. No greater
marvels were ever accomplished in so short
a space of time by the arbitrament of war
in any of the campaigns of history. It is
the faith of home that the cause of hu-
manity, that the cause of liberty, that the
cause of good government, that the cause of

civilization, has received a great advance-
ment throughout the world. The one hun-
dred days of the war, it is said, have made
one hundred years of progress for human
society. Other nations will be stimulated in
the interest of advancing civilization, and
a better time will be made to dawn for mil-
lions of people that have long been under
the ban of cruelty and oppression.

" To these high objects the life and -the
death of Ashley Crapo have contributed his
full measure of devotion and sacrifice. He
died for all these interests — his country.
Ah, my brethren, let us look at it truly,
and let us say : He died for our country,
for you, and for me, for the principles of
the national life, for the sacred cause of
liberty and union in the republic, now more
than ever manifested to be ' one and insepa-
rable.' "

It would be impossible in a work of this
character to give all of the resolutions of
respect and sympathy which were passed, or
to tell of the words of condolence that
came to the family uttering the praise of a
soldier boy. Resolutions were passed by
Washington Camp, No. i, Nebraska Pa-
triotic Sons of America, of which he had
become a member on the r3th of June, 1896,
in which was the following : —

" Resolved, That we have lost one of our
brothers in the prime of youth, with a long,
bright future before him — one who en-
deared himself to each one of us by his
tender sympath}- and manly courage, his
cheerful manners and his moral rectitude;
and we cherish his memory and hold sacred
his death as a Patriotic Son of America, for
he exemplified his love of country, not only
with his lips, but with his life, by giving
himself up to his country's service, and
dying for her."

474

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Tlic resolution passed In Matthics Post.
G. A. R., of Burlington, said : —

" Born among us in happy condition of
life, bred under gentle influences, we recall
a pleasant child whose bright promise his
youth and manhood amply and easily ful-
filled. His g(X)dly presence corresponded
with his mental and moral stature ; of vig-
orous and inquisitive mind and retentive
memory, he was a successful student.

" Diligent in business, with pleasant ad-
dress and winning manner, simple and sin-
cere, he had fairly begun a career of great
usefulness in his profession of the law.
Self-reliant and self-exacting, he was al-
ways true to himself, faithful to every duty
as it came to him, ' standing for the right
as it was given him to see the right."

■■ The soldier in nowise lowered the
standarfl of the civilian. To his last con-
scious moment he was resolute, steadfast,
devoted, dutiful, as one following a high
calling. .And respect was had to his offer-
ing, his sacrifice was accepted, and he en-
tered into life."

The .^ons of the .-\nierican Revolution, of
Nebraska, the Douglas County (Nebraska)
Bar, and the Burlington Bar also passed
resolutions, as did Harvard College ; and in
the Han'ard Volunteers appeared the fol-
lowing:—

" There are no more battles now. The
men are returning and we see them about
the college as before, but of course not all
who went in the spring ; for the work that
these men hail set out to do would not
[)ermit of that. And to those whom wc
shall not see here, either this year or the
next, who fought as their teaching had
told them, and did it well, to them full honor
is o\\ ing. and to them is given in sadness the
great love of this University of Harvard.

Hollister, I-'urness, Sanders, Crapo, Adsit,
Lahman, Heiishaw, Wheeler, Stover, Tal-
rott — they are the men who have gone.
They died in service, and when they were
buried, L'nilv-d Stales troops stood at at-
tention."

From his college comrades, from the
friends of his early boyhood, from his as-
sociates of the bars of Nebraska and of New
York City, came words of commendation,
of praise, and of love concerning and for
Chilip Crapo. .All who knew him were
mnnbered among his friends, and it was
because of his personal characteristics — his
deej) sympathy, his readiness to do a favor,
his ajjpreciation of good qualities in others,
and his delight in all that makes life really
worth living. Each letter that came seemed
to breathe the same thought — " we had
learned to love him." .\t the grave the
military salute was given and the last taps
were sounded, and wrajiped in a flag of
his country, for which he had given his life,
the remains of I'hiliji .Ashley Crapo were
interred : but the great circle of his friends,
and they were as numerous as the circle
of his acf|uaintance, have the firm belief that
that which is great, and good, and noble is
eternal, and may well entertain the spirit
of James Whitcomb Riley's beautiful
lines : —

" I can not say and 1 will not say
riiat lie is (lead— lie's just away.
With a cliccry smile and a wave of his hand.
He has wandered into an nnknowii land.
And left ns dreaming how very fair
It needs must be. since he lingers there.

"And you, O you, who the wildest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return —
Think of him as faring on. as dear
111 the love of '{"here as the love of Here;
Think of him still the same, I say —
lie is not dead — he is just away."

DES MOIXES COilXrV. IOWA.

475

GEORGE J. STEWART.

One of the oldest business men of Bur-
lington, Iowa, and one who has pursued a
long and successful career in this city, is
George J. Stewart, of the Stewart & Hay-
den Co., plumbers. Mr. Stewart was born
Dec. 15, 1842, in Edinburgh, Scotland, of
good old Scotch ancestry, and when sixteen
months old came to America with his par-
ents, James and Barbara (Hill) Stewart,
landing at the port of Xew York, and com-
ing thence directly west and locating at
Peoria. 111. The father, who was a baker
by trade, worked there in a shop for a time,
and later established and successfully con-
ducted a business for himself, but at the
beginning of the Civil War he, with a son,
James, now of Junction City, Kans., en-
listed in the Sixty-fifth \'olunteer Infantry,
serving through the greater part of the
war as a private in the Army of the Cum-
berland, and in the year 1864 died in Geor-
gia of disease. In that southern land he
was buried, amid the scenes of his sacrifice
for the country's cause, and the place of
his sepulture is not known to this day. The
demise of his wife preceded his, she having
died in 1857. at Peoria, and where she is
buried. Both were people of the highest
personal character, and were of the class
who have given to our nation many of her
most faithful and distinguished sons. They
were the parents of five children, only three
of whom, however, grew to maturity, these
being, in order of birth : George J., our sub-
ject; James, of Jvinction City, Kans., who
was for many years a plumber at Fort Riley,
Kans.; and Mrs. Barbara Cameron, a
widow, of Cass county. III.

In Peoria, George J. Stewart grew to
manhood's estate, and obtained his educa-

tion, and then, desiring to prepare himself
for the work of life by learning a trade,
he went to St. Louis to apprentice himself
as a plumber. But while in that city he
witnessed one of the opening acts of the
great drama of the Civil War, the taking of
Camp Jackson, with the capitulation of the
Southern troops, and being filled with en-
thusiasm for the cause of the North in its
opposition to human slavery, he enlisted,
while on a visit to his grandparents at
\'irginia, Cass county. 111., in Company D,
One Hundred Fourteenth Illinois \'olunteer
Infantry, — a regiment composed principally
of Sangamon county men, who had per-
sonal acquaintance with President Abraham
Lincoln. His enlistment was in 1862 as a
private, under Colonel Judy and Captain
Berry, and he was with the Fifteenth, Six-
teenth, and Seventeenth Army Corps, serv-
ing for a period of three years, and taking
personal part in many hotly contested en-
gagements, among which were the battles
of Jackson, Miss., the battle of Black River
Bridge, the famous siege of Vicksburg,
the siege of Mobile, and the two days of
fighting at Nashville under the command
of General Thomas. In spite of all this
arduous and dangerous duty, and after three
years of continuous service in the heart of
an enemy's countrx-, he emerged from the
conflict without a scar of battle, and re-
turned to Illinois to resume the responsibil-
ities of a life of peace.

Proceeding thence to St. Louis, he
worked awhile as a journeyman plumber,
and in 1867 came to Burlington, where
he was similarly employed until 1869, when
he became associated in the business of a
regular ])lumbing establishment w\th W. F.
Hayden. using the firm style of Stewart
& Hayden. This partnership was most

476

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEIV

pleasantly and iirofitably contiiuied until
Mr. Haytlen's failinp hcaltii prompted the
or}^anization of tile ])artnership into a cor-
poration, of which Mr. Hayden was
president, and Mr. Stewart, secretary and
treasurer. Mr. Hayden died in May, 1903,
but his estate is still re|)reseiited in the firm,
which, since its incorporation, has been
known as the Stewart-Hayden Company.
The business, consisting of plumbing and
steam-fitting, has always been conducted
on North Main Street, and for many years
at the present location. No. 310. the build-
ing occupied being a part of the corporate
holdings. Mr. Stewart speaks most appre-
ciatively of his late partner, Mr. -Hayden,
and of their pleasant business and social
relations.

In 1870, Mr. Stewart was united in mai*-
riage to Miss Anna E. Valentine, who was
born at Keosauqua, Iowa, and to them have
been lx)rn five children, only two of whom
survive. Carrie W., the younger of these,
is at home with her i)arents. and Alice B.
is the wife of W. I'.. I'ilger, of Burlington,
a clerk for the lirm of Biklen & W'enzer,
wholesale grocers. The family home, a
modern frame structure of generous dimen-
sions, is at 31(1 South Gunnison Street.

Mr. Stewart's lively interest in public
affairs has led him to become a stanch
supporter of the Republican party, in whpse
declaretl princi])Ies he is a believer, but he
has never sought public recognition in the
way of office, preferring to stand by his
record as a private citizen. He is a member
of Matlhies Post, \o. 5, Grand Army of
the Republic, of which he has been com-
mander for the past two years, an office he
still holds. He has attended the State en-
campment at Des Moines, as well as the
national encampment held a few years ago

at Chicago. l-"or many years he has been
a faithful worker in the I'irst Methodist
Episcopal church, and at the present time
is an honored member of its official board,
by whom his counsel is valued as that of
one gifted with ability and one whose ex-
jK'rience has been wide and diversified.

-Mr. Stewart enjoys the distinction of
being the oldest plumber in tlie city of Bur-
lington, the county of Des Moines, and
jjrobably in the whole eastern ])ortion of
the State of Iowa. While age is not a merit
in itself, his wealth of years is a fitting
crown for a life well spent, an appropriate
ornament of a strong and self-reliant char-
acter, self-respecting and res])ected, honored
and honorable. Success has been his in full
measure. lx)th in the material and the
higher aspects, and he has earned it fairly,
by his own exertions, without the help of
circumstance, kindred, or influential friends,
and it comes to him as a right and just
reward. Ever ujjright, and |)racticing the
severest integrity in all his relations with
mankind, he enjoys the unqualified respect
of all and the jjrofound regard of those who
know him best, while his social nature and
genial disposition have made him countless
friends. Reverently to inscribe the chron-
icles of such a life is the most sacred tluty
of the historian.

CHARLES H. BIKLEN.

Thk measure of man's success is not
determined by the heights which he has
reached, but is measured according to his
starting-point. ICntering business life in
a humble cajiacity, Charles H. Biklen has
progressed along lines of enterjirise and
perseverance until he has made for himself

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

+77

a creditable place in tlie commercial circles
of Burlington, being proprietor of a de-
partment store, which stands as the visible
evidence of his diligence, energy, and close
application. The German element in our
American citizenship is a valued one, and
of this he is a representative.

A native of VVurtemberg, Germany, he
was born in Unterturkheim, July i6, 1840,
his parents being Louis H. and Dorothea
(Warth) Biklen, also natives of that coun-
try. The father was a stonecutter by
trade, and thus supported his family until
his death, which occurred when he was
sixty years of age. His wife died at the
age of seventy-four years. They were the
parents of eight children. Charles H. Bik-
len, the youngest of the family, was only
about a year old when his father died. At
the usual age he entered the public schools,
where. he remained till fourteen years old,
and continued to reside in his native prov-
ince until sixteen years of age, when he
and his brother Louis joined their brother
Gottlieb in Burlington. They sailed from
Havre, France, to New York, being thirty-
seven days in crossing the Atlantic on a
sailing vessel. They arrived at Burlington
Nov. 22, 1856. Here Charles H. Biklen
began earning his living by working in the
confectionery manufactory of Runge &
Brothers, with whom he remained for four
and a half years, thoroughly mastering the
business in principle and detail. He after-
ward clerked for his brother in Ottumwa,
Iowa, for six months, and then returned to
the trade of candy-making, in which busi-
ness he continued until 1885. He began
business on his own account in 1862, and in
the venture met with success, giving to
the public a grade of goods which insured
a continuance of the public patronage.

His trade constantly increased, and he con-
tinued the manufacture of candy until 1893,
when he withdrew from that branch 'of the
trade. He had also conducted a restaurant
in connection with the other branch of his
business, but closed out both lines in the
year mentioned, and established a depart-
ment store, at 419 Jefferson Street, where
he has since carried on business. Again,
in his judicious selection of his stock, he
has pleased the general public, and his busi-
ness has been marked by a steady annual
growth that is very gratifying. As his
trade increased he was obliged to enlarge
his store, and in 1900 he added the ad-
joining store. No. 417, now occupying all
the floors of 417 and 419 Jefferson Street,
and conducting an extensive business.

In 1865 Air. Biklen was united in mar-
riage to Miss Caroline C. Siegle, who was
born in Unterturkheim, Wurtemberg, Ger-
many, and came to America in 1854, with
her parents. Christian and Marguerite Sie-
gle, who landed at New York, and thence
made their way to Peoria, III., where they
were living at the time of their daughter's
marriage. The father died in Peoria, at the
age of eighty-three years, and the mother
died there at the advanced age of ninety
years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Biklen have
been born five children : Bertha, the wife
of Rev. Philip Blaufuss, of Creston, Iowa ;
Louise M., at home; William C, a com-
mercial traveler ; Matilda, at home ; and
Herman, who is engaged in business in
Burlington.

Mr. Biklen has never had occasion to
regret his determination to try his fortune
in America, for his ready adaptability en-
abled him to adjust himself to the different
surroundings and varied business condi-
tions of the New World, and he has made

478

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

each step in his business career count for
advancement and accompHshmcnt, lirook-
ing no obstacles that could be overcome by
persistent energy and strong determina-
tion. Work — persistent, earnest work —
has been the secret of his success, which
has indeed been worthily won. Mr. Bikien
has now a pleasant home at 523 South Sev-
enth Street, Hurlington, where, with his
family, he is found lia])pily surn^unded
when not engaged in his business.

CARL N. NELSON.

Carl N. Nelson, who in a brief period
has risen to ])rominence in LUirlington as an
architect of extraordinary ability, was born
in Sweden, the son of Lars and Anna Nel-
son, who are still living, the father in the
seventy-third year of his age. and the moth-
er in her si.xty-third. Mr. Nelson accom-
panied his i^arcnts to America when but
fourteen years of age, locating in Gibson
City, 111., where the father was engaged in
farming, and where he attended the public
schools for two years, and later pursued a
four years' course of study in a technical
school in order to secure thorough prepara-
tion for his chosen work. During the years
of his study he supported himself by his
own efforts, and by perseverance secured a
fine education for his profession, (^n the
conclusion of his stiulii's he entered the of-
fice of an architect in Galesburg, III., where
he was engaged in the practical work of his
profession for a number of years. He then
located in Burlington, and since that time
has enjoyed a rapidly increasing success,
having been the architect and supervisor of
construction of manv of the handsomest and

most important residences erected in Bur-
lington during the last four years, among
them being the residences of J. V. Richey,
L. C. Wallbridge, and C. E. Otto; also the
Lincoln School, an impressive structure. He
has also done similar work in Washington,
Winficld, Mediapolis, and many other sur-
rounding towns, and has for this season of
1905 a number of important jobs.

At Edgar, Nebr., December, 1888, our
subject wedded Miss Tena Olsen, who is
a daughter of Samuel Olsen. Both her par-
ents were born in Sweden, and came to the
I'nited States, locating in Jefferson county,
Iowa, where Mrs. Nelson was born and
reared. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have three
children. .\lna, \'eda, and Tessie. Mr. Nelson
has never taken an active part in public affairs
as a member of a political party, preferring
to act independently in all matters affecting
the general welfare. In his fraternal con-
nections he is a member of Herald Lodge,
No. 54, Independent ( )rder of Odd Fellows,
in which he has filled all chairs, and of Eu-
reka Encampment, No. z. which has also
conferred upon him the honors of office.
He is a member of the Lone Tree Fishing
and Gun Club, and enjoys an enviable social
standing, for his ability has won him uni-
versal admiration, while reputation has come
to him by reason of his sterling traits of
character and attractive personality.

HENRY LEMBERGER.

Henr'/ Lf.mberger, for many years
])romincnt in the i)tihlic and industrial ac-
tivities of Burlington, was born May 4.
1840, in Louisville, Ky., a son of John
G. and Katherine (Birtsch) Lemberger.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

479

The father of our subject, who was by trade
a stonecutter, as was also the grandfather,
was born in 1809 in Stuttgart, Wurtemberg,
and emigrated to America in 1828, landing
at Pliiladelphia after a voyage of sixty-five
days. In Philadelphia he learned the trade
of a baker, remaining in that city for
two years, then going west to Champaign
county, Ohio, where he found work on a
canal at his old trade of stonecutting, an
employment which yielded him but fifty
cents a day. Thence he went to Louisville.
Ky., in 1838, and in 1841 he came to Bur-
lington by way of the IMississippi River.
The river becoming frozen, however, when
he reached Keokuk, he traveled from there
by ox-team, arriving in Burlington in
March. Here he followed his trade until
i860, and in 1864 he became the partner
of his son, our subject, in a manufacturing
business. At his trade he was quite suc-
cessful, and it was he who supplied the
cut stone for the college at Galesburg, 111.,
a great deal of the stone which he used
being taken from a quarry near Glad-
stone, then called Sagetown. In Cham-
paign county, Ohio, he was united in mar-
riage with Miss Katherine Birtsch, who
was born in the city of Baden in 1813, and
came to America in 1828. landing at Bal-
timore, but after a voyage lasting for the
remarkably extended period of ninety-four
days, and during which, by reason of unfore-
seen delays, the passengers were constrained
to subsist for a time on half rations, and
finally on a fourth ration. To I\lr. and Airs.
Lemberger were born ten children, of whom
only si.x, however, grew to maturity. These
were as follows : Fred, who was mortally
wounded at the battle of Helena, Ark.,
July 4, 1863; Henry; Charles, who served
through the Civil War, in Company F,

Fifty-seventh Illinois Infantry, and is now
farming in this county ; Minnie, wife of
George M. West, and lives in Los Angeles,
Cal. ; John L., now of Los Angeles, Cal.,
who enlisted in the Iowa \'olunteer In-
fantry, and served four months, or until
the close of the war ; and Jacob F., also of
Los Angeles. P'athcr and mother were both
members of the Lutheran church, and in
his political faith Mr. Lemberger was a
Whig, and later a Republican. He was a
man held in high esteem by the public and
all who knew him, being called to several
positions of honor and trust, including the
offices of city alderman and township trus-
tee, and was against his will made candidate
for the office of recorder in 1873, but his
death occurred in October of that year, and
before the holding of the election.

Henry Lemberger, the subject of this
review, was educated in the public schools
of Burlington, and at the beginning of the
Civil War in 1861 enlisted in the Iowa
Lances, a full regiment organized for the
government service, and excellently drilled.
The regiment was not called into the field,
however; and was disbanded after drilling
for three months, during which it was en-
camped on West Hill, in Burlington. In
1864, Mr. Lemberger, taking his father into
partnership, established a cigar factory in
this city, continuing it with much success
until 1877. In 1881 he again started a cigar
business, conducting this venture until 1884,
in partnership with Mr. L. M. Pilger, and
running it exclusively as a wholesale busi-
ness. In 1876 and 1877 he was elected for
two terms as road supervisor, and during
the former years he was for six months
superintendent of the North Hill street-car
line, of which company he was president
upon its organization in 1875, ^"d later

48o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

became secretary and treasurer, positions
which he held until the prtiperty was sold.
In 1885 he was elected marshal of the city
of Burlington, and was re-elected three
times, serving four terms aggregating four
years. He then became night sergeant of
the police force, acting in that important
capacity until .\]jril, 1891, when he resigned.
Some years later he held the office of con-
stable at intervals for four years, and was
also a member and the president of the
school board of Sunnyside district for manv
years before it was included in the control
of the city board. In lyoo he again became
city marshal of Burlington by appointment
of the mayor, discharging the duties of that
position for two years with great credit to
himself and benefit to the peace and good
order of the municipality, and iluring the
period he was also chief of police, ex officio.
On Oct. 14, 1865, he wedded Miss Louise
Wollmann, daughter of John Wollmann,
of Burlington, who brought his family
from Germany in 1854. Mrs. Lemberger
was born Oct. 31, 1843, 'TkI cJ'cd Sept.
24, 1886, universally regretted among her
acquaintances and friends, among whom
the fine traits of her character won her deep
regard. To Mr. and Mrs. Lemlx-rger were
born six children, two of whom died at the
age of five years, and those living are as
follows : Gustave A., shipping clerk with
K. D. Winters & Company ; Henry W., a
saddler in St. Louis : Fred G., a linotype
operator in the office of the Hazi'k-Eyc, Bur-
lington ; and Louise W. Our subject occu-
jjics a comfortable home at 1857 Lem-
berger Street, named for him by the city
council of Burlington, ami lu-re he leads
a retired life, although he maintains his
vineyard and small orchard for the sake of
the interest which he finds in their care and

supervision. Always active in politics, Mr.
Lemberger was a Kcpublican until 1872,
but since that time has been a member of
the Democratic party. He cast his first vote
in the first ward of lUirlington in i86i, and
since that time has never missed participa-
ting in an election, and has always voted in
the same ward. He is of genial and cordial
disposition, and enjoys a wide friendship,
while the strict and rigid rules by which
he has squared all his dealings with his
fellow-men have won him unvarying re-
spect. As a public officer, his record is one
of great efficiency and constant devotion to
duty, often in circumstances requiring the
highest courage and determination in times
of personal danger, so that it may be said
of him tliat to every private relation he has
been true, to every public trust faithful, and
ever steadfast in following his own sense
of duty and right.

DR. FRANK P. HANAPHY.

PKoii.\itr,v no calling or profession re-
([uires greater imr more unselfish devotion
on the jiart of those who would follow
it successfully than does that of medjcine.
Dr. Frank P. Hanaphy,no\v engaged in the
practice of medicine and surgery at Au-
gusta, has won his way upward by con-
stant and persistent effort, as well as by
the exercise of natural abilities of a high
order, urged thereto l)y a laudable desire
to serve his fellow-men. Dr. llanaphy
was born near Mount Pleasant, Henry
county, Iowa, on .\pril 11, 1864, a son of
Peter and Bridget (Cloonan) Hana])hy.
The parents were both natives of Kings
county, Ireland, whence they came to

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

481

America, and settled in New Jersey in
1851. The father, who was all his life a
farmer, brought his family to Iowa about
1856, locating near Mount Pleasant,
where his death occurred in the eighty-
seventh year of his age. Politically, he
was identified with the Democracy, and in
his religious faith was a lifelong member
of the Roman Catholic church. The mother
died in 1889 at the age of seventy-three
years, and both are buried near Mount
Pleasant. They were the parents of four
children, as follows: Patrick, who was
born in Ireland, and now resides at
Shawnee, Oklahoma, where he is engaged
in the wholesale candy business as a man-
ufacturer; James, who is a resident of
Henry county, Iowa ; Margaret, wife of
Charles Muldowney, of Roosevelt, Okla-
homa; and Dr. Frank P., subject of the.
present review.

The education of Dr. Hanaphy was be-
gun in the rural district schools, and after
attending the city schools of Mount
Pleasant for a time, he entered Howe's
Academy at that place. He pursued the
full course of study, and after being grad-
uated from the institution, as a convenient
step along the road of advancement,
taught school for about four years in the
district schools of Henry county. Am-
bitious to enter the medical profession,
he then matriculated in the medical de-
partment of the Iowa State University,
from which he was graduated March 7.
1889, with the degree of M. D. Ambi-
tious of still farther progress in his chosen
work, he in 1894 took a post-graduate
course in the Chicago Polyclinic, thus
rendering his equipment peculiarly com-
plete. Upon his graduation from the
university he began professional practice

in the city of Burlington, continuing
there for two years, at the expiration of
which period he was tendered the ap-
pointment of surgeon for the Gulf, Colo-
rado & Santa Fe Railroad, with head-
quarters at the railroad company's hos-
pital at Temple, Texas. After being in
charge of the hospital for three and one-
half years, — a time which he holds espe-
cialh' valuable from the viewpoint of ex-
perience gained, — he returned North and
resumed his practice at Burlington, con-
tinuing there until 1896 with very satis-
factory success. During the year 1894-95
he occupied the office of city physician of
the city of Burlington. In 1896 he re-
moved to Augusta, having engaged in
practice there continuously since that
time, and the field of his labors has grown
rapidly, at the present time extending
throughout the greater portion of six or
seven townships, located in Des Moines,
Lee, and Henry counties.

On July 2, 1902, Dr. Hanaphy wedded
Miss Emma Gross, who was born in Des
Moines county, a daughter of John and
Anna (\\'ilkes) Gross. Mr. and Mrs.
Gross are well-known residents of Au-
gusta, and a sketch of their family and
lineage will be found elsewhere in the
present volume. To Dr. and ?ilrs. Hana-
phy have been born two sons, Keran Paul
and Francis Patrick, both born in Au-
gusta. Dr. and Mrs. Hanaphy with their
sons, are members of the Catholic church.
Dr. Hanaphy has long been interested in
matters of politics as a member of the
Democratic party, in whose ranks he has
been a worker, but has never sought the
honor of public office for himself, believ-
ing that his first duty lies in the direction
of his professional work.

482

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW

FRANK ALFRED JOHNSON.

A Carefl'l and methodical farmer,
a conscientious citizen, a good neijjhl)or
and friend, and a sincere Cliristian, l''rani<
A. Johnson lias l)y his own nnaidecl
efforts won such a meed of success that
the historian is glad to record his name
as an incentive to those who may become
discouraged l>y tlic seeming monotony
and endless routine of daily duties,
l-'rank Alfred Johnson was the son of
John \ugust and Hattie (Davis) John-
son, and first saw the light in Huron
township. Dcs Moines county, Jan. 10,
iS-i. He was reared on the farm, ac-
(juiring in ycjutli the habits <>l industry
and frTigality which ha\e been so potent
in spelling success for him in later years.
He received his education in the tlistrict
schools of Huron township, and after fin-
ishing his schooling, remained on the
home farm tmtil he was twenty-two years
of age.

.•\t this tinu- he fell that the time had
come for him to branch out into l)usiuess
for himself, and accordingly rented the
Lamb farm, one mile west of Mcdiapolis,
where he lived for two 3'ears, and then
rented the Swank farm in Huron town-
ship for a term of five years. This was
an estate of three liundred and twiiity
acres, of which he had the entire control.
Hefore his lease on this ])lace had expired,
he bought what is known as the Wood-
side farm, consisting of two hundred ,-ind
eight acres, and for a time superintended
operations on both of these large tracts,
thus showing a high degree of executive
ability, as well as a thorough working
knowledge of the i)ractical side of farm-
ing on a large scale. The following year

he moved onto this W'oodside farm, and
liveil there until he sold it to James
i5isho|). He then bought eighty acres of
rich land from Mrs. Hedge, which he has
made his home farm, and has improved
it in many ways since it has come into
his possessi(jn. He has increased the
productivity of the soil, has tiled the land,
has built new buildings to accommo-
date the abundant i)roducts of the soil
and the fine stock that he has ]iut on it,
and has enlarged the buildings that were
already on it. He has made a sjjecialty
of cattle- and hog-raising, keeping high-
grade stock, and showing l)y his success
that the keeping of the best not nnW
raises the wealth of the eoninninily and
gives it higher rank among farming local-
ities, but also makes more certainly for
the financial success of the breeder him-
self. Mr. Johnson has thirty head of cat-
tle, of the Hereford breed. He is also a
very successful breeder of I'oland China
hogs, having some years raised as many
as one hun<lred and lifty. and now ha\ing
about seventy-five.

.Mr. Johnson was married April 15,
\^)(^. his bride being .Miss Hclda Swan-
son. ^[rs. Johnson claims Sweden as the
land of her nativity, having been born in
that country Oct. 26. 1H77, the daughter
of Gustav .Adol])!! anil Charlotte (Strand)
.Swanson. Mrs. Johnson's father died in
1 88 1, and her mother afterward married
C. M. .\nderson. and now makes her
home in Mediapolis, this county. To Mr.
and Mrs. Johnson three children ha\e
been born: F.dith. born Jan. <). iS*)"; Mil-
dred, born Xov. 15. i8<)<): and Everett,
born July 4, n;02.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson arc both mem-
bers of the .Swedish Lutheran church, are

FRANK ALFRED JOHNSON.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

+85

devoted to the doctrines and ])ractice of
the Christian faith, and liavc ever been
generous in the support of charitaljle and
benevolent movements. Mr. Johnson is
very active in the work of the church, in
which he holds the office of deacon. He
has made a study of most of the public
questions of the day, and has taken con-
siderable interest in matters of jjolitics,
acting with the Republican party, and has
given much thought and effort to the up-
building of his own immediate commu-
nity. He is usually appointed as delegate
to the county conventions, and has at dif-
ferent times been asked to take the office
of trustee of Huron township, and also
the same office for Yellow S])rings town-
ship, but has found it advisable to decline.
Mr. Johnson is a mendjer of the Mod-
ern Woodmen, in the camp of Mediapolis,
and has many warm and admiring friends
among the Neighbors of this fraternity.
He has taken a vital interest in the prog-
ress of educational interests in the com-
munity, serving with great efficiency as
one of the school directors at the present
time. In all his enterprises he has been
very successful, and the ability thus dis-
played, combined with his well-known
character of integrity and frank and open
methods in all his dealings, has made him
many friends, who give him their con-
fidence and respect.

SEIBERT MAGLE.

Seibert Magle, who was at one time
an enterprising and respected farmer and
valued pioneer settler of Des Moines county,
was born in Germany, about 1812. In
1835, when he was about twenty years

of age he emigrated to America. He had
been reared as a farmer l)oy, and .had a
fair common-school education. He made
the voyage alone to the New World, and
came direct to Iowa, where his first work
was on the dam for a null at Augusta.
There he earned fifty cents per day. His
cash capital when he landed in New York
was but half a dollar, but determination
and energy formed the Ijasis of success,
and as years passed by he accumulated a
handsome competence. He was married
to Miss Maria Lee, who came to America
with her parents, Conrad and Elizabeth
Lee, who settled in Union township.
They, too, were in limited financial cir-
cumstances, and took up land from the
government. The acquaintance which
Mr. and Mrs. Magle had formed in the
Fatherland was renewed, and in Union
township their marriage was celebrated.
Soon afterward Mr. Magle secured a
small tract of timber land, and he and a
neighbor owning a cow and a horse, be-
tween them made a team in this way,
which they used in cultivating their fields.
Subsequently Mr. Magle sold this prop-
erty, and purchased prairie land in Union
township, near Burlington. He bought
there two hundred and forty acres of
land, for which he paid twelve and a half
dollars per acre. He then took up his
abode in the small frame house that was
upon the place, living there until it was
destroyed by fire. He afterward built a
two-story brick residence, which is now
the property of his son, Peter Magel.
There Seibert Magle spent his remaining
days. He became blind twenty-two years
prior to his death, but was always able to
transact business. As the years passed
he became a wealthy man, and his sue-

486

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

cess was certainly well merited, for it was of activity, whereby he has become one of
the result of his careful management, the substantial residents of this part of
keen business discernment, and above all, the State. He is a native son of the
his untiring labor. In his political views county, his birth having occurred in
Mr. Magle was a Democrat, but never Union township, July 21, 1843. He spent
sought or desired office. He held mem- his boyhood days upon the home farm,
bership in the German Lutheran church, and in the district scho(jls of the neighbor-
taking an active ])art -in its work, and as- hood acijuired a good education. On at-
sistcd materially in the advancement of taining his majority he started out in life
the cause of Christianity in his neighbor- for himself, and was employed as a farm
hood. In 1896 he was called upon to hand by the month for two years. He
mourn the loss of his wife, and he sur- rlid not save much during that period, but
vived her only until .\ug. 9, 1897, their late,- lie rented land from his father, and
remains being interred in Rock S|)rings thus gained his start. After leasing land
cemetery. They were among the worthy for about six years he ]iurchased one hun-
pioneer people of Des Moines county, re- dred acres at fifty dollars per acre, locat-
spected for their many excellent traits of iug on Section 6, Union township. This
character, and they left behind them an he began to farm in 1867. Eighty acres
untarnished name as well as a consider- of the place was prairie, while twenty
able estate. Of tluir cliildren ten reached acres were covered with timber. There
mature years, while eight are still living, he lived for a year after his marriage, at
The family record is as follows: William, the end of which time he ])urchased one
a resident of I'.urlington ; Henry ; Charles, hundred acres of his present farm from
who is living in Fremont county, Iowa: liis brother-in-law. i)aying for this fifty
Mary, the wife of Julius Schafer, of Bur- dollars per acre. His original home here
lington; Conrad, of Fremont county; was a log cabin, but he has since erected
Theodore, who was killed by the kick of modern buildings, and in fact has one of
a horse, leaving a family of four children, the finest country homes of the county,
who reside in Fremont county ; Margaret, the place being su])|)lied with water-
the wife of Henry Stcyh, of Hurlington; vvorks, while hot and cold water is piped
Peter, who lives in Burlington; Benja- to all parts of the house and also to the
min, a resident of Union township; and barn. There are good outbuildings for the
Elizabeth, who became the wife of Wil- shelter of grain and stock, and everything
Ham Hillgardner, of I'nion township, now about the farm is most convenient. He
dead, and left nine children. lias also extended its boundaries by addi-
Henry Magle, a retired farmer, and the tional purchases, and now has ;dioul two
])rcsident of the I'.urlington Rural Tele- hundred and fifty-five acres,
phone Company, resides on Section 17, In the fall of igo^, feeling the need of a
Union townshijj, Des Moines county, telephone, Mr. Magle began agitating the
where he has a beautiful home, which, subject, and he and two other farmers
with its splendid equipment, is indicative of the neighborhood determiTUMl to organ-
of his progressive spirit and also his life ize a local telephone system, having no

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

487

idea of making this an extensive business,
but simply an accomodation for their own
use. Several neighborhood meetings were
held in order to discuss the subject of a
mutual company, but it was found that
this idea would not be practical ; so Mr.
Magle, in connection with E. W. Romkey
and N. C. Hanson, decided to organize a
stock company. Mr. Romkey was made
president and Mr. Magle vice-president,
while N. C. Hanson became secretary and
treasurer. They started with thirty-six
phones and about thirty miles of wiring,
but this has been extended to three hun-
dred miles, and there are now nearly
three hundred subscribers. It has proved
a paying investment as well as a marked
convenience to the rural district.

On Dec. 22, 1870, Mr. Magle was united
in marriage in Union township to Miss Cath-
arine Walker, who is a native of that town-
ship, and a daughter of James O. and Louisa
(Short) Walker. She had good school ad-
vantages, and was reared in her native
county. Three children have been born
unto them: Rosa M., now the wife of John
Stein, living on the home place with their
one daughter, Catharine Louisa ; Charles
Henry, who married Lutie Penny, and
lives in West Burlington ; and James
.Seibert, at home.

Mr. Magle was reared in the Demo-
cratic faith, his father and his brothers be-
ing adherents of the Democracy ; but his
study of the (juestions and issues of the
day led him to give his support to the
Republican party, and he voted for Abra-
ham Lincoln in 1864. He has never been
an office-seeker, but upon the solicitation
of his fellow-townsmen he accepted the
position as assessor, serving for four
years, and was also trustee for three

years. He is a supporter of the Method-
ist Episcopal church. He has always
jjeen a man of action rather than of
theory, and possesses much force of char-
acter and strong individuality. Looking
at life from a practical standpoint, he is
successful ; and that he has utilized his
opportunities to good advantage, and ex-
ercised his intellectual talents with force,
is indicated by the fact that he is to-day
one of the substantial agriculturists of
Des Moines county.

BENJAMIN MAGEL.

Benjamin M.\gel, numbered among
Des Moines county's most prosperous agri-
culturists, and now residing on his large
farm in Section 6, Union township, was born
at the old family home in Section 11 of the
same township, on Dec. 29, 1862. His father
was Seibert Magle, well known in Des
Moines county as a successful farmer. Sei-
bert Magle was born about six miles from
Giessen, in the province of Hesse-Darm-
stadt, Germany, on Jan. 5, 1812, and in
his native place received a fair education
in the common schools ; but his parents were
poor, so that at a very early age he was
obliged to begin earning a living by his own
efiforts, and also to aid in the support of
the family. According to the meager data
obtainable, he seems to have been the only
son of his parents, but there were at least
two sisters. Being of an enterprising dis-
position, he decided while yet a young man
to emigrate to a new country, where oppor-
tunities were more abundant, and in 1835
came to America with a party of homeseek-

488

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ers. When they landed at Baltimore, he
had not a cent of money, but he possessed a
watch and a ffun, and these articles he sold
for about $25, which was all the capital he
had on which to begin life in a strange land.
He at once started westward -with the party,
traveling by way of the Ohio and Missis-
sippi Rivers, although part of the journey
was made overland. liorses were hired to
haul the chests of household goods and ])ro-
visions, while the men walked, and the
women cither walked or rode as they
pleased. The intention of llie party was
to reach what is now the city of Burling-
ton, then called I'lint Mills, but by some
mistake they went to a point about eight
or nine miles farther up the river, on the
Illinois side, near the present site of Oquaw-
ka. The error was soon correctetl, how-
ever, and the young German ])ioneer found
himself at Burlington without money or
other resources except his own strength,
determinafion, and practical ability. He at
once secured employment in iielpiiig to build
the first dam across the Skunk River, wliicli
was erected to secure jiower for a grist-mill.
For this work lie w;is paid at the rate of
twenty-five cents a day, out of which sum
he paid for his board and lodging. With
the party of immigrants, of which the father
of our subject was a niemlKT. also came Miss
Mary Lecht, accomjianied by her brother
Conrad, and on .\pril i, 1837, she was
united in marriage to Mr. .Magel. Subse-
quently he and Conrad I'feitT associated
themselves togelhcr and entered a "home-
stead " of public land, building on it one log
house for the use of the two families. W'hen
the national government became ready to
put the land on the market they -were with-
out money, but rather than lose their home-
stead, thev borrowed monev of a Mr. Kas-

scl, paying fifty per cent a year for it, and
thus saved their possessions.

( )n his homestead the elder .Magel re-
sided until about 1848 or 1850, when he
removed to a fann which he had bought
nearer Burlington. In 1855 the family suf-
fered an almost overwhelming misfortune
from a visitation of fire, which destroyed
their home. It was at midnight on a night
in January of that year, with the snow cover-
ing the ground a foot deep, and they suf-
fered great hardship, besides losing almost
everything they possessed, for insurance
was by no means usual in those days. The
house, however, they soon rebuilt, and there
Seibert Magic passed the remainder of his
life, by strenuous exertion and great care
recouping his loss and becoming compara-
tively wealthy. There also his death oc-
curred on Aug. 9, 1897. Twenty-two years
prior to his death he became totally blind,
but this did not incapacitate him for busi-
ness transactions and the general supervision
of his affairs, in which he always retained
an active and intelligent interest. The death
of his ^vife preceded his own by six months,
the date of her demise being Dec. 6. 1896.
They were the parents of eighteen children,
of whom eight died in infancy, while of
those who attained years of maturity eight
still survive.

The boyhof)d of Benjamin Magel was
passed in the work of the home farm and in
the acquirement of a good education in the
district schools. From his earliest years he
performed a .share of the farm work, and
later worked occasionally for neighboring
farmers, but the nioiu-y he earned in this
way he always turned over to his father until
after attaining his twenty-first year. After
that he rented his father's farm for a share
of the protluce for several years, and in this

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

489

enterprise he had excellent success. In the
city of Burlington, on Jan. 28, 1892, he
wedded Miss Katherine Gutekunst, a native
of that city, and daughter of J. Martin and
Katherine (Helcher) Gutekunst. The par-
ents of Mrs. Magel are both natives of Ger-
many, and combine in themselves many of
the characteristic virtues of their nationality.
To Mr. and Mrs. Magel have been born two
children : Harold, aged nine years, and
Marie, now in her seventh year.

In 1892 Mr. Magel purchased his present
large farm of two hundred and thirteen
acres in Union township, removing to the
new home on March i, 1893, and here he
has surrounded his family with the comforts
and many of the luxuries of life. He has
brought the farm to a high state of improve-
ment, remodeling a number of the buildings,
erecting bams and other necessary struc-
tures, and introducing a general atmosphere
of neatness and order. Mr. Magel is a man
deeply interested in the progressive move-
ments of the times, and is a careful student
of public questions. In his political attitude
he maintains individual independence, and
while his first ballot at a presidential contest
was cast for Grover Cleveland, he supported
the candidacy of President Roosevelt in
1904. Public spirited in every way, he also
takes an interest in church work and relig-
ious affairs. He was reared in the faith
of the German Evangelical denomination,
and he and Mrs. jNIagel attend the services
of the church near their home.

CLARENCE J. MAGEL.

Clarence J. Magel, of Union township,
belongs to a prominent family which is well
known through the county, his father being

a life-long resident of the township, and his
paternal grandfather was one of the early
pioneers. Clarence J. Magel is a son of
Peter and Alice (Blakeway) Magel, and
was born on the old homestead he now occu-
pies, June 16, 1883. His father was born on
an adjoining farm in 1849, and is a son of
Seibert Magle, a fine old gentleman whom
it was a pleasure to know and count as a
friend. The father of our subject always
lived in the neighborhod where he was born,
and started out in life a poor man, but has
now by great industry, rigid economy, and
honest principles accumulated two hundred
and twenty-three acres of the best land in the
township, and is able to retire from the
activities of life, and is spending his time in a
pleasant home in Burlington. A more com-
plete sketch of him will appear in this
volume.

Our subject received his early education
in the district school, and then later was a
student at Elliott's Business College in the
city of Burlington for six months. He then
returned to the home farm and assisted his
father till he retired in 1905. After this
Mr. Magel assumed entire charge of the
farm, and devotes all of his time to general
farming and the raising of full-blooded
stock.

Jan. 18, 1905, Mr. Magel was married
to Miss Rosa Ihrer, of Union township.
She is a daughter of William and Rosa
(Warth) Ihrer, and was born and educated
in Burlington, Iowa, but later moved with
her parents to Union township. She is a
consistent member of the German Lutheran
church. Mr. Magel is a good Democrat,
and always rallies to the hearty support of
the party, but does not care to be an active
politician in the holding of any office. If
he continues as he has begun — active, ener-

4UO

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IEH'

getic and exhibiting good-will toward all —
we bespeak that in a sliort time he, too, will,
like his father, be able to retire and enjoy the
fruits of his earlv labor.

PETER MAGEL.

Peter Magel, a retired farmer now living
on Garfield Avenue, in Burlington, is well
and favorably known to the people of Des
Moines county, where he has for over half
a century been a witness of its expansion,
growth, and substantial progress. He is a
son of Seiliert and Marie (Lee) Magle, and
was bom near Rock Springs, Union town-
ship, Feb. 15, 1849. His education was
ac(|uired in the IJuena Vista school and the
German school in Burlington, after which he
returned to his home, and remained till lie
was about twenty-two years of age in the
employ of his father. In 1871 he rented a
part of his father's farm, which he farmed
till 1876, when he purchased ninety-one acres
of land of his father and built a nice home,
where he lived till he retired from farming.
From time to time Mr. Magel added to his
farm as follows: During the '80's he
bought thirty-one acres from F. J. Warth ;
in 1898 he purchased the old homestead, con-
sisting of one hundred and twenty-eight
acres, and in 1900 bought forty acres from
the Stei)licns heirs. He has put good and
substantial buildings on the home place, and
has also tiled the land, which fact makes
it better for general use. Besides being
engagetl as a general farnier and stock-raiser,
Mr. Magel was engaged in the cultivation
of small fruit, and in 1903 set out six hun-
dred fruit trees of various kinds. He also
owns five hundred and thirtv-three acres.

uf which three hundred and sixty acres are
improved, in Graham county, Kansas, which
he bought in 1884.

Jan. I, 1879. Mr. Magel married Miss
.Alice Blakcway, daughter of John C. and
Narcissus Blakeway. They are the parents
of two children: George Seibert, born Oct.
I, 1879, ^"<i married Miss Emma Grothe
March 15. 1905: John Clarence, Ixirn June
16, 1883. married Miss Rosa Ihrer Jan. 18,
1905. Mr. .Magel is a sound Democrat, and
served as school treasurer in L'nion township
for eighteen years and road supervisor for
ten years. April 17, 1903, he bought a large
house in the city which he is im])roving,
and where he can live very comfortably after
so many years of activity. He has rented his
farm to his .sons, who are well known in this
vicinity. Mr. and Mrs. Magel are both at-
tendants of the Methodist church. His rec-
ord is a fair example of what industry, in-
tegrity, and willing hands can accomplish ;
and though l'nion township could ill afford
to lose a citizen who was held in such high
regard, still riurlington is to be congratu-
lated as claiming Mr. Magel as one of her
honored residents.

GEORGE SEIBERT MAGEL.

GicoKGE Seii'.kkt M.\CiEL, a well-known
ami highly respected farmer of l'nion town-
ship, is indebted to no one but himself for the
progress he has made in life, aside from a
good education, for obtaining which an op-
jxirtunity was given him by his father. He
started out empty handed, but as this recor<l
will show, has made the best u.se of all of his
o])portiuiities, and now is on the road to
riches and comfort.

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

4QI

He is a son of Peter and Alice (Blakeway)
Magel, his birth occurring on his father's
adjoining farm, Oct. i6, 1879. His father
was one of the most successful agriculturists
of the county, where he owned a very large
tract of land, and where he lived and farmed
till he retired in 1905, when he moved to
Burlington, where he has a pleasant home.
The sketch of his father and brother, Clar-
ence J., niay be found elsewhere in this
review.

Our subject as a lad was bright and ever
ready to attend the district school, where he
made rapid progress ; and later spent some
months at Elliott's Business College, where
he gained a fair knowledge of mercantile
life. During his boyhood days he had always
helped his father with the farm work, and
had become quite familiar with the care and
feeding of stock : and so when his school
life was ended, he still preferred to remain
on his grandfather's farm. In 1905 he
began to farm independently, and occupies
and operates about one hundred acres of his
father's farm, which is about three miles
from Burlington. March 15, 1905, Mr.
JMagel was married to Miss Emma Grothe,
a daughter of Fred C. Grothe, who now lives
retired on South Adams .Street. Mrs. Magel
was born and educated in the city of Burling-
ton, Iowa, and is a great help to her husband
and an agreeable acquisition to the neigh-
borhood. Mr. Magel generally casts his
vote independently, preferring to assist those
whom he thinks best qualified to hold offices
of trust, and at the same time bring credit
to the community. Mr. Magel has largely
inherited those characteristics of his father
and grandfather that are calculated to make
a thrifty and enterprising farmer, and these,
together with strong will and firm determin-
ation, will bring success to any man.

Through his straightforward and strict
adherence to the principles of rigiit, he has
made many friends in the county.

FRANK CHARLES TABOR.

h'KANK Charles Tabor, for many years
very prominently identified with the business
interests of the city of Burlington, Iowa, and
now living at his pleasant home at 501 S.
Ninth Street was born Aug. 27, 1861, at
Webster City, Iowa, his paternal and mater-
nal ancestry being of New York and Ver-
mont, respectively. The family emigrated to
the West during the pioneer period, and
became intimately connected with the early
history of Iowa in its more vital phases, the
grandfather, Charles .\my, a druggist by
profession, being in public life, and elected
the first treasurer of Calhoun county. The
father, who followed the trade of cabinet-
making, enlisted in an Iowa infantry regi-
ment as a soldier for the Civil War, and
after a service of eighteen months was dis-
charged on account of wounds received in
battle, from the effects of which he after-
ward died. The mother is also deceased,
and but one sister and one brother of our
subject survive.

When eight years of age Mr. Tabor re-
moved with his parents to Calhoun county,
and it was there that he received his educa-
tion in the public schools. On the comple-
tion of his formal schooling, he became an
apprentice to the printing trade in the office
of the Lake City Blade, under the propri-
etorship of T. B. Hotchkiss. In this posi-
tion he continued for a number of years,
meantime working his way to the rank of
journe_\nian. and in 1884 came to Burling-

4^2

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ton to take a place in tlie office of the Hazck-
Eyc, llien publislicd l)v Jno. \\ . llurdette,
One year later he was transferred by Mr.
Burdette to the job ])rinting department,
and acted as foreman of his printing jjlant
for about four years, meeting with full suc-
cess in the difficult duties of this responsi-
ble position, and at the same time acquiring
that experience which afterward contributed
so largely to his success in independent busi-
ness enterprises. On .severing this connec-
tion, Mr. Tabor, in association with a
number of other gentlemen, formed the
Commercial Printing Company, a stock
company with a capitalization of $10,000,
which proved to be a profitable venture in
a pecuniary sense; and .Mr. Tabor finally
acquired the other interests by purchase,
becoming the sole proprietor, and in this
capacity continuing the business very suc-
cessfully for eight years. He then combined
his business with the Burlington Paper Box
l-'actory, forming a corporation under the
name of the Tabor-Burns Company, becom-
ing president of the new company ; and in
this capacity he directed the policies of the
combined enterprise until Nov. i, 1904,
at which time he sold his stock, and after a
four ninuths' vacation, liought a halt inter-
est in the plumbing business, incorporating
under llu' name of McElhinney & Tabor
Company.

On July I, 1886, Mr. Tabor wedded Miss
Emma J. Anderson, daughter of .\. P. and
Helen (Parson) Anderson, and to their
union have been born nine sons and daugh-
ters, as follows : Ruth, who died at the age
of seven years ; Amy ; Etta ; Ada, who died
when fifteen months of age : Bessie, whose
death occurred in her seventh year ; two
sons who died in infancy ; Edith ; and Earl.

Always public-spirited, but never caring

to claim for himself the honors of public of-
fice, Mr. Tabor gives his political allegiance
in matters of national policy to the Repub-
lican party, of which he is a valued member,
but in questions of local government con-
sults his personal estimate of the issues and
men involved rather than the narrow de-
markation of partisan lines, i'raternally,
he sustains pleasant membership relations
with the Modern Woodmen of America,
the N. P. L., the Iowa State Traveling
Men's Association, and the Court of Honor,
and having at heart the higher interests of
the community, is a generous contributor
and zealous worker for the cause of religion,
being a member of Grace Methodist Epis-
copal church, of whose board of trustees he
is a member, and for the past two years has
been president, an office which he niAV
holds.

liy the e.xercise of care, diligence, and
sound judgment, combined with methods
of absolute rectitude in all his dealings, Mr.
Tabor has acquired a very comfortable com-
])etcncy, and at the same time his genial
disposition has gained him many friends ;
while his unimpeachable integrity and the
sterling qualities of his character have won
him the universal regard, and made his
name and record a matter of just pride to
iiis ado])ted ci^)-, so that by whatever scale
of success his life be measured, it will not
be found wanting, but constitutes a fitting
exam])le for the emulation of ambitious
voutli.

MILLARD B. CALKINS.

MiLi.ARD B. C.M-KiNS, of Burlington, was
for many years identified with horticultural
and agricultur;d interests in Des Moines

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

493

county, and for the past six years has been
solicitor for the firm of Leyda & Company,
dealers in monuments. His has been an
eventful record, characterized by honor and
usefulness, and he is especially deserving of
mention for the part which he performed in
connection with the preservation of the
Union during the dark days of the Civil
War.

Mr. Calkins was born in Seward, Scho-
harie county, N. Y., and is descended from
a very ancient English family. Authentic
record is obtainable concerning one of the
ancestors, William Colkins (for so the name
was then spelled), who lived at the time of
King John, about a. d. 1200. Hugh Calk-
ins, the earliest American ancestor, was
born in Chepston, Monmouthshire, Wales,
in 1600. Stephen Calkins was a resident of
Sharon, Conn., and his son, Elijah Calkins,
was a Revolutionary soldier, serving with
the patriot army. The records show that
over four hundred and thirty members of
the Calkins family served in the Civil War,
and the family has been represented in six
different wars of the country, including the
Indian wars, the Revolution, the War of
1812, the Mexican, the Civil, and the Span-
ish-American War. Hezekiah Calkins, son
of Elijah Calkins, was the grandfather of
Millard B. Calkins. For more complete his-
tory of the early family, see the Calkins
genealogy.

Elijah C. Calkins, son of Hezekiah Calk-
ins, was born in Schoharie county. New
York, and became a farmer b^' occupation.
He was also connected with woolen, saw,
and grist mills in Xew York. His wife died
in that State March 3, 1855, and in 1857 he
located in Burlington, coming to the West
with two daughters. In his later years he
was in poor health, and he ilied in 1873.

at the age of seventy-four years, his re-
irains being interred in Shiloh cemetery,
southwest of Burlington. He engaged in
Inisiness as a salesman of nursery stock,
books, etc., and lived an active life, al-
though he did not accumulate nnich wealth.
He was' a devoted member of the Meth-
odist church. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Harriet Hedge, was born
in Connecticut. Mr. Calkins was twice
married, his first wife being Miss Patra, by
whom he had three children, of whom two
reached adult age, Elijah H.. and Lorenzo
D., but both are now deceased. By the
second marriage there were four children,
namely : John S. Calkins, of Los Angeles,
Cal. ; Millard B. ; Celia, the wife of Na-
thaniel Backus, of Gainesville, Ga. ; and
Anna E., the widow of John Cannon, and
a resident of Gainesville.

Millard B. Calkins removed from the Em-
]5ire State to Burlington in 1855. The fall
before the father and two sisters came our
subject made the trip -with his brother, John
S., and for eleven months he was employed
in a dairy in this city. He afterward did
some farm work, and later with his brother,
his wife and sister, drove across the country
to Nebraska, where he remained for two
years, during which time he secured two
claims. He was then only eighteen vears
of age. He carried brick and mortar for
the construction of public works in that
State, and while thus engaged he lost his
claims, one of which was jumped by an-
other man, who held it, Mr. Calkins being
then in his minority. Later he returned to
Burlington, and worked with his brother,
in which way he accumulated some means,
which he invested in nursery stock, and then
established a nursery at Cape Girardeau,
Mo. He had ih'^re iwciitv two thousand

4U4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

apple trees on three acres of ground, which
he leased.

About that time the war broke out, and
Mr. Calkins, jumping on a stage, left Mis-
souri and came to liurlington. While he
was in Cape Girardeau effort was made to
force him into the Confederate army, but
he evaded them and returned to this city,
leaving his nursery stock to thrive as best it
could. In July, l86l, he enlisted in the
home guards in I'nion township, and on the
loth of October of tiic same year he cnlistetl
at Burlington in Company K (under Cap-
tain John Campbell), Tourteenth Imva In-
fantry as a private, serving until Feb. 6, 1863.
He was under Captain Leonard (after-
ward major), Colonel Shaw, and General
Smith as division commander, and the regi-
ment was attached to General Grant's army.
Mr. Calkins engaged in the three days' fight
at Fort Donelson, on the 131!). 14111. and
15th of February, 1862, the fort surrender-
ing on the following day. He was also in
the battle of Shiloh on the 6th of April,
1862, being with the brigade which was
styled by the rebel General Johnston, the
"Hornets' Nest Brigade. '■" It was under
command of General Tuttle, and comprised
the Second, Eighth, Twelfth, and Four-
teenth Iowa Regiments. The troops re-
maining uninjured after the battle were
taken prisoners by Johnston's army, and •
ke[)t in an oi)eii cornfield the first night. e\-
))oseil to a cold rain, and were then marched
on the double-quick to Corinth, put in box
cars, and taken to Memphis, arriving the
next evening. Four days later they were
transferred to Mobile, where Mr. Calkins
lay ill with typhoid pneumonia for six weeks.
Those who were able were then exchanged,
and returned to the front. Mr. Calkins was
kept a prisoner during his illness, and was

then sent to Montgomery, Ala., and thence
to Chattanooga, Tenn., where for three
weeks he was ill with lung fever. He was
afterward sipk in Atlanta for three weeks,
and was taken from there dead, as it was
supposed. The car, thought to contain the
dead, was sidetracked : but it was discov-
ered that life was not extinct in Mr. Calk-
ins, and he was taken to the hospital. For
three months he was at Macon, Ga., and was
kept with his mess comrade, who refused to
allow him to be taken to the hospital. He
regained his health there, although he
weighed less than one hundred pounds. He
was then taken to Libby Prison on a seven
days' trip by train, many of the boys dying
during that journey. He was at Libby for
a week, after which he was paroled, and
taken to Akin's Landing, a distance of
twelve miles ; after which he was sent by
boat to Annapolis, Md., and after five
weeks went to Harrisburg. thence to Chi-
cago, and later to St. Louis, where he was
mustered out and honorably discharged.
He was for six months and fifteen days held
as a prisoner, and was ill all of that time :
but while at Annapolis he gained fifty-one
pounds in five weeks. He was discharged
on account of disability occasioned by lung
and heart trouble. In 1864 he enlisted in
the State militia at Burlington, and was
made lieutenant under Captain Comstock.

On the 19th of October, 1864, Mr. Calk-
ins was married to Miss Serena Seamans.
of Burlington, who was bom in Des Moines
county, a daughter of B. B. and Jane
(Crawford) Seamans. Her parents, born
in Pennsylvania, were reared in Ohio, and
were married in that State. They came to
Des Moines county about T834, at a time
when Indians still lived in this locality, and
the father entered land about five miles

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

495

west of the city. At one time he owned
a thousand acres of land in Des Moines
county, including the old Governor Cham-
bers farm of over five hundred acres. He
went to California in 185 1 because of failing
health, taking with him five hundred dollars
in gold. He thought the trip might prove
beneficial, but he died fifteen days after
reaching his destination. He was an Aboli-
tionist His father was one of the patriots
of the Revolutionary War, and B. B. Sea-
mans had in his possession various guns,
powder flasks, and leather ammunition
sacks, which wei^e relics of that struggle.
After the death of her first husband Mrs.
Seamans' married David Larrison, also now
dece'ased. Her death occurred in 1886,
when she was ninety-three yeafs of age.
Mrs. Calkins had seven brothers and one
sister, and three of the family are now liv-
ing. Her eldest brother, B. B. Seamans,
was the first white child born in Des jNIoines
county, the date of his birth being July,
1835. He died in 1901, at the age of sixty-
six years, while visiting in Missouri, and
his remains were interred in Aspen Grove
cemetery. The living members of the Sea-
mans family are Mrs. Calkins ; James, of
New Mexico ; and Louis, of Zanesville,
Ohio.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Calkins were born
five children : Edwin J\I., who married
Elizabeth ]\I. Cockerell, and is living in Se-
dalia, Mo. ; Ella L.. the wife of Albert Lud-
wig, of Arlington, Nebr. ; Anna J., the wife
of Wellington Knight, of Burlington ; Kate
L. : and LeRoy D., a resident of Sedalia,
Mo. There are also six grandchildren.

Following his marriage Mr. Calkins
engaged in farming for seven years in Dan-
ville township, where he owned and operated
one hundred and sixtv acres of land.

He afterward bought forty acres in Flint
River township, ■where he was engaged in
farming, fruit-raising, and in the nursery
business for twenty-one years. He devoted
his attention to small fruit, to the dairy
business, to the cultivation and sale of his
nursery stock, supplying a local demand and
also making some shipments. He continued
upon that property until September, 1892,
when he came to Burlington, and purchased
the residence property which he now occu-
pies at 814 South Fourteenth Street. For
the past six years he has been soliciting for
Leyda & Company, dealers in monuments,
and to some extent he also deals in real
estate.

j\Ir. Calkins belongs to Matthies Post.
No. 5, G. A. R., which he joined on its or-
ganization, and he attended the State En-
campment at Davenport. His wife is a
member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and
is now serving as color bearer. He belongs
to the Congregational church of which Dr.
Salter is pastor. He' was baptized and also
married by that divine. He served as dea-
con of the West Burlington church, and
has long taken an active, helpful, and in-
terested part in church work. His father
was an old-line \Miig, and Mr. Calkins has
always been a Republican. He has served
in some local township offices, was a mem-
ber of the school board for ten years, and
for one year served as secretary. He is
one of the oldest settlers of the county,
having witnessed the development of the
county for a half century, and no one has
been more loyal to the interests of the lo-
cality and of the State. His life has been
characterized by honorable purposes and
worthy action, and he is one of the respected
and esteemed residents of Des Moines
countv.

496 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

EDWIN B. CONKLING.

The Conkling family is too well known
in eastern Iowa for the subject of this
review to need any special introduction
to the readers of this volume. Edwin B.
Conkling is a son of John S. and Columbia
(Orchard) Conkling, and was born on his
father's farm, where he now resides, in
Washington townshiji. Des Moines county,
March 4. i8fj8.

His father was born in Indiana, and
came to Iowa in an early day, locating
in Washington township, Des Moines
coimty. Here he purchased eighty acres of
good farm land, which is a part of the
present farm on Sections 29 and 32, where
our subject lives. There were no im-
provements of any kind on this place, and
Mr. Conkling at once set about preparing
a home for his family. He put up a good
and substantial house, a large modern
barn, and other buildings necessary for
the shelter of stock ' and grain. From
time to time, he has added to his farm,
(ill it is now one of the largest in the
township, consisting of one hundred and
seventv acres, all of which is under culti-
vation, yielding him annually a good
profit.

Mr. Conkling lived on this place till
about five years ago, being engaged in
general farming and raising of a good
grade of stock, making a si)ccialty of
raising a high grade of hogs. He then
removed to a smaller farm in the same
township, which he also owned. After
residing on this place for two years he
moved to the city of Des Moines, where
he is now leading a somewhat retired life,
devoting |>art of his time, however, to the
buying and selling of real estate.

Mr. Conkling is a man who is public
spirited, prosperous, and progressive : an
advocate for all that would tend to im-
prove the community, and is held in high
esteem by all who know him. He has
always been greatly interested in educa-
tional matters, and was a member of the
school boartl in the township where he
lived so long, being president of the
board for upwards of fifteen years. He
is a stanch Republican, and has served as
road supervisor of the township for many
years.

The mother of our subject was born in
Illinois, coming to W'ashington township,
this county, when quite a little girl ; here
she received her education and grew to
womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Conkling are
the ])arents of five children, three of
whom are still living: Jojin and Frank,
both dead ; Edwin, subject of this review;
Elta is a stock-man in Mediapolis, Iowa ;
Mabel married Mark Seeds, a farmer of
Mediapolis, Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Conkling own a beauti-
ful home in Des Moines,, besides retain-
ing the farm in Washington township.
They are prominent and influential mem-
bers of the Baptist church, Mrs. Conk-
ling being acti\c in church work, while
Mr. Conkling served as superintendent of
the Sunday-school in Washington town-
ship for thirty-five years.

Mr. Conkling, of this review, attended
the district schools in his native town-
shi]), and then assisted his father on the
farm till lie was eighteen years old. when
he came to Burlington. Iowa, and spent
one year at the r>a]itist Institute. Re-
turning from college, he remained on the
home ])!;ni- til! he reached his majority,
when he started West, and purchased a

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1 — I

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

499

ranch in the State of Washington, which
he ran for some three years. Preferring
Iowa as a place of residence he came
back to his father's farm, where he has
since lived, carrying on practical farming
and stock-raising, making a specialty of
Aberdeen Angus cattle and thoroughbred
Poland China hogs. Politically, he has
followed in the footsteps of his much-
respected father, and rarely misses an
opportunity to swell the Republican
votes. He, too. has been a member of
the school board.

Sept. 20, 1888, Mr. Conkling married
Miss Stella Walker, daughter of Jesse
and Marie (Chrissinger) Walker. Her
father was born in Virginia, and her
mother in Pennsylvania. They came to
Iowa at an early date, and settled in Des
Moines county, north of Burlington,
where they were prosperous farmers for
many years. Later they removed to Henry
county, where Mr. Walker purchased a
farm. They reiided in Henry county till
a few years ago, when Mr. Walker re-
tired from active life, and they are now
spending the evening of their lives in a
pleasant home in New London, Iowa,
where they can attend the Methodist
church regularly, of which church both
are members. They are the parents of
seven children, six of whom are living,
and all but Mrs. Conkling have removed
from Washington township.

Unto ]\Ir. and Mrs. Conkling have been
born three children : Eva, born in Henry
county, Iowa, Aug. 26, 1889; Gladys,
born in Des Moines county, Iowa, Dec.
26, 1894; Carroll, born May 19, 1901, in
Washington township.

Mr. Conkling's interests center along
lines which tend to promote the welfare.

improvement, and progress of his town-
ship and county. He has advanced vari-
ous business activities in Washington
township, taking a helpful part in many
progressive movements and enterprising-
measures. He is a man of resourceful
business ability and marked energy, whose
influence in commercial, as well as agricul-
tural circles has contributed to the general
prosperity of his native county. His entire
life having been passed in this part of Iowa,
he is widely known, and his many good
qualities have gained for him favorable
regard.

HENRY GIESELMAN.

Henry Gieselman, a pioneer farmer
of Des Moines county who has been ac-
tively engaged in farming for over half a
century, is a son of Frederick \Mlliam
and Anna Catherine Margaretha ( Xie-
meier) Gieselman, whose birth occurred
in Westphalia, Prussia, Germany, ]\Iarch
8, 1842. His father was born Feb. 10,
1815, and his mother Feb. 28, 181 5. both
being natives of Prussia. They had
seven children, of whom the following
four are still living: Henry, of this re-
view ; Andrew ; Hannah ; and Frederick.
They came to America in 1853, and lo-
cated first in St. Louis, Mo., coming to
Burlington in the fall of 1854, where they
bought a farm of twenty acres. Here
they lived for forty years, until the
father's death, which occurred Jan. 24,
1893. aged seventy-seven years. His
wife preceded her husband to the better
land some four months, her death occur-
ring Sept. 22, 1892.

500

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

< )ur subject attended tlie public schools
for three years and a half in his native
place: and as he was only eleven years old
when his parents broujjjht him to Aukt-
ica. he tinislicd his education in the
schools of r.urlinjjton township. After
layinp aside his text-books he "remained
on his father's fami, where he took an
active i>art in the work till 1870. when
he bought a farm of eighty acres in Section
24, of ]'"linl River tnwn-^liip, where he
•has lived ever since.

June 27, 1870, Mr. Gieselman was mar-
ried to .Miss Anna Maria Schulz, daugh-
ter of ChristofF and Mary (Schulz)
Schulz. This union was blessed with
eleven children, of whom all are at home
but four: Frederick; Anna, married
Henry Ilagerly: Minnie; Hannah, mar-
ried Edward Rhinesmith ; Matilda; Mary ;
Henry, of West Burlington ; Emma ;
Augusta ; William ; .Albert. With mature
years these members of a sturdy Gertiian
family have developed those characteristics
which distinguish the citizens of Germany,
and have become helpful and prosperous
citizens.

Mr. and Mrs. Gieselman are devoted
members of the German M. E. church, of
\\'est liurlington, where he is a trustee
and an exhorler. He has always given
his ])olitical allegiance to the Republican
party, but has never aspired to office,
though he has always supported his party
to the best of his ability. He has a com-
modious country residence, has erected a
modern barn, and made other iniprove-
nunts (III his place, and to-day his farm
is considered one of the finest and best in
the beautiful valley of the township,
where his family have a wide and favor-
able aciiuaintance.

.Mr. (lieselman has given love and loy-
alty to the country of his adoption, where
as a man among men he holds the confi-
dence and esteem of those with whom he
comes in contact in either a business or a
social way. and where he has also set a
most worthy example to his children, of
whom in return he is justly proud.

WILLIAM JOHN EDGAR.

Wii.i.iAM John Edgar, a native son of
Des Moines county, well known within its
borders as a practical and enterprising
farmer, was born March 23, 1863, on the
Korf farm, his parents being David and
Martha (McElhinney) Edgar. His pater-
nal grandi)arents were James and Nancy
(McCaw) Edgar. David Edgar was born
in County Derry, Ireland, Aug. 20, 1838,
and remained a resident of the Green Isle
of Erin throughout the greater part of his
boyhood and youth. In 1857, however, he
bade adieu to friends and native land and
crossed the .\tlantic to .America, making
his way direct to Des Moines county, where
he engaged in farming, a pursuit that he
has since followed. He had resided here
for about six years when, in 1863, his par-
ents came to Des Moines county, where
they spent their remaining days.

David Edgar was married Dec. 29, 1859,
to Miss Martha McElhinney, who died
June 2, 1872. They were the parents of
eight children: James L. ; Samuel Elder;
William John ; Thomas McCaw ; Robert
^fartin; Nancy .Ann, the wife of John E.
Nelson, of this county ; Elizabeth Ida, the
wife of George Thomson, of Canonsburg,
Pa.: anil Marllui ]., who is the wife

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

of Lee W. Hcnslcigh, of Blanchard, Iowa.
After losing his first wife, Air. Edgar
was again married, his second union being
with Julia Wells, and their children are as
follows : George G. : Isaac M. ; Charles
F. ; Ellen E., the wife of Alfred Kilpatrick ;
and Emily L., the wife of S. !M. Hartsell,
of Pennsylvania. David Edgar has fol-
lowed farming ever since coming to Des
Moines county, now almost a half century
ago. He is well known as an enterprising
agriculturist and reliable business man, and
is worthy the esteem in which he is uni-
formly held.

William John Edgar began his education
in the schools of Yellow Springs township,
afterward attending school in Louisa
county, the Academy in Morning Sun, and
also the Sherman School, in Henry county.
He has always carried on general agricul-
tural pursuits, and for ten years was also
engaged in laying tile, employing a large
corps of men in this work. He has prob-
ably put in more rods of tile than any other
man in the county, and has thus done much
to render wet land fit for cultivation, trans-
forming unimproved tracts into fields of
rich fertility. He has engaged in farming
throughout his entire career, and it is now
his principal occupation.

In 1900 he purchased the Thomas Mc-
Clements farm, com])rising one hundred
and fifty-one and a half acres, in Sections
20 and 21, Yellow Springs township. Here
he carries on general farming, his fields
annually returning him golden harvests.
He also feeds about' forty head of cattle
and raises about fifty hogs each year, and
his stock when placed upon the market re-
turns him a good income on his investment.

In 1892, at the home of the bride,
in Louisa county, Iowa, Mr. Edgar was

united in marriage to Miss Bessie Martin,
who was born in that county Aug. 25, 1876.
She is a daughter of Thomas and Susan
(Higbee) Martin. Her father has fol-
lowed farming there throughout the greater
part of his life, and both he and his wife
are still residents of Louisa county. He
lived retired for a time, but has recently
returned to his old homestead there. Mrs,
Edgar pursued her education in the public
schools of Louisa county. By her marriage
she has become the mother of four chil-
dren: Clement Martin, born July 16, 1893;
Lemuel Stanley, born .Sept. 10, 1897; Lois
Martha, born Aug. 14, 1900; and Lela
Leona, Sept. i, 1902.

Mr. Edgar exercises his right of fran-
chise in support of the men and measures
of the Republican party, and is now serving
as school director ; but he has never been
active in seeking ofifice, preferring to give
his undivided attention to his business af-
fairs. He was reared in the Reformed
Presbyterian church, and is a worthy rep-
resentative of an honored pioneer family
of this county. His entire life has been
spent in this part of the State, and he is a
typical son of Iowa, active and energetic in
his business affairs, and so directing his
labors as to bring good results.

JAMES RICHARD WATSON.

Farming and stock-raising are carried
on extensively in Des Moines county bv
many ]:)romincnt representatives of agri-
cultural life, the natural resources of
the State offering excellent opportunities
in this direction. James Richard Watson,
thus engaged, has met with gratifying

502

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

success, and at the present time is known
as one of the leading stockmen of Yellow
Springs township.

A native of England, he was born in
Yorkshire, .\pril 8, 186(1, his parents being
James and Emma (Stocks) Watson, who
in 1868 left their native country for the
New World. They did not tarry in the
East wluii they landed in the L'nited
States, but made their way at once to Des
Moines county, Iowa, where the father
purchased land. He became the owner of
one hundred and thirty-three acres on
Sections 1 and 12, and fifty-nine and a
fraction acres on Section 6, and at his
death he owned two hundred and five
acres, all in Yellow Springs townshij).
This was well improved with modern
equipments, and became a very desirable
property. .After Imyinf;- his farm, how-
ever. Mr. Watson lived for a year in Kos-
suth, and then spent five j'cars in the old
house on the farm now owned by W. C.
Hutchcroft, on Section u. uliicli property
he rented for twenty-one yejirs. He re-
mo\ecl to his own i)ropcrty in 1878, ann
there the family home has since been
maintained. He was a general farmer,
and fed the grain he raised to the stock.
He al.so made a number of substantial im-
provements, |ii(i(lming a j^re.it trans-
formation in the api)earance of the farm,
and also in its ]jroductiveness and value.

In the family of James and Emma Wat-
son were born seven children : Mary
Louisa, the wife of Stephen Riggs Ibbott-
son, of Los .\ngeles county, California;
Sarah Eliza, tlie wife of George Washing-
ton Co.x, formerly of Yellow S])rings
township, and now living in Edison, Xebr. ;
John William Edwin, living in .-\ra])ahoe,
I'nrnas countv. Xebr.; I'eter, living in the

same place; James Richard, of this re-
view; one who died in infancy; and .\nna
Lenora, who resides with Mrs. Co.x in
Xebraska.

James R. Watson was only two years
old when brought by his parents to .Amer-
ica, and was therefore reared in this coun-
ty, his education being ac(|uire(l in the
district schools; while under his father
he received instruction concerning all the
work of the farm. He has devoted his en-
tire life to agricultural jnirsuits, and is
still living upon the old family homestead
in Yellow Springs township, where he
has made many im])rovements. Here he
has erected fine farm buildings, including
two large barns, one thirty-six by sixty
feet and the other fifty-six by seventy
feet. There is also a sixteen-foot addition
running the entire length of the barn, and
twenty-one and a half feet in height. He
has under cultivation about three hun-
dred acres of land, and annually harvests
large crops. He is extensively engaged
in feeding cattle and hogs; and by the
assessor's books in H;04, he sold one hun-
dred and twenty-one thousand, four hun-
dred and si.xty-two pounds of beef, bring-
ing five thousand, nine hundred and
seventy-five dollars and ninety-four cents;
while forty-three thousand, one hundred
and eighty-four ])Ounds of ])ork brought
twenty-two hundred aiul sixty-eight dol-
lars and forty-eight cents. His hogs are
mostly of the Jersey Duroc breed. He
annually feeds on an average of five car-
loads of cattle and two car-loads of hogs,
and his stock-feeding interests prove a
most ])rofital)le branch of his business.

In his political views .Mr. Watson is an
earnest Republican. :md served for one
term .is to\\n>lii|) trustee, lie was also a

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

503

member of the school board for six years,
acting as its president for four years, and
the cause of education found in him a
helpful friend, advocating the employ-
ment of competent teachers and the rais-
ing of the standard of school work. He is
a zealous and faithful member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and has
filled nearly all the offices in the North-
field church. He has alSo been president
of the Epworth League and assistant
superintendent of the Sunday-school, and
his co-operation in the various church
activities has been far-reaching and bene-
ficial.

WILLIAM ROBERT CARMEAN.

William Robert Carmean was born
in Burlington, March 5, 1876, a son of
Frank and Elizabeth At. (.Moore) Car-
mean. The father was born in Ross coun-
ty, Ohio, April i, 1839, and on Feb. 12,
1863, was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Ann Ivloore, a daughter of Rob-
ert and Jane (Davi^) Moore. He was a
farmer and butcher, and in 1845 came to
Des Moines county, Iowa, where he spent
his remaining days, living a life of indus-
try and thrift that gained for him the
sincere regard of those with whom he
came in contact. He died Oct. 5, 189Q,
at the age of sixty years.

In the Carmean family were four chil-
dren: Foster, born May 5, 1865, died in
July, 1901 ; Anna Jane, born Sept. 20,
1869, was married to Ephriam Welsh, and
died April 5, i8()2, leaving one child, Em-
ma Edith, born July 9, 1891 ; Cora E.,
born July 10, 1873, is now the wife of
T. L. Orr, of Mediapolis.

William I^obert is the fourth member
of the family. The mother, still surviving
her husband, is now living with Mr. Wat-
son. William R. Carmean was educated
in the public schools of Northfield, and
has always followed the occupation of
farming, for the past nine years being in
the employ of J. R. Watson, one of the ex-
tensive farmers and stock-raisers of Yel-
low Springs township.

MILLARD FILLMORE REID.

Millard F. Reid, residing at his pleas-
ant home at 863 North Street, has been an
industrious and respected citizen of Bur-
lington for about thirty years, and is now
one of the leading brick contractors of the
same city. He is a son of David and Emma
(Wilson) Reid, and was born in the city
of Philadelphia in 1853. His father was
also a native of the Quaker City, being born
in 1826, where he learned the trade of a
brick mason. Here he was married. In
i860 he went to Princeton, HI., where he
was actively engaged at his trade, remain-
ing for fifteen years. In 1874 he came to
Iowa and located in Burlington, working
as a journeyman for some years, and later
carrying on contracting. The substantial
residences of the late A. G. Adams on Fifth
Street and of Judge Mason, deceased, on
North Sixth Street, were among the prom-
inent buildings which he erected. In 1893
Mr. Reid moved to Omaha, Nebr., where
he contracted for some six years with much
success, and where his death occurred in
1899. His remains were buried in Aspen
Grove cemetery in Burlington. Mr. Reid
was a very quiet and an unpretentious man,

504

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

a skilled mechanic, whose business princi-
ples were above reproach, and his death
was mourned by many friends and rela-
tives in the several places in which he hacl
resided. Mrs. Reid is a native of Phila-
delphia, where she was born in 1834, and
lived there till she was married. Her
parents lived in Burlington for many years,
and were much esteenied and respected by
all who knew them. They were devoted
members of the Methodist church, which
they both attended regidarly till they be-
came too feeble.

After the death of Mr. Reid. Mrs. Reid
and family moved to Chicago, where they
still reside. She has been wonderfully
blessed, as all of the seven children born to
her and Mr. Reid are spared to cheer and
comfort her in her widowhood. The chil-
dren arc as follows: Millard F., of this
review; David, a printer, and lives in
Omaha, Nebr. ; Frank, an express messen-
ger on the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy Railroad, and makes his home with
his motluT ; Mary, the wife of William
Burnett, traveling man of Chicago. They
have one child, Anna, married Edward
Vanderpool, bookkeeper of the Booth
packing company, of Chicago. They are the
parents of three children : Charles, an ex-
press messenger on the railroad, and lives
at home with his mother. Mrs. Reid is of
a bright and happy disposition, and has
made many sacrifices for the general good
of her family, and her greatest delight is
in relieving those on whom the hand of
affliction has been laid. Her quiet and
dignified manner is much admired by her
host of friends.

Our subject received his education in the
public .schools of Princeton, 111. In that
citv he learned the trade of a bricklaver

with his father. He came to Burlington
with his parents in 1874, and for a number
of years worked for the older contractors
of the city. He has been contracting for
himself since 1903. Among the recent
buildings which stand as examples of his
skill are the following: Residence of James
Moir, Young Men's Christian Association,
and Carpenter's jewelry store. He is now
building the Clinton Copeland wholesale
candy house.

In August. 1873. Mr. Reid married Miss
Emma Schramm, a daughter of Fred and
Louisa (Rosenhauer) Schramm, who were
natives of Germany, and came to .America
at an early day and located in Burlington.
Mr. and Mrs. Schramm were the parents
of four children: Emma, wife of our sub-
ject ; Charles, who resides in Davenport,
Iowa ; Ida, married James Melchcr, now of
Walla Walla. Wash. ; Anna, the wife of
Wm. Barber, of Bozeman, Mont. Mr.
and Mrs. Schramm are both dead. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Reid seven children have been
born, who are all living and have reached
maturity : Frank C, married Rosa Hoppe,
and is a brick contractor and partner of
his father ; Harry, the husband of May
Leonard, lives in Burlington, where he
works for his father as a brick-mason ;
Gertrude, the wife of Sherman Hill, a
traveling man of Chicago: Mabel, now Mrs.
Charles Unterkircher. of Burlington, whose
sketch may be found elsewhere in this
book ; Elsie, at home ; Ruth, makes her
home mostly with her sister in Chicago;
V'erna, a student in the city schools.

Mr. Reid has generally given his support
to the Democratic party. He has never
sought public office. Fraternally, he is a
member of the Woodmen of the World,
and was the |)resident of the bricklayers'

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

union for two years. He is very fond of
all sport, and is a fine marksman. Like his
father, he is of a very social and genial dis-
position, possessing a warm heart. His work
is of the best, and his business principles
are honest and upright. Though but a
young man, he has achieved much success
in life, and we predict a still brighter future
for him, which is the voice of his many
friends.

JEROME BOCK.

To render complete this account of the
business interests of Burlington, Iowa, and
of Des Moines county, it is necessary to
make extended mention of Jerome Bock,
who ranks as one of the oldest nurserymen
in the city, as well as one of the best known.
Mr. Bock was born April 21, 1822, at
Glatz, Prussia, a son of Joseph and Johanna
(Zenka) Bock. The family had long been
residents of that city, and were celebrated
for their hardy physical constitution and
longevity, the grandfather, Valentine Bock,
having attained the age of ninety-two
years, while his wife, who was killed by
accident, was eighty-one years old at the
time of her death. The maternal grand-
father of our subject, Frederic Zenka, who
was by trade a shoemaker, died at the age
of eighty-four years. Joseph, father of
Jerome Bock, was gardener to a nobleman
at Glatz, and served in the war of the
Allies against Napoleon, being with Blucher
at Waterloo, and thus contributing to the
final defeat of the emperor of the French.
He attained to the age of seventy-nine years,
and the mother of Jerome Bock was more
than ninety years of age at her decease.

Mr. Bock learned the trade of gardener

under the direction of a nobleman's gar-
dener in his native land, and at the age of
twenty-two years went to England to take
a position in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
He was in London during the time of the
great World's Fair, wliich was one of the
first of the series of gigantic expositions of
modern times, and remained at the Royal
Gardens for seven years, thus gaining much
valuable experience. He then, with two
brothers, Joseph and William, crossed the
Atlantic Ocean to become gardener to a
gentleman at Montreal ; but not being
pleased with conditions in Canada, he went
to Boston in 185 1, and was there con-
nected with the nursery business for a pe-
riod of five years. In 1856 he traveled over
Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois in
search of a location, but being best pleased
with Iowa when he came to this State in the
latter part of that year, he located in Bur-
lington, forming a partnership here with
Keally Brothers in the nursery business,
and the firm continued under the style of
Neally Brothers & Bock for twelve years.
This was the largest nursery firm in south-
eastern Iowa, and established the first com-
mercial greenhouse in Burlington.

On the termination of the partnership,
Mr. Bock purchased a tract of forty acres
on South Madison Street, where, at No.
2600, stands his residence, a pleasant home,
surrounded by the ornamental triumphs of
the gardener's art. While in Boston he
wedded Miss Susan Hill, daughter of John
Hill, of Boston, and to them were born in
Burlington two sons and two daughters, as
follows : William, now a locomotive en-
gineer ; Helen, wife of Simon Chapman ;
x\gnes, wife of Elmer Sykes ; and Walter,
who died when a promising young man of
eighteen years. Mrs. Bock is also now

5o6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

deceased, Ikt (kiitii h.imiii; nccurred in
i8«)<>. In a business way Mr. Bock has been
unusually successful, and his work as a
nurseryman and gardener has always been
for him a labor of love. He it was who in-
troduced the growing of evergreens for
ornamental purposes in Burlington, and
when he came to Boston from Canada he
brought the first dicentra, or bleeding-
heart, ever seen in the United States. As
an example of his enterprising spirit, it
may be mentioned that he sent a large
nursery stock to the city of Denver over-
land by ox-team before the laying of a trans-
continental railroad. He has taught the
trade and business to his two nephews,
Josejih and Ernest Bock.

In addition to his business Mr. Bock has
always borne his share of the burden in
matters of public interest, and in his polit-
ical alliance was first a member of the
Democratic party, voting while in Boston
for Franklin Pierce for president of the
United States : but since that time has been
a Republican, having been converted to that
view by careful consideration of existing
problems. He has been a constant student
and reader, acquiring wide general infonna-
tion, and as one who appreciates his higher
duties, is a supporter and member of the
Congregational church, as was also his de-
ceased wife. He has acquired a complete
mastery of conversational English, and is
an entertaining talker, always speaking with
ability and with a breadth of view which re-
veals the powers of his mind. To almost
all the people of Burlington ht is well
known, and the purity of his private life
and integrity of his business career have
endeared him to all. and won him that
respect which is one of the most precious
rewards of an upright life.

WESLEY REEVES BONER.

In the settlement of the West the pio-
neers had to face many trials and diffi-
culties. They had gone far from the con-
veniences and privileges of civilization.
Markets were remote, and communication
difficult. The prairies were like the ocean,
and the roads primitive in the extreme,
or existed only in possibility. Distances
now measured by hours then required
many days, and the journey from Burling-
ton to Chicago was a tax on a stout heart.
Schools were few and far between, while
those few which dotted the immense wil-
tlerness were of very inferior grade. But
the hearts of the hardy frontiersmen were
brave, and nothing discouraged the build-
ers of the great States that are now
mighty empires in themselves. They im-
proved the land, bridged the rivers, built
the roads, founded what are now great
cities, and in due time came the railroad
and the telegrajjh and the mail to bring
the ends of the country together. The
east and the west, at last, were next-door
neighl>ors: space was eliminated: time
was annihilated. To the prairies of Iowa
came the art and refinement of Xew Eng-
land ; learning was no longer strange, and
the schoolmaster was abroad in the land.
The empire State beyond the great river
had come into its own. The men who
helped in this great transfonnation should
always be reverently remembered. It was
no light task, the building of an empire,
that they undertook. Among them, and
entitled to an honored place, was the man
whose name heads this article. He is not
now among the living, but in his day he
played a man's part in the settlement of
Des Moines countv. and is remembered

^/f/2.

'^^-^^^z^cyi^^

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

509

thrjughout its extent as a man of fine
character and upright spirit.

Wesley Reeves Boner was born in Vir-
ginia county, Ohio, Sept. 12, 1815, a son
of James and Sarah (Reeves) Boner, and
when yet in his youth accompanied his
parents to the West, traveling by way of
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and ar-
riving in Burlington in April, 1838. On
the site of the now flourishing city but
two houses stood at that time, and to the
father of our subject fell the honor of
making the first trail westward from Bur-
lington, while he himself made the sec-
ond. The family on its arrival was com-
pelled to take shelter in a building origi-
nally constructed for a stable, on the
property of a Mr. Hohl;but they shortly
left Burlington, and went to the Long
Creek neighborhood, where there was a
small settlement comprising five families.
The father eventually settled on the
county line west of Danville, where he
did his work and lived his life and passed
to the life beyond. His wife is remem-
bered as an early member of ' the Meth-
odist Episcopal church in Des Moines
county, and as a faithful and constant at-
tendant at its services. They lie buried
in the Long Creek cemetery.

On Feb. 6, 1845, Mr. Boner was united
in marriage to Miss Rebecca Hanna, and
their first home was that which is now the
residence of his son-in-law and daughter,
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Raikes. Hither
he brought his bride, and here they lived
for many years. Mrs. Boner, who was a
member of the Methodist church, died in
April, 1862, survived by five children, four
of whom were born at the old home place,
while the youngest was born at Long
Creek. Brief mention mav be made of

these as follows : Marshall W., who re-
sides at Middletown, Iowa; Marcelene,
wife of William I!. Raikes ; Clara, wife of
A. P. Caldwell ; Lessie E., wife of J. G.
Miller, of Union township ; and Austin,
who is a resident of Long Creek. Mr.
Boner remarried on March 4, 1869, his
second wife being Mrs. Sarah Anna
Raikes, of Cambridge, Ohio, who died
May 3, 1882.

Our subject began life for himself as a
comparatively poor man, receiving little
aid from any source, and depending al-
most entirely on his own efforts and indi-
vidual resources for success, and how well
he succeeded in a pecuniary sense is
shown by the fact that he accumulated
more than 1,000 acres of valuable Iowa
farming lands in the course of his career,
although he disposed of all his landed in-
terests before his death, and for a time
he made his residence at the home of his
daughter, Mrs. Raikes, his death occur-
ring here on Nov. i, 1897. His remains
repose in the cemetery at Long Creek,
where rest the mortal ashes of so many
of the honored dead to whose loyal and
faithful toil are due the blessings and ad-
vantages now enjoyed by their descend-
ants. He was in his younger days a very
active man, both mentally and physically,
for he had a mind of unusual power, as
well as a magnificent physical develop-
ment ; but on account of the naturally in-
creasing weight of age, his latter years
were spent in retirement. He bore a part
in aftairs of government as a member of
the Democracy.

Mr. Boner's life was one of constant
usefulness and success, and in all his
dealings he strove to be strictly honest
and impartial, always seeking to guard

SIO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

against doing any man an injustice, pre-
serving at all times an upright, honorable
and absolutely unwavering course of in-
tegrit}-, — a mode of life which brought its
own reward in the esteem of all who
knew him as he was. In his career as
farmer and business man his qualities of
foresight and ready appreciation of an
opi)i)rtunity. added to an unfailing perse-
verance in all circumstances, however ad-
verse, brought him worldly wealth, and
enabled him in his latter years to enjoy in
ease the fruits of a well-spent life.

WILLIAM WALKER.

Wii.i.iAM \\'.\i.KER, a prosperous farmer
residing on a farm of one hundred and
forty-five acres on Sections 1 1 and 14. Flint
River township, lias spent his entire life in
Des Moines county, his birth having oc-
curred Oct. 20, 1853. on the farm which is
yet his ])]ace of residence. He was the only
child of Thomas and Martha (Phillips)
Walker, who were natives of Yorkshire,
I'.ngland, and came to America about 1848.
T1k\ were married in England, and crossed
the Atlantic on a sailing vessel, reaching
the United States coast after a long and
tedious voyage. After spending a winter
in Canada, they came to Iowa, settling in
Des Moines county, where the father pur-
chased eighty acres of land, comprising the
tract upon which the home of our subject
now stands. There he made a home for
himself and family, and placed almost all
the improvements upon his farm. He
erected a good and substantial brick dwell-
ing, also built good barns and other out-
buildings for the shelter of crojjs and stock,

and contimied the work of improvement
year after year until the farm became one
of the valuable properties of this part of
the county. He was a prosperous and pro-
gressive man, and his value as a citizen
was widely acknowledged. He gave his
political support to the Republican party.
His wife died March 18, 1884. and his death
occurred \\)v. i, 1893, when he was laitl to
rest by the side of his wife in Flint River
township.

In his youth William Walker attended
the common school of the neighborhood,
and through the summer months assisted
his father in the work of the fields. He
has always remained upon the old home-
stead; and he cleared a large part of the
land, and also made some of the improve-
ments. He has added sixty-five acres to
the original farm, and now has about one'
hundred and fifteen acres untler cidtivation,
the well-tilled fields yielding to him golden
harvests. He is also engaged in the raising
of cattle and hogs for the niarket, and both
i)ranclies of his business are proving profit-
able. He has a good threshing outfit, and
for the past twenty-five years has engaged
in threshing during the season. He has
also extended his efforts to other business
enterprises, having been chosen jiresidcnt
of the I-'lint River Telephone Com])any on
its organization, since which lime he has
acted ill tii.'it cajiacity.

Dec. 13. 1879, Mr. Walker was united in
marriage to Miss N'iolet W'att. a daughter
of James ami Margaret (McLaughlin)
Watt, both of whom were natives of Ire-
land, and came to the L'nited States in the
early '50's, settling in Flint River township,
where the father carried on farming. Roth
he and his wife died here at an advanced
age. I.'nto Mr. and Mrs. Walker have bceti

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

511

born seven chiklren. of whom six are living:
Ethel, the wife of John Hasenkamp, assist-
ant superintendent of the county poor farm ;
Euranus, at home ; Frank, who died at the
age of nineteen years, and was buried in
Flint River township ; James and OUie, both
at home ; and Alvin and Alpha, twins. All
of the children were born on the home place,
and were educated in the public schools.

Mr. \\'alkcr exercises his right of fran-
chise in sup])ort of the men and measures
of the Re])ublican party, and at the present
time is holding the office of township trustee,
in which capacity he has served for the past
twelve years, a fact which indicates his
efficiency in office and the confidence and
trust reposed in him by the public. He has
also been a member of the school board for
many years, and is a warm friend of the
cause of education, believing in the employ-
ment of competent teachers, that the chil-
dren may have training that will well fit
them for the practical and responsible duties
which come when school days are over. He
is equally progressive and enterprising in
business, while he and his wife have the
high regard of their social acquaintances,
and enjoy the friendship of many with
whom they have been brought in contact
during the long years of tlieir residence
in this countv.

WESLEY HOWARD.

Incontest.\dly established by the logic
of history is the proposition that Iowa owes
much of her greatness to the efforts of men
of Southern birth and lineage, and the name
of Mr. Howard is entitled to a high place
upon the illustrious roll of her makers and

builders. A native of Tennessee, he was
born in White county, Dec. 25, 1825, a son
of Ignacius and Mary (Duncan) Howard.

Ignacius Howard, a native of eastern
Tennessee, was a farmer, following that
occupation in Tennessee, and later in Illi-
nois, whither he removed when his son
Wesley was nine years of age, locating six
miles north of La Harpe. He remained
there only about eighteen months, however,
at the expiration of which period he again
removed, coming to Des Moines county,
Iowa. In the spring of 1837 he located in
Benton township, where he purchased a
half section of valuable agricultural land.
This land was then in its natural and wild
state, entirely uncultivated, and he at once
proceeded to clear away the primeval forest,
place the soil under the dominion of the
plow, erect buildings, and establish a home
for himself and family. Here he resided
for a long term of years, but finally removed
to Henderson county, Illinois, where he
shortly afterward died at the age of seventy-
four years. His wife, also a native of
Tennessee, long survived him, and died in
California, at the advanced age of ninety-
one years.

Wesley Howard obtained his early educa-
tion in his native State, and later accompa-
nied hfs parents in their removal to Illinois
and to Des Aloincs county. During his
youth and young manhood he shared the
arduous toil of the pioneer home in Benton
township, thus receiving the best possible
training for the success which he achieved
in after life. In his twenty-sixth year he
decided to emljark upon an independent en-
terprise, and purchased a farm of his own,
comprising one hundred and sixty acres of
land which was jiartially improved, but still
offered a magnificent field for the exercise

512

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of that enterprising spirit which has always
distingfiiishcd liini. He resided u|X)n that
farm for a number of years, but in 1865 re-
moved to Danville township, where he en-
gaged extensively in general farming and
stock-raising fur the reniaindcr of his active
career. He still owns a fine and very pro-
ductive farm of eighty acres three miles east
of the village of Danville, which he has
brought to a high state of cultivation and
maintains at the toi)most <lcgree of prac-
tical cfhciency, having introduced into its
operation many modern improvements and
methods, which stand as a monument to his
enlightened [)olicy. He now resides in the
village of Danville, where he has a jjleasant
home which is the center of generous hos-
pitality and true friendship.

Dec. 4, 1851, Mr. Howard was united in
marriage to Miss Charity A. Perry, who
was b<irn in Washington county. IV-nnsyl-
vania, accomi)anying her parents to Iowa in
1845. She is the daughter of Thomas J. R.
and Peggy (Gaston) Perry. Her father, who
was born in the State of Delaware, and after
coming t<i Iowa owned a large farm near
I'urlingloii, was a man of great natural
talents, and attained to a position of emi-
nence in public afTairs. For many years he
served the community in which he lived as
justice of the peace, and was for two terms
a member of the Iowa State Legislature,
taking ])art in many of the most im])ortant
public movements of his time, anil ac(iuiring
a vast influence throughout the State. His
death occurred in I'nion townslii]) in the
eightieth year of his age. His wife, who
was a native of Pennsylvania, and was of
Presbyterian faith, died at the old family
home near Ilurlington when seventy years
of age.

To Mr. and Mrs. Howard have been bom

five children, as follows : Amanda, who died
at the age of twenty-one years; Perry L.,
now residing on a farm near Hepler, Kans.,
married Miss Laura \'an Dyke, and has
three daughters. Myrtle, Elsa, and Helen;
Thomas, who tiled at the age of foiir years ;
James, now residing on his father's farm in
Danville township, where he has been the
recipient of public honors, having held the
i>ffice of township assessor for the past nine
years, married Miss Hattie Jackson, and has
three children, Murle, (irace, and Wallace;
and William, who at sixteen years of age
was drowned in Skunk River while bathing.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard have long been
members of the P)aptist church, in which
they are influential workers, and to whose
supjxirt they have always contributed gen-
erously of their means. Mr. Howard is a
life-long student of public questions in their
])olitical aspects, and has consistently acted
with the Republican ]>arty, although never
asking any preferment for himself, nor any
])ublic recognition whatsoever. His course
lias been one of uniform loyalty, upright-
ness, and integrity, and as a snflficient re-
ward he now enjoys the esteem of all.

JOHN CLARK BAILEY.

JniiN Ci-AKK r>.\iLi;v, a son of John
and Martha (I'ausett) Bailey, was born
Feb. 18, 1861, in Henderson, 111. His
father was a native of X'irginia, hut was
reared in Kentucky, and in i860 became
a resident of Illinois, locating at that time
in Henderson. During the infancy of his
son John, he removed with his family to
Mercer county, Illinois, and in 1886 he
came to low'a, settling ujjon a farm on

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

513

Section 25, Huron township, Des Moines
county. Through the succeeding ten
years he devoted his energies to the cul-
tivation and improvement of his land
here, dying the 9th of May, 1896, when he
was seventy-two years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were the parents
of seven children : Mary, who has de-
parted this life; Emma, who died at the
age of fifteen years; William H., who is
living in Huron township ; George T.,
who resides in Monmouth, 111. ; John C. ;
Sarah, the wife of William Garmer, a
resident of Columbus Junction, Iowa;
and Lola, the wife of Jefferson Day, who
is living in Mercer county, Illinois. After
the death of her husband Mrs. Bailey was
again married, becoming the wife of
Abraham Taylor, and they now live on
the old homestead farm.

John Clark Bailey was reared bv his
parents in Alercer county. Illinois, and is
indebted to the public-school system of
that State for the educational advantages
he received. He worked at farm labor on
the old homestead during his boyhood
days, and has always engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits until the present year,
when he has been doing carpenter work.

In the fall of 1885 he came to Huron
township, and settled on the farm which
his father purchased, superintending its
cultivation and improvement for nine
years. In February, 1894, he bought one
hundred and sixty acres of land, situated
on Sections 13 and 14, Huron township,
belonging to David Grimes's estate, and
at once located on that property, devot-
ing it to general farming purposes. He
has over one hundred head of Poland
China hogs, and in one year his sale of
hogs has brought him thirteen hundred

and fift}' dollars. In 1903 Mr. Bailey
erected a large and substantial barn
forty by forty-eight feet. The farm build-
ings are models of convenience, and are
kept in good repair. Everything about
the place is attractive because of its neat-
ness and thrift, and Mr. Bailey is well
known as an enterprising agriculturist,
his methods being practical and pro-
gressive.

On Sept. 10, 1887, Mr. Bailey was
united in marriage to Miss Chattie
Thompson, who was born in South Bur-
lington township. May 9, 1867, and is a
daughter of Theodore and Frances (Pat-
terson) Thompson. Three children have
been born unto them : John Wesley,
born July 27, 1890; Ebbie, March 14,
1893; and Elizabeth, April 12, 1900.

Politically, Mr. Bailey is a Democrat,
believing firmly in the principles of the
party, and doing all in his power to pro-
mote its growth and insure its success.
He was elected trustee of his township
in 1897, but would not serve. For two
years, however, he has served as school
director. He prefers to do his public
dut}- as a private citizen in order that he
may be left free to give most of his time
and attention to his business affairs. He
is now a prosperous farmer, wide-awake
and enterprising, so managing his busi-
ness interests that each year he adds to
his income.

CHARLES FREDERICK WILLIAM
BUHRMASTER.

Charles F. W. Buiirmaster belongs to
one of the largest German families in Bur-
lington. He is the son of Henry and Louisa

51 +

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

(I'ranp) liulirniastcr (the latter in (jernian
spelle<I Kestergarteii ). His birth Iwik place
in Germany, in the suburbs of Minden, Feb.
9, 1844. Mis father brought his large family
to America the following May after the birth
of our subject, coming in one of the old-
time sailing vessels by way of New Orleans,
and reaching the city of IJurlington. Io\ya, in
the fall of the same year. .Mthough they
were about sixty-three days on the ocean,
and had some storms, still tliey enjoyed the
trip, and -were ready to take the boat up the
river to their place of destination. He
farmed for a number of years in Flint
River township, and, in i8<^)3 moved from
the farm to become a citizen of Burlington.
He held his farm of ninety-three acres for
a few years after coming to the city, and
finally sold it to advantage to a man by
name of .McClaren, and it is now owned
by a Mr. IVterman. He engaged in the real
estate business, and also did teaming, and as
the years passed by he accumulated con-
siilerable city jiroperty on North Seventh
Street, and built several good lirick huilii-
ings. Till' death of his wife, who had
shared in all the trials and sacrifices of a
poor man with a large family, occurred in
1870, on the 2^\.h of December, at the age of
sixty-two years. .Although Mr. Buhrmaster
had reached a period in life when it was no
longer necessary for him to work as much
or as hard as in his younger days, still he
was ahvays U]) and stirring, and would tell
his friends he preferred to work out rather
than to rust out. He joined his wife in the
better land when he was sixty-nine years
old, his death occurring May 23, 1873.

Our subject was denied the privileges
accorded to most boys, as he was only able
to attend the common schools near Latty.
Iowa, for a little over six months, when he

was put to work on his fathers lariii, and
was content to finish his education in the
broad school of experience, business, and
general reading. After assisting his father
to clear liis land of much of the timber
thereon, and doing a man's work for
eighteen years, he came to the city of Bur-
lington, anil ■ at once I)egan to learn the
trade of blacksmith and wagon-maker with
the late John Burg, with wliom he re-
mained for seven years. During this time he
had become accomplished in all the various
dei)artments of the large wagon shoj). and
was ready to accept a position in any place
t>f a similar character. He was employed in
the Bennet & Frantz factory for one year,
and then went to Leavenworth, Kans., and
started in the plow business with his cousin,
but did not continue long in this under-
taking. In 1868 he bought out John Grei-
ner in the wagon-making business located
on Jefferson Street, in Burlington, Iowa. In
the course of time the grade of this street
was changed, and as it injured his ])lace of
business, he decided to move, and accord-
ingly purchased the property on the south-
east corner of Sixth and Washington
Streets, and erected thereon all the buildings
necessary for his factory. .\t this time tlie
finn read, Gerlinger. Buhrmaster & Co.
They continued for seven years, when the
former bought out the company, and in 1884
Mr. Buhrmaster became sole crwncr and
proi)rietor of this flourishing manufacturing
establishment, and has since conducted the
business alone, employing a full force of
men. In January, 1905, he took Jacob
Jabeline as a partner in the implement busi-
ness which he has in connection with the
wagon sho]). but the blacksmith and wagon
departments stay just as they always did.
He manufactures both lieavv and light

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

515

wagons and sleds, and always has plenty of
work waiting his attention in the repair
shop, and keeps several men busy shoeing
horses.

April 26, 1865, Mr. Buhrmaster married
Miss Catherine Hoffmeyer, daughter of
Henry and Catherine (Hoffmeister) Hoff-
meyer. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Buhrmaster ten
children were born, eight of whom were
born at his present home on the corner of
Seventh and Spring Streets, and two were
born on Eighth Street, between High and
Franklin Streets. The children are as fol-
lows : An infant, deceased ; Clara Louisa,
married James Candey, and lives in Haver-
lock, Nebr. : Henry Bartholomew, one of the
officers of the Smith Hardware Company, of
Burlington : Charles, died at the age of nine
months ; Sarah, the wife of John G. Reichle,
who is captain of Company H ; Charles,
commercial traveler for the Smith Hardware
Company ; Edward, a graduate of a medical
school in St. Louis ; Adena, Emma, and
Chester, all at home.

Politically, Mr. Buhrmaster is a stalwart
Republican, but has never had time or the
inclination to be an aspirant for office. He
and his good wife and family are members
of the German Methodist church, and are
ever willing and ready to assist in any way
whatever that will promote the prosperity
of the church and the advancement of the
gospel. Mr. Buhrmaster has been a mem-
ber of the board of this church for about
twenty-five years.-

Ever since his coming to Burlington, in
1861, he has constantly exhibited the great-
est of activity, and his dealings with all men
have always been above reproach. His word
has ever been considered as good as his
bond, arid while he has ever lived in a
plain and unostentatious manner, still he has

made friends among all classes of men, and
he is justly entitled to the respect and esteem
of the whole community in which he has
lived so long.

ADDIS EMMET PARKER, M. D.

The field of medical practice has ever
enlisted among its representatives men
of the strongest mental capacity and of
broad humanitarian principles, who, rec-
ognizing the great responsibilty which
devolves upon the practitioner, put forth
their strongest and best efforts, making
their labors therefore a blessing to man-
kind as weW a.s a source of individual
profit. Dr. Addis E. Parker, now de-
ceased, was in his active life acknowledged
as one of the most capable physicians of
Des Moines county, his scholarly attain-
ments, professional skill, and broad hu-
manitarianism making him stand as a
man among men, one of the representa-
tive citizens of the county.

Dr. Parker was a native of New York,
being born in Chenango county. New
York, on July 11, 1831. After completing
his education in the public schools, he re-
solved to make the practice of medicine
his life work, and accordingly entered
upon a thorough course of preparation.
He acquired his professional training in
the LTniversity of Michigan, at Ann Ar-
bor, from which institution he was grad-
uated with honor. During most of his
professional career, he was a practitioner
of I<Zossuth, to which town he had come
about 1840, as a nine-year old child, with
his parents. During the years of prac-
tice that followed, he became well-known
and a prominent figure in medical circles

5i6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

throughout this part of the State. Dur-
ing his long years of practice, he saw
many changes made in the practical work
of his profession, old methods being
superseded by new and improved ones;
and being a man fond of study, and de-
voted to research, he always kept pace
with the progress of the profession.

Dr. Parker was twice married, his first
wife being Miss Anna Green. By this
marriage he had one son, Grant B., who
was horn July 21, 1864, and who makes
his home in Chicago, being a mail car-
rier in that city. Dr. Parker's second
marriage occurred May 23, 1878, when
he was married to Miss Ursula M. Hukill,
daughter of Charles Wesley and Leah M.
(\'annicc) Hukill, of whose lives a com-
plete sketch is given elsewhere in this
volume. To this union were born two
children: Ella M., born Aug. 23, 1881 ;
and Charles Emmet, born April 30, 1883.
Regarding his jjrofession as a life work
eminently worthy of his best efTorts, Dr.
Parker gave his time and attention al-
most exclusively to the practice of medi-
cine and to the acquirement of further
knowledge concerning the science until
the time of his death, when he was still
in what should have been the prime of
life. Me (leparlcd iiinrtal life Dec. 7,
1890, leaving a memory fragrant with
helpful service and good deeds. His was
a strong and significant character, com-
bining a good measure of business aljility
with humanitarian i)rinciples, and con-
tributing in an imi)ortant measure to the
upbuilding of the county in which he
passed the greater part of his life.

He was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, of Kossuth. Politic-
.t11\-, lie was a strong Republican, but

never aspired to office. He was a mem-
ber of the State Medical Society, and of
the Des Moines County Society as well.
He was an Odd Fellow, belonging to the
Mediapolis Lodge.

CHARLES M. CARMAN.

Charles M. Garman, numbered among
the honored dead of Des Moines county,
was for many years a most respected and
inlluential citizen of L'nion township. He
was a farmer, and as George Washington
said, "Agriculture is the most useful as
well as the most honorable occupation of
man." He was active in public life as
the champion of all progressive measures
for the benefit of his community, and his
labors were of far-reaching eflFect in pro-
moting the welfare and upbuilding of the
county. Whatever was right and honor-
able, whatever tended toward improve-
ment and progress along material, intel-
lectual, or political lines, received his
endorsement ; so that, honored and re-
spected in this life, his loss was deeply
(le])lored when his labors were ended.

Mr. Garman was born in Lebanon
county, Pennsylvania, Aug. 21, 1831.
His ancestors, of German lineage, settled
in that State at an early day. His par-
ents, Henry and Catherine (Killingcr)
(lannaii. were also natives of Pennsyl-
vania, and in 1846 they came to Iowa, the
father purchasing one hundred and ten
acres of land on Section i, LTnion town-
ship, Des Moines county ; but he was per-
mitted to enjoy his new home for only a
brief period. Overtasking his strength
one day in the harvest field, he was taken

CHARLES M. GARMAN.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

519

ill, and died soon afterward. His wife
died in 1856. They were both members
of the Lutheran church, but prior to her
death Mrs. Garman joined the Baptist
church. In Pennsylvania, where they
lived, and in Iowa they were held in sin-
cere and deep regard by many friends
Their family numbered ten children.

Charles M. Garman was fifteen years of
age when he came with his parents to
Iowa. He was reared upon a farm, and
throughout his entire life engaged in tilling
the soil. In 1855 he started out in life for
himself by renting one hundred and fifty-
three acres of land, on which he began gen-
eral farming and stock-raising. His busi-
ness in the latter direction became quite
extensive, and his sales were large. He
prospered from the beginning, and was soon
enabled to purchase one hundred and ten
acres of land, thirty acres of which was
timber, the remainder tillable. He raised
good crops, using the latest improved
machinery to facilitate his farm work. In
addition to the raising of cattle he handled
a fine grade of Hambletonian horses, being
the first to introduce that stock into Des
Moines county. He was always a lover of
good horses, owning some fine ones, as
Twinkle, 2.27^4 ; Whiskers, 2.i8>i; and
Shellmont, 2.2434-

Mr. Garman was married in Burlington,
Dec. 21, 1870, to Miss Alary J. David, a
native of that city, born Jan. 9, 1842, a
daughter of Barton T. and Mary A. F.
(Rosser) David, natives of Mason county,
Kentucky. Her father was born in that
county, Nov. 11, 1818, and was a son of
Michel and Cecelia (Thorp) David, who
came from Heidelberg, Germany, to the
United States, and settled in Mason
county, Kentucky, where both he and his

wife died. He served as a private soldier
in the Revolutionary War. Barton T.
David was first married to Miss Mary A.
F. Rosser, who was born in Mason county,
Kentucky, Nov. 14, 1819, and died
in Burlington, Iowa, July 28, 1855, her
remains being interred in Aspen Grove
cemetery. She was the mother of seven
children : Virginia, the wife of Dr. J. G.
Stricklett, a resident of Springfield, 111. ;
Mary J., now Mrs. Garman ; Melissa R.,
who is the widow of David A. Smith, and
resides in California ; James M.. who died
Sept. 16, 1897; Charles P., who died in
childhood ; Susan S., the wife of Enos
Thomas, of Boulder, Mont. ; and Frances
A., the wife of C. W. Waite, of Burling-
ton, Iowa. Mrs. David was a member of
the Baptist church, and was a most esti-
mable lady, devoted to her family, her
friends, and her church. For his second
wife. Barton T. David married Miss Cath-
erine Eleanor Boniwell, who was born in
Maysville, Ky., Dec, 13, 1821, and they had
one daughter, Elizabeth C, now the wife
of E. R. Gray, of Seward, Alaska.

Barton T. David came to Burlington,
Iowa, in 1835. He conducted a general
store in Water Street, which he followed
until a few years prior to his death, which
occurred March 8, 1896, while his second
wife passed away Jan. 29, 1871. He was
a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and he gave his political
support first to the Whig party and after-
ward to the Republican party.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Garman was born
but one child, Mary Kathryn, who was
born Sept. 4, 1876, and is at home with
her mother. They are both members of
the Baptist church, and have many friends
in the community.

S20

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Garman died very suddenly, on
March 23, 1903. and was buried in Aspen
Grove cemetery, at lUirlinpton. Iowa. In
politics he was active and prominent —
a stalwart su])])orter of the Republican
party. From iSfx) until 1H65, inclusive,
he served as supervisor for his township,
this covering the period of the Civil
War. His activity in behalf of his com-
munity and county ilid not end lure, how-
ever, for through seven years he was the
secretary of the .Xgricultural Society, and
one of its directors. In 1875. upon the
organization of the Des Moines County
I'armers' .Mutual Insurance Company,
and also the Fair Association, he became
secretary of each, and acted in that capac-
ity until his death. At one time he re-
ceived the nomination from his party for
representative, but declined to become a
candidate. His fellow-townsmen had
great confidence in him, because of his
ability, his devotion to the general good,
and the i)romi)t and reliable manner in
which he performed every task or duty
entrustefl to him. He awakened warm
friendshi]) and dee]) regard, and his loss
was deeply regretted by many friends,
but most of all in his own home, where
he was a loving and devoted husband and
father, doing all in his power to ])romote
the ha])piness and welfare of his family,
who were dear tt) him.

JACOB SCHROCK BAUGH-
MAN. D. O.

M.\n'.s worth in the world is determined
by his usefulness, by what he has accom-
])lished for his fellow-men, and he is cer-

tainly deserving of the greatest honor and
regard whose eflForts have been of the great-
est benefit to his fellow-man. Judged by this
standard Dr. Jacob Schrock Baughman, one
of the leading osteopathic physicians in
Iowa, may well be accorded the distinction
of being one of the eminent citizens of Bur-
lington. Xot alone as a practitioner of oste-
opathy has he become widely known, but also
as an inventor and scientist, disseminating
kiiiiwledge along various lines that has had
an immeasureable efTect in the -world. His
deep research and investigation have ren-
dered more effective the labors of his pro-
fession, and have also touched upon many
lines of scientific study relating to man's
mission in the world and the best use to
which he may put his jjowers.

The grandparent of Dr. Baughman came
from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the earlv
times. This old gentleman, D. X. Baugh-
man, married Miss Anna Gerber, and was
the first man in America to originate the
idea of i)egging shoes ; but as his parents
(lied wlun lie was but fifteen years of age,
he was bound out to a master who in time
became very wealthy from the idea of his
foster child's invention. Mr. Baughman
died in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in
1848, and Mrs. Baughman passed away in
Davis county, Iowa, in 1876.

Dr. Baughman is a son of Christian and
Catherine (Plank) Baughman, -who were
natives of Ohio, the father being born in
Wayne county Oct. 30, 1825, where he was
educated and became a prosperous farmer
and extensive stock-raiser, handling draft
horses known as Percheron horses. He was
a large, well-built man, possessing all the
cHaracteristics that produce an honored citi-
zen and an ideal man in his family. He was
drafted into the Civil War. but did not go,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

521

and paid one hundred acres of land to a
substitute. He died in Davis county. Iowa,
Oct. 15, 1893, in his sixty-eighth year.

Catherine (Plank) Baughman, mother of
our subject, was born in Wayne countw
Ohio, in 1826, and was a daughter of John
Plank, who was a great genius. He was a
cabinet-maker by trade, and made the first
clock known as "grandfather's" clock when
a very young man. There is one of these
old-fashioned clocks in the home of his son,
J. J. Plank, who resides in Pulaski, Iowa,
and is prized very highly. Mrs. Baughman
passed away in Davis county in 1876, and
is buried there in the Pulaski cemetery be-
side her husband.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Baughman were born
the following children : Elizabeth A., of
Pulaski ; John, died when two years of age ;
David Kertz, of Aspen, Colo. ; Anna, died
when four years old ; Jacob Schrock, of this
review ; Jonathan J., a young man of ex-
emplary habits in the closest application of
the word. His life was full of Christian
deeds, and he took great interest in the
church and Sunday-school, where he had a
class of fifteen young men. He died when
twenty-seven years old, and the regard and
high esteem in which he was held was veri-
fied in the large attendance of friends at his
funeral, many attending from Bloomfield,
and ;\Iilton, Iowa, and from Alexandria and
Memphis, ]\Io. : Mary Celestia, died at the
age of twenty-seven years ; Lavina May, lives
in Pulaski, as does also her brother William
C, who is a farmer and stock-man. The
last named has been repeatedly elected as
the superintendent of the Mennonite Sun-
day-school, having served six years, and has
been school director for a number of years,
and served as county assessor to the satis-
faction of all.

Jacob Schrock Baughman, of this review,
was born in Pulaski, Davis county, July 6,
1858, where he was reared on his father's
farm. Owing to the great distance to school,
and the scarcity of help in planting season,
his early education was much neglected, but
in the fall after he became of age, he had
prepared himself sufficiently well to teach
his first term of school. Thereafter he
taught and went to school until after he
was twenty-seven years of age. He also
attended the Lombard College at Galesburg,
111., and was a student of the State Normal,
of Kirksville, Mo., a graduate and a post-
graduate of the Kirksville School of Osteop-
athy, being a member of the class of 1900.
He came to Burlington in -1887, having lived
in Topeka, Kans., two years previously, and
has resided here ever since with the excep-
tion of the year 1904, which he spent in
Washington, D. C, practicing osteopathy.
He is now located on Sixth and Division
Streets, where his pleasant office at 523
Division Street is also presided over by his
bright and accomplished wife, who is also
associated with him in his chosen profession.

In 1887 Dr. Baughman was married to
Miss Melvina \'aneton, and it was about
this time that he made known some of his
inventions. In this line his work was for
the improvement of " dress-cutting charts,"
in which at the time of his marriage his
wife had part interest. This they completed
together, and copyrighted it under the name
of the " Glove Fitting Garment Cutter ; "
made application for a patent on an inven-
tion in "Adjustable Pattern Plates " for cut-
ting ladies' dresses, and the patent was
granted in February, 1890, since which time
it has been widely exploited in the United
States and Canada, some of the goods being
shipped to England and other countries. In

522

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

June, 1890. another patent was granted in
the same Hnc and added to the above. On
June II, 1895, he was granted a patent on
a new invention on Down Spouts Filter
for Cisterns, Ixjth in the United States and
Canada. This invention has upon its own
merits been called for quite extensively.
I'pon e.xhibition at the Illinois State Fair,
it won the silver medal, the highest award
for improvements in water filters. Its sim-
plicity enables any one to use it and always
keej) it in good working condition. On Jan.
4, 1900, he made ajiplication for a patent
on a Head Bandage, and in May of that
year this patent was issued to him. This
invention, like many others, had its origin
in necessity. Dr. llaughman, at this time
being a student in the new healing art,
osteopathy, had just gone through a very
severe spell of sickness, which left him very
weak, and consequently, through lack of vi-
tality, he was unable to kee]i his mouth
closed during sleep, thus causing a dryness
of throat and wakeful nights. It was neces-
sary therefore to prevent this trouble, and as
a result the above itivciuion was perfected
and patented. In juiu-. 1901, a ])atent on
Improved Plates for Cutting Ladies' Dress
Skirts was obtained. This appealed so fa-
vorably to the modistes of our Eastern cities,
that he also applied for and obtained letters-
patent (111 tlR' same in England and Canada.
This, taken with the .Xdjustable Tailor Sys-
tem, patented by liini. ni;ikes bis system the
only automatic calculating machine ever in-
vented for cutting ladies' dresses. It abso-
lutely divides the entire garment according
to measure taken and style desired. No fig-
uring of any kind is necessary. On I'ebru-
ary, 1902, his claims on one of the most
novel articles yet placed before the public,
were allowed, and the patent issued to him

June 24, 1902. This invention pertains to
a new and useful .Menu Card Holder, pro-
vided with jHish buttons so arranged on
either side of the holder that the guest is
enabled at his leisure to push any button
opposite the article of food ^vhich may be
wanted in bis order. \\"ithout any words
Ix-ing passed between the guest and waiter,
the order is then filled. The waiter being
enabled at a glance to tell what is desired,
he ])resscs another button arranged at top
of the card-holder and thus releases the
card in full. This instrument will revolu-
tionize the hotel waiting business, and enable
guests to be served without the annoyance
of calling off the order, or having to put up
with the usual mistakes made by waiters for
want of memory. His later patents were
taken out through the offices of E. G. Sig-
gers, Washington, D. C.

In January, 1900, Dr. Baughman asso-
ciated with him in his practice. Dr. Xanny
Randolidi Hall, -who entered the School of
Osteopathy, of Kirksville, Mo., under the
direction of Dr. A. T. Still, in 1899. She
is also a graduate of the .American College
of Osteojjatbic Medicine and Surgery, Gii-
cago. III., and a post-graduate of the school
in Kirksville mentioned above. While in
the college in Chicago she had the privilege
of attending the clinics in Cook county hos-
])ital under all of the medical schools of the
city. While thus engaged these i)arties de-
signed and Completed a chart illustrating
physiological chemistry, this being the first
time in the history of medicine that this com-
plex subject has ever been so simplified as
to present it in all of its functions to be
viewed in its womKrful workings by the
eye of man. This |)roved so popular that
there has been issued to them, through the
efficient work of Mr. Siggers, a copyright

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

523

in the United States and Great Britain.
This chart is hailed by all students of phy-
siology and physiological chemistry as the
simplest and yet the most complete arrange-
ment of the subject ever published. The
lounial of the Scienec of Osteopathy, Chi-
cago, says : "In this chart, true to the order
as well as progress of functions and organs,
the authors trace the proteid, fat, and carbo-
hydrate of food from the mouth through
the meshes of mastication, digestion, etc.,
diagrammatically illustrating all the changes
that take place. We have an excellent
bird's-eye view of the great chemical labo-
ratory of the human body at work, apart-
ment after apartment in the great com-
pounding and modifying work of the body
revealing their secrets. Organ after organ,
tissue after tissue, until none are silent, speak
of the activity in the chemical actions and
reactions upon which the body life is based."
On Sept. 18, 1 90 1, the authors of the chart
were united as partners for life in the holy
bonds of matrimony, at the home of the
bride's father in Washington, D. C. She
is a daughter of Captain George Washing-
ton and Mary (Randolph) Ball, and was
born in Fluvana county, Virginia, Jan. 18,
1865. The parents were both natives of
Virginia, the father being born in Loudon
county, 1828, and the mother in Fauquier
county in 1826. Mrs. Ball is now the near-
est living relative of George Washington,
the first president of the United States, and
her beloved mother was a first cousin of
Bishop Randolph, of Virginia. Mr. Ball
was a very successful genealogist in Wash-
ington, D. C, making out family pedigrees
and tracing their records, and was ably as-
sisted for awhile by his daughter, who is
now the wife of Dr. Baughman. He has
lived a retired life in the same city for the

past fifteen years. Mrs. Ball passed away
in 1880, in Alexandria, Va. i'nto Mr. and
Mrs. Ball were born eight children : Charles
Fayette, resides in Virginia, and is a trav-
eler for Armour, of Chicago ; Mary Ran-
dolph Ball, lives in Washington with her
aged father ; Burgess, died at the age of
twenty-six years in 1880; R. T. Mason, now
pay inspector in the United States standing
navy stationed at San Francisco, Cal., where
he has been in the navy since 1881 ; Landon
M., married W. F. Hill, of North Carolina,
where he is an engineer in the Fish Commis-
sion for the government ; Robert Randolph
was a surgeon in the standing army, and
died in 1897, aged 37, leaving two children — ■
Thomas Fauntleroy and Robert Randolph ;
Elizabeth Carter, now Mrs. Giles Cook
Lane, a physician of Virginia ; Nanny Ran-
dolph, now Dr. Nanny Ball Baughman, of
Burlington, Iowa. Dr. Baughman and his
wife have been blessed with two children :
William Washington Ball, born in Burling-
ton, Iowa, July 19, 1902, and Mary Ball,
born Oct. 7, 1904, in Washington, D. C.
The doctor has been a constant and de-
voted Christian since early boyhood, and is a
faithful member of the Methodist church,
while his wife, Dr. Nanny Baughman, is
one of the devoted members of the Epis-
copal church. He is a Republican, but
does not aspire to any office within the gift
of the people. Dr. Baughman is also a
Mason, belonging to Malta Lodge, Iowa
Chapter, No. i, and St. Omer Commandery,
of Burlington, and also a member of the
Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of
Davenport, Iowa. In 1903 he was elected
as president of the Iowa Osteopathy Asso-
ciation, and is now president of the eastern
Iowa Osteopathy Association. Dr. Jacob
S. and Dr. Nanny R. B. Baughman are

524

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

both youiifi ill life, yet by their great ability
and upright lives have established reputa-
tions e(iuale<l by few : and though they now
have a fine practice, — their patients coming
from ail parts of the State, — still \vc predict
for them mucli greater success in the future.

CHARLES WESLEY HUKILL.

Celebrated for his kindly nature, his
good deeds, and his loyal devotion to his
family, his friends, and his country, was the
subject of this sketch, who has now gone
to his reward in the life beyond. In the
reality of that future life lie ever professed
a firm faith, and for it he prepared through-
out the days of his earthly existence. He
was 1)1 >rn in Switzerland county, Indiana,
July 14, 1819, the son iif James Foster and
Rebecca (Stewart) Ihikill. The father
came of an old \\'elsh family, being born
in Wales about 1795.

James I'^oster Hukill came with his par-
ents from Wales to America in childhood,
coming first to Kentucky, then later, as
better o])portunities were presented to him,
to Indiana. He was a well-educated man,
and followetl the jirofcssion of school-teach-
ing. In addition to his interest in educa-
tional matters, he took great satisfaction in
doing all that lay in his power to advance
the cause of justice and right in the com-
munity, acting with efficiency as justice of
the peace for many years. \\'hile living in
Indiana, he was united in marriage to Miss
Rebecca Stewart. To them was born a
large family of children, two of whom died
young. They are: Allen Wiley, Edwin R.,
James Foster, Elizabeth, Sarah (deceased).

Caroline, and Indiana. Charles Wesley,
now deceased, was the fourth in order of
birth.

Charles Wesley Hukill, the subject of this
review, received his education in the sub-
scription schools of Indiana, an education
much limited by the lack of school facilities
in those early days. In 1842 the entire fam-
ily came to Iowa, and the father took up
one hundred and sixty acres of rich farm-
ing land from the government. A year or
two later he sold eight}' acres of this land to
his sun Charles. The family lived together,
and worked together in bringing the land
under cultivation and in making the im-
provements, until the ileath of the father,
which occurred in 1855. when he was alxiut
sixty years of age.

On Oct. 18, 1852. .Mr. Hukill was united
in marriage to Miss Leah M. X'annice,
daughter of .\braham and Klizaljeth (Dim-
errec) \'annice. Her father, .Abraham Van-
nice, was born in 1815, and died in 1866,
while the mother was born in 1825, and
lived until 1880. Mrs. X'annice was one of
a family of nine children who were Ixirn,
as follows: Isaac, born in 1829, died in
1901 : James, born in 1831 ; Xancy .\nn.
liorn in 1827; Leah M.. wife of our subject,
horn 1833; Lucy, h(3rn 1835; Emily, born
1837; Wesley .M., born 1839: Abraham.
horn 1841 ; Jessie H.. who died in infancy.
At the death of his father. Mr. Hukill
bought eighty acres of his father's estate,
and added to this from time to time until at
his death he was the owner of a farm con-
sisting of two hundred and forty acres, and
the family are still the owners of the same.
In 1S35 he built his home, which was a log
cabin ; but by skilful management he so
prospered in his farming that later he built
a small frame Jiouse. He improved the wild

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

525

land, equipped liis farm with tiie most ap-
proved apparatus, introduced new ideas into
its operation, and by the exercise of sound
and practical business judgment, succeeded
in securing- a most gratifying return for his
time and thought. In 1880 he buiU their
present large, modern, substantial dwelling-
house, in the midst of beautiful grounds,
and here his family enjoys the fruits of their
united care and toil.

To j\Ir. and Airs. Hukill were born six
children, three sons and three daughters,
of whom all except the oldest daughter are
still living. The children are as follows:
Rebecca, born .Aug. 30, 1853. died Aug. 23,
1895 ; John Wesley, born Feb. 26, 1855, lives
in Oklahoma ; Ursula AI., born Feb. 18,
1857, is the widow of Dr. Addis E. Parker,
of whose life a complete sketch is given
elsewhere in this history ; William W., born
March 7, 1859, now a resident of Colorado,
.where he is interested in mining : Hannibal
Lincoln, born Feb. 12, 1861, now a farmer
located in Colorado ; and Rose Ella, Ixirn
Oct. 30, 187 1, who resides at home, is a
trained nurse, and is at the present time
located in Alediapolis.

Ever ready to do the right, as it was given
him to see the right, Mr. Hukill, as is also
his devoted wife, was an active worker in
the Methodist Episcopal church : and his
efficiency in that work was of such a high
degree that he was called upon to hold the
office of steward for some time. His last
years found him faithful, even as his whole ^
life had been one beautiful illustration of
Christian faith. He passed to the better
world Jan. 8, 1897. He was reliable in busi-
ness, progressive in ideas, and at all times
ready to aid in the promotion of the welfare
of the community. His co-operation could
always be counted upon in support of any

measure for the general good, and his pleab-
ant, genial manner made him well liked by
all, and caused his death to be deeply de-
plored. His widow still occupies the old
home, having lived at this place since 1855.
She takes great interest in church work, and
other matters of importance to the neighbor-
hood, and is a lady of many excellent traits
of character.

GUST. SACRISON.

Gust. Sacrisox is the name of a
venerable resident of Des Moines county,
Iowa, whose home is on Sections 14 and
1 5 of Huron township, where he is now
passing the closing years of a long and
useful life. Far down the hill the shadows
fall and stretch awa}- behind, yet his
heart still sings of youth, and the crown
of years rests but lightly on him. Though
his life is a link to bind us to the remote
past, he is still hale and hearty, and bears
himself with that vigor and buoyancy
thar mark a peculiar vitality. His natural
force is still unabated, and his mind clear
and vigorous ; so that conversation with
him is a privilege and an instruction.
Such men are rare in any community, and
especially so in a region where a single
life may unite the wilderness and the
peopled State, so that they are always
reverently regarded by the thoughtful.

Mr. Sacrison was born in Yonkopings
Lan, Sweden, Feb. 19, 1828, the son of
John and .Anna (Lebaline) Sacrison. His
parents lived on a farm, and he was
brought up to follow that vocation, which
he has made his life work ever since. .\t
that time there were no schools in his

526

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

liart of the country, and all the education
lu- received was what his mother had time
to teach him. lUit although his op-
portunity to obtain hook-learning was
very limited, he ac(|uired much ])ractical
knowleilge of other kinds, including a
knowledge of men. gained by exjierience
and careful observation through the pass-
ing years of his long life ; and these forms
of wisdom have proved very potent in
spelling the magic word "success" for
him.

.Mr. Sacrison reached America on July
i6. 1866, coming by way of New York
directly to Burlington, Iowa. His first
employment was with a Mr. Xeile, who
was running a nursery there at that tiii;e.
and he remained in that place for six
weeks, fie then came to Huron town-
ship and went to work t)n a farm, work-
ing for Henjamin Luckenbill. w ith whom
he stayed for two years.

By the end of this time he felt suffi-
ciently familiar with tlie language, the
peo|de. and their manners and customs
of living, to feel warranted in starting to
work for himself. .Vccordingly he rented
sixty acres of land. :iiid farmed it for the
ensuing two years. His business-like
management, economy, and frugal way of
living made this a very successful ven-
ture, -SO that by the end of the two years
he had accumulated enough money to be
able to buy a farm of his own.

lie pureh.-ised forty acres of tindier
land in .Section 15, Huron townshii), buy-
ing it from Mr. Sheridan. This land he
cleared and stumped, built a cnmmodious
house and a good barn, and ili.iiimd tlie
l)lace from trackless wihlerness to a weli-
cared-for modern farm under the best of
cultivation. Among other improvements,

he has put in a tine bored well of a depth
of one hundred and thirty-three feet.

.As the years have brought a great and
greater degree of success to him, he has
added to the farm from time to time, till
now he has one hundred and sixty acres
of rich, fertile farm lands in Sections 14
and 15. all under cultivation; and his is
one of the best-kept farms in that town-
ship. Besides his work in general farm-
ing, he has raised some (battle, keeping
higii-grade stock. He has at present
about thirty head of Polled Angus and
Red Polled cattle. He raises about forty
head of hogs annually, and also a few
Xorman Percheron horses.

.Mr. Sacrison was first married before
leaving Sweden, being united in 1844 to
.Miss Anna Selberg. To them eight chil-
dren were born, of whom only one is now
living, the son Charles, who now lives in
Colorado. Mrs. Sacrison died March 16,
1868. and lies buried in Dolby cemetery,
in this township, .\pril i, 1868, Mr. Sac-
rison was married a second time, his wife
being Mrs. Charlotte Scott, daughter of
Jonas and Mary (Carlson) Nelson. Mrs.
Sacrison had five children by her mar-
riage with William F. Scott, two of whom
are living, and three dead, as follows:
Samantha, July 19, 1855, deceased;
William 1'.. born -\ug. 21. 1859; Flor-
ence IC. born Now 18. 1857. deceased;
James 1).. born July u. 1862: Frank
."-leott. l)nrii ."^ejit. \C). 1864. deceased.
James D. Scott now makes his home with
.Mr. and Mrs. Sacrison. He has acted as
game warden for the past five years, and
is still holding that position.

.Mr. Sacrison has given his attention
principally to business affairs, and has
never aspired to the tenure of public

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

527

office; but at the same time he never fails
to discharge the duties of a citizen, giv-
ing his allegiance to the Republican par-
ty, in the ranks of which he is an active
and efficient worker.

In his religious connection he retains
the faith of his forefathers, being a mem-
ber of the Swedish Lutheran church, and
has observed a lifelong fidelity to the
teachings of this denomination. But the
true key to his character lies in the fact
that he is a self-made man, that he started
in the struggle with the world equipped
only with his own strength and ability,
and that he 'has by his own unaided ef-
forts raised himself to his present hon-
ored position in the community. For this
he deserves great credit, the more so be-
cause his methods have always been
marked by the strictest honesty and in-
tegrity, and he has been fair, upright, and
impartial in all his dealings. Indeed,
these facts in his career have won for
him a high reputation for honor through-
out Des Aloines county, and he is uni-
versally admired and respected for what
he has achieved. He is still a hale and
hearty old man, and not a day is permitted
to pass without his doing something
about the farm. Yet the long years are
behind him, and his friends are proud of
him. A beautiful setting for the closing
period of a noble career.

HENRY BREUER.

Henry Breuer, coming to this country
empty handed, has won the proud Amer-
ican title of self-made man, his diligence
and close application enabling him to work

his way upward from a humble financial
position to one of affluence.

He was born in Prussia, Germany, Sept.
15, 1838, his parents being Henry and
Charlotte (Bulk) Breuer. He was educated
in the public schools of his native land, and
when eighteen years of age he crossed the
Atlantic to America, taking passage on one
of the old-time sailing vessels, which was
nine weeks and three days in reaching the
harbor of New Orleans. He proceeded up
the Mississippi River by boat to Keokuk,
and as the river was then frozen over, he
continued the journey by wagon to Burling-
ton, arriving in that city about a week before
Christmas, 1857.

As he had no capital he at once sought
employment, and began grubbing land for
Mr. Horsenkamp. Later he was employed
at chopping wood by the month ; and after
the first year spent in this country he entered
the employ of his uncle, Fred Breuer, with
whom he continued for four years. He
afterward spent three years in the employ of
his father-in-law, Samuel Witte, and later
began farming on his own account, oper-
ating a tract of rented land the first year.

In 1867 he purchased from T. Beckman
eighty acres of land, one-half of which
was on Section 22, and the remainder on
Section 27, Franklin township. He also
bought from Frank Orndorff, in 1885, a
forty-acre tract on Section 23, so that he
now owns one hundred and twenty acres of
good land. He carries on general farming,
and his efforts are winning success. He has
worked persistently and energetically, over-
coming all obstacles and difficulties by his
determined purpose and laudable ambition,
and he is now accounted one of the substan-
tial agriculturists of his community. ,

In January, 1864, Mr. Breuer was mar-

528

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ried to Miss Mary Witte, a daughter of
Sanuicl and Sophia (Hultzman) Witte.
They became the parents of eight children :
Henry, Louisa, Jolin, Mary, Wilhani, Caro-
line, Edward, and Lydia. The last named
died at the age of five years, while the
eldest daughter is now the wife of Frederick
Sielernian.

Mr. Dreuer is a valued member of the
German Evangelical church, in which he
has served as trustee for thirty years. In
politics he is a Democrat in his views, but
does not consider himself bound by party
ties. He has served as trustee for one term,
but prefers to devote his energies to his gen-
eral farming interests, wherein he is meeting
with success. His life history proves what
may be accomplished by a man of deter-
mined and unfaltering diligence in a country
where effort is not hampered by caste or
class.

FRIEDRICH HERMAN THIE.

I'kiedricii Herman Thie is a native
son of the city of T.urlington, born May
lo, iHAS. TTis ])arents were Henry and
Christina Thie, who in his infancy re-
moved from Burlington to Franklin town-
ship, establishing their home upon a farm.

The mother died in 1905. at the age of
'sixty-two years, her birth having occurred
in Meissen, Germany, May 17, 1843. '"
her girlhood days she was brought to
America, and has been a resident of Des
Moines county for many years. Feb. 25,
1862, in Burlington, she gave her hand in
marriage to Henry Thie, and they became
the parents of seven children: Henry,
Charles, William, and John, all living
near Mcdiapolis on a farm ; Fricdrich H.,

ol Dodgeville, Iowa; and Herman and
Louisa, at home.

Mrs. Thie was a consistent Christian
woman, having long held membership in
the Evangelical St. Johannes church, in
Flint River township, and she was loved
and respected by her neighbors and many
friends, to whom she always cordially ex-
tended the hospitality of her home. Mr.
Thie yet survives, and is a leading agri-
culturist of his community. He is also
prominent in i)ul)lic affairs, and is now
serving as one of the snjtervisors of the
county.

Friedrich Herman Thie spent his youth
upon the homestead farm in Franklin
township, and is indebted to the district-
school system for the educational priv-
ileges he enjoyed. He put aside his text-
books at the age of twenty years, and
afterward gave his undivided attention
to the fann work until twenty-five year.>>
of age, when he began farming on
his own account, renting land for two
years.

In 1893 his father bought a farm from
Mr. Berry, which farm our subject oper-
ated for a time, later buying it. He has
since resided upon this place, which is
situated in Sections 26 and 27, Franklin
township, comprising sixty acres in the
latter section, and eighty acres on the
former. He usually feeds a car-load of
cattle each ye.ir. and raises about forty or
fifty head of Poland China hogs annually.
His stock-raising interests are bringing to
him a gratifying measure of success, and
his fields also yield rich harvests in return
for the care and labor he liestows upon
them. He is practical in his methods, and
thoroughly reliable in all of his business
dealings.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

52 g

On April 6, 1893, Mr. Thic was married
to Miss Amalie Riepe, a daughter of J.
H. and Julia Ann (Breuer) Riepe. Mrs.
Thie was born in Flint River township,
July I, 1870, and has always lived in this
county. There are three children by this
marriage: Raymond, born Sept. 6, 1896;
Meta, born May 13, 1898; and Abner,
Nov. 5, 1 90 1.

The parents are members of the Ger-
man Evangelical church, and are worthy
young jjeople of the community, having a
wide circle of friends, who esteem them
higlily for their genuine worth. Polit-
ically, Air. Thie is a Republican in his
sympathies, and usually supports the party,
but does not consider himself bound by
party ties. He regards the welfare and
progress of the comnnmity as more essen-
tial than partisanship.

CASPER HEIL.

Casper Heil, one of the prominent Ger-
man-American residents of Burlington, who
has for a third of a century occupied a lead-
ing position in business circles here in con-
nection with important productive industries
of the city, is now the president of the Cas-
per Heil Brewing Company, which owns
and operates the Casper Heil Brewery,
and manufactures the well-known " Heil's
Beer." He has risen from comparative ob-
scurity to his present ccwimanding position
in connection with the industrial interests
of the city.

A native of Germany, lie was born in
Baden, in December, 1830, his parents
being Fidaland Anna (Speck) Heil. In
his native country he learned the cooper's

trade under the direction of his father, and
in 1852, when in his twenty-second year,
he came to the United States, sailing from
Havre, France, to New York, where he ar-
rived after a voyage of forty-two days.
Continuing his journey across the country,
he reached Burlington, Iowa, on the 12th
of August, and here secured employment
as a cooper, working in that way until 1866.
During the last decade of that jjcriod he
was conducting a cooperage shop of his own
and developed an excellent business, em-
ploying as many as twenty-four men at a
time. He worked along progressive lines,
and his strenuous labor and capable manage-
agement yielded him a gratifying measure
of success. Thinking that he might have
still better opportunity for advancement and
financial prosperity in other departments of
commercial activity, he embarked in the
brewing business, in Des Moines, in Jan-
uary, 1866, remaining a resident of that
city until 1872, when he purchased a brew-
ery at Burlington from the firm of Bauer &
Schafl^ner. He at once commenced to re-
build and remodel the plant, and has since
added to the building until it is now one
of the finest structures in the city, its cost
being not less than seventy thousand dol-
lars. For a number of years after he began
in the brewing business he was alone, and
so capably did he manage his afifairs that
very gratifying success attended the enter-
prise. In 1888 he had to close the brewery
on account of the State law. Many men,
similarly affected in a business way bv the
new law, gave way to depression. Not so
with Mr. Heil. With undaunted courage
he adjusted himself to the new conditions,
looked about for other opportunity for busi-
ness investment, and, with three other men
prominent financially, he organized the

530

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Granite ISrick Company, with a capital of
thirty-five th<nisanrl dollars, and installed
the plant which since that time has been
operated successfully in the manufacture of
paving brick, and filling a needed place in
the economy of industrial enterprises in
Burlington, there being no paving-brick
factory nearer than Galesburg, 111. After
successfully operating this plant for fifteen
years, the company sold it in 1903 to the
Burlington Construction Company.

In the meantime,, in 1892, — at the time
of another change in the law, — Mr. Heil
resumed brewing operations, still alone, but
under the name of the Piurlington Brewery.
He remodeled the plant, installing a refrig-
erating machine for cooling, it being the
first put into breweries in that section. In
1894 the business was incorporated under
the name t)f the Casper Heil Pjrewing Com-
pany, with a capital stock of sixty thousand
dollars, the officers being: Casper Heil,
president; Oscar Heil. vice-president and
superintendent; ami Herman A. Heil,
treasurer and secretary, tlu' latter two be-
ing sons of Casper Heil, whom he a<!mitted
to the business after providing them with
good educational privileges. In 1896
further additions were made, and now the
plant covers one hundred and fifty by one
hundred and twenty feet on Jefiferson
Street, near Central Avenue, most of the
buildings being four stories in height, of
red brick and of fine architectural design.
From time to time modern imjirovements
have been added, and the business has in-
creased with such rapidity that the output
now exceeds six thousand barrels annually.

In March, 1861, Mr. Heil was united in
marriage to Miss Susanna Ziegenhein, who
was born in Burlington, and is a daughter
of Theodore Ziegenhein. a native of Ger-

many. There have been seven children born
of this marriage : William, who is a brewer
in Hannibal. Mo. ; Hannah, the deceased
wife of Herman Mathes; Minnie, who died
in childhood, in Des Moines; Ida (called
Patty), the second wife of Herman Mathes ;
Mollie and Nettie, at home; Oscar and
Herman .\.. who are engaged in business
with their father. Mr. Heil has a fine home
on West Jefiferson Street, where he has
lived since 1891.

In his political views Mr. Heil is a stal-
wart Democrat. His has been a notable
business career, for he landed in \ew York
with only ten dollars in money. His earlier
environment, too, necessitated immediate
occupation, while his laudable ambition to
attain success served as an impetus for un-
tiring labor. As the years have gone by,
through the utilization and mastery of op-
portunities which have come to him, he has
gained for himself prosperity, and has won
a position among the representative busi-
ness men of Burlington.

FREDRICK J. KUHLEMEIER.

Fredrick J. Kciilemeier, whose intense
and well-directed activity is rapidly becom-
ing a forceful factor in the progress and
prosperity of Burlington, is a director of
the Merchants' Life Association and the
superintendent of one of its most important
departments, with offices in the National
State Bank building in that city. He
occupies a conspicuous position among the
successful younger business men of his city,
and in his business relations and dealings
has applied the principles of a private life
in which fidelitv to dutv, trustworthiness,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

531

and consideration of others have been
salient features.

A native son of Iowa, Mr. Kuhlemeier
was born at Charles City, this State, March
10, 1873, the son of the late Hon. August
H. and Lena (Cramer) Kuhlemeier.

August H. Kuhlemeier, father of our
subject, was born in Lippe Detwald, Ger-
many, Dec. 10, 1846, and immigrating to
America in 1853, settled in Freeport, 111.,
where he later began his business career
as clerk in a dry-goods store, subsequently
taking a position as traveling agent for a
compatriot who was engaged in business
at Freeport. Manifesting extraordinary
business ability, he received rapid advance-
ment, and going from promotion to promo-
tion, became general agent for Iowa, Ne-
braska, and Dakota, in which capacity by
tireless energy and wise control of those
under his charge, he built up an enormous
and highly profitable business. In 1870 he
removed to Burlington, here becoming reve-
nue collector for the fourth district of
Iowa by appointment of the Cleveland ad-
minstration. He organized the Merchants'
Life Association, becoming its first presi-
dent, and occupied that position until his
death. As a man who enjoyed the implicit
confidence of the public and of financial
circles, he was enabled to place the com-
pany in a prominent position from the
start, securing for the enterprise its full
share of prestige among older institutions
of recognized standing. Possessing in-
domitable resolution and great personal
force, any undertaking to which he lent his
efiforts was destined to succeed, while his
keen judgment and remarkable power of
anah"zing a business situation were of im-
measurable benefit to the company and
carried it to triumphs even beyond the ex-

pectations of those who gave it their
heartiest support.

Outside his business activities, he played
a notable part in the political life of his day,
exercising a commanding influence in the
councils of the Democratic party, of which
he was a stanch adherent and supporter,
and in recognition of his talents and the
sterling virtues of his character he was at
one time returned by Des Moines county
as her representative in the State Legislature
of Iowa, while during an extended term of
years he was frequently called by an im-
portant constituency to serve their interests
as a member of the city council. .A.11 these
public trusts he executed with the efficiency
and conscientiousness which characterized
everything he did, and the loss which the
communit}- sustained in his death was one
that can not soon be repaired.
* At Charles City, on June 3, 1872, he
wedded Miss Lena Cramer, and to them
were born three sons : Frederick J., the sub-
ject of this review; August 'R. ; and
Harry F.

Fredrick J. Kuhlemeier has been a resi-
dent of Burlington since infancy, and it is
to the public-school system of his city that
he owes his preliminary education, though
not all of the educational advantages which
he enjoys, for after completing his literary
course there, he pursued further studies
under the direction of private tutors.

He inaugurated his business career as
a traveling salesman for the Burlingfton
Basket Company, in whose employ he con-
tinued for three }ears, scoring a number of
notable successes, winning the commenda-
tion of his employers, and forming many
valuable friend.ships throughout a wide
extent of territory. At the e.xpiration of
that period he became chi'^f clerk to the

532

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

superintendent of construction in charge
of the erection of the Federal building in
Burlington, and a year later, upon the
organization of the Merchants' Life As-
sociation, he entered its em])lov as book-
J\CC|)cr, and was also elected a member of
the board of directors, an office which be
still holtls. His f)resent position is that of
superintendent of agencies — one requiring
in its incumbent a high development of
tact and executive force, and which may be
said, in fact, to constitute the keystone of
the whole structure of the business, since it
is upon the successful administration of this
department that the healthful condition of
the entire institution de])ends. Of these
necessary and invaluable qualifications Mr.
Kuhlemeier has shown himself to be the
fortunate possessor, and the vigor and
quick perception which he has !)rouglit to
his work are winning for liim increasiil^
appreciation among his associates, and with
the general public who appreciate merit and
a spirit of enlightened enterprise.

On Sept. 30. 1903, .Mr. Kulilemeier was
united in marriage to Miss Carrie Craw-
ford, daughter of Mrs. Jane Crawford.
Mrs. Kuhlemeier is a native of Des Moines
coimty, where she has always resided, and
is a woman of many social gifts and con-
nections, being a member of the .Musical
Club, the King's Daughters, and the Pres-
byterian church, in all of which she is a
prominent worker. Mr. Kuhlemeier is a
member of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, the P.urlington I'.oat Club,
and the Burlington Golf Club; and as one
who has always taken a vital interest in
public affairs, he has long been active in
Democratic politics, and 1)\ his intlucnce
and ability has been able to perform much
valuable service, enjoying extreme poi)u-

larity among the younger element of the
party, while the conservative and solid
qualities of his character have brought him
the reward of universal favor and esteem.
He has a wide circle of acquaintance, and
his genial and warm-hearted disposition is
well calculated to win him friends.

HYRAM MESSENGER.

IlvK.v.M .Messenger is a man whose
career illustrates the value of sound busi-
ness principles aiiplied to every under-
taking. He is a general farmer, the i)ro-
prictor of a fine estate consisting of very
choice land in Yellow Springs township,
Des Moines county, and has risen to a
l)roiiiincnl place in his chosen calling by
the use of jjrecisely the same ])rinciples
that make for famt and fortune wherever
manly character and business integrity
manifest themselves. He has studied the
situation in which his interests are in-
volved, has determined what is right and
])roiK'r to do, and then has gone ahead
with boldness and enterprise, to work out
tin- problems in his own life and field of
labor. This plan of life has resulted in
such a measure of success that his name
deserves and receives an honorable place
in this chronicle.

Hyram Messenger, son of William and
Julia (Brown) Messenger, was born l^eb.
7, 1832. in lluiiango county. New \ ork.
Here he livetl until he was fifteen j-ears
of age, receiving his education in the dis-
trict schools. .\l that time his father
moved his family to Yellow Springs
townshij). Iowa, where the boy Hyram
was allowed to complete his education.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

The father, in partnership with his
brother, bought a farm of two hundred
and twenty acres ; and also, without a
partner, bought another farm at Yellow
Springs. On the latter he made his
home for a number of years, but at last
went to Colorado, where he lived till the
time of his death, which occurred at
Black Hawk, when he was about seventy-
five years of age. His wife passed away
in Muscatine county, Iowa.

Hyram Messenger also went to Colo-
rado, but after spending three months in
that State and three months in Missouri,
he came to the conclusion that there were
greater opportunities open for him in
Iowa than in either of those States, so
returned to this township, where he has
made his home ever since.

He bought the farm which he now oc-
cupies in 1864, and has made all the im-
provements upon it himself. The farm
consists of one hundred and forty-nine
acres of rich land in Section 31, and is
well suited to general farming, such as
Mr. Messenger carries on. Besides this
work of general farming, of which Mr.
Messenger has made such a notable suc-
cess, he also raises some cattle, having
about ten head of cattle and about twice
as many hogs. Mr. Messenger has his
farm well equipped with modern imple-
ments, and has erected a commodious
barn and other buildings as need for them
arose, as well as a fine, comfortable
dwelling-house.

Mr. Messenger has shown himself to be
a public-spirited man, a careful student
of those questions of public policies that
affect the community, and a man who is
ready to serve the community in what-
ever way he may be called upon. He

has served as assessor for the township
for two terms, giving the best of satis-
faction. He is a member of the Presby-
terian church, faithful to its doctrinal
teachings, and conscientious in his prac-
tice. As a recognition of these qualities
he has been called upon to serve as trus-
tee and deacon in the church for a num-
ber of years.

In Alarch, 1857, Mr. Messenger was
united in the bonds of wedlock to Miss
Jane Harper. Mrs. Messenger was born
in Ohio, the daughter of David and Han-
nah (Wallace) Harper. She was a de-
voted Christian woman, much esteemed
among her acquaintances for her genial
social qualities as well as her many vir-
tues. She died on the home place, about
1885. Mr. and Mrs. Messenger were the
parents of seven children, of whom three
died in infancy ; the others are ; Albert,
road supervisor ; Charles, of Colorado ;
Allie and Anna, at home.

The Messengers are very highly es-
teemed in the community, where their
helpful and useful lives are swiftly pass-
ing in a round of good deeds and quiet
fostering of all that is generous and in-
spiring in life around them.

EDWARD AUGUST BECKMAN.

Edward August Beckman, who owns
and operates a farm of two hundred and
twenty acres in Yellow Springs town-
ship, was born in Danville township,
Des Moines county, near Middletown,
June 8, 1858, his parents being John E.
and Louisa (Granaman) Beckman. In
his j'outh he attended the district schools.

534

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and throughout his entire life he has fol-
lowed farming, having early begun work
in the fields. He followed the plow when
still a youth, and throughout his entire
life has carried on agricultural pursuits
with the exception of a brief "period
passed in the West. In 1885 he went to
California, and for three years he worked
by the month in the gold mines at Ilay-
den Hill, Lawson county. In the fall of
1887, however, he returned home, and
in the spring of 1888 purchased the farm
which he now occupies from Garrett &
Starker, of the Iowa State Savings Bank,
paying forty-five dollars per acre for this
property. It is now one of the finest
farms in Yellow Springs townshi|), and
comjiriscs one hundred and twenty acres
on Section 23. forty acres of which
he purchased from Mr. McKewen, forty
acres from John McMillen, and twenty
acres of timber land lying in Huron
township. His possessions aggregate two
hundred and twenty acres, and he has a
valuable property, the fields being richly
cultivated, and return him golden har-
vests. Everything about his place is
kept in an excellent state of improvement
and repair, and in all his farm methods
he is practical and progressive, while
upon his place are all the equipments and
accessories found upon a model farm.

Feb. 15, 1888, Mr. liecknian was united
ill marriage to Miss Mary I-'eldman. a
daughter of John and Mary (Ries) Feld-
man. She was born in Franklin town-
shi[), Des Moines county, Sept. 18, 1859,
and has always lived in this part of the
State. Two children grace this mar-
riage: Oswald Edward, who was born
April 22. i8r/): and Margaret Louise,
whose birth occurri<l .\i>ril 2'^, 1900.

In his political views Mr. Beckman is
a stalwart Republican, but without as-
piration for office, preferring to give his
time and attention to his business inter-
ests. He was reared in the Lutheran
faith, but is now a member of the Pres-
byterian church, and for two years has
served as deacon. His life has been
characterized by honorable principles and
without ostentation or display, and has
shown in his life work many sterling
traits of character which commend him
to the confidence and respect of his fel-
low-men.

GEORGE S. JAMISON.

The name which gives title to this review
has long been familiar to Des Moines county
people in both business and literary circles,
and is one that will command immediate and
universal interest. Although a native of the
" Emerald Isle," Mr. Jamison is of Scotch
ancestry, the tradition in the family being
that in the time of the Claverhouse perse-
cutions the ancestors of the present genera-
tion were driven from Scotland, whence
they went to Ireland, and permanently
settled. He was born at Newtownards,
County Down, Ireland, Sept. 16, 1849, ^ son
of James and Mary (Patterson) Jamison,
both now deceased. The father, who was a
wholesale and retail merchant, died in 1884
at the age of sixty-seven years. He may
be said to have belonged to a race character-
ized by longevity, as his father attained to
the age of ninety years, and his mother to
eighty-nine. Our subject is one of a fam-
ily of four brothers and six sisters, of which
he is the only member that ever came to
.■Kmerica, while only one other now survives.

GEORGE S. JAMISON.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

537

this being David, a clergyman, pastor of the
Second Presbyterian church at Newtown-
hamilton.

Mr. Jamison began his education in the
national schools, took a subsequent course
at Turnley Academy, and completed his
studies at the Royal Academical Institution
at Belfast, later traveling in England and
Wales. He then served an apprenticeship
in the wholesale dry-goods business with
Lindsay Brothers, Donnegal Place, Belfast ;
but deciding to try his fortune in the New
World, he embarked for America on April
17, 1 87 1. Landing at New York, he first
spent some time in the oil regions of Penn-
sylvania and adjacent territory; but he felt
that in the great West lay his proper field
of activity, and after proceeding as far as
the Missouri River on a tour of inspection,
he selected Burlington for his future loca-
tion, and arrived here in June, 1871. Li this
city and on farms he did manual labor for a
time, until he secured a place as bookkeeper
with H. H. Scott, a dry-goods merchant.
Thus he passed the first two years, at the
end of which, his literary abilities attracting
attention, he was offered and accepted a
position as an editorial writer for the Hawk-
Eye, in which he continued until he formed
a similar connection with the Burlington
Daily. During the year of 1874 he acted as
press-agent for the Forrester Dramatic
Company, of New York, and on his return
here took the editorship of the Burlington
Daily Gazette, doing much in the period of
his incumbency to add to the popularity of
that newspaper. Seven years he spent in
the employ of the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad, first in a clerical capacity
in the freight office until 1876, then as night
clerk for four years, and from 18S0 until
1882 in the local freight office as claim clerk.

This connection he terminated to become
identified with the Burlington Insurance
Company, for which he acted as a general
correspondent and loss clerk for twelve
years, or until the failure of the company
in February, 1894, at which time he estab-
lished a general insurance agency to handle
the local business of a number of the older
companies. In this enterprise he has
achieved success, at the present time con-
trolling a large volume of business, and
occupying a leading position among the in-
surance agents of this portion of Iowa.

Since his naturalization, Mr. Jamison has
been a stanch Republican in his political
affiliation, having cast his first ballot for
Rutherford B. Hayes for president, and has
taken an. active interest in all affairs of local
government. As a recognition of his serv-
ices to his party, he was made its candidate
for the office of county auditor, and his
popularity is attested by the fact that al-
though the county was Democratic, he re-
ceived the largest vote accorded to any
member of the ticket. In his fraternal rela-
tions he is a member of Excelsior Lodge,
No. 268, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, in which he has filled all the chairs,
and is a member and past chief patriarch of
Eureka Encampment, No. 2, having been
representative from District 28 to the Grand
Lodge for six terms, and also has member-
ship connections with Burlington Council,
No. 530, of the Royal Arcanum.

On Christmas day, 1876, he wedded Miss
Ida C. Hawkins, of Mount Pleasant, Iowa,
daughter of deacon Eli Hawkins, who was
among the early settlers of Henry county,
and to them have been born two children :
James E., at present in the employ of the
Burlington Paper Company as a book-
keeper ; and Jeannette, a student at the Iowa

538

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

State L'nivcrsity. Mr. Jamison has exer-
cised a marked inriiience upon public affairs
in Iowa as a prominent editor, by means
of his forceful literary style and vigorous
handling of local and general issues. V\'hile
he was engaged in active newspaper work,
his editorials were widely copied and com-
mented upon, and were universally regarded
as expressive of the attitude of the Middle
West toward current questions — an esti-
mate fully justified by their broad and lib-
eral tone and rcjircsentative character. His
purely literary work he still continues, for
since leaving the office of the Burlington
Ha'ti'k-Eye he has regularly contributed
book reviews, a class of work for which he is
eminently fitted by culture and natural apti-
tude or taste, and these have ever been
marked by ability, fairness, and close dis-
crimination, as well as a high order of lit-
erary excellence. His personal standing in
the community is one that may indeed be
called enviable, for he has many friends,
and by reason of a uniformly honorable
course enjoys general and sincere respect.

CARL AUGUST ANDERSON.

Fuu nearly a cjuarter of a century Carl
August Ander.son has been identified
with tlu- building interests of Burling-
ton, most of the time as a prominent
contractor. Mr. Anderson was born Jan.
15, 1857, a son of Andrus and Johanna
(Carlson) Johnson, in VVestergotland,
Sweden, and received a good preliminary
education in the public schools, from
which he graduated. His early training
was later supi)lemented by several years
of study in a high-class technical school

in the citv of Stockholm. His father
being a cabinet-maker, Mr. Anderson
learned that trade, and also that of car-
pentering, mastering both with thorough-
ness in all their details, both of theory
and practice, and in addition securing a
position which afforded him a g^eat deal
of mill experience, which he has since
found to be exceedingly valuable to him.
For seven years he acted as foreman, hav-
ing charge of extensive building opera-
tions, and part of this duty comprised the
making of all plans and measurements
from which the actual drawing were
made.

Mr. Anderson was very successful in
his native country, but feeling that bet-
ter opportunities for self-development
and advancement awaited him on this
side the Atlantic, he came to America in
1881, landing at Boston on November 10
of that year and coming direct to Bur-
lington, where he has since resided with-
out interru])tion. Here he began work
for the ChicagtJ, Uurlington & Quincy
Railroad Company in the construction of
their shops. On the completion of that
engagement he was in the employ of
various contractors for a number of
years while familiarizing himself with
.American conditions.

In 1891 he began contracting on his
own account, and has since built many
private residences, business houses, and
public edifices which add greatly to the
artistic and substantial appearance of the
vicinity, among them being the county
l)oor farm building, costing $14,000. for
which he did the contract work and the
county fiirnisluil the material; four busi-
ness houses on Jefferson Street : the
South Hill school, $7,300: the Lincoln

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

539

school, on Sixth Street, $16,500; a school
building- at LaHarpe. 111., $15,000; the
Chittenden & Eastman business block ;
the large factory building of the Murray
Iron Company ; a church structure at
Galesburg, 111., $5,000, and the residences
of LaMdnte Cowles, Mrs. Ed. Gardner,
Mrs. John Fisher, Professor Sheldon, and
many other of Burlington's most magnifi-
cent residences. Mr. Anderson has the
contract and is now building the new
poorhouse on the county farm, the old
one having been burned in the spring of
1905.

Mr. Anderson has been twice married,
first on June 9, 1882, to Miss Emma
Louise Larson, daughter of Peter and
Anna Charlotte Larson, by whom he had
three children : Hulda, now ]\Irs. Gugen-
heimer, of Burlington ; David G., now an
apprentice to his father in the carpenter's
trade; and Ruth, a student in Elliott's
Business College of Burlington. Mrs,
Anderson died Dec. 3, 1890, when a young
woman, she having been born Dec. 31,
1869.

June 17, 1896, Mr. Anderson wedded
Miss Tillie Johnson, daughter of John
and Inga (Bengtson) Johnson, and to
them have been born two children :
Lydia, aged seven years; and Eva, aged
three.

As a man of enlightened intelligence
and education, Mr. Anderson has always
taken a livelj' interest in public ques-
tions, and in matters of national poli-
tics supports the Republican party, al-
though in local affairs he preserves an
independent attitude. He has never as-
pired to public preferment, but during
the two years from 1900 to 1902 acted
as building commissioner for the city of

Burlington, a position in which he ren-
dered efficient service.

Fraternally, he is a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America, and in his
religious relations is identified with the
First Swedish Baptist church, and has
been for many years one of its deacons
and trustees, which offices he now holds.
A man of high personal character, his
record is one of honor, integrity, and un-
failing uprightness ; and while he has
achieved a pronounced success in busi-
ness, he has ever held to the highest
principles and rules of conduct, so that
his is a reputation unsurpassed.

JEREMIAH KITCHEN.

Jeremiah Kitchen, who for many
years resided in Des Moines county, and
was identified with various business in-
terests, was born Feb. 24, 1838, in the
city of Burlington, his parents being
Thomas and Mary (David) Kitchen. The
father was a native of Pennsylvania, born
in 1807, while the mother's birth occurred
in Kentucky, in 1810. He was a tailor
by trade, and removed to Iowa in pioneer
times, becoming one of the early resi-
dents of Burlington. He afterward went
to Honey Creek, 111., and spent his last
days upon a farm, his death occurring in
1851. In his family- were seven children,
but only two are now living, Mrs. Sue
Mercer, and ]\Iary Eliza, the wife of John
Beere, of Mediapolis.

Jeremiah Kitchen was a student in the
public schools of Burlington in his early
youth, and also attended a school con-
ducted by Mr. Graff. He afterward

540

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

worked ii])(jii till- farm of liis uncle, John
S. David, and later began learning the
printer's tratie in the office of the Hazn-k-
Eye. After the outbreak of the Civil War
he espousetl the Union cause, enlisting at
.Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in Company E,
I-'irst Iowa Cavalry, on July 31, 1861.
After serving three years he re-enlisted in
July, i8(i4, 3nd was honorably discharged
Feb. 15, 1866, under special orders at
Austin, Texas.

June 8, 1871, Mr. Kitchen was married
to Miss .\nna T. Cotgan, who was born
Dec. 2^. 1847. in County Cavin, Ireland.
Her fatiier. Charles Colgan, was born in
Ireland in 1823. He was a farmer, and
came to America in 1848 on one of the
old-time sailing vessels, being three
months on the water. He settled in West-
chester, Pa., living for three years upon
a farm, and in 1851 came to Burlington.
He clerked at the McCutcheon House for a
year, and afterward went to West Bur-
lington, wlierc he boarded the employees
that were building the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy Railroad, being thus en-
gaged for several years. His daughter,
Mrs. Kitchen, was one of the first girls
to ride on the engine after the railroad
was completed, making the run to the
river.

Later Mr. Colgan engaged in garden-
ing, and also conducted business as a
stone-mason contractor. He afterward
went West to the mines, but subse-
quently returning to West Burlington, was
there employed as a salesman in the Go-
hegan grocery store for three years. He
also spent seven years as clerk in the
Barret House. He passed away Sc])t. _'i,
1900, his remains being interred in the
Catholic cemetery. His wife's people

were farmers. She passed away several
years before the death of her husband,
her demise occurring in 1881. Mr. Col-
gan was a Democrat in his political
views, and served as market master of
Burlington for a number of years, and
also as street commissioner. In the Col-
gan family were seven children, of whom
two are living; Mrs. Kitchen, of this
review; and Margaret, the wife of Will-
iam Clark, of Indianapolis, Ind.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen were born
three children: George L., born Oct. 7,
187J, in Burlington, was a clerk in this
city for some time, and died July 10, 1899.
.\rthur Rufus, born Oct 17, 1874, was
also employed as a clerk, and died May
2, 1896. Mary Ruth, born .April 13. 1883,
in Burlington, was married to George
Lewis Heck, who was born Feb. 24, 1881,
and was a son of George and Elizabeth
(Yackel) Heck. The parents had but one
daughter. Mabel .\.. who is now married.
Mr. Heck is now traveling for Chittenden
& Eastman Company. There is one child
of this marriage. Ruih M.. who was born
May 18, 1003.

.Mr. Kitchen was a Republican in poli-
tics, but never aspired to office. He was
one of the members of the hook and lad-
der compan}' of the fire dei)artment. Sub-
sequent to his return from the war he
again worked at the printer's trade, and
later was em])loyed in the railroad shops.
For nine years thereafter he was in the
employ of Donohue & McCosh, ami after-
ward with the McCosh IJarb-Wire Com-
pany. Later he worked for the Burling-
ton Lumber Com])any, being thus en-
gaged up to the time of his death, which
occurreil June 23, i<)00. Mrs. Kitchen is
a caterer, and has attained prominence in

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

541

the business to which she devotes her
energies.

The Kitchen family have been quite
prominent in religious work in Burling-
ton and Des Moines county. Mrs. Mary
Kitchen was one of the original members
of the Baptist church in Burlington, and
Airs. Kitchen of this review presented the
large Bible and hymn book to the Bap-
tist church when it was dedicated.

Mr. and Mrs. Heck are members of the
Methodist church, and Mr. Heck was
president of the Baraca class for years.
Mrs. Huston was a teacher of this class
until she went away, and Mrs. Heck has
been president of the Philethea class of
the Sunday-school. Mr. Heck has in his
possession a beautiful book bound in in-
laid olive wood, which was presented to
him by Mr. Crossley. It contains pressed
flowers from the principal cities of the
Holy Land. The influence of the family
has ever been on the side of progress and
improvement. Mr. and Mrs. Colgan were
members of the Catholic church, and thus
in both branches-Mrs. Heck is descended
from ancestors whose efforts in behalf of
right were strongly and beneficially felt.

FRANK E. JOHNSON.

Fr.\nk E. Johnson, a leading agri-
culturist of Flint River township, resid-
ing on Section 27, has spent h4S entire
life in Des Moines count)^ his birth hav-
ing occurred in Burlington, on the 13th
of January, 1861. His parents were
August and ^Matilda Johnson, both na-
tives of Sweden, whence they came to the
United States in childhood, settling in

Burlington. The father was employed in
various ways there in early life, and for
several years after his marriage engaged
in teaming. Later he purchased a farm
in Union township, Des Moines county,
and continued its cultivation until about
1898, when he sold that property and
again took up his abode in Burlington,
where he is now leading a retired life.
He lost his wife when their son Frank
was only eight years of age. They were
the parents of five children, all of whom
are living.

Frank E. Johnson acquired his prelim-
inary education in the district schools
near his home, and also spent two win-
ters as a student in a business college in
Burlington. He was seven years of age
when his father removed to the farm in
Union township, and there he was reared,
early receiving practical training in the
methods of cultivating the soil and caring
for the stock. He continued to aid his
father in the cultivation of the old home-
stead up to the time of his marriage,
which occurred when he was twenty-four
years of age, when he began farming on
his own account by renting a tract of
land. He leases the farm on which he
now resides, on Section 27, Flint River
township, comprising one hundred and
twenty-four acres of land. In 1903 he
purchased fifty-six and a half acres lying
on Sections 2y, 33, and 34, Flint River
townshij), which he rents to a tenant.
Aside from the farm on which he resides
Mr. Johnson rents another farm in the
same township, of one hundred and forty-
five acres, which he operates in connec-
tion with another tenant. He is very
practical in his methods, and everything
about his place is kept in condition, while

542

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

till' iR-at aijpearancc of his farm indicates
liis larcfiil supervisimi.

In liis ijolitical views .Mr. Jolinson is a
stalwart Republican, deeply interested in
the success of the party, and is now serv-
ing for the second term as assessor of his
township. He has also been a member
of the school board for a number of
years, and is a member of the Modern
Woodmen of the World.

On the 13th of March, 1885, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Johnson and
Miss Elizabeth Keitzer, who was born in
Union townshi]). l)es .Moines county, and
is a daughter of John and Margaret Keit-
zer. The father was l)orn on the ocean
when his parents were en route for .Amer-
ica. They continued across the country
to Iowa, settling in I'urlington township,
Des Moines county, and afterward they
removed to Union township, where they
still reside. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Johnson
have been born three children: Maud,
born in L'ninn t(iwnshi|); and Mlsie and
'J'ruic, horn in Mini Riser townshi]).

FRANK H. SOWDEN.

Frank H. Sowden, whose intense and
well-directed activity has been the salient
element in his success as a dealer in paints
and wall-papers, and a contractor in paint-
ing, decorating, and frescoing, is one of the
native sons of Burlington whose business
record is a credit to the city. He was born
Aug. 2, 1857, a son of Qiarles and Phoebe
'(Parkin) Sowden. the former a native of
Leeds, England, and the latter of Meltham,
that country. They were married in the
land of their nativity in 1825, and crossed

the .-\tlantic to the I'nited States in 1845.
The father was a machinist and " engine
driver," acting as engineer on the railroad
between .Manchester and Sheffield ere leav-
ing England. The voyage across the At-
lantic -was made on the " Hindoostan," and
covered six weeks. They sailed from Liver-
pool on the i"th of March, 1845, and
reached Burlington early in May. Here
Charles Sowden secured a position as ma-
chinist in the foundry and shops of Charles
Heiidrie, where the L'nion depot now stands.
Two years later he went to Muscatine, Iowa,
where he established a foundry and machine
.shoi), carrying on business there for three
years, after which he returned to lUirling-
ton and here opened a foundry and ma-
chine shop, which he conducted frum 1852
until his death, having his i)lant where is
n(T\v the green sward north of the depot
building of Burlington. He conducted a
general foundry and machine shop, building
stationary engines, manufacturing archi-
tectural irnn work, and employing about
fifty men, including machinists, molders, and
blacksmiths. .Vs the years passed bv, his
business increased, and he added annually
to his cajjital. He died Jan. 13. 1K75. and
his remains -were interred in .\spcn Grove
cemetery. Pie left an estate valued at forty-
three thousand dollars, of which Richard
Spencer and Peter Fawcett were made ad-
ministrators. His widow is still living,
making her home at 930 Valley Street.
They were the jiarents of fourteen children,
of whom ten were living at the time of the
father's death, but one has since passed away.
The others are: James, at home; Thomas,
wlin is conducting a machine shop on South
I'ourth Street : Charles, who is with the Bur-
lington & Missouri Railroad at Wymore,
Xebr. ; Frank H. ; Robert, who is with the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

543

Murray Iron Works, of West Burlington ;
Jane, the wife of W. J. Jarvis, of Chicago;
Harry, a machinist at the Murray Iron
Works ; William, who is also employed
there ; and John, a machinist.

In the public schools of Burlington,
Frank H. So-wden acquired his more spe-
cifically literary education, and later prepared
for the duties of the business world by a
course in Bryant & Stratton's Business
College, in Burlington. He became book-
keeper for his father at the age of fifteen
years, and acted in that cajjacity until his
father's death, when he entered upon an ap-
prenticeship to Fred Schramm, to learn the
painter's trade, and has since been connected
with this line of industrial activity. He
has followed this pursuit in Burlington, Chi-
cago, St. Louis, and other places, and he
began business on his own account in Bur-
lington, as proprietor of a paint shop, in
1880. After three years he embarked in
the grocery business at 318 North Third
Street, where he continued for two years,
when he sold out and again resumed paint-
ing, as a member of the firm of Murphy &
Sowden. After eighteen months he or-
ganized the firm of Murphy, Meers & Sow-
den, and opened a paint and wall-paper store
at 412 Jefferson Street, where he continued
for two years. He next removed to Chi-
cago, where he was connected with the
wholesale and retail wall-paper establish-
ment of Janeway & Company for three
years. Again locating in Burlington, he
has since been at the corner of Fourth and
Washington Streets, dealing in wall-paper,
paints, moldings, picture-frames, and paint-
ers' supplies. He also does business as a
sign writer, decorator, and frescoer, and
has done the interior finishing and decorat-
ing in many of the finest churches, resi-

dences, and other buildings of Burlington.
His business, growing year by year, has
reached extensive and profitable proportions, ,
and he is to-day one of the leading repre-
sentatives in his line in the city.

Mr. Sowden was married in Burlington,
in 1884, to Miss Ella E. Agnew, a native
of this city, born April 12, 1858, and a
daughter of Patrick Agnew, deceased. Mrs.
Agnew is yet living, her home being on
South Third Street. Mrs. Sowden has
three sisters and four brothers : Thomas ;
Mary, wife of J. J. Curran ; John ; James ;
Alice, who is stamp clerk in the postoffice ;
and Lizzie. LTnto Mr. and Mrs. Sowden
have been born six children : Bessie, Hugh
M., Harry C, Helen, Jack, and Paul.

Mr. Sowden is quite prominent in fra-
ternal circles. He belongs to Des Moines
Lodge, No. I, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons ; Burlington Lodge, No. 84, Be-
nevolent and Protective Order of Elks ;
and the Royal Arcanum. In the Elks
Lodge he is a past exalted ruler, the present
esquirer, and was representative to the grand
lodge at St. Louis, in 1898. In the Royal
Arcanum he has held all the offices, is a
past regent, and represented his lodge at
the grand lodge in Des Moines in 1902.
He belongs to the Carthage Lake Club, and
in his political views is a Democrat. His
home is at 817 Summer Street; the house
is one of the old landmarks of the city,
having been built by Dr. Chamberlin, but
improvements have made it a comfortable
and attractive home, and it is also noted for
its generous and pleasing hospitality. In
his business career every step has been
thoughtfully made and has been a step in
advance ; and although he received little
assistance at the outset of his career, his
masterv of the business, his careful manage-

5+4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ment of his affairs, and his unfaltering dili-
gence have made him one of the most suc-
cessful and foremost representatives of his
department of industrial activity in his native
city.

GEORGE BOECK.

George Boeck, active in the business
circles of Burlinjjton. where he is en-
gaged in meat-packing, belongs to thai
class of worthy citizens that the Father-
land has furnished to the New World;
and possessing the dominant (pialities of
his race, — industry and persistency of
purpose, — he has steadily worked his way
upward until a gratifying measure of suc-
cess has come to him as the reward of his
labor. Me was born in (^roszbieberau,
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, May 2, 1841,
his parents being Adam and Katherinc
(Merker) Boeck. The father was a
butcher by trade, and was the sixth in
direct line of descent in the family who
had followed that calling.

.'MI of the brothers of Mr. Boeck have
been butchers, ami bis sons have con-
tinued in the same line of activity. John
Boeck, grandfather of George I'oeck. was
a butcher and also a farmer, and he like-
wise conducted a tavern. The old home
of the family .was near Gespenz, and the
nearest market cities were Darmstadt and
Frankfort, to which jilaces they often
drove cattle, hogs and sheep. John Boeck
had four sons and two daughters.

.Xdam Boeck was a soldier, and served
for six years in the dragoons in Germany.
As far as is known, all of the ancestors
lived to advanced ages, and .Adam Boeck
reached the venerable age of ninety-two

years, his birth having occurred in 1800,
while his death occurred in 1892. His life
was not then terminated by illness, but
was occasioned by a fall down a stairway.
His wife, Katherine, died in 1890, at the
age of eighty-six years, as the result of a
broken leg. In their family were nine
children, three sons and six daughters,
who reached mature years. The others
of the family to come to America were the
daughter Katherine. who came to P)ur-
lington with .\dam I'unk, in order to live
with her niece, Mrs. George Phillip
Krieschbaum, a sister of Mr. Funk, who
was returning from a visit to his relatives
in the Fatherland. She afterward married
Leonard Bosch. Later another sister,
Susan Boeck, came to I'.urlington, and
was afterward married to John Bosch.

George Boeck. whose name introduces
this record, learned the butcher's trade
under the direction of his father. The
year 1837 witnessed his arrival in the New
World. Crossing the .\tlantic to New
York, he proceeded westward to Burling-
ton, where he sought employment in the
line of his trade, being thus occupied until
1864, when having acquired some capital
through his labor and economy, he
opened a shop of his own. He has since
built up a large business as a meat dealer
at 208-212 Fifth Street, where he has a
comi)lete packing establishment, employ-
ing twenty-six men, and having a large
output. His business has been constantly
developed through his careful manage-
ment, and he is to-day in control of a
profitable trade.

In 1864 Mr. Boeck was married to Miss
Hannah Roth, who was born near Hof,
Bavaria, in 1840. and came to Burlington
in 1852 with her ])arents. Lawrence and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

545

Mary Roth. The father died soon after
his arrival in the New World, but the
mother lived for many years. They had
four children who reached adult age :
John Roth, the only son, who is living re-
tired in Burlington ; Ivaty, the wife of
George Dehn; Mary, deceased; and Han-
nah, wife of the subject of this sketch.

Five children have been born unto Mr.
and Mrs. Boeck : Anna, the wife of Louis
Wallbridge, cashier of the First National
Bank of Burlington ; Katie, the wife of E.
C. Gnahn, a book-seller of Burlington;
George who married Julia Gary, is in
business with his father; Edward C., who
married Carrie Howe, is engaged in the
meat business ; Albert and Edward, both
also in the meat business.

In his political views Mr. Boeck, is a
stalwart Republican. He is fraternally a
thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to
Des Moines Lodge, No. i. Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons ; Iowa Chapter, No.
I, Royal Arch Masons; St. Omer Com-
mandery. No. 15, Knights Templar; the
Consistory at Davenport ; and Kaaba
Temple, of the Mystic Shrine, also of
Davenport. He is likewise a member of
Burlington Lodge, No. 84, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks.

Mr. Boeck has visited Germany three
times since establishing his home in the
New World, — first in 1864, remaining
three months; again in 1870, when he
made a short business trip ; and in 1878,
when he was accompanied by his wife
and two daughters, remaining four
months in the Fatherland. He visited
the World's Exposition at Philadelphia
in 1876, at Chicago in 1893, at St. Louis
in 1904, and through travel has greatly
broadened his knowledge of the world.

For almost half a century he has been
a resident of Burlington, and has there-
fore witnessed many changes here, as the
city has developed in harmony with mod-
ern ideas of progress and improvement.
The hope that led him to leave his native
land and seek a home in America has
been more than realized. He found that
opportunities come to all, and that suc-
cess depends upon their utilization and
mastery. Accordingly he bent his efforts
to the accomplishment of the task which
he assigned himself, and as the years
have passed his resolution, perseverance,
and reliability have won for him a desir-
able competence.

GEORGE A. MILLER.

George A. Miller, who for many years
was prominently identified with educational
interests in the West, and whose advocacy of
all that tends to benefit humanity has made
him a valued factor in every community in
which he has resided, now makes his home
in Burlington. He was born in Vermont,
Sept. 18, 1836. His father, Nathaniel
Miller, was a native of Bridgewater, Vt., as
was the paternal grandfather, who likewise
bore the name of Nathaniel ?\Iiller. The
mother of our subject, Mrs. Nancy (Paull)
Miller, was a native of Barnar^l, Vt., and a
daughter of Jeremiah Paull, of Massachu-
setts, whose wife, Jane Strowbridge, was
a native of Middleboro, Mass. Mr. and
Mrs. Nathaniel Miller, Jr.. became the par-
ents of five children, four sons and a
daughter, of whom three are living ; Samuel
E., a resident of New Bedford, Ma.ss.;
George A. ; and Edwin R., who served as

546

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

a soldier of tlie Civil War, and is now
living in Meriden, N. H. The father died
when his son George was but thirteen years
of age, and the mother, surviving until Jan.
24, 1870, passed away in Berlin, Vt., at the
age of seventy-one years.

George A. Miller, following his father's
death, was bound out to a farmer, who was
to allow him three months' schooling each
year, and when he attained his majority was
to give him a suit of clothing and one
hundred dollars. But when he was four-
teen years of age he was released from this
contract and began working by the month
as a farm hand. Ambitious to secure an
education, he worked ])ersistcntly, saving
his money until his capital was sufficient
to enable him to continue his studies in
an education of higher grade than the dis-
trict schools. He attended the Kimball
Union Academy, at Meriden, N. H., and
also Barre Academy, at Barre, \'t., com-
pleting his acacfemic education by gradua-
tion from the former. Subsequently he was
graduated from Dartmouth College, at
Ilaiinvcr, \. H., with the class of 1863,
winning the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
His education was acquired entirely without
pecuniary assistance, and while pursuing
the higher branches lie taiic^ht in the public
schools.

The elemental strength of his character,
thus manifest, proved the basis of his suc-
cess in later years, and led to his prominence
in educational circles. He first taught at
the age of eighteen year, having charge of
a country school at East Montpelier, Yt.,
" boarding around " among the pupils. He
afterward engaged in teaching at Hyannis,
Mass., later taught in the high school of
South Weymouth, and was ])rincipal there
for a vear : after which he came to the

Middle West and taught in the high school
at Elmwood, 111., where he was principal
of the public schools for three years, and in
1869 he removed to Nebraska, locating on
a farm. He b(3ught land in Johnson county
with college scrip, this land costing him less
than one hundred dollars for a quarter sec-
tion, but it is now worth five thousand
dollars.

He did not long devote his energies to
farming, however, but resumed his educa-
tional labors at Tecumseh, Nebr., where
he taught at an early day for two years.
In 1872 he came to Burlington, and was
]irincipal of the North Hill school in 1872-73.
The following year he became principal of
the West Madison school and remained in
charge there until 1901. In 1898 he sus-
tained injuries which gradually brought on
invalid conditions and necessitated his re-
tirement from the field of educational labor
in 1901.

For many years he had been active in the
dissemination of knowledge in connection
with tlic i)ub]ic-school system of the country,
and had made for himself a foremost place
among the teachers of this city and the
Middle West. He was active in county
institute work, lecturing upon the system
of pedagogy and the history of the United
States, and he frequently attended the meet-
ings of the Southeastern Iowa Teachers'
Association.

Professor Miller was married, July 31,
1867, in Wilbraham, Mass., to Miss Mar>'
A. Smith, a native of Massachusetts. Her
I)arents were .Vlbert and Betsy (Doane)
Smith, the former a representative of an
old Cape Cod family. Her father was
a sea captain, voyaging to the West In-
dies, Panama, and equatorial ports. He
is now deceased, while Mrs. Smith is

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

547

living in Natick, Mass., at the age of
eighty-seven years. Their son, Arthur
LeRoy Smith, now at Newchwang, China,
was a sea pilot for forty years. Mrs
Lyman C. Brown, a sister, is living at
Natick, Mass., and Mrs. E. O. Clark re-
sides in Springfield. The other daughter,
Mary A. Smith, became the wife of Pro-
fessor Miller. They became the parents
of five children, of whom only two are liv-
ing: Mary B., a graduate of the Burlington
high and training schools, and a teacher in
the West Madison school ; and Edward P.,
a graduate of Iowa College, at Grinnell,
now engaged in the hardware business in
Marshalltown, Iowa. He married Edith
Pence and has two sons, Paul and Pence.
The daughter, residing at home, is most
devoted to her father in his invalid condi-
tion, giving him every care and attention
possible. Three of the children died in early
life.

During the period of the Civil War, Pro-
fessor Miller attempted to join the army,
but was rejected on account of physical dis-
ability, and later, when drafted, was again
rejected. During the later days of the re-
bellion, however, he was at Camp Parole,
near Annapolis, in connection with the
sanitary commission.

In former years Professor Miller was a
member of the Ancient Order of Druids,
and represented Patterson Grove, of Bur-
lington, at the State meeting of Druids in
Des Moines, when that organization was
in a very flourishing condition. He was
a charter member of Patterson Grove.

The family are members of the Congre-
gational church, and in its work Mrs. Miller
and her daughter take a very active and
jielpful part. Professor Miller, while un-
able to engage actively in church work, is

still deeply interested in the welfare and
progress of the city in which he has made
his home for almost a third of a century,
and in which his labors have been so elifect-
ive in advancing the intellectual and moral
development.

SAMUEL JOHN R. HUSTON.

Samuel John R. Huston, now exten-
sively engaged in the raising of cattle and
hogs in Yellow Springs township, was born
in Fayette county, Indiana, in 185 1, his par-
ents being John and Susanna (Craig) Hus-
ton, both of whom were natives of Ireland.
The father crossed the Atlantic to America
in 1819, and settled in Indiana ; and his wife
also made the ocean voyage a few years
later, and became a resident of Fayette
county, Indiana. They removed to Iowa,
and spent their remaining days in Des
jMoines county, the father's death occurring
in 1898, when he had reached the venerable
age of ninety years, while his wife passed
away Aug. 7, 1893, at the age of eighty
years. They were the parents of nine chil-
dren, of whom five are yet living: IMary J.,
now the wife of James Henderson ; Isabella,
at home : Susanna, the wife of J. W. Reed ;
Samuel John R., of this review ; and J. J.,
a minister of Connellsville, Union county.
Pa. : Rosanna, became the wife of H. W.
McConnell, and is now deceased : while
three of the children died in infancy in In-
diana. The parents were laid to rest in
the cemetery in Yellow Springs township.

Samuel John R. Huston was reared in the
usual manner of farm lads, and. acquired a
public-school education. He came to Iowa
in 1865, settling in Yellow Springs township,

548

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAnEW

where he ])iirchasetl ciglity acres of land.
He added to tliat until in the home farm were
three hundred and twenty acres. Later he
invested still more extensively in property,
and is to-day the owner of about seven
hundred acres of valuable land ; while his
brother owns eighty acres west of this farm,
in Washington township, and also three hun-
dred acres in Louisa county. Mr. Huston
feeds about three hundred cattle and about
six hundred head of hogs annually, being one
of the extensive st(x:k dealers of the county.
The improvements on his farm have all been
made by him, and comprise splendid build-
ings and well-tilled fields. He uses the latest
machinery to carry on the work of the fields,
and everything about his farm is kept in ex-
cellent condition, showing his careful super-
vision and progressive spirit. As a business
man he is energetic, directing his labors so
that they prove resultant factors in the ac-
quirement of a handsome competence. He
is a member of the Reformed Presbyterian
church, and has a wide and favorable ac-
([uaintance in the county, which has been
his home for forty years.

THEODORE W. BARHYDT.

None of the American colonies had a
sturdier foundation in al! the qualities
that make for the upbuilding of a State
than that contributed by the Knicker-
bockers of New Amsterdam. They came
of a heroic race, and when they migrated
to .America they brought with them their
habits of industry, thrift, moral integrity,
love of country, and devotion to religious
principles.

.\ninng the early settlers of \cw York

were the ancestors of Mr. and Mrs. Theo-
dore Wells Barhydt, of Burlington, —
Jerominus Hanse Barheit (the colonial
spelling of the name) and his brother An-
dreas were from Holland. They were
farmers, and settled in "Ye Great Flatt
near Coxsaxie," on the west bank of tlu
Hudson River, some time jirevious to
1665. There they builded their pioneer
home, and toiled and prospered, and their
descendants spread over the surrounding
country and up the Hudson into .Albany,
Schenectady, and contiguous counties.
The genealogy of the Burlington descend-
ants is as follows: Jerominus Hanse Bar-
heit, 1665; Johannes, married 1701 ; Hicr-
oninuis, married 1737; Johannes, married
1761 ; Jerominus, married Jan. 4, 1789;
Nicholas, born June 13, 1813; Theodore
Wells Barhydt, born April 10, 1835.

Mr. T. W.Barhydt's grandfather, Jero-
minus, was torn near Schenectady in 1763.
He was a farmer, and a member of the
Dutch Reformed church. He served in
the War of the Revolution, as did also
his brothers and many relatives. The
Knickerbockers, it is to be noted as a mat-
ter of history, were zealous patriots, and
espoused the cause of liberty with great
zeal and unflinching constancy. There
were no Tories among them. Jacobus, a
brother, was given a commission in the
army by General Gates for gallant serv-
ices at Bemis Heights in the battle of
Saratoga, when General Burgoyne was
defeated and surrendered. After the war
Jacobus returned to his home. Jerominus
also served as i|uartermaster in the War
of 1812.

Jerominus was married in Jaiui.iry.
1789, to Cornelia Becker, who was born
in I7''i0 ill Schoharie county, then on the

'^ J^ /^ o^L^ oLt-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

borders of the settlements. She was a
daughter of Garrett Becker and Annatje
Van Dyke, whom he married Dec. 29,
1737. When she was a little girl, her
father, Garrett Becker, owned the middle
stockade in the town of Schoharie, built
for the defense of the settlers from attacks
by the French and Indians. Cornelia
helped the women and children in the de-
fense, molding bullets and doing what-
ever was in their power in such exigen-
cies. After their marriage they settled on
a farm near Schenectady. The Van
Dykes served in the Revolutionary War.
Her uncle, Cornelius Van Dyke, was a
lieutenant-colonel in First Regiment, New
York Volunteers. The first ancestor of
the Becker family was Jan Jeurianszen
Becker, who emigrated after marriage
from Amsterdam, Holland, in 1652, and
settled in New Amsterdam. He was a
petty officer with General Stuyvesant. He
was a man of public activities. He was a
"voorleser" (reader) in the old Dutch Re-
formed church, which was the parent or-
ganization of the present Collegiate Re-
formed church on the corner of Fifth Ave-
nue and Twenty-ninth Street, New York.
The first building was located within the
old Dutch fort, at the foot of the island,
and was founded in 1632. The present so-
ciety has extensive properties, probably
ranking in wealth next to Trinity. Presi-
dent Roosevelt is a member of this
church. Mr. Becker was also the Dutch
official schoolmaster, a notary, etc. Later
in life he removed to Beaverwyck (Al-
bany) where he died. He left many de-
scendants; one of his sons, Johannes (an
ancestor of T. W. Barhydt) removed
from Albany to Schoharie county, and
held various civil offices.

Nicholas, son of Jerominus, was the
youngest of a family of thirteen children.
He was born near Schenectady in June,
1813, received a common-school educa-
tion, and learned the shoe business. In
politics he was a Whig. He was raised in
the tenets of the Dutch Reformed church,
but after marriage he united with the
Presbyterian church, of which his wife
was a member. In May, 1834, Nicholas
was married in Newark, N. J., to Miss
Phoebe Headley Gardner, who descended
from an old Knickerbocker family in that
city. Her father was Aaron A. Gardner,
shoe manufacturer. Nicholas had gone to
Newark to learn the business, and fell in
love with the daughter of his employer.
After the birth of their first child, Theo-
dore, they removed to Schenectady.
Nicholas died April 4, 185 1, and his wife
April 27, 1842.

Theodore Wells Barhydt was born
April 10, 1835, in Newark, New Jersey,
and was educated in Schenectady, where
he was married to Miss Eleanor C. Chris-
tiancy, a native of that city. She is a
daughter of Isaac C. Christiancy, who
was born near Schenectady. The first set-
tler of her father's family was Christiaan
Christiaanse, in 1671, who became a prop-
erty owner in Schenectady. Her mother
was Miss Maria -Veddcr. The Vedder an-
cestry is traceable to Herman Albertse
Vedder, who was a trader in Beaverwyck
before the year 1657, and who married in
1672. He removed to Schenectady, and
in 1673 was appointed one of the three
magistrates. Both families were of the
Holland stock, with numerous descend-
ants scattered through that section of the
State. Mrs. Barhydt, is a member of the
Society of the Daughters of the Revolu-

552

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tion, and eligil)lc as a Colonial Dame.
The family has heirlooms which they
cherish as mementoes of the past, among
them a Bible brought from Holland long
before the War of the Revolution, by the
Rev. W. \'an Dyke, who used it in his
l)ul])it, both in Holland and in Schoharie
county, Xevv York. 'Jhe Rev. \'an Dyke
was ono of ^^r. I'.arliydt's rlislant fore-
fathers.

Mr. and Mrs. P.arhydt arrived in Bur-
lington March 24, 1855. and he began
clerking in C. H. Sweetser's shoe store in
tlu- I '.arret House block, the present site
of the Tama building. Mr. Barhydt cast
his first vote for Jatnes Buchanan for
president. In 1857 Mr. James Tizzard was
appointed postmaster, and he selected
young ISarhydt for one of his clerks. In
June, 1859, Mr. Barhydt engaged in the
shoe business, for which his experience
had <|ualified him. The postmaster was
associated with him, under the firm name
of Tizzard & Barhydt. Tlicy opened a
store in llie Parsons block. In the s])riiig
of i860 Mr. Barhydt bought Mr. Tizzard's
interest, and rented a store-room in the
Luke Palmer block, on the present site of
the (jerman-.Xmerican Savings Bank. At
that time the Burlington Ha'wk-Eye was
published on the third fioor, and when it
was removed, Mr. Itarhydt occupied the
three floors, and engaged in a combined
retail and jobbing trade. In 1861 he re-
moved the jobbing department to the
Isaac Kaiser building, next to Jno. H.
Gear & Co.'s wholesale grocery house. In
1870 he removed to larger quarters in a
building on the east side of Main street,
soutli of his present ])ro])erty. the Delano
Hotel. Later he Ijought the J. S. Kimball
& Co. pro])erly on the southwest corner

of Main and Jefi'erson ."Streets, and occu-
pied the corner first floor for his retail
trade and the upper floors and the adjoin-
ing building south for the wholesale
trade. Later, Mr. Barhydt retired from
the jol)bing trade, but retains an interest
with -Mr. .\. H. Brown in the retail trade.

liarly in his business career he de-
veloped a predilection and marked ca-
pacity for banking, practically beginning
operations in th;it line in i8(>o, when he
began buying and selling goUl, silver,
gold-dust, and uncurrent money, then
popularly known as "stump-tail." Miners
and traders from Idaho, Montana, antl
Colorado brought gold-dust, wliose in-
trinsic value must he determined by ex-
jiert tests, as did also many dealers and
traders in farm produce, live-stock, and
general merchandise, who were anxious
to dispose of uncurrent money whose
changing values involved risk in holding.
-Mr. Barhydt studied the situation care-
fully, and by business connections with
leading Chicago and eastern bankers, was
enabled to handle the perilous business
with skill and success.

In 1870 ^Ir. P.arhydt helped to organize
the Merchants National Bank, and was
president from 1870 to 1904, when he
claimed the well-earned right to retire
from active lousiness pursuits and devote
his remaining years^ to leisurely travel,
social enjoyments, and the conservation
of his extensive business and financial in-
terests ill r.iirliiigton, Chicago, New
York, Boston, Los Angeles, and else-
where. His long incumbency of the presi-
dency of the bank, covering a period of
nearlv thirty-four years, gave him the dis-
tinction of dean of Iowa bankers.

Mr. Barhydt wasalderman in 1860-70,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

553

and president of the board of trade in
1 87 1, and has been identified with numer-
ous local enterprises, among which are
the building of the Burlington, Cedar
Rapids & Minnesota Railroad, and the
Burlington & Southwestern Railroad, in
both of which he was a director; and the
Burlington & Northwestern and Burling-
ton & Western Railroads, of which roads
he was director and president for many
years. He was one of the originators and
director and treasurer of the first street
railway, and of the original water works
company. Mr. Barhydt is a member of
the famous Holland Society, New York,
of which President Roosevelt is an hon-
ored member. He is also a member of
the Sons of the Revolution, and he has
been a delegate a number of times to the
National Society. He is a member of the
Transportation Club, of New York, a
Mason, a Knight Templar, and belongs to
the various social clubs of Burlington.

Probably few, if any, of our citizens
have more closely identified themselves
with the various local interests, and been
more of a helping factor in the upbuilding
of Burlington, than has Mr. Barhydt.

ROBERT MOIR.

As illustrating the hardy character and
many virtues possessed by those men of
Scottish race who have elected to pursue
careers of usefulness in the New World,
the life of Robert ]\Ioir, now deceased, is
worthy of the profoundest and most care-
ful study. Mr. Moir was born at Forres,
Scotland, Oct. 30, 1824, and the date of
his coming to America was 1842. He

first located in New York City, where he
met Miss Mary Nicol, who afterward be-
came his wife, and where he remained for
a period of seven years. In that city he
was associated with his three brothers in
the dairy business, but in 1847 one of their
number, Alexander Moir, visited the
West, and located at Oquawka, 111., it
then being freely predicted that the little
river town was to become the metropolis
of the West. There he entered the busi-
ness life of the place as a lumber mer-
chant, being for several years associated
with Mr. S- S. Phelps. In 1844 James
Moir, another brother, coming to St.
Louis on business, was attracted by the
possibilities of the rapidly growing town,
and settled there, becoming the partner
of James Culver in a general merchandise
business.

In 1849 o'-ir subject, with his brother
William E., also came west to Oquawka,
and A\'iniam and James then formed a
partnership with David E. Roberts, to
conduct a distilling business under the
firm style of W. & J. Moir & Company;
but upon the retirement of Mr. Roberts,
in 1 85 1, they extended their operations to
banking, in connection with lumber, gen-
eral merchandise, logging, and milling.
In 1856 William Moir died, followed by
his brother James in 1863, and the firm
was reorganized by Robert Moir under
the name of Robert ]\Ioir & Company, he
taking into partnership his nephew,
James Peterson, and his brother-in-law,
John C. Nicol. Mr. Nicol retired from
the enterprise in 1872, and Mr. Patterson
in 1875, and Mr. Moir then associated
with him his son, John, using the style of
Robert Moir & Son. This partnership
was terminated, however, bv the sad cir-

554

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ciimstance of his son's death in 1876, but
the business was continued under the
same name. The banking firm of Robert
Moir & Company, originally consisting of
four brothers, William, James, Alexander,
and Robert, all natives of Scotland, and
all men of great executive ability, was
one of tlic oldest in northwestern Illinois,
and was very widely known. The busi-
ness embraced a vast territory in sur-
rounding counties and States, and in-
cluded the control of a large amount of
railway and banking stock in Chicago and
other large cities. Mr. Moir was also
well known in this cit)', being, indeed,
one of the most prominent figures in the
financial circles of the Middle West.

Shortly after coming West Mr. Moir re-
turned to New York, and in that city, on
May 25, 1849, was united in marriage to
Miss Mary Nicol, a native of the Empire
State, the date of her birth being Sept. 16.
1826. They then returned to Oquawka,
to take up their life together among the
pioneer conditions of the new Western
country, where they were to pass the
greater ])art of their long and useful ca-
reers, and to win the respect and warm
regard of all. In the early 'Go's Mr. Moir
built there the store and residence which
he made the home of himself and his
family for so many years, only giving it
up on his removal to Burlington. This
edifice was of the old-fashioiu'd tvpc, built
ol brick auci stone, extreme]}' massive in
structure, and entirely without useless
ornament, calculated to withstand the
tooth of time and the ravages of the ele-
ments— typical, so to speak, of the deter-
mined, enduring, and noble character of
the man who built it. To .Mr. and Mrs.
Moir were born several children, as fol-

lows : Robert, Martha, James, and .\lex-
ander Moir; Mrs. Ida Tracy, of Burling-
ton; and .Mrs. .Mary King, of Peoria, 111.;
John and W illiam are dead.

For many years the bank at Oquawka
was conducted as a private institution, but
when Mr. Moir, feeling the increasing
weight of declining years, decided to re-
tire from active life, and removed to Bur-
lington a short time before his death, his
sons ami others associated with them, or-
ganized it into the First National Bank
of Oquawka, with a capital stock of $50,-
000. Those interested in this consumma-
tion were H. F. Mc.Mister, Robert Hud-
son, Robert Moir, Jr., James Moir, Alex-
ander .Moir, and H. B. SafFord.

.Mrs. Robert Moir died at Oquawka,
.Sunday morning, Sept. 8, 1901, and
tile funeral and interment were at that
place on Sept. 12, eleven o'clock in the
forenoon. She was an earnest member
and worker in the Baptist church, and
her character knew no limits of charity,
kindness, and human sympathy for all
about her, of whatever condition in life.
Robert Moir did not long survive the
death of his wife, his own demise oc-
curring at half-past five o'clock on Dec.
19, 1901, at the home of his daugh-
ter, Mrs. George S. Tracy, 512 North
Seventh Street, Burlington, Iowa. .\
s|)ecial train conveyed the deceased and a
large number of friends to Oquawka, 111.,
where, December 20, an impressive funeral
service was held in his old home, attended
by many distinguished men from sur-
rounding cities, whose esteem he had won
by his strength and ])urity of purpose.

As a pioneer of western Illinois, he did
much toward .the upbuilding and advance-
ment of that section, inseparably con-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

355

necting his name for all time with the
story of its progress from primitive con-
ditions to the high prosperity which it
now enjoys. He was a successful banker
and merchant, by strict and conscientious
attention to his afifairs acquiring a very
considerable fortune. Yet he ever pre-
served the profoundest sense of honor
among all the complex relations of busi-
ness, keeping his reputation without a
blemish or a stain, and as the crov\'ning
glory of his life he transmitted to the
sons, who are continuing his work, that
determination and loftiness of character
which have been so long associated with
his name.

ALBERT B. HAWKINS.

Albert B. Hawkins, for many years
well known in the progressive business
circles of Burlington, and secretary of the
Merchants" Life Assurance Company since
its organization, was born in Stafford,
Monroe county, Ohio, Oct. 15, 1851, the
son of Reuben and Jane A. (Ziegler)
Hawkins. Both parents were descended
from families of southern Pennsylvania,
who resided in either York or Lancaster
county, and the early members of the Haw-
kins family were represented in the nation's
war for independence. The father, who
was a merchant, removed with the family
to Kansas in 1864, settling at Ottawa, where
his death occurred in October, 1892, and
that of his wife in 1878.

Mr. Hawkins received only limited edu-
cational advantages, but in his desire for
self-improvement left the work of the farm
in Kansas in the year 1869 for a period of

nine months, and attended school. His
first business experience was in his brother's
hat store at Burlington, Iowa, and later he
entered the postofifice at that place as mail-
ing clerk for one year. At the end of that
time he became a traveling salesman, selling
hats and caps for the firm of Phillips &
Hawkins, in whose employ he continued in
that capacity for ten years, achieving a
very considerable success. On severing
this connection he engaged in an inde-
pendent enterprise in Kansas City for a
year and a half, after which he went to
Texas, where with a brother, S. S. Haw-
kins, he operated a cattle ranch comprising
four thousand to five thousand cattle. Be-
ing located two hundred miles west of
Fort Worth, which was the nearest rail-
road station, he was of course practically
out of touch with civilization, though not
exposed to the dangers attending frontier
life at an earlier day. In 1884, however,
while with three others in New Mexico
seeking a location for a ranch, he was able
to assist a number of unprotected settlers
who were in great peril from Geronimo's
raiders, escorting them from their lonely
ranches to the setlements, and thus saving
them from the death which the savages
inflicted upon so many others. Mr. Haw-
kins continued in the cattle business for
seven years, but at the end of that period
traveled extensively. In 1893 he was in
Honduras, and also visited Balize, Porto
Cortez, and San Pedro, reaching the latter
place b}' way of the Honduranian rail-
road, the country along which is especially
interesting by reason of the utterly primi-
tive conditions which are constantly in evi-
dence. The trip to Central America was
seven weeks in duration, and during this
time he witnessed an attempted revolution

556

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of the conventional Spanish-American type.
Mr. Hawkins has always exhibited a fond-
ness for the sport of hunting, to which he
devoted a great deal of time in Texas and
New Mexico, while he has also visited in
Canada on two occasions for the same pur-
pose. In 1898 he, with fuiir companions,
went to Alaska, takiiip part in the famous
rush of prospectors from Seattle to Skag-
uay. Leaving the former city May i, and
traveling over the White Pass to Lake
Bennett, they there built a boat, and then
rowed down the Yukon River to Dawson,
a distance of six hundred miles, and there
took a river boat, on August 16, to St. Mi-
chael's. Thence they secured ship passage
to Victoria, British Columbia, where they
took a steamer for Seattle, and arrived in
Burlington Sept. 17. Some prospecting
was done, around Dawson, but sight-seeing
was the main object of the expedition.

During four years of his residence in
Burlington, Mr. Hawkins conducted a re-
tail hat store ; but seeing greater oppor-
tunities in another field, he sold the business
and became one of the organizers of the
Merchants' Life Association, which was
incorporated in 1894. The original officers
were A. H. Kuhlemeier, president ; Albert
I'.. Hawkins, secretary; W. G. Mercer,
treasurer; John H. Gillespie, vice-presi-
dent ; John J. Seerley, legal adviser. Our
subject has occupied the office of secretary
since the inception of the institution, and
by his aggressive enterprising policy, com-
bined with executive ability and conserva-
tive judgment of a very high order, has
contributed in a most important degree to
the phenomenal success which it has
achieved and still enjoys in an increasing
measure. Having its beginning but a few
years ago, when it existed merely as a

well-formed plan supported by the energy
and capital of a few exceptionally gifted
men, the company has in a marvelously
brief space of time risen to high rank
among institutions of this character, and
to-day affords protection for six thousand
to seven thousand policy holders, for whom
it carries aggregate risks of from $12,000,-
000 to $13,000,000, a condition of pros-
perity which reflects the most unqualified
credit upon its sponsors. To its success our
subject has devoted the most earnest and
conscientious thought and endeavor, and
the result has most amply justified the
soundness of the plan of which he was the
principal formulator. Among other in-
terests, he is also proprietor of a mercantile
establishment at Malvern, Iowa, which he
has owned for twenty years.

In 1878, at Malvern, Iowa, Mr. Hawkins
was united in marriage to Miss Helen W.
Boehner, who was born at Galveston,
Texas, a daughter of Hibbert Boehner, a
native of Nova Scotia. Mr. Boehner was
for thirty-eight years a captain in the mer-
chant marine, but died on Dec. 25, 1904,
in the ninetieth year of his age. The
mother of Mrs. Hawkins, Louise (Moir)
Boehner, was born in the Isle of Wight,
England, and died at an advanced age in
1901. To Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins have
been born one daughter and two sons:
Edith Louise, a graduate of Burlington
High School; Kenneth !'.., now a student
in Harvard College ; and Maxwell A.
Mrs. and Miss Hawkins are members of
the Episcopal church, with the various
phases of whose work they are prominently
identified, and to whose support our subject
is a contributor. Mr. Hawkins has never
sought public honors, but his interest in
affairs of government is based on careful

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

557

consideration, and he has uniformly acted
with the RepubHcan party. He is active in
the social life of the city as a member of
the Burlington Boating Association and the
Crystal Lake Club, of which latter he is a
charter member, and enjoys a wide ac-
quaintance. A man modest in the estimate
of his own merits and abilities, it may be
said that the variety of enterprises in which
he has achieved success bespeak a versa-
tility and a strength and determination of
character that are indeed rare, especially
in the light of the fact that he began life
without resources, and has been in the best
sense the architect of his own fortunes.

JAMES H. JACOBY.

The prosperity of Burlington rests prin-
cipally on its activities along lines of pro-
ductive industry, and an excellent repre-
sentative of the manufacturing interests
is James H. Jacoby, long successful as a
manufacturer of trunks on a large scale.
Mr. Jacoby was born in Burlington, April
8, 1854, a member of an old family which
first appears in the State of Pennsylvania,
near Johnstown, and the son of Alexander
and Mary (Buhrmaster) Jacoby. The
grandfather of our subject, Peter Jacoby,
and his wife, came from Pennsylvania to
Iowa, and located at Burlington in 1846 ;
and although originally a cabinet-maker,
he became, on his removal to Burlington, a
pattern-maker in a foundry. He was one
of a large family, comprising eight broth-
ers and two sisters, all of whom are now
deceased, his own demise occurring when he
was about sixty-eight years of age. while his
wife survived him, and died at the age of

seventy years. Mr. Jacoby's father was a
foreman in the O. H. Schenk pork-packing
house, in which he was employed for thirty-
three years, or until the closing of the es-
tablishment through the failure of the fimi,
after which he went to Albuquerque, N.
Mex., where he entered the service of the
Santa Fe Railroad Company. In the latter
employment he continued until his death
in 1901. The maternal grandparents of
Mr. Jacoby, Henry Buhrmaster and wife,
were among the early settlers of this por-
tion of the State. They first located on a
farm in the northern part of Des Moines
county, whence they later removed to Bur-
lington, and resided on North Hill for the
remainder of their lives. They reared a
large family, nearly all of whom are now
in business in Burlington. Mr. Jacoby is
himself one of a family of six, as follows :
John, James H., Denise, Schenk, and
Dixon, the latter having died at the age of
ten years.

In the common schools of his native city
James H. Jacoby received his early educa-
tion, and at the age of seventeen years he
began the work of his life by accepting em-
ployment with Samuel R. Barger, trunk-
maker, under whom he learned the trade,
and continued to work for thirteen years.
He then formed a partnership with Mr.
Barger's foreman, W. L. Adams, with
whom he established an independent man-
ufacturing business, and after a period
of thirteen years of successful operation,
purchased Mr. Barger's factory and busi-
ness. Three years later, on the death of
his partner. Mr. Jacoby purchased his in-
terest, and the enterprise has since been
conducted under the name of J. H. Jacoby.
The factory is the only one of the kind in
southeastern Iowa, and is a large establish-

558

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ment, occuiniii}^ iDiir lloors, and carrying
an immense stock.

On Sept. 9, 1880, Mr. Jacoby was united
in marriage to Miss Emma Held, of Bur-
lington, daughter of John and Louise Held,
natives of Germany. John Held came to
America about 1840, and for a long tenn
of years acted as traveling salesman, be-
coming well known to the people of Bur-
lington and neighboring cities. To Mr. and
Mrs. Jacoby have been born four children,
as follows : Edwin, who is a stenogra[)her
in the office of Mr. Bartlett, master me-
chanic of the Kansas City Line of the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ;
Anna, who is at home ; and Roland and
James, students in the Burlington high
school. Politically, our subject has been a
life-long Democrat, although not active in
partisan work. His fraternal relations are
quite extensive, and in this field of activity
he has ever taken a practical and vital in-
terest. He is a member of the local \\'ood-
men of the World, and is at present one of
its managers, while ho has always been most
prominent in its affairs. He was the first
member initiated after the organization of
the camp, although he assisted in the organ-
ization. He has served the camp three
times as delegate to the head camp, and is
the president of the Woodmen of the World
Building Association, of which he was one
of the influential organizers. In the organ-
ization of the Eratcrnal Choppers at this
place he was also one of the prime movers,
and was a member of its board of directors
from that time until its merging with the
Mystic Toilers, on whose directorate he is
now serving. His part in the fraternal
affairs of Burlington has been a notable
one, and one for which he merits all praise,
while he has added to the well-being of the

city by his success in building up and main-
taining the important business which bears
his name, and by the purity and upright-
ness of his course in all the varied relations
of life, has won the respect and regard of
all, being well known in Burlington and
throughout a large contiguous territory,
and enjoying an extensive circle of friends.

JOHN JAMES ROBB.

Jqhn James Robb owns and operates
one hundred and seventeen acres of land
in Sections 7 and 8, Yellow Springs town-
ship, and is successfully engaged in the
breeding of Shorthorn cattle and Poland
China hogs, in which regard he has gained
more than a local reputation as a stock-
dealer.

.V native of Pennsylvania, he was born
in \\'ashington county, Dec. 6, 1864, his
jiarents being R. C. and Mary (Mc-
Laughlin) Robh. When the son, John
J., W'as six years of age. the parents re-
moved from Pennsylvania to Lafayette
county, Indiana, where he had the priv-
ilege of attending school for three years.
They then started westward, establishing
their home in Des Moines county, Iowa,
and luTi- he com]ilctcd his education in
the district schools and by study through
a winter's term in the academy at Morn-
ing Sun. He was reared to farm life, and
has always followed that occupation,
early gaining a knowledge of the best
methods of tilling the soil and caring for
the stock. Ambitious to acquire a farm
of his own, he saved his earnings in
earlier years, and in 1888 he purchased

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

559

one hundred and seventeen acres of land
in Sections 7 and 8, Yellow Springs town-
ship. He has placed much of this under
cultivation, and the soil being rich the
farm returns good harvests for the care
and labor he has bestowed upon it. Most
of the improvements are the work of his
hands, and he now has good buildings
upon his place.

He is perhaps better known, however,
as a dealer in stock than a raiser of grain,
and is a successful breeder of Shorthorn
cattle, having now upon his place about
thirteen head of thoroughbred cattle. He
also has seventy-five head of Poland
China hogs, and is an excellent judge of
stock, so that he is enabled to make ju-
dicious purchases and profitable sales.
His opinions are largely regarded as au-
thority concerning all stock-raising inter-
ests in this county. His l?ind is all under
cultivation, every acre of it being tillable,
and he has tiled the place, and put every-
thing about his farm in good shape.

Jan. 3, 1889, Mr. Robb was united in
marriage to Miss Elizabeth Reed, a
daughter of Matthew and Mary (Walkin-
shaw) Reed, who was born Jan. 24, 1864,
in Yellow Springs township. Their mar-
riage has been blessed with one daughter,
Edna, whose birth occurred March 2,
1894. The parents are members of the
Reformed Presbyterian church, and are
interested in its work and in all pro-
gressive measures tending to benefit the
county. Mr. Robb, however, concentrates
his labors and energies upon his business
pursuits, and his persistency of purpose
and well-directed efforts have brought to
him gratifying success, so that he is now
one of the substantial agriculturists of his
communitv.

JOHN HAFNER.

John Hafner, of Burlington, president
of the Keehn-Hafner Manufacturing Com-
pany, and known throughout the business
circles of the city as an exponent of modern
and progressive ideas, was born Nov. 7,
1866, in South Germany, the son of George
and Johanna (Schmidt) Hafner. The ear-
lier members of the family were farmers,
and served as soldiers in the numerous wars
of the country ; but the grandfather of our
subject was a merchant, while the father
was a soldier, and immediately after com-
pleting his military service, emigrated to
America, going first to Ohio, in 1867.
Thence he came West and located at Bur-
lington, where for ■ several years he was
assistant city engineer. His death occurred
approximately twenty years ago, but the
wife and mother is still living.

Mr. Hafner received his education ift St.
John's parochial school, and while attending
this institution he spent the hours not de-
voted to study in learning the binder's trade.
Later he went to Chicago for the same pur-
pose, continuing there for two years as a'
workman in a high-class bindery. He then
returned to Burlington, and established a
confectionery business on South Hill, which
he conducted with very gratifying success
for five years. With the capital thus se-
cured he organized the Keehn-Hafner
Manufacturing Company, printers, binders,
blank-book makers, and manufacturing sta-
tioners, this being in 1897, since which
time Mr. Hafner has devoted his time and
eflfort exclusively to the work of the com-
pany.

On April 27, 1898, Mr. Hafner was
united in marriage to Miss Anna Kuepper,
daughter of Frank Kuepper, an early

560

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

settler of Des Moines county, and to them
have been born two children, Frances and
Carl. The family are all members of St.
John's Catholic church. Mr. Hafner has
never borne an active part in affairs of
practical politics, but gives his support con-
sistently to the Democratic party, in whose
principles and mission he holds a profound
faith. Fraternally, he has membership con-
nections with the Ancient Order of United
Workmen and the Knights of Columbus.
As one who has formed his own fortune
without outside aid and exclusively by his
personal efforts, he is entitled to high com-
mendation, for he has achieved a very gen-
erous measure of success, and is rapidly
bringing the business under his charge to a
leading position in this portion of Iowa.
Fairness, promptness, and courtesy are the
watchwords of his business system, and the
practical virtues which these represent are
given vital force by the energ\', determina-
tion, and aggressiveness of his character,
combined with his sane and sound judg-
ment and appreciation of business oppor-
tunity. He has many friends, and enjoys
the esteem and universal regard of all who
know him.

SIMEON BEARDSLEY.

As AX able representative of the
younger business and jirofessional ele-
ment, and a member of one of the most
distinguished families of Des Moines
county, Simeon Beardsley is intimately
identified with the vital interests of this
section, where his influence has ever been
exerted on the side of true progress. Mr.
Beardsley was liDrn at r.iirlington, Iowa,

Aug. 22,, 1872, a son of Dr. Charles and
Eliza McCloud (Pool) Beardsley, and his
father was a native of the Buckeye State,
having been born and reared on a farm
near Columbus. Ohio. The father of our
subject, after receiving his preliminary
education in the public schools, attended
college for the purpose of pursuing a
course of study in medicine, and on re-
ceiving his degree began practice in Os-
kaloosa, Iowa, having decided that the
West offered superior opi)ortunities for
advancement. Later he entered the
newspaper field, becoming the publisher
of the Oskaloosa Herald, and in this new
venture he displayed decided talent, and
met w ith very gratifying success. .\t the
close of the Civil War he removed to
Burlington to accept an editorial position
with the Hawk-Eye, and here the highly
individual quality of his work brought
him enthusiastic recognition on the part
of the public throughout Iowa and sur-
rounding States. His daily contributions
to the editorial colunms were eagerly
awaited and widely discussed. He gave
much time and thought to matters of pol-
itics, and through his writings exercised
a marked iiillnence upon the ])ublic aflfairs
of the State, while his careful and forceful
editorials were a potent factor in shaping
the sentiment of the entire Middle West
with regard to national issues and ques-
tions of governmental policy. In recog-
nition iif his services, he was appointed,
in 1879, fourth auditor of the treasury de-
partment, and removed with his family
to the city of Washington, D. C, where
he continued to reside for a period of six
years. L'j)on returning to Burlington he
resumed his active interest in low'a pol-
itics, and for a number of vears served

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

561

as chairman of the Repuljlican State cen-
tral committee. Previously Des Moines
county had chosen him as her represent-
ative in the State Senate of Iowa, and
during his senatorial term, besides influenc-
ing needed legislation in the interest of
his constituency, he acquired a variety of
experience in statecraft which rendered
his services peculiarly valuable as State
chairman of his party's committee; and
it may be said with truth that to him was
due in large measure the continued su-
premacy of the Republican party in Iowa.
After serving a term as oil inspector, by
appointment of Governor Larrabee, he
retired, devoting his remaining years to
literature and the work of the church, he
being a prominent member of the Con-
gregational church, of Burlington, and
serving for a number of years as superin-
tendent of its Sunday-school. His death
occurred in December, 1896, in the si.xty-
sixth year of his age, the date of his birth
having been 1830. He was rich in the
friendship and esteem of many of the
leading men of his time, and the regret
for his passing was universal.

Airs. Charles Beardsley, mother of
Simeon Beardsley, was, like her husband,
born and reared on an Ohio farm. After
attaining to years of womanhood she
came to Iowa, locating at Oskaloosa, and
it was while singing in the choir of a
church at that place that she learned the
identity of the tall and handsome young
man in the audience who afterward be-
came her husband. She is now residing
on a farm near Clarks, Nebr. All her
children are living, except one, a daugh-
ter, ]\Iay, who died in infancy ; Florence
was married in i8go to Edward M. Neal-
ley, of Burlington, a well-known student

of sociology, and resides with her hus-
band near Santa Ana, Cal. ; Charles, a
gra<luate of Harvard, for some years an
instructor of economics in his alma mater,
and now living with his mother ; George,
at one time instructor in English litera-
ture at the Indiana State University at
Bloomington, also makes his home with
his mother at the present time ; Simeon,
fourth child of Dr. and Mrs. Beardsley,
and the subject of this review; John, a
graduate of the State University of Iowa,
and while in attendance at that institu-
tion, met Miss Anna Wyman, whom he
subsequently married, and with their two
small sons now resides at Upland, Cal.

Mr. Beardsley, whose name forms the
caption of the present article, was united
in marriage on Thanksgiving day, 1904,
to Mrs. Catherine (Dailey) Seward, of
Burlington, and they have a pleasant
home at Danville. Mr. Beardsley has
been for some years the editor and pub-
lisher of the Danville Nezcs, which he pur-
chased in January, i8g8, from the firm
of M. A. Kirkpatrick & Son. Since that
date, with the exception of two brief
periods during which the business was
leased, first in 1903, to Mr. W. C. Moore,
and in 1904 to Mr. Roy Speelman, he has
conducted the enterprise with the aim of
issuing a presentable country weekly.

SAMUEL ELDER EDGAR.

Samuel Elder Edg.\r. well known
as a leading stock-raiser of Yellow
Springs, township, making a specialty of
the breeding of pure-blooded .Angus cat-
tle, was born Jan. 22. 1863, in the town-

562

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ship where lie still resides, his parents
being David and Martha (Mcllhinney)
Edgar.

No event of special importance oc-
curred to vary the routine of farm life
for him in his youth. He was educated
in the district schools of Des Moines and
Henry counties, therein mastering the
common branches of English learning.
During the summer months he worked in
the fields, taking his ])!ace behind the
plow al an early age.

He has always followed farming, with
the exception of about ten years, when
he took contracts for digging ditches,
making many such waterways in Yellow
Springs and Washington townships. In
later years, however, his attention has
been more closely confined to his farm-
ing operations, and he has met with grat-
ifying success in this w-ay.

In lyoi he ])urchased from R. Huston
the farm of one hundred and tifty and a
half acres, in Yellow Springs township,
on which he is now living. He devotes
his time and energies to the further cul-
tivation of the fulds. and to the raising of
stock. In the latter branch of his busi-
ness he is particularly successful, and is
now raising pure-bred Angus cattle, hav-
ing a herd of al)out fifty head. He also
raises about sc\xiity luad nf Poland
China hogs.

Dec. 9, 1886, our subject married Miss
Ella J. Wilson, a daughter of Sampson
and Ellen (Reynolds) Wilson. • Mrs.
Edgar was born at Newburg-on-the-
Hudson, N. Y., Nov. 3, 1863. and in 1867
was brought by her parents to this coun-
ty, the family home being established in
Washington township. The father con-
tinued to carry on farming for many

years, and died July 26, 1899, at the age
of eighty years, his birth having occurred
Feb. 5, 1819. His remains were interred
in the Sharon churchyard. His widow
still survives him, and is now living in
Morning Sun.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar has
been blessed with two sons: Lloyd Mc-
Ilhinney, born March 9, 1894; and Edgar
Wilson, born Aug. 31, i(;oo.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar hold membership
ill the Reformed Presbyterian church,
and have a wide circle of friends in this
count)', where Mr. Edgar has spent his
entire life, and where his wife has lived
from her early girlhood days.

JOHN P. SWYGARD.

John 1'. Swygard, one of the pros-
perous merchants of Mediapolis, and who
has held several of this city's offices of
trust with credit and favor, is a native of
Iowa, having been born in Louisa county,
May 13, 1862. His parents were honest
and industrious farmers of the county in
which our subject was born, and being
farmers of only moderate means they
could give their son but a common-school
education for a limited time, as they
needed his help on the farm as soon as
he was old enough to plow and feed the
stock. John remained with his father on
the farm till he was a man of twenty-one
years, when he went to Mediapolis and
began to karn the harness-making busi-
ness. He worked at this trade for about
two years with John Laubscher, and then
accepted a position in the general store
of Parrolt iv Inilnicr, which firm was

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I'd

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

565

known later as that of C. H. Parrett.
Here he remained for ten years, becom-
ing well acquainted with all departments
of the store, making a record as a No. i
salesman, and winning the good-will of
hundreds of the daily customers of this
great store.

In 1894 Mr. Swygard bought out the
interest of Mr. Morehead in the grocery
located in the Tuttle building, known as
the grocery of J. D. Clement & Company.
At the end of four years Mr. Swygard
bought out Mr. Clement, and formed a
partnership with his brother, James Ed-
ward. They conducted a good grocery
together with much profit and success
till March i, 1904, when Oscar Henry
Walker became a member of the firm ;
and in connection with their large gro-
cery they added a new department which
was filled with gents' furnishing goods,
carrying about $20,000 worth of stock.
Their business grew right along, their
trade extending over a large part of this
section of the county. In September,
1904, they again enlarged their place of
business, and changed it to a general
store, carrying only lirst-class goods, and
it is known everywhere as one of relia-
bility. It is one of the largest stores in
Mediapolis, and one of which both pro-
prietors and citizens are justly proud.

Fraternally, ]\Ir. Swygard is an hon-
ored member of Garner Lodge, No. 379,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in
which he has held all the high offices ; also
a member of Lodge No. 226, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons. He is a strong
Republican, and has served his party as
town councilman and as a member of the
school board. He is now serving as
treasurer of the cemetery association.

The marriage of Mr. Swygard, which
occurred Jan. 4, 1888, united him with
Miss Lillie Jenora Cassing. She is the
daughter of John Henry and Sarah Ellen
(Cook) Cassing. By this union three
children have been born: Jessie Elma;
Frederick Stanley, who died Dec. 12,
1896, aged five years ; and Chalmer Alli-
son, whose death occurred Dec. 20, 1897,
at the age of two years.

In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Swy-
gard are members of the Methodist
church, where they attend regularly, and
where he has been an honored trustee for
several years.

In summing up the record of Mr. Swy-
gard, we find that he has always been a
man of honest, upright principles and
great activity, one who has always been
true to his friends and ever loyal in the
discharge of both private and public
duties. His fortune has been built upon
strong moral principles and unswerving
integrity, and it is for these qualities that
he is honored among his fellow-men.

PAUL H. SCHAEFER, M. D.

Dr. Paul H. Schaefer, who is engaged
in the general practice of medicine, sur-
gery, miscroscopy, and electro-therapeutics,
and who though a member of the profession
for only three years, has already gained a
patronage which many an older physician
might well envy, was born in Burlington,
July 19, 1879. His father, William
Schaefer, is a native of Germany, and came
to the United States when about twelve
years of age, since which time he has been
a resident of this citv. He learned the

s66

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAIFJV

hardware business in early life, and later
was associated with William Erb, under the
finn name of Erb & Schaefer, in the con-
duct of a hardware store un Main Street.
He possesses the musical talent so charac-
teristic of his nationality, has engaged in
teaching music to some extent, and for a
number of years was a member of Fischer's
Band, playing the I'Vencli horn. For the
past ten years he has been connected with
the music house of deneral James A. (niest.
being at the liead of the tuning and finishing
department, a position for which he is
splendidly qualified. I le niarrieil Augusta
Krekel, who was born in l^)uisiana, of
German parentage, their wedding being
celebrated in P>urlington. They became the
parents of three children: Paul 11.; Will-
iam, who is employed in the piano factory
of James :\. (juest: and .Minnie, the wife
of Frank Foehlinger, a photographer of
Burlington. Mr. Schaefer is a member of
the Odd I'\'llows Lodge, and both he and
his wife are connected with the Rebckali
Cha])tiT, ill- is well kiiiiwn and iiitluciitial
in German-.\merican circles, and in the
business and musical world. He and his
family are members of the Lutheran church.
.\t the usu;d age Dr. Schaefer entered the
public schools, and advanced through suc-
cessive grades, until he had completed the
high-school course by graduation with the
class of 1898. Wishing to engage in the
practice of medicine as a life work, he
matriculated in the meilical department of
the State University, at Iowa City, and later
continued his studies in the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, at Chicago, being
graduated with the class of ujo2. He
afterward received a hospital appointment
in the Brainard polyclinic at Chicago, and
sub?ec|uently came direct to Burlington.

where lie opened an office in October, 1902.
He has practiced here continuously since,
with a constantly growing patronage, and
has already attained creditable and grati-
fying success. He engages in the general
l>ractice of medicine, surgery, microscopy,
and electro-therapeutics, and has a fine
microscope and also an X-ray machine.
He is examining physician for the Mer-
chants' Life .Association, the I'.rotherhood
of Locomotive I'iremen, the .\ncient Order
of United Workmen, the Woodmen of the
World, the Degree of Honor, the Wood-
men's Circle, and the .Mudirn .N'ational
Reserve, and is now cnimty physician.

Dr. Schaefer belongs to various fraternal
organizations, including Malta Lodge. Xo.
318, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons;
Dcs Moines Cha])ter. Xo. 1, Royal .Arch
.Masons: the Woodmen of the World.
Ancient ( )rder of United Workmen, and
the .Modern Xational Reserve, while in the
line of his jjrofession he is comiected with
the Des .Moines County .Medical .Society.
He exercises his right of franchise in sup-
port of the men and measures of the
Republican party, is active in its work, and
iluring the last two campaigns served as
ward comitteeman of the west precinct of
the seventh ward. He belongs to Bethany
Lutheran church, and is esteemed for the
(|ualities of an ujjright manhood as well as
for his professional skill, which has already
won for him notable success, and will lead
to still greater advancement in the future.

JOHN H. BRANDT.

A w 1.1. 1. -KNOW N citizen and resident of
Augusta. Des Moines county, Iowa, is Johr»
11, Brandt, whose connection with the ma-

DES MOIXES COUXTV, lOlVA.

567

terial prosperity of the village is important.
A native of Germany, he was born near
Hanover on Dec. 14, 1837, and came to
America in 1859, landing at New York,
where he remained for about nine months,
and whence he came to Iowa in the spring
of i860. His father died when he was but
seven years of age, but his mother came to
America, and her death occurred fifteen
years ago at Fort Madison, Iowa.

On his removal to Iowa in i860, Mr.
Brandt located at Fort Madison, making
that his place of residence until 1875, during
which time he was variously employed, first
as a laborer and later as guard and teamster
at the State penitentiary in that city. In
January, 1864, however, he enlisted for the
service of his adopted country in Company
C, First Iowa Cavalry, with which he went
to the front to take part in the Civil War.
His term of service lasted over two years,
and he was finally mustered but of the army
in the spring of 1866, at Austin, Texas.
He participated in a number of skirmishes,
and was called upon for the performance of
nuich arduous duty. For his loyalty he now
receives a pension of twelve dollars monthly.

At the close of the war Mr. F.randt re-
turned to Fort Madison, and in 1875 re-
moved to a farm in that county, engaging in
the practical work of farming for some
years. He later changed his place of resi-
dence to Denmark, Lee county, and after
engaging in farming there for a number of
years, he purchased property in Augusta
township, Des Moines county. He bought
some town lots, and now owns three and
one-half blocks in the village of Augusta,
also a number of houses, which he rents.
In 1862 he married Miss Rose Diedrick,
who was born in Ohio, and came to this
State when quite young. She is now de-

ceased, her death having occurred March 7,
1902, at the age of sixty-two years, and her
passing was a matter of heartfelt regret, for
she was a woman of beautiful character,
while her example and encouragement are
missed in religious work, she having been
a member of the Christian church. She
was the mother of three daughters, as fol-
lows : Lydia, who is now deceased, and was
the wife of John Blackman, of South Da-
kota ; Alonzella. who is the wife of James
Edwards, a teamster of Burlington, and has
four children, John, Tennis, Nellie, and
Margaret : and Flora, who is the wife of
James Jackson, a railroad section foreman,
of Burlington, and has had two children,
;\Iona, who died at the age of twelve years,
and Clare.

In his political affiliation a member of
the Republican party, Mr. Brandt has ever
loyally supported that organization, but has
not himself asked for the honors of office.
His one fraternal connection is with the
Grand Army of the Republic, and in his
religious relations he is identified with the
Lutheran church. He has ample cause to
regard with complacency his present posi-
tion in die world, for when he arrived in
the country his entire worldly possessions
consisted of five dollars in monev. From
this humble beginning he has risen bv his
own merit, and so well has he performed
his part that he now finds himself sur-
rounded by the comforts and many of the
luxuries of life.

JOSEPH KNAPP.

Joseph Knatp, son of Earnhardt Knapp,
was born in Baden, Geriuany, Sept. 11,
1850, and there began his education in the

568

BIOGRAPHICAL REV I Ell'

public sc1kx)1s. Wlii-n only a boy he be-
came an orphan by the death of his father
and mother, and at an early age began to
depend upon his own efforts to advance
himself in the world, to secure a livelihood
and to equip himself with an education.
His father and an elder brother were black-
smiths by trade, and with them he worked
until his father's death and the entrance of
liis brother into the German army. At the
age of seventeen years he decided to seek
his fortune in America, and crossing the
Atlantic he came to the West, and located
in Burlington, Iowa. Here he completed
his education, attending the public schools,
and was for a time in the employ of the
blacksmithing and carriage-making firm of
Goerling & Buhrmaster, with whom he re-
mained four years. He also worked in
Kingston and Oskaloosa about two years,
and was for a time in St. Louis, and on his
return to this city re-engaged with his for-
mer em|)loyers. In 187A, however, he was
able to establish a business of his own, and
this he did, taking u]) his present location
at 1424 North Eighth Street. He does here
all kinds of blacksmithing. repairing, and
wagon-making, and it; in addition an expe-
rienced shoer of fine horses, although he
does not make a specialty of this work, but
accepts all that is offered. He has been
very successful in his business, and has by
industry, honesty, and courtesy built up a
large ])atronage.

On Jan. 27, 1880, Mr. Knapp married
Miss Emma Kru.se, and to them have been
born six children : Louis, Charles, Hattie,
Joseph, Emma, and Clarence. Mr. Knapp
was reared in the Catholic faith, but does
not at the pre.sent time adhere to any relig-
ious denomination. .Although a member
of the Democratic party, he gives his atten-

tion principally to his business interests,
and has never taken a part in politics, con-
tenting himself with casting his vote in
favor of good government.

JACOB ARNOLD.

J.\cou Arxou), one of the early settlers
of Des Moines county, and a highly respect-
ed citizen of Franklin township, residing on
his farm of one hundred acres in Section 18,
is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having
occurred in Luzerne county, Jan. 26, 1834.
He remained in the State of his nativity
until twenty-two years of age, and acquired
his education in tlu- public schools there,
while upon the home farm he performed
various kinds of labor, thus materially as-
sisting his father. His parents, Abraham
and Elizabeth (Schliker) Arnold, were also
natives of Pennsylvania, where the father
engaged in farming all his life, thus becom-
ing a representative of agricultural interests
in Luzerne county. He died Jan. 24, 1879,
at the age of eighty-six years, five months,
and ten days, and his wife ]iassed away
April 4, 1885. at the age of seventy-five
years, seven months, and eighteen days.
Their remains rest side by side in a cemetery
in Luzerne coimty. They were both loyal
and devoted members of the Methodist
church, in which Mr. .Arnold served for
some time as steward, and his political alle-
giance was given to the Republican party.

Jacob .\rnold is the only member of his
father's family that came to Iowa. When
twenty-two years of age he left the old
homestead in the Kevstone State, and
started out on his own account. Coming to
Iowa, he settled in Franklin township, Des

DES MOIXES COUXTV, IOWA.

569

Moines county, where he remained for a
year, and then returned to Pennsylvania,
where he resided until May, 1859. At that
date he took up his abode in Lawrence
county, Illinois, where he was engaged in
general farming until August, 1862, when
he put aside business and personal consider-
ations and offered his services to the govern-
ment, enlisting as a member of Company I,
One Hundred and Thirtieth lUinois In-
fantry, with which he served until the close
of the war. He took part in many of the
prominent battles, and was at the siege of
Vicksburg. In April, 1864, he was captured
at Mansfield, and was held as a prisoner of
war until the close of hostilities, being in-
carcerated at Tyler, Texas. When the war
was over, he was honorably discharged,
being mustered out at Springfield, 111., in
June, 1865. He was often where the leaden
hail fell thickest, and again was stationed
on the lonely picket line ; but wherever he
was found, he was loyal to the cause which
he had espoused.

At the close of his military service Mr.
Arnold came again to Iowa, and purchased
forty acres of land in Franklin township,
constituting the nucleus of his present home
place. He cleared the timber and made a
home for himself and family, and here he has
lived continuously ever since, devoting his
attention to general agricultural pursuits,
and to some extent following stock-raising.
The years as the}- have passed have brought
him prosperity in return for his untiring
labor, and he added to his home place until
he now owns one hundred acres of produc-
tive and valuable land, nearly all of which
is under cultivation.

Mr. Arnold was married in March, 1856,
to ]Miss Ellen \'andemark, a daughter of
Elijah and Margaret (Bellis) \'andemark.

Her father came to this State from Luzerne
county, Pennsylvania, in 1859, settling in
Franklin township, where he devoted his
energies to farm work. • Purchasing land
from time to time as his financial resources
permitted, he was at his death the owner of
over two hundred acres. His birth had oc-
curred in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, and
he passed away in Franklin township, after
a successful and prosperous life. His wife,
also a native of Luzerne county, died in
Franklin township at an advanced age, and,
like her husband, was held in warm regard
by all who knew her. ?\Irs. Arnold, like-
wise a native of Luzerne county, pursued
her education in the schools there, and
came with her parents to this State.

Unto our subject and his wife were bom
eleven children, and with one exception all
were natives of Des Moines county: Elijah,
a farmer residing in Oklahoma, married
Effie Smith, of this county, and has five chil-
dren. Bertha, Ira and Irene (twins), x\rthur,
and Elijah ; Abraham, born in Illinois,
and now residing in Burlington, married
Amelia Strothman, by whom he has five
children, Jesse, Clara. Lewis. Herbert, and
Rollin : Sarah Arnold, wife of Scott Gulich,
a farmer who owns and operates sixty acres
in Franklin township, and they have two
children, Loren and Arnold ; Laura, wife of
Phineas Landrum, of Pleasant Grove town-
ship, and has one child. Myrtle ; Clara, the
wife of Herman Rasmus, of Mediapolis,
and has four children, Esta, Fern, Earl, and
Sarah ; Hattie, the widow of Edward
Thomas, and resides upon her father's farm ;
John, the owner of a farm of sixty acres in
Franklin township, married ^laggie Smith ;
Dolly, resides in Mediapolis ; Jacob, living
on the home farm; Mary, became the wife
of Charles Olcott, and died at the age of

570

BIOGRAPHICAL Rlil'lEW

twciity-ninc years; .-iii'l '<m- tliat died in
infancy.

Mr. .\riiold and his wife are members of
tile .\letlii)dist I%|)iso>))al duirdi. and have
taken a lielpful interest in its work. In
I)olitics lie has been an earnest Republican
since casting liis first vote for Jolin C. Fre-
mont. He lias lickl the office of trustee of
I'ranklin townshi]) for one term, and, deeply
interested in school matters, has done effect-
ive service locally for the cause of education,
serving as secretary of the board, and as a
school director for a (|uarter of a century.
His efficient service, his military record,
his business career, and his private life all
entitle him to the warm regard and esteem
of many friends, and have made his life
worthy of emulation in many respects.

CYRUS GREEN.

O.NK of the early settlers of I)es .Moines
county, and one wlm has been honored
with many offices within the gift of the
people, and has served with great ability,
and is now s])eiidiiig the evening of
his active life at his pleasant home in
Washington township, is Cyrus (ireen.
He is a son of Thomas and Sarah
(Marsh) (ireen. and was born in Mus-
kingum county. Ohio. Jan. 2j. 1825. The
father was a farmer, and died in Ohio;
and later the mother came to Iowa, but
did not live long afterward. Our subject
received his early education in his birth-
place, and remained on his father's farm
till lu' w.is t weiity-tliree years of age.
which was a great lielj) to his father.
About this time he went to Perry county,
Ohio, and purchased a farm of one hun-

tlred and twenty acres, where he was act-
ively engaged in general farming for four
years. In 1852 he moved to Iowa, and
located fir.st near C"airo, Louisa couuty.
where he rented a farm and farmed it for
two years, and then took up a residence
on a |)lace near Morning Sun, Iowa,
where he met with much success as a
farmer, and which he calletl home for two
years, llis ne.xt move was to come tf)
Washington townshi]). l)es Moines coun-
ty, where he ])iirchased his jiresent farm
of eighty acres in Section 3, upon which
he has li\ed ever since. .Vot a spade had
been ])ut into this land when he bought
it, and it i)resented a very wild aii<l rough
ap])earance : but .Mr. (Ireen set about at
once to bring it under cultivation, and
though he had much of it to do by him-
self, still to-day his land is of the best,
.ind all cultivated, and yielding golden
harvests each year. .Mr. ( 'ireen has a nice
and comfortable house, a gooil barn, and
several substantial buildings for stock and
grain, ami uses all of the modern farm
machinery.

.Mr. (ireen has been a Republican all of
his life, and has held the office of super-
visoi for the last fifteen years. He has
ever taken much interest in eclucational
matters, and has represented the tow'n-
shi|) as school director and secretary of
the board for many years. He has al.so
manifested a great deal of interest in re-
ligious matters, and is a member of the
Presbyterian cluirch. where he has been
trustee for some time.

When Mr. (ireen was about twenty-
four years of age he was married to .Miss
Mary Fickle, who was born in I'erry
county, Ohio, and died when twenty-four
years old, leaving five children, four of

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

571

whom are now living: Lucretia, married been blessed with two children, Joseph

Anderson Jarvis, resides in Kansas, and and Zella ; Nellie, the wife of Frank Grow,

has a large family of children; George who lives in Nebraska; May, resides at

W., a farmer, near ^lartinsburg, married home; Grant, of Washington township.

Miss Emma Brockway, now deceased, married Miss Martha Helt, and by this

leaving one unnamed child, who died soon union four children have come to them :

after its mother. He married for his sec- Fern, Eveline, Donald, and E|elbert ; Fred-

ond wife Miss Alice Miller, and they have
five children: Mary, Leonard, Myrl, Jes-
sie, and .\nna ; John, also a farmer in
Washington township, married Miss

erick and Hosea, both of whom died in
infancy; Martha F., the wife of David
McCahan, a farmer in Louisa county;
Blanche, married Albert Grow, a farmer

Mary Bashford, and they are the parents residing in Nebraska; Jessie, at home

of six children : Martha, Nellie. Lena, with her parents.

Clara, Acil, and Howard; -Millard, resides Mr. Green has witnessed many changes

on a farm in \\'ashington township, mar- of all kinds during his residence of over

ried Miss Clara Bozarth, and they have forty-five years in Des Moines county,

two children. Ivy and Harry: Benjamin W'hat was timber-land fifty years ago, or

F., died in infancy. in many cases hills and hollows, are now

Mr. Green's second wife was Miss May built up into cities and villages, which are

Jane Tatman, who was born in Mary- supplied with all the modern conveni-

land, and came to Perry county. Ohio, ences which tend to lessen man's labors,

when quite young, and who became the Mr. Green is certainly a self-made man,

mother ct two children, Mary and :\Iar- and though he has met difficulties and

tha, both of whom died in infancy. Mr. obstacles in his path, he has overcome

Green was called upon to mourn the these by determined purpose and resolute

death of his second wife, and in the course will, steadily working his way upward,

of time, married for his third wife Mrs. and commanding the respect and admira-

Arminda Brown, widow of David Brown, tion of his fellow-men by reason of his

Mrs. Brown had two children, Perley B., honorable life and unfaltering course,
editor and proprietor of the Harlan Re-

publican, resides in Harlan, Iowa, mar-

ried Miss Eva Dougherty, and they are
the parents of six children : Leah. Har-
old, Edna, Bessie, David, and Margaret;
Mary married Frank O'Kell. a farmer in
Washington townshi]), ami has one
daughter, Bertha.

By the marriage of Mr. Green and Mrs.

ROBERT A. McELHINNEY.

An esteemed and honored resident of
Washington township, Des Moines county,
is Robert A. McFlhinney. who was torn in
the city of Philadelphia. Pa., Feb. 12, 1840.
Brown, nine children have been born. His parents, Samuel and .Vnn (Elder) Mc-
seven of whom are living: James L., a Elhinney, were both born in Ireland, and
farmer, living in \\'ashington township, came to America in earlv pioneer times,
married Miss Rosa Stoner. and they have settling in Philadelphia, where Mr. McEl-

572

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

hinncy was engaged for a number of years
in the buying and selling of stock. In 1840
they came to Iowa, and located in Louisa
county, where they remained for a few years
anil then removed to Des Moines county,
purchasing a farm in Yellow Springs town-
ship, upon which he was actively engaged
in farming and stock-raising till his death,
wliicii occurred when he was seventy-three
years old. He was a member and elder in
the Reformed Presbyterian church. In pol-
itics he gave his vote and hearty support to
the Republican party. The devoted mother
of our subject died a few years before her
husband. They were the parents of eleven
children, six of whom are still living.

Robert McElhinney, subject of this re-
view, received his early education in the
common schools of Yellow Springs town-
ship and in the district schools of Louisa
county, Iowa. He assisted upon the home
farm till he was twenty-one years old, when
he moved to a farm of one hundred and
sixty-three and one-half acres on .Section
12, given to him by his father, and which
is located in \\ashington township. Here
he has lived ever since, having made all of
the many improvements on the jjlace, build-
ing a good and substantial building for a
residence, and other necessary outbuildings
for the protection of stock and grain.

He is a progressive and successful farmer
and stock-raiser, and has his fami well under
cultivation, using all modem machinery and
implements. Since coming to tliis township
he has seen a great many changes for the
betterment of the county, and he certainly
deserves credit for always being ready and
willing to assist and do his full share in any
undiTlaking that would bring abrmt a condi-
tion that would in any way tend to improve
the township.

On Feb. 12, 1861, Mr. McElhinney was
twenty-one years of age, and celebrated
the day by being united in marriage to
Miss Margaret Jane McClurkin, who was
a daughter of Matthew McClurkin. who
settled in Louisa county at an early day, and
died on the road to California during the
gold excitement. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mc-
Elhinney ten children were born, eight of
whom are living : William J., a farmer of
Louisa county, Iowa, married Lizzie Cham-
bers, and they have one child, W'illetta ;
Samuel P., a farmer residing in Washington
township, married Miss Mary Chambers,
and they are the parents of three children,
Elbcrn, Clyde, and Isabelle ; Annie, wife of
Thomas Robb, a farmer of Yellow Springs
township, and the mother of one child,
Mary Margaret ; Ella May, married J. M.
McCloy, a farmer of Colorado; Margaret,
at home; Mathew, lives in Minnesota; Rob-
ert W., at home ; Winnie L., a teacher in the
public schools in \''ellow Springs township,
at home. All of their children were born
in Washington township, and two died
there.

The beloved wife and mother of this
large family passed away at the home place,
Feb. 25, 1899. She was a consistent member
of the Covenanter church, where her hus-
band still holds membership. Mr. McEl-
hinney was reared in the Republican faith,
and in early manhood .shared his father's
political opinions, but never was an aspirant
for public office. He has lived a just and
helpful life, the position which he now holds
in the esteem of his fellow-citizens being the
result of faithfulness in every duty which
has become his as a resident of the com-
nnmity. We take great i)leasure in being
able to ])lace before the public the life his-
tory of so prominent a man.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

573

JOSEPH H. BARTON.

There is no name in Washington town-
ship more highly respected or one more
famiUar to tlie community than the one
which heads this review. Mr. Joseph H.
Barton has been identified with Des Moines
county for sixty years, and has always been
enterprising and active in all movements
that would in any way improve the county ;
and a review of this county would certainly
be incomplete without his record. He was
born in Franklin township, Des Moines
county, jNIarch 31, 1845, and is a son of
Henry and Nancy Elizabeth (Wyatt) Bar-
ton.

His father, who was born in Cheshire,
England, came to America about 1840, and
settled in Iowa, where he soon purchased a
farm of one hundred acres of wild timber
land in Franklin township, Des Moines
county. He at once began to clear the place,
and built a log house and log barn, living
in the former for many years in real pioneer
style. From time to time, as success came
to Mr. Barton, he added more to his farm,
till he had a beautiful place of four hun-
dred acres. He later erected a large and
substantial brick dwelling, which is still
standing on the farm. He was a man who
could manage his work with the best of
results, was careful in all things, and his
hard and untiring labor connected with gen-
eral farming was rewarded with success.

Mr. Barton was not spared to really enjoy
the fruit of his work and early hardships,
for in 1856, while erecting his new home,
he took sick, and entered into his eternal rest
when about fifty-five years of age. A man
of his day in all things, and of rare ability,
he was sadly missed in the community, but
years may come and go, and still his name

will be written indelibly in the minds and
hearts of the coming generation as one who
assisted to make the county prosperous.

Mrs. Barton was also a native of England,
where her marriage occurred. She came to
America with her husband, and performed
well all the many duties that fell to a wife
and mother in those early days. She was a
noble Christian woman, and took much
pleasure in active church work in the Meth-
odist church, of which she was long a
faithful member. She laid down the bur-
dens of this life in 1885, at the old home
place, and rests by the side of her husband
in the cemetery at Franklin JNlills. Mr. and
Mrs. Barton were the parents of nine chil-
dren, of whom six are living.

Our subject obtained his education in the
common schools of Franklin township, and
as his father passed away when he was only
nine years of age, the care of his mother and
the mana'gement of the farm devolved upon
him as soon as he was old enough. He re-
mained on the home place, engaged in gen-
eral farming and stock-raising, till seventeen
years of age, when he went to Washington
township and purchased one hundred and
sixty acres of land, upon which he erected a
large two-story frame dwelling, a modern
barn, and several other buildings for his
stock and grain. He is a prosperous farmer,
and an extensive feeder and shipper.

About six years ago he bought the ele-
vator at Roscoe and enlarged it, more than
doubling its capacity, and has since been
very successful in the grain business. In
addition to these various enterprises, Mr.
Barton owns two thirds of the Roscoe store,
which is now managed by his son, C. H.
Barton. He was also one of the organizers
of the Citizens' State Bank, of Mediapolis,
Iowa, and has been the vice-president ever

574

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

since. He still owns forty acres of the old
home farm in l-'ranklin townshij).

Oct. 24, 1867. .Mr. i'arton married Miss
X'erlina Griffith. She is a daii}j<iter of
James Griffith, and was born in I'lint River
township, where her father was an early
settler, living on one farm there for over
sixty years, a fact we think can not Ix-
e(|iialed in the county. .Mr. Griffith died in
Flint River township in 1903, aged seventy-
nine years. He was a man possessing high
moral principles, and was respected by all.

Mrs. Barton received her education in the
schools of Irt iKili\e townshi]). where she
grew to womanliiMid and was married. She
is a devoted member of the Methodist
church. As the years have jiassed, Mr. and
Mrs. Barton have had eight children added
to the household, of whom seven are liv-
ing: James Henry, is a farmer residing in
\\'a.shington townslii]). lie married Miss
I 'earl Cline. a daughter of Henry Clinc, an<I
they have three children living, Raymond,
Ruth, and lUirreil Joseph. Kathcrine is the
wife of Jiiliii W . Tlioiiias. who lives near
Roscoe, Washington township, and they
have four children, Kverett, Blanche, \'era,
and Cecil. Julia is at home, l^dward J.,
married Nellie Ermina Knke, a daughter of
James Enke. They live in \\'ashington
township, and have two children, James
Allis, and Lois Pearl. Charles married Miss
Lulu Kurtz, daughter of Charles Kurtz,
who is a farmer of Washington town-
ship. They have one child. Surrell. and live
at Roscoe, where Mr. I'larton i> manager of
the general supply store, and also express
agent and station agent for the Burlington
Railroad Com])any. Lulu and Mark are at
home. Nellie died when four years of age.
The children were all born in I'ranklin
township, where also they were educated.

Mr. Barton belongs to that class of UR-n
whose enterprising spirit is used not alone
for their own benefit. He has not only ad-
vanced tlie general g(X)d and ])romoted pub-
lic ])ro.s])erity, but has ably managed indi-
vi<lual interests, and all who know him
have the highest admiration for his good
c|ualities of heart and mind.

AUGUSTUS B. H. FORKEL.

.XriilSTlS BlCKNIl.SKT llKNK'i I'oKKEL.

now in his seventieth year, and numbered
among the oldest business men in the city
of Burlington. Iowa, was born July 16,
1835, in Coburg. Cierniany, a son of Chris-
tian and Elizabeth (I^mgut) Forkel, and
was educated in the common and high
schools of his native place, being graduated
from the latter at the early age of fourteen
vears. While a student in school he also
began learning the trade of harne.ss-making
and saddlery, in which he speedily perfected
himself after the conclusion of his studies.
He early went to X'ieima, traveled in Hun-
gary, and thence to Gerletz, Berlin, and dif-
ferent places. From Berlin he came to
.\merica in 1834, embarking June 1st in a
sailing vessel, as there were only two steam-
ships engaged in ocean passenger traffic at
that time, and landing on this side the M-
lantic, .September 13.

Before deciding upon a permanent loca-
tion in this country, .Mr. l-'orkel traveled a
great deal, visiting ilifferent cities, inclu-
ding Washington, Buffalo, Cincinnati, De-
troit, and in 1S56 came to Burlington, He
later, however, proceeded to Davenport,
where he lived for a time: but in 1863 re-
turned to Burlington, establishing himself

DES MOIiXES COUNTY, IOWA.

575

in business here in 1866. Continnousl}'
since that time he has been actively engaged
in business in Burlington, and now enjoys
the distinction of being one of the oldest
business men on Jefferson Street.

On April 26, 1866, he wedded Miss
Louisa Bercht, a daughter of Francis
Bercht. Mrs. Forkel is now deceased, her
death occurring at Mount Pleasant, Nov.
28, 187S. She was a woman of lovable and
admirable personality, well educated, having
been a student at the Ursaline College of St.
Lx)uis.

To the service of his adopted country Mr.
Forkel gave his best efforts during the time
of the war between the States, enlisting at
St. Louis on April 20, 1863, in Company F.
Nineteenth Missouri Militia, in which he
continued for two years, acting as Provost
Guard, doing hospital antl transportation
duty, caring for the wounded, transferring
prisoners, and doing whatever duty was re-
quired by the circumstances of those
troubled and terrible times.

At 6i8 Jefferson Street, Mr. Forkel
bandies all kinds of harness, saddles, and
everything pertaining to the business, be-
sides executing every species of repairs. All
bis work is done by hand, including a large
part of the manufacture of his regular stock
of goods, he making a specialty of hand-
made collars. In the latter class of work he
uses the Scotch method, and is the only
workman west of Chicago now making col-
lars entirely by hand and absolutely without
the aid of machinery.

Politically, Mr. Forkel is possessed of
very pronounced opinions, which he ex-
presses with convincing force, and in tlie
exercise of his duties as a citizen he acts
independently of all party organizations,
casting his vote in favor of whatever man

or measure best embodies his personal
views. He is a valued member of the
Knights of Honor, and has had the honor
of election to all the offices within the gift
of the Burlington Lodge. He was reared
in the faith of the Evangelical Lutheran
church, and although he has not maintained
that connection, he considers himself a mem-
ber of the great church of uijiversal human
brotherhood. He has enjoyed uniform suc-
cess in the conduct of his business, and as
one who has done his duty at all times as a
man and a citizen, has followed an u))right
course of life, and manifested the quality of
loyalty in friendship, his reputation is fair,
stainless, and honorable, and many speak
his praise.

JOHN LANE.

One of the prosperous farmers of Yel-
low Springs township, who began life as
a poor boy, with nothing but his energv
and willing hands to aid him, and who
has now acquired a comfortable home as
well as established a good reputation, is
John Lane. He is a son of John and Ann
( Chapman ) Lane, and was born in the
county of Norfolk, England. 'His father
was a man of very limited means, being
a farm laborer, and consequently the edu-
cation of our subject was very meager.
His mother died when he was only five
years old, and he has earned his own liv-
ing since he was but fifteen years of age.
At the age of fifteen he went to York-
shire, England, where he resided for
many years. He was also married in
\"orkshire, Jan. 20, 1866, to Miss Ann
Hutchcroft, a daughter of John and Mary
(Ripley). They have f^een blessed with

576

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

six cliildrcii : Julin George, lives north-
east of Winfield about six miles; William
James, resides in Yellow Springs town-
ship; Anna Elizabeth, the wife of D. W.
Hutchcroft, and lives one mile south of
Kossuth ; Charles Arthur, a resident of
Yellow Springs township ; Sarah Eliza,
married John Schmidt, and makes her
home in Pleasant Grove township ; and
Francis Chapman, lives and works the
home farm.

In the spring of 1808, when the oldest
child was just one year old, Mr. and Mrs.
Lane came to America by way of New
York, and at once proceeded to Burling-
ton, and later went to Kossuth. Here
Mr. Lane worked out f(jr two years, and
then for the next seventeen years lived
on rented farms. In 1892, through his
untiring efforts and great economy, as-
sisted very materially by his good help-
mate, he was able to buy his present farm
of one hundred and twciit\- acres in the

southwest corner of Section

He has

improved the farm greatly, and now has
most of it under cultivation. His pleas-
ant home is open and welcome to all, and
is probably one oi the best in the town-
ship. Mrs. Lane ])assed away in 1902 at
the age of si-\ty-five years. She was a
woman whose life was full of good deeds,
and one whom it was a pleasure to know,
and she was greatly beloved by all with
whom she came in contact.

Mr. Lane is an old member of the
Methodist church, which has received
much aid from his generous hand. He
has ever been a strong Re])ublican. and
at one time was school director in the
township. There is jinibably no man in
Des Moines county who has made more
progress in business than Mr. Lane. He

has struggled on and upward with a fixed
purpose, and now in the evening of life is
well deserving of rest and comfort. His
worldly possessions are not his only
treasures, as he has ever lived a moral,
conscientious life, has been a kind neigh-
bor, and a true friend, and it is with pleas-
ure we point to him as an example to the
young men among his acquaintance.

JACOB BUMGARDNER.

J.\coii BLrMGARPNKu, a representative
farmer of Des Moines county, living on
Section 8, I'nion town.ship, is a native of
Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in
Daujihin or Lebanon county, on the 24th
of July, 1838. His parents were John and
Anna (Kimport) Bumgardner, both of
whom are natives of Pennsylvania, and re-
moved to Cumberland county, that State,
(luring the early boyhood of their son Jacob.
.After about six years they came to Des
Moines county, Iowa, in 1849. ^^^ •* >''^'""
they lived in a brick house that is now
owned by Samuel Senti. but was then the
property of David Ernest. The father was
in such limited financial circumstances that
he could not even purchase a cow, though
one could have been bought at that time for
ten dollars. The family numbered ten chil-
dren, of whom Jacob is the second. The
journey westward had been made by the
canal from Cumberland county to Pittsburg,
thence by steamer to Burlington. The
father had been a teamster in Pennsylvania,
driving four and six horses, but hoping that
he might eventually become the owner of a
farm here, he turned his attention to agricul-
tural pursuits, renting a tract of land. His

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

579

wife died when their son Jacob was about
sixteen years of age, and in the early 'so's
the father went to California in search of
gold. He traveled eastward to New York,
and thence sailed for the Isthmus of
Panama. Crossing that narrow strip of
land, he afterward embarked on the Pacific
waters for San Francisco ; and when he
reached California, he made his way to the
mines. In that locality he engaged in team-
ing, and became the owner of mining inter-
ests. He had left his children in Union
township, and they remained together until
two of the daughters were married. The
home then being broken up. Mr. Bum-
gardner decided to do for himself as soon
as he became of age.

Not long after Jacob Bumgardner at-
tained his majority, he and his brother,
William H. H. Bumgardner, also went to
California, making the journey by way
of the Isthmus in i860. There they
worked in the mines until the fall of 1862,
when the brother joined a company of one
hundred who enlisted in the Union army-
They made the trip back to Boston to join
a regiment, and were all members of the
same company. They were known through-
out the war as the California Hundred.
William H. H. Bumgardner was in cavalry
service, and was wounded in Loudon county,
Mrginia, by Mosby's guerillas, his in-
juries terminating his life. In 1863 the
father died in California, being then about
fifty years of age, and his remains are in-
terred on Iowa Hill, in Placer county.

In 1864 Mr. Bumgardner returned by
way of the Isthmus, New York, and Canada
to his old home in Iowa. He had been here
only ten or fifteen days when his patriotic
spirit being aroused by the continued at-
tempt of the South to overthrow the Union,

he enlisted in Company F, Fort_\-fifth Iowa
\'olunteer Infantry for one hundred days,
and was sent to Wolf River, Tenn., to do
guard duty. On the expiration of his first
term of enlistment he was again enrolled as
a soldier, becoming a member of Company
C, Fifteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with
which command he was sent to Atlanta to
join Sherman. He participated in the cele-
brated march to the sea, and was with Sher-
man's army until after the grand review in
Washington, D. C, at the close of the war.
Returning to Des Moines county, he settled in
Union township, where he purchased land
in connection with his brother-in-law, A. S.
Perr\-. They continued business together
until Mr. Perry was elected sherifl: of the
county, when the land was divided.

On the 24th of August, 1865, Mr. Bum-
gardner was married in Union township to
Miss E. J. Perry, who was also a native of
Pennsylvania, and a daughter of John R.
and Jane (Estep) Perry. She was about
fifteen years of age when the family came to
Iowa, settling in Union township. She was
liberally educated, attending school in Bur-
lington for a couple of terms after comple-
ting the public-school course, and she was
a successful teacher in both Des Moines and
Lee counties prior to her marriage. Mr. and
Mrs. Bumgardner began their domestic life
upon a farm. He purchased sixty acres of
land, which he still owns, and to it he has
added from time to time, as his financial
resources have increased, until he now has
nearly three hundred and seventy-four acres.
This is divided into three farms, and his
property is so well improved that he receives
therefrom an excellent annual income.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Bumgardner
has been blessed with five children : William
H. H., the eldest, born in 1866, acquired a

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIFJV

lair i-diicaticiii, and iiiarriud Mlla < )rm. by
whom he lias one child. ( )nia. Their home
is in Union tmvnship. Carrie \'>. is the wife
of K. C. S. Miller, a resident near Mexico,
Mo., and they have seven children, Edith J.,
Ida E.. Lester |.. Ray E., Ruth, Lcona, and
Carl. Walter 1'.. livitig near Wapello, Lou-
isa county. Iowa, married Miss Mary Dell-
zell. and has one child. .Max C. : Elmer, who
operates the home farm, married Julia I kit.
and has one son. Millard. IJertha L is the
wife of Fred .\. Woodward, and has three
children, l-'llis and Willis (twins), and Flor-
ence. riKJr home is near .Agency. Iowa.

In his ])oIitical views .Mr. I'.umfjardner has
always been a stanch Republican, casting
his first presidential ballot for L'. S. Grant.
iu i8()S. lie has l)een interested in good
schools, the cause of education finding in him
a warm friend, his service's as a .school di-
rector several terms being especially helpful,
and has held the office of .secretary of the
board for twenty-five years. .Mways inter-
ested in his ])arty and its ujibuilding. he has
done what he could to advance its welfare,
and has served as a delegate to various con-
ventions. His wife became a member of
the Baptist church of liurlington prior to
her marriage, but .Mr. and Mrs. I'.umgardner
n<nv attend the Methodist E])iscoi>al church.
He belongs to Matttiies Post. (i. .\. R.. at
LUirlington. and in all matters of citizenship
he is as true to his country in days of peace
as when he followed the old flag on the
Southern battle-fields, \iewed from a busi-
ness standpoint, his life has certainly been a
successful one, and he enjoys the full confi-
dence of the business comnnmity. Starting
out for him.self em|)ty-hande(l. he possessed
the determination which enables one to over-
come difficulties and obstacles; and as years
advanced. In- lias so managed bis business

affairs that he is to-day one of the substan-
tial agriculturists of L'nion township.

JOHN F. KUHLENBECK.

joii.v I'. l\riiLENi!i-:cK. as one who in
the time ot national peril otTere<l his life as
a sacrifice for the salvation of the country
of his adoption, and through long suc-
ceeding years of peace has contributed to
her material and moral upbuilding, is en-
titled to a |)lace in any list of notable
citizens in this ])art of the West. .A na-
tive of (iermany. he w'as born near Han-
over, June 4. 1840. and resided at the
place of his birth until his fourteenth
year. At that early age he formed the
resolution Xo emigrate to America, and
embarking on a sailing vessel, started
alone, .\ftcr a voyage of more than thir-
teen weeks in duration he landed at .\'ew
Orleans, whence he immediately set out
for .St. Louis, Mo., taking the Mississip])i
Ki\er route. In that city he served an
apprenticeship of three \ears. learning
the trade of shoemaking. which he sub-
setpiently followed for fifteen years.
Thus he lost no time, hut ;it once entered
into uscfid eni])l(>ynunl, with the result
that he established himself on an inde-
|)eiident basis of sell-support in the New
World, and laid the foundation for a suc-
cessful career.

In iS^k:) Mr. Kuhlenheck came to Iowa,
locating in I'.urlington. l)es .Moines
county, where he engaged in the work
of his trade until August 14. 1862. on
which date he enlisted iu Company D,
Twenty-fifth Regiment Iowa Volunteer
Infantry, and went to the front to bear a
man's part in the great struggle for the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

preser\-ation of the L'nion. His was a
long, arduous, and trying service, for he
was engaged in twenty-four Ijattles, in-
cluding some of the most fiercely con-
tested conflicts of the war, besides par-
ticipating in the now famous historic
movement known as Sherman's march
to the sea. In one of the battles of this
march he received a bayonet wound, but
nevertheless managed to remain on duty
with his company. He received honor-
able discharge at the city of Washington
on June 6, 1865, and was there mustered
out of the military service, to which he
had tlevoted three years of his vigorous
young manhood. For his service at that
time a grateful government now tenders
him a modest pension.

At the close of the war .Mr. Kuhlen-
beck returned to I)es Moines county and
located in Pleasant Grove, purchasing a
lot of two acres and establishing his home
here. To his original ptirchase he added,
until his holdings aggregated twenty-
eight acres of fine farming land near the
village, and on this he conducted agricul-
tural operations and the usual amount of
stock-raising for some years, meeting
with excellent success from the first. In
1869 he erected a large and substantial
business building in the village of Pleas-
ant Grove, in which he established a gen-
eral store, carrying a thoroughly com-
plete stock, and by industry, tact, and
integrity building up a magnificent mon-
ument to his own abilities and character
in the shape of a great volume of busi-
ness. This enterprise he conducted
continuously for thirty-five years, when
he sold the business to his son. He still
resides, however, at his home in Pleasant
Grove.

At L(3uisiana, Mo., in 1859, Mr. Kuh-
lenbeck was tuiited in marriage to Miss
.Mary Lirewer, of that city, who was born
in (Germany, a daughter of Fred and Car-
oline lirewer, and came to America with
her parents when but a small child. The
father settled in Flint River township,
l)es Moines county, Iowa, where he was
a. farmer, following that occupation until
his death there at an advanced age. The
mother is also now deceased, and both
are buried in Flint River township. Mrs.
Kuhlenljeck has long been devoted to re-
ligious work, and is a member of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church. Dur-
ing their residence in Des Moines county,
there have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Ivuhlenbeck seven children, all of whom
are living, as follows: Jc^hn, now en-
gaged in managing his father's farm in
Pleasant Grove township, married Miss
Lydia Fleenor, daughter of Hiram Flee-
nor, and has two children. Ruby and
Fdna ; Henr\-, a farmer of Pleasant
Grove township, wdiere he owns a fine
farm of one hundred and three acres, mar-
ried Miss Annie I'lrich, and has four
sons, Frederick, Lawrence, Albert, and
()scar: Harty H., a resident of the vil-
lage of Pleasant Grove, where he owns
and operates a blacksmith shop, married
.Miss Alzora Stafiford, and has one son,
I""rederick ; Clara, married Ira Smith, and
has one daughter, \^illie ; Malinda, the
wife of Frederick Palmer, of Burlington,
and has one daughter, Lettie ; Frank, now
a rural mail-carrier, and residing at the
old home place, married Miss Delia Rose,
and they have one son, Hilton ; Jessie,
married David Thomas, a farmer of Ben-
ton township, Des Moines county, and
has two daughters. lulith and Roy.

582

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

P'raiik Kiihkiibeck, youngest son of
Mr. and Mrs. Kuhlenbcck, extended the
military record of the family at the time
of the Spanish-American War, first as a
member of the Sixth Battery, in which he
held the position of veterinary sergeant,
and he afterward enlisted for the Phil-
ippine service. He spent a year in the
islands, during which time his rank was
that of quartermaster-sergeant of the
Thirty-ninth Regiment, United States
Volunteers. He saw much active service,
participating in the battles of Calambo.
Lcapa, Tanavvan, and San Papilo, and
received honorable discharge Sept. 19,
1900, at San Francisco, Cal.

A lifelong Republican, Mr. Kuhlen-
bcck has never neglected his duty as a
citizen and as one having an interest in
all affairs touching the general welfare.
On the other hand, he has never sought
public office, although from a sense of
duty he has served for a number of years
in the capacity of supervisor of highway's.
He is a member of the I-uthcran church,
to whose work he contributes generously
of his ample means, and in his fraternal
relations is identified with Sheppard Post.
Grand .\rmy of the Republic, of Medi-
apolis.

WILLIAM ORR.

W'li.i.iAM Okr was born May 23, 1827,
in West Virginia, and died in August, 1896,
when in the seventieth year of his age. He
came to Des Moines county, Iowa, when
about twenty-six years of age, thus casting
in his lot with the early settlers whose
efiforts proved the foundation for the present
prosperity and upbuilding of the county.

He was a school-teacher by profession,
and for a number of years was thus engaged
in Morning Sun, Iowa. He was also pro-
prietor of a store in Morning Sun for a
time.

After a residence of ten years in this
county he was married to Miss Catherine
Logan, who was boni Aug. 20, 1840, and
whose death occurred Oct. 16, 1893.
Through his wife he later inherited two
hundred and twenty-five acres of land in
I-'raiiklin township, the parents of our sub-
ject having been pioneer settlers of Des
Moines county. The father died July 2,
1884, at the advanced age of seventy-seven
years, and his wife passed away in 1878 at
the age of seventj'-six years. They were
members of the Reformed Presbyterian
church, and were people of the highest
respectability, who enjoyed in full measure
the confidence and esteem of those with
whom they were associated. Mr. Orr
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits,
and remained a resident of Franklin town-
ship up to the time of his death. In all the
relations of life in which he was found he
was active, enterprising, and reliable.

fames Campbell Orr, who follows general
fanning and stock-raising in Yellow Springs
township, is a native of Iowa, being born
in Franklin township, Des Moines county,
March 27, 1867. He is a son of William
and Catherine (Logan) Orr. His father is
a native of West V^irginia, while his mother
claimed Pittsburg, Pa., as Ikt birthplace.
His father died at Mediapolis, Ohio, about
' 1896, and the latter passed away in Frank-
lin township, Oct. 25, 1894.

The public schools of Mr. Orr's native
township afforded him his early educational
privileges. His entire life has been devoted
to agricultural pursuits, for when he attained

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

583

his majority he determined to make his Hfe
work that to which he had been reared, and
to-day finds him located on the Armstrong
farm of one hundred acres in Yellow
Springs township, one quarter of a mile
from Mediapolis. His land is well drained,
so that the fields are rich and productive.
He also raises from thirty to forty head
of White Chester hogs annually. His enter-
prise and good business ability are mani-
fested in the fine appearance of this farm,
and in the success which has attended his
efforts since he attained his majority.

Mr. Orr was first married to Miss Jane
Logan, daughter of William Logan, by
whom he had one child, William, born Jan.
20, 1897. Mrs. Orr died Jan. 21, 1897, aged
thirty-four years. June 3, 1901, Mr. Orr
was united in mariage to Miss Clara Asmus-
sen, a daughter of Fred and Louisa (Ful-
mer) Asmussen. Mrs. Orr was born in
Franklin township, Sept. 14, 1878, and at-
tended the Diamond school of the same
township. Both her parents were born in
Germany, her mother being only two years
old when she came to America. Her par-
ents were married in Iowa, where they still
reside in Franklin township, her father car-
rying on his trade of painter and decorator.

Unto Mr. and INIrs. Orr two children have
been born : Frederic, born Aug. 7, 1902,
and died Aug. 27, 1903 ; and Louisa, born
June 19, 1903. Mr. Orr is a Republican in
his views, but is not an aspirant for office.
Mr. and Mrs. Orr are both well known in
the community where they make their home,
and count their friends by the score.

William John Orr, son of William and
Catherine (Logan) Orr, spent his boyhood
days as a farm lad, and obtained his educa-
tion in the district schools, gaining a good
knowledge of the common branches of

English learning. He has always preferred
to follow farming rather than other business
interests, and is now located on the Dr.
Milligan farm on the northeast quarter of
Section 16, Yellow Springs township. Here
in his work he displays practical and yet
progressive methods, keeping in touch with
the modern ideas in farming, and his labors
are attended with good results.

Feb. 25, 1903, Mr. Orr was united in
marriage to Miss Pearl Scott, a daughter
of Robert Allen and Amanda (Purcell)
Scott. She was born in Northfield, Des
Moines county, Jan. 18, 1879, and like her
husband has a wide acquaintance in the
county in which she has spent her entire
life. Both Mr. and Mrs. Orr attend the
Presbyterian church, and in his political
views he is a Republican.

GEORGE KRAMER JACKSON.

George Kramer Jackson, deceased, was
an enterprising agriculturist of Franklin
township, and in his fine farm left a monu-
ment to his life of industry, enterprise,
and honorable effort. He was bom in
Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, Jvdy 25,
1826, his parents being William and Jerusha
(Inman) Jackson. He acquired his edu-
cation in the early subscription schools
of his home locality, and was reared
to farm life, following that occupation
throughout his active business career.
In 1842 he came to the West, settling in
Franklin township when almost the entire
county was an unbroken and unclaimed
district, so few were the evidences of
progress and civilization seen at that time.
The father purchased a farm about a half

584

BIOGRAPHICAL REllEIV

mile fniiji S|KTry, and this tract of land
is now in possession of his adopted son,
Smith Jackson. Here he <lied two years
later. Icaviii),' his sons to nianajje the

erected thereon a house and other farm
l)iiildiiif;s, and added to his projierty until
he ha<l one hundred acres in the home
|>lace and also owned twenty-three and a

property, which they did until they reached half acres lyinp in lienton townshij). In

adult age and started out in life on their
own account.

(ieorge K. Jack.son. of this review, per-
formed his full share in the work of cul-
tivation and development ui>on the old

1S71 lie re])laced the original dwelling by
the present residence, which is an attract-
ive home of eight rooms, and fomis one
of the pleasing features in the landscape.
l''\crything about the jilace is ke|)t in ex-

homestead, and thus gained the experi- cedent condition, as Mr. Jackson was an

enco which ably qualified him to carry on
his work when he started out in life on
his own account. He was married. I-'eb.
28, 1850, to Miss Catherine McMichael.
a daughter of Archibald and .Mary (Mc-
Laughlin) McMichael, and a native of
Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, born
March 14, 1829. They became the par-
ents of seven children: Mary, now the
wife of T. If. Rhodes, of Stuttgart. Ark.:
Annis, the wife of Lee Hamilton, of Kos-
suth, Iowa; George, at home; Elizabeth,
who died at the age of three years ; Re-
becca, who departed this life when thirty-
five years of age; Margaret, the wife of
(ieorge H. Ripple; Jennie, who died at
tile age of nine Tinnitiis; (lie (itlier chil-
dren also died in infancy.

I'ollowing his marriage Mr. Jackson
piireliased eighty acres of laud in Section
3. I'raiikiin township, for wliicli he paid
five tlollars an acre. The work expended
on the land may be better judged by its
present value of one luindred and twenty-
five dollars an acre. It was entirely des-
titute of improvements, and not a furrow
had been turned ; but he realized wdiat
would be the arduous work necessary for
its development, and with stout heart and

energetic agriculturist, following practi-
cal methods, and bringing about good re-
sults in all of his farm work. He was
also interested in affairs relating to the
general u])building of the count)', and he
gave an early sujijiort to the Democratic
party, believing that its platform con-
tained the best elements of good govern-
ment. He held some of the school offices.
but never sought or desired political pre-
ferment. He belonged to the Independ-
ent Order of Odd I'ellows at Sperry. and
also to the Grange, of which he was a
charter ineniber, and in which he held
official positions. He belonged to the
r.aptist church, and passed away in that
f.iitii I'^b. 21, i8f;6. when about seventy
years of age.

LEWIS TIMMERMAN.

Tin; man who makes conditions spell
success for him in the toilsome career of
agriculture well deserves recognition in
any work devoted to the worthy and hon-
orable characters of a community in
which he has passed laborious years. The

man who digs a competence from the
resolute purpose undertook the task of earth, and compels the sun and the rain to
clearing and cultivating the land. He do his bidding, commits no wrong, but

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

585

confers a favor on the world. If he who
makes two blades of grass grow where
one grew before is a public benefactor,
the farmers — the men \\\ui raise the
grain, and cultivate the vegetables, and
breed the cattle — are the great benefac-
tors of humanity. ¥ar without them the
men who guide the flying spindles and
watch the whirring wheals of modern
industry could not exist a moment. They
sustain the social structure, and trade
and commerce but dabble in the things
that they produce. 'Die subject of this
article is a follower of the noble profes-
sion of agriculture.

Fred Lewis Timmerman was born at
Latty, Iowa, Aug. 25. 1875. and was the
son of Frederick and .Anna (Table) Tim-
merman. His father was born in Ger-
many, and now resides at Latty. Iowa,
at the age of seventy years. The mother
was also a native of (ierman_\- and is still
living. Lewis Timmerman received his
education in the district schools of Latty,
and was brought up as a farmer, which
vocation he has always followed. He
now lives on J. R. Denney's place, which
he has made his home for about nine
years. He carries on a general farmins'
business, and raises some stock. He was
married Jan. 22, 1897. at Galesburg, 111.,
to Lizzie Carnes. daughter of James and
Betty (Marshall) Carnes. Her father
was born in Scotland, and died in the
northern part of Ireland about sixteen
years ago. Her mother was born in Man-
chester, England, and now resides with
one of her daughters in the northern
part of Ireland.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Timmer-
man has been brightened by the addition
of children, Fred, William. Clifford, and

Anna Florence still living, while two died
in infancy.

Mr. and Mrs. Tinnnerman are members
of the L'nited Presbyterian church. Their
genial social dispositions have won for
them a large circle of friends, who hope
to see them forge ahead, and receive the
material reward for their industry which
their persevering characters so richly
deserve.

AUGUST G. GLASER.

August G. Gl.aser, one of the more
recent additions to agricultural circles of
Des Moines county, following farming
here since 1901, was born in Prussia,
Germany, Dec. 6, 1875, his parents being
Peter and Mary (Schneider) Glaser, both
of whom are yet living. In their family
were ten children, all of whom died in
Germany with the exception of two, the
living daughter being Rosa Glaser, who
was born Feb. 24, 1891.

August G. Glaser spent his boyhood
days in the Fatherland, and acquired his
education in the public schools. He was
a 3-outh of fifteen years when he crossed
the Atlantic from Germany to .\merica,
settling first in Cleveland, Ohio, where
he remained for five months. He then
went to Illinois, where he became identi-
fied with farming interests, continuing
his connection with agricultural pursuits
in that State until 1901, when he removed
to Des Moines county. Here he pur-
chased one hundred and ten acres of land
from John L. Thomas, of Mediapolis, and
has since carried on general farming on
Sections 13 and 18 in Huron township,
where he is living with his parents. He

586

BlOGRAl'HICAL RE\ 'I Ell'

is a wide-awake, industrious younjj man,
resolved to win success; and the manner
in which he carries on his farm work in-
dicates that hi' will reach his ambition in
this regard.

JAMES KIRK.

James Kikk. who, during the course of a
long and eventful life, has hnrne an impor-
tant part in the Jjioneer life and develop-
ment of two of tlie now wealthiest and great-
est States of the American Union, was born
April i8, 1818, in Harrison county, Ohio,
the fourth son of James antl Margaret ( I'er-
guson) Kirk. His father, who was a mem-
ber of a Scotch family, settled in Ireland,
emigrated from that country to America,
locating in Washington county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he was married and whence he
removed to (Jliio, becoming the first settler
of Harrison county. Here he cleared and
cultivated a farm of one hundred acres,
making that his residence for a long term of
years, but finally bought and removed to
a farm near Princeton, Ind.. where he spent
the remainder of his life, and where both
he and his wife died, much honored and
respected. They were the parents of eleven
childnii, named as follows in order of
birth : Samuel, George, Henry. James,
Thomas, John, Josei)h, Eleanor, Jane, Polly,
and .-\nn. ( )f this family the only survi-
ving member at the jiresent time is James,
the subject of this review.

Mr. Kirk received his formal education
in the schools of his native .State, attending
subscription schools held in a log cabin, in
which the window panes were of greased
pa])er. the floors of puncheon, and the

l)upils' seats were jilain slabs without backs.
.\niong these primitive conditions he was
able to acquire a very fair knowledge of the
elementary branches of learning, which he
has since largely supplemente<l by intelligent
reading and reflection. .Xttending school
for only a small part of the year, the major
portion of his time as a youth and young
man was devoted to the work of his father's
farm, of which he thus gained a perfect
knowledge by hard jjractical experience,
and laid the firm foundation of his future
success. The larger share of his active life
has passed as a farmer in Jasper county,
Iowa, whither he went in the fall of the
year 1865, to become one of the county's
early pioneers and to take uj) the burden of
advancing civilization in that then untle-
velo]ied country, now one of the richest
agricultural sections of the State of Iowa.
For thirty years he was closely identified
with its upbuilding and progress, as it was
not until 1895 that he sold his fine farm
there and removed to Burlington, where he
has since continuously resided, enjoying a
well-earned rest from the arduous toil of
earlier years.

On July II, 1843, Mr. Kirk was united
in marriage to Miss Eleanor Marchbank,
who was born Feb. 16, 18 17, in Lancaster
county. Pennsylvania, the daughter of Will-
iam and Xancy (I'raziCr) Marchbank. To
Mr. and Mrs. Kirk have been bom ten chil-
dren: Nancy Maria, the eldest, ilied at the
age of eight years: .Margaret Jane is the
widow of George P. .\lford, a sketch of
whose career ap])ears elsewhere in this vol-
ume. Haimah K. died at the age of sixteen
months. The remaining children are in order
as follows : Rebecca Elizabeth, Mary Lavina,
Joseph -Mexander, James Alfred, Milton
Hanna, William McCreadv. and Florence

VES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

5»7

Ellen. William ;\L is now deceased, the
date of his demise being Sept. 25, 1904.
Until his untimely passing there had been
no death in the family for fifty-three years,
and the sorrow of the breavement was such
as few can understand who have inot suffered
a similar loss. Florence Ellen is a resident
of Hastings, Nebr., where she has been a
teacher in the public schools for seventeen
years.

Public questions have always been a
matter of deep and abiding interest for Mr.
Kirk. He was orginally a Whig in his
political leanings, voting as such for General
AMIliam Henry Harrison for president of the
United States. Upon the formation of the
Republican party he joined its ranks, and
thougJiout its entire history has been a
loyal supporter of its leaders and principles,
having voted for sixteen Republican candi-
dates for the presidency.

As one who has at heart the welfare of
his fellow-men, he has given constant en-
couragement to the work of the church, and
for many years was a member of the Pres-
byterian church at Newton, Iowa, of which
he was at one time a trustee. He is a man
who has achieved an undeniable success in a
material way, but while he has by industry,
thrift, care, and the exercise of sound busi-
ness judgment acquired a goodly share of
this world's goods, he has never neglected
the higher interests of life, giving willingly
of his substance to advance the cause of
religion and morality, and by his personal
influence doing much to uphold and ad-
vance the standing of many worthv move-
ments for the uplifting of the human race.
The soul of integrity, honor, and loyalty,
he has drawn around him a circle of faith-
ful friends who admire and cherish him for
the sterling virtues of his character.

GEBHARD SCHUPP.

Gebhard Schupp, who has long contrib-
uted to the industrial prosperity and ac-
tivit} of Burlington as a skilled mechanic,
was born Aug. 18, 1861, in Baden, Ger-
many, a son of Carl Schupp, who died Sept.
6, 1892, aged fifty-six years, and Paulina
(Denz) Schupp, now residing in Bonndorf,
Baden, at the age of fifty-nine years. His ed-
ucation was begun in the public schools,
from which he was graduated, and finished
by a two-}-ears' course in a commercial
college. On leaving school he took up and
learned the trade of tinner. Being of an en-
terprising disposition, however, he aban-
doned this, and in 1884 came to America,
landing at the port of Philadelphia, where
he tarried for a week and then came to
Burlington.

In this city Mr. Schupp was first em-
ployed in the Murray Iron Works for a
period of one year, being employed in the
wood-working department. At the end of
that time he engaged with the Burlington
Embalming and Casket Company, having
charge of a shaping machine, and at this
occupation he remained for the long term
of nineteen years.

Mr. 'Schupp continued with the Casket
Company till Nov. i, 1904, when he re-
signed and engaged in business for him-
self. At that time he opened a cigar and
tobacco store at 520 Jefferson Street, where
he carries a fine line of pipes, cigars, and
tobacco and smokers' materials, papers,
magazines, and stationery, also prayer-
books, rosaries, and like supplies. Being a
skilled mechanic, he has also in connection
a repair shop, where he does all kinds of
repairing, including amber and meerschaum
work, and the coloring of meerschaum

588

BIOGRAPHICAL RIIVIEW

l)i|)cs, having tlu- only cstablishnifnt of the
kind in the city.

On May 20, 1890, he married Miss Wil-
lichiiina Snyder, who was born in Fort
Madison, Lee county, Iowa, Dec. 20. 1856,
beginning her echication in tiiat city, and
finishing at the Convent i>f NDtre name.
.Milwaukee, Wis.

Mrs. Schu])p is the (ktughtcr of Law-
rence and Jacobine (Schmidtle) Snyder,
the former of wiiom (Hed Oct. 6, 1897, aged
seventy-six years and eigiit months, and the
mother, I-'eb. 17, 1904, in her seventy-sixth
year. They liave three sons : Lawrence,
born June 7, 1891 ; Joseph, born .Aug. 24,
1895; and Leo, born .May i,^ 1898. He
l)uilt at <.it<^ \\ ashiiigtnii Street, in 181)4.
where lie has since resided.

.Mr. .Schupp is a Democrat in iiis jjohtical
l)eHef and afRUation. and fraternally was
for a time a member of the Knights of
I^bor. He is identified with .St. John's
Catholic church, of which he is one of the
most loyal and liheral sujiporters. Ik' Imlds
high rank as a mechanic, as a citizen, and
as a man, and has a great number of friends
who testify to his eminent worth.

JOHN ARNOLD.

John .Kknoi.I), a retired farmer and
stock-dealer of I'lUrlington, was born in
Lebanon, Pa., ( tct. I,V 1822. and liis has
been a long, busy, useful, and hniidralik-
career. He first opened his eyes to the
light iif d.iy in the house in which his
father, Julm .\rni>ld. and bis grandfather,
who also bore the name of John Arnold,
were horn. They were of Pennsylvania
Dutch lineage. The father was a farmer

by occupation, following that pursuit
throughout his entire business career, and
he died in Pennsylvania at the age of
eighty-eight years, while his wife, who hctrc
the maiden name of Catherine Ritter, jiassed
away at the age of fourscore years. In
bis family were six children, of whom John
.Arnold was the second. He has three
brothers and two sisters yet living in Penn-
sylvania.

In his youth John .Arnold, of this review,
learned to sjieak the Pennsylvania Dutch
language, which is still used by the mem-
bers of his family. He began his education
in his native State, and entered ui)on a
successful business career in Pennsylvania:
but hoping to make money more rapidly in
the West he came to Iowa when twenty-two
years of age, and has for forty years been
a resident of I'urlington. Iiefore leaving
Pennsylvania he was engagetl in the furni-
ture tra<le, and in 1832 he went to Cali-
fornia, where he remained for about a year,
working as carpenter for a mining com-
pany on the construction of waterways,
long-toms and rrnrkers. He. too, did a
little prospecting, and eventually returned
to the East. He made the trip to Cali-
fornia by way of the water route from Xcw
York, crossing the isthnuis at Nicaragua,
and he returned by way of the Panama
route to New \i>rk. and tiience to i.eb.inon.
Pa. Ere starting for the Pacific Coast
he had leased his furniture store and stock
for three years, and as he could not obtain
his store until that time was passed, be
eventually sold the stock and started West.
He made his way first to Decatur, 111.,
where he purcha.sed an interest in a furni-
ture business: and about 1850 he came to
llurlington, where he turned his attention
to the live-stock business, purchasing stock

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

580

and making- shipments to Chicago. He
bought stock along the Missouri River for
two years, drove to Ottumwa, and thence
shipped by rail to Chicago. During this
period his family remained in Burlington.
He engaged in the stock business for about
four or five years, and while thus engaged
he invested in land in Henderson county,
111. Following the Civil War he removed
to his farm, and carried on general agri-
cultural pursuits for about six or seven
years, also raising and shipping stock to
some extent. He owned about three hun-
dred acres of land there. While on the.
farm he was gored by a bull at three dif-
ferent times. On the third occasion it
seemed that he would be killed ; but the
bull threw him about fifteen feet, and he
rolled under a wagon load of hay, from
which position he was rescued by his fam-
ily. On one occasion he paid three hundred
dollars for a calf and two hundred and fiftv
dollars for a bull of the Hereford breed.
Mr. Arnold ha.s had altogether a pros-
perous career, and yet there have been
reverses and difficulties in his business life.
He lost quite heavily during the financial
panic which followed the Civil War. How-
ever, strenuous effort and careful manage-
ment enabled him to overcome his difficul-
ties and to continue in a prosperous busi-
ness career. In 1866 Mr. Arnold crossed
the plains in a prairie schooner to Denver,
taking with him a load of flour, meat, and
provisions from Burlington. Again he
secured a stock of provisions at Platsmouth,
Nebr.. and went on to Denver, where he
remained for about a year, selling his goods
in that place. He had four wagons to
which he drove oxen, and he sold his pro-
visions to miners. He knew what was
needed in the mining country, and made

some money on the venture. He also sold
his ox-teams and wagons, and returned in
a light wagon with two horses that he had
driven. He saw many Indians in Colorado,
but they occasioned him no trouble, and
there were large herds of buft'alo on the
plains in the West.

Following his return to Burlington he
purchased a lot and built a house at 300
South Fourth Street in 1884, and he has
property on South Hill, which he rents.
His home was erected at a cost of about
four thousand dollars, and is a brick struc-
ture two stories in height with basement.
For two years after leaving the "farm he
continued in the stock business, but for eight
or ten years has lived retired. He sold his
farm to his son, John H. Arnold, who still
operates it, and Mr. Arnold invested his
money in Burlington property, being now
quite an extensive realty holder in the city.

John Arnold was married in Lebanon,
Pa., ere his removal to the West, to Miss
Rebecca Arnold, a third cousin. She is
still living, but for about a year has been an
invalid, her ill health having been occa-
sioned by falling down the celler steps. Mr.
and Mrs. Arnold became the parents of
four children : John H., of Burlington, who
married Cora Gidding, and has two chil-
dren : John and Mary ; Charlie, a practicing
physician of Pittsburg, Pa., who married
Alaggie McGraw: Mrs. Mary Kennedy,
who with her son, Nicholas, resides with
her parents ; Emma, who is living in Chi-
cago.

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold are members of St.
Paul's Catholic church, and in his political
views he is a Democrat. He has now
passed the eighty-second milestone on life's
journey, and is remarkably well preserved
for a man of his years. His life's history,

soo

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

if written in detail, would present many in-
teresting incidents, especially in the pioneer
experiences which he had in the far West
when he made his trips to California and
to Denver. He has been, indeed, a soldier
of fortune, and he kept a diary of his jour-
neyings, but unfortunately this was de-
>;troyed by fire. From memory, however,
he gives many interesting incidents of the
happenings of the early days. As the years
have gone by he has, through the careful
husbanding o^ his resources and his busi-
ness capacity, acquired a comfortable com-
petence that now enables him to live in
honorable retirement from further labor.

JOHN RILES BISHOP.

Till-: history of .Vjiierica is replete with
illustrations of the fact that it is only
under the pressure of adversity and the
stimulus of competition that the best and
strongest in men is brought out and de-
veloped. Perhaps the history of no peo-
ple so forcibly impresses one with this
truth as the annals of our own Republic.
The life record of John Riles Bishop is
another proof of this fact, for in a busi-
ness career he has won success, made for
himself a record that makes his an hon-
ored name, and causes his life to be en-
shrined in the hearts of all with whom he
is associated.

He is the son of Joseph and Cyntha
Ann (Bishop) Bishop, his birth having
occurred in Rush county, Indiana, April
30, 1842. His father was born in Rich-
mond, Virginia, April 2, 1816, and his
mother in Pulaski county, Kentucky, in
1815. When our subject \vas quite a

small lad, his parents brought him to
Iowa, first locating in Franklin townshiji.
and after a short time removing to Yel-
low .Sjjrings township. The first location
luentioned was just south of the village
of Mediapolis, on the Bolick farm, in
1846. Mr. Bishop received the average
schooling commonly allotted to a farm-
er's son in the free schools of his imme-
diate neighborhood. He was a clever boy
to assist his father in all the occupations
on the farm, and at an early age was well
versed in the care of field and meadow.
His father passed away July 24. i8<>i,
aged seventy-five years, and his good
mother departed this life Nov. 3, 1883.

Shortly before his mother's death, Mr.
Bishop was united in marriage with Miss
Lucy A. Meyers, a daughter of Elias and
.\bigail (Bougher) Meyers. Mrs. Bishop
was born in Oscaloosa, Iowa. Sept. 17,
1861. Her father is a native of North
Carolina, and her mother was born in
Iowa. The former is still living at the
ripe age of eighty-four years. The mother
passed to realms of glory Aug. 15, 1872.
They had an old-fashioned family of nine
bright children, as follows: Richard;
William; John, deceased; an infant, also
deceased ; George, deceased ; Henry ; Liz-
zie, who married Raj'mond Humphrey,
resides in Pleasant Grove ; Lucy, wife of
Mr. Bishop; and Joseph, deceased.

Providence was also most gracious to
.Mr. and Mrs. Bishop, giving unto them
three daughters: Lulu, the beloved wife
of Charles Heitmire, of Washington
township, and tluy lia\c one son, Glenn
Oral, born July 29, i(X)4; Dora May, and
Nellie Estella, both at home, the latter
being a musician on the organ, and a
sweet singer.

in
O

>
O

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

593

Mr. Bishop's present farm of eighty
acres, in Section 34, is a part of the old
homestead bought by his father in 1846.
Wken he entered upon it, it was in a wild
and unbroken condition; but with much
energy he set to work to clear it, and
from time to time, as means and leisure
would permit, he has added one improve-
ment after another till now he has one of
the best in the county. He has all the
modern machinery, does general farming,
and raises about one hundred and forty
head of hogs and some fine cattle annu-
ally. He also owns thirteen acres of land
in Section 6, Benton township. He is an
esteemed member of Sperry Lodge of In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in
which he has held some of the minor
offices.

Politicall)', he is a decided Republican,
casting his first vote for Abraham Lin-
coln at his first election, but has never
sought any public office, preferring to
serve his party as a private citizen.
Throughout his entire business career,
Mr. Bishop has maintained a reputation
that is unassailable. His open, frank
ways have made him friends among all
classes, and the careful, methodical means
he has constantly striven to exercise have
added much to his pleasures and suc-
cesses in life.

HENRY KAESTNER.

Henry Kaestner, a retired farmer,
residing in Burlington, was born in Prus-
sia, Germany, Jan. 17, 1845. His father,
Henry Kaestner, was a stone-mason. He
owned a home and two acres of land in
his native country, and on selling that

property, he came to America, in 1870,
with his wife and children. Making his
\va_v to Burlington, he worked as a stone-
mason in this city until his death, which
occurred when he was fiftj^-seven years
of age. His wife bore the maiden name
of Dora Otto, and died when nearly sev-
enty-six years of age, having survived her
husband for nearly a quarter of a century.
Her death occurred Jan. 21, 1902. There
were three children in the family, of
whom Henry is the eldest. The others
are : Wilhelmina , the wife of Frederick
Rike, of Burlington ; and Fredericka, the
wife of ^^'illiam Schade, of Los Angeles,
Cal.

Henry Kaestner spent his early boy-
hood days in Germany, and acquired his
education in the public schools there. In
his youth he learned the stone-mason's
trade, and several months prior to his
parents' immigration to the New World,
he came to the United States, making the
vo}'age on a sailing-vessel which weighed
anchor in the harbor of Bremen, and
eleven weeks later reached the port of
New York. When he landed in the latter
city he had not a cent of mone)-. It was
winter then, and two feet of snow lay
upon the ground. With others, he was
sent to South Carolina by an employment
agency, and there he was engaged in
plowing and in raising cotton and corn,
spending six months in that way. He
afterward went to Alabama and Tennes-
see, where he was employed in farm labor
for three months, and on the expiration
of that period he came to Burlington with
five dollars in his pocket. The family
had, in the meantime, arrived in this city,
and Mr. Kaestner joined his parents and
sisters here. He was first employed in

5>J+

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

lUirliiij^lon at ]ntllin}^ lumber from the
river for the Rand Liinihcr Company, and
wlu-n liis labors had brought to him sufft-
cicnt ca|)ital to enable him to make an
investment in land, he |)urchased a small
tract, which was covered with timber. He
cleaied forty acres of this, and then sold
the i>ro])crty and removed to the old Jones
farm north of the city, where he remained
about thirteen years, lie continued to en-
gage in agricidtural pursuits until his re-
tirement from active business life. He
was the owner of a farm on Irish Ridge
roa.l, five miles northwest of lUirlington.
in Burlington townshiji. In i<)03. how-
ever, he sold his, farm of one ipiarter sec-
tion to his son, Joseph Kaestner. who re-
sides thereon, while Henry Kaestner re-
moved to I'urlington, and purchased his
home there at 826 .\sh Street.

Mr. Kaestner was married at liurling-
ton to Miss Augusta Miller, in October,
1871. She was born in Hanover, Cier-
many, and came to the United States with
Mr. Kaestner's i)arents, in 1870. Ikr
death occurred .\ug. 1 1, K^M. and she was
buried in .\s])en drove cemetery, at Tur-
lington. There were seven cliiiiiren horn
of that marriage: Henry, who married
Martha Ward, and is engaged in farming
near "^'armouth, Iowa; Josejjh, who mar-
ried Lulu Strothman, and' is residing ujxin
the old homestead farm : j'rauk, who mar-
ried Clara Zirkelbach, and follows farm-
ing near Yarmouth; Charley and Willie,
who are engaged in painting, and li\e at
home; Tunma and John also at home.

.Mr. Kaestner is a member of the Re-
organized Church of Jesus Christ of the
Latter Day Saints, .md has been identified
therewith for thirty-two years. He is a
teacher in the local organization, and the

famil)' are also members of the same
church, which is situated at the corner
of Twelfth and Locust Streets. .Mr.
Kaestner has served for several term^v as
school director, and is a Rejjublican in his
jiolitical views. He is now living retired,
in the enjoyment of the fruit> of his
former toil.

CHARLES FREDERICK KLINE.

A F1M-: rejiresentative of the younger
generation of business men of Des Moines
county is Charles I'rederick Kline, who
was born in Yellow S])rings townshij), Jan.
2^. 1871. lie is the son of John I!, and
Lizzie ( Leere) Kline. His father has been-
identified with the agricultural interests of
this section of Iowa for many years, as well
as occupying a substantial |)ositi<in in the
business life of Ues .Moines county. .Mr.
Kline was reared upon the i)atcrnal farm.
and interspersed his home duties with an
attendance at tlie common schools of the
townshii). wherein he ac(|uire(l a fair educa-
tion. He remained at home till he was
twent\-t\vo years old, when he eiUered as
a ])artncr in the butcher-shop with his uncle.
H. C. Kline, in which partnership he con-
tinued for five years. During this time he
had become well aciptainted with the dif-
ferent |)arts of the trade, as well as gaining;
a good knowledge of the sho]) department,
and in i8<>8 purchased his uncle's interest,
and managed this alone for three \ears
with much success, .\ftcr this he -sohl the
shop back to this imde. and was general
manager of ihe Mutual Telephone Com-
])any for the following three years.

In 1905, together with his brother, H. S.
Kline, he fitted up a neat meat-market on

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

Main Street, buying- the property of Samuel
Heizer, and which was conducted by Mr.
Heizer as a real estate, loan and notar}- pul)-
lic office. Here they put on sale a nice
stock of meats, and are now supplying the
tjreater ]iart of the villaj^e with meats and
poultry.

Nov. i8, 1896, Mr. Kline was married to
Miss Hattie Y. Corder, daughter of John
and Mary (Sutton) Corder. This union
has been blessed with a son and a daughter :
Ernia, born Feb. 24, iSyS, and Ralph Ruth-
van, born October 2, 1901. Mr. and Mrs.
Kline are faithful members of the Method-
ist church, attending regularly, and giving
liberally to the support of the church. He
is a valued and respected member of the
Masons, joining the order in Mediapolis
about 1899. Politically, he is a stalwart
Democrat, but does not care to hold public
office. Mr. Kline, though young in years,
has established a reputation for business
sagacity and energy, and combined with
other excellent characteristics, inliL-rited and
acquired, gives promise of a successfid
career.

JOHN BELLESS KLINE.

John Belless Keine, who has devel-
oped from a tract of wild land his present
fine farm, now owns one hundred and
twenty acres of very valuable land. He was
born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, May
26. 1841, his parents being Samuel and
Sarah (Krupp) Kline, who on their removal
to the West became residents of Franklin
township, Des Moines county. Here the
son pursued his education in the district
schools, and was reared to farm life. The
occupation which claimed his energies in

his youth has also proved the source of his
success in manhood ; and although he is
now practically living retired, he still owns
valuable farm property and gives super-
vision to the operation of his land. C )nly
on one occasion were his farm labors inter-
rupted, and that was when, with patriotic
spirit, he responded to his country's call
for aid, enlisting, Aug. 29, 1862, as a mem-
ber of Company G, Thirty-ninth Iowa In-
fantry. He was enrolled at Dodgeville, and
mustered in at Davenport, and he served
for almost three years, receiving an honor-
able discharge at Clinton, Iowa, in 1865.
.\lthough he participated in a number of
hotly contested battles, he was never known
to falter in the performance of the soldier's
full duty, and with a most creditable mili-
tary record he returned to his home.

Mr. Kline at once resumed the occupa-
tion of farming, and in 1877 he purchased a
tract of land, on which he took up his
abode, making it his home for a long period.
He bought one hundred and twenty acres
on Section 35, Yellow Springs township,
and thirty-one acres in Benton township,
and placed all of the improvements upon the
property. He is here engaged in stock-
raising, and at the present writing has
twenty-six head of cattle. He feeds a car-
load of cattle and hogs each year, for which
he finds a ready sale on the market, and
his well-developed business interests have
made him one of the prosperous agricul-
turists of his conununitx'.

Feb. 10, 1870, Mr. Kline was married to
Miss Lizzie D. Beere, a daughter of Charles
and Ann (Ruthven) Beere. Five children
grace the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Kline:
Charles F., Lula 15., Iva, Hugh, and John.
They have also lost three children : Jessie
E., who was their second-born ; and Anna

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW

and Iraiikliii. who were the fourtli and
tifth. respectively, in order of birth.

Mr. Kline is now a valued representa-
tive of the Grand Army post at Mediapolis,
in which he has held all of the offices, serv-
ing as coniniander for a number of years.
He is likewise affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity at Mediapolis, and has twice been
master, while at the ])rescnt writing he is
serving as senior warden. He has likewise
been its representative to the grand lodge,
and at all times his life is in harmony with
the heneliccnt s])irit of the craft. Mr. Kline
lias been loyal and faithful in citizenship,
not only in days of war but also in times
of ])eace, and in community affairs is in-
terested, giving valuable support to many
progressive measures which have contribu-
ted to the uplmilding and substantial im-
provement of his section of the county.

MICHAEL W. MURPHY.

Tiiii inllucnce and clTorts of M. W. Mur-
phy have ever been given for the substan-
tial improvement and advancement of town
and county, while his loyalty in citizenship
is one of the salient features of his career.
His native talent has led him out of humble
circumstances into success through the op-
portunity that is the pride of our American
life; nor is his success to be measured by
material standards alone, as he has devel-
oped that type of character which makes
for higher idtrils in business and in society
as well.

Mr. Murphy, or Mike, as he is familiarly
called, is a son of William and Mary
( Kane) Murphy, and was born in the city
of Rocluslir, X. Y., .\ug. 21. 1857. Both

parents were natives of Ireland, and emi-
grated to America in 1856, siMjn after their
marriage. In the old country Mr. Murphy
was a stock-raiser, he and his seven brothers
being very successful in that business. He
remained but a short time in Rochester,
coming to I'urlington, Iowa, in 1858, where
he immediately obtained work in grading
for the I'urlington anil Missouri River Rail-
road. He had been employed only a few
months when he met with a most terrible
and painful accident, which incapacitated
him for active labor of any kind for tlie re-
mainder (if his life. While the men were
digging, the bank caved in and buried Mr.
Murphy several feet under the earth, which
broke his back, and for sixteen years he
was compelled to lie in bed almost as help-
less as a babe.

In 1873 he was relieved of his great suf-
ferings by death, being fifty-two years old.
-Mr. and Mrs. Muq)hy were blessed with
two sons, John W'., and Michael \\'., of
this review. I'.y the accident which befell
.Mr. .Mur|)liy. his young wife was compelled
to earn the entire living for her helpless
family. She was a woman of much strength
of character, possessing great activity, and
t(xik up her burdens with Christian forti-
tude, burning the candle at both ends for
months at a time. She was of a very aspir-
ing disposition, and determined that her two
sons should have a substantial education.
Through tlie kindness of her friends she
was enabled to obtain work, and also care
for lier crip])leil husband. Her pathway
was not always an easy one, as she had
many har(lshii)s to endure ; but she kept up
a brave heart, and struggled on and on until
she had accomplished the education of her
children, and then set about with renewed
curag-e to assist her eldest son, John, to

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

597

attend college in preparing to be a priest.
Words are all too feeble to express half the
true worth of this good mother. She did
not know what the word fail meant in any
of her arduous undertakings.

The last few years of her life, however,
were spent in a more comfortable way, as
her sons did all in their power to recipro-
cate for all the hardships she had undergone
for them. She lived to see one of them be-
come a city officer, and the other one a
priest of much ability. For several years
previous to her death she was a great suf-
ferer with rheumatism, and in November,
1904, was brought from the home of her
son, Father Murphy, to St. Francis Hos-
pital, in' her old home town, where she had
resided for so long. Her death occurred
Nov. 24, 1904, and Father ^Murphy paid
the last tribute of respect to her by celebrat-
ing the mass at her funeral. Her sons laid
her to rest in Sacred Heart cemetery, beside
her departed husband. Besides the two
sons, she left several nieces and nephews to
mourn her death. She was the last of her
mother's three daughters to pass away. By
the lives of such true, good, and devoted
women as Mrs. Murphy represented, cer-
tainly earth is made better and brighter ;
and though years may come and go, nothing
can blot out the lovely character of Mary
Murphy.

Our subject received his first schooling
in the North Hill school, and was later a
pupil at the Sisters' school of St. Paul's
church. He also attended j\lr. Grafl:"s pri-
vate school for several terms. When quite
a lad he apprenticed himself for two years
in the machine department of the Novelty
Iron Works, owned by the late James Whit-
aker. In 1874 he went to work for the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and

learned the trade of a molder, where later
he served as foreman for one year. He still
works in the molder's department in West
Burlington, and is a man of ability, and one
who has met with much success in life.

Politically, Mr. Murphy has always been
a strong Democrat, and in 1890 he was
elected by this party as alderman for the
third ward, which office he filled for four
years, to the satisfaction of all. Fraternally,
he is a member of Excelsior Lodge, Ancient
Order of United Workmen, and also of the
Iron Molders' Union, in which he has held-
all the offices from that of president down,
and was an honored delegate to the inter-
national convention at Detroit, Mich., in
1890. He is also a member of the Knights
of Columbus, and of the Eagles.

Oct. 12, 1904, Mr. Murphy was married
to Miss Mary Caroline Siegel, a daughter
of C. C. and Mary (Zaiser) Siegel, both
natives of Germany, who came to America
about twenty-six years ago, and settled in
Burlington, where for some years Mr. Siegel
worked for the firm of Funck & Hertzler,
in the blacksmith department. He is now
engaged in the car department in the shops
located in West Burlington. Mr. and Mrs.
Siegel are both a little over fifty years old,
and reside in their pleasant home at 119
South Sixth Street, being held in the high-
est regard by all who are associated with
them in the walks of life. They are the
parents of nine children, seven of whom are
living.

Mrs. Murphy was born in Gennany,
March 27, 1874, and received her education
in the grammar schools of Burlington. She
and her husband arc members and regular
attendants of St. Patrick's Catholic church.
They have one son, William J., born July
12, 1905. Through his great activity, un-

308

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tiring energy, ami progressive spirit, Mr.
.Mnq)liy has accumulated considerable prop-
erly, among which is his cosy home at 936
Washington .Street. He is doser\'ing of
mucii credit, not only for his individual suc-
cess in life, hut also for the manly manner
in which he assisted his mother during the
illness of his father and his mother's widow-
hood. Such a career is well worthy the
enuilation of many a yoinig man with lite
he fore him.

John \\ . .Mur])hy. brother of .Michael
Murphy, was born in Carlisle, Cumberland
county. England. June 20. 1855. and was
fifteen months old when his parents brought
him to America. When a very young lad
Ik- attended the Sisters' school in fkirling-
ton. and later was a student in North Hill
school when Mr. Dehass was the principal.
He also attended the private school of Mr.
draff for .several terms. Laying his studies
aside he was anxious to learn a trade, and
selected that of a carriage-maker, spending
four years with .Mr. (ilazby acquiring this
knowledge.

.\t the end of this time he hail a great
desire to enter college and |)rei)are himself
for tile priesthood. (Jwing to straightened
circumstances at home he was compelled to
help himself. Through his devoted moth-
er's efforts he made a start, and in 1875 at-
tended Calvary College, in W isconsin. wliieh
was a preparatory school for the higher col-
leges. The next year he took a course in
St. Francis College, in Wisconsin. His va-
cations were spent in working to aid him
in finishing his education. In 1878 he
entered St. X'incent's College, at Cape Cir-
ardeau. Mo., and remained there six years.

Possessing nuich of his mother's pluck
and great ambition, and desirous of push-
ing his way to the front, he was fortunate

to secure employment as conductor on the
street-cars in Chicago during the years of
1880 and 1881, Becoming able to finish
his course, he went back to college at Cape
Clirardeau. and grailuated with high honors
June 17. 1SS4. July \2. 18S4. he was or-
dained in Chicago, by .\rchbishop Feehan,
in the cathedral of The Holy Name.

Returning to lUirlington. l'"ather .Murphy
celebrated his first holy mass in St. Patrick's
church, July 21. 1884. when hundreds of old
friends and associates gathered in respect
and esteem for I-'ather Mur|)hy, who by his
own deleniiiiied efforts had achieved the
goal, and reflected great credit not only upon
himself, but also on those mi>st near and
dear. His first charge was at Churchville,
Warren count \. Iowa, where he remained
four years. In 1888 he went to Perry,
Dallas county. Iowa, and had a charge there
till i8<;5. when he made another move, lo-
cating in Modale, Harrison county, Iowa,
whence he attended three missions. — Mon-
damin. Little Sioux, and .Magnolia. I'rom
the time that I'atlur Murphy entered the
priestluKxl until the fall of I(K)4. his honie
was made bright ami cheery by his mother,
who presided over it.

I-ather Murphy has traveled a great deal
during vacations, in search of health, and
has the rare and hapjiy faculty of imparting
knowledge thus gained to those alxuit him.
He is broad and liberal in his views, pos-
sessing a wonderful memory and a large
warm heart. The favorable judgment which
the world passed upon him at the outset of
his professional career has been in no degree
set aside or modified : but on the contrary,
has been emphasized as the years have gone
by, owing to his capability in the line of his
chosen calling. Rich and poor, high and
low, love and respect him.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

599

JOHN THOMAS LEE.

John Thomas Lee, a representative
of the farming- interests of Yellow
Springs township, was born in IJartholo-
mew county, Indiana, Now 8, 1835, and
was brought to Iowa by his parents, in
the spring of 1836. Robert W. and Mar-
tha (Braniham) Lee, who, working their
way westward proceeded ilown the Ohi(.)
and up the Alississippi River, arriving at
Burlington, which at that time contained
only a few log houses. An old black-
smith shop afforded shelter for the family
until the father could build a more sub-
stantial and modern home upon their
farm. The land had been entered by a
Air. Phelps, who sold the property to Mr.
Lee, the latter paying for it as his crops
brought to him sufficient financial return.
All of the improvements have been made
thereon by the Lee family, who, in early
daj's endured many of the hardships and
trials incident to frontier life, but they
overcame these by persistent and earnest
effort. There were one hundred and
sixty acres in the original ])urchase but
the father extended the boundaries of
his property from time to time until he
had a good farm of two hundred acres,
which he later divided among his chil-
dren. He also left with them an untar-
nished name, for he worked persistentlv
and honc^rably and was respected bv all
for his genuine worth. He died in 1874.
and his wife, who departed this life in
1885, was laid by his side in Hazel Grove
cemetery. The following were the mem-
bers of that family: Louvinia Ann be-
came the wife of Alexander \\'atson. and
diefl in i<;04: Lucinda Jane, and Eliza,
both al.'io deceased : [ohn Thomas : \\"\\\-

iam H., both still living ; James Harvey,
deceased; Martha, the wife of W. H.
Thompson, lives in Mediapolis: Talitha,
became the wife of O. S. Green, and died
Feb. 20, 1889.

John Thomas Lee was but six months
old when brought by his parents to Des
Moines county and here upon the old
homestead farm he was reared, assisting
in the arduous task of developing new
land. He has seen great changes made in
the methods of farming as the old primi-
tive farm machiner}- has been replaced by
the modern implements of the present
day. He is now living on a part of the
old homestead, having purchased the in-
terest of the other heirs in the home prop-
erty, after selling his two other farms.
On the 2ist of July, 1894, he purchased
his present home, and now has one liun-
clred and forty-five acres of land, of which
twenty-five acres are situated across the
border in Louisa county. The remainder
is on Section i. Yellow Springs township,
and here he follows general agricultural
pursuits, cultivating his fields and also
keeping about forty head of cattle and
forty head of hogs each year.

On the 24th of August. 1864, Mr. Lee
was married to Eliza J. Simpson, a
daughter of Jesse George and Sarah
(Hill) Simpson. Their home has been
blessed with nine children : William
Sherman, who is now living in Louisa
county; Ida E., the wife of George Lane;
George \Y.. who resides near Mount
Pleasant; Charles E., also living in that
city; Martha T.. the wife of George
Drinkall, li\ing south of Yarmouth:
John P. Lee, living near Yarmouth ;
Louis A., a resident of Louisa countv ;
.Mary .\senath. who died at the age of

6oo

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

eleven and one-half years; and Henry
Harrison at home.

Mr. Lee has served as assessor of his
township for si.x years but is not holdinp
office now, nor does he have any ambition
to do so, as he prefers to give his undi-
vided attention to his farming interests.
He affiliates with the Methodist Epis-
co])al church, and is well known in the
county in which he has lived from pioneer
days down to the jiresent. He has wit-
nessed the wonderful transformation that
has occurred here, and along agricultural
lines has contributed to the substantial
development and upbuilding of his section
of the State.

CARL ALBERT ANDERSON.

Though but recently an acquisition
to the business life of Mediapolis, Des
Moines county. Carl .\lbcrt Anderson has
demonstrated his ability to lead in com-
mercial life, and his activity and skilled
workmanship is known to all. He is the
son of Andres Peter Cbind and Carolina
Matilda (Nelson) Antlenson, and was
born Sept. 2, 1873, in Smolen, Vesteveek,
Sweden. He received a substantial edu-
cation in the public schools of his native
city. At an early age he developed an
aptitude toward the harness trade, and
accordingly entered upon a five-years'
contract with a reliable firm in his home
place. During this period he became an
expert in every part of the trade, and re-
ceived a good recommendation from his
employers as a first-class workman.

In 1892 he started for the New World,
and landed in Xew York, coming at once
to Burlington, Iowa, where he immedi-

ately obtained employment with Richard
Hassel, a harness dealer, with whom he
remained for eight years. At the end of
this time he was well acquainted with the
people, and also with the business meth-
ods of his trade; in fact, had acquired a
general conception of business equalled
by few in so short a time. By his energy
and great economy he was, at the end of
these years enabled to start in business
for himself, choosing the city of Medi-
apolis as his location. He is on the main
street of the town, and his store contains
all grades of fine harness and saddlery,
and is said to be one of the largest stores
of the kind in the comity, his stock be-
ing valued at several thousand dollars.

Oct. 9, 1 901, Mr. Anderson was wedded
to Miss .\ugusta Charlotte Swanson, the
accomplished daughter of Mr. Swanson,
of Burlington, who is now dead. This
union has been graced with one bright
little boy, Russell ^\'ilIiam by name, who
was born in Mediapolis, Iowa, Nov. 11,
1902.

Politically. Mr. Anderson is an ardent
Republican, casting his first presidential
\TDte with much pride forWilliam McKin-
ley. Since coming to Yellow Springs
township he has taken considerable inter-
est in politics, and has held the office of
councilman for one term, being elected
in 1902.

lie is a man of broad intelligence and
genuine public spirit. Strong in his in-
diviflujiliiy. he never lacks the courage
of his convictions, and the sterling integ-
rity and honor of his character have
gained for him the confidence and respect
of all men. His success along business
lines is due to his close application to his
trade in his vounger davs. and his lieter-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

60 1

mination to do well whatever he had to
do, firmly believing that what was worth
doing at all was worth doing well.

WILLIAM O. EWINGER.

Although William O. Ewinger entered
upon his business career in connection with
an industrial enterprise already established,
in successfully controlling and enlarging
this he has displayed the sound judgment
and executive force without which such a
concern could not be continued upon a pay-
ing basis. Thoroughly trained by practical
experience, his unremitting energ}- is also a
recognized factor in his business career,
making him one of the leading representa-
tives of trade interests in Burlington.

A son of Henry Ewinger, whose sketch
is given elsewhere, he was born in Burling-
ton, Nov. 20, 1864, attended the public
schools, and to some extent was a student in
a German school. At an early age he en-
tered his father's plumbing establishment on
Third Street, and later served a two-years'
apprenticeship with the John Davis Steam
Heating Company, of Chicago, serving from
1883 until 1885. Then returning to Bur-
lington he again entered his father's shop,
and when the business was incorporated,
on the 1st of January, 1896, he and his
brother John became partners, with their
father, Henry Ewinger, as president. Fol-
lowing the death of the father, later in the
same year, William O. Ewinger became
president, while John Ewinger became secre-
tary and treasurer. In 1889 the latter with-
drew, and established an independent busi-
ness, while ^^'illiam O. Ewinger remained
at the old location, 213 North Third Street.

George Klindt was then admitted to an in-
terest, and became secretary and treasurer.
The business is still conducted as an in-
corporated concern, with an investment of
seven thousand dollars in stock, while
employment is furnished on an average
to twelve expert plumbers and gas-fitters.
They do a general plumbing and steam-
and gas-fitting business, and have a liberal
patronage. Mr. Ewinger draws the plans
and superintends the work, and under his
capable control the business has become large
and profitable.

In May, 1888, in Peru, III, William O.
Ewinger was married to Miss Matilda
Strohm, a daughter of Peter Strohm, who
was born in Germany, and is now a re-
tired shoe merchant of Peru. His children
were : Theodore ; Elizabeth ; Amelia Ma-
tilda ; Kate, deceased ; Lena, the wife of
George Klindt, who is associated with Mr.
Ewinger in the plumbing business in Bur-
lington ; Fred ; William ; Eddie ; and
Matthew. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ewinger have
been born four children, and all are yet liv-
ing: Ralph Otto, Henry William, Matilda
Elizabeth, and William Frederick.

Mr. Ewinger and Mr. Chas. Lee bought
out the Penrose Carriage Company, and
are handling that business in good shape.
Mr. Ewinger is president, and Mr. Lee is
secretary and treasurer.

Mr. Ewinger is a member of the First
Methodist Episcopal church, and holds
membership with the Crystal Lake Club,
of which he is a director, but is identified
with no secret organization, except that of
the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He
is fond of hunting, and makes it one of
his chief sources of rest and recreation.
He is a member of the Lone Tree Club.
Social and genial in manner, he wins warm

6o2

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

friendships and the good-will of all, while
his course in the business world commends
him to the confidence and trust of those with
whom he is associated. A native son of
Burlington, he has risen to an enviable
position in her social and business circles.

ROBERT C. JORDAN.

Ror.KRT C. JiiKDAN is prominently iden-
tified with the grain trade of Iowa, as man-
ager at liurlington for the well-known firm
of Harris-Scotten Company, of Chicago.
He was l)orn in Wyoming, 111., Jan. 29,
1863, his parents being John and Frances
E. (McCraw) Jordan. His paternal grand-
parents were Charles and Elizabeth (Lyons)
lordan. natives of Pennsylvania, who in
181 2 removed to Ohio. They lived in Mus-
kingum and \'iiiton counties, of that State,
and afterward went to Iowa. Charles Jor-
dan was a school-teacher, and followed that
profession until his removal to Illinois, about
1854. He took up his abode in Valley town-
ship. Stark county. I''or fifteen years next
preceding his death lie lived with his son
John, his death occuring June 17, 1883.

John Jordan was born near Zanesville. in
Muskingum county, Ohio, Feb. 20, 1832,
and acquired his early education in his native
State. He came to Illinois in 1853, being at
that time twenty-one years of age, and he
secured one hundred and sixty acres of land,
■wliich he entered from the government. To
this he added until he became the owner of
three hundred and sixty acres. Not long
after taking up his abode in Illinois he re-
turned to Ohio, where he was married to
Miss Frances E. McCraw, a daughter of
Alexander McCraw, who was a soldier in

the Mexican War, while three of his sons
served as defendants of the Union cause in
the Civil War. Alexander McCraw de-
parted this life when about eighty years of
age. For many years John Jordan followed
agricultural pursuits. He took up his abode
in X'alley township. Stark county, Illinois,
and was engaged in the tilling of the soil
until 1876, when he removed to Wyoming,
also in Stark county, and four years later he
joined Sylvester F. Otman in the conduct
of a lumber business. .\t the time of the
Civil War, however, he put aside all busi-
ness and personal considerations, and with
jiatriotic spirit joined Company B, Seventh
llliiinis Infantry, with which crnnmand he
rendered signal service to his country. For
a number of years he was a valued member
of De Wolf Tost, (j. .A. R., at Wyoming,
and delighted in meeting his old army com-
rades and in recalling the scenes and inci-
dents of life on the tented fields of the South.
He was also a member of the Blue Lodge
and Chapter in Masonry, and of the Order
of the Eastern Star. He held various local
offices, serving as supervisor of Essex town-
shi]) for fiiur years, and also served as a
member 011 the cnuiity Ijoard. while for two
years he was a memlx>r of the city council
of Wyoming, and served as mayor of Wy-
oming for two terms.

L^nto Mr. and Mrs. Jcirdan were born two
sons and fmir daughters, namely: Julia E.,
the wife of W^ T. Ditman, of N'alley town-
ship: Martha, who married S. M. StanclifT,
of Iowa, now deceased ; Robert C, of Bur-
lington ; Sarah, who died aged about ten
years ; Laura E., of Stark county. 111. : and a
son who din! in infancy. The death of Mr.
Jordan occurred Feb. 25, 1901, at the age of
sixty-nine years. He had early developed
sterling qualities of industry and honesty

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

60;

that were his guide throughout his entire
Hfe. He was known as a man of unfaltering
integrity, a kind friend, a good neighbor,
and a loving husband and father, and when
he departed this life he was laid to rest by
his fellow-comrades of the Grand Army of
the Republic with all of tlie honors of war.
He is still survived by his wife, who is now
living in Wyoming, 111.

Robert C. Jordan was a high-school stu-
dent in Wyoming, 111., and for t-wo years at-
tended Knox College, at Galesburg. He
also pursued a year's course in Davenport,
Iowa, at the Lillibridge & Duncan Business
College, a branch of the old Bryant & Strat-
ton College. His early boyhood days were
spent upon his father's farm in Stark county,
and with the family he went to Wyoming
when a youth of thirteen years. There he to
some extent assisted his father in his lumber
and grain business, and in 18S7 took charge
of an elevator there, being in the employ of
E. S. Eastman & Company, of Peoria. He
continued with that firm until 1895, when he
came to Iowa, and began buying grain for
V. W. Bullock & Company, whom he repre-
sented until 1898, with headquarters at Bur-
lington. In that year he joined the army as
a member of Company A, First Illinois Vol-
unteers,— a Chicago regiment, — and with
the command he went to Tampa, Fla, and to
Santiago, Cuba. In the siege that followed,
his regiment held a position in the trenches
next to the Rough Riders. Mr. Jordan was
in the trenches for eight days, or until the
surrender of the city, after which his
company took charge of the Spanish
prisoners. The First Illinois was the
last regiment of the Fifth Army Corps
to leave camp, embarking for the United
States on the 25th of August, 1898.
They then returned to Montauk Point, Long

Island, to recuperate, for almost the entire
regiment was ill with fever. When Mr. Jor-
dan joined the army he weighed one hun-
dred and ninety-three pounds, and when he
left Santiago he weighed but one hundred
and twenty-seven pounds, such were the
hardships and rigors of his military expe-
rience.

He was discharged at Chicago in Novem-
ber, and then returned to Burlington, where
he again became connected with the grain
trade as the representative in this city for
J. F. Harris & Company. He has since re-
mained with the firm, which is now con-
ducting business under the name of Harris-
Scotten Company. He has charge of the
elevator here, and his territory also extends
over southeastern Iowa, northeastern Mis-
souri, and western Illinois, grain being pur-
chased throughout that entire district. At
the elevator he employs from twenty-five to
seventy men throvighout the year. He is
thoroughly familiar with the grain trade,
having been connected with this line of
business from his boyhood days, and his
position is an important one in connection
with one of the most prominent firms oper-
ating on the board of trade in Chicago.

On Oct. 4, 1899, Mr. Jordan was married
to Miss HalHe Kline, a native of this city,
and a daughter of Mrs. Mary A. Kline.
The}' now have one son, John.

Like his father, Mr. Jordan has always
supported the Republican party, and has
been active in Republican clubs and in con-
ventions in Illinois. In 1892 he was a dele-
gate to the national convention of Repub-
lican clubs held at Buffalo, N. Y., and was
elected to the State convention of the Illinois
League Clubs at Springfield. From the age
of eighteen years he has been active in polit-
ical work, but is without aspiration for office

6o4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

for liimsill. He iK-lungs to the Society of
the Army of Santiago, to the Travelers' Pro-
tective Association, and to the Modern
Woodmen. Camp Xo. 234. at Wyoming,
111. I le is also an F.Ik, and has attained high
rank in Masonry, belonging to Malta Lodge,
No. 31S. .\ncicnl I'ree and Accepted
Ma.sons: Iowa Chapter. No. i, Royal Arcli
Masons: and St. Omer Commandery, No.
15. Knights Templar. He is a typical man,
representing the spirit <if ihu times, his life
being in harmony with the progressive ele-
ment of the Middle West. Alert and enter-
prising, he stands to-day prominent in busi-
ness circles in Iowa, and a leading repre-
sentative of one of the large corporations
of Chicago connected ^\■ith the grain trade.

ROBERT B. JUNK.

For a long term of years Robert B.
Junk has been identified with one of the
prominent husiiiess interests of T.urling-
ton, and during the entire period has en-
joyed an enviable reputation for frank
and fair methods. Mr. Junk was born in
Fayette county. Pennsyl\;niia, Oct. 24.
1839. the son of Thomas and Mary (Al-
len) Junk, of Scotch-Irish antecedents,
the Junk family having removed from
Scotland to Ireland, where the grand-
father, Robert Junk, a farmer, was born
about 1760, from whence he came to
America about the time of the Revolu-
tion, settling in Pennsylvania. In that
State he died at the age of eighty-six
years. He married Elizabeth Larimer, a
member of an Irish, or Gaelic, family
that settled in the Ligonier valley, and
they had five daughters and one son, the

latter being Thomas, father of our sub-
ject, who died I-'eb. 13. 1850, at the age of
forty-two years. The maternal ancestors
of Mr. Junk, the Aliens, were also Scotch,
and on coming to .\nierica settled in Fay-
ette county, Pennsylvania.

The subsequent success of Mr. Junk is
probably due in no small measure to his
early training in self-reliance and inde-
pendent action: for after completing his
education in the connnon schools he
started out at the age of oidy twelve
years to make his own way in the world
without assistance, first taking emjiloy-
ment on a farm. This he continued until
his seventeenth year, when he went to
town and secured a place in a tinshop and
store, where he was employed for three
years, during which time he acipiired the
tinsmith's trade. He was then in Pitts-
burg, Pa., for six months, at the end of
which time he decided to make his home
in the West, and came to Iowa, locating
in \'an P>urcn county. There he remained
for OIK- and a half years, or until the be-
ginning of the Civil W^ar, when he felt
that loyalty to the national cause required
that he should sink his private interest in
the public necessity and devote his
|)owers to the service of his country.
With this object in view he went to St.
Louis, where on March (). 1862, he en-
listed in the Mississippi Flotilla, in which
he served through the greater part of the
war as a marine on the "Haltic," taking
l)arl in all the princii)al land and water
operations from Cairo to Uaton Rouge,
including the celebrated siege of Vicks-
burg, in which he participated from
March 26 until the surrender on July 4.
\\'hile taking part in the ojierations on the
Tennessee River lie sustained a severe

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

605

wound in the left leg, in consequence of
which he was sent to the hospital at
Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained for
nearly a year. He was discharged on
March 9, 1865, after experiencing a very
large share of all the hardships and du-
ties of war, but continued his actual con-
nection with the military organization for
a further period of nine months, during
which he served as issuing commissary at
Exchange Barracks, near Fort Negley,
Nashville, Tenn.

At the close of this extra service he
returned to the North, locating at Iveo-
kuk, where he entered the employ of Mr.
T. N. Pond on April 19, 1866. With Mr.
Pond and with his successors, Pond &
Company, he has ever since continued,
spending the first six years in Keokuk,
with the exception of the year 1867, dur-
ing which he was in Van Buren county,
and coming to Burlington on Feb. 12,
1872. Since the latter date he has had
charge of the business as general man-
ager, with ofifices at this point. The firm
of Pond & Company are extensive deal-
ers in butter, eggs, and poultry, and the
immense volume of business which they
now control and the large success which
they have enjoyed throughout the past
four decades are traceable in great meas-
ure to the energy, ability, and faithful
care of Mr. Junk.

Mr. Junk was united in marriage at
Keosaucjua, Iowa, on May 31, 1866, to
Miss Phoebe A. Nixon, daughter of Isaac
and Sarah Nixon, farmers and early set-
tlers of Van Buren county. She died a
year later, survived by one child, a son,
George Junk, now a resident of Denver,
Colo. July 18, 1872, Mr. Junk married

his second wife. Miss Sarah E. Bennett, of
Keokuk, daughter of James and Sarah
Bennett, natives of Kentucky. To them
was born one child, Katherine J., wife of
Henry M. Salmon, of this city, who has
bees engaged in the drug business in
Fort Madison and Burlington for many
years. Mrs. Junk is now deceased, her
death having occurred March 21, 1903.
Mr. Junk is a member and worker in the
Baptist church and Sunday-school, where
he has been superintendent and also a
teacher for about thirty years, both in
Keokuk and Burlington ; and if ever a
man were entitled to a medal for merito-
rious service, certainly he earned the one
which was bestowed upon him when he
left Keokuk. He is a contributor to the
support of his church and lends his aid to
the various branches of its charities and
philanthropies. As one interested in the
public welfare, he has taken a part in the
work of politics and government as a
member of the Republican party, to
whose principles he has ever been loyal.
In his fraternal relations he is connected
with the Masonic order as a member of
Des Moines Lodge, No. i, in which he is
past master, and he sustains similar re-
lations with the Iowa Legion of Honor.
By reason of his great executive ability —
knowledge of human nature and self-con-
fidence born of wide experience — Mr.
Junk has been able to attain to a high
rank in the business world, and at the
same time has won universal esteem and
respect by reason of the sterling virtues
which have marked his career, namely, his
high self-respect, uprightness, and unfal-
tering integrity, always mingled with a
genuine regard for the rights of others.

6o6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEir

RALPH P. CADY.

Rv\LPH P. Cady, who is rapidly attaining
a leading position in the insurance circles
of Dcs Moines county. Iowa, was born in
Danville township. Sept. 23, 1861, a son of
Ebenezer and Martha (Clingman) Cady.
The family was among the very early set-
tlers of Iowa, the first representative in
the West being Edwin Cady, born April
18. 1799, in Brooklyn. W'vndham County,
Conn., and married at that place on April
9, 1827, to Miss Lydia Cole, who was born
Nov. 29, 1798. They came to Des Moines
county, Oct. 12, 1837, and here passed the
remainder of their lives, being the parents
of five children, as follows : Charles, who
enlisted Dec. 21, 1861, in Company E,
Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, served through
the Civil War as a sergeant, was mustered
out at Louisville, Ky., July 24, 1865, and
died April 26, 1869 ; George, now of Keota,
Iowa ; Ebenezer, now of Danville, Iowa,
and father of our subject, born Dec. 26,
1831, at Brooklyn, Conn.; and Edwin C, a
Baptist minister of Monmouth, 111. .Martha
(Clingman) Cady, who was born in Scioto
county, Ohio, is the daughter of Cyrus
Clingman. born June 20, 1800. and died
Sept., 1899, aged ninety-nine years and four
months, his demise occurring in Iowa,
whither he brought his family in 1850. He
was twice married, his first wife being a
Miss Richards, who died in Ohio, and his
second wife Miss Emma West, whose death
occurred about 1897. He was the father
of a large family, of which the members
now living are : Ransom, of Danville, Iowa ;
Mrs. Ebenezer Cad.y, also of Danville:
Elizabeth, wife of John Neil, of Winfield,
Iowa ; Aaron, of Cawker City, Kans. ; John,
of Shenandoah, Iowa ; Priscilla, wife of

John Parrott, of Xew London, Iowa : Belle,
wife of H. C. Seymour, of Danville, Iowa;
and Sarah, wife of Edward Fleagle, of
Winfield, Iowa.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer
Cady took place Feb. 3, 1853, and they
have since enjoyed a long and prosperous
career in the county, among whose pioneers
they are numberetl, and the work of whose
development they have helped largely to
perform. In February, 1903, they cele-
brated their golden wedding, the fiftieth
anniversary of their marriage, and for the
entertainment of the numerous friends and
relatives gathered at their home in Dan-
ville recalled many memories of pioneer
days that spoke volumes for the marvelous
progress which has marked the Middle
West during the last half century. To
them have been born six children : Frank,
of ^\'infield, Iowa ; William, of Cawker
City, Kans. ; Ralph P. ; Lester E., of
Schreve, Ohio ; Fred, of Danville township ;
and Myrtle, wife of Woods Irwin, also of
Danville township, Des Moines county.

Ralph r. Cady was from his early years
hai)ituateil to the work of agriculture, being
reared on his father's farm one and a fourth
miles west of Danville Center, now included
within the limits of Danville, and his edu-
cation was obtained in the public school,
he attending the Cedarville district school,
located on Cedar Creek. .\t the age of
twenty-four, deciding to take up other
work than that of the farm, and leaving the
parental home for that purpose, he began
his individual career. In November of 1884
his marriage took place, and in March of
the following year he located at Danville,
where three years later he purchased a
home, and for fourteen years he was en-
gaged in the work of a cream route, during

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

607

that time gathering cream from the sur-
rounding territory in the forenoons, and
devoting the afternoons to other work. In
1890 he bought an interest in the Wilcox
grocery and general store at Danville, in
which he continued for a period of twenty-
two months, but at the end of that time
the partnership was dissolved by the retire-
ment of j\Ir. Cady, in 1892.

Still making Danville his place of resi-
dence, he was engaged in insurance work
very successfully from 1894 until 1903, act-
ing as local agent for the " Continental "
Fire Insurance Company and having charge
of all the rural territory in Des Moines,
Lee, and Henry counties. On July 27, 1903,
he removed to Burlington, establishing his
office, in the work of which he is assisted
by his son, at the family home, and since
making this his place of residence he has
added city risks to his other business, now
carrv'ing a large number of policies in Bur-
lington. The home, a large modern struc-
ture erected in 1897, is located at 826 North
Eighth Street, and presents a handsome
exterior. It is fitted with all late conveni-
ences, including steam heat and gas. Be-
sides this residence property, Mr. Cady
owns a farm of eighty acres in Danville
township, which he rents.

Nov. 12, 1884, Mr. Cady was united in
marriage at Danville to Miss Anna M.
New, born in Danville township. May 24,
1862, a daughter of D. M. New, who was
born in Indiana and is now living retired
in Danville township, where he owns a
valuable farm. Mr. New was married
in Danville township to Miss Melissa J.
Duke, and to them have been born three
daughters and two sons, these being Mary,
wife of A. J. Lewis, of Danville ; Anna M. ;
Mrs. Cady ; Wesley D., of Tacoma, Wash. ;

Eila, wife of M. C. Parrott, of New Lon-
don, Iowa ; and Stephen W., deceased.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cad}' has been, born one
child, a son, Edwin Cyrus, born Jan. 9,
1886. He received his preliminary educa-
tion in the schools of Danville, from which
he was graduated before removing from
that place, and is also a graduate of Elliott's
Business College, of Burlington, having
been a member of the class of 1904. He is
a> young man of marked ability, and will act
as his father's assistant and associate in
the insurance business, upon the duties of
which he has already entered. Mr. and
Mrs. Cady are widely connected among
the better-known families of Des Moines
county, there being in Danville alone four-
teen families who claim kinship with them.

Mr.- Cady is a member and worker in
the First Methodist Episcopal church of
Burlington, and at Danville was active in
religious work as recording steward and
member of the church's official board, giv-
ing much time and earnest effort in the
endeavor to widen the circle of beneficent
influence wielded by that organization. He
also has fraternal connections, having be-
come a member, in 1895, of Danville Lodge,
No. 48, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
in which he later held the office of secre-
tary : and also sustaining membership re-
lations with Fair Camp, No. 4223, Modern
Woodmen of America, of Danville, in which
camp he held for two years the office of
Worthy Advisor. In his political affilia-
tion he is identified with the Republican
party, but has never been active in affairs
of practical politics to the extent of seeking
public honors for himself, being content
to wield his influence in the cause of effi-
cient government.

That Mr. Cady possesses business and

6o8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

executive talent in a remarkable degree is
evident from a study of the facts of his
career; for when he took the agency of
the " Continental " Insurance Company at
Danville, that company had not a single
policy in the townshij), while at the present
time, as a result of his constant and able
eflforts, it controls the bulk of the business,
not only there, but throughout an extensive
territory, of which he has sole charge. He
devotes liis entire time to the work, prin-
cipally in driving over the farming districts,
and the pro])ortions of his accomplishments
u]) to the i)resent moment arc being rapidly
enlarged. That the business structure
which he is building will prove permanent,
there is no room to doubt, for the company
which he represents is known as the equal
of any, while his personal characteristics
of honor, uprightness, and strict fairness in
all his dealings have secured for him uni-
versal and unshakable confidence. \Vhile
he has laboreil faithfully and well in his
chosen field, his aids have been his gfreat
adaptability, the frank and ()i)cn manner
that bespeaks character, and his genial and
social disposition, so that it may almost be
said that success has been his by natural
right. He enjoys a large and valuable ac-
quaintance in southeastern Iowa, and has
manv warm friends.

HON. FRANK HATTON.

Oni; of the most famous and ])opular
of Des Moines coimtx's newspaper men
was JMank llatton. who later in life
was postmaster-general under President
Arthur. He came of a \'irginia family, his
grandfather, iiolen Hatton, who served in

the \\ ar of i8i2, being a native of that
State. His father, Richard Hatton, was
born in Fairfax county, Virginia, in 1805,
and later moved to southeastern Ohio.

Frank Hatton was born in Cambridge,
Ohio, April 28, 1846. Later the family re-
moved to Cadiz, Ohio, where Richard
Hatton published the Cadiz Republican.
From his earliest days Frank was inti-
mately connected with newspaper work,
for which he had a marked aptitude and
a great liking. Under his father's super-
vision he learned the printer's art, and
laid the practical foundation for his sub-
sequent successful newspaper career. It
was his facetious disclaimer that he was
not a "journalist," but a "newspaper
man," and the secret of his success rested
in part upon that eminently practical dis-
tinction. When only eleven years of age
he became foreman of his father's office,
a position from which, after a time, he
turned to take up the duties of local ed-
itor. It is more than presumable that he
made the local columns spicy and up to
date. He had a wonderful "nose for
news," and was never happier than when
achieving a "scoop."

In 1861, when but fifteen years of age,
he lan away from home and enlisted as
a drummer boy in the Fifteenth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry. Captain Bostwick
telegraphed Frank's father to know
whether he should send him home or
swear him in. The reply, prompted by
|)ure patriotism, was, "Swear him in."
lie was promoted to a lieutenancy before
he was twenty, and served until the
close of the war. On returning home
he induced his father to jiurchase the
.Mount Pleasant (Iowa) Journal, and
joined him in the publication of the

^'^^byFGKi'-

VWm\^\\' \ CkXjVc/W

BRANTS FIJLLCR,PLIB5

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

6ii

paper until his father's death, in 1869,
when, with his brother-in-law, the Rev.
G. VV. McAdam, he purchased the
office. He was appointed postmaster at
Mount Pleasant in 1873, and served a lit-
tle more than one year, when he resigned,
and in connection with C. Y. Wheeler,
purchased the Burlington (Iowa) Haivk-
Eye. Later he bought out Wheeler's in-
terest, and liegan improving the paper
greatly. He secured the services of "Bob
Burdette" as city editor, and subsequently
made him managing editor. Mr. Burdette
continued in that position until 1877,
when he began to lecture, still sending
his humorous contributions, however.

In 1879 Mr. Hatton was appointed post-
master at Burlington by President Hayes,
notwithstanding he had slnarply criticised
the president's Southern policy and his
civil-service reform sympathies. Mr. Hat-
ton was an out-and-out party man, and
believed the victorious party should con-
trol the appointments, and then be held
responsible to the country. His experi-
ence as postmaster at Alount Pleasant en-
abled him to at once drop into the work
of the Burlington postofifice, and give the
public good service. When Garfield came
into the presidency he intended to appoint
Mr. Hatton first assistant postmaster-gen-
eral. President Arthur carried out the
arrangement. Mr. Hatton was indorsed
for the place by Grant, Conkling, Logan,
and a large number of leading Repub-
licans from various States, including the
entire Iowa delegation in Congress, State
officials, etc. He threw great vigor into
the postoffice department, and made im-
portant reforms. He favored increased
mail facilities rather than reduced post-
age. He persuaded Postmaster-General

Gresham to institute the fast-mail service
west of Chicago, and he inaugurated the
special delivery, which has become a val-
uable factor of the postal service.

In October, 1884, Judge Gresham re-
tired from the office of postmaster-gen-
eral, and Mr. Hatton was promoted to the
position. He continued to be postmaster-
general until the close of President Ar-
thur's administration, and was jjroud of
the fact that he was the youngest cabinet
officer in the history of the United States
government.

Mr. Hatton had much to do with the
National Republican while in Washington,
but at the close of President Arthur's
administration removed to Chicago, and
became part owner, and editor-in-chief of
the Chicago Mail, which he made a viva-
cious evening issue. Later he became
editor-in-chief of the New York Press.
In January, 1889, he formed a partner-
ship with Hon. Beriah Wilkins, an ex-
Democratic member of Congress from
Ohio, and Ixjught the Washington Post,
which was founded by Stilson Hutchins,
in 1877. Mr. Wilkins took charge of the
business department, and 'Sir. Hatton the
editorial management, making it an inde-
pendent journal, one of great influence,
and a financial success.

j\lr. Hatton was stricken with paralysis,
while at work at his desk, and died April
30, 1894. The Baltimore America)!, com-
menting at the time upon his career, said:

'"Mr. Hatton was an alert and able
newspaper man. He could work very fast
when necessarv. Twice while he was
editor of the Post he got out, unaided,
extra editions of his paper. Once was
when the defalcation of Silcott, clerk to
the sergeant-at-arms of the House of Rep-

6l2

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

rescntatives, was discovered. Silcott had
run away with a lot of money belonging
to members of Congress, and of course
the town was in an uproar as soon as the
rumor began to travel around. .Mr. Hat-
ton was one of the first to hear of it, and
he jumped into a cab and gave the driver
a dollar extra to run his horse all the way
to the office of the Post. On arriving
there he found there wasn't a printer,
editor, or reportir in sight. He tele-
phoned for the ])ressnian, sent the busi-
ness-office clerk out after newsboys, and
threw ofT his coat, lie diil not stop to
write out the copy, but set up in type just
what he had heard about the sensation
of the morning. As soon as he had fin-
ished this part of his task, he ' made up '
the forms, stereotyped the page with the
aid of the janitor, who had a little ex-
perience as helper to the boss of the metal
pot, and witliin an hour of the moment at
which he had heard of Silcott's flight had
the newsboys on the streets selling pa-
pers. This was a remarkalile feat for
one man to perform, but it only shows
what an all-round printer can do when
he sees an opportunity to beat all rivals."

( )n many occasions these characteristic
qualities of alertness, quick decision, and
prompt action were disi)layed in his man-
agement of the Burlington . Hawk-Eye.
The paper soon acquired a foremost place
among Iowa journals, and achieved a
national rei)utation. When General Grant
returned from his trip around the world
he was induced by Mr. Hatton to spend
three days in I'.urlington, and was greeted
with a copy of the Ihm'k-Eyc printed on
silk as a memento of the occasion.

Mr. Hatton's characteristics included
unswerving loyalty to personal and polit-

ical friends, adherence to principles re-
gardless of expediency or popular clamor,
plain-spoken frankness, an untiring ambi-
tion, and limitless faith in the success of
whatever he undertook. His personal
fjualitics gave him extended popularity
and contributed to his successful career.

J. WILLIAM LOWRY.

J. \\'iixi.\M LowRV, local manager
for the Standard Oil Company at Bur-
lington, Iowa, was born at Warsaw, 111.,
Sept. 28, 1861, a son of W'iliiam and Em-
ma (Shaw) Lowry. His grandfather,
John Lowry. was a native of Pennsyl-
vania, and came West with his family to
.\dams county, Illinois, about the year
1844, engaging in farming there, and also
establishing himself in his trade of black-
smithing, which he continued until the
coming of distilleries to Warsaw, when
he opened and operated a cooper shop.

His son, father of our subject, was by
trade a cooper and blacksmith ; but when
only twenty-one years of age he enlisted
from \'an Huron county. Iowa, on Feb.
q. 1864, in Company C, Third Iowa Vol-
unteer Cavalry. At Ripley, Miss., June
II, 1864. he sustained a severe wound in
the head, and was mustered out of the
military service on May 16, 1865, by a
s])ecial telegram from the war depart-
ment, dated .May 3, that year. As a
consequence t)f this wound he suffered
from enfeebled health until the time of
his death, which occurred in 1898.

The mother of our subject is a daugh-
ter of John Shaw, who came West to
.\dams countv about the same time that

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

613

the Lowry family settled there. By trade
a gunsmith, John Shaw was also a musi-
cian, and a maker of musical instruments.
On coming West he first located at Nau-
voo, 111., prior to the settlement of the
Mormons there, and at that place he en-
gaged in the making of guns. \\'hen the
town became the center of Alormonism
he was compelled to secretly smuggle his
product to the outside world, and in time
the situation became so intolerable that
he removed to Adams county, where he
died at an advanced age, survived by his
wife, whose demise occurred at J\Ion-
mouth, 111., when she was nearly ninety
3'ears of age.

To Mr. and ]\Irs. Lowry were born the
following children, who still survive :
Minnie, wife of John Tout ; J. William,
the subject of this review; Bessie, who is
unmarried; and Alfred and Walter, resi-
dents of Keokuk.

The father was well known, and occu-
pied a prominent place in fraternal cir-
cles, in which he was a faithful worker.
He was a member of the Masonic order
from his twenty-first year until his death,
at which time he held membership in
Hardin Lodge, No. 29, at Keokuk ; and in
Keokuk Lodge, No. 13, Independent Order
Odd Fellows, of Keokuk. He was tylor
in Hardin Lodge, and held office in
the chapter, the cf^mmandery. and the
Eastern Star, holding these offices con-
tinuously for twenty-seven years, being
absent from only three meetings during
the whole time.

From his early years J. William Lowry
has been trained in the self-reliance
which brings success ; for when only thir-
teen years of age he began earning his
own living by working at the cooper

trade, which he learned at Keokuk,
whither the family had removed in 1862.
And it may be said that his education
in useful industry began still earlier, as
he was his father's assistant in the work
of the Adams county farm.

In Keokuk he also worked in the plan-
ing mil! of S. C. and S. Carter, and also
became proficient in running a station-
ary engine, holding a position as engi-
neer for two years in Adams county, and
acting as fireman some time for the
Keokuk & Northwestern Railway Com-
pany. He was employed as engineer in
the Keokuk Stone Works for about three
years, with the firm of Garmo & Humes
for two years, with Henr\^ Schmidt &
Sons one year, and for two seasons on
the "General Barnard," a steamer en-
gaged in clearing the channel of the Mis-
sissippi River of snags and other obstruc-
tions.

From May to July of 1897 he was in
the employ of the Standard Oil Company,
at Bloomfield, Iowa, and from September
to April of the following year returned
to his trade, with Fred Hilpert, of Keo-
kuk ; from April to October was spent on
the river, as before mentioned, and in
May, 1899, he re-entered the service of
the Standard Oil Company, as foreman of
the warehouse at Keokuk. This position
he occupied until February, 1901, after
which he acted as traveling salesman for
appro.ximately eight months, and in Sep-
tember, 1902, was promoted to the
agency of the company at Burlington,
which is the office he holds at the present
time.

In ]\Iarch, 1887, Mr. Lowry was united
in marriage to Miss Lilly M. Johnson, a
native of Keokuk, and daughter of Rob-

6i4

BIOGRAPHICAL RlillliW

crt Johnston, of that city. Mr. and Mrs.
Lowry arc members of Colfax Lodge, No.
4, Daughters of Rebekah, and Mr. Low-
rv's fraternal connections are very ex-
tensive, he heintj a meniljcr of Puckeche-
tuck Lodge, No. 43, Intlepcndent Order
Odd Fellows, of Keokuk, of which he is
past grand ; of Red Cross Lodge, Ancient
Order I'nited Workmen; and of the Keo-
kuk organization of the Royal .\rcanum ;
and he was for a time secretary of Lodge
No. 10 of the National Association of Steam
Engineers at Keokuk.

In matters of politics, as deeply affect-
ing the good of the commonwealth, he
takes a constant interest, and in all ques-
tions of national jiolicy supports the Re-
publican party, although in local and
municipal issues he prefers to maintain
an independent attitude, relying upon his
individual estimate of men and measures
presented, rather than mere |)artisan bias.

As a man of shrewtl and discriminating
business judgment he has been able ma-
terially to advance the interests intrusted
to his charge in liurlington and sur-
rounding territory, while at the same
time his just and honorable methods
have won him imiversal praise and es-
teem, and it can fairly be said that no
man enjoys to a higher degree the con-
fidence of those with whom he comes in
contact, both for his signal success and
for his personal (jualities of frankness,
uprightness, and integrity.

JOHN HENRY REIPE.

Hon. John Hknrv Rr.ii-K has Ix-en
favored with public honors to a greater
extent, i)erha|)s. than any other citizen of

Flint River township. The various offices
of trust all came to him as a favorite of
the party and the people, and his great pop-
ularity is due to his ability, integrity, and
reliability.

He is a son of Albert and Henry Anna
.Maria llserbrand (Reipe), of West Pha-
len, Prussia, Germany, where his birth
occurred Jan. 7, 1836. The parents moved
to Niagara county. New York, in 1851,
where they remained till 1854, when they
started West, and chose Burlington, Iowa,
as their future residence. He owned a
farm of forty acres in Section 3, Flint
River township, and resided on the same
till his death, which occurred Nov. 15,
1877. He had been married twice, his
first wife, mother i_)f our subject, dying in
Germany in 1846. .About a year after this
Mr. Reipe married Miss Catherine
Woehrheide, also of Germany.

Hon. John Reipe received a thorough
education in German in the land of his
I)irth. attending the common schools, and
upon his arrixal in New York his father
sent him to learn the English language
in the county schools of Niagara county.
He remained with his parents on their
farm till 1861, wluii he ijought forty
acres of land in Section 10, and later added
more to it, until now he owns about one
hundred and five acres in Sections 3 and
ID, in I'lint l\i\er township. He has
made many imjirovements on the ])lace,
and has one of tiie most comfortable
homes in the county. He raises a few
head of stock, and farms the greater j)art
of his large farm with good results.

In politics Mr. Reipe has always been
of ihe old school, and one who has ac-
complished much for the jiarty of his
choice, as well as for the townshij). He

DBS MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

bi--

first Ijeg'an his political career in 1862,
as road supervisor, which office he held for
many years, and in 1880 he was elected
clerk and served for fourteen consecu-
tive years. He was twice elected to the
office of justice of the peace, served sev-
eral terms as assessor of the township,
and at present is the faithful secretary of
the school board. He has filled all of
these several offices of trust with great
care and to the entire satisfaction of his
party and the people in general. In 1881
he assisted to organize the German Mu-
tual Fire Association of Des Moines
county, and was elected treasurer and ap-
praiser of the company, which positions
he still fills with justice to all and credit to
himself.

In 1862 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. John Henry Reipe and Miss Julia
Anna Bruer, daughter of Frederick and
Carolina (Zerling) Bruer. By this union
twelve children were born, eight of whom
are now living. Three died in infancy,
and Paulina, who married H. Fink, died
in mature years. Mr. and Mrs. Reipe
have taken great interest to give their
children good educations, and fit them for
capable men and women. They are both
prominent and worthy members of St.
John's Evangelical church, in Flint River
township, Avhere Mr. Reipe has been the
beloved deacon for forty years. He is a
most enthusiastic and conscientious fol-
lower of the teachings of his denomina-
tion, and is always ready to do anything
in his power to promote the church.
Widely and favorably known in Des
Moines county, he certainly deserves rep-
resentation in this volume, and it is with
pleasure that we present to our readers
his life record.

HERMAN H. RIEPE.

Herman H. Riepe, postmaster, is one of
the enterprising business men of Sperry,
where he is engaged in general merchandiz-
ing and in the grain trade, and his activity
and integrity in business, his fairness in
his opinions, and his genuine personal worth
have made him a man of influence in the
locality where he resides. His birth occurred
in Westphalia, Germany, March 23, 1846,
his parents being Henr}^ and Mary (Vol-
brink) Riepe. Leaving their native country
in 1850, they took passage on a sailing
vessel which eventually reached the harbor
of New York, and for four years ]\Ir. Riepe
worked as a laborer in the Empire 'State.
In 1854 he arrived in Burlington, and a year
later bought a farm of eighty-six acres in
Benton township, owning and operating that
place until 1865, when he sold out, and
bought one hundred and five acres in Frank-
lin township. In 1880 he purchased fifty-
six acres of land in Flint River township,
to which he removed, and resided there until
1903, when he sold his different tracts of
land and removed to Sperry, where he is
now living retired.

Herman H. Riepe, whose name intro-
duces this record, was reared under the
[parental roof, and acquired his education in
the public schools. During much of his life
he has been identified with agriculture, al-
though he is now connected with commercial
interests in Sperry. In the meantime, how-
ever, he had carried on other pursuits, for
after his marriage he was for twelve years
engaged in carpentering and contracting.
He then removed to his father's old
homestead farm, where he devoted his en-
ergies to agricultural pursuits for fourteen
years. On Jan. i, 1894, he came to Sperry,

6i6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

where he established a general mercantile
store and grain business, building the grain
elevator in 1900. Here he handles corn
and small grain, and makes extensive ship-
ments annually, while his business gives a
good market to tiie producers in this part of
the county. As a merchant he is also pros-
fvering, carrying a welj-selected line of goods
and conducting a first-class mercantile bus-
iness.

On Dec. 16, 1875, Mr. Riepe was united
in marriage to Miss Caroline Beckman,
who was born in Franklin township, and is
a daughter of Charles and Sarah (Gondry)
Beckman. This union has been blessed with
five children : Charles, at home ; George ;
Frank, who is a carrier on the rural free
delivery route; Walter J.; and Clara. Mr.
and Mrs. Ricpc are mcmbt-rs of the Meth-
odist Episcojial cluirch, in which faith they
have reared their family. In his political
views he is a Democrat. He served as justice
of the peace for two terms, was also con-
stable for several terms, and was appointed
postmaster of Sparry in January, 1894. He
received his first ajipointmcnt under Cleve-
land's administration, and was reappointed
under McKinley, holding the office contin-
uously until .\pril I. iQoi, when he resigned.
He was reappointed, however, the following
September, thus having served almost con-
tinuously for eleven years. This, together
with the fact that he is a Democrat (gold),
and held through under Republican admin-
istrations, speaks more ])lainly than words
of the esteem and j)opularity with which he
is held by the people. No public trust
reposed in him has ever been betrayed in the
slightest degree, his loyalty to the general
welfare being one of his marked character-
istics. His business record is alike com-
mendable, for at all times he has worked

diligently and along lines of honorable
activity for the accomplishment of success,
which is the goal of all business endeavor.

CHARLES H. RIEPE.

CiiAKLEs H. RiEi-E, who is serving
for the second term as assessor of Frank-
lin townshij), was born in this township
Sept. 15, 1876, his parents being Herman
H. and Caroline (Beckman) Rie])e. The
father was horn in Germany, while the
mother's birth occurred in Dcs Moines
county, Iowa: but her father, Charles A.
Beckman. was likewise a native of Ger-
many, in which country Henry Riepe,
the paternal grandfather of our subject,
was also born.

Herman Rie])e. came with his parents
to .\'ew York, and was emi)loyed in that
State until 1855, when he removed west-
ward to lUirlington. Soon afterward the
family took uj) their abode on a farm in
Benton townslii]), and Herman Riepe re-
mained with his ])arents until he had at-
tained his majority.

He learned the carpenter's trade in
early manhood, and for some years fol-
lowed that pursuit ; but resumed agri-
cultural life and was identified with farm-
ing interests in Franklin township until
1895, when he came to Sperry and pur-
chased the general store formerly owned
hy Jacob Dean. Here he has since car-
ried on general merchandizing, and has
likewise, with the exception of a period
of six months, served as postmaster at
this place since 1805. He is one of the
leading business men of the village.

Charles H. Riepe completed his edu-

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

617

cation, which had been begun in the dis- wife, he sold tliis farm antl removed to

trict schools, by a course of study in Ris- Franklin township, purchasing ninety

ing Sun, Iowa, in 1895 ; and since that acres of land, to which he added until he

time has been connected with his father owned one hundred and seventeen acres,

in the conduct and management of the Subsequently he bought fifty-five acres

store. In his political views he is a Dem- in the southeastern part of the township

ocrat, always jgiving stanch support to and removed to that place, living thereon

the party. In the fall of 1902 he was until 1903. when he again sold out, and

elected assessor, to which position he was took up his abode in Sperry; here he now

re-elected in the fall of 1904.

lives, but expects soon to make his home
with his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. August Quelle, in Benton township.
Mr. Riepe was first married in April,
1837, Miss Annie Hoecamp becoming his
wife. They traveled life's journey to-
gether for five years, and she passed
away in 1842. In April, 1852, he mar-
ried r^Iary Volbrink, a native of Germany,
who died in April, 1872. His third mar-
riage in August, 1872, was to Rosina
Schmidt, who was born in Burtonburg,
Germany, and is still living. There was
one son by the first wife, Fred, who is

HENRY H. RIEPE.

Henry H. Riepe, who has passed the
eighty-seventh milestone on life's jour-
ney, was born in Prussia, Germany, April
3, 1818, his parents being Albert and
Catherine (Herslink) Riepe. He ac-
quired a common-school education, and
in 1851 crossed the Atlantic to New York.
From this city he made his way direct to

Lockport, N. Y., being six weeks and one now engaged in the grocery business in

day on the journey from his old home to Burlington, Iowa. The children of the

his destination. He secured employment second marriage are : Henry, of Medi-

on a farm near Lockport, where he re- apolis ; Herman, who is postmaster of

mained for four years, and thus provided Sperry; and William. The children of

for his family, consisting of his wife and the third marriage are : Mary, the wife

four children. of Henry Bishop ; Mrs. Lydia Schaele, a

The year 1855 witnessed the arrival of widow, living at Pleasant Grove, Iowa;

Mr. Riepe in Burlington, and here he Catherine, the wife of August Quelle, of

worked on the streets for six months. At Benton township ; and August, who is liv-

the end of this time he purchased fifty- ing in Lee county, Iowa,

three and a third acres of timber land m Mr. Riepe is a member of the Lutheran

Benton township, on which he built a log church, and since becoming a naturalized

cabin, and at once began clearing the American citizen has given his political

farm ; cutting down the trees, grubbing allegiance to the Democratic party. He

out the stumps, and clearing away the has served as road supervisor, township

brush, until the greater part of it was trustee, and school director, and has al-

cleared and under cultivation. ways been loyal to the general welfare

Nine years later, after losing his first and active in support of every measure

6i8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

wliicli lu- has believed would contribute married to Miss Minnie A. Ward, a
to the public good. The success which he daughter of John Wesley and Ruth
has achieved in life has come as the direct (Smith) Ward. They now have two in-
result of his own labors. Now, in the teresting children: Ruth, born July 21,
evening of life, he is enjoying a well- 1897; and May, born Oct. 20, 1898. They
earned rest, respected by his fellow-men also lost one daughter, Minnie Maude,
because of his fidelitv to honorable and who was born Julv 25, 1901, and died
nianl\ i)rincii>les as the years have gone Sept. 12, 1904.

1j\ . Politically, Mr. Riepe is a Democrat.

He takes an active interest in local affairs,

and gives his co-operation to all meas-

IDHN PI ICK RIFPE "'^'^^ which he deems will prove of public

benefit.

John Elick Riei'e is numbered among

the native sons of Des Moines county,
his birth having occurred on the old
home farm in Franklin township. March
18, 1872. His parents were John H.
and .\manda (Minnick) Riepe, and in

GEORGE HUTCHCROFT.

GiioktJE HurcHCKOKT, who is well known
throughout this portion of Iowa as a
their home the days of his boyhood and pioneer and leading farmer of Des
youth were passed, his attention being Moines county, and as one who has borne
devoted to the work of the fields and the a ])rominent part in the public activities
care of the stock. He thus received prac- of his day, is of English nativity, having
tical training in the lalmr to which he has been born in Yorkshire, Sept. 6, 1839.
given his time and energies since attain- Endowed with an enterprising disposi-

ing man's estate. He mastered the ele-
menlary branches of English learning as
a student in the district schools of his
native township, and throughout his busi-
ness career he has followed farming.

In 1903 he purchased the Gust Abra-
hamson farm of fifty-three and three-
quarters acres in Section 21, in the south-
ern part of Yellow Springs township, and

tion, unusual ability, and a spirit of
sturdy self-reliance, he early decided to
seek his fortune in the Xcw World, and
in 1866 came to the United States, land-
ing at the port of New York in May of
that year. Thence he came westward
direct to Iowa, and located in Yellow
Springs townshij), Des Moines county.
Mr. Hutchcroft is the second of thir-

here he carries on general agricultural teen children of John and Mary (Ripley)

pursuits. His fields are well tilled, and Hutchcroft, both natives of Yorkshire,

his place well stocked. He works per- England. The father was born in 1817,

sistently and earnestly, in order to gain and was married in November, 1836, fol-

a comfortable competence for himself: lowed the occupation of farming. He

and all that he possesses has been ac- came to the United .States in the autumn

quired entirely through his own efforts, of i8C)7, bringing his wife and the re-

On March 18, i89(), Mr. Riepe was mainder of the family; and following the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

619

example of his son, who had preceded
him the previous year, he came to Iowa
and located in Yellow Springs township.
There he at first purchased a farm of
forty acres, to which he subsequently
added, until his holdings aggregated one
hundred acres. This farm was situated
northeast of Mediapolis, and there he es-
tablished an excellent home for himself
and his family, bringing the land under
cultivation, erecting a good house, and
making many other improvements. He
engaged in farming and the usual amount
of stock-raising with success, continuing
to operate the farm until the time of his
death, which occurred May 25, 1899. A
public-spirited man, he was a member of
the Republican party, but the activities
of public life never appealed to him.

The widow of John Hutchcroft was
born March 8, 1817, in Yorkshire. Eng-
land, and died May 6, 1905, aged eighty-
eight 3'ears. She was the mother of
eleven children, nine of whom are still
living : Ann, now deceased, was the wife
of John Lane, a farmer of Yellow Springs
township ; Elizabeth, widow of William
Drinkall, resides in Washington town-
ship on the Edward McClarkin farm ;
Sarah Ann, deceased, was the wife of
George Dotterwich, who resides in the
city of Burlington, Iowa; Mary, wife of
Henry Moody, of Winfield, Iowa ; Georg-
iana, wife of Robert Affleck, of St. Paul ;
Anna, wife of James Jordan, of Burling-
ton, Iowa ; Eliza, wife of Theodore Ran-
dolph, of Burlington, Iowa ; Render, a
farmer, residing in Colorado; Edwin, a
farmer, of Warren county, Iowa ; and
Thomas, of Yellow Springs township,
Des Moines county.

George Hutchcroft, the subject of the

present memoirs, received a good educa-
tion in the common schools of his native
county of Yorkshire, and also assisted in
the management and work of the home
farm, so that his early training and ex-
perience were eminently fitted to win him
success in dealing with the practical
affairs of his after life. On coming to
Yellow Springs township he secured
work by the month on the farm of Mr...
Bell, with whom he continued for a period
of three years. Having become familiar
with American methods, he then rented
a farm, which he operated for one year,
and at the end of that time he purchased,
in Washington township, a farm of eighty
acres, which he still owns. Removing to
this farm in 1872, he resided there con-
tinuously until May, 1904, engaged dur-
ing that time exclusively in general farm-
ing and the raising of farm stock. He
increased the original farm by further
purchases, until he now owns two hun-
dred and forty acres, all under cultiva-
tion, this fact indicating the great success
which has attended all his efforts. On
the first eighty acres he erected a large
and substantial dwelling-house, and by
the installing of many modern improve-
ments and the introduction of the most
progressive and approved methods of
farming, made the establishment a model
of its kind, and one of the best-equipped
and managed farms in Des Moines
county. In 1904 he removed to the vil-
lage of Yarmouth, where he purchased a
fine tract of fourteen acres, and erected
the commodious and comfortable house
which forms his residence at the present
time. Here he is now living in retire-
ment and the enjoyment of the fruits of
a life well and worthily spent.

620

BIOGRAPHICAL RRVIEIV

In January, 1871. Mr. Hiitchcroft was
united in marriage to Miss Jane Krinkall,
who was born in Lincolnshire, England,
and came to America about 1868. She is
now deceased, her demise having occurred
at the home in Wasliiiigton township in
1882. She was a member of the Meth-
odist church, and was a woman of ability
and beautiful Christian character. To
.Mr. and Mrs. Hutchcroft were born two
sons and two daughters, as follows : .\1-
bert. a farmer of Decatur county, Iowa,
married Miss Clara Stromberg, and has
one child, liernice; Robert, also a farmer
of Decatur county, married Miss Lucy
Marshall, who was born in Des Moines
county, a daughter of .\lvin Marshall, and
has three children, Robert. Marshall, and
Walter; Mary, wife of Fred Sickman,
born in Washington township, resides on
her father's farm ; and Jessie, wife of
Charles McCann, who resides in Wash-
ington townshi]), and operates a portion
of Mr. Ilutchcroft's farm, has two
daughters. Mary and Lula. All the chil-
dren of .Mr. Ilulchcroft were born in Des
Moines county.

]\[r. Hutchcroft lias been an interested
witness of the many improvements which
time has brought to Des Moines county,
and, moreover, has done his full share in
making this section what it is to-day, one
of the richest and most prosperous fann-
ing regions in the Middle \\'est. He has
been twice married, his second wife being
Miss Anna Harrison, whom he wedded
at the city of Burlington, March 12, 1890.
She was born in Yorkshire. England, a
daughter of Abram and Jane (Leek) Har-
rison, her father being a farmer. Mr.
Hutchcroft formed her acquaintance
while on a visit to his bovhood home in

England, and she returned with him to
.\merica. She is a member of the Meth-
odist church, and maintains a helpful in-
terest in its work, in which our subject
has also been prominent for many years,
supporting the work of the church gener-
ously from his ample means. The wel-
fare of the public schools has also formed
one of his chief subjects of interest, for
he believes that in the wide diffusion of
education among the people lies the main
reliance and safeguard of popular liber-
ties and .\merican institutions. For this
reason he has given much time and
thought to the work of the schools, and
while a resident of Washington township
served as school director for the long
term of twelve years. As an influential
member of the Republican i)arty, he has
borne an important part in shaping the
course and policy of local government in
his own community and in Des Moines
count\'. .\s an acknowledgement of his
ability, and in token of their trust in his
high-minded integrity, the people of
Washington township also elected him to
the highest office within their gift, that
of township trustee, and on the expira-
tion of his initial term honored him with
a re-election. He has a wide circle of ac-
(|uaintance and many friends, and these,
as well as the material prosperity which
he enjc)\s, ha\ e come to him because of
his own merit; for he started practically
alone in the world, without capital or
other resource, and has, unaided, won
position and the general regard and re-
spect. To such as he the best prizes of
life belong by right, and it is one of the
most encouraging things which it is pos-
sible to mention that a man may by legiti-
mate methoils win great success.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

621

JAMES JACKSON.

James Jackson, of Franklin township,
is a representative of one of the old
colonial families. His great grandfather,
and his grandfather, William Jackson,
were in the Wyoming massacre, when the
Indians fell npon the little, unprotected
town in Pennsylvania and ruthlessly
murdered nearly all of the men, women,
and children there. ^\'ilIiam Jackson and
his father, however, were among the few
who made their escape to the fort.

William Jackson, Jr., father of our sub-
ject, was a native of the Keystone State,
born in Luzerne county, where he wedded
Jerusha Inman, who was also a native of
that county, and a daughter of Edwm
Inman. ^^'ith several neighbors, William
Jackson, Jr., emigrated westward, making
his way to Des Moines county. This was
in the year 1840, and he purchased four
hundred acres of land in Franklin town-
ship.

In 1842, having completed his arrange-
ments for a home in the \\'est, he brought
his family to Iowa, making the journey
to Pittsburg by wagon, and thence by
boat down the Ohio and up the Missis-
sippi River, to Burlington. His farm
was only twelve miles from that city.
He had purchased a claim from a man b)'^
the name of Buckhart. who emigrated to
Oregon. About one-half of the land was
raw prairie. Mr. Jackson fenced the
place and made improvements thereon,
continuing its cultivation and develop-
ments until his death, in 1846. At that
time his eldest son, Edward, took charge
of tlie farm, and the mother continued to
reside n])on the home place until her
death, wliich occurred in 1862.

James Jackson, who was born in Lu-
zerne county, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1831,
was a youth of about eleven years when
he accompanied his parents on their re-
moval to Iowa. Here he was reared
upon the old homestead farm ; and the
daily life of the pioneer settler, with its
hardships and privations, its pleasures
and joys, became familiar to him. After
his father's death he continued upon the
old homestead with his mother until his
marriage.

March 9, 1854, he wedded Miss Mary
A. McMichael, who was born in Dauphin
county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of
Archibald McMichael, who was a native
of the Keystone State. Her mother bore
the maiden name of Mary McLaughlin,
and was born in Philadelphia, Pa. They
came to Des Moines county in 1840, mak-
ing the journey by canal to Pittsburg,
and thence crossing the .\llegheny Jkloun-
tains on the old gravity railway.

Mrs. Jackson spent her girlhood days
with her parents, and wa*s trained to the
duties of the household : so she was well
prepared to take charge of a home of her
own at the time of her marriage. Her
father was one of the government sur-
veyors, and was prominent and intlu-
ential in public life. He served in the
State Legislature for one term, when
Iowa City was the capitol. Mrs Jack-
son's maternal grandmother was twice
married, her first husband, A. Frazier,
being one of the body guard to King
George the Third, of England.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have been
born the following named : ^^'illiam W.,
of Mediapolis : Minnie, the widow of John
Barnes, also of Alediapolis; Edward, of
the same place; Rose, the wife of J. £.

622

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Collier, a resilient farmer of Henry coun-
ty, Iowa ; Lucy, the wife of J. A. Cowger,
of Mediapolis; Lewis, who died in 1895,
at the age of twenty-eight years; Susan,
who (lied in 1SS5. at the age of eight
3'ears ; and Abbie E., who is at home with
her parents.

After his marriage Mr. Jackson rented
a farm in Franklin township for two
years, and then returned to the old home-
stead. He resides uf)on a part of this
farm, and lias nia<U' it his place of resi-
dence continuously since iS^fi. He is re-
garded as one of the enterprising and
well-to-do agriculturists of the commu-
nity, and has k-d an active, useful, and
honorable life. .\t one time he was a
member of the Grange, and for two terms
he has served as assessor of his township,
to which office he was elected on the
Democratic ticket. He belongs to the
Methodist Episco])al church.

Familiar with the history of the count}'
from i)ioneer times, he Jias vivid recol-
lection of this section of the State when
much of it was wild prairie land, the na-
tive grasses growing to great height. 1"he
streams were unbridged, and the timber
largely uncut; but there came to Des
Moines county a band of sturdy pioneers,
— men and women of resolute spirit aii<l
strong determination, who have through
their wcU-directetl labors made the county
what it is to-dav.

WILLIAM HARVEY JACKSON.

\\'ii.i.i.\.\i H.VKViiv J.\CK.S().\, for many
years interested in general farming in
Franklin township, was l)orn in Lu-
zerne countv. Pennsvlvania. Xov. j8,

1829, his parents being William and Je-
rusha (Inman) Jackson, who were also
natives of Luzerne county. The father
was born in 1793. In the year 1842 the
family came to the Middle West, taking
up their abode in Jackson township. The
journey was made by team from their old
home in Pennsylvania to Pittsburg,
thence down the Ohio and up the Missis-
sippi Rivers, reaching Uurlington in the
sjiring of that year. The father had pre-
viously purchased land in the vicinity of
.'>l)erry. becoming owner of one hundred
and si.xty acres of prairie land and an
equal amount of timber land. He reso-
lutely set to work to develop a new farm
in the midst of a pioneer district, but was
not long permitted to enjoy his new
home, his death occurring the following
year. He was survived for some time by
his wife, and their eldest son took charge
of the old homestead.

William H. Jackson, whose name intro-
duces this review, was a youth of twelve
years when the family came to the West,
and has since lived in this county. His
education was acquired in the public
schools, and he received am]>le training
at farm labor upon the old home place,
where he remained up to the time of his
marriage, which was celebrated on I'eb.
(). 1831. The lady of his choice was Miss
.\deline W'assom, who was born in Ten-
nessee; a daughter of Jonathan W'assom,
also a native of that State, who came to
this county some years after the arrival
of tile Jackson family.

Subsequent to his marriage \\'illiam
1 L Jackson resided for two years upon
his father-in-law's farm, and then pur-
chased eighty acres of land on Section 3,
I'r.inklin township, for which he paid ten

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

623

dollars an acre. With renewed energy
and determination he began the further
development and improvement of this
property, and has added to his place un-
til he now owns one hundred acres in
Franklin township and twent^'-fivc acres
in Benton township. It was wild prairie
when it came into his possession, and he
at first erected a rough cabin, but in
course of time added substantial and
modern buildings to his farm, erecting
his ])resent residence in 1868. In all of
his work he has been enterprising and
progressive, and his life industry is indi-
cated in the excellent appearance of the
home place.

Unto Mr. and Airs. Jackson have been
born nine children : Edward Andrew,
now connected with the Iowa Soap Com-
pany, of Burlington: Catherine, at home;
Lewis, a farmer, residing near Muscatine,
Iowa; Henry, a farmer in Louisa county.
Iowa; James, a resident farmer of Frank-
lin township ; Edith, the wife of Frank
Doran,_ of Huron township, this county ;
Emma, the wife of Edgar Jackson, of
Benton township; Jessie, who died Julv
19, 1877, at the age of seven years; and
John, who is operating the home farm,
carrying on general agricultural pursuits.
The wife and mother died June 29, 1879,
her death being (lee])l}' deplored by many
friends.

Mr. Jackson was one of the charter
members of the Grange, and has always
been interested in everything pertaining
to the agricultural development of the
community. His political allegiance is
given to the Democracy, and he is a mem-
ber of the Baptist church. For more than
six decades he has lived in this countv,
and is therefore numbered amonjr the

pioneer settlers. He was one of those
who early followed the Indian occupancy
of this district, and he lived here when
deer and other wild game could be had
on the prairies by the hunter. His inter-
est in community affairs has always been
that of a public-spirited citizen, and he
is to-day regarded as one of the promi-
nent and respected agriculturists of his
township.

JOHN W. McLAIN.

The building interests of Burlington are
fairly represented by John W. McLain, who
for nearly thirty years has constantly mani-
fested a most commendable spirit of enter-
prise in connection with the material ad-
vancement of the city. Mr. McLain was
born in Lmiontown, Pa., Dec. 24, 1849, ^
son of William Henry and Elizabeth (Win-
ders) jMcLain, the father of our subject be-
ing the son of Ephraim McLain, of Pennsyl-
vania, and of Scotch descent, while the
mother was of Pennsylvania Dutch parent-
age. \\'illiam Henry McLain, b}' trade a
shoemaker, removed in 1876 to Kansas,
where he engaged in farming until his
death. His wife also died in that State, near
Andover, twelve miles east of Wichita. One
son, James A., is a wealthy farmer in the
vicinity of Andover, and two daughters
reside in Andover, these being Mary, widow
of Joseph Lyons, and Jennie, v^-ife of Will-
iam Belford.

In 185s our subject removed with his
parents from Pennsylvania to Illinois, lo-
cating in the village of Chili, Hancock
county, and it was there that he passed his
early years and obtained his education in the
public schools. It was there that he was

624

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

residing at the time of the Civil War, and
although the father of the family was of
too advanced an age to be accepted for
military service, and the sons too young, all
were enthusiastic supiwrters of the cause of
the L'nion ; and when a company of in-
fantry was formed in Hancock county, the
elder McLain, and also our subject, became
members of a drum corps which did service
in recruiting.

That Mr. McLain is entitled to be called
a self-made man he owes to two facts ;
namely, that he enjoyed the advantages of
an excellent home training, and that his
boyhood and youth were not passed in idle-
ness, but were devoted to self-develop-
ment and to learning the lessons of labor.
Another point in his favor was that he
early began the pursuit of a useful ap-
plication, taking u]) at the age of seventeen
the trade of carpentering, which he has ever
since follofwed. While yet young he mapped
out an independent course of endeavor, and
in order to carry out his ambitions came to
Burlington on March 19. 1868, and took
enii)loynient at the car])enter's trade, which,
however, he had not yet learned so thor-
oughly as to satisfy himself. He therefore
as a preliminary served an apprenticeship
with Richard Howard, who is still living
in I'.urlington at the age of ninety-two years.
After working for eight years as a car-
penter he began his career as a contractor in
1876, doing general contracting in partner-
ship with John A. Uhler, now traveling for
the Gilbert-Hedge Lumber Company, and
later forming a partnership with Mr. Dal-
gleisch, who is now located on Fifth Street.
In this, his life work, Mr. McLain has
achieved the most unqualified success, both
in the pecuniary and material sense of
amassing a comfortable competence, and in

the sense of having contributed in a marked
degree to the development and upbuilding
of the city of Burlington ; for he has from
the iirst enjoyed the confidence and esteem
of the public, and this has enabled him to
accomplish much. Many substantial struct-
ures throughout Burlington stand as monu-
ments of his skill, among the public build-
ings of his construction being St. Paul's
church, the Hedge & Carpenter building,
Elliott's Business College, the John Boesch
building, the Saunderson School building,
the German- American Savings Bank build-
ing, a large addition to the South Boundary
school, an important addition to the Ger-
man Evangelical church at Fifth and W'ash-
ington Streets, the building at Third and
Division Streets, the E. H. Carpenter build-
ing, and trwo buildings for Chittenden &
Eastman — the mattress factory and store
building on Main Street. Ainong residence
buildings may be mentioned the country
residence of David Roscum, the city resi-
dences of John Blaul, Charles Blaul, Mrs.
Margaret Coulter on North Seventh Street,
W. P. Foster, E. P. Eastman, residence re-
modeled and large barn added. E. .V. Mc-
Millan, and many others — perhaps more
than one hundred residences in Burlington
alone; while the years i8()6 to 1898, inclu-
sive, were spent very profitably in Colorado
Springs, Colo., contracting and building.
Mr. McLain gives employment to an
average of about thirty workmen during
the building season, thus contributing
largely to the general prosperity.

A Republican in politics, he is always a
zealous worker for the success of his party,
and usually serves as its delegate from his
ward in conventions. In 1902-03 he was a
member of the city council from the sixth
ward, under the administration of Mavor

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

625

Marquardt, and rendered valuable and not-
able service to his constituents as chair-
man of the committee on public offices and
buildings, and as a member of the fire, sewer,
and water committees. Fraternally, he is a
member of Washington Lodge, No. i, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows; of the
local organization of the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, through the chairs of
which he has passed ; of the Mystic Work-
ers ; of the Fraternal Choppers ; and of the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In
social organizations he occupies a prominent
place, being a member of the Business Men's
Club and of the Carthage Lake Club, in
which latter he is active as a member of the
board of directors.

At Chili, 111., in 1879, Mr. McLain was
united in marriage to Miss Anna C. Caine,
who was born and reared in Hancock
county, and to them have been born four
children, as follows : Grace, who died at the
age of four years; Clarence H., who was
graduated from high school in the class of
1904, and acted as guide at the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition at St. Louis; Madge,
a student in high school ; Arthur, a pupil
in the public schools. The family occupies
a beautiful and commodious home at 602
Cedar Street, and other residence property
owned by Mr. McLain includes the hand-
some tenement at Fourth and Spruce
Streets. Mr. McLain is prominent in the
social life of the city as a member of
the Fraternal order of the well-known
P. E. O. Society, of which she was for
two terms president ; of the King's
Daughters ; as president for two years of
the Burlington Federation of the King's
Daughters ; and as delegate a number
of years to the State conventions of the
King's Daughters and the P. E. O. Ladies'

Society. Miss Madge is a member of the
Silver Cross Circle of the King's Daugh-
ters, and Clarence holds membership in the
Burlington Athletic Club. Mr. McLain is
a thorough believer in the benefits of or-
ganization for the great industries of modem
life, and holds the office of president of the
Burlington Contractors' Exchange. At the
time of the organization of the national as-
sociation at Chicago, in December, 1903,
he was sent by the Burlington Exchange as
its delegate to the former body, and was
entertained by resident members at a per-
formance of " Bluebeard" in the Iroquois
theater, shortly before the scene of the fate-
ful catastrophe which is now a matter of
history. He is a member of the national
association, and active in its interest, receiv-
ing therein the full support of the local con-
tractors, whose respect and confidence he
has always enjoyed, by reason of the ab-
solute fairness, uprightness, and integrity
of his methods. He is a highly successful
man, and for this he most deserves credit
because his success is distinctively his own,
achieved without the help of capital, in-
fluential friends, or adventitious circum-
stances, and is the product of extraordinary
natural gifts, one of the greatest of which
is executive ability of a high order, combined
with a determination which has overleaped
or swept aside all obstacles, and gained for
its possessor an honored and honorable
place among his fellow-men.

EDWARD J. SMITH.

Edward J. Smith, one of the successful
and enterprising younger farmers of Union
township, where he operates about two hun-

626

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

drctl and seventy acres of land, is a son of
Andrew and Kate Smith, and was born in
the township wliere he now resides, Marcli
l8, 1870. An interesting sketch of his
father will appear on another pa^c in this
book. After receiving a good and substan-
tial education in the district schools of the
township, he spent three years at St. John's
Catliniic school in FUirlington. Returning
home, he stayed with his father on the farm
for some time, and later spent one year in
the machine shop of the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy Railroad located at West
Burlington, where he learned much about
machinery that would be of good use to
him on the farm in the future. Indoor
work did not seem to satisfy him as well
as rural life, and he went back to his father,
and worked till he was twenty-one years
old. About this time he began farming on
his own responsibility, renting first a farm
in Middletown, which he worked three
years. Selling out his stock and imple-
ments he moved to the city of Burlington,
and engaged in the manufacture of boxes,
which he carried on for one year. The
ne.xt six months he was with the Street Car
Company, at the end of which he moved
onto his present place, adjoining the county
poor farm. Beside the farm owned by his
father, he rents other land, and is engaged
in general farming and the raising of fine
cattle and hogs. He is also part owner of
a fine coach-horse stallion, and is in that
way l)cttering the class of stock in the
vicinity.

April II, 1893, Mr. Smith was united
in marriage with Miss Jennie Lee, of Bur-
lington, where she was educated and grew
to womanhood. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith
were born two children, Marie and Helen.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are devoted members

and liberal sup])orters of St. John's Cath-
olic church, of Burlington. He has always
given his political allegiance to the Demo-
cratic party, but has never cared to hold
any office of honor or trust. By his own
energy and upright dealing in all things
he has achieved his success in business, and
at the same time won the regard and re-
spect of all those with whom he comes in
contact in the dailv walks of life.

ANNA J. LANG. M. D.

Anna J. L.\ng, ^L D., who has been
identified with the medical profession as one
of its most successful members in Burling-
ton for a continuous period of almost
thirty years, was born at Belleville, 111.,
Jan. 14. 1846, a daughter of Christopher
Ender, a native of Bavaria, and Barbara
(Beck with) Ender, who was born at Frank-
fort-on-the-Main. The mother died Oct.
I, 1896, aged seventy-seven years, and her
demise was preceded by that of her hus-
band, he dying in 18G7 at the age of forty-
five. He lived for about thirty years at
Belleville and for a time at St. Louis, and
was a tailor by trade, besides owning the
farm on which he died — a valuable tract of
two thousand acres at Evansville, thirty-
two miles from Belleville. Mr. and Mrs.
Ender were the parents of eight children:
Cicero. Anna J., Kate, Charles, Christina,
Maggie, William, and Cecilia. They were
people of most estimable character, and
were faithful members of the Catholic
church, of which our subject is a consist-
ent member.

Before taking up the study of medicine
the subject of this review was united in

DR. ANNA J. LANG.

■DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

629

marriage to J. C. Campbell, and to them
were born four children, who survived :
J. C. ; Christina, who married Joseph
Krause ; Clara, wife of Morris Over ; and
Laura, wife of Mahlon Kauflfman ; also two
died in youth. The father of this family
died in 1872, and his widow, desiring to
achieve an independent and useful career,
and appreciating the immense possibilities
offered by the field of medical practice for
those of her sex who possessed the necessary
talent and enthusiasm, entered Richardson's
Medical College at St. Louis, where she
pursued a thorough and rigorous course of
study, and was graduated in 1877. She
shortly after began practice in Burlington,
where she has remained continuously since.
In May, 1880, she again married, her sec-
ond husband being Andrew J. Lang, who
was born in Bavaria, and came in 1866 to
Burlington, where he has followed the
trade of stone-mason. They have two chil-
dren, Louis and Louisa, and two died in
infancy.

Following that tendency of the age by
which the work of the learned professions
has become divided into well-defined spe-
cialties. Dr. Lang has devoted her attention
principally to the treatment of tumor, can-
cer, and all skin diseases, in which she has
been signally successful. By the skill and
fidelity with which she has followed her su-
preme object of ameliorating human suf-
fering, she has earned the lasting gratitude
of innumerable unfortunates who have been
benefited by her ministrations, and has built
up a large and profitable practice. She is
a woman of unusual talents and great
strength of purpose and character, and is
regarded with the general and true esteem
which is one of the best rewards of unselfish
efforts.

ADAM MOEHN.

In the prosperous and enterprising city
of Burlington there are many inhabitants of
foreign birth, members of families who,
attracted by more progressive institutions,
broader educational facilities, and the su-
perior advantages for making a living, have
come here with their talents and means
intending to found homes in the new coun-
try. These valuable additions to the native
population have by their industry, economy,
and honorable methods become essential
factors in the growth of the city. A repre-
sentative of such a class is Adam Moehn,
and the success which he has achieved here
is the legitimate result of a long career of
worthy and unflagging effort.

Mr. Moehn was born in Stambach, in the
Kingdom of Rhenish Bavaria, Jan. 29, 1842,
the son of Adam and Barbara (Fenrich)
Moehn, also natives of Germany, and there
he received his early education in the com-
mon schools. When he was twelve years of
age his father, by trade a cooper, decided
to immigrate with the family to America,
and they embarked at Havre de Grace,
France, in the sailship Sarah Hide, bound
for New York. On Easter Sunday they
encountered a terrific storm, the gale at-
taining such violence that the masts of the
ship were blown down, thus greatlv de-
laying the voyage, so that it was not until
thirty-six days after setting sail that they
arrived at New York. There thev re-
mained for six months, the father being
employed at his trade, and in November,
1854, they started westward, traveling to
Chicago by boat and by rail, thence to Rock
Island by rail, and after waiting at the
latter place six days, secured boat passage
down the river to Burlington. After pro-

630

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ceeding as far as Muscatine, however, the
boat was forced to tie up on account of the
ice in the river, and although the family
had paid its passage and was badly in
need of money, reimbursement was refused
by the boat's clerk. Caught in tliis pre-
dicament, father and son, after writing to
a brother of the elder Moehn, who resided
in IJurlington, set out fo'r their destination on
foot, and thus, braving the rigors of winter,
strangers in a strange land and unable to
speak or understand the language of the
country through which they passed, they
arrived after two days at the scene of their
future home, where ihey found that their
relative had received the letter written from
Muscatine and had gone to that place to
bring the family to Burlington in a hack,
there being then no connection by rail.

Alter locating in Burlington, the father of
Mr. Moehn was for some time employed in
the cooper shop owned by William Moehn,
but in i860 opened a cooperage business
for himself in Arch Street, near High
Street, where he continued to ])ursue his
useful activities until tlie time of his death,
January, 1869. Mr. Moehn remained with
his father, learning his trade, until about
the year 1865, when he felt a great desire
to acquire a broader knowledge of the land
in which his fortunes had been cast, and
decided to investigate the modes of life and
work of other cities.

He first went to Milwaukee, working for
a time in a cooperage shop and attending
for a period of eighteen months a Catholic
academy, in which he pursued especially
the study of the ILnglish language. He
next proceeded to New Boston, 111., still
working at his trade, and in 187 1, while
at Monmouth, 11!., he married Miss Sarah
McQuaid, a native of Pennsylvania, she

having been born at Franklin in that State
in 1852. They came at once to Burlington,
and here for the first three years Mr. Moehn
was employed in the cooperage establish-
ment of Mr. Boquet, anil later for a time in
that of his brother Henry, who, on their
father's death, had taken charge of his
business. There he continued until 1880,
at which time he started in business for him-
self in a small way on Spring Street, pur-
suing the work of his trade there with con-
siderable success for ten years, at the end
of which ])eriod he tore down the old shop
and built a larger and more modern plant
at the corner of Range and Gnahn Streets.

His present plant and entire equipment
represent an investment of ap])ro.ximately
ten thousand dollars, and the output con-
sists exclusively of pickle cooperage, the
factory being devoted to the making of
barrels, kegs, and casks for the use in
])icklc factories for packing purposes. The
annual output is fifty thousand tight barrels,
of which large shipments are made especi-
ally to New York, Chicago, St. Paul, and
.Minneapolis, although the product of Mr.
Mochn's factory is known and sold all over
the United States. An average of twenty-
five men is employed throughout the year,
the business thus constituting one of the
important enterprises of the city and adding
sensibly to its material prosperity. Most
of the stock used is white oak, shipped from
southern forests, but in the early days of
the industry the father of our subject se-
cured his raw material from the immediate
vicinity of Burlington, the finished cask
representing only his own labor and that of
his workmen, from the cutting down of the
tree in the neighboring woods.

Mr. Moehn has one brother, Henry
Moehn, residing in Burlington, and a sister,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

631

Mrs. Zachmyer, at Pleasant and Central
Avenues. In 1873 he built a home at 11 19
Spring Street, where he still resides, and
there have been born to him and Mrs.
jNIoehn five children, as follows : Edward,
a graduate of the Academy of Our Lady of
Lourdes and of Elliott's Business College,
who is a stenographer and typewriter in the
Morrell packing house at Ottumwa; Nellie,
residing in the old family home in Arch
Street, who is the wife of Gephart Aloehn,
employed in Mr. Moehn's cooperage works ;
Anna, who died at the age of nineteen years ;
Frank, a graduate of the Academy of Our
* Lady and of Elliott's Business College, who
is a stenographer and typewriter in the
offices of the Rock Island Railway at Bur-
lington ; and !Mamie, who is a member of the
parental household. All the children have
received excellent educational advantages
in the Catholic parochial schools.

Although Mr. Moehn's father was a
Republican and cast his first ballot for
Abraham Lincoln in i860, he is himself a
member of the Democratic party, in the
soundness of whose tenets he is a thorough-
going believer, and for whose success at the
polls he has always been a zealous and con-
stant worker ; and in recognition of his
valuable services he has been the recipient
of many honors at the hands of his party
and fellow-citizens. As chairman of pri-
maries and member of the county central
committee and the city Democratic com-
mittee, he has had marked influence in poli-
tics, while for five years he was alderman
from the second 'ward of the city of Bur-
lington, during which -time he consistently
discharged the duties of his office with
credit to himself and to the entire satis-
faction of his constituents, who repeatedly
expressed at the polls their confidence in

his ability and integrity. As a member of
the council he held the important positions
of chairman of the general improvement
committee, the sewer committee, the rail-
road committee, and the building committee,
in all of which his influence and advice were
of conspicuous benefit to the municipal
government and assisted materially in the
solution of many vexing problems of ad-
ministration. He was also member of the
fire, police, and other committees, and in
each he was faithful to his dutv as he saw
it. He is still active and influential in
politics, and feels a great interest in all
public affairs.

Mr. Moehn is a man of plain and simple
tastes, hard-working and devoted to the
direction of his affairs ; but at the same
time his sound business judgment and
shrewd appreciation of opportunity have
made him highly successful in a pecuniary
way, a worthy representative of the business
interests of Burlington, and his honesty and
uprightness have won him the respect of
all who know him and made him many
friends.

GEORGE GALLAHER.

One of the progressive and active citi-
zens of Des Moines county, who was
born in Pleasant Grove township, on the
farm where he now resides, over sixty-two
years ago, is George Gallaher. He is a son
of George and Lavina (Zion) Gallaher, his
birth occurring May 10, 1842. His father
was born in the State of Tennessee, came
to Iowa in 1836. and located in Pleasant
Grove township, Des Moines county, his
farm of three hundred and twenty acres
being the one on which our subject now

632

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

resides, and whicli lie bought of the heirs,
except the life interest of his mother.
When he first obtained this place it was a
vast wilderness, but he set about to clear
it, and from time to time added one im-
provement after another as they were
needed. 'Jlie old frame house is still
standing, but his son has erected a more
modern two-story building. Mr. Gal-
l.iher was a very prosperous and progress-
ive man of his day, meeting with much
success in his business career. Uesides
* his farming operations he also raised con-
siderable stock. His death occurred
.•\pril II, 1S42, and his remains were in-
terred on the home place. He was one
of the organizers and first members of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church in this
section of the country, and for some years
the church services were held in his
home.

The mother of our subject was born in
Virginia, is eighty-five years old, and re-
sides with her daughter Mary, who is the
wife of |<ilui Kiuluy. a fanner of Pleas-
ant Grove towiislii]). She. too, is a char-
ter member of the lumbcrland Presbyte-
rian clniroh, and is the i>niy one of the
original members that is now living. She
became the wife of Mr. Gallaher in Vir-
ginia when she was but sixteen years old,
and became the mother of three children,
two of whom are living: P)enjamin, now
deceased, was a wholesale grocer, and re-
sided in Omaha, Nebr. ; Amanda is the
widow of .\. C De Lee, and also makes
her home in Omaha ; and George, the sub-
ject of this review.

Mr. Gallaher was a widower with the

don ; Sarah, also deceased was the wife of
Edward Brown, of Hamburg, Iowa ; Per-
melia is married to Isaac Fleenor, of
Nebraska; and Harriet is the widow of
Xorvin IJridges, and lives in Riverside,
Xebr.

When our subject was ten years of age
his mother married David L. Uavis, of
Pleasant Grove township, who was an
early settler of this township, and died
when he was about seventy-five years
old. I!y this union fi\e children were
horn, four of whom are living: David T.,
of Missouri; Milton, of Nebraska; John,
also of Nebraska; Mary, wife of John*
Ritchey, a farmer of Pleasant Grove
lownshi]); and .^arah, who died when she
was five years old.

Our subject received his education in
the common schools of his native town-
shi]). Ills father died in 1841, and he
lived with his steji-father until the Civil
War broke out, when he eidisted in Se])-
temjjer, i8'ii, at Davenport. Iowa, in
Company K, Second Iowa \'olunteer In-
fantry, and served til! llie close of the
war. He was in the Army of the Ten-
nessee, battles of Shihjh and Corinth, and
with Sherman on the march to the sea,
July 22 at Atlanta in the Atlanta cam-
paign, and in the battle of Vicksburg.
After being honorably discharged at
Louisville, Ky., July (j, 1865, he returned
home, and again took up farming on his
])resent farm in Pleasant Grove township,
where he iKiught out the interest of the
heirs, and where he has resided ever since.
He is a very successful farmer and stock-
raiser, as well as a very jjrogressive man

following four daughters when Miss Zion of the day. He owns land adjoining his
married him: Elizabeth, deceased, was farm, one tract consisting of one hundred
the wife of David Brown, near New Lon- and sixty acres, and the other one of

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

eighty acres. The hist farm, of eighty
acres, lie deeded to the contractor who
erected his home. Mr. Gallaher's father
deeded this land to Ijiiild the first frame
house built in the country.

On March 15, 1866, Mr. Gallaher was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah Ellen
Thomas, a daughter of David Thomas,
one of the early settlers of Des Moines
county, being a prominent farmer in
Franklin township, where he died at the
advanced age of seventy-seven years.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gallaher were born
four children, of whom but two are now
"living: (i) Rosella, deceased, was the
wife of Finns E. Dodds, a farmer of
Pleasant Grove township. (2) Amanda
E., also deceased, was the wife of Will-
iam Archer, of Colorado, and had the fol-
lowing eight children: Myrtle; Bernice ;
Gladys'; Helen; Robert, dead; George,
dead : Gertrude, dead ; and Florence.
These motherless children live with their
father in Colorado. (3) I^aura was born
in Colorado, and is the wife of Frank
Vandermark, of Franklin township, and
they are the parents of three children :
Lillian, ^^'illis, and John B. (4) Winni-
fred is at home. All of the children of
Mr. and Mrs. Gallaher were born in Des
Moines county except Laura. Mrs. Gal-
laher died on the home place, Feb. 5, 1883.
Mr. Gallaher's second wife was the
widow of Thomas Asby, of Jefferson
count}-, wdio was a school-teacher, and
later was engaged in the practice of law,
and who died in Wapello county at the
age of thirty-five years. He left five chil-
dren : (i) Lillian Asby, now the wife of
William B. Smith, of ^Vashington town-
ship, a son of F. N. Smith, who is a
banker of Yarmouth, Iowa. Mr. and

Mrs. Smith have two children : Margaret,
deceased; and Laura. (2) Thomas E.
resides in Washington township. (3)
( )rin lives in Mediapolis, where he clerks
in the bank. (4) Eunice, who died when
eight years old. (5) Paul is a mail car-
rier on the rural route out of Roscoe. By
the marriage of Mr. Gallaher and Mrs.
Asby two children have been born in
Pleasant Grove township : Georgia, four-
teen years old; and Benjamin L., eleven
years of age. Mr. Gallaher has accom-
plished much for his community in the
way of improvements, and was a brave
and true soldier in the defense of his
country. In business he has avoided the
numerous (juicksands of speculation, in
which so many mercantile fortunes have
been sunk, and has steadily accumulated
a large and valuable property, and ac-
quired the reputation of an enterprising,
upright, and honorable man.

HENRY SANDBERG.

An early settler of Des Moines county,
and one who stands high in the list of her
successful men, is Henry Sandberg, now
residing on his large farm of two hundred
and thirty-five acres, located in Sections
14 and 13, Augusta township. Mr. Sand-
berg is a native of Germany, in which
country he was born on Aug. 22, 1844.
His parents were Edwin and Mary Sand-
berg, and he was one of a family of seven
children. His mother died when he was
quite young, and in 1868 he came with his
father to America. Landing at the port
of New York, they came immediately to
the West, and located in Des Moines

634

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

county. Iowa, but licre they were over-
taken by misfortune, for about four weeks
after their arrival tlie father died, he be-
ing then in llie sixty-fifth year of his age.
He was a fanner, having followed that
occupation during his entire life in his na-
tive land, and was a man of devout char-
acter, being a member of the Lutheran
church. It was in Union township that
his death occurred, and he is buried in
that township.

Mr. Sandberg, upon the dealli of his
father, began working by the month on a
farm in Union township, and this he con-
tinued for approximately four years. At
the end of that time he removed to Au-
gusta township, and i)urchased eighty
acres of land, comprising a portion of his
present holdings. The land was im-
proved, but he has made many additional
impro\enients from time to time, and has
increased the size of the farm by further
purchases until he now owns two hundred
and thirty-five acres, the larger part of
whicii is under culli\ation. ( )n liis re-
moval here he took up his residence in
the log house which then stood on the
farm, but he has recently erected a large
two-stor}- frame dwelling and a number
of other buildings, thus making his one of
the model farms of this part of the
C')unty.

In 1872 Mr. Sandberg married Miss
Minnie Blume, who was born in Burling-
ton, Iowa, a daughter of William and
Mary (Schultz) ISlume. .Mr. Blume was
among the pioneer settlers of .\ugusta
township, making his home on the farm
on which our subject now resides, and
died at liis home in this townshi]) when
about sixty years of age. Mrs. Blume
died in .May. ii»o> at the age of eighty-

one years. Mrs. Sandl)crg, who was
reared and educated in the city of Bur-
lington, is now deceased, her death hav-
ing occurred at the farm home in i8<)8 in
the forty-first year of her age. In all her
relations with those near and dear to her
she was kind, loving, and devoted, and as
a number of the Lutheran church she
led the beautiful life of a true Christian.
She was the mother of seven children, as
follows : Lydia, now deceased, was the
wife of Peter Dietz; Mary, died at the
age of one and one-half years; Eda, at
home; Herman, resides at the parental
home; Carl and Clara, twins, died when
about eighteen months old ; and Albert,
the youngest, still at his father's home.
Thus out of a family of seven children of
Mr. anfl .Mrs. .'^andljcrg. but three survive.
.\!1 the children were born in I)es Moines
county.

Mr. Sandberg has long been one of the
best-known workers in the ranks of the
local Democratic party, and as a man of
diamond character and rigid integrity and
honor, holds the confidence of his neigh-
bors and fellow-citizens to an unusual de-
gree. In token of their regard, and as a
proof of their trust in his probit\' and abil-
ity, they have at various times elected him
to a number of the public offices of Au-
gusta townshi]j, and for several terms just
past he has occupied the office of trustee
for the township, and still holds that hon-
orable position. Faithful to all duties, he
has ever generously supported the cause
of ])ublic nuTrality and religion, and is a
prominent member and worker in the
Lutheran church, in which he has often
held the various official positions. It is
generally recognized by those who know
his life historv that his character is one

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

63:

of strength and decided qualities. Suc-
cess he has won by his own efforts and in
spite of man}^ difficulties, and the main
factors in his achievement are firmness
and resolution, coupled with strict integ-
rity in every relation of life. A success-
ful farmer, a good neighbor, and an ideal
citizen, he has made many friends, and
gained for himself a standing before the
world which no man may impeach.

AARON BOYER.

Aaron Boyer takes rank as one of
the very early settlers of Iowa, and he
and his ancestors have played a worthy
part in the development of this portion
of the State. His grandfather and his
father, Peter Boyer, were the most promi-
nent pioneers of Henry county, this State,
where they laid out the town of Salem
and built the first house at that place.
There they also did much to develop the
agricultural and business resources of the
country, a fact for which they deserve the
highest credit ; for in those remote days
the men who ventured forth into the wil-
derness, where civilization and industry
were at best but a doubtful experiment,
were compelled to exercise supreme cour-
age, self-sacrifice, and boundless deter-
mination without hope of great, reward
for themselves, trusting only to leave a
glorious heritage for coming generations.

Peter Boyer was born in Ohio, where
he for a time engaged in farming, but he
was attracted by the possibilities of the
West, and came to Illinois at a very early
day. He settled in Hancock county, but
remained there only a short time, remov-

ing thence to Henry count}", Iowa. In
the latter county he platted the town of
Salem, where he devoted himself to vari-
ous pursuits, including farming, and to
some extent the mercantile business;
while in addition he was one of the pio-
neer brick manufacturers of the place,
thus aiding materially in its early develop-
ment. He resided at Salem until the time
of his death, which occurred in 1844,
when he was approximately forty years
of age. He rapidly became a man of in-
fluence and standing in the new commu-
nity which he founded, and his untimely
end was the occasion of genuine regret.

In his political allegiance he was a
stanch Whig, but he never sought to en-
ter the distracting whirl of public life,
preferring rather to devote his talents to
private affairs. He chose for his wife
Aliss Cecilia Street, who, like himself,
was born and reared in the State of Ohio.
She was a member of a good old Quaker
family. She was a daughter of Aaron
Street, who moved from Ohio to Salem,
Iowa, where he became a successful mer-
chant and hotel keeper, and where his
death occurred when about eighty years
of age. Cecilia Street Boyer was the
mother of eight children, seven of whom
attained to years of maturity and still sur-
\ive. Her death occurred in her eighty-
third year at Big Mound, Lee county,
Iowa.

Aaron Boyer, the subject of the present
article, was born in Hancock county, Illi-
nois, I\Iay 15, 1835, and when only six
weeks old removed with his parents to
Salem, Iowa. He was but ten years of
age when his father died, and on the re-
moval of the family, in consequence of
this sad event, from the farm where they

636

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

were then residiiip to tlie village of
Salem, he began his education in the sub-
scription school of that place. Later,
however, he continued his studies at
Mount Pleasant and at Burlington, with
much success. He remained in Salem
until his fifteenth year, at which time his
mother removed to Burlington, Dcs
Moines county, and he began his inde-
pendent career by obtaining work on a
farm in Union township, thus exhibiting
early in life the (|ualitics of self-reliance
and determination which have since made
him successful. After being employed in
this manner for some years, and so gain-
ing the necessary experience in the prac-
tical details of agriculture and farm man-
agement, he rented a farm in Union
township. This he conducted until about
1870, by which time he had, by the prac-
tice of economy, industry, thrift, and good
business judgment, accumulated a fair-
sized capital, and with this he purchased
a fami in .\ugusta tovvnshi]>. With this
new venture he was occu])ied. with en-
tirely satisfactory results, during a i)eriod
of three or four years, at the expiration of
which time he sold the land in order to
purchase his present farm in L'liion town-
ship. This comprises one hundred and
eighly-four acres of the very finest agri-
cultural land, located in Section 6. The
farm was well improved at the time of
making the purchase, but Mr. liover has
by constant study and care added much
to its outward appearance and permanent
value. IK- has engaged principally in
general farming along the usual lines,
but has also given great attention to
stock-raising in accordance with modern
ideas, and in both has achieved remark-
able success.

In Union township on April 7, 1859. Mr.
lioyer wedded Miss Sarah A. Walker,
who was born in Union township, Des
Moines county, Iowa, a daughter of
James Q. and Louise (Short) Walker.
Her father was born in Ohio, and thence
came to Iowa about the year 1835,1 locat-
ing in Des Moines county and purchasirlg
a farm in Union township, where he con-
ducted general farming operations and
the usual amount of stock-raising. His
was one of the large establishments of the
county, consisting of about three hundred
acres, and his position among the lead-
ing agriculturists of his day was one of
prominence. He was a member of the
.Methodist Episcopal church, to whose
support he always generously contributed
and was devoted to good works. He died
at the age of eighty-three years, while his
widow, who survived him for three years,
died in her eight)'-first year. Mrs.
Walker, who was also a native of Ohio,
was the mother of the following children :
Sarah, wife of our subject; Catherine,
wife of Henry Magle, whose name stands
at the head of another chapter of this
work : and Charles, who resides at the
i)ris;inal liDine place in Union township.
Mrs. Boyer, who remained at the home of
her parents until her marriage, received a
good education in the schools of her na-
tive township. To Mr. and Mrs. Boyer
have been born seven children. These
arc: James Edward, now a farmer and
residing in Union township, married Miss
May A'^an Dyke, of Union township, and
has two children, Beatrice and Chalnier;
.\ngeline, died when four years of age ;
Mary L., died at the age of ten months ;
Frank, residing on a farm in Union town-
ship, married Miss Emily Barnett, and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

637

has two children, Lorea and Earl L. ; Cas-
sie, is a member of the parental house-
hold ; Gail, at home ; and Charles, now
conducting a fruit ranch which he owns,
near Santa Ana, Cal., married Miss Mar-
garet Nau, daughter of Samuel Nau, of
Des Moines county.

Mr, and Mrs. Boyer enjoy to a very
marked degree the respect and esteem of
all who know them, and while he has
never cared for or sought any public rec-
ognition of his undoubted merits, he has
at sundry times received election to the
various offices of his township, being
chosen on the Republican ticket, as he is
a conscientious adherent of that party.
The fact of his life for which he deserves
especial credit is that he has achieved suc-
cess by his own efforts and without out-
side aid, thus winning that somewhat
trite but still expressive and noble title of
self-made man. The liberal share of
worldly goods and respected station in
the community which he has gained, has
been gained by simple force of character.

SAMUEL E. WELCH.

Samuel E. Welch, an honored vet-
eran of the Civil War, and one of the
early settlers and much-esteemed citizens
of Des Moines county, now residing in
the village of Middletown, was born in
Washington, Iowa, July i6, 1841, and
• came to Des Moines county in 1845 with
his parents, John D. and Mary (Elliott)
^^'clch. The father was a native of \'ir-
ginia and came to Iowa in 1838, locating
in Washington county, where he followed

farming until 1845. He then removed to
Danville township, Des Moines county,
where he purchased two hundred and
fifty acres of land, which he cultivated
and improved for some time. On selling
that property he took up his abode in
Middletown, where he lived a retired life
until called to his final home at the age
of fifty-four years. His wife was born in
Xorth Carolina, and they were married in
Iowa. Her father was Samuel Elliott,
who came to this State in 1838, settling
in Union township, where he followed
farming for many years. He then re-
moved to Danville township, and later
lived retired in Middletown until his
death, which occurred when he had
reached the advanced age of eighty-three
years.

No event of special importance oc-
curred to vary the routine of farm life for
Samuel E. Welch in his boyhood days.
He remained at home until twentv-one
years of age, and then responded to his
country's call for aid, enlisting in 1862 as
a member of Company C, First Iowa
Cavalry, with which he served until the
close of the war. He took part in several
of the principal engagements, but most of
his service was on the frontier. He was,
however, wounded at the battle of Little
Rock, Ark., and was in the hospital for
some time. He was discharged and mus-
tered out at St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 5, 1865.

When the country no longer needed
his services Mr. Welch returned to his
home in Danville township, where he
carried on farming, and later purchased a
small farm of forty acres in Middletown.
There he erected a large and handsome
dwelling-house, which he has since occu-
pied, and here he is engaged in general

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAHEVV

rarmiiij^ ami sidck-raising. having a well-
develoj>L'(J j)ro[)CTt_v.

In 1866 Mr. Welch was married to Miss
Mary Clinc, who was horn in Augusta
township, Des Moines county, and is a
daughter of Wilson S. and Maria (Brown)
Cline, both <»f whom are now deceased.
Mr. Cline was born in Indiana, and came
to Iowa at an early day. Throughout his
entire life he engaged in farming. Mr.
and Mrs. Welch became the parents of
two children: Nellie M., the wife of David
( ). Crawford, a farmer of Danville town-
ship; and Charles C, who assists in the
operation of the home farm. He married
Myrtle Lyon, but she is now deceased.

In his political views Samuel E. Welch
is a Republican, having continuously sup-
ported the ])arty since attaining iiis ma-
jority. He belongs to the Presbyterian
church, and gives support to all that tends
to promote the upbuilding of his com-
munitv.

HENRY ANTON PETERSON.

He.nkv A.nton Peterson is rounding
out a well-spent life as a helpful citizen of
r.urlington, Iowa. .\ native of Germany,
being born in Pelvan, North Schlesvig, Nov.
3, 1836, and is the son of Irean Cornelius
and Johanna (Lierman) Peterson.

lie grew to manhood at his father's home,
receiving such education as the schools af-
forded. Our subject was very successful in
gardening in the old country till he made
up his mind to come to America. He made
this tri]) in 1879, and came direct to Bur-
lington. wluTc his son Herman lived. For
a number of years he was a valued employee
of the Rantl Lumber Comjjany.

.Mr. Peterson married Miss Gustina Ma-
tilda Simpson, daughter of Lefrick and Jo-
hanna (Brodtcraft) Simpson. They were
ble.«sed with two sons : Herman Cornelius,
who came to America in 1876 with his uncle,
John C. Peterson, and married Miss Sophia
H. Madison, daughter of Mads Hansen,
(Danish way of naiuing chiUlrcnV This
union was graced by seven children : Elnia,
Martin, Sophia, Mary, Harry, Minnie, and
Henry. Minnie died at two years of age,
and Henry at the age of three months.
I lerman C. learned the butcher business
first, and workid at it for some time, and
is now employed at Casper Hcil's Brewery.
Politically, he is a stanch Republican, also
a valued member of the Ancient Order of
I'nited Workmen and of the Fraternal
L'nion.

Irean Cornelius, the second son of our
subject, died at the age of twelve years,
and in .\ugust, 1892, Mrs. Peterson passed
away, and is buried in Aspen Grove ceme-
tery. I'.urlington, Iowa.

Since lur death Mr. Peterson has been
very lonesome, and has made his home
with his son Herman, who lives at 527
Montgomery Street.

The character of Mr. Peterson is upright
and honorable, his manner courteous and
pleasant, and he has many friends and kind
neighbors who respect him highly.

JACOB SCHOLER.

Among those who have come from
foreign lands to become prominent in busi-
ness circles in Burlington, is Jacob Scholer,
who for more than fifty years has resided
in this city, and is now a prosperous vint-

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

639

ner. His prosperity has been won by strict
adherence to the rules which govern in-
dustry, economy, and unswerving integrity.
Mr. Scholer, a son of Henry and Sallie
Scholer, was born in Switzerland, Nov. 3,
1830. He grew to manhood in his father's
home and received a good education in his
birthplace, having completed the 'course in
the high school. He also learned the trade
of a machinist, serving a complete appren-
ticeship, which he followed till he came to
America in 1852. It took him seventy days
to cross the briny deep, coming by wav of
New Orleans. Here Mr. Scholer took a
boat on the Mississippi River, stopping at
St. Louis, but as the cholera was so bad he
came to Burlington, two months later, where
he worked as a machinist for four or five
years. Becoming tired of inside work he
decided to go to farming, and bought ten
acres of land south of town and just north
of what is now Crapo Park. His house and
that of his son are the only ones of the kind
in this part of the State. They are similar
to the Swiss chalets. The house being
built on the steepest place of his farm, is
three stories high in front and only one at
the back. It is a very pretty piece of archi-
tecture, and gives one a very good idea of
how the dwellings in Switzerland are built.
It is on this place that part of Black Hawk
Spring is located, receiving its name from
the noted Black Hawk Indian who with his
tribe once lived there. To look at this
beautiful place now one can scarcely realize
in what a wilderness it was when our sub-
ject purchased it. The land was mostly cov-
ered with dead trees and brush, and there
were no direct roads or streets leading to it.
To-day Mr. Scholer's home and land lies
in the city limits, where the land is in a
high state of cultivation. Besides his large

vineyard, which yields more than two hun-
dred and fifty gallons of wine annually,
there are also fruit orchards, .\nother great
attraction of this romantic home is that the
longest " Shoot the Chutes " in the country,
ending in a natural stream of water, is lo-
cated here, which was operated by John and
Jacob Scholer, sons of the subject of this
review. Now the electric street-cars pass
the house, carrying hundreds of people in
the summer time for a visit to the vineyard,
a ride on the " Shoot the Chutes," a stroll
through the inviting orchards, or for a beau-
tiful view of the " father of waters," where
one could stand and linger for time indef-
inite and meditate on the wonderful beauties
of nature, and praise Him who fashioned
it all for mankind.

]Mr. .Scholer was married a few years
after coming to Burlington, to Marv Giger,
daughter of Andrew Giger. by whom he
had seven children : Elizabeth, xnarried
Peter Broderson, and has one child. i\Iamie ;
.\nnie, married Robert Sheridan, and died ;
Lena, the widow of Charles Kerns, has two
children, Mary and Florida, and later mar-
ried Air. Richter ; Jacob, a carpenter, lives
in Burlington, is also in the ice business with
his brother John, has one son, Frederick ;
Sallie, married Edward Whitford, and has
three children, Edna V., Claribel, and Hazel,
and conducts the confectionery store at the
northeast entrance to Crapo Park, where
they do a very good business. Carrie lives
at home. John, the youngest, lives at home,
is in the ice business. The wife and mother
died May 30, 1899. In summing up this
review one can readily see that enterprise
and the progressive spirit have made him a
typical American in every sense of the word.
What he is to-day he has made himself, for
he began in the world with nothing but his

640

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

own exertions and willing hands to aid him,
and by constant activity, associated with
good judgment, he has raised himself to the
creditable position he now holds.

CHRISTIAN JOHN SLINGLUFF.

Christian Joiix Slingluff, now de-
ceased, was for many years connected with
the building interests of Burlington. He
belonged to that class of citizens who, by
upholding the material, intellectual, and
moral status of a community, accomplished
a great deal of good for the city. His career
was ever honorable in business aqd reli-
able in all life's relations.

He was a son of John and Catherine
("Leisure) Slingluff. being born in Xorris-
town. Pa.. Oct. 14. 1814. His parents
were among the old American Quaker
families of Montgomery county. Pennsyl-
vania, his father having been of Scotch
descent and his mother of Welsh descent.
His father, whose brothers were in the
\\'ar of 1812. was married in Montgomery
county, and had two children born there :
Christian Jolui. and William, who died
aged nine years, .\fter attending the city
schools of his home place. Mr. Slingluff
decided he would like to build houses, and
at the age of seventeen was apprenticed as a
bricklayer to a contractor in Norristown.
In iS_^7 he went to Cohmibus. (lliio. where
he worked as a journeyman for a year, and
then settled in Wheeling, W. \'a., where
he carried on contracting for a number of
years. It was in the latter place that Mr.
Slingluff wooed and wed Miss Eliza Ann
Hamilton. July 12, 1840. who was born
in Steubenville. Ohio, July 14. 1819. Her

parents, James and Elizabeth (Snyder)
Hamilton, were both natives of Wheeling,
W. V'a.. and were the parents of four chil-
dren : John, deceased ; Catherine, married
Peter F. Reed, an artist, both dead ; Elizabeth
(Mrs. C. J. Slingluff) ; Theodore, deceased.
Mrs. Hamiliton had four brothers, and all
|)artici])ated in the War of 1812. I'nto Mr.
and Mrs. Slingluff eight children were born,
of whom only three are living: John, a
native of Wheeling, W. \"a., who enlisted
in the United States Infantry and served
through the Civil War, is yardmaster's clerk
at the Chicago, Hurlington & Quincy Rail-
road, and lives at 522 Curran Street, Bur-
lington. Iowa : James H., a native of Cincin-
nati, Ohio, died June 3, 1903. aged fifty-
three years; Julius Foster, 3 conductor on
the Burlington route, lives at 1016 South
Tenth Street, Burlington ; Charles T., a
bricklayer, lives with his aged mother at
1820 Agency Street: Lillie. died aged nine
\'ears ; Lucian was three years old, George
six weeks, and Edward two years, when
tluv ])assed away. Mr. Slingluff came to
Burlington in 1855, and carried on con-
tracting till he died. .Among the residences
standing as testimonials of his ability are:
the residence of Theodore h'oster on
Seventh and High Streets : residence of
E. P. Eastman, comer Eighth and Colum-
bia Streets; residence of John M. Sherfey
on High Street, and many others, as well as
a numlier of stores. He was superintendent
of brick work of the Iowa Division for the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
for a number of years, holding this position
at the time of his death, which occurred
May 3. 1891. at the age of seventy-seven
years. Politically. Mr. Slingluflf was origi-
nally a Whig, but later a Republican, though
never seeking favors at the hands of his

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

641

party. He was a consistent member of the
Methodist church, as is also his widow.
The latter, now eighty-six years of age, has
many friends, who admire her for all the
many good deeds she has done. She is
spending the evening of her useful life with
her son, patiently waiting the summons to
come up higher.

Mr. Slingluff was a man of nuich enter-
prise, indomitable courage, and liberal
views. He continually broadened his mind
through extensive reading, observation, and
experience. His reading touched on all the
lines of thought, so that he was a man
well posted on the general issues of the day.
His greatest pleasure was in his home with
the companionship of his family. All who
enjoyed his confidence found in him one who
was ever loyal to the duties of comrade-
ship and fellowship.

ADOLPH SCHREI.

The name of Adolph Schrei, who is now
serving the city of Burlington as justice of
the peace, is well known throughout the
county. He has a business record of
which to be proud, and a war record full
of bravery and gallantry. He is the son
of Frederick and Amelia (Althof) Schrei,
and was born in Germany, Dec. 16, 1839.
He remained in his native place till he
was about fifteen years old, where he
received his education. His father brought
him to America in an old-time sailing ves-
sel, coming by way of New Orleans. In
those days navigation was very much
slower than in these modern days, and they
were about fifty-two days on the ocean.
After reaching New Orleans, May 10, 1855,

they came by boat to Burlington, and en-
joyed the delightful trip on the Mississippi
River very much. Mr. Schrei's oldest son,
who was a miller by trade, had come to
Burlington in 1848, and so for a time they
all lived together.

Our subject at once obtained work on a
farm, which occupation he followed till
Aug. I, 1862, when he enlisted in Com-
pany E, Twenty-fifth Iowa Infantry, at
Burlington, being mustered into service at
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Sept. 27, 1862. He
was third brigadier of the first division,
fifteenth army corps, and served in this
throughout the war. He took part in the
following battles : two at Vicksburg, with
Shemian ; Arkansas Post, Jan. 11, 1863;
Vicksburg Campaign ; Chattanooga ; Look-
out Mountain; Mission Ridge; Ringgold,
Ga. He then went to Alabama, and was
through eastern Tennessee. May i, 1864,
he started on the Atlanta campaign — • battle
of Resaca ; Dallas, Ga. ; Big Shanty, Ga. ;
Kenasaw Mountain, Ga. ; Atlanta. July 22
to July 28 ; southwest of Atlanta, Jones-
boro, Ga. He marched from Atlanta to
Savannah, Ga., and to Bentonville, N. C,
in March, 1865.

Pie was also in several skirmishes, but
was never wounded. He was with Sher-
man on his march to the sea, being also one
of the ragged boys, or Sherman's " bum-
mers," as they were called, that helped to
make up the grand review in Washington.
At one time a rebel pointed a gun at him
about fifteen feet distant, shooting at his
head, just missing his right cheek. After an
honorable discharge on June 15, 1865. in
Davenport, Iowa, Mr. Schrei returned to
Burlington, and secured a position in the
flouring mill of the late James Putnam, with
whom he remained till spring, when he ac-

642

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ceptcd a situation as clerk in the wholesale
boot and shoe store of the late Honorable
A. G. Adams. After being with Mr. Adams
for ten years he opened up a retail grocery,
where he was very unfortunate, losing by
this venture all the means he had. His
services were so satisfactory to Mr. Adams
that he at once took Mr. Schrei back into his
wholesale store, where he remained for the
next two years, when the tirm quit business.
The following two years he was employed
in the ba.sket company as watchman, and
also traveled for them for some ten months.
In if»04 he was elected as justice of the
peace, which office he is still filling with
much dignity.

Nov. 16, 1865, he was married to Miss
Caroline Sleimmeier. daughter of Fred-
erick and Louisa (Pendle) Sleimmeier.
They arc the parents of seven children:
Edward, of San Francisco, Cal. ; William,
of St. Joseph, Mo. : Louisa, the wife of
Taylor Cooksler ; Mollie, now Mrs. Louis
Dewein, of Springville. 111. ; Emma, mar-
ried John W. Miller, of Claytonville, 111.;
Lillie, the wife of Henry Lowe, of Rur-
lington, Iowa ; and Clara, who became the
wife of Ollie Sauerwine, a farmer of Des
Moines county.

May 4, 1885, Mrs. Schrei was called to
her final reward, and on Sept. 4, 1887. Mr.
Schrei was united in marriage with Miss
Mary D. Wells, a daughter of William and
Malissa (Wheton) Wells, by whom he has
two sons, both at home, Harry and Jesse.
The latter is in the city schools. Mr. Schrei
is a Republican, and cast his first vote for
Lincoln on his second term of office. He
was brought up in the German Lutheran
church. As an honorable and public-
spirited man none stands higlur than does

Mr. Schrei, and the respect due him is
tendered alike by young and old, rich and
poor.

RICHARD JOHNSTON.

The lives of some men contain a chapter
of romance, or at least e.xperiences a little
out of the ordinary. Such is the case with
Richard, or " Dick " Johnston, as he is gen-
erally called. He was born in Galva, Henry
county, 111., Oct. 25, 1864, and is a son of
Zc)1)1kt and Elizabeth (Janes) Johnston.
His father died when he was only one year
old, and at six years of age he was bound
out to a man by the name of Edward Davis,
of Galva, 111., who promised to give the
bov a good education, and to do well by
him in other respects. ( )ur subject never
even saw the inside of a school till he was
thirteen years old, and then was only able to
attend the common schools of Galva, Henry
county, two winter terms. This man Davis
was a farmer, and kept Richard working
early and late, much to his distaste. Just
before entering his fourteenth year Richard
made up his mind he could and would
shift for himself; and so one day, without
leave or license from Mr. Davis, he ran
away from his adopted farm home, and the
varied career that followed makes an in-
teresting life record, reading like a novel.
He imagined he had had enough of farm-
ing, and so decided to learn the trade of
a barber. This took him five long years,
but gave him the reputation of a first-class
barber.

W^ishing to see something of the sur-
rounding country he engaged with the Santa
Fe Railroad, where he served as bcakeman
for one vear on the Cottonwood Division,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

6+3

and for eighteen months following on the
Ft. Worth Division, in Texas. Leaving
the Santa Fe he ran as brakeman on the
L. & ^V. R. R. for about seven months, and
nine montlis on the Ft. Scott & Gulf line. In
1885 he went out to Creston, Iowa, running
on the West Iowa Division for two years
and five months. The big strike of 1887
was causing much trouble, and during this
time Mr. Johns.ton retired from the service ;
and going still farther west, he again took
up his trade at Elm Creek, Nebr., where
he remained for eleven months. He now
concluded to try his fortune with the vast
army of men flocking to Oklahoma City.
His party, who went across the country in
three wagons, was to look the new territory
over, and if satisfactory to purchase homes.
Mr. Johnston did not like the place well
enough to settle permanently, but remained
two years, maintaining himself at his trade.
He then traveled east to Indian Territory,
and was head barber in one of the leading
shops at Lee High for three months, and
filled the same position for seven months
at Girard, in Crawford, Kans.

Desiring to come back to Iowa he ac-
cepted a position at Chanadoah for two
years. He next spent four months
at Gainesville, Ga., two years and eight
months at Chicago, and four months in
St. Louis, and made good use of his trade
in each place. Securing a situation on
the Wabash he pitched his tent in Mobile,
Mo., which he called home for nine months.
Desiring to be out of doors more he farmed
for one year at Bedford, Iowa, but for the
next three months was laid up with a
severe case of rheumatism at Burlington
Junction. He recuperated for a year at
Chanadoah, after which he was employed at
his trade in Red Oak, Iowa, for eighteen

months, and for a number of months at
Marysville, Weatherby, and Freeport, Mo.
He then returned to the Hawkeye State in
1899 '^'^''t''' '* determination to ]nit his roving
to an end. Being now fully convinced that
his mission in life was not to be either a
tiller of the soil nor a railroad man, he at
once secured pleasant rooms in West Bur-
lington, where he established a business of
his own, and where he virtually does the
work of the town. While at Carney. Nebr.,
he had a little taste of war, as he joined the
State militia as a substitute during the raid
made by Sitting Bull on Pine Ridge Agency,
Nebr. He took an active part in this noted
battle with the redskins, being within a few
feet of the great chief. Sitting Liull, when he
•was shot and killed. There were over six
hundred squaws, Indians, and bucks killed
at this battle, known as the battle of
" Wounded Knee." Mr. Johnston was in
the National Guards at Carney for sev-
eral months. He also made three applica-
tions to enter the Spanish-American War,
but being hard of hearing at that time he
•was rejected.

Oct. 28, 1892, he married Miss Alice A.
Ellis, daughter of Captain James Ellis, of
Civil War fame. .She began teaching at
the age of eighteen in Clarinda, Page county,
Iowa, where she was assistant superintend-
ent of the high school for four years. Mrs.
Johnston died Sept. 22, 1894, in Oklahoma
City, leaving one son, Walter E., eleven
years old, who is with relatives in Cone,
Iowa. Feb. 12, 1897, Mr. Johnston was mar-
ried again, to Miss Oma Benton, daughter of
Captain Frank and Anna (Wells) Benton.
Mr. Benton was captain of the Ninth Cavalry
and a nephew of ex-Senator Benton, of Mis-
souri. He was killed in Custer's massacre.
Our subject's wife is a second cousin of

6+4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Colonel Fremont's wife. By this marriage
two children were b<jrn : \\ allien, Ixjrn May
6, 1898; and Neva, born June 11, 1901.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnston were brought up
in the Methodist faith. He joined the
Modem Woodmen in Nebraska. He has
always voted the straight Republican ticket,
and was ap])ointed to fill the vacancy of
constable when in Carney. He is a well-in-
formed man, and what he was denied in
school privileges he has made up in. the
broad field of experience. His travels have
brought him in contact with all classes and
conditions of men, which is an education of
itself. He seems to have chosen well his
vocation in life, as it is not every trade that
will support one the year round, especially a
man with such a roving disposition as Mr.
Johnston has had. In all his many loca-
tions his ability was appreciated, and he
made kind friends. He is a man who be-
lieves in and practices principles of honor
and uprightness, and is well liked by his
many friends and acquaintances.

THOMAS HUTCHCROFT.

Tiio.M.A.s 11ltcik'U(jit, who is a well-
known representative of an honored pio-
neer family of Des Moines county, and
for many- years an active and enterprising
farmer here, claims England as the land
of his nativity. He is a son of John and
Mary (Ripley) Hutchcroft. and was born
in Yorkshire, England, April 3, 1854. The
parents were both natives of Yorkshire.
The father was born -Aug. 20, 1817, and
died May 26, 1898; and the mother was
born May 8, 1817, and passed away May
6, 11)05. They were the jjarents of eleven

children, who came to .\menca with
them, and settled in Des .Moines conntv
at an early date.

In 1862 the father of our subject located
in Yellow Springs township, where he
bought forty acres of farm land. -As time
passed, he was enabled to add to this un-
til he had one hundred acres at the time
of his death. He was a man much re-
spected, and stood high in the business
and social circles of his community.
Thomas Hutchcroft was reared under the
parental roof, and began his stuiiies in
the district schools of Yellow Springs
township, finishing them later in the high
school of Kossuth, Iowa. He has a large
farm of three hundred and twenty acres
in the above-named township, two hun-
dred of which are in Sections 22 and 2;t
and the remaining one hundred and
twenty acres in Sections 2 and 3. He
raises a great deal of oats and corn, and
also directs his attention to the raising of
cattle and hogs, annually shii>ping about
eighty head of the former, as well as a
great number of the latter. His land be-
ing so accessible to the railroad makes it
of great value, and is certainly a conve-
nience all round.

Sei)t. 10, 1885, .Mr. Hutchcroft was
united in marriage to Miss Myrtilla E.
Tiill. a (laughter of John and Olive (Mc-
Cray ) Tull. They have six children
Oris, Raymond, Charles, Bessie, Ethel,
and Florence. The children all have sub-
stantial educations, ami all reside with
their parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Hutchcroft have been for
many years devoted members and attend-
ants of the Methodist church, where the
former has been an honored trustee for
some time. Mr. Hutchcroft is a Repub-

H
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O

>
in

H
n

*ii

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

647

lican, but has voted independently of late,
for the men who, in his judgment, would
best serve the interests of the community.
He is a liberal-minded man, always ready-
to aid in the advancement of public inter-
ests, and is highly respected by all who
have had the pleasure of knowing him.
As an upright business man and good
citizen, he stands in the front rank of the
best citizens of Des Moines countv.

ANDREW SMITH.

Perh.^ps nothing else is so well calcu-
lated to inspire the present generation with
justifiable local pride, with love of country
and home, and with exalted ideals of con-
duct, as a study of the lives of those who
have made the great Middle West what it
is to-day, — a marvel of wealth, industry,
and high civilization. Among the earlier
residents of Union township — where he
owns farms aggregating two hundred and
sixty acres, with a beautiful home farm of
eighty-five acres located three miles west of
the city of Burlington — is Andrew Smith,
who was born in Burlington on the 5th day
of January, 1841, a son of Peter and Anna
Smith. His father, who was born in Ger-
many on the banks of the classic Rhine,
married in his native land, and thence came
to the United States in 1835, locating first
in Cincinnati, where he remained until 1839.
Thence he came \\'est and took up his resi-
dence in what is now the city of Burlington,
finding temporary employment in the new
settlement as a butcher. This occupation,
however, he shortly afterward abandoned
for the life of the farm, and after conduct-
ing agricultural operations in the vicinity of

the city for a few years, bought a tract of
two hundred acres on the Lower Augusta
road. There and at the homestead now oc-
cupied by his son, our subject, he resided
until 1866, when he retired from active life
and removed to Burlington, where his de-
mise occurred on Jan. 15, 1890, his own
death having been preceded by that of his
wife, who died in 1879. They were among
the early members of the Catholic church
in this portion of Iowa, becoming identified
with St. John's church on its organization,
and -were among the chief contributors to
the fund for building the first house of
worship as well as later edifices. They were
the parents of nine children, seven of whom
survived to mature years.

Andrew Smith is the youngest son of the
family of which he is a member, two sisters,
liowever, being younger than he. While a
boy he devoted himself to securing an edu-
cation, but was compelled to be content with
only a modicum of formal learning, as in
the primitive country schools of those pio-
neer da}s the session lasted as a rule but
four months out of each year. Moreover,
when but ten years of age he began to bear
a share of the hard work of the farm. Thus
he received the best of training in what s^vas
to be the •work of his life, and while yet a
young man relieved his father of the work
so that the latter might retire.

On April 23, 1869, he wedded Miss Kate
Fritz, who died a few years later, leaving
three children : Edward, a farmer of Union
township ; Anna, who died at Peoria, 111.,
while a sister in a convent at that place;
and Andrew T., also engaged in farming in
Union township. After his marriage Mr.
Smith began operating the home farm
independently, having purchased it of his
father, and this has ever since been the place

648

BIOGRAPHICAL RlillElV

of his residence. He has constantly im-
proved the home and surroundings, making
it one of the most notable country residences
in this vicinity, and has from time to time
added to his real estate holdings until he
ranks among the leading land owners of
L'nion township.

On Nov. 9, 1875. he was united in mar-
riage to Miss .Vnna Fischer, who was born
March i, 1855, a daughter of Joseph and
Matilda (Schalder) Fischer. Mrs. Smith's
parents were born and reared in Germany,
and there celebrated their marriage, coming
to America and to Des Moines county in the
year 1854. The father was engaged in the
dairy business at lUirlington for a period of
about si.x years, at the end of which time he
removed to Flint River township, and there
continued to reside until llic lime of his
death, which was 1864. I loth ])arcnts were
devoted members of the Catholic church.
To ^^r. and Mrs. Smith have been born
twelve children, of whom three sons and five
daughters survive, as follows : Joseph, now
a farmer of l'nion townshi]) ; Matilda, wife
of .Albert Swallow ; and Anna, Henry C,
Minnie. Carl. Leah, and Elsie. Mr. and
Mrs. Smith and the members of their fam-
ily are identified with the Catholic church,
and have given largely of their means for
its support and for the building of the new
church structure. In ]i(>lilical life Mr.
Smith, as was also his father before him, is
a worker for Democratic success, and while
he has never asjiired to the honor of jniblic
|)referment in the shape of official position,
he has for many years acted as director of
the schools. In this capacity he has done
much for the cause of education, and his
work has met with the approval of the peo-
ple in the highest degree. His life has been
crowned with success in many wavs, for

by good judgment and enterprise he has
become the possessor of wealth, while at the
same time his social disposition, loyalty,
and uprightness have won him respect and
widespread esteem.

JOSEPH F. SMITH.

Joseph F. Smith, one of the prominent
and active younger farmers of Union tofwn-
shi|). where he owns and operates a fine
farm (if thirty acres about three fourths of
a mile from the city limits of Burlington,
was born in the same neighborhood, on his
father's old homestead, April i, 1876. He
is a son of Andrew and Anna Smith. The
sketch of his parents will be found on an-
other page in this volume.

Our subject received a good practical
education in the Buena \'ista School of the
township, and later attended Elliott's Busi-
ness College, at Burlington, where he took
a general business course, .\fter this he was
employed for one year by the Penrose Car-
riage Campany, when he accepted a position
as clerk in the large department store of
•John Boesch. Mr. Smith remained with
Mr. Boesch for four years, and made a very
good and accommodating salesman, and was
well liked both by his employer anil the pa-
trons : but he preferred the independence and
comforts of suburban life, and in 1905 he
liurchased thirty acres of good farm land
from R. C. Waddle. He devotes most of
his time to the raising of fruit, having a fine
ap])le orchard of twelve acres, one of the
largest and best pear orchards (four acres)
in this part of the country, and one acre of
the nicest plums to be found. His several
orchards mentioned, as well as all other

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

649

smaller fruit raised by him, are attended by
modern methods, and will produce the finest
fruit for the local markets.

May 7, 1900, Mr. Smith married Miss
Gussie Lee, a daughter of Mrs. Mary Lee,
of Burlington, where she was reared and re-
ceived her education in the [niblic schools.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of one
daughter, Marens.

In politics Mr. Smith is independent. He
and his good wife were brought up in tlie
Catholic faith, and are membefs and regu-
lar attendants of St. John's church. While
he is yet a young man, still he has de-
veloped those qualities that tend to success
and the winning of friends. The early
training he received for his work, together
with his thorough business education, both
place him in a position to carry out his cher-
ished aspirations, and in a short time he will
be independent.

JOHN AUGUST PETERSON.

The historian is never more pleased
than when he is called upon to chronicle
the steps by which some noble-hearted
man has struggled from a lowly position
to one of wealth and prominence among
his neighbors, doing all by his own
strength and force of character. John
August Peterson is a man who had to
begin at the very bottom of the ladder,
and by his own energy and forceful de-
termination has overcome obstacles that
would have daunted the spirit of a man
not gifted as he was with natural per-
sistence in following out a cherished
plan.

Mr. Peterson was born in Smoland,

Yonkopings Lan, Sweden, on July ig,
1837, being the son of Peter Magnus and
Anna Maria (Okanson) Peterson. He re-
ceived his early education from a private
tutor, and later attended the public
schools of Sweden for eight years. His
home was on a farm, and he received
there the practical training that has gone
so far toward making his great success
in this country. After he grew to young
manhocjd. he served for two years in the
Swedish army, learning lessons of en-
durance under fatigue, and obedience to
orders, that he has found of great value
in his after life. When he was thirty-two
years of age, he thought he could see
greater chances of advancement awaiting
him in the New World ; accordingly, m
1869, he came with his family to America,
landing on September 7 of that year. He
left Gottenburg on Aug. 10, 1869, and
came by way of Glasgow, Scotland, to
New York.

From New York he came directly to
Burlington, Iowa. Here his unfamiliarity
with the language, customs, and business
usages of the country put him at such a
disadvantage that he found it advisable
to begin his life in the new surroundings
by working as a day laborer. He was in
the employ of Joy & Gilbert in this ca-
pacity for three or four months, when he
found an opportunity to better himself a
little by going to work for a large con-
tractor named Walburn, who owned a
large stone quarry at Gladstone, Hender-
son county, 111., and who was at that time
filling in a creek, or draw, where the
L'nion depot of Burlington now stands.
After this piece of work was finished, Mr.
Peterson entered the employ of the Cedar
Rapids. Railroad Company, now known

650

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IIIW

as the Rock Island. Later he worked for
the Quincy jjcople, now known as the
Biirlinj^ton & Qiiincy I'ranch: and after
that for the Iowa Central Kailroad. under
their contractors. Wliile he was at work
for these peoi^le, the burden of disad-
vantages that he was strupjjling apainst
was ad<led to by two misfortunes of a
very discourajj^inj^ nature. In the first
place he was taken ill ; and then about
the same time, the contractors, who evi-
dently were not doing a paying business,
left town unceremoniously, taking with
them all the money owing to the men
under their employ. Hundreds of men
suffered tliniugh this, and Mr. Peterson
lost in this way sixty <lollars of hard-
earned money, at a time when that
amount was a very considerable sum to
him.

By 1872, be foimij tli.it by steruly work
and frugal living be had saved enough so
that he was able to discontinue working
for others, and could change to farming,
buying a small piece of land of his own
to begin mi. Therefore on March 11 lie
came to Huron township, bought a little
tract of six acres of rich land in Section
16, and built on it a log cabin. This was
the micleus of the large farm and com-
fortable home that is now his. He has
added to this from time to time as his
increased prosperity has permitied. unlil
he now has a magnificent farm of three
hundred and fifteen acres in Huron and
\'ellow Springs townshijis. He cleared
and stum])ed one hundred acres or more
of timber land on this farm, and brought
the land all under cultivation. He cut
and hauled over twenty-five thousand tics
for the Cedar Rapids Railroad, hauling
these himself to Mediapolis. He also

worked for two months on the construc-
tion of this road. He has hauled hun-
dreds of cords of wood from his farm.

.\ow that the farm is brought to its
present high state of cultivation, besides
his work of general farming, he has found
time to make a specially of the raising of
fine cattle and horses. He raises the
Shorthorn cattle, ami also raises about
eighty head of Poland China hogs annu-
ally, and has fifteen head of fine Per-
cheron hor.«;es. He has erecte<l a beau-
tiful home, where he lives with his two
.sons, enjoying the well-earned comforts
and lu.xuries that can l>e found only in a
well-appointed modern country home.

-Mr. Peterson was married in his early
manhood, before leaving Sweden, the
date of his wedding being Jan. 7. i860.
His wife was Miss Hannah Mary Hocan-
son, daughter of Hocan and Marie Ho-
canson. To tluni were horn two sons
and two daughters, three of whom were
born in the old country: \'endle Marie,
born March 6, 1863, died in liurlington.
Oct. 14. 1870, of typhoid fever, and is
buried in .Kspen (jrove cemetery; Tilda,
born June 24, 1865, is the wife of Emil
Johnson, who lives in Burlington ; John
Emil. born June 13. 1867: and Gus Ed-
ward, born in this country on Xov. 7,
1872. The two latter live on the home
])lace with iheir father.

Mrs. Peterson was a quiet gentle-
woman, who bore the hard life of a
pioneer's wife with an uncomplaining
spirit, and was a real helpmeet to her
husband in the days of his early struggle
in the new land. She was an earnest
Christian woman, not only in faith but
in practice, and was a lady in the best
meaning of the word. She passed away

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

651

on April 13, 1901, after suffering for a
year with cancer. Although afflicted
with this most painful of diseases, she
never complained, but showed such gen-
tle patience and endurance that it en-
deared her more and more to those who
loved her.

Mr. Peterson is a loyal member of the
Swedish Lutheran church, and gives his
support to all its philanthropic and char-
itable enterprises. A self-made man,
working his way up from humble circum-
stances to his present enviable position,
the key-note of his career may be summed
up in one word, integrity, a trait of char-
acter which has won him the general re-
spect of all to whom he is known.

WILLIAM PETERSON.

In Des iMoines county are many in-
habitants of foreign birth, who. attracted
by the more i)rogressive institutions.
broader educational facilities, and supe-
rior advantages offered for making a liv-
ing, have come here with their families
for the purpose of founding homes in the
new country. These valuable additions
to the native population have by their
industry, economy, and honorable meth-
ods become essential factors in the
growth of the county. One member of
such a family, who has been an impor-
tant figure in the development of agri-
cultural interests in the county for the
past twenty years, is William Peterson.
who now lives on his large farm in Huron
township.

Mr. Peterson is a native son of Sweden.
being born in Linkopings, Sweden, Feb.

8, 1838, the son of Andrew Peter and
Gusta (Sweline) Peterson. He was
reared a farmer, and has always followed
that occupation, except during the years
that he spent in military service. He
served for two years in the standing army
of Sweden, and was under draft for two
additional years. After his years of
service in the army were completed, he
decided that he would have better ad-
vantages for his family, as well as better
opportunities to make a financial success,
in the New World. Therefore in 1868
he embarked for America, coming di-
rectly to Burlington, Iowa.

Here he was willing to begin at the
very foot of the ladder, and took up his
life among the strangers of the new coun-
try and new language by working as a
day laborer for the Cedar Rapids Rail-
road Company. He found it necessary
to remain in this position not more than
two weeks, then securing a better one
under Harrison Cartwright. By practic-
ing the lessons of frugality and careful
living that he had learned as a child and
young man in the old country, he found
that he was able to save a fair proportion
of his earnings, and he remained in the
employ of Mr. Cartwright until he had
accumulated enough to be able to buy a
farm for himself. Then he came to Ben-
ton township, where he bought thirty
acres of timber land in Section 2.

This land he cleared, stumped, brought
under cultivation, and improved in many
other ways, making it his home until
1883, when he sold it and purchased in
its stead a farm of eighty acres in Section
27, Huron township. A few years later
he added to this a purchase of sixty-three
acres in Section 34. This is now his home

652

BIOGRAPHICAL RPAIEIV

farm, and he has hroiij,'ht it to a high,
degree o( cultivation, adding improve-
ments from time to time as they are
needed to bring the farm up to the stand-
ard of the best farms in the county. In
addition to the general farming business
that he carries on, he also raises some
cattle, making a specialty of the Short-
horn breed. He raises about twenty-five
head of cattle and thirty hogs annually.
Besides his farm, he also has some town
property in the village of Mediapolis.

Mr. Peterson was married before leav-
ing Sweden, his wife being Miss Hannah
Larson, daughter of Lars and Carra
(Nelson) Johnson. They were united in
marriage Oct. 17, 1864. To them have
been born four children : Ernest Will-
iam, born Feb. 21, 1866, died Aug. 16,
1868; Oscar William, born May 11, 1872,
married Hulda Crane, May 28, i(j02, and
lives in Mcdiapolis; Minnie, born .\pril
14, 1R74, is now the wife of Albert Xord-
stroni, of Mcdiapolis; Xels Gustafus
I'aui, born Aug. 20, 1879. still resides at
hoiiii-.

Mr. I'etcrson and llu- members of his
family are affiliated with the Swedi.-^h
Lutheran church, faithful to its teachings
in word and deed, ever ready to respond
to its calls for the needy, and doing all
that lies in their |)ower to extend its
sphere of influence in the community.
Mr. Peterson heliied to build the present
church edifice, and has also assisted in
the erection of three parsonages. He has
served the church in the capacity of
deacon for the last three years. He has
shown himself to be a true lover of his
adopted ccmntry, always ready to fulfill
the duties of citizenship. He has won a
high place in the esteem of his friends

and neighbors, who honor him for his
sterling worth and integrity of spirit.
They have shown their faith in his busi-
ness ability, as well as their admiration
for his, as a manly character, by electing
him to serve the township as sujiervisor
of highways for the past four years, and
that their faith has not been misplaced
is evidenced by the fact that during this
time the roads of the township have been
maintained in a uniformly excellent state
of re[)air under his direction.

Mr. Petcr.son began life at the bottom
of the ladder, without ai<l ruiil without
capital, and all he has ac(|uired has come
to him by virtue of his own frugality, in-
dustry, care, and natural talents. He is,
in a word, a self-made man. and his suc-
cess under such conditions is a more fit-
ting commentary on his character than
any tribute that might be framed in
words.

WILLIAM BRUMM.

\\'iLLi.\.\i liiUM.M left his home across
the sea over fifty-three years ago and
has for many years IxMit his time and
energies to the improvement and welfare
of Des Moines county. He is a son of
Carl and Anna (Oswalt) Hrumm, and
was born Feb. 12, 1850, in Wiirtemburg,
Germany. His parents were both natives
of Germany, and came to America by
way of New Orleans in iS5_', being about
six weeks on the wa\ . In the old coun-
try the father was what is called a
freighter, hauling ])rovisions and supplies
from Carlsruhe to Stuttgart, and also car-
ried the mail, driving sometimes as manv
as sixteen horses at one time.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

653

He remained in New Orleans until
1854, when he came to Burlington, where
he located, and engaged in the cooper
business. In 1867 he moved to Benton
township, and purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land, which is now
a part of our subject's farm. He im-
proved the farm to some extent, and
farmed very successfully till the fall of
1870, when he died in the fift)'-ninth year
of his age. He was a Democrat, and a
member of the Lutheran church, and is
interred in the St. Paul cemetery in Ben-
ton township. Mrs. Bruinm sur\-ived her
husband till March 6, 1902, when she
passed away aged eighty years. She held
membership in the Methodist church,
and is buried in the Methodist cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Tirumm were the parents
of ten children, five of whom are living.
John, a younger brother of our subject,
resides on the home place.

Mr. Brumm, of this review, received
his education in the public schools in
Burlington, after which he clerked in a
grocery till his parents moved to Benton
township. After the death of his parents
he bought eighty acres of the home farm
in Section 14, in 1896 added eighty acres,
located on Section 13, and also at one
time owned forty acres in Jackson town-
ship. He has since been a prosperous
farmer and stock man. He erected a
nice modern two-story frame dwelling,
a substantial barn, and other outbuild-
ings for the protection of grain and stock,
and to-day he can say his land is of the
best under cultivation in the township.

He, with his wife, is a member of the
Presbyterian church, and has been an
elder in the church since its organization.
He is a Democrat, and <?an not remember

a year since he grew to manhood that he
has not held some township office. He
is now treasurer of the school board, and
has been constable, road supervisor, and
clerk.

April I, 1871, Mr. Brumm became the
husband of' Miss Helena Thomas, a
daughter of Isham and Mary (Flesher)
Thomas. Mr. Thomas was of Welsh
descent, coming from Virginia to Iowa
at an early day. Mrs. Thomas also came
from Virginia to Iowa, settling in Bur-
lington when there were but two houses
in the city. W'hen Mrs. Brumm's mother
first came to Burlington, she was the wife
of Joseph \\'alker, a veteran of the War
of 1812, who died in 1852, aged seventy-
five years. Mrs. Walker married Mr.
Thomas in Burlington, and passed away
in 1889 at the age of seventy-nine years.
Air. Thomas was a cooper by trade, and
a small farmer of Benton township, and
Mrs. Brumm was his only child.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brumm have been
l)orn se\'en children, six of whom are
living: Charles, died at the age of twen-
ty-one years ; Leslie, a bookkeeper, and
lives in Burlington ; and Boyd, Ruth,
Clayton, Byron, and Burton, the last named
being twins, and all reside at home. Mr.
Brumm has seen many changes in Des
Moines county, and has ever been ready
to do his part toward improving this part
of the county. He is a man devoted to
his home and family, and is giving every
advantage within his means. He is a
man who is held in the highest esteem,
and his long, continuous service in the
township shows with what regard he is
held in the estimation of his fellow-citi-
zens. He is much interested in educa-
tional matters, and has devoted much

654

BIOGRAPHICAL RIA'IEW

time to bringing the schools of Benton
township up to their present high stand-
ing. He and Mrs. Briimni are both
Christian people and active church work-
ers, and their lives are living examples
of their professions.

JOSEPH SCHULER.

One of the early settlers of Des
Moines county and now among the most
inlluential and substantial citizens of
Benton township, is Jose])h Schuler. who
has been an interested witness of the de-
velopment of this section of the State
from a condition approximating that of
a wilderness, and has borne his part in
advancing the material and moral inter-
ests of the community. He owns and cul-
tivates a rich farm of fifty-§ix acres in
Section 23, Benton township.

Mr. Schuler was born in Baden, Ger-
many, on April 10, T841, and came to
tin- I'nited States with his parents in
1847. He was the son of .Marccllus and
Gertrude (Kinburger) .Schuler. The.
father was a farmer, and ujjon coming to
the new country he located in Shelby
county, Ohio, where he ])urchased land
and made his home for seven years. .\t
the end of that time he came to Burling-
ton, where he engaged in the grocery
business until i860, when he removed to
Benton township. There he purchased
a forty-acre tract of farming land, and
made a home ior himself and his family
until the time of his death, which oc-
curred at tin- ri]»,' old age of eighty years.
He was always a loyal Democrat in i)oli-
tics. having decided when he first became

a naturalized citizen that that party most
closely represented his ideas of what a
popular government should be.

The mother was also born in Germany,
and she lived to the age of sixty-eight
years. She was the mother of three chil-
dren, all of whom are still living, our
subject being the oldest. The other two
are : Charles, who resides on the old
home place in Benton township ; Cath-
erine, widow of William Hoppe, who re-
sides in Burlington. Iowa.

Joseph Schuler received his early edu-
cation in the public schools in Ohio, and
later in P>urlington. He remained at
home, and after the family bought the
place in Bicnton town.ship, worked on the
farm until the breaking out of the Civil
\\ ar. Then his love for his country in-
spiretl him to take up arms in defense of
the Cnion, and he enlisted in July, 1862,
in Company K. of the Twenty-fifth Iowa
Infantry, and served with that company
for one year. At the end of that time he
re-enlisted, this time in Company F, of
the Eiglitli Towa \'eteran Volunteers,
and served till the close of the war. He
was in some of the hardest sieges and
most severely fought battles of the war
during this time. He saw service at
\'icksburg, .\rkansas Post, Fort Spanish,
and at Mobile, Ala. When the strife
ended and the great host dissolved in
peace, he received his discharge at Selma,
Alabama.

.After his discharge he returned to
Iowa, and located in Benton township,
where he farmed for some years, first
reniing land, then later buying the place
on which he is now located, and where
he has ever since lived. Here he carries
on a business of general farming, with

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

655

some stock-raising, and is very success-
ful in the conduct of his affairs. He has
made many improvements in the place
from time to time, and has seen many
' changes in the county, always doing his
share toward bringing about the advance-
ment of the community.

Mr. Schuler was united in marriage on
May 28, 1868, to Miss Mary E. Meyers,
who was born in the city of Burlington,
Jan. 29, 1850, the daughter of Christopher
Meyers. Christopher Meyers was an
early settler of Burlington, who followed
the occupation of farming throughout his
entire life, farming in Burlington town-
ship, where he died at the age of sixty-
nine years.

To Mr. and Mrs. Schuler have been
born ten children, and the hand of death
has never yet entered the circle. The
children are : Anna, wife of Henry
Tackenburg, being a liveryman of Medi-
apolis, whose life history is recorded else-
where in this volume, and to whom has
been born one daughter, Esther ; Charles
E., who lives in Benton township: John
F., who resides in Burlington, where he is
engaged in a retail grocery business ;
Julia, wife of Edward Colby, of Medi-
apolis, who has two children, Wesley and
Maria ; Elizabeth"", wife of Martin Welch,
a hardware merchant of Mediapolis, who
has one child, Ralph ; Ellen ; Edward ;
Pearl; Hattie; and Lillian. All of Mr.
Schuler's children were born and edu-
cated in Des Moines county. He has
reared a nice family, of which he has
every reason to be proud, as they are a
credit to the various communities in
which they make their homes, and reflect
great credit on their upbringing.

Politically, Mr. Schuler is a Democrat.

deeply interested in the growth and de-
velopment of his party, and recognized
as one of its powers in local ranks, al-
though he has never aspired to the hold-
ing of public office. He always evinces
a strong interest in public affairs, being
a consistent advocate of all worthy move-
ments having for their object the pro-
motion of the community's interests. As
a farmer he has been highly successful
by reason of his business ability and his
attitude of readiness toward opportuni-
ties, coupled with sane and sound judg-
ment and keen foresight, which have en-
abled him to carry his ventures to the
desired issue. As a man and a citizen he
enjoys the general respect because of his
honorable and upright methods in all
matters in which he comes into contact
with his fellow-men.

WILLIAM HENSLEIGH.

William Hensleigh, of Mediapolis,
who owns a large farm in Section 15,
and is one of the best-known residents of
Yellow Springs township, was born in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
May 15, 1834. He is a son of Thomas
and Ann (Walters) Hensleigh. His
father was a native of England, and came
to America in 1833, settling in Johns-
town, Pa., where he was engaged for
many years in building canal boats.

Our subject received a substantial edu-
cation in the district schools of West-
moreland, after which he made himself
ver}- useful for a long time on the home
place. In 1855 he came to Des Moines
county, and worked on several farms in

656

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the townsliip till 18^14. when he bought
his i)rcsent farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in Section 15. When the rail-
road was built it came through his place,
taking off some four acres of his land.

The task of Mr. Hensleigh has not been
an easy one, as this farm was in a primi-
tive condition when it fell into his hands.
He labored long and hard, and now has
the fjlace in good shape, most of it being
under cultixalion. The improvements are
all of the best, and consist of a well-built
house, modern barns, and all the other
buildings necessary for the shelter of
grain and stock. His farm is also well
drained, as he has laid many rods of tiling.
He has a great deal of fruit on the place.

F"eb. 2, 1858, Mr. Hensleigh was mar-
ried to Miss Susan Wilson, daughter of
John Z. and Nancy (McConncll) Wilson,
who was born in .Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, Sept. 10, iS^i. Her
father's family came West when she was
about twenty years of age, locating first
in Louisa county, and the year following
moved to 'S'ellow S()rings township,
where her father died in 1875, at the ad-
vanced age of eighty years. Her mother
died when only forty years old, before
they left Pennsylvania. They were the
parents of ten children: .Mary Jane mar-
ried Robert McKibben; .\dam. F.lla.
Zaccheus G., John, and Samuel, all de-
ceased; James is a resident of Morning
Sun, Iowa; Xancy .\nn became the wife
of .Vlexandcr L. McClure. and is now a
widow, also living in .Morning Sun;
Susan, wife of our subject; .Martha Tor-
rence married R. .\. Hay, and is dead.

Unto Mr. and .Mrs. Hensleigh six chil-
dren have been born, only two of whom
arc living: John Thomas married I,iz-

zie Cubit, and resides in Washington
township; Xancy -Ann is Mrs. Hugh H.
Martin, whose sketch appears elsewhere
in this volume; Alonzo died Nov. 21,
i8<;o, aged twenty-four years; Martha*
Jane died in .Ai)ril, i8(;j5, at the age of
twenty-four years ; Zackie died in in-
fancy ; and Robert Arthur passed away in
1873. aged one year and one day.

.\s the years flew by Mr. Hensleigh
and his good wife saw their possessions
increase, and their toil was rendered
lighter by the joys of a happy wedded
life. In 1892 he retired from the farm
and moved to the village of Mediapolis,
where he is now engaged in the fire in-
surance business to a large extent. He
was school director of his township for
several 3'ears, and has served the village
as councilman for one term. Mr. and
Mrs. Hensleigh are both devoted mem-
bers of the Reform Presbyterian church.
Mr. Hensleigh stands in the front rank
as a citizen, and is always ready to aid
in the advancement of any public enter-
prise.

E. M. EISFELD.

E. M. EiSFELD, the founder of the E. M.
Eisfeld Clothing House, one of the leading
mercantile enterprises of Burlington, is a
representative of that class of .'American cit-
izens, who, coming from foreign shores,
have, with ready recognition and utilization
of the business oi^portunities of the New
World, advanced from humble financial sur-
roundings to positions of affluence, and at
the same time have contributed to the com-
mercial prosperity of the localities with

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

657

whicli they have become identified. Mr.
Eisfeld was born in Germany, and was upon
the ocean on the occasion of the twentieth
anniversary of his birth, which occurred
July 10, 1833. He made the voyage to the
United States with a brother, who for many
years remained a resident of Baltimore, Md.,
but is now deceased. Mr. Eisfeld, of this
review, is the only survivor of a family of
eight children. In his youth he attended the
public schools of the Fatherland, and at the
age of thirteen he was bound out to learn the
butcher's trade, which he followed until he
embarked on the sailing vessel "Wieland"
for the United States, Captain Henke com-
manding. He landed at New York, and
thence went to Baltimore. The first four
weeks of his business experience in this
country were devoted to butchering. From
Baltimore he -went to Washington, D. C,
where he spent six months, and for three
months he engage<l in clerking in War-
renton, V'a. Becoming ill, at the advice
of his physician he went to Columbus, Ohio,
where for two years he was engaged as a
salesman in a clothing store ; and in 1856 he
came to Burlington, where he embarked in
business on his own account, the goods be-
ing furnished by Joseph Gundersheimer. •
He began his mercantile career here in a
small store on Water Street, one door north
of the present site of the German Hotel,
occupying a room twenty by forty feet, with
a stock valued at four thousand dollars.
Two years later he removed to the corner
building on Jefferson and Water Streets,
where the ticket ofifice of the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Ouincy Railroad Company used
to be located, and as his trade grew he in-
creased the amount of space occupied by his
store. Later he moved to Main Street, re-
maining there until the '70's. In the mean-

time he had extended the field of his mercan-
tile operations by the purchase, in 1862, of
the store of Greenbaum & Kaskel, clothiers,
conducting that as a branch establishment
of the main store. In this he was associated
with his brother-in-law, R. M. Raab, who
acted as manager and partner. About 1870
Mr. Eisfeld removed to the O'Brien build-
ing on Main Street and began a jobbing
clothing business, sending traveling sales-
men to Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, and did
considerable business in that line for many
years, conducting both his jobbing and re-
tail trade. From the former, however, he
withdrew about 1890. He continued to con-
duct the retail business in the Parsons Block
on Jefferson Street until he sold out to his
son. Leon M. Eisfeld, and Samuel Hersch-
ler, in 1891, and the store has. since been
continued under the name of the Eisfeld
Clothing Company. As the years advanced,
the trade had steadily grown until the busi-
ness was large and profitable, and he thereby
accumulated a handsome competence, which
classes him with the substantial residents
of the city.

In 1872 Mr. Eisfeld built a home at 909
N. Fifth Street, a brick and stone structure
two stories in height, with attic and cellar,
and this he now occupies. About 1882 he
built another house at 903 Fifth Street for
E. Raab. Mr. Eisfeld was married in Bal-
timore, Md., in 1861, to Miss Fannie Raab,
who was born in Hanover, Pa., of German
parentage. They have seven children, of
whom si.x reached mature years : Carrie,
the wife of L. L. Strause, a wholesale to- ,
bacconist, of Richmond, Va. : Bertha, the
wife of Samuel Herschler, of Burlington ;
Leon M., of Burlington ; Harry, proprietor
of a hotel at Litchfield, 111. ; Ada, the wife
of I. I. Strause, a wholesale dry-goods mer-

658

PIOGRAl'lllCAL KEl'lEW

chant of Richmond, \'a. ; and Emily, the
wife of W. B. Nelson, who is engaged in
the wholesale millinery business at Rich-
mond, V'a.

Mr. Eisfeld is a menil)er ni the lliiai
Brith, and for years has been an Odd I'el-
low, having joined the order in Columbus,
Ohio, while later he transferred his member-
ship to Washington Lodge. No. i. and
later to Harmony Lodge, at Burlington, the
last mentioned being a (ierman organiza-
tion. He has served as alderman of Bur-
lington from the Fifth Ward under .Mayor
Adams, and has ever been deeply interested
in the welfare and progress of the city. As
the champion of many iiubiic enterprises he
has conlributefl to the (ievclopment of Bur-
lington, and has taken just jiride in the
city's development. Wiien he arrived here,
it contained only about eight thousand ])o])-
ulation. There was one railroad, two ferries
being operated, so that connection was thus
furnished with the ojipositc side of the river.
He has tK>en retired from business for tiiir-
teen years, and now spends his winter sea-
sons in Richmond, \'a., and summers at
Atlantic City, N. J., in the enjoyment of
the fruits of his former toil. Coming to
America without capital, he has made a
notable record, marked by steady advance-
ment in the business world, and stands high
in the regard of friends and fellow-towns-
men.

JACOB EPSTEIN.

Jacob Ei-stein, early identified with the
business interests of Burlington, and for
many years an active factor in its public life,
exerting strong influence for its material
progress and permanent imi)rovement. is
now living retired, the years of liis biisimss

activity having lx;cn crowned with a meas-
ure of success that now enables him to rest
from further business cares.

Born in Germany, on the 15th of March,
1831, Jacob Epstein acquired his education
in the schools of his native country, and
when nineteen years of age came to .Amer-
ica. I^iuling at New York, he there worked
as a common laborer for some time. Later
he was in Chicago for several years, em-
I)loyed in a hide house until he had learned
the business, after which he went upon the
road, traveling for ditYerent firms, and buy-
ing hides in several sections of the country.
.\t length he came to Burlington, in 1867,
and Ix-gan business on his own account, pur-
chasing hides, with a store on Jefferson
Street. He followed this business until
i8q4, and worked into a large wholesale
hide and wool trade, with Boston as his
principal market. He employed five trav-
eling men, who bought hides and wool, and
his business steadily increased under his
capable management, until it brought to him
a very desirable income. He was at first a
member of the firm of Epstein, Goodman
& Company, and acted as manager of the
business. Later Mr. Goodman retired, and
Mr. Epstein eventually became sole ])ro-
prietor. thus conducting his enterprise until
his retirement from active commercial pur-
suits in 1884. He displayed marked busi-
ness discernment, keen sagacity, and strong,
resolute purpose, and by his capable control
of his affairs gradually ama.ssed a comfort-
able competence. He also invested in prop-
erty, and is still the owner of business blocks
and other city realty, the rental from which
constitutes a very desirable income. In re-
cent years, because of his invalid condition,
his wife has largely relieved him of the
supervision of the pro|)(.Tty and its attend-

<r%.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

66 1

ant cares and responsibilities, and in its con-
trol displays excellent business foresight
and capacit}'. The family home is at 803
North Fourth Street, where they have lived
for thirty-three years, and the home is noted
for its warm-hearted and generous hospital-
ity, which is greatly enjoyed by their many
friends.

Mr. Epstein was married in New York
to Miss Louisa Knopfmacher, who was born
in Germany, but they became acquainted
and were married in this country, Mrs. Ep-
stein being but eight years of age when her
parents came to the New World, because of
the German revolution of 1848. Mr. and
Mrs. Epstein have but one child, Eugene,
who was married in Burlington to Miss
Rosa \\illner. and is now living with his
family in Iowa City, where he is engaged in
the clothing business.

At the time of the Civil War, Mr. Epstein
responded to the call of his adopted country
for troops, enlisting in New York City as a
member of the New York Sharpshooters,
with which he served for five years. He
entered the army as quartermaster, and was
mustered out as such. He was with the
Army of the Potomac under General Burn-
side. He now belongs to the Grand Army
Post at Burlington, and is also a Mason,
while in New York he held membership
with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows. He is president of the brotherhood
of B'nai Brith, of Burlington, but because
of his invalid condition has been unable to
attend the lodges regularly in the past few
years. In community affairs he has always
been deeply interested, and his co-operation
has ever been counted upon when matters
of public progress and improvement were
under consideration and execution. He has
alwavs voted with the Democracy, save at

the presidential election of 1904, when he
supported Roosevelt. For ten years he
served as alderman from the Second Ward
of Burlington, and at one time was candi-
date for mayor, but was defeated by nine-
teen votes. His has been, in former years, a
most active and useful career, and his opin-
ions yet carry weight and influence in public
matters. Early identified with the city's
business interests, he has ever stood for sub-
stantial progress ^nd practical improvement,
and Burlington has greatly benefited by his
efforts in her behalf.

JOHN IBBOTSON.

John Ibbot.son, one of the large land-
owners of Des Moines county, and exten-
sively engaged in stock-raising in Yellow
Springs township, was born Oct. 4, 1847,
on the farm where he yet lives, his par-
ents being George and Martha E. (Riggs)
Ibbotson.

The father came from Indiana to Iowa
in 1841 and from the government secured
a claim of one hundred and sixtv acres in
Yellow Springs township, whereon he
lived until his death, which occurred Jan.
19, 1895. Had he lived five months longer
he would have reached the ninetieth an-
ni\-ersary of his birth. He was a native
of "^'orkshire, England, while his wife
was born in Kentucky. Her death oc-
curred April 30, 1904, when she was
eight3'-eight years and eight months of
age. Mr. Ibbotson was a devoted member
of the Baptist church, and in early life gave
his political allegiance to the Whig party,
with which he remained until its dissolu-

662

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tion, when he became a stanch Repub-
lican.

In the family of (ieorge and Martha 1!j-
botson were eight children, namely: Mar-
tha : John, of this review ; Stephen, of Los
Angeles, Cal. ; George, who died when
forty-one years of age ; Lizzie, who died
when thirty-nine years of^ age ; Robert
who is now living in Washington town-
ship; Isaac, who passed away at the age
o/ thirteen inonlhs : and Abraham Lin-
coln, who died at the age of eight years.

John Ibbotson ac(|iiired his early educa-
tion in the district schools of Yellow
Springs township, afterwards spending
two years as a slu<lem in the academy at
Kossuth, and one year at Mount Pleasant.
He was reared to the occupation of farm-
ing, and has always followed tliat pursuit
upon the old family homestead where his
birth occurred. He is now the owner of
four hundred acres of \alu;d)le land, one
hundred and sixty acres constituting the
southeast corner of Section 19, while two
hundred and forty acres lie on Section 30,
Yellow Springs townshi]). He feeds all
of his grain, ami keei)s on hand annually
about seventy head of cattle. He also
raises a few draft horses each year, ami
now has upon his jilace about one hun-
dred and fifty head of hogs. He is well
known as a general farmer and stock-
raiser, and one wliose success is the direct
outcome of ex|)erience, sound judgment,
and unfaltering diligence.

On Dec. 28, 1871, Mr. Ihbotson was
marrietl to Miss .Mary V . Talbott, a
daughter of .\(|uilla and Lmily (dregory)
Talbott. and a natise of Yellow Springs
townshi|). born .\|)ril 2. 184S. Tlu-y have
become the parents of nine children ■
George .\quilla, born in 1872. and died

in infancy ; Idora, became the wife of
.\ugust Butler, and after his death mar-
ried J<jhn Stacker, their home being in
Yellow Springs township; Ldwin, mar-
ried Olie Casey, and lives on the Martha
property ; John F., of Oklahoma City ;
Harbara Ann, Homer L., Leslie, Harry
I... and liurton, all at home.

FRED GERLING.

.X.MoNG the worthy citizens that Ger-
many has furnished to Des Moines
county is I-Ved Gerling, who was born in
Prussia, Germany, May 26, 1850, his par-
ents being Charles and lllsabine (Tei-
mann) Gerling. The first representative
of the family to come to America was
Charles Gerling, a brother of our subject,
and the parents also crossed the Atlantic
after Fred tierling had made his way to
the New World. Both died in Des
Moines county, Iowa, and were buried
near the Walker settlement, the father
passing away in 1880. when sixty years
of age. while his wife de()arted this life
when lifty years of age. They were the
parents ot seven children : Charles F. ;
Fred; Mary, the wife of Herman Rischer,
a resident of South Dakota; Christian,
li\ing in Benton township: Caroline, the
widow of John Cleek, and resides in I'.ur-
lington; Louisa, the wife of Spencer
Husted; and Henry.

I-"re(l Gerling was educated in the com-
mon schools, and in his youth learned the
baker's trade, which he followed until he
came to America. In August, 1868, then
a young man of eighteen years, he sailed
for the United States, and landed af Xew

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

663

York, where he remained through the
succeeding fall and winter. In the spring
he went to Madison, Wis., and in the
x'icinity of that city worked on a farm
through two summers and one winter
season. In September, 1870, he arrived
in Curlington, where he was again em-
ployed as a farm hand by the month for
four and a half years.

About the end of that time Air. Gerling
was married Jan. 7, 1875, to Miss Susan-
na Butcher, a daughter of William and
Elizabeth (Gerling) Butcher. Ten chil-
dren were born unto them : Alary, born
Sept. 17, 1875; Carl, Feb. i, 1877; Will-
iam, Feb. 19, 1879 ; Edward, Sept. 6,
1880; Emma, Jan. 13, 1882; Fred H., Dec.
9, 1884; Amelia, July 14, 1886; Lawrence,
Jan. 26, 1888; Christian, May 8, 1891 ; and
Albert, July 30, 1894. The family circle
yet remains unbroken by the hand of
death, and five of the children are yet
living at home, while the eldest is in Lin-
ton. Airs. Gerling was born in Pleasant
Grove township, March i, 1854, upon the
/arm that Charles Gerling now occupies.
Her mother died in 1870, at the age of
fifty-two years, and her father in 1873, at
the age of sixty-six years. They were
buried on the old home farm, in the ceme-
tery which was set off from this place.

Since 1892 Air. Gerling has owned the
farm which he now cultivates. He has
one hundred and sixty acres of land on
Section 20, and one hundred and twenty
acres on Section 29, Yellow Springs
township. He has practically made all
of the improvements upon the place, hav-
ing erected a new house and barn, and
also other buildings. He raises and feeds
about a car-load of cattle each year, and
he now has sixty-five head of cattle and

keeps upon his place on an average of one
hundred hogs of the Poland China and Ches-
ter White variety.

Air. Gerling has served as school direct-
or for twelve years, and is now holding
that office, the cause of education finding
in him a warm friend. He belongs to the
Cierman Lutheran church. He has never
had occasion to regret his determination
to seek a home in America, for here he
has found the business opportunities
which he sought ; and is to-day one of the
substantial farmers of the county.

When Air. and Airs. Gerling began
housekeeping they had only enough
money to buy one-half dozen spoons and
three chairs. He has worked hard, and
has accummulated until he is now in very
comfortable circumstances.

WILLIAM BRAND.

WiLLiAjvi Brand, proprietor of a large
tin-store and shop in Burlington, Iowa, and
an old resident of that city, is a descendant
of a German family which occupied a sub-
stantial position in the Fatherland. He was
born June 22, 1833, at Konigschafhausen,
Baden, a son of William and Elizabeth
(Henninger) Brand. The father was a
cooper by trade, but after serving his term
of seven years in the army secured a posi-
tion in the revenue service of the Grand
Duke of Baden as a tax collector, having
charge of the revenue office in his own town.
He remained in office approximately fifty
years, retiring only in his eighty-sixth year.
The date of his birth was Feb. 10, 1805, and
he died in Freiburg in June, 1894, aged
eighty-nine years. The maternal grand-
father of our subject was a farmer in ex-

664

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Cfllcnt circnmstaiuts, his i;iriii boing what
is known in Germany as a bauerhof.

The mother of Mr. Brand died when he
was but six years old, and although he was
thus in some measure deprived of the usual
home training, his educational advantages
were of the best, he attending the public
schools tmtil be was twelve years of age, and
during the following three years being a
student in an architectural school at Waldr
shtit, r.adeii. During the period between
the ages of fifteen and eighteen years he
was engaged in learning the tinner's trade
at Kehl, opposite Strasburg, and after hav-
ing mastered the trade he traveled to vari-
ous cities of Germany, working as a jour-
neyman tinner, for three years, or until he
was twenty years of age. He then deter-
mined to come to America, and sailed from
Havre, I'^rance, on Saturday, May 6, 1854,
landetl in New York, Sunday, June 18, 1854.
Proceeding to Boston, he was employed in
the tinshops there for two years, but feeling
that the West oft'cred greater rewards, he
came to Burlington in the spring of 1856.
Here he was in the employ of various tin-
ners until 1879, and it was during this
period that he did a great deal of tin roof-
ing, then a genuine novelty, and put up the
first galvanized cornice in the city.

Thrift, economy, and steadiness of pur-
pose finally enabled Mr. Brand to assume an
independent position, and in 1879 '^^ opened
a tinshop in r.urlinglon, at 415 Leebrick
.Street, where he built a shop and residence.
Here he has a well-appointed shop and a
substantial two-story house. In his busi-
ness venture he has enjoyed an encouraging
success from the first, the business which he
built up so carefully now being for sale
that he may retire. On Dec. 6, i8r«, he
wedded Miss Mary Wagner, daughter of

Andrew Wagner, and to them have been
born seven children, who survived infancy,
these being as follows: William, of St.
Louis; Charles F., deceased; Amelia M.,
wife of Walter Walden, of Miami, Fla. ;
Etlward and Henry, of St. Louis ; Louis,
of Burlington ; and Clara, wife of Fred
Coalbaugh. Three died in infancy. All
the sons have followed in their father's
steps and learned the tinner's trade, at
which they are now employed. Mrs.
Brand is now deceased, she having died
in r.urlington, Oct. 12, 1904, mourned and
regretted by many friends. She was born
at Grocglingen, Wurtemburg, Nov. 22,
1843, ^'"^1 coming to the United States, lo-
cated in Burlington with her parents, in the
sjjring of 1847, her father being a book-
binder, who worked at his trade in this city.
For a long term of years Mr. Brand was a
member of the Turners' society, and recalls
that he served for a time in the first hook-
and-ladder company ever organized in Bur-
lington, this being in 1858. During the time
of the Civil War. he joined the Home
Guards, thus displaying a commendabls
spirit of loyalty to his adopted city and
country, for at that time rumors were rife
that the Confederate forces contemplated an
invasion of the principal cities along the
Mississippi River. In the German Silver
Cornet Band, one of the best organizations
of the kind ever formed in the West, he
was a member for seventeen and a half
years, playing a tenor horn and second
violin, and visiting many surrounding
towns and cities. He has never been
allied with any political party, but takes
great interest 'u\ alTairs of government
as one of that large and increasingly
influential body of citizens known as in-
dependents. In 1885, Mr. Brand returned

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

66^

to Europe, and visited his native town of
Konigschafhausen and other places, and
taking a trip down the Rhine. He was gone
three months in all, and thoroughly enjoyed
the renewal of old memories, although he
returned to America with renewed faith in
the wisdom of his choice in casting his lot
with the New World. He has indeed the
best reasons for viewing that action with
complacency, for here he has achieved suc-
cess, and acquired a competency, and made
man}- friends who respect him for his
worth and his strength of character.

JAMES DEAM.

James Deam, engaged in general farm-
ing and stock-raising, is a native of
Ohio, his Ijirth having occurred in Day-
ton, Clarke county. May 22, 1846. His
parents were Frederick and Barbara
Deam, who came to Iowa about 1853,
settling in Burlington township. A year
later they removed to a farm south of
the city, and afterward again took up
their abode north of the city, where the
father lived until his death, which oc-
curred in 1868, when he was seventy-two
years of age. His wife died on the same
farm in 1872, at the age of seventy-three
years.

They were the parents of fourteen chil-
dren : Henry, a resident of Springfield,
Ohio ; Eliza, the wife of Robert Steinrod,
is living in Bramar, Mo. ; Margaret, died
in Missouri; Edward and William, twins,
the former living in Burlington township,
and the latter in Sioux City, Iowa ; Har-
mon, died in Buitalo, N. Y. ; Barbara, the
wife of Frank Moyer, a resident of Green

Ridge, Mo. ; Mrs. Betsey Elizabeth For-
tune, living in Bramar, JMo. ; Frederick,
unmarried : Adam went to Houston,
Texas, in early life and has not been
heard from since ; Amelia, the wife of
John Myers, who lives in Burlington
township ; James, of this review ; and two
that died in infancy.

James Deam was reared in the usual
manner of farm lads, being only seven
years of age when brought by his parents
to Des Moines county. Here he has since
made his home, and whe^ a young lad
worked in his father's fields, while les-
sons of industry and integrity were
strongly impressed upon his mind. He
acquired his education in the district
schools ; and when he started out in life
on his own account, he concluded to fol-
low the pursuit which had hitherto
claimed his attention.

In 1898 he purchased his present farm
of two hundred and twenty acres, buying
the place from Phillip Cox. It is located
in Section 2, Yellow Springs township,
and is a valuable property. Up to this
time Mr. Deam had rented land, and since
his purchase his undivided attention has
been given to the cultivation and im-
provement of this property, and to the
raising of stock. He now raises or feeds
about eighty head of cattle each year,
nineteen head of horses and colts, and
about one hundred and forty head of
hogs, this branch of his business bring-
ing him a gratifying income.

On Dec. 27, 1877, Mr. Deam was united
in marriage to Miss Ann Jane Hunter,
a daughter of ^^'illiam and Ann Jane
(McCormick) Hunter. ^Irs. Deam was
born in Burlington township, Des Moines
county, and by her marriage has become

666

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the mother of nine children: Mamie, the
wife of Ijeorge McKim, a resident farmer
of Yellow Springs township; Frank, Wil-
liam. Frederick, Elgy, Bert, Pearl, and
Clarence, all at home; and Martha, who
died at the age of three years. The wife
and mother died Feb. 28, 1898, at the age
of forty years, and her death was deeply
deplored by many friends as Nyell as her
immediate family.

Mr. Deam votes with the Democratic
parly. He has served as district super-
visor and school treasurer, having occu-
pied the latter position for several years.
He belongs to the Meth(3dist Episcopal
church, and is interested in all that per-
tains to welfare and iiujjrovement along
material, social, intellectual, and moral
lines.

DELOS A. GILLETTE.

Delos a. GiLMnTF., now deceased, de-
voted his life to general farming and stock-
raising, finding ample opportunity for the
exercise of his energy and business ability
in that line of work, wherein he gained a
creditable measure of success. He was a
native of the State of New York, born in
Randolph, Sept. 12, 1828. His parents were
Comfort and Caroline (Dodds) Gillette.
The father, who was born at New Lebanon,
Columbia county, N. Y., in 1797, afterward
removed to Ohio. His wife was a native
of Phelps, Ontario county, N. Y., born in
1804.

During his residence in the Buckeye State
the father engaged in general agricultural
pursuits, and upon coming to Iowa pur-
chased three hundred acres of land in Frank-

lin township, whereon he lived up to the time
of his death, which occurred on the old
homestead. He passed away Dec. 20, 1865,
at the age of sixty-eight years. He was of
the Ijaptist faith, of which church he had
long been a consistent member. His polit-
ical allegiance was given to the Republican
party. His widow died when seventy-five
years of age, and of their family of eleven
children only one is now living.

Delos A. Gillette acquired his education
in the common schools of his native town,
and in his youth assisted in the work of the
home place. About 1852, when twenty-four
vears of age, he came to Iowa, settling in
Burlington, where he was employed as one
of the surveyors on the railroad then being
extended to Mt. Pleasant. He continued at
that work for some time, and afterw^ard
removed to Franklin township, where he was
engaged in farming. After the arrival of
his parents in this county he went to live
with them in Franklin township, and he and
his brother Henry o|)crated the home place.
There Delos .'\. Gillette remained for a num-
ber of years, but eventually removed to
Louisa county, Iowa, where he purchased a
farm, which he owned and cultivated for
three years. He then sold that property and
came to P'ranklin township, where he Imught
a tract and carried on general agricultural
pursuits for a number of years. Later he
sold this property and lived in the village of
Sperry up to the time of his demise.

Jan. 13, 1856, at Upper Sandusky, Mr.
Gillette was married to Miss Mary E. Eg-
glcston, who was born in Ontario county.
New York, and was a daughter of Joseph
and Maria (Buttles) Eggleslon, both of
wlioiu were natives of the Empire State.
The father was a stone-mason by trade, and
after living in New York for many years,

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlFA.

667

removed to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, wliere
both he and his wife passed away.

Mrs. Gillette was educated in the common
schools at the place of her birth, and by her
marriage has become the mother of five
children, all of whom were born in Des
Moines county, but only one is now living:
Alice May, born May 16, 1857, died at the
age of two years ; Frank A., born Oct. 3,
1858, died in September, 1859; William M.,
born July 9, i860, died at the age of nineteen
years ; Carrie, who died at the age of nine
years ; Elma, living at home with her mother,
is the successful teacher of the Diamond
School of Franklin township.

In his political views Mr. Gillette was an
earnest Republican, yet neither sought nor
desired office. For many years his attention
was given in undivided manner to his farm-
ing and stock-raising interests. In 1877 'i^
took up his abode in the village of Sperry,
but still carried on farming. He remained
there until called to his final rest Dec. 28,
1901, his remains being interred in the old
Stone Church cemetery. He had passed the
seventy-third milestone on life's journey,
and his had been an active and useful career
that had made his name an honored one.

GEORGE W. BIRD.

The family of which George W. Bird,
president of the Retail Grocers' Associa-
tion, of Burlington. Iowa, is a well-known
member, was founded in America by the
father of our subject. Thomas Bird, who
was born in Leicester, Leicestershire,
England, Feb. 20, 1833. In his native
town he learned the trade of carpentering,
which he followed there for a time, but

in 1864 he decided to emigrate to the
United States; and sailing from Liverpool
to New Orleans, he came directly to Bur-
lington, where he was first employed in
the Joy planing mill. Later he engaged
with the firm of Nairn & Gillies, with
whom he remained for twenty-five years,
during the greater part of this time hav-
ing charge of special work, requiring for
its proper execution a high degree of
technical skill. This connection he sev-
ered in 1901. He was united in marriage
in this city, in March, 1869, to Miss
Melissa Johnson.

George \A'. Bird was born Oct. 9, 1872,
in Burlington, only child of Thomas and
Melissa (Johnson) Bird, and after com-
pleting his preliminary education in the
public schools of this city, entered El-
liott's Business College, in which he pur-
sued a full course of study, thus securing
excellent preparation for the practical life
of commerce and business, in which he
has since been so conspicuously success-
ful. ' In 1890 he became a commercial
traveler for J. B. Petit, wholesale mer-
chant, representing his interests through-
out Iowa and Western Illinois for two
years with satisfactory results. Later he
engaged with the firm of John Blaul &
-Sons in a similar capacity for a further
two years, traveling in northern and a
portion of central Iowa, and in 1897 he
established a high-class grocery store at
the corner of Smith and Marshall Streets,
which is his present location. Hither he
has drawn by the fairness and frankness
of his methods a flourishing and profita-
ble patronage. The store is an excellent
example of neatness and convenient ar-
rangement, the equal in these respects of
any in the city, and all fixtures and ap-

668

BIOGRAPHICM. RFMEW

poinlnients arc in tlic liighest degree
modern, attractive, and utilitarian.

In March, 1898, Mr. Uird was united in
marriage to Miss Mary Spahr, a daugh-
ter of George H. Sjjahr, well known as a
capitalist anil a jirominent citizen of
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and to them have
been born three children, Mary Louise.
Florence \'irginia, and Gertrude Wagner.

Fraternally, Mr. Bird is a member of
Burlington Lodge, No. 84, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, and during the
four years from 188H to 1892 he was a
member of Company H, Iowa Xational
Guard. He is a leading worker in the
Retail Grocers' Asi^ociation. of Burling-
ton, of which he was elected vice-presi-
dent in 1902 and re-elected the following
year, while he is now the president of the
association, having been elected to this
office in March, 1904. He enjoys ex-
treme popularity, and is a leader in pub-
lic as well as in business life, being act-
ive in politics as a prominent member of
the Republican party ; and in recognition
of his ability he was in 1904 elected alder-
man for the fourth ward, to represent that
constituency in the city council of Bur-
lington. His position in the esteem and
regard of his fellow-townsmen is one of
which any man might well be proud, and
it is unnecessary to say that his reputa-
tion is firndy foundi-d in U|)right charac-
ter and unwavering loyalty to his friends.

LEANDER J. MESMER.

Leander J. Mesmer, of Burlington, was
born in the grand duchy of Baden, Germany,
and in 1856 was brought to America by his

mother. His parents wire Michael and
Anna (Wurtenburger) Mesmer, also na-
tives of Baden, in which country they were
reared and married. They became the par-
ents of thirteen children, but only two
reached mature years, namely: Leander J.
and Sophia, the latter the -widow of George
Herman, formerly a ])rominent butcher of
Burlington, in which city he died, while
Mrs. Herman now lives in Chicago.
.Michael Mesmer came to America in 1855,
and the following year the mother came,
bringing with her her son Leander. They
made the voyage in a sailing vessel, reaching
New Orleans sixty days after leaving the
European port, and then came up the river
to Burlington. The father was a shoe-
maker, and followed that trade until a few
vears jirior to his death, when he opened a
boarding-house ; but he did not find that
profitable, and returned to his trade again.
He died at the age of sixty-five years, and
was buried in the German Catholic cemetery
on North Hill, having survived his wife for
some time.

Leander J. Mesmer was but six years of
age when brought by his mother to the
United States, and in Burlington was reared
and educated, attending the German Evan-
gelical school and also the ])ublic and
parochical schools. When alxnit twelve
years of age he began working in tiie
German Tribune office and learned the
printer's trade, spending five years there.
Later he worked in Daveni)ort, Iowa, and
learned both the German and English
cases. He followed the printing trade for
about thirty-five years on the Burlington
Gazette, twenty-five years being spent in
the mechanical department. For one year,
in 1870-71, he conducted a boarding-house
on Jefferson Street. In 1898 he was ap-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

669

pointed police clerk by Judge Gillespie, and
served for six years, his term of office expir-
ing in April, 1904. He afterward opened
a cigar and news-stand on Jefferson Street,
in the spring of 1904, but after four months
sold out.

In August, 1869, Mr. Mesmer was
united in marriage to Miss Barbara Heck,
in Anson, Wis., while he was working in a
general store and mill for Gilbert Brothers
& Company, later the Gilbert-Hedge Lum-
ber Company, of Burlington. Eight chil-
dren were born unto them, but one son,
William R., who was a printer connected
with the Hazvk-Eye, died July 2, 1904:
Emma, who is engaged in dressmaking in
Denver, Colo. ; Anna, wife of E. A. Vogel-
gesang, a musician connected with Fisch-
er's Orchestra, of Burlington; Lytlia, wife
of Will K. Toup, foreman for the Burling-
ton Buggy Company, of this city ; Julia,
who follows dressmaking in Denver, Colo. ;
Edwin L., a carriage trimmer, employed
in this city ; Ada, a seamstress, of Burling-
ton : and Leander F. The family home is
at 534 Moore Street. In February, 1885,
Mr. Mesmer became a member of Typo-
graphical Union, No. 75, joining it upon
its organization. He also belongs to the
Modern Brotherhood of America and to St.
Patrick's Catholic church, and in his polit-
ical affiliation is a Democrat.

JOHN F. GERDES.

John F. Gerdes, who is proprietor and
manager of a model grocery store at
1200 North Seventh Street, Burlington, is
a young man of exceptional ability and
enterprise, and has enjoyed unusual prep-

aration for the work to which he is now
devoting his talents. Mr. Gerdes was born
Dec. II, 1872, in Oldenburg, Germany, a
son of Henry and Louise (Schwarting)
Gerdes, who now reside in Burlington,
where the father owns a tract of twenty
acres of agricultural land within the city
limits, and pursues his vocation of farming.
The days of his boyhood and early youth
were passed in the work of the farm in his
native land, and there also he obtained his
early education in the public schools. In
1889 he accompanied his parents to Amer-
ica, locating in Burlington, where he sup-
]3lemented his schooling by taking a course
in Elliott's Business College, and later
began his business career by entering the
employ of Mr. Henry Luchner as a delivery
man. Desirous, however, of enlarging the
domain of his experience, and wishing to
gain a better insight into business methods,
he then went to the city of New York, and
obtained employment in a grocery store,
where he remained for two years, at the
end of which time he was sent by his
employers to Spartanburg, S. C, to take
the direction of a large mercantile estab-
lishment which was under their charge
at that place. There he met with conspic-
uous success, and after a further period of
two years he returned to Burlington in
1897, and established an independent gro-
cery business at the location which he still
occupies. The store is one of the neatest
and most attractive in the city, while the
stock is always kept in the best possible con-
dition, and by unfailing courtesy and con-
sideration, combined with absolute integ-
rity and frankness in all his dealings, he has
built up a valuable reputation and secured a
large and ever-increasing support from the
appreciative public.

670

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IEW

At Ai)lington, Iowa, in 1899, -Mr. Gerdes
was united in marriage to Miss Carrie
Wagner, who. like himself, was born and
reared in Germany, and to them have been
born two sons, Carl and Emil. They are
active members and supi)orters of the Ger-
man Baptist church, and take an abiding
interest in the work of the Sunday-school,
of which Mr. Gerdes is assistant superin-
tendent. Too much can not be said of the
high quality of Mr. Gerdes's business abil-
ity, nor of the vast amount of careful and
conscientious attention whicli he devotes to
his stock, consisting of groceries, hay, and
feed, for he realizes that eternal vigilance
is the price of success in these times of close
competition, and that he who would succeed
must excel. 1 Ic has huilt up a large busi-
ness, and earned the confidence and esteem
of the people, so that while there is no doubt
that still greater triumphs await him in the
future, it may be justly said that success
is alreadv his.

JOHN SCHULTZ.

John Schultz is one of the pioneers
of Des Moines county, and claims good
old Germany as his birthplace. His friends
point with pride to the success he has
. achieved in life, which is the result of his
energ)% ambition, willing hands, and the
best of principles.

He is a native of Mecklenburg, Germany,
and was born Oct. 9, 1823. He attended
the public schools in Mecklenburg, accord-
ing to the laws of Germany, and selected
the trade of wagon-making as his vocation
in life. In 185 1. with his knowledge and
experience of wagons, he made up his mind

to croN!. the great .\tlantic. He came in
one of the old-time sailing vessels, and was
sixty-two days in making the trip to New
Orleans. Here he took a boat up the Mis-
sissippi River to St. Louis, and a month
later came to Burlington, Iowa, where he
engaged in the blacksmith and wagon busi-
ness, following his trade for different men.

Feeling a desire to start in business for
himself, he moved to Dallas, 111., and opened
up a wagon shop. This he conducted for a
few years, and then went to Fort Madison,
Iowa, and worked for ( )berlain, and after-
ward for Homer. Returning to Burling-
ton several years later, he located on Sunny-
side Avenue.

While residing in I'ort Madison he was
married to Miss Charlotte Fesse, by whom
he has six children : Emma married Gus
Steinbrecher, and has eight children : Will-
iam, who died when ten years old; Char-
lotte is Mrs. Nicholas John Bamicle, and
has two children. Clayton and Clarence,
twins; Edwin, agetl nineteen: Emily, aged
seventeen ; William, aged fifteen ; Raymond,
aged seven : Laura, who died when eighteen
months old : and Harold, who is three years
old. Mary married Fred Schultz. has one
son, Herbert, and lives at 1337 Ashmun
Street. John resides on West Hill, is an
expressman, and has one son. Edwin. Ella
is the wife of Gustus Fritz Knickrehm, and
lives on Pilger and Bcrtch Avenues. Mr.
Knickrehm was born in Germany, Oct. i,
i8fx), wliere he was educated in the public
schools, and learned the butcher's trade.
He came to America in 1890, landing in
New York, and at once came West to Bur-
lington, where he has ever since been en-
gaged in following his trade, with the excep-
tion of two years, which he spent in New
Mexico. He is a Democrat, a member of

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

671

the JNIoderu Woodmen of America, and also
a faithful member of the German Lutheran
church.

Mr. Schultz is a member of the Zion
church, and was the efficient janitor of the
church for fifteen years, but on account of
age resigned a number of years ago. He
has always given his political allegiance to
the Democratic party, but prefers private
Hfe to office holding. Mr. Schultz is of a
retiring disposition, and his many friends
and acquaintances have found that he is a
true man, possessing all those noble qual-
ities that make an honored citizen. His
life, so full of activity and strong determin-
ation of purpose, is well worth}' of emula-
tion. His residence of over fifty years in
Iowa has been a wonderful school of ex-
perience, and his friends enjoy to gather
round this kind old gentleman and hear him
repeat the tales and incidents of the past.

SEBASTIAN HEITZ.

See.\stian Heitz, for the last thirteen
years a resident of Burlington, was born
Oct. 28, 1 819, at Niederschupheim, Over-
amt Ofenburg, Baden. His father, Kaspar
Heitz, a carpenter b}- trade, was twice
married. The first wife was a daughter
of Andreas Harmon, a stone mason of
Niederschupheim. Of this marriage there
were three children : Joseph, Sebastian, and
Theresa, the mother dying when Sebastian
was three years old. Kaspar Heitz died
when about sixty years old, his death being
occasioned by a fall from a tree he was
cutting. His father lived to be ninety-five
years of age. Andreas Harmon lived to
be eighty-two years old. Kaspar Heitz by

his second marriage was the father of two
children, Louis and Valentine. In Feb-
ruary, 1843, Sebastian Heitz sailed from
Havre de Grace and reached New York
after a voyage of thirty-five days on a sail-
ing vessel. He soon went to Philadelphia,
and in the vicinity of that city worked in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey for four
years, on farms.

In 1847 he returned to his native town
by way of London and Amsterdam, ascend-
ing the Rhine to Mannheim and thence
home by railroad. Soon -after his arrival
there he married Genevieve Gallus, born
Oct. 4, 1819, daughter of Alexander Gallus,
a butcher of Niederschupheim.

On his return to America Mr. Heitz
was accompanied by his wife and her
sister Katherine, and his brother Louis,
and eleven other persons. They traveled
across France in a diligence, or stage coach,
to Havre, and were forty-four days on board
ship between that place and New Orleans.
From the latter place they came by river
to Cincinnati ; but as Louis could not find
work there, he and Mr. Heitz and wife
crossed the Alleghanies and returned to
the neighborhood where Mr. Heitz had
formerly worked. The brothers stayed at
Malaga, N. J., three years, and were all
that time in the employ of a Mr. Rosen-
baum. In 1850 Mr. Heitz and wife re-
turned by way of Pittsburg to Cincinnati,
where they visited Mrs. Heitz's sister Kath-
erine, who had married Florien Berckley.
Coming West by the great rivers they
reached Ft. Madison, Iowa, in October,
1850. Louis Heitz came to Ft. Madison
and settled in 1852. Soon after Sebastian
Heitz reached Ft. Madison, he rented land
and raised vegetables and fruits to supply
the town. He was the first man who raised

672

cultivated strawberries in that city. After
a time lie bought a block of land, on which
he carried on the business of green-garden-
ing and fruit-raising till 1892, when he sold
out after a residence of forty-two years in
the city. He was never an office seeker,
but served two years as supervisor. He
was one of the charter members of Empire
Lodge, No. 31, Independent Cirder of Odd
Fellows, of Fort Madison, t)rganized in
1852. On Sept. 9, 1 861, the Gennans of
Empire Lodge, of whom Mr. Heitz was
one, preferring a German ritual, established
Concordia Lodge No. 133. He was noble
grand of this lodge two terms. Subse-
quently Concordia Lodge was merged into
Empire Lodge, of which he is now a mem-
ber. His membership in the order is now
well beyond the half century mark, making
him one of the oldest Odd Fellows in Iowa.
Mr. Heitz's affiliations were with the
Catholic church, but after joining the Odd
Fellows the church reijuired him to de-
cide between itself and the Odd Fellows,
and he chose to remain with the latter or-
ganization, and since then he has not con-
sidered himself a church-member.

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Heitz: Joseph, the eldest, died in I'liion,
Ore., in i8(;i : b'lorien lives in .Anaconda,
Mont. ; William lives at Frontier, Wyo. ;
Abbie, who married August Fogel, lives
in Burlington ; Hattie, uho married Ben-
jamin Thompson, lives in Fort .Madison ;
Edith, the wife of Edward Benbow, also
lives in Fort Madison. Mrs. Heitz died in
that city in April, 1902, at the ripe old age
of eighty-two. Mr. Heitz has made his
home with his daughter in Burlington
since 1892, and though past eight-five
years old, he goes about like a man much
younger in years.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

JOSEPH LANDWEHR.

(J.NE of the re])resentative farmers in
Flint Kiver tcnvnshi]) is Jose])h Landwehr,
who has resided there for the last twenty-
five years. He was born in Brinkenfeld,
Kris Haflfort, . Germany, May 16, 1845,
and is a son of Fred and Rickie (Dick-
haner) Landwehr. I-'ntering the common
schools of his native land he ])ursued his
studies, and at the age of nine years came
to .America with his parents. They were
thirteen weeks on the water coming in an
old-time sailing vessel by way of New
Orleans. They settled at once in Quincy,
111., where later the parents both died.
Mr. Landwehr learned the trade of a ci-
garmaker. hut his health failing soon
after, he was advised to go to farming.
He came to l)es Moines county in 1880,
and has since been a resident of Flint
Kiver township. In December, 1890, he
bought his present farm of a little over
fifty-one acres in Section 2. As the years
passed, modern improvements have been
made \.\\wn it. and it is now a very val-
uable i)roi)erty. His fields are richly cul-
tivated, and annually return to him golden
harvests, and the neat and thrifty appear-
ance indicates his careful supervision. He
has never been active as a politician, and
is independent in his political affiliations.

.\ug. 25, 1868, Mr. Landwehr was mar-
ried to Miss .Anna Frederica Bringcr.
daughter of l-'red William and .\nna
( r.ochstat) Bringer, whose birth occurred
in Springa, Germany, May 14, 1849, and
came to America when but five years old
with her ]iarents, who settled in Quincy.
111. Mr. Bringer has passed away, while
Mrs. Bringer is living at the advanced
age of seventy-eight years.

JOSEPH LANDWEHR.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

675

Eight children have blessed the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Landwehr: Fred; Anna,
who married Charles Haar; Bertha, the
wife of Port Kirby; John; Herman; Ed-
ward; Emma, died in 1878, aged two
years; Lydia, born in 1888, died in 1894.
The worth of our subject as a man and
citizen, are widely acknowledged, and he
belongs to that class known as self-made
men, because they have triumphed over
obstacles, and depending upon their own
resources have worked their way upward
to prosperity.

BENJAMIN ASMUSSEN.

One of the younger and highly respected
tillers of the soil of Mediapolis, and who is
a native of the Hawkeye State, which is
watered at so many points by the beautiful
river known to all as the father of waters,
is Benjamin Asmussen. He is a son of
Fred and Eliza (Vollmer) Asmussen, and
was born in Burlington, Sept. 27, 1875.
When a mere babe, his parents moved to
Franklin township, and here in the district
schools he gained his education. His father
was a prosperous painter of Des Moines
county for man}' years.

His marriage to Miss Isabell Aletha
Logan took place Dec. 19, 1901. His wife
is a daughter of William and Louisa Eliza-
beth (Tibbetts) Logan, and was born in
Franklin township March 10, 1879. Her
father died in 1894, and her mother, who is
still living, makes her home in Sigourney,
Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Asmussen have no children.
They have a nice and comfortable home,
where all their friends are ever made wel-
come. Air. Asmussen is gradually placing

modern machinery upon his farm, and each
year finds the land in a higher state of culti-
vation. He takes much pleasure in all
movements that work a benefit to the State
and county. In politics he has ever been
a strong Democrat, but has always be-
lieved he could promote the interests of his
party to better advantage by not being in
the possession of any office.

Mr. Asmussen is a very genial and
friendly man, and one who is making his
ladder in life of the strongest rounds of
honor, industry, great energy, and upright
living, and has already attained a success
in business that many an older man might
well envy.

CLARENCE EDWARD CAMERON.

Clarence Edward Cameron, who re-
sides on Section 34, Union township, is one
of the enterprising young farmers of Des
Moines county whose thorough understand-
ing of agricultural interests has enabled
him to so ca!re for his property that he has
profited in all his undertakings. He was
born Mav 30, 1874, his parents being Ed-
ward W. and Dorcas H. (Leffier) Cam-
eron. Edward W. Cameron, the father of
our subject, was a native son of Union
township, Des Moines county, having been
born at his father's farm home, which he
had established in pioneer days, March 19,
1859. In the district schools of the locality
Clarence E. Cameron pursued his studies
until eighteen years of age, when he entered
Elliott's Business College, at Burlington,
spending two winters in that institution.
He has always remained upon the home
farm, to which he returned upon the com-
pletion of his business course, and to his

676

lUOGRAPtUCAL RIU lEW

father gave the beiufit of his services until
i8y8, when he was married. After Mr.
Cameron, of this review, had by his mar-
riage estabHshed a liome of his own. Jul-
ward \\'. Cameron, with his family, re-
moved to lUirHngton. wliere he is Hving
retired, enjoying a well-earned rest from
his former active life. He tlevotes his
time and attention to general agricultural
jHirsuits. and the neat and thrifty appear-
ance of tlie ])]ace justifies one in the opinion
that its manager is a successful agricul-
turist, thoroughly understanding his busi-
ness, and bringing to his work practical
and sound common sense.

On the 23d of February, 1898. Mr. Cam-
eron was united in marriage to Miss Olive
May Prieman. of Burlington. They attend
and support the Episcopal church, and Mr.
(allien Ml gives his political allegiance to
the Republican party, but is not an aspirant
for office, preferring to concentrate his en-
ergies upon his business affairs. He is re-
garded as one of the bright and intelligent
voung farmers of the county, and is well
known in the locality where he has always
made his home, residing throughout his
entire life u]ion the farm which is yet his
place of residence.

ANDREW JOHN PETERSON.

Andrew John Peterson was born in
Sweden on the lAth day of March, 1835, a
son of jerry and Mary (I'unstat) Peter-
son. 'I'lie father, who was also a native
of Sweden, in which country he was born
in 1806, was there married, and with his
wife ami four cliildriii came to .\merica.
leaving our sulijecl. however, in Sweden.

He came direct to ISnrlington. engaging
in a variety of occupations there until
about the year 1863, when he bought a
small tract of land in Union township.
On this land he continued to reside until
the time of his death in the fall of 1885.
His wife died in .Sei)tember, i8<x;. at an
advanced age, the date of lu-r birth hav-
ing been 1802.

.\ndrew J. Peterson grew to maturity
in his native land, meantime receiving a
good education in the i)ublic schools, and
for a few years devoted himself to farm-
ing. In 1866 he decided to conic to the
United States, and locating in tin- neigh-
borhood where his ])arenls had previously
settled, bought ten acres of land in Union
townsliij). He had great difficulties to
overcome, but by rigid economy, hard
and constant work, and carefid manage-
ment he achieved success, being now the
owner of a fine farm excellently etpiipped.
He added to his first purchase of land
until at the present time it comjirises one
hundred and forty acres, while he also
owns one hundred and sixty acres in
Kearney county, Nebraska. He engages
in general farming, and in addition main-
tains a small vineyard.

Ill the month of August, i86(). .Mr.
Peterson wedded Miss Christine Johnson,
who had come to this country from Swe-
den two years ])rior to that time. To Mr.
and Mrs. Peterson have been born three
children: I-'red .Mbert. still at the parental
home ; .\manda, wife of Mr. Johnson, of
Union township: and Xellie, also at
home. .Mr. and .Mrs. Peterson are
members of the Lutheran church, of
which they have ever been among the
most generous sup|)orters. The political
allegiance of our subject is given to the

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

677

Republican party. He has always been
progressive and enterprising, and has
made many improvements on the farm,
tiling and draining the land and placing
it under effective cutivation. The large
and comfortable dwelling-house is of his
erection, and altogether he has estab-
lished a very pleasant home.

JOHN H. EWINGER.

John H. Ewinger, one of the leading
representatives of the plumbing, heating,
and gas-fitting business in Burlington, with
a patronage which has caused him to extend
his labors into many cities of this State,
was born Feb. 28, i86t, in Burlington, and
throughout his entire life has made his home
here. His father, Henry Ewinger, was a
native of Germany, and was a machinist by
trade. Coming to the New World he was
employed for many years as stationary
engineer in the Putnam mill of Burlington,
and in 1872, resigning his position, he pur-
chased a half interest in the plumbing busi-
ness of John Conrad, with whom he re-
mained for about four years. The partner-
ship was then dissolved, and i\Ir. Ewinger
established a business of his own, which he
conducted for about twenty years, with ex-
cellent success. He died about 1898 — one
of the respected business men of the city,
whose success had been worthily won, and
who had also gained the trust and good-
will of those with whom he came in con-
tact.

His wife, who bore the maiden name of
Mary Burg, was a sister of John Burg, a
leading wagon-maker of Iowa. She died in
1896, being survived by eight of their nine

children, while six are yet living: Sarah,
the wife of 'George Reif, a resident farmer
of Des Moines county ; Ricke, who is the
wife of Christ Ebert, who is engaged in
cigar-making in Burlington : John H. ;
Lydia, the wife of Robert Di.xon, of Fort
]\'Iadison ; William, who is engaged in the
plumbing business in this city ; and Emma,
the wife of Karl Kurle, who conducts a har-
ness business in Dallas, 111. .\fter losing
his first wife, Henry Ewinger married Mrs.
Mary Wedertz, who survived him, and died
in the year 1903.

John H. iMvinger pursued his education
in the public school on North Hill, and after
finishing his more specifically literary edu-
cation, he began learning the plumber's
trade under the direction of his father, with
whom he remained for three years, when he
went to Chicago, in 1881, and completed his
trade in the plumbing establishment of E.
Oaggett. Returning to Burlington in 1883,
he again entered his father's employ. The
business was incorporated in 1898. as Henry
Ewinger Plumbing Company, with Henry
Ewinger as president ; W. O. Ewinger,
vice-president ; and J. H. Ewinger, secretary
and treasurer. Following the father's death,
the brothers remained in business together
until 1900, and then dissolved partnership.
John H. Ewinger then began business
alone at 320 North P'ourth Street, where
he has since been located. He controls an
extensive business in plumbing, heating, and
gas-fitting, and also <leals in pumps and
engineering supplies. He employs eight
plumbers, and lias done the work in his line
in the Odd Fellows' Building, Tama Build-
ing, Iowa State Bank Building, German-
American Bank Building, Parsons Block,
Sterns Block, Masonic Temple, and in the
residences of W. B. Foster, .Vndrew Dehner,

678

BIOGKAPHICAL REVIEW

R. M. Green, and many others, and also in
St. Francis Hospital. He also took the
contract for the plumbing, heating, and gas-
titting in the Louisa county poorhouse, five
residences in Fontanellc. Iowa, residences
in Dixon and Dallas City, 111.; Unionville,
Mo.; Fort Madison, Mount Pleasant, New
London. Danville, Middletown. Wapello,
and Columbus Junction. Iowa; and Cairo,
111. His business has constantly grown
and is of an important character, for he has
been called to do work in his line in many
inii)ortant buildings. His own practical
knowledge of the trade well qualifies him to
superintend the labor of others, .•iml his busi-
ness career has been attended with a gratify-
ing measure of success. He is a member of
the Iowa State and National Plumbers' As-
sociations.

Mr. Ewinger was married in March,
1885, to Miss I'rsula Johanna, a daughter of
Andrew Johanna, whose wife, in Iier maid-
enhood was Miss Johanna. They were na-
tives of Switzerland and were married in
that country. They came to America with
their faniilv in 1S71 and located on a farm,
the father now making his home on a farm
south of the city. I'nto Mr. and Mrs.
Ewinger were born fmir children, but the
second. I knr\ .Andrew, died ;il the age of
si.\ months. The others are Elsie Kate,
Flossie Ursula, and Fred Wesley. The
family home, in the Irvin .Addition, stands
on Prospect Hill at the foot of Miller Street,
near the Cascades. There Mr. Ewinger has
twelve acres of ground, on which is an at-
tractive frame residence, which was erected
in 1900. Here he has much fruit — apples,
grai>es, peaches, and jiears, and he makes
fifty barrels of wine per year. In addition
to this property Mr. F. winger owns two
dwellings in Sweny's Addition, one built in

1886, and the other in 1892. ;uid these he
rents.

Mr. Ewinger holds mcmberslup with
P.lackhawk Camp, No. 33, Woodmen of the
World, and with the Cascade Boating
Association. He gives his political sup-
port to the Democratic party, and is a mem-
ber of the Lutheran church. He is quick
of apprehension, and intricate business af-
fairs he comi)rehends most readily, while
in his active career he has won the success
which is the just reward of meritorious,
honorable effort which commands the re-
spect and admiration of all.

WILLIAM MOEHLE.

Ger.m.vxv has furnished to America many
worthy citizens. The sons of the Father-
land readily adapt themselves to new con-
ditions, make the best of their opportunities,
and in all walks of life have demonstrated
that industry is the path to success. Will-
iam Moelile, a son of the Fatherland, was
born in West Phalen, Germany, .\ug. 2,
1864, his parents being Gottlieb and Louise
(Bode) Moehle. The son pursued his edu-
cation in the public schools of his native
land, and when eighteen years of age bade
adieu to frieiuls and country preparatory to
establishing a home in the New World. He
had heard favorable reports concerning this
country and its opportunities, and he be-
lieved that he might better his financial
crmijitidn in the L'nited States. lie made
his way direct to Burlington, where he
entered the employ of Phillip Westerlieck.
He also attended school one winter, and
later worked at farm labor until he was
married.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

679

It was on Dec. 22, 1891, that Mr. Moehle
was joined in wedlock to Miss Carrie
Vollmer, who was born in Franklin town-
ship, this county, March 3, 1870, and is a
daughter of Henry and Louisa (Kipp) Voll-
mer. Four children graced this marriage :
Edward, born Nov. 8, 1892 ; Cora, June 22,
1897; Ella, Sept. 22, 1902; and an infant,
born Sept. 15, 1905.

In 1889 Mr. Moehle purchased a farm of
eighty acres from Mr. Parker, his land lying
in Section 2,2)> Yellow Springs township, and
in 1894 he bought one hundred acres of Mr.
Deistlehorst. Upon this place he has since
lived, and has developed it into a very val-
uable and productive property. In 1902 he
bought forty acres of G. S. Gray, on Section
28, making two hundred and twenty acres
in all. He is a breeder of Shorthorn and
Hereford cattle, and has forty-eight head of
fine cattle upon his place. He also raises
about ninety head of Poland China hogs
each year, and likewise some red swine. His
farm property is valuable because of the
improvements he has placed upon it. He
has erected a commodious and substantial
residence and good barns, has tiled his land,
and now has his farm in an excellent con-
dition, being equipped with all modern ac-
cessories and everything needed to facili-
tate the work and render his labors of
greater value.

HENRY SCHULTZ.

Henry Schultz, a highly respected
farmer of Flint River township, where he
has made his home for almost thirty years,
is now living on Section 14, where he has
eighty acres of land that he has brought to
a high state of cultivation. He was born

near ]\lachtenburg, Prussia, Germany, Aug.
28, 1827. His parents were also natives of
that county, where they spent their entire
lives. The son was reared to the occupa-
tion of farming, attended the home school
until about seventeen or eighteen years of
age, and then entered the German army,
serving for several months.

In 1850 Mr. Schultz was united in mar-
riage, in the Fatherland, to Miss Marie
Pekern, also a native of Germany, where she
lived until after her marriage. Her parents
both died in that country during her early
girlhood. In the year 1866 Mr. Schultz came
with his family to the United States, set-
tling first in New York, where he remained
for two years, being employed in a sugar
refinery. He then came to Des Moines
county, Iowa, and spent several years in
Burlington, where he was engaged in work
in the brick-yard, and also at the gas-factory
for about eight years. On the expiration of
that period he removed to Flint River town-
ship, and purchased his present farm of
eighty acres on Section 14. He has put all
of the improvements on this property, and
has fair buildings here. His attention has
been given to general agricultural pursuits
and stock-raising, and his fields are well
tilled. Nearly all the land was in its prim-
itive condition when he took up the work
of clearing it, but to-day he has most of it
under cultivation.

Unto Mr. and ]\Irs. Schultz have been
born ten children, of whom six are now liv-
ing: ]\lary, the wife of Christ Easman, of
Burlington : Anna, wife of Conrad Elbrader,
of Kansas ; Minnie, at home ; Henr\-, who
is living in Burlington, and married
Emma Rieke ; Christ and Gustave, both at
home. Those who have departed this life
are : Henry, Amelia, Louisa, and Charlie.

68o

BIOGRAPHICAL RIUIFAV

The cliiUlrcii attended the ])iiblic schools,
and the yoinifjer sons assist in the operation
of tlie home farm at the present time.

Botli Mr. and .Mrs. Schultz hold mem-
bership in tlie liaptist church, while his polit-
ical allegiance is given to the Republican
party. He has been without political aspira-
tion, preferring to gise his attention to his
business interests, and his success has been
won, step by step, through his personal
efforts, energy, and enterjirise : while the
regard in which he is uniformly held by his
friends is also accredited to his manly action
in performing the daily duties of life.

EDWARD HAUSfeNCLEVER.

Edw.\rd IT.\l'si:ncli:vku, for many years
one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers
of Union township, Des Moines county,
Iowa, was born in the Province of the Rhine,
Germany, Nov. 7. 1836, a son of Gottlieb
and Wilhelniina (Huerthal) Hausenclever.
He early entered the public schools of his
native place, also attending the college of
the district at a later date, and •when fifteen
years of age matriculated in an agricultural
school, in which he remained a student for
one year. Thus his education was singularly
complete, and was especially adapted to in-
sure him success in the line of activity which
he expected to follow, namely, that of agri-
culture. Tn 185.^ he came with his parents
to .\merica, and the father purchased a farm
in Des Moines county, Iowa. The following
spring, however, the father left the farm in
charge of his two sons, and returned to Ger-
many, where he was a minister in the
Lutheran church and a man of considerable
standing.

On this farm Mr. Hausenclever coh-
tinned for sixteen years, or until the fall
of iS-Q. when he purchased his present
large farm of 227 acres in Section 22, Union
township. The land was at that time almost
in its primitive wild condition, and the first
great task which claimed his attention was
the clearing away of the forests. This oc-
cupied his attention for nearly ten years,
and at the end of that time he began raising
and feeding stock for shipping, principally
cattle and hogs, but also some horses. The
venture ]iroved very successful, and he con-
tinued it on a large scale for twenty years
with great success. The land, as fertile
and productive as can be found anywhere
in the county, is eminently suited to the
purpo.se, and our subject has installed many
important improvements which add to its
value as an investment, while at the same
time increasing the comfort of the home
he has established.

In 1863 Mr. Hausenclever was united in
marriage to Miss Mary Mehler. daughter of
I'rank and .\inie Mehler, and to them have
been born seven children, as follows: Ed-
ward, who is married ; Oscar, a farmer of
Lee county. Iowa; Arnold, who is at home;
.\nnic. wife of Mr. Monck ; and Herman
and I'rancis. who are both at home with
their jiarents. Mr. Hausenclever has for
many years participated in the conduct of
public affairs as a member of the Demo-
cratic party, and has been especially in-
terested, in the cause of education as repre-
sented by the public schools. He has by
the favor of his fellow-citizens been repeat-
edly honored with election to a place on
the school board, of which he has been a
working member for twenty-three \-ears.
Tie is now retired from active business, hav-
ing relinfjuisheil the management of the

DFS MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

68 1

farm about the year 1900 in favor of his
sons, by whom the work has since that time
been continued along the Hues which he laid
out, and he passes his time in the enjoyment
of well-earned ease and repose. /\.t all
points his career has been marked by the
highest integrity, uprightness, and fair deal-
ing, and he has many friends who respect
him both for his irreproachable character
and for the great natural ability which has
enabled him to win success.

ISAIAH REID CARITHERS.

IsAi.Mi Reid Carithers belongs to
a much-respected and well-established
family of Yellow Springs township, and
now occupies a place with the prosperous
farmers of to-day. He is a son of Andrew
French and Mary L. (Reid) Carithers,
his birth occurring on the old home farm
in Yellow Springs township, Sept. 23,
1866. When his parents came to Des
Moines county, they entered one hundred
and sixty acres of land, and were the only
family that lived on this place. A more
complete biography of the parents of this
subject will be found in the sketch of A.
F. Carithers, elsewhere in this volume.

Mr. Reid Carithers is a man of good
education, which was begun in the dis-
trict schools in Yellow Springs townshi]),
where he prepared himself to enter the
academy at Morning Sun, Iowa. Wish-
ing to gain more book learning than these
schools afforded, he entered Geneva Col-
lege at Beaver Falls, Pa., where he was
a student for a short time. Returning
from college he took up the life of a farm-
er, which occupati(jn In- has since fol-

lowed. Since Mr. Carithers settled on
jiis one hundred and twenty acres of land
in Section 7, in 1888, he has made all of
the improvements, and now has a nice
house and good barn, and is well fixed
for general farming. He sells about fifty
or sixty head of hogs annually, and some
six head of cattle. This year he has about
twice as many hogs as he generally has.

Dec. 12, 1888, Mr. Carithers married
Miss Rosanna Baird, a daughter of John
and Catherine (McElhinney) Baird. Mrs.
Carithers was born in Yellow Springs
township. May 22, 1866, and received her
education in the district schools of the
same, place. Her father came to Des
Moines county in 1840 from Philadelphia,
Pa. As time advanced, Mr. Baird was
"getting on his feet," as the saying is,
and each year found him better fixed in
life. He added to his small tract of land
till at his death, which occurred Julv 4,
1 881, at the age of sixty-eight years, he
owned three hundred and twenty acres
of well-improved land. Mrs. Baird en-
tered into her eternal rest April 14, 1900,
aged seventy-eight. They v^rere the par-
ents of twelve children, and were mem-
bers of the Reformed Presbyterian
church.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Carithers two chil-
dren have been born : John French, born
July 30, 1890, and ^^'illiam Work, born
July II, 1899. Mr. Carithers has never
cared for official recognition, as his farm
has needed his undivided attention. He
and his estimable wife are members of
tiie Reformed Presbyterian church, where
he has served as trustee for the past nine
years. Mr. Carithers has always made it
a point to attend to business before pleas-
ure, and has taken nnu-li iiains with his

>682

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

home place. He is now very comfortably
situated, ^nd the straightforward and
manly manner in which he has ever con-
ducted his evcry-day life, both socially
and in a commercial way, has gained for
him the same good name that was ac-
corded to his aged father, and being just
in the prime of life, we predict for him a
still brighter future.

WILLIAM D. INGHRAM.

For a score of years William Delaslimuth
Inghram occupied a prominent place in the
life and thought of Des Moines county as
a leader in civic and educational activities,
in both of which fields of endeavor he was
widely known and influential, being recog-
nized as a natural leader and the possessor
of exceptional gifts and powers. A native
son of Iowa, he was born in the year 1840 on
his father's farm, one mile west of the pres-
ent site of the village of West Burlington,
a son of John and Sarah Ann (Delashmuth)
Inghram. John Inghram. who was of
Scotch-Irish descent, came to the West from
Virginia in 1836, as did also, at about the
same time the family of his wife, and they
were married a few years afterward. They
are survived by four daughters, sisters of
our subject, as follows : Mrs. Catherine
Parks, of near West Burlington ; ^Irs. Mary
Graham, of Rock Island. 111. ; Mrs. Elizabeth
Johnson, of West Burlington ; and Mrs.
Agnes Chapman, a widow, also of We.st
Burlington. The Inghram and Delashmuth
families were among the early settlers of
Des Moines county.and became very exten-
sive landowners.

The boyhood and youth of Mr. Inghram

were passed upon his father's farm, he se-
curing the foundation of his education in the
public schools of the neighborhood. Later
he entered Denmark .-Xcademy, where for
several years he pursued further studies,
and on leaving that institution, he took up
the study of law, reading in the office of
Starr & Phillii)S. He decided, however, to
devote himself to the teaching profession,
and for several years taught school in the
" Cockayne " district, after which he was
called to fill a vacancy in the teaching force
of the public schools of Burlington. Here
he spent the remaining years of his profes-
sional career, but soon after coming to the
city he gave such ])roof of exceptional tal-
ents, and the high quality of his work at-
tracted such attention, that he received rapid
promotion. For the long period of twenty-
two years he was principal of the Germania
and North Oak schools, and throughout this
time, by the energy, fairness, and efficiency
of his methods, he enjoyed the increasing
respect and admiration of the jieople and of
leading educators throughout Iowa and of
the neighlxiring States.

Mr. Inghram was a life-long Democrat,
ever zealous in the service of his party, in
whose main tenets he was a firm believer
and for whose triumphs he labored with
constant and conscientious zeal and single-
hearted devotion. As a reward for his serv-
ices, and in recognition of his ability and
worth, he received in 1886 the nomination
for the office of clerk of the district court,
to which he was elected by a handsome ma-
jority ; and as evidence of his great popu-
larity and of the esteem in which he was
generally held, he was three times re-elected. •
His reputation as a capable and honorable
official was always very high, and he was
his party's candidate for a fifth term when

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

683

his bright and useful career was cut short by
the hand of death, for he died in the full
enjoyment and prime of his powers, on the
fourteenth day of October, 1894.

In 1867 the subject of this review was
united in marriage to Miss Susan ]M. Coal-
ter, daughter of Thomas J. and Alelvina
(Gardner) Coalter, who were married in
their native State of Virginia, and came in
1 84 1 to Iowa, where Mrs. Inghram was
born in 1842. Her parents first settled at
Mount Pleasant, residing there for six years,
and then came to Burlington, where they re-
mained. The father, who was by trade a
carpenter, died in September, 1879, his own
demise having been preceded by that of his
wife in 1876, and they are buried in Aspen
Grove cemetery. The father was a member
^of the ]\Iasonic order, and both were faith-
ful adherents of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and greatly respected for their
Christian virtues and kindly traits of char-
acter. To them were born three daughters
and two sons, as follows : Susan M., Mrs.
-Inghram ; Laura O., wife of William Drury,
-of Los Angeles, Cal. ; Emma ].. deceased
wife of Thomas Wagg, died in Burlington,
in 1877 • William N., of Landes, Wyo. ; and
Thomas J-. who is postmaster of Flagstaff,
Ariz.

Mrs. Inghram was educated in private
schools and in the Baptist College at Burling-
ton, and for ten years after leaving college
was a teacher in the Germania, South Hill,
and South Boundary schools of Burlington.
It was while acting as assistant principal of
the Germania school, during Mr. Inghram's
principalship, that they became acquainted
and were married, Mrs. Inghram continuing
to teach for one year after her marriage.
It is an interesting fact, and one well deserv-
ing of remark, that she was the first woman

to hold the position of principal in the Bur-
lington schools.

To Mr. and Mrs. Inghram were born ten
children, of whom seven still survive : John
T., editor of the Dubuque Enterprise, mar-
ried Miss Rosamond Simmons, and has two
sons, John and Thomas ; Carrie, who resides
with Mrs. Inghram, has ^for twelve years
been employed in the office of the county
clerk ; Laura, wife of Mr. Bragg, sheep
ranchman of ^^'yoming, has three children,
William. Robert, and Fred; W^illiam, who
was unmarried, was accidently killed while
at work in the Santa Fe Railroad yards at
Marceline, Mo., April 7, 1904, and is buried
in Aspen Grove cemetery ; Emily, who re-
sides in Burlington, is the wife of Royal
Andrew, traveling salesman for the firm of
John Blaul & Sons ; Zodic, familiarly known
as "Ted," is a sheep ranchman of Wyo-
ming ;'^nd Harry, who is still at home, is
employed in a grocery store.

j\lrs. Inghram has built a beautiful home
at 1225 North Seventh Street, which is the
center of a refined and cultured social circle.
She is a lady of much ability and many
social graces, and is an active worker in the
First Methodist Episcopal church, as was
also her husband. Fraternally, Mr. Inghram
was a member of the Masonic order, with
which he was affiliated for twenty-five years,
and in which he was elevated to distin-
guished honors, having taken the thirty-
third degree, and becoming very prominent
in the order. He was a man whose char-
acter combined many high and admirable
qualities ; he was universally respected, and
had many friends. His record of useful
activity was long, and on every page was
written in indelible characters the word
" success ; " but best of all he left to his chil-
dren the heritage of an honorable name.

684 BIOGRAPHICAL RFMEU

WILLIAM AUGUTTA.

Dlkinc. the early iieriod of Burlington's
history the subject of this review was for
manv years i)roniinent in the city's affairs,
and enjoyed high repute among her pcoj)le
because of his marked practical ability and
his never-failing loyalty to the cause of
progress and the right. He was born in
Bedford, Bedfordshire. England. March 24.
1828, a son of Joseph and Mary ( Bonfield)
Augutta, the fourth of a family of seven
children, all of whom are now deceased. He
was reared in Bedford, whicli was also the
native place of both liis parents. As a boy
of fourteen he was apprenticed to a barber,
and learned that trade. About the age of
twenty-five he decided to come to America,
and after a six-weeks' voyage in a sailing
vessel landed in Xew York, where for a
time he was employed at his trade. From
lure he went to Cincinnati, .\fler working
at the latter city for a brief jieridd he came
\\'est, arriving in P.nrlinglon in October.
1848. Mere he was one of ]5urlington"s
early barbers, and for many years was lo-
cated in the Barrett House, an old-time
hostelry on the site of the ]iresent Tama
building. TIrtl- Ik- conducted a three-chair
shop, and was very successful in a ])ecuniary
way, securing a large and profitable pat-
ronage. He accumulated considerable prop-
ertv, owning a lot at the corner of Third
and Elm Streets, on which still stands a
house that is a relic and lanilinark of early
days, and also owning four lots on South
HiJI. where the family home has always
been located, and still stands.

When twelve years of age Mr. Augutta
sustained a severe injury by a fall on the ice,
resulting in a stitTening of the knee through
the formation of free cartilage at the knee

cap. and in later years this caused what is
known as " white swelling." This made
necessary the amputation of the limb, the
operation being performed in Burlington by
Dr. Ransom and Dr. Xassau. Mr. .\ugutta
was shortly afterward elected to the office
of city treasurer, and he gave his time
jirincipally to |)ublic atTairs during the re-
mainder of his life. In tiie ])osition of
treasurer be served under the administration
of Mayors Teedrick and Robinson, and
was also elected to the office of city clerk,
serving one term. He affiliate<l with the
Democratic party, in which he wielded great
influence, and at whose hands he received
signal honor, although he enjoyed much
popularity with men of all parties.

In Burlington, on Jan. 22, 1855. he was
united in marriage to Miss Jane Hays, who
was born in Logan county. Ohio, a daugh-
ter of Samuel Hays, of Westmoreland
county. I'a.. and \iolct (Watson) Hays
of < )hio. .Mrs. Augutta. whose mother died
when she was but a baby of two years
of age, is one of a family of four chil-
dren, three of whom survive, the others
being Robert Hays, of California, and
Mrs. Margaret Rozicr. of Clinton, 111.
The father remarried, anil of this secon<l
union three children were born, only one
of whom survives, namely. Mrs. Nettie
.Mlander, of Missouri. The father of
Mrs. Augutta was a farmer, biu learned
the trade of shnemaking. at which he
worked at Jonesboro. 111., and also in Bur-
lington until he became t(X> old for active
employment. In Jonesboro. where he was
well known, he held the office of justice of
the peace, and was highly respected for the
strength of his character. He died at the
age of eighty-three, and is buried in Aspen
Grove cemeterv. FUirlington.

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

685

To Mr. and Mrs. Augutta were born
four children, of whom but two are now
living. Minnie holds the position of book-
keeper at Kelley's Agricultural Implement
House, and Fannie is the wife of Mr.
Eccles of Burlington, and has one child.
Jane. \\'illiam died Dec. i. 1868. at the age
of three months, and Joseph died at the age
of twenty-eight years. The children were
all young when, by death of their father,
they were left to the exclusive care of the
mother, and nobly has she performed her
trust, giving to each the best of home train-
ing and educational advantages. Fannie
(Mrs. Eccles) was educated in the public
and high schools of Burlington, and before
her marriage taught several terms in the
city schools. Joseph attended the public
school and also business college, on the com-
pletion of his education becoming a travel-
ing salesman, a line of work in which he
displayed unusual ability and promise.
Miss Minnie, after quitting the public
schools, pursued a thorough course of study
in Elliott's Business College, of which she
is a graduate. Since her husband's death
Airs. Augutta has erected a commodious
residence at 1102 South Fourth Street,
where she maintains a cheerful and pleas-
ant home, and enjoys the society of cher-
ished friends. She is a faithful member
of the Baptist church and of. its Aid So-
ciet>-, and was formerly a member of Ruth
Lodge, Daughters of Rebecca, of Burling-
ton, while Aliss Minnie is a member of
Paul Caster Lodge of the same order, being
its treasurer at the present time.

Mr. Augutta was city treasurer of Bur-
lington for nine years, holding that office at
the time of his death, and his administration
was universally commended for efficienc)'.
He was a member of \\'ashington Lodge,

No. I, Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
of which he was at one time noble grand,
and was also a member of Eureka Encamp-
ment in that order. He was a prominent
worker in religious affairs, being a member
of the Episcopal church, in which he was ac-
customed to conduct the ritualistic services.
His tastes were in some degree literary, for
he owned a library of goodly proportions
and was an extensive reader, possessing
great general information and breadth of
mind. He died April 29, 1872, at the age
of forty-four years, and was laid to rest in
Aspen Grove cemetery, mourned by a wide
circle of friends and acquaintances, and uni-
versally and sincerely respected for his
courageous and upright life. Domestic in
his tastes and preferences, he was a loving
father and an ideal husband, and to all his
friends loyal, cordial, and unselfish.

i\Irs. Augutta is a woman of much force
of character, and for what she has achieved
for her family by her own eft'orts is entitled
to the highest credit and praise.

JOHN WALKINSHAW REED.

Numbered among the enterprising
farmers of Yellow Springs township, Des
Moines county, is John Walkinshaw
Keed, and his eft'orts along agricultural
lines have been productive of success in
a gratifying measure. His whole business
career has been one of a spotless char-
acter, and it is with much pleasure that
we bring his record before our readers.
He is the son of Mathew and Mary
( Walkinshaw) Reed, and his birth oc-
curred in Guernsey county, Ohio, Jan. 15,
1851. When only four years of age he

686

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJIEIV

came with his parents to Yellow Springs
township, where they at once purchased
a farm and established a home for the
comfort and pleasure of their growing
famil)'. They were the parents of the
following seven children : Robert G. ;
Mary, married Mr. McElhinney, of Ne-
braska; Margaret, the wife of Albert Mc-
Donald; Lizzie, married John Robb;
Rhoda. now Mrs. Oscar George, of Ohio;
and William, of Nebraska.

Mr. and Mrs. Reed, Sr., lived on this
place till Mr. Reed passed away, which
was in March, i8g6. The mother, who
has now reached her eightieth milestone,
resides with her son, of this review. In
1881 ;\lr. Reed inherited eighty acres from
his parents, and about 1885 he bought
forty acres more. His father bought the
farm he now lives on about 1856. At that
time there was no im])rovement of any
kind whatever, except one old board
fence. Year by year he continued labor-
ing here, and his efforts for the develop-
ment of his land have resulted in making
the j)roperty a valuable ami ])r()ductive
one. The home i)lace comprises some one
hundred and sixty acres on Section 16.
He also added eighty acres on Section 16
and eighty acres on Section 22, besides a
piece of timber of about six and two-
thirds acres in Benton township. He is
one of the model f;irmcrs of ibis ])art of
the county. Nothing is too much trouble
for him to do that will bring about the
best of results. His work is that of the
ordinary farmer, but perhaps he makes a
specialty of stock-raising more than some
<lo. He raises about sixty head of fine
hogs every year, and feeds two loads of
blooded cattle, for which he has always
been able to command a goo<l price.

-April 18, 1883, Mr. Reed was married to
Miss Susanna Huston, a daughter of John
and Susan (Craig) Huston. They have
been blessed with four children, all of
which are at home around the family
board: Susanna, Tryphena, .Mary Walkin-
shaw, Melville Eugene, and Eunice
Rhoda Bell. They have all received a
substantial education in their school dis-
trict.

.Mr. and Mrs. Reed are both members
of the Reformed Presbyterian church,
where they do much good toward the pro-
motion of Christianity. There is perhaps
no man held in higher esteem' in Yellow
Springs township than Mr. Reed. He
possesses many sterling traits of charac-
ter, and his high moral sense, his unfalter-
ing integrity, and his love for others have
won for him unecpialled confidence and
the highest regard of all. His kindly
spirit and genial disposition have ever
brought him friends, and he has the happy
facult)' of drawing them nearer to him as
the years pass by.

JOACHIM ANDRES MUMME.

M.\.\v honest and upright Germans
have come to America with the idea of
obtaining better advantages here than
could be obtained in the Fatherland, who,
by their thrift, activity, and eiiler])rise
have greatly aided to make the commu-
nity in which they settled to flourish and
progress. Joachim .\ndres Mumme is a
representative of this class, and well de-
serves mention in this review. He is a
son of Frederick and .Vnna .Maria (Mosel)
Mumme, and was born in Prussia, Ger-

>
n

>
o

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

many, Sept. 14, 1846. His father was
born in Prussia, Germany, June 19, 1816,
and his mother was a native of the same
place, being born Dec. 30, 1827. His par-
ents, with their ten children, came to
America in 1865, coming direct to Bur-
lington, Iowa, where the father bought
a farm of sixty acres, in Flint River town-
ship. There being thirty acres under cul-
tivation, later he added forty acres, all on
Section 16.

It was on this farm that the large fam-
ily of ten children, born to Mr. and Mrs.
Mumme, were raised to manhood and
womanhood. The children are as fol-
lows : Joachim Andres, the oldest, of this
review ; Henry, in Danville township ;
John and Fred, of Nebraska; Ernst and
Christ, of Flint River township ; Maria
Westerbeck, died in 1874; Dorothea Oge,
of Danville township; Ann, who married
Joe Brandmeier, of Canaan township,
Henry county ; and Sophia, wdio passed
away in 1899.

j\lr. Mumme died April 2, 1903, at the
advanced age of eighty-seven years. He
was a member of the German Lutheran
church. In politics he was known as an
independent, always voting for the man
who according to his best judgment was
most fitted for the office.

Our subject received his education in
the common schools of his native place,
after which he learned the carpenter's
trade, at which he worked for a number
of years. One year before his father
passed away he came to take care of his
parents, and also to manage the farm,
where he is now located and still caring
for his aged and widowed mother.

Oct. 18, 1874, Mr. Mumme was mar-
ried to Miss Hannah Westerbeck, daugh-

ter of Philip and Anna (Muhause) Wes-
terbeck, who was born in Burlington,
Iowa, April 14, 1857. \\'hen quite young
her parents moved to Flint River town-
ship, where she received her education.
Mr. and Mrs. Mumme have had one
child, Minnie M., who is at home. He
carries on general farming and stock-
raising, having at the time of this writ-
ing four head of good horses, seventeen
head of fine blooded cattle, and also
raises from twenty to thirty-five fat hogs
annually. He has built a nice house on
his farm, his father having made all the
other improvements.

Mr. Mumme was elected school director
when he lived in Danville township. He
has been Sunday-school superintendent
for many years, and is now an honored
trustee of the Union church, of Flint
River township. He is a man of broad
intellect, and enjoys reading very much,
being well posted on all the current
events of the day. He has always been
interested along any lines that would bet-
ter the farmers in general, as well as to
promote the prosperity of his own town-
ship. Though he has lived only a little
over three years on his present farm, still
he is well known* throughout the neigh-
borhood. His business qualifications have
attracted the attention of his associates, and
his reputation is well established. He is
a man much respected by all.

LYMAN COOK.

The late Lyman Cook, pioneer merchant
and banker of Burlington, was born on his
father's farm in Bennington, Licking county,
Ohio, June 6, 1820. He received a very fair

6i>o

BIOGRAPHICAL RlillEW

education for those early days, and upon his
graduation from Dcnison Colk'Kf in Gran-
viilc. ( »hio, at tlic age of eighteen, secured
a job as l)i)okkee])er at the iron works in
Zoar, ( )liio. which lie hehl for two years.
In the spring of 1840 he came on horseback
from his Ohio home to I'.urlington. the
journey taking twenty-three days, where for
a sliort lime he was engaged in the pro-
vision aii<I iiriiduee business. Retiring from
that line of business, he embarked in the tin
and hardware trade with John I'rugh. a
brother of Isaac I'rugh. of tiiis city. After
Mr. Prugh's death in 1S51, luhn \\ . White
purcliased an interest, and the firm of Cook
& White rtourished until 1854. when Mr.
Cook sold out his interest and became a
member of the ])rivate banking firm of
\\"hite. Cook & L"om|)any. This firm con-
tinued until 185S. when .Mr. Cnok formed a
partnershi]) with John .\1. Uaxier in the
same ' line of business. This |)artnership
continued until iSru. when .Mr. Cook suc-
ceeded W . !■. CiMilbaugli as jiresident of
the i'lUrlingtiin liraneii uf the ."^tate liank of
Iowa, lie held this position until January,
1864. when the l'"irst National Hank was
establisluii and he was elected to its presi-
dency, which he held until his death, Oct.
I. i8(,S.

In addition to bearing the more immediate
res])onsibilities-. mentioned above, .Mr. Cook
was a director of the Iowa State Savings
Bank, a director of the Burlington & Mis-
souri River Railroad Com])any, a director of
the old llurlington, Cedar Rapids & Mis-
souri Railway Company, and a director of
the Burlington & Xorth western Railway
Com[)any. Mr. Cook was also a member of
the commission to organize the Ciiion Pa-
cific Railway Company in tlu- convention
held in Chicago in 1862.

In jjolitics .Mr. Cook was a stalwart W'iiig
and Reiniblican, and was several times hon-
ored by his party, Ix-ing alderman from 1846
to 1850, mayor in 1851, 1852, and 1853, the
last two terms having Ixen elected without
opposition, and from 1856 to i860 State sen-
ator from this district. During the Civil
War he was cliosen by Governor Kirkwood
to he commissary, and was |)articularly
active in arranging for the equipment of
the trtwps for the front. Mr. Cook enjoyed
the confidence and friendship of the found-
ers of the commonwealth of Iowa, his rela-
tions with the late Senator Grimes, Gov-
ernor Kirkwood, and (lovernor Gear IxMng
of a most intimate nature.

Mr. Cook was twice Tiiarried ; his first
wife being Miss Octavia Lorrain, whom he
married in 1846. She died in 1856, leaving
two children; the late II. T. Cook, who died
in Colorado Springs in 1887. and .Mrs.
Thomas Hedge, wife of Congressiuan
Hedge. In 1861 he was united in marriage
to Mrs. Lucia G. St. John. .Mrs. Wm. Car-
son (if this city was the only child of the
second marriage. .Mrs. ( 'onk died in 1897.

J. HENRY TAEGER.

Will 1.1: "the race is not always to the
swift, mir the battle to the strong," the
invariable law of destiny accords to tire-
less energy, industry, and ability a suc-
cessful career. The truth of this asser-
tion is abundantly verified in the life of J.
lienry Taeger, who is yet a young man
and a i)ros|)erous farmer of IJes Moines
count \. where he is receiving a good

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

691

profit from his labor. Mr. Taeger is a son
of Fred and Elizabeth (Wicker) Taeger,
and was born April 9, 1854. Reared
under the parental roof, he acquired his
education in the Fatherland, where he at-
tended the public schools in accordance
with the laws of that country. In 1869
his father, hoping he might find better
openings for business in this country,
crossed the Atlantic to the New World,
and from the Atlantic proceeded into the
western part of the country, locating in
Des Moines county, Iowa, where he pur-
chased a farm of fifty-six acres on Sec-
tion II, Flint River township. Here Mr.
Taeger. Sr., was very successful, and was
enabled to add twenty acres more to his
farm. After a residence of twenty-five
years the old gentleman passed away
Nov. 18, 1895. His good wife outlived
him about four years, her death occurring
Feb. 16, 1899. The}' were both highly re-
spected citizens, and their memory is still
kindly cherished in the hearts of relatives
and friends. They were the ]3arents of
two sons: Fred William, deceased ; and J.
Henry, of this review. Our subject thus
fell sole heir to this beautiful farm, and
virtually took up the thread of the work
where his father left ofif. He has since
enlarged the farm, adding forty acres
to it, and his stock has increased so that
now he has nineteen horses and cattle.

April 3, 1883, Mr. Taeger was united in
marriage to Miss .\nna Matilida Minnie
Tiedge, daughter of George and Minnie
(Schultz) Tiedge. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Taeger were born the following nine chil- •
dren, all of whom are living: Anna ;\Iaria
Minnie, born April 14, 1884; Mary Lizzie,
born May 15, 1886; Henry Fred, born
Aug. 28, 1888; Efifie Anna, born Feb. 13,

1890; Edith Maria, born i\.pril 4, 1892;
George Louis, Ma}- 29, 1893; Lydia Katie
Mary, born June 12, 1898; John Herbert
Fred, born Jan. if), 1901 ; Ruth Louisa,
born Oct. 5, 1904. The children have all
attended the schools in their immediate
district.

Politically, Mr. Taeger is independent,
and has served with great satisfaction on
the school board since 1897. Mr. and
Mrs. Taeger are members of the Lu-
theran church known as the " Steeple
Church" of Flint River township, and are
people of sterling worth, having many
friends in this community.

MRS. MARGARET HECKENBURG.

Margaret Heckenburg, widow of Henry
A. Heckenburg, has long been a well-known
resident of Huron township, and is a mem-
ber of one of the representative German-
American families of Des Moines county.
She herself is a native of Genriany, being
born in that country at Byron, on May 16,
1864, the daughter of John and Margaret
(Bowers) Murrmann. She came with her
parents to America in 1870, when she was
only six years of age. They came directly
to Burlington, her parents almost immedi-
ately buying a farm of eighty acres in Louisa
county, Iowa. ]\Irs. Heckenburg was one
of four children born to them, the others be-
ing: Elizabeth, born Oct. 14, 1854, and now
the wife of Louis Otto, of Burlington ; Fred,
now principal of Xorth Oak School, in Bur-
lington ; George G., born May 2j. 1866, now
living on a large farm of two hundred acres,
which he owns, in Louisa county.

^Irs. Heckenburg received her education

6o2

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

in the district schools of Louisa county, and
grew to womanhood there, learning the prac-
tical life of the farm from a woman's stand-
point. Her parents continued to make their
home on the old place in Louisa county till
the death of the father, which occurred in
1875. His widow survived him for nearly
thirty years, living most of the time on the
old iionie place, hut finally coming to make
lur home with Mrs. Heckenhurg, after the
death of the latter's husband, in 1899.
Here she remained till the time of her death,
which event occurred on April 5, 1902, she
being at that time seventy years of age.

Our subject became the wife of Henry A.
Heckenburg on Dec. 24, 1884, the ceremony
being performed at Burlington. Four years
later they purchased tlic farm of one hun-
dred acres in Section 36, Huron townshi]), on
which I\Irs. Heckenburg continues to reside,
and where he carried on farming operations
during the remainder of his life. He was a
thorough believer in the principles advocated
by the Democratic party, and was a con-
sistent follower of the standard upheld by
the leaders of that organization. He pos-
sessed much ability, had a wide acquaint-
ance, and enjoyed the friendship of many,
who respected him for the sterling qualities
of his character, his energy, and the strict
honor and integrity which marked him in
every relation of life. He was a member of
the Cernian Lutheran church, and was a
true and devout Christian, being faithful
to his religion until his death, wliich
occurred Jan. 19, 1899. A public-spirited
citizen, a kind husband and indulgent father,
ever generous, sympathetic, and true, his
loss was in every sense a calamity, and one
which no favor of fortune can ever repair.

To Mr. and Mrs. Heckenburg were born
four sons, as follows: Walter F.. born Oct.

25, 1885: Qiarles E., born Sept. i, 1888;
Arthur T., born Oct. 14, 1893 ; and Edward
George, bom April 25, 1897, all still living,
and at home with their mother. Left by
the death of her husband with the sole care
of four children, the eldest only fourteen
years of age and the youngest two, Mrs.
Heckenburg has exhibited much strength of
character and Christian fortitude, meeting
and fulfilling her difficult obligations with
extraordinary ability, and proving herself
equal to the unexpected and trying situations
arising from her station in life.

She is a member of the Lutheran church,
in which she is an active and very helpful
worker, bringing up her children in the faith,
doing much to advance the cause of religion
in her community, and setting, by her own
life, an example of humble Christian piety,
faith, and charity. She has merited the
admiration of all, and of her it may truly be
said that to few or none in this section has
come a greater measure of esteem.

ROBERT FRANCIS ELLIOTT.

Mr. Elliott, who is now engaged in
the livery business, in West Burlington, and
is known as one of the most able and suc-
cessful business men of the county, as well
as occupying a position among the fore-
most supporters of all progressive measures
intended for the iniblic welfare, was born in
Flint River township, Des Moines county,
low-a, on -Vug. 4. i860, the son of James J.
and Ellen (Whaylen) Elliott. James J.
Elliott, father of our subject, was a native of
Limerick, Ireland, whence he emigrated to
America and located in the city of Bur-
lington, lofwa, in the year 1855, residing

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

693

in that place for a period of three years, at
the end of which time he removed, in 1858,
to a farm of forty acres near Middletown,
which he operated very successfully in con-
nection with another valuable tract of ninety
acres near West Burlington, and it was
there that he lived the remainder of his use-
ful life, and enjoyed the universal regard
and respect of his fellow-citizens until his
death, which occurred March i, 1891, in
the eighty-second year of his age. He was
twice married, first in Ireland, and by that
union was the father of one son, Patrick ;
while to his second marriage were born
eight children, Thomas, Hugh, Robert,
Anna, James, Eliza, William, and Ellen, all
of whom are now deceased with the excep-
tion of Robert, our subject, and Ellen, who
is the wife of William E. Frasier, of West
Burlington. The mother of this family is
still living on the old home farm, being now
sixty-seven years of age.

Robert Elliott passed his early years on
his father's farm, in the various and exact-
ing duties in which he was often employed,
and during his boyhood and youth secured
an excellent education in the public schools
of his township, this being wisely supple-
mented, however, by a course of training
in a special school conducted by Professor
Graft, and he also took a course in tech-
nology under Professor Duffy, both of
Burlington. Upon the completion of this
schooling he took up the duties of practical
life by engaging in work as a deliveryman
on a milk route in Burlington, continuing
in this employment for the two years of 1881
and 1882; he then became traveling repre-
sentative, for one year, for Segner & Con-
dout, publishers, of Burlington ; after which
he established himself in the coal, wood, and
ice business in West Burlington, in part-

nership with Mr. John McPake. This con-
nection was maintained for two years, at
the expiration of which period he pur-
chased the interest of j\Ir. McPake, and
after the lapse of another two years dis-
continued the wood btisiness, but still re-
tained the ice business, and in connection
with this, for the space of four years,
operated his father's farm with very gratify-
ing success in a pecuniary way.

Meantime he had also built the fine livery
stable which is occupied by his present
business, and by good judgment and courte-
ous treatment of the public, has secured a
very extensive patronage ; but owing to the
financial difficulties which were general
throughout this section in the year 1888, he
sold the livery barn to his father at that
time, repurchasing it, however, on the
death of his father, in 1890. In 1892 he
turned his talents to the cigar manufactur-
ing business, to which he devoted much
attention for about a year and a half ; but
with that exception, has for many years
given his time, thought, and ability to build-
ing up and maintaining at a high standard
the livery business, which is now his prin-
cipal interest, and which has yielded a good
reward for his efforts. He maintains a
stable of eight horses, with the most up-
to-date equipment in quality and appear-
ance, and so well has he studied and supplied
the needs of the public that this is now the
only institution of the kind in West Bur-
lington, its resources proving amply suffi-
cient for the needs of its patrons.

On Sept. 21, 1888, Mr. Elliott was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Cook, daughter
of Edward Cook, and there graced this union
five cliildrcn, two sons and three daughters,
these being Ada, Edward, Robert, Marie,
and Winnifred. As one who has at heart

6y4

BIOGRAPHICAL R HI 'I Eli'

the good of the community in which he
resides, Mr. Elliott has always taken an
active interest in important public affairs,
being an influential worker for the success
of the Democratic party, of which he is a
valuable and valued member; and as an
evidence of the esteem in which he is held,
and the confidence reposed in him by those
who know him best, he has been elected
to the offices of constable and of marshal of
the village, serving in these positions with
credit to his own ability and to general
satisfaction. He was also chief of West
Burlington Fire Department for two years.
Thus in all relations of life he has achieved
success, according to the full measure of his
natural endowments.

WILLIAM FICHTHORN.

\ViLLi.\M FiciiTHORX, One of the early
settlers of Des Moines county, now resid-
ing on his farm of one hundred and twenty
acres in Section nS, Jackson township,
was lx)rn in Ross county, Ohio, Oct. 27,
1838, the son of Solomon and Salinda
(Strope) I'"ichthurn. The father was born
in I'cndlclon county. N'irginia, Nov. 7.
I79<j, and lived in that State till he was
about twelve years of age, when he went
with his parents to Ross county, Ohio.
There he afterward took up farming, and
later moved to Fayette county, Ohio,
where his father. I'hilip Ficluhoni. grand-
fatluT nf oiir siilij(.n-l, had purchased a
large tract of land. There Solomon Fich-
thorn made his home until 1852, when he
came to Iowa, locating in Louisa county,
about si.\ miles south of Wapello, where
he farmed on rented land till i8r)i. In

that year he moved to Des Moines coun-
ty, locating in Yellow Springs township,
but after a short time moved to Huron
townshi]). and there bought one hundred
acres. This land he iin|)roved, and there
he lived till his death, which occurred
Dec. 25, 1881.

His wife, Salinda (Strope) Fichthorn,
was a native of Pennsylvania, being born
in that Stale in iSi 1, and living to an age
of fifty-two years, dying in Yellow
.Springs township, this county, July 29,
1 863. She was a member of the Christian
church. They were the ])arents of five
children, all of whom are still living:
Catherine lives in Huron townshij), and
is the wife of Isaac Williams; Martha,
wife of Robinson McCray, lives at Mon-
mouth, III.; William, the immediate sub-
ject of this sketch; Flizabeth is the wife
of George Lynch, of I'ierce county, Wis-
consin; Mary .\. is the wife (jf Andrew
Olson, of Pierce county. Wisconsin.

Solomon I-'ichthorn always engaged in
farming and stock-raising, and in politics
was an adherent to the principles of the
Republican party. Potli he and his wife
lie buried in the cemetery in Yellow
Springs township.

William Fichthorn recei\ed his early
education in tlie common schools in Ross
county, ()hio. and at the same time as-
sisted will) the work njioii the home farm.
He remained in ( )hio until he was four-
teen years of age, when he came with his
l)arents to Iowa, .\fler that he remained
at home until he w.is a man grown, and
finally, at the age of twenty-seven years,
started out for himself. I'or the first year
he rented land in Yellow Springs town-
ship, and then jnirchased his present
farm in Jackson townshi|>. This laml he

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

695

has improved in every possible way, and
has erected a fine, large, modern two-story
house, besides other buildings that have
been erected from time to time. In addi-
tion to the home place he has added to
his holdings from time to time, until he
now owns two hundred and forty acres
of rich farm land in Jackson township, all
improved. He is engaged in general
farming and stock-raising.

i\Ir. Fichthi^rn has always been a Re-
publican in his political beliefs, and has
been a strong worker for his party in his
home township. His fellow-citizens have
recognized his worth by giving him the
gift of the highest office in the township
in their power to bestow — that of trustee
of the township, a position which he has
filled with credit to himself and advantage
to the community for a number of years.
Previous to this he had at various times
been elected to several of the minor offices
of the community.

April 19, 1865, ?vlr. Fichthorn was
united in marriage to Aliss Lydia Ballard.
who was born in this county, and is the
daughter of Albin and Lydia (Whitford)
Ballard. The father, Albin Ballard, was
born Aug. 7, 1807, in Providence county,
Rhode Island, and settled in Ohio at an
early day, farming there for a number of
years. His wife died in 1854, and he aft-
erward worked at the carpenter's trade.
He came to Iowa about 1867, and made
his home with Mr. and Mrs. Fichthorn
imtil his death, which occurred May Q,
1881, while they were living in Yellow
Springs township. He and ?Mrs. Ballard
were the parents of several children, of
whom only one besides Mrs. Fichthorn
is now living.

To IMr. and Mrs. Fichthorn ha\e been

born three children, all born in Huron
township, this county, and all now living:
Lottie R. is the wife of Jacob Young, a
prosperous farmer of Jackson township,
where he owns two hundred acres of
land. He has been assessor, and also
supervisor of highways, for a number of
years. They have three children, Ruth,
Earl and Frank. Martha is the wife of
Ira McNaught, of Mediapolis, a complete
sketch of whose life appears in this his-
tory. Manford Lamar resides on the
farm in Section 30, Jackson township,
which belongs to his father. He himself
is the owner of a farm of two hundred
and sixty acres of land. He married Miss
Lizzie MacMullahy.

As an early resident of Iowa, ]\Ir. Fich-
thofn has been an interested witness of
nearly all the vast and wonderful im-
provements which have marked the prog-
ress of Des Moines county from a rude
and inhospitable region to its present
proud position as one of the richest farm-
ing communities of the Mississippi \a.\-
ley, and in this great development he has
borne a goodly share, as he continues to
do. For this and for the honorable course
he has pursued in all his dealings with
his fellow-men, he has the respect of all
who know him, and is widely known
throughout Des Moines county as a man
of marked talent for business and agri-
cultural pursuits on a large scale, and
as one who has won a high degree of
success.

JOHN PETER HELLENTHAL.

John Peter Hellenthal is one of the
prominent and highly esteemed agricul-
turists of Huron township, Des Moines

6o6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

county, wlierc he has lived for many
years. He is a son of John and Mary
(Homstein) Hellentlial, and was born in
Bavaria, Germany, Dec. 9, 1852. He at-
tended the parish schools in Germany till
he was twelve years of age, and then
sailed for America with his parents, who
made the trip by way of New York, and
came direct to Burlingfton, Iowa. In the
course of a short time his father bought
a farm of one hundred acres in licnton
township, where he lived and farmed
very successfully for a number of years.
He remained on the home place till he
was twenty-four years old. and then be-
gan to work by the month. In 1877 he
rented a farm in Huron township, where
he lived one year, and then purchased
forty acres of land in Benton township,
where he was a general farmer and stock
man for many years.

Moving to r.urlinglon lie was employed
in the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy
Railroad shops for six months as a car-
penter under William Ho]>ey, and then
worked aluiii^ l)y tlu' day for the next
throe years, when he returned to his farm,
where he stayed for some years. Selling
this farm, he bought another one in Sec-
tion 35, in Huron township, from Jake
Peterson. This farm consisted of ninety
acres, and was well adapted for general
farming and stock-raising.

April 10! 1877, Mr. Hellenthal wedded
Miss Francis Lamm, daughter of Benja-
min and Francis Lamm. .Mrs. Hellenthal
was Imiih ill Kingston, Des Moines
county. Iowa, Feb. 2, 1857. Her parents
were both born in Germany, and came to
America a few years after their marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Lamm were the parents of
four children: Ocqueena. born July 16,

1852, married Mathew Frederspeil, and
lives in Burlington, Iowa; William, born
in. 1854, is married, and resides in Ne-
braska; Mary, born Nov. 15, 1855, is the
wife of Charles Bassett, of Elmira, N. Y.
They are all members of the Roman
Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Lamm
Ixjth died when Mrs. Hellenthal was very
young.

Unto .Mr. and Mrs. Hellenthal eight
children have been born : Mary Matilda,
born Aug. 9, 1881, and married Se])t. 27.
irjoS, at West Burlington, Iowa, to Elmer
Strawhacker, who is a farmer; Lena
Francis, born June 24, 1884; Adolph John,
born .\ug. 10. 1886; Lulu W., born Oct.
12, 1891 : Edward Josejdi, born June 14,
1894. . Three children died in infancy,
and arc buried in the Catholic cemetery.

Mr. Hellenthal votes the Democratic
ticket, but does not aspire to public office.
He has witnessed many changes in the
county, and has ever been willing and
ready to assist in all measures that woulc'
be for the improvement of the township.
He is of a genial disposition and accom-
moilating nature, and his great success in
life has been largely achieved by his own
efforts. His legion of friends always find
him upright and honorable in all things,
and a man whose word is as good as his
bond.

ELMER ELLSWORTH CALDWELL.

Elmer Eixswortii Caldwell belongs
to one of the prominent and pioneer families
of Des Moines county, and is a man of much
strength of character. He is a son of
Milton and ATartha (William) Caldwell,
whose life record appears elsewhere in this

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

697

volume. Hi^ birtli occurred in Washington
township, Des Moines county, Feb. 6, 1867.
He began his substantial education in the
district schools of his native township, and
later attended the schools in Morning Sun,
Iowa, for several years.

For many years he resided with his parents
on the farm, where he learned all about farm-
ing and the care of stock. In 1894 he and
his brother, John Jamison, bought one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land in Section 15,
Yellow Springs township, and in 1901 they
were enabled to purchase eighty more, in
Section 14. It is considered very good
farm land, and is more especially so since
Mr. Caldwell has laid much tile to drain the
farm. He is quite a successful stock man,
as he raises from one hundred and sixty to
one hundred and seventy head of hogs and
twelve head of fine calves annually, besides
feeding one car-load of cattle, which he
ships to the Eastern markets.

Mr. Caldwell and his brother and sister
live together on the farm. They are mem-
bers in high standing of the United Pres-
byterian church, where they attend regu-
larly. Their home is pleasant and attractive.

Mr. Caldwell has ever lived the life of
an honest, upright citizen, always ready to
advance the best interests of the community,
and to-day he stands among the honored
and respected farmers of the township.

WILLIAM FREDERICK DANNIES.

William Frederick Dannies has been
well known in industrial circles of Burling-
ton for a number of years, and is a carpen-
ter who bears an excellent reputation as a
skilled artisan, gaining a proficiency in the

chosen line of his pursuit that has made his
services in constant demand. Mr. Dannies
was born Feb. 23, i860, in Prussia, Ger-
many. His parents, Frederick and Maria
(Schachel) Dannies, came to America in
1871 by way of New York, and from there
to Burlington, Iowa, where they remained
only a few months, moving to Augusta
township, Des Moines county, where the
father purchased a farm, which he developed
and improved, and upon which he lived
till his death, which occurred in 1899, at
the age of eighty years. The mother and
wife died in 1890, being fifty-nine years
old. This worthy couple were the parents
of four children : William Frederick, our
subject; Adolph, a farmer and stock-raiser,
of Burlington, Colo. ; Louisa, who married
William B. Madlaner, and lives on the home
farm in Augusta township ; Louis, also a
prosperous farmer of Augusta, and a twin
brother of Mrs. Madlaner.

William F. Dannies is indebted to the
common schools of Prussia and this country
for his educational privileges. At the age o.
twelve years he came to America with his
parents, and worked on his father's farm
for several years, and for a number of years
following worked out by the month for
various farmers of the neighborhood. Dur-
ing this time he had also had a little experi-
ence in carpenter work, and seemed to like
it better than farm work, so that in 1884 he
abandoned farm life to learn this trade with
A. M. Ziegler, with whom he was employed
for some six years. Soon after this Mr.
Dannies began contracting in Augusta town-
ship, and was very successful, building many
of the rural buildings there. He moved to
Burlington in 1897, where he had bought a
lot the year before, and built his present
home of eight rooms at 809 Starr Avenue,

6o8

BIOGRAPHICAL REl ll-.U '

having also a convenient sliop on the lot
adjoining, where he is engaged in all kinds
of carpenter and contract work. Mr. Dan-
nies has hnilt many residences in the city,
and in the summer of 1905 built the United
Presbyterian church, at the corner of Divi-
sion and Gunnison Streets. He has erected
many other residences, which are all a great
credit to his skill and handiwork. He
was elected president nf the Builders' and ■
Contractors' Association in January, 1905,
and is also vice-president of the General
Mechanics' Association.

Mr. Dannies was married Jan. 13, 1897,
to -Miss Matilda Hohl, daughter of Jacob
and Dorothy (Weman) Hohl, by whom he
has had three children : Emily, aged seven :
Clara, aged five; and Edward, aged two
years. Mrs. Dannies was born in Burling-
ton, Iowa, lier parents both coming to
America from Germany when very young,
and located in Burlington over fifty-one
years ago. where they were married. Her
father, who was a gardener, died in \qpo.
aged sixty-nine years. The wife and mother
passed away in iS()() at the age of fifty-
eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Hohl were the
jiarents of six children, namely : Emma,
who is now Mrs. P. J. Paule, of Burlington ;
John J.: Matilda, wife of our subject;'
Edward; William, a resident of Helena.
Mont., is employed im the Great Xorthern
Railroad ; Clara, who makes her home with
her sister, Mrs. Dannies. The grandparents
of Mrs. Dannies came to Burlington in
early coloni.il limes, .'uid located on what
is now known as South Hill, when there
were only three houses on the hill.

Mr. and Mrs. Dannies are both Christian
people, and members of the German Evan-
gelical Zion church. Politically. Mr. Dan-
nies is a Republican, but does not aspire

to office. He has always been reliable and
trustworthy, and yet it is not his business
record alone that makes him widely and
favorably known in the city and vicinity.
His character and upright manhood have
gained iiim the confidence and good-will of
all, so that he is highly respected by those
with whom he is associated in the active
walks of life.

JOHN LINCOLN JONES.

Joii.v L. JoNts lives on the place
where Ills birth occurred, ami is well
known in the county. He is one of the
most extensive stock-raisers in this part
of the State, and therefore well deserves
mention in this review. The grandfather
of our subject was a nati\e of .\nglesea.
North Wales, and died Sept. 19. 1875,
aged seventy-three years; and his wife,
a native of the same jilace. ]iassed away
I'ci). 2~, 1X73. also scxi'iUy-lhree years
old. Tlu'v were the |);nents of seven
children: John R.; Robert; Thomas;
William; Sarah, married Rev. T. W.
Evans, and died at Columbus Junction in
1880; Daviil, of the province of .Mberta.
Canada, served in the Civil War; and
Isaac, whose whereabouts are unknown.

The parents of John L.. of this review,
w-ere both born in Wales, his father be-
ing born in .\nglesea in 1825, came to this
(.ountry in 1S45. and settled at once in
Des Moines county. Here he purchased
eighty acres of land in ."section 30, and
added to this until ;it tlie time of his
death, which occumil J.m. I, i<X)i. he
owned three hundred and twenty acres of
the best land in \'ellow .^^prings township.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

6oQ

most of which was in a high state of cul-
tivation. Flis wife's birth occurred in
Balla, North Wales, in 1823. She waf
married in Wales, when very young, to
John Hughes, who died shortly after the}
came to America, leaving one daughter,
Hannah S., who married W. Z. Lloyd,
of Atlantic, Iowa. By her marriage to
J. R. Jones there were seven children that
"■rew to maturity : Robert R., died in
1900, aged forty-nine years, leaving a
widow and six children residing in Cot-
ter, Iowa; W'illiam R., died in 1879, at
the age of twenty-seven years; Sarah A.,
married Thomas L. Jones, and lives in
Kansas ; Elizabeth Jane, is the wife of J.
C. E. Yohe, and resides in Morning Sun,
Iowa ; Mary Ellen, Mrs. G. H. Archer,
died in October, 1882; John L., of this re-
view ; and David Owen, lives in Sioux
City, S. Dak., and is a shoe merchant.

Mrs. John R.. mother of John L.,
passed away in March, 1893, at the age
of seventy years. Her name in maiden-
hood was Gwen Owen, and she was a
woman possessing all the noble traits of
character that go to make up a true wife
and devoted mother.

John L., our immediate subject, was
born in Yellow Springs township, Des
Moines county, March 19, 1862, where he
attended school for a number of years,
and later took a course in Elliott's Busi-
ness College, in Burlington, lowa. He
was reared as a farmer, and has followed
the same vocation all of his life, also rais-
ing a great deal of stock. For the past
ten years he has been a breeder of Here-
ford cattle, having now some seventy-five
head of this breed and forty head of com-
mon breeds. He has established a fine
reputation in stockmen circles, and is one

of the leading members of the Hereford
association of stock-breeders. He ships
stock to all parts of the State.

June 27, 1888, Mr. Jones was married
lo Miss Sarah E. Portlock, daughter of
M). L. and Elizabeth Jane (Eleenor) I'ort-
lock, and they have been blessed with
four children : Ral])h L., Laura W.,
Bertha Gertrude; and Detlcf Owen.

Politically, Mr. Jones is a strong Re-
jiublican, and in 1895 was elected town-
ship trustee, and has been re-elected four
consecutive terms. His farm comprises
four hundred and fifty acres of land, and
we are pleased to say that all is under
cultivation except about fifty acres pf
pasture. As a citizen, Mr. Jones is ever
ready to do his part in building up the
place in which he resides. Like his
father, he is a man of strong convictions,
and that which he considers right he will
advocate, however much he may be op-
posed or ridiculed. A man of this make-
up makes friends of all and is a strong
pillar in a community.

When the Jones family came to this
county they first built a stone house near
the creek, it being a branch of Flint
Creek, so they would be near to obtain-
able water sources. In this stone house,
located in the rolling timber lands, they
lived until 1848, when the father of J. L.
was married, and built a log cabin on
the site of the present home of J. L., and
which stood until about 1896, when it was
torn down. In the meantime, about 1882,
Mr. Jones erected the present fine resi-
dence, which is one of the elegant homes
of the township.

The conditions were truly primitive
when this family came, the country being
wild and imbroken, and the nearest neigh-

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

bor being a long distance away. On the
nortli of the old stone home there was
not another building between that and
Virginia Grove, which was situated west
of Morning Sun. The prairie at that time
was swampy, and was not considered to
be worth anything, until one man put in
tile. It being a wet year, peo])Ie came for
many miles to see the enormous corn
that grew on this property, while his
neighbors' crops were drowned entirely.
I'roni that time developments have been
sikIi frDiii time to time, that now the
swampy land has been transformed into
the most fertile soil in the State of Iowa.

THOMAS LEANDER SMITH.

TnuM.\s Le.xnder Sautii is the oldest
native son of Franklin township, his birth
having occurred here on I'eh. 17. 1839.
His parents were Tillman and Xancy
(Doughty) Smith, the former a native of
North Carolina, born July 18, 1810; and
the latter of Tennessee, born March 15.
1816. The paternal grandfather, Phillip
Smith, was also born in North Carolina,
married Nancy Cooper in IViinessee, and
coming to Sangamon county, Illinois,
lived there till their death. The father,
a pioneer of Des Moines county, first
came lure in 1833, ''"'1 brought his family
in 1835. He entered four hundred and
fifty-four acres of land in Section 16.
Fr.iiiklin township, which was half tim-
ber and half prairie. He placed all of the
improvements u])on that property, de-
veloping the farm from the wilderness,
and transforming it into a highly pro-

ductive tract. It required much arduous
labor in breaking the sod, tilling the
fields, clearing away the trees, and doing
all the other work incident to opening up
a new farm ; but Mr. Smith was an ener-
getic and enterprising man, and his labors
accom])lishcd an excellent result. His
death (.)ccurre<l .\pril 28. 1874, and he was
survived for about thirteen years by his
wife, who died Nov. y, 1887. His home
was the early meeting place of the pioneer
Methodists.

Thomas Leander Smith was the second
son in a family of five sons and seven
daughters, and was reared upon the old
hoiue farm amid pioneer surroundings
and environments. In 1861 he enlisted in
the Thirty-ninth \'oluntecr Infantrj', and
was with his company at Fort .Madison
and Davenport; but after two months he
was rejected, his teeth not being suf-
ficiently strong to bite oflf the cartridge.
He remained on the home farm until
twenty-five years of age, when he started
out in life on his own account. He had
ac<iuired a good education in the public
schools, and followed teaching for about
fifteen years. He then began farming by
renting land, and was thus engaged until
1886. when he began teaming at I'.urling-
ton, Iowa, at which he continued for two
years. He also become the owner of two
houses and lots in Turlington, which he
afterward sold, and |)iirchased his present
farm of eight and one-half acres, one-half
mile north of Doddsville, taking up his
abode in the residence U])on this jdace in
1889. In 1902 he bought thirty acres of
land on Section 18, Franklin township, of
which twenty-five acres was timber land.
The greater part of his life has been de-
voted to agricultural pursuits, and his

THOMAS L. SMITH.

DES MOINES COUNTY, 10 IV A.

703

energy and labor have resulted in bringing
him a creditable measure of success.

In April, 1876, Mr. Smith was united in
marriage at Doddsville, to Miss Lizzie
Minard, a daughter of Robert and Ele-
nora (Ruley) Minard. They were early
residents of Dubuque, where Mrs. Smith
was born, but later moved to Burlington,
where she was educated. Later, he
worked at his trade, harness-making, at
Muscatine, ])ut returned to Burlington,
where the father died in 1898. The
mother still lives in Burlington. Though
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have had no children
of their own, they have reared and
adopted a son, Thomas Raymond, who is
still with them.

In his political views Mr. Smith is a
Democrat, keeping well informed upon
the questions and issues of the day, being
thus able to support his position by intel-
ligent argument. He belongs to the
Methodist Episcopal church, and is well
known in his community as a man of
genuine worth; while Mrs. Smith is a
consistent member of the Presbyterian
church.

j:\.s stated, he is the oldest native son of
Franklin township residing within its
borders, and as a pioneer settler has wit-
nessed the wonderful changes that have
occurred here as roads have been laid
out, the land subdivided into farms, the
work of tilling the soil carried on, while
churches and schools have been built, and
in the towns and cities many industrial
and commercial enterprises have been es-
tablished. ^Ir. Smith has taken great
pride in what has been accomjjlished here,
and is a worthy citizen, contributing to
the support of all progressive measures
which he deems of public benefit.

WILLIS ERWIN DOWNER.

The gentleman whose name heads this
sketch is a native-born citizen of Des
Moines county, where he has resided
since birth, and is therefore well and
favorably known throughout the county.
^^'illis Erwin Downer, a son of Erwin
and Lydia (Patterson) Downer, was born
in the village of Mediapolis, Oct. i, 1870.
He was educated in the common schools
at Kossuth, Iowa, and later took up farm-
ing on his father's farm, where he re-
mained for many years. He has always
been a very successful tiller of the soil,
and has witnessed many changes in and
about his native township.

Mr. Downer is one of three children,
being the second born ; the others are :
Lizzie, now Mrs. Henry Nichols, who
lives at Sperry, Iowa; and Leah, now
Mrs. Wm. Stout, of Burlington. His
mother passed away in 1902, aged sixty-
five years ; his father is living with his
daughter, Airs. Wm. Stout, of Burlington.

When he had become of mature years
Mr. Downer married Miss Amy Parker,
daughter of Irving and Margaret (Beard)
Parker, whose birth occurred in Mon-
mouth, 111., Sept. 24, 1880. Her father
died in Arkansas in 1895, aged fifty-eight
years. Airs. Parker passed away at Mon-
mouth, 111., a number of years prior to
her husband's death, when Mrs. Downer
was but four years old.

Airs. Downer lived with, and was mar-
ried from the home of her sister Ellen,
who was the wife of Joseph Hobbs, and
resided in Alcdiapolis for a number of
years. Airs. Hobbs died in 1903.

As time has passed Air. and Airs.
Downer have had two children added to

704

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIFA\-

their liousciiold : Stilla M.irir. hurn Aug.
4, 1898; and Clifford, Ixirn Jan. <), 1901.

For some year.*; Mr. Downer acted as
a tile contractor, and has done a great
deal of tihng and <litching in this section
of tlie country. lUit in Sei)teniber, 1905,
he engaged with the Iowa Central Kail-
road, and recently removed to .Morning
Sun, Iowa, where he now lives.

In politics Mr. Downer is a stanch Rc-
puljlican, hut has never aspired to office.
He has now been a continuous resident of
Des Moines count}' f(jr some thirtv-li\e
years, and during that time has so con-
ducted his affairs that he has not only
won success, but also a good name.

FERDINAND H. KLINDT.

Ferui.nand II. Ki.i.NDT, deceased, was
a native of Ilolstein, Germany, born
Aug. 2), 1840, a son of James Klindt.
He was educated in the schools of the
Fatlierland, and was reared to manhood
there. Thinking that he might have bet-
ter business opportunities in the New
World, of whose advantages and priv-
leges he had heard such favorable re|)orts.
Mr. Klindt resolved to try his fortune in
America, and accordingly crossed the .\t-
lantic to Xew York in i86r. He worked
for five years at the machinist's trade in
the State of New >'ork, aiul tluii made
his way westward to llurlington. Iowa,
and secured employment in the shops of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road Company, where he continued, with
the exception of six months at Clinton,
Iowa, until Aug. 10, 1889, when his life's
labors were ended in death. His long

connection with the business was proof of
his fidelity and the trust reposed in him
by those who employed him. He was an
excellent workman, and his diligence and
trustworthiness secured him a good po-
sition.

( )n Dec. 2. i86<^ near Davenport, he
married .So|)hia W. Schoel. .She was born
in Ilolstein. ( iermany, .May 11, 1845, ^nd
in 1852 came to .\merica with her par-
ents, Frederic and Catherine Schoel. who
settled near Davenport, following the
business of a gardener, and later manag-
ing a gentleman's fruit farm. There was
Mrs. Klindt's home until her marriage.

Unto Mr. and .Mrs. Klindt were born
seven children: George J., a ])lumber
and steamtilter, residing in I'.urlington :
Clara C. at home: Alfred J., living in
I'^lgin, 111.: irank C, a toolmaker of
Clinton, Iowa: John and Fred \\'.. l)oth
at home ; and ilertha S., also at home.

Mr. Klindt was a Democrat in his po-
litical \ iews, and had a strong attachment
for the land of his adojjtion and its insti-
tutions. When called to his final rest his
remains were interred in the cemetery at
Burlington, .\fter his demise Mrs. Klindt
lived with her family in Burlington until
.\ugust, \cj02. and then removed to the
vicinity of Dan\ilic. seltling u])oii a tract
of rented lanil of one hundred and thirty
acres, where they conducted a dairy, own-
ing a number of cows. In ii>04 the pres-
ent farm of one hiindrfd and twent\'
acres was jjurchased, which is devoted
to dairying. They keep thirty-seven head
of cattle, making butter and selling cream
to the Burlington trade, and the business
has proved quite profitable and remuner-
ative, being the largest of its kind in this
vicinity.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

JOHN DILON BRIDGES.

No history of Des Moines county would
be complete without reference to John
Dilon Bridges, a native of Iowa and for
many years a farmer of this county, who
is now one of the leading contractors
in Mediapolis. He is a representative of
one of the prominent pioneer families of
the county, being the son of David Morris
and Claressa (Haightj Bridges. His
birth occurred on Feb. 14, 1845, '" Yellow
Springs townshij). He was reared on his
father's farm and attended the schools of
his neighborhood. These were the old
subscription schools, held in log school
houses with puncheon floors, and half-
round slabs for seats and benches, which
in later times became the free schools.

He remained under the parental roof
till the Civil War bioke out, and then en-
listed April 6, 1863, in Company C,
Seventh Iowa Cavalry, at Burlington,
being mustered into service at Davenport,
Iowa, and mustered out at Leavenworth,
Kans., in 1860. He was engaged in many
battles with the Indians on the frontier
between Dakota and Xew Mexico. In
Missouri, while on guard over a lot of
rebels that had been captured, he was
wounded in the knee, and had to lav bv
in the hospital at Brownville for three
months. When the war closed he was
honorably discharged, and returned to
his native county, where he learned the
trade of a wagon- and buggy-maker with
Leonard Gilson, of Kossuth, with whom
he remained for two years.

About this time, March 2, 1868, he was
married to Miss Marcy Jane Vincent,
a daughter of William and Sarah (Eddy)
Vincent, and a native of Ohio. She came

alone to Iowa during her girlhood days,
and was here married. Her parents had
elex'cn children, of whom four sons were
in the Civil War, two of which died in
service. The children were as follows :
Ansel, Da\id, Cyrus, and James, wdio
were the soldiers ; Justus ; Lydia, married
James -Vgin ; and Amy E., wife of James
Bartlett. The two last mentioned reside
in Ohio.

By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Bridges six children have been born :
Wesley Dennit, a resident of (irunda Cen-
ter; William Morris, died at the age of
thirteen months ; Frederick Grant, assists
his father; Miner\a Jane, familiarly-
known as Minnie Jane, at home: John
Alorris, and Sarah .Vbigail, known as
Sadie, at home.

In 1869 Mr. r.ridges went to live in
Girard, Kans., where he was engaged in
carpenter work for the following three
y'ears. In 1872 he moved his family back
to Iowa, and located in Mediapolis, where
he worked Ijv the day for some years.
Since 1880 he has been contracting, and
is now one of the leading contractors of
frame buildings in the village. He is a
skilled mechanic, as his handiwork on
many of the prominent residences and
business houses in his city will show. The
beautiful Masonic Temple is the last busi-
ness place that he has had the contract
for.

]\lr. Bridges was brought up in the
Methodist faith, and his daughters are
members of the Baptist church. Polit-
ically, he is a LaFollette Republican, but
usually votes independently, and has
never aspired to office. He is a member
of the Masons, and also of the Grand Army
of the Republic, of which he has been

7o6

BIOGRAPHICAL RHl'IFJl^

comniander. lie is a man wlio has had
his lips and downs in hfe, but has always
been active, cnteq^rising, and straight-
forward in his dealings with men, and by
so doing he has established an honorable
reputation, and enjoys the confidence and
friendship of all with whom he is brought
in contact.

CHARLES AUGUST. BREUER.

Charles August Breuer, of Flint River
township, Des Moines county, is numbered
among the progressive and enterprising
farmers of Southeastern Iowa, and his
efforts along agricultural lines have been
productive of success in gratifying measure.
He is a son of Frederick and Caroline
(Gerling) Breuer, and is a native of this
township, his birth having occurred on Sec-
tion 5, Aug. 8, 1830. His father, one of
the early pioneers of Flint River township,
located on Section 5 in 1844, his family be-
ing one of the first in this township. Indians
and wild animals roamed about everywhere
at this time, and the whole county was in
a wild and uncultivated state, but Mr.
Breuer, Sr., lived to see many valuable im-
provements throughout the whole township,
as his death did not occur till 1886.

Our subject was educated in the first
scliools of his home district, and was brought
up as a farmer, which ()Ccni)ation he has fol-
lowed ever since except for two years, when
he engaged in the general merchandise busi-
ness in Pleasant Grove townsliip with Fred
Kuhlenbeck. Selling liis interest in the
business to Fred Breuer, he returned to the
farm, and has since been located here. In
1876 he bought his present farm of one

hundred and twenty acres from his father,
and has added to it from time to time till
he now has about one hundred and eighty
acres. He is engaged in general farming
and stock-raising, meeting with the best re-
sults in both undertakings.

Feb. 18. 1872, Mr. Breuer married Miss
Christina Mary Wischmeier, daughter of
Frederick and Anna Mary (Able) Wisch-
meier, who is al.so a native of l-'Iint River
townsliip, her birth occurring Oct. 13, 1850,
on Section 9. She too attended the early
schcxils in this place. To Mr. and Mrs.
Breuer have been bom eight children:
Adina, the wife of Fred Stigge, resides in
Danville township ; Fred ; Rhoda, married
William Schluter, and lives in Burlington ;
Clarence, Elmer, and Malinda, at home with
their parents; and two died in infancy.

.Mr. and Mrs. Breuer are valued members
of the Salem Lutheran church, where for
a luinilx'r of years he was one of the trustees.
Politically, Mr. Breuer acts independently,
always voting for the man he thinks is Ixjst
(jualified for tlie office. He is well and fa-
\orably known throughout the community
whicli claims him as a life-long resident,
liis business record is such as any man
might be ])roud to possess ; for starting out
in life at an early age, he has steadily
progressed in the business world, and to-day
is clas.scd among the respected farmers of
worth and enterpri.'ie whose labors have been
crowned witii success.

FREDERICK GOTFRIED ERNST.

Mr. Frnst, who has conducted an inde-
pendent business enterprise in Burlington,
Iowa, for a number of years past with uni-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

707

form success, was born June 12, 1845, in
the kingdom of Prussia, Germany, and was
educated in the pubHc schools of his native
place. When fourteen years of age he left
school, and began the life of a farmer,
which he continued until his twentieth year,
when he was drafted into the military serv-
ice. Being slightly under the required
height, however, he was not accepted for
the army, and returnetl to other employ-
ments, among which was the trade of slate
and tile roofing, which he learned. He had
friends in America, living in Burlington,
and on their representations came to Bur-
lington in October, 1881, by the way of
New York.

After arriving in this city Mr. Ernst was
employed in a furniture factory for two and
a half years, and thereafter took a position
in the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road shops at \A'est Burlington, remaining
there for about four years. During the fol-
lowing five years he worked in a coffin fac-
tory in Burlington, and later entered the
employ of the Burlington Lumber Company.
It was while thus engaged that he met with
an accident which changed in some measure
the course of his life and materially altered
his plans. While working on a high plat-
form he accidentally lost his foothold, and
fell to the ground, striking on his head, and
sustaining a fracture of the skull and other
injuries which confined him to the care of
a hospital for six weeks. Previous to this
time he had purchased the lot comprising
three fourths of an acre, which lie still owns,
and he now used this on which to start a
dairy business, buying nine cows and a
wagon. About eighteen gallons of milk are
handled daily, and under the careful man-
agement of Mr. Ernst the enterprise has
proved at all times very profitable.

The political affiliation of Mr. Ernst is
with the Republican party. He has been
very active in the religious work of Bur-
lington, being an active member of the Ger-
man Baptist church, and having for a num-
ber of years acted as a teacher in its Sunday-
school.

He has been twice married ; first, on
March 20, 1872, to Fredericka Bammel,
(laughter of Plenry and Dorothy (Schutz)
Bammel, and they had seven children, as
follows : Ida A., who died at the age of nine
weeks ; Otto, who died at the age of nine
months ; Herman, now aged twenty-nine
years, and engaged in farming; Minnie, who
now resides in Colorado ; Ida, who died at
the age of nine months ; Emma, who died
Sept. 23, 1896, aged fourteen years ; Martha,
who died when only two days old ; and one
infant, which died unnamed on Feb. 9, 1886,
at which time the death of the mother and
wife also occurred.

Mr. Ernst remarried on Nov. 12, 1886,
his second wife being Miss Dorothy Shulz,
daughter of Frederick and Fredericka
(Reike) Shulz. To Mr. and Mrs. Ernst
have been born three children : Sarah, born
Jan. 16, 1888, is a graduate of the public
schools of Burlington, and for one year was
an attendant at the city high school ; Fred,
born Oct. t6, i8gi, is a student in the
grammar school : and Dorothy, who died at
the age of five months and three weeks.

Mrs. Ernst was born in Prussia, near
Mieste, Dec. 18, 1859. and came to America
in 1876 at the age of only sixteen years, and
made the trip alone, her parents having
come before. Her parents are now residing
on Lemberger Street, Burlington, where the
father has for five years lived in retirement.
A number of years ago he purchased a farm
near Kingston, ten miles from Burlington,

7o8

BlOGRArniC U RfriEW

and this lie still owns. Mr. and Mrs. Ernst
reside on Siinnvside Street, Mr. Ernst hav-
ing purchased the old Sunnyside school
building and remodeled it so as to form a
very pleasant home.

CHRIS WILLIAM MOEHLE.

CiiRi.s \ViLLi.\M MoEHLE, a well-known
and highly respected citizen of Yellow
Springs lownshij), was burn in West
Phalen, Germany, July 8, 1868. His par-
ents were (iotlieb and Louisa (Crinkhoff )
Moehle, and were prosjierous tillers of
the soil in the old country. After com-
pleting his education in his native city.
he remained under the parental roof till
he was seventeen year.s old, when he was
seized with a strong desire to come to
America, .\pril I. 1885, he came to Tur-
lington, and was em])loyed as a farm hand
for a year, and then for two years was
employed at l"r:inkliii .Mill, w lun he went
to Yellow' Springs townshi]), where he
was also engaged by the month on sev-
eral farms. In i8<)6 he bought seventy-
four acres in Franklin townshi]). where
he previously lived for three years ; also
bought ten acres of timber in Benton
township. The seventy-four acres he
sold in 1899, and bought his present farm,
retaining his timber land in P.ontnn town-
shi[).

In i8<:)9, through his own personal ef-
forts of industry and economy, he had the
wherewith to jmrchase the farm of one
hundred and twenty acres on which he
resides. Forty acres of the hundred and
twenty are in Section 32. and eighty acres
are in Section 33. .\mong the improve-

niciUb that Mr. Moehle has made on his
place is a new well, a wind-pump, and
last, but not least, a good barn and a
modern house. He has seventy-two hogs,
several calves, and seventeen yearlings,
and is engaged in general farming, in
which he is most successful.

.March 3, i8f)6, .Mr. Moehle married
.Miss Lizzie Kline, daughter of Henry
and Mary (Maiikc) Kline, who was born
I\"b. 19, 1876, in West Phalen, Gennany.
They have two daughters : Marie, born
Dec. 31, i8<)7: and Rose, born .\ug. 2,

Politically, Mr. Moehle is an independ-
ent, voting for the man he considers best
suited for office. He and his good wife
are Ixilh attendants of the German Lu-
theran church. .Mr. Moehle is a .self-made
man in the best sense of the term.
Empty handed, he set out in the world
determined to overcome the obstacles
which he foresaw in his career, and with
energy and and)ition as his sole stock in
trade. Failing to accpiire the education
he desired in his boyhood days, he has
sought a fund of information by observa-
tion and reading, and thus has made him-
self a man of good judgment in the com-
munity. His manhood has been charac-
terized by an integrity which has ever
placed his business dealings above ques-
tion.

DAVID EARNEST.

D.wiD Earnest, who in pioneer times
became a resident of Des Moines county,
and was identified with its agricultural in-
terests up to the time of the Civil War, when
he laid down his life on the altar of his

DES MOL\ES COUNTY, IOWA.

709

country, was bom in Palmyra, Lebanon
county. Pa., Sept. 15, 1815. It was in the
month of June, 1846, that he arrived in this
State, and took up his abode on a farm in
Union township, Des Moines county, where
his family has since resided.

Mr. Earnest was twice married. His first
wife bore the maiden name of Caroline
Seltzer, and was a native of Pennsylvania.
There were four children of that marriage,
of whom one daughter lived to reach
womanhood and became the wife of Capt.
E. J. Rizer, of Baltimore, Md. Her death
occurred in June, 1888, and she is still sur-
vived by her husband and seven children.
After the death of his first wife, Mr. Earnest
was married to Miss Catherine Garman,
also a native of Pennsylvania, whence she
came to Iowa with her parents, Henry and
Catherine Garman, in June, 1846. There
were four children of the second marriage :
Christopher and David, who were locomo-
tive engineers in the railroad service, and
both met death in a railway accident, the
former on July 5, 1894, and the latter on
Oct. 31, 1902: Mark B. and Charles- G.,
who with their mother, are the only surviv-
ing members of the family, and continue to
reside on the old homestead.

In his farming operations Mr. Earnest
was active and energetic, and as the county
emerged from pioneer conditions he kept
pace with the universal progress in agricul-
tural circles, and developed a good farm
property. At the time of the Civil War,
however, he put aside business considera-
tions that he might aid his country, and.
enlisted as a private of Company E, Twenty-
fifth Iowa \'olunteer Infantry, under Cap-
tain Bell. He died in the service at Mem-
phis, Tenn., and was there buried. .\s a
pioneer settler he was well known to many

of the early residents of the county. His
family have remained in Union township
upon the old homestead farm, where his sons
are still successfully engaged in carrying on
agricultural pursuits.

FREDERICK DONNER.

Frederick Donner, a highly success-
ful farmer of Huron township, Des
Moines county, Iowa, was born in Ohio,
Alarch 25, 1835, the son of Peter Donner
and Barbara (Naffzinger) Donner. When
Frederick Donner was only two years of
age, his parents moved to McLean coun-
ty, Illinois, where his father owned a
farm. The subject of our sketch spent
his early years on this farm, receiving his
education in the common schools of Mc-
Lean county, and learning the work of
agriculture by assisting on his father's
farm. He made his home in Illinois until
moving to Iowa in 1903.

In 1858, when our subject was twenty-
three years of age, he was seized with a
young man's restlessness and desire to
see the world, and started by making a
trip to Colorado ; but the fever for change
was soon allayed, and he did not stay
long. Two years later, in i860, he was
married to Barbara Gingrich, daughter
of John and Barbara (Garber) Gingrich,
who has always proved a strong-hearted,
earnest, worthy helpmeet for her hus-
band, doing much to assist her husband
in winning his present degree of success
in life. About two years after our sub-
ject was married, he and his young wife
decided that they were ready to make a
home of their own, in new surroundings.

BIOGRAPHICAL REllEW

Accordinjjly ihcy went to Woodford
county, Illinois, where they bought one
huiidreil and sixty acres of rich farming
land. This was their home for twenty-
five years.

Mr. and Mrs. Donncr arc the parents of
nine children, three sons and six daugh-
ters: John M., born March i6. 1861 ;
Mary Ellen, born Dec. 27, 18C3, and now
li\ing in Colorado; I'arbara Anna, born
May I, 1865, now the wife of Joseph
Stucky, and living in Chenoa, 111.; Wil-
liam, born March 30, 1868, married,
.March 15, i'P5, Lena Mueller, of El
Paso, 111., and resides at Gridl«y, III.;
Lydia, born June i, 1870, was married
May 27, 1903, to Simon Schultz, and lives
in Gridley, 111. : Emma, born Jan. 26, 1872.
and now living at Fairbury, 111.; Dena,
born Feb. 5, 1873; Edward, born Feb. i<),
1875; and Sarah, born March 10, 1882.
The three last named arc living at home.

John M. Donncr, the oldest son of our
subject, left home at the age of nineteen,
and commenced farmiiis; for hinisclf. He
farmed for two years, and then went to
work as brakeman on the railroad. He
contracted with the Wabash Company,
and worked with that railway for eleven
years, and then made the change to the
Chicago & Eastern Illinois, working as
brakeman. He was with this company
only three months when he was killed
by accident, the exact cause of his death
never having been ascertained. He was
married, February, 1891, to Miss Anna
Theresa Fox, and at his death left, besides
his wife, one little daughter, Estella.

In 1903, Frederick Donner and his wife
decided that another move farther west
would be advantageous to their interests,
and accordingly, in January of that year.

they came to Des Moines county, Iowa.
Here they bought one hundred and sixty
acres of rich farming land in Section 8,
Huron townshi]). from Charles Winters,
another two hundred acres in Section 5,
from the widow Xunn. and also sixteen
acres of timber in Section 3. This farm
is of good arable land, well adajjted to
general farming, and is mostly under cul-
tivation. Here Mr. and Mrs. Donner have
made a home, and won many friends
by their hospitality and sterling worth.
They are earnest, faithful members of the
Christian Apostolic church, and by their
example make for the bettering of the
community.

As a farmer Mr. Donner has been
highly successful by reason of his busi-
ness ability and his attitude toward op-
portunities, coupled with a sound judg-
ment and keen foresight that have en-
abled him to carry his ventures to the
desired issue; and as a man and a citizen
he enjoys the general respect because of
Ills honorable and upright methods in all
matters in which he comes into contact
wilh his fellow-men.

DAVID L. PORTLOCK.

On the roll of her pioneers, those who
have been her makers and builders, Des
Moines county has long since accorded the
name of David L. Portlock a high and hon-
orable place. Within her borders he has
passed nearly fourscore years of continuous
residence, and at a time which is now far
beyond the memory of the present genera-
tion, he courageously encountered and con-
cpiered here the hard conditions of life in

DAVID L. PORTLOCK AND WIFE.

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

713

a new land. He is now residing in Pleasant
Grove township on his large and product-
ive farm of one hundred and forty-five
acres in Sections 1 1 and 2. ]\lr. Portlock
was born in Rush county, Indiana, on the
4th day of January, 1S25, a son of Barnard
D. and Sara (Lyons) Portlock.

Barnard D. Portlock was a native of
Barth county, Mrginia, his birth occurring
Dec. 24, 1794, from whence he removed to
Indiana at an early period in the history
of that State. In Indiana he follo.wed the
occupation of farming, and also worked at
his trade as millwright and carpenter. He
again came West in 1836, and became one
of the very early pioneers of Iowa, locating
at Burlington, where in his capacity of mill-
wright he erected the first grist-mill in that
city. There he resided until his death,
which occurred Feb. 10, 1842. A Dem-
ocrat in his political affiliation, he was a
man of exceptional ability, and as such
played a prominent part in the public affairs
of his time. He early received- appoint-
ment as justice of the peace, an office whose
duties he capably discharged for a number
of years. He held a captaincy in the Iowa
State militia at the time of the trouble with
Missouri over the boundary line between
the two commonwealths. He was a member
of the Baptist church, and during the time
of his residence in Indiana was an elder of
the church. His wife, who was also a mem-
ber of the Baptist church, was born Aug. 20,
1808, in Franklin county, Indiana, and her
demise occurred Nov. 11. 1852, in Pleas-
ant Grove township, this county. She was
the mother of eight children, four of -whom
survive, and of these our subject is the
youngest, and the only one now residing
in Des Moines county.

David L. Portlock began his education

in the schools of Rush county, Indiana, and
in 1836, when but eleven years of age, re-
moved with his parents to Burlington.
There the father built a log house and es-
tablished a home, and the boy continued
his interrupted education in the only school
•which the town afforded at that time. That
humble pioneer home, could it be our priv-
ilege to look upon it exactly as it was,
would present many points of striking dif-
ference from the palatial mansions of the
city to-day. The house was made of logs,
the old-fashioned fireplace of stone, roughly
pieced together, while the huge chimney
was constructed of sod. The sod was cut
into squares, and these piled one upon an-
other to the required height ; and while the.
home may have lacked many of the comforts
that we now enjoy, the song of the sparks
and flames leaping from the wide fireplace
up the great chimney on a winter's day was
one of encouragement and good cheer not
without its value.

After leaving school Mr. Portlock was
employed by his father for some time, but
in 1842 began farming in Pleasant Grove
township, purchasing a few acres of land
south of the village of Pleasant Grove,
where he farmed and worked as a carpenter.
As soon as he had, in this manner, saved
sufficient capital, he entered forty acres
north of the village, but lived at the village
for a few years. He then removed to his
farm in the northern part of the township,
to which he added by subsequent purchases
until he was the owner of one hundred and
forty acres, and he made that the place of
his residence during a number of years.
About the year 1863 he purchased his pres-
ent holdings, where he has ever since re-
sided. He has greatly improved the farm,
and during the active period of his life en-

■'4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

gfaged in general fanning and tlu- usual
stock-raising with signal success. At the
present time he is retired from active work,
leading a life of quietness and case, and en-
joying the rcAvanls of a long, honorable, and
useful career.

At rieasant Grove, in the month of Oc-
tober, 1849, Mr. Portlock was united in
bonds of holy matrimony to Miss Elizabeth
Fleenor, daughter of Isaac and Lydia
(Flecnor) I-'leenor. Mr. I"lecnor was a
pioneer of this section, coming to Iowa in
183C, and locating on a farm in Pleasant
Grove township, where he was successful,
and also became one of the prominent fig-
ures of his day. He died at his farm home
at an adv.mced age. Mrs. I'ortlock is also
now tleceased. her death having occurred at
the family home. Nov. 8, 1902. She was
the mother of seven children, of whom the
two eldest, which were twins, died at birth,
and those living are as follows: Lydia. who
married Charles Kemry, a farmer of this
townshi]). and now resiiling with our sub-
ject, and has four children. Waller F..
David, jlerlha. and Iva; I'laris.-^a. who is the
wife of Henry ileckman. a retired farmer
of Xew London, Iowa, has seven children,
Mary. I--ffie. .\nna, \erdon. Lee, Henry.
Clara ; Sarah, who is the wife of John
L. Jones, of Roscoe, this county, has four
children. l\ali)h. Laura, Gertrude, and Det-
lef; N'erdon, who is now a retired farmer
residing at New London, Iowa, married
Miss Maggie Ritchcy, by whom he has two
children. Anna and Grace: Flzorah. wife
of William Wallnian. is engaged in farm-
ing in Missouri.

Mr. I'ortlock is a member of the Chris-
tian church, in whose work he was for-
merly very active, and for many years he
held the office of elder. The Christian de-

nomination was at one time the most nu-
merous and flourishing in this vicinity, the
membership numbering at its maximum one
hinidred and thirty-one: but many of them
have died, while others have moved away,
so that .\lr. I'ortlock is the only one of all
these now left. He has also been prom-
inently connected with ])ublic life, and as
a member of the Democratic party has been
honored by election to almost all the offices
within the gift of the ])eo]>lc of his town-
shi]). For a perio<l of alx>ut ten years he
held the office of justice of the peace, and
by reason of his reputation for fainiess and
absolute imjiartiality. his court was resorted
to for the trial and determination of a great
many im])ortant cases at law. He was also
ai)pointed county supervisor to fill an unex-
l)ired term, and at the termination of his
regular period of .service was elected to that
office, which he continued to occupy for a
further three years. .\t the time of the
L'ivil War he received ajipointmcnt as
deputy ijrovost marshal, and served in that
capacity throughout the course of the war.
He is widely kncAvn throughout Des Moines
county, enjoys the warm and sincere reganl
of a host of friends, and by virtue of his
ii])right and stainless life and character
commands the respect of all.

RHEINHART HERZOG.

For long years Rheinhart llerzog has
been a ])rominent and cnter])rising farmer of
llint River township and a citizen whose
honorable life and ujiright career has gained
for him the gmid-will an<l respect of all the
connnunity in which he moves.

He is a son of George and .Anna (Stat-

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

715

tier) Herzog, and was born in Baden, Ger-
many, July 2, 1844. After taking a course
in the graded schools where he was born,
he at once entered a large brewery, and
learned the business, which he followed for
a number of years. Thinking there might
be a broader field of o])portnnities in Amer-
ica for him, he came to Hamilton, Ohio, in
1868, where he remained two years, after
which he came to I'eoria, 111., making his
home there for three years, and later was in
Pekin, 111., till 1893. In each of these cities
he was employed in large breweries and
malt houses. "Coming to Des Aloines county
in 1893 our subject decided to purchase
land and try his fortune as an agriculturist.
He bought one hundred and sixty acres of
farm land in Flint River township on Sec-
tions 16 and 21. This venture proved to
be a good one, for during this time he has
carried on general farming and stock-raising
with gratifying success.

Mr. Herzog married Miss Grace Francis
Sherf, June 3, 1876, the year of the great
Centennial in Philadelphia. Mrs. Herzog
is a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Bach)
Sherf, and was born Aug. 14, 1849, in or
near Louderback, Germany. She came to
America with her parents when a mere
child of three and a half years. They settled
in Beloit, Wis., later moving to Peoria, 111.,
where they both passed away, the father in
1864, and the mother in 1900. They were
the parents of the following seven children,
who are all living : Charles ; Andrew : Jose-
phine : Marcus : Francis, wife of our sub-
ject ; Ella ; and Sebastian.

Mr. and Mrs. Herzog have been blessed
with nine children : Rudolph, of Centralia,
111., tern April 29, 1877, engineer on the
Illinois Central Railri>ad : Hattie. born Dec.
19, 1881, learning to be a .Sister of ?ilercy

in a convent at Leavenworth, Kans. ; Anna,
born. Oct. 25, 1883, a resident of Burlington,
Iowa ; Ella, born Nov. 10, 1885, employed in
a bakery at Leadville, Colo. ; Victoria, born
July 3. 1887, at home; Wilhelmina, born
June 22, 1892, with her parents; Richard,
born June 11, 1896, on the farm; John,
born Nov. 18, 1880, died Dec. 31, 1880;
Rheinhart, Jr., died at the age of five
months. These seven living children all
received good common-school educations,
the younger ones attending the Prairie
Grove school in their own district.

F'olitically, Mr. Herzog is a strong Re-
publican. He has ever been active in the
support of the principles in which he be-
lieves, but has no aspirations in the direction
of office-holding. By reason of his large suc-
cess, his unblemished character, his just and
liberal life, and the universal esteem which
he here enjoys, Mr. Herzog might, without
invidious distinction, be called one of the
foremost men of his township.

JAMES KILLOUGH.

James Killough, one of the old and
honored citizens and successful farmers
of Yellow Springs township, is known as
a reliable business man, industrious, am-
bitious, and progressive. He was born
in Preble county, Ohio, Aug. 15, 1832, his
])arents being William and Jane (Nicol)
Killough. The father died in Ohio at the
age of forty-eight years, and the mother
afterward came to Iowa with her son,
James, her death occurring in this State
when she was fifty-nine years of age.
William Killough was a native of South
Carolina, and his wife of the Buckeye

7i6

BIOGRArillC.lL RlilJJ-.lf

State. They were tin- |)arents of five chil-
dren : Sarah Jane, wlu) acts as house-
keeper for her Ijrother James; Mary .\nn,
the deceased wife of Wilhani Reid ; Uc-
hecca, the wife of W. W. Stetson, State
siiperinten<Ient of schools, and resides at
Auburn. .Me.: \\ illiani. who died at the
age of fi\e years; and James, llie eldest
of the family.

In the early suhscriplion and public
schools of his native county James Kil-
lough pursued his education, and in the
periotis of vacation he worked u])on the
home farm. He took his ])lace in the
fields almost as soon as old enough to
handle the plow, and gradually more and
more of the work of the farm was en-
trusted to him, so that he gained broad,
practical e.x])erience in the best methods
of caring for tlie land and producing
crops. He came to Iowa in the fall of
1851, locating first in Louisa county,
where he lived for a brief period. About
1854 he i)urchased eighty acres of farm
land and ten acres of timber land in Des
Moines county. lie put all of the im-
provements u])on that property, erecting
a modern brick house, good barns, and
other buildings, and the land was brought
to its ])resent condition of high cidtiva-
tion through his efforts. .Mr. Killougli
is also engaged in raising cattle to some
extent, and keeps about sixty head of
hogs each j'ear. He has at two different
times taken stock in threshing machines
which have o])erated throughout the
neighborhood. In all of tlu- farm work
he is practical and progressive, and his
carefully clirecled labor, sound business
judgment, and unfaltering perseverance
have been the strong elements in his
success.

-Mr, Killougli is a member of the Re-
lormed I'resbyterian church, and is true
to its teachings and faith. He has never
married, and his sister acts as his house-
keeper. They have adopted and reared
several children: Alfred Killougli. who
was born in I'oston, Mass., Dec. 5, 1864,
and is now an enterprising agriculturist,
nper.'iting the old home farm; Kva, a na-
tive of .Mlegheny City, I'a., born Jan. 4,
1879, and is a trained nurse in the city
of r.urlington. but still makes her home
at the farm; William, born in Alleghenv
City. Pa.. i"eb. 28. 1881. and now in Logan
& (iraig's wholesale hardware store in
.Mlegheny City, Pa. Harry, Sadie, anil
Charles were also adopted into the home
of Mr. and .Miss Killougli. The last
named is now decease<l. and after several
years the others returned to their people
in .Mlegheny City, where Sadie is now
engaged in dressmaking. Harry at this
time is a member of the regular army,
stationed at Fort W orth, Kans. W illiani
was a volunteer of the Spanish-American
war. enlisting June 25, 18(78, as a member
of Com])any C, l-'iftieth Iowa Infantry.
He was taken ill in camp at Jacksonville:
and returning home, he afterward entered
I'.Uioti's Itusiness coikge. of P.urlington,
and was thu> |)re|jared for the ])ractical
duties of a i)nsiness life.

JOHN B. LINES.

Onk of the younger agriculturists of Des
Moines county, a man who has won promi-
nence in the political as well as the social
and business affairs of the county, is John 1!.
Lines, of I'ranklin township.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

717

John Barclay Lines, son of Allison and
Elizabeth (Bishop) Lines, is a native son
of Franklin township, being born there
April 5, 1868. In boyhood he attended the
public schools of the townshijj, and being
reared on ^ farm, learned the stern lessons of
farm life at the same time. Always recog-
nizing the many advantages of the free life
of a farmer, as well as the less pleasant side
of the hard wcirk, he has chosen to follow
that vocation for his life work.

At the age of twenty-one years he left the
parental rooftree, and started to fight the
hard battle of life for himself. For the first
six months he engaged as a farm hand,
working by the month : and during the re-
mainder of the year he found employment as
a day laborer.

On Dec. 18, 1890, the year following his
majority, he was united in marriage to Miss
Margaret May Herrill, of West Burling-
ton. She was a daughter of Anderson and
Charlotte (Davis) Herrill, being born in
Flint River township, this county, Nov. 12,
1867. Her mother died when she was only
eight years of age, and her father when she
was eleven years old, both parents being
buried in Flint River township. She re-
ceived part of her education in the public
schools of Flint River township, making
her home with a brother after the death of
her parents. \\'hen thirteen years of age
she went with an old-time friend of the
family to Yellow Springs township, finishing
her education in the public schools of that
township, and making her home with this
friend until she reached years of maturity.

Mr. and Mrs. Lines became the parents
of si.K children, as follows : Grace, born Alay
5, 1892, died Sept. 19, of the same year;
Clyde Allison, born May 13, 1893 ; Luella
and Estella, twins, born Aug. 6, 1895 ; Port

Leroy, born Dec. 22, 1899; and Charlotte,
born Jan. 22, 1903.

Immediately after his marriage, in De-
cember, 1890, Mr. Lines began farming for
himself. At first he rented a farm, it being
the same place which he now owns, and on
which he lives. At that time he remained
on the place for two years ; after which time
he rented another farm two miles farther
north, living on it for about three years. At
the expiration of that time he bought his
present farm in Section 16, Franklin town-
ship, lie has forty acres of fine fertile land
devoted to general farming, all except about
eight acres being under cultivation. He has
jnit a portion of the improvements on his
farm, and now has a cozy and comfortable
home, and a well-improved, thoroughly cul-
tivated farm.

Mr. Lines was brought u\> in the Baptist
church, and has always had a strong sym-
jiathy for work done by that denomination.
Politically he has affiliated himself with the
Republican party, whose principles he con-
siders most closely represent his ideal of
a popular government. He has been a
loyal and efficient worker for his party, and
has served it in several capacities. He was
elected clerk for Franklin township in 1896,
and in 1898 the citizens of the township
showed the esteem and confidence in which
they held him by bestowing upon him the
highest gift in the way of political pre-
ferment that was in their power to bestow,
electing him township trustee. He served
with credit to himself and satisfaction to
his constituents, and in 1902 was appointed
to this same office, to fill a vacancy. In
1903 he was again elected trustee, and is
still filling this responsible position, his
present term expiring in the autumn of 1906.
Although still a young man, Mr. Lines

•iS

BIOGRAPHICAl. k'Ulll-.U'

has wtm a position of prominoiico in the
coninninitx- tliat k-stifii-s to unusual business
sagacity and poHtical insight, as well as to
the qualities of sterling integrity antl up-
right manhood that have made his name
a synonym for worthy citizen and stanch
friend anioiiir all who know him.

GEORGE JENKINS.

GEoRGii JiiNKiNS has a notable military
record, embracing service in the Civil War
and against the Indians ; and he also at-
temi)ted to become an advocate of the coun-
tr\ s interests in the Spaiiish-.\merican War,
hut his advanced years precluded his ac-
cei)tancc. He was born in Pulaski county,
Kentucky. Oct. 9, 1836. his parents being
John and Sallie (Whitson) Jenkins. In the
place of his nativity he spent his early youth,
and ac(|uired his education in the subscrip-
tion schools. The sessions, however, lasted
for only about three months in the year. In
1855 he came to Des Moines county. Iowa,
settling in Franklin township, where he car-
ried on farming until (Jet. 2. iS(n. His
patriotic spirit having been aroused, he re-
sponded to the call of his country on that
date, and became a member of Company C.
Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, enlisting at Bur-
lington under command of Captain Shan-
non. He joined the army for three years,
but at the end of a year and a half became
ill. and was sent to the hos])ital at Fort
Reynolds, in north western Dakota, where
he was honorably discharged -May 25. 1863.
His company, with two others of the first
battalion, was detailed in Dakota to figlit the
Indians, and had several hotly contested
battles with the red men.

Wlien Mr. Jenkins entered the army,
he weighed one hundred and eighty-six
pounds ; hut the rigors and hardshi])s of
war midermined his strong constitution, and
his health became impaired. He was a non-
comissioned officer in the early days of his
.service. Following his return home he
raised one com|)any of militia, and had them
well drilled ; but the war closing, they did
not enter the service.

Returning to I'ranklin townshi]) he re-
sumed farming pursuits here. April 10,
1865. Mr. Jenkins was unitetl in marriage
to Miss Sarah Jane liradley, a daughter of
Aaron and iCIvira (.Vdnik) Bradley, and a
native of Fuiaski county, Kentucky, lx)rn
July 14. 1843. She came Ui Des Moines
count) at the same time her future husband
arrived here. For about three years they
lived in l-Vanklin township, and then re-
moved to ^■ellow Springs township, where
they resided for a long period. Her father's
ileath occurred there in the fall of 1866.
when he was forty-four years of age: and
her nioilier passed away in Sheridan, Iowa,
in l-eliruary. 11,04. ='' t'l*^ ^.'J^' "^ eighty-one
years.

.Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins became the jjarents
of four (laughters: Cora I'.elle. the wife of
(ieorge Diniick, of Oklahoma: ( )llie, the
wife of Xewton Reiker. of Warren county,
Missouri: Julia, the wife of James Brown,
who is living in Washington. Iowa : ami
Jennie, the wife of William Essmann. who
was formerly proprietor of the Heyer
House, one of the hotels of Burlington, but
sold Mill in the spring of i</>5, and removed
to Chicago.

I'olitically. .Mr. Jenkins is a straight
Republican, never faltering in his allegiance
to the party. He has, however, continually
refused to become a candidate for otYice.

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

and when elected justice of the peace in
1905, would not qualify. He is a member
of Post No. 157, Grand Army of the Repub-
lic, at Mediapolis, and takes great interest
in the organization whereby he maintains
pleasant relations with his old army com-
rades, spending many an hour at its camp-
fires. He had many hairbreadth escapes
while in the West, and relates many in-
teresting incidents concerning his encounters
with the red men.

Throughout his business career he fol-
lowed the occupation of farming. Patriot-
ism is his predominant characteristic, and
his example of loyalty to his country might
Avell be followed. He is always the cham-
pion of its interests and institutions, and has
never been known to falter in his allegiance
to the stars and stripes, either upon the field
of battle or in the days of peace.

SMITH H. JACKSON.

Smith H. J.vcksox, one of the most
e.xtensive farmers of I'Vanklin township,
operating three hundred acres, and en-
gaged in raising and dealing in horses,
cattle, and hogs, was born Nov. 6, 1862,
in Franklin township, within the borders
of which he still makes his home. His
parents were Edward and .\bigail
(Chase) Jackson, natives of Pennsylvania
and Xew York, respectively, and with his
parents the father came to this State in
184J, the family home being established
on a farm on Section 14, Franklin town-
ship, which the grandfather, ^^'illiam
Andrew Jackson, purchased, and on
which he and his wife, Jerusha. lived
luitil called to their final rest. Edward

Jackson received his share of the home
farm, thus jjecoming owner of si.xty acres,
w'hercon he resided until his death. His
wife passed away in November, 1S75, and
he survived until May 8, 1899.

Smith H. Jackson was reared in the
usual manner of farm lads of the period,
acquiring his education in the puldic
schools, and gaining an intimate knowl-
edge of the best methods of farming from
the instruction of his father and the ex-
perience which he received in the work
of the fields. He continued upon the
home farm imtil 1898, when he removed
to his present jjlace of residence on the
John JMcCuUough farm of two hundred
and forty acres, of which two hundred
acres are in cidtivation. Here he cultivates
corn and oats, and is also engaged quite
extensively in raising and breeding
horses, cattle, and hogs. He still owns
and operates the home place of sixty
acres, and in addition he has ten acres
of timber land. He is practical and pro-
gressive in all his farm work, and is meet-
ing with creditable success in his under-
takings.

.\'ov. 6, 1888, Mr. Jackson was united
in marriage to Ida B. Guelick, wdio was
born in Burlington, Iowa, and is a daugh-
ter of Lee and Nancy (Gregory) Guelick.
The children of this marriage are four in
nund)er: lUirr, born Nov. 19, 1889; Inez,
])orn Jan. 2y, 1896; Nellie, born May 7,
1900: and Horace, born Aug. 24, 1902,
all at home. The parents are faithful
members of the Baptist church, of Sperry,
and Mr. Jackson is identified with the
Modern Woodmen of America. In his
political views he is a Democrat, and
while he keeps well informed on the ques-
tions and issues of the dav, as everv true

720

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

American citizen shuuld ilo, he has never
sought or desired office, for he considers
his business interests abundantly worthy
of his l)est efforts, and in the careful con-
duct of his farm work and stock-raising
he is meeting with gratifying success.

JACOB CHRISTIAN WERTZ.

Jacoh Christian Wkrtz, a highly re-
spected farmer of l-'lint River township,
is a native of Des Moines county, being
born in the city of Burlington, Iowa, Dec.
2<J. '853. He attended a German school
for one winter. When at the age of six
years his parent's moved to Union town-
ship, where he attended the district
schools and later finished his education
in the grammar schools in the city of his
birth, boarding with a relative. Mr. (i. II.
I'.icklen. He has followed general farm-
ing and truck-gardening all his life, at
whifli lu- li.is l)eiii very successful. In
i8<;2 he bought ninety-six acres of land in
l-"lint River township, upon which he has
a farm and nursery, besides raising all
kinds of small fruits.

I-'eb. r.. 1882. Mr. Wertz married Miss
IClizabeth Heckenberg. daughter of Her-
man and .Vnn (Schmeil) Heckenberg.
'riic\ are the hai)))y i)arents of eight chil-
dren : r.ertha, Clara. Lydia. Lillie. Olva,
Laura. .Mma, and listher. all at home ex-
ec]): the two oldest, who work in lUirling-
ton.

Politically. Mr. Wertz is a straight Re-
publican, but does not care to hold any
office in the hands of his |)arty. He has
made all of the improvements on his farm
from time to time, and is just now com-

pleting a large new barn 30 x 42 feet, and
also a neat cottage of four rooms for a
residence.

He is a man of much energy and enter-
prise, being deeply interested in the wel-
fare of his township ; he is a man who
never takes advantage of the necessities
of his fellow-men. and lives day by day in
the ho])e of rounding out a life well be-
gun, and one worthy of the emulation
of all.

ALBRECHT STIEFEL.

I.N" this enlightened age, when men of
energy and merit are rapidly pushing their
way to the front, those who, by their oVvn
individual efforts, have won favor and
fortune, may properly claim recognition.
Mr. Stiefel is a worthy representative of
this class. He is the proprietor of an es-
tablishment where all kinds of steel and
iron articles can be rei)aired and sharpened.
He has mastered the business in its vari-
ous departments and gained advancement
as he displayed ability and energy.

He is the son of Qiristof and Elizabeth
(.Schwartz) Stiefel, and was born in Gros,
Altorf. Wurtemberg, Germany, Nov. 18,
1840. Reared under the parental roof he
acquired his education in the public schools
of the Fatherland in accordance with the
laws of that country. He afterward en-
tered upon an apprenticeship to the steel
cutler's trade, ami completed tiif term of
four years, becoming an excellent work-
man, with a thorough understanding of the
business in every department. — making
keys, knives, and all kinds of edge tools,
and doing the repairing of the same. He
worked at his trade till he was twentv-six

JACOB C. WERTZ AND FAMILY.

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

years of age ; and hoping he might find
better openings for business .in this coun-
try, he crossed the Atlantic to the New
World, and from the Atlantic Coast he at
once proceeded to Bristol; Conn., where he
had a sister living, and with whom he re-
mained for three months. He next spent
one summer with a brother, who was a
prosperous farmer in Henderson County,
Illinois. In April, 1866, he came to Bur-
lington and located permanently, first being
employed for a year in a wagon shop. He
then started in business for himself, doing
all kinds of light grinding, filing of saws,
sharpening scissors, knives, and making
various tools. His place of business at this
time was on North Alain Street in a stone-
cutting shop, where he tempered and sharp-
ened all their tools. After this Air. Stiefel
occupied different rooms on West Jefferson
Street, in each place always having enough
work to keep him busy from early morn
till late at night. In 1899 he moved to
709 Jefferson Street, where he is now lo-
cated at this writing. His work is all of the
best class, doing the most of it himself, and
his judgrnent can always be relied upon.

In February, 1869, Mr. Stiefel wedded
Miss Louisa Lee, of Burlington, who was
born in New York.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stiefel four chil-
dren have been born : Nellie, who married
L. Simmon, a shipping clerk at the Bur-
lington Lumber Company. They have a
beautiful home on Arch Street, Burling-
ton, Iowa : Lulu, with her parents, who is
an artist of considerable ability, doing all
kinds of painting in oil colors ; Albert, of
Arkansas ; Reuben, at home, and a popular
clerk in Beckman"s dry-goods store. Mr.
Stiefel is a Republican, believing firmlv in
the principles of the party and their adapta-

bility to the best good of the State and na-
tion. Mr. and Mrs. Stiefel are both highly
respected, and devoted members of the Ger-
man Methodist church, and are among the
most regular attendants. Airs. Stiefel also
takes an active part in the Ladies' Society
of this church, sparing neither time nor
strength to promote its prosperity.

There is probably no man in the city who
has lived a more quiet and regular life than
has our subject. One might well say that
regularity has been a part of his religion,
and that to this one trait he owes much of
his success. The entire career of Mr.
Stiefel is illustrative of the fact that certain
results are obtained through certain actions
— that industry and perseverance, guided
by sound judgment, always win prosperity
in the land of the free, where labor is not
hampered by caste or class. Mr. Stiefel's
pleasant home is located at 827 Arch
Street.

JOSHUA PARIS.

JosHU.\ F.\Ris is one of the prominent
and highly respected farmers of Des Moines
county, and his home in Yellow Springs
township is the center of a refined and cul-
tured social circle. There are many ele-
ments in his life record that are worthy of
emulation. His business career has been
characterized by honorable and straightfor-
ward methods, and in all life's relations he
has been actuated by high and worthy prin-
ciples. Air. Paris was born in Washington
county, Indiana. April 25, 1835, his parents
being Isaac and Alargaret (Mclntyre) Paris.
The father was a brick- and stone-mason
by trade, and came to Iowa in 1856, loca-
ting in Yellow Springs township, where he

724

BIOGRAPHICAL RIUIFAW

boiiglit one hundred anil sixty acres of land
in Section 8, which was later sold ; and also
one Inmdred and sixty acres in Section 17.
which is now owned by John Lane and John
MehalTy.

Joshua Faris was reared under tlie paren-
tal nM)f. and received a good education in
the free schools of his native county. After
coming; to Iowa with his parents he re-
mained on his father's farm for some years.
In 1875 he bought one hundred and eighty
acres of rich farm land from the late Will-
iam Lynch, where he has since resided.
This farm is considered one of the very lx*st
in the county. It is well tilled, and the
greater part of it is under cultivati<in. both
field and meadow yielding abundantly.
Whatever Mr. Faris undertakes he does
with his might and main, which is well sub-
stantiated by the methodical manner in
which he ])lans and works. His home i.s. a
comfort.il)Ie one. and liis stock is also well
cared for. He is engaged in general farm-
ing, and is also interested to some extent in
stock-raising, raising about fitly head of
hogs anmially, as well as feeding two car-
loads of tine cattle a year. I'csidcs this
beautiful home. .Mr. I-'aris owns twenty
acres of timber land in Wapello township,
Louisa county, Iowa, and Mrs. I'aris owns
eightv acres in ^'ellow Springs townshi]),
forty of which are in Section 20 and forty in
Section 2\. It is recorded in the name of
Mrs. Xancy Faris, she renting it.

Mr. and Mrs. Faris were married Jan.
16, l86(), Mrs. l'"aris being in maidenhood
Miss Xancy MehalTy, a daughter of Will-
iam and Mary (Irwin) MchalTy. .As time
passed, ten children were added to this
household, of whom live are living: luta,
married I'eter Walker: William Isaac, lives
in North Dakota; Ida .Minnie, at home: Ida

lilanche, a twin to Ida Minnie, is the wife
of J. I*. Heard, and lives northeast of Linton,
Iowa: Maggie Jennie, ilied at the age of
fourteen years; John Cameron, at home;
Ralph Howard, died when two years of age ;
John Irwin, died when seventeen months
old; Margaret Jane, died aged two years;
and an unnamed infant, also deceased.
These children, of whom their parents are
justly proud, were all born in Velk)w
Springs township, and attended the Re-
formed Presl)yterian church, of which Mr.
and Mrs. Faris are members and liberal
supporters.

He has ever stood shoulder to shoulder
with all men who were strong advocates
of high and noble ])rinciples. and his daily
life has grandly exemplified this assertion.
Being of a sunny and bright disposition, one
would scarcely think him to be a man who
lias passed his threescore years and ten, and
his general activity is efpialed by few.

LEE R. SHERRILL.

A M]i-.\(; :uul rising business man, ener-
getic and typical of twentieth-century push
and aggressiveness in business, is Lee R.
Sherrill, secretary and manager of the
Sherrill-Moore Electric Company, and
secretary, manager, and director of the
Model Electric Coni])any. of Burlington,
Iowa. Mr. Sherrill was born Feb. 2. 1881.
in Schuyler county, Illinois, son of John
Sherrill, who was born in Virginia, 111., and
Laura ( Price) Sherrill, who is a native of
the same place and of Pennsylvania parent-
age. He is the third of four sons, of whom
the others, W. H., George, and John. Jr.. are
all farmers living in Illinois. The grand-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

father, Jolin Sherrill, was a soldier of the
Civil War, and died on a river transport of
yellow fever. The paternal grandmother,
who was of French nationality, is still liv-
ing at the age of ninety years.

Air. SherrilTs first years were devoted
to the work of the farm and to securing his
preliminary education in the district schools,
and the first employment which brought him
a cash return was the selling of newspapers
in the town of Cuba, Fulton county, 111.,
where he enjoyed a monopoly of that busi-
ness. In 1896 the parents and family re-
moved to Burlington, and here for a year
the father was proprietor of the " Amer-
ican " restaurant, located on South Main
Street, where the Dunn hotel now stands.
Later he led a retired life during six years,
at the expiration of which period he re-
turned to the farm in Illinois, where both
parents are still living. After completing
his common-school education our subject
pursued a correspondence course of study
in electricity in the International Corre-
spondence Schools, and in Burlingfon he
entered the employ of the street railway
company as a curve greaser. Later he was
promoted to the shops, wliere lie was first
an oiler in the dynamo room, and later en-
gaged in construction and repair work for
the" same company, in whose service he re-
mained for six years, thus gaining a large
and valuable practical knowledge in addi-
tion to his theoretical training in electricity.
The company by which he was employed is
that variously known under the names of
the People's Gas and Electric Company, the
Burlington Street Railway Company, the
Burlington Electric Light Company, the
Burlington Gas Light and Fuel Company,
and the Burlington Steam Heating Com-
pany.

With the knowledge and experience of
electrical machinery and engineering thus
acquired, and desiring to establish himself
in business, he became associated with Dr.
J. J. Little, under the firm style of L. R.
Sherrill & Company, in Ai^ril, 1902, he
being made manager of the company ; and
in July of that year the business was incor-
porated under the name of the Sherrill-
Aloore Electric Company, with Dr. J. J.
Little as president ; J. F. Barr, vice-presi-
dent : H. A. Moore, manager ; and Mr. Sher-
rill. secretary. The interest of Mr. Moore
has since been purchased by Mr. Sherrill,
and the firm is now doing a large general
retail, repairing, and construction busi-
ness in this city and surrounding territory.
In July, 1904, the Model Electric Company
was incorporated with the following offi-
cers: President, J. J. Little: secretary-
treasurer, L. R. Sherrill. This company is
engaged in wholesale dealing in supplies
and the manufacture of telephones. Since
Oct. I, 1904, the two concerns have been
conducted jointly at 204 North ]\Iain Street,
where an average of ten skilled workmen
are employed, while two traveling repre-
sentatives are maintained in the interest
of the business and of certain ])atented
specialties.

"Sir. Sherrill recentl}- distinguished him-
self in a situation calling for remarkable
forethought and presence of mind, and was
at the same time able to perform a highly
valuable service for a number of persons.
He happened to be riding on a street car.
and at the steep incline on A'alley Street
the car got so far beyond control that the
motorman. in fear of his life, jumped off.
followed by several passengers. Mr. Sher-
rill. however, sprang to the rear end of the
car, with the intention of checking the

726

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

speed of the car. but finding the brakes
broken, lie returned to his seat, and by
holchng a number of women, prevented
them from jumping off the car. and un-
doubtedly receiving serious injury, a feat
vvhicli won for him tlie gratitude and
praise of the street railway company and
of those who witnessed the deed. Cer-
tainly his expert knowledge of the manage-
ment of street cars stood him in excellent
stead at that critical time. Mr. Sherrill has
many friends, and has fraternal relations
with Iowa Camp, No. 98, Modern Woodmen
of America, in which he is an active mem-
ber. He is an enthusiastic advocate of
Democratic princii)les, and is constantly
active in tlie work of that party, in which
his unusual talents are recognized, for he
holds the position of committeeman for the
l'"ourth Ward. .Xs a young man who has
made his way in the world independently by
native resources and by a determined at-
titude toward his work, he has won the ad-
miration of all. He has achieved a very
gratifying measure of success, and if the
past be a criterion of prophecy, is destined
to occupy a prominent place in the business
and public life of Turlington.

HENRY WILLIAM PIEPER.

Onu of the most industrious and en-
terprising farmers of Flint River town-
ship, wlin was l)i>rii anil raised on tlic
farm which he now owns, and on wliich
he also resided since his birth, is Henry
William l'iei)er. He is a son of Herman
Henry ami W illuliniii.i ( W'esterbeck)
I'iepcr, and was born June 21, i83(). The
father died when our subject was only

eight years old, and his mother passed
away April i. 1900, aged seventy-six
years. Henry William received all of his
education in the district school of his
native township, and as soon as he laid
aside his text-books he at once proceeded
to take up farming, so as to aid his
widowed mother. His farm consists of
sixty-eight acres on Section 9, most of
which he has under cultivation. .Mr.
I'iepcr carries on general farming, at
which he has been most successful. ' He
now has two good horses, nine head of
cattle, and raises from fifteen to thirty
fat hogs annually.

May 15, 1895. .Mr. I'ie])er married .Miss
.Xmia Hobesiefken, daughter of Rankie
Holjesiefken. This union was blessed
with two children, both of whom died in
infancy. .Mr. l'iei)er has passed through
deep .sorrow, as his beloved wife died
when they had been married only five
years. Her death occurred .Xpril 19, i<)00,
only a little over two weeks after his aged
mother. This left him alone on the home
|)lace. The next three years his two
nieces, Sarah and Minnie I'lrandnieier,
lived with him and kept house for him.
.Since then he has lived alone, doing all
of his own cooking and housekeeping and
all of the farm work.

Politically, he is a Republican, but gen-
erally casts his vote for the man best
qualified for office, and has never aspired
to hold office himself. He is a member of
tile Swedenborgian church. During this
lung continuous residence of forty-six years
Mr. I'ieper has witnessed many changes
linili in the county and in the peo]ile.
Mint l\i\cT tovvnshi]), at the time of his
birth, was considered by some as the
"jumping off place," it presented such a

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

wild and desolate appearance, having
only a field here and there under cultiva-
tion. Log cabins and small two-roomed
buildings served as the houses, and the
oxen were the beasts of toil, drawing the
plough and the wagon when travel was
necessary. To-day this township is
thickly settled by a thrifty class of Ger-
mans, who all own large farms, and have
hundreds and hundreds of acres uiuler
cultivation, yielding annually thousands
of bushels of golden grain ; and who have
erected modern houses and well-built
barns. These, together with the miles of
good roads and numerous bridges, all
tend to make it one of the prettiest val-
leys in the county.

Our subject, though still a young man,
has seen the majority of the original
farmers pass away and other new comers
fill their jilaces. His own farm is known
to all as an old-time landmark ; and were
it to change hands to-morrow, it probably
would go for years by the name of the
Pieper place. Mr. Pieper's motto has
ever been, "Upward and onward." His
career has been a busy one, as well as one
of good deeds. •

JACOB ROBERT NORDSTROM.

J ACQ]! Robert Nordstrom, for many
years connected with industrial inter-
ests in Mediapolis, and also a factor in
financial circles, being a director in the
Mediapolis State Bank, is one of the most
influential Swedish-American citizens of
this place, and has done much to assist
his fellow-countrymen in founding homes
in this part of the State. He has likewise

contributed to the general welfare along
many progressive lines, and justly de-
serves representation in the BiOGRAPHiCAr,
Re\iew of Des Moines County.

He was born in Sweden, Feb. 19, 1845,
his parents being Calos Peter and Helen
Sophia (Hulmgrenj Nordstrom. His edu-
cation was acquired in the public schools
of his native country, and later he learned
the pai)cr-making trade, wliich he followed
for four and a half years, when he began
learning the blacksmith's trade under the
direction of his father. He followed that
pursuit in Sweden until 1868, when, be-
coming convinced that the New World
offered better business opportunities, he
crossed the Atlantic to New York city,
whence he made his way direct to Bur-
lington. After a short time there, he
went to St. Joseph, Mo., where he spent
two years : but he always regarded Des
IVIoines county as his home, and on the
expiration of that period returned to Bur-
lington, purchasing a shop at Northfield,
where he lived for about seventeen years.

On selling out there he came to Medi-
apolis, and entered into partnership with
Frank Nelson, building the shop now con-
ducted by his son. This was in i8yo, and
for seven years he was associated in the
business with Mr. Nelson, at the end of
which time he disposed of his interest to
his partner, and has since lived retired.
He is. however, financially interested in
the Mediapolis State Bank, of which he
was one of the organizers, associated in
this movement with William Harper and
others. On its organization he was
elected one of the directors, and has been
thus engaged with the institution to the
present time, while his son, Emil Robert,
is now assistant cashier of the bank. In

728

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

\^)0 Mr. Xurilstroni purcliascd liis i)rcs-
cnt residence property located on Main
Street, wliicli C(jnstitutes a very coninio-
dions and comfortable home.

In Sei)teml)er. 1X70. Mr. Xordstrom
was united in marriajje to .Miss Johanna
Caroline .Muns(»n. a daujjhter of Magnus
.\hinson. Tiiey have become the parents
of five children : .\lbert I-Mward. who is
now engaged in the carriage-making and
blacksmithing business in .\ledia])olis.
having learned the trade from his father;
Emil Robert, of the Mediapolis State
Hank: ( )scar Lei)nar<l, a graduate of the
college at Rock Island. 111.: Mamie
Otelia. at home: and X'eriur I".iii;miul.
who completes the family.

Mr. Xordstrom was elected school di-
rector of Xorthfield. and has also been
called 111 the same office in Mediapolis,
acting in bmh places for three years. He
was likewise elected and served for three
years as councilman, and is interested in
every measure that tends to advance the
general welfare along material, social, and
intellectual lines. He is sjjccially inter-
ested in church work, contributes gener-
ously to its sui)pi>rt. an<l cooperates' in
various church activities of the Swedish
Lutheran denomination. .\ man of fine
character and genuine worth, he has lived
an industrious, enterprising life, in which
he has manifested good financial ability
and keen discermnent. His labors Iiave
been crowned with a gratifying measure
ol success, but mure than that he ii.i-. won
the esteem and trust of his fellow-men.
and his friend.ship is valued by those who
have won his personal regard. His ef-
forts in behalf of his countrymen li;i\ e
been far-reaching and beneficial, and in a
review of his history we are again im-

l)ressed with the verity of the statement
that "Sweden is the home of the honest

man."

WILLIAM SCHULZ.

\Vii.Li.\.M ScHfi.z, who has lived and
farmed in Flint River townshij) for the past
nine years, where he is a highly respected
citizen, is a son of I'Yed and Anna Mary
Elizabeth (.\nholz) Schulz. He was born
in Prussia. Germany, Feb. 11, 1870. His
father was a substantial farmer, and a shoe-
maker by traile, and our subject was reared
on the home place, attending the public
schools there when his parents could spare
him, during the winter and .spring months.

In 1886 he came across the Atlantic to
the " home of the free and the land of the
brave," and located in lUirlington. Being
only about si.xteen years old at this time, he
was employed by various farmers of the
surrounding country as a farm hand by the
year. During these years he was enabled to
accumulate a little of this world's goods,
so that in i8()() he could begin farming for
himself, and at once purchased eighty acres
of laiKJ in Mint River township. When he
took up his residence on this ])lace there
were very few im|)rovements on it. but .Mr.
.Schulz has added the necessary buildings
for his stock and grain as time has pennit-
ted. He raises cattle and hogs, and carries
on general farming.

April 2i). 181/). the same year he moved
onto his farm, he married .Miss Mary Min-
nie Miller, daughter of William and Dor-
othy (Schulz) Miller. She was born in Flint
River townshij). 1\1). 2. 1878. and received
lier education in the district schools of the
same ])lace. Her |)arents were highly hon-

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

729

ored and well-to-do farmers. Air. Miller's
sketch may be found elsewhere in this book.
Mr. and Mrs. Schulz have been blessed
with four children, namely : Anna, born
March 13, 1897; Mary, bom Sept. 28, 1899;
Bertha, born Xov. 11, 1900; William, born
May 3, i8g8, died Nov. 13, 1902. Our sub-
ject and his wife are devoted members of
the German Lutheran church, where they
take much pleasure in the duties devolving
on them. Politically, he is a strong Repub-
lican, and has always been ready to assist
his party in any way, but has never aspired
to office, .\lthough he is a man of only
thirty-five years, and has been a resident of
the township for only a little over nine
years, still his life record is a good one. and
his success along business lines is one of
which he may well be proud. He and his
worthy wife enjoy the hospitality of many
of the homes of the township, and have by
their kind and pleasant disposition made
friends of all.

SAMUEL RUTTER.

In Des Moines county there are manv
inhabitants of foreign birth, who, at-
tracted by more progressive institutions,
broader educational facilities, and the su-
perior advantages of making a living,
have come here with their families and
means, intending to found a home in the
new country. These valuable additions
to the native population have by their in-
dustry, economy, and honorable methods
become essential factors in the growth
of a city. Of such a class Samuel Rutter
was a representative. He came from
England, and here, by his upright and

exemplary life, won for himself an hon-
ored name, and gained many friends who
entertained for him the highest regard,
and who felt the deepest regret when he
was called from this life.

Mr. Rutter was born in the city of
Sheffield, England. Dec. 26, 1840, a son
of Frederick D. and Catherine (Paschley)
Rutter. His parents were both natives
of England, the father being a silver-
smith of great ability, making many use-
ful and ornamental articles. Mr. and
.Mrs. Rutter were the parents of eight
children, of which Samuel was the young-
est. The names of them are : George,
Frederick, \\'illiam, John, Reuben, Ann,
Sarah, and Samuel.

In 1847, ^^ illiam, the third son, came
to America, locating in IJurlington, Iowa,
where he secured work on the farm of
Hon. John Patterson. When our subject
was only five years old, his mother died,
and was buried in Sheffield, England. In
1850 Mr. Rutter decided to bring the
seven motherless children to America,
and made the trip in an old-time sailing
vessel, coming Ijy way of Xew York, and
being three long, tedious months on the
great Atlantic. They came at once to
Uurlington, and while on the Ohio River,
Reuben fell overboard and was drowned,
which cast a great sadness over them all,
and was a painful ending to their sum-
mer trip. Upon reaching Burlington, in
the fall of 1850, the father began to work
for the city, hauling rock and other ma-
terial with which to make the levee.
After a residence of twelve years, in
which he did general teaming, Mr. Rutter
removed to Benton township where he
bought a farm of forty acres from Ander-
son Earl. Here he was engaged in gen-

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJ'iEll'

tTal farmiiifj and stock-raisinj; till his
death, which occurred Jan. 20. 1873.

In politics he was a stronjj Democrat,
and in Christian belief was a member of
the tluirch of luij^land. He was an hon-
est man. and one fidl of enerj^y and hiph
morality, thus commanding the respect
and re}^ard of all. His daughter Sarah,
who deserves a jjreat deal of credit for
keeping house fi)r her lather, brothers,
and sister for so lonjj a time, and who
married William Wirt, a |)rosperous
farmer of Lovilia. Monroe county. Iowa,
is the only surviving member of her
father's family.

Dur subject was educated in the North
Hill school, of I'.urjinglon. where Miss
Lizzie Richie was one of his early teach-
ers. Upon leaving school he entered the
higher ami broader school of life, and be-
gan to battle for himself. l'"or several
years he was em])loyed by the city in
making the levee. He then bought ;■
team, and worked with his father haul-
ing for the stone- and brick-masons, who
kept him busy the greater ]iart of the
season. When his father located in Ben-
ton townshi]). .^anuu'i went witii him. but
reniained only about a year on the farm,
when he was seizeil with a great desire
to go West. In company with Fred
Riejje, of I'urlington. and I'.irt llillliouse.
brother of .\. J. Hillhouse. of the same
city, he started overland to California.
Mr. Rutter was the trusted driver of the
four spirited white horses all the way.
They met many Indians on the plains,
who were very friendly and kind to them.
He remained in California for two years,
being engagcil in hauling ori- from \'ir-
ginia City to the govermnenl mint in San
Francisco. It took the party three

months to make this tri|), but they came
back by water in a much less time. On
the way home Mr. Rutter stopped at
Pittsburg, where his brother (ieorge then
resided.

On returning to Hurlington he was
married to .Miss Harriet Dearlove. .\pril
22, 1S67. Mrs. Rutter is a daughter of
Richard and .Agnes (Uarnes) Dearlove,
and was born on Mrovvn Street, London,
Fngland, .\ov. 12, 1S48. and was chris-
tened in .St. I'aul's cathedral. Her father
was born in London, and her mother in
Devonshire, England, where the former
had a milk-walk. .Mr. and Mrs. Dearlove
were blessed with nine children, two be-
ing born in I'nglanil and the others in
.\merica : .\gnes : Harriet, wife of our
subject; Elizabeth; John; Lydia .Ann;
.Mary; (ieorge; Cora; and Julia. George.
.Mrs. Kntter. and .Mary, who married John
'lee, all reside in llenton townshi]). Des
Moines county, Iowa; while Cora, who
married jerry Sullivan, of New York,
lives in I'.urlington. The other children
have passed away. .Mr. anil .Mrs. Dear-
love caiue to .\merica in 1851, and this
voyage was one long to be remembered,
as they were detained some three weeks
in the English channel on account of the
lack of a proper wind to carry them
safely from the rocks. During this tie-
U]) the passengers suffered greatly for
food. .After being on the water three
months they lande<l in Xew ( )rleans, and
l)roceede(l to ISurlington, Iowa. Here the
father was engineer for two years at the
.Sunderland-Marchant mill, when he ac-
cei)led a similar i)ositiou with the I'arkin-
.son & Joy Plow Coni|)any. Later he
conducted a grocery for a nimiber of
vcars, when he traded it and his hoiue

DES MOIXRS COUNTY. IOWA.

731

for eighty acres of farm land in Benton
township, where he operated a good farm
for many years.

Mrs. Dearlove died April 14, 1883, in
Kingston, Iowa, and Mr. Dearlove passed
away July 29, 1903. They are both
buried in the Kingston cemetery. They,
too, were members of the Church of
England, but never identified themselves.
with any denomination in their adopted
country. In politics ^Ir. Dearlove was a
Democrat. He and his worthy wife were
much loved, and their memories are still
g^reen in the hearts of those who knew
and loved them best.

Mrs. Rutter received her education in
Burlington, first attending the private
school of Miss Mercy Lewis, who was a
thorough teacher and disciplinarian, and
a lady of great dignity, whose life was full
of good, charitable deeds done in behalf
of others. She next was a pupil in the
school conducted by Miss Lloyd, and
later pursued her studies in the North
Hill school under the principalship of
Professor Dows.

Unto Mr. and ^Mrs. Rutter six children
were born, as follows: Dora Agnes, born
Jan. 31, 1868, married Lynas Brockway,
a. farmer of Benton township, and has
three daughters, Libbie ]\Iabel, Harriet,
and Hazel; Louisa Ann. born Oct. 19,
1871, was accidently killed Oct. 8, 1874,
by a barrel of ashes falling on her:
Reuben William, born April 13, 1875, and
died July 14. 1883: (jrace J., born Oct.
I, 1876. is the wife of John Brockway, a
farmer of Huron township, and has three
children, Cora, Claude, and Blanche ;
Herbert Hayden, born Sept. 2Ci. 1879,
married Miss Ada Brockway, and has
■one dausfhter. Olive: Marv Catherine, the

youngest child, born Sept. 26, 1885, mar-
ried Harry Gibbs, and resides in Benton
township. These children received their
education in the Kingston schools and the
Limestone school, just out of Kingston.

Mr. and Mrs. Rutter established their
first home on the William Rutter farm
of eighty acres in Benton township,
which they bought, and were very mate-
rially aided by the late Cornelius Ber-
nard, of Burlington. After farming here
for seven years, they sold the place, and
purchased a home in Kingston, and for
many years Mr. Rutter worked the farm
owned by ^Ir. Henry Haight. In 1885
he was greatly afflicted with a paralytic
stroke, thus causing Mrs. Rutter to be-
come the bread-winner for the family.
Through the great kindness of her neigh-
bor, Mrs. Haight, Mr. James F. Klein,
and the Pilger Grocery Company, both
of r.urlington, she was enabled to start
a grocery in the village of Kingston,
where for ten long years she conducted
this store and cared for her aftlicted
husband.

In 1895 she sold the grocery to Frank
\'olknier, and bought eighty acres of
land in Huron township from Simeon
Russell, of lUirlington. \\'ith the aid of
her son Herbert she was able to carry
on general farming, and ever found a
ready sale for her produce in Burlington.
She had much to contend with at first
while on this farm, as high water over-
took her, and her corn crop was washed
away several seasons. After the rip-
rapi)ing of the river, however, the land
increased greatly in value; and as Mr.
Rutter had another stroke, in 1898 she
sold her farm, to good advantage, and
ag-ain moved to Kingston, where she

732

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJIEW

bought a small home. Here she devoted
all lur time to her invaliil hushand. who
gradually grew worse till death claimed
him, Sept. 26, 1903. She laid him to rest
in the Kingston cemetery beside his
father.

Mr. Ruttcr was a Democrat, but never
cared to hold office, lie and Mrs. Rutter
were members of the Presbyterian
church, but owing to his alHiction he was
denied the privilege of attending regu-
larly. Mr. Rutter was nf a very retiring
disposition, but <jne strong in all that
was just and right, and was a synonym
for honorable dealing. His younger days
were rounded out with the greatest of
activity. He was a large, warm-hearted
friend, a good husband, loving father,
and a man wlm left his family something
better than great ricIu-B — an untarnished
name. Mis widow still resides in the
home in Kingston, and her son Herbert
lives with her. .Mrs. Rutter is of a very
hap])v and simny (lis])osition, and through
all the many hardslii])s she has been
calle<l n])on to eiulure she has never been
known to murmer or complain. She
justly appreciates a kindness, as this
record shows, and possesses great busi-
ness abilitx. Slu deserves great credit
for her labors of the past : and when she
too, is called to meet her Lord, we have
the assurance she will receive a place at
his right hand.

THOMAS WILLIAM SHERIDAN.

Tho.mas William Sheridan, who is well
known as a stock-raiser and dealer of
Huron township, shipping on an average

four or five car-loads of cattle annually,
was born on the farm which is now his
home, his natal day being Oct. 30, 1854.
His parents were Thomas and Eliza (Latta)
Sheridan. The father came to Des Moines
county from Pickaway county, Ohio, about
1840, finding here a region largely unde-
veloped and unimproved. Much of the land
was still in possession of the government,
and he secured a claim of three hundred
twenty acres on Sections 2 and 3, Huron
township. This he developed into an excel-
lent farm, making his home thereon up to
the time of his death, which (xrcurred in
January. 1S71, when he was sixty-one years
of age. His widow survived him for a few
years, and passed away at the age of sixty-
six. They were worthy pioneer people, who
aided largely in planting the seeds of civil-
ization and improvement here, and they well
ileserve mention on the pages of history de-
voted to the representative citizens, past and
present, of Des Moines county.

In retros])ect one can see Thomas William
Sheridan as a fanner lad in attendance on
the district schools of his township, and
when not busy with his text-books and the
])leasures of the ])layground. assisting in
the work of the home farm. He has always
followed agricultural pursuits, and has made
most of the im])rovements upon the property
which he now owns and occupies. The old
house which was built by his father has
recently been torn down, and is supplanted
by a new, modern residence. There are also
good barns and other outbuildings for the
shelter of grain and stock, and everything
aliinit liis |)lace is kept in good repair. He
raises and feeds from four to five car-loads
of cattle atinuall)', and about the same num-
ber of hogs. He makes a specialty of Du-
roc hogs, and raises hor.ses of the Norman

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

733

breed for draft purposes. He is considered
an excellent judge of stock, and is author-
ity on their value and on the best meth-
ods of caring for farm animals. He has
erected several substantial barns, and every-
thing about his place is in keeping with
modern ideas of progressive farming. He
has added to his property a tract of eighty
acres on the east, which he bought of An-
thony Schutt ; and from Frank Wilcox he
purchased one hundred twenty-five acres
in Section ii. Huron township. He there-
fore now has extensive and valuable property
interests, and is one of the leading agricul-
turists of his community.

Mr, Slieridan was married in February,
i8go, the lady of his choice being Miss
Anna Mary Wilkie, a daughter of Thomas
and Luella (Banty) Wilkie, and a native of
Huron township, Des Moines county, Mr,
and Mrs. Sheridan now have eight children.
namely: True, Paul. Loyal, Ronald, Clif-
ford, Carroll, Genevieve, and Kermit. The
parents hold membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church, and ]\Ir. Sheridan belongs
to the Modern Woodmen Camp, No. 4380,
of Oakfield. He is interested in the progress
and improvement of the county in social
and church affairs, and in political questions
which affect the welfare of the county. State,
and nation : but his chief interest centers in
his business, and through capable manage-
ment and unfaltering diligence he has be-
come one of the foremost representatives
of agricultural life in Huron township.

WILLIAM VAHLE.

WiLLi.\M Vahle, one of the prominent
and respected German farmers of Flint
River Township for the past thirty years,

is a son of Zacharias and Anna (Forker)
X'ahle, and was born in Prussia, Germany,
-April 25, 1850, He was reared to manhood
upon the parental farm, receiving his edu-
cation in the district schools in the vicinity
of his home.

In 1868 he came to America, locating in
St. Louis, where he remained till 1872, when
he became a resident of Des Moines county,
Iowa, In 1875 he bought one hundred
acres of land in Section 8, and twenty-five
acres in Section 9, Flint River township,
where the bridge is now located. His deed
calls for twenty-five acres, but the road com-
missioners put a road through this land
and built a bridge thereon, without the con-
sent of Mr. \'ahle.

June 23, 1873, Mr, \'ahle wedded Miss
Christina Dicks, daughter of John Dicks.
They became the parents of eleven children,
of whom eight are living; Gusta married
A. Westerbeck, and died at the age of
twenty-six years ; Ina is the wife of Fred
Meyer ; Emma married Fred Weile ; Louisa
became the second wife of A. Westerbeck ;
Minnie, who is now Mrs. William Camp-
bell : Henry died aged nine years ; William
died when a babe of only nine months ;
Nellie, Edward, and William at home.

The devoted wife and mother of this large
family passed away to the great Ijeyond in
April, 1898. December 7, 1899, Mr, Vahle
married Mrs. Mary Schilte. Mrs. Vahle's
first husband was Henry Lee, by whom she
became the mother of two children, Charles
and Louisa. By her second marriage, to
August Schilte, she had six children : Anna,
who is now Mrs, James Riady ; William ;
Lena, wife of Otto Jaeger ; ^Minnie, who
married Fred Jaeger ; Emma and Elsie, at
home.

Politicallv. Mr. \'ahle casts his vote in-

r.u

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEU'

(Jependently. and lias never aspired to any
office, lie carries on fjeneral farming, in
ail branches of which he is most successful,
as he is well versed in the best methods of
producing crops and raising stock. He has
made all the improvements on his place,
built a good residence, a new liarn 30x40
feet, and other necessary outbuildings. Mr.
\'ahlc deserves much credit for his success
in life. He had no financial backing, but
by his own energy, activity, and willing
hands he has accomplishetl much, and his
example in business is worthy of emuiation.

THEODORE WOEPKING.

TiiiiODORK WoKi'KiNG, wiio lias for a
number of years occupied a prominent
position in the Ixisiness world of I'.urling-
lon. Iowa, as a leading hardware mer-
chant, was born in r.urliugt(jn Feb. 16.
1864, and for his education is indebted to
the public schools of this city. ( )n leav-
ing school he took employment as a clerk
for Mr. L. Tenscher, with whom he re-
mained for a period of eighteen to twenty
months, .hk! tluTcal'tir was engaged as
a painter for a year and a Iwlf. He then
decided to take up the tinner's trade, and
went to work with his brother, William.
Aftei serving an a])prenticeship at the
tinner's bench, on I'eb. 14. i8<)8, he began
business for himself at his ])resent loca-
tion, 1700 Osborn Street, where he car-
ries a large line of hardware and build-
er's supplies, also having a tin and job
shop in connection, and executing all
kinds of sheet metal work.

Dec. 2i>, 1887, he was married to Miss
Anna Rest, a native of Franklin, Iowa.
Thev have two sons, Warner and Harrv.

Mr. Woepking is identified in a frater-
nal way with the I'urlington organization
of the .Modern Woodmen of .Xnierica, and
is extensively known in fraternal and
social circles. He has achieved material
pro.sperily in ])roportion to his ability and
merits, and success has been his in gen-
erous measure. He enjoys the general
respect and regard, and the public spirit
which has characterized his business life
entitles him to universal consideration.

WILLIAM MILLER.

W 11. 1.1 AM .Mii.i.i;k. an honored and well-
to-do farmer of l'"Iint River township, is
a son of Clirist and Mary (Ritter) Miller.
He was born Sept. 22, 1842, in Yearstead,
Prussia, (jermany. After completing
his early schooling and training in the
free schools of his native i)lace he was
a])pi enticed to a tailor, from whom he
learned the trade of a first-class tailor.
He was busily emiiloyed as a journeyman
with several of the leading tailors in the
city of his birth till i8<)(), when he took
a suainer from Hand)urg, (ierniany, to
England, and thence came in an old-time
sailing vessel to Xew York, where he
spent some three months (juickly learning
the .\merican methods of tailoring.

July, i8()<i. was the date of his coming
to liurlington, where he followed his vo-
cation for five years with one of the mcr-
cbanl tailors. At the expiration of this
lime. 1H71, he made a radical change in
his business, buying twenty acres of farm
land from Robert Hare, in I "lint River
township, where he lived for seven years,
adding in the meantime twenty acres
more. He then traded his fortv acres to

WILLIAM MILLER AND FAMILY.

DES MOINES COUNTY. lOlVA.

a man by name of Frcil Schultz, for one
hundred and sixty acres of land in Ne-
braska. A little difficulty arose, and he
was obliged to take back twenty acres of
the original farm, and then later sold that,
and traded with lulvvard Johnson the one
hundred and sixty acres in Nebraska for
three pieces of property in Flint River
township, — sixty-one acres on Section 15.
eighty-one acres on Section 9. and one
hundred and forty-one acres on Sections
10 and 15. When he took possession of
this ])lace it was in a \'ery wild condition
with unbroken prairies, and much of it
containing old dead trees and huge
stumps, with no buildings on it at all.
Mr. .Miller has erected many necessary
outbuildings for his convenience, and also
erected a comfortable house in the year
i88j. The house is of stone, cemented on
the outside. Beside his general farming
he laises a good deal of stock — about
twenty head of cattle, eight head of
horses, and from twentv to forty hogs
annual!}-. ( )ne can hardly Ijelieve his
beautiful home of to-day is the one that
was in such an uncultivated condition
such a short time ago.

In 1872, Air. Miller married Miss
Dorothy Schultz, daughter of Andrew
Schultz. Mrs. Miller was born Nov. 30,
1846, in Ouinabeck, Prussia, (iermany.
This union was blessed with eight chil-
dren : Louisa, born June 18, 1873, who is
Mrs. \\'illiam Isoman, of Burlington;
William, born Aug. 25, 1874, resides on
eighty acres in Flint River townshij);
Emma, born January, 1870, at home: Min-
nie, born Feb. 2, 1878, is the wife of William
Schultz, whose sketch also appears in
this review, and lives in Flint River town-
ship, on the property recently owned by

William Griffith; lidward, born April 28,
1881 ; Clara, born Nov. i, 1883; Herman,
born April 29, 1885; and John, born July
5, 1887. The last four children are at
home with their father. Mrs. Miller died
Jul)' 28, 1899. Mr. Miller is a member
of the German Lutheran church. In all
the work of improvement and general
progress of the township, Mr. Miller has
always done his jiart, and as a citizen is
one of the most higlilx' res])ected in the
commiuiit}'.

CHARLES AUGUST HECKENBERG.

Ch.\rles .\ugust Heckenberg, who
was born in Burlington, is a son of Her-
man Henry and Mary (Schnmell) Hecken-
berg, his birth occurring ]\Iarch 19, 1856.
He is indebted to the grammar schools of
the city of his birth for his education. His
school days over, he went at once to work
on a farm, and in 1872, when only seven-
teen years old, he bought one hundred and
nineteen acres of land on Section 22, in
Flint River township. This was quite an
undertaking for one so young, as all this
land except eighteen acres was in a wild and
rough condition. There were no buildings
on the place except the old-fashioned house,
and only a very little fence. Mr. Hecken-
berg has fenced all of the farm, built all the
necessary buildings used on a farm, besides
a large and commodious modern barn, which
he erected in 1895. The barn is thirty by
forty feet, and enhances much the value
as well as the beauty of the place. At the
present writing he carries on farming quite
extensively, having about sixtv acres under
cultivation. He rai.ses from fifteen to

738

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA lElV

twi-nty Imps and four or tivc head of cattle
annually, and has invested largely in
modern farm implements and machinery.
He is a subscriber of the F"lint River X'alley
Telephone C'om])any, and tinds the coiuiec-
tion with the city a great convenience. ( >n
Feb. 13. 1883, Mr. Hcckenberg was mar-
ried to Miss Mary ISerning. daughter of
Herman and Mary I'erning. This mar-
riage has been graced by five children, two
sons and three daughters : George, Laura,
Oscar, Selma, and Lena, all living and all
at home with their parents.

Mr. and .Mrs. Heckenberg are members
of the (jerman Evangelical church, where
they arc actively engaged in all that per-
tains to the advancement of the church and
the promoting of Qiristianity. Politically,
lie is a stanch Democrat, but has never as-
pired to any public office, though he has al-
ways been loyal to his party. 1-ven though
Mr. Heckenberg is still in the prime of life,
yet he has witnessed many changes during
his residence of fifty years in Des Moines
county, and lii'- liniiu- jiiacc is a good ex-
ample of the ability of a thrifty farmer.
His |)rogress has Ix'cu slow hut sure, and his
untiring energy and i>rogressive spirit have
always inspired him to look ahead to a day
of rest, whicli he lias partially obtained.
His ui)riglit and straightforward dealings
ill liusiiK-ss have won for him the confidence
and res|)cct of all the valley.

. . JAMES WALLACE BAIRD.

J.\MKs \\'.\r,L.\CE I'.MKD has since the fall
of 1873 made his home on Section 10, N'el-
low Springs townshij), where he has an ex-
cellent farm of one hundred acres of land

that is rich and arable, bringing him good
harvests annually. He is a native .son of
Iowa, and ])ossesses the enterprising spirit
which has been the dominant factor in the
growth and develo])ment of the .State. His
birth occurred in I-ouisa county, Sept. 18,
1847, and he is a son of John and Catiierine
( McLlhinney ) Haird, both of whom were
natives of C()unt\ Derry, Ireland. ihe
mother was only three years old when
brought by her parents to America. She
was l)orn .\ug. 10, 1822, and died April 14,
i<^)o. John llaird. however, was reared
and educated in his native cor.nlry. and was
a yomig man of twenty-four years when he
decided to seek a home in the New World.
He accordingly crossed the Atlantic, and
for a few years remained a resident of
r'hiladel|)hia. Pa., where he worked as a
laborer.

In .March. 1X40, he was married in that
city to Miss McElhinney, and about May
1, 1840, came direct to Iowa, where they
lived until called to their final rest. F(3r
a brief ])eriod they remained in Louisa
county, but during the infancy of their son
James, came to Des Moines courity. About
1848 the father entered a tract of land of
eighty acres, hut later sold that i)roperty
and entered another eighty-acre tract on
Section 4. His wife also bought an eighty-
acre tract, and upon that farm they made
their home. Not a furrow had been turned
nor an im])rovemcnt made when the land
came into the possession of the father, but
with characteristic energy he began its de-
velopment, and as the years went by his
fields became productive and his labors
profitable. The old home place is now
owned by the youngest son, J. P. Baird.

There are twelve children in the family :
Robert, now deceased: John L., who is

DFS MO/A'ES COUNTY, IOWA.

730

living in Centerville, Iowa ; Samuel C,
who died in Nebraska in 1904; James \V. ;
Nanc_y Jane, the wife of Daniel" Yohe, of
Nebraska; Margaret Ann, the wife of
Adam Walkinshaw, who is hving in Ne-
braska; Robert M., who resides in Win-
field, Henry county, Iowa: EHzabeth, the
wife of Robert G. Reed ; Alarv C, at home ;
Rosanna, the wife of I. R. Carithers ; and
Joseph VV., who is Hving on the old home-
stead farm in Yellow Springs township.
The father was a member of the Presby-
terian church in his native country, and in
1846, in company with others he organized
the Reformed Presbyterian Congregation
of Sharon, in this county. He was a man
of upright life, believing firmly in the Chris-
tian religion, and exemplifying his faith in
his daily conduct and in all his relations
with his fellow-men. He died July 4, 1S81,
when in his seventieth year, his birth hav-
ing occurred, about 1812.

James Wallace Baird was brought to Des
Moines county during his infancy, his par-
ents locating in Yellow Springs township.
He acquired his education in the district
schools of Des Moines and Louisa counties,
and his boyhood days were quietly passed
in the usual manner of farm lads of the
period. Having arrived at years of ma-
turity, he was married, April 7, 1871, to
Miss Mary Ann Walkinshaw, a daughter
of John and Margaret (Glasgow) Walkin-
shaw. Mrs. Baird was born in Guernsey
county, Ohio, March 19, 1851, and by her
marriage has become the mother of nine
children, namely : Minnie Loretta, the wife
of J. T. Carithers, who is living in Yellow
Springs township ; Edmond Alfonz ; Lena
Mabel, the wife of John P. Robertson, who
is living on the William Hensleigh farm, in
Yellow Springs township; Merrill Waldo,

who attended the business college at
Quincy, 111. ; Oliver Emmet ; Otto Clar-
ence ; Ralph Ehrman, C^scar Marion, and
Blanch Verona, all at home, the last two
being twins.

It was in the fall of 1874 that Mr. Baird
purchased his present farm, taking up his
abode thereon. He has made good im-
provements here since, including the erec-
tion of a fine barn and other buildings.
The farm comprises one hundred acres of
land, and is all under cultivation, the
fields returning excellent crops of corn,
wheat, and other cereals. Mr. Baird is
also well known as a stock-dealer, and usu-
ally raises several head of horses each year,
at the present time having seventeen head,
principally draft horses. He also has some
good cattle upon his place, and about forty
head of Poland China hogs ready for the
market. He is a busy man, and indolence
and idleness are utterly foreign to his na-
ture. As the years have passed he has
worked persistently and energetically, and
that he is now in possession of a comfort-
able home is attributable entirely to his own
labors and God's blessine'.

JOHN YAGER.

John Yager is one of the enterprising
and progressive business men of Yellow
Springs township, connected with farm-
ing and stock-raising interests. He is a
native of West Phalen, Germany, his
birth having occurred in Usinger. He
was brought to America by his parents
when only six weeks old, and the family
located near Dodgeville, Franklin town-
ship, where they lived for some years.

740 lilOCRAPHlCAI. RlillEir

FRIEDERIC CHARLES SIELER-
MAN.

'llic fatlicr had i)ri\ ioiisly Ifanicd tin-
l)iitchfr's trade in (ii-rniany, and after
coining to tlie New World he worked as

a laborer hy the day. Later he was em- I'rikkeric Charles Siklermax, a farm-

l)loyed at the jdaster mason's trade, and er by wcnpation. owinff his success to his

heljjed to build the old stone mill at jjersistent efforts, is a native of I'russia,

Dodgcville. which was the first work he (iermany. iiis birth having occurred in

did in the State of Iowa. He afterward the province of Westphalia, on the yth

took u]) his abode in ilurlington. and fol- of May, 1835, his parents being Charles

lowed butchering in the winter months, and ICIizabeth Sielerman. He pursued

while in the summer season he was em- his education in the place of his nativity,

ployed as a builder in luason work. He and remained there until twenty-two vears

had a family of eleven children. of age. when he crossed the Atlantic to

John Yager spent the days of his boy- America, making his way directly to

hood and youth in his father's home, and .S])erry, Iowa, where he arrived Nov. 2^,

was early inured to labor, it being neces- 1857, having reached Uurlington the pre-

sary that he provide for his own supjiort, vious day.

as his father had a large family, and was 'J'wo days later he began working for

in limited financial circumstances. There Mr. Gillette, and was employed as a farm

were only three stores in lUirlinglon at hand by the month until l-'ebruary, 1830,

the time the family home was establishetl when he was married to Miss Marie

in this i)art of the State, and .Mr. N'ager .So|)hie I )rei-kineyer, a daughter of l-'red

has since been a witness of the develo])- and .\nna .Marie ( Langc) Dreckmever,

ment and growth that have wrought a who was also a native of the province of

wdiuKrful liansformalioii lure. None of \\'esl])halia, I'russia, her birth there oc-

his brothers and sisters ha\ e ever mar- curring Sept. 5, 1833. She came to .Amer-

rieti. He and his brother John are con- ica at the age of twenty-four years on the

necte<l in their business interests, and same shi]) with her husband — an old-time

lluir sister .Mary .M.iria acts as their sailing vessel which was nine weeks and

housekeeper. She w-as born Xov. 16, 1843. three days from port to jrort, anchor be-

Mr. Yager and his brother are now build- ing dropped in the harbor of .\'ew

ing a suspension bridge from the to]) of Orleans, lie then made his way uj) the

one hill to another. The bridge is about ri\er as far as I'ort Madison, where thev

twt) hundred feet long, and about twenty took wagons for Uurlington. since, on

feet and ti\e inches high, and is con- account of the frozen condition of the

structed of wire cal)les. They are well river, they could not proceed further bv

kiunvn in connection with industrial life boat.

in this ])art of the State, and are known as .Mr. Sielerman has always followed liie

enterprising business men. giving their occupation of farming, and in 1875 made

undixidrd attention to the interests en- bis first purchase of lantl, becoming the

trusted to their care and lo their private owner of forty-seven acres on Section 13,

liiisiiu-.-- loiii-crns. 1-Vanklin townshi]), and twenty acres in

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

741

Benton township. He has placed all of
the improvements upon his farm, and
now has one of the attractive homes of
this section, lie has planted many kinds
of fruit, has a good orchard, and well-
tilled fields. He also has some good
stock upon his place. In fact, it is an
excellent farm, owned by a man of pro-
gressive spirit and laudable ambition.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sielermah have
been born twelve children : Eliza, who
died at the age of two years; Charles
Fred, who is a farmer, and lives in Frank-
lin township ; Anna Elizabeth, the wife
of Otto Wunnenberg; Herman Henry,
who died at the age of five months ;
Alary, the wife of Charles W'eischmeyer ;
Charles, who died at the age of ten years ;
two who died in infancy ; Carrie, at
home; and John and P'rederick, who as-
sist in the operation of the home farm.

Almost a half century has passed since
Mr. Sielerman took up his abode in this
county, hoping to find in the business
conditions of the Xew ^^'orld better op-
portunities than he could enjo}' in his
native land. Xor has he been disap-
pointed in the hope that led him to Amer-
ica, for he finds that in this country labor
gains its true reward, unhamperetl by
caste or class. He has steadily perse-
vered in his chosen field of labor until
he is now in possession of a good ]jro]>
ertv.

JOHN FREDERICK ROLF.

Joiix Fki:l)I-:ricii Rolf, whose life record
is another demonstration of the fact that
persistent effort, guided by good business
judgment, results in success, was born in

West L'iialen, Prussia, Germany, July 9,
1853, his parents being Gottlieb and Catha-
rine (Ackhorst) Rolf. He is indebted to
the jniblic schools for the educational advan-
tages which he enjoyed in his youth, and
when he put aside his school books at the
age of fifteen years, he was apprenticed to
a merchant to learn the busiiTess, acting in
that capacity for three and a half years, and
thus gaining business experience which has
proved of considerable value to him in later
years.

In February. 187J. Air. Rolf left his na-
tive land and started for America, landing
at New York in Alarch. He did not tarry
long in the I'.astern metro])olis, however,
but came directly to iUirlington, Iowa,
where he entered the employ of the Chicago,
Burlington & Ouincy Railroad Company,,
being connected with the section crew for a
year. He afterward spent a year as clerk in
the grocerx- store of H. H. Niemyer. after
which he began working for John Blaul. but
two weeks later he became ill with typhoid
fever and it was some time before he re-
gained his health and strength. When he
jiad reco\'ered, he began working for the
firm of Rhodes & Kelle\-, general merchants,
continuing with them until the dissdlntion of
the partnershij), after which he remained
in the employ of John Rhodes, who became
sole proprietor of the business. .Mr. Rolf
continued with him for five years, and then
began business on his own account, as a
partner of Jacob Scholl, under the firm
style of Rolf & Scholl, dealers in groceries,
at the corner of Xinth and Locust Streets.
This relation was maintained for three
}ears. when Mr. Rolf sold liis interest
to Mr. Scholl. and formed a partnership-
with Henry Miller as dealers in general
merchandise, at the corner of Center .\ve-

742

HincRAPiucAL RF.nr.ir

mil.' and Scmtli Strci-t. uikUt the tirin name
of Miller & Kolf. Six months later Mr.
Rolf disposed of his interest and spent
four months in the sui)i)ly department of
the Chicago. Ihirlington & Ouincy Railroad
Company, in West P.urlington. Subse-
quently he engaged with his old-time em-
ployer, Mr. \'iemyer, being with him for
about four years in the grocery business,
Mr. Rolf having entire charge of the feed
store. He then bought out the feed business
at 622 Jeflfcrson Street, continuing in that
location for eight \ears, when he leased a
piece of ground at 702 Jefferson Street
and built a store which he occupied for six
years. In the meantime he bought the
land and moved the old building and erected
the jiresent brick block at 702-04 Jeffer-
son Street, and has since conducted busi-
ness here as a dealer in flour, feed, hay, and
grain. He now has a large patronage,
which renders his business profitable, and
he is regarded as one of the reliable mer-
chants of his section of the city.

May 7, 1878, Mr. Rolf was married to
Miss Emma Hijjpe. a daughter of John
Frcidcrich and Louisa ((ioesling) Hi[)i)e.
They have si.x living chiklren and have lost
two, Johannas, who died at the age of one
year, and Freiderich, who died in infancy.
The others arc : Louisa Amelia, who is liv-
ing at home ; William Henry ; Anna, thir-
teen years of age: Ruth, age eleven; Carl
George, age eight: and Reginald, one year
old.

Mr. Rolf is a member of Excelsior Lodge,
No. 268, Independent Order Odd Fellows,
anfl was its secretary for some time. He
als<i belongs to Crystal Lodge, No. 272,
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He
is an advocate of Democratic principles, but
does not consider himself bound by party

ties, anil at local electit>ns regards the capa-
bility of the candidate rather than the ])arty
allegiance. Coming to .\mcrica when a
voung man of eighteen years, he lias made
his own way in the world unaided, nor has
he ever had occasion to regret his determina-
tion to seek a home in America, for labor
is more certain of a just reward in this coun-
try, and his own perseverance and resolute
purpose have enabled him to become the
proprietor of a paying business which af-
fords him all of the comforts and many of
the luxuries of life.

CHARLES H. KRUEGER.

As a boy of only nine years. Charles H.
Krueger became responsible for his own
support, and has ever since depended solely
upon his own efforts for advancement, evin-
cing at all times a steady determination of
|)ur]Hise which is highly i)raisewonhy. He
was l)orn Jan. .^o, 1861, in the city of Bur-
lington, Iowa, a son of Fred W. Krueger.
a native of Germany, who came to .Amer-
ica about the year 1857, landing at New
Orleans after an ocean voyage of two
months' duration, coming northward from
that port to St. Louis, where he remained
for a short time before settling in Burling-
ton. The elder Krueger died in this city in
1870. at the age of thirty-six years, and was
buried in .\spen Grove cemetery, surviveil
by his widow, who before marriage was
Miss Louisa Detering, and by her there were
seven children, as follows : I-'red W., who
married Miss .Sophia I'"oelke. and resides in
Burlington; Charles H., the subject of this
review ; W. C, of Burlington, who married
Miss Minnie Berges ; H. W., chief clerk of

DBS MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

743

the Burlington postoffice, who married
Miss Lizzie Schwam ; Mrs. Fred Gunther,
wife of the well-known contractor of this
city ; and Louis H., of Burlington, who
married Miss Kate Knox. One daughter,
Mrs. John Higgins, is now deceased, and
lies buried in ;\spen Grove cemetery, Bur-
lington. The mother of this family again
married, her second husband being Daniel
Desgranges, now deceased, and she resides
at 1720 Mark Lane Street.

The father of Mr. Kruegcr was a carpen-
ter and contractor, but he himself began
active life on a farm, continuing at tliat
work for three years, or until he was twelve
years of age, and shortly afterward he ob-
tained employment as night mail clerk in
the Burlington postoffice. Failing health,
however, obliged him to relinquish this posi-
tion after a tenure of only six months, and
for two years immediately following he was
engaged as porter in the wholesale estab-
lishment of S. R. and L C. McConnell, while
the next two years were spent in the Henr)-
Herman shoe store. Meantime he had been
led by a worthy ambition for self-advance-
ment to attend night schools, while devoting
his days to labor, and thus by dint of hard
work and hard study acquired an excellent
practical education, and fitted himself for
a broad and successful career.

By diligent application and careful man-
agement, Mr. Krueger amassed the nec-
essary capital, and in 1884 started a retail
grocery store at 1321 Osborn Street,
later removing to the corner of Osborn and
North Oak Streets, where he remained for
seven years. In September, 1893, he again
moved, this time to iSio Osborn Street,
at which location he has since remained,
having erected there a fine brick building,
two stories in height, of generous propor-

tions, to accommodate tlie rapidly increas-
ing volume of business ; for he has from
the first enjoyed unusual success as a result
of his fair and just methods. He is assisted
by his brother. W. C. Krueger, who acts
as clerk in the store. In 1893 he erected
a modern dwelling-house on the lot adjoin-
ing the store, 1812 Osborn Street, which
has since been his residence, and also owns
other valuable property in Burlington.

In 1884, Mr. Krueger wedded Miss Anna
M. Wolbrand, who was born in Burlington,
Iowa, July 9, 1865. of German parentage.
Mrs. Krueger's father, who was engaged in
the grocery business in this city, is deceased,
while the mother survives and resides at
1419 Gnahn Street. A sister, Mrs. Will-
iam ^^'oepking, resides on North Oak
Street, Burlington, and a brother, Henry
Wolbrand, of Cedar Rapids, is an engineer
in the service of the Rock Island Railway
Company. Mr. Krueger is an adherent of
the Democratic party, but has never cared
to hold political office, although his connec-
tion with public affairs is quite extensive.
He is a member of Washington Lodge, No.
X, Independent Order Odd Fellows, having
passed through the chairs, and being a past
grand of that Lodge. He is also in mcm-
bcrshi]3 relations with Fureka Encampment,
No. 2, of the Independent Order Odd P'el-
lows : Excelsior Lodge, No. 253, Ancient
( )rder I'nited Workmen, through whose
chairs he has passed ; and of Camp No. 98,
^lodern Woodmen of America. He is
actively interested in the commercial pros-
])erity of Burlington, as a member of the
Retail Grocers' Association, of which he
has been treasurer, and of the Business
Men's Association. He gives of his time
to the public service as a member of the
Improvement Committee for Aspen Grove

7+4

BIOGRAI'HICAL KEIIIIU'

cfiiietery. wliili- lu- served lor five years as
a director of Itiirlinjjtt)!) Hospital. In his
religious connection he is a member of the
First German Mvangelical Church, whose
house of worship is located at the corner of
.^ixth and Columbia Streets, and at one time
served as director of the German Parochial
School maintained in connection with that
church. He is a stockholder of the liurling-
ton Savings Hank, antl is in many ways
intimately connected with those progressive
movements which have for their object the
furthering of the moral and material inter-
ests of the city. Heginning at the bottom
of the ladder, he has worked his way up-
ward to an honored and res])ected position
in the community entirely by his own ef-
forts and abilities, proving himself a man
of jieculiarly sane and sound business judg-
ment. His business establishment is one
of the most comi)lete and neatly arranged
in the city, and his wide circle of loyal
friends insures his continued success.

ENOS THOMAS.

I'-No.s Thomas, imw a highly respected
and |)ro.sperous merchant of Uouldcr, Jef-
ferson county. .Mont., was born in (,'iiester
county. Pennsylvania. Dec. 4. iS4(). The
paternal grandparents of .\lr. Thomas were
Knos and Anna ( b'orscythe) Thomas, the
former biing l)i>ni in Wales, and the
latter a descendant of L'harles the Second
of ICngland. The parents of our subject
were John and Sarah (Harmen) Thomas,
worthy and much-respected citizens of I'hil-
adeli)hia. where the father was engaged
in the wholesale tea business.

.Mr. 'ihoinas began his e<lucation in the
l)nblic schools in his native county, and
later finished it in a private school in
W estern Pennsylvania. I'.idding adieu to
school days, he assisted his father, and
remained under the parental roof until
he was twenty-one years of age.

.Soon after reaching his majority he
learned the tra<lc of a tinsmith, and in
i8<)8 he moved to Tama county, Iowa,
where for ivur or five vears he was en-
gaged as an enterprising f.irmer. He then
became a merchant until 1885. when he
located in the far West an<l opened a
hardware store in lioulder, Mont., in
which business he is still engaged.

.May },Q. ii^oo. Mr. Tht>mas was mar-
ried to .Miss .Susan .Serena David at the
home of her cousin, .Mrs. Samuel Mercer.
721 Washington Street. P>urlington. Iowa.
.Mrs. Thomas is a (laughter of Barton T.
and Mary Ann ( l-'rancis) iJavid. Michael
David, lather of IJarton T. David, was
born in 1 leidellx-rg. Germanx. He came
to America and settled in .Mason ctmnty.
Kentucky. He fought in the Revolution-
ary War. and also in the War of 1812.
The mother of I'.arton T. David, Cecelia
(Tharp) David, was burn in Wales.

liarton T. David was engaged in the
grocery business in Olena. 111., and in
1X4J and 184^ in a general store on Water
Street, in Hiirlington. Iowa, with Thomas
Kitchen. .\ more extended sketch of his
life will be found in the sketch of Charles
G.'inn.m. wlio was the husband of his
(laughter .Mary.

Mrs. Thomas was born in (Jlena. 111..
June I. 1853, and came with her parents
to liurlinglon. Iowa, when a very small
child. .She attended the public schools,
whole she spent her girlhood, and at the

DES MOIXES COL'XTV,, IOWA.

745

death of her mother became her father's
housekeeper, which position she filled for
many years, till her father passed awav.
After the death of Mr. David, Airs.
Thomas resided in the home place for
some years, till her marriage. She still
owns the old home place. She united
with the Baptist church in 1870, and was
one of the most devoted and earnest
workers in the ^^'alnut Baptist church,
in Burlington, to the time of her removal
to Boulder, Mont., where she is now act-
ively engaged in Christian church work.

]\Ir. Thomas belongs to the Society of
Friends. He is a man of excellent repu-
tation, high principles, and integrity, and
possesses superior business capacity.
Though very quiet and retiring in his
manner and disposition, yet he makes and
retains friends by the hundreds, and com-
mands the highest regard of all the com-
munitv.

CHARLES HENRY SCHICK.

Numbered among the progressive young
men to enter the field of business in Bur-
lingfton during recent years is Charles Henry
Schick, who was born in Burlington, Oct.
20, 1864, a son of Charles Frederick and
Lena (JMiller) Schick, the latter o^ whom
is now deceased, while the father survives,
and resides at the corner of Center Avenue
and Ash Street, with his son-in-law, Frank
Bouquet.

Mr. Schick received his preliminary edu-
cation in the public schools of Burlington,
of which he is a graduate, and also attended
Elliott's Business College during one term,
but in addition he has always been an ex-
tensive reader, especially along the lines of

advanced and scientific thought, and is a
man of broad and accurate information on
all phases of current questions. His first
work for which he received pay was as a
carrier for a German newspaper, in which
capacity he acted for four months, and dur-
ing the following period of seven months
he worked at the marble-cutting trade for a
I\Ir. Fitzpatrick. This he abandoned, how-
ever, for the trade of harness-making, in
which he began his apprenticeship under
the direction of Air. A. Forkel. and com-
pleted it with Mr. Fred Beckenbach, finish-
ing in 1884. Having mastered this trade,
he was employed in various factories until
1902, thus gaining a broad and valuable
experience along practical lines. In the
latter year he established an independent
business at 904 Maple Street, where he has
since continued with very marked success.
•Here he carries a full line of all kinds of
harness and saddlery, and in addition does
repair work, a branch of the business in
which he is particularly expert.

On May 23, 1885, Air. Schick was united
in marriage to Miss Lulu C. Kahre, daugh-
ter of Frederick and Catherine (Kunz)
Kahre, and to them have been born four
sons and three daughters, as follows : Ben-
ton, aged nineteen years: Harry, sixteen;
Lulu, fourteen : Clyde, twelve : \'era, ten :
Marjorie, si.x ; and George, three.

Fraternally. Air. Schick is a member of
Camp No. 98, Alodern \\'oodmen of Amer-
ica, of Burlington, with which he became
identified in 1890. In his attitude toward
the political tendencies of the times, he sup-
ports the Socialist or Social Democratic
party, in whose work he is prominent, and
occupies a position of distinguished influ-
ence, having at the last elections been the
candidate of his party for congressman of

746

BIOGRAPHICAL RlilllLW

till- ilislnct. 1 lie stri'iijjtli (if the in'>v(.inent
in this section and the personal jxipiilarity
I if Mr. Schick may l)c judged by the fact
that he received the unprecedented number
of niore than seven hundred votes in Des
Moines county alone. His personal char-
acter and private life are such as to com-
mand the highest res])ect. and as a man of
vast information, strong (jualities of leader-
ship, and sane judgment, it may be safely
])redicted that distinguished hdnurs await
him. although he is not one In seek his indi-
vidual advancement at the expense i>f the
common welfare or that of the cause which
he has espoused and champions with such
marked ability.

Mr. .Schick has also been quite an in-
ventor, and receiUly was granted a i)atent
on a lawn trimmer that will become exten-
sively used. He lias organized a stock com-
pany, the r.urlington Lawn Trimmer Com-
pany, to place it on the market. This com-
])aii\ has a ca])ital stock of fifteen thousand
dollars : W. W. C'(jpcland is i>rcsident ; C. H.
Schick, vice-jjresident and secretary ; and
I'rank G. Andre is treasurer. Mr. Schick
has also a number of other valuable inven-
tions.

JOHN MEHAFFY.

Prominent in business circles, and equal-
ly popular in social life. John Mchaffy, who
is a native son of the Emerald Isle, well
deserves representation in this volume. His
parents, David and Hannah (Wright) Me-
liafTy. were Scotch-Irish, and raised a large
family. In order that bis sons might have
better advantages the father brought them
to America, where his hopes were fully
realized.

John Mehaffy was born in County Mon-
aban, Ireland, May 28, 1S40, and attended
the schools of the county. Following in the
footsteps of his father he selected the occu-
pation of farming as his calling in life, and
for many years after reaching his manhood
he carried on the work of a farmer in the
place of his birth.

In 1872 Mr. Mehaffy crossed the ocean,
with the State of Iowa in view as his desti-
nation. After l(X)king around for a short
time, be bought one hundred and twenty
acres of fine rich land on Section 17, in
Yellow Springs township, and began his
labor. He bad much to accomplish in order
that he might obtain the best results from
this farm, as some of it was covered with
timber, and the inqjrovements on it were
on a very small scale. He had great am-
bition, and being a man of great energy and
activity, at once commenced to clear the
land. In a few years his labor yielded him
very good |)rofits. and he was able to make
very substantial improvements.

It certainly must be very gratifying to Mr.
.Mehaffy. when he casts his eyes about and
notes the condition and general appearance
of his beautiful farm to-day. and then pic-
tures in his mind what it looked like when he
first owned it, to be able to say it is the work
of his own hands. The land is all under
cultivation, and is well tiled and drained; it
fully verifies the statement that Iowa is the
place to raise the finest corn. At one time
Mr. Mehaffy and his sons were known far
and wide as the Mehaffy corn planters, as
they operated some seven hundred and si.xty
acres and met with great success. The
modern barn, convenient and well-built
house, together with the other buildings and
the fences on the place, all stand to-day as
testimonials of the progress and advance-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

747

merit Mr. Alehaff)' has made in life. Besides
making a specialty of corn-raising, he carries
on general farming to a large extent, as well
as feeding a car-load of cattle and raising
about sevent}' hogs annually.

In January, 1861, Mr. Mehafify was mar-
ried to Miss Elizabeth Winslow, daughter of
Wilson and Elizabeth (Lister) Winslow.
This union has been blessed with nine chil-
dren, all of whom grew to manhcx>d and
womanhood and are now living, and are a
great credit to the parents. The children
are : Hannah Jane, who married Joseph
1 irown ; David, of Mediapolis ; John Wright,
of Linton ; Samuel, of Yellow Springs town-
ship ; Lizzie, who became Mrs. James Edgar,
of Crookston, Minn. ; Lena, at home ;
William Wilson, of Roscoe ; INIattie, at
home ; and Joseph, who lives east of
]\Iediapolis.

After sharing the joys and sorrows of
married life for a little over thirteen years,
Mrs. Mehaffy was called to her final reward,
Sept. 14, 1878, at the early age of twenty-
eight years. She had many friends who
loved her dearly, and at her death mingled
their tears of deep sympathy with the be-
reaved husband and sorrowing children.

March 6, 1886, Mr. Mehafify married Miss
Elizabeth Hutchinson, who was Iwrn in
County Almera, Ireland, and is a daughter
of John and Agnes (Andrew) Hutchinson.
Mr. and Airs. MehafTy are both devoted
and influential members of the Reformed
Presbyterian church, and always rejoice in
the spiritual advancement of the same.

Mr. Mehafify has never sought for public
office, but for his good judgment and
ability was placed in the position of super-
visor of his township, an appointment which
he held for some sixteen years.

The hospitable home of this worthy couple

is ever open to one and all of their host of
friends. They are always on the alert to per-
form a deed of kindness, and to reach out a
helping hand to the poor and needy. Mr.
Alehafify is a whole-souled man whom it is a
pleasure to know. He is broad and liberal
in his views, fond of a good joke, and of an
exceedingly junny disposition, which char-
acteristics, coupled with principles which
make for right, justice, and morality, have
endeared him to the wliolc community.

ALLISON LINES.

Allison Lixes. deceased, was a pioneer
resident of Des Moines county, who took
up his abode within its borders in 1838, and
continued his residence here until his death
sixty-seven years later. He was born in
Rush county, Indiana, July 16, 1824, and
was a son of John and Diana (Harrington)
Lines. Arriving in Des Moines county in
1838, he settled on Section 20, Franklin
township, where William Wagner now
resides. The trip was made with his par-
ents, and the father purchased the farm,
comprising two hundred and twenty acres
of land, which was rich in possibilities, but
then undeveloped. They broke the prairie
and tilled the fields, and Allison Lines con-
tinued to remain with his parents until they
were called to their final rest, assisting the
father in the arduous task of improving a
new farm. He was the third in order of
birth in a family of twelve children — nine
sons and three daughters.

Allison Lines was reared as a farm lad,
acquired a common-school education, and
early became familiar with the work of the
fields. After reaching man's estate he saw

748

BIOGK.U'HKAL Rlillllir

no need to clianpe his occupation, antl con-
tinued to engage in agriculture, which
Washington said " is the most useful and
most honorable occupation of man," oper-
ating a farm of sixty-two acres, and own-
ing twenty acres of tiiiil)er. He was also
a carpenter, and did iiuich work in that
direction, being itlentified for many years
with building operations. Whatever he
undert(H)k claimed his close a|)plication and
earnest efforts, and by his well-directed
laliors he gained a gratifying measure of
prosperity.

Sept. 7, 1S4S. .Mr. Lines was united in
marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bishop, a daugh-
ter of Jonathan and Henrietta (Reader)
15ishop. She was born June 17. 1830. in
Kush county, Indiana, within five miles of
her husbantl's birthplace, but they did
not become accjuainted until they arrived
in this .Slate. .Mrs. Lines came to Des
Moines countv in 1X4'), and s|)ent the re-
mainder of her girlhood in Danville town-
ship. l"nto our subject and his wife were
born nine children: Sarah C. who died
when eleven years of age: .Mary, the wife
of James Smith, of Franklin township:
Diana, who dieil at the age of four months;
William I lenry, who died when eighteen
months old; Charlotte, the wife of .Amos
Reere, of \'ellow .Springs township; .\1-
mira, at home ; Kmma. the wife of Edward
Heitmeier, of Columbia Junction, Iowa;
John 15., a farmer, and trustee of Franklin
township ; and .Anna, who died at the age
of twenty-tw'O years.

In early days Mr. Lines became a su])-
porter of the Know-Xothing party, and
later gave his political allegiance to the Re-
publican party. .Almost his entire life was
passed in Franklin townshi]), where he ar-
rived when fifteen years of age. He trav-

eled past the eightieth milestone on life's
journey, passing away March 10, 1905, at
the age of eighty years and nine months.

I'oth .Mr. and .Mrs. Lines were repre-
sentatives of the oldest families of this
IcKality, and they became widely kni>wn,
and made many friends because of their
excellent traits of character and genuine
worth. They were honorable peoiiie, well
liked by all; and when Mr. Lines was called
from this life, the community mourned the
loss of a ])riiminent |)ionecr settler. He
was thoroughly familfar with many of the
incidents and events which have framed
the history of this county, and was per-
.sonally a witness of the work which trans-
formed this section of the State into one of
the finest counties of the great common-
wealth.

AUGUST H. JOHNSON.

-A Ki:i'Ui;siCNr.\ri\K and honored citi-
zen of Mediapolis, Yellow .Springs town-
shi]). is .August H. Johnson, who is a
native of Swetlcn, Ixirn Dec. 9, 1847. He
attended the common schools of .Sweden
for a short time, but was not privileged to
go iiiucli after he was thirteen years old,
So that his education is mostly from the
broad school of experience and general
reading.

His parents were industrious .Swedish
farmers, owning a good farm in the
i-'alberland. where their son, subject of
this re\iew, remained very contentedly
hel|)ing with all of the farm work till he
was about twenty years old. He then
conceived the idea that the land beyond
the sea afforded better facilities for prog-
ress, and he made prejiarations to leave

>
c:
o

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

751

h'is home and come to America. Locating
first near Burlington, Iowa, he worked
for a time on a farm, afterward secur-
ing work as a grader for the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad, where he
remained for six months.

In the following year he located in
Mediapolis, and engaged in the stone-
mason trade, at which he was exceed-
ingly successful, doing a greater part of
the stonework of the town and township.
At the end of ten years he had made such
advancement as to warrant his joining J.
T. Lee in the erection of a large tile fac-
tory. The capacity of this factory was
limited at first, and the partnership lasted
only one year; then Mr. Lee sold out his
interest to M. L. Heizer, with whom he
worked the following three years. Mr.
Johnson then bought the interest of Mr.
Heizer, and has since continued alone.
The plant has 'Seen greatly enlarged, hav-
ing now a capacity of ten thousand three-
inch tile, or ten thousand brick, per day.
He has tweh'e thousand seven hundred
and forty-four square feet of drying space,
and can burn one hundred thousand brick
or fifty thousand tile at one time. He
manufactures all sizes of tile up to fif-
teen-inch, and his factory is said to be the
largest in the county, giving employment
to several men. Much of his tiling is
shipped to various parts of the State, and
thousands of feet of it are used by the
farmers of the surrounding country.

On March 14, 1873, Mr. Johnson was
married to Miss Augusta Nelson, a highly
respected Swedish lady, who is a daugh-
ter of Mangrus Nelson, a native of
Sweden. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the
parents of five children: Ella, Amanda,
Esther, Martin, and Emanuel. They are

all at home with their parents except
Ella, who has been in Chicago for the
past five years. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson
are both consistent members of the
Swedish Lutheran church, being active
in all church and Sabbath-school work.
In 1895 J^Ii'- Johnson built his present
large and commodious residence of brick,
it being one of the most substantial
homes in the village. It is located on
one of the principal streets, and is a very
pretty piece of architecture.

Mr. Johnson has always been a stanch
Republican, and has taken much interest
in the welfare of his party. This party
recognized the executive ability of Mr.
Johnson, and honored him by election to
the city council for three terms, a posi-
tion which he filled with much dignity
and to the entire satisfaction of the city.
He is a man who has risen step by step
from a mere farmer-boy to be the owner
and proprietor of a large tile factory. He
has had no financial backing, and his
great success in business is due to his
own activity, energy, and uprightness.
His friends are without number, and all
accord him a man among men whom to
know is to respect and admire.

CHARLES ARTHUR LANE.

Cii.\RLES Arthur L.\ne is one of the
industrious and enterprising young farmers
of Yellow Springs township, where he was
born July 8, 1873. His parents, John and
Ann (Hutchcroft) Lane, were prosperous
tillers of the soil of Des Moines county,
where they enjoyed the good-will of all the
people to a rare degree. Mrs. Lane belonged

r52

BIOGRAPHICAL REVllilV

to a well-known family who had settled in
this part of the country at an early date,
and who also did much toward the improve-
ment of the townshii). Mrs. Lane died in
the year iyo2 at the atje of sixty-five years.
Mr. Lane is still living, and makes his home
witii his son I-'rancis.

(Jur subject was educated in the district
schools of his native township, and after
putting his text-books aside, he assisted his
father on the home farm for a luiniber of
years. Dec. 23. 1H97. .\lr. Lane was married
to Miss Callie Stivers, a daughter of John
and Sarah (V'andemark) Stivers. They
have been blessed with three children, as
follows: Ora, born July 14. 1899: Ethel,
bom Jan. 19, 1902 ; and John Everett, born
Dec. 16, 1904. Several years after his mar-
riage Mr. I^ne purchased of Mr. Gottlieb
Mochle a farm of eighty acres in Section
2,7,, where he carries on general fanning, and
raises about thirty head of hogs and feeds
about one car-load of cattle every year.

Politically, he is a Republican, but does
not care for public recognition. He and his
good wife are both respected members of
the Methodist church, ainl the upright man-
ner in which Mr. Lane has always con-
ducted his business affairs has placed him
before his friends and neightors in a very
favorable light. His great activity and in-
tegrity have brought him success in life in a
very gratifying way. and there is certainly
a bright future before him.

JOHN BEERE.

Joii.v l*.i:i;i<K, who follows the occupa-
tion of farming, and has won a fair
measure of success, owns and operates

al)out one hundred acres of lan<l in Yel-
low Si)rings township. He was born in
Brooklyn, X. V.. Jan. <>. 1844, his parents
being Charles and Ann ( Ruth van) Becre,
who came to Des Moines county, Iowa,
when their son John was only two years
old. 'I'hey settled in l-Vanklin township,
and he was reared upon his father's farm.
Mr. Beere had followed cabinet-making in
.\'ew York, having in early life learned
that trade: but after his removal to the
West, he jjurchased one hundred and
twenty acres of land in this county, and
throughout his remaining days carried
on general agricultural |nirsuits. He died
in .\pril. 1869, at the age of fifty years,
and is still survived by his widow, who
is now li\ iiig in llie home of I. 11. (line,
in .Media|)olis.

John Iteere pursued his education in
tlic district schools of Franklin townshij).
and worked in the fields from an early
age. becoming familiar with the best
methods of caring for the crops and for
the stock. lie has always engaged in
general farming since attaining man's
estate, and in the spring of 1880 he pur-
chasetl one lumilred acres of land in .Sec-
iii)n 12, ^'el!ow ."Springs townshi]). Here
he follows general farming, now feeding
from thirty-five to forty head of cattle
an<l about one hundred head of hogs each
\ear. His i)Iace is well iniproved, all the
result of his own elTorts. except that a
part of the house was standing when he
took possession of the property, but this
he has remodeled. He uses the latest im-
])roved machinery in carrying on the
work of the fields, and everything about
his pl;icc is niiit and thriftv in ap|)e.ir-
ance, while the work is carried nn in a
systematic, jirogressive manner.

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

753

Sept. lo, 1872, Mr. Beere was united
in marriafje to Miss Mary Eliza Kitchen,
a (lausihter of Thomas and Mary (David)
Kitchen, who was born in Burlington,
Iowa, May 17, 1847. There is one daugh-
ter hy this union, Susan, who was born
Dec. II, 1871), "and is now the wife of
Thomas Luckinhill, a resident of Xorth-
field, Iowa.

Air. Beere's study of the questions and
issues of the day has led him to give his
support to the men and measures of the
Democrac}'. hut at local elections where
no issue is invohed he \'otes independ-
ently, regarding only the capability of
the candidate. He has served as road
supervisor for two terms, but has never
been active as an office seeker. He be-
longs to the Baptist church, and is a be-
liever in all that is right and honorable
in his relations with his fellow-men. His
activity has been exerted along lines that
have not only brought to him success
l)Ut has also led to a character develop-
ment that is worthv of emulation.

HENRY WUNNENBERG.

That the life of Henry W'unnenbcrg,
of ISenton township, illustrates a high and
noble ideal of American manhood is due,
in part, to a rigid discipline in the school
of experience and honest labor during his
early years, as well as to those personal
characteristics which are peculiarly his
own. Mr. \\'unnenberg was born Sept.
3, 1855, in I'enton township, and has
claimed Des Moines county for his home
throughout his entire life, being one of
her native sons to whom she can always

point the finger of pride. He was the
son of Henry and Amelia Wunnenberg.

PiOth parents of Mr. W'unneidierg were
natives of Germany, and came to Amer-
ica in 1854. They located in Benton
township, and on the third day after their
arrival in the county bought a farm of
forty acres. Under their skilful farming
and careful management they prospered
greatl}-, so that after a nundjer of years,
when the father sold this farm, he was
able to buy a much larger farm, consist-
ing of one hundred and twenty acres of
rich farm land, and forty-five acres of
tirnber, which is now the home farm.

Here Mr. Henry Wunnenberg, the
father, lived, carrying on very success-
fully a general farming business, and stock-
raising. He made this his home, and
made all the imprcjvements, until there
were not many farms in the community
better fitted with the comforts and con-
veniences to be found in modern farm
homes. .Mr. Wunnenberg was a devoted
member of the German Lutheran church
until the time of his death, which oc-
curred on the home farm when he was
seventy-nine years of age. He was a fol-
lower of the principles of the Democratic
party, and was a faithful helper to the
leaders of that party.

The mcjther died some fourteen years
before the father. She was an earnest
Christian woman, and a faithful member
of the Evangelical church. She was the
mother of eleven children, nine of whom
are still living.

The subject of our re\-ievv obtained his
education in the conunon schools of Ben-
ton township, and assisted upon the
home farm, remaining there until he was
twenty-one years of age. After this he

7d4

BIOGRAPHICAL KEllEW

worked by the luonlli upon different
ncif^hborinp farms till lie was twenty-
seven, when he went to farming for him-
self, renting for some years in Franklin
township, then in Washington township,
and finally coming to his present place
twenty-two years ago. This is a fine, well-
kept place of eighty-six acres, nearly all
of which is under cultivation, and showing
everywhere the thorough knowledge of
farming and care of its owner. Besides
this farm. Mr. Wunneiiherg owns sixty-
two acres of good land elsewhere in Ben-
ton township, some of which has already
been improved. Mr. Wuiiuenberg has
recently erected a large sui)stantial two-
story dwelling upon the place.

.Mr. \\ umienberg early allied himself
with the Democracy, believing its prin-
ciples to be more consistent with .Amer-
ican ideas of liberty and popular govern-
ment than those of any other party. In
religious matters he has affiliated himself
with the Evangelical church, of whose
teachings he is a follower.

In 1881 .Mr. Wunnenbcrg was united in
marriage to .Miss Lydia .\. Gieselman,
daughter of Henry Gieselman, who was
an tarly settler of Des Moines county.
Mr. Gieselman formerly owned the place
where our subject now resides. He was
a man who was prominent in all local
enterprises, and was respected by all who
came in contact with him. He died at
the age of seventy-seven }ears. His
widow still resides on the old homestead
of thirty acres in Beiitnu tuwiiship. one
and a half miles west nf I, ally, with her
son, Henry Gieselman.

Mrs. \\ niiiunberg, who was also a
member of the Evangelical church, died
in i8i)0. leaving behitul her the five chil-

dren who were born to this union. These
children were as follows: Ida, wife of
I'cter Smith, a farmer of Benton town-
ship, to whom has been born one child :
Otto, who is married to Miss .\nna Stef-
fencr.'imd resides at home; Frederick and
.\rlhur. who live at honu': and one child
who died in infancy.

On April 20, 1892, Mr. Wunnenbcrg
was agaifi married, this time to Miss
Elizabeth W'iegert, who was also a native
of Benton township. To this union have
been born four children : Goldie. Elsie,
Esther, and F.rnest. the latter of whom
died in t<KX).

Mrs. W'unnenberg is a inemi)er of the
Evangelical church. She possesses those
thrifty housewifely qualities which are so
inucli needed to make a worthy help-
meel for a man whose success must come
from tilling the soil to the best advantage.

.Mr. Wunnenbcrg is a well-known citi-
zen of Benton township. The circle of
his ac(|uaintancp is wide, and co-exten-
sive therewith is the circle of those who
honor him for what he is.

ALBERT L. HAMILTON.

.\i.i;i:kt L. H.wiilton, residing f)n one
hundred and six acres in Section 26,
Huron townshi]). Des Moines county, is
a sou of one of the respectetl families of
this county. He was born in Lee county,
Iowa. .March 11;. 1857, and is a son of
James and .Margaret (Thomas) Hamil-
ton. His father was born near I'ittsburg,
I'a . w.is married in Pennsylvania, and
came to I(.)wa in 1853. They were the
parents of six children: I*"lizabefh and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

755

Anna died in infancy; William Alfred
went to Arizona when thirty-two years
of age, and was killed by the Apache
Indians, who had gone on the war-path ;
Andrew lives in Dcs Moines county ;
Robert went to Washington in 1890, and
was drowned at Portland, Ore.

The father of oiir subject enlisted in
the Civil War in 1862, joining the Iowa
Cavalry. He took part in a number of
battles, and was taken prisoner, dying in
Andersonville prison. Mrs. Hamilton
lived in Des Moines county till 1883,
when she went to Kansas, where she
died Aug. 14, 1897, and is buried in Glen
Elder, Kans.

Our subject was educated in the public
schools of Des Moines county, and reared
on his father's farm. He now carries on
general farming, and raises thirty head
of cattle and fifty head of fine hogs annu-
ally. Politically, he gives his allegiance
to the Democratic party, and is ever
ready to assist in all that will promote
the general good of our country. He has
acted as school director for two years.
and is now road superintendent of Huron
township.

May 28, 1883, Mr. Hamilton married
Miss Barbara Eibes, daughter of Joseph
and Barbara (Christ) Eibes. Mrs. Ham-
ilton was born in Burlington, Iowa, Oct.
20, 1862. They have been blessed with
two children of whom one is living :
.\nna Marie, born June 10. 1892, is at
home; Albert Joseph, born July 24, 1897,
died in infancy.

Air. Eibes, father of Mrs. Hamilton,
was born in Prussia, Germany. Dec. 20,
1825, and her mother was born in Swit-
zerland, Feb. 2, 1835, 3^'itl came to Amer-
ica in the spring of 1856, coming at once

to Burlington, Iowa. Mr. Eibes served
in the Prussian army in 1848, and was hon-
orably discharged at the close of the war.
He came to America in 1854, and after
spending one year in Louisville, Ky., came
to Burlington, where he was married May
4, 1858.

Mr. and Mrs. Eibes have been blessed
with six children: Catherine C, born
Oct. 17. 1859, married Joseph Schier, Oct.
28, 1879, ^""J <i'ed Feb. I, 1904; Anna
Marie, born Feb. 15, 1861, married Elias
Eliert, June 14, 1880, and resides in Bur-
lington, Iowa; Marie Louisa, born Dec.
28, 1864. is the wife of Alichael Hellen-
thal. whose sketch appears in this book
on another page; John Joseph, born Aug.
2},. 1872, is married and lives in Huron
township ; Charles, born Jan. 22, 1878,
lives in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs
Hamilton are devoted members of St.
Mary"s church. They occupy a high po-
sition in public regard, and have many
friends in business and social circles.

FRANK OSCAR JACKSON.

Fr.\xk Osc.-\r J.\ck.so.\'. one of the in-
dustrious farmers of Hiu^on township, came
to America in 1868, when" a lad of six years,
and by a continuous residence in Des
Moines county has become well and favor-
abl}- know. He is a son of Alfred and
Christina (Pearson) Jackson, his birth hav-
ing occurred in Sweden, Aug. 5, 1862. His
father was born in Sweden in 1837, where he
was a prosperous farmer. In 1861 he mar-
ried Miss Christina Pearson, who was born
in Sweden March 20, 1837. They were the
parents of seven children ; Frank Oscar,

756

BIOGRAPHICAL RIU 'IliW

Iwrn Aug. 5. 1862: Andrew Peter lives in
Mediapolis, Iowa ; Anna dieil when very
young; John \'ictor also resides in Mediap-
olis ; Ellen Caroline married Albert Jack-
son, of Huron township; Jacob Albert died
when twenty years of age. Mr. and Mrs.
Jackson were both devoted members of the
Swedish Lutheran church, and were active
workers in the same. Mrs. Jackson died
Feb. 22, HJ05, and is buried in the Swedish
Lutheran cemetery.

Our subject received his education in the
district schools of Huron township, and
was reared a farmer. He is carrying on
his father's farm of fift_\-nine acres in Sec-
tion 26, Huron townshij), and also farms
fifty-five acres outside of this.

March i, 1893, Mr. Jackson married Miss
Amanda Christina Swanson, daughter of
August and Emma Christina Swanson.
Mrs. Jackson's i)areuts were born in .Swe-
den, and came to America when very young.
They were married in ISenton townshi]),
Des Moines county. Iowa, where they owm
one htmdred and fifty acres of good farm
land. rhe\ are the parents of six children :
Amanda Christina, wife of Mr. Jackson:
John William, born Aug. 12, 1872, and
lives with his parents ; Carl Theodore, bom
Oct. 24, 1873. and died Nov. 6, 1894, and
is buried in the Swedish Lutheran ceme-
tery; Frank Oliver, born Oct. 17, 1877,
is married, and living at home ; Hilma \'ic-
toria, born March 3, 1880, married Charles
Blomburg, and resides in lUirlington, Iowa ;
Esther l-'lvira, born April 27, 1884, lives
with parent.

Mrs. Swanson w-as one of the charter
members of the Swedish Lutheran church,
and died Nov. 30, 1903, and is buried in
the cemetery of this church. Mr. Jackson
is progressive and enterprising, and by close

attention to all the details of agriculture
has won much success in business, and by
his fair and manly dealings he has estab-
lished a good reputation, and counts his
friends b\ the hundreds.

JAMES HENRY SCHULZE.

James Hknrv Schulze was a man of
high moral worth, of strong princi]>les, and
of deep symiiathy, and the sterling traits
of his character endeared him to all with
whom he came in contact. He is a son of
Henry and Anna .Margaret Schulze, and was
Iwrn in the ])r(>vince of Saxony, Cermany,
Feb. 12, 1837. .\fter taking a course in the
connnon schools in the place of his birth,
he spent the time on his father's farm,
carefully learning everything pertaining to
tile management and equipment of a good
farm. Tn 1SS4 lie crossed the great ocean,
and landed in a new world, full of golden
opportunities oi)en to any and all who will
hut reach and grasj) them. .\\)r\\ I. 1885.
he lK)ught seventy acres of grnxl farm land
in Mint River township, a little later added
ten acres more to it, and in 1901 purchased
an adjoining farm of two hundred and six
acres, making in all about two hundred and
eighty-four acres in Section 4. Mr. Schulze
made great cflForts to secure this much prop-
erty, but was not destined to enjoy it long,
for May 7, 1904, the grim messenger
Death came for him at the age of sixty-
seven years.

April 30, 1869, .Mr. Schulze was married
to Miss Doratha Harms, daughter of James
and Catherine Mary (Schulze) Harms, who
was born Feb. 25, 1842. This union was
blessed with four children: Martha, born

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

757

May 24, 1870, at home with her mother ;
Alwine, born Aug. 28, 1874, died Aug. 17,
1884; Johannes, born June 23, 1877, and
Albert, born Aug. 20, 1880, both at home.
Mr. Schulze was always a stanch Demo-
crat, though he never held any office. Mrs.
Schulze is a devoted and consistent member
of the German Lutheran church, as was also
her departed husband. He had been act-
ively engag'ed in farming, and devoted much
time to the raising of fine stock, and since
his death Mrs. Schulze has tried to carry on
the place much as her good husband did.
She has sixty-three head of Hereford stock,
twelve fine horses, and is able to ship about
fifty fat hogs to the local markets annually.
She and her children deserve much credit
for their thrift, energy, and untiring efforts
to succeed.

The memory of Mr. Schulze is held kindly
in the hearts of all who knew him. He lived
a life of harmony with the highest prin-
ciples of manhood, was reliable in business,
loyal in citizenship, and most faithful to the
duties of friendship and of the home.

JOHN WILLIAM HARMS.

John William H.\rms, of Burlington.
Iowa, 'widely known as a practitioner of
the healing art of wonderful skill, as well as
one of the substantial land-owners of Des
Moines county, was born in Amstetten,
Germany. April 11, 1834, the son of Fred-
erick and Margaret (Theilenger) Harms,
and was educated in the schools of his native
place. At the termination of his schooling,
Mr. Harms was engaged in farming, and at
the trades of shoemaking and butchering,
which he learned. These occupations he

continucil successfully until Nov. 24, 1867,
when he came to America in search of the
more abundant opportunities of the New
World, and located in the city of Washing-
ton, where for a time he was in the employ
of the Adams Express Company. Later he
did shoemaking, then returning to his trade
of butchering, to which he devoted himself
until 1869.

At that time he decided to cast his lot
with the West, and came to Burlington.
During the first three years of his residence
in Des Moines county he was in the em-
ploy of Mr. John Wright, a farmer, and
the following three years he worked for Mr.
Eli Wright : but in 1875, having accumu-
lated a small capital by thrift and diligent
application to duty, he purchased a tract of
eight acres of fine farm land in Pleasant
Grove township, and thereafter devoted his
whole effort to independent agricultural op-
erations. In this venture he met with such
success that he was afterward able to in-
crease his holdings largely. The farm now
comprises one hundred and twentv acres,
where general farming and stock-raising are
carried on, besides the operation of a large
and valuable stone quarry located on the
land, in which Mr. Harms has four men
constantly employed, and which of itself
yields him a very handsome revenue.

In addition to his farm work, Mr. Harms
early became deeply interested in the treat-
ment of disease by the method of massage
and hypnotic suggestion, and by hard and
patient study obtained a remarkable insight
into the interplay of the human mind and
the forces of the physical system. This led
him naturally to a practical use of his
knowledge, and he soon performed a num-
ber of complete cures in cases which phy-
sicians had pronounced hopeless. In conse-

758

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

qiience his practice rapidly grew to such of Science, of Rochester, N. Y., in hyp-
great proportions that he was constrained notism and magnetic heaHng, and the pre-

to abandon all other duties, and in iy04 he
removed to Burlington, as a central jwint,
to give his time exclusively to the relief of
human suffering. Selfish motives have
never played a part in shaping his decisions,
and no one appeals to him in vain. He
gives his best efforts to the relief of the poor
in distress, without hope of reward, and in
many cases where it is absolutely certain
that no return can be forthcoming except
the approval of conscience. Hundreds of
the afflicted have availed themselves of his
ministrations, and many difficult and appar-
ently desperate cases have been the occasions
of his complete triumph over disease. His
practice is drawn from a vast expanse of
territory, throughout which his name and
the fame of his work are universally known
and appreciated as the prophecy of a new
era in human history.

In Germany, on May i6, 1862, Mr.
Harms wedded Miss Annie Fox, daughter
of Frank and .\niia (Rader) Fox, and to
them have been born six children, as fol-
lows : Frederick, who died at the age of two
and one-half years; Mary, wife of Henry
Coldway, now a resident of Mount Union ;
William, who also died at the age of two
and a half years ; Henry, who has charge of
the home farm ; John, who died at the age
of nine months : and George, associated with
Henry in his work of the farm.

j\lr. Harms's political affiliation has al-
ways been with the Republican ])arty, of
whose principles he became a sup])orter
upon his first settlement in .Xmerica, but he
has never cared for the honor of public
office, preferring to give his time and
thought to scientific studies and research.
In iip2 he was graduate<l from the Institute

vious year was graduated from Professor
Rozenburg's Institute, of Glandorf, Ohio.
He is a faithful worker, and very prom-
inent member of the Lutheran church,
which he served as trustee for the long
jieriod of fifteen years. A man of absolutely
unblemished character, distinguished ability,
and marked attainments, his standing in the
community is in all respects enviable, and
as a courageous pioneer in an almost untried
field of effort and usefulness, he deserves
every encouragement and all praise.

DR. WILLIAM H. RYUN.

Dr. VVilli.\m H. Rvlx, whose skill as
a specialist in the cure of cancerous diseases
has gained him a most extended and well-
merited reputation, was born in Wayne
county, Iowa, Feb. 5, 1861, his parents
being John M. and Polly (Clarke) Ryun.
His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Ryun,
was born in Fayette county, Ohio, in 1785,
and died in 1870, while his wife passed away
in 1833, — the year celebrated because of
the great shower of falling stars, — at the
age of thirly-five years.

J'. M. R\un was born in Fayette county,
Ohio, in 1821, was reared to the occupation
of farming, and followed that pursuit
throughout his active business career. He
came to the West in 1849, settling for three
years in Davis county, Iowa. He afterward
lived for forty years in Wayne county,
Iowa, where he followed the occupation of
farming, and on the expiration of that pe-
riod he removed to Republican City, Nebr.,
where he lived retired until his death,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

759

which occurred in 1900. He was a mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity, and in his
life exemplified the beneficent spirit of the
order. In his poHtical views he was a stal-
wart Democrat, and served as school di-
rector, road trustee, supervisor, and in
other local offices. His Christian faith was
evidenced by his membership for a period
of forty years in the Methodist church, in
which he served as steward, while in the
various activities of the church he took a
helpful part.

He was married to Miss Polly Clarke,
who was born May 10, 1822, in Fayette
county, Ohio, and spent her girlhood days
there, giving her hand in marriage to Mr.
Ryun in July, 1840. She still survives her
husband, and now at the advanced age of
eighty-three years is able to sew and read.
She also attends the services of the Meth-
odist church, of which she has been a mem-
ber since thirteen years of age. She makes
her home with her daughter, Mrs. Dawson.
In the famil}- were ten children, all of
whom reached adult age, namely : Sarah.
the wife of Daniel Williams, a resident of
Republican City, Nebr. ; Benjamin F., who
married Elizabeth Cook, and is also living
in Republican City ; David C, who wedded
Susanna Hidee, and resides at Gravotte,
Ark. ; Polly A., the wife of Jacob Burley,
of Missouri; Nancy J., who became the
wife of James Cook, and died about twelve
years ago ; Elvira, the wife of William
Dawson, died in 1877: Amos L., who mar-
ried Miss Livingston, and resides at Re-
publican City, Nebr. ; W. H., of this review ;
Lenora Dean, the wife of Silas Burley, of
Wayne county, Iowa; and Ida, the wife of
William Dawson, of Mount Pleasant,
Iowa, who was formerly the husband of
her sister Elvira.

Dr. Ryun acquired his education in the
jniblic schools of his native county, and
through the summer months assisted in the
work of his father's farm, whereon he re-
mained until twenty-one years of age. Be-
•fore leaving the farm he had become in-
terested in the subject of the cure of
cancer, and had carried forward his inves-
tigations to a considerable extent along that
line. He became imbued with a strong de-
sire to alleviate the suffering caused fnjm
this trouble, and even before he left the
farm he began removing cancers by means
of outward application. After leaving the
parental roof he practiced in Wayne county
for eight years, and then went to Nebraska,
where he remained for eighteen months.
In 1890 he located at 506 Clay Street,
Mount Pleasant, in the old Leonard Farr
home, where he made many improvements
and additions, transforming the place into
a beautiful residence and hospital.

Nov. I, 1905, however, he removed to
Burlington, Iowa, and located at 213 Polk
Street, on Prospect Hill, in order that he
might have a more central location and be
more easily reached by his many patients
coming from a distance. Also, in order to
accommodate those from the South and
West, he has opened a branch office in St.
Louis, where he spends a part of his time.
Throughout all these years Dr. Ryun has
carried forward his studies concerning can-
cerous growths and their cure, and has
gained that knowledge and understanding
which always rewards patient, persevering
effort. His labors have been attended with
gratifying success when viewed from a
professional standpoint, and his services
have been sought by people from all sec-
tions of the country, a fact which indicates
that his fame has spread abroad as the re-

760

BIOiJRAPHICAL REVIFJV

suit of tlif remarkable cures that lie has
effected.

Oct. 15, 1884. Dr. Ryun was married to
Miss Rosa H(japlin, a daughter of John.
Jr., and Caroline ( Webb) Hoaglin. She
was born Nov. i, 1865, in Salina, Jefferson
county, Iowa. Her father, a native of
\ew York City, was born Jan. i. 1808. and
was a son of John Hoa).jlin. a shi|)builder
of the Eastern metropolis. John Hoaglin,
Jr., however, was left an orphan at a very
early age, after which he was bound out.
He left the East, however, when seventeen
years of age, and eventually became a mer-
chant in St. Louis. Mo., and afterward in
Salina, Iowa, where he remained for thirty-
six years. He then took up his abode in
Eairfield, where he was also identified with
business pursuits, but he is now living re-
tired in Mount Pleasant, at the present
time making his home with Mrs. Ryun. at
the advanced age of ninety-six years. He
has led an earnest Christian life, holding
membcrshi]) originally with the Methodist
ami later with tin- Congregational church.
His political allegiance is given to the
Democracy. lie is undoubtedly one of the
oldest men (jf the county, and is still hale
and liearty, although for tiic past six years
he has been lilind.

Mrs. Hoaglin died in 1895, at the age of
sixty-three years. She was a native of
Nashville, Tenn., l)orn in 1832, and by her
marriage had a family of thirteen children,
eight of whom are yet living: C. S.. who
married Miss Minnie McCosh, and resides
in Oregon ; A. B., who wedded Miss Anna
Ilildebrand, by whom he has three soii.s,
their home being in Idaho; J. L.. who mar-
ried Miss Lizzie McDorman. and resides
in Mount Pleasant, Iowa: H. A., of Salt
Lake. Utah, who married Miss .\nm. Snook,

and has two children : C. I*., who wedded
Miss Melissa Boley, by whom he has eight
children, and makes his home at Hillslwro,
Henry county, Iowa; Mrs. Ryun; Delia,
the wife of William Swaine, of Lucas,
Iowa, by whom she has three children ;
and Rosa, the wife of William H. Ryun,
a resident of Burlington.

Dr. and Mrs. Ryun have had one child,
Lester, who was born .Se])t. 26, 1885. but
lived for only six weeks. They now have
an adopted son, Merrill, seven years of
age, who has been with them since early in-
fancy. The doctor is a stanch Prohibition-
ist in his ])()litical affiliation, lieing in hearty
sympathy with the temperance cause : and
fraternally he is connected with the Ancient
Order of United Workmen. His life has
been devoted to his profession, and he has
had a wonderful practice, in which he has
been very successful, his ])atients coming
to him from all parts of this country and
Canada. He is a gentleman of |)leasant
disposition and genial manner, of U])right
life and geiuiine jiersoual worth. I'mtii he
and his wife possess scholarly tastes, devn-
ting nuich time to reading, and a retentive
memory enables them to assimilate what
they read, thus broadening their knowledge
and enrichinsr their conversation.

HUGH HARVEY MARTIN.

.\mon(. tile tinu'-lionored citizens, and
one who has been engaged in agricul-
ture for many years in Yellow Sjjrings
townshij). we mention the name of Hugh
Har\ey .Martin, who may justly claim to
be not only an old resident, but one of
the most successful men of this town-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

761

ship. He is a son of ^^'illianl and Jane
(Harvey) Martin, and was born in
County Down, Ireland. March 13. 1854.
His education was acquired in the place
of his birth, and when seventeen years
of age he crossed the great Atlantic and
settled in Yellow Springs township, where
he worked by the month on a farm in
the summer-time and during the winter
months attended the public schools. He
continued working by the month till 1884.
when he took unto himself a wife and
rented a farm. His marriage to Miss
Nancy Anna Hensleigh, a daughter of Will-
iam and Susan (Wilson) Hensleigh,
whose record may be read on another
page in this review, occurred in 1884.
She was born in Yellow Springs town-
ship, on the place where they now live,
Feb. I, 1862, and has been a continuous
resident of the township ever since.

As the years have passed, Mr. and Mrs.
Martin have had eight children added un-
to them as follows : Ola Blanche, born
Oct. 20, 1885: Martha Pearl, born Nov.
22, 1887; William French, born Nov. i,
1889; Susanna Jeannetta, born March 20,
1892; James Alonzo, born Jan. 11, 1894;
Ellis Elizabeth, born Sept. 26, 1896; Anna
May, born Dec. 25, 1898; and Emma,
Agnes, born Feb. 26, 1904. The above-
named children received good educations
in the district schools, and all reside with
their parents.

Mr. Martin's father died in Ireland in
i860, and his mother brought her six
surviving children to America in 1875.
Those living are : James ; Martha, mar-
ried J(ihn Allen, and resides in Nebraska ,
Mary, is Mrs. Charles Childers, also of
Nebraska; Agnes, lives in Nebraska, and
is the wife of John Martin ; and Hugh

Harvey, of this review. The names of
those dead are: Jane and William, died
in Ireland ; and Eliza1)cth, died in Amer-
ica. The mother of our subject made her
home with the subject of this review for
some years prior to her death, which oc-
curred in 1895.

In 1886 Mr. Martin bought a farm of
one hundred and twenty acres in Section
16, which is now all under fine culti\'a-
tion. on which he does general farming,
and raises some seventy-five head of hogs
and feeds two car-loads of cattle annu-
ally. He has since also added one hun-
dred and twenty acres adjoining his place
on the north, which is also under his per-
sonal supervision.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin are members of
the United Presbyterian church. He has
ne\er sought public ' office of any kind,
preferring to devote his entire energies
to the cultivation of his farm, which is
finely improved with all necessary build-
ings. He is an enterprising and success-
ful agriculturist, is genial and cordial in
disposition, upright in his dealings, and
enjoys the confidence and respect of the
communitv jreneralh'.

HENRY J. LUECKING.

Numbered among the iiKjst sub.^tantial
and progressive farmers of Flint River
township, Des Moines county, Iowa, is
Henry Luecking. residing on his valu-
able farm of one hundred and eighty-
five acres in Section 8. where he has
erected a large and handsome frame
dwelling and many modern buildings,
and conducts general farming and the

-fi2

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

raisinj^ ot tine stuck. Mr. Liicckiiij; is a
nativi- of ("icrinany, having Ijct-n born in
Prussia, May 26. 1849. He emigrated to
America with his parents in 1854, making
a voyage eight weeks in duration, and
landing at Xew Orleans, whence they
traveled by ri\er to Iowa, and locate<l in
Des Moines county. Here the father ])ur-
chased a farm of forty acres in Flint
River townshij), t(j which lie added until
his holdings amounted in <nu- hundred
acres, making his home there until his
death, March 5, 1898, at the age of eighty-
four years and some months. His own
death had been preceded ten years by that
of his -wife, who died Feb. 12, 1888, aged
sixty-seven years and four months. Of
the six children born to them only two
arc now living.

The elder Luecking was in his political
faith a Democrat, holding strongly to the
tenets of that party, and his religious con-
nection was with the Fvangelical Lutheran
church. He was a man of ability, being
quite successful as a farmer.

.Mr. Luecking received his education in
the ]>ublic schools of this township and in
the deriuan subscri])tion schools. When
he was about twenty-six years of age, he
purchased his jjresent farm, and at once
devoted himself to the task of its im-
provement. This ])roject he has carried
out along the most modern and ap])roved
lines, and with eminent success, making
it one of the model farms of Flint River
township.

On July I, 1875. he wedded .Miss
Hannah Schwartz, daughter of Henry
Schwartz. Mr. .Schwartz, who is a native
of Germany, came to the United States
at an early date (about 1857 or 1838),
and located in Franklin township, this

county, where he farmed for several years,
and where his ileath occurred in 1875, in
tile fifty-second year i)f his age. He is
survived by his widow ( who is eighty
years old at this writing), who still lives
on the home fa^rm in Franklin township,
and by six children, there being one
deceased.

To Mr. and Mrs. Luecking have been
born eight children, as follows: .\nnie,
luarried William I'lachmann, .March 24,
1898. and has one child. Ralph ; licrtha,
luarried Henry Gueldenhaar, of Flint
River township, Oct. 12, 1899, and has
one child, Walter: Clara, luarried .\rthur
Sarmann, Flint River township, .April 22,,
1902. and has one child, Irwin: Elsie, at
home: Walter, died June 20, 1892, aged
four years and nine months: and Herman,
Arthur, and Sadie, who are at home with
Mr. and Mrs. Luecking.

Tolitically, Mr. Luecking is a member
of the Democracy, in whose i)rinciples he
is a thoroughgoing believer, although he
is not csi)ecially active in public affairs,
l>referring to devote his attention princi-
])ally to private business as the field of
endeavor for which he considers hiiuself
best fitted: and certainly the event has
justified his choice, for he has accom-
plished much, and assumed a position
among the property interests of his coiu-
mimity which is truly enviable. During
his entire life he has been identified with
the Evangelical church, in which he is a
prominent worker, and fcr the past twen-
ty _vears has acted as one of its trustees —
a long period of useful service, which
speaks luuch for his practical ability and
his zeal in behalf of a good cause. He
enjoxs great popularity among his itume-
diatc neighbors, and is widely ac(|uaintcd
throughout Des Moines county.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

763

ANDREW FREDERICK
GUSTAFSON.

The subject of this sketch has achieved
success entirely by his own efforts, and
reared for himself a noble edifice of repu-
tation. "Mr. Gustafson is one of the many
men of Swedish birth to whose native
thrift and practical common sense Des
Moines county owes so much of her pres-
ent prosperity.

Andrew Gustafson was born in Yonko-
pings Lan, Smoland, Sweden, on April

20, 1839, the son of Gustave and Lena
(Magnison) Peterson. At that time there
were no public schools in that part of
Sweden, and as his father was unable to
employ a private tutor, all the education he
received was what . he obtained at the
parochial school, and what he was able
to gather by himself. He was brought
up a farmer, and has always preferred
that occupation to an\' other.

A\'hen he was about twenty-nine years
of age he became convinced that the New
World offered better inducements to him,
not only in better prospects of financial
success, but also in better educational and
social advantages for his family. Accord-
ingly he came to America June 22, 1868,
coming by way of New York directly to
Burlington, Iowa. He began work there
as a section hand for the Burlington &
Missouri Railroad Company, working
there for two years.

During this tihie, by carefid economv
and thrifty way"S, he had saved enough
so that he came to Huron township and
bought a farm of twenty acres in Section

21, from James Rankin. He lived there
for seven years, then sold that farm and
purchased forty acres in Section 28,

Huron township, where he now resides.
To this he has since added another forty
acres. He has cleared and stumped the
land, brought it all under cultivation,
built a comfortable house and a good
barn, and improved the farm from time
to time in many ways, as occasion arose,
till he now has a comfortable home on
one of the best-kept modern farms in the
township. The land is well adapted to
the business of general farming and
stock-raising that he carries on.

Mr. Gustafson was united in marriage
before leaving Sweden, his wife being
Miss Hannah Johnson, to whom he was
wedded on May 25, 1868. She was the
daughter of John and Magdalena (Johan-
son) Johnson, and her natal da\' was May
12, 1833. To this union were born four
children, of whom one son and one
daughter are now living. The children
were: Wilhemenia \V., born June 24,
1867, died at the age of nine months;
Carl Frederick, born May 25, 1870, also
died at the age of nine months ; Amanda
G., born Jan. 21, 1872; and Herman G.,
born June 23, 1874. Amanda and Her-
man recei\ed their education in the pub-
lic schools of Huron township, and now
live at home with their parents. The son
supplemented the education which he re-
ceived in the district schools with a
course of one term in Elliott's Business
college, of Burlington.

Mr. Gustafson and his family are ac-
tive members of the Swedish Lutheran
church, faithful in their observance of its
teachings, and loyally supporting all its
benevolences. They have ever exhibited
a praiseworthy devotion to all worthy
causes, and are valued factors in the
social life of the commimitv. Li the at-

764

BIOGRAI'HICAL REl 1 1- II '

tainiiK'iit of his present prosperous estate,
Mr. Ciiistafsoii lias had many obstacles to
overcome, and what he has accomplished
has been done without assistance, being
entirely the result of his own force of
character, so that lie is fully deserving of
tliat old l)ut expressive title of self-made
man. These facts in his career have made
him nijniy admirers, while his genial dis-
position and integrity in his dealings have
won for him the general respect and a
large number nf sincere friends.

ALBERT RAUHAUS.

Albkrt Kaihais, who is engaged in
farming on Sections 18 and 19, Huron
townshi]), where he owns two hundred
and forty acres of land, was born in
Alsace-Lorraine, then a i)art of France.
May 10, 1856. his ])arents I)eing Herman
and Magdaleiia Rauhaus. The father was
a toolmaker l)y trade, and in 1867 he
brought his family to .America, reaching
this country in August. Albert Rauhaus
was then eleven years of age. The fam-
ily located first in I'enria. 111., and after-
ward in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the
son comi)leted his education in the public
schools. He has always followed the oc-
cupation of farming, and the success he
has achieved has been gained entirely in
this way. His methods are practical and
progressive, and in all his work he is sys-
tematic and industrious. He came to Des
Moines county in February, 1903, from
the vicinity of Muscatine. Iowa, and here
])iircliasi'il 1 w ( I huiidriMl and forty acres
of land from Wilson Williams. This is
located on Sections 18 and i<). Huron

township, and constitutes a valuable
property. Already he has made consid-
erable changes in the appearance of the
place, his fields being well tilled, while
to some extent he has tiled the land. He
has al.so built a new corn-crib, and is now
erecting a large barn, thirty-four W forty
feel. Rverything al)i>ut the place is kept
in good repair, and already the farm is
yielding to him a good income.

On April, 30, 1882, Mr. Rauhaus was
married to, Miss Catherine Conrad, a
daughter of Jacob and IClizabeth (Som
mers) Conrad, a native of Lee. hid..
born March 5. 184^. They have become
the parL-nts of seven children: William,
born Nov. 2, 1883: Herman, May 30,
1885; Emma, Feb. i.>. 1887; Otto, March
14. 1889; George, .\ug. 18, 1892: Eli
Albert, Xov. 18, i8v4: and I'.ertha Cath-
arine. Dec. 30, iSff).

Mr. Rauhaus is a member of the
.\postolic (ierman church, and holds the
office of secretary of this religious organ-
ization. He is a man linn in his beliefs
and true to his cnn\ ictiims.

JACOB L. LEHMANN.

Till-: name of Lehmann is one that has
long been identified with the business and
musical circles of I'.tirlington, Iowa, and
in both of these the subject of the present
review is proving his rigltt to an increasing
measure of consideration. Mr. Lehmann
was born in I'urlington Sept. 4, 1868, a son
of lose|)h and Mary (^Follard) Lehmann,
and the family in America was founded by
his grandfather, who was a resident of
liaden-l'aden. Ciermanv. where he was a

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

765

musician, and whence he came to the United
States about the year 1855. The grand-
father is now deceased, having died at the
age of seventy-two years. The father of
Mr. Lehniann, also now deceased, was by
trade a cigarmaker, and was a musician and
composer of talent. He never published his
compositions, and thus never became known
to the general public, but as a musical per-
former and director attained a large local
popularity, being the director of Lehniann's
band and orchestra in Burlington, which
he always maintained at a high standard of
efficiency, and with w-hich he visited many
surrounding towns and cities, everywhere
gaining great praise. He is survived by
his widow, now residing in Burlington, and
they were the parents of nine children, as
follows : Joseph, who died in boyhood ;
Louisa ; Emma, widow of Charles Behrens ;
Charles ; Leopold, now deceased ; Mary,
wife of Anton Grothc : Jacob L., our sub-
ject : Bertha, wife of Andrew Follard : and
Edward Henry.

Air. Lehmann was educated in the Catholic
parochial school and in the public schools of
Burlington, and his musical training began at
a very early age, he playing in his father's
orchestra at the age of seven years, and ever
afterward continuing one of its members.
.-\s a means of livelihood, he learned the
trade of house-painting, which he followed
for a period of nine or ten years, and sub-
sequently traveled extensively as a musician
in theatrical and circus companies, visiting
in this capacity the leading cities and towns
of a large part of the country, and playing
every sort of musical instrument. Among
the organizations with which he was con-
nected mav be mentioned the Mclntyre &
Heath Minstrels, the Weber Comedy Com-
pan\-, and a Duck, Dog, and Poultry Show,

and Andrews & Shomes's Circus. During
the last two years he has been proprietor
and manager of a' progressive confectionery
establishment and news-stand on Eighth
Street, Burlington, in the conduct of which
his wide popularity, combined with diligent
and careful management, has brought him
excellent success.

Mr. Lehmann and his brother Charles are
proprietors of Lehmann's Orchestra, which
they took under their charge at their father's
death, and of which Mr. Lehmann had been
director \ir\or to that time. His efforts have
won for the orchestra a still greater measure
of public favor than it formerly enjoyed,
and its merits are widely recognized. For
two years he was, in addition, musical di-
rector at Ferris Wheel Park, in Burlington,
and for one year at Ebner's Park. May
26, 1888, he wedded Miss Mary Ohle, a
native of Halmstad, Sweden, wh^ce at two
years of age she came to America with her
father, Louis Ohle, of Schleswig-Holstein,
and her mother, Sophie Ohle, who was born
at Halmstadt. The father of Mrs. Lehmann
died after his removal to America, but the
mother survives, and is a resident of this
city. Air. Lehmann is a gifted composer,
and has ]niblished several works that have
attained genuine popularity, among them
the " Blue Label March," " AIcKinley's
Funeral March," the waltz, entitled " I Am
a Buffalo," a two-step published by Lyon
& Healy, of Chicago, entitled " South Caro-
lina Sunshine," and " lone," a march and
two-step. Unpublished pieces are : " So
Lovely Waltzes," a march, entitled " Robert
J.," " Chicago Blonde Two-step." Thus
musical and business activity have absorbed
his most earnest thought, although he makes
a study of jjublic questions. He has not,
however, allied himself with any political

766

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

party, but acts iiiiJcpcndcntly in the exercise
of his duty as an elector, casting his ballot
for good government, as he personally con-
ceives it. Frattrnally, he has been a mem-
ber of the Knights of the Maccabees, in
which he was a valued worker, and his
social connections are numerous and pleas-
ant, for he has earned the esteem and regard
of all with whom he has come in contact.

H. J. TACKENBERG.

-V FINE rei)resentative of the younger
generation of business nien of Mediapolis
is H. J. Tackcnberg, who is a native of
Des Moines county, being born in Benton
township Dec. lo. 1871. It was in the
district schools of his township that our
subject ^rst learned reading, writing,
and the rule of three, or more commoiilv
speaking, to cipher.

His parents, Henry and .\lvina (Coutz)
Tackenberg, were prominent and pros-
perous farmers of Des Moines county,
and it was upon their beautiful place that
their son H. J. spent his time till he was
twenty-three years of age. In 1894 he
decided that he would prefer city life to
that of one in rural districts, and engaged
as a carpenter in the building department
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy .
Railroad. He remained with that road
till 1903, during which time he assisted
in the erection of many large buildings
and stations.

He then made another change in his
business, being able at this time, through
his own efforts, to branch out for himself,
buying out the -livery stable of \V. S.
McCray, of Media])olis. Disposing of all

the old material, he added new and mod-
ern vehicles and a fine stock of horses,
and conducted this place alone with much
])rofit and success till Feb. i, i<)05, when
he entered into partnership with E. M.
Colby. They had one of the neatest and
best stables in the county until their part-
nership dissolution June i, i<x>5. when
-Mr. Tackenberg bought out his partner's
interest, and is now conducting the
business alone. He does nearly all the
livery business of the town, and though
he began with but ten buggies and
twelve horses, his trado has increased to
such an extent that he is now on the
lookout for more horses and vehicles.

Mr. Tackenberg was married Jan. i^,
1893, his wife being, in maidenhood, Miss
.\nna M. Schuler, one of Des Moines
county's noble daughters, whose parents
were Joseph and 'Mary (Myers) Schuler.
They are the parents of a bright and
promising daughter, Esther, who.se birth
occurred in Mediapolis, March 12, 1894.
She is now a student in the grammar
sdiools of her home place. Politically,
-Mr. Tackenberg is a stalwart Kei)ublican,
but has never been one to ask favors at
the hands of his chosen party. He is a
member of the .'\ncient Order of United
Workmen of Burlington, Iowa, and also
a member of the Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, of Mediapolis.

He is deeply interested in everything
pertaining to public progress and im-
])rovcment. llis business interests have
been so capably conducted that success
has attended his labors, and he well mer-
its the prosperity that has come to him,
and the approval of his fellow-men, and
is well worthy of representation in this
work.

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

769

HUGH C. GETTY.

A SUCCESSFUL career has been that of
Hugh C. Getty, now located as a clerk in a
store in Winchester, Kans. He was born
Dec. 22, 1864, on his father's farm in Ben-
ton township. His parents, Robert and
Eliza (La Monte) Getty, are both natives
of County Derry, Ireland. They were mar-
ried in Philadelphia, and also lived in Bal-
timore for many years. After coming to
Iowa he owned and farmed one hundred
and eight}--eight acres as long as he was
able, during that time serving as justice of
the peace for sixteen years, and then made
his home with a son in Winchester, Kans.,
where the father died Jan. 30, 1899. He
had made some five trips to Ireland, and
was widely known in this part of the county
as public spirited and very patriotic.

Mr. and Mrs. Getty were the parents of
seven children: Maggie, married the Rev.
J. W. Dill, of Clarinda, Iowa; Robert J.,
married Miss Ida Van Arnum, and has
charge of the stock on the fourth floor at
"Schramm's store ; Anna, married C. R.
Dill, of Oakland, Cal. ; Sarah L., wife of Dr.
S. M. McLain, lives in Cleveland, Ohio ;
James N., deceased, whose widow occupies
the home farm ; Hugh C, of this review :
Mary, wife of A. O. Carson, resides in
Kansas.

Mr. Getty lived on the home farm till
1898, when he had an attack of the West-
ern fever. He first went to the Klondike,
later to Seattle, Wash., and finally settled
in Winchester, Kans., where he worked for
a mercantile company for some years. He
was the administrator of his brother's estate
in Des ]\Ioines County, Iowa, and did some
farming there, but returned to Winchester,
Kans., where he has interests.

He has always taken an active part in
politics, and has given his hearty support
and co-operation to the Republican party,
serving in several of the minor offices of
the township. He is enterprising and pub-
lic-spirited, always ready to lend his aid
toward movements which have for their
end the welfare of the community; and
should he contemplate moving West per-
manently he will be greatly missed by his
friends.

FRANCIS CRANDALL THORNTON.

FR,\Ncrs C. Thornton, one of the
better-known of the rising young farm-
ers of Huron township, belongs to the
number of the bright and earnest young
men who believe in doing things, and are
always ready to help forward any worthy
enterprise. He is one of the native sons
of the township of whom the community
may well be proud. He was born on the
farm on which he now lives, July 28, 1874,
the son of Abel Leonard Crandall Thorn-
ton and Cecilia Aramantha (Fletcher)
Thornton.

The father was a native of Canada, be-
ing born near Toront<T, Jan. 2, 1830, but
coming with his parents to Illinois when
very young. The mother was born in
Green county, Ohio, Sept. 18, 1834, and
came with her parents to Illinois in 1841.
They were luiited in the holy bonds of
matrimony and were the parents of seven
sons and two daughters, of whom five
sons are still living. The children were
as follows: Clarence, born Oct. 19, 1856,
died in infancy; Charles H., born Feb. 12,
1858, died when twelve years old; Brooks
F., born Nov. 29, 1859, now living in

770

BIOUKAI'HICAL RHIEW

Iowa; Mortimer A., born Aug. 12, 1861,
now living in Monmoutli, 111.; Lulu I.,
born July 4, 1865, died at the age of
twenty-six years ; Alma K., born June 2,
1868, died when eight years of age; Jo-
seph .-\., born Feb. 4, 1871. residing at the
present time near Scaton, Mercer county,
111.; F"rancis C, born July 28, 1874, the
subject of this review ; and John W'.. born
June 21, 1876.

Tlu- father and iiiotluT came to Des
Moines county. Iowa, the same year that
they were married, and bought a farm of
eighty acres in Section 26, Huron town-
ship, the same farm that is now ihe home
farm on which our subject resides. This
farm is well suited to stock-raising and
general farming, and on it the parents
lived and reared their family to fill hon-
ored places in the world. Here the father
died on the fifth of March, 1900, and he
lies buried in Dolbey cemetery, in this
township. The mother is still living, and
makes her home in a comfortable little
cottage on the farm, preferring this inde-
pendent life to that of a life in the homes
of any of her children.

Francis C'randall Thornton was raised
on this farm, receiving his education in
the i)iil)lic schools of the township, and
learning from early boyhood the practi-
cal lessons of farm life. He was united in
marriage on Feb. 22, 1899, to Miss Eliza-
beth Morgan, daughter of Charles Frank-
lin and P.arbara ( Deebold") Morgan. She
was one of five children, as follows:
Jerome 15., born Oct. 11, 1879, is a grad-
uate of the Agricultural College at Fort
Collins, Colo., and now makes his home
in Colorado ; Elizabeth, is the wife of our
subject ; Edward Elliott, lx)rn in August,
1881. a graduate of Keokuk Medical (^ol-

lege, and now engaged in practice at
North Hender.son, 111.; Delia Parmelia,
born Sept. ^22. 1883, and Frank Jacob,
born .May 15, 1886, both now at home
with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan
have a fine farm of one hundred acres in
Grove township, Mercer county, 111.

To Mr. and Mrs. Thornton two daugh-
ters have been born : Mabel Margaret,
born Feb. 2, \<yo\, and Barbara Lucile,
born Feb. 11, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Thorn-
ton are members of the Methodist Epis-
co])al church, to which they give their
loyal sup|)ort, assisting in its benevo-
lences and |)romoting i.ts work in all ways
])ossible. He is a member of the Modern
Woodmen of .America. Kingston Camp,
Xo. 5756, and has acted as adviser and
escort for a number of years. His polit-
ical allegiance is given to the Re|)ublican
])arty. and he has ever been progressive
and loyal in citizenship, desiring the
greatest good for the greatest number.
He and his estimable wife have a charm-
ing home, where their o]>en hos])itality,
and cordial, genial ways have always
drawn around them warm-hearted friends,
and in turn they are greatly attached to
their friends and neighbors. All who
know theni desire for them many years
of ha])piness. filled with service to their
family and the community, and crovvnetl
by the greatest of success.

JOS. VOELKEL.

Jos. \'^oELKiiL, whose life history is an
illustration of the opportunity that is af-
forded to young men of enterprise and en-
ergy in America, and who has worked his
way upward from a humble financial posi-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

771

tion to one of affluence, being now proprie-
tor of a jewelry store in Burlington, was
born in Winschbiirg. in Prussia. Germany,
Nov. 23. 1854. He is a son of Carl and
Hannah (Harcig) Y'oelkel. who were also
natives of Prussia, and spent their entire
lives in their native land. The father, who
was born in 1814. died in 1895. but the
mother is still living, at the ri]5e old age of
eighty-five years.

Jos. Voelkel pursued his education in the
public schools and a business college of
Prussia, and when thirteen \ears of age
began learning the jeweler's trade, serving a
regular apprenticeship of four years, at
the end of which time he received a certifi-
cate stating that he was a first-class work-
man in every department of the trade. He
then began working as a journeyman.
.When twenty-nine years of age he obtained
a position in Burlington. Iowa, entering the
employ of T. H. \\'alden, a jeweler, with
whom he remained for eleven years. The
capital he acquired through his industry and
economy was then used in the purchase of a
stock of goods, and he began business on his
own account on Jefferson Street, in the same
block in which he has since conducted busi-
ness. From the beginning he has prospered,
and he now has a large and growing trade.
He carries a full line of high-grade jewelry,
and also does a general repair business, and
his straightforward policy and earnest de-
sire to please has secured him a very desir-
able patronage.

On the 15th of January, i8qi. Mr. Y'oel-
kel was married to ^liss ^Nlarv Halbeg, a
daughter of Lewis and Christiana (Scharf)
Halbeg, both of whom have now passed away,
the father having died in 1871. while the
mother's death occurred in 1895. He was
a government official of Germany, occupy-

ing a life position in the courts of that
country. He was at one time a soldier of
the German army, and it was subsequent to
this time that he was assigned to this court
position. Mrs. Y'oelkel was born in Ger-
many, in the same locality in which her
husband's birth occurred, and in Burling-
ton they were married. They are prominent
socially among the German-American citi-
zens of Burlington, and Mr. Voelkel is par-
ticularly well known in musical circles. He
belongs to the Turners' Singing Society,
and for fifteen years has been its director.
Fraternally, he is connected with the Ancient
Order of United Workmen, and in former
years he gave his political support to the
Democracy. He now votes independently,
however, and cast his last presidential ballot
for Theodore Roosevelt. His has been an
honorable and upright life, and his busi-
ness success, his prominence in musical
circles, and his popularity among his friends,
entitle him to mention among the repre-
sentative citizens of Burlington.

DAVID WILLSON

The whole career, both business and so-
cial, of Mr. Willson serves as a model to
the young and an inspiration to the aged.
He sheds a brightness around everything
with which he comes in contact. By his use-
fulness and general benevol'^nce he creates
a memory whose perpetuation does not de-
pend upon brick or stone, but upon the free-
will offering of a grateful and enlightened
people. Much of the prosperity of Yellow
Springs township is due to the good judg-
ment of this worthy pioneer, who is now on
the shadv side of life.

772

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. \\ illson was born Nov. 16, 1825. in
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. His father
was born in 1791 and his mother in 1798.
They were blessed with a large family of
eleven children, of which the subject of this
review is the third. The children, and dates
of birth, are as follows: Moses. Jan. 17,
1820; Maria, 1822; David, 1825; Sarah,
1827; James, 1829; Casandra, 1832; Re-
becca, 1834: Sidney, 1840: John Knox,
1842: Isaac, 1837; ail infant son, deceased.

We doubt if the county can boast of an-
other family record equal to this grand one.
In .\pril, 1855, this worthy couple left Pitts-
burg and brought their children to Iowa,
coming direct to Burlington. They made
the trip by boat, much to ihc delight of the
young people, and were about two weeks in
making the trip. They came to Mediapolis,
where they tarried for a year, and then lo-
cated in Yellow Springs township, where
they bought a fine farm of two hundred
acres. Having been a thrifty farmer in
the East, he was well equal to the burdens
of one in this part of the Hawkeye State.
After living in the county for twenty years
Mr. Willson was called to join the silent
majority, and the noble woman who filled
every position that falls to the lot of a wife
and mother in a manner that reflected the
highest credit on womanhood, passed to her
final reward five years later, dying in 1880.

David W'illson was reared upon the home
farm, and received a fair common-school
education. He has always been fond of
reading, and thus has continually broad-
ened his knowledge. He never looked upon
the world from a narrow or contracted
standpoint, hut was ever a gentleman of
strong hunianitarian princii)lcs. of wide sym-
pathy, and ujiright life. He continued to
assist his father in the operation of the home

farm till after he reached his majority, when
he felt he had best make a direct start for
himself. When his father passed away,
the home farm was divided, and Mr. Will-
son retained eighty acres of the old original
place in Section 16. He has carried on
agricidtural pursuits most successfully, and
the stock which he raises yields a neat jirofit.

Until the last three years he has cast his
vote with the Republican party, but now
supports the Democratic party. He has held
the office of road supervisor for thirty-two
years, and acted as secretary of the school
board for thirty-five years, a longer term of
office than has ever been held by one man in
the county.

On Dec. 13, 1850, Mr, Willson joined
heart and hand with Miss Mary Jane Mc-
Kinlcy, and for over fifty-five years they
have traveled the rugged path of life to-
gether. It is true that all of this time has
not been one continuous round of sunshine,
but they have lived each day by itself, and
have met the trials and pleasures of married
life with great Christian fortitude. It is
rarely we find a couple who are permitted
to bask in the sunshine of each other's love
for more than fifty years, and the writer is
almost at a loss to find words to express the
beauty of character of this worthy couple,
who are exerting such an influence for all
that stands for truth, morality, and punty,
and who seem to he growing in grace day
by day. Surely, when they are called up
yonder, it will only be a step from earth to
heaven. Mr. and Mrs. Willson have had
three children, two of whom still live : Ellen
Bell, who Ix'came the wife of Henry Paul,
and died in 1903, leaving two children. Roy
M. and Frank M. ; George McKinley, re-
sides in Morning Sun ; and David, engaged
in the hardware business in Mediapolis.

DES MOIXES COUXTV, lOlVA.

773

Many years ago they became members of
the Presbyterian church, and here, too, they
have made records of devotion surpassed
by few. They have always hved under the
conviction tliat material blessings were' most
fittingly used when a generous portion was
converted into spiritual wealth by investing
it in the saving of the souls of men.

One of the characteristics of this family
on both sides is that in the married lives of
their parents they never had a cross word ;
and the fifty years of this couple's married
life, like that of their parents before them,
have been passed in a Christian manner, and
never marred bv cross words.

WILLIAM HENRY BAILEY.

Of the more successful and better-known
farmers of Des Aloines county, a worthy
representative is William H. Bailey, now
residing on his large and well-kept farm in
Huron township. Mr. Bailey was born on
March 24, 1858, in Orange county, Missouri,
the son of John and Martha (Fausett)
Bailey. When he was but three years old,
his parents removed to Henderson county,
Illinois. After living in that locality for
two years the family made another change,
this time to the vicinity of Keithsburg,
III., where the father rented a farm on which
the family remained for a period of seventeen
years. At the expiration of this time the
family moved to New Boston, which was
the home for the ensuing twelve years.

Mr. Bailey gained his early knowledge
of books in the public schools of Mercer
county. Illinois, receiving a good common-
school education, and learning the prin-
ci]3les and methods of agriculture on his

father's farm in the meantime. Being thus
brought up with a thorough knowledge of
farming, he has always followed that vo-
cation. He commenced farming for himself
when he was twenty-one years of age, his
first independent venture being when he
rented four hundred eighty acres of land
from Mrs. Thompson. That this venture
was a success is proved by the fact that he
remained on this place continuously from
1879 till 1893.

In the latter year his father came to Des
Moines county and bought a farm of one
hundred twenty acres in Section 26, and Mr.
Bailey rented this farm and lived there for
the following six years. He then bought
land for himself, buying eighty acres in
Huron township, from Charles Fowler, forty-
acres of which are in Section 25, and forty
in Section 30. This proved to be such a
paying investment that at the end of three
years he sold the eighty-acre farm, and was
enabled to purchase one hundred forty acres
in Section 26, where he now makes his
home. This last tract he bought from
Clarence and Clark Loper. It is rich, fertile
land, well adapted to general farming and
stock-raising.

Mr. Bailey has, by the application of
energy, perseverance, and sound judgment,
greatly improved the place, introducing new
methods and apparatus, and making it in
many respects a model farm, whether con-
sidered with regard to appearance, conve-
nience, or producing power. In the stock-
raising branch of his business he makes a
specialty of Poland China hogs, raising
about seventy head annually.

During his residence in Mercer county,
Illinois, Mr. Bailey was united in marriage
to ]Miss Sarah Catherine Hinson, on Dec. 2,
1886. he was the daughter of Garret and

774

BIOGRAPHICAL REl I/iir

Eva (Bunton) Hiiisoii. ami was born in
Ross county, Ohio, on Feb. 15, 1862. Her
father, Garret Hinson, was also a native of
Ross county, Ohio, being born there on
March 21, 1821, but eventually making his
home in Kingston, Benton township, in this
county.

To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have been born
four children, two of whom died in infancy.
The two living are Hazel Leonora and
Eva Marie.

Mr. Bailey, as an extensive reader, care-
ful thinker, and active business man, has
manifested considerable interest in public
affairs; and believing it the duty of every
citizen to serve the community in which he
lives in any way that he may be called upon
for the public good, has acted as public-
school director for three years. Fraternally,
he is well known, being a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America. He has
always shown himself ready to accept any
duty or to supjiort any movement calculated
to advance the general welfare. He is a man
of great force of character, is possessed of
much business ability, has been very success-
ful in the conduct of his affairs, and enjoys
the universal respect of his friends and
acquaintances throughout the townsliip in
which he resides.

ELISHA DOWNER.

Elisha Downer, who has always
been interested in farming, was burn in
Stark county, Ohio. Jan. 27. 1850. his ])ar-
ents being George Washington and Eliza
(Goliday) Downer. In 1855 the father
came with his famiU' to Dcs Moines
county, locating one mile east of North-

field on the property now owned by
.\ugusl .\ndersun. He had there eighty
acres of prairie land, and he also owned
forty acres of timber land farther south.
Lpon the farm he resided until i860,
wluii he removed to Louisa county. Iowa,
where he rented land for one year, and
then purchased ninety-seven acres at
Xorthfield. remaining thereon for seven
)ears. He ne.xt removed to the vicinity
of Newport, Louisa county, where he be-
came owner of one hundred and si.xty
acres of land, while two years later he
bought four hundred acres on Iowa River,
and lived upon the latter farm for six
years. He then returned to Des Moines
couiitx, where he bought one hundred
and eighty-two acres, but made his home
in Xorthfield, where his death occurred
.Sei)t. 28, 1892, when he was seventy-
eight years of age.

He had long survived his wife, who
died July 22, 1874, when si.\ty-t\vo years
of age. His life had been charaeterizeil
by industry and (.ntirprise. and by a
strong determination which enabled him
to overcome the difficulties and obstacles
in his path, and work his way upward to
success. In his family were eight chil-
dren: Charles W., who died in infancy;
Clinton H., who died in 18O0, at the age
of nineteen years; Benson F., who follows
farming in .Vebraska ; George W.. also a
resident farmer of Nebraska : Elisha ;
.\nna. the wife of E. Hutchcroft. of Medi-
a])olis : Ahniia. also living in .Metliapolis ;
and .\manda. llie wife of Jnhii IKTni.ui.
of the same |)Iace.

Elisha Downer was but five years of age
when brought by his parents to Iowa.
The following year he began his educa-
tion in one <if the log schoolhouses com-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

775

mon in pioneer districts, school being con-
ducted on the subscription plan. Later
he was a public-school student, and ac-
quired a fair knowledge of the English
branches of learning which qualify one
for the transaction of business and for
meeting the responsible duties of later
life. He has always engaged in farming,
remaining at home until twenty-six years
of age, after which he was employed at
farm labor in the neighborhood for sev-
eral years. He was thirty-five years of
age when he first became owner of prop-
erty, purchasing a part of his father's
farm. He also bought two hundred and
twenty-six acres of land at Elrick Junc-
tion, but afterward sold that property.
He then bought one hundred and fifty-
one acres adjoining Kossuth, which he
later sold, removing at that time to Ne-
braska, where he purchased a section of
land ; but when two years had passed, he
disposed of his property there, and re-
turned to Des Moines county. He then
purchased ten acres in Kossuth, and also
a farm of seventy acres at Northfield,
which he still owns. This, in brief, has
been the extent of his business opera-
tions, but it tells little of the earnest
labor, indefatigable industry, and perse-
verance which Mr. Downer has ever dis-
played in conducting his business afifairs,
and which have been the strong force in
winning his success.

Oct. 7, 1883, Mr. Downer was united in
marriage to Miss Addie Ann Hannan, a
daughter of Henry \\'. and Anna (Bow-
en) Hannan. This union has been blessed
with two daughters, Eliza Anna and Eva,
the latter at home and the former the wife
of Arthur Corn.

In his political views Mr. Downer is an

earnest Republican, and at one time was
a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, joining the lodge at Morn-
ing Sun. He is now living in Kossuth
in practical retirement from labor, al-
though he gives personal supervision to
his farm. In his life record the value of
industry and enterprise are proved, for
his history shows what may be accom-
plished by one who starting out in life
without capital, makes the most of his
opportunities, and thereby works his way
upward to success.

LOUIS F. KREKEL.

Mr. Krekel, well known as a suc-
cessful farmer, fruit grower and wine
merchant, was born at the old family
home in Burlington township .*->ept. 25,
i860, a son of Jacob and ^^'ilhelmina (Fa-
bian) Krekel, and for his early education
is indebted to the district schools of his
native place. Having lieen reared as a
farmer, he has always followed that oc-
cupation, and in addition he has for the
last two years been engaged in business as
a wine merchant in connection with farm-
ing. The business is conducted at his
farm, which is part of the land originall}'
purchased b_v liis father from Mr. Otto.
The tract comprises thirty-five acres, all
x'cry productive, which he devotes to the
culture of fruit, vegetables, and berries,
and by good management, united with
scientific methods, he secures each year a
very handsome return for his labor and
supervision. More and more the farmers
of this section are coming to appreciate
the importance of fruit growing, and in

■76

BIOGRAPHICAL RRVIPJV

this movement Mr. Krekel has for a long
time been one of the most conspicuous
leaders, thus cloinp much to educate the
public to the great resources of Des
Moines county as a producing center of
prime importance.

Mr. Krekel has been twice married,
first on .\pril 17, 1884, to Miss Christina
Meek, daughter of Jacob. Meek, by whom
he had lour children : Fabian, born Jan.
15, 1885; .\ugust, born Jan. 29, 1888;
Louis, born Dec. i, 1890; and Fred, born
Aug. 17. i8<;i. The death of tlie mother
of this family occurred -Vug. 20, i8<j2. On
Sept. 7, 1893, our subject was united in
marriage to Miss W'ilhelmina Glaser,
ilaughter of Christian and Catherine
(Sciuilenburg) Glaser. Mr. and Mrs.
Krekel are the ])arents of six children, as
follows: Bertha, born Dec. 4, 1895; Ed-
ward, born Dec. 20, 1897; .\lbert, born
March 17, i89<j; Walter, born April 20,
1901 ; Charles, born Sept. 8, i<)03; and
Edith, born Jan. 22, 1905.

On his farm Mr. Krekel has made
many improvements, devoting much
time and money to the object of bringing
it to its present perfection, and besides
erecting a large new barn has made sub-
stantial additions to the house, thus ren-
dering it one of the most comfortable and
homelike to be found in the township.
All of the fruit trees, berry bushes, and
vines are of his own jjlanting, and have
amply rewarded him for the great and
painstaking care bestowed upon the cul-
tivation.

Mr. Krekel's connection with public
life is through the Democratic jiarty, of
which he is a well-known member. In
1894 he received appointment to the office
of supervisor of highways, and on the ex-

piration of his term was nominated and
elected to the same position, and later re-
elected, serving in all five years, during
which time he performed much useful and
highly necessary service, for no one re-
alizes more thoroughly than does he the
imjiortance of good roads in a farming
community. Mis place in the esteem of
all who know' him is an enviable one, for
in addition to being eminently successful
in a material way, his friends are many
and loval.

SAMUEL SENTI.

In taking up the personal history of
Sanuiel Senti, now living in Burlington,
we ])rcscnt to our readers the life record of
one of Switzerland's native sons, but whose
residence in Iowa covers a long period. He
was born in Switzerland, Nov. 21, 1828.
His parents were Samuel and Louisa (An-
horn) Senti, and were also of Swiss origin.
Our subject was reared in Switzerland, and
attended the public schools there, and later
was a teacher in these schools for four years.
Like many other active and aspiring young
men. he was anxious to see something be-
yond his home land, and in 1865 decided to
cross the Atlantic. The ship known as the
" Saxony " landed him in New York in
about twelve days, when Mr. Senti at once
l)rci)ared to come West, and reached Bur-
lington in May, where he immediately
bought sixty-five acres of land from Mr.
Patterson. This farm joined that of Jacob
Scholer, whose sketch also appears in this
work, and also joined Crapo Park. This
park is located at the south end of Main
Street. At the time of this purchase farm
land in that locality was in a very rough

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

condition, much of it being covered with
brusli and old stumps, so that it required
much time as well as money to prepare the
ground for farm purposes. To-day this
same farm lies in the city limits, and con-
tains several orchards, but the greater por-
tion of it is a beautiful vineyard, which Mr.
Senti's son cares for, and from which he
makes some eighty barrels of wine annually.
This wine is the pure grape juice, being
used by many families in tlie city as a bev-
erage and for medical purposes.

In October, 1855, Mr. Senti married Miss
Anna Marie Johanna, daughter of An-
drew and Ersie (Martha) Johanna. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Senti have been born three
children : Samuel, a farmer in Union town-
ship. His first wife was Miss Anna Paula,
who left three children : Jacob, Bertha, and
Emma. Andrew Senti died July 26, 1902,
aged forty-two years and three months,
leaving a widow, who was formerly Miss
Emma Swartz, and four children : Anna,
Helen, Oscar, and Samuel. Mary (Mrs.
Charles Black) . Mrs. Black was first mar-
ried to Adolph Kurlie, by whom she has
three children : Nettie, aged ten years ; Wes-
ley ; William Jacob ; and Meyer, aged six
years. Mr. Black was also previously mar-
ried to Miss Libbie Rose, daughter of Ben-
jamin and Harriet (Gillespie) Rose, by
whom he had two children : Virgie Vir-
ginia, aged ten years; and Benjamin, aged
seven years.

. Mr. Senti, though now a man of nearly
eighty years, is still active, and is enjoying
the fruits of his hard labor.

As a citizen, he is as true as when he fol-
lowed the old flag in beautiful Switzerland,
and throughout his entire record he has
manifested many traits of character that are
worthy of emulation.

ANDREW SENTI.

Andrew Senti resided in Burlington,
from the age of five years till his death.
Throughout his business career he operated
a fine vineyard, making wine or selling
grapes, his activity, energy, and persever-
ance being the foundation upon which he
builded his success. In all his dealings he
was strictly honorable, never taking advan-
tage of the necessities of his fellow-men,
and left behind him an untarnished name.

He was the son of Samuel and Anna
Marie (Johanna) Senti, and was born in
Switzerland, Feb. 7, i860. As he was very
young when he came to America with his
parents, his knowledge of his birthplace
was very limited. He acquired the Eng-
lish language in the public schools of Bur-
lington, which he attended. His father,
whose sketch appears in this , work, pur-
chased a farm south of town, and Andrew
lived with him, growing to manhood on the
farm, and which he worked till his death.
On Nov. 20, 1888, Mr. Senti married Miss
Emma Schwartz, whose birth occurred in
Burlington, Iowa. Her parents, David and
Christina (Morlock) Schwartz, were among
the early settlers of this city, coming in 1849.

Mr. Schwartz was always a farmer and
fruit-raiser. His life was comparatively
short, being only thirty-eight years old at
the time of his death, which occurred in
1871. Mrs. Schwartz was born in 1836,
and married Gotlieb Scheihing for her sec-
ond husband, who died in 1886. She now
lives at 2218 South Main Street.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Senti were born four
children: Samuel J., born Oct. 9, 1889;
Emma Christina, born May 27, 1891 ; Oscar
A., born Dec. 20, 1893 ; and Helen Eliza-
beth, bom Sept. 3, 1897. They all live with

778

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lFM'

their widowcil inolhcr on South Main
Street. Mr. Senti died July 26, 1902, aged
forty-two years. He gave his political al-
legiance to the Democratic iiarty. being al-
ways interested in everything for the good
of the city. He was a member of the Zion
Evangelical church, and his life was in
consistent harmony with his profession. He
was a man of indu.strious habits, gifted with
enterprise, and his labors brought him pros-
perity. Being truly devoted to his family
and friends, his loss was deeply regretted
when he was called from this life. Mrs.
Senti still conducts the business at the old
homestead, and is thus enabled to support
the family.

THEODORE BINDER.

The name of Theodore Binder is well
known throughout Burlington, where he
serves hundreds of people with good pure
milk, and is also much respected in Flint
River township, where he resides. He is
a son of Joseph and ^Vugusta (R<M.'e) Bin-
der, and was lx)rn in the city of Burlington,
Iowa, June 4, 1869. His father is one of
the highly respected and honored pioneers
of Des Moines county, who always trans-
acted his business with the greatest care and
uprightness, and was never known to do
any man an injury. .\ complete record of
our subject's father may be found elsewhere
in this book, as may also the record of his
brother Joseph.

Theodore Binder is the fourth son, hav-
ing five brothers and one sister. They are
as follows : Charles J., a butcher on Central
Avenue, in Burlington; Edward J., a baker
on North Sixth Street, in the same city ;
Joseph G., the dairyman, on Mt. Pleasant

road ; Mary, is the wife of William Warth, a
gardener of South Summer Street, and lives
in Burlington ; Herman, owns a farm near
I^tty, Iowa ; August, is a machinist in the
shops at West Burlington.

After Theodore finished his education,
which was acquired in the German Lutheran
school of his native city, he learned to be a
farmer and dairyman upon his father's
place. When he became of age, he began
to work and fami for himself, and at once
started a dairy on his own responsibility.
He now has over fifty cows, a number of
good horses, and one of the largest list of
customers of any of the dairymen of Bur-
lington. His work is hard, and necessitates
the closest of application and a generous
supply of patience. He runs one wagon,
and is able to do his own delivering, which
is largely the secret of his success in
business.

The improvements on the farm are good
and substantial, and everything pertaining
to the dairy presents a clean and neat
appearance, rolitically. .Mr. ]5inder votes
independently, and in this, as well as in all
()tiier maUers, exercises good judgment.

June II, 1895, Mr. Binder married Miss
Caroline Schoekopf, who is a daughter of
Joseph and Caroline (Schuler) Schoekopf.
She was l>orn in Wittenberg, Germany,
C)ct. Ji. 1875. coming to America with her
parents when she was five years old. Mr.
and Mrs. Schoekopf first locate<l in Mont-
rose, Iowa, and later moved to Donaldson,
Iowa, where they now reside on a farm.
They iiave one hundred and twenty acres of
land in Lee county, and belong to the well-
to-do and respected families of that section.
Mrs. Binder received her education in the
district schools in Donaldson.

Two children have blessed the ha[)py

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

779

union of Mr. and Mrs. Binder: Albert, born
in 1896; and Harry, born June 18, 1904.

Mr. Binder and his wife are earnest and
devoted members of the German Lutheran
church. Although Mr. Binder is yet a
young man, still he possesses a strong in-
dividuality, and is also a man of the strongest
convictions. He has often won friends by
standing out alone and single-handed in
business matters in which he felt he was
right. With all the sterling qualities of
ability and worth which Mr. Binder pos-
sesses, together with his open and frank
manner, great success is bound to come in
the future, as in the past, and his friends
will keep on multiplying.

JOSEPH EIBES.

Joseph Eibes, who awns and oper-
ates eighty-three acres of land on Sec-
tion 35, Huron township, was born in
Burlington, Iowa, Aug. 23, 1872, and is
a son of Joseph and Barbara (Christ)
Eibes. The father was born on the
Rhine in Prussia, German)^ Dec. 10, 1825,
and his parents were Nicholas and Cath-
erine (Tison) Eibes.

Joseph Eibes, Sr., accjuircd his educa-
tion in the public schools of his native
land, and there learned the blacksmith's
trade, at which he served an apprentice-
ship of three and a half years. His father
was a farmer, and with the exception of
the period spent at the forge he, too,
always followed agricultural pursuits in
his native land.

He came to America in June, 1854,
landing at New York, whence he made
his way direct to Louisville, Ky., where

he began working at day labor. He con-
tinued in that city for seven months, and
tliun made his way by river to St. Louis,
Mo., from thence coming to Burlington.
In the latter city he began working for
Harvey Ray, of the firm of Ray & Par-
kerson, plow manufacturers. He entered
his service as a blacksmith, and worked
in the shop for twenty-four years, after
which he removed to Huron township
and purchased a farm of one hundred and
ninety-four acres on Sections 35 and 36
He still resides upon that place, and for
many years was actively engaged in gen-
eral farming, but now largely leaves the
labors of the fields to others.

Joseph Eibes, Sr., was married i\Iay 4,
1857, in Burlington, to Miss Barbara
Christ, a daughter of John and Anna
Mary (Mosher) Christ. She was born in
Switzerland, Feb. 2, 1836, and by her mar-
riage became the mother of six children :
Katherine, born Oct. 17, 1859, was mar-
ried Oct. 28, 1880, to Joseph Shier, and
died Feb. i, 1904, her remains being in-
terred in the Sacred Heart cemetery, in
Burlington; Anna, born Oct. 17, 1861, is
the wife of Elias Ebert, a resident of Bur-
lington ; Mary Barbara, who was born
Oct. 20, 1862, is the wife of Albert Ham-
ilton, a resident of Huron township; Mary
Louise, born Dec. 28, 1864, is the wife
of Michael Hellenthal, of Huron town-
ship: Joseph is the next of the family;
Carl, born Jan. 22. 1877, is a brakeman
on the Iowa Central Railroad, living in
Oscaloosa, Iowa. The parents are mem-
bers of the Catholic church, and in his
political \'icws Mr. Eibes is a stanch Dem-
ocrat. He and his wife belong to St.
Mary's church in Benton township.

Joseph Eibes, Jr., whose name intro-

78o

BIOGRAPHICAL RIiriEll'

duces this- review, spent the first seven
years of his lif<? in tlie city of liurlington,
and then removed with his parents to
tile farm in Huron township. He ac-
([uired his education in Kingston. He
was reared to agricultural pursuits, and
has seen no reason to change his mode
of life, finding that the care of his farm
makes continuous demands upon his time
and energies, and calls forth all of his
business powers in its capable manage-
ment. He purchased eighty-three acres
of land on Section 35, Huron township.

Mr. Eibes was married April 29, 1897,
at St. Mary's church in Benton township,
to Clementine Panther, who was born
Feb. 22, 1876, in that township. Her par-
ents were Ferdinand and .Vmclia (Troup')
Panther, both natives of Baden, Germany,
the mother born March 13, 1833, and the
father April 15, 1832. .\bout 1853 they
made arrangements to leave llu'ir native
land, and sailed for New York, whence
they went at once to Wilkesbarre, Pa.,
where they lived fur fifteen years. On
the e-xpiration of that period they came
to Burlington, Iowa, and soon afterward
took u]) their abode on a farm near Mid-
dletown. Several years later they settled
at Sperry, Iowa, and after five years pur-
chased one hundred and six acres of land
in Benton township, Des Moines county,
developing there a good farm. They
were the parents of eleven children:
Theodore, who died in infancy : Theo-
dore (2d); Elizabeth; Ferdinand; Lena,
who died at the age of fourteen years;
Emma ; Henry : John ; Julia, who died at
the age of seven years ; and Rose, who
died at the age of five years.

The home of Joseph and Clementine
Eibes w;i>i Me-;seil with five children;

Anulia Barbara, burn .\pril 18, i8<;8:
Ferdinand Joseph, born June 15, i8<^j;
Johnny, born Jan. 19, njoi, died Jan. 25,
1905, his remains being interred in St.
Mary's Catholic cemetery in Benton
township; William John, born June 23,
1903; and Ester .Marie, born .\pril 22,
K/35. The ijarents are members of St.
Mary's Catholic church, and in that faith
are rearing their family. They have al-
waj's resided in this county, and in his
life Mr. Eibes displays the sterling char-
acteristics of his ("ii-rnian ancestrv.

CHRIST LUCAS.

TiiEUE is no name in Flint River
township which carries with it more of
integrity, of uprightness, of earnest citi-
zenship, or calls forth more universal ex-
pressions of regard, than that of Christ
Lucas, now one of the oldest male resi-
dents of the valley. He was born in
Prussia, Germany, Dec. 18, 1826. He re-
mained in his father's home till he re-
ceived his education in the ])ublic schools.
In 186(^1 he came to .America, living in
Burlington, Iowa, for two years, where
he was employed on the construction of
the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Rail-
road bridge. He worked the next year
for Jerome Boeck, whose farm then was
a part of what is now Crapo'Park. In
iSCjS lie bought one hundred and thirty
acres in Section 11, where his son, Fred
William, whose sketch appears elsewhere
in this volume, resides. He also owns
twenty-nine acres in Section 11, on which
he makes his home. He has alwavs been

pa
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H

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■n
>

>
d

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

783

a very active man in all the work of the
place, but as he is now in his eightieth
year, he has somewhat retired from the
more laborious work, and is enjoying his
well-spent time of the past. ^Vhen Mr.
Lucas purchased this land it was all wild
and unbroken, but to-day he has a large
part of it under cultivation, and has
placed modern and convenient buildings
upon it, including a fine barn, thirty by
fifty feet, which was built in 18S0. He
has witnessed many changes in his neigh-
borhood. In his early days there were no
direct roads to the city, no bridges to
speak of, — the streams and creeks having
to be forded, — and no station near-by.
To-day the roads are in good condition,
strong bridges in evidence everywhere,
railroads close at hand, and telephone
connections to all parts of the valley and
city, and pleasant neighbors within short
distance.

Oct. 6, 1851, Mr. Lucas was married, in
Germany, to Miss Mary Scholtz, daughter
of Henrick and Margaretta (Bauer)
Scholtz. They are the parents of three
children : Fred W. ; Henry, who went
away from home in 1887, and has not
been heard from since ; and Dora, the wife
of Louis Kotlitz, of Chicago. Politically,
our subject votes for the man he likes
best. How truly it has been exemplified
in his case that "God helps those wlio
help themselves." \\'hatever of \-irtue in
the character of Mr. Lucas, whatever
of cjuality in his living, has been directly
founded upon traits inherited from an
ancestry rich in the virtues of ]iatriotisni,
loyalty, steadfastness, and principle. One
of the greatest pleasures he enjoys is
visiting with the old-time friends, and
quietly reviewing the events of forty

years ago, most of the actors in which
have nearly all ])receded this good old
gentleman to the life beyond.

JOSEPH BINDER.

There is no one in Mint River town-
ship better known, or more highly es-
teemed and respected, than Joseph Bin-
der. His life of over fifty years in the
county has been quiet and retiring, yet
his every act has been well and carefully
directed, and his great success in business
is entirely the result of his energy, am-
bition, and a strong determination to live
each day in a moral and upright way.

Joseph Binder was born in \\"urtem-
burg, Germany, Aug. 24, 1831, and is a son
of John and Catherine (Heinzman)
Binder. His mother died when Mr.
Binder was but two years of age, leaving
two sons to the tender mercies of the
world, one of whom has since passed
away. The father was born in Wur-
temburg, Germany, in 1802, where he
learned the trade of a stone-mason,
which, together with farming, he car-
ried on with signal success for many
years. He lived to enjoy eighty-two
years of life, and passed away in 1884.

Our subject received his education in
the common schools of Germany, after
which he remained on his father's farm,
taking a man's place in the regular work.
Believing that he might have better busi-
ness opportunities, and that the reward of
labor was more sure in the New World,
he made arrangements to leave the
Fatherland, and in 1854, embarked for
America on a sailing: vessel which was

784

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

forty-two days in making tin- harbor of < )n Xov. 19. 1861, Mr. Binder was
New York. His point of destination was united in niarriape with Miss Augusta
Burlington. Iowa, and it took him nearly Rose, daughter of Carl and Caroline
another month to reach it. as means of (Thache) Rose. Her parents were both
travel in those times were not as well natives of (Germany, the father's birth oc-
perfccted as at the ])resent. curring in 1S20. and the mother's in 1813.
When Mr. Binder reached Burlington In the old country Mr. Rose was a black-
he was in possession of just fifty cents, smith. He had three daughters, two of
which he at once invested in an ax. and whom he brought to America in 1858,
began to chop wood at seventy-five cents coming by way of New York. Augusta
a cord. He was thus engaged in the is the wife of our subject. Ernestine first
winter time, working for various farmers married to A. Slecter. who died: later she
during the summer months, fur his first married .\. Hacker, the dairyman. Mrs.
seven years in America. .\t the end of Hacker passed away in 1890, leaving four
this period his labor had yielded him suf- Sleeter children, and five Hacker children,
ficient means to buy a dairy, and renting .Amelia Rose married a Mr. Brachc. and
the farm owned by .*-ihepherd LcfHer. he resides in ricrmany. Mr. Rose settled in
formed a partiursbii) with John Boesch. the Walker settlement, where he farmed ;
This firm continued for eleven years, with later he moved to Xauvoo, 111., where he
increasing success. In 1872 they sold the lived retired, and died in 1807.
dairy to Mr. .\. Hacker, wlun Mr. Binder As the time advanced, nine children
came to town and built a substantial and were tislured into the home of Mr. and
comfortable brick house on North lughlh Mrs. Binder, seven of whom arc now liv-
Strcct. During his two-years' residence ing in or near Burlington, and all are a
in the city he was engaged in teaming, great credit to their parents. Carl J. is a
and then he went back to his first love. — butcher on Central .\venue; Edward ].. a
the dairy business. — buying a great num- baker on North Sixth Street ; Joseph. Jr..
ber of cows from .Mr. Sw.ni. and renting on Mt. Pleasant road, and Theodore, lo-
from him forty acres of land in Flint cated on .\gency St.. arc both dairymen ;
River township. .\t the end of two years Mary, the only daughter, married Will-
he bad all of his stock paid for, and was iaiu H. Warth, a gardener on Summer
enabled to buy' this forty-acre piece of Street; Herman farms near I^itt\ : .\u-
land, which he farmed, raising all of the gust is a machinist in the shops at West
feed for his cows, at the same time rent- Burlington. The sketches of several of
ing ])asture land from the railroad com- these children a])pear in this book,
pany. As time advanced Mr. I'.inder Besides the above-named children, Mr.
built u]) a large and nourishing dairy and Mrs. Binder have sixteen grand-chil-
business, and continued to operate the dren to brighten their declining days, and
same for twenty years. This made a take great pleasure in ha\ing one or more
record for him of thirty-one years as a with them all the time,
dairyman, the longest ])rol)al)ly of any .Mrs. Binder has long been a devoted
one man in the county. member of the Evangelical church. After

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

785

selling their dairy and forty acres to their
son Joseph, Mr. and Mrs. Binder pur-
chased a pretty cottage with eleven acres
on the Mt. Pleasant road, where they
both enjoy raising their own vegetables.
Here Mr. Binder lives retired, enjoying
many comforts with his worthy wife. He
has always been a Democrat, but forming
great admiration for Abraham Lincoln,
he cast his first presidential vote for the
young statesman. It is seldom one suc-
ceeds better than Mr. Binder, for in addi-
tion to his cosy home he owns fifty acres
of pasture land in Flint River township,
and four good and substantial tenant
houses in the city of Burlington. It is
rare we find a happier or more contented
couple. Their journey through life has
not been one of continuous sunshine, but
they have made the best alike of joys and
sorrows, firmly believing that man is
largely responsible for his good in life.
They have performed well their part in
life, and are far beyond all need of praise.
Their lives surely must be a great stim-
ulus not only to their children, Init to all
of their hundreds of friends throughout
the county.

JOSEPH G. BINDER.

It gives us great pleasure to present
the life record of Joseph G. Binder, of
Flint River township, who now resides
on the farm where his parents resided for
over twenty years, being engaged in the
dairy business. Joseph G. is the third
son of Joseph and Augusta (Rose) P>in-
der, and was born in Burlington town-
ship Aug. 18, 1867. His father belongs to
that class of good old German stock

which commands universal esteem and
respect. His sketch wdl be found on
another page in this volume, as will also
the record of Theodore Binder, brother of
our subject.

Joseph received his education in the
district schools in Flint River township,
and in the German Lutheran school
known as Klines School. He remained
on his father's farm, assisting in the dairy
work till he was about twenty-six years
of age. He then purchased thirty acres
of land in the same neighborhood, and
started a dairy of his own. Later he
bought thirtv acres of land across the
road from his first purchase, and when his
father retired from the dairy business,
about 1892, Mr. Binder bought the old
home, which consisted of forty acres of
good land having a modern and comfort-
able house, and a barn suitable for dairy
work.

Since then Air. Tiinder has added
another large barn and a convenient
granary. ' He has over eighty cows,
twelve head of fine horses, and a good
grade of hogs, raising all the necessary
feed for his stock. He runs one milk
wagon, and has one of the best routes in
the city. Besides the beautiful home
•above mentioned, Mr. Binder has a nice
tenement house in the city of Burling-
ton.

June 22. 1882, the wedding of Joseph
G. Binder and Miss Bertha Gantz was
solemnized. Mrs. Binder is a daughter
of Henry and Mary (Matlender) Gantz,
and was born Sept. 11, 1874. Mr. and
Mrs. Gantz are both nati\-es of Burling-
ton, the former being born Aug. 18, 1853,
and the latter May 16, 1863. They reside
on a fruit farm of ten acres in Flint River

786

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

township, on \'ogt Street, just otT of
Sunnyside Avenue. Mr. Gantz is a Dem-
ocrat, but not an active politician. He
and Mrs. Gantz are faitlifnl nicnihers of
the St. John's Catholic church. They
have had seven children, as follows:
Lydia, married Richard Krueger, of Bur-
lington, and died in i8<>5; Edward is the
husband of I-ottie Dankwardt, and lives
in West liurlington. where Mr. Dank-
wardt works in the shops ; Joseph is a col-
lar-maker in Burlington, Iowa, and mar-
ried Miss Anna Leichenberg; Oscar died
when eighteen years of age ; Tracy mar-
ried August Binder, brother of our sub-
ject, who is a machinist in West Burling-
ton; George lives with his ])areiUs in the
winter, and stays with his sister, Mrs.
Joseph Binder, during the summer
months.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Binder h.i\e been
born four children: Walter, born June
7, 1883; Harry, born Sept. 30, 1887, died
in September, 1888; Arthur, born March
31, 1901 ; Catherine, born .March 30, 1902.
Mr. Binder is a stanch Democrat, and was
for a time road supervisor of the town-
shij): Ijut having so much business of his
own to look after, he was compelled to
give up this office.

Great energy and activity have always
characterized the life of .Mr. Binder.
Promptness seems to have been jiart of
his religion, and he has ever adhered to
upright and honorable principles in all
business transactions. He is justly jiroud
to refate that he is a self-made man, and
that all of his possessions are the result
of tile honest labor of his willing hands.
His friends throughout the county are
legion, and hold Mr. Piinder in the high-
est regard.

WILLIAM BELT.

The entire life of William Helt has
been spent in .\ugusta township. As a
farmer he has given the strength of his
manhood and intelligence to the agricul-
tural supremacy of this section of the
State. He is numbered among the native
sons, his birth having occurred in the
house where he now lives, in Section 13.
Sept. 15. 1876. He is a son of Nicholas
and Margaret (Schulteis) Helt, who
were both born in Germany, and came to
-America in early pioneer times, locating
on Section 13, .Augusta township. His
parents are still living, and their sketch
will be found elsewhere in this volume.

Our subject was reared and educated
in his native township, attending the dis-
trict school in his vicinity, where by in-
dustry and close application he acquired
a substantial education. After leaving
school he began the life of a farmer, re-
maining on his father's place, where he
received a thorough training in all the
ways and means calculated to bring suc-
cess and inde])endence to the industrious
tiller of the soil.

When our subject was twenty-six
years of age he took unto himself a wife
to share his joys and griefs. The wed-
ding was celebrated in Union township,
Dec. 31, 1902. The bride was in maiden-
hood. Miss Bertha L. Miller, daughter of
John W. and Anna (Gougler) Miller, and
was born and raised in Union township.
.\s the years have come and gone two
children have been added to this house-
hold, Milo Nicholas, and ICdgar J«jhn.

.Mr. and Mrs. Helt attend and support
the Methodist church. Politically, he is
a Republican, and though of strong con-

DES MOfXES COUXTY. IOWA.

787

victions, and a willing promoter of this
party, yet he has never aspired io any
office. He cast his first presidential vote
for William McKinley, in 1900. Air.
Halt is at present farming some two hun-
dred and fifty acres of land, and also
raises considerable fine stock, which
yields him annually a neat sum. He takes
a great deal of interest in all matters of
value to the township, and is regarded as
an enterprising citizen, and one who has
fully performed his share in the material
advancement of agricultural and indus-
trial interests of the county.

WILLIAM AUGUST GENG.

WiLLi.VM AUGU.ST Geng, engaged in the
saloon business in West Burlington, was
born in this cit)-. Sept. 7, 1876, and is a
son of John and Constantine (Miller)
Geng. The father, a native of Germany,
came to America soon after his marriage,
making his way direct to Burlington,
where he engaged in the brewing business,
his time and attention being thus ix'cupied
until about 1890, when he began the busi-
ness of retailing wines and lif|Uors in con-
nection with his son William. They have
since conducted a saloon, and are now lo-
cated at the corner of West Burlington
;\ venue and Mount Pleasant Street, in West
Burlington, and have a large patronage,
which makes their business profitable. In
his political views John Geng is independ-
ent, nor has he ever sought or desired office.
Unto him and his wife were born four chil-
dren, namely: August William, Henry,
Mary, and William A.

William August Geng began his educa-

tion, at the usual age. in the public schools,
and continued his studies until fourteen
years of age, when be put aside his text-
books and joined his father in a partner-
ship which has since been maintained with
mutual pleasure and profit. They have con-
ducted their saloon since 1891 at the place
that they now occupy, and are well known
to the business men of that .section of the
city. '

William A. Geng was married Oct. 16,
1904, to Miss Catharine Eichler, a daughter
of John Eichler, a resident of West Bur-
lington, where Mr. and Mrs. Geng now
make their home.

GUST FREEBURG.

Amonc; those who have come from
foreign lands to become jjrominent in
business circles in Mediapolis is Gust
Freeburg. who for twelve years has re-
sided in this city, and is now one of the
leading contractors of stone-work here.
His enterprise and progressive spirit have
made him a ty])ical .\merican in every
sense of the word, and he therefore well
deserves mention in this work.

Mr. Freeburg was born in Ester Yet-
land, .Sweden. .March 2J. 1844, and is a
son of John and Inga (Johnson) Free-
burg. He was reared on his father's
farm, and obtained his education in the
common schools of his birth])lace. Soon
after his school work was finished, he be-
came an apprentice of a prominent stone-
mason near his home, with whom he
served a number of years till he mastered
the trade.

When about twent\-four years old he

788

BIOGRAPHICAL Rlil lEW

came to America, thinking there would
be a broader field for his business and
more chances of advancement. He came
direct to the State of Iowa, and located
in Huron township, where he farmed and
worked at his trade for some twenty
years. Iile\en years tjf the twenty were
spent with William Harper, with whom
Mr. Frecburg learned many of the ways
and customs of his new home.

In iJ-!w^ he gave uj) farming, and
located in .\ledia])olis, buying the pretty
home where he has lived ever since. He
contracts for stone, concrete, and brick-
work, being one of the most competent
and experienced mechanics in this line in
the village. Years ago he used to do
nearly all of his work with stone, but
to-day finds him as actively engaged in
concrete, cement, and brick-U'ork. The
handiwork of .Mr. I'reeburg is found
everywhere in Mediapolis, — on the large
business houses, private residences, and
upon tlie numerous walks scattered
llirinighoul the town. His work in all
branches, is first class in every respect,
and will stand the test of time.

March 8, 1876, Mr. Freeburg was mar-
ried to Miss Hannah Davis, who was a
daughter of John Davis. The father of
Mrs. Davis was a soldier in the Civil
War.

Mr. and Mrs. Freeburg were the ])ar-
ents of one child, Tjemerick, who died
when only three months old. Mrs. Free-
burg i)assed away Oct. 23, i8</). and is
buried in the Swedish cemetery east of
Kossuth, beside her baby boy. Mr. Free-
burg is a member of the Swedish Lu-
theran church, of which he has been one
of the trustees for a number of years. Po-
liticallv. li<- is an .-irdent Rciiubliran and

takes much pleasure in the jjromotion of
his party, but in local matters votes in-
dependently. In 1897 he was elected as
city councilman, and served the people in
this cajiacity with great satisfaction for
one term. What .Mr. Freeburg is to-day is
the result of iiis own efforts, for he began
in the world with nothing but his own
energy and willing hands to aid him ; and
by constant e.xertion, associated with
good judgment, he has raised himself to
the creditable jjosition he now holds
among the people of the community, where
he commands the respect of all.

JOHN JOHNSON CARNEGY.

Joii.\ Joii.N.so.N' L.\RNiiOV, now de-
ceased, was a leading farmer of Huron
lowushi]) for many years. He was born
in Kentucky, Jan. 5. 1825, and was a son
of James Carnegy. Leaving his native
State he came to Illinois, becoming a resi-
dent of .Mercer count}, where for many
years he followed farming. In 1881 he
removed to Des Moines county, Iowa,
where he purchased of J. H. Hedges, of
-Mediapolis, a valuable farm of one hun-
dred and eighty acres, to the further cul-
tivation and improvement of which he
directed his energies. He also engaged
in the raising of cattle, hogs, and horses,
keeping about ten head of horses upon
his ])lace. and about forty head of hogs
of the Poland China and Dnroc breeds.
Whatever he undertook he carried for-
ward to successful com])letion, and his
business success was the direct result of
his earnest and indefatigable labor.

Mr. Carnegy was twice married. He
first wedded .Miss Mary Haven, and they

DES MOINES COUNTY, JOWA.

789

became the parents of nine children :
Ross, James, Emerilla, John, Eldora.
Julia Ester, Rebecca Ann, Hattic, and
Garrett. On March 26, 1873, Mr. Car-
negy was united in marriage to Miss
Eliza Robinson, a daughter of William
Robinson. She was born in Greene coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, Jan. 16, 1852, and be-
came a resident of Missouri when twenty-
one years of age, in which State she was
married. She accompanied her husband
to Illinois, after which the)' remo\ed to
Iowa. They became the parents of three
children : Charles E., who was born in
Illinois. June 30, 1877, married Ellen
Ping; Nora Maria, born March 9, 1870,
and Walter H., born Feb. i, 1886, are
both at home.

The death of Mr. Carnegy occurred
Jan. (;, igoi, when he had reached the
very venerable age of eighty years. He
was a respected and worthy citizen of
Iowa, and in his life record displayed
many sterling traits of character that are
worthy of emulation. Since the death of
the husband and father the family have
improved the property by building new
barns and sheds, and by making an addi-
tion to the house. They are well known
in Huron township and enjoy the friendly
regard of all with whom they have come
in contact sociallv.

GUSTAVUS V. SHEAGREN.

Ix the ranks of Burlington's substantial
business men are a large number of re-
cruits from foreign lands, who are a worthy
addition to the city's spirit of enterprise and
progressive industry. A notable representa-

tive of this class is Gustavus V. Sheagren,
who was born Sept. 24, 1847, i" South
Sweden, and there learned the trade in
which he has since been successful, that of
carriage-making, in his father's shop in the
country, near Wexo, beginning work in the
shop when but eleven years of age. Later,
leaving the country, he conducted a small
shop in Wexo for two years, but then de-
cided to try his fortunes in the New World,
and, taking passage to America, landed
June 2, 1868. at New York, whence he came
West directly to Chicago. His first employ-
ment after landing was as a workman in
the construction of a railway in Michigan,
from Kalamazoo, from June to September.
On Sept. 15, 1868, he came to Burling-
ton, but went on to Afton to work for his
Michigan employer, Mr. McKinzie, on the
construction of the Burlington & Missouri
Railway. Here he met with a misfortune
which was of considerable magnitude for
one just beginning life in a new land, whose
language he could not speak, this being the
loss of his wages, $128.00, for the two
month's work, caused by the contractor's re-
linquishing the work and leaving the men
unpaid. Mr. Sheagren then found occu-
pation on a farm, working the first three
montiis for his board, and thereafter re-
ceiving fifteen dollars a month, continuing
at this work for seven months in all. On
July 7, 1869, he returned to Burlington,
finding temporary employment with Gen-
eral Dodge, for whom he performed the
work about the house for three- weeks, and
then took a position with the old carriage
manufacturing firm of Bennett & Franz.
Here his early training counted to his ad-
vantage, and he was made foreman of the
blacksmith shop, holding that place for
about fifteen years, or until 1893, when the

70O

RIOGRAPIIICAL Rlil Hill '

firm was placed in the hands of a receiver,
at the refjuest of creihtors. In .March of the
following year Mr. Sheagrcn and Mr.
J'.ennett purchased tiie stock and plant, and
for two years continued operations on the
present site of the Durlington lUiggy Com-
pany. They then organized a stock com-
pany with a paid cash capital of two thou-
sand dollars, J. liennett being president,
and .Mr. Sheagren secretary and treasurer,
this corporation existing for ahniu five
years, at the end of which time Mr. Shea-
gren purchased his jjartner's interest. On
acquiring exclusive control, he removed to
the building at 2io Columbia Street, which
had been erected by the firm in i8(>5 at a
cost of two thousand five hundred dollars,
and at this excellent location he has since
continued the business alone, with great
success. .Mainifacturing. ])ainting. and re-
pairing are carried on. and at one time
eight men were em])l(iyed, although there
;ire but five at present, these being engaged
exclusively in buggy and carriage work.
Mr. Sheagren's reputation in this line of
manufacture is extensive and well estab-
lished, and the factory yields him each
year a handsome jirofit.

Ai lUirlington on Sept. 30, 1872. Mr. Shea-
gren was united in marriage to Miss Jose-
phine T'etersen. who was l)orn in Sweden,
where she learned dressmaking, and whence
she came to Chicago and was employed at
her art in that city at the time of the great
Chicago fire, which she, of course, remem-
bers with great distinctness. She now con-
ducts a large dressmaking establishment in
the Tama building, employing from twenty
to thirty young women under her personal
supervision and that of an assistant, while
she visits Chicago about five times each year
to studv fashions.

To Mr. and .Mrs. Sheagren have been
born the following children ; ( )scar Marry,
who is in the railway mail service between
Ilurlington and Council UlufFs and lives
with his ])arents : Ivsther Josejihine. who is
the wife of John Maher, of liurlington. a
conductor on the line of Chicago, liurling-
ton & Ouincy I^ailway, and has one son,
John: I'.enjamin, a dining-car comluctor on
the Chicago, liurlington & (Juincy kail-
road, lives in Hurlington, and has two chil-
dren, Martha and Walter: Kbba Lucretia,
who is the wife of Cieorge Beikmann. of
St. Louis, employed in b'erguson & McKin-
iiey's dry -goods house.

Mr. Sheagren's parents. John and (iusta
Sheagren. came to .America in 1HS3. and the
mother's deatli occurred at Burlington in
September. 1885. she being buried in .-\spen
Grove cemetery. The father returned the
following sjjring to Sweden, where he is
still living, in the eighty- f<nirlh year of his
age. They were the parents oi the follow-
ing children: Hannah, wife of Charles Bru-
tus, of Daven])ort : Louise, of Burlington,
widow of Charles Rapj) ; .Malilda. wife of
John N'oungren, of Rockford, 111.: and
1-ranz and Caroline, of Sweden, the latter
being the wife of John Miller.

Mr. Sheagren owns a pleasant home at
821 North Fourth Street, and in addition
to the residence property owns the building
in which his factory is located, renting the
ground on which it stands. He affiliates
with the Re])ublican (larty. though he is not
active in jwilitics. I'Vaternally. he is a mem-
biT of i'linckhouse Camp. No. 33. W'oiKlmen
of the World, of which camj) he has been
manager, and he is also a member of the
Cottage Lake Club, and the Business Men's
Association of Burlington. (Originally a
menilK'r of the Swedisli Methodist K])is-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

791

copal church, he was very active in its re-
ligious work, being- from 1873 ^o 1894
superintendent of the Sunday-school, a trus-
tee of the church, and a member of the
official board. He has since transferred his
membership to the First Methodist Episco-
pal church of Burlington.

Possessing a fine and robust iihysique,
Mr. Sheagren has never experienced any
difficulty in making his own way in the
world, and while tlie success he has attained
has been won entirely by his personal efl^orts,
he has always shunned any tendency to be
over-aggressive, preferring to respect the
rights of others and to live peaceably with
all men. Unassuming, frank, and strictly
honest in all matters of business as well as
in his private life, he has won the respect of
those who know him, and is well worthy
of the position and standing which he en-
joys in the community where he has labored
well, and done a man's part in the world's
work.

LOUIE PIETZSCH.

Louie Pietzsch, a gardener and farmer
on Section 14, Flint River township, Des
Moines county, Iowa, was born on the
farm where he now lives, Jan. 14, 1873.
He is a son of Herman and Elizabeth
(Dewein) Pietzsch. His father, who was
one of twelve children, was born March 3,
1837, 3nd was a native of Saxony. Germany,
coming with his parents and all of his broth-
ers and sisters, with the exce]ition of one, to
America in I-851, locating in Des ]\loines
county, where in 1864 he purchased a farm
of eighty-four acres on Sections 14 and 23,
in Flint River township. He was mar-
ried Dec. 12. 1868, to Elizabeth Dewein,

who was born in Burlington, Iowa, Dec.
24, 1848, and is a daughter of Jacob and
Catherine (Meyers) Dewein, both natives
of Hessen, Germany, coming to America
in 1840. Air. Dewein's life work was that
of a shoemaker. He had a partner, Her-
man Bonertch, for about one year before
lie died, which occurred in 1872. Mrs.
Dewein was born in (815, and died July li,
1903. at the home of her son-in-law, John
Blaul, whose sketch will also be found in
this work. They are both buried in Aspen
Grove cemetery. L'nto Mr. and Mrs.
Dewein were born nine children : Jacob,
deceased ; George, a resident of Burlington ;
Ricca. who married Herman Bonitz ;
Catherine, the wife of Henry Herman ;
Elizabeth, wife of Herman Pietzsch, and
mother of our subject ; Louisa, married
John Blaul : Louie, of Burlington ; and
Louis, deceased.

The parents of Louie Pietzsch were
blessed with ten children, eight of whom are
living, namely: Laura, born April I, 1871 ;
Louis, born Jan. 14, 1873 ; Rosa, born May
5, 1875; Catherine, born May 9, 1879;
Emma B., born May 15, 188 1 ; John R.,
born Sept. 19, 1883; Martha, born Nov. 23,
1885; Louise, born Nov. 7, 1887. Albert
and Robert died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs.
Pietzsch gave each child a good education.
Mr. Pietzsch died Aug. 19, 1901. He was
a stanch Republican and a respected and
worthy citizen. He was a member of the
German Methodist church, as also is his
widow, who lives on the farm with her
son Louie, of this sketch.

Our subject received his education in the
district schools of Flint River township, and
has been a farmer and gardener all his life.
He has a number of cows and horses and
the home farm, which is one of the best in

'g2

BIOGRAPHICA L RE VIEW

the townsliip. and his f,^•l^(k•^ CDiitaiiis all
kinds of small fruit. When his parents
began their domestic life upon this farm,
there was only a small frame building on
the place: but in 1870 they were able to
replace this little house by a handsome brick
residence of nine rooms, antl in 1887 a fine
barn, thirty by forty-two feet, with eighteen-
foot posts, was built. The land was al.so like
nuicli of the other land nf the valley, in a
very wild and unbroken condition. To-day
there are fifty acres under cultivation. Dur-
ing the long and continued residence of Mr.
Pietz.scli in the township he has become
well and favorably known thi-oughout the
county, and is considered one of the lead-
ing and public-spirited citizens of the town-
ship, where he possesses the respect and
kind regards of all those with whom he
has business or social relations. He is just
in tlu- ]>rinie of life, and we predict for him
a bright and prosperous future.

JOHN HENRY KREKEL.

Till Krckil family in .Anierica owes
its foundation to Jacob Krekel. now de-
ceased, who was a native of Nassau, Ger-
many, where he was born Oct. 25, 1825,
and whence he came to the" United States
in 1844. arriving at the city of P.urlington
on October 10th of that year. He at
once bought the farm in liurlington
townshi]) now occupied by his son, Jolin
Henry, which now comprises forty-six acres.
I'illed with a sentiment of loyalty to the
land of his reci.nl adi>|)tion. lu' eiilisln!
in the army ot the L'nited States in 1845,
and for three years followed its fortunes
in the .Mexican War, serving until the

close of the conllict. On the teriuination
of the war he received lionorable dis-
charge at the city of Xew Orleans. See-
ing an oi)])ortunity there to exercise his
ability in business, he established himself
in a grocery business, which he continued
for several years with success, or until
1858. At this time he returned to Iowa
and to his farm in llurlington township,
near Kem])er"s Station, where he opened
a wine house for the accommotlation of
the traveling public, and by his enter-
])rise and instinctive good taste made his
hostelry one of the plcasantest in the
county, while at the same time his cour-
tesy and admirable character won him
friends and success.

Ill- was well known in public affairs as
one uf the ol<l school of Jacksonian De-
mocracy, being elected as such to the of-
fices of assessor and trustee of liurling-
ton townshi]). in which jjositions he
ser\ed with honor and ever without rc-
l)roach. .\t Xew Orleans, on Dec. 28,
1852, he married .Miss Wilhelmina Fa-
bian, a native of .Annweiler. Rhine Prov-
ince. P)avaria. and daughter of .\ugust
anil Iknrietla I'abian. To them were
born six children, these being .Vugust,
who died in infancy; Augusta, now the
wife of William Schafer, who is a clerk in
the (juest piano store at llnrlington :
Louis P., a farmer of ISurlington town-
shi]); Fabian, who died in 1873 at the age
of nine and one-Ji.iif year> : .Matilda, wife
of (ieorge Knecht. of lUirlington ; ;ind
John Henry, the subject of this sketch.

John Henry Krekel was born in the
house wliicji ho now <)ccu|)ies on Se])t. 6,
iXrMj, and after receiving a gooil education
in the pid)lic schools of his native town-
shi]), began to relieve his father of much

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

793

of the work of superintending' the farm.
He also assisted from his early years in
the conduct of the business, and at his
fatlier's death on Nov. 13, 1902, he as-
sumed sole charge. The Quiet Nook,
fitl}- named and widely known as a place
of rest and recreation, has been open to
the public since pioneer days until the
present time continuously, with the ex-
ception of one brief interval. While it
enjoyed great popularity during the life
of the founder, the present proprietor has
niade many new friends and built up a
highly lucrative business, and here visit-
ors are always accorded the most cour-
teous treatment and thoughtful consider-
ation.

Following the paternal example, Mr.
Krekel is a worker for the triumph of the
Democratic party, and has on occasion
served his fellow-citizens in the capacity
of clerk of elections for his district. Fra-
ternally, he is a member of the W^est
Burlington Lodge of the Knights of
Pythias, and of the Rathbone Sisters, the
allied order, in both of which he has been
called upon to do duty in the various offi-
cial positions. He is genial, unpreten-
tious, whole-souled, and loyal, and has a
host of friends throughout Des Moines
county.

ALFRED THOMAS.

Alfred Thomas is the owner of a '
valuable farm of two hundred and fifty
acres in Yellow Springs township. He
was born Aug. 3, 1845, his parents being
Eli and Nancy (Archer) Thomas. His
paternal grandfather, John Thomas, a
native of England, was one of the hon-

ored pioneers of the State of Ohio, and
contributed in substantial measure to its
early development and progress. His
maternal grandfather, Hezekiah Archer,
was a native of South Carolina, and went
from that State to Illinois, becoming a
resident of Bond county. In 1835 he
came to Iowa, and entered many hundred
acres of land in Des Moines county, and
here laid out four different townships —
Pleasant Grove, Yellow Springs, Frank-
lin, and Washington. He built a log
house where Samuel H. Wilson now re-
sides, and later he made and burned
brick, which he used in the construction
of a modern brick residence, it being the
first of the kind in this section of the
country, and here he lived till his death.
He gave his sons one hundred and sixty
acres each, and the farm of Wm. Archer
was later sold to a Mr. Orendorf, and
later sold, and the present improvements
were placed thereon through the efforts
of William McClements, who was then
its owner. This was left to a son, Robt.
McClements, and after a time Mr.
Thomas bought this farm, and in igo2 he
sold it to the subject of this review. The
grandfather did much for the county in
the way of reclaiming the district for the
purposes of civilization, and his early
efforts as an agriculturist proved an im-
portant element in laying the foundation
for the present progress and prosperity
of this section of the State.

Eli Thomas, father- of our subject,
spent much of his youth in the Middle
West, living both in ( )hio and Iowa. He
was for a long period a resident of Yel-
low Springs township, where he followed
the occupation of farming. His wife bore
the maiden name of Nancy Archer.

7«4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Alfred Thomas, reared iindir llu- par-
ental roof, early became familiar with the
duties and labors that fall to the lot of
the agriculturist, as he assisted his
father in the ojjeration of the home farm.
He pursuecl his ]ireliiiiinary education in
the ])ublic schools, and afterward at-
tended the Mount Pleasant .\cademv,
thus receiving am|)le instruction as a
preparation for life's practical and re-
si)<)nsil)le duties in later years. The f)ccu-
])ation to which he was reared he has
always followed. The first land which
he ever owned was on Section H). \ ellow
Springs township, an<l was a part of a
claim that once belonged to a Revolu-
tionary soldier. It was purchased by his
father for one hundred and nineteen dol-
lars, and later .Vlfrcd Thomas bought it
for thirty dollars per acre. He continued
its cultivation for a long piTiod. efiuip])ed
it with moderTi accessories and conve-
niences, and in icx52 sold it to W'm. and
Luther Mehaffy, cousins, for si.xteen
thousand dollars. The following year he
purchased his present farm of his brother.
This com|)rises two hundred and thirty
acres of land, and constitutes tin- tract
which was entered by his maternal grand-
father. .Mr. Thomas now has altogether
two hundred and fifty acres on .Section 31,
Yellow Springs townshij). constituting
one of the best-improved farms in this
l)art of the county. He is (|uite exten-
sively engaged in stock-raising, feeding
about a car-load of cattle each year. He
makes a specialty of breeding Polled
.\iigus cattle, and handling registered stock,
lie also raises about eighty head of
I'olaiKl China hogs annually, and at the
present time has one hundred head on his
place. His stock-raising interests prove

a gratifying source of income, and at the
same time his fields are well tilled and
yield him good harvests.

I'eb. 23, 1X77, .Mr. Thomas was united
in marriage to Miss Jennie May Dunlap,
a daughter of James and Mary (Titter-
ington) Dunlap. She was born in Rock
Island county, Illinois, Jan. 22. 1851. and
died Feb. 29, 1878, leaving one son, Fred,
whose birth occurred Feb. 23, 1878. For
his second wife .Mr. Thomas chose Miss
Alice .May I'pton, who was born in \\ est
llurlington. .Sept. 26, 18^12, and is "a
daughter of John and Lydia (Ragle) Up-
ton. There are nine children by this
union: .Mabel. Kirkwood, Nancy Cirace.
Helen 11.. I )on 1'.. ( lleiin. llernicc. Her-
bert, an<l lulwin.

In his religious faiih .Mr. Thomas is a
Cumberland Presbyterian, and is inter-
ested in the work of the church. His
political allegiance is given to the Rei)ub-
iican party, and he is a man who keeps
well informed 011 all general topics of the
day. His attention, however, is concen-
trated on his business affairs, and through
his well-directe<l efforts he has provided
an e.xcellent home for his faniilv. Real-
izing that labor is the chief element in a
successful career, he has worked persist-
ently and untiringly, and now a hand-
some i)roperty is indicative of his well-
s])ent and useful life.

JOHN LAUBSCHER.

John I.al'bsciier, who carries on gen-
eral farming in ^'ellow Springs township,
was born in Switzerland, Dec. 2(), 1847,
his parents being Rudolph and Mary

JOHN LAUBSCHER AND WIFE.

DES .MOINES COUXTV, IOWA.

T-n

(Schonc) Laulischci". The first fourteen
years of his hfe were spent in the country
of his nativity, antl there he heg-un his
eckication in the pulilic schools. In De-
cemlier. 1868, howexer, the family bade
adieu to the land of the Alps, and sailed
for the New World. On reaching this
country they made their way direct to-
ward the Mississipjii \alley, and took up
their aliode in r.urlint;ton, where they
lived for two 3'ears. On the expiration of
that period the}' removed to IMissouri, and
in August, 1876, Mr. Laubscher, of this
review, went to Carson City, Nev. He
traveled around for a short time, and then
came to Mediapolis.

Mr. Laubscher learned the harness-
maker's trade in Edina, Kno.x county,
Mo., and started in the harness business
for himself, in which he continued until
the spring of 1900, when he sold his busi-
ness to Carl J. .Vndcrson, and also dis-
posed of other city property, in which he
had invested.

For several years he has lived upon the
farm which he now owns and occupies.
He has made all of the improvements
here, except a few old buildings which
were upon the ground at the time of his
purchase. Here he has set out several
hundred fruit trees. He now owns ninety-
two acres of land, of which tweh-e acres
lie within the city limits. On July i, 1886,
he bought si.x acres from ^\'. H. Cart-
wright, for which he paid one hundred
dollars per acre, and also purchased an-
other si.x acres adjoining, for which he
gave a similar price, on June 21, 1888.
This is the first land in Yellow Springs
tliat has sold for .such a high price.

Mr. Laubscher was married Oct. 2,
1878, in Osawatomie, Ivans., to Miss Isa-

belle Kowcroft, a daughter of Lsaac and
Mary (Smith) Rowcroft. They have five
children living, and have lost six. Those
who still survixe are: John Henry, who
was born .\ug. 0. 1871), and is now in the
L'nited States navy: Nellie, born Dec. 25,
1880, and now at home : William, who
was born July 18, 1883, and is a farmer;
Bessie ()livia, born Dec. 17, 1887: and
Jesse, born July 20, 1891. Those who have
passed away are : Minnie, who was l:)orn
Afay 23, 1882, and died Oct. 10, 1882;
Henr\-, who was born Aug. 6, 1884, and
died September 12th of that year; Al\-a
Roy, who was born July 2(), i8g6, and
died on the 8th of the following May ;
Hazel L., who was born June 23, 1808,
and died Sept. i, 1899; and Minnie Belle,
who was born .Sept. 12, 1885, and died
May 17, 1905.

The wife and mother was called to her
final rest Feb. 25, 1900, and it was after
this, in the spring of that year, that Mr.
Laubscher sold his business, in order to
gi-^-e his entire attention to his farm. He
has a pretty home in the midst of a splen-
did tract of ground, and is to-day one of
the substantial agriculturists of his com-
munity. All that he possesses has been
acquired through his own eiiforts, and his
life record demonstrates the force of en-
erg}- anfl integrity as potent elements in
lousiness life.

JOHN O'FARRELL.

Joii.x ( )'F.\RUF,[.r., deceased, was a pio-
neer resident of Des Moines county. He
was burn in Kilkenny, Ireland, in June
1798, and was a son of Michael and Julia
(O'Keefe) O'Farrell. In the year 1828

7sj8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

lie came to the United States, being
then a young man of thirty years. He
fir.st settled at Newport. K. I., and for
ten years was in the i-iiii)luy of the gov-
ernment, being engaged on the construc-
tion of forts. On the expiration of that
decade he came to the West, settHng in
Franklin township. Des Moines county,
wIuTo his !)rothcr-in-law. Michael Xaddy.
had taken uj) a claim of throe hundred
and twenty acres from the government.
It was this tract that Mr. O'Farrell pur-
chased when he reached Iowa. It was
all limber land except ahoiti twenty acres,
but he at once began clearing it and jire-
pariiig it for cultivation. His ]]ioneer
home was a log cabin, but in i<S4i he
erected a substantial frame residence,
which is still standing. He put all of the
improvements upon the |)lacc. and con-
tinued to work the farm until a tract of
ninety acres is now cleared and under a
high state of cultivation.

Before leaving his native country .Mr.
O'Farrcll was married, in 1824, to Miss
Julia Xaddy, a daughter of James and
Margaret (Kyle) .\a<ldy. ICighl children
were born of this union: .Michael, who
died at the age of thirteen years; Julia,
deceased; Margaret, upon the home
place; Bridget, the wife of V. Guerin, of
California; James, deceased; Mary, who
is li\ing on the home ])Iace; and Michael
and John, who ha\e ])assed away.

riu- t'alluT was a l>i-mocrat in his polit-
ical views, and a Catholic in his religious
faith, being one of the original members
of St. Paul's Catholic church at llurling-
ton. His life was marked bv industry
and perseverance, and he continued
actively and successfully to cultivate his
farm until his death, which occurred in

September, i8(xd. His widow long sur-
vived him, and in 1862, accompanied by
three daughters and one son, went to
California, making her way first to New
York City, where they embarked on a
boat for Panama, crossed the isthmus,
and again sailed for San Francisco. They
left home on December 16, and arrived at
their tlestination on January 6, following.
Mrs. O'Farrell remained with her chil-
dren on the Pacific Coast for seven years,
during that time her farm being rented
to Mr. Lutz for five years, and to John
Colerane for two years. In 1870 she re-
turned to Des Moines county with her
children, John and Mary, while Margaret
remained with her brothers, James and
Michael, on the Pacific Coast for twenty-
six years. Again taking up her abode on
the old home farm. Mrs. O'I'arrell con-
tinued to reside there until her death,
which occurred Dec. 14. 1888, when she
was eighty-six years of age. Her
daughters. Mary and Margaret, have
since li\ed upon the old homestead, oc-
cupying the dwelling which was erected
by their father about sixty-four years ago,
wliiJe the lan<l is rented.

DAVID MEHAFFY.

Among the worthy sons that Ireland
has sent to the New World is David Me-
haffy. He has never sought prestige of
place or political power, but has directed
his energies into business channels,
wherein his diligence and effort have won
him creditable success, an<l enabled him
to provide a comfortable home for his
family, in whose welfare his interest is

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

799

centered. He was born in County Mona-
han, Ireland, July 12, 1864, and there
spent the first ■eight years of his life. His
father, hearing- favorable reports concern-
ing America and the advantages offered
for business success, severed the ties
which bound him to the Green Isle, and
crossing the Atlantic, landed in New York
City. Mr. Mehaflfy brought his family
direct to Yellow Springs township, Des
Moines county, where he bought one
hundred antl twenty acres of land in
Section 17.

David embraced the educational priv-
ileges offered by the district schools in the
township which had become his new
home. Leaxing school days behind him
he began to work on his father's farm,
where he remained for some years.

March 6, 1889, Mr. Mehaffy was mar-
ried to Miss Rosetta Thompson, daughter
of William and Martha Ellen (Lee)
Thomjison, who was born in Yellow
Springs township May 15, 1 87 1. This
home has been blessed with six children,
all born in Des Moines county but David
Winslow, who was born in Minnesota.
They are: Martha Elizabeth Anna, born
Jan. 25, iSqg; David Winslow, born July
8, 1892; Elsie Esther, born Eeb. 17, 1894:
Thyrza Independence, born July 4, i8i)S;
Jennie Emma, born Jan. 16, 1901 ; Robert
Branham, born Jan. 29, 1904. Mr. ^le-
haff\' resided in Yellow Springs township,
carrying on general farming with great
success till 1904, when he moved to his
present location, the McDonald farm, in
Section 26, in order that his children
might attend the schools of Mediapolis.

As a dairyman he and his wife hold the
record for making butter in this township,
making one thousand five hundred and

thirty-six pounds from twelve cows in a
year. Some of this fine butter was on ex-
hibition at the World's Fair at St. Louis
in 1904. Mr. Mehaffy and his brothers
are the largest farmers in Des Moines
county, farming about six hundred acres
of land, and are known throughout the
county as the Mehaffy corn raisers. Mr.
Mehaffy now divides his time, farming
part of it and ditch contracting the other
part of it.

He and his estimable wife and children
are members of the Methodist church, be-
ing acti\'e in all of its movements. Polit-
ically he is a Republican, but has never
sought nor desired pulilic ofifice. He is a
man of upright character, his Christianity
being manifested in his daily life, and no
shadow of wrong or evil has ever fallen
over his life record.

WM. H. THOMPSON.

Wm. H. Thompson, a farmer and auc-
tioneer, residing now in Mediapolis, Iowa,
retired, is a native of Fayette county, Ind.,
born Sept. 8, 1834, and is a son of Thomas
M. and Mary N. (Garrell) Thompson,
the former a native of Indiana, and the
latter of Allegheny county, Pa. The
family is of Irish descent, the paternal
grandfather, John Thompson, being a na-
tive of Ireland.

Thomas was reared upon a farm, and
followed the occu])ation oi farming in his
earlier years, but later became a minister
in the IMethodist Evangelical church and
continued to jjreach the gospel until his
death, which occurred in December, 1855,
at the age of forty-seven years. His wife,

8oo

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIFAV

who was also a mcinljcr of the Methmlist
Kvangclical church, died in 1884. aged
sixty-four years. They reared a family
of eleven children. ti\e of whom are liv-
ing;: I'llizaheth. wife of W'm. Loper. of
Huron township: Win. H.: Caroline, now
Mrs. Warren T. I land: Miltf>n: and
.'>arah. the wife of Thomas K. Cogswell.

In 1SS4 .Mr. and Mrs. Thom]ison came
to ! )es .Moines cniuiiy, Iowa, settlint,'^ near
l)o(lj.je\ille. I'"ranklin township, where the
father rented a farm for two years. Later,
he ])urchased eijjhty acres of lantl in
lliiniii township, hut in iS4<) removed to
Keokuk county. Iowa, makinjj that their
liome for the succeeding; two years,
'{"heir next place of residence was in Jef-
ferson coimtv. Iowa, where the father
died at the afje of forty-seven years.

W'm. H. Thompson first came to Dcs
Moines county in 1S44. and here resided
for five years, at the end of which time he
removed with his parents: hut in 1852 he
returned. enp;ag;injj as a farm hand imtil
Autj. 10, i8')i. wluii lie enlisted in Com-
|)any K. I-'ourteenth Iowa Infantry. He
served three years and forty-one days as
corporal, and participated in the following
battles: Fort Donelson. Tu])elo, the Red
River expedition, Pleasant Hill. Old
( )aks. and Tupelo Bayou. The regiment
next went to \ icksliuri:;. where they par-
ticipated in the ."second Jackson cam-
paign. .Mr. Thompson t<iok part in and
was taken prisoner at the battle of Shiloh
(or I'ittsburg Landing), and confined at
Mobile, Ala., l.itei- ai Montgomery, then
at Macon. ( la., and in the Libby Prison,
at Richniiind. \a.. where he was paroled.
When exchanged, he again entered active
service. He was nnistered out in Xovem-
l)er. t864. at Davenjiort. Iowa.

Returning to Des Moines county, Iowa,
.Mr. Thom]>son again engaged as a farm
hancl for one year. Jan. 3, i8<i", he was
united in marriage to Delanah .\. Miller,
a native of I)es Moines county, Iowa, and
by that union two ciiililren were born,
( )live and I-'ranklin, both of whom died in
childhood. The death of the mother oc-
curred .\ug. 15. 1870. at the age of thirty-
nine years.

Mr. 'fhompson was again married. June
2<), 1871, to Martha I".. Lee, a native of
this county, and a daughter of Robert R.
Lee. who was t>ne of the first settlers in
this section. I'>y this marriage there are
also two children, Talitha R. and Minnie
A. .Mr. Thompson purchased a farm in
Section 2f). ^'ellow .Springs t<iwnship.
where he lived until his retirement, when
he moved to .Media])olis. For six years
he held the office of constable of his lown-
shi]), is a incmlx-r of the (jrand Army of
the Republic, and politically is a Democrat.
.Mr. Thonipson was also known far and
wide as an abii- auctioneer, following this
business for about nine vears.

MAX BRUHL.

M.\.\ Hufiir., who. as jiroprietor of a
grocery store in Unrlington. is regarded as
one of the representative business men of
the city, was born in .\ustria, Oct. 12, 1859,
and is a son of .M.ulin ;in<l Mary (Meyer)
llruhl. He was but eight years of age
when his ])arents came to .\merica, locating
in Jackson, Mo., where he remained luUil
thirteen years of age. wlun he came with
the family to Unrlington. and for a time
attended a night school, lie is a self-made

DES MO/NES COUNTY. IOWA.

8oi

man, for at the age of eight years he began
earning his own HveHhood, working for his
board and clothing. He did odd chores,
and in fact performed any honest labor that
he could secure. At different times he was
I employed in a lumBer factory, in a cigar
and tobacco factory, and in a grocery store,
while later he engaged in teaming. Thus
he embraced every opportunity which
])roniised him success and advancement
and at length, through his own industry
and economy, he acquired the capital which
enabled him to embark in the grocery busi-
ness on his own account on West Hill, one
block from -where he is now located, at 425
Leebrick Street. Since 1892 he has given
his undivided attention to his grocery stor£,
in which he now carries a large and care-
fully selected stock of goods, so neatly and
tastefully arranged that it proves very at-
tractive to his many customers. His busi-
ness is constantly increasing, and he is now-
conducting a profitable trade, his annual
sales netting him a good return upon his
investment.

On Oct. 12, 1880, Mr. Bruhl was united
in marriage to Miss iMary C. Plock, a
daughter of Henry and Dorothy Elizabeth
(Drothring) Plock. Her parents came to
America in April, 1865, locating in Burling-
ton, where they spent their remaining days,
the father being employed in Gilbert's lum-
ber yard until his death, which occurred in
August, 1895. His wife died July 5, 1897.
They had five children: August and ?\lary,
who are in this country, and three who died
in Germany. Mrs. Bruhl was born in Ber-
lin, Germany, Feb. 25, 1861, and was there-
fore only four years of age when Ijrought
by her parents to the United States. By
her marriage she has become the mother
of seven children: Mary, Augusta. Clara

Dora, Elizabeth, Arthur Ferdinand, Maxi-
milian Mathias, Vesta Lavina, and Margaret
Judith. The family circle yet remains un-
broken by the hand of death, and all of the
children are at home. Mr. Bruhl is a mem-
ber of the Modern Woodmen Camp at Bur-
lington, and politically is a Republican where
national questions are involved, but at local
elections he votes independently of party
ties. While there have been no exciting
chapters in his life history, it is still -worthy
of commendation, showing that force of
character, strong purpose, and honorable
methods form a safe and sure foundation
upon which to build success.

JOHN G. DEHN.

Ix the life record of John George Dehn
are contained many valuable lessons, show-
ing what can be accomplished b_\- the young
man of this free country, even though he
has no capital with which to start out on
life's journey. "With a laudable ambition
to achieve success, Mr. Dehn placed his
dependence upon the substantial qualities
of energy and close application, and on this
foundation he has reached his prosperity.

Mr. Dehn, a son of Henry and JNIargaret
(Petrea) Dehn. was born in Darmstadt,
Germany, .\ug. 3. 1846. Though his edu-
cation was received in his native place, yet
his school privileges were very limited, but
-reading and general observation in later
years have made him a well-informed man.
He learned the butcher trade early in life,
and after coming to America spent one
year in this work in Alton. 111. Com-
ing to Burlington, Iowa, in 1869, he was
employed at the butcher shop of Mr. George

8o2

BIOC.RAPIIU Al. Rf-rir.iv

Boeck for tliree years. With this exjx^ri-
cnce our subject decided to go into business
for himself, and in 1872 a favorable oppor-
tunity presented itself. The well-known
firm of Steinbrechcr. Dchn & Lau was
established, havinj:; a well-ecjuipped meat
market located at the northeast corner of
Third and Washinfjton Streets. Here Mr.
Dchn met with gratifying success, number-
ing hundreds of the good people of the city
among his daily customers. This popular
firm continued in business till if^97. when
Mr. Steinbrechcr died, and the firm under-
went a change, Mr. Lau retaining the old
stand, and Mr. Dehn seeking a new location,
and opening up a meat market at 805
Osborn Street, .\fter conducting this shop
for some fourteen months, he sold out
to Mr. Frank Ostertag, who died soon
after, leaving his meat market in the care
of his wife. On Jan. i, 1899, a broader
field of work presented itself, and Mr. Dehn
opened a store at 803 Osborn Street, where
he does a good business dealing in hides,
tallow, and grease. He has also twenty-
five acres of land in the city limits, and
is cmi)loyed in gardening, having planted
some nine hundred or one tliousanil fruit
trees, which in time will add greatly to his
in.come.

On May 5, 1870, Mr. Dehn became the
husband of Miss Catherine Roth, daughter
of Lawrence and Mary ( Wnnderlich)
Roth. Her parents were higiily res]3ected
Germans, who came to America at an early
date. I'nto Mr. Dchn and his wife were
l)orn seven children : George ; Frank ;
Emma (Mrs. Herman Ortel) : Clara (Mrs.
Otto Thomas), who died very suddenly
Aug. 6, 1903, aged twenty-two years ;
Fred; Lydia (Mrs. Robert Duncan); and
Walter Henrv.

The children all attended the South Hill
School, making good use of their time, and
where they were very i)o])ular with their
playmates. The sons all have good positions
in their native city.

Politically. Mr. Dehn has always been a
stanch Democrat, and though never seek-
ing or aspiring to any public office, yet
always ready and willing to ser\'e his party
in any capacity that would promote its
success. Mr. and Mrs. Dehn are both ear-
nest and devoted mcmlx^rs of the German
Lutheran church, being regular attendants
and actively engaged in the religious and
social welfare of the same. Their pleasant
home is located at 218 South Fourth Street.
» .\s a citizen Mr. Dehn has proved him-
self public-spirited and progressive, pa-
triotic and loyal to the principles of our
government, his personal success being the
result of untiring energy and application.
He is a valued member of the community,
held in the highest esteem for the sterling
traits of character which have brought
about his success.

HERMAN GERBELING.

Among the thrifty class of Germans who
were born in West Phalen, Germany, and
•who have formed a settlement in Flint River
township, is Herman Gerbeling, who is a
son of Henry John and Catherine (Baker)
Gerbeling, and who was bom Nov. 27, 1857.
Receiving something less than two years'
schooling in his native place, he came to
America with his parents when only eight
years old, and though it is now forty years
ago, yet many of the incidents and cxperi-

DBS MOfNES COUNTY, IOWA.

803

ences of the trip are still fresh in his mind.
His parents were born in the good old
Fatherland, his father, Nov. 27, 1820, and
his mother, Jan. 13, 1834. Soon after com-
ing to this free country, his father bought
the farm in Flint River township where our
.subject makes his home. He was most suc-
cessful in all his undertakings for some
twenty-five years, and had become well and
favorably known throughout the commu-
nity. His death occurred Aug. 24, 1901.

Mr. and JMrs. Gcrbeling were the parents
of eleven children — six sons and five daugh-
ters — of whom eight are now living : Her-
man, of this review ; Henry and William,
both of Nebraska : Peter, of Burlington ;
Carrie, at home ; Hannah, married Henry
Wiedeman, of Nebraska; August, of Bur-
lington ; Edward, who is on the old home
place ; Mary, Anna, and an unnamed infant,
died.

Politically, Mr. Gerbeling was a strong
Democrat, but not an aspirant for party
recognition. He and his wife were regu-
lar attendants of the German Evangelical
church, where they had both long been
devoted members. Our subject lives with
his aged mother, and i.s the superintendent
of the old home place. He also has seventy-
two acres of land in Section 4, in the same
township where he lives. He does farming,
gardening, and raises considerable stock,
which he ships to the local markets.

Though Mr. Gerbeling has always been a
Democrat, yet he votes for the man who he
thinks is best qualified to serve the people.
In 1894 he was elected road supervisor, and
served with great satisfaction to the town-
ship for seven years. He joined the Odd
Fellows in Sperry. Iowa, in 1885, and held
all the offices of this order, and was past
grand one term during the '90's. Mr. Ger-

beling is a man who is very fond of reading,
and is well posted on all subjects. He is a
man of much strength of character and
intellect, and stands high in the opinion of
his fellow-men. He is unmarried.

LOUIS F. TIMMERMAN.

I.oui.s F. TiMMERM.\N, who now makes
his home on Sections 10 and 1 1 in
Benton township, Des Moines county, is
a native of Prussia, where he was born
Feb. 10, 1849, a son of Christopher and
\'erste Timmerman. He received his
education in Germany, making a spe-
cialty of the languages, of which he is
master.

When he was eighteen years of age he
came to the United States and located in
Iowa, where he was engaged at various
things for many years. He finally turned
his attention to farming, and in 1899
bought a farm of one hundred acres,
where he has resided for the last three
years. He is engaged in all kinds of
farming, and also feeds a number of
cattle.

Sept. 19, 1872, Mr. Timmerman be-
came the husband of Miss Augusta Kahn,
who was also born in Prussia, in the city
of Magdel:)urg. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Tim-
merman were born si.x children who are
living: Lizzie, Henry, Carrie, Edward,
John, and Maggie. After being a faith-
ful and devoted wife for some twenty
years, Mrs. Timmerman entered into her
eternal rest Alay 2^. i8<;2, and relatives,
friends, and neighbors all lost one who
had been to them most faithful and true,

«04

lilOGKAPHICAL Klil J Jill'

and wlio liail ever exerted an influence
which was for good.

Uec. 31. 1895. Mr. iimmernian married
Mrs. Williehnina Kinnia Hauser. who
was born in llurlinjjton. Iowa. Jan. 26.
1 857. and is a daughter of .\ugust and
Henrietta (Si)enke) Moabeus who were
native-born (ierinans. Ily her inarriaije
with Henry P. Hauser, Mrs. Hauser had
three chihiren: Sarali ICllen. Florence
Matilda, and Susan Mchitabel. Sarah
Kllen married I'aul .Sander, and lives in
Chicago: l'"ioreiice .Matilda is the wife of
Victor E. lien.son, who travels for the
Dexter Folding Machine Company, of
Chicago. They have one child, Howard,
who is live years of age. Susan Mehitabel
married George A. Benson, who is a
printer, and also resides in Chicago.

Mr. Timmerman is a Democrat, but
generally casts his vote for the men he
tliinks best (|ualitied In serve the people.
He and his estimable family are members
of the Zion church, where tliey take
much pleasure in a<lvancing e\ ery under-
taking.

Though Mr. Tinimernian is a man of
a very retiring nature, still he is one U>
be greatly admired an<l respected. His
life has beeh one of integrity and u]>-
rightness, which has not only won many
friends for jiini, but has uuide his busi-
ness career verv successful.

MAXIMILIAN BUSER.

M.\xi.MiLi.\.\ ilLSKK, who is conducting
a blacksmithing business in Hurlington,
was born in I'asel, Switzerland, .March 12,
1848, his jKirents being Henry and .^nna

(Schafer) Buser. The father was a black-
smith by trade, and about iStnp came with
iiis family to America, making his way di-
rect to Burlington, where for about three
years he was in the employ of Rurk & I-"unk.
He then embarked in business on Jiis own
account by opening a shop of his own on
West Hill. There he conducted business for
some time. He died in 1894, while his wife
passed away in 1890. They were the par-
ents of twelve children, of whoni nine are
yet living: Henrietta, llie widow of (.ieorge
Kratz. who was drowned, her home being
on Garden Street, on North Hill ; Anna, the
■wife of Dietrich Langenberg, who is janitor
for the Smuiyside School, and lives on High-
land .\veuue : .Maximilian: Mary, the wife
of Josejjh Miller, a carpenter, who for thirty
years worked for Mr. Winters, and resides
on Highland Avenue: Selnia, who became
tlie wife of Fred Doemland, and died in
18S7: John, who is living in Quincy, 111.;
Charles, a frescoer by trade; Frederick, a
slup])ing clerk : Albert, who is a cutter for
the Mercantile Cominmy : Lydia, the wife
of .August .Schultz, a machinist of West
r.urlington : Henry, who died in .August,
1904, at the age of thirty-six years; and
Otto, who died in Germany at the age of
three years.

Maximilian I'.user pursued his eilucation
in the schools of his na^tive country, and
after jjutting aside his text-books learned the
black.'^mith's trade with his father. When
twenty-one years of age he came with the
family to the I'nited States, and has since
been a resident of Burlington. He was first
employed as a blacksmith by the firm of
Burk & l-'unk, and later obtained employ-
ment in the Burk W'agon Works, where he
remained for twelve years. Subsequently
he was with the Murrav Iron \^'orks for

DES MO/XES COUNTY. IOWA.

805

seven years, and following a period spent
in the service of the Orchard City Works,
he began business on his own account in
1893, opening a shop next to his pleasant
home, at 2616 Sunnyside Avenue, where
he does all kinds of blacksmithing with the
exception of horseshoeing. He makes
plows, wagons, and all kinds of tools, and
does all kinds of repair •work, having a good
patronage, which makes his business profit-
able.

On the 5th of November, 1874, Mr. Buser
was married to Miss Fredericka Doemland,
a daughter of Christian Doemland, and they
have five children : Lydia, Maria Selma,
Arthur Wesley, Maude Ellen, and Ruth
Anna. !Mr. Buser attends the German
Methodist^ Episcopal church, in the faith
of which he was reared. In politics he is a
Democrat, where party principles are in-
volved, but at local election votes regard-
less of party ties. Long a representative of
industrial interests here, he has ever been
regarded as a good workman, and his labors
have not been without the success which is
the goal of all business endeavor.

FRED MEHMKEN.

Fred Mehmken, a son of Gerhard and
Fredericka (Schreiter) Mehmken, was born
in Oldenburg, Germany, July 10, 1869. He
there pursued his education in the public
schools and in a business college, and being
thus well equipped for the duties that come
when one enters business life, he turned his
attention to the task of acquiring a compe-
tence. He was first employed in a whole-
sale dry-goods store in Bremen, and later, in
accordance with the laws of his native land.

he spent three years in the German army,
acting as both corporal and bookkeeper.
Following his military service he worked for
seven months in a dry-goods store ; and then,
ambitious to enjoy the better business privi-
leges of the New World, he.came to America
in the spring of 1894, landing at Baltimore.
From that city he made his way to Des
Moines county, Iowa, where he was em-
ploved on a farm for about one year : after
which he spent three years in Henry county,
this State, working by the month.

In 1901, through his industry and frugal-
ity, he had accumulated a capital sufficient
to enable him to purchase a farm of his
own, and he bought one hundred and sixty
acres of Samuel B. Tucker, on Section 28,
Yellow Springs township. In the meantime,
however, he had followed farming on his
own account for four years, as a renter.

His present home is pleasantly and con-
veniently located about two and one-half
miles west of Mediapolis, where he is
engaged in raising forty-five head of cattle,
mostl}- of the Hereford breed, and about
seventy-five head of Poland China hogs. He
is a general farmer and stock-raiser, and
while there has been nothing sensational or
exciting in his career, it shows the force of
consecutive endeavor and laudable ambition
as active factors in business life. These
(|ualities have brought him success.

Jan. I, 1898, Mr. Alehmken was united
in marriage to Lizzie \"ollmer Tackenberg,
a daughter of Henry and Louisa (Kipp)
\'ollmer. She was twice married, her first
husband being Charles Tackenberg, who^
died April 15, 1896, at the age of twenty-
nine years, leaving one son, Wesley, born
Nov. 16, 1891. Mr. and Mrs. iMehmken
now have two children : Henry, born April
25, 1902: and Mark, born Jan. 21, 1904.

8o6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Melimken hplds membership in the
German Lutheran church, and in politics is
a Republican where State and national issues
arc involved, but at local elections, where the
capability of a candidate is the essential
factor, he votes independently. He has
never had occasion to regret his determin-
ation to seek a home in America, for here he
has found the business opportunities he
sought, which, by the way, are always open
to ambitious, resolute young men. Through
his unfaltering labor he has made for him-
self a creditable place in agricultural cir-
cles in Yellow Springs township.

FRED C. WUNNENBERG.

Oxii of the most progressive farmers
and influential citizens of Benton town-
ship is Fred C. Wunnenbcrg, who is a
representative of a well-known pioneer
family. Mr. Wunnenberg himself is a
native of the townshi]}, but lie is one of
the many citizens of Des ;\Ioines county
whose native thrift and sterling integritj'
bear indisputable testimony to the fact
that ftiey are of German descent, his father
and mother both having come from that
country. Mr. Wuimcnberg is the son
of Henry and .\melia (Raefeld) Wun-
nenberg.

The father, Henry Wunnenberg, was
born in Berlin, and followed the occupa-
tion of a miller in the Fatherland. He
and his wife came to .America in 1832,
and located in Benton township, where
he made his home till the time of his
death. Immediately upon his arrival in
I'cnton township he bought a forty-acre
farm located in the eastern part of the

township. He was so successful, from a
financial standpoint, in his cultivation of
this place, that after a number of years
he was able to sell this farm and buy an-
other one consisting of one hundred and
thirty-five acres, situated across the road
west from the one on which our subject
lives. Here he made his home, and
carried on a stock-raising business in ad-
dition to his work of general farming.
The farm was brought to a high state of
cuilixation and underwent many im-
provements under the ownership of Mr.
Wunnenberg. Here he died at the ripe
age of seventy-nine years, and was in-
terred in the cemetery south of the vil-
lage of Latty. He was always very much
interested in the political questions of the
day, and rendered valuable aid to the
Democratic party, which seemed to him
to best represent his ideas of what a pop-
ular government should be. He was also
an active and efficient worker in the
Evangelical church, of which he was a
faithful member.

Mrs. Henry Wunnenberg, whose
maiden name was Amelia Raefeld, died
about four years before her husband, at
the age of fifty-six years, and is buried at
the same place as her husband. She was
the mother of eleven children, of whom
two died in infancy. Of the five boys
and four girls remaining, one, Herman,
is a teamster in Burlington. The rest
have preferred the free life of farmers.

Fred C. Wunnenberg, the subject of
this review, was born on the old home-
stead in Benton township, Feb. i", 1862.
He was gi\cn a common-school educa-
tion, beyond which very few young peo-
ple went at that time, and remained at
home until he reached the age of thirty

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

807

years, sometimes working out on neigh-
boring places besides helping to carry on
the work of the home place.

On Alarch 30, 1893. he was married to
Miss Anna Riemann, daughter of Fred
Riemann, of this township. Her father,
who is now deceased, came of a family
whose names have been well known in
the community for many years, as they
were among the earliest settlers of this
part of Iowa.

After his marriage Mr. Wunnenberg
was so prospered that in four or five
years he was able to buy his present farm
of one hundred and twenty acres, in Sec-
tion 18, and has since resided there. This
farm consists of rich, fertile land, and is
in a good state of cultivation, thoroughly
developed, and well adapted to general
farming as Air. Wunnenberg carries it
on. Mr. \\'unnenberg has been blessed
with seven children, who are : Vernon
William, born July 2, 1894; Herbert Otto,
born Sept. 16. 1895; Alice Adora, born
Oct. 4, 1896: ;\Iinnie, born Oct. 14, 1898;
Ralph H.. born Feb. 6, 1901 ; Pearl Em-
ma, born Aug. 6, 1902 : and a daughter,
born Feb. 5, 1905.

Mr. W'unnenberg has taken much in-
terest in political affairs since he was a
young man, and has done much work in
behalf of his friends. He has attended
the county conventions as a delegate, rep-
resenting his neighbors in the Demo-
cratic party. In religious matters he is
connected with the Evangelical church,
and well maintains his father's faith. He
is devoted to the cause of right and jus-
tice in all its aspects, and has always been
a believer in the duty of the citizen to
assist with whatever ability he may pos-
sess in the solution of questions affecting

the public welfare. Accordingly he has
at times acted as supervisor of highways
for the township, and has also shown that
he has the cause of public education at
heart, by acting as school director for a
number of years. He has a large circle
of friends who respect him for his energy,
loyalty, and uprightness, and admire him
for his stanch character.

PETER BOUQUET.

Peter Bouquet, a resident of Burling-
ton since 1858, and regarded as one of the
reliable and representative business men of
the city, was born in Rhinepfalz, Germany,
on the 15th of 'Ws.y, 1834, his parents being
Jacob and Catharine (Gordon) Bouquet.
In his native land he acquired his education
by attending the common schools, and at
the age of nineteen years he sailed for
America, having heard favorable reports
concerning its business opportunities. He
therefore resolved to try his fortune in this
land, and he has never regretted this deter-
mination. He sailed in January, 1853, land-
ing at New Orleans, whence he made his
way direct to Louisville. Kv., where he
learned the cooper's trade under John
Fisher, in whose employ he remained for
eighteen months. He then went to St.
Louis, Mo., where he was employed as a
journeyman for about three years, after
which he spent three months in Louisiana,
Mo.

The fall of 1858 witnessed the arrival of
Mr. Bouquet in Burlington, and since that
time he has been a representative of the
industrial interests of this city. Here he
worked for Casper Heil for about one year.

8o8

BIOGRAI'IIU.U. K/:l n:ii'

and at the end of that time entered into part-
nership with his employer. After a brief
period, iiowever, he purchased liis interest
in the business, wliidi he has since con-
ducted under his own name. He docs all
kinds of cooper work, and his thorough
understanding of the trade and ])ractical
workmanship liave secured to him a liberal
patronage that renders his business jjrofit-
ablc. He is now located at 615 and 617
I'ront Street, where he furnishes employ-
ment to a number of workmen.

On the i-th of October. 1858. Mr. llou-
quet was united in marriage to Miss I^niisa
Ceisenheim, a daughter of Theodore and
Catharine Ceisenheim. They have become
the parents of nine children, as follows: Ma-
tilda, the wife of Hamilton Drake, of iiur-
lington ; George. wlii> is in California :
Nannie, the wife of (leorge Savior, of lUir-
lington : Katie, the wife of Dowe Hobeck,
of California ; Theodore, also living in Cal-
ifornia ; Emma, now al home, and owns
a millinery store on I-"ourth Street; Ham-
mond, a resident of Lkirlington ; Clara, wife
of Joseph Bouquet, of San Francisco ; and
Edwin, also living in California.

Mr. Bouquet is a member of the Lutluraii
church. In politics he is independent, and
has never sought or desired office, prefer-
ring to give his undivided attention to his
business affairs, and it has been his per-
sistency of purpose, supplemented by ex-
cellent workmanship and straightforward
dealing, that has brought to him prosperity.
For forty-seven years a resident of this city,
his career has been such as commands re-
spect and confidence, and it also proves
conclusively the force and value of energy
and determination in business circles in a
land where opportunity and effort are not
hampered by caste.

GEORGE M. BOSCH.

George Mki.ciiiok Mostii, retail dealer
in wines and liquors in Burlington, was
born in (iussenstadt. tiermany, July 2, 1857,
and is a son of Martin and Walburga
( I'rintzcing) Boscli. At the usual age he
Ix-gan his education in the common schools
of his native country, and afterward at-
tended the gymnasium at .Stuttgart until
f<nirteen years of age, when he began learn-
ing the brewer's trade, serving a three years'
ajjprentice.shi]). .\fter the completion of
his term of indenture, he worked as a
brewer in Ciermany until 1876. when he
came to Xcw Vork where he was employed
in a brewery for two months.

Mr. Bosch then came to Burlington, ar-
riving in this city on the tliirtoentli of Oc-
tober, 1876. Here he was employed in the
Western Brewery for four months, after
which he spent three years as brewer in the
other brewing establishments of this city.
He was afterward for three years and two
months in the employ of Casper Heil, and
subsequently worked for two years in the
brewery owned by Mr. Metzger. This he
])urchased in 1888, in connection with .An-
drew Cianz, their partnership continuing for
two years, wlu-n they dissolved their busi-
ness connection, and withdrew from the
trade. Mr. Bosch then went to Nebraska,
where he worked in a brewery for four
months, and in September, 1889, he re-
turned to Burlington, where he embarked
in the sahnMi business. He is now located
at 1606 Division Street.

Mr. Bosch is a member of the Lutheran
church, and in his political views he is a
Democrat,, where questions of State and na-
tional importance are involved, but at hxral
elections he votes independently.

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

809

Mr. Bosch was married to Miss Anna
Messmer, a daughter of Anton and Mary
(Klutz) Messmer. She was born in Gros-
selfingen, Germany, April 13, i860, and
with her sister Lena came to America when
seventeen years of age. This sister died
June 26, 1889. She also had four brothers
who came to America, but one returned to
the Fatherland. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bosch
liave been born two children, but the
daughter, Mary, died in infancy. The
elder, George Carl, born Jan. 19, 1882, is
now serving with the crew of the " Dol-
phin " as a member of the American navy.
]Mr. Bosch has prospered in his business
career here, and has therefore had no oc-
casion to regret his determination to make
his home in America.

CHARLES HENRY WICHHART.

Charles Henry Wichhart^ of the
firm of Vannice & W'ichhart, is among
the enterprising business men of Medi-
apolis, who, prompted b}' laudable ambi-
tion and strong determination, has made
for himself an honorable place in indus-
trial circles, and gained gratifying suc-
cess. He is engaged in carriage- and
wagon-making, which he conducts in con-
nection with his blacksmith shop, and is
now enjoying a very liberal patronage of
the people from the surrounding country.
He is a son of John Christopher and Eliz-
abeth (Landgrabe) Wichhart, and a na-
tive of Baltimore, Md., being born Nov.
22, 1857. At the age of seven years he
came to Burlington. Iowa, with his par-
ents, where he obtained a substantial edu-
cation in the public schools. When quite

}oung he learned the blacksmith's trade,
which took him two years. After this he
was fortunate in being able to travel ex-
tensively for some little time.

In the spring of 1878 he engaged in
general farming in Benton township,
where he remained with success till about
1 891, when he located in the village of
Mediapolis, and engaged in various
things until he formed the partnership
with his present partner, Mr. V'annice.
They make and repair wagons and bug-
gies and shoe horses as well as any firm
in the county. They are young men of
push and energy, and have always con-
ducted their business in a manner that
was satisfactory to all their patrons, and
their business adds much to the growth
and prosperit}' of the town. A sketch of
Mr. Vannice will be found in this book.

Feb. 2;^. 1886, Mr. Wichhart was mar-
ried to Miss Clarinda Walker, a daughter
of Jesse and Mary (lUish) ^Valker. This
union has been blessed with two bright
children: Esco Walker, and Arthur
Morris, both students in the village
schools. Mr. Wichhart is a member of
the secret order of Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, where he has held all of
the offices. In politics he has given his
support to the Republican party, believ-
ing the platform of this party to be the
one best calculated to promote the gen-
eral welfare of the State and nation. Mr.
and Mrs. Wichhart are both consistent
members of the Baptist church, where
they attend regularly and where Mr.
Wichhart is one of the trustees. They
have man\' friends in the village, and are
always ready to assist in any way that
will be conducive to the best interests of
their little city.

»IO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEIV

JOHN ALBERT JACKSON.

JOHX Albert Jackson, who is occupy-
ing the jmsitioii of trustee in Huron town-
shi]), and is a citizen held in high esteem
by his fellow-townsuu-n. was born in
Union township, Dcs Moines county.
Nov. 30. 1872, his parents being Isaac and
Christina Jackson, who had come to this
county in 1S68, from Sweden. In 1873
the father jjurchased forty acres of land
in Section 15, Huron township, and later
added another tract of forty acres, while
still later lu- ])urchased eight}^ acres on
Section 10 of the same township. Then,
as his financial resources grew, he added
to his farm, which liy reason of the care
and cultivation he bestowed upon the
fields became a \aluable and attractive
property.

It was upon the old homestead that Mr.
Jackson was reared, and in the public
schools of Huron- township he pursued
his education, his parents having removed
from Union to Huron township during
his infancy. He was reared to farm life,
early becoming familiar with all the du-
ties and labors that devoKe upon the agri-
culturist. .About i8f;5 he purchased
twenty acres of land on Section 16,
Huron township, from J. E. Anderson;
and in i«po he bought forty acres more,
on Section 16, from Mrs. Peter Johnson.
He lives, however, in a liouse erected on
the eighty-acre tract of land belonging to
his father, on Section 10, Huron town-
ship, there being no buildings upon his
own forty-acre tract. He carries on gen-
eral farming, his fields being well tilled,
and to the further cultivation and de-
velopment of his property he devotes his
energies year by year, imlil he has now

accumulated a comfortable competence
and is classed with the substantial young
agriculturists of his community. He has
good stock upon his place, now raising
about ten head of cattle and forty head
of hogs each year, and he also raises some
horses.

On Oct. 19, 1897, occurred the marriage
of Mr. Jackson and Miss Ellen Jackson,
a daughter of Alfred and Christina Jack-
son. She was born in Huron township,
and they now have two children : Plum-
mie, born Sept, 24, 1899; and Mildred,
born Dec. 12, 1900.

Mr. Jackson is recognized as one of the
leading representatives of the Republican
parly in his locality. In lf)02 he was
elected constable in his township, but
would not serve. The following year,
however, he was elected trustee, and is
now filling that office, discharging his
duties with prom])tness and fidelity. He
is always true to every trust reposed in
him, and is known among his friends and
neighbors as an honorable, upright man.
Both he and his wife are members of the
Sw^cdish Lutheran church, and are loyal
to its faith and teachings.

JACOB P. MAILANDT.

J.ACOB P. Mailandt is a man whose
career illustrates the value of sound prin-
ciples applied to every calling. Born in
Holstein, Germany, in the year 1867, he
accompanied his parents to the United
States wdien only three years of age, in
1870, the family first making its home in
the State of New Jersey for a period of
two vears. Thcv then decided to cast

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

8ii

their fortunes with the great West, and
came to Iowa, and located temporarily at
Pleasant Grove, Des Moines county,
•where they spent a further two years.
Here the father worked at his trade of
blacksmithing, which he had acquired in
Germany in accordance with the highly
sensible custom of the Fatherland, which
vouchsafes to every citizen the mastery
of a trade as a preparation for active life.
The mother of Mr. Mailandt died in 1900,
and since that time the father has resided
with his son in Burlington, being engaged
since his removal to this city in the shops
at West Burlington as a blacksmith. Our
subject is the eldest of a family of four, of
whom three survive, the others being
Mrs. J. W. Brem, of Santiago, Cal., and
Mrs. Lena Swanders, of Burlington.

Mr. Mailandt secured his education in
the public schools of this city, for it was
here that his youth was passed and that
he attained to manhood's estate, his par-
ents having removed to Burlington after
two years spent in Pleasant Grove. On
leaving school he entered the printing es-
tablishment of Acres, Blackmar & Com-
pany, remaining in that employ for two
years, and during that time he became
expert in the work. During the boom in
Kansas City he went to that place, and by
his skill as a printer was able to command
unusually generous wages ; but he did not
take kindly to the trade, and on returning
to Burlington abandoned it permanently
for other and more congenial pursuits.
Here he engaged with the Conner Mer-
cantile Company, with whom he contin-
ued for the long period of twelve years,
first as stock-keeper, and during the last
seven years as traveling salesman, having
for his territory the State of Illinois and

part of the State of Iowa. In this occu-
pation he was uniformly successful, and
in 1898 he was possessor of sufficient cap-
ital to enable him to launch an independ-
ent enterprise, which he did in association
with his brother-in-law, Mr. J. W. Brem,
they establishing a clothing store at 518
Jefferson Street, using the style of Brem
& Mailandt, as Mr. Brem acted as man-
ager of the business during the first year,
Mr. Mailandt not severing his connection
with the Conner Mercantile Company
until the end of that time. One year later
the store was moved across the street to
509-11 Jefferson Street, and in 1901 Mr.
Mailandt became sole proprietor. The
store is large, having a double front; and
enjoys excellent lighting facilities, the
first floor being devoted to haberdashery,
clothing, furnishings, etc., while the sec-
ond floor is entirely given over to Mr.
Mailandt's extensive tailoring establish-
ment, employing five workmen.

In November, 1892, Mr. Mailandt was
united in marriage to Miss Amelia Min-
nie Niemeyer, who was born in Burling-
ton, a! daughter of Mr. H. H. Niemeyer,
proprietor of a grocery store on South
Hill, this city. They occupy a pleasant
home at 1434 West Avenue, and to them
have been born two children, Ethel and
Eylo.

Our subject is a consistent member of
Grace Methodist Episcopal church, to
whose various departments of work he is
a frequent contributor. He is promi-
nently connected in a fraternal way, hav-
ing recently been made a member of
Malta Lodge, No. 318, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons ; and is also a member
of Burlington Camp No. 6088, Modern
W'oodmen of America, which he has

8l2

BIOGRAPHICAL RErJEir

served as camj) banker and in other
offices. His popularity is large, and his
business success up to the present time
seems to prophesy for him a still more
brilliant career in tin- future.

CHARLES E. DAVEY.

Cii.\RLK.s E. D.WEY, now deceased, was
for many years an integral factor in the
business development and upbuilding of
Henry county. His name was an honored
one on commercial paper, and he was widely
esteeme(l because of his integrity and trust-
worthiness in all business transactions. A
native of Iowa, he was born in Canaan town-
shi]), Henry county. 1\1). i8. 1S33. his birth-
place being his father's farm, whereon lie
was also reared, early becoming familiar
with the labors incident to the cultivation of
the fields. He remained ui)on the home
farm in Canaan townshi]) till he was twenty-
one years old, and in his youth attended the
(iistricl schools of the neighborhood.

Soon after attaining iiis majority Mr.
Davey began general farming and stock-
raising in Henry county, in which he was
very successful for a number of years till
his death, which occurred in 1 lenry county.
\ov. 10. 1887. The death of .Mr. Uavey
was the first to invade the circle of his par-
ents' family of ten children. The others
are all still living. Dec. 16, 1880. Mr. Davey
was married to .Miss Mary Stuck, daughter
of Peter and Augusta (Courts) .Stuck, of
Henry county. The father and mother of
Mrs. Davey were both born in (lermany, and
came to America at an early day, locating in
Burlington for .some time, and then moved
to Canaan township. Thiiry county, where

lie farmed for many years. .\t one time he
was a large propertv owner, but met with
misfortune, and lost a large part of his prop-
erty. He <lied when about si.xty years old,
his widow surviving him only one year. She
was fifty-nine years of age when she passed
away. .Mr. and Mrs. Stuck were the parents
of four children, three of whom are now
living: Henry, resitles in IJurlington, Iowa;
Clara, wife of John Davey, of Henry
county ; .Mary, widow of our subject ; Dora,
died at the age of two and a half years.

To Mr. and Mrs. Davey two children
were born: Homer L., born .Aug. 8, 1881,
in Henr\ county, resides in Washington
townshi]), Des Moines coimty, and farms
the ninety acres of land belonging to his
mother; Laura May, born Feb. 19, 1884, in
Henry county, is at home with her mother.

The death of Mr. Davey seemed untimely,
as he was a young man of oidy thirty-two
years of age, and just at a time when his
family and the comnnniity needed him most.
He was a ])rosperous man of his day, had
accumulated considerable money, and was
just about to purcha.se a farm when he was
summoned to his home above, and thus we
see that, tridy. ' .Man proposes, but God
disposes." .\lthough Mr. Davey was always
a strong Democrat, and ever willing to ren-
der faithful service to his party, he never
cared to hold public office. .Several years
after the death of Mrs. Davey s husband,
she took u|) the business thread where it was
broken off by his death and purcha.sed a
farm of ninety acres in \\ ashington town-
shi]), Des Moines coutUy, on Section 5,
where she has resided for the ]jast ten years.

.She has 'made many im])rovements on the
])lace, and now has a nice house, good barn,
ami lier \\lii>li' idace is one to be admired.
.\t the time of the de.'ith of our subject he

>
o

DES MOINES COUNTY, J Oil' A.

815

was a devoted member of the Methodist
church, where his widow still holds member-
ship, and where his family regularly attend.
Besides leaving his family sufificient means
of this world's treasures, Mr. Davey be-
queathed to them a clean life record, an un-
tarnished name, and a well-rounded out
character. From the time of his birth he
had made his home in Henry county, and
his cordial manner, his genial disposition,
and deference to the opinions of others, ren-
dered him a popular citizen, whose numer-
ous friends still cherish his memory witli
love and respect.

Sept. 13, 1905, Homer L. Davey married
Miss Myrtle Lee, daughter of Allen and
Malissa (Linder) Lee, of Washington town-
ship, Des Moines county. Homer is now
farming the home place, and Mrs. Davey,
his mother, is shortly to move to !Mt. Union,
Henry county, where she will make her
home.

JOHN McMULLIN.

Among the first white children born in
Burlington was John McMullin, who first
saw the light in this city more than three-
score years ago, on Sept. 16, 1840. He is a
son of Robert ]\Ic]Mullin, who came to
America with his parents from County
Down, Ireland, in the \ear 181 1, and Ann
(McClure) McMullin, a native of Ken-
tucky, and of Scotch ancestry. The vessel
on which Mr. McMullin sailed for the land
of the free was run down by the British ship
" Belvidere," and all the able-bodied men
were removed and pressed into the military
service.

John McMullin is one of a family of
ten, of whom only three are now living:

William, of Rapid City, S. Dak. ; James,
who is at the .Soldiers' Home at Marshall-
town, Iowa ; and John, the subject of this,
review. Air. McMullin was reared on his
father's farm in Huron township, the post-
office being Northfield, and there he received
his early training in useful industry in the
hard toil of agriculture as it was carried on
at that time.

On Sept. 19, 1865, he wedded Miss Eliza-
beth Lydia Wallace, who like himself is a
native of Burlington, where she was born
March 10, 1847. Her parents were farm-
ers, and died at Mediapolis ; but of their
children seven still survive, as follows :
Helen Mar, of Burlington ; Nancy Ellen
Graves, of Des Moines county ; May Matilda
Loper, of Stanton, Mich. : and Josephine
Loper, Frances Bailey, and James I'. Wal-
lace, of Des Moines county. The father
and mother of this family were natives of
Ohio, and were of Scotch-Irish descent.

After his marriage Mr. McMullin oper-
ated his father's farm for a few years, and
in 1874 removed to Burlington, taking a
position in this city as a wood-worker in a
shop devoted to the production of agricul-
tural implements. For the long period of
twenty-three years he was in the employ of
the Orchard City Wagon Company, for-
merly Funk & Hertzley ; for a year and a
half in the wagon shop of Wehman & Ebert,
and later with the Iowa Soap Company as
a carpenter, but at present he is retired from
active pursuits, enjoying a well-earned rest.

To Mr. and Mrs. McMullin have been
born six children, of whom one son and two
daughters survive : Newton Lincoln, a resi-
dent of Burlington, where he is engaged in
business as a job printer, and is well known ;
Mary Evelena, the wife of I. H. Carruthers,
of Des Moines, a stockholder and member

8i6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEIV

of the faculty of Capital City Commer-
cial College ; Helen Josephine, at home, has
received an excellent education in the public
schools, and has many friends. Both the
father and mother of our subject are now
deceased, they having died on the home farm
in Huron township, both attaining to the
age of seventy-three years.

Mr. iMc.Mullin has always shown himself
commendably interested in the public wel-
fare, and at the time of the Civil War offered
his services to the national government as
a soldier. An attack of typhoid fever inter-
fered with his plans, however, and caused
his rejection by the recruiting officer. The
family home is at 920 Jefferson Street, where
numerous friends and acquaintances enjoy
a generous but quiet hospitality.

CHRISTIAN KUNTZ.

In the career of many a humble emi-
grant from the Old World who has
braved the ocean voyage ami the perils
of a transfer to an alien peo])le and a
strange land, there is material for more
tender and touching stories and studies
of the heart and life of man than ever have
been penned. For the sake of a home
and career the timid have become bold
and the weak strong. Prosaic enough
the outer life, and matter-of-fact enough
the daily career, but the heart glows with
its own riches, and the inner life has its
own illumination. To leave the home
land and go among strangers is an act of
courage, and may rival the bravery of
the soldier on the field of battle. It re-
quires enterprise to contemplate such an
adventure, and the men who remove to

the Xew World are largely men of char-
acter and nerve. They come because
they crave a larger field, and they are
bound to thrive. Of such is the man
whose name introduces this article. He
is of an energetic, pushing disposition,
and has won a good measure of pros-
perity.

Christian Kimtz was born at Licrne.
-Switzerland, June 13, 1849, the son of
John Kuntz and Mary (Luginbuhl)
Kuntz. He received his education in the
district schools of his native community,
attending them for ten years. Although
he was born on a farm, his early tastes
did not turn toward farm work ; and when
his schooling was finished, after the solid
manner of his countrymen he learned a
trade, becoming a shoemaker. He fol-
lowed this occupation for three years, at
the end of which time he came to
America.

Coming to .America by way of Boston,
he came direct to Morton, 111., where he
began his life in the new country by
working as a farm hand. After two
months he changed to Forest, 111., where
he worked for three years, and then went
to Eureka, 111., where he rented a farm,
and began working for himself. In 1878
he moved to Gridley, 111., where for six
years he rented a large tract of land
known as the Mike Belsley estate, after
which he rented land of Joseph Belsley,
on which place he made his home for
several years.

A year after undertaking this last en-
terprise, on F'eb. 2, 1879, 'ic was married
to Miss Emilie Schmid, daughter of
David and Barbara (Mathir) Schmid.
Mrs. Kuntz has been a close and con-
genial companion to her husband, and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

8i7

to her earnest efforts is due a large por-
tion of the material prosperity that has
come to him since the time of his mar-
riage.

To Mr. and Mrs. Kuntz have been born
seven sons and six daughters, as follows :
John B., born Feb. 29, 1880; Joseph and
Samuel, born April 10, 1881, and both
now married, Samuel being married June
2, 1902, to Mary Berger, and Joseph be-
ing married Feb. 9, 1903, to Emma Ber-
ger; Mary, born Aug. 2, 1882, and mar-
ried Jan. 27, 1902, to August Zippe ;
Jacob, born Oct. 26, 1884; David, born
Feb. 13, 1886; Daniel, born Aug. 3, 1887;
Elizabeth, born Aug. 24, 1888; Anna,
born Sept. 4, 1889, and died at the age of
thirteen months; Lena, born Nov. 14,
1890; Emma, born Dec. 15, 1892; Chris-
tian, born Nov. 19, 1895; and Emilia,
born Nov. 16, 1896.

In 1903, Mr. Kuntz brought his family
from Illinois to Iowa, coming to Huron
township, Des IMoines county, where he
bought the large tract of fine land on
which he now lives. He bought the land
from George Ditto, buying one hundred
and eighty-seven acres in Section 5, and
seventeen acres in Section 4. He has im-
proved the land greatly since he came
into possession of it ; not only cultivating
it in such a manner as to keep up its
natural fertility instead of exhausting the
soil, but also building a very desirable
house and a fine barn.

Mr. and Mrs. Kuntz are faithful mem-
bers of the Christian Apostolic church,
doing much to advance the cause of re-
ligion in their community, and in their
own family showing an example of hum-
ble Christian piety, faith, and charity. In
their beautiful home life, and by their

cordial hospitality, they have merited the
respect and admiration of all, and of them
it may be said that few or none in this
section are doing more to keep up a
wholesome family life and sturdy integ-
rity of citizenship that make the solid
foundations of our nation.

PETER AUGUST MUNSON.

Among the thousands who are flock-
ing to our land from beyond the sea, year
after year, we are always glad to welcome
those who claim the Scandinavian coun-
tries as their natal lands ; for long expe-
rience has taught that they bring in those
qualities of strength, pertinacity, and en-
durance that have been of such value in
opening up new lands to civilization, and
in keeping up the standards in older
lands. Of this class Peter A. Munson is
a representative, who from a humble po-
sition has by his own resources and de-
termination of character advanced to a
prominent place in agricultural circles in
Des Moines county.

Mr. Munson was born in Ostergothland,
Kesa, Sweden, on Nov. 3. 1835, the son
of Mangus and Magdalena (Peterson)
Abrahamson. The circumstances of
the home life were such that Mr.
Munson had very limited opportunities
for acquiring an education. The most
of the book learning that he received was
from the instruction of his mother, who
taught him to read, and gave him such
instruction as she could in the midst of
her busy life. He learned to write from
a man whom his father, together with
some neighbors, employed for a few

8i8

BIOGRAPHICAL REllEW

months as a tutor, expressly to teach
their children the art of ijeiiinanshi]). The
father was a farmer, and brought his son
up with a thorough knowledge of the
practical side of agriculture, so that he
jias always chosen to follow this occupa-
tion.

.Mr. Mnnson came to America in iRf^R,
located for a few weeks in Illinois, and
then came to Iowa. His industry and
thrift were of such an advantage to him
that from the very beginning success
crowned his efforts, so that by i8"o, on
his removal to Huron township, he was
able to buy a small farm of twenty acres.
Year by year, through his careful man-
agement and practical business knowl-
edge, adilt-d prospirity has come to him,
until now he has one hundred and twenty
acres of fertile farm land in Section i6.
He has ]>iil all the improvements on this
jdace. including a dug well, a welI-l)iiiU
comfortable six-room house, a commodi-
ous horse-barn, one large cond)ination
hay-barn and cattle-shed, as well as other
smaller buildings. Although he devotes
most of his time to general farming, he
raises some cat lie. keeinng st(jck of high
breed, lie has about thirty head of cat-
tle, of Hereford and Polled .\ngus breeds,
and about fort}-tive head of hogs, Poland
China and Duroc Jersey breeds mixed.

Mr. Mnnson was united in marriage
on Nov. lo, 1868, to Miss Charlotte Carl-
son, daughter of johamia and Charles
Anderson, she being also a native of
Sweden. To them have been born nine
children, one of whom, .\iina, died at the
age of eighteen months. The living chil-
dren are: Charles .August, whose home
is in Nebraska: Hetsey .\melia, wife of
Fmil Oakland: I'eter .Mbert, of Chicago,

111.: Frank Oscar, of Nebraska: Anna
Matilda, of I'urlington : and l-'red, John
Etlward, and Mary, at home.

In his political affiliations, Mr. Munson
was formerly a Democrat, but of later
years, after long, careful study and con-
sideration of the underlying principles 01
the leading i)arties. he has decided that
the platform of the Republican jjarty
more thoroughly expresses his ideas of
the best form of jjopular government,
Mr. and Mrs. Mun.son have won a high
place in the regartl of their neighbors by
their cordial hospitality and genial ways.
.Starting empty-handed in life, Mr. Mun-
son has won his way to his present posi-
tion in the world by his own ability, en-
ergy, and merit. To him alone belongs
the credit for wh.tl be has achieved.

JOHN A. LOFQUIST.

John a. Lofquist, of the Burlington
firm of Salter & Lofquist, merchant tailors,
was born July 8, 1861, at Upsala, Sweden,
the eldest of a family of four sons and one
daughter, of whom, besides himself, the
father, mother, and daughter still survive,
and the [larents reside on a farm four and
one-half American miles from Upsala, the
father being seventy-three years of age, and
the mother in her seventy-first year. Al-
though he himself has never engaged in
agriculture, he is descended from a long line
of ancestors who were all farmers, and is
I)resumptivc heir to a landed estate in
Sweden which was granted to his maternal
great-grandfather for distinguished serv-
ice to the state. The estate, which the gov-
ernment exempts from all taxes, has de-

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

8lQ

scended from generation to generation, and
in the event of the demise of the present
proprietor, will descend to our subject.

Mr. Lofquist received a good education in
the common schools of his native country,
but at the age of ten began learning the
trade which he has since followed, taking
employment at Upsala with Ryden Frolund,
the leading firm of that city. He served an
apprenticeship of three years, and then en-
tered the employ of another firm, with which
he continued for four years. In 1880, wish-
ing to benefit by the superior opportunities
of the New World, he came to America,
locating in the city of New York, where he
worked for a period of sixteen years. At
the expiration of this time he invested his
savings in a business at Newark, N. J., con-
tinuing there for four years with fair suc-
cess ; but having a desire to test the busi-
ness possibilities of the West, he removed,
first to Quincy, 111., and in 1898 to this city,
where he worked for the firm of Salter &
Phillips during the first year. The present
firm was formed when he purchased the
interest of Mr. Phillips in 1899, and has
been successful in the highest degree, being
one of the two leading merchant-tailoring
houses of Burlington and of eastern Iowa,
and enjoying an immense volume of pat-
ronage, which is ever increasing at a very
satisfactory rate.

In 1883 Mr. Lofquist was united in mar-
riage with Miss Emma Carlson, a native of
Sweden, who came to America in 1876 at
the age of twelve years, and to ihcm have
been born one son and two daughters,
these being Emanuel, Esther, and Ruth.
Mr. and Mrs. Lofquist are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, in whose work
they bear an active and helpful part, and
Mr. Lofquist has desirable fraternal con-

nections, being a member of Washington
Lodge, No. I, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and of the local organization of
the Modern Woodmen of America. By his
business ability he has achieved a very con-
siderable success — one of which any man
might be proud, and attained high rank in
the business circles of Burlington ; while his
frankness and unfailing courtesy have won
for him the general respect and many
friends.

Since the above was written Mr. Lofquist
has severed his connection with the firm, and
has removed to Stronghurst, 111.

ANDREW PETER ANDERSON.

Among the many citizens of Swedish
birth, to wliose \'irile strength, endur-
ance, and ability to oN'ercome all hard-
ships of nature Des Moines county owes
so much of her present-day prosperity,
the name of Andrew P. .\nderson stands
out prominently as a worthy example of
what a man can accomplish by his own
unaided effort, when he is gifted by na-
ture with pluck and determination to suc-
ceed. From the most lowly of begin-
nings, Mr. Anderson has fought his way
up the ladder of success, round by round,
till now he occupies a position that manv
a man. not handicapped in the beginning
as Mr. Anderson was, may well envy.

Andrew Peter Anderson, son of An-
drew Samuelson and Eva E. (Ericks-
daughter) Anderson, was born Jan. 30,
1845, ''1 Erstardtland, Sweden. He was
brought up as a farmer, w^orking like a
slave. He came to America in 1880, and
worked on a farm bv the month until he

820

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

could accumulate cmnigli iiii>ucy to bring
his wife and fauiily to America, who
came in 1881. After the coming of liis
family, lie rented farms in Des Moines
county for a number of years. He has
made his home in Iowa for twenty-five
years.

His excellent management, constant in-
dustry, and careful economy made his
success certain from the start, and bv
1892 he had accumulated enough money
to purchase from John Swanson a large
farm of one hundred and twenty acres in
Section 27, which he now owns. His
prosperity has never left him, but has in-
creased from year to year, as is evidenced
by the many improvements that he has
made on the place since it came into his
possession. He has built a large and
comfortable dwelling-house, now barns,
and other farm buildings: lias jiurchased
the old parsonage and moved it onto the
farm ; and so tended the land as to in-
crease rather than diminish its fertility;
as well as making many other improve-
ments.

Besides carrying on a very successful
general farming business, he has begun
to take an interest in stock-raising, hav-
ing twenty-seven head of Shorthorn cat-
tle, and twenty-eight head of Poland
China hogs.

Mr. .Anderson was united in marriage
Feb. 28, 1871, to Miss Caroline Anderson,
who was Ixirn in Sweden, May 2, 1847,
the daughter of .\ntlrew John and .Anna
(Johnson) .\nderson. To them have been
born five sons and three daughters, all
living, as follows: August Oscar, born
July 8, 1873; llulda Caroline, born Ajiril
23, 1875, now the wife of A. P, Youngberg,
of Fort Madison, Iowa; Albert Gottard,

born May 5, 1876, married to Miss Clara
Judd, and has his home in Burlington;
.\lma Sophia, born Oct. i, i87<). is now
the wife of Oscar Patrick, also of Fort
Madison : Ernest Emil, born Nov. 26,
1884: Charles Joseph, born Nov. 6, 1886;
Eva Mary, born \ov. 15, 1888; and Fred-
erick Otto, born May 24, 1892.

Mr. and .Mrs. .\ndcrson are devoted
members of the Swedish Lutheran
church, and have carefully trained their
family up in that faith. Considering it
the duty of every citizen to exercise his
political ])ri\ ileges according to his best
understanding of his own needs and those
of the county. State and nation, 'Mr.
.\nderson, after becoming a citizen by
naturalization, united with the Repub-
lican party, in wliich he has ever since
been a worker, .\lthough he has not as-
l)ired to the holding of ]niblic office, he
has served his community as supervisor
of highways for two years to the satisfaction
of his constituents.

Mr. Anderson is possessed of a genial
disijosition, which, together with the rep-
utation he enjoys for strict uprightness
and integrity in all his dealings, has won
for him the friendship of many, and the
respect of all who know him. The record
of his life achievements, showing how by
constant effort and rigid determination a
man may overcome obstacles of poverty
and misfortune that seem almost insur-
mountable, may well serve as a lesson of
encouragement to the young of this and
s\icceeding generations.

Mr. .Anderson has never had any
trouble in any way, never allowing any-
thing to be brought into coiut. He be-
lieves that honesty is the best policy, and
to avoid trouble saves monev.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

821

HENRY J. TAEGER.

Henry J. Taeger has resided in Bur-
lington since 1854. Thus more than half a
century has come and gone since his arrival,
and throughout this long period he has
been an interested witness of the develop-
ment and progress of the city, sharing in
the improvement and endorsing all measures
for the public good. As a pioneer resident,
whose life has been active, useful, and hon-
orable, he well deserves mention in this vol-
ume. He was born in Prussia, Germany,
Nov. 9, 1826, and came to America in 1854.
The old-time sailing vessel in which he took
passage came by way of Quebec, Canada,
and was eight weeks on the water. As this
country was new in those days, there were
very few bridges, and railroad facilities
being limited, nearly all streams had to be
crossed with skiffs, but at Davenport our
subject was able to take a boat down the
Mississippi River to Burlington, where he
settled and established a home.

Soon after this he secured the position of
watchman at the First National Bank, and
night after night for nearly thirty-eight long
years Mr. Taeger could be seen carrying
his lunch to his place of duty, where he
rendered such valuable service to his em-
plo^'ers while the major part of the city's
good people were resting from their daily
labor. Mr. Taeger was married to Miss
Mary Poggeman in 1855. Her birth oc-
curred in May, 1823. This union was
blessed with four children : Mary Bertha
married Herman Suesens, who was born in
Oldenburg, Germany. Mr. Suesens received
a fair education in the common schools, and
when quite a boy began to learn the trade
of a blacksmith, but did not finish till after
he came to America. In 1872 he located in

Burlington, and became an employee of
Funk & Hertzler's wagon shop, where he
remained till he had completed his trade.
After this he worked seven years in the
blacksmith department of the Murray Iron
Works, and two years at the C. B. & O.
R. R. shop. On account of poor health, Mr.
Suesens was compelled to give up his trade,
and opened a grocery store on the corner
of Locust and Ninth Streets; but change
of busin(?ss did not improve his health
much, nor for very long, for after conduct-
ing this grocery two years he died of heart
trouble April 14, 1892. He was an honored
member of the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, Lincoln Lodge. He was also
an active member of the St. Lucas church
on Fourteenth Street, being the treasurer
of the Sunday-school at the time of his
death. Politically, he was a Democrat, but
his close attention to business, together with
poor health, barred him from ever aspiring
to office. Besides his widow, Mr. Suesens
left the following children : Alfred H., sec-
retary for the superintendent of the C. B. &
O. R. R. ; Josephine ; Benjamin, aged eight-
een, who occupies a position with the Bur-
lington Fuel Company ; Mary, a student in
the high school ; and John, who attends
the South Hill school. Henry and Fred
Taeger, sons of our subject, were twins,
and died when very young ; Charles, the
youngest son, is a liquor dealer on Third
Street. Mrs. Taeger died Jan. 20, 1894,
aged seventy years. -Since then Mr. Taeger
has made his home with his daughter, Mrs.
Suesens, at 713 South Ninth Street.

He is a member of the South Hill Lu-
theran church, which he assisted to organ-
ize, and of which he has been deacOn ever
since its organization. Politically, he is a
Democrat, but prefers to vote for the best

822

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

man qualified for oftiec. lie has seen Bur-
lington grow from three or four thousand
to a city of nearly thirty thousand, and has
always been deoiilv interested in the l>riig-
ress, development, and inii)rovenient of the
county. Noting the main features in his
career, the reader can not do otherwise than
render him respect and admiration, and
those who have been actively associated
with him give him their warm regard, con-
fidence, and friendship.

FRED W. STEFFENER.

().\i-: of the leading farmers of Benton
township, and one known throughout the
county for his ability, social c|ua!ities, and
sterling character, is Fred W. Steffener,
the subject of this sketch. He was born
in .\dams county. Illinois. July J<^ 18^)4.
the son of I'Ved William and Anna
(Hust) Steffener.

I'iie l.illur was born in (icrnians' in
iSi ^, tlu' mother being born at the same
place on .\pril J5. 1814. They were mar-
ried in Germany. Recognizing the su-
])erior resources of tlic Xew World, and
wisliing to |)r()fit by the opi)ortnnities
that it offered, they came to .America in
1854, locating in .\dams county, Illinois,
at the city of Quincy. Here the father
pursued the calling of stone-mason,
which was his trade throughout his en-
tire life, lie lived only ten years after
coming to the Xew World, dying at his
home in Quincy in 1864. The mother is
still living, and makes her home in (Jiiin-
cy. now being the wife of W'illiam
I'inger.

Mr. Steffener has one brother, William

11., a single man, living at Newark, Ohio,
where he has a lucrative position as fore-
man in a ()acking liouse.

()\\v subject received his education in
the pid)lie schools of Quincy, 111. I'.eing
impelled ])artially by the fact of his
father's early death, but still more by the
prc)m|)tings of his own native ambition,
he began to work for himself when only
a boy. His first ])osition was in a tobacco
factory, where he began work as a strip-
per, his wages being three dollars a week.
When he grew a little older, he obtained
work in a ])laning mill. ( )n attaining to
years of ntaluriiy, he was attracted to the
free and i)eaceful life of the farm. .Ac-
cordingly he came to Iowa, locating on
Section 17, Benton township, on the farm
where he still resides. .\t first he leased
the i)lace, taking it for a term of seven-
teen years. Two years ago he. with his
wife. b(night out the interest of the other
heirs to the place, ])nrchasing it from the
estate of II. H. Miller. This is a large
tract of one hundred and forty-eight acres
of the excellent arable farm land for
which Iowa is so noted; and in addition
to this large farm, at the same time he
l)urchased another tract of about eighty
acres in Section 18. Since first coming
upon this land, he has brought it to a
high degree of cultivation, and has made
many improvements that have not only
helped this one farm but have tended to
the bettering of conditions for the entire
community.

Mr. Steffener was married on March
1. 1S86. to Miss Johanna Miller, daughter
of II. li. and Anna M. (Keker) Miller.
Mrs. Steflfener's parents are both de-
ceased, and are buried in Loper ceme-
tery. Mr. Miller was well known, be-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

823

ing one of the earliest settlers in the
township, and was very prominent in
local affairs. He came to this neighbor-
hood in 1846, and first settled for three
years on South Hill, when Burlington
was only a tiny hamlet of a few houses.
He then l)OUght land and made his home
in Benton township. Mr. Miller lived to
' see astonishing changes in Des Moines
county, and did not a small part of the
work that brought about the many im-
provements. He was a member of the
Lutheran church, and very active in car-
rying forward the aggressive work of the
church. He was a conscientious, law-
abiding citizen, always allied with the
cause of right, and always ready to do
his duty at the polls, although he never
cared to become a candidate for office in
any capacity.

Mr. and \lrs. Steftener are the parents
of six children, as follows : Anna, born
March 8, 1887, and married to Otto Wun-
nenberg June 14, 1905; William, born
Aug. 2, 1889; Roy, born Oct. 8, 1892;
Frances, born Aug. 25, 1897; Frieda,
born April 5, 1899; and Mary, born Feb.
14, 1902.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Steffener were
raised in the communion of the Lutheran
church, and are themselves devoted mem-
bers, as are the older of their children.
They are excellent people, hig-hly es-
teemed in the community in which they
make their home, and generally respected
for their many virtues. They are giving
their children good educations in the pub-
lic schools of the county, and are teach-
ing them both by precept and example
the lessons of the noblest, most patriotic
citizenship.

In politics, Mr. Steffener allied himself

in early manhood with the Republican
party, and has been a leader in the work
of that party in Benton township. He
has been chosen as delegate to the county
convention two times, and served the
best interests of the township by acting
as road supervisor for four years, render-
ing most efficient service. By virtue of
these facts, and in view of the public
spirit he has manifested in many ways,
Mr. Steffener is justly known as one of
the most progressive and enterprising cit-
izens of Benton township. He has many
friends, who delight to do him honor, and
who expect to see his sphere of useful-
ness grow larger and larger as the years
pass by.

RUDOLPH WEINGART.

The life record of Rudolph Weingart is
an indication that success may be achieved
by strong determination and energy. He
started out upon his business career empty-
handed, but possessed strong purpose and
firm determination, and as the years have
passed he has utilized his time and oppor-
tunity to the beet advantage.

Mr. Weingart, a son of Joseph and Eva
(Eggolf) Weingart, was born in Buldnin-
stein, Hesse-Nassau, Germany, May 14,
1849. He interspersed his home duties
with an attendance at the common schools,
wherein he acquired a fair education. Lay-
ing aside his school work at the age of
fourteen, he engaged to work in the noted
slate mines of his native place for six years.
The next two years he spent in camp duty
in the German army. Going home he soon
made preparations to come to America, and
sailed Marcii 9. 1873, landing in New

824

BIOGRAPHICAL RIilIFJ['

York, where he visited relatives for awliile.
then came direct to liurHiigtoii, arriving
the latter part of April. His brother-in-
law. William Bock, lived here, and em-
ployed Mr. Wcinijart for the fir.st summer,
when our subject inherited some property,
and also Ixnight .Mr. 1 Jock's place of eight
acres, now in the citv. which he added to
his own eight acres, and thus had some
sixteen acres, whereon he farmed till Crapo
I'ark was purchased and opened up in
1897, when he sold the city ten acres for
park purposes.

He now raises small fruits and grapes,
having one-fourth acre in berries and
one-half acre in grapes. He also runs a
confectionery stand and sunnner garden,
both located on his jjroperty adjoining
Crapo Park. The large coliseum just out-
side tlie limits of tlie park stands u]) on Mr.
W'eingart's iirojierty. the renters having
about one acre for this use. ( )ur subject
has no reason to regret investing in this
propertv when it was \n such a rough con-
ilition. for he found it good farm land, and
now it has increased in value to such an
extent that in a coni])arative!y short time
.Mr. W'eingart will l>e able in retire from
active business.

In 1874 he was accidentally shot, and had
to lay by for a long time for his woimds to
heal, r.efon- he was fully restored to
lu-alth he conchuled it would be a good time
to visit the land of his birth ; and it was
during this visit to ( "lermany that Mr.
W'eingart became the husband of Miss
Catherine Krouss, daughter of b>hn and
Gertrude (I.udwig) Krouss on Jan. 12,
1875. Mrs. W'eingart was born in N'eidcr-
landstein. (lermany. May \2. 1854. Mr.
W'eingart brought Iii< bride to I'urlington
in I'lliruarv, 1873. where their two sons

were born. Rudolph, whose birth dates
back to I'\'b. 21, 1876, married Miss Cath-
erine Galager, and is a switchman for the
Chicago, Burlington & (Juincy Railroad in
Burlington. John, who first saw the light
of day on .\ug. 15. 1880, married Miss
Lena Cramer, and is a fireman on the
-Alton Railroad.

Both these sons were educated in the
Catholic and public schools of their birth-
l)lace, I'olitically. .Mr. W'eingart is an in-
de])en(lent. and as every true .\merican citi-
zen should do, keeps well jmsted on the
questions and issues of the day, but he has
never aspired to ])ublic office. He and his
wife are members of St. John's German
Catholic church of Burlington, and he gives
liis aiil and co-operation not only to the
church, but also to other movements of his
fellow-men and for the progress of town
ahd county in which he has lived so long,
and of which he commands the confidence
and respect.

HENRY W. STADTLANDER.

Till-: business enterprises of Burlingtini,
Iowa, occupy a commanding |)osition in
eastern Iowa and contiguous territory, and
one of the most influential among their
number is the H. W'. .Stadtlander Hard-
ware Company at 902 .\orlh ( )ak .Street,
organized Jan. 10, 1903, by H. W. Stadt-
landcr and Joseph Schneider, and handling
a general line of builders" hardware. A
linshop is conducted in connection with the
store, doing all kinds of sheet-metal work,
as well as a large amount of furnace work.
Mr. .Stadtlander is the son of Willian>
Stadt lander, now residing near .Vurora,
111,. aii<l .Sophia (W'oepking) .Stadtlander.

DES MOJXES COUA'TV. I Oil' A.

825

who is now deceaserl, her demise having
occurred in 1880. A native of Burlington,
Mr. Stadtlander was born Nov. 3, 1872,
and began his echtcation in the pubHc
schools of this city, also attending the
parochial scliool for a time, while he later
entered Elliott's Business College.

During the time in which he was attend-
ing school. Mr. Stadtlander devoted his
spare moments to work in the tinshop of
his uncle, William Woepking, with whom
he made his home, and thus he learned the
valuable trade which has since formed the
basis of his highly successful business. He
continued his work with Mr. Woepking
until the death of the latter in 1 90 1, and
then entered the employ of his brother,
Theodore Woepking, who still conducts a
shop, and was in his emjiloy until he
founded the independent business which
now claims his attention. On .\pril 20,
i8g3, he weddeil Miss Marie J. Sieben,
daughter nf Henry and Marie ( Luebbe )
Sieben, and they have three children:
lidna, aged eleven years ; Le Roy. aged
nine years; and ^Mildred, aged six years.
In his fraternal connection, Mr. Stadtlander
has been a member of the Burlington or-
ganization of the Modern Woodmen of
America, Camp No. 98, for the past nine
years, is one of the present managers of
the local camp, and for a number of years
held the office of special auditor. He is
also an active and influential member of the
Royal Neighbors. I'oliticall\- a Republican,
he has ever been a most firm believer in
the principles of that great party, and has
manifested unswerving loyaltx- to its chosen
leaders. A man of jiractical ability, he has
been a veryuseful worker in the ranks, and
has attained to a position of influence in
party affairs. In November. 1904. he was

aiijiointed by Mayor Caster to the vacanqy
caused by the death of T. B. Swigert as
councilman for the First Ward, and al-
though his tenure of the office is yet short,
he has already demonstrated the posses-
sion of those rare c|ualitics which lead to
success in public life. While he is still a
young man, Mr. Stadtlander has a wide ac-
quaintance throughout the city, enjoys a
gratifying degree of popularity, and is
genuinely esteemed for his solid qualities
and upright, unfailing integrity.

WILLIAM JAMES REID.

Wir.i.iAM Jamks Ricru, one of the lead-
ing farmers of Flint River township, has
had the honor of serving as constable of
the township for si.x consecutive years.
He is a son of John and Alartha ( Her-
rill ) Reid, and was born on the farm where
he now lives Aug. 25, 1848. His father
came from Kentucky to Iowa in 1836,
and settled in Flint River township. His
mother was born in Tennessee, Nov. i,
1825. and came with her parents to this
township wlien but ten years old. When
her father Coleman C. Herrill. settled in
the above-named township Indians were
camped everywhere, and wild game of all
kinds abounded in great nund)ers. Mr
Reid"s parents were married in Flint
River township, and were the parents of
eight children : Emma, died aged four-
teen ; ^\'illiam J.; Isaac, on the old home
farm ; Eli, a foreman for the Texas Rail-
road in Texas: John, died July 5. ujoo, at
the age of forty-four years : George, died
when seventeen years of age : Lizzie
fane, married Frank Griffith, and resides

826

BIOGRAPHIC .\ I REVIEW

ill \\'ayne county, Ncbr. : iieiiry C. and
Edward A., both car|)enurs. and live with
their aged niothir on the old homestead.
The latter married Laura Pietzsch, a
sketch of whose family appears on
another paj^je in this hook. They have
five children: Esther .\.; Edward .\.:
Mable E. ; John, and .Martha. Mr. Keid's
father was a life-long I5a])tist, as is also
his aged mother.

Our subject received a substantial edu-
cation in the Prairie drove school of his
township, was reared under the paternal
roof, and learned to be a competent
farmer with his father. He now has sev-
enty-five acres of good farm land in Sec-
tion 24. the most of which is under culti-
vation, lie is engaged in general farm-
ing and the raising of stock, and has al-
ways been very successful, and the whole
place is one of method and neatness. Mr.
Reid is an active and conscientious mem-
ber of the Congregational church in \\'est
itnrlington, where he has been deacon,
tru.stee, Sunday-school superintendent,
and in fact has held all of the offices of the
church except that of pastor. He has
always been very active in politics, and
has given his hearty sujjporl and votes
to the Republican party, only missing
one vote since he was eligible as a voter.
.After serving as constable for six years, —
from i8<j7 to 1903, — he declined to serve
any longer. Mr. Reid has the esteem and
confidence of all who know him.

CHARLES JOHN ADOLPHSON.

Charles John Adolphson is one of the
industrious and highly rcspectecj foreigners
who left their native land and came to Amer-

ica, arriving here nearly forty years ago.
His parents were natives of Sweden, in
which kingdom Mr. Adolphson was born
June 14, 1841. He is a son of .\dolph and
Louisa (Berkland) -Adolphson, who were
well-to-do farmers, and were thus able to
give their son a substantial education in tlie
district schools of his birthplace. Charles
John decided to follow in the footsteps of
his father, and accordingly chose the life of
a farmer as a means of maintaining himself.
For many years after he finished school he
remained on the home farm. About 1869
there were a great many of his countrymen
coming to the United States, and hearing of
the rich farm lands in Iowa and Illinois, Mr.
.\dol])lison decided to lieconie an .American.
He first locatetl in Henderson county, Illi-
nois, where he remained for some time. In
1894 he came to Des Moines county, and
at once bought one hundred and ninety acres
in Yellow Springs township, all in Section
29 except forty acres in Section 28.

Mr. .Adolphson has yet to regret coming to
Iowa,, as he has been very prosperous, and
is gradually accumulating something of this
world's goods for a rainy day. which all men
expect sometime during life's journey. He
now has a comfortable home on a well-im-
proved farm, and is acknowledged as a very
thrifty tiller of the soil. He is also a breeder
of fine thoroughbred stock, and feeds about
sixty head of Polled Angus cattle and fifty
head of hogs annually, besides raising nearly
all the necessary provisions for his large
family.

Mr. .Adolphson was married to Miss Jo-
hanna Armanda Johnson, daughter of John
and Sarah (Jones) Johnson. Mrs. Adolph-
son was born in Sweden, May 21, 1850,
coming to America when nineteen years old,
and located in Oquawka, 111., in which vil-

n
>
r

>
d
O

r
ix

>
>

DES MOIXnS COUNTY, IOWA.

829

lage her marriage took place. This union
has been blessed with eight children, all
except one of whom are living : Elmer Alex-
ander, born Dec. 22, 1870, married Miss
Anna Lindhl, has two children, Harold Ray-
inond and Carl Lindhl, and is a farmer liv-
ing near Morning Sun, Louisa county ; Anna
Mary, born Dec. 19, 1872, is at home ; Jennie
Emily, born May 23, 1874, is Mrs. John Lee,
of ^^'ashington township, and has two chil-
dren, Edna Mvene and Everett \'irgil ; Ida
Cecilia, born July 25, 1877, 's the wife of
George Piper, resides in Yellow Springs
township, and has two children, Lela Gen-
eva and Daisy Arnena ; Amanda Amelia,
born Alay 8, 1880, married Theodore Davis,
of Huron township, and has one child, Fern
Alvera ; Bessie Arnena, bom June 29, 1883,
and died May 16, 1884 ; Harry Arnold, bom
Nov. I, 1885, is at home ; Dulcie Viola, born
Sept. 8, 1893, also at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Adolphson are devoted at-
tendants of the Swedish Lutheran church.
In politics he has ever been a strong Re-
publican, but has never cared to hold office :
yet he has felt it a duty to do all in his power
to promote the best interests of his chosen
party. Ever since Mr. Adolphson located
in Des Moines county his friends have been
pleased to note his prosperity in business,
and are also cognizant of the fact that each
day he is adding a golden link to the chain
of his character that will bring to himself
and those most dear to him joys bevond
description.

JOHN MALCHOW.

John ;\[.\lciiow, a highly respected and
honored citizen of Huron township, came
to America over fifty years ago, and by

his honest, industrious labor has accumu-
lated some of the material things that
tend to add ease and comfort in his old
age.

He is a son of Joseph and Dora (Fra-
zee) Malchow, and was born in Mecklen-
burg, Germany, April 26, 1826. After
attending the common schools in his na-
tive home, he spent his early boyhood on
his father's farm. In 1853 he came to
America by way of New York, and set-
tled in Laporte, Laporte county, Ind.
Here he commenced his work in his
adopted home as a laborer on a farm,
which continued for a year and eight
months. About this time he moved to
the city of Laporte, and embarked in the
railroad business, first acting as brake-
man on the Lake Shore & Xorthcrn In-
diana Railroad. Four years thus em-
ployed convinced him of the fact that he
preferred the life of a farmer, and he ac-
cordingly purchased forty acres of farm
land in Laporte county, Indiana, where he
farmed for some four years, until the war
broke out in 1861, when he moved again
to the city, and hired a substitute to take
his place. After remaining in the city for
four years, he went back to his first love,
— his farm in the country, — where he
stayed two years, and then sold it.

After a year's residence on another
place, he decided he would try his for-
tune in the West, and at once moved to
Burlington, Iowa, where he began to
work as a laborer for the Foote Woolen
Mills. At the end of two yea#S he once
more realized the fact that he was cut
out for a farmer, and took up his abode
a mile south of Dodgeville, and was so
successful in his farming operations as
to be able to purchase eighty acres of

830

H10UR.IPHIC.il RlillEH-

good farm land in llcnton township.
This he cleared and greatly improved,
and called home for fifteen years, each
vear adding niDre to it. till he had one
hmulred and eighty acres. He enlarged
his possessions by buying three hundred
and forty acres of land in the following
townships: Two hundred and forty
acres in Section 3*), in Huron township,
and fifty-six acres in I'.enton and Jackson
townshij)s, on which he built a large ten-
room house, one barn thirty by forty feet,
and another forty by twenty-six feet, also
corn-cribs and cattle-sheds, thus improv-
ing his place in gLiurai. and giving it an
enlirel}- dilTerent ai)i)earance from thai
which it ])resenled when he bought it.
Mr. Malchow kept about fifty head of
cattle, seventy-five head of hogs, and
raised a few Clyde horses, besides carry-
ing on general farming.

During these jirospcrous years in
America .Mr. Malchow lias been assisted
by a faithful and devoted wife, since Jan.
12. 1854, until March i,^, 11J04. when death
ciaiiiud her. and Kfl a xoid in the home.
Mrs. Malchow's maiden name was Mary
E. P.uhle, and was a daughter of Henry
and Elizabeth lluhle. both natives of (jer-
many, where both lived and died. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Malchow three children
were born: John Henry, born March
26, 1855, died at the age of fourteen years,
and is buried in Aspen drove cemetery
in llurlington, Iowa; Charles, born
March, 1857, and passed away when two
years of a^e ; Eouis IKnr\-, born Jan. 30.
18^)4, married Miss .Mary V.. W'unnenljerg,
daughter of Henry and Emily W'unnen-
berg, born in I'.enton townshii). .May 25,
1864, and they are parents of three chil-
dren : Viola Leanor \'ena, born Jan. 29.

i8y6: John I'iermont, born June 20, i8y8:
and Louis Ivan, born July 25, igoi.

.Mr. and Mrs. Malchow live at the home
))lace with his father. They are members
of the (ierman Lutheran church. l'>y the
upright course in life which .Mr. .Malchow
has ever chosen, he has made many
friends, and is held in the highest esteem
in the countv.

DANIEL W. McLANE.

D.\N-iEL W. McL.vNi:, now widely and
favorably known in the business circles of
Burlington, has attained to his present
enviable position through a steady rise.
His worth and capability winning ready
recognition, he has found in each promo-
tion o])portunity for further development
and for the acquisition of broader knowl-
edge concerning business methods. To-day
he is an extensive manufacturer and jobber
of fountain pens, blank books, office sup-
plies, si^ecialties, etc., and his enterprise,
capable management, and industry are the
potent factors in the development of a
business which has already brought him
gratifying success.

He was born in Kankakee, 111., July 15.
1852, a son of Rev. Xoah and Mary .\.
(Hertz) McLane, the father having been
a native of Ohio and by jVrofession a
minister of the Cicrman Methodist church.
I )nring his latter ye:irs he led a relire<l life,
having relin(|uished the work of the
ministry on account of ill health, his throat
being affected. His death occurred m
Kankakee in iSfX). The mother, who was
Ixirn at Reading, I'a., survived him, and
now resides at Caberv, III., near Kankakee.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

831

To them were born three sons and three
daughters, as follows : Mary J. McLane,
deceased ; Mrs. R. C. Breneisa, of Cabery,
111. ; D. W., the subject of this review ;
John W., of Kankakee. 111. ; Milton N., a
resident of Burlington, and a conductor on
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad ;
and Ida E., who died at the age of twenty-
seven.

It was in the public schools of his native
city that D. W. McLane received his formal
education, anl while still a pupil in the
schools he displayed that spirit of enter-
prise which has marked his whole career, by
securing employment in a planing mill, thus
adding materially to the family income and
at the same time learning the lessons of
industry and faithful application to which
he owes his right to the somewhat trite but
still expressive title of self-made man. In
1875, with the object of improving his con-
dition and attaining to a broader range of
opportunity, he came to Burlington and
entered the employ of R. T. Root, book
publisher, with whom he remained for eight
years as a member of the office force, after
which he acted as shipping clerk for the
Gilbert Hedge Lumber Company for a short
time. He then began traveling as a sales
agent for Dodge & Dodge, attorneys and
collecting agents, of Burlington, and when
the firm was afterward changed to Catlett
& Pilling he still continued in its employ for
a number of years, having charge of a terri-
tory comprising the whole of Illinois and
part of Iowa, and building up a very satis-
factory business.

But believing that still greater rewards
awaited him in other fields of endeavor,
about the vcar 18(^3 he began selling office
sundries and all kinds of blank books,
especially those requiring special ruling.

lieginning on a comparatively small scale,
he kept constantly adding to his line of
sundries until it included almost the entire
range of office conveniences and sup])lies,
and meanwhile the business increased so
rapidly in volume under his fostering super-
vision that in a few years he was compelled
to relinquish his work as traveling salesman
and to remain in the office and occupy him-
self exclusively with the care of detail and
management. He now has several travel-
ing salesmen and also salesladies regularly
employed, besides a number of others who
carr}- his stock as a side line. It was in
iQOo that he abandoned the work of the
road for that of the office, and since that
time he has given his attention principally to
supervising the work of agents and to train-
ing salesmen for the duties of their position.
He has a reputation for exemplary treat-
ment of his subordinates, and it is a fact
that speaks volumes for his fairness and
liberality that some of the salesmen in his
employ have been traveling in his interest
for as long a period as eighteen years —
almost two decades of continuous service.
At Burlington, in 1882, Mr. McLane was
united in marriage to Miss Eleanor C.
\\'oollcy, who was born in England, the
daughter of Moses and Charlotte Woolley.
The father is now deceased, his death hav-
ing occurred in England, but Mrs. Woolley
still survives, and is a resident of Mount
Pleasant, while Mrs. McLane has also one
brother on this side the .Atlantic — Fred
W. Woolley, of Summerside, British North
America. To Mr. and Mrs. McLane have
been born one daughter and two sons :
Grace E., who is a student in the South Hill
School ; .Arthur D., also a student : and
Charles F., who is attending public school.
The family occupies a pleasant home at

832

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

312 South Seventh Street, where Mr.
McLane also has his office, and where their
many friends enjoy a cultured hospitality.
In addition to his other business connec-
tions, Mr. McLanc is a stockholder and
director of the J. M. Scott Hardware Com-
pany, one of the notable institutions of Bur-
lington. In his political affiliation a member
of the Republican ])arty, he has never cared
to assume the responsibilities of office in
his own person, and although he has a
number of times been solicited to become
the representative of his party in the contest
for representation in the city council, he
has constantly refused. Nevertheless, the
higher interests of mankind have always
appealed strongly to his humanitarian prin-
ciples, and he is a member and active worker
in the First Methodist Episcopal church,
contributing generously to its support, and
lending his encouragement to the various
phases of its work. As to material accom-
plishment, he has t<i his credit a record of
which the most able might well be proud,
and he stands as a representative of that
class of American citizens who find in
necessity, competition, and intricate busi-
ness conditions the spur of ambition and the
stinuilus of effort that lead to large suc-
cesses.

WILLIAM H. CARTWRIGHT.

\Vm. H. Cakiwright, a well-known cit-
izen of Mediapolis, Des Moines county,
Iowa, comes from a family whose name
has been a household word throughout
the West for almost three-fourths of a
century. He can trace his ancestry back
for many generations. W'm. Cartwright,
of Normandy, was father of a son also

named William, born in Wales. He had
a son Edward, born in Ireland, who was
the father of liryant. born in Martha's
\ineyard. The latter also had a son Bry-
ant, born in the same ])lace, who was the
father of James, the grandfather of the
subject of this sketch.

James Cartwright was a native of
Rhode Island, born July 10, 1772, four
years before the commencement of the
Revolutionary W ar. His first impression
was doubtless in connection with that
war, and the stirring events which fol-
lowed, resulting in the formation of the
American I'nion. An afdent patriot, a
lover of liberty, he left the impress of his
character upon all his children, some of
whom have since become distinguished
in church and state. Reared upon a farm,
and breathing the pure air of heaven, he
became strong of limb and strong of
mind. In early life he made a confession
of faith, and united with the Baptist
church. Having a love for the cause of
his Master, he entered the ministry, and,
as f)])portunity afforded him, i)reache(l the
Word.

In I7y3 he was united in marriage with
Miss Catharine Tryon, who bore him
eleven children, all of whom grew to be
adults: Clarissa, born April, 1794, died
unmarried: Anna, born Dec. 6, 1802,
uianieil I )r. Doran. of Chenango county,
Xew York, and died in 1865; Wm. Tryt)n,
l)orn May, 1804; James H., born Feb. 27,
1808, died at Omaha, Ncbr.. in 1878; Bar-
ton H., born March 9, 1810, who for
many years has been known as a ])ioneer
Methodist Episcopal preacher in Oregon,
111.: Silas D., born March 30, 1812, died
at Agency City, Iowa, in 1856; Darius
B., born Jan. 8. 1814, died at Drain, Ore.,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

833

in 1865; Catharine, born Sept. 9, 1818, May 6, 1829, and became the wife of I.
married W. Collins, and died in New J. Crowder; Hiram M.. born Nov. 10,
York; Almira, born Dec. 21, 1820, mar- 1831; Daniel C, born June 29, 1834;
ried Isaiah Messenger, and died in New Catharine, born Oct. 9, 1837, now Mrs.
York." The mother of these children was Washington Johnson; Nelson K., born
born March 26, 1775, died May 6, 1852, July 22, 1840; P. Jane, born April 10,
and was buried in Kossuth cemetery, in 1843, became the wife of A. W. Job.
Yellow Springs township, Des Moines At the age of thirty-five Daniel united
county, Iowa. with the Methodist Episcopal church, and
In 1822 James Cartwright exchanged soon developed a talent for public speak-
some property in the State of New York, ing. Believing the West afforded a
where he was then residing, for land in greater opportunity for the exercise of
the military tract of Illinois, comprising his talents, and a better field for gather-
about two sections, and at once came ing souls into the kingdom of Christ, he
West to look after his purchase. While determined to move, and in 1835 came
here he was taken sick, and with a friend with his family to Warren county, Illi-
went in a canoe down Spoon River to nois, where he remained until the foUow-
the Illinois River, and down that stream ing year, when he came to Des Moines
to the present site of Griggsville, Pike county, Iowa, which afterward continued
county, 111., where he died, after an ill- to be his home. He first located in
ness of eight days, being unable to se- Union township, where he purchased a
cure the services of a physician. His re- partially improved farm, on which the
mains were interred on a blufif, four miles family lived until 1845, when he sold out
below Griggsville, at a place known as and bought two hundred and forty acres
Edward's Ferry. In the fall of 1887 Wm. in Yellow Springs township, which he
H. Cartwright, a grandson, whose name brought to a high state of cultivation,
heads this sketch, had his remains re- Here, the family lived until 1857, when
moved, and on the 22d day of November they moved near Kossuth. In 1S66, the
they were interred beside those of his be- family having scattered, the old folks

loved wife, in the cemetery at Kossuth,
Iowa.

Daniel G., the second child and first
son of James and Catharine Cartwright,
was born in Sempronius, N. Y., March

broke up housekeeping and made their
home with their son, \Vm. H.

On coming W^est ]Mr. C. united with
the Methodist Episcopal church, and in
the spring of 1836 was assigned to the

27, 1796, and grew to manhood on his Iowa circuit, which embraced all the in-

father's farm, receiving a limited educa- habited parts of Iowa, then a portion of

tion in the public schools of his native Wisconsin Territory. As the Territory

State. In 1820 he married Melinda Mes- increased in population new circuits and

senger, also a native of New York, born new stations were formed, and he was

July 10, 1804. Eight children were born assigned a circuit embracing all of Iowa

to them: W^m. PL, our subject; James north of the Iowa River. The hardships

R., born Oct. 20, 1826: Clarissa H., born endured while a circuit rider, traveling on

834

BIOGRAPHICAL RIAJI-lf

liorsi-hack hundrcfls of miles, his regular
appoiiUinents being scores of miles ai)art,
and the houses of worship the rude cabin
of the pioneers, can scarcely be described,
while it would be impossible for the read-
er to realize them. The toils and priva-
tions were counted as naught by him. the
good of his fcllow-men being liis sole ile-
sire. " Christ and him crucified," was his
theme, and it was a ])leasure to him to
break- the bread of life to lumgry souls.
After being fully tried, and found "a
workman that necdeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth." lie
was, on Sept. 14, 1839, ordained a deacon
in the Methodist Episco])al church by
l!isho[) Thomas .\. .Morris, of Illinois.
As a deacon in the cluirch. his ojjportuni-
ties for usefulness were greatly enlarged.
and no duty did he ever shirk. With a
strong voice, cultivated and strengthened
by much iintili)nr si)eaking, with a zeal
born of lo\c to ( lod and his fellow-men,
every talent that he possessed was de-
voted to the cause of his Saviour,

The church in that early day was poor
as respects this world's goods, though
rich in the faith, and those laboring for
the .Maslir were compeli<.-(l, like those in
apostolic times, almost to labor without
money and without price. That his fam-
ily might ii\e. and that lluy might be
provided with some of the comforts of
life, he was com])elled to carry on farm-
ing with the aid of his good wife and
their elder sons. In fact, the farm work
was left almost exclusively ti> llu- chil-
dren, who did their part well.

Living in a day when the sknery (|ues-
tion was. outside the (iosjiel. the most
imi)ortant one to engage the minds of the
people, he toi)k strong grounds again>it

the institution, especially against its in-
troduction into free territory. Helieving
it a great wrong, he ditl not hesitate to
e.\])ress his views in regard to it ; and in
the division of the church occasioned by
the slavery (piestion, he took his stand
with those that believed that "all men
were created with certain inalienable
rights," among which were "life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness." ( )n the
temi)erance (piestion he was no less out-
sjjoken. urging ujjon the people the neces-
sity of abstaining from the use of alco-
holic drinks, declaring, with the apostle,
that "no drunkard can inlurit the king-
dom of heaven."

.\fter living a truly Christian life for
alnmst half a century, engaging the
greater jjart of the time in the self-sacri-
ficing life of a pioneer minister of the
gos])el. this good man jiassed to his
heavenly rew.ard at the house of his son
William. Jan. 14, 1873, in the seventy-
seventh year of his age. Uf him it can
i)e truly said, in the words of the .Scri])-
tures. " niessed are the dead which die
in the Lord from henceforth : that they
ma\- rest from their labors ; and their
works do lollow them. llis wife sur-
\ived him eleven years, dying Nov. 24.
1884. .\ noble Christian woman, she was
truly a liel|imeet for the one she loved,
and bore without a niurmer llie sacrifices
required of one who was the wife of a
pioneer preacher.

\\ ni. 11.. eldest son of I )aiiiel ( i. .iiid
.Melinda Cartwright. was born in Che-
nango county. New York, .Aug. 20, 1823.
W hen twelve years of age he came \\"est
willi his parents to Warren county. Illi-
nois, and tlu'ii in the spring of 183') to
Ile-i Mi)iiu-- couiit\, Iowa, which has

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

83:

since been his home. Being the eldest
of the family, and his father usually from
home engaged in the ministerial work,
from the time he was thirteen years of
age the management of the farm devolved
upon him. With the help of his younger
brothers, he improved his father's farm
in L'nion township, where the family
first settled, and where they remained
until 1845, moving thence to Yellow
Springs township. In his work he was
guided by the wise counsel of his mother,
a woman of strong mind and hopeful
courage, and whose Christian example
was felt by every member of the house-
hold.

.\s manager of his father's farm he
continued until the fall of 184(1. when, in
conii)any with his brother-in-law, J. J.
Crowder, he opened a general merchan-
dise store in Kossuth, the first store
opened in that village. \\ ith a few in-
terruptions, he continued in business in
that place for a period of twenty years.
Aliout the time he commenced business
in Kossuth, the country became greatly
excited over the discovery of gold in Cali-
fornia, and the " California fever " spread
with lightning-like r4|)idit_\' throughout
the land. Mr. C. was not exempt, and in
the spring of 1850, with an ox-team, ac-
companietl by others, he crossed the
plains, leaving his home on the 7th of
March, and arriving at his destination
July 4 of the same year, being about four
months on the road.

He remained in this new Eldorado
about nine months, engaged in mining,
and then returned home by way of the
Isthmus of I'anama and the Mississippi
River, to Burlington. Cioing to Kossuth
he again resumed the merchandise busi-

yness, in which he continued with success
for many years.

.March 14. 1852, he was united in mar-
riage with .Miriam Fullenwider, a native
of Kentucky, born April 8, 1828, and
daughter of Rev. Samuel Fullenwider.
She has borne him eight children: H.
Beecher, a merchant of Santa Fe, N.
Mex. ; C. Ellen, born Oct. 25, 1853; Nar-
cissa J., born Xov. 10, 1854, now Mrs.
S. D. Fulmer; William H., born June 10,
1857, died in California in 1873: Miriam,
born Oct. 28. 1859, now Mrs. C. H. Bar-
rett; Clarissa M.. born Xov. 4. 1861, now
Mrs. V. L. Huston ; Anna M., born Nov.
30, 1865. now Mrs. Geo. E. Townsend ;
Samuel G., born June 11, 1869, also a
resident of Santa Fe, N. Hex., being
associated in business there with his
brother, H. Beecher. ^Irs. C. died Dec.
21, 1870, a devoted member of the Pres-
byterian church. She did well her life
work, and is now at rest.

Jan. 9, 1872, Air. C. was again united
in marriage, lieing wedded to Miss Mar-
tha Bruce, daughter of Hon. James
Bruce. Edna liruce is their only child.

In 1869 Mr. C. purchased eighty acres
of land, the present site of Mediapolis,
on the line of the P.urlington, Cedar Rap-
ids & Northern Railroad, and platted the
town. The store which he operated at
Kossuth was removed to this place, and
for some years he was actively engaged
in trade. The first store he carried on
until some time in 1870, when he sold out
to Brown & Roberts. In 1872 he erected
the building now occupied by John An-
derson, and again engage<l in the mer-
cantile trade, in which he continued un-
til 1881. He then sold out. and opened
a coal mine in (ireen countv. Iowa, in

836

BIOGRAPHIC. -iL REllEW

1884. which he operated for one year and
then leased it, since which time he has
lived retired. Previous to this, in 1870,
he had laid out the town of Rippey,
Green connty, Iowa.

Religiously. Mr. C. adheres to the faith
of his father, and for many years has
been a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, and active in the work of the
congregation. His wife is also a mem-
ber of that body, and takes an active in-
terest in all church matters. A temper-
ance man from ])rinciple, he freely ex-
presses himself on that <|uestion, and
does not fear to let the world know it.

Politically, since the organization of
the party, he has been a stanch Repub-
lican. Never an office seeker, and pre-
ferring the quiet of home life to the tur-
moil of politics, he has yet been honored
by his fellow-citizens with such local
offices as he would accept. For four
years he was a member of the county
board of supervisors, and also served as
mayor of Mcdiapolis, as well as being
president of the school board. Often has
he represented his township and county
in the conventions of his party.

As a citizen he discharges every duty
devolving u|)on him in a faithful man-
ner, and has ever been found ready to
devote his time and means to the ad-
vancement of the town and county. As
director in the Narrow Gauge Railroad,
he worked zealously for its interests. In
fact there is no work undertaken by him
l)ut enlists all his energies. Beginning
life poor, by industry and strict integrity
he has accumulated through life, while
his upright character and trustworthi-
ness have secured him the respect of his
fellow-men.

JOHN STODT.

John Stodt, who has lived in Flint River
township since 1897. is a son of John and
Hannah Stodt, and was born in Kleinheilen-
dorf. Germany, Dec. 23, 1839. He was
reared by a very good family, and at an
early age learned the weaver's trade, which
he followed, and was most successful till
he came to America, May 13, 1891. Here
he turned his attention to farming, pur-
chasing his i)resent farm, known as " Snake
Hollow," in 1897. This ))lace received its
name from the fact that probably there are
more snakes on it than on any other farm
in the township. During the short time
that Mr. Stodt has lived on his place, the
family have seen and killed a great number
of black snakes, some of them measuring
six feet long. Our subject built all the
various buildings on his farm except the
house, and now has the greater part of his
land well under cultivation. He is well
pleased with America, and thinks there is
no life so independent as that of a happy
farmer.

In July. 18^)4. Mr. Stodt became the hus-
band of Miss Mary Xuz, daughter of Frank
and Magdalena Nuz, by whom he has had
nine children : Joseph ; Mary, married Joseph
Luteneggcr: Miimic. wife of .\dolph Luten-
cgger ; .Vmelia, married Joseph Kaubish ;
John, Frank, Mollie, died in 18(^5; Agatha,
works for Dr. Holiday; and Richard, at
home.

Mr. and Mrs. Stodt were reared accord-
ing to the Catholic faith, and are devout
members of St. Mary's church, of West
llurlington. Mr. Stodt has never held any
office, yet he has always given his political
allegiance to the Democratic party.

.Although our subject has been in Des

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

837

Moines county only a little over ten years,
yet his farm life has been very pleasant, and
he has made many friends among the neigh-
bors and town folk, who all hold Mr. Stodt
in the highest regard. He is of a very active
and industrious nature, and much of his
success is due largely to his own efforts
along these lines, and in all his dealings
with men he has ever shown a disposition
to be fair and just.

CHARLES JOHNSON.

Charles Johnson, who has figured in
business circles in Des Moines county as
a stone-mason contractor, and also in
connection with general agricultural pur-
suits, now resides in Yellow Springs
township, having since 1882 made his
home on a farm on Section 31. He was
born in Sweden, Oct. 16, 1839, his par-
ents being John and Anna (Olson) John-
son, who were also natives of that
country.

Our subject pursued his education in
the public schools of Sweden, and after
putting aside his text-books learned the
stone-mason's trade, which he has since
followed. He worked there for a number
of }'ears, but thinking there was little op-
portunity for business advancement or
the acquirement of a competence, he de-
termined to try his fortune in America,
and in 1869 sailed for the New World.

He made his way at once to Burling-
ton, Iowa, and continued to reside in that
city until 1882, when he bought a farm
of thirty acres in Section 31, Yellow
Springs township, from John L. Thomas.
He has since made his home on this place,

but much of his attention has been given
to contracting as a stone-mason. He has
done considerable work of this character
in Des Moines county, and is considered
a good mechanic. He has also followed
general farming since locating at his
present home, and has put all of the im-
provements upon his place, where he now
has an attractive residence. His unfalter-
ing industry and unabating energy are
well-known characteristics of his business
career, and have been the basis of all the
success he has enjoyed.

On April 21, 1867, Mr. Johnson was
united in marriage to Miss Eva Anderson,
a daughter of Andrus Olson and Sarah
Anderson. Mrs. Johnson was also born
in Sweden, and came to America with her
husband. They crossed the Atlantic to
New York City, and made their way west-
ward by rail to Chicago, and from that
place continued their journey to Burling-
ton. They have since lived in Des Moines
count}", and have now a wide and favor-
able acquaintance within its borders.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson has
been blessed with seven children : Aman-
da, born Sept. 8, 1868, is now the widow
of Oxel Lawson, of Burlington; Ellen,
born June, i, 1871, is now engaged in
dressmaking in California ; Sophia, born
April 8, 1784, is the wife of Geest Nelson
of IMediapolis; Minnie, born Nov. 8, 1877,
is the wife of Charles Linn ; Susie, born
Nov. 20, 1883, is the wife of Fred Mester,
of Burlington ; Charles, born Jan. 25,
1881, and Emma, born Jan. 5, 1886, are at
home.

Mr. Johnson gives his political support
to the Republican party, for his study of
the questions and issues of the day has
led him to the belief that its platform

838

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

contains ihc l)i-st cIimikmUs of {^cwxl gov-
crniiK-nt. He has never had occasion to
rcprct liis determination to seek a home
in America, for here he has found good
business opportunities and has worked
his way steadily upward, enjoying now a
comfortable competence which is the
merited reward of his labor.

ELI THOMAS.

TiiF. Thomas faniilv has long figured
prominently in connection with agricultural
interests in Dcs Moines county, representa-
tives of the name coming here in pioneer
days and taking an active ])art in laying
broad and dee]) the foimdation for the pres-
ent ])rogress, prosperity, and development
of this section of the State. Eli Thomas,
who was a native of Ross county, Ohio.
came to Des Moines county about 18-12.
locating in the .soiuhwest portion of Yellow
Springs township, ilis farm was on the
edge of the timber, and comprised one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land, which was
obtained from his father-in-law. Hezekiali
Archer. This be developed, and brought
under a higii state of cultivation. He
turned the first furrows, harrowed the
fields, planted the seed, and in due course
of time gathered good harvests, and con-
tinued the work of cultivating his farm
throughout liis active business career.

Eli Thomas is a son of John and Ellen
(Titterington) Thomas, and is" of English
descent, his parents having ct)me from Eng-
land to .-\merica about 1S17. They located
in Greene towiislii|). Ross county, Ohio,
where they spent their remaining days, and
both are interred in that l<x-alitv. The

mother's death occurred wiien her son Eli
was only about two years old, and the
father, long surviving her, passed away at
the advanced age of eighty-two years. Eli
Thomas was born in Ross county, Ohio,
Jan. I, 1819. and there spent the days of
his boyhood and youth, his education being
acfpiired in the connnon sch(K>ls such as
were usual at that day. He continued his
residence in the land of his nativity until
about twenty-four years of age, when he
came to Des .Moines county, Iowa, and se-
cured a cp'.arter section of land from Heze-
kiali .Archer in ^\•llnw Springs township.
.\11 the imjjrovements upon this property
were i)laced there by Mr. Thomas, who
transformed the lands into rich and pro-
ductive fields. He erected a substantial
and conuuodious residence, large l)arns. and
other buildings necessary for the shelter
of grain and stock. He also tiled his land,
thus promoting its ])roductiveness, and
everything about his place was in keejiing
with the S])irit of modern ])rogress and im-
])rovement. Later, when his labors had
brought to him sufficient financial resources,
he added to his ])roperty by the purchase
of sixty acres from William .\rcher on
the north. He also bought other land,
having at one time about six hundred,
acres, now in possession of the family.
He lived a very busy, useful, and active
life for luany years, but in 1S85 re-
tired from business, having accumulated a
competence sufficient to sui)])ly him in the
evening of his days with all the comforts
and many of the luxuries which go to
make life worth living. In I(>D4 he removed
to Mcdiapolis with his son Hezekiah, and
made his home here uiuii his death, which
occurred Jidy 2. i«>i5.

It was about 1844 that l-'li Thomas, was

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

839

united in marriage to Aliss Nancy Archer,
a daughter of Hezekiah and Ellen Archer.
They became the parents of three children :
Alfred, who was born Aug. 3, 1845, ^^^d is
living in Yellow Springs township : Heze-
kiah, who was born Sept. 20, 1847; and
Shepard. who was born Feb. 11, 1850.
They also lost two children, who died in
infancy, and the wife and mother departed
this life June 4, 1893, when in the seventy-
second year of her age, her birth having oc-
curred in Illinois, in December^ 1821. She
belonged to the Cumberland Presbyterian
church, of which Mr. Thomas was also a
member, and their entire lives have been in
harmony with tlieir professions.

\'iewed from a financial standpoint. Air.
Thomas's career can certainly be claimed
to be a success, for he started out with
little capital and up to the time of his death
was the owner of valuable farming lands,
most of which lie in Des Moines county.
He was, moreover, one of the honored
pioneer settlers of this part of the State,
having for, more than sixty years been a
witness of the many changes that have oc-
curred here. He saw the county when
much of its land was wild and unimproved,
when the city of lUirlington was a small
town, and when many of the now thriving
villages had not yet sprung into existence.
He felt a just pride in what was accom-
plished, and was interested in the progres-
sive development of this portion of the
State. He 4ived a quiet, unassuming life,
yet displaced many sterling traits of char-
acter that commanded for him that venera-
tion and respect which should ever be ac-
corded to those who advance far on life's
journey, and Mr. Thomas has now passed
the eighty-sixth milestone.

Hezekiah Thomas, son of Eli Thomas,

and now a well-known resident of Mediap-
olis. has spent his entire life in Des Moines
county, having been reared upon his
father's farm, while in the public schools
he acquired his education. Oct. 19, 1899,
he was united in marriage to Miss Aldoola
S. See, a daughter of Michael and Jane
E. (Tompkins) See. Her father was a
pioneer minister and circuit rider on the
Yellow Springs circuit. His first charge
was located here, and he remained for five
vears in active work in the ministry in this
community. He had previously resided on
a farm in Louisa county, Iowa. His birth
occurred in Kanawha. W. \'a.. Feb. 22,
181 7, and he came to Iowa when about
eighteen years of age. He lived for some
time in Louisa county, where he carried
on general agricultural pursuits, and his
death occurred in Des ?\Iojnes county, Nov.
16, i8g8. Mrs. Thomas was born in Blue
Grass, Iowa, July 26, 1871.

Unto Hezekiah and Aldoola Thomas
were born two children, but Paul See, who
was born .\pril 18, IQOI, died on the 30th
of the same month. The living son is Par-
rel, who was born July 26, 1903. The
Thomas family is so well known in this
count V that no history of the community
would be com]5lete without their record,
and in successive generations the repre-
sentatives of the name have borne an active
and hel])ful ])art in many works of ini-
]jrovement along many lines of substantial
progress.

HERMAN TSCHENISCH.

Hf.r.m.\n T.SCHENI.SCH. who is engaged
in the manufacture of violins and in the re-
nairiner of musical instruments of all kinds.

8+0

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

was born in Schlesien, Germany, Marcli 20,
1847. He acquired a public-school educa-
tion, after which he learned the trade of
makinp violins, which he has followed
through life. He came to America in 1889,
landing on the 4th of July of that year, and
making his way direct t<> Ijurlington. where
he embarked in business for himself. After
four years, however, he removed to Terre
Haute, Ind., where he remained for three
years. He later returned to Burlington,
where he has since made his home, being
now located at 722 Jefferson Street.

He has made from f(^rty to fifty new
violins, repairs all kinds of musical instru-
ments, and is much devoted to his trade.
He made for Mr. Fisher, who conducts the
leading orchestra of Burlington,' a verv val-
uable violin, which he uses in his orchestra
all of the time. It is considered a very fine
instrument, and in fact all that he has made ■
are of superior grade. Mr. Tschenisch is
himself a musician of superior ability, play-
ing almost any instrument, and is the leader
and teacher of the West Burlington Band.

In 1872 Mr. Tschenisch was united in
marriage to Miss Anna Schwinkowski, and
they have become the parents of two chil-
dren : Seliua, the wife of John Kupisch, a
tailor of Burlington ; and Clara, the wife of
Frank Grothe, a railroad man living in
Cedar Rapids.

JOHN H. STROTHMAN.

Among, the prominent and enterpris-
'"? agriculturists of Washington town-
shi]), an<l one who has done his full share
toward making the county what it is to-
day,— one of the richest farming districts
in the State, — is John H. Strothman.

He was born in Pleasant (jrove township,
Sept. 20, 1859. He is a son of Peter F.
and Louisa Strothman, of which further
mention will be made in the sketch of
Charles A. Strothman. which appears
elsewhere in this volume.

Mr. Strothman was reared on his
father's farm, where he grew to maturity,
receiving a fair education in the district
schools of the townshi|).

When twenty-six years old he went to
\\ ashington township and rented a farm,
which he carried on for one season, the
next year renting another place for the
same length of time. The two years fol-
lowing he was on a third rented farm,
where he was very successful. He was
able to get a little ahead, and decided to
purchase a good farm of his own. He
moved to the south of Washington town-
ship, and was fortunate to get an im-
l)roved farm of eighty acres in Section
31. where he carried on general farming
and stock-raising with the best of results,
lill three years ago, when he ])urchased
the adjoining eighty acres in the same
section, and moved onto it. He has a
beautiful country residence, a modern
and conuuodious barn, and all other nec-
essary buildings for general farming pur-
I)oses. The whole one hundred and sixty
acres of land are now iindir full cultiva-
tion, and this farm is one of the model
ones in the county. Mr. Strothiuan's
cattle are all thoroughbred, and his horses
are of the best.

April 12. 1888, Mr. Strothman became
the husband of Miss Anna Kleine,
daughter of John II. Kleine, of Pleasant
Grove townshij), who is a native of Ger-
many, and came to America about
twenty-one years ago, settling in this

J. H. STROTHMAN AND WIFE.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

8+3

township, where he purchased an im-
proved farm of one hundred and forty-
seven acres, which is now nearly all under
cultivation. The mother of Mrs. Stroth-
man, who is still living, was in maiden-
hood Miss Mary Menke, and was also
born in Germany, where she was married,
and where all of her children were born.
]\Irs. Strothman was educated in the com-
mon schools of Germany, and was but
fifteen years old when she came to this
country. To Mr. and Mrs. Strothman
have been born four children, all of whom
were born in \Vashington township, Des
Moines county : Henry B., sixteen years
old; Charles A., eleven years of age; Will-
iam F., seven years old ; and John H. E.,
a baby of six months.

Politically, Mr. Strothman has always
given his vote and support to the Demo-
cratic party, believing their platform to
be for the best for both State and county.
He has been school director, and is at
present the efficient treasurer of the town-
ship. His family attend the Lutheran
church, of which his wife is a devoted
member. Of the six children born to the
parents of our subject, only four remain;
William F., died at the age of forty-seven
years, in ^^'ashington township ; Henry,
died on the ocean while coming to this
country with his parents ; Serena, mar-
ried John Rush, a butcher of Burlington ;
Caroline, wife of William Hannie, a
groceryman, also of Burlington; John H.,
of this review ; and Charles A., whose
sketch will be found on another page.

Though Mr. Strothman is not very old,
yet he has witnessed many changes in the
count}' during the last quarter of a cen-
tury. He is a courteous, genial gentle-
man, possessing those sterling qualities

of uprightness and integrity which, to-
gether with his great activity along lines
which would tend to improve the town-
ship, have placed him in the list of the
citizens of the county whom it is a pleas-
ure to count as a friend, and of which the
communit}' is justly proud.

REV. MICHAEL SEE.

Rev. Mich.ael See, who for forty years
traveled over a circuit in the interest of the
Methodist Episcopal church, now resides
on Section 30, Elm Grove township, Louisa
county, Iowa. The family is of Virginian
descent. The great-grandfather, Frederick
See, removed from the south branch of the
Potomac River in Virginia, in an early day,
to Greenbrier county, W. Va., there lo-
cating by a stream called Muddy Creek,
near which the Indians lived in vast num-
bers. While residing there the family
were taken prisoners by the savages, and
confined at a place called Oldtown, in Ross
county, Ohio; but within a year all had
made their escape, with the exception of
Elizabeth, one of the daughters, who re-
mained in captivity nine years, and John
See, the grandfather of our subject, who
was held for two years. He was reared
by his uncle, Adam See, and after he grew
to manhood enlisted in the regular army
during the Revolutionary War, serving five
years. He participated in three of the most
important engagements of the war, — the
battle of Germantown, which was fought
near Philadelphia; Monmouth, N. J.,
where the Indians massacred hundreds of
the inhabitants ; and the storming of Stony
Point. Returning from the war, he was

844

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

united in marriage with Margaret Jarred,
after which he settled in Circcnhrier county,
W. \"a.. but later removed to Kanawha
county. He subsequentlx became a resi-
dent of Indiana, and thence went to Macon
county. 111., where he died at the age of
eighty- four years.

On the maternal side nur subject is also
descended from an old family of N'irginia.
The grandfather, David Milburn, was born
and reared in Hamiishire county, now in
West \'irginia. and tUiring the time of the
Revolutionary War was traveling through
the unsettled State of Tennessee in com-
pany with some lawyers. They encamped
one night, and the following morning were
awakened at daybreak by gunshots fired
by i1h- iiiili.ins. Mr. Milburn was badly
wounded, the ball striking him in the right
breast and coming out at the shoulder. He
at length recovered from his injuries, and
lived to the age of eighty-four years.

In Kanawha county, \'a.. he was united
in marriage with .a lady whose maiden
name was Susanna Pryer. though she was
a widow when she married Mr. Milburn.
Bv her first husband, who was killed by the
Indians, she had one child. John Harmon.

Charles F. See, the father of our subject,
was born in Greenbrier county, W. \'a., in
1790. Removing to Kanawha county, he
there became acquainted with and wedded
Miss Sarah .Milburn, who was born in that
county in 1794. They were the iiareiils of
twelve children, four sons and eight daugh-
ters, eight of whom are now living : Charles
F., who was a member of the Twenty-fifth
Iowa regiment, was wounded during the
service, and is now a ])ensioner, living in
Nebraska: John W., of the Forty-fifth
Iowa Infantry, is engaged in farming in
Dakota: Stisamia. widow of Asa Elison,

is living in this State : Margaret, also a
widow, resides in Iowa ; Lois, makes her
liome in Dakota ; .\merica, is living in
Iowa : .\Idoolah, also located in Dakota ;
May, died in this State: L'rbain, is the wife
of Rev. J. W. Anderson, a member of the
Des Moines Conference, and traveled with
her husband over his circuit for twenty
years : Sarah, died in childhood. The
father of this family died in Missouri at
the age of seventy-nine, and the mother in
Iowa, when si.xty-four years of age. They
were earnest Christian people, teaching
tluir children, both by ])recept and exam-
l)le. the true way of life.

Michael See was born I'eb. 27, 181 7, in
Kanawha county, Va., and when four years
of age removed with his parents to In-
diana, locating in Henry county, which was
then an almost uninhabited wilderness. His
education was there received in the sub-
scription schools. In 1835 the father sold
bis farm, and the following spring removed
with his family to what is known as the
lUack I lawk Purchase, purchasing a claim
in Henry county, west of Purlington. Pre-
vious to the fall of 1836 the country was
entirely surveyed, but at tha,t lime a line
was laid, which divides Des Moines and
Henry counties, and was called the Merid-
ian line.

In ilu- fall of 1839 our subject entered
land ;it tlio first land .sale ever held in the
Slate, it taking |)lace at P>urlington. The
farm which he then secured was situated
in Des Moines county, and at the sale of
1840 his father also entered land. The
country was then new. times were hard, and
difficulties surrounded them on all sides;
hut the hr.ue ])ioneers toiled 011 with the
hojje that one day they might rest from
their labors.

DES MOfXES COUNTY, IOWA.

845

In Des Moines county, Iowa, in Novem-
ber, 1838, Mr. See was united in marriag^e
with Elizabeth Miller, who was born in
Kentucky, in 1819, and moved with her
parents to Illinois, and thence to the Black
Hawk Purchase in 1836. By their union
eig;ht children were born, six of whom
are yet living: Lucretia, now Mrs. Turk-
ington, who resides on a farm in Washing-
ton county, Iowa ; Lois, now ]\Irs. Will-
iams, who is living on a^ farm in Union
county. Iowa : Rebecca, now Mrs. Latta,
living on a farm in Muscatine county :
Mary, now Mrs. Thompson, who resides
on a farm in Henry county ; Anna, now
Airs. Wilkins, of A\'ashington county; and
John W., who married Arta Greary, and
is living in Louisa county. The mother
of these children died in Grand \'iew,
Louisa county, Aug. 24, 1865. She had
traveled with Mr. See over different cir-
cuits for twenty years, was a faithful Chris-
tian woman, and her faith in the promises
of the Bible never faltered. Her parents,
William and Xancy ( Hanks) Miller, died
in Des Moines county, Iowa. Her mother
was a relative of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1866 Mr. See was again married, in
Wapello, Louisa county, Iowa, becoming
the husband of Jane E. Tompkins, who
was born in Essex county, N. J., Jan. 3,
1 83 1, and is a daughter of Isaac and Xancy
(Candad) Tompkins, who died in Xew
Jersey. Two children have been born of
their union, — Aldoolah and Adah.

In 1842 Mr. See united with the Meth-
odist Episcopal church, in Henry county,
Iowa, soon afterward was licensed to
preach, and joined the Iowa Conference in
1845, with which he has since been con-
nected. Forty years of his life he has
spent in traveling over circuits, preaching

the gospel of Christ, and during his min-
istry has received about two thousand per-
sons into the church of Christ. Although
meeting with difficulties and trials, his faith
in the teachings and promises of the Bible
has never forsaken him. He has now re-
tired from active life, and is living upon
a small farm' of fifty-eight acres in Louisa
countv.

LOUIS CHARLES GIESEKER.

Louis Ch.\rles Gieseker, who can claim
Burlington as his home for fifty years, is
the oldest of eleven children, and belongs
to one of the oldest German families who
came here in earl\- pioneer times. He is
a son of Charles and Louisa (Miller) Giese-
ker, and was born in Burlington township
Dec. 25, 1854. His father, whose sketch
appears in this work, came to America, set-
tling in Ohio, in 1837, and to Burlington,
Iowa, in 1842, where he at once bought a
large farm, which is now a part of Crapo
Park. Mr. Gieseker having such a large
family, was obliged to have his older chil-
dren assist him on the farm as soon as possi-
ble ; so under these circumstances our sub-
ject's education was necessarily very limited,
though he has obtained much knowledge by
reading and in the general schools of experi-
ence. Louis lived and worked on his fath-
er's place till he was about thirty years old,
when he began farming on his own respon-
sibility, and continued at it for twelve years.
Desiring at this time to try city life he gave
up farming, and was engaged in sawmills,
railroad shops, and other occupations till
1887, when he returned to his first love and
bought sixteen acres of land south of town

846

BIOGRAPHICAL REl 'lEW

near liis father, wIktc he was again a pros-
perous farmer till 1898.

About this tiuie the city opened up a park
adjoining Mr. Giesekcr's place and he was
obliged to part with eleven and one-half
acres for nnich less than he felt it was worth.
He devoted his time to the raising of the
small fruits thereon. Two acres in grapes,
from which, according to the crops, he
makes from twenty-six to one hundred and
fifty gallons of nice grape brandy annually,
ami frnin Iwenty-fivc to forty barrels of
wine of the pure grajie juice. Two acres
were devoted tcj strawberries. Besides hav-
ing had one acre in raspberries and the same
in blackberries, Mr. Gieseker has wisely
planted about seventy-five fruit trees.

He has converted his suburban residence,
which joins the park on the north, into a
very nice quiet family cafe or outing resort,
and caters- especially for the trade of the
best and most refined people, who certainly
appreciate such a convenience anil pleasure
while spending a day in the l)eautiful ])ark.
In summing up his review, we find that the
prosperity Mr. Gieseker has nbtained is
the result of his own personal efforts.

CARL LOUIS GIESEKER.

When Carl Louis Gieseker passed away
Burlington lost one of its ])ioneer settlers,
a man whose identification with this sec-
tion of the State dated from a very early
|»Ti()(l in the (levelo|)nK'nt nf l<iwa. .M(^re-
over, he had through a long business career
displayed the conimenilable trails of char-
acter which not only win success, but also
gain the respect, confidence and good-will
of his fel)ow-nien.

He was bom in West I'halen, Germany,
March 5, 1817. His education was very
meager : but what little he did receive was in
the public schools of I'halen. His father
was a fanner, and our subject remained on
the home place till after he reached his ma-
jority, when in 1840 he came to .\merica
by way of New York and went direct to
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained for
two years at farm work. Wanting to see
something of the country west of Cincin-
nati, he started for Iowa, reaching Burling-
ton in 1842, where he remained for a time,
earning his living by chopping wood on
one of the islands near by. Soon after this
an opportunity presented itself whereby
Mr. Gieseker could obtain employment in
the city, and in 1843 he began to clerk in
the grocery store of Mr. Pepper, whose
|)lace of business was on the levee. Mr.
l'ei)per dying in 1844, our subject ven-
tured to buy the business, and conducted
the grocery himself for a long time.

Having still more faith in the possibili-
ties of his adopted State, he invested in
more real estate, this time erecting a neat
business block where the Western L'nion
Telegraph Office is now located, and car-
ried on business in Burlington till the
cholera broke out in 1851, when he sold
out and returned to his native land. He
visited in the old country for two years, and
after returning located on the farm he had
previously purchased, and which is now
the best part of the Burlington City Park.
Here he had a long-continued residence
of forty-two years, always taking great
pleasure in improving his farm ; aiid as he
was well trained for farming in his younger
days, he was very successful, and at the
time he gave up the farm his land had more
than doubled itself in value. He had lived

DES JIIOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

847

to see the city extended to such an extent
that his farm was in the city Hmits. In
189s Air. Gieseker sold his farm, or the
most of it, to the city for park purposes,
and as he was nearly eighty years old he
decided to retire from farming, and moved
to 1505 Central Avenue, where he was
permitted to rest from liis laBors for only
about two years, passing to his great reward
March 11, 1897, at the age of eighty years.
Feb. 22, 1854, Mr. Gieseker was married
to Miss Alarie Louisa Moeller, daughter
of Frederick and Elizabeth (Buhrmaster)
Moeller, who was born in Germany, Feb. 5,
1836. Her parents both died in Germany,
and .she came to yVmerica on the return trip
of Mr. Gieseker in 1853. They became
the parents of eleven children : Louis Carl ;
l\Iary (Mrs. John Meilahn), who lives on
Barrett Street, in Burlington, Iowa; Louisa
C. (Mrs. Fred Meilahn), of 1104 South
Seventh Street, of the same city ; John, with
Louis Charles ; Charles, a farmer, and resi-
dent of Terre Haute, 111. ; Edward August,
of 1219 Tenth Street, Burlington; Eliza-
beth, died in infancy ; Henry, who has
lived in Alaska for the last four years ;
WilHam F., a butcher by trade, and a resi-
dent of Helena, Mont.; Emma (unmarried)
resides at Morris, Minn. ; Fred W., who
keeps books for a club in Chicago. The
parents gave these children a fair educa-
tion in the public schools, and thus fitted
them for useful men and women. Mr. and
Mrs. Gieseker were leading and influential
members of the First German Evangelical
church, of Sixth and Columbia Streets,
and at the time of Mr. Gieseker's death he
was one of the oldest members. Politically,
he was ever a strong Democrat, but did
not carry his politics beyond the limits of
his private life.

It was always a great pleasure for friends
and neighbors to visit and chat with this
kind old gentleman, as he was always well
posted on all the political issues of the day,
in both his native and his adopted country.
He was well known in Burlington and sur-
roiuiding country. L'pright in thought
and deed, he lived at peace with his fellow-
men as a true Christian, and one whose in-.
fluencc was ever on the side of truth. Long
a resident of Des Moines county, his loss
was deeply felt, while one more name was
added to the list of the country's dead.

JAMES F. BARR.

In a history of the men of strong pur-
pose, energy, and well-directed business
capacity, who have aided in shaping the
material development and progress of Bur-
lington and Des Moines counties, James F.
Barr, deceased, should be numbered. He
was born at Pleasant Grove, Iowa, March
II, 1864, his parents being James and Mary
J. (Ferrier) Barr. The father was born
in Londonderry, Ireland, May 12, 1816, and
having crossed the Atlantic to the New
World, in early life spent a brief period in
this country. He then returned to his na-
tive land, but in 1848, when thirty-two years
of age, again made the voyage to the United
States, settling in Philadelphia, Penn. He
wedded JMary Jane Ferrier on the twenty-
sixth of April, 1849, and afterward re-
moved to Iowa, spending ten years in this
State. He then returned to Philadelphia, but
when he had again been a resident of that
city for a year he made preparations to es
tablish a permanent home in Des Moines
county, Iowa. He therefore located on a

8+8

BIOGRAPHICAL Rlini-AV

farm near I'kasaiit drove, and was long
a respected and valued resident of Wash-
ington townsliip. there residing until the
first of March. 1893. when he removed to
Mediapolis. living in retirement from fur-
ther business cares until his demise, which
occurred i"el). 5. i8»/). His wife still sur-
vives him. lie united with the Presbyterian
church of Ireland, when twenty years of
age. and became a member of the Cumber-
land Presbyterian ihnrrli of Pleasant Grove,
about i8f')2. I'pon their removal to Medi-
apolis, Mr. and Mrs. liarr became members
of the Presbyterian church of that place.
Mrs. Rarr's birth also occurred in Lon-
donderry. Ireland, and they were married in
Philadcli)hia. They had two children: Kd-
wanl W. and James F. .Mrs. I'.arr still re-
sides at Mediapolis. and is in comfortable
financial circumstances, for Mr. Harr in his
business career met with gratifying pros-
perity. He became the owner of a large
tract of land, was extensively engaged in
stock-raising, and his well-managed busi-
ness affairs made him one of the |)rosperous
citizens of his conmuniity.

James !•". I'.arr was reared to mailhood
ii|)on his father's farm, there remaining until
fourteen years of age, win 11 lu- attended
I-llliott's liusiness College, at LJurlington.
He afterward entered the employ of Brown
& liarhydt. wholesale shoe dealers of Des
Moines as bookkeeper. Following his mar-
riage he removed to the home farm in
Washington township, upon which he con-
tinued to reside for five years, tlure having
charge of the cultivation ami improvement
of nine hundred and sixty acres of land. He
was alsf.i engaged in stock-raising, and was
accounted one of the leading stock men of
the county. At length removing from the
farm he established his liome in P.urlington.

and became the secretary and treasurer of
the Iowa Soap Company, with whicii he
was connected throughout his remaining
days, assisting in building up a very large
and prosperous business. He also super-
vised his agricultural interests throughout
this period, and his varied business affairs
broiight him splendid success. The line of
his achievement was always farming, and
in his business affairs his course was char-
acterized by honor, for in all his transac-
tions he was strictly fair, straightforward,
anti reliable, never taking advantage of the
necessities of his fellow-men in any business
dealing.

On the 29th of XovemlKT. 1888. Mr.
Uarr was married to Miss limma Beck, at
Morning Sun, Iowa, a daughter of Conrad
and Flizabeth (Grote) Beck, who are repre-
sented on another page of this work. Mr.
and Mrs. Barr became the parents of two
children: Mark Chester, who was born at
Roscoe, Iowa. Jan. 19. 1893; and Mar-
guerite, born at Burlington. .\ug. 11, 1896.

.\lr. Barr gave his political allegiance to
the Democracy, but never sought or desired
|)olitical i)rcfernunt. He held membership
ill the .Methodist i'.piscopal church, and
served on its official board, taking an
active and hel])ful interest in its work.
His wife is also a member of that church.
I'or eight years prior to his demise he
was in ill health, and although all that
medical science could do was done for
him, it was unavailing. He ranked with
the leading business men of Burlington,
having the marked enterprise and keen
foresight which are indispensable attri-
butes of success. He was also known as
a good citizen, ])rogressive in all matters
relating to the ])ublic welfare, while in his
home and in social circles he was a devoted

DES MOIiXES COUNTY. IOWA.

84Q

friend and a kind and loving husband and
father. In 1888 he built a fine residence
upon his farm and in 1898 erected one of
the beautiful homes in Burlington, at 8og
North Seventh Street. He passed away
Sept. 30, 1904, and his death was deeply de-
plored in social and business circles, for he
was a man whom to know was to respect
and honor, and who through his sterling
traits of character had gained warm and
enduring friendships.

CONRAD BECK.

Conrad Beck, deceased, was a promi-
nent farmer and stock-raiser of Pleasant
Grove townshiij, Des Moines county, and
achieved a success which was an indication
of superior business ability, executive force,
and unfaltering determination. He was
born Dec. 23, 1808, in Hesse-Darmstadt,
Germany, near Frankfort-on-the-Rhine.
When nineteen years of age he left home,
his father giving him his blessing, a prayer
book and the equivalent of a dollar in .Ameri-
can money. Years afterward he repaid the
money by sending his father three hundred
dollars. After visiting France, Spain, and
I'ortugal, Mr. Beck decided to locate near
London, England, and for five years was in
the employ of Lord Mangester as a gar-
dener. On the expiration of that period he
sailed for New York, believing that he would
have better business advantages in the New
World. He occupied a similiar position
with General Luce in Dutchess county. New
York, and in 1833 came to Iowa, settling
at Rome, near Fairfield, where he pur-
chased one hundred and sixty acres of land.
On his way to that place he stopped for a

brief period at Burlington, and dug the first
cellar in that city, for which labor he was
paid ten dollars. Mr. Beck did not remain
long in the vicinity of Fairfield, but removed
to Pleasant Grove township, Des Moines
county, where he entered land from the gov-
ernment, to which he added from time to
time in later years. His first house was
built of logs and clapboards, and had a single
piece of glass for a window. He figured
that the house cost him in money a dollar
and twenty cents. In true pioneer style he
began life in this county, putting forth stren-
uous effort to overcome the difficulties and
obstacles under which all frontier settlers
labor, and as the years passed his work was
crowned with success. In 1849, however,
he was filled with the desire to go to the
famous newly discovered gold fields of Cali-
fornia, and in connection with Hon. Justice
Clark, each outfitted a big wagon with four
yoke of oxen. Mr. Beck took with him
sugar and other articles to trade with the
Indians for pelts, and also commodities that
he might sell to advantage. They proceeded
westward to Council Bluffs, up the Platte-
River, and across the Rockies to San Fran-
cisco, where Mr. Beck sold his outfit. Mr.
Clark's oxen had all died on the way, but
Mr. Beck was more careful with his teams
and lost none.

After a sojourn of a year in the far
West, Mr. Beck returned by way of the
isthmus route. After leaving the California
port the vessel in which he sailed encoun-
tered a severe storm and was in great peril.
The food supply also became largely ex-
hausted, and they were on short rations
for fourteen days before reaching the
isthmus. Knowing that the ship's offi-
cers were responsible for the want of
provisions, the j^assengers decided that

850

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IEIV

if cannibalism became necessary, as they
were afraid it might, they would eat the
officers first. Mr. lieck finally reached Iowa
by way of the Mississippi River, returning
home with fourteen hundred dollars in
gold. He then resumed farming and stock-
raising, and became one of the most pros-
perous men in his township, because of his
progressive methods, his untiring activity,
and his keen business discernment. He had
three thousand acres of land, and built
a stone residence in Pleasant Grove that was
one of the finest homes in the county. He
made his first purchases of land at govern-
ment prices or a little more, and for some
of his later investments he paid as high as
thirty-five dollars per acre. \\ith the
growth ami settlement of the county the
land greatly increased in value, and he be-
came one of the prosperous agriculturists
of this part of the State.

In 1842, in the town of Burlington, Mr.
Beck was married to Miss Elizabeth Grote.
of Dodgeville, Iowa, who was bom at
Krois Minden, Germany, Dec. 21, 1821,
and died June 19, 1895, at Morning Sun,
Iowa. Her ])arcnts were John D. and Anna
Grote. Her father was born. Aug. 19, 1790,
and his wife's birth occurred in 1788, while
her death occurred Sept 13, 1855. They
came to America in 1840, settling in Iowa,
where Mr. Grote carried on agricultural
pursuits until his death, which occurred
May 17, 1868. The children of Mr. and
Mrs. Beck are nine in number: Mary, died
August, 1904, the widow of David Schenck,
of Memphis, Mo. ; Sarah ; William, who
married Ella Berryhill, and lives in Morn-
ing Sun, Iowa : Caroline, the wife of Hon.
F. N. Smith, of Burlington ; Henry H., who
married Fanny Vcle, of Breckenridge,
Texas ; Cassie A., the wife of Hon. E. L.

McClurkcn, of Morning Sun, Iowa ; Senna,
the wife of Joseph F. Swallow, of Burling-
ton ; Elizabeth, the wife of O. B. Jamison,
of Newport, Iowa ; and Emma Louise, who
married J. F. Barr, of Burlington.

In his political views Mr. Beck was a
Democrat, and in religious faith was con-
nected with the German Metho<list church
at Pleasant Grove. In 1875, he retired from
the farm and took up his home at Morning
Sun, where his death occurred Oct. 13,
1895. -f^c ^^'3s a strictly temperate man,
never using intoxicants of any kind, nor
tobacco. He was noted for his industry
and frugality, his honest dealing and his
reliability. Indolence and idleness were
utterly abhorent to his nature, and he put
forth earnest effort to provide for his fam-
ily and secure a com]x>tcncy. He stood four
square to every wind that blew, was a man
of honest convictions, and never faltered in
support of a course which he believed to be
right. During the last sixteen years of his
life he was blind. His wife jj.-^ssed away a
few months before his demise, and it was
his fondly exi)ressed desire that he, too,
might go and thus join her. As a frontier
settler of Eastern Iowa, he took an active
and helpful i)art in its early development
and progress, and is now numbered among
the honored pioneers of the State.

TOPHEL FISCHER.

One of the most progressive farmers and
substantial citizens of Huron township,
where he is following his occupation with
nuich success, is Tophel Fischer, who is one
of the later comers to the county. Mr.
I'"ischer was Ixim at Roanoke, 111., in April,

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

851

1868, and is the son of August and Lena
(Storts) Fischer.

Tophel Fischer secured his education in
the public schools of his township, and as a
boy and young man was thoroughly trained
in the principles and practice of agriculture,
acquiring knowledge and proficiency by per-
sonal experience, working as a farm hand
from the time he left school until the time of
his marriage. Nov. 6, 1899, he was united
in marriage, at Peoria, 111., to Miss Bertha
Miller, daughter of Fred and Mary (Spring-
er) Miller. He then rented a farm near
Roanoke, successfullj' cultivating it for a
period of nine years, at the end of which time
he came to Iowa and purchased his present
farm, and has since resided here. It was in
1902 that he made this move to Huron town-
ship, and the farm consists of eighty acres
of rich farm land in Section 6, and sixty-six
acres of timber land in Section 3. It is in a
high state of cultivation and thoroughly de-
veloped, having undergone many improve-
ments since passing to the ownership of Mr.
Fischer. The house, which is commodious,
has been remodeled and an addition built, a
new barn has been erected to accommodate
the products of the fertile soil, six thousand
tile have been put in, and the farm improved
in general, so that the equipment is modern.

i\Irs. Fischer, whose maiden name was
Bertha Miller, was born in Berne, Switzer-
land. Her natal day was March 7, 1879.
Her mother died when she was only two
years old. When she was nine years old,
she came to America with her two sisters.
Her sister Mary Eliza married Henry Islie,
and now lives in [Monroe, Wis. Her sister
Lena makes her home in Peoria, 111.

To "Sir. and Airs. Fischer have been born
two children: Ida, born April 14, 1901 ; and
Gustie. born March 13, 1903.

In religious faith ]\Ir. and Mrs. Fischer are
members of the Christian Apostolic church,
and their deeds have brought no blush to their
profession.

Although Mr. Fischer has been for so
short a time a resident of Huron township,
he has always manifested a willingness to
perform the duties which devolve on him as
a citizen, and he and his wife have won many
friends by their helpfulness and neighborly
kindness. It may be said of Mr. Fischer
that in every relation of life in which he has
been called to take a part he has proved him-
self equal to the occasion. The history of
his private relations with men is one of un-
failing honor, uprightness, and strictest rec-
titude, a mode of life which has made him
rich in the respect of all.

CHARLES KOESTNER.

Charles Koestner is a notable repre-
sentative of an old German family, and has
manifested in the course of an active and
interesting career many of the most inter-
esting traits of his race and blood — those
traits that have made the German-American
citizens of this country so highly honored
as an ac-quisition to the nation. He has been
industrious to a marked degree, and has
never shown any disposition to shirk hard
work or avoid his full share of the labor to
be done. He has kept his word, and his
pledge has been like a bond. Kind to the
poor, and with an ear ahvays open to the
cry of the needy, he has ever been a good
neighbor, a generous friend, and an upright
citizen. He has been a kind husband and a
loving father, giving his children the best
of advantages in starting them in life for

852

HIOGRAI'HKAL RPAlIiir

themselves, as well as giving them that best
of heritages, a home training that made
strict integrity and upright morals the
things of greatest value in their estimation.
These are the virtues that belong to the
German blood, and these characterize the
career of the man whose life deeds and
aciiievements are the subject of this bio-
graphical history.

Charles Koestner was born in Bavaria,
Germany. June J4. iS^;, the son of John
ancl Kuniiij,'iin<la (i'arniggel) Knestiier.
The father was also burn in IJavaria. tiie date
of his birth being Uec. 18, 1803. He was
reared on a farm, and was educated in the
public schools of the community. He was
married in 1832. and came to America in
1855, bringing witii liini his wife and seven
children. They landed at New Orleans, and
came up the Mississip])i to Burlington, and
settled in liurlington townshij), where he
rented a farm. He carried mi a general
farming business for ten years, then re-
tired from active life. He died in May of
187 1, and his •wife survived him until .April
of 188 1. The family were devoted mem-
bers of St. John's Catholic church, being
faithful followers of its teachings, and gen-
erous supporters of it at all times. The
father was in sympathy w-ith the Demo-
cratic party, in his political views.

Charles Koestner received his education
partly in the public schools of Germany,
partly in those of Burlington township, as
he was fourteen years of age when his par-
ents came to this country. He grew to
manhood on the farm in Burlington town-
ship, learning the practical lessons of agri-
culture, and working for his father till he
was twenty-four years of age. From 1865
till 1869 he left agricultural pursuits, and
clerked in a store, working for J. W.

Rhodes, of Burlington, who conducted a
general store. These four years of experi-
ence in the mercantile world have been of
the greatest value to him, and have contrib-
uted in no small measure to his success,
through the ])ractical lessons of business
life that he then acquired.

In i8^9 Mr. Koestner returnetl to the
<|uieler but surer life of the farmer, rent-
ing the old Mason farm of three hundred
acres. He continued to rent this land till
i8(j2. alwa\s paying a cash rental, which in
the time that he occupied the land amounted
to $23,000. Here he conducted a general
farming and cattle-feeding business, at the
same time renting and buyiiig other land, at
times working some four htmdred and fifty
acres. in iSi^j he left the .Mason farm,
buying and moving onto his ])resent beauti-
ful place of ninety-si.x acres, which joins
the city limits. Here he started a general
fruit-growing business, in addition to his
general farming, planting at first about
thirty-one acres in all kinds of fruits. He
has other tracts nf lanil in the county, ag-
gregating about five hundred acres of the
tinest farm lands in the county, and on each
l)lace is a large orchard of trees selected
from the finest varieties suited to this lat-
itude. Mr. Kcx'stner improved the home
place since it came into his possession, by
repairing all the buildings, and setting out
uov fruit trees, and is at present personally
sui)erinten<ling the work on one hundred
and thirty acres.

On .\ug. 26, 1866, Mr. Koestner was
united in marriage to l\Iiss Philomena Geb-
hart, daughter of John and Louise
(W'ellem) Cjcbhart. To this union six chil-
dren were liurn, live sons and one daughter:
Henry C, who married Sophia Brune;
George J., married Mary Vorwerk ; Frank

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

853

J., married Mary Kuntz ; Andrew J., mar-
ried Minnie Muensenmeier ; and Carl E. and
Annie L., who live at home. Mr. Koest-
ner has also raised to womanhood two
adopted children, the children of his
brother, their father and mother both dying
while they were very young. These chil-
dren are JMinnie, wife of Henry Wagner,
and Caroline, wife of Joseph Abris. All
of Mr. Koestner's children are nicely started
in life, and are settled near him, all living
in Des Moines county, and all prosperous.
He has a family of which he has every rea-
son to be proud.

Mr. Koestner's first wife died Nov. 2,
1885, and on March 2, 1887, he married
Miss Elizabeth Hoelscher. They have
many warm friends, both in the city of Bur-
lington and among their nearer neighbors,
and as they are both of a cordial social na-
ture, their beautiful home has been the
scene of many happy gatherings, and they
are famed throughout the county for their
whole-souled hospitality. Mr. Koestner
was for many years director of the public
schools, an office in which he was able to
render valuable assistance to the cause of
education, in -which he is a firm believer,
and to which he has ever given all the en-
couragement in his power, realizing that the
public-school system is the foundation stone
•of our national liberties, and that a wise
oversight of the training of youth is the
price of our continued greatness as a people.
He has also played an important part in the
political life of Des Moines county, taking
part in public activities as a member of the
Democratic party, for whose success he has
consistently labored throughout his career,
and in whose councils his voice has carried
weight and authority. He was once the
nominee of his party for State senator.

Mr. Koestner's life has been one of con-
stant usefulness and success, and in all his
dealings with his fellow-men he has striven
to be strictly honest and impartial, always
seeking to guard against doing any man an
injustice, jireserving at all times an up-
right, honorable, and absolutely unwavering
course of integrity — a mode of life which
has brought its own reward in the esteem
of all who know him as he is. His quali-
ties of foresight and ready appreciation of
an opportunity, added to an unfailing per-
severance in all circumstances, have brought
him worldly wealth, and enabled him of
late years to enjoy in ease the fruits of a
life well spent.

GEORGE HENRY ARCHER.

Yellow Springs township counts
among its enterprising and prosperous
citizens many young men of much ability
who are a great credit to the county.
Among these is George Henry Archer,
who is a lifelong resident of the above-
named township where he was born Nov.
6, 1853. He is the son of Edward -Gillan
and Nancy Elizabeth (Talbott) Archer.
See sketch and portrait elsewhere.

Our subject has always been engaged
in farming, and has made stock-raising a
specialty, in which he has obtained the
best results. He is now superintending
his father's estate, consisting of some
three hundred and seventy-seven acres, of
which three hundred and twenty are in
Section 32, and fifty-eight in Section 29.
This place is well improved, with sub-
stantial buildings, and the land is very
productive, yielding a very gratifying

85+

BIOCR.lPllKAL REVIF.W

crop each season. Mr. Arclier raises some
fine Kentucky tlu>roughbred horses, hav-
ing at the present writing about twenty
head. He also raises about one hundred
head of hogs annually, having some fifty
head now, and cares for sixty head of
blooded cattle each year.

In jjolitics he has given his support and
co-o])erati(jn to the Republican jiarty but
for local matters votes for the man. He
has never aspired to public office, prefer-
ring to give his time and attention to his
own immediate business. He is a man
well posted on all the current events of
the times, is pleasant and congenial, his
principles and actions are of the higliest
character and his record in business is a
great source of pride to his many relatives
and friends throughout tlu' county.

Mr. Archer was married l*"cb. 27, 1879,
to Mary Ellen Jones, daughter of John R.
Jones, who was also born in Yellow
Springs townshi]). They have one child,
Julia Ellen, born July 7, 1881. Mrs.
Archer died Oct. 22. 1883. aged twenty-
six years. (Sec also Jones' history.)

MILTON P. CALDWELL.

Milton P. Caldwell, an early settler
of Des Moines county, and a highly re-
spected citizen of Washington township,
residing on his farm of one hundred and
sixty acres on Section 1 1 , was born in
Muskingum county, Ohio, Feb. 19, 1834,
and liveil in that State till 1854. He was
educated in the common schools of Mus-
kingmn county, at the Fox Creek school,
an<l while going to school assisted with
the work ui)on the home farm.

He was the son of John M. and Jane
(Jamison) Caldwell. The father was
born in .Muskingum county, and remained
there engaged in farming till 1834. Dur-
ing that year, when our subject was
about six weeks old. the family moved
to a farm in Hardin county, Ohio, where
they remained till after the death of the
father, which occurred in 1841. Two
years later Milton P. Caldwell and his
mother went back to Muskingum county,
and made that their hoiue until 1854,
when they went to Illinois, locating on
a farm in Mercer county. Here they re-
mained till the spring of 1859, when ihey
decided to go still farther west, and came
to Des Moines county, Iowa.

Here Milton P. and his brother, Samuel
L., purchased eighty acres of laml. ])art
of tile farm where Mr. Caldwell now re-
sides, lieginning with this wild, uncul-
tivated land, that had never known the
]dowshare nor the hand of man, they
built up a home for themselves. Since
that time wonderful changes have been
made in the place. .\11 the improvements
have been made ; a fine large frame dwell-
ing-house has been erected, good barns
and other buildings have been built, and
everything has been done that could be
done to make the place the modern, well-
c(|uippe(l farm home that it now is.
While Mr. Caldwell has made a great
success as a general farmer, he has made
a specialty of stock-raising, being well
known in the country round about
for the high-grade Clydesdale Norman
horses and Hereford cattle that he has
been breeding with great care for the
last few years.

Mr. Caldwell was one of a family of
six children, of whom the <>nlv other one

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MILTON P. CALDWELL.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

857

who is still living is the brother Samuel
who was at first a joint owner with Mr.
Caldwell of the farm in Washington
township. The mother died July 17, 1875,
at the home place, eighty-one years of
age.

Samuel Caldwell, the brother, is now
living at Lennox, Iowa, where he is re-
tired, and where he is the president of
the Citizens' State Bank of Lennox.

Milton P. Caldwell purchased his
brother's interest in the home farm, and
has added to it until he now has two hun-
dred and forty acres, all under cultiva-
tion. It is one of the best-kept farms in
the county, whether from the standpoint
of utility or comfort.

Mr. Caldwell was united in marriage
on Jan. 13, 1866, to Miss Martha Ellen
Williams, a native of Adams county,
Ohio. Mrs. Caldwell came from Ohio to
Iowa with a cousin, in 1853, when she
was young, her parents having died in
Ohio. She remained with her cousin un-
til her marriage. To them six children
have been born, three sons and three
daughters, of whom five are still living.
The children are: Elmer, a farmer, re-
siding in Yellow Springs township,
where he and his brother John own and
operate a fine farm of two hundred and
forty acres; Ella, who lives with her
brothers John and Elmer, keeping the
home for them ; John J., residing in Yel-
low Springs township, and in partner-
ship with his brother Elmer; AVilbur W.,
who resides on the home place, which he
farms; Ina, wife of George Delzell, a
farmer of Louisa county, Iowa ; and Lily,
who died at the age of two years.

When the Civil War broke out, and
the president sent out the call for troops.

Mr. Caldwell became convinced that his
country needed him and so he enlisted,
in 1862, in Company G, of the Thirty-
ninth Iowa Infantry, and served to the
end of the war. He was corporal, and
took part in some important battles and
a number of skirmishes. He was on
the famous march to the sea; but was
never sick enough to go to hospital.
He was mustered out at Clinton, Iowa,
at the end of the war, and received hon-
orable discharge there. He has kept up
his recollections and associations of army
days by becoming a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, belonging
to Blake Post at Morning Sun, Iowa. In
his political views Mr. Caldwell has al-
ways been a Republican. He cast his
first presidential ballot for John C. Fre-
mont, and has taken an active and help-
ful interest in political and other public
aiYairs in his township, although he has
never cared for holding public office.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell are faithful
adherents of the United Presbyterian
church, holding membership with the or-
ganization of Morning Sun, Iowa, sup-
porting it in its benevolences, and spread-
ing its influence.

Mr. Caldwell has been a witness of
many improvements in general condi-
tions in Des Moines county; has viewed
its rise, in fact, from an almost primitive
state to the proudest position in the com-
monwealth. Moreover, he has borne a
worthy part in the general advancement,
as his ability has enabled him to do. He
is a man of strong character, and has won
success by his own efforts, and this
achievement has gained for him the
respect of all, while his genial disposi-
tion has made him manv friends.

8s8

BIOGRAPHICAL RLllEW

FREDERICK JULIUS.

Frederick Julius, who has succeeded in
building up the largest transfer business in
Burlington, was born in tliis city. Feb. i6,
1875, his parents being William F. and
Livonia (Short) Julius. The father came
to America with his parents from Germany
about 1861, being then ten or twelve years
of age, and the family home was established
in r.urlington. lli' became a butcher, and
wiiile conducting a shop here met with an
accident which terminated his life. His
widow afterward married again, and is now
Mrs. Reising, of .Aurora. 111. By the first
marriage there were three children : Fred,
Louis, and a daugiiter that died when a
year old.

Frederick Julius was educated in the
parochial and i)ublic schools of Burlington,
and when but nine years of age began work-
ing for his board and clothes upon a farm.
He was employed in that way for two years,
after which he drove the " hill mule," a
mule that was attached to the street car to
pull it u]) Xortii I nil from Main Street,
and from JelTerson Street to the top of West
Hill. Later he carried messages for the
Western Union Telegraph Company for a
year, and subsecjuently sijcnt si.x months at
the upholstering business, after which he
became night ojierator for the Bell Tele-
phone Company for a year. His connec-
tion with the livery business began in two
years' service in the Strickland livery barn,
and for a year thereafter he was coachman
for Frank Millard. Entering the employ of
Nat Bruen, he took care of and drove his
race horses as second man, after which he
drove a bus for the Duncan Hotel for two
years. On the expiration of that period he
began the transfer business on his own

account, having one express wagon, but
since that time his patronage has steadily
increased, and he now has seven wagons
and nine teams, employing seven men, and
having the largest patronage of any transfer
business of the city.

-Mr. Julius was married in 1893 to Miss
Fnuna Giesen, a native of Switzerland, who
was taken by her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Keiner Giesen, to Kentucky, whence they
came to I-{urlington. .Mr. and Mrs. Julius
have one child, Ruth. .Mr. Julius belongs
to .\erie Lodge, No. 750. F. O. E., of which
he is now serving as chaplain, and he is also
a member of the Modern Woodmen Camp
and the .Sand Lake Club, a hunting and fish-
ing organization. .Starting out in life at
a very early age, his business success has
been won through persistent effort, and
he is now enjoying the financial return
which comes to him from a large patronage.

CHARLES FREDERICK FISHER.

To record the life story of one who has
k)ng been intimately identified with the
vital interests of the comnuuiity, is the duty
and tilt Iiighest i)rivilege of the historian,
and it is with confidence that the name
which heads this revie^v is here inscribed
u])()n the roll of Ues Moines county's dis-
tinguished and useful citizens. Mr. Fisher
is of German extraction, his parents having
earlv removed from that country to Eng-
land, and he was born at Rotherham, Eng-
land, IMarch 26, 1865, the .son of Herman
and Margaret (Brcuck) Fisher. In his
native land he received a good conuuon-
school education, and on leaving school he
became associated witli his father in the

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

85Q

meat business, his father having always fol-
lowed the trade of butcher, and in this enter-
prise he continued until his twenty-fourth
year, when he decided to take advantage
of the broader opportunities of the Western
World, and emigrated to America on July
4. 1886, locating near DeKalb, 111.

There the first employment in which he
engaged, as the preliminary to his new start
in life, was that of the farm ; but finding
that his health was sufifering from the cli-
mate, he abandoned his position, and came to
Iowa, where he changed his occupation, and
became an employee in the wire department
of the McCosh Iron & Steel Company, at
Burlington, in which he remained for several
years, or until the company instituted a
nail business in connection with the other
industries under their control, when Mr.
Fisher, by reason of the executive ability
and general efficiency he had displayed in
his work, was made general foreman of the
nail department. He discharged the duties
of this responsible position for about nine
months, when, finding that his physical con-
stitution was being seriously undermined
by the work in the dust-laden atmosphere of
the factory, he resigned, in 1888, and be-
came a machinist's helper for the Chicago,
Burlington & Ouincy Railroad Company.
and after serving four years in that capacity,
was promoted to the work of the pumping
plant, in which he continued for a further
period of ten \ears, being again, at the
end of that time, promoted to a clerkship
in the offices. After an occupancy of the
latter post lasting five years, he decided to
embark in independent business, and in
August, 1904, he became the proprietor of
the news-stand in West Burlington, which
he now conducts, dealing in periodicals, con-
fectionery, tobaccoes, and cigars, and in

connection operating a general job print-
ing plant. In this venture he has been, from
the first, very successful, securing a large
patronage and enjoying to a highly gratify-
ing degree the confidence of the public, with
whom his lifelong reputation for strict up-
rightness and unvarying integrity in all his
dealings, is standing him in good stead.

In April, 1888, Mr. Fisher was united in
marriage to Miss Mary Knopp, and of this
union have been born two sons and four
daughters, these being Raymond Albert,
Edgar William, Gertrude ( who died at the
age of eighteen months), Edna Jennie,
Hazel, and Ruth.

A Democrat in political affiliation, Mr.
Fisher has been very influential in the work
of his party in this section, and as evidence
of the confidence and esteem in which he
is held by his fellow-citizens, has been the
recipient of many public honors, having,
been elected town treasurer for two years,
served three years as a member of the com-
mon council, received three consecutive
elections as clerk of Flint River township,
and being at the present time a member of
the board of education. Perhaps no resident
is more thoroughly in touch with all the
affairs of the community, and as one who is
peculiarly qualified for the work, he has for
a time been acting as correspondent for the
iUirlington Hcuck-Eyc. In his fraternal re-
lations, he is member of the Knights of
Pythias, in which he has passed through the
chairs, and acted as representative to the
grand lodge : a member of the Court of
Honor, of which he was recorder for two
terms ; and of the Modern Woodmen of
America, which he also served as recorder
for two years.

As one who takes a broad view of human
interests, he is loyal to the cause of religion.

86o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

being a member of the Congregational
church, to wliose support he is a generous
contributor, and for which he acted as or-
ganist for a period of two years. Pubhc
spirited in every sense of the word, he is
an advocate of all that tends to the benefit
of his community, and by his loyalty to his
friends and to the general welfare, has made
many admirers and achieved a large and
spontaneous popularity, so that while he is
by no means inclined to vaunt his own
merits, it may be said for him that his stand-
ing among liis fellow-men is in all respects
an honored and enviable one, — one of which
any man might well be proud.

CHARLES M. NELSON.

Cii.vRLES Nelson belongs to that class
of citizens who have won the admiration
and respect of all by what they have
accomplished through individual effort
and along honorable lines. Mr. Nelson
is entirely a self-made man, and all that
he has enjoyed and possessed has been
won through well-directed labor, guided
by sound business judgment. He was
born in Sweden, Jan. ii, i83«j. his birth-
place being in Tisselsko, Sucken, Els-
borgland. He was the son of Magnus
and Mary (Pearson) Nelson. His mother
died when he was about si.\ years of age,
and his father afterward married Chris-
teiia Larson. In his native country
Charles Nelson actpiired his education by
attending the public schools. He was
brougiit up as a farmer, and has followed
that occupation throughout his life.

Nov. 15, 1868, Charles Nelson "was
united in marriage to Miss Mertie Chris-

tena Olson, daughter of Olaf and Bertha
(Seltvall) Anderson. She was born Jan.
9, 1848, in Omal. Sucken, Elsborgland,
Sweden. The next year after his mar-
riage, he determined to see what oppor-
tunities awaited him in the New World,
so came to America by way of New York,
coming through Castle Garden, then di-
rectly to Kingston, Iowa. Here he
worked for the first month for his father,
who had preceded him to this country by
about six months. His parents spent the
remainder of their lives in this country,
the father dying in 1893, aged eighty-four
years, and the mother dying in 1892, at
the age of si.xty-scven years. Mrs. Nel-
son's parents never came to this countrj',
and both died in Sweden some years ago.
.\fter Mr. Nelson had been In this coun-
try a little over a month, he began work-
ing in the timber for Mr. Latty, contin-
uing at this work for a year and a half,
liy that time he had become sufficiently
familiar with the language and customs
to feel tli;it lie was warranted in under-
taking to work independently. Accord-
ingly he then leased some land of John
Murphy in Huron township, where he
stayed for five and a half years. By this
time his thrifty ways and skilful manage-
ment had enabled him to save enough so
ihat in November, 1875, he bought a farm
of thirty acres from Robert Ping. This
land had only a small piece for garden
that had ever been broken by the plow,
and had on it a two-room house, a well,
and a stable. This he bought for twenty-
five dollars an acre. In 1876 he moved
his family to this place, and has made it
his home ever since. He has brought the
farm under cultivation, and practically
improved it in many ways. Later he

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

86 1

added to it seventeen acres which he
bought from John Collar, and now he has
thirty acres in Section 20, and twenty
acres in Section 17, Yellow Springs town-
ship. Besides his work of general farm-
ing, he has made a very successful be-
ginning at the specialized work of stock-
raising. He usually raises about ten
hogs, some cattle, and a few horses of
draft breeds every year.

i\Ir. and Mrs. Nelson are both faithful
members of the Swedish Lutheran church
of Mediapolis, and Air. Nelson has served
that body as deacon for twelve years.
His political support is given to the Re-
publican party, for on becoming a natur-
alized citizen he concluded that the plat-
form of that party contained the best ele-
ments of good government, though he
has never been an aspirant for office. He
has never yet had occasion to regret his
determination to seek a home in the New
World, for he found the business oppor-
tunities which he sought, and has gradu-
ally progressed toward the goal of suc-
cess. He has also raised a fine large
family, of which he has every reason to
be proud.

Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have been the par-
ents of eleven children, as follows: .\xel.
born Aug. 2, i86g, died Sept. 25. 1879:
William C, born IMarch 13. 1871, lives in
Washington township, Des Moines coun-
ty, Iowa, where he has bought a farm of
eighty acres ; Tilda, born Sept. 17, 1873,
is the wife of Charles Walberg, a farmer
of. Washington township; Oscar Carl,
born Oct. r, 1875, is a farmer living in
Yellow Springs township ; Anna Eliza-
beth, born Nov. T2, 1878. died March 12,
1905, in England; Laura Amelia, born
Jan. 21, 1881 ; .\lbert Emmanuel, born

Feb. 3, 1883; Victoria Marie, born March
22, 1885, died Aug. 18, 1886; Victor Fred-
erick, born Dec. 31, 1886; David Julius,
born Feb. 26, 1889; and Amanda Olivia,
born March 30, 1891.

The daughter, Anna Elizabeth, was a
gentle, quiet girl, a loving and dutiful
daughter and helpful sister. Hers was a
deeply religious nature, devoted to the
work of the church in which she was con-
firmed as a child. On her sensitive spirit
was early impressed the need of the
world for a fuller knowledge of the mes-
sage brought by the Christ, and as she
grew older the call came to her as a per-
sonal mission, to go into the world and
teach the way of life. She obeyed the
call, and was sent as a missionary to
China, that region of densest ignorance
and most ignorant fanaticism, so full of
danger to the Christian workers from
other lands.

She left America Nov. 20, 1901, going
by way of San Francisco. She labored
under the auspices of the American Scan-
dinavian Free Christian Mission, Canton,
South China, and served as a missionary
there for three years, .working under all
the trials and hardships peculiar to that
country and those people, — trials that no
one but those who have been in the field
can have any realization of, — and en-
dured all with an uncomplaining spirit,
hoping only to be the means of bringing
light into that benighted land.

^^'hilc carr}'ing on this work she be-
came acquainted with Percival J. Laird,
a native of Windsor, Berkshire, England,
who was also actively engaged in the
same missionary work. This friendship
ripened into a stronger feeling, and they
l)ecame engaged to be married. Accord-

862

BIOGRAPHICAL RFllllW

inglv Miss Xc-lsoii wt-iit in I-'ngland. She
had not l)ccn fciliiifj will, and was taken
worse on the trip. After her arrival at
Mr. Laird's home in Deal, Kent; Enpland.
she still continued to get worse, and sev-
eral weeks later died there. Hers was a
beautiful Christian character, and she
leaves a ])lace that can never he filled, not
only in the home, but also in the foreign
field, where she did such efficient work
in spreading the gospel that she loxed.

BENJAMIN C. HESS.

Bf.njamin C. Hess, who was long
knc'wn ill ['.iiriington as a young man of
iiigh personal character and exce])tional
qualifications for a successful career in the
line of commercial i)ursuits, to which he
devoted the greater part of his life, was
born March nj. iI^'h. at Wayland. Steuben
countv, X. \ ., a son of I'lcnjamin and
Keziah (Vates) Hess. He came to Tur-
lington with his parents at the age of seven
vears. and after attending the public schools
here for some time, again removed with his
parents to Agency Street. At that i)lace he
completed a course in (lermania (irammar
School, and then entered the high school,
from which he was graduated in 1878, and
the following year he taught a district
sch(x>l south of lUirlington. In the spring
of 1880 he entered the retail grocery busi-
ness in partnership with his father, a con-
nection which contimu-d for eight years,
and in 1889 he iH'g.in business independ-
entlv in a store <in ( )sborne Street, where
he was later joine<l by his father. They
then engaged in business together until
the son's death, for there was alwavs a

strong bond of affection between them, to
an even greater degree, ])erhaps, than is
usual.

( )n May 6. i88(). .Mr. Hess was united in
marriage to .Miss Xora lloger, daughter of
Moses lloger. and to them were Ixirn three
children, .Mary K.. Charles 1!., and Lillian
!•!. He died March 2, 181)5, his own death
being followed by that of his father in l8y8,
while his mother's demise had occurred
long previous to that time, or about 1875,
Thus was he callc<l from active life in the
full ])rime and strength of his young man-
hood, in the midst of the tide of success,
and from the bosom of a liappy and con-
tented family, in whose service he found his
greatest jileasures. and upon whom he lav-
ished a wealth <>\ devoted atYection. True
to the highest ideals of conduct, lie drew
to himself the respect of all with whom he
came in contact, and forceful in his jier-
sonalit\ he made for himself a place in the
community that was distinctively his own. so
that his untimely end was a genuine loss to
the citv. as well as an ineffaceable sorrow to
those who mourn him as an ideal husband
and kiving father.

The lloger family, of which Mrs. Hess is
a member, in an old colonial family, having
emigrated to America from (iermany in the
year 1730, and settled in Lebanon county,
i'ennsylvania, where descendants of the early
pioneers still li\e and ])reserve the name.
The family of .Moses i Soger's mother, whose
maiden name was Elizabeth Keller, settled
in that neighborhood the same year, and
(ieorge Keller was a soldier of the Revo-
lutionary War. The liogers had conscien-
tious scruples against engaging in war. as
being in op))osition to the moral code incul-
cated by their religious belief, and there-
fore no member of the familv was a soldier.

DES MO/XnS COUXTV. 10U\-1.

86:;

George Keller was twice drafted into the
Continental service, and the first time sent
a substitute, but on the second occasion
responded personally to the call, and went
to the front, being in General Washington's
camp at \ 'alley Forge, and later acting as
guard over the Hessian prisoners captured
at the battle of Trenton, when they were
taken to Lebanon for safe keeping. The
original homestead of the ISoger family is
still in possession of individuals of that
name, descendants of the first settlers, and
the farm is yet locally famous for a great
spring which has been flowing in a large
and constant volume since the earliest
known times.

JMoses Boger, boi-n July j6, 1S31, s])enl
the greater part of his boyhood and youth
on a farm until his seventeenth year, w'hen
he began learning the trade of coach-
making, and after becoming master of his
trade, worked at it in Lebanon and other
places in Pennsylvania for some time. In
1869 he came to Burlington, and here he
worked at coach-building for twenty \ears,
or forty years in all. retiring in i8go to
assist his son-in-law, Mr. Hess, in the work
of the store, and since the latter's death
has continued in the store with his widow.
On April 16, 1853, he wedded Aliss Mary
Wentling, of Lebanon, Pa., a member of
an old family of that place, where she was
born (Jet. 15, 1834. To them were born
eight children : John ; William ; Emma, wife
of Frank Dasher ; Xora, widow of Benja-
min C. Hess : Cliarles ; .\da. wife of Will-
iam Kratz : one ciiild. which died when
three years of age; and ]''rank, who died
at the age of twenty-one years. Mrs. Hess,
widow of our subject, was educated in the
public schools of Burlington, attending the
South Hill School, and is a woman of

decided practical talents and ability. Since
the death of her husband she has herself
continued the management of his business,
and has conducted the store with great suc-
cess and energy. She is a member and
worker in the h'ree Methodist church, to
whose support she is a liberal contributor,
and under her care her children have re-
ceived a model home training and excellent
educational advantasres.

ANDREW YAKLEY.

Andrew Y.\ki.ev, the owner of an ex-
cellent farm of one hundred and twenty
acres on I^ection 7, Huron township, was
born in Schabenhausen, German\-. Nov.
ID, 1872, and is a son of John and Ursula
( Brunnenkant ) Yakley, or Jaeckle, as the
name is spelled in the h'atherland. He
acquired his education in the ])ublic
schools of his native country, and has al-
wavs followed the life of a farmer. He
remained in his native land until sixteen
years of age, when he crossed the .\t-
lantic to the Xew World and took up his
abode in l-'airbury. 111., where he followed
general agricultural pursuits until i8<)8.
He then removed to Peoria, 111., where
he .spent the succeeding four vears. He
secured work at driving a team, and later
became a coachman : but because of ill-
health he was unable to do any work for
four or five weeks. Later he engaged in
dairying and blacksmithing. awd also
worked in a fence factory and at boiler-
making, leading a very industrious life.

Leaving Peoria in i()02, Mr. Yakley
went to ()akvillc, Iowa, and soon after-
ward purchased mu- hundrecl and twentv

864

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

acres of land on Section 7. Huron town-
ship. Ues Moines county, where he took
U]) his abode, and has since carried on
general fanning- He has made many im-
provements upon the property, includinj;
the erection of a good house and barn.
I le also built a hayrick, and has made
other general improvements, which add
to the convenience of the place and its
attractive a])])earauce. His fields are well
tilled, and annually yield good crops, for
which he finds a ready sale in the city
markets.

On March 26, iSfjy, Mr. Yakley was
married to Miss Matilda Thelka Gerst. a
daughter of Henry and Katherine ((irau)
Gerst. She was born in Gablenberg, Ger-
many, Oct. 30, 1875, "i"*' was seventeen
years of age when she came fo .\mcrica.
their marriage being celebrated in Peoria.
riu'V have four cliildnn ; IK'iiry ( )liver.
born Feb. 25, 1900; Elmer Henry, born
July I. igoi ; Ervvin Oscar, Aug. 18, 1903:
and Roy Andrew, Nov. 30, 1904.

CHRIST DOEMELAND.

Pro.minent among the farmers of Flint
River township is Christ Doemcland, who
has been one of the leading agriculturists
there since 1900. He is a native of Ger-
many, being born in Prussia, Oct. 13. 1854.
His ])arents, Fred and Mary ( Demland )
Doemcland, were also natives of Prussia.
Our subject was reared on his father's
farm, where he early became familiar with
the duties which fall to the lot of the tiller
of the ^soil. He attended the common
schools of his l)iith])Iace, after which he
was engaged as a farmer till 1883. when
he came to America, making the trip bv

way of New York, and coming directly to
lUirlington. Iowa. Tiie first summer he
was busily engaged in sawing stones, after
which he was employed for some time by
the Chicago, I'.urlington & Quincy Railroad,
He then sc-cured a position as a shi])ping
clerk with Thompson McCosh, who dealt
in nails and all kinds of wire for fences,
.Severing his connection with this liouse,
he worked for the next four years for Tiie
Rand Lumlier Company.

Dec. 6, 1883. the same year he came to
.\merica, Mr. Doemeland was united in
marriage to Miss Fredericka Bcahne, daugh-
ter of Christ and Dorothy (Winkelman)
I'eahne. Unto this couple were born three
children: Otto, born Oct. l8, 1884: P.er-
tha. born March 19. 1886: and Earl, born
Dec. 27, 1903. The two elder children arc
attending school. In 1893 our subject
bought one hundred and seven and a half
acres of land on Sections 5 and 8, in Flint
River township, and in i<KX5 he bought his
|)resent |)lacc of one hundred acres on Sec-
tion 15. in the same township, where he
inoved in 1904, and where he has built a
modern residence. Although Mr. Doeme-
lan<l is not a strong and robust man. having
had tyjihoid fever when a boy, which set-
tled in one of his legs, thus cripjiling this
member of his body for life, still he is able
to carry on general farming and the raising
of stock with gratifying success.

I\)litically, he is a Democrat, but gener-
ally studies as to which is the best man for
the office to which he aspires. Mr. and
.Mrs. Doemeland arc tlevoted members of
the German Lutheran churcli of West
llurlingtoii. Though they have only been
residents of the township a little over ten
years, yet it has been sufficiently long for
the communitv, both social and business,

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

865

to discover the sterling qualities of Mr.
Doemeland. Honesty, integrity, enter-
prise, and activity have always been his
predominant characteristics, and to them
and his own willing hands he owes his
success in life and also that of his high
social standing.

JOHN HENRY SCHROEDER.

Among the pioneers of Des Moines
county, and one who claims good old Ger-
many as his birthplace, is John Henry
Schroeder. Energy, ambition, willing hands,
together with the best of principles, are the
means by which he achieved his success
in life ; and to-day his family and friends
point with pride to the record he has made.

He is the son of Frederick and Catherine
Schroeder, his birth occurring June 12. 1817,
in Prussia, Germany. His father spent
eighteen years in the German army, fight-
ing against Napoleon during his great and
noted campaigns. His mother died in 1831.
What education Mr. Schroeder received was
in the public schools in his native place.

As his father was a farmer he needed the
son's lielp. and it was only for short inter-
vals at a time that he could spare the boy
to attend school. Together with his farm
work our subject also learned the trade of
a millwright, and when twenty-one years old
he entered the German army, where he
served for three years.

In 1844. with the experience of a farmer,
millwright, and soldier, he decided to come
to .\merica. He was sixteen weeks making
the trip to New Orleans, where he took a
boat up the Mississippi River, reaching

lUirlington, Iowa, March 25, 1845. Here
he was unable to secure work at his trade,
so he rented a small farm two miles west of
iiurlington, on Sunnyside Avenue, for a
year. The next move he made was to rent
a farm in Flint River township ; but as
time passed he wanted more land, and was
enabled, in 1850, to purchase eighty acres of
farm land, and a little later forty acres of
timber. Mr. Schroeder was a good man-
ager, and having no rent to pay and exercis-
ing great industry and rigid economy, he
was enabled each year to add a piece of
modern machinery with which to facilitate
his work.

While a resident of Mint River township
Mr. Schroefler was road su])ervisor for a
number of years, in which capacity he
served to the satisfaction of all. In 1870,
deciding to give up farming on such a large
scale, he sold his farm and moved to
Pjurlington, where he purchased ten acres of
land at 1005 Starr Avenue. Since then he
has improved his land very much, and now
has the greater part of it planted in fruit
trees and grape vines, having also a fine
garden. He takes nuich pleasure in the
care of it, and though he is eighty-eight
years old, he is still able to supply the fam-
ily table with all kinds of fresh vegetables
from his own garden.

Just before Mr. Schroeder left Germany,
he was married to Miss Elizabeth Stolman,
the hapjiv event occurring Alay 4, 1844.
Mrs. Schroeder was a daughter of Henrv
and Elizabeth Stolman. They have Jiad nine
children, of whom only three are living:
The first child died in infancy. Henry, born
June 14, 1846, married .\nna Schroeder,
who lives at Harpers' Mills, 111., and died
aged forty-eight \ears. Alary (Mrs. Fred
Quelle), (lied in 181JO, aged f(>rtv-four

866

RIOGRAPIIICAL RIlllEir

years. William I"., wliosc sketch appears
in this book. Elaney, died at the age of
eight years. Margaret, died aged seven
years. Catherine, married John August
Dnstnian, ( )ct. 31. 1878. Mr. nustman is
the youngest brother of J. li. Dustman, tile
grocer, whose sketch appears in this work.
Mr. and Mrs. Dustman have two children:
Artliur. born Aug. 25, 1879, married Maud
Rush: Ruth, born May 25, 1894, is a stu-
(k'lit in the schools of I'.urlington. Eliza-
beth, born Oct. 31, 1862, married Chris
Swenker, and lives on Starr Avenue, ne.xt
door to her parents. Carl, died in infancy.

Mrs. .'^chnn-der died Oct. 31, 1884. .^Iic
was born in ( iermany, l-"eb. u>. 1829. Her
father was a farmer, and had three daugh-
ters, all decea.sed.

Mr. Schroeder cast liis first presidential
vote for James I'uchanan. in 1856. but when
Abraham Lincoln was elected he clianged
friHU a Democrat to a Republican, which
ticket he has supported ever since. Mr. and
Mrs. Schroeder have long been devoted
members of the Methodist churcli. where the
former lias served as deacon .several times,
and is now serving a long term as trustee.
In fact he has filled every office in the church
but that of preacher.

In .Mr. .Sclimoder liis friends and ac-
(|uaintances have found one who |)ossesses
all those sterling qualities that, united, make
a true man and an in mi )red citizen. His
life, so full of activity and strong determin-
ation of ])ur]K)se, is well worthy of emula-
tion. Tlie struggles and many sacrifices he
was com])elled to make in the early pioneer
times were a great school of experience to
him, and having a retentive memory he
thus proves a very pleasing and instructive
companion to his nianx friends and neigh-
bors.

WILLIAM F. SCHROEDER.

\\ ii.i.iA.M I". SciiRoiiDER is an honorable
and upright citizen, and belongs to one of
the ])ioneer families of the countv. He is
a son of John 11. and Mlizabeth (.Stolman)
Schroeder, and was bom in l-lint River
township. Des Moines county, April 22,
1850. The sketch of his parents appears
elsewhere in this book. Mr. Schmeder
attended the district schools in his native
township, and later sjient one year in Howe's
.\cademy, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. After his
school da\'s were over, he worke<l two
years for T. W. Ilarhydt. and then spent the
next three years as clerk in the dry-goods
store of Hutchinson & Schramm, .\bout
this time he entered into ])artnership with
his brother in the grocery business on
.\gency Street, and after two years bought
out his brother, and ran the grocery alone
for a year. Selling his grocery, he engaged
in the insurance business.

His next step was to move to his father's
home, where he remained for one year
looking after his father's interest on the
place, .\fter this he was engaged in the
express business for some eleven years,
when his father becoming feeble. Mr.
Schroeder again moved to the parental
home, and now cares for the fruit on the
place.

Oct. 17. 1879. .Mr. Schroeder married
Miss Mary A. Conrad, a daughter of Will-
iam and Marie (Miller) Conrad, who was
born in Hesse-Darmstadt. Germany, June i,
1855. Mil- )i.iri'nls came to lUirlington,
Iowa, from I'hiladelphia in 1856 and .settled
at 818 Summer Street. Mr. Conrad clerked
for many years in the grocery store of
John Darling on South Hill. Mrs. Conrad
died in 1 881. and Mr. Conrad in 1876.

DES MOIXRS COUXrV, IOWA.

867

Mr. and Mrs. Conrad were the parents of
five children, four sons and one daughter,
and all the sons but the youngest were
soldiers in the Civil \\'ar : Peter, died in
1879; George Philip, lives in JNIonmouth,
111.; John, dierl in 1881 ; William, resides
in Wapello: and Mary, the wife of Mr.
Schroeder of this review. Mrs. Schroeder
obtained her education in the (jerman and
public schools in IJurlington.

Unto Mr. and Airs. Schroeder three chil-
dren have be»n born : John, a teamster,
married Dora Jensen, has one child, Ken-
neth, and lives in Burlington : (jeorge W.,
shipping clerk at the P.uriington Paper Com-
pany; and Mable Carrie, a valued employee
at the Keehn-Hafner book bindery.

Mr. Schroeder has always been a Re-
]:>ublican, but not an office aspirant. Mrs.
Schroeder is a devoted member of the Trin-
ity Lutheran church, is a woman of many
virtues, and possesses a kind and loving dis-
position. Mr. Schroeder has ever been active
and industrious, and has made his way in the
world a step at a time. He is genial and
cordial, and is well and favorabh- known
throughout the community.

JOSEPH A. BRUN.

Joseph A. Brun, now residing on his
large farm, known as Walnut Lawn, situ-
ated on Sections 2 and 11, Augusta town-
ship, was born in Alsace, France, Feb. 20.
1842, a son of John B. and Frances AL
(Frantz) Brun. Both parents were also
natives of Alsace, where the father's birth
occurred in January. 1820, he being of
French lineage, and the mother of Swiss
parentage. In 1852, when our subject was

but ten years of age, the family emigrated to
.\merica, landing at New York after a
voyage lasting thirty-two days, and from
that port proceeded westward to Ohio to
take up a temporary location in the vicinity
of Richmond.

.\ school-teacher in his native land, the
father began farming on his arrival in
America, but soon became a contractor, and
did some railroad contracting while in Ohio.
Subsequently he removed with his family to
N'andalia, 111. There he did a considerable
amount of contracting for the Illinois Cen-
tral Railroad Company, remaining at that
place until tlie year 1855, when he again re-
moved, this time to Iowa. He purchased a
farm of forty acres in Augusta township,
Des Moines county, one-half mile from the
village of Augusta. He was always enter-
prising and successful, so that his little farm
in time grew to one hundred and fifty-six
acres. He resided there until the time of
his death, which occurred in 1873. while his
widow survived him until a few years ago,
when her demise occurred in the seventy-
sixth year of her age. Both were members
of the Catholic church, of which they were
ever faithful supporters. They were the
parents of seven children, four of whom sur-
vive, and one son, Emil, still resides on the
old home farm in .\ugusta township.

As a boy Mr. Brun received the advan-
tages of an education in the local schools,
meantime becoming familiar, by actual prac-
tice, with all the manifold details of farm
management. He remained at the parental
home until he was nineteen years of age,
when he decided to devote the energies of
his young manhood to the welfare of his
adopted country, and in 1863 enlisted in
Company C of the I'irst Iowa Cavalry.
With liis resriment he went to the front, and

868

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

participated in a number of hotly contested
battles, Ijcsides much other duty, both in
camp and field, which was probably even
more arduous than actual combat. The
greater jjortion of three years he spent amid
the dangers and dei>rivations of war, in the
insalubrious climate of the South, being
mustered out of the military service in Feb-
ruary, 1866, at the city of Austin, Texas.

After receiving honorable discharge from
the army, Mr. I'.riin returned to his Iowa
home, and engaged in the conduct of a
tannery business in iiartnership with his
brother, John Brun, at .\ugusta, continuing
in this iiUiTi)rise for six years. The firm,
which used the style of Brun & Bnm, was
quite successful ; but desiring to return to
farming, and seeing the great possibilities of
that pursuit in Iowa, Mr. Brun purchased
eighty acres of land in Monroe county,
where he established a home, and continued
to reside for eight years. At the expiration
of that period he disposed of the farm, and
returned to Des Moines county in 1881, lo-
cating in .\iigusta townshi]) on what still
remains a |)art <if his |)rescnt farm. His
original purchase consisted of one hundred
and fifty-si.x acres, which has been prac-
tically doubled in size by subsequent addi-
tions, so that he now holds three hundred
acres, comprising a great deal of highly pro-
ductive land under cultivation and a goodly
amount of grazing land. .Ml the many im-
provements of which the great farm may
boast are of his own planning and instal-
lation, and he has also thoroughly remodeled
tiu' himse, making it nioilern in every re-
spect. This is a large and handsome stone
structure, and is one of the oldest dwellings
in the county, having Ix^en erected in 1843.
.'\ large and commodious new barn stands
upon the farm grounds, and the family resi-

dence is surrounded by a beautiful and well-
kept lawn, ornamented with numerous
graceful shade trees, while everywhere is
visible the tasteful care and attention to
the details and comforts of life which m^ke
the country home ideal.

In November, 1868, Mr. Bran wedded
Miss Frederica Untcrkircher a daughter
of Adam L'nterkircher. Mr. Untcrkircher,
who died at his farm home at an advanced
age, was numbered among the early settlers
of Des Moines county.

To Mr. and Mrs. Brun have been born
eight children, as follows : Joseph, who died
in infancy, at the age of eight months;
.\nna : Bertha : Mary, who is the wife of
Frank Mitchell, now engaged in fanning
near Yarmouth, and has one child, Odetta ;
John, now residing on one of his father's
farms, where he has a fine home ; Fred, who
is a member of the parental household ; and
William and .Sophie, also at home. Of this
family the five last named were born in
.Monroe county.

In his jjolitical allegiance a life-long sup-
[lorter of the Republican party, Mr. Brun
has frequently been the recipient of public
honors at the hands of his fellow-citizens.
In the year 1883 he was elected to the office
of trustee of .'\ugusta township, while he
has been supervisor of highways for a long
term of years, a position in which he has
been able to accomplish much useful and
necessary work ; for few realize more fully
than docs he the importance of good roads
in ;i farming community, where the means
of transportation and communication mean
even more than in the great cities and cen-
ters of population. In 1902 he was again
elected to the office of township trustee,
which he now holds. His public service has
been long, faithful, and always distinguished

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

869

by practical business ability of a high order.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Brun is
identified with Bonny Post of the Grand
Army of the Republic, at Denmark, having
held most of the offices of the post, and
thus keeps up in some degree his associa-
tion with his former comrades in arms. His
career and present position are such as any
man might contemplate with genuine satis-
faction, for while by the exercise of his
natural talents, by diligence and wise man-
agement, he has achieved great material
success, his high personal character and his
justice and fairness to others have won
him the esteem of all.

JAMES A. ANDERSON.

The most important task of the his-
torian is to trace the facts and institu-
tions of modern life to their distant ori-
gins in the remote past, to show their
ever-increasing influence on advancing
civilization, to note their inner signifi-
cance in the light of research and study,
and to draw therefrom valuable lessons
for the guidance of mankind at the pres-
ent time and in future generations. Thus
it is in works like the present volume that
it is especially desirable to treat fully of
the founding and establishment of com-
munities; and certainly no enterprise
could be worthy of more careful and con-
scientious execution than that which has
for its object to record the lives and deeds
of the noble band of pioneers who budded
broad and deep the foundations of the
great commonwealth of Iowa — to treat of
their early struggles and difficulties, their
hopes, fears, and discouragements, their

eft'orts and their triumphs, and their final
glorious victory over the opposing and
hostile forces of nature, with the result
which to-day clothes the land as a gar-
ment woven of peace, prosperity, and
civilization. The one and only way to
accomjjlish this purpose is to tell, simply
and in detail, the life stories of individ-
uals, and the name which stands at the
head of this review is that of one highly
deserving to be considered a representa-
tive of the class to which he belongs.

Mr. Anderson, who now resides on his
productive farm of sixty-three and one-
half acres in Section 30, Burlington town-
ship, is a native of Kentucky, having been
born in Carrollton in that State on Nov.
I, 1834, the son of Seth and Emily M.
(Goddard) Anderson. The father, who
was also a native of Kentucky, was there
engaged in farming, and on coming to
Iowa entered from the government a half
section of land, of v^hich he later sold all
but eighty acres, this including the farm
on which our subject still resides. Here
he erected a good and substantial log
cabin and made other necessary improve-
ments, cutting some of the timber: and
here he continued to reside until his
death, which occurred about four vears
after his removal to Iowa, his widow sur-
\iving him many years, her demise oc-
curing in the seventy-fifth year of her age.
She was born in Maryland and removed
to Kentucky in childhood. Thev were
the parents of three children, as follows:
James A., the subject of this sketch : John
F., who is now a resident of Oregon ; and
Matilda, who died at the age of eleven
years, in L'nion townshi]), this county.
The mntlier afterward remarried, her sec-
ond husband being Comfort Peck, who

870

BIOGRAPHKAL Rlil'Ilill'

was in early life a plasterer and stone-
mason by trade, but later a fanner in
Arkansas. He is now deceased. To this
union were born one son and one dau};;h-
ter, Klizabetli and Herbert.

When Mr. .\nilcrson was but sixteen
months old his j)arents decided to remove
to the great West, and he accompanied
them on the trip, which was made by
boat, they first descending the Ohio River
to its confluence with the Mississippi, and
thence ascending the latter stream to
Burlington, landing at the "cascade," o])-
posite the site of the present Crapo Park.
The family then sctlk-<l in lUirlington
township, as stated, near IJurlington. and
it was there our subject passcil the days
of his boyhood and youth engaged in the
arduous labors of a pioneer's life, and en-
joying few of the advantages which arc
now free to all. If it could be our privi-
lege to look back upon those (lavs ex-
actly as they were, and to behold for a
day the actual routine of the boy's life,
we should see him arising from his hum-
l)le bed long before tiic first ray of day-
break, hurrying out to do the numerous
"chores" which fell to his care, and then,
after a hasty breakfast at peep of day,
hard at work sawing logs for cordwood.
This was continued until almost the last
moment before time for the session of
school to begin, wlun he would ilr(i|i his
work am! nm with .-ill spet-d lo tin- log
structure in which classes were held.
there to seat himself upon a l)ench which
consisted of one-half of a split log sup-
])orted by four stakes, and begin working
on his lessons at a desk that was mereh'
a slab resting on stakes <^riven into the
logs that formed the schoolhouse wall.
Thus he ac(|uiri<l tlu' meager learning of

the time in the district schools: and in-
stead of the eight, nine, and ten months
now customary, school was held for only
four months in the year — a limitation
which greatly increased the difficulty of
securing a gt)od education, .After his day
at school the boy returned home in the
evening to more hard work, but he con-
tinued it courageously ftir many years;
and in fact, all his life since coming to
Iowa has been ])assed u]>on the home
farm, with the exce])tion of two years
during which he was engaged in farming
in .\rkansas.

.Mr. Anderson was united in the holy
bonds of matrimony to .Miss .Mary V.. \'ertz.
a native of lndian;i county. Pennsylvania,
where she was born April jd. 1839, the
daughter of Cieorge and Mary (Wheel-
ing) Vcrtz, also of Pennsylvania birth,
who early removed to Iowa and settled
in Ilurlington townshi]). Des Moines
county. They afterward removed to
Warren county, where the father, who
was a farmer, dieil at the age of sixty-
four years, while the demise of the
mother occurred in Polk c<mnty in her
seventy-sixth year. I'.oth were faithful
members of the Methodist K])iscopal
church, and were highly esteemed for the
Christian \irtues which forined their
lives.

To Mr. anil Mrs. Aiidersoii ha\e been
born four children, as follows: X'irginia,
born .\ug. iT), 1861, became the wife of
.\lbert Harvey, late of Scranton, Pa.,
where he died seven years ago, survived
by his widow and two children, .Mice and
.Mbert j.: Frank 11., born in iS().v resid-
ing on his father's farm, where he con-
ducts his father's fruit and vegetable
farming, was married first to Miss Rachel

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

Middleman, by whom he had two chil-
dren, Herbert and May, and has since
been remarried, his second wife being
Miss Addie Colbert; Horace C, born
Feb. 14. 1865, was killed at the ajj^e of
twenty-three years, eleven months, and
fourteen days by the explosion of a boiler
while engaged at work in a silk factory
at Scranton, Pa., survived by his widow,
now residing in Cincinnati, who was Miss
Nellie Vance, and by whom he had one
child that died in infancy; and Lillian E.,
born March 7, 1870, and died July i, 1894,
was the wife of Lewis Wedertz, and was
the mother of two children, Hazel, now-
deceased, and Harry.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson arc both mem-
bers of the Methodist E])iscopal church,
to whose support they have always been
very liberal contributors, and in whose
work they have always taken a deep and
active interest, Mr. Anderson having for
a long term of years been one of its most
prominent workers, and acting for manv
3'ears as class-leader and as superintend-
ent of the Sunday-school — a work to
whose pefformance he took much ability
and great earnestness of purpose, accom-
plishing a vast amount of good, and very
matcrialh' advancing the cause of relig-
ion in the community in which he has
passed his useful career.

Fraternally, he is a member of the
United Workmen and of the Iowa Legion
of Honor, while in matters of politics he
has been a consistent member of the Re-
publican party; and although he has ne\er
cared to hold public office, he has for a
number of years acted as director of the
public schools to the general satisfaction.
His princii)al business is the growing of
fruit and ve<retahles on his farm, and in

this he has been conspicuously successful,
achieving very satisfactory rewards in a
pecuniary way and establishing a wide
reputation for high-class products in
these lines.

For almost three and one-half score
years he has been an interested witness
of the development of the .State in which
his lot is cast, and in every juncture of
affairs he has done his full share in the
work to be ])erformed toward worthy
ends. He has, withal, achie\ed a true
and lasting success, both material and
s[)iritual, and that in face of difficulties
whose magnitude the young men of to-
day would find it hard to realize, so that
while he enjoys the high esteem of many
friends, the best heritage which he will
leave to his descendants is the priceless
legacy of a spotless name, linked with the
record of a character which has ever been
marked by resolute and consecrated
strength and by absolute uprightness and
integrity in every relation of life.

HERMAN THIE.

Hek.man Thie came to America nearly
forty years ago, and has resided in Des
.Moines county all the time, during
which ])eriod he has seen many changes
and valuable improvements. He was
born in Westphalia, Germany, Nov. 18,
1845, where he attended school and re-
mained till he was nearly twenty-one
years of age. On May i, 1866, he started
to cross the ocean, and after arriving in
the New World he continued his journey
westward, lea\ing Xcw York and all
other Eastern cities behind him. He

872

BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEIV

came direct to Ilurlinpton, Iowa, where
lie found himself nearly ten dollars in
debt and without knowledge of the lan-
guage. Mere he remained for some five
and one-half years as a teamster, and
then, having saved his earnings, turned
his attention to farming. He felt quite
])r«)ud to be able at this time to purchase
a small place of forty acres in Section 31.
P»enton township, to which, a few years
afterward, he added twenty acres more;
and by economy and good judgment has
embraced o])portunitics till to-day he
owns and operates one hundred and thir-
ty-nine and one-half acres of rich and fer-
tile land, where he carries on general
farming and stock-raising. Although
this farm was ])artially improved when
.Mr. Thie first obtained it. still he has
made many changes, erecting a large and
modern barn, substantial outbuildings,
and is now erecting a beautiful new
dwelling, wbicli, wlun coin])kte(l will
add much to the appearance of his farm.

Dec. 23. 1871. Mr. Thie and Miss Eliza
Kampmier were married. Mrs. Thie is
a daughter of l-".rnest and Carrie (Koch)
Kampmier. and was born in St. Louis,
Mo. Iler jjarents came to Iowa at a very
early day. and in i<^53. when Mrs. Thie
was about nine years old, they settled in
P>enton township, where he owned prop-
erty adjoining the farm of Mr. Thie, and
where he resided till some eighteen years
ago. when he retired, and is now living in
a pleasant home on Sunnyside .\venue,
in I'lurlington. and although in the
eighty-eighth year of his age is still hale
and hearty. -Mr. and Mrs. Kani|)mier
have had five children, all of whom are
living.

Of the six children that have blessed

the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thie, four are
living: Herman, married .Miss Mary
lUunnn. daughter of William Mlumm, of
.\ugusta township, resides one and one-
half miles south of Mediapolis, and has
two boys. .Arnold and .\lbert ; William, a
rural mail carrier on Latty Route No. i,
and resides at home: Carrie, aged fifteen
years; and Amelia, aged eleven years,
both at home; Julia and Lewis, both died
in infancy. .Mr. and Mrs. Thie are ear-
nest members of the Evangelical church,
in Iknton township. He is a Republican,
and has been the honored and efficient
treasurer of the school district for the
past twenty yeacs. He is truly a self-
made man; coming to the township with
but little of material things, day by day
he has labored and toiled with a firm will
and the greatest of activity, until to-day
he has many comforts which this life af-
fords. His record is one of many that
proves that honest methods and moral
living will bring ])ros])erity to the jjoorest
of men, as well as making friends among
all.

JACOB WILLIAMS.

The name which introduces this review
is one familiar to the people of eastern
Iowa, and it is one which suggests to the
honest man a feeling of confidence. Jacob
Williams, sheriff of Des Moines county,
Iowa, was born in the year 1857, in .\dams
county, Illinois, the son of Jacob and Mar-
garet (Schaefer) Williams, both natives of
(a^rmany. The father came to America
when about thirteen years of age. growing
to manhood's estate in Quincy. 111., where
his death occurred in i8(p, followed by

JACOB WILLIAMS.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

that of his wife in 1892, and both are there
buried. To them were born twelve children,
seven of whom still survive, as follows :
Kate, widow of William Smith, resides in
Milwaukee; Jacob, our subject; Maggie,
wife of John Strauss, of Quincy, 111. ; Lizzie,
wife of Barney Brink, of Kansas City ;
Nettie, wife of George Humphreys, of Mil-
waukee ; Anna, wife of Eric Anderson, of
St. Louis ; and Emma, wife of Ed. Struby,
also of St. Louis.

Passing his early years in the city of
Quincy, Mr. Williams obtained his education
in the public schools of that place, and on
the completion of his studies, looking about
for an occupation in which to engage as a
means of making his own way in the world.
he decided to learn the trade of cigar-mak-
ing. He accordingly entered himself as an
apprentice, and after serving the regulation
period of three years, became a journeyman.
Ambitious to secure further advantages, he
came to Burlington in 1877, being for a time
employed at his trade by Mr. Dehner, and
also by ]\Ir. Dempsey, large manufacturers.
For eight or ten years he engaged in the
saloon business on North Main Street, but
sold the business, and bought of Mr. George
Smith a cigar store at Corse and Osborn
Streets, which he continued to conduct very
successfully for about five years. At the
expiration of the latter period he acted for
a time as manager of the Turner Hall, and
in 1892 he was elected sheriff of Des Moines
county, to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff'
Muenzenmeyer, deceased. In this position
he served for one year, and in 1903 he was
re-elected for a term of two years.

At Burlington, in 1882, Mr. Williams
wedded Miss Josephine Florang, who was
born and reared in SAvitzerland, and to them
have been born three sons : Andrew, who

married ]\Iiss Edna Smith, resides in Gales-
burg, 111., where he is at the present time
employed in the freight department of the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ;
Jacob H., who is still a member of his fa-
ther's household, is a cigar-maker by trade,
and is employed in the Dehner factory ;
Clarence B., also at home, is a pupil in the
public schools. The family occupies a
pleasant home at Grace and Highland Ave-
nues, erected by Mr. Williams in 1893.

Our subject is a member of the Catholic
church, to whose support he is a generous
contributor, and in his fraternal relations he
occupies a leading position, having member-
sliip in Aerie No. 750, Fraternal Order of
Eagles, of Burlington, of ■which he is a
charter member : in Cigar-makers' Union
No. 72 : in the Sterbekasseverein, a German
beneficiary order of Des Moines county:
and in the Burlington Turnverein. He has
always been an active worker in the ranks
of the Democratic party, in whose prin-
ciples he is a believer, and has for many
years past occupied a very influential posi-
tion in the counsels , of his party, having
been for two years chairman of the city
central committee of Burlington, and for
four years committeeman for the first ward.
He is a man of unusual ability, a fact which
he has amply demonstrated since entering
upon the duties of his office as sheriff, and
it is scarcely necessary to say that he is
endowed with a strong individuality, and
manifests the most intrepid bravery when
in the face of desperate situations, and a
remarkable coolness and presence of mind
under all circumstances. As a man among
men, he holds the confidence and esteem
of all who know him intimately, and the
strength and loyalty of his character have
made him manv friends.

876 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

MICHAEL WARREN.

•Mie'iiAKL \\ AKRK.N, ikccasctl, was a pi-
oneer of Des Moines county of i84y. His
birth occurred in County Meatli, Ireland.
Dec. 3, 1830. liis parents being Richard
and .-\nn (Murray) \N'arren. He spent
the days of his Iniyhood and youth on tiie
Emerald Isle, and was educated in Llic
public schools there. When a young
man of nineteen years he became imbued
with tile desire to seek a home in .\merica,
and liidding adieu to friends and native
country he crossed the .Atlantic in i84(^
making his way at once to Ues Moines
county, where his remaining days were
passed, lie was early employed here in a
lumber yard for two years, and after his
marriage began farming on his own account.

It was in the year 1853 that .Mr. Warren
was united in marriage to Miss Esther
darzan. who also came to the L'nited States
in i84<;. .She too was a native of Ireland,
and made iier way to .\ew ( )rleans on a
.sailing vessel, and thence up the .Mississippi
River to ilnriington. The year after his
marriage, lie and his wife took u|) their
abode upon a farm of eighty acres, which
Mrs. Warren had jjurchased, and there they
lived until his death in i8f>4. He gave his
attention in undivided manner to the cul-
tivation of the fields, and as the years
])as,sed. harvested good crops, his farm
work being successfully conducted. The
mother cnntimK-(l to reside iiimii the nld
family homestead until Jmie f), 11P4. when
she was called to her final rest."

rill' children of liiis marriage are:
Anna, wlm resides upi mi the home farm;
.Mary, a .Sister of Charity in Chicago: and
.Marguerite and Julia, both decea.sed. Mary
went to Dubucpie, Iowa, where she attended

the institute of St. Joseph, anil is now in
Chicago. The religious faith of the family
is that of the Catholic church, of which both
.Mr. and .Mrs. Warren were conununicants,
and his political su|)port was given to the
Democracy. He lived a busy life, his in-
dustry being one of the strong elements in
his character. Uoth he and his wife were
held in high regard by those who knew
them.

WILLIAM HENRY KRIEGER.

\\ ii.i-i.\.\i llic.NKV KuiKGKK was a native
son of Des Moines county who throughout
his entire life was identified with agricul-
tural pursuits in I'lint River township. He
was burn <pn the old farm homestead on Sec-
tion 3, this townshi]), June 2. 1858, his par-
ents being Christian and Mary (Brandt)
Krieger. both of whom were natives of Ger-
man). In their family were eight children,
of wiiiini lie was the fourth in order of birth.
His mother died in i8</), and was survived
for a number of years by the father, who
ileparted this life in .March. 1904.

William II. Krieger was reared under
the i)arenlal ronf. and mastered the branches
of learning taught in the connnon schtnils,
while in the |)eriods of vacation he became
e(|nally familiar with the duties that fall to
the lot of the agriculturist. He continued
with his |)arents u|) to the time of his inar-
riai.;i', wlun lie Innk up his abode upmi a
rented farm in h'lint River bottom, where
he lived for six years. He then returned
1(1 the old homestead to take care of his ])ar-
enls in their <leclining years. an<l remained
with them until they were called to their
final rest. In i8<p he ])urcha.seil the home
farm, which com])ri.ses one hundred and

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

forty acres of rich and arable land, and re-
turns good crops as a reward for the care
and labor bestowed upon the fields.

March 26, 1885. Mr. Krieger was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Temple, who was
born in Lee county, Iowa, and is a daughter
of Adam and Barbara (Werle) Temple,
both of whom were natives of Germany.
Thev were married, however, in Burlington,
and they became the parents of seven chil-
dren, of whom Mrs. Krieger was the fifth
in order of birth. She lost her mother
when eleven years of age, and afterward
spent much of her girlhood in Burlington.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Krieger were born
four children: Anna, born Nov. 19, 1887;
Walter, Aug. 21, 1889: Caroline. Dec. 9,
1891 ; and Esther, July 26, 1898. The par-
ents were Lutherans in religious faith, and
Mr. Krieger was a Democrat, interested
and active in the work of his party. He
served as constable, as road supervisor, and
as school director, and has been prompt and
faithful in the discharge of his duties in
these various offices. He was also agent of
the German .Mutual Fire Insurance Com-
pany, of Des ^Moines county. He died, Dec.
22, 1903, at the home place.

FREDERICK KRIEGER.

Frewekick Kiueger is the owner of a
farm in Franklin township which presents
an excellent appearance, being supplied with
all modern equipments and accessories that
are in keeping with a model farm of the
twentieth century. Mr. Krieger was born
in Mint River township, Aug. 22, 1853, his
parents being Christian and Mary ( Brand)
Krieger, both of whom were natives of
German v.

Coming to America on a sailing vessel,
they landed at New Orleans after a voyage
of fourteen weeks. This was in the year
1 85 1, and they made their way from the
Crescent City up the ^Mississippi River to
St. Louis, where they spent about a month.
They then resumed their journey to Des
Moines count)', and Mr. Krieger purchased
a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in
the northwestern corner of Flint River
township. He was an energetic and enter-
prising agriculturist, and in the development
of his land displayed excellent business
ability.

He resided upon the old homestead until
his death, which occurred in April, 1904,
when he had attained a ripe old age, while
his wife passed away in April, 1895. They
were classed with the pioneer settlers of the
community, and in a long life displayed
many excellent traits of heart and mind,
and thus gained the friendshi]) of those with
whom they were associated. Their son
Frederick was the fourth in order of birth
in a family of seven children, five sons and
two daughters. The others now living are
Henrv and Charles, the three brothers being:
among the respected residents of Des Moines
county.

Frederick Krieger made his home with his
parents until twenty-three years of age, his
youth being passed in the usual manner of
farm lads of the period who belonged to
families in the middle station in life. He
worked in the fields through the summer
months until he had gained intimate knowl-
edge of the best methods of farming, and
when crops were harvested in the autumn
he entered the iniblic schools, and therein
mastered the common branches of Eng-
lish learning. When twenty-three years of
age he was married to Miss Fredericka

878

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Schaele, who was born in l-'lint River town-
ship, and is a daughter of Henrj^ and Anna
(Richter) Schaele. The children born of
this nnion arc: Olcnda M.. the wife of John
Schulzc. a resident farmer of Flint River
township; John, who is living in Mount
Union, and follows farming; and Herbert,
who is attending school at Clinton, Iowa.

Subsequent to his marriage Mr. Krieger
purchased seventy acres of land in Flint
River township, whereon he resided for six
years. He then sold that property, and
operated a rented farm for five years, at
the end of which time he bought seventy-
three acres in Section 2. Franklin township.
This was in i8yi, and he has since erected
numerous buildings there, and has one of
the finest farms of the township. He has
enclosed the place with a wire fence, has
ditched and tiled the fields, and has con-
tinued the work of cultivation in keeping
with modern ideas of agricultural progress,
until the property is a splendidly developed
farm on which there is not a foot of waste
l;ui(l. He annually harvests good crops, and
the sales of his products bring him a gratify-
ing financial return.

In politics he is a Democrat, but has no
time nor inclination for office, preferring to
give his undivided attention to his business
affairs, in which he is meeting with signal
success. He belongs to the German Lu-
theran church, and at all times his honor-
able business career is in keeping with his
profession.

FREDERICK WILLIAM BUSSE.

l-RKDKKicK Wiu.iAM liu.s.sii, one of the
jirogressive farmers and younger residents
of Flint River township, was born in

I'russia. Germany, .\pril 3, 1H44. He spent
the early part of his life in his parents'
home, and during that time acquired a fair
education in the public schools. He was
engaged in farming till he was twenty-seven
years old. when he came to America, com-
ing by way of New York and Qiicago
direct to IJurlington. The first winter he
was in the new country he was employed as
a Wfiod-chopper. After this he rented a
farm of eighty acres in Burlington town-
sliij) till iSjf). when he bought seventy acres
of land in .\ugusta township; and as his
business prospered from time to time, he
was enabled to add to his farm till he had
one hundred and seventy-five acres. In 1900
he ])urchased fifty acres in Flint River
township, when a little later he added
thirty-tliree acres more to it. so that now his
place com])rises eighty-three acres of good
farm land. He sold all his Augusta prop-
erty in 1901. He carries on general farm-
ing, and takes much pains in the raising of
fine stock, being fully satisfied that the fine
stock is the best. Some years he ships a
whole car-load of nice fat steers to the East-
ern markets, and has raised about seventy-
five Poland hogs annually. Mr. Husse has
a comfortable house, substantial barns, and
other outbuildings necessary for the pro-
tection of grain and stock. His political
affiliations arc entirely independent, and he
has never been an active politician or ever
aspired to any office.

In February. 1886, Mr. Busse was mar-
ried to Miss Sophia Zimmer, daughter of
\\'illiam and Dorothy Zinuner. L'nto them
were born nine children : F. W. ; Hcnrv ;
Edith, who is the wife of George Downs ;
Minnie, who married H. Jarv4s ; Bertha, the
wife of Garry Brouken ; Lena and Emma, at
home ; Christiana, with Christ Mohr, and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

879

Ernst, at home. Mrs. Busse died June 5,
1887.

]\Ir. Busse is a member of the German
Lutheran church, and at one time was the
honored president of the board of trustees.
His life has been characterized by untiring
industry. He has ever realized there is no
royal road to wealth, and as the result of
his perseverance, close application, and dil-
igence he has gained a valuable property.
His genial manner and cordial disposition
have made him popular with a large circle
of friends.

FRED WILLIAM LUCAS.

Fred Willi.\m Lucas, who follows
general farming in Flint River township,
where he has resided since he was two
years old down to the present time, is a
son of Christ and Mary (Scholtz) Lucas.
Our subject was born in Saxony, Ger-
many, July 4, 1865. As stated above he
was only two years old when his parents
brought him to America. From New
York they came direct to Burlington,
where his father in 1869 purchased a farm
in the above-named township. A sketch
of his father appears on another page in
this review. Fred William Lucas at-
tended the district schools in his adopted
country, and obtained a good education,
remaining with his parents till long after
he had reached manhood, assisting in all
of the farm work and the raising of the
stock. He owns thirty-five acres o? land
on Section 11 in the township where he
lives. Mr. Lucas has never been engaged
in anything but farming, and his own
character has developed in harmony with
nature and her laws, and with constantlv

growing appreciation for her beauties he
has lived a life that has brought him "near
to nature's heart." The whole appear-
ance of his farm is typical of an Ameri-
can farmer.

May 14, 1896, he was married to Miss
Ida Luea, daughter of Hermany and
Mary (Fazee) Luea, and they are the
parents of four children : Clarence, Harry,
Selma, and Esther, all at home.

Politically, I\Ir. Lucas is a strong Demo-
crat, and has filled the office of constable.
He was elected road supervisor of his
county in 1892, but resigned this office
after serving for one year. Mr. and Mrs.
Lucas are both members of the German
Evangelical church. During his active
business life he has acquired an extensive
acquaintance with the farmers all around,
and has always taken great delight in the
methods of farm work, in the improve-
ment of the machinery, and in every pro-
gressive effort that is made for the bene-
fit of the agricultural class. All his strong
traits of character are those that com-
mend him to the confidence and good-will
of the public, and he enjoys the warmest
regard of all with whom he is associated.

THEODORE HINGST.

A CAREFUL and methodical farmer, a
conscientious citizen, and a good neighbor
and friend, Theodore Hingst has left behind
him a record which will long keep his mem-
ory green in the hearts of those who knew
him best. From the midst of comfort and
luxury in the beautiful home erected almost
by his own hands some years previous to his
death, he was called to the higher life April

88o

BIOGKAPHICAL REllIllV

23, 1901, layinp down alike the res[)onsibili-
tics and pleasures of living to render the
account which all must give in time. His
life has been well and worthily spent, a brief
sketch Ix'ing herewith ^'ven among the rep-
resentative men of the community.

He is a son of John Hingst, and was born
April 6, 1826, in Prussia, Germany. After
receiving a practical education in the public
schools of his native place he was appren-
ticed to learn the trade of a stone-mason.
Mastering his trade thoroughly and to the
satisfaction of his em])loyers, he worked at
it for himself till 1854, when he came to
America, the country which has more oppor-
tunities for c()m])ctcnt mechanics than some
of the countries on the otiier side. He at
once proceeded into the interior of the New
World, locating at Sandusky, Ohio, where
he remained three years. In 1857 he came
to Burlington, Iowa, and at once secured
employment with Mr. Florang, a reliable
stone-mason of the same city. In the course
of time he began to contract for himself, and
met with gratifying results, being one of
the leading stone-contractors of his adopted
city for many years. Mr. Hingst did not
seem to be .satisfied with city life, although
he had been very prosperous. He bought
twenty acres, and later added forty acres in
1^'lint River township. In 1874 he built his
beautiful residence, it being then one of the
most substantial homes in the townshi]i.
When he built this house, Mr. Hingst ex-
hibited great mechanical ability, not only in
his own line but also in many more, as he
did all the work himself e.\cept the roof,
upon which he had assistance. His farm
always indicated great thrift and energy on
the part of its owner.

Ian. 15. i8f)r. .Mr. Hingst we(l<le(l Miss
Nobz, a (laughter of John and Henrietta

(Xanitz) Xobz, the Reverend Frederick
I-'ousel performing the ceremony in the
Lutheran church, of Burlington. Mrs.
Hingst was bom Feb. 9, 1827, in Prussia,
riermany, and came alone to this country
when twenty-six years old. She owns a
farm in Section 24, Flint River township,
which she rents to Adolph Doemeland, whose
brother has a sketch else^vhere in this work.
Mr. and .Mrs. Hingst were blessed with
seven children : John, of Burlington ; Will-
iam, a farmer on the bottom road in Bur-
lington township ; Charles, of Nebraska ;
Henry, a farmer residing on the farm ad-
joining his mother's ; Louisa, married John
Miller, and resides near Danville, Iowa;
Edward, of liurlington; Fred, who super-
intends the home farm for his aged mother.
The departed father and husband was al-
ways a strong Republican, but never sought
public recognition at the hands of his party.
He was also a member of the German Lu-
theran church, where his aged widow still
holds membership and his family attends.
The benevolent spirit of Mrs. Hingst has
prompted her to many good deeds, and she
is a woman loved and respected by all -who
know her.

HENRY QUELL.

A.M(i.\(; those who have come from for-
eign lands to become prominent in busi-
ness circles in Burlington, is Henry Quell,
who for the past forty-three years has re-
sided in this city. His enterprise and pro-
gressive spirit have made him a typical
.American in every sense of the word. He is

a son of .Andrew and (Buchman)

Quell, and was born in Germany, Sept. 6,
1840. .Ml the education he obtained was in

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

his native land. At the age of thirteen he
came to America with his father, making'
the journey in an old-time sailing vessel in
a little over seven weeks, coming by way of
New Orleans. As the river was very low
then, they could only travel as far as Cairo
by boat. From St. Louis they came by
wagon, and reached here in the fall of 1854.
About this time, or possibly a little later,
there was a heavy snow-storm, the snow
measuring from four to five feet on the
level. This made a vivid impression on Mr.
Quell, and it is very interesting to hear
him relate incidents of this great blockade.
He followed farming for some eight years,
and then learned the cooper's trade. Looking
ahead he saw better chances to accumulate
in the marble trade, and for many years he
carried on business on Corse Street, just at
the entrance of Aspen Grove cemetery.

March 30, 1864, he was married to Miss
Elizabeth Rife, daughter of Francis and
Christena (Cook) Rife. Seven children
blessed this union : Lillie, married Henry
Middleman, and resides in Burlington ;
Catherine, at home ; George, Edward,
Charles, and Frank, of Burlington ; and
Lavina, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Quell are
members of the Evangelical Lutheran
church. Politically, Mr. Quell is a Demo-
crat. In 1903 he practically retired from
business, and no-w lives at his pleasant home
at 409 Starr Avenue. Like his brother
William, he began in the world with
nothing but his own energy and will-
ing hands to aid him. No one need but to
stroll through our beautiful cemetery, men-
tioned above, to see the numerous specimens
of Mr. Quell's artistic handiwork. His life
of re.st has been well earned, and to which
he is justly entitled. He is a man whom to
know is to respect.

JAMES SUTCLIFFE.

James Sutcliffe, who was identified
with farming interests in Des Moines
county in early pioneer times, was a na-
tive of England, born near Halifax, and
was married in that country to Miss Han-
nah Fernley, a native of Yorkshire, Eng-
land. In the year 1847 they bade adieu
to friends and native country, and sailed
for the United States, taking up their
abode near Dodgeville, in Franklin town-
ship, Des Moines county, Iowa. Mr. Sut-
cliflfe purchased a farm there, and in the
midst of pioneer surroundings began de-
veloping his land and improving the
property. He was successful in his agri-
cultural pursuits, and the sale of his crops
and stock brought him a good financial
return, while his economical living and
careful management enabled him to add
to his possessions, eventually becoming
the owner of six hundred acres, all in this
township. As the years passed he also
enjoyed more of the comforts and lux-
uries of life, and he continued to ^remain
upon his farm on Section 27 up to the
time of his death, which occurred in
.March, 1873. His wife long survived
him. departing this life .A^ug. 7, IQOO
They were worthy pioneer people, re-
spected for their many excellent traits of
character and genuine worth. Mr. Sut-
cliffe was a man of enterprise and energy
in business affairs, carefully directing his
labors, and persistently carrying on his
work initil he became ])ossessed of a very
valuable property.

This worthy couple were the parents
of five children : Hannah, became the
wife of Frank Elkins. of Henry county,
Iowa, and died in 1888: Sidney, living in

882

BI0GR.irHIC.-1L REVIEW

Franklin townshii). wlu-rc ho carries (in
agricultural ])ursuits; Helen, wife of Al-
fred Thomas ; James H., resides upon the
home place; and Demas M., also lives
upon the old home farm. Following the
motlier's death the land was divided
among the children. There are about
three hundred and forty acres of tillable
land in the old homestead, of which
James 11. Sutcliffe now owns seventy
acres, all i)rairie laud ; while Demas Sut-
cliffe has two hundred and thirty acres,
of which thirty acres have been cleared.

James H. SutclifTe was born ui>(/n his
father's original purchase, and has always
made his home in Franklin township, be-
ing reared to the occupation of farming,
while in the ])ul)lic schools he acquired
a practical education. He was married,
Oct. 15, 1892, to Miss Virginia Augusta
Miller, a native of Pennsylvania, and a
daughter of Levi and .\nna (Robins)
Miller.

Demas Al. SulclilTe was born Oct. 7,
1869, in Franklin township, and l'"eb. 21,
1895, he was married to Miss Margaret
Catherine Heitmeicr, who was born in
Franklin township, a daughter of Henry
and Hannah (Gesslin) Heitmeier, in
whose family were three sons and five
daughters, Mrs. Sutcliffe being the fifth
in order of birth. Unto Demas M-. Sut-
clifTe and his wife have been born six
children: Henry. l\al|)h. Hannah. Ruth,
Pearl, and Cecil.

James H. and Demas M. Sutcliffe have
been partners in business throughout
their entire lives, and now carry on gen-
eral farming, and also raise Shorthorn
cattle and Poland thiua hogs. The sale
of their crops, as well as their slock,
brings them a good financial return, and

thev are prosi)ering in their business un-
dertakings. The brothers arc Republic-
ans in jjolitical faith, are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and are
known as re])resentative business men.
wide awake and energetic, accomplishing
whatever they undertake, and so direct-
ing their labors as to become substantial
farmers of their native countv.

MICHAEL HELLENTHAL.

Micii.\EL Hellknthal is one of the
prominent and enterprising farmers of
Huron township, where he has met with
much success, and where he is well and
favorably known. He is a son of John
and Mary Walburga (Hornstein) Hellen-
thal, and was born in Bavaria, Germany,
l'\'b. 7. 1856. His parents came to Amer-
ica when he was about nine years of age
by waj- of New York, and located for a
short time in I'.urlington, Iowa. Later,
his fallu-r bought a farm of one hundred
and seven acres in Benton township,
where he farmed for many years. Mr.
HcUenthal received his early education in
the jiarish schools of Germany, and also
attended the district, schools of Des
Moines county for a short time. When
fifteen years of age he commenced to
work by the month, and turned his wages
over to his father to apply on the home
farm. He was thus employed till he was
twenty-two years of age when he began
working for himself by the month, at
which he remained for two years.

.\l)out this time he commenced farming
on the Mississippi River bottom; but the
high water coming up, overflowed his
laud, and took everything he had. He

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

883

gave up farming for a while, and came to until to-day, when we find him comfort-
Burlington, where he was engaged as a ably settled, enjoying the esteem and
teamster for two years for the Rand good-will of his many friends and neigh-
Lumber Company. He seemed to prefer bors.

farm life, and accordingly went back to

it, renting a place in Benton township,
where he lived for two or three years.
He afterward rented in Huron township
for four years, when he bought seventy-
nine acres of land in Section 34, Huron
township, from John Peterson, and set civilization of the world, finds proof upon
about to improve and beautify the farm, the pages of history; and the Fatherland
He erected a comfortable and substantial has sent many of its worthy sons to
nine-room house, a modern barn, and a America, where they have aided in up-
convenient granary, besides other neces- building the natural resources of the
sary outbuildings. He carries on general country, and in promoting progress along
farming and stock-raising very exten- substantial lines of improvement. To

HENRY HEITMEIER.

The statement that the Teutonic race
has been a most important factor in the

sively, and has all the modern farm ma-
chinery.

Oct. 10, 1887, Mr. Hellenthal was mar-
ried to Miss Mary Louise Kibes, daugh-
ter of Joseph and Barbara (Christ) Eibes,
who was born in Burlington, Iowa, Dec.

this class Henry Heitmeier belongs. He
was born in Prussia, Germany, and came
to the L'nited States when eighteen years
of age, landing at New Orleans in 1857.
He then made his way up the river to
Burlington. The trip on the ocean had

28, 1864, and was educated at St. John's consumed about nine weeks, and two
Convent, of Burlington, Iowa. When she more weeks passed before he reached Des
was about fourteen years of age, her par- Moines count}-. Here he located upon a
ents moved to Huron township, and here farm in Franklin township, and was em-
she has resided ever since. Mr. and Mrs. ployed by the month at farm labor for
Hellenthal have four children : Mary sexeral years, when desiring that his ef-
Louise, born Sept. 5, 1888; Antoinette forts should more directly benefit himself,
Barbara, born Jan. 3, 1895; John Joseph, he rented a tract of land, which he culti-
born June 26, 1898; Agnes Clementine, vated for some time. In 1867 he pur-
born Feb. 21, 1902. chased his present farm, becoming the
Mr. and Mrs. Hellenthal are devoted owner of one hundred and five acres of
members of the Roman Catholic church, rich land in Section 7, Franklin township.
In politics Mr. Hellenthal supports the Here he has since made his home, devot-
Democratic party, and has served on the ing his time and energies to general farm-
school board for two years. He began at ing and stock-raising with good success,
the bottom round of the ladder in life. He has placed all the improvements upon
but by activity and ambition, together the property, has brought the fields under
with high moral business principles, he a high state of cultivation, and in fact has
has gradually advanced, round by round, so directed his labors that his farm is now

88+

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

one of the best ilevelojicd in the locality.
In matters of citizenship Mr. Heitmcier
has always been interested ; and while he
has never sought to figure prominently in
any public life, he has done his full share
in a (|uict way in the work of develo])-
ment lu-re. His ])olitical allegiance is
given to the ke]jublican party, while his
religious faith is evidenced by his mem-
bership ill the tierman Evangelical
church.

Mr. Heitmeier was married to Miss
Hannah Cioesling, who was born in Ger-
man) . and came from that country to
Iowa at an early age, remaining a resi-
dent of Des Moines county until her
death, which occurred about twenty-one
years ago. I'.y her marriage she became
the mother of ten children, of whom eight
are living: Louisa, the wife of .\dam \'aii-
demark, of Louisa county ; .\nnie, the
wife of I'red Riepe, a resident farmer of
Franklin townslii|): Rdward, resides near
Columbus Junction; lliarles, makes his
home near Morning .Sim, Iowa; Maggie.
tile wife of Demas SutclifFe, of Franklin
township; Kate, the wife of Edward
Rie]K'. of I'Vaiikliii towiislii]); Frank, upon
tlie lionu- farm; Laura, the wife of Her-
man lierliii. a son of William ^L Berlin,
a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in
this volume. Two children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Berlin: Wilfred,
now li\iiig; and a st)ii. Marry, who died
in infancy.

Mrs. Ilerliii was horn upon llic old
homestead farm, and pursued her edu-
cation in tile township schools. She re-
mained under the parental roof until her
marriage. Mr. Berlin is a native of Des
Moines county, his birth having occurred
in F'lint River township, Dec. 2, 1875.

He ac<|uire(l his education in the public
schools of that locality, and also in the
high school of West Burlington, and
when not busy with his text-books, he
performed such labor upon the home farm
as his age and strength ijermitted. L'lti-
mately he became familiar with all of the
work incident to the cultivation of the
fields and the care of the stock. He after-
ward went to Burlington, where he se-
cured employment in the shops oi the
Chicago, Burlingto'n 6y: (Juincy Railroad
Company, and subsecjueiuly was an em-
ployee in the Murray Iron Works, where
he remained until after the outbreak
of the Spanish-.Americaii War, when, no
longer content to work in the foundry, he
offered his services to the government,
becoming a member of Company B, Sixth
Iowa .Artillery, with which he served for
three months. During that i)eriod he was
stationed at Camp McKinley at Des
Moines. The regiment, however, was not
called forth to active service, and at the
end of the three months he was mustered
out and honorably discharged. .After a
short time, however, he re-enlisted in
Coni])any E, Thirty-ninth Iowa Infantry,
and took active part in the campaign
through the ])rovinces of Laguna, Bat-
tangas, and Tayabas in the Philippines
from December, 1899, until Feb. 10, 1900,
(hiring which time he was a participant
in the skirniishes at San Cristobal River,
Cahiiyae. .Santa Rosa, Santa Pedro, San-
tiago iiill, and -San Paloc. He was hon-
orably discharged May 6, 1901, after
which he returned to the home plac^ and
engaged in farming. Subsequent to his
marriage he began working upon his
father-in-law's farm.

Both Mr. Berlin and .Mr. Heitmeier

DES MOIKES COUNTY, IOWA.

88 s

are recognized as leading agriculturists of
the community, and the younger man is
largely relieving the older of the active
work of the fields. He is ambitious and
energetic, determined and progressive,
and will undoubtedly win success in his
business career. His political allegiance
is given to the Republican party, and he
is now numbered among the honored
veterans of the Spanish-American War,
who did more than any other one agency
to establish the right of this country to
rank with the great powers of the world.

EMIL BRUN.

Mr. Brun, who is well known as a
farmer and stock-raiser, and at present re-
sides on his farm of one hundred and forty-
seven acres in Section 23, Augusta town-
ship, in addition to which he owns another
farm of ninety-five acres, is a native of
Alsace, France. He was born Aug. 4,
1848, a son of John and Frances Brun, and
came with his parents to America when but
three years of age. The father, who was a
man of excellent education, was a teacher
in the government schools in France, but
on the fall of the republic, of which he was
a supporter, and the re-establishment of the
monarchy, he lost this position. He then
removed to the United States with his
family, which consisted of his wife and
six children, while another child was born
after their arrival in this country. For a
time he resided in Cincinnati, supporting
those dependent upon him by whatever
employment he could procure : but subse-
quently he removed to Illinois, where he
obtained from the Illinois Central Railroad

Company the contract for grading its tracks
between St. Louis and Chicago. After a
year and a half in that State, he decided to
go to Des Moines, Iowa, and brought his
household goods as far as the city of Bur-
lington, where he was delayed for a time
by the illness of his wife ; and being offered
an opportunity to purchase land in Augusta
township, he bought forty-five acres, where
our subject now resides.

Thus the family became established in its
present location, and for some time the
father made liis home here ; but a sense of
loyalty to his adopted country caused him
to enlist in the Union army at the time of
the Civil War. He went to the front with
his regiment, and while on his way home,
at the close of his term of service, stopped
at St. Louis, became ill, and died there. He
is buried in that city. He was a man of
ability and indomitable character, a true
type of the marvelously gifted nation from
which he sprang, and the loss which his
family sustained in his death was beyond
calculation. The seven children who sur-
vived him are, in order of birth, as fol-
lows : Louisa, who became the wife of
William Fischer, a sketch of whom ap-
pears elsewhere in this work ; Joseph A., to
whom also a separate chapter is devoted ;
Mary, now deceased, was the wife of
Charles Witherspach, and is survived by
two children ; John P., also deceased, mar-
ried Miss Ida Hall, and left two children;
Emil, subject of this memoir ; Emma, who
married William Rlume, and resides in
Augusta township : and Josephine, a resi-
dent of Lee county, Iowa, married Xavier
Blint, and has seven children.

After the death of the husband and father,
the mother of the family courageously took
upon herself the task of conducting the farm

886

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and rearing and educating the children.
All her children received good education
in the common schools, besides excellent
home training, and she had the best of
success in the management of the farm,
increasing her holdings to a total of nine-
five acres.

Mr. Brun, alter attaining his majority,
worked on the home farm for a time, in
the employ of his mother, and on March 17,
1879, was united in marriage at West Point,
Lee county, Iowa, to Miss Marie Watz-
nauer. Mrs. Brun was born in Reichenberg,
Bohemian Austria, a daughter of Edward
and Mary (Bcrgmann) Watznauer, and
when twenty years of age came to America
with her parents, they locating in Lee county,
Iowa. Prior to his marriage Mr. Brun had
purchased the old home farm, to which he
now brought his bride, they taking up their
residence in tlte house built by his mother
in 1870-71, and which fetill forms their
home, while his mother removed to the
village of Augusta. Her death occurred in
that village Oct. 18, 1898, and she is there
buried.

To Mr. and Mrs. Brun have been born
nine children. They are: John, born Dec.
I, 1879 ; Emil, born Sept. 23, 1881 ; Edward,
born Aug. 23, 1883; May, born Aug. 11,
1885, and died Sept. 2, 1885 ; Leopold, bom
Aug. 3, 1886; Arnold, born May 15, 1890;
William, born Nov. 11, 1892, and died
Nov. 14, 1892; Anna, born Nov. 28, 1894;
and Frank, born Dec. -2, 1899. Mr. and
Mrs. r.ruii are members of the Roman Cath-
olic church, and in this church five of their
children have been confirmed.

Our subject, in his political relations, is
identified with the Republican party, but
having devoted his talents to the manage-
ment of his large farm, has never been an

aspirant for public office. He has been
the witness of great advances in Des Moines
county's material prosperity, to which he
has largely contributed, and in some meas-
ure he has shared the hardships of pioneer
life. On his farm still stands the original
log cabin which was his home for years,
and is supposed to have been built by Mr.
MofTett, the first owner. He has been
highly successful as a fanner, has won for
himself a respected position in the com-
munity, and owes his advancement almost
exclusively to his own efforts and abilities.

JOHN ROTH.

.\ NATIVE son of Des Moines county,
a representative of one of its old pioneer
families, and one who has become widely
known b}- reason of the energy and ability
which have brought success to all the en-
terprises in which he has engaged, is John
Roth, now residing on liis farm of ninety-
one acres in Sections 10 and 20, Burling-
ton township. Mr. Roth was born Sept.
12, 1859, in the home which he now occu-
pies, the son of John and Magdalene
(Adam) Roth, natives of France, who
came with their parents to the United
States about the year 1842, making the
voyage in the same ship and celebrating
their marriage soon after arriving in
.\merica. Landing in Baltimore, they
spent a few months in Pennsylvania,
after which they decided to try their for-
tunes in the new country, then known as
the West, and came to Iowa, locating in
Des Moines county, where the father of
our subject entered the land on which his
son now resides. Here he spent the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

greater part of his active life, making all
the many improvements on his land, and
after an active, industrious, and success-
ful career, died here in the eighty-third
year of his age. He was a faithful mem-
ber of the Catholic church, to whose sup-
port he was a constant contributor. In
his political faith he was affiliated with
the Democratic party. His own demise
was preceded by about five years by that
of his wife, in her seventy-third year.
She, like himself, was a member of the
Catholic church. They were the parents
of a numerous family, having twelve chil-
dren, our subject being the tenth in order
of birth, and of these, seven still survive.
Mr. Roth passed the years of his boy-
hood and youth as his father's assistant
in the work of the farm, meantime secur-
ing a good education in the district
schools of his township, which was later
supplemented by a course of study in the
Commercial College, of Burlington.
Upon his return from school he became
manager of the farm, and on attaining his
twenty-third year he received full posses-
sion of the farm, which has ever since
that time continued to engage the chief
part of his effort and attention. He en-
gages largely in fruit-growing and in gen-
eral farming and stock-raising, making
specialties of Chester White hogs and
Hereford cattle, having been largely in-
strumental in popularizing these famous
breeds in this locality. The farm is a
veritable model of neatness and perfect
organization in every respect, for the pro-
prietor has here put into operation many
new and modern ideas with conspicu-
ously successful effect. In addition to
this farm he also owns somewhat more
than three hundred acres of fine timber

land in Henderson county. Illinois, which
at the present time he is having cleared,
and is disposing of the timber by sale ;
while just south of his home farm, in Sec-
tion 21, Burlington township, he holds
title to an eighty-acre tract of valuable
farming land which is already partially
improved.

On November 24, 1880, Mr. Roth was
united in marriage to Miss Augusta Bo-
kenkamp, who was born in Burlington,
Iowa, the daughter of Dietrich and Fred-
ericka (Fortman) Bokenkamp, both par-
ents being natives of Germany, who came
to America in early youth. The father
was by trade a carpenter, an occupation
which he followed in Burlington until his
death at the age of forty-two years, sur-
vived by his widow, who still resides in
Burlington. Mrs. Roth is one of a family
of eight brothers and sisters, of whom
six still survive. To MV. and Mrs. Roth,
at their home in Burlington township,
have been born two sons, the elder being
Clarence A., born Jan. 10, 1882, who now
resides at Little Rock, Ark., where he has
for some time successfully engaged in the
undertaking and embalming business.
He is a young man of much ability, and
was well educated, having received his
training in the schools of Burlington and
St. Louis. The younger son, Lyman H.,
born June 26, 1884, 's a student in a busi-
ness college at Burlington.

Mr. Roth has been careful to provide
his sons with every advantage of training,
being a firm believer in the value and de-
sirability of education, and always earnest
in urging its claims to attention. A man
who has at heart the best interests of
his communit}', he takes an intense inter-
est also in affairs of politics, and has at-

888

inucN.u'iiic.tL REi j/:ir

taiiicd to a position of j^rcat inthicnce in
the counsels of the Democratic party, of
which he is a valued member, and for
whose triumphs he has long l)een a faith-
ful worker.

In recognition of his services he has
received at the hands of his fellow-citi-
zens many posts of trust and lionor, at
the |)resent time holding the office of
townshi() trustee, of whicli he lias been
the incumbent for the last three years;
and he is also treasurer of the school
board of ISurlingtou townshii), in both of
whicli offices he has displayed unusual
fitness, and won the unreserved com-
mendation of the general ])ul)lic which
he serves.' He is a sui)])orter of the
Catholic church, in which he was bap-
tized, and lends his aid and encourage-
ment to all worthy movements that come
to his notice. Throughout life he has dis-
played great busiftess ability, sound judg-
ment, and accurate discrimination, alwavs
quick to take advantage of an opportuni-
ty, and ever evincing a steadfastness of
purpose which has made him a marked
man in the world of affairs, so that he
has fairly won his great success: and at
the same time the strict fairness and im-
partiality which have characterized him
in all his dealings have won him the gen-
eral respect, and by reason of his loyalty
and genial disposition lie enjoys tlie re-
gard of a host of friiiids.

JOHN WHITTEMORE.

One of the prominent and highly re-
spected farmers of Pleasant Grove township,
and who has accomplished nuich for the

community, as well as one who has served
his country in time of war, is John W'hitte-
niore. He is a son of John P. and Delilah
(Miller) \V'hittemore, and was born in
lirown county, Illinois, July 3. 1844. His
father was born in Connecticut, and the
mother in Wooster, Ohio. When the father
was only nineteen years old he came to Illi-
nois, and located near Springfield, where
he remained for about eighteen months. In
1834 he moved to I-ort Madison, Iowa, where
he followed the trade of a millwright, and
put up the old log jail — the first in that
county, in 1844 he returned to Illinois, and
took up his residence in Hrown county,
during which time he was engaged at his
trade. .After removing to Keokuk county.
Iowa, where he lived for five years, he was
elected justice of the [leace of that c<iunty,
and had the honor of performing the first
marriage ceremony in that place. In the
year of 1S50 he again returned to Illinois,
and located on the hfune ])lace. and there
remained till his death, which occurred at
the age of fifty-nine years. He is buried in
lirown county. Illinois. He and his good
wife were members of the .Methotlist church.
Politically, he was a Democrat, and served
his party well. He was a good man. and
was honored by all for his many noble traits
of character. The mother of our subject
outlived her husband some nine years, dying
in 1878 at the age of seventy-two years, and
is laid by the side of her husband. She was
a woman of great strength of character, and
beloved by all. They were the ])arents of
eleven children, of whom John, of this re-
view, was the third yoimgest and the only
remaining one living.

Our subject was educated in Hrown
county. Illinois. an<l assisted on the home
place till 1862, when he enlisted in Com-

DES MOIXIIS COUNTY, IOWA.

88q

pany F, One Hundred and Nineteenth Illi-
nois \'olunteer Infantry, and served till the
close of the war. He was in nine noted
battles — Nashville ; Pleasant Hill, La. ;
Yellow Bayou, La. ; at the capture of
Fort De Rusa, La. ; Tapelow, Miss. ; and
at the capture of the fort in ^lobile, Ala.
After being honorably discharged in Mo-
bile, he returned to his old home in Illinois.
Remaining here but a short time, he came
to Iowa and purchased a farm of seventy-
five acres in Pleasant Grove township, Des
Moines county, where he has resided ever
since. Besides farming to a large extent,
he raises some fine stock, and for a part of
the time he is engaged in the erection of
houses and barns, having learned the trade
of a carpenter in his younger days. The
house and other improvements on his farm
are all his handiwork. During harvest time
Mr. W'hittemore operates a threshing ma-
chine in his neighborhood. He is a Re-
publican, and has served as justice of the
peace in Pleasant Grove township with
great satisfaction to all.

Nov. 5, 1865, Mr. Whittemore was mar-
ried to Miss Mary E. Despain, daughter of
John and Maria (Perkins) Despain, who
came to Iowa in 1882, and located in Pleas-
ant Grove township, where they resided till
their deaths. Mr. Despain's farm consisted
of twenty-four acres of land, and it was on
this place that his death occurred -when he
was seventy-two and a half years old. His
widow lived to die age of eighty-three
years, her death taking place about two years
ago. They were the parents of five chil-
dren, four of whom are living, of which
Mrs. Whittemore is the second in age : Mil-
ton resides on the old home place in Pleas-
ant Grove township ; Belinda is the wife of
Jacob Shepherd, of Pleasant Grove town-

ship ; Silas resides in Henry county, Iowa ;
and Newton lives in Pleasant Grove town-
ship. Mr. Despain was an ardent Demo-
crat, and a supporter of the Baptist church.

L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Whittemore six chil-
dren have been born, as follows: (i) Maria,
the wife of William H. Wilkinson, and re-
sides in Washington township. They have
five children, Harrison, Maggie, Margaret,
W'cslcv and Olive. (2) John M., married
Miss Anna Perkins, a daughter of William
J. Perkins, who died at the home place in
Pleasant Grove township Jan. 11, 1905.
aged fifty-six years, six months, and two
days. He was born in Kentucky, and came
to Iowa with his father when a very small
child. Air. Perkins married Miss Sarah
E. McNamee, July 10. 1869, who is still
living on the home place in Pleasant Grove
township, and whose birth occurred in Penn-
sylvania. (3) Mary, married William L.
Perkins, a brother of Anna Perkins, who
married her brother, John Milton, has one
child, Everett, and lives on a farm in Pleas-
ant Grove township. (4) William N., died
at the age of twenty-three years, soon after
his marriage to Miss Stella Hale, daughter
of George and Lena (McCune) Hale. (5)
Miss Mary Whittemore, at home. (6) Died
while small.

I\Irs. Whittemore passed away Nov. 17,
1 90 1, at the old home, and is buried in the
cemetery in Pleasant Grove township. She
was a devoted wife and a consistent Chris-
tian lady, being a member of the Cumber-
land Presbyterian church. Mr. Whittemore
holds membership in the Methodist church.
He has a record of which he may justly be
proud — a man with a spotless name, a
brave and gallant soldier, and one who has
ever been active and progressive in all that
would be of benefit to his communitv.

8oo

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

HERMAN SCHWARTZ.

Herman Schwartz, one of the native
sons of Franklin township still residing
within its borders, was born Feb. 25, 1859,
and is of (lennan lineage. His father,
Henry Schwartz, was a native of Prussia,
and was there married to Miss Mary Wiett-
nian, also a native of the same locality. In
the year 1853 they crossed the Atlantic to
America, taking passage on a sailing vessel,
which, after twenty-three days, dropped an-
chor in the harbor of Xew York. For five
years they remained residents of the Empire
State, living mo.st of the time at Lockport,
where the father engaged in farm work.
They then continued their journey west-
ward until they arrived at Burlington, where
they remained until Mr. Schwartz could se-
cure a location. Soon, however, he took up
his abode upon a small farm of twenty acres
in Section 34, Franklin township. He made
improvements thereon, and extended the
boundaries of his farm by additional pur-
chases until it comprised sixty acres of rich
and productive land, to the further develop-
ment and cultivation of which he devoted
his energies up to the time of his death,
which occurred Nov. 19, 1875. His wife
still survives, with her one son, Herman,
the fifth in order of birth in a family of two
sons and five daughters.

Herman Schwartz was born u]ion the
farm where his father first located upon
coming to Des Moines county, and has
here made his home until the present time.
He has purchased eighty-five acres of im-
proved land, and carries on general farming
and stock-raising, having now about fifteen
head of white-faced cattle. He also raises
about fifty head of hogs each year. He like-
wise has a number of good horses upon his

place, and he is unremitting in diligence,
while his unabating energy and strong pur-
pose are making him one of the successful
agriculturists-of liis comnnmity.

Nov. 19, 1883, Mr. Schwartz was married
to Miss Minnie Wahage. who was bom in
Franklin township, and is a daughter of
Henry and Christiana (Meyer) Wahage.
They traveled life's journey together for
about ten years, and were then separated
by death, Mrs. Schwartz passing away
Jan. 3, 1895. her remains being interred in
the Lutheran church cemetery in l-'ranklin
township.

Mr. Schwartz was educated in the Ger-
man Lutheran school, and is a member of
Salem Lutheran church, of which he served
as trustee for two years. He votes with
the Democratic ])arty, of wliich he has been
an adherent since attaining his majority.

ANDY JOHNSON.

Sweden has furnished some very
])r()minent. industrious citizens of Yellow
.'■Springs township. As a rule they are of
a very hard-working class of people who
have mastered a good trade in the Father-
land, and have come to America w'ith the
hoi)e of better facilities before them, and
in the main have not been disappointed.
.\ndy Johnson is a son of John and Ellen
(Esburn) Johnson, and w-as burn in
Sweden, Aug. 6, 1836. He attended the
common schools in his native home till
he was old enough to be apprenticed to
- a tailor, with whom he \vorked for sev-
eral } ears, acquiring in the meantime a
thorough knowledge of tailoring.

He followed the tailor's trade with

o
k;

12;
w
O

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

803

much success in Sweden till June 26,
1869, when he came to the city of Bur-
lington, where he remained for one year.
He then took up his residence in Medi-
apolis, and the following year bought
ninety-three acres of land in Section 33
of Mr. John Herman. Mr. Johnson paid
sixty-five dollars an acre for his farm,
and has from time to time added the
necessary Ijuildings for a home and the
protection of his grain and stock. His
land is well drained with tile, and being
furnished with all kinds of modern farm
machinery, Air. Johnson obtains good re-
sults for his labor. Besides farming all
of his own place he rents one hundred
and sixty acres from ]\Ir. Archer, thus
making over two hundred and fifty acres
to care for. He uses fifteen head of horses
in working this large farm.

April I, 1870, Mr. Johnson became the
husband of Miss Sophia Swanson, who
was born in Sweden, April 21, 1846, and
is a daughter of Swain and Anna Lena
(Magneson) Swanson. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson have been born the follow-
ing nine children: Charles Emil, lived in
Oklahoma City, Ind., T., for seven years,
working as a carpenter, then went to
Okmulgee, Ind. T., and leased a farm for
five years, and died Sept. i, 1905, aged
thirty-five years, three months, and three
days ; Emma Cecilia, married John Hart-
man, and resides in Washington town-
ship; Edward John, lives at home; Anna
Marie, now Mrs. Harry George Arm-
strong, lives in Griswold, Iowa ; Theo-
dore Andy, at home; Ellen ;\Iatilda, the
wife of August Emanuel, of Yellow
Springs township ; Anna Amelia with her
parents ; Francis V^ictor and Rosa Helena,
both at home.

Politically, Mr. Johnson has given his
allegiance to the Republican party, vot-
ing first for U. S. Grant, and has
been a school director and the hon-
ored president of the board for the past
five years. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are
devoted members of the Swedish Luther-
an church, and are loyal to any eilfort
that will promote the spread of Chris-
tianity. He has taken much interest in
the improvement of the township and
county, and has ever rejoiced in the pros-
perity of his friends. Mr. Johnson has the
respect and admiration of all who know
him.

JOHN WARD SWAN.

Pe.\ce of mind and a contented spirit
belong to the farm. Close to the heart of
nature may be found true wisdom, and in
the tillage of the fields may be nurtured the
noblest philosophy of life. Under the
shadow of the great trees, and with the blue
skies above and the waving grain before the
eye, there is little room for envy and bitter-
ness. Country life is good for the develop-
ment of the mind, and helps men to culti-
vate and strengthen the things that make
for broad humanity and nobility of soul.
More and more does it become evident that
the men who keep close to the soil are wise.
They escape the heart worry and the nerve
exhaustion, the strenuous and utter aban-
don to business cares and interests, that
characterize so strongly the present life ;
and while no less earnestly laboring in
their appointed field of work, do so in that
steadiness and patience that make men
strong and mighty in their day.

894

KinCRAPHlCAL REllEW

John Ward Swan, \\•llll^^.• name intro-
duces this article, was a man whose career
well illustrated the wisdom that lies in
leading the simple and natural life, and
was widely regarded as a good citizen and
a man of unimpeachable character. Mr.
Swan was born Feb. 14. 1833, in Marshall
county, W. \'a., a son of Henry \'. and
Esther R. (Ward) Swan. In 1838 the
Swan family came to Iowa by the Ohio and
Mississip])! river route, and located in Bal-
timore township. Henry county, where the
father and mother cfmtinued to reside dur-
ing the remainder of their lives, and where
they died. Our subject received his formal
training in the public schools and in Iowa
Wesleyan College at Mount Pleasant, thus
securing an excellent education and the best
of preparation for his subsequent life. In
1850 he with his father crossed the great
plains to the Pacific Coast, and although
his father- returned at the expiration of a
year, he remained for a year longer. At
this time he was only seventeen years of
age, but such was his practical ability that
he made the venture profitable in a pe-
cuniary way, while the vivid im]>ressi(>ns
of the wild western life he then received
made a lasting record u])on his youthful
mind, and largely broadened his ideas of
men and things. Traveling by way of
the Isthmus of Panama and the city of
New- York, he returned to the home of his
parents, where he remained until March i,
1S55, on which date he was united in mar-
riage to Miss Caroline S. Honar, who was
born Dec. 25. 1831. in Marshall countx.
West \'irginia. a dnugiiter of James Craton
and Sarah ( Reeves I I'.onar.

As the Bonar family played an impor-
tant part in the history of this region, brief
mention mav be made of them as follows :

James I'lonar was l)(>rn m .M;iryland. going
to what is now West X'irginia when eight-
een years of age, while his wife was a
native of New Jersey, and when a small
girl removed with her parents to Ohio, but
at the time of her marriage was living with
an imde in Marshall county. West X'ir-
ginia. Husband .and wife, with their chil-
dren, came to Iowa by the river route in
1838, arriving at liurlington on April i,
and located in Danville townshij). Des
Moines county, where they entered a large
farm in a single tract of 320 acres, im-
proved the land, and built up a splendid
home, in which they surrounded themselves
in the course of years with many comforts,
as well as many friends. It was there that
the remaining ])ortion of their lives was
passed, and thence they jiasscd to the higher
life. One daughter. Malissa, was married
before they left West X'irginia, and re-
mained in that State, but they were accom-
panied to the West by all the other mem-
bers of their large family, they being the
parents of eleven children, as follows :
Malissa, married Benjamin (iregg, and both
are now deceased ; X\'esley R., a notice of
whom will be found elsewhere in this
volume of liistory ; i'jiiily, at present re-
siding in Burlington, married John M.
Ciregg, now deceased : Clementine, married
William Crawford Hamia. and Ixith are
deceased; Miran<la. married John Fraley
Rose, and they al.so are both deceased ;
.Mary Jane, married Charles B. Tonkinson,
and they reside in Danville township near
the old Bonar hoiuestead ; Sarah Ann. who
resides at Farrington. Iowa, married Miles
Hanna. now deceased: Cieorge H. is de-
ceased : Caroline Seville is the widow of our
subject ; Phcebe Zane. widow of Joseph T.
Xewell. resides in Topeka, Kans. ; and the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

805

youngest, Harvey O., is deceased. Mr.
Bonar was a stanch Democrat, but never
aspired to public office, choosing rather to
devote his talents to his private aflfairs and
business, and in this he was very successful,
and became comparatively wealthy. Mrs.
Bonar was a life-long member of the
Methodist church ; and while Mr. Bonar
was not a member of any religious de-
nomination, he was a highly charitable and
humane man, and was always governed by
a strict sense of honor in his transactions,
making it a rule of his business never to
owe any man a cent. He was born April
I, 1788, and died in September, 1879, while
the death of his wife occurred July 12, 1889,
her age being ninety-eight years, eleven
months, and three days. Both were laid
to rest in Long Creek cemetery, the mother
being buried on the anniversary of her
wedding, which took place the 14th day of
July, 1812. Her religious faith was an
intimate and integral part of her daily life,
for she was converted to the Christian
faith through the ministrations of the
Methodist Episcopal church at the early
age of sixteen years, and ever continued
faithful to its tenets and teachings. She
died at the home of her daughter, ]\Irs.
Swan, and the regret felt by the community
for her loss was most sincere. She came
of a family noted for strong character and
for the longevity which results from sane
and wholesome living. Her parents were
Joseph and Lydia Reeves, who located in
Ohio about the year 1797, settling in
Guernsey county, and they underwent all
the most difficult trials of pioneer life, be-
ing twice compelled to escape the raids of
Indians by flight. Joseph Reeves died at
the age of ninety-one^years, and Lydia, his
wife, at one hundred and three.

Mr. Swan received from his father a
farm in Henry county, near Salem, to
which he took his bride upon their mar-
riage, and there they made their home for
a period of eight years, but sold the farm
in 1863, and removed to Des Moines
county, locating upon the present site of
the village of West Burlington. They sub-
sequently resided at various places until the
year 1885, when they removed to the farm
of one hundred acres which Mrs. Swan
now occupies, located in the western edge
of Burlington, the home standing at the
end of Division Street. Here Mr. Swan
installed many modern improvements and
conveniences, and erected a large and
well-arranged brick residence. To Mr.
and Mrs. Swan were born nine children,
two of whom died young, while seven
survive, as follows : Phoebe Zane, now
residing in Burlington, married Ora J.
Gould, and has three children, Allen Swan,
Helen Revelle, and Howard Kennedy ;
Clarissa Belle, also residing in Burlington,
married Thomas F. Rogers, and to them
have been born five children, Grace Miriam,
Winifred Caroline, Arthur John, Birdie
Zane (who died in infancy), Mabel Flor-
ence, and Ruth Alice ; James Henry, who
is a resident of Kansas, married Miss Ger-
trude Wheeler, and has four children, Irma,
John Theodore, Jennie, and an infant ;
Bertha Frances, now residing in Illinois,
married Durward Frederick \^ogt and has
had one child, Frances Caroline, who died
at the age of one year and a half : Esther
Reddick resides at the parental home ;
Caroline Estelle, now of Danville township,
Des Moines county, married George Mitch-
ell Moore, and has one child, Esther Caro-
line; and ^lary \'irginia resides with her
mother.

896

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Swan devoted his life to farming,
making a specialty of dairy fanning, and
was very successful ; so much so. in fact,
that he early acquired a competence, and
after coming to this city was able to lead
a retired life, taking very little part in active
business during his later years, beyond the
supervision of his landed interests, but
passed his days in ease and the enjoyment
of intellectual pleasures, for he was a
lover of reading and possessed of a vast
general information on topics of current
interest. lie also gave much thought and
time to the advancement of the cause of
education, which was very near to his heart
at all times, and he often served the com-
nuinities in which he resided as director
of the schools, a capacity for which he was
eminently fitted. He was a Republican in
politics, but never cared for the honor of
public office. He was a believer in the
usefulness of fraternal societies, and was
a member of the Masonic order, being
identified with Danville Lodge. No. 48. and
largely regulating his life by the high and
pure morality of its teachings. He was
a man of genuine business ability, but his
life was guideil by the com]3ass of unswerv-
ing justice and strict rectitude. As a hus-
band, he embodied a nolijc ideal ; as a
father, he was loving and indulgent always ;
as a friend, loyal and true. He was chari-
table, self-sacrificing, and considerate of the
rights and feelings of others, one to whom
it was well and fitting to ajjjily the grand
old name of gentleman. To him was given
the affection of many antl the respect and
esteem of all. He died July 11. TO04. and
was buried in .\s])en (irove cemetery in
this city.

Mrs. Swan is a lady of unusual ability,
social graces, and conversational gifts, and

has many friends in Burlington who cher-
ish her for her admirable qualities. She
and her daughters are members of the
First Methodist Episcopal church of Bur-
lington.

NATHAN A. McCOLLOCH.

Xatiian .\. McCoi.LOCH resides on a
farm in Section 30, Jackson township, where
he owns one hundred and twenty acres of
land, and he also has eighty acres in Sections
24 and 25, Benton township, nearly all of
which is improved. He was born near
Hamilton, 111., March 26, 1861, and acquired
his education in Des Moines county, Iowa,
to which place he removed with his parents
when about eleven years of age. He is a
son of Nathan and .Anna (Murphy) Mc-
Colloch. Both were natives of Belmont
county, Ohio, and were there reared and
married. In early life they removed to
Illinois, settling near Hamilton, where the
father <'iigaged in farming for a number of
years, but later he returned to Ohio, and
again resided in Belmont county for four
years. On the expiration of that period he
once more located in Illinois, where he con-
tinued until 1872, when he came to Iowa,
settling a short distance northeast of Latty
Station, in Benton township. There he pur-
chased forty acres of land, and also rented
a farm constituting a part of the Overton
land in Jackson townsiiip, cultivating this
for several years. He afterward took up his
abode in the city of Burlington, where he
spent his last days, passing away in the
spring of 1881, at the age of fifty-five years.

His political support was given to the
Democracy, but he never sought or desired
office, preferring to give his imdivided

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

attention to his business interests. His wife,
long surviving him, died in 1896 at the age
of sixty-two years. They were the parents
of fourteen children, of whom ten are now
living.

Nathan A. McColloch, the sixth in order
of birth, remained with his parents until the
death of his father, and acquired his edu-
cation in the public schools. He entered
upon his business career as a farm hand,
working by the month for some years. He
was also employed for a time in the city of
Burlington, and it was his industry and
frugality that brought to him a capital suffi-
cient to enable him to purchase a farm.
In the year 1898 he bought eighty acres of
land just south of his present farm, and car-
ried on agricultural pursuits there for six
years, after which he traded the place for his
present property, constituting one hundred
and twenty acres of land, that has become
rich and arable because of the care and culti-
vation bestowed upon it. Everything about
the place is kept in excellent condition, and
he uses the latest improved machinery in
the care of his land and crops. Four years
ago he added to his possessions by the
purchase of eighty acres in Benton town-
ship, and he is now successfully engaged
in general farming and stock-raising.

Mr. ]\IcColloch was married, March 15,
1883, to Miss Ida May Eads, a daughter of
Henry and Elizabeth (Mower) Eads. Her
father was an early settler of Benton town-
ship, where he engaged in farming and
stock-raising, owning at the time of his
death one hundred and sixty-one acres of
good land. He was a Democrat in politics.
He died in 1898 at the age of sixty-five
years, and is still survived by his wife, who
now resides in Burlington. Mrs. McCol-
loch was born in Burlington township, and

obtained her education in the public schools
there. By her marriage she has become the
mother of four children: Albert, Clarence,
Pansy M., and Ray, and the family circle
yet remains unbroken by the hand of death.
All were born in Benton township with the
exception of Pansy, whose birth occurred
in Nebraska, during a two-years' residence
there of her parents.

J\lr. McColloch gives his political alle-
giance to the Democratic party, and has
served as trustee of Jackson township. He
manifests an active and helpful interest in
public affairs, and at the same time gives
close attention to his business, which is now
making him one of the prosperous citizens
of Des Moines county. His life has been
characterized by unremitting diligence, and
from a humble position he has worked his
way upward to one of independence.

FREDERICK SCHRADER.

Frederick Schrader is a native of
Des Moines county, and was born near
Flint River, Jan. i, 1878. He acquired
his education in the common schools of his
township while living upon his father's
farm, his parents being Henry and Eliza-
beth (Larkins) Schrader. The father
was born in Germany, and in early life
came to the United States. Taking up
his abode in this county, he turned his
attention to general agricultural pursuits
in Flint River township, where he pur-
chased fort}' acres of land, upon which he
lived for a number of years. He then re-
moved to Pleasant Grove township,
where he again became owner of a tract
of forty acres, upon which he yet makes
his home, his attention being given to gen-

^l)«

BIOCKAPHICAL Rill IFAV

i-ral farmiii}^. and to some extent to stock-
raising.

His political views are in accord witli
Democratic jjrinciples. but he has pre-
ferred to live the <|iiiet life of the farm
rather than to seek preferment in office.
His wife, who was born in lUirlington.
died about sixteen years ago. They were
the parents of five children, all of whom
are yet living.

I-rederick Schrader spent the days of
his boyhood and youth with his parents,
and when twenty years of age started out
in life on his own account. He secured
employment by the month as a farm hand
and was thus engaged in Pleasant Grove
townshii) for seven years. In the niean-
tiiue his economy ancl iiulustry had
brought hiiu some capital, and he wisely
invested this in jjrojjcrty in ii/)3. purchas-
ing Iiis present farm of ninety-seven acres
of good land in iVanklin townshij). This
is a well-imiir<ned tract, having ujjon it a
comfortable residence and other buildings.

On Jan. 7. ii)0-'. Mr. Schrader was mar-
ried to .Miss Winifred Sleeter. who was
born in I'ranklin township, and is a
daughter of Charles C Sleeter, now de-
ceased. Her father was born in I'.urling-
ton. .May 25. 1S57, and died Feb. 15. 181^3,
his ])arents being Henry and Catherine
(Erb) Sleeter. He was educated in the
flistrict schools, and in early life learned
the carpenter's trade. On Feb. 20, iSjt),
in r.uriingtnn. he wedded .Margaret
O'Farrell, who was born at her i)resent
home .\pril to, 1854, her parents being
James and Winifred (Doyle) O'Farrell,
natives of Ireland. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Sleeter were born six children: Winifred.
the wife of the subject of this sketch, born
Dec. 28. i8;(): Mark, born March 28. i88i.

is a car])enter and natural mechanic; Nellie,
born .\ug. 14, 1882. occupies a position in
IJurlington: Cecelia, born Aug. 12, 1885,
is working with her sister in Burlington ;
Luke, born Sept. 12. 1890: and liarthol-
omew. tx)rn July 19, 1892.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. .Schrader
has been blessed with two children,
Charles and Theodore, both born on the
l)resent farm. Mr. Schrader exercises his
right of franchise in sujiport of the men
and measures of the Democracy, and with
his wife is a member of the C.ithnlic
church of Dodgeville.

THEOBALD LAUER.

TiiKori.\LD Lauer, deceased, who for
many years was an industrious and
highly respected citizen of Des Moines
county, was born in Crimea, Russia. July
3, 1834. His jjarents, .Xnton and Johanna
( llasler) Lauer. came to this country in
1849, and first settled in Cleveland, ()hio,
where they remained for about one year.

In 1850. the year the cholera was rag-
ing so in many of the Western States,,
they came to ISurlington. and ])urchased
a farm of one hundred and fifteen acres
south of the city, in what is known as the
liunt Settlement. Soon after this .Mrs.
Lauer died, and Mr. Lauer sold his farm
and bought another, this one consisting
of iliree hundred ami twenty acres, in
Davis county, where he was very success-
ful for several years. He finally located
in .\ugusta township, and died on his farm
there May 22,. 1896.

.Mr. Theobald Lauer, of this sketch, re-
ceiveil his education in the schools of

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

899

Russia, and coining to America with his
parents, he remained with them on the
home farm till he was twenty-four years
of age. In 1856 he went overland with
ox-teams to Oregon and Washington, and
was engaged for several years in mining
and farming, with varying success, in
Montana and Idaho.

In i860 he returned to Iowa, and mar-
ried Catherine Lich, March 10, 1862. Mrs.
Lauer was born in Augusta township,
Des Moines county, Iowa, July 25, 1839,
where she received her education. Her
parents were Conrad and Elizabeth (Al-
baclet) Lich, prosperous farmers of Des
Moines county.

Immediately after Mr. and Mrs. Lauer
were married they moved to Burlington,
where for the next two years Mr. Lauer
was engaged in business for himself. He
then purchased a farm in Davis county,
where he resided till 1871, when he sold
his farm and came to Des Moines county,
where he rented a part of the Lich farm
for some two years. Al)out this time he
bought ninety-five acres of land in Au-
gusta township, Des Moines county ; but
this he sold in 1892, and purchased the
farm of one hundred and forty-six acres,
upon which his family now reside.

He at once went to work to improve
and beautify this place, building one of
the nicest homes in the neighborhood, as
well as good and substantial barns, and
setting out the place in fruit trees. But
.Mr. Lauer did not enjoy this beautiful
home ver}' long, as lie was taken ill and
died March 10, 1895. leaving six children
in the care of his widow.

The children are : Lizzie Amelia, de-
ceased ; Mary Elizabeth married Chris
Huebner March 22. 1905; Bertha Kath-

erine became Mrs. John Larsen Nov. 15,
1893; Julia Lucinda married Anton Miller
June 18, 1901, and resides in Union town-
ship; William Frederick is at home; John
Conrad resides in Washington ; Johanna
Clara married George Machamer. They
have two children, Mildred and Leona,
and live with Mrs. Lauer on the home
place.

Mr. Lauer was a Democrat, but never
ver)' active in politics. He and his worthy
wife would occasionally attend the Ger-
man Evangelical church, in Burlington.
Since the death of iMr. Lauer his wife has
looked after the farm herself, and the
neat appearance of the whole place denotes
her ability.

Mr. Lauer was a man possessing many
noble traits of heart and character. His
business life was one long span of
honesty and uprightness, which brought
him great success, and friends who still
cherish his memory with the kindest of
feelings.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS YAGER.

WiLLi.\M Augustus Y.\ger, a success-
ful and leading stock-raiser of Yellow
.S]jrings township, living on Section 6, is
a natix'e son of I'lUrlington, his birth hav-
ing occurred in that city, Aug. 15, 1845.
His parents were Henry and Tillie (Corn)
Yager. Xo event of special importance
occurred to vary the routine of farm life
for William A. Yager in his boyhood and
\'outh. Through the winter nionths he
attended the district schools, mastering
the branches therein taught, and thus be-
came well equipped for life's practical
and responsible duties. In the summer

lilOGRAFHlCAL REVIEW

months hi- worked in tlic fields, anil
gained a i)ractical ex|)crii-nce that quali-
fied him for carrying on farm work wlu-n
he had attained his majority.

In 1892 he and his brother John pur-
chased two hundred and eighty-five acres
of rich land from John Braden and his
wife. Of this about two hundred and
thirty acres are situated in Section i, the
remainder on Section 6, Yellow Springs
township. They also own forty acres of
timber land. They are now successfully
engaged in general farming, and are also
well known as stock-raisers, having about
seventy head of cattle, making a specialty
of the Shorthorn, Red Polled, Polled An-
gus, and Hereford breeds. They always
feed about one hundred head of hogs each
year, and their sale of stock annually re-
turns to them a gratifying income. They
are practical in all of their business
methods, and have made earnest, ])er-
sistent labor the basis of all their success.

CHARLES G. BOSCH.

Charles G. Bosch, one of the promi-
nent and leading plumbers of Burlington,
is a son of Leonard and Katherine ( Boeck)
Bosch, and was born in Burlington, Iowa,
May 24, 1854. His parents were natives
of Germany, and came to Burlington in
1 85 1 or 1852, and o])ened a grocery store on
West Washington Street. They had seven
children, of whom but two remain. Charles,
of this review, and his sister, Mrs. Joseph
Spies, -whose husband is a railroad man.
The father died some thirty years ago, and
his widow later married John Dabb. who
was a baker, and had a shop on Washing-

ton Street, where their grocery formerly
was. Mrs. Herman Wolfert. of West Bur-
lington, is a step-sister of his. Mrs. Dabb
passed away a short time ago, and she and
her husbands are buried in Aspen Grove
cemetery. Mr. Bosch was educated in the
German subscription schools and public
schools of Burlington, and at the age of
eighteen went to work in the drug store of
C. P. Squires. In 187 1 he secured employ-
ment with the firm of Stewart & Hayden as
a i)lumber. One of his first duties was to
move the shop, which he accomplished in
half a day, using a wheelbarrow. After this
he worked for a while in Chicago and Den-
ver. In 1880 he built the gas plant in Cres-
ton, Iowa, and ran it for two years. Nov. i,
1883, he opened his present store on Main
Street, where he has been for twenty years.
He first began in a very quiet and modest
way, but in a short time his ability as a
mechanic became known, and from that
time to the present his business has by close
application and fair dealing increased won-
derfully.

Oct. ID, 1882. Mr. Bosch married Miss
Blanche Louisa Whitehead, daughter of
Josiah Whitehead, of Crcston, Iowa. They
reside at 717 North Third Street. Mr.
Bosch also owns several lots in the city
and the place at 1900 Orchard Street. He
has been a Democrat all of his life, but has
voted somewhat independently for the last
few years. He is actively connected with
the Modem W'oodmen of the World ; was
secretary of the Business Men's Club for
a while, and is still a member of the same,
and also a member of the Commerical Club.
He is a member and was a director in the
Cottage Lake Club, of which he is a great
worker. Mr. Bosch was raised in the Ger-
man Lutheran church, and has given much

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

001

to charities and churches in a quiet way.
He is enterjirising and public-spirited, wish-
ing at all times to see the city of his birth
grow and prosper. As a merchant, citizen,
and private individual he has made a record
which is worthy of commendation and ap-
proval.

COL. FABIAN BRYDOLF.

Col. Fabtan Erydolf, deceased, left a
record of- which his family and friends may
well be proud. The circumstances of his life
rarely fall to the common lot of man. En-
dowed with more than ordinary ability as
an artist, he was enabled to maintain his
family for some thirty years with the use of
but one hand. His work consisted mostly of
landscape painting, which was always of the
highest order. He was also permitted to
defend his adopted country in two great
wars.

IMr. Brydolf was a native of Sweden, hav-
ing been born in Ostergothland, Nov. 28,
18 19. and was a son of Rev. Anders G. and
Petronella Brydolf. His father was a min-
ister of great prominence in the Lutheran
church. Early in life Mr. Brydolf developed
great talent for art, and was instructed in
landscape painting by the best teachers of
his country, where his school work was a
great credit to his teachers, parents, and to
the lad himself. After finishing his studies
in landscape painting, he pursued it as a
profession until 1841. when he emigrated to
America, locating first at Cleveland, Ohio ;
but finding no demand there in those early
days for what the people considered a lux-
ury, for such they looked upon landscape
painting, he engaged in the more practical
work of house and sign painting.

Remaining but a short time in Cleveland,
he traveled westward, working at his trade
as a journeyman in various cities till 1846,
when he reached Burlington, Iowa. He
came to this State as an interpreter for a
party of his countrymen who, having just
arrived in this country, were entirely ignor-
ant of the English language. Mr. Brydolf
assisted the party to secure land in the vicin-
ity of Des Moines, and was about to return
east when, arriving at Burlington, he found
navigation closed and no conveyance avail-
able except stages, so he decided to remain
here and work at house and sign painting.

In 1847, our subject was seized with a
desire to become a soldier, and enlisted for
the ^lexican War in the Fifteenth Regi-
ment, Regulars, LT. S. Army, under Captain
Guthrie, and was in active service in Mex-
ico, participating in the battles of Contreras,
Churubusco, Molina del Rev, Chapultepec,
and many minor engagements, through
which he passed without an injury, and re-
turned to Burlington in 1848.

Sept. 2. 1850, Colonel Brydolf was united
in marriage to Miss Fannie West, daughter
of a ]\Iethodist minister of Monmouth, 111.
^Irs. Brydolf was born Feb. 14, 1830.

L^nto Colonel and Mrs. Brydolf were born
seven children, of whom only three remain :
Adriana, who married Oscar M. Parsons,
died leaving one daughter, Edith ; George
F., died in infancy ; one infant died un-
named ; Nannie, died in Burlington, Iowa,
leaving hundreds of true friends to mourn
her death. Her life was most beautiful,
exemplifying each day the strong Christian
character she professed, and though it has
been several years since this noble girl
passed to her reward, her memory is still
bright and green in the hearts of her fam-
ily and companions. Oscar ; Robert ; and

U02

BIOGRAPHICAL RIlllEU-

Nellie, the youngest daughter, a prominent
teacher in the l'ros|)ect Hill schcwl. of IJur-
lington. Iowa, lives at the old home. 903
Suninier Street, an<l her niece, Kdith 1 'ar-
sons, lives with her.

At the breaking out of the Civil War,
Colonel P.rvflolf raised a company for the
Sixtli Iowa Infantry, — Company I. of
which he was ciMnmissioned captain July 17
following. His regiment participated in the
battles of Shiloh, and there he lost his right
arm, it being taken off near the shoulder,
April 6, 1 8^2, while leading his company in
action. Mr. lirydolf was cared for in the
ho.spital. Ill 1X62 he was promoted lieu-
tenant-colonel of the Twenty-fifth Iowa
Infantry, joining that regiment in the Sep-
tember following. He was in active service
with tlieni til! tlie cajitiire of Vicksburg,
when he resigneil, and on Xov. i, iW'3. was
commissioned by 1 'resident Lincoln as lieu-
tenant-colonel of the Second Regiment of
the \'eteran Reserve Corps, serving in that
capacity until July 1. 1866, when he was
honorably discharged.

After his return from the war the colonel
was engaged with Mr. llolcomb for a while
in the grain business, and later was foreman
for Nairn & (lillis in the blind and sash de-
partment. .\l one tiiiH- lie ciinlr.icted to
build a certain number of niiles of road for
the Chicago, lUirlington & Quincy Railroad.
This he did to the full satisfaction of the
coni|)any. The latter part of his life was
spent in landsca|)e jiainting. winning high
prai.se froiu tlie best art critics for the ele-
gant pictures he jiroduced.

After sharing the joys and sorrows of
Colonel Rrydolfs life for nearly thirty-five
years, Mrs. Brydolf passed away Nov. 19,
1884, aged fifty-four years. She was a very
modest, retiring lady, one whom it was a

])leasure to meet, and whose kind and lov-
able ways endearetl her to all.

Colonel I'rydolf died Jan. 25, 1897, aged
seventy-eight years. He was a brave and
gallant officer, alwaxs ready to lead where
he expected his men to go. His empty
sleeve, as well as his honorable record as a
soldier, bore full testimony of his bravery
aixl fidelity to duty. His success as an
artist in the latter years of his life was really
remarkable when we consider his age, and
how late in life the left hand was educated
in this art. His eye was keen, his taste per-
fect, and his skill with the brush was won-
derful.

Mrs. Hrydolf was a devoted member of
the Congregational church of Hurlington,
and though her husband was not a member,
yet he attended (|uite regularly. Politically,
Mr. I'.rydolf was a stanch Republican, and
though he did not aspire to office, still he
was ever ready to assist his patty to the best
of his abilitv.

JACOB RAPP.

J.\C()B R.M'i'. who. now living retired, was
for many years connected with the indus-
trial interests of P.urlington as i)ro|)rietor
of a locksmith business, was born Se])t. i.
182 1, in Wittenberg, Germany, a son of
Michael Rapp. In his youth he learned the
locksmith's trade, which he followed until
he came to .-Vmerica, in March. 1855,
crossing the .Atlantic in an old sailing vessel
which weighed anchor at Havre, France,
and ultimately reached New York harbor.
Mr. Rapp spent one year in the shops of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, at Allegheny City,
Pa., finishing the metal work for the lo-

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

903

•comotives. The following year he came to
Burlington, where he entered the service of
the Chicago, Burlington & Onincy Rail-
road Company, working for Charles Henry
for two years. He then started in the lock-
smith's business on his own account, and
continued in that line until 1899, when he
put aside further business cares, and is now
living a retired life. Such is a brief out-
line of his business career, but it tells noth-
ing of his years of close application, unfal-
tering diligence, unabating energy and per-
severance, and yet all those qualities have
been salient features in his business career.
He worked hard to build up a good trade,
giving excellent service and charging mod-
erate prices, anfl as the years passed by, his
labors were rewarded by a large patronage,
which in time brought to him a capital sufifi-
cient to enable him to lay aside further busi-
ness cares in the line of his trade. In 1888
he purchased a lot and built his present
home of eight rooms at 419 Maple Street,
and here he is enjoying a well-earned
rest.

Mr. Rapp was married in April, 1855, the
lady of his choice being Miss Mary King.
a daughter of Adam and Barbara King,
of St. Louis. ]Mrs. Rapp was born in
Bavaria, Germany, Nov. 16, 1831, and
came to America in 1854, locating first in
Pittsburg, Pa., and a year later going by
boat to St. Louis, Mo., where she was
married. She came to this country with a
sister and a brother-in-law. She attends
and supports different churches, but is not
a member. I'nto Mr. and Mrs. Rapp were
born three children, but Pauline died at the
age of eighteen nionths, and ^^'illianl died in
St. Louis, in January, 1895, leaving a wife
and two children. The surviving son, Ed-
ward, is living with his parents in Burling-

ton. Mr. Rapp was formerly a stanch Re-
])ublican in politics, but now votes inde-
pendently. He has now passed the eighty-
third milestone on life's journey, and in a
review of his history there are found many
elements and incidents worthy of commenda-
tion. The "courageous spirit that led him
to seek a home in America, the determination
that enabled him to face competition and
difficulties in his business career, the integ-
rity and straightforward dealing that
gained him public confidence, — all com-
bined to make him a prosperous and re-
spected citizen of Burlington, where he
now has many friends, who esteem and
honor him for his sterling worth.

■WILLIAM COL'WELL SMITH.

William Colwell Smith, living on
Section 5, Yellow Springs township, where
he is engaged in general agriculture, was
born in the city of Philadelphia, Pa., Jtme
21. 1846, his parents being Samuel and
Jane (Smith) Smith. Both parents were
natives of Ireland, in which country they
were reared and married. In 1845 they
crossed the Atlantic to the New World,
and established their home in Philadelphia,
where for a time the father occupied the
]5osition of watchman in the John T. Lewis
Chemical and Lead Works. Later he was
promoted to a position in the chemical de-
partment. In the year 1862 he brought his
family to the Middle West, settling in Ben-
ton township, Des Moines county, Iowa,
where he purchased one hundred and twenty
three acres of land from E. D. Rand in
Sections 7 and 8. Here he built a barn
and improved the house, adding a kitchen

004

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and renovating tlie interior. He lived a
quiet, unassuming life, but worked earnestly
and persistently, and the traits of honorable
manhood were daily manifest in his career.
He continued to engage in farming upon this
place until his death, which occurred June
28, 1870, when he was sixty-three years
of age. His wife survived him until Nov.
23, 1871, and died at the age of fifty-two
years. They were the parents of two chil-
dren, of whom the daughter, Mary, died in
Piiiladelphia at the age of three years.

William C. Smith, the only surviving
member of the family, is indebted to the
public schools of his native city for the edu-
cational privileges he enjoyed in his youth.
He w-as about seventeen years of age
when willi his parents he came to Des
Moines county in 1862, and he remained
with them on the old home farm until they
were called to their final rest. He inherited
the property, which he sold in 1900; and in
the same year he bought property near Kos-
suth, becoming owner of thirty-one acres,
which he purchased for his wife. He makes
his home nn Section 5, Yellow Springs
township, where he has a well-improved
farm comprising ninety and a half acres.
It is supplied with all modern conveniences
and accessories, and in addition to this he
has village property in Morning Sun, Louisa
county, where he also has alxiut twenty-one
acres. Everything about his place is kept
in excellent repair, and his labors are at-
tended with a gratifying measure of success.

^lav 5, 1875, Mr. Smith was united in
marriage to Miss Mary G. McMillan, a
daughter of \\'illiam and Margaret (Jack-
son) McMillan. She was born in Mays-
ville, Ky., May 16, 1856, and in 1858 her
parents came to Des Moines county, locating
in Franklin township, where her father rent-

ed land for several years. He then removed
with his family to Yellow Springs township,
where he purchased a farm, continuing its
cultivation up to the time of his death. He
passed away in September, 1887, at the age
of seventy-five years, while his wife, who
long survived him, died Jan. 13, 1903, at
the age of eighty years.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have become the
parents of four children : Jennie N., born
May 15, 1878, now a teacher five miles west
of Morning Sun; Lila X., born April 17,
1880, now a teacher in the Washington
township district schools ; Mabel B., bom
Aug. 17, 1883, is a teacher in the Rock-
bottom school in Yellow Springs township;
and Lena J., bom April 14, 1888, is at
home.

The parents hold membership in the Re-
formed Presbyterian church, and are well
known in the community, the hospitality
of many of the best homes being extended to
them. Mr. Smith has prospered in his busi-
ness undertakings, jiaving so directed his
efforts as to accomplish results, and in his
career he has found that prosperity and an
honorable name ma_\- be won simultaneously.

GUSTAV ADOLPH HUEHOLT.

.V SUCCESSFUL farmer of Pleasant Grove
township, and one who has been actively
identified with the development of the com-
numity, is to be named in the person of
Gustav Adolph Hueholt. He is the son of
John and Sophia (Tapkcn) Hueholt, and
was born in Oldenburg, Germany, Dec. 11,
1866. His parents were both born in Gross-
herzogtum, Oldenburg, Germany, where
they still live, having never come to Amer-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

905

ica. Mr. Hueholt is a shoemaker by trade
and also engages in farming. He was in
the German army, but never in active serv-
ice. He and his wife are both members of
the Lutheran church. They have had nine
children, of whom seven are living, three
coming to America. Jerry is a farmer in
Missouri ; Henry, a farmer, lived in Pleasant
Grove township for some time and now
makes his home in Oklahoma. After com-
plying with the laws and regulations in
regard to education in his native place, our
subject remained for a few years with his
father, and in 1884, when about eighteen
years of age, came to America by way of
New York. He located at once in Bur-
lington, where he remained for about
two months, then going to Pleasant Grove
township, where he worked on different
farms for about three years. After his
marriage he rented a farm in Flint River
township for five years. By this time he
had by his untiring efforts and great energy
saved enough money so that he could buy a
nice place in Pleasant Grove township, upon
which he has since resided as a general
farmer and stock-raiser.

In 1889 Mr. Hueholt married Mrs.
Sophia Holman, widow of Henry Hol-
man, who died in Flint River township,
leaving the following five children : Charles,
a locksmith, and who lives in Davenport,
Iowa; Amelia, wife of Diedrich Snupper,
of Pleasant Grove township ; Sophia, mar-
ried Fred Snupper, of Danville township ;
Louisa, the wife of Alfred Shroeder, who
also lives in Danville township ; Lena, now
Mrs. John Schroeder, of Pleasant Grove
township. Mrs. Hueholt is a daughter of
Diedrich Witmerhaus, a prosperous farmer
and raiser of a high grade of stock, who
resided in Pleasant Grove township till about

two years ago, when he died. He passed
away on his farm of six hundred acres after
an illness of three months, at the ripe old age
of eighty-two years. His wife had preceded
him to the better land about one year. They
were the parents of two daughters : Mary,
deceased, and Mrs. Hueholt. Mr. and Mrs.
Witmerhaus were both members of the
Lutheran church, and are both buried in the
Union church graveyard of Flint River
township. They were both of much value
in the community, and their loss was felt by
all. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hueholt four chil-
dren have been born : Ida, died aged two
years ; an infant unnamed ; Lyda and Ray-
mond, now living.

Mr. Hueholt attends the Lutheran church.
In politics he is a strong Democrat, but does
not solicit party distinction, believing he can
serve his party better as a private citizen.
During the twenty years he has resided in
America he has seen many changes for the
better take place in Des Moines county.
Each year new improvements have been
made, and each year finds the average suc-
cessful farmer better equipped with all mod-
ern implements, which tends to greatly
lessen his duties. Mr. Hueholt is a man of
much ability, of a strong and earnest person-
ality, qualities which have won for him
the esteem and confidence of all with whom
he has come in contact. He is still a young
man, and though he has won a success,
there is still a career of exceptional promise
before him.

JOSEPH A. McINTIRE.

Joseph A. McIntike, one of the early
settlers of Des Moines county, living on
a farm of two hundred and twenty acres

oo6

HIOURAl'iUCAL REIIEW

in Flint River township, was born in
Miami county. Ohio, Aug. 21, 1840. He
was named in honor of liis i)atcrnal grand-
father, Josoi)h A. Mciiitirc. wlio was a
native of Pennsylvania, and was the first
white settler in Ohio west of I'iqua, es-
tablishing his home on what was called
Swift's Run. He settled there among the
Indians, secured a tract of land, and de-
veloi)ed a farm, upon which he spent his
remaining days. His death occurred
when he was about seventy-five years of
age.

His son, Thomas Mclntire, was a native
of IVnnsylvania, and was married in Ohio
to the lad) of his choice, Susanna Adams,
also a native of the Keystone State. At
an early day they had removed to Ohio,
locating in .Miami county, where the
father engaged in farming until 1856,
when he brought his family to Iowa, set-
tling in Jefferson county. He was one of
the pioneers of that locality, and there
made his home until 1865, when he re-
moved to Des Moines county and pur-
chased the farm on which his son, Joseph
.\. Mclntire. now resides, the place then
comprising two Ininilred and five acres of
land, wliicli was then l)ul partially im-
proved. To its further development and
cultivation he (lev(3teil his energies
throughout the remainder of his active
business career, and there his last days
were past in rest from labor. He died at
the age of eighty-seven years, wdiile his
wife's death occurred when she was sev-
enty-five years of age. They were peo])le
of the highest respectability, holding mem-
bership with the Presbyterian church,
and exemplifying in their daily lives
their Christian faith. Mr. Mclntire was
a Whig ill politics in early life, and on

the dissolution of that party he joined
the ranks of the Republican party, up-
holding its banners in stalwart manner.
L'nto him and his wife were born five
children, of whom four are still living;
l)ut l-'phriam .A., a soldier of the Civil
War. died in the hospital at Keokuk,
Iowa.

Joseph .\. Mclntire spent the first si.\-
teen years of his life in the county of his
nativity and acc|uired much of his educa-
tion there, but also continued his studies
in the schools of Jefferson county, subse-
(juently to the removal of the family to
Iowa. He has always remained upon the
home farm, coming with his ])arents to
Des Moines county, settling with them in
Flint River township, and caring for them
in their declining days. His life has been
devoted to general farming, and he has
also followed st(X-k-raising to some ex-
tern, raising a high grade of stock.
Everything about his place is kept in ex-
cellent condition, in keeping with the
modern ideas of agricultural progress,
aTid neatness and thrift characterize the
entire farm. Mr. Mclntire has made atl-
(litions and improvements to his house
until he now has a fine two-story frame
residence.

His farm labors ha\e only been inter-
rui)ted once, and th;it was when he served
his country in the (.'ivil \\ ar. In .\ugust,
1862, he enlisted as a member of Com-
])anv E, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, and was
with his regiment for about a year and a
half, when he was honorably discharged
at Keokuk, on account of illness.

( )n the 27lh of November. 1884. Mr.
Mclntire was married to Miss Ella Beans,
a daughter of Elijah and Eliza J. (Sipe)
lieans. the former a native of Ohio and

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

907

the latter of Pennsylvania. They re-
moved to Iowa in 1863, settling in Des
Moines county, and the father engaged
in farming in Danville township. He
removed to Middletown in the spring of
1866, and wherever he lived was ac-
counted one of the valued residents of his
community. His fellow-citizens, recog-
nizing his worth and ability, called him
to public office, and he served for four
3'ears as justice of the peace, while for a
simifar period he acted as postmaster of
IMiddletown, under appointment of Presi-
dent Benjamin Harrison. His last three
years were spent in the home of Mr. Mc-
Intire, and he died Sept. 24, 1899, while
visiting in Ohio. He was then about
eighty years of age, his birth having oc-
cured March 19, 1819. His wife, who was
born Oct. 26, 1825, died Sept. 5, 1882.
They were members of the Baptist church,
and in their family were ten children, of
whom six are yet living.

Mr. and Mrs. Mclntire have become
the parents of six children and the family
circle yet remains unbroken by the hand
of death. These are : John Clifford,
born Nov. 25, 1885, now a student at
Mount Pleasant, Iowa : Cecil May, born
May 4, 1887; Fanny Jane, born Sept. 4,
188S; Bion Joseph, born July 11, 1891 ;
Emmons Renshaw, born Dec. 39, 1895 !
and Gail Bell, born Aug. 25, 1899. All
were born upon the homestead farm.
The parents are members of the Presby-
terian church. In his ])olitical views Mr.
Mclntire is a Re]niblican, having given
imfaltering support to the party since
attaining his majority. His life has been
quietly passed, his attention devoted to
agricultural pursuits, and yet his career
is commendable in that it is a type of

good citizenship, of reliability in busi-
ness, and of duty well performed.

OTTO WUNNENBERG.

Otto Wunnenberg, interested in gen-
eral farming, was born in Benton township,
this county, Feb. 28, i860, his parents being
Henry and Amelia (Rayfield) Wunnenberg.
The father was a native of Germany, and on
coming to America made his way to the in-
terior of the country, settling in Benton
township, soon after his marriage. He first
purchased forty acres of land, and with
resolute will and laudable ambition began
the development of his farm, to which he
added, as his financial condition made it
])ossible, until he was the owner of two
hundred and sixty-five acres of rich and
productive land, being recognized as one of
the most successful farmers of his com-
munity. He was ; respected by all for what
he accomplished, and for the manner of
his business dealings. He passed away in
April, 1898, at the age of seventy-nine years,
his death being regretted by many friends.
His wife departed this life in April, 1888,
at the age of fifty-eight years.

Otto Wunnenberg acquired hisi education
in the schools of Franklin township, al-
though his home was in Benton township.
He was reared to the occupation of farm-
ing, which he has always followed, and after
his marriage he rented a tract of land in
l<"ranklin township. In 1895 he ])urchased
seventy acres of land in Sections 2 and 11,
Franklin township, and he also has ten acres
of timber land which was a part of the old
homestead. He carries on general agricul-
tural pursuits, and also raises hogs, mostly

oo8

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAIllW

of the Polanil China breed, and lias a good
herd of cattle on his farm. His place is a
well-improved property, the thrifty appear-
ance of which is indicative of the careful
supervisiiMi of a ])ainstaking and progressive
owner.

Mr. Wunncnberg was united in marriage,
Sept. 2y, 1886, to Miss Anna Sielernian,
a daughter of Frederick and Sophia (Dirk-
mcyer) Sielerman, whose history appears
on another page. Mrs. Wunnenberg was
born in Benton township, Oct. 5, i86r, and
there grew up, attending the same school
with her husband, and also the German
parochial school. Unto our subject and his
wife have been born four children : Clar-
ence, Villars, Mary, and Grace.

While not an aspirant for office, he votes
with the Democratic party. While they
were reared in the Lutheran church, Mr.
Wunncnberg now attends the Presbyterian
church.

MAYOR J. A. BRIDGES.

M.woK J. -\. l'>uii)(;iis. tracing his an-
cestry back to New England, finds that
Benjamin Bridges, a native of Maine, was
a strong Wesleyan Methodist, and it is
supposed that earlier generations of the
family were Huguenots and fled to Amer-
ica because of religious persecution in
the Old World, desiring to have freedom
to worshij) according to the dictates of
their own consciences. They later set-
tled in Maine, where they became large
land-owners and prominent people.

Benjamin B)ridges, after reaching years
of maturity, became one of the pioneers
of the West, for at that time the entire
district bi-vcind the Alleghanies was con-

sidered "The West." . He located in
Washington county, Ohio, soon after his
marriage to .\bigail Ellenwood, and the
unimproved condition of the country is
indicatefl l)y the fact that it was necessary
for the settlers to build a strong stockade
ill which to seek refuge from Indian at-
tacks, so numerous were the red men in
the neighborhood, and such hostility did
they display toward the settlers who were
attempting to reclaim the wild region for
the purposes of civilization. These peo-
])le were among the first white settlers of
Ohio, and the Ellenwood family was es-
tablished in .Athens county, while the
Bridges family maintained their residence
in Washington county. Both families
were of considerable means, and were
held in high esteem and honor.

Benjamin Bridges, following the occu-
pation of farming, entered large tracts of
timber land, and labored assiduously and
untiringly to clear and develop his farms.
Me at length reduced the wild region to a
stall' 111 cultivation, and continued the
work of improvement until both his farms
were unsurpassed in all that goes to make
productive land and valuable farming
property. He and his wife remained
residents of Washington count\- through-
out their remaining days.

Their son, David Morris Bridges, the
sixth in order of birth in a family of
seven children, his natal day being Feb.
5, 1813, spent the days of his boyhood and
youth ui)on the old family homestead in
Washington county, where he acfjuired
the rudiments of an education in the early
subscription schools. His training at
farm labor, however, was not meager, for
he bore an active and helpful part in the
task of cutting down the trees, clearing

JAMES A. BRIDGES.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

911

away the brush, ancl grubbing up the
stumps, in order that the land might be
cultivated. The hunter had much oppor-
tunity to display his skill in the midst of
the green woods, and David M. Bridges
gained considerable reputation in that
direction ; in fact he was so expert with
the rifle that at a long distance he could
shoot the eyes out of a squirrel.

He maintained his residence in ^^'ash-
ington county until 1 841, when he emi-
grated to Iowa, settling on a farm in Yel-
low Springs township, upon a part of
which the \illage of Mediapolis now
stands. Here he was actively associated
with agricultural pursuits throughout his
remaining days, his death occurring April
15, 1870, when he was jifty-seven years of
age. He had been married, in Ohio, to
Miss Clarissa Haight, and they had a
daughter, Abigail, who was born in Ohio,
and became the wife of her cousin, Silas
Bridges, but is now deceased. Following
the removal of the parents to Iowa, two
other children were added to the family :
James Arthur, of this review; and John
D., wdio is represented elsewhere in this
work.

James A. Bridges was born in Yellow
Springs township, Feb. 7, 1844, and ac-
quired his education in the early district
and in subscription schools, greatly
broadening his knowledge, however,
through experience, observation, and
reading. He possesses a retentive mem-
ory, and keeps in touch with all the cur-
rent, topics of the times, being greatly
interested in the progress and prosperity
of the nation. His birth occurred upon
the farm of Ws maternal grandfather, at
Kossuth, just opposite the assembly
grounds, and during his early life he

knew little else than hard work incident
to the cultivation of the soil and the care
of crops.

There came an important change in his
life, however, when he was seventeen
years of age, for at that time, Oct. 10,
i86i, he enlisted as a member of Com-
pany K, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, being
enrolled at Kossuth, while at Davenport
he was mustered into the United States
service. The company was commanded
by Capt. William J. Campbell, and the
regiment by Col. William T. Shaw, and
was organized at Davenport, where the
men were drilled until December, and
then sent to Benton Barracks, St. Louis,
remaining there until the latter part of
January. By transports they proceeded
southward to Fort Henry, Tenn., where
they engaged in battle, capturing about
seven thousand prisoners. After the cap-
ture of Fort Henry, the army rested for
two weeks, and then started in pursuit of
the Confederate troops which had fled
from that locality. They followed them
to Fort Donelson, where a three-days'
engagement followed, occurring about
two weeks after the fight at Fort Henry.
Fort Donelson was captured, and there
Mr. Bridges became ill. He had, like
others, been forced to lie out in the rain
and snow all night, and it was so cold
that the hair and clothing of the men
froze to the ground. His terrible expos-
ure led to much illness, and Mr. Bridges
and others were sent to the army hos-
pital : but as Mr. Bridges was able to
walk, he was retained at the temporary
hospital, while others who were worse
off were taken to tlie permanent hospital.
The main army went froni Donelson to
Pittsburir Landinsf. After ten davs the

gl2

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEW

sick OIK'S were taken to Mound City and
I)laceil in the general hospital.

In tin- followinji; March Mr. llridges
was jfranted a furlough, and it was while
he was hoiiie on sick leave that the battle
of Shiloh occurred on April 6 and 7. The
rebels made several attempts to rout his
regiment, but failed, and received such a
hot receipt ion that the regiment and brig-
a<le became known as the "hornet's nest."
Tlu'v were finally surrounded, however,
and the brigade cajitured, and all able
men imprisoned: so that when Mr.
I'ridges was well eiioiigli to rcluiii in the
front, he had no command to join, and
was finally discharged because of general
disability, in February. 1863.

In May, 1864, however, he re-enlisted
for one hunilred days' service as a mem-
ber of C'om])any (i. I'orty-fifth Iowa In-
fantry, the cominaiirl being organized at
Keokuk under Col. William I)erryman,
of .Mount I'leasant, and Cajit. Thomas
Crowder. of C'omi)any ( i. The troojis
were niiislere(l in ;it Keokuk, in May.
1864, and sent down the river on trans-
ports to Memphis. Tenn., where they
went into camp, while later they were
transferred to Moscow, on Wolf River,
in Tennessee, where they had the ])r()tec-
tion of a little fort. They were sent to
guard both the railroad and wagon
bridges, preventing the enemy from de-
stroying them. There the Forty-fifth
Iowa remained until autumn, and on the
expiration of their term of service the men
were returned to Keokuk, and there dis-
charged in ( )ctol)er, i8r)4. In this com-
pany Mr. llridges luld tlu' rank of cor-
poral.

When again imisietcd out he returned
home, where he followed farming. Xot

long afterward he was marrie<l. having
on ]-"eb. 14, i8<)'), in Washington county,
< )hio, wedded Miss Klizabeth X'inceiit.
who was born in Washington county.
Ohio, in 1833. Her father, John N'incent.
was born in that county in i8o<>, and in
1832 married Kli/abeth Diistin, whose
birth occurred in ( )neida county. New
\'ork. whence she removed with her i)ar-
ents to t )hio when nine years of age.

.Mr.and Mrs. X'incent had two daughters
and a son : .Mary, the wife of Levi Jones;
Ivlizabeth, now .Mrs. liridges; and J. C.
X'incent. who niarrie<l Rose liartlett, and
resides on the old homestead in Ohio. He
learnvd the gunsmith's trade of his father,
and has made a success in that depart-
ment of labor. The father. John X'incent.
died in 1882. He was a son of X\ illiam
X'inceht, who was born in Providence,
R. I.. aTid while here residing in earl\ man-
hood he was emi)loyed in a paper mill.
He married ICIi/.abeth Karl, whose broth-
ers were sea cajjtains, and became dis-
linguished men of tlu-ir day. .^he was
liorn in 17')^, and died at the age of
eighty-seven years. This worthy couple
were the grand|)arents of Flizabeth Vin-
cent, who ga\e her hand in'marriage to J,
.X. Iiridges. as before stated. They be-
came the parents of twin sons. Henry
( aleb ;iii(l ilar\i-\ 1).. who were born
I'el). 5. i8(>7. Henry was drowned in
18S5. but llar\ey is now living in Fair-
field. Iowa.

In the f;ill of iW)8 .Mayor I'.ridges. with
his wife and two babes, started on a
])rairie schooner for Kansas, and about a
milceast of Girard he secured a claim r.nd
beg.ni farming. I'or fi\e years he re-
m;iineil there: but as he could not secure
a clear title he was forced from his place.

DES MO/XES COUNTY. IOWA.

9ii

and returned to Alcdiapolis. During the
residence of the family in Kansas two
daughters were added to the hotisehohl :
Nettie, who was born in February, i86y,
and is now the wife of Frank Hart, of
Sac county, Iowa. 1iy whom slie h.'is two
sons, Dwight and Leo; and Clara, who
was born in .\pril, 1872, and married
Robert Hart, by whom she also has two
sons, Orville Dennis and Lyle James.
Harvey Bridges is likewise married, hav-
ing wedded Alabel Warwick. l)y whom he
has a daughter, Margaret.

When Mr. I'ridges returned to Medi-
apolis, it was only with the intention of
making a visit to his mother, who was
then well advanced in years. His father
had died in the spring of 1872. (In reach-
ing his old home he found that his mother
was aging rapidly, and needed his care
and attention, and he decided to remain.
He was engaged in general teaming and
draying. which pursuit he followerl until
the succecfling year. He Iniilt a house,
and sent to Kansas for his goods, which
arrived in due course of time, and he has
since made his home at Mediapolis. .\fter
a time he traded his original house and
lot for a livery barn, and later he sold a
half interest in this building to William
Bradley, who was ])rnprietnr of the
Mediapolis Hotel.

Mr. Bridges, however, conducted the
li\ery and teaming business alone for
about a 3'ear. at the end of which time he
sold his interest in the lixer}- barn to a
new hotel ]iroprietor. and built a new
stable, which he conducted from the
spring until fall. He then entered into
.partnership with the firm of McDonald &
\^an Osdol, who were engaged in grain
dealing and stock shi]i])ing. the livery firm

name then becoming J. A. Bridges & Co.
This relation was maintained for about
nine months, at the end of which time
Mr. Bridges purchased his partner's inter-
est, and continued alone for about six
months. He then sold a half interest to
1. H. I'urcell. with whom he was asso-
ciated until the spring of 1877, when he
disposed of his interest to his partner.
He was then engaged for some time in
buying and selling stock and doing other
trading, and later he gave his attention to
the Imtchering business, conducting a
market for about a year. He then traded
his property interests for a hotel called
tlie Mediapolis House, which he con-
ducted f<jr four years, in the meantime
taking a contract for carrying the mail
from Mediapolis to Kossuth, Xorthfield,
lluron, and Kingston. For six years he
remained in the government service,
within which time he purchased a resi-
dence in Kossuth, and there took up his
abode, making his home at that place
until iSqi, Then he returned to Medi-
ajjoiis. and soon afterward purchased his
present home, which has since been his
|)lace of residence.

Following his return to this village
Mr. Bridges engaged in hauling milk ta
the Alcdiapolis creamery from many dif-
ferent farms in this part of the county.
In the spring of 1893 he was appointed
postmaster under President Cleveland,
and on July i entered upon the discharge
of his duties for a four-years' term. In
the spring of 1807 he joined a number of
other ])rominent and substantial business
men in organizing a stock company for
the purpose of establishing a Democratic
paper, under the title of the Mediapolis
Xcivs. and was elected one of the direct-

914

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ors of llic new company, since which time
he has served as secretary of the board,
while at llie jircsent writing he is also
general manager. This paper has a cir-
culation of aljout nine hundred, and is
published weekly, being one of the enter-
prising institutions of the village. A job
printing department is also conducted,
and is likewise proving profitable. At
the time of the organization of the com-
pany Mr. Bridges knew practically noth-
ing about printing, but he entered upon
his new duties with strong determination
ami linn jiiirpose; and possessing a recep-
tive mind and retentive memory, he soon
mastered the w-ork of the office, and has
since successfully managed the publica-
tion and the daily work connected there-
with. While the paper has never paid a
dividend to its stockholders, the equip-
ment of the plant has been considerably
increased and the credit of the company
is gilt-edged.

For many years Mr. Bridges has figured
prominently in local political circles,
wielding a wide influence, and laboring
effectively for the welfare of his party.
He has also been called to a number of
important positions in his community.
In 1874 he was elected assessor of the
township, and was one of the men who,
on July 17, 1875, were instrumental in
incorporating Mediapolis into a village.
Judge A. H. Stuttsman giving an order
from the district court for S. S. King,
S. B. Cartwright, Joseph Goudic, J. .\.
Bridges, and E. D. Sill to act as commis-
sioners to hold the first election to ascer-
tain the will of the people concerning in-
corporation. At the election held June
15, 1873, there were sixty-nine votes cast,
forty-four for incorporation and twenty-

five against it. The first mayor was
Charles P. King, while the members of
the council were Jacob Harper, Daniel
Kelly, J. A. Bridges, L. Talbott, A. H.
Cioodnow, J. W. McDonough, and Joseph
Goudie, who was clerk.

In 1877 Mr. Bridges was elected as
assessor, and in 1883 was chosen mayor,
at which time he served for one term. In
i8y8 was again elected, and in 1899 was
re-elected, this time for two years, the
term of office having been increased.

July I, 1902, he was appointed to fill a
vacancy in the mayoralty, and the fol-
lowing year was elected to fill out the
remainder of the unexpired term ; while
in 1904 he was once more re-elected, and
will continue as the incumbent until April
I, 1906. His administration of the high-
est office within the gift of his fellow-
townsmen has been marked by a careful
consideration of the public interests, de-
votion to the general welfare, by business-
like methods, and by support of every
measure that he deems will prove of prac-
tical benefit.

In January, 1904, he was appointed by
the board of county supervisors as a mem-
ber of the county soldiers' relief commis-
sion, to fill a vacancy for one year; and in
I'ebruary, 1905, was appointed for a like
term of three years by the same board,
and is now chairman of the commission,
which consists of three members.

At the meeting of the general assembly
of Iowa, ill i()02, Mr. Bridges received his
])artv vote for first assistant clerk of the
lower house. His party being in the
minority, naturally they had to give way
to the majority.

Mayor Bridges is not unknown in
fraternal circles, and in fact is an active

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

915

and valued member of several societies.
In 1875 he was made a Mason, joining
Progress Lodge, No. 226, and he served
for more than fifteen years as secretary ;
but his growing deafness caused him to
decline further service. He is now acting
for a second term as trustee of the lodge,
and in 1904 the organization erected an
elegant big business block and hall, cost-
ing about fourteen thousand dollars. Mr.
Bridges is a member of Sheppard Post, No.
157, Grand Army of the Republic, of Medi-
apolis, has several times served as its adju-
tant, was commander in 1894, and again in
1903, and has held other offices therein.
\Miile a resident of Kansas he belonged
to the Grange, and was there also an office
holder.

There is no resident of Mediapolis who
takes a more active interest in public
aiTairs than Mr. Bridges, and for many
years his history has been closely inter-
woven with the annals of the village. His
labors have contributed in substantial
measure to its upbuilding, and he has
wielded a wide influence in behalf of gen-
eral progress and improvement. He has
al^o held other minor offices, including con-
stable, assessor, city marshal, etc.

Viewed in a personal light, he is a
strong man, strong in his honor and good
name, and over his official record there
falls no shadow of wrong, for his public
duties have ever been discharged with
conscientious fidelity to the trust reposed
in him.

FRANK G. BURKHOLDER.

Frank G. Burkholder, whose name is
familiar to the old residents of Des Moines
county, is a native of the county, and was

reared in the comunity in which he was born.
He has seen the county transformed from a
sunny and flowery prairie to the settled
home of a great population, a result which
his industrial habits and manly vigor have
helped advance. A period of fifty years has
seen marvelous changes in the West. In
1852 Iowa was but a fringe of settlement,
with promise as to the future ; in 1905 it is
an imperial State, with a splendid develop-
ment not elsewhere accomplished in hun-
dreds of years. Then Des iMoines county
was mostly uncultivated prairie, with little
towns and hamlets that hardly hinted future
jjrosperity ; now it is a rich and fertile part
of a magnificent commonwealth. And all
this came easily within the life of the man
whose name appears at the head of this
article. He has .seen it, has been a part of
it. has done much to bring it about.

Frank G. Burkholder, residing on his
farm of one hundred and forty acres in Sec-
tion 34, Benton township, was born Jan. 11,
1852, in Burlington township, where he
remained till he was two years old. He
was the son of John and Catherine W.
(Inghram) Burkholder.

The father was a native of Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, and was born Feb.
18, 1813. His parents, Christopher and
Mary (Gordon) Burkholder, were also na-
tives of Pennsylvania. They became the
parents of five children, of whom John was
the eldest. The father was a millwright by
trade, but in connection with that occupation
also engaged in farming. As the family
was in limited circumstances, John began
to work when but fourteen years of age,
first in a cotton factory, where he remained
for five years, when he went to York. Pa.,
where he served an apprenticeship at the
stone-mason's trade, which occupation he

qi6

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

followed throughout life in connection with
farming. In 1836 he located in Natchez,
Miss., where he worked at his trade until
February of the following year; then, pur-
chasing two rtatboats, and loading them with
sand, he floated them down the river to New
Orleans, sold his sand, and. purchasing a
full supi)ly of clothing, took ])assage on the
steamboat " I"ancy." While making the voy-
age up the river, the Iwat took fire and was
burned, destroying all of his money and
clothes, leaving him entirely penniless, his
only remaining possession being a watch,
which he sold to pay his passage to Bur-
lington on another boat. He came to Des
Moines county in 1837, and shortly pur-
chased one hundred and twenty acres of land
in Section 27, Benton township, borrowing
the money (one hundred dollars at twenty-
five per cent interest) to pay for it.

Mr. Burkholder married Miss Catherine
W. Inghram in 1847. She is a native of Vir-
ginia, and a daughter of Arthur and Sarah
(Ankiam) Inghram, who were natives of
Pennsylvania, and wlm came to Des Moines
county in 1835. and settled west of Burling-
ton. In 184 1 Mr. Burkholder went to Iowa
City, and worked on the first state-house,
and was employed in the erection of the
court-house in Mt. I'leasant. In 1849 he
made an overland tri]) with ox-teams to Cal-
ifornia, with A. W. Gordon and Carrolton
Hughes, where he remained for two years.
In 1854 his home was destroyed by fire, but
with great energy he soon made good his
loss.

Mr. Burkholder was a very liberal Dem-
ocrat, and was justice of the peace for many
years, and also was a memlx;r of the board
of supervisors, as well as couiitv assessor.
when one man had cf)ntrol of the whole
county. .March 4, 1904, he laid down his

burdens, and passed peacefully away at the
ripe age of ninety-one years. He is buried
in Brazil cemetery. He was a good and just
man, full of enterprise and integrity, anil
had accomplished much for his community.
His widow resides with her son Frank, of
this review. She is a member of the Meth-
odist church, and a la<l\ whom to know is
to love and respect.

Mr. Burkholder was one of seven chil-
dren, all of whom are still living: Our sub-
ject ; Amanda, wife of Wm. Kellogg, Benton
township, Iowa: John, a farmer. Elk-
county, Kans. ; Louisa, wife of Jno. I'.
\\'alker, farmer. Ilenton township, Iowa;
James, farmer, \'an Buren county. Iowa :
Win. I., traveling man. Pendleton. Ind. :
Kate J., wife of James Eggcrs, farmer,
lienton townshij), Iowa.

When Frank G. Burkholder, fiur sub-
ject, was two years of age, his parents
moved from Burlington township to a place
four miles from Burlington, on the Mount
Plea.sant road, in I'lint River township,
where they lived till Mr. Burkholder was
seven years old. .\t this time they came to
Benton township, where the father pur-
chased the farm of one hundred and forty
acres on which Mr. Burkholder now resides.

Mr. Burkholder received his education
in the conmion schools of Flint River and
Benton townships, at the same time receiv-
ing the training in the practical work of
farm life that has lx>en the foundation of
his later success. He remained u|)on the
home farni in Hcntnii township, assisting in
the farm work, until he was twenty-one
years of age, then farmeil the ])lace for a
number of years afterward on shares until
18X5. The ne.xt four years he sjient in llall
county, Nebraska, where he rented land
anil engaged in farming, .\fter this he re-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

917

turned to the home farm in Benton town-
ship, which he operated for about four
years. In 1893 he rented and successfully
conducted the Ray farm, consisting of
three thousand five hundred acres in Huron
township. This he handled for nine years
with great success, carrying on a business
of stock-raising and selling, as well as gen-
eral farming. At the end of this time he
purchased the home place, where he has
lived since, continuing his work in general
farming and stock-raising that he made
such a successful beginning with on the
Ray place.

His success has been well sliown by the
great number of improvements that he has
made on the place since he became its
owner. He erected a large, substantial
dwelling house in 1902, to replace the old
homestead building : has built fine com-
modious barns and other buildings, and has
brought the entire farm under cultivation.
.\bout his home are found all the modern
jmprovements and conveniences that go to
prove that for real independence, happiness,
and comfort in living, we must look to our
country homes.

Mr. Burkholder, besides his private busi-
ness, takes a prominent part in township
afifairs, acting politically with the Demo-
cratic party. He was honored by re-elec-
tion to the office of assessor for the town-
ship for term after term, and was clerk of
the township for a number of years. He is
a man of unusual ability, and the confi-
dence that his neighbors showed in elect-
ing him to these positions of trust has been
amply justified by tlie highly efficient and
satisfactory manner in which he has per-
formed the duties of these offices.

]Mr. Burkholder was united in the holy
bonds of matrimony to Miss Lurein Hart-

man, who was born in Benton township, Feb.
5, 1867, a daughter of Zebulon Hartman.
Mr. Hartman was an early settler of Benton
township, coming to Iowa in early child-
iiood with his parents, who lived and died
in Benton township. The father was a
farmer, owning several large farms, and
engaged in the active work of general farm-
ing and stock-raising until the time of his
tleath, which occurred when he was about
seventy years of age, and is buried in Brazil
cemetery. He was a man who was held
in high esteem by all who knew him, for his
sterling integrity and business sagacity.
The mother of Mrs. Burkholder died some
years before her husband, and is interred
by her husband's side.

Mrs. Burkholder, who was one of a fam-
ily of seven children, was educated in the
common schools of Benton township, and
grevi' to womanhood here. She died at the
home place at the age of twenty-seven years,
on Feb. 7, 1904. She was a devoted wife
and a kind and loving mother, giving her
children loving care and service, and show-
ing toward her husband a loving sympathy
and helpfulness that did much to enable
him to win tHfe high degree of success that
he has attained in the community. She was
the mother of three children, all of whom
are living: Frank G., born Sept. 5, 1897,
while she and Mr. Burkholder were living
on the Ray farm in Huron township ;
Catherine, also born in Huron township,
April 19, 1899; and John, born on the home
place in Benton township, Dec. 27, 1903.

Mr. Burkholder is well known through-
out this section, and is esteemed by all who
know him for his thoroughly conscientious
attitude in all the affairs of life, especially
in matters touching the welfare of others.
The long and useful career, which is briefly

gi8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

outlined above, abounds with incidents
whicli illustrate the genuine worth and dig-
nity of his character. He has carried him-
self so well and so carefully that as he ad-
vances into the midst of the years he shows
a record of integrity and uprightness, so
that his life is worthy of study, and his
business career worthy of emulation.

CHRISTIAN MOHR.

CiiRisTi.w MoiiK, one of the highly
respected citizens of Flint River town-
.ship, Des Moines county, where he re-
sides upon a farm of forty acres of land,
is a native of Germaiiy, his birth ha\ iiit;^
occurred in Schlcswig. Dec. ii. 1S41).
lie resided at llu- [il.ue of his l>irtli until
about twenty-two years of age, and in the
meantime ac(|uircd his education in the
public schools.

lie came to America in 1X71. hinding at
IJoslon. .Mass., and after about three
years he made his way westward to Iowa,
locating in l)an\ille township, Ues
Moines county, where he worked on a
farm for a year. He theii. rcmoveil to
Augusta township, where he spent two
years, and on the ex])iration of that period
he returned to Danville township, where
he continued for three and a half years
more. He next removed to I-"lint River
townshii). where in- purchased liis ])resent
farm of forty acres, and has since made
it his home, devoting his time and ener-
gies to its cultivation. He has placed
many improvemnets upon this i)n)])erty,
making it a modern farm of model ei|uip-
ment, and now successfully carries on
general agricultural ])ursuils and stock-
raising.

Mr. Mohr was niarriecl in I'.urlington,

Feb. i.S, 1881, to Miss .Mary Wilke. who
was also born in Germany, coming to
.\merica with her parents about 1875.
Her father, .\ndrew Wilke, settled in
.'\ugusta township. Des Moines cctunty.
ancl during the latter years of his life lived
retired from active business cares. He
died about seven years ago, when sev-
enty-three years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Mohr have no children of
their own, but have reared three children,
bestowing upon them parental love, care,
and attention. These arc: Lhristina
Jjusse, who was born in Augusta town-
ship; Mary Wilke, who was born in Bur-
lington, and is now the wife of Oscar
Durr, a resident farmer of l-linl Ri\er
township: and Otto Kane}, born in I'lint
River township.

-Mr. Mohr is a member of the Lutheran
church of West Burlington, and is a Re-
publican in his political views. He
served as road sui)ervisor for two years,
but has not been active in ]iolitics as an
office seeker, preferring to concentrate liis
energies upon his private business affairs.
Purposeful effort and unremitting dili-
gence form the basis of the success which
he has gained while following farming
])ursuits in Des Moines county.

GEORGE EIDEMILLER.

George Eidemili.er, a prominent and
successful farmer and stock-raiser of .Au-
gusta township, is a son of Leonard and
Margaret (Rage) Eidemiller. whose birth
occurred on a farm near ."^herilles, Du-
l)U(|ue county, Iowa. His ])arents were
both born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germanv,

DES MOIXES COUXTY, IOWA.

919

where they were also married. They came
to America with httle or no money, in
1848. He had learned the trade of a
weaver, and was well trained as a musi-
cian to play the clarinet. He first lo-
cated in Pennsylvania, where he worked
at weaving for three years, and then took
up his music for a number of years. In
185 1 he came to Dubuque county, Iowa,
bought sixty-one acres of rich farming
land, and at once began the arduous task
of clearing it of timber. Selling this
place, he moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
but only staged there a short time, when
he went Isack to Dubuque county, and
again purchased one hundred and twenty
acres of land. Having a chance to sell
this farm to advantage, he moved to Mc-
Gregor, Iowa, and settled on a large piece
of land of about one hundred and forty-
four acres, where he lived til! after the
marriage of his son, of this review.

Our subject grew to manhood in Du-
buque county, on the farm of his father,
remaining there till he was considerably
past twenty-one years of age. In 1881 he
married Miss Minnie Prehm. She was a
daughter of Henry and C. (Shockel)
Prehm, and was born in Germany, and at
the time of her marriage was a resident
of Augusta township. This union was
blessed with five children: Lydia ; Hen-
ry ; Emma : Rosa ; Edward, died at the
age of four months. After their marriage
they lived with Mr. Eidemiller's father
for some years, but finally came to Au-
gusta township, where Mrs. Eidemiller
had inherited some fifty-two acres of
land. He soon added sixty-five more
acres, adjoining this place, and now car-
ries on general farming and raises a fine
lot of cattle.

Politically, Mr. Eidemiller is independ-
ent, but has never been one to seek the
honors of any office. He was raised a
Presbyterian and his wife a Lutheran, but
the family are now all Seventh-day Ad-
ventists, in which church, located in Bur-
lington, Air. Eidemiller is a deacon, and
is the superintendent of the Sabbath-
school in Middletown. He is a man of
honest convictions and integrity, one who
keeps abreast of the times, and has made
many friends in the county where he is
so well known. He receives his mail at
Middletown, Iowa, every day, as he is
in Rural Deli\'erv Xo. i.

JOHN SYDNEY SUTCLIFFE.

John Sydney Sutcliffe, interested in
general farming in Franklin township,
is a native of this locality, born Dec. i,
"1857. His father, James Sutclifife, was
born in Yorkshire, England, and was
married in that country to Anna Fernley,
also a native of Yorkshire. In the year
1854 he crossed the Atlantic to the New
World, and made his way into the interior
of the countr}^ at length taking up his
abode in Franklin township, Des Moines
county, Iowa, upon a farm belonging to
his brother. There he lived for a year,
after which he purchased one hundred
and forty acres of land on Section 28,
Franklin township. The remainder of his
life was devoted to general agricultural
pursuits, and he worked so persistently
and energetically in the tilling of the soil
that his farm became very productive,
and he annually sold large crops, which
returned him a good income. He died in

920

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

1873, while his wife, long surviving him.
passed away in i<;oo. having for almost
half a century hecn a resident of this
county.

Mr. Sutcliflfc, whose name introduces
this record. ac(|uired a common-school
education, and when not busy with his
text-books assistetl in the labors of field
and meadow, for he remained upon his
father's farm until twenty-seven years of
age. He then removed to his present
place of residence on Section 15, Frank-
lin township, where he has seventy-four
acres of rich and productive land. He
also owns forty-two and a half acres on
Section 30. of which tweiUy-two acres are
timber land. The remainder of this tract
he rents. He has placed all of the im-
provements upon the old homestead, has
erected good buildings, and has drained
his land by putting in about thirty-five
thousand feet of tile — in fact has more
tiling on the same amount of acreage
than any place in the county. In all of
his work he is practical, and he has been
(|iiick to adopt any new methods which
promise to prove of value in carrying on
the farm work.

Oct. 0, 1884, Mr. SutclilTe was united
in marriage to Miss Catherine Sleeter, a
native daughter of Franklin township.
Her parents were Henry and Catherine
Sleeter. both natives of Germany; and at
an early period in the development and
upbuilding of this section of the State
they became residents of Des Moines
county. I'lDth died in i'>04. there being
an interval of about three months be-
tween the dates of death. L'nto Mr. and
Mrs. SutclilTc were born five children :
John, married Mary Bates, of this town-
ship, has one child. Sidney Lewis, and

resides in Franklin township; Grace,
Catherine. \'erna. and Ruby, all at home.
Mr. Sutcliffe carries on general farm-
ing, his main crop being corn, and he
also raises horses, cattle, and Jersey Red
hogs. Everything about his ])lace is neat
and thrifty in appearance, and both de-
partments of his business are proving
profitable. His political allegiance . is
given to the Repidjlican i)arty ; and while
he has never sought or desired office, he
has ever been loyal to the interests of
the organization, and has kept well in-
formed on the issues of the day. He has
found in his farm work, however, ample
(jl^portunity for the exercise .of his talents
and energies, and in the control of his
agricultural interests has gained a place
among the substantial residents of his
native township.

WILLIAM BERLIN.

William Berlin, now residing on his
farm of fifty acres in Section 8. Franklin
township, where he is engaged in farm-
ing, is a native of the Fatherland, being
born in Pommern, Gennany, Jan. 15, 1850.
He received a good education in the Ger-
man schools, attending until fourteen
years old. He was raised a farmer, and
followed that occupation in his native
land, coming to the United States when
he was twenty-one years of age, in 1871.

I'pon coming to this country he re-
mained for a short time in Cleveland.
Ohio, and then removetl to Toledo, Ohio.
where he engaged as a farm hand, remain-
ing there until 1873. In that year he
came to Des Moines countv, Iowa, and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

921

located at Burlington, being employed as
a laborer. He was employed for nearly
nine years in the shops of the Chicago,
Burlington & Ouincy Railroad at West
Burlington, working as a helper in the
boiler shop.

In 1890 he removed to a farm of one
hundred and fifty acres in Flint River
township, renting there, and remaining
for ten years. In 1900 he purchased a
farm consisting of fifty acres, which he
brought under cultivation, and where he
made himself a comfortable home; but
in 1905 he sold this place, and has bought
a good farm of one hundred acres near
Monroe City, Ralls county. Mo., where he
intends to locate in 1906.

Mr. Berlin's parents never came to this
country, both dying in Germany. July
22, 1874, Mr. Berlin was united in mar-
riage to Miss Dorothy Anna Richter.
She was also a native of Germanv, being
born in Saxony, where her parents died
when she was a small child. She came
to the United States in 1873, and lived in
Burlington till the time of her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Berlin have been blessed
with a family of six children, of whom live
are still living. The oldest son, C. Her-
man, is a farmer, residing in Franklin
township. He was married to Miss
Laura Heitmeier, a native of Franklin
township, and who now with her hus-
band still lives on the same farm on
which she was born, the place now be-
longing to her father. They have one
living son, Wilfred. Herman Berlin was
in the Philippine Islands during the war
there, and served during the entire period
of the war. The second child of Mr. and
J\Irs. William Berlin is a daughter, Eliz-
abeth, the wife of Christ Luth, of Bur-

lington, and is the mother of three chil-
dren, Edward, Clara and Minnie. Wil-
liam is a farmer, residing in Franklin
township. Edward is also engaged in
agriculture, in Franklin township. Emma
resides with her brother William, mak-
ing a home for him. The youngest child,
Henry, died at the age of seven weeks.
All the children were born in Des iMoines
county, and all received good common-
school education in the public schools of
the community.

Mr. Berlin has always taken a practical
interest in the progress of the cause of
popular education in the neighborhood,
and has given valuable service to the pub-
lic schools, by acting as director of
schools of the district. In his political re-
lations, Mr. Berlin has affiliated with the
Republican party, which he considers
represents in its principles the best forms
of popular government. He is a genial
man of well-developed social nature, one
who is justly popular in his home com-
munity, and who in his sturdy, thrifty
ways and stanch integrity is a worthy
representative of the better element of
agriculturists of the county. He has won
his success solely by his own efforts,
building his way up from the bottom of
the ladder to a position of prominence
among his neighbors, who honor and re-
spect him for what he has accomplished.

FREDERICK J. GARDNER.

Frederick J. Gardner, engaged in the
raising of cereals and fruit, and also con-
ducting a dairy business in Franklin town-
ship, is one of the citizens that the Father-

022

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

land has furnished to Des Moines county,
for his birth occurred in Detmold,- Prussia,
July 29, 1842, his parents being John B.
and Florence (Huneke) Gardner. In the
spring of 1849 the father with his family
sailed from Germany to New Orleans, being
six weeks upon the ocean ; and after reach-
ing the Crescent City, he continued up the
Mississippi River by steamer to Burlington,
where he lived for a year. His wife, liow-
ever, died in July, 1849, <'*"<^' '" ^'''^ spring of
185 1 the father was again married, subse-
quent to which time he removed to Benton
townsliij), w here lie had purchased a farm of
eighty acres, on which he spent his remain-
ing days. His attention was then given to
agricultural pursuits until his death, which
occurred July 4, 1895.

Frederick J. Gardner was not yet seven
years of age when, with his parents, he came
to the United States. He remained with his
father until the fall of 1861, and then took
11]) his abode in Burlington, where he became
engaged in the grocery business in connec-
tion witli his brother-in-law, Fred Balbert.
That relation was maintained for six years,
at the end of which time Mr. Gardner sold
his interest to his partner, and turned his
attention to farming upon a tract of rented
land. In August, 1867, however, he again
went to Burlington, where he engaged in
business as a dry-goods clerk for the firm
of Schram & Schmieg. This relation was
maintained until 1881, at the end of which
time the firm embarked in the wholesale
business, while Mr. Gardner, in connection
with Andrew Peterson and J. S. Park,
bought the retail dry-goods house formerly
conducted by the firm. He was thus iden-
tified with mercantile interests in Burling-
ton until 1888. when the stock was sold,
and Mr. Gardner accepted a clerkship in

the dry-goods store of J. S. Schram, re-
maining there for three years.

He next turned his attention to agricul-
tural pursuits. In 1891 he bought a farm
of one hundred and seven acres on Section
24, Franklin township, hiring a man to work
the place for two years. In 1893 he took
up his abode on the farm, since which time
he has erected several buildings. In all of
his work he is very progressive, keeping in
touch with modern thought concerning agri-
cultural development. He has planted sev-
eral hundred apple, plum, peach, and pear
trees, and thus has an excellent orchard,
which yields its fruits in season, and con-
tril)utes in no small degree to his income,
lie has also established a dairy, and now has
about twenty cows. In the manufacture of
butter he uses modern methods, including
a gasoline engine, a separator, and like re-
cent inventions.

July 4, 1866, Mr. Gardner was married to
Miss Susan G. Mott, who was born in Des
Moines county, and is a daughter of Michael
and Jane (Hollis) Mott, the former a native
of England and the latter of Germany. In
early life the father crossed the Atlantic to
New ^'ork. while the mother's people came
to America in 182 1, and from the Empire
State removed to Ohio, and thence to Illi-
nois, coming to Des Moines county, Iowa,
.May 10, 1835.

.Mr. and Mrs. Gardner have become the
parents of six children : John, at home ;
Lucius, a rancher in Colorado ; Walter, also
at home ; Nettie, of Burlington ; Alice, a
teacher in the public schools of Burlington ;
and IHorence, a stenographer in Derby's mill
in Piurlington.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardner are members of
the -Methodist Episcopal church of Sperry,
in the work of which thev take an active in-

DES MOIXES COUNTY, IOWA.

923

terest. He is now serving as its treasurer,
and does all in his power to promote the
various departments of church work. In
politics he is a Republican, while fraternally
he is connected with the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. He has a wide and
favorable acquaintance in business circles in
Burlington, and is making a creditable rec-
ord as a practical and enterprising agricul-
turist : and his property is an indication of
his business ability, for all that he possesses
has been gained through his own labor.

WILLIAM H. HURLBUT.

William H. Hurlbut is the sole
owner of the lumber and grain business
at Danville, and is one of the progressive,
enterprising, and active business men of
Des Moines county. He was born on a
farm in Danville township in 1851, his
parents being Thomas K. and Jane
(Tweedy) Hurlbut, both of whom are
residing in Danville township. His boy-
hood days were spent on the home farm,
and after pursuing his preliminary edu-
cation in the country schools, he pur-
sued a course of study of more than four
years in Denmark Academy, from which
institution he was graduated with the
class of 1874.

Later he engaged in teaching for a
number of years, in Waukesha, Wis., and
Minneiska, Minn., and he attended the
Normal Schools at AVinona, Minn., and
Whitewater, Wis. He afterward ac-
cepted a position as bookkeeper and
cashier with railway contractors in South
Dakota, acting in that capacity for four
years J and on the expiration of that

period he returned to his home, where
he engaged in farming with his father.

In the meantime he had invested in
land, and in his agricultural pursuits he
met with very gratifying success ; but in
1897 he directed his business efforts into
another channel of activity, purchasing
the elevator and becoming a grain mer-
chant at Danville. The following year he
established the lumber business, and he
also handles tile and brick.

In 1901, in connection with others, he
organized the Danville State Savings
Bank, of which he was made a director
and the first president; thus his business
interests were closely connected with the
commercial, industrial, and financial ac-
tivities of Danville. He is emphatically
a man of enterprise, positive character,
indomitable energy, and strict integrity;
and he belongs to that class of represen-
tative men, who, while promoting indi-
vidual success, also contribute to the gen-
eral prosperity.

Mr. Hurlbut was married, in 1898, to
Miss Katherine Allen, of Montgomery
county, Missouri, who was born near Ober-
lin, Ohio, and was educated in Kirksville
and in Warrenton, ]\Io. She afterward be-
came a teacher, and was following that
profession in Danville when she made the
acquaintance of ]\Ir. Hurlbut. Her par-
ents were Samuel and Mary (Hikock)
Allen. Mr. and Mrs. Hurlbut now have
three children: Frances Allen, Ruth
Alethea, and Marian Allen. Mr. Hurlbut
cast his first presidential ballot for U. S.
Grant, in 1872, and has since been a stal-
wart Republican, but never an office-
seeker. To every enterprise calculated to
advance the prosperity of Danville he is
a generous contributor, and has been an

024

BIOGRAPHICAL RF.VIFJV

important factor in the development of
that city, of which he is one of the most
popular rcsitlents.

JACOB FREDERICK WAGNER.

A SUBSTANTIA!, and progressive business
man of Burlington, Iowa, is Jacob Fred-
erick Wagner, who was born at Madi-
son, Ind., May 20, 185 1, a son of Nicholas
and Mary (Yeager) Wagner. When only
one vear old he removed from his hirlli-
place with his parents to this city, and here
he. has ever since resided. His education
was received in the public schools of the city,
and on the completion of his education he
entered the employ of George Kreichbaum
for the purpose of learning the trade of tin-
smith. He served a full apprenticeship of
four years, after which he was engaged
with others employing tinsmiths until the
year 1901. On March i of that year he
began business for himself, locating at
1202 North Eighth Street, and here he has
ever since enjoyed increasing success and
prosperity. He executes all kinds of tin,
sheet-iron and sheet-metal job wi»rk and
repairing, and makes a specialty of gutter-
ing, spouting, and roofing. His handiwork
is in evidence on nearly all the public build-
ings and finest private residences of the city
of Burlington, while his labors frequently
take him into the rural districts of Des
Moines count), and lie is frequently called
to surrounding towns and cities.

Fraternally. Mr. Wagner is a well-known
member of the .\ncient Order of United
Workmen, which organization he joined on
May 20, 1891. while his religfious relations
identify him with St. John's Catholic

church. He has always refused public
ofiicc, although he has often been solicited
to accept such honors, and may be fairly
considered as entitled to them because of
standing as an intUiential member of the
Democratic part}-, which he has always
loyally supported. On Nov. 30, 1S75, he
married Miss Amelica C. Vogt, daughter
of Frederick and I'licebc \'ogt, and td
them have been born nine children : Walter,
Arthur, Edward, Julius, William, Alice,
Carrie, Elsie, and Frederick, all of whom
reside in Burlington. Mr. Wagner, by the
success which he has achieved in a business
way, has shown himself to he the possessor
of genuine practical ability, while as elo-
quent testimony to the strength and upright-
ness of his character may be mentioned the
large number of friends whose esteem he
has won.

MAJOR J. N. MARTIN.

Majou I. N. M.\RTiN, an honored vet-
eran of the Civil \\'ar. who has been equally
loyal to his country in public service in days
of peace, has had a varied career, calling
him into various parts of the country, and
entailing upon him a multiplicity of duties
which have given him broad experience.
Since July, iSycj, he has filled the position
of deputy collector of internal revenue at
Burlington, has been an active and valued
factor in community affairs, and a recog-
nized leader in local Republican circles.

Major Martin was born in Lubec, Me..
July 14, 1844, and is descended from Welsh
ancestry. Re[)resentatives of the name re-
moved from the little rock-ribbed country
of \\ales to the north of Ireland, whence the
grandfather of Major Martin came to the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

025

New World. The family were Protestants
in religious faith. James H. Martin, father
of Major Martin, Ixirn in 1815, was a resi-
dent of New Brunswick in early life, and
afterward removed to Maine. He was suc-
cessively a coast pilot, seaman, and first
officer of a vessel, and he died in 1864, on
the James River, while in the United States
transport service. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Martha Olson, was a native
of Dublin, Ireland, born in 181 7, and be-
longed to a Catholic family. She died in
Lubec, Me., in 1902. in the eighty-fifth
year of her age. In the family of James H.
and Martha Martin were the following
named : George W., deceased ; Peter A., and
Mary E., residents of Maine ; Margaret,
deceased; John H., and Andrew P., who are
living in Rhode Island ; George H., of the
State of Washington ; and Charles, deceased.
Two of the brothers, Peter and John, were
soldiers of the Civil War, the former serving
as commissary sergeant, while the latter
was on a revenue cutter.

P>orn in a seaport town, Major Martin
worked through the summer months and in
the winter seasons attended school. He
went to sea in the coasting service, and was
thus engaged at the time of the outbreak of
the war of the Rebellion. He was a lad of
only seventeen years when, in 1861, he en-
listed as a private in Company A, Fifteenth
Maine Infantry, serving under command
of Capt. P>. P). IMurray. He was with
the New England division of the Armv of
the Gulf, and served four years and eight
months, re-enlisting in January, 1864, while
in Texas, in the same company and regi-
ment. He participated in the capture of
New Orleans, the Red River expedition un-
der General Banks, and the Texas cam-
paign of 1863-64. He was sent North and

joined Grant's army on the James River,
in July 1864, and went to Washington with
his regiment at the time of the raid, to pre-
vent the capitol from falling into the
hands of the rebels. His regiment was then
granted a thirty days' veteran furlough,
which was spent in Maine. Returning to
the South, he joined Sheridan's army in
the Shenandoah valley.

Following the surrender of Lee his regi-
ment was ordered back to Washington, and
stationed as guard about the city at the time
of President Lincoln's assassination. Fol-
lowing the grand review he was ordered
to Savannah, Ga., and then to Georgetown,
S. C, where the regiment was divided and
distributed over the State, occupying the
county-seats to maintain order, administer
the oath of allegiance to the Confederate
.soldiers, and to divide crops among the
freedmen. He was mustered out at Charles-
ton, S. C, July 5, 1866. From the ranks he
was successively promoted to corporal, ser-
geant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and
captain,' and was discharged as captain of
Company A. He had been brevetted major,
April 9, 1864. He was not off duty a week
during his entire service, except while on
veteran furlough. At the time of the
Spanish-American War, he again attempted
to enter military service, making application
to the governor of Iowa and the governor
of Maine.

Major Martin came West in 1867, and
was with the engineering corps of the Bur-
lington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Rail-
road. He learned the business, and was
with that road until 187 1, during the later
years having charge of construction, and
was assistant chief engineer on the Burling-
ton & Southwestern until 1872, when he
took a contract to build the bridges from

026

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAIIIW

Moulton, Iowa, soutli to Lexington, Mo.
He was engaged hi contracting for about
six years. He was also connected with the
Iowa Central Railroad, building approaches
on Ijoth sides of the Keithsburg bridge over
the Mississippi River. He afterward did
general contracting, building the Valley
Street sewer to Fifth Street, in Burlington,
in 1880.

Mr. Martin has visited the West on vari-
ous occasions. He has visited California,
Oregon, and other Western districts, and
since coming to Burlington has visited
every Western State. He made one trip
to Alaska in 1884. Following the building
of the L'liion I'acific Railroad he went to
the West, and has prospected in nearly every
State, including Wyoming and Colorado,
and also in tlio Ilritish Possessions to the
north, but has never met with success in
his search for gold in the mines.

In liurlington. in 1870, Major Martin
married Miss Zilla L. Parsons, who w'as
born in I'arsonfield, Me., and they now
have fi)ur living children: James N.. who
is auditor in the L'nited States engineer's
office, at Louisville. Ky. : ^largaret L.. a
pianist and music teacher : Frank P., who
is prospecting in .-Xlaska ; and Olive ^L, who
has been a student of voice culture in Chi-
cago and Louisville, having an excellent
voice. Mr. and Mrs. .Martin also lost two
children: John L., who died at the age of
twenty-four years; and Zilla. who died at
the age of one year.

Major Martin is a member of the Grand
.\rmy of the Re])ublic, and attended the
national encampment at Washington, in
1892. In politics he has always been a
stanch Republican, active in the work of
the partv. He served as city marshal
of Burlington mider Mayor .Adams, fill-

ing the ]3osition for one term and a part
of another. In 1890 he was appointed
postmaster by President Harrison, filling
the position for four years ; and in July,
i8<><^ he received a])])i)intment to his present
j)osition, that of deputy collector of internal
revenue. No public trust reposed in him
has ever been Ix-trayed in the slightest de-
gree, and he stanils to-day as one of the
honored men of the city because of his
capable service in office and his unfaltering
loyalty to his country in the darkest hour
of Iier historv.

CHARLES A. STROTHMAN.

Charles A. Strothman, widely known
by reason of his long connection with pub-
lic life and his career as a successful farmer,
is now residing in Pleasant Grove tCAvnship
on his farm of one-hundred and two acres,
situated in Sections 34 and 35, in addition to
which he owns a half interest in the old
family home fann of one hundred acres in
Section 27. Mr. Strothman was born in
this township Feb. 28, 1862. a son of Fred-
erick and Louisa (Liemkuhln) Strothman.
The father was a native of Westphalia, Ger-
many, and emigrated to America in the "40's,
landing at Xew Orleans after a voyage of
approximately three months' duration, and
thence coming up the river to St. Louis.
He remained in that city for only a few
months, however, soon coming to Burling-
tiin. Des Moines county, where he began to
look for a farming location. He decided to
'settle in Pleasant Grove township, bought
forty acres of land there, and by hard and
unremitting toil achieved a considerable de-
gree of ])rosperity. He added to his farm

CHARLES A. STROTHMAN AND WIFE.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

929

from time to time until he owned one-
hundred and forty acres, all of which he
cultivated. He was by trade a stone-mason,
and besides agriculture and stock-raising
did some work at that trade. He was a
Democrat in his political leanings, and was
among the most progressive and enterpris-
ing element of the community. He was a
lifelong member of the German Methodist
Episcopal church. His death occurred in
September, 1882, in the seventy-second year
of his age, and his passing was matter for
general regret.

The mother of our subject was, like her
husband, a native of Westphalia, accompa-
nied him to America, and was throughout
her life a devoted member of the church
with which he was identified, being in the
truest and best sense his helpmeet and friend.
The date of her demise, which occurred at
the home of our subject, was January, 1901.
She was the mother of six children, of
whom one, Henry, died on the voyage to the
United States, and the others are as follows :
William F., who died at the age of forty-
four years, was a farmer of Washington
township, and married Miss Elizabeth
Daum, who survives him, and now resides
in ]\Iissouri ; Serena, the wife of John
Reusch, a butcher by trade, and a resident
of Burlington : Caroline, the wife of Will-
iam Hanne, engaged in the grocery busi-
ness in Burlington : John H., engaged in
farming in Washington township, this
county, and Charles A., the subject of the
present sketch.

The education of Mr. Strothman was
begun in the rural district schotjls of his
native township, and later he became a stu-
dent in Howe's Academy, at Mount Pleas-
ant, continuing in that institution during
two winter sessions. During the four vears

immediately succeeiling he was engaged as
a teacher in the district schools of Pleasant
Grove township, and on relinquishing that
work, began operating his father's farm.
This he continued successfully until 1895,
when he ])urchased his present holdings,
where he has ever since carried on general
farming and stock-raising. The farm has
been greatly improved since he assumed its
management, and modern methods have
been introduced throughout.

On Dec. 25, 1892, at Pleasant Grove, Mr.
Strothman married I\Iiss Mary Parma
Obermann, a daughter of Frederick and
T\Iary A. (Hale) Obermann. Mr. Ober-
mann was born in Darmstadt, Germany,
coming to the United States during the
'40's, when but fourteen years of age. At
Cincinnati, Ohio, he learned the trade of
carpenter and cabinet-maker, and at this
he worked in Virginia for some years. He
then came to Iowa and bought a small home
in Pleasant Grove township, Des Moines
county, where he worked at his trade dur-
ing the remainder of his active life, and
also ran a small dairy. He is a member of
the Lutheran church, and his standing as a
citizen and as a man has always been of
the highest and most irreproachable in every
respect. Airs. Obermann was born in
Indiana, and came to Iowa as a child, her
marriage taking place in this State in 1857.
She died Jan. 16, 1892. She was the
mother of seven children, as follows :
Charles, who died in his forty-third year ;
Etta, wife of J. H. Coad, a farmer of
Cawker City, Kans. : George, a resident of
Washington township, Des Moines county,
where he is engaged in farming and stock-
feeding; Alfred William, a plumber by
trade, and a resident of the city of Burling-
ton: Mary Parma, wife of our subject;

93°

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

EDWARD GOTTSCHALG.

Bismarck, a fanner of Pleasant Grove town-
ship ; and Henry, also a farmer and a resi-
dent of Henry county. A worthy representative of the

To Mr. and Mrs. Strothman have been younger and more i)rogressive agricul-

born four children, all of whom, except tural element of Des Moines county, is

the eldest, who was born at the home of Edward Gottschalg, of Huron township,

the grandparents, claim their i)resent home who was born in Chicago, 111., Jan. 24,

as place of birth. They are as follows: 1867, the son of Jofin and Mary (Brower)

Bertha E., born Oct. 15, 1894; Grace V., Gottschalg. When only five years of age

born Feb. 18, 189C; Gladys C., born July lie came with his parents to Huron town-

22, 1899; and Charles F., born June 11. ship, but remained only two years, mov-

1901. All are being educated in the local i"g then to Delaware, where he lived for

public schools. seven years. .\t the end of that time he

In his political relations .Mr. Strothman returned to Huron township, which has

has always been a consistent and active sup- since been his home. There were nine

porter of the great Democratic party, in
whose tenets he is a firm and conscientious
believer, and by his fellmv-citizciis has fre-
quently been called u()on to undertake the
service of the ])ublic in various capacities.
He first served as constable for a number

children in the lamil\', when he was at
home as a boy : Albert, Molly Louise,
John, .\nna. William, Frank. Eva Mary,
.\melia Laura. His father. John Gott-
schalg. was born Nov. JO. 1829, and died
Dec. 16, i8</> The mother is still living.

of years, and the second public office to making her home with a daughter at

which he received election was that of Keithsburg, 111.

justice of the peace, in which the duration l^ngaged in tin- work of his father's
of his tenure was five years, while he has farm. Edward ( iotlschalg grew to man-
since been in turn tcAvnshi]) clerk for five hood amid surroundings well fitted to
years and assessor for two years. He is form and inii)art those strong, self-reliant,
now again occupying the office of township and energetic traits of character which
clerk. This long and honorable record has have since made him successful and re-
been marked by eminent efficiency and by spected. Meanwhile he was acquiring in
fidelity to duty at all times without regard the public schools of his township a good
to personal or partisan interest, and the and thoroughly practical education, and
great popularity which he enjoys has been this he has supplemented by a life of in-
worthily won and justly bestowed. .A good telligent observation.

neighbor, a true friend, and an able and Feb. 2, 1893, he was united in mar-
upright official, he has fully merited the riage to Miss Mattie Puckett, daughter
public favor. As a farmer he has by in- of John and Martha Jane (Oakley)
dustry and careful management achieved Puckett. To tlii- union have been l)orn
a very substantial success, but his chief four children, three girls and one boy, of
claim to consideration lies in the fact of whom two girls are living: The children
each duty being faithfully performed as it are as follows. Elsie Fern, born July 26,
came to him. 1894. and died .'-;e|)t. iS. i.Xcjj; Myrtle Fay,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

931

born Sept. 20, 1896; Frankie Edward,
born Nov. 11, 1898, and died when a
month old; and Nellie lona, born IMarch
2, 1 901.

Mr. Gottschalg owns eighty acres of
the finest farming land in Huron town-
ship, in Section 4, and there he is suc-
cessfully engaged in the business of farm-
ing; and by the exercise of judgment,
foresight, and careful calculation, has se-
cured very gratif3'ing financial rewards.
Mr. Gottschalg has on all occasions
manifested a progressive tendency, and
has never failed to support any project
that he considered proper for the mate-
rial and moral advancement of the com-
munity in which he lives. He is devoted
to the cause of right and justice in all
their aspects, and has always been a be-
liever in the duty of the citizen to make a
study of questions affecting the public,
and to assist, with whatever ability he
may possess, in their solution. He has
never aspired to the holding of public of-
fice, but in order to perform his part in
local government he has taken a share in
the work of the Republican party, and has
been a stanch supporter of its chosen
leaders.

Mr. and Mrs. Gottschalg are active
members of the Methodist Protestant
church, Mr. Gottschalg being a class-
leader in the same. Thus his activities
bear no taint of self-seeking, but have all
been calculated to benefit the community
which claims his citizenship, and to bene-
fit humanity at large. He and his wife
bear a valued part in the social life of the
community, and have many friends
throughout Des ^loines county, who rec-
ognize their ability, and predict for them
a future of usefulness and honor.

JOHN MILTON WATSON.

John Milton Watson, who owns a
farm of fifty-five acres in Section i, Yel-
low Springs township, and also cultivates
fifty acres belonging to his father, was
born in this township Aug. i, 1854, his
parents being Alexander and Lavina Ann
(Lee) Watson. His father has always fol-
lowed the occupation of farming, and is
still living, being now one of the vener-
able citizens of the county. The mother,
however, has departed this life, having
died June 30, 1904, when seventy-five
years of age.

John Milton ^^'atson acc|uired his edu-
cation in the Hazel Grove School in Yel-
low Springs township, his time being di-
vided between the work of the school-
room, the pleasures of the playground,
and the duties of the home farm. He was
early instructed concerning the practical
methods of tilling the soil, and has always ,
engaged in general agricultural pursuits.
He continued to assist his father in the
operation of the old home place until
twenty-three years of age, when he was
married.

It was on March 7, 1884, that he wedded
^liss Elmira Kneedy, who was born June
22, 1853, a daughter of John and Ann
(Higgins) Kneedy, and a native of Mary-
land. She came to Des Moines county
with her parents when she was about
eight or nine years old. They located in
Burlington, where her father worked at
the cooper's trade, which he had previously
learned.

Five children have graced this mar-
riage: I^lorence Armilda, Bertha May,
.-\my Rebecca, Albert Lee, and Raymond
Carl. The famih' circle vet remains un-

932

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

broken by the hand of ileatli. but two of
the (laughters are away from home,
liertlia May is now the wife of Lee Mc-
Clintock. and they reside in Section 3,
Yellow Springs township, moving here
from Dover. .Mo., where they lived for a
time. Florence is the wife of George W.
Boston, by whom she had three children:
Ralph, the only one living; John died at
the age of about eleven months ; and one
who died in infancy. Mrs. Boston is now
making her home with her father.

Mr. Watson has lived a <|iiict life, his
energies being concentrated upon his
farm work. By his untiring diligence an<l
hard work he has brought about the ex-
cellent condition of his hume ])lacc. put-
ting on all of the improvements. Besides
building a new residence in 1900, he has
drilled a dcej) well at an expense of about
$200. Me has fenced his entire property
and added other improvements, till he
now has a very comfortable and cozy
home near the north line of Des Moines
couiitv.

FREDERICK BOCK.

TiiK name of Frederick Bock became
actively associated with the business his-
tory of Flint River township, and in trade
circles he sustained an unassailable repu-
tation; but those who knew him in other
walks of life also entertaineil for bin) the
highest regard. He was a son of Freder-
ick I'ock, and was born in Gubeardstadt,
Germany, about 1823. He came to
-Xnierica in 1864. and settled in Burling-
ton township. Des Moines county. Iowa.
Soon after this he bought a place of one
hundred and sixty acres on Sections 14

anil 22,. in Flint River township, where he
lived till his death, which occurred Sept.
16, 1893, at the ailvanced age of seventy-
one years. He gave his political alle-
giance to the Republican party, and was
ever loyal to all of its greatest needs.
He was an esteemed member of the Ger-
man Evangelical church.

In 1884, Mr. Bock was married to
Mrs. Mary (Thurman) Houer, of Des
.Moines county, who is a daughter of
John and Catherine (Schulz) Thurman,
and is a native of Machdenberg. Ger-
many, her birth occurring Dec. 16, 1829.
Her first husband was William Houer,
and they had one child, William, who
died at the age of six weeks. Mr. Houer
passed away in .\ugust, 1882, aged fifty
years. The memorj' of Mr. Houer is en-
shrined in the hearts of all who knew
him.

Mrs. Bock adopted Charles Grothe, son
of Henry and Dora (Ileinsauer) Grothe,
who was born in West Phalen, Germany,
.Xjiril 26, 1882. He came to America
when only two years old. His father
came before the family did, and met his
death in 1884 while walking on the rail-
road tracks, being struck by a Qiicago,
Burlington & Quincy train and instantly
killed. His widow later married Christ
Pistorius, a prosperous stone-mason of
Burlington. Iowa. They reside at 206
South Woodlawn .\venue. .Mrs. Bock
gave her adopted son a good home and a
fair education in the district schools.
After her husband died she sold the
Bus.se place, and bought one hundred and
twenty acres in Sections 7 and 8, in Flint
River township. Her adopted son super-
intends the farming interests of Mrs.
Bock. They ha\ e made all the improve-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

93:

nients on the place, putting up all the
necessarj' outbuildings for grain and stock,
and now have a comfortable home and new
barn thirty by forty feet, which they erected
in 1903. They do fanning and gardening
and also raise stock.

Mrs. Bock is a woman who has passed
through much trouble, but each trial
seems to have made her more able and
better fitted to endure the burden of life.
.She is respected throughout the township
for her many deeds of kindness. Charles,
her adopted son, also commands the uni-
versal respect and esteem of all friends
and neighbors for his sterling business
qualifications, and for the attention which
he exhibits constantly towards his mother
in his efforts to make her-comfortable.

FRANK L. MARSTELLER.

Frank L. Marsteller private secre-
tary to Dr. J. S. Caster, magnetic physician,
who is mayor of Burlington, is a native of
Lafayette, Ind., and was born Oct. 13, 1865.
His father, William Holmes Marsteller, and
his brothers started a carriage factory in
Lafayette, and being very prosperous, grew
wealthy. The grandfather, father, and
three brothers of the father of our subject
were in the Civil War. His father's
youngest brother was only thirteen years of
age -when he enlisted as drummer boy in the
Twenty-second Indiana Regiment, but ad-
vanced to the rank of adjutant. The great-
grandfather of Mr. Marsteller. Major Wil-
liam Henry Holmes, belonged to one of the
old families of the Dominion, was a soldier
in the Revolutionary War. and was a pall-
bearer at the funeral of General George
Washington.

After Mr. Marsteller passed through the
high school of Champaign, 111., he came to
Burlington, being about seventeen years of
age, and accepted a position as night clerk
of the old Barrett House, which was then
conducted by Bell & Sweeny. He attended
Elliott's Business College during the day,
from which he was graduated, and then
became the head clerk of the Barrett House,
one of the principal hotels of the West.
Here he remained for ten years, becoming
widely acquainted with the traveling public
of that time. He then became head clerk
of the Gorham House, now known as the
Delano Hotel, remaining there till 1891.
Since then Mr. Marsteller has been the
private secretary to Dr. J- S. Caster.

June 5, 1889, Mr. Marsteller and Miss
Mary Darling were united in marriage.
Mrs. Marsteller is a daughter of William
and Sarah (Field) Darling, both members
of old and highly respected pioneer families
of Des Moines county. Mr. and Mrs.
Darling -were the parents of three daughters :
Mary, wife of Mr. Marsteller ; Fanny, mar-
ried D. A. Bradley ; and Grace, married
Robert Kroppach, and died in 1899. Mr.
and ;\Irs. Darling are both dead. Since his
mother's death Arthur Kroppach has been
living with Mr. and Mrs. Marsteller.

The father of our subject died in 1895
and is buried in Lafayette, Ind., while his
mother is still living, residing in Cham-
paign, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Marsteller are
both members of the Episcopalian church.
He is a member of the Forresters, Modern
Woodmen of America, and the Maccabees,
holding office in the two last named. In
politics he has always been actively engaged
in the support of the Republican party, and
in the fall of 1904 was a candidate for
county clerk against a man who for the last

034

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

eight years lias had a majority of some
twelve hundred. Although this is a Demo-
cratic county, Mr. Marsteller reduced his
opponent's majority to seven. Surely Mr.
Marstcller is to be congratulated upon
his g^cat success in business, and his life,
though young, gives promise of a still
brighter future. His ability and his pleas-
ant and courtly manner toward all, have
gained for him many warm friends and ac-
quaintances in all parts of the State.

GOTTLIEB WOELLHAF.

There is perhaps no city in the State of
Iowa that can produce as great a number
of men who began life with limited means
that to-day are enjoying all the comforts of
a retired life as the city of Burlington. Mr.
Gottlieb Wocllhaf is one of this class, and
one of the early and esteemed citizens of the
city. He is a native of Germany, being
bi)rn in Unterturkheim, Wiirtemberg, Ger-
many, Feb. 22, 1841. He obtained his edu-
cation in the public schools in Germany and
France. After spending a number of years
in learning the tailor's trade he decided to
come to the United States, and landed in
the city of New York in 1869, where he
remained for six months. Thinking there
were better opportunities for young men in
the West, he chose Iowa for his future
destiny, locating at Burlington, Iowa. He
at once opened a tailor shop on Jeffer-
son Street, and engaged in merchant tailor-
ing. It did not take long for his skill and
great ability to become known, and his
trade grew from year to year very rapidly
till he was the leading tailor of the great
metropolis. He continued in the business

for twenty-five years, at the end of which
time he had accumulated considerable of
this world's goods, and retired from the
business. He had worked hard and faith-
fully all these long years, and it -was very
gratifying to his many friends to see him
thus rewarded. He has erected a large and
comfortable home at 842 High Street, and
is also owner of one of the adjoining build-
ings and the business store on Jefferson
Street now occupied by the Miss Williams's
millinery store. Part of his time is spent in
a garden patch about a half mile from the
city, where he raises garden truck, which he
enjoys very much.

In 1874, Mr. Wocllhaf married Miss
Mary Disque, a daughter of Henry Disque,
one of the early/ settlers of Burlington, and
who was a cigar-maker. The parents of
Mrs. Disque are both dead. She was
'born in Burlington, and was a supporter of
the German Lutheran church. Her death
occurred July 9, 1903, and she was laid to
rest in Aspen Grove cemetery in her native
home.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wocllhaf three chil-
dren were born in Burlington, and are now
living here : Henry A., a watch-maker and
jeweler, located on Jefferson Street; Fred
W., assistant credit clerk at Chittenden &
Eastman's, married Miss Nettie Kaster;
Fanny, resides with her father. Mr. Wocll-
haf is a strong Republican, but not an office-
seeker, ]irefcrring to assist his party in a
Ijfivatc manner. During his continuous
residence or thirty-five years he has seen
many vast changes take place in the city.
While the city has not grown so rapidly as
many other places in the same number of
years, still it has grown slowly but surely,
thus making a solid foundation for the
progress in the future. Mr. Woellhaf has

DES MOIXES COUNTY, lOlVA.

935

always stood ready to do his part in im-
proving both the residence and business
portion of the city. His close application
to business and applied economy kept his
wheels ever in motion, and in time brought
him success. His life has been pure and
just, and he possesses the entire confidence
and good-will of all who have the pleasure
of his acquaintance.

HENRY WESTERBECK.

In the year 1854 the Westerbeck fam-
ily disembarked from a sailing vessel at
New Orleans, ascended the Mississippi
River to St. Louis, and after remaining
ice-bound at that city for two weeks, pro-
ceeded on their journey to the scene of
their future home, the date of their ar-
rival in Burlington being some time in
March, 1854. Of this family was Henry
Westerbeck, who was born in Prussia,
Germany, March 25, 1845, ^ son of Phillip
and Mary (Niehous) Westerbeck, eldest
of a family of four, the others being
WiUiam, of Middletown, Iowa; Lipp, of
Grand Junction, Iowa ; and Anna, now the
wife of James Mumme, a resident of Bur-
lington. The father was a laborer, but
after ten years of residence in Burlington
he decided to become a farmer, and com-
ing to Flint River township he purchased
a tract comprising eighty acres of fine
agricultural land. Here he had his home
until the time of his death in 1887, and
was very successful, attaining to a com-
fortable degree of material prosperity.
His wife survived him many years, her
demise occurring in 1903.

Mr. Westerbeck began his education in

the schools of his native land, and after
coming to America attended for a time
the Burlington public schools. In Bur-
lington also he acquired the mastery of a
useful trade, that of coopering, which he
learned under the direction of a Mr.
Bresser, and followed it continuously for
nine years. For the two years following
he was in the employ of his father, and
then purchased forty acres of land in
Flint River township, to which he has
since a<lded twenty acres. This farm, on
which he has ever since made his home,
was then almost in its original state, cov-
ered with timber and entirely unculti-
vated ; but by force of diligent and ar-
duous eflforts he has made it one of the
best-producing properties in this section,
bringing it under cultivation and adding
many modern improvements, doing all his
own clearing, erecting a commodious
dwelling-house and substantial barns and
other buildings.

Mr. Westerbeck has been twice mar-
ried ; first, on Nov. 17, 1867, to Miss Mary
Mumme, daughter of James and Mary
(Rike) Mumme, and to them were born
four children, Anna, Lillie, Lydia, and
Andrew. Andrew, the youngest, died at
the age of four and one-half years, and
the demise of Mrs. W^esterbeck occurred
March 28, 1873. Mr. Westerbeck's sec-
ond marriage took place Feb. 10, 1875,
when he was united with Miss Christina
Humann, daughter of Adam and Caro-
line (Faul) Humann, Mrs. Westerbeck
was born in Russia, as also were her
father and mother. They came to Amer-
ica in 1874. Of their union have been
horn the following children: .\dam, who
married Miss Minnie Brendemeyer, and
lives at New London, this State; Emrna,

936

BIOGRAI'HILAL REllEW

wife of Henry Grii])c, of lUirliiifjton :
James, who resides with his parents;
Mary, who is the wife of August Flach-
mann, and resides on a farm adjoining
that of Mr. W'esterbeck ; and Henry,
Joseph, John, I'hillip, Ida Mata, and Effie,
who remain with their parents, besides two
who died in infancy, and one son, William,
who died at the age of one year. All were
born and reared in Flint River township,
and received their education in the district
schools.

Mr. W'esterbeck is an attendant of the
Lutheran church, to whose support he
contributes. While he feels an interest
in public affairs, he is not connected with
any partisan organization, preferring to
act independently ; although at the last
presidential election he cast his ballot for
the regular nominee of the Republican
party, Theodore Roosevelt. By the suc-
cess which he has attained in the man-
agement of his farm he has proved him-
self a good business man, and has ac-
quired a competency, entirely by his own
eflforts. He has a large number of friends
who will be interested in a re\icw of his
career.

WILLIAM WESTERBECK.

One of the highly respected residents
of Flint River township for the past thir-
tv-five years, and who came to ,\merica
when a mere lad of thirteen years, is
William W'esterbeck. He is a son of Al-
bert W'esterbeck, and was born in West
Phalcn, Germany, May 24, 1840. He at-
tended the common schools in his home
place, and did all the chores on his father's
farm till he made the above-mentioned

great trip. His first work in this new
country was on a farm in (Juincy, 111.,
where he remained for a year and a half.
He then came to Des Moines county, and
engaged by the month on various farms
for some time, .\fter this he spent four
years in the city of Burlington, being em-
ployed at the old hotel know-n to all as
the P.arrett House. In 1863, he began to
farm for himself, carrying it on for a year
and a half in Illinois, when in 1871 he
bought his jjresent farm of one hundred
acres in I-'lint River township. At the
time of this purchase nearly all of this
large tract of land was covered with tim-
ber. Mr. W'esterbeck cleared it, and has
made many substantial and valuable im-
provements, erecting a comfortable house,
a good barn thirty by forty feet, as well
as other needed outbuildings for his
stock, grain, and farm implements. Be-
sides doing general farming he also raises
a fine grade of stock, having at the pres-
ent time three good horses, ten head of
cattle, and raises from ten to fifteen hogs
annually.

.\pril 9, 1869. Mr. Westerbeck became
the husband of Miss Anna Gardener,
daughter of William and .\nna (Reiper)
( lardener. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wester-
lieck were born three sons and five daugh-
ters, as follows: Emma, died .March,
1871, aged one and a half years; Lizzie,
died .\ugust, 1872, at the age of one and
a half years; May, passed away Dec i,
1885. aged eleven years; Albert, lives in
Flint River township; Laura, is the wife
of M. Johnson; Fred, a resident of Bur-
lington; Anna, married Julius Nelson, of
Flint River township; and Wilhelm. at
home. His children attended the Prairie
(Jrove school in their own district.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

937

Mr. and Mrs. Westerbeck are both
members of the German Evangelical
church, being regular attendants when
the weather will permit. Mr. Westerbeck
has always given his political allegiance
to the Republican party, but has never
aspired to office, preferring to spend his
time on his farm with his family. His
beautiful home, so accessible to West
Burlington and to the great metropolis,
is a fitting example of his thrift, energy,
and well-guarded economy. He can look
back and see all the struggles and sacri-
fices he made as a pioneer farmer, and to-
day point with pride to his measure of
success, and well say that he earned it
all by the hard labor of his own willing
hands. His business career has always
been upright and honest, his social dis-
position kind and genial, and he has the
respect and friendship of all with whom
he comes in contact.

JOHN GROSS.

John Gross, proprietor of a prosper-
ous blacksmith and wagon-making busi-
ness at Augusta, Des Moines county,
Iowa, has been a resident of that place
for twenty-two years and of Des Moines
county for *fifty-four years, and takes
rank among the pioneer settlers of this
part of Iowa. A native of Pennsyl-
vania, he was born in the cit}^ of Har-
risburg on June 15, 1849, son of Israel'
and Maria Gross. The father, who was
also born at Harrisburg, and who was
by trade a shoemaker, brought his fam-
ily to the West when our subject was
but six months old, and located at Bur-

lington. The flourishing city of to-day
was then but a small village, and be-
ing early on the ground Israel Gross
established there a shoe shop, which
was among the first, if not the very
first, in the town. A few years later he
purchased a tract of sixty-five acres in
Union township, near the present Avery
farm, and removed to that place, the fam-
ily taking up its residence in a two-room
log house that stood upon the farm, and
that continued to be the home until our
subject had reached manhood's estate.
There the father did the neighborhood
shoemaking and successfully engaged in
farming for a number of years. He died
in Union township in 1882, and is buried
in Shiloh cemetery, as is also his wife,
who survived him about ten years and
died in 1892.

John Gross passed his youth and young
manhood largely in the discharge of the
strenuous duties of pioneer life, for when
he moved with his parents to Union town-
ship the ancient trees of the jirinieval for-
est stood thick upon the soil. He assisted
his father in clearing the wild land, and
late;- in sowing, tilling, and reaping with
the implements then' in use, but which
have since been replaced with modern
labor-saving machinery. He received a
fair education in the public schools of
that day, attending school in a log build-
ing erected for that purpose, and fur-
nished in the most primitive manner
with seats that were merely long, rough
benches, consisting of puncheon slabs
having holes bored in the corners in which
the supporting legs were inserted. The
old log schoolhousc still stands, a re-
minder of other days, and may be seen on
the farm of Mrs. Hausencleaver.

938

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

When he \\a> m-miiu-cii years of age
Mr. Gross went to lUirlington, and be-
came an api)rentice to the firm of Ucnnett
& France for the purpose of learning the
trade of hlacksmithing. He served an
apijrcnticcship of three years, receiving
for his work the first year $50, the second
$73, and the third $100, together with his
board. He then secured work as a jour-
neyman in Burlington, and was employed
there until 1879, when he came to .\u-
gusta. In. the years 1882 and 1883 he
worked at Kossuth, but at the end of that
tiinc he returned to Augusta, and lure he
established a business of his own, which
he has ever since conducted with grati-
fying success. About 1889, in addition to
the smithshop. lie added a woodworking
department, which he has since main-
tained, and he has also dealt in farming
implements to some extent.

In Burlington, Iowa, on April 28, 1872,
Mr. Gross wedded Miss Anna W'iltz, of
that place, a native of Peoria. 111., and a
dauglUi-r of A(l;uii and Katbriiia W'iltz.
To them have been born four sons and
four daughters, as follows: Benjamin,
who died at the age of three years; John,
who died wluii five years of age; one
child which died in infancy; F.nima, wife
of Dr. I""rank 1'. llanaphy, and mother of
two sons; Ida, who married Bert Buxton,
of .\ugusta, and has five children ; Anna,
who married Frank Cooper, of Burlington,
and has one son ; and Paul, who married
Miss Cora Peterson, and now resides in
Burlington, where he is employed as a
machinist in the Murray Iron W'orks.
Mr. Gross has many friends, and is well
known. He is a consistent supporter of
the great Reimblican party, having cast
his first ballot for Gen. L'lvsses S. (]rant

lor president in 1872, but has never
sought public office for himself nor been a
candidate for public honors of any sort.

GEORGE W. DEARLOVE.

.\ .natul: of Des .Moines county, Mr.
Dearlove was born in the city of Bur-
lington, .\i>ril 7. iHr)5. the son of Richard
and .\gna.ce ( Barnes) Dearlove, who
were both of English birth. The father
came from England to the United States
in early manhood, and located first in Illi-
nois, where he farmed for some time.
Later he came to Burlington, and event-
ually settled in Benton township. Here
he purchased the farm of fifty-six acres
on which our subject now resides, and
here he lived till the time of his death,
which occurred when he had reached the
ri])e old age of eighty-four years. In the
meantime he had brought the farm under
culti\ation. and ])ut on all the improve-
ments, doing much to advance the inter-
ests of the entire community, as well as
to make a comfortable home for his
family.

The mother of our subject, also a na-
tive of England, died some eighteen years
l)rior to the decease of her husband, and
they both lie buried in Benton township.

Mr. Dearlove, the subject oi this re-
view, was one of a family of seven chil-
dren, the third in point of birth. Four of
these are still living, as follows: George
\\'.: Mary, who is the wife of John Tee.
a farmer owning eighty acres of land in
I'enton townshi]) ; Harriet, tlie widow of
Samuel Rutter, late of Kingston, Iowa,
and a complete sketch of whose life is
given elsewhere in this volume ; and

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

939

Cora, wife of Jerry Sullivan, whose
home is in Burlington.

George W. Dearlove received his edu-
cation in the schools of Kingston, Ben-
ton township, where his parents had
moved from Burlington while he was
only a mere child. While he was receiv-
ing his schooling, he was also learning
all the minutias of farm work, and as he
grew to manhood he remained upon the
home farm, and took charge of it for his
father. Afterward he purchased the
place, and has made it his home ever
since.

On Jan. 24, 1902, Mr. Dearlove was
united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth
Brown, daughter of Joseph and Hannah
(Mehaffy) Brown. Mrs. Dearlove is a
native of ]\Iorning Sun, Louisa county,
Iowa. Her father and mother are both
still living, making their home in Louisa
county, where the father is a prosperous
farmer. Mrs. Dearlove was the oldest of
four children, the others who are still
at home being Lena, John, and Joseph.

To Mr. and Mrs. Dearlove have been
born two children, both born on the home
place: Laura, born Dec. 6, 1903; and
Martha, born Feb. 4, 1905.

Mr. Dearlove has never neglected the
duties of citizenship, and while he does
not consider it within his proper province
to seek public office, he is a consistent
member of the Democratic party, and
gives to that organization his unfailing
support in all matters of importance. In
religious matters, Mr. Dearlove was
reared in the Episcopal church, his par-
ents being loyal members and supporters
of the church in Burlington, and bring-
ing him up with a reverence for its de-
vout ceremonial.

CHARLES BEERE.

When Iowa seemed to be just entering
upon its era of development and substan-
tial progress, Charles Beere, now deceased,
became a resident of Des Moines county,
and for many years thereafter was connected
with farming interests here. He was a
native of England, born in Oxford, March
3, 1818, and was a son of William Beere.
The first years of his life were spent in the
land of his nativity, and then, anxious to
enjoy the better business privileges of the
United States, he secured passage on a sail-
ing vessel, which in 1838 dropped anchor in
the harbor of New York. He then landed on
the shores of the New World, and in the
Eastern metropolis he worked at the cab-
inet-maker's trade, which he had previously
learned in the mother country. He was thus
employed in New York city for some years,
during which time he purchased real estate
in Kings county on Long Island.

Dec. 2, 1844, Mr. Beere was united in
marriage to Miss Annie Ruthven, who was
born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Aug. 27, 1820,
and came to New York in 1838 with a sis-
ter, her parents having died when she was
a child. Two years after their marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Beere came to Iowa, arriving in
Des jMoines county in 1846, at which time
they took up their abode in Franklin town-
ship, where Theodore Beckman now resides.
Mr. Beere purchased eighty acres of cleared
land and forty acres of timber, and built
thereon a house and other buildings. For
many years he resided on that farm, his
labors making a great change in its appear-
ance as he carefully tilled the soil and cul-
tivated his crops. At length, however, he
sold out to Theodore Beckman, and pur-
chased land on Section 30, of the same

040

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

township. To the original tract of one hun-
dred and twenty acres he added until his
widow is now the possessor of one hundred
and tliirty acres of arable land and fifty
acres of timber land.

I'nto .Mr. and Mrs. Beere were born ten
children : Margaret, who became the wife of
William Manning, and died in 1901, at the
age of fifty-nine years ; John, residing in Yel-
low Springs township ; Elizabeth, the wife
of John B. Kline, of this county; Amos,
also of this county ; Jo.'^eph, died at the age
of fourteen years ; Mary, the wife of Alonzo
Nealey ; Jessie, the wife of Frank Nealey, a
brother of her sister's husband, both residing
in the State of Washington ; William, who
retains his residence in this county ; Lynn,
a fanner in California ; and Henry, who is
living in Marysville, Cal.

The death of Mr. Beere occurred .\pril
14, 1868. after a residence of twenty-two
years in this county. His worth was ac-
knowledged by all who knew him, for in his
business dealings he was straightforward
and honorable, was reliable in friendship,
and was devoted to the welfare of his wife
and children. He worked earnestly and per-
sistently in tlie acquirement of a compe-
tence, and left to Iiis widow a good property.
She has since remained upon the old home-
stead ; and the land having increased in
value, she is now in possession of an ex-
cellent farm. She is one of the worthy
pioneer women of the county, having for
almost sixty years been a witness of the
transformation that has taken place and
the changes that have been wrought as a
sturdy class of pioneer settlers have re-
claimed this region for the purposes of civ-
ilization, developing its wild lands into
fertile farms, while the county has become
settled l>y a |)rosperous people.

CHRISTIAN J. WISCHMEIER.

Christian J. Wischmeier, who carries
on general farming, and is also well known
as a stock-raiser, making a specialty of
Hereford cattle and Poland China hogs, was
born on Section 3, Flint River township,
Nov. 27, 1873, his parents being Henry and
.Mary (Boesch) V\'ischmeier. the former a
native of Germany, while the latter was born
in .America. The father came to the New-
World on a sailing vessel, landing at New
Orleans, whence he proceeded up the Mis-
sissippi River by steamer to I'.urlington. He
accompanied his parents on tliis triji. and
they settled on Section 3, Flint River town-
ship, where the grandfather of our subject
secured a farm of seventy acres. .After the
marriage of Henry Wischmeier, he pur-
chased one hundred and nine acres of land
adjoining the old homestead farm, and for
tnany years thereafter gave his time and at-
tention to its cultivation and improvement,
making his home thereon until 1899, when
he removed to Creston. Iowa. There he
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land,
but afterward sold it. and a year later re-
turned to West Burlington, where he pur-
chased forty acres of land from Henry
PiefF, constituting a farm upon which he
and his wife now reside.

Christian J. Wischmeier, the youngest
of three sons, resided with his parents until
his marriage, his time being divided between
school work and the labors of the fields. He
acquired practical training in both, and
after his marriage he purchased the old
home place from his father. He has since
given his attention to general agricultural
[Hirsuits and stock-raising, and is meeting
with fair success in his undertakings. He
raises Hereford cattle, having about twenty

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

041

head on his farm at the present time ; also
twenty head of Poland China hogs.

Feb. 21, 1900, Mr. Wischmeier was mar-
ried to Miss Mary Reif, a native of Frank-
lin township, and a daughter of William and
Catherine (Wagner) Reif. Mr. Reif was
born i\Iay 26, 1853, in Franklin township,
Des Moines county, on the farm where he
still resides ; and Mrs. Reif was born at
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Jan. 16, 1854.

Mrs. Wischmeier is the eldest in a family
of two daughters and two sons, and she
made her home with her parents until her
marriage. Two children grace this mar-
riage : Pearl Mar}', born Dec. 16, 1900 ; and
Margo Catherine, born Nov. 4, 1904. Mr.
W'ischmeier belongs to the Evangelical
church, while his wife is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He gives his
political support to the men and measures
of the Republican party.

ANTON KORF.

AxTON KoRF. of Franklin township, is
a native of Germany, his birth having
occurred in Prussia, Jan. i, 1838. He was
sixteen years of age when he came to the
United States, landing at New Orleans,
whence he made his way direct to Bur-
lington, Iowa. After a short period spent
in that city, he came to Franklin town-
ship, Des Moines county, where he at
first worked by the day as a farm hand.
He was employed in that way until about
twenty years of age, when he purchased
a farm of forty acres in Franklin town-
ship, and began its cultivation and im-
provement. He built a home, placed tlie
fields under cultivation, and continued to

carry on the ^v•ork of the farm there for
twenty years, when he sold that property,
and after owning other property, he pur-
chased his present home place of eighty
acres in Franklin township, all of which
is now under a high state of cultivation.
He erected a large and substantial frame
dwelling, put on other improvements, and
now has a model farm. He has always
carried on general agricultural pursuits
and stock-raising, and his work is prov-
ing profitable, his labors returning to him
an excellent income. \\'hen he came to
America he was employed at twenty-five
cents a day, and afterward was paid seven
dollars per month, and from this humble
beginning he has worked his way steadily
upward until he is now one of the sub-
stantial agriculturists of his conimunitv.

Mr. Korf was married, when twenty-
seven years of age, to Mary Ann Nyhart,
who was born and educated in Pennsyl-
vania. Her father, Adam Nyhart, was a
native of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania,
and became one of the pioneer residents
of Des Moines county, following farming
throughout the remainder of his active
business career in Franklin township. He
was the owner of three hundred acres of
valuable land at the time of his death,
which occurred when he was ninety-seven
years of age. His remains were interred
in a cemeter}' in Franklin township.

Mr. and I\Irs. Korf have become the
parents of seven children: Enuna. the
wife of Henry Riepe. of Franklin town-
ship, b}- whom she has three children:
Henry, a resident farmer of Franklin
township, where he owns and operates
two hundred and fifty acres of land, and
wlio married Ida Wassom ; William, a
farmer of Union countv, Iowa, who mar-

942

BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'Iliir

ried Alice Stivers, and has four children :
Edward, who owns and conducts a farm
of eighty acres in Yellow Springs town-
ship, west of Mediapolis, and married
I'ertha Thomas, by whom he has one
child; Silas, a farmer of Henry county,
Iowa, who wedded Caroline Feltman, and
has two sons, the first-born, a daughter,
dying at ago of one week ; and Sarah, who
died at the age of fifteen years.

Mr. Korf votes with the Republican
party. He was a member of the German
Lutheran church, but is now a Presby-
terian. He belongs to that class of rep-
resentative citizens who uphold the po-
litical and legal status of the county, and
co-operate in measures for its material,
intellectual and moral welfare. His life,
too, proves what can be accomplished by
young men of foreign birth who have the
determination and energj- which are the
basis of success, and who achieve pros-
perity in a land where effort is not ham-
pered l)v caste or class.

JOHN HARPER.

John H.\rper is now living a retired
life in Mediapolis, but for many years was
actively and successfully engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits. He has passed the
eighty-third milestone on life's journey,
and his has been an active, useful, and hon-
orable career, so that he is now accorded
the veneration and respect which should
ever be given to those who have advanced
far on the journey of life, and whose con-
duct has ever been in harmony with up-
right principles.

His liirtli ipccurrcd in Ross countv, Ohio,

Sept. 7, 1821, his parents being Joab and
Lydia (Jones) Harper. He obtained his
education in the old subscription schools
common in his boyhood days, but his aggre-
gate schooling did not cover more than
fifteen months. However, he made the
best of his opportunities, and by reading
anil investigation in his leisure hours, quali-
fied himself for teaching, which profession
he fpllowed with success for several sea-
sons. In 1846 he came to Burlington,
where he taught for two years, this being
a private school. After the first year, his
school got so large that he had to get his
brother, Hon. Wm. Harper, to assist him.
In 1848 he took up his abode upon a
farm which he purchased in Section 24,
Yellow Springs township, comprising one
hunilrcd and twenty acres of land. Later
he sold that ])roperty, and bought another
tract north of the village of Northfield, but
on account of losing hundreds of hogs with
cholera and a lot of cattle with an unknown
ilisease, he was financially crippled to a
considerable extent. In war times he also
lost a car-load of fat hogs worth twelve
dollars per hundred, and this was a great
financial blow to him ; but he persevered,
and for fifty-three years carried on general
farming, and was also known as an exten-
sive dealer in cattle. His shipments were
made to various parts of the country, and
his farming operations were carried on in
harmony with most modern ideas of prog-*
ress and improvement. Although difficul-
ties anil obstacles beset him in earlier years,
he jiersevered, and with strong purpose
and resolute will overcame the disadvan-
tages and hardships under which he la-
bored. In this way he acquired a hand-
some comjietence, and at length he sold
his farm in order to educate his children.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

943

To this end he hotight seven and one-half
acres of land in Mediapolis, and removed
to the town, in which he now has a pleas-
ant home. Here his children were given
good educational privileges.

Mr. Harper was first married Jan. 12,
1847, the lady of his choice being Aliss
Emily Harper, a daughter of John and
Delilah (Hughes) Harper. They became
the parents of eight children : Josephine,
the wife of William McClure, a resident of
Winona, Minn. ; Lydia Jane, who died at
the age of nine months ; Laura Lavinia,
the wife of Zack Stahl, a resident of Day-
ton, Wash. ; Eliza Jane, the wife of Frank
Ware, who is living in Nebraska ; Eliza-
beth Hughes, the wife of J. Q. Roberts, of
Mediapolis; Anna Virginia, the wife of
Oscar Rutherford, of Pueblo, Colo. ; Jessie
Fremont, who became the wife of Fred
Heizer, and is living in Sioux City, Iowa;
and John Harlem, who married a Miss
Harding, and resides in Hutchinson, Kans.

Following the loss of his first wife, Mr.
Harper married again, his second union
being with Rebecca Heizer, a daughter of
Fred and Margaret (Wilgus) Heizer.

There was one child by this marriage,
Harry Heizer, who is now living in Lead-
ville, Colo.

Mr. Harper also lost his second wife in
death, and later married Amanda Torode,
a daughter of Peter and Catherine (Brown)
Torode. There are ten children by this
marriage : Mary Amanda, the wife of
John Garland, a resident of Harrisburg,
Pa. ; Kate, who is a very capable and suc-
cessful dressmaker, of Mediapolis ; Edna
Leona, a trained nurse, of Scranton, Pa. ;
Charles, who was a soldier of the Spanish-
American War, and is now living at home ;
Robert Hall, a resident of Coimcil r)luffs,

Iowa ; William Franklin, who is studying
pharmacy with his brother-in-law in Har-
risburg, Pa. ; Lillie, Edith, Louie, and Mar-
jorie, all at home.

Mr. Harper has been solicited to accept
many township and county offices, but has
refused to become a candidate for political
preferment. He is, however, never remiss
in the duties of citizenship, but gives an
active support to all measures for the gen-
eral good, and has been a co-operative fac-
tor in many movements which have con-
tributed in large measure to the upbuilding
and progress of the county. He holds
membership in the Presbyterian church, and
there has been naught in his life at variance
with his professions. He has been found
reliable in business, honorable at all times,
and in social relations is a faithful friend
and a devoted husband and father.

FRANK ESAU.

• Frank Esau, a retired business man of
Burlington, was born at Corbach, West-
phalia, Germany, Sept. 15, 1846. His
paternal grandfather was a physician and
surgeon of the Prussian army. His father,
Carl Esau, also a native of Germany, be-
came a physician, pursuing his education in
Marburg, and later was private medical
attendant to the Furst of Waldeck. He
married Louisa Rube, his death occurring
when his son Frank was only four years of
age. The mother, long surviving him,
passed away in Germany about 1894.
Frank Esau had three brothers and one
sister, and two of the brothers are yet liv-
ing: Adolph, who is a high official in the
Lutheran church of Germany ; and Rein-

044

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

hardt, a farmer of Des Moines county.
One brother. Carl, was a professor in the
I'niversity of Heidelberg.

P'rank Esau began his education in the
common schools and afterward attended
a gymnasium ur high school. He learned
to speak, read, and write the German, Eng-
lish, and French languages while attending
the gymnasium, and he was afterward for
several years inspector in a sugar factory
in the province of Saxony. He came to
the United States in 1872, on the steamer
" Herman," which weighed anchor in the
harlx)r of Hremen and reached the port of
Xew "\'ork after a voyage of nine days.

He did not tarry in the Eastern metropo-
lis, however, but came at once to Burling-
ton, where his brother Reinhardt was living.
Here Mr. Esau entered upon his business
career as a clerk in a confectionery and
wholesale grocery house, known by the firm
name of .Starker & Company, with whom
he was connected for two years. He was
then variously engaged in business until
1888, when he became a wholesale liquor
dealer, continuing in that line until 1898,
with excellent success, after which he sold
out his business and retired. He was lo-
cated on \'aney and Washington Streets
and had a large patronage, employing a
traveling salesman. He has been entirely
retired from the active world of trade for
six years.

Mr. E)sau was married in 1875 in Ikir-
lington to Miss Louisa M. Range, who
was born of German parentage in this city.
Her father, Edward Runge, is now living
retired in I'urlington. He was at one time
a confectioner, and was one of the earliest
residents of Burlington, arriving here in
his childhood days, in 1835. Here he
learned the confectionerv business, subse-

<|uently established an enterprise of his own
of that character, and after successfully con-
ducting the business for a number of years,
he retired.

Mr. and Mrs. Esau now have three chil-
dren : Etta, who is assistant principal of
one of the public schools of Burlington, is
a graduate of the high schools here. She
began teaching when seventeen years of age,
and two years later was made assistant
principal. Charles is traveling agent for the
Burlington Vinegar & Pickle Works, and
resides with his father. Frank R. is book-
keeper at Blaul's Wholesale Grocery House.
The family home, at the corner of Seventh
and Iowa Streets, was erected by Mr. Esau
in 1876.

Mr. Esau has been a member of the
Knights of Pj-thias fraternity, and also held
membership relations with the Knights of
Honor and the National Union. He is a
member of the German Lutheran church,
being reared in that faith. In politics he is
a Democrat. His career has been notably
successful from the fact that he had little
capital when he crossed the Atlantic to the
Xew World and is to-day the possessor of a
handsome competence that was won through
keen foresight, capable business manage-
ment, and close application.

GUSTAF HERMAN BERGSTEN.

GL'.ST.\r Her.man Bergsten, a farmer
and stock-raiser of Franklin township, is a
son of Peter and Carrie (Ekman) Bergsten,
and was born in the southwestern part of
Sweden, Aug. 25, 1843. His father was
a farmer by occupation, and the son spent
his early youth upon the farm. He acquired

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

94.T

his education in the schools of his native
country, and when sixteen years of age he
began to learn the trades of saddlemaking
and shoemaking, which pursuits he followed
almost continuously until 1883. He came
to America in 1871, and on the 1st of May
arrived in Keokuk, Iowa, where he had
friends living. He remained there for a
short time, working on the canal, and later
was employed on the construction train.
Subsequently he secured work at his trade
in Kinderhook, Pike county, 111. There he
followed shoemaking for ten months, after
which he came to Burlington, and three
weeks later he bought an outfit, with which
he came to Sperry and opened a shop of his
own. There he carried on shoemaking for
fifteen years, doing a successful business,
as shoemaking at that time was quite a
profitable industry. He also built up the
hotel property there, and later traded his
town property for forty acres of his present
farm. He then took up his abode upon the
farm which he had purchased from Mr.
Gillette in 1876 — a tract of forty acres on
Section 12, Franklin township. Two years
later he bought twenty-nine acres from
William Hill on the same section, and in
1888 purchased twenty-six acres of William
Dean, so that he now has ninety-five acres,
constituting a good farm. He carries on
general agricultural pursuits and stock-rais-
ing, and is quite successful in both branches
of his business. He raises about thirty-
five head of Poland China hogs from his
older stock annually, and is one of the suc-
cessful breeders of this vicinity. He also
raises about five head of young cattle each
year. In all of his work he is practical and
thoroughly reliable, and his industry and in-
tegrity have been the salient features in his
prosperity.

On March 3, 1873, Mr. Bergsten was
married to Miss Anna M. Peterson, a daugh-
ter of Anders Peter and Gustava Shelin
.\nderson. She was born in Sweden, Aug.
19, 1843, a"d came to America in 1869.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bergsten have been born
three children : Ellen Aurora, the wife of
X'ictor R. Lugn, of Huron township, and has
one son, Alvin ; Adolph Leonard, a farmer
living in Henry county, Iowa, married
Alma McKenzie, and has two children,
Elvin and Clio ; and Arthur Edwin, at pres-
ent at Abingdon, 111., in a wagon factory.

The parents are members of the Swedish
Lutheran church. Politically, Mr. Bergsten
is a Democrat. He was justice of the peace
for sixteen years, and for most of the time
was the only justice in the township. At his
last election he declined to serve again. He
lias ever discharged his duties with prompt-
ness and fidelity, and no public trust reposed
in him has ever been betrayed in the slightest
degree. He is truly a self-made man, having
worked his way upward from a very humble
financial position until he is now classed
with the substantial agriculturists of his
community.

CHARLES H. NELSON.

Well known to the people of Burlington
is Charles H. Nelson, ex-marshal of the
city, and at present engaged in the cigar
manufacturing business at the corner of
Sixth and JelTerson Streets. Mr. Nelson
is a native of Copenhagen. Denmark, where
he was born Aug. 10. 1842. There he re-
ceived liis education in the common schools,
which he attended until the time of his con-
firmation. He then, in 1856, took a position
as apprentice on a sailing vessel bound for

046

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

New York, and an reaching' pori and going
on shore, was so pleased with New York
that lie forgot to return to his ship in time
for the voyage home. He then took service
in the West Indies trade, visiting Jamaica,
St. Thomas, and the other islands with ships
carrying merchandise and bringing back
sugar and niolasses. For fifteen years he
followed the sea, his principal voyages being
to Australia, China, and the Philippine Isl-
ands, and has had the ill fortune to be ship-
wrecked three times in one year, each time
losing his ship. The first of these accidents
occurred on the Dover Bank in the English
Channel in 1H65, when he was under the
English flag. He then shipped in an Amer-
ican vessel, the " William Tell," for Sea-
man's Bay, South Africa, touching at Per-
nambuco, and on the outward voyage he had
the opportunity to see the least attractive
side of ocean life, as both the captain and
the second mate were murdered by one of
the crew, in revenge for the killing of a
sailor, prior to that time, by the mate. Cape
Town was made in safety, where he shipped
on another boat, but just as the vessel was
leaving the harbor she was overwhelmed
by a hurricane, and was wrecked and lost.
On Jan. 19, 1866, Mr. Nelson, after another
voyage to South Africa with a cargo of
coffee, was wrecked .'southwest of Cape
Town, and while the ship was lost, he with
six others escaped to shore, and started to
walk overland to Cape Town. In order to
reach their destination, however, it was nec-
essary to traverse the Kalahari Desert, in
which there had been no rainfall for a period
of eighteen months, and in these dire cir-
cumstances the jdurney was one of the ut-
most hardship, onlv two of the party of six
reaching the Cape, these being Mr. Nelson
and a Frenchman. The remainder died of

thirst, hunger, and privation. The trip re-
quired seven weeks, the castaways living on
hardtack and cheese, which they had ob-
tained at a little village where they landed,
and during this time they passed the car-
casses of many wild animals that had per-
ished from thirst, while Mr. Nelson paid as
much as a shilling to natives for a single
drink of water, and would, of course, have
been willing to pay as much more, if it had
been possible to buy it. Arrived at Cape
Town, he shipped in the first vessel to
.America, and has never visited Africa nor
.•\sia since, although he did not forsake the
sea until 1869. In the latter years of his
nautical experience he became second mate,
and then first mate, at one time having sole
charge of navigating the ship on which he
then was from Para to New York. Still
further advancement awaited him, for he
was offered a master's or captain's position,
hut he refused, and taking up his residence
in the city of New York, he became a ship
carijcntcr. Later he accq)ted a foremanship
• in the United States arsenal on Governor's
Island, in New York harbor — a po.sition
whose duties he discharged until 1872. In
that year he removed to the West, arriving
in Burlington on April 4, and here for two
years he was employed as a carpenter for the
Burlington & Missouri Railroad Company.
He then inaugurated an independent enter-
prise, entering the restaurant and hotel busi-
ness, but the general panic which overtook
all business shortly afterward rendered it
impossible to continue. In 1876 he received
appointment from Mayor Parsons as a
member of the police force, on which he
serveil until 1882, when he became deputy
marshal. :iii<l during the following seven
years performed such efficient service in
that capacity that in 1889 he was elected

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

947

marshal of the city of BurHngton, in which
office re-election prolonged his tenure until
1895, at which time he purchased the manu-
facturing business in which he is now en-
gaged.

In 1869 our subject was united in mar-
riage to Miss Sophia Schafer, who is a
native of Germany, and to them has been
born one daughter, now the wife of Samuel
Hunneke. Mr. Nelson is an influential
member of the local Democratic party, of
which he has always been a supporter, and
in recognition of his services to the party
has a number of times received at its hands
election to the office of township trustee,
which he has held continuously for five or
six years. Fraternally, he is affiliated with
the Masonic Order, and has for thirty-one
years been a member of Excelsior Lodge,
No. 268, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, while in his social connection he is a
member of the Burlington Turners' Society,
and the German Military Society of Burling-
ton. He has been quite successful in his last
business venture, and is widely known
among the people of Burlington, by whom
his name is honored for his official record,
which was in the highest degree creditable,
and for the admirable personal characteris-
tics which distinguish him.

JOHN A. SCHRODER.

John A. Schroder, a representative of
the younger element in business, and now
engaged in the conduct of a large general
merchandise business at Augusta, Des
Moines county, Iowa, was born in the city
of Burlington, Iowa, July 6, 1874, eldest
of the three children of Johan A. and Bertha

(Schroder) Schroder, a full account of
whose lives will be found elsewhere in this
volume of history. When two years of age
he removed with his parents to Augusta,
where his father started in business with
Mr. Lofft, and in this place he grew to man-
hood, attending the public schools. In ad-
dition to his school work he was assistant
to his father in the store, having begun to
bear a share of its duties at such an early
age that he does not remember the actual
date.

Ambitious for self-advancement. Mr.
Schroder, when he was eighteen years of
age, matriculated in Elliott's Business Col-
lege at Burlington, and attended that in-
stitution for three months. His father
having died, however, and the conduct of
the store devolving upon his mother, she
found that she could not do without his help,
nor spare the necessary funds for his college
course. He therefore reluctantly abandoned
his education, and returning to Augusta
acted as clerk for his mother for a number
of years, or until February, 1900, when he
purchased the store. In Washington town-
ship, Lee county, Iowa, on Nov. 15, 1900,
he wedded Miss Alice Eofif, who was born
in that township, a daughter of \\'. S. and
Rebecca A. (Lauther) Eoff.

Mr. Schroder has greatly increased the
volume of his business since purchasing the
store in 1900, as well as the size of the stock,
and now carries a very large and remarkably
complete stock, while his patronage is grow-
ing rapidly. He is an extensive buyer of
farm produce in this section, and keeps a
wagon on the road hauling the local output
to Burlington, while freight is transported
on the return trip.

Bom and reared a Democrat, Mr. Schro-
der has always remained faithful to his early

0+8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

allegiance, ami lias tiftcii served his party
in iinporlant CDnventions as delegate from
his home community. He has never sought
public honors, but at one time his friends
bestowed upon liim the nomination for a
township office. This was expressly con-
trary to his own wish, however, and he made
no effort to secure election. His fraternal
relations connect him witli the Danville
Lodge of the Masonic order, and Green
Bay Camp, No. 4637, Modem Woodmen of
.America, of Wever, he having transferred
his membership to the latter from Newman
Camp, No. 4442, of which he was a charter
member, and in which he occupied the office
of clerk. In a business way he has at all
times enjoyed pronounced success, being
well grounded in business principles and
practice through long experience, and also
being possessed of a natural ability which
seems destined to win him still greater re-
ward in tlu' future. He enjoys the regard
and confidence of his conmnuiity in the high-
est degree, and those who have known him
longest are among his warmest admirers and
well-wishers.

JOHN A. SCHRODER.

John A. Sciikodkr. now deceased, who
was long a prominent resident of Augus-
ta, Des Moines county, Iowa, and was
numbered among the best-known and
most successful business men of this sec-
tion, was born in Oldenburg, Germany,
July 4, 1849, * son of Adolph and Sophia
Schroder. He received a good education,
and as a boy began to learn the mercan-
tile business, but becoming dissatisfied
with the restricted opportunities of his
native land, he decided to come to Amer-

ica, and made tin- trip soon after comple-
ting his twenty-first year, locating first in
Illinois, where he became a clerk in a
grocery store, and also managing the
hoarding-house which was operated in
connection with the store.

( )n the way across the Atlantic, Mr.
Schroder met and became slightly ac-
(|uainted with Miss Bertha Schroder, and
when they separated, she going to live in
Wisconsin, he solicited the privilege of
beginning a correspondence — a request
which was refused. He nevertheless
wrote to her, but she did not reply. The
second year after their arrival in this
country the father of Mr. Schroder also
came to America, and on his buying a
farm at Bloomfield, our subject left Illi-
nois and joined him at that place. At
about the same time Miss Schroder left
Wisconsin and went to make her home
with the family of Lawyer Carruthers at
I'.loonifield, and there the ac(|uaintance
was renewed, with the result that within
a year they celebrated their marriage.
Mrs. Schroder was born in the Province
of Schufelbein, Prussia, a daughter of Fer-
dinand and Albertina ( Rotka ) Schroder.
Her. mother died when she was but eight
years of age, and she came to America in
1868. the voyage being made in a sailing
vessel and occupying six weeks and three
days. Mr. and Mrs. Schroder became the
parents of four children, one of whom
died in infancy and the others being as
follows : John .\., successor of our subject
in the conduct of the large and growing
business at .\ugusta, and to whom a sep-
arate chapter of this work is devoted;
Bertha, who married Douglas Murphy, of
Union township, and has one son, Mil-
lard : and Otto, born Aug. 20. 1883.

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

949

Soon after his marriage Mr. Schroder possessed of i)ractical business talents

Tcmoved to Burlington, becoming a clerk that made him highly efficient in material

in a flour store, and later being promoted affairs, the human side of his character

to the position of bookkeeper for the same was fully developed, and many valued

firm. After a residence of three years in him as a true and loyal friend. His name

that city he decided to make an independ- is entitled to a place on the rolls of local

ent venture, and selecting Augusta as a history, and by all those who were ac-

promising location, he began business quainled with the measure of his worth

here with a general stock of merchandise he is accorded credit for his work here,

of modest proportions. This he gradu- and will long be held in remembrance,
ally built up. for he was a man of strong

executive ability and the highest personal

integrity, and success came to him read-
ily. He was engaged in business here for
a period of about twelve or thirteen years,
and during that time he invested large j,,,in Ramsey Stew.\kt. the owner

sums of money in enlarging the scope of of a splendi.Uy imi)roved farm in Yellow

Tiis operations and in permanent improve- Springs township, was bc.rn in liutler

ments, tluis by his public spirit earning county. Ohio. March 2J. 1851. his par-

the gratitude of his fellow-citizens and of gnts being RoUin Harris and Eleanor C.

all who felt or still feel a worthy interest (Swan) Stewart. They came to Des

in the progress and upbuilding .of the Moines county. Iowa, when their son was

community. only si.x weeks old, and he was reared to

His political faith was that of the Dem- farm life, early becoming familiar with

ocracy, and he wielded a very potent in- the work of the fields and the best meth-

fluence in the counsels of the party, ods of caring for the stock,
while the confidence reposed in him by The occupation to which he was reared

JOHN RAMSEY STEWART.

the ]niblic is evidenced by the fact that
he was twice elected to the office of
township clerk for Atigusta township.
Fraternally, he was identified with the
Augusta Lodge of the ^lasonic order,
and served as its secretary, while his
religious affiliation was perhaps deter-
mined by the circumstance of his be-
ing born and re'ared in the Lutheran
chiu'ch. in whose doctrines he was a be-
liever and according: to whose tenets he

he determined to make the source of his
maintenance and income, and after reach-
ing his majority he ])urehased one hun-
dred and five acres of land in Section 5,
Yellow Springs township, whereon he
has since made his home.

In addition to the ]}r<)(luction of the
cereals best ada])ted to the soil and cli-
mate, he also raises about seven head of
cattle each year, and thirty head of hogs.
All of the imiirovements were made bv

shaped his life. He died in the year 1888, the family, the barn Ijeing erected in 1875;

and is buried in Augusta cemetery. His while in 1902, Mr. Stewart erected his

influence was always exerted on the side present attractive and commodious resi-

of right and justice: and ahhough he was dcnce. The greater part of the land has

950

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

been cleared, and is now under a liigh state
of cultivation, the farm forming one of the
attractive features of the landscape.

Sept 17. 1874. Mr. Stewart was united
in marriage to .Miss Mary E. Ryker, a
daughter of John and .\nn (.Mitchell)
Ryker. Six children have been born unto
them : Clara, who is the wife of C.
Elledge, and has two children, Forrest
McKinley and Edwin; Earnest M..
Eleanor Tearl. l-'rank Wallace. Stella, and
Russell Vernon, all at home, the last
named being now eleven years of age.

In bis political views Mr. Stewart is a
Republican, and keeps well informed on
the (|iiestions and issues of the day, but
has no desire for public office. He be-
longs to the Presbyterian church, and
the motive forces in his life are in har-
mony with his profession, constituting
him a man of genuine worth, as well as
a successful re])resentative of agricultural
interests.

PEARL ALFRED MOVERS.

Till-: fact that many of hir native sons
have retained their residence in 1 )es Moines
county after att.iining adult age. is jiroof of
the attractiveness of this section of the
State, and of the advantages, natural aiifl
otherwise, which it offers to its citizens.
Mr. Movers has always lived here, his birth
having occurred in I'ranklin townshi]), Dec.
12, 1875. His ])arents were George W. and
I\cbecca (IVnce) Movers. During the boy-
hood days of their son they removed to
Kansas, where he attended the district
schools for four years, and later was a
student in the district schools of Louisa
countv. He also atleiideil school in Yellow

Springs township, and was reared to farm
life, his father following agricultural pur-
suits. He. too, was born in Des Moines
county, and is now living in Louisa county.
He trained his .son in the practical work of
the farm, so that he became familiar with
the best methods of plowing, planting, and
harvesting, and throughout his entire life he
has continued to devote his energies to agri-
cultural pursuits. In 1899 he purchased his
jiresent farm from Richard r)rr. becoming
owner of ninety-five acres situated on Sec-
tion 2, Yellow Springs townshij). It is a
well-improved property, and Mr. Moyers is
continually laboring to make the land more
|)roductive and his farm of greater value.
He has laid some tiling, has erected some
sheds, has dug a well, and now has a good
wind-]niTnp. In addition to the tilling of
the soil he raises stock, antl now has upon
his place twelve head of cattle, six or eight
hogs, si.x horses, and two colts.

On March 6. 1898, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Moyers and Miss Jessie
.M. ."-^wan. a daughter of George L. and
Jennie ((iregory) Swan. Mrs. Moyers was
born in Louisa county, Iowa, and by her
marriage has become the mother of three
children : Earl, Lloyd, and Lottie, whose
])resence adds much to the real home
life. The parents hold membershi]! in
the .Methodist Episcopal church, and are
well known in this part of the State, where
they have long resided. There have been
no exciting chapters in the history of Mr.
.Moyers, but he is a man who is found true
to his duties of |)ublic and private life, and
in all trade transactions is reliable and enter-
l)rising. The success that he has achieved
is due to his own efforts, and he is now
accounted one of the substantial young
farmers of ^'ellow Springs township. •

DES MOIXES COUXTV. IOWA.

P5I

CHARLES M. LUNDEEN.

Charles M. Lundeen, living in the en-
joyment of well-earncfl ease, after long
active, and successful connection with agri-
cultural interests, now makes his home in
Kossuth. He was born in Esteryetland,
Sweden, Sept. 23, 1841, his parents being
Mangus and Bertha ( Anderson ) Lundeen.
In the place of his nativity he began his edu-
cation in the public schools, but his oppor-
tunities in that direction were limited, his
services being needed upon his father's farm,
which he assisted to cultivate and improve
until fifteen years of age, when he started
out to earn his own livelihood by working
as a farm hand. He acted in that capacity
until 1870. when, thinking that he might
enjoy better business privileges and oppor-
tunities in the New World, he sailed for
the United States.

Making his way to Burlington, he ob-
tained a position in the lumber yard of the
Rand Lumber Company, and later was em-
ployed in the stone cpiarry. He worked in
the city for a little more than three years,
and in .September, 1873, he secured work
on a farm, being thus employed for the
following year. He next went to Louisa
county, where he remained for about two
years, and op the expiration of that period
he purchased ten acres of land on Section 6,
Benton township, on which he erected a
house and other buildings. That was the
nucleus of his present landed possessions.
He added to this property until the home
farm comprised one hundred and fifty-seven
and one-fourth acres, and he also had fifteen
acres in Yellow Springs townshi]). He con-
tinued to reside upon his farm until i8y2,
when he removed to Kossuth, where he has
since jiractically lived retired. He still

retains the ownershi]) of his farm, which is
now rented to his son-in-law. Amil William
Johnson. When Mr. Lundeen took posses-
sion of the place, there was a very small
dwelling ujjon it. but he made additions and
improvements thereto from time to time
until it is one of the fine farm residences of
the township. He also added all of tlie other
improvements to the i)lace, and he fleserves
much credit for what he accomi)lished in the
way of developing one of the fine farming
properties of the locality. His labors were
so carefully directed, and his interests so
judiciously managed, that he acquired a
handsome competence that now enables him
to live retired, and at the same time enjoy
the comforts and many of the luxuries which
go to make life worth the living.

( )n .April 14, 1870, Mr. Lundeen was mar-
ried to Miss -Matilda Norrbone, a- daughter
of Peter and Sophia (.Anderson) Xorrbone.
The\- have become the parents of the follow-
ing children : Charles, a resident farmer
of Benton township : So])hia, who died at the
age of eight years : Emma, the wife of .\mil
W. Johnson ; Peter .Vndrew, who is living
in Cjalesburg, 111. : .Anna, a resident of Bur-
lington; Alaria, at home: .Allen, who is also
living in Burlington : Luther, who died at
the age of twelve years ; one who died in in-
fancy : and liertha, who died in Burlington
Hospital, Aug. 24, 1901, when about twenty
years of age.

Mr. Lundeen is a member of the Swedish
\ Lutheran church, in the work of which he
has taken an active and helpful part. He has
served as deacon for twenty years, and is
still the incumbent in that office, and his
labors have l)een effective in ])romoting the
growth and extending the influence of the
party. Politically, he is a Rejuiblican. with
strong belief in the ])rinci])les of the party.

052

BlOGR.ll'HICAL Rlilll.W

Tlif Swedish' citizcnslii]) of America is a
recofjiiizod elenient of vahio in the nation,
for the sons of Sweden who have come to
.\mcrica have usually hecn found reliable,
industrious, and honest ; and, takings advan-
tage of the o|)|)ortunities of the Xew World,
have not only won individual success, but
have also contributed to the development
and upbuilding^ of the localities in which
they have resided. Mr. Lundeen is a repre-
sentative of this class of citizenship, and is
respected and esteemed in the county where
he has now lonij made his home.

ROBERT GIBSON REED.

RoHERT Gibson RiiEO. a representa-
tive of the farminfj interests of Des
Moines county, is the owner of a very
uell-im])roved farm, and gives to the
management of this place the ipialities
which are always essential in the cultiva-
tion of land and the raising of stock. Me
is ever watcliful of opiiortunities, indus-
trious, and i)ersevering, and to these char-
acteristics he owes his present ])rosperity.
His birth occurred- in (hiernsey county-,
( )hio, ( )ct. J.V if<5-J. His parents were
Matthew and .Mary ( Walkinshaw) Reeil,
wh<) came to hnva when their son Robert
was only two and a half years old.

Tliey lived tor al)out a year on what
is known as the L'urran farm, in Louisa
county, west of Morning .Sun, and after-
ward came to ^\•llow Springs township,
settling on a farm which is now owned
by his mother. The father improved this
place, transforming a tract of raw jirairie
land into rich fields, making it one of the
best farms of the townshi]). The place

comjjrises one hundre<l and sixty acres,
and is situated on Section <■). The family
endured many of the hardsiiips and diffi-
culties incident to frontier life, anil all of
the arduous task of developing a new-
farm devolved uiion the father and the
sons.

Uobert (i. Reed, s])ending his boyhood
days uiKler the jjarental roof, was edu-
cated in the district schools of his town-
ship, lie was reared to farm life, taking
his place behind the plow when a young
lad, and working in the fields from the
tirtie of early s])ring i)lanting until the
crops were har\ested in the late autumn.
Througlu)Ut his entire life he has car-
ried on agricultural ])ursuits. first as his
father's assistant, and later on his own
accoimt.

In 1873 he purchased eighty acres of
land from S. E. .Mcl-llhinncy, and after-
ward bought forty acres of CI. McElhin-
ney. He has placed all of the improve-
ments upon his ])ro])erty, including a
modern residence, which was built in
H)()). Tile barn was erected in i8<)0, and
is a structure thirty-four by fifty feet.
He has also ])ut \\\> a iiKxlern wind-pump,
and other farm e<|uipments and buildings.
Everything is kej)! ii) good re])air, and
the ])lace is divided into fields of conve-
nient size by well-kejjt fences. .Mr. Reed
raises about one hundred head of Poland
China, Chester White, ami lierkshire
hogs, and he also raises some horses. He
is an excellent judge of stock, and his
labors as a stock-raiser are attended with
gratifying success.

Mr. Reed was married l-"eb. 22. 1882,
to .Miss Elizabeth I'.aird. a daughter of
jciliii ;ind (atlu-rine ( McElhinney) Haird.
Tlv.-v have two children. Catherine Retta

nns MOfXHs couxt)-. loir.i.

955

and Mary Viletta. twins, who were Ixirn
Feb. 19, i8()i, but tlu- latter died when
only se\'en months old. The parents are
members of the Reformed ]'resl)_\-terian
church, and are interested in its work,
and in all progressive measures that tend
to benefit the county along material,
social, and moral lines.

JOHN M. CLINE,

JoHX M. C'lixe, residing in Section 10,
Augusta townshi]). where he is engaged in
farming and stock-raising on his farm of
three hundred and twenty acres, was born on
the section where lie now resides, Nov. 17,
1848, a son of Wilson S. and Maria
( IJrown) Clinc. The father was born near
Liberty. L'nion county, Ind., Feb. 18. 1818,
and was the son of John Cline. a farmer.
The mother, who was a daughter of Peyton
Brown, was also a native of Union county.
Indiana, the date of her birth being Jan. 5.
1825. and their marriage was celebrated
Jan. 5. 184,^.

In the fall of 1842. Wilson S. Cline and his
father made a trip to the West, and bought
lanil here, althnugh the elder Cline never re-
moved to this State. Their ])urchase com-
prised three hundred and thirty acres of
wild land, being a claim which they bought
of a Mr. Fikenbury. Soon after their mar-
riage, the ]«rents of our subject, together
with a partv of other ])ioneers. left their
Indiana home. and. driving across the
countrv in wagons, reached and crossed the
Mississi]jpi River at ISurlington on March
26, 1845. effecting a crossing on the ice.
On tlie land which they liad secured, a small
lotr cabin was alreadx' standing, and in

this they lived for a year, at the end of which
time, however, they built a three-room log
house that afforded a degree of comparative
comlort. and fcjrmed their place of residence
until i860. In the latter year a connno-
dious two-story frame structure was erected,
and this is still in use.

The subject of this review is one of a
family of six children, as follows : Henry B. ;
Alary, who became the wife of .Samuel
Welch, and at ])resent resides near Middle-
town, has two children; Juhn .M , ; Lewis,
wh(j died at the age of seventeen years ;
Flvira, who married Dr. Henry 1 'aimer, and
lives at I'"ort Dodge, Iowa: and Wilson A.,
will) married .Miss .Vnna Shirley, and died
at ( )maha. Nebr., leaving one child. He is
buried in Long Creek cemetery. The father
of this family was a man of strong char-
acter and pronounced ability, and to him
was accorded the res])ect and esteem of
all who knew him. He was public spirited,
and as a conscientious believer in the de-
clared |)rinciples of the great Democratic
party, never neglected his duty as a citizen,
but he was not numbered among those who
seek the adventitious distinction of public
ciftice. Of a strong religious nature, he
was a believer in the teachings of the Prcs-
Interian church, and assisted the congrega-
tion at Middletown in building its house of
worship. He died Dec. 28, 1898, while his
wife's demise preceded hi,s own many years,
occurring h'eb. 14. 1887. It is to them and
to such as they that the West owes its pres-
ent wonderful development and unrivaled
])ositiou among the most ])rosperous sections
of the country and of the world : and for
the hardshijjs and deprivations to which they
willingl}- submitted in order to achieve hon-
orable independence, they deserve all credit.

Jolm M. Cline passed his early years at

956

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the partiital ImiiK'. iiicantinK- sociiring a
fjuod education in the (hstrict schools, and
there he attained to years of maturity. On
March 27. 18(^5. he wedded Miss Flora
Miner, of West I'oint, Lee county. Iowa.
Mrs. (line was born in L'nion township,
Des .Moines comity, a daufjhter of .\atlian
and Susan ( .-\blxit ) .Miner. Since their
marriajje .Mr. and Mrs. C'line have resided
on the old home farm, and Mr. Cline has
ac(|uired very extensive holdings in real
estate, first purchasing forty acres in the
Skunk River bottoms in 1872, and afterward
one hundred and twenty, and one hunilred
and sixty acres, successively, so that he now
owns three hundred ami twenty acres, all
of which is classed as among the most val-
uable land in the comity. The imi)rove-
ments are ample and all of the best.

I-'raternally. he was made a .Mason in
.\iigusta Lodge, X(3. 7. of which he has
served as .senior warden. In his attitude
toward jiartisan political (piestinns he is
one of that increasingly influential body
known as independent. He has never cared
for |)uhlic office. |)referring to devote his
time l<i |)rivMte business; but despite his pro-
testations to that effect his fellow-citizens
at one time elected him to the office of jus-
tice of the i)eace. Ik-, however, declined
the honor. In matters of business he has
been distinctly successful, his ability com-
manding the general respect, and by his
fairness and just dealing he has made many
friends.

HENRY GREVE.

Hknrv Gufat. came to Flint River town-
ship, when a lad of fourteen years, and has
been a respected ami nuich-csteemed citi-

zen of the township for forty years, and well
ileserves mention in this review as one of
the ]>romincnt farmers of the community.
He is a son of Henry and Mary Greve. and
was l)orn in \\'esti)halia. (iennany, Nov.
17. 185 1. When he was a babe, his ])arents
came to .Xmerica, and settled in Niagara
county. New York, where they remained till
i9i^-,. when they came West and located in
Hes Moines county, Iowa. They at once
bought a farm in I'.enton townshii), near
l.atty, Iowa, making many needed improve-
ments on it. and there the aged father still
resides. The mother of our subject died
in I'ebruary, HJ03. at the ripe age of eighty-
three years, seven months, and nine days.
Lloyd Reipe. a ne|)hew of Henry Greve, is
now operating the old home farm.

( )ur subject began his education in the
schools of Niagara county. New York, and
completed the .same in the scIkxiIs of Pien-
ton townshii). I-'or two years after leaving
school he was engaged by tin- railroad in
the roundhouse as fireman and general
handy man. He was cpiite successfid for
a number of years in running a threshing
machine, which be owned, in the neighbor-
hood.

April 21. 1875, Mr. (ireve became the
husband of Miss I'Vederica (hardener,
daughter oi William and Elizabeth (Reipe)
Gardener. Mrs. Greve was born in West-
l>halia. ( lerniany, Nov. 1 1, 1S55, and came to
.Vmerica with her parents, who located in
lUirlington, Iowa, in 1871. The father was
a ])rominent farmer of the county, and died
in i8()5, aged fifty years. an<l the kind and
loving motlur in 1877. at the age bf sixty-
eight years.

.Mr. and Mrs. Greve were the jiarents of
seven children, of whfnn but three remain:
Aima. born lul\ 1. 1877. ijied July 31, of

DES MOIXRS COUNTY, IOWA.

957

the same year; Helena, born Nov. 25, 1878,
died in August, 1884; Rosa born June 26,
1883, married Charles E. Johnson; Louisa,
an infant, who .died Aug. 5, 1886; Law-
rence, born Oct. 2, 1885, died Aug. 5,
1901 ; Amelia, born Aug. 13, i8yo; and
Elsie, the baby, born May 13, 1895, both at
home.

In 1901 Mr. Greve purchased seventy-
three acres of fine farm land in the north-
west corner of Flint River township, in
Section 6, from the Henry Fogle heirs, and
moved from the home farm in Benton town-
ship. He has a number of good horses and
a lot of fine cattle, and his farm is well
equipped with all the modern machinery
and implements necessary to operate a farm.

He has always been a stalwart Republican,
and constantly strong enough to decline anv
office his party might wish to confer upon
him. He and his estimable wife are promi-
nent and influential members of the German
Lutheran church. He is an upright citizen,
a good neighbor, a true friend, and a man
of great activity and value in the community
where he has lived for so long a time.

FREDERICK WILLIAM SWYGARD.

Frederick Willi.xm Swvgard, although
still retaining the ownership of the old home
farm, is now living a retired life in Medi-
apolis. He was born in Wiirtemberg, Ger-
many, Aug. II, 1833, and is a son of Simon
Peter and Hannah (Schermeier) Swygard.
He was only six years of age when brought
to America by his parents, who crossed the
Atlantic on one of the old-time sailing ves-
sels, which was sixty-one days in making

that voyage. The family iKinic was estab-
lished in Baltimore. .Md.. and the next sum-
mer the |)arents removed to Frederick City,
Aid., where the father engaged in weaving,
having previously learned that trade. He
lived at Frederick City for about three
years, and then removed to Washington
county, Maryland, where he resided until
1848, when he made a journey in a freight
wagon to Pittsburg, and thence down the
( )hio and up the Mississippi Rivers to Bur-
lington, accompanied by his family. They
remained in I'.urlington until 1855, and then
removed to Louisa county, where the father
purchased one hundred and twenty acres of
land. He at once began the cultivation and
im])rovenient of a farm, on which he con-
tinued to make his home until his death
in the year 1858. He was long survived by
his wife, who died .Aug. 20, 1900, at the very
advanced age of eighty-nine years, her birth
having occurred Aug. 11, 181 1. In their
family were four children : Frederick Will-
iam ; William, deceased; John P., who has
also ]jassed away ; and Benjamin, who died
in Burlington in 1904. Following the death
of her first husband the motlier became the
wife of Frederick Jacob Aliller.

Mr. Swygard, of this review, accompa-
nied his parents on their various removals,
and with Ihe family came to Iowa in 1848.
He lived in Burlington with the family for
several vcars, and then took up his abode on
the old homestead farm : 'ami when his
father died, he purchased the interest of the
other heirs in the property, and took pos-
session of that farm, to which he afterward
added a tract of forty acres. He made his
home there until 1892, when he retired to
private life, taking up his abode in Medi-
apolis. where he still resides. However, he
retains the ownershi]) of the old homestead,

g58

niocR.U'iiic.ii. Ri:i inir

which is just across the Ixnindary hue of
Des Moines county, and for many years he
was actively engaged in its improvement,
development, and cultivation. AH \\h>> vis-
ited the locality during that period and saw
his well-tilled fields and good improvements,
knew the owner to he a man of enterprise
and activity in his business life. The neat
and thrifty appearance of the place indicated
his practical and progressive spirit. The
ony interruption to his business career was
at the time of the Civil War.

.\ug. i). 1862. Mr. Swygard enlisted as
a member of Comi)any C. Thirtieth Iowa
Infantrv. with which he served until 18^)3.
particii)ating in all the battles and skir-
mishes of his regiment, .\lthough often in
the thickest of the fight, taking part in
twenty-two dilTerent engagements, he was
never wounded. l)ut he made a creditable
military record as a brave and fearless sol-
dier, never faltering in his allegiance to the
old flag and the cause it represented.

On Jan. 1. 1S51;. Mr. Swygard was mar-
rietl to Miss Helena ^'ugenheimer. a daugh-
ter of William and Susamia ( Knippenber-
ger) Yugenheimer. They became the i>ar-
ents of .seven children: William Henry,
born in Louisa county. Sept. 1. iSro. was
iiiaiTii<l to .Miss Marie .Magdelene Herges,
a daughter of John Henry and .\nna Chris-
tina Louise (\oldorf) Herges. There are
.six children of this marriage: I'rederick
William Henry, who is living in Monmouth.
111., where he is connected with the gas
works: Mimiie Louise: William Ldwin ;
Carl John: John I'eter Herman; and \inla
Lucinda. John V. Swygard was the second
of the family, anil was a farmer by occui)a-
tion. .\nna Matilda is the wife of Henr\
Todd, and lives in. Oklahoma. Charles 1".
married Carolin.i Hummel, of Peoria, ill..

and they have four children : Ida C, Her-
man S., Dorothy Lillian, and Lawrence E.
James K. married Lula Kline, a daughter of
John Kline, of whom mention is made else-
where in this work. Mary Helena is the
wife of I'rank Nelson, an imi)lement dealer
of Mediapolis, and their children are: Min-
nie Fern, Emma Evaline, Stanley, HaroUL
and Malcolm. Deljorah Evaline is the wife
of John Loper. a barber at ( )akville, Iowa,
.iud they have four children : Leslie L., Dal
n.. Keva. and Marvin.

.Mr. and Mrs. Swygard are well known
in Mediapolis and in the .soiuhern part of
Des Moines county, as well as across the
border in the county where their old home
farm lies. Mr. Swygard was a represent-
ative agriculturist, cajjably conducting his
farming interests: and now, in the enjoy-
ment of a well-earned ease, he is living in
the village surrounded by the comforts anil
nian\ of the luxuries that go to make life
worth living.

JOHN BERNHARD BOHLEN.

loiiN 1'.i:k.\ii.\ki> IJoiii.K.N. who is a
(lerman by birth, has been a resident of
Des Moines county since iS<)J. where he
has been a ])ros])erous farmer the greater
part of the lime. He is a son of Henry
and .\leda (Lubbers) llohlen, being born
in Oldenburg, (k-rmany. May 2H. 1875.

His education was received in the com-
mon schools of his hi>me ])lace, where he
also assisted his father, who was a farmer,
until he was seventeen years old. Com-
ing to .\merica in i8<>i he located at once
in r.urlington. where he first obtained
work witii tile Hnrg Wagon Comi)any.
After working iure for soiiu- time he was

DES MOIXRS COUXTY. IOWA.

g5^>

later employed for three niontlis in the
Chicago, Burlington & Oiiincy Railroad
shops. About this time he gave up shop
work and engaged in outdoor work, ac-
cepting a position to haul sand for two
months for the improvement of Osborn
Street. Soon after an opportunity pre-
sented itself, and our subject attended
school in Danville, wdiere he acquired a
better knowledge of the English lan-
guage. He then returned to farm life,
buying eight}- acres of land in Section 24,
Flint River township, and wdiere he has
lived and farmed since igoo. To-day he
has some forty acres under cultixation,
and has built a good barn, besides making-
other needed substantial improvements.

In June, 1903, Mr. Bohlen, with a num-
ber of other farmers, organized the l-dint
River Valley Telephone Company, and he
was elected one of the directors. The
capital stock of the company is about one
thousand dollars, with a list of twenty-
four subscribers, who are all connected
with the city telephones.

Mr. Bohlen was married, Felx 18, 1897,
to Aliss Lena Moehlman, daughter of
Frederick and Sbphia ( Luers) Aloehlman.
They are the parents of the following four
children: Amanda: Herbert, who died
Dec. II, 1902, aged one year and four
months; Emil ; Martha: and Esther, the
baby.

Mr. and Mrs. llohlen are members of
the German Baptist church, where the
former has 1)een a teacher and superin-
tendent of the .Sunday-school. Politically,
he is a Republican, but generally acts in-
dependently. He served as school direct-
or for one term in 1903. He is now tak-
ing the .Scranton home study course of
Telephone Engineering.

In reading liiis red ird \vi' find .\li'. Boli-
Icn to yjossess an active and progressive
spirit in all lines that pertain to the ad-
\anccment of his fellow-tnen, and though
quite a young man in ,vears, vt't li\' his
great ambition and willing han<ls lie has
achieved financial success, and througli
iiis integrit}- and uprightness he has won
the respect and gdnd-will of his frienils
and neighbors.

DAVID JOHN KELLEY.

The entire life of David John Kelley has
been spent in Des Aloines county, as a
farmer, giving the strength of his manhood
and intelligence to the agricultural suprem-
acy of this section of the State. He is luim-
bered among the native sons, his birth
having occurred in blint River idwnsliip,
July 16, 1868. He is a son of William and
Elizabeth (Porter) Kelley, who were pio-
neer settlers of Des Moines county, where
thev have been i)ros])erous farmers for many
vears. ()ur subject received his early edu-
cation in the district schools of I'lint River
townshi]). .\fter leaving school he began
working on iiis father's farm, remaining so
empioxed until his marriage, which occurred
Feb. 13, i8()3- Ili>^ wife's maiden natue was
Miss Mary Elizabeth Dodds. daugiiter of
Samuel and Sarah (Allison) Dodds. To
them one son has been born : Porter .Mlison,
l)orn June 18, 1898.

Mr. ;md .Mrs. Kelley began their wedded
life in Danville townshiiJ, where ihey re-
mained for two years. They then moved to
the Wapello road, ami have lived in this
vicinity ever since, buying the farm of one
hundred and sixty acres in the northwest

o6o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

corner of Section 26. in September, 1901,
and which is now tlieir jiresent liomc. This
was the first farm in the townsliip tliat sold
for one hundred dollars an acre. It is con-
sidered as gootl land as the county affords,
and is constantly increasing in value. Mr.
Kelley is occupied all the time doing general
farming and stock-raising. He feeds two
loads of hogs and two car-loads of cattle
annually, and has a number of gcKxl horses.
.Ml the improved machinery may be found
on his i^lace. and everything indicates thrift
and energy.

Mr. Kelley gives his political allegiance
to the Democratic party, and through his
untiring efforts has accomplished nuicli for
his community. He belongs to the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, and has ])asse(l
through the chairs, \ie\ved in a personal
light, he is a strong man of excellent judg-
ment, fair in his views, and highly honor-
able in his relations with his fellow-men.
and has won the favorable regard of his
fellow-citizens to a marked degree.

.\ sketch of William Kelley, father of
David, of this review, and a sketch of his
brother, James Kelley, of I'liiil River town-
ship, will be found on another i)age in this
volume.

ZURO VANDEMARK.

ZuRo \'.\ni)i:mauk. residing on his farm
on Section 17. I'ranklin township, where
he owns and cultivates eighty-five acres
of land which is rich and arable, was
born in Luzerne county, I'eiinsylvania,
June 28, 1837. his parents Ixnng IClijah
and Margaret ( I'ellis ) X'andemark. Both
were natives of Luzerne county, Pennsyl-
vania, the former born March 27. 1814.

and the latter March 18, 1818. They were
married (.)ct. 18, 1835. ^nd Mrs. Vande-
mark died May 25, 1893. They came to
Iowa in 1859, settling in Des Moines county,
where the father purchased eighty acres of
land in I'ranklin township and a tract of
similar pro])ortions in Yellow Springs town-
ship. Here he followed farming until his
later years, and as an agriculturist was prac-
tical in his methods, systematic in all that
he did, and resolute in carrying forward
to successful completion whatever he under-
took. He died at the venerable age of
eighty-two years, while his wife passed
away at the age of seventy years. Both
were members of the Methodist church,
and their remains lie buried in the old stone
church cemetery in Franklin township. Mr.
X'andemark was a Democrat in his political
views, and for eight years served as super-
visor of Franklin townshij). in which office
his duties were discharged with jiromptness
and fidelity. In the family were twelve
children, eight of whom are now living.

Zuro X'andemark remained at the place of
his birth until about twenty-one years of
age. and acquired his education in the public
schools. When not busy with his text-books,
his attention was largely given to farm
labor, and thus he received practical training
in the vocation which he has followed since
attaining man's estate. He, too, is num-
bered among the veterans of the Civil War
that Iowa furnished to the L'nion, for in
1863 he joined the boys in blue of Company
r>. Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, thus .serving
until the close of hostilities. He was sta-
tioned in the .Southern States. — Tennessee,
( ieorgia. North and South Carolina, — and
took part in many skirmishes and engage-
ments. In riiiladelphia, in 1865, he re-
ceived an honorable discharge, having been

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

q6i

ill in a hospital there, so that he was unable
to participate in the grand review in Wash-
ington which was the closing event and
brilliant finale of the war.

His military service ended, Mr. Vande-
mark returned to Franklin township, where
he took up the occupation of farming, and
not long afterward he purchased his present
farm, where he has lived continuously since,
devoting his energies to the tilling of the
soil, and to some extent he has also fol-
lowed stock-raising. He was active in farm
work until about fifteen years ago, when
he lost his eyesight.

On Feb. 19, 1869, Mr. \'andemark wed-
ded Miss Eliza J. Hines, a daughter of
Henry and Elizabeth (Ping) Hines, who
were early settlers of Franklin township,
this county, coming here from Kentucky.
Mr. Hines was a prominent farmer of the
locality, and both he and his wife died in
Franklin township, and were buried in the
old .stone cemetery. They had been married
on Feb. 19, 1845, and traveled life's journey
together for forty-three years, Mr. Hines
passing away June 3, 1888, and his wife on
May. 24, 1899. ^Irs. Vandemark was born
on her father's farm in that township, and
attended the common schools near his home.
She became the mother of twins, but both
died in infancy, and Mr. and Mrs. \'ande-
mark now have an adopted son. Alfred,
who resides with them, and operates the
farm. He married Miss Mable Kline, who
was also adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Vande-
mark when she was eight years of age.
There is one child of this marriage, — Al-
fred L. \'andemark.

Our subject and his wife, and also their
adopted children, are members of the Meth-
odist church, and in politics Mr. Vandemark
is a Republican. His life has been honor-

able, his conduct manl\- and sincere, and the
.sterling traits of his character have won him
the respect and confidence of his fellow-
men.

FRED LEICHT.

There is no man in Des Moines county
toward whom the people feel more kindly,
or one who is more highly respected, than
the subject of this review. We can confi-
dently say no man holding public office has
given better satisfaction, and the beautiful
appearance of our lovely Aspen Grove cem-
etery speaks for his ability and energy.

Fred Leicht is a son of Peter and
Philipina Leicht, and was born in Sie-
beldinger, Landan county, Bavaria, Ger-
many, April, 9, 183 1. His parents were
natives of the same place, and never came
to America. They were the parents of
twelve children, of whom five grew to
majority, the others dying in infancy. After
receiving a very limited education in the
schools of his home place, Mr. Leicht
helped on his father's farm, principally in
the vineyard. In 1847 '^^ came to America
by way of New Orleans, in one of the old-
time sailing vessels, being some sixty-two
days on the briny deep.

He first located in Cincinnati, Ohio,
where he learned to make chairs, and re-
mained there and in Louisville, Ky., till
1855. He then came West and settled in
Burlington, working one year at his trade,
and the next .seven years was a successful
farmer of Union township. Returning to
Burlington, he was employed for two years
as carpenter by the Chicago, FUirlington &
Quincy Railroad.

In the fall of 1866 Air. Leicht began

g62

lilOURAI'UlCAL REriEir

\M irking as sexton of As])cn Grove ceme-
tery, anfl to-day he is lioldinf; the same posi-
tion,— a period covering nearly forty years.
This cemetery is conceded to be one of the
finest in the State, if not of the Xorthwest ;
it contains about seventy acres of ground.
\\ hen he first assumed control of it it was
only a very small place ; but from time to
time it has been necessary to add to it. and
.\lr. Leicht.now eniiiloys ten people to care
for it. .\ineteen years ago the corporation
erected a cottage for Mr. Leicht on the
grounds, in w liich he resides. He has given
great care and attention to every detail,
attfiiding various cemetery associations
luld in some of the large Eastern cities.
The natural beauty of the grounds is
greatly admired, and each year valuable
improvemeiUs are made under the direction
of llie faithful su])erintendent, Mr. Leiclil.
There is scarcely a family resitling in Bur-
lington to-day whom he has not directly or
indirectly assisted in sorrow.

.March 4. 1S53. .Mr. Leicht niarritd Miss
.Anna Maria Dreher. in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mrs. Leicht was born March 31. 1834. and
was a daughter of John Thobald and Kath-
erine ( i'>lemwein ) Dreher, natives of
Siebeldinger. (iermanx. Mrs. Leicht came
to .America in 1S31, by way of .New York.
Mr. and Mrs. Leicht became the parents of
a large family, having eleven children, of
whom nine are living: l'hili])ina. born in
Cincinnati, Ohio. Jan. 7, 1S54, married
Fred Liechtenburg; Henry, born in Wwt-
linglon. Dec. 14. 1855. <lied in I'orl .\ra<Ii-
.son. Iowa, July 7, iSt;3. and is buried there;
John \\'., born in llurlington, .March 20,
1857. married Miss Caroline Lucas, and is
a ])rosperous grocery merchant in llurling-
ton : .Amelia, born June 7, i85<), is the wife
of .Adam Walker, being married Oct. 28,

1877, and has six chililren : IVtcr. a success-
ful grocer of r>urlington. born Dec. 7, i86r.
married Miss Lena Rundorf Sept. 16. 1882,
and has three children ; Matilda, born .April
14. 18(^)4. married William Thienes Aug. 8,
1883. who died Xov. 10. i8r)4; Frederick,
born Xov. 19. i8f)6; Emma, born Feb. 9,
i8rxj. married George C. Hassman .May 7.
1890. and has three children. Hazel. Clif-
ford, and Grace; I'ertha. born Oct. 21.
1871, died in infancy; Frank, born Xov.
20. 1873. married Miss .M;md .Metzger. of
lUirlington. April 26, 1(^05 ; George, born
Sept. 30. 1875. married Miss Mary Olson
Feb. 22. 1903.

Mr. and Mrs. Leicht shared the many
joys and sorrows of married life for over
fifty years, and had the pleasure of celebrat-
ing their golden wedding anniversary, upon
which occasion they received many congrat-
ulations and good wishes from their many
friends. Alarch 9. KJ05. a day or two over
two years from this joyous time. Mrs.
Leicht. the devoted wife and loving mother,
was called to her heavenly home, and her
loss was deeply de])loreil liy the whole com-
munity. Her life was made up of kind and
loving deeds, and she jiosses.sed a beautiful
and retiring nature rarely equaled. She
was carefully and tenderly laid away in a
beautiful spot close to the home cottage,
and her grave receives many beautiful
llowers as tributes of love and respect from
friends in all stations of life.

Mr. Leicht's home is now presided over
by his widowed daughter, Mrs. Thienes.
In iiolitics he votes for the man whom he
thinks best suited for office, but is inclined
toward the Republican i)arty, though he
never cared for public rect)gnition. He was
formerly a member of the Druids, — a se-
cret societv, — and for several vears was the

DES MOIXES COUXTV. IOWA.

Q63

treasurer of the same. He holds memher-
ship in the First Evangehcal German
church. Mr. Leicht is a very plain and un-
pretentious man. broad and hberal in his
views, warm-hearted and genial. There is
probably no one having a larger acquaint-
ance in the county than he has. His duties,
which are of a hard nature, have been
promptly and faithfully performed in all
conditions of weather. He is rapidly ad-
vancing in years, and the cares and burdens
of his active life have made some inroads
upon his health, but his thousands of friends
hope and trust he will be spared for many
years to come, and that his life of honesty
and uprightness will receive a just reward.

FREDRICK SUESSENS.

UxE of the highly respected citizens of
Des Moines comity, Iowa, is Fred Sues-
sens, now residing on his large farm of
three hundred acres in ]^)urlington town-
ship, just north of the city of Burlington.
He is a native of Germany, where he was
born May 4, 1851, the son of Fredrich
and Anna (Jonkermann) Suessens, and
resided in his native land until he attained
his twenty-first year, meantime recei\ing
a good education in the ])ublic schools.

It was in 1871 that he came to seek the
wide opportunities of America, and land-
ing at New York, he came at once to
Iowa, locating in the city of Burlington,
■where he remained for two years, at the
end of which time he ]nirchased his ])res-
ent farm of fertile agricultural lands,
where he has ever since continued to re-
side. While the entire tract at that time
consisted of wild and untilled lands, it is

now praclicallv all under culti\ation, and
1)\ the fostering care and sound practical
judgment of Mr. Suessens, has become
one of the finest farms in Des Moines
county.

The imjjrovements are all of his own
making, and include a large and modern
frame dwrlling-house, which is fitted up
with many of the latest conveniences de-
\ised by mechanical ingenuity to min-
ister to the comfort and ease of the occu-
|)ants. Here he has resided ever since
.first making it his home, devoting his
time to general farming and to stock-rais-
ing. That he has succeeded from a pe-
cuniary point of view is amply evidenced
l)y the high state of efficiency to which he
has brought his farm as a source of ])ro-
duction, as well as by the e.xct'Ilent ap-
pearance and general atmi)S])here of order
and neatness which |)revail all o\er the
farm.

< )n Xo\-. 25, 1873, Mr. Suessens wed-
ded Miss Catherine Hadeler, wdio, like
iiimself, is a native of Germany, and came
to the I'nited -Slates in 1871. 'Vo them
have been born eleven children, four of
whom are living, as follows: Lena, wife
of Fred Hickenback, a farmer of liurling-
ton township: and .Minnie. Mary, and Em-
ma, who are members of their father's
household. Those deceased are Anna,
F,da, John, and four who died in infancy.
Mr. and IMrs. Hickenback are the parents
of three sons, Raymond. .Mberl, and Al-
fred, the latter being deceasetl.

Mr. Suessens is himself one of a family
of four children, all of whom still survive,
although the parents are now deceased,
the father having died at about the age of
fift\-seven years, and the mother at the
a])proxiniate age of sevent\- years. They

1)6+

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

are buried in i'.iirliiij^ton township. The
parents of Mr. Siiessens came to .\nicr-
ica in 1874. and made llicir home witli
him tUirinj,' tlie remainder of their lives,
the father, who was in (iermany a farmer,
leading a retired life in this country.

A Democrat in pohtics, and a con-
scientious heliever in the |)rinci])les of
that ])arty. he has nevertheless never
eared for the honor of holdinfj ])ublic
office, but has devoted his abilities to
business affairs almost exclusively, al-
thoufjh he was at one time induced by
his friends to accept tlie office of super-
visor of the |)ublic hifjhways, and in that
ca|)acity performed useful service.

While he has been always conspicu-
ously successful in dealing with the ma-
terial side of life, he has, on the other
hand not neglected the cause of religion,
.•mil iiimself ami wife are both faithful
members of the (ierman Lutheran church,
to the sujjport of which he is a liberal
contributor, and in whose work he has
ever taken a deep and substantial inter-
est. Mis life is a glorious e.\em])lification
of the energy and enteri)rise that have
made our land what it is to-day, — the
proudest among the nations of the earth.
And withal, his integrity and strict hon-
esty in all his relations with his fellow-
men ha\e gained him tlie universal re-
spect, and made him countless friends
who are ready to testify to his high and
admirable qualities.

FRANKLIN RENNER.

At an early perind in tju' dcvtlnpnient
of Des Moines county, l-rankiin Renner
became one of its rcsidrnts. and his hmne

is now in the city of IJanville. He is a
native of Cincinnati. ()hio. born June 8,
i8_^4; but when he was only a few weeks
old. he was taken to IJearborn county.
Indiana, by his parents. Peter and Sybil
(Ilahn) Renner, l)oth of whom were na-
tives of (■icrmany, and came to the United
.States at an early age. .After living in
Ohio for a nund)er of years. I'eler Ren-
ner removed to Indiana, taking up his
abode in Dearborn county, where he en-
tered forty acres of land. He spent his
remaining days there, dying at the age of
si.xty-five years; and his wife, surviving
him for some time, passed away at the
very advanced age of ninety years, her
death occurring at the old home in Dear-
born county. Indiana.

It was in that county that I'ranklin
Reinier was reared and educated, attend-
ing the subscrii)tion and the district
schools. He remained in Indiana until
1S55. when he settled in Des .Moines
county. ])urchasing forty acres of land in
Danville townshij). Tliis |u- partially im-
proved, erecting thereon a good house
and barn, and jilacing the fields under
cultivation, l-'rom time to time, as his
financial resources increased, he pur-
chased more land, until he now owns in
the home farm one hundred and si.xty-five
acres, and in adilition he has ;ini>lher
farm of seventy-nine acres in Danville
townshi]). L'])on the old homestead he
carried on general farming and stock-
raising w itli excilient success, making the
pro|)erty one of the model farms of the
township: and there he lived until i8(X>,
when he removed to Danville, ])Utting
aside the more aoti\e course of business
life. In the city he ])urchase(l a ])leasant
home and fourteen acres of land, and is

DES MOIXES COUXTY, IOWA.

965

now very comfortably situated, the labor
of former days supplying him with all
of the necessities and many of the lux-
uries of life.

Mr. Renner was married in i(S54 to
Miss Elizabeth Adle, who was born in
Germany, and came to the United States
when a young- child. She died on the
home farm in Danville township, Dec.
21, 1893, at the age of seventy-five years.
For his second wife Mr. Renner chose
Rosa Kalmus, their marriage taking place
June 5, 1894. She was born in Danville
township, Des Moines county, and is a
daughter of Peter and Margaret (Bing-
ham) Kalmus, both of whom were na-
tives of Germany, whence they came to
the United States at an early day, loca-
ting in Des Moines county, Iowa, whence
they afterward removed to Henry county,
this State. The father is now deceased,
but the mother is still living at her home
in Henry county. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Renner have been born two children,
Frank Joseph and Grover P'etcr, both of
whom were born on the old homestead.

In politics Mr. Renner is a Democrat,
and for three years was trustee of the
township board in Danville. He has
served for some time as a member of the
city council. He is now one of the board
of directors of school district No. 5 and
is a member of the Catholic church, of
West Burlington. His pronounced abil-
ity as a business man, and his integrity
in the successful management of the in-
terests which have claimed his attention,
have won him prominence. In all busi-
ness transactions he has been found relia-
ble and trustworthy, and in public or pri-
vate life his integrity is above question
and his honor above reproach.

MONROE BAILEY.

Monroe Baii.kv, numijcred among the
substantial farmers of Danville town-
ship, and engaged in 0])erating a large
farm of three hundred and twenty acres,
which he leases from the John lianna es-
tate, was born in the town of La Harpe,
Hancock county. 111., May 17, 1861, a son
of John F. and Maria (Haggard) Bailey.
The fatiier was a native of Virginia,
whence he renioxed to the West and lo-
cated in Illinois in the early '40's, settling
in Hancock county, lie purchased land
there, engaging in farming and stock rais-
ing during the remainder of his life, and
it was there that his death occurred in
the seventy-ninth year of his age on the
anniversary of his birth. During his later
years he made his home with his son
James. He was able, progressive, and
prosperous, and was long active in re-
ligious work, being a member of the Bap-
tist church. Politically, he was a life-long
Republican.

He first married a Miss Thompson, by
whom he had eight childret>; and of his
union with .Maria Haggard were born
two sons: Monroe, subject of this sketch;
and Charles, now a resident of St. Louis,
Mo., where he is employed in the street
railwa\' service as a motormaii. Maria
Haggard Bailey was born in Kentucky,
coming as a small child to Illinois with
her parents, who. settling in Hancock
countw devoted their lives to the work of
the farm, and both died there. She her-
self died in Hancock county, her demise
occurring when our sui)jeet was but two
years of age. She was a member of the
Baptist church. . She and her husband
are buried in Hancock county.

<J»l(l

HIOGR.II'HK.U. Rf.l lEW

l-'or his formal cdiicatidii Mr. Hailcy is
indebted to the public schools of iiis na-
tive ])lace and to the Carthage, 111., high
school. His practical training, however,
was received on his father's farm, and he
lias been engaged in farming all his life.
He remained in Illinois until he was
twenty-two years of age, coming to Iowa
in 1882 and locating near Denmark in
Lee county, where he resided for four
years, and then removing to Des Moines
county, in the vicinity of Danxille. In
that section he rented successively two
farms, each for five years, and at the ex-
piration of the ten year period rented the
present farm, which he has occupied con-
timH)Usly since, devoting his etTitrts to
stock-raising and general farming. He
buys anil feeds cattle and hogs for the
market on a large scale, and has enjoyed
excellent success witli this branch of his
work.

( )n .March 3. 1882. Mr. I'ailey was
united in marriage to .Miss C"ora !•'. Rice,
wlio was bnrn in Hamilton, Hancock
county. 111., ;i ilaughter of Orin and
Maria (Kent) Rice. Her father, who
was a man of distinguished ability, was
l)i>rn in (ieueseo. X. ^ ., and he and his
wife were for some time residents of
Cincinnati, removing thence to Hancock
county. Illinois, in iS5(>. During the
earlier portion of his life he was an invent-
or of note, and was the inventor oi the
first zinc washboard introduced into gen-
eral use. this being at thai time an ad-
vance over older methods that was highly
important. His later years were jtassed
in Hancock county, in the occupation
of farming and stcx'k-raising. high-grade
I'erkshire hogs being his specialty. He
was a member and worker in the Presbv-

terian church, and was very prominent in
the (Grange moVement of his tlay, being a
leader of public sentiment along lines
that would have resulted in vast benefit
to the farming element if his ideas had
received the support which their initial
success merited. He was identified with
the Re])itblican party, but took no active
share in practical jjartisan work, although
he never neglected his civic duties as he
.saw them.

He died at his home in .\drian. 111.,
aged seventy-five years, and was buried
in Chicago. His widow died Dec. 28,
i8(j8, in Chicago, being then eighty years
of age. She was born in Derry, \. H..
and removed to Michigan at the age of
eighteen years, locating at .Xdrian, where
she continued to reside until her mar-
riage. She was the mother of seven chil-
dren, five of whom are still living, and of
these Mrs. Bailey is the youngest.

To Mr. and Mrs. I'ailey have been born
five sons, as follows: Kent R.. born near
Denmark. Lee county, assists in the work
of the farm ; Charles E., born in Lee
county, also assists his father: Ward L..
born in Lee county: ( )rin R.. born in
DanxiJle township. Des .Moines county:
and Illaine E.. born in Danville townshij).
Des Moines county. .\11 were educated
in the schools of Danville, and have re-
ceived excellent advantages in the way of
thorough school training.

.Mr. Hailev is a mend)er and generous
stijiporter of the Congregation.d church,
of Danville, and in his fraternal relations
is identified with Camp 43,^2. Modern
Woodmen of .\merica. of Danville. A
stanch Re])ul>lie.in, he enjoys wide popu-
larity with those of his own and all other
political faiths, an<l is at the jiresent time

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

967

occupying- the office of trustee of Dan-
ville township, being- now in the second
year of his incumbency.

WILLIAM CLUDY.

One of the prominent representatives
of practical agriculture in Des Moines
county is William Cludy, a resident of
Jackson township, where he operates a
well-improved farm of one hundred and
twenty acres. Mr. Cludy traces his an-
cestry to Germany, his parents having
been natives of that country, but his own
place of birth is Jackson township, Des
Moines county, and the date May i, 1864.

He is the son of Henry and Mary
Cludy. Both parents were born in Ger-
many, but came to America when quite
young. After their marriage they lo-
cated in Indiana, where the father rented
land and farmed. After living there a
few years they moved to Iowa, settling in
Jackson township, this county. They
were the parents of seven sons, all of
whom except two are still living, as fol-
lows : Fred, whose home is in Burling-
ton; Henry, born Jan. 31, 1855, ^'^^'^ ^^'
siding on his farm of one hundred acres
in Jackson township, has one son, John,
who is also married and lives in this
township ; John, a farmer in Huron town-
ship ; Frank, deceased; William, the im-
mediate subject of this review; Edward,
whose home is in Burlington ; and Sam-
uel, who died at the age of two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Cludy. the parents of our
subject, were both devoted members of
the German Lutheran church. They
made their home in Jackson township

from the time that they first came to
Iowa until the end of their lives. Mr.
Cludy died on the home place in 1880, at
the age of about forty years. His widow
survived him for almost twenty years,
her decease occurring on Oct. 22, 189Q,
when she was about sixty-two years of
age. They are both buried in the ceme-
tery in this township.

William Cludy secured his education
in the public schools of the community,
and enjoyed the additional advantage of
learning the work of the farm by practi-
cal experience with its details. He re-
mained upon the home place, assisting in
its operation, until he was eighteen years
of age, when he felt that it was time for
him to begin working for himself. He
started his career of independent exertion
by working by the month on different
farms in Huron township. After doing
this for several years, he rented a farm
consisting of one hundred and twenty
acres, in Section 4, Jackson township,
which he has operated two years. Dur-
ing the years 1905-1906 he will operate
the Dr. Fades farm. He carries on gen-
eral farming and stock-raising, and has
made a specialty of breeding Poland
China hogs and Hereford cattle. His
energy, care, and foresight in the conduct
of business have resulted in bringing him
a large measure of success. Many im-
provements have been made on the farm
under his supervision.

On March 15, 1898. Mr, Cludy was
wedded to Miss Katie Rice, daughter of
John and Harriet (Mertz) Rice. Mr.
Rice is a large property owner and farmer
of Benton township, owning about four
hundred acres of rich farming land. He
was an earlv settler of Des Moines

968

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

county, locatinj^ in Benton township at
an early day. He was born in Germany,
and came to the United States with his
parents, when he was only two years of
age. His parents settled in Putnam
county, Indiana, remaining for about five
years ; tliey then came to Iowa, and set-
tled in liurliiigton township. Here they
remained for only two years, then mov-
ing to Henton township, where the father
bought land near Latty Station.

John Rice, father of Mrs. Cludy, re-
ceived his education in the common
schools of Burlington township, and as-
sisted upon the home farm, remaining
there until he was thirty years of age.
.\t that time he purchased his present
farm of three hundred and thirty-five
acres in Benton and Jackson townships,
and has lived there ever since, engaged
in general farming and stock-raising. He
is a Democrat in politics, and both he
and his family are members of the Ger-
man Lutheran church. He was married
to Miss Harriet Mertz, a native of Penn-
sylvania, who came with her parents to
Iowa when a small child. They settled
at Kingston, where she made her home
until the time of her marriage. Mrs.
Cludy is one of twelve children that were
born to them, of whom nine are still
living.

Mrs. Cludy was educated in the district
schools of Benton township, and grew to
womanhood there. She is a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and a
Iielpcr in its enterprises. To her and Mr.
Cludy have been born three children, as
follows: Elsie, born March 15, 1899;
Charles W., born Dec. 20, 1901, died July
31, 1903; and a son, born Aug. 15, 1904.

In his political faith Mr. Cludy is a

firm believer in the principles of the Re-
publican ]}arty. and has served his party
faithfully in various ways, though he has
never been an aspirant to public office.
He was reared in the German Lutheran
church, and still holds membership in
that body. He is enterprising, public-
spirited, and progressive, and his loyalty
to his convictions and absolute integrity
in his dealings have inspired respect for
his character on the part of all with whom
he comes in contact.

HENRY C. SCHMIDT.

The birthplace of Henry C. Schmidt was
a farm not far from Burlington, and his
natal day is Oct. 5, 1871. His parents were
Henry Peter Carl and Magdalena (Busch)
Schmidt, both of whom were natives of
Germany, the former born in Nassau and
the latter in Swaben. In early life, how-
ever, they came to America, and were mar-
ried in Burlington, where Mr. Schmidt
worked for a nurseryman for a time. He
afterward purchased four and a half acres
of land northwest of Burlington, took up
his abode thereon, and as the years ad-
vanced he added to the property until at
the time of his death ninety-six acres were
enclosed within the boundaries of his place.
He had also cultivated and improved the
property until it was an excellent farm,
with considerable market value. He passed
away in July, 1896, and the mother con-
tinued to reside upon the old homestead
for about six years thereafter, renting the
land to her son-in-law, Fred Schoell, for
one year, at the end of which time he pur-
chased the property. Mrs. Schmidt is now

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

969

living in \\'est Burlington with her young-
est son.

Henry C. Schmidt is the eldest of a fam-
ily of four sons and two daughters. He
made his home with his parents until six-
teen years of age. when he began working
in Burlington, where he was employed for
three and a half years. He then returned
home, but afterward worked in West Bur-
lington shops for a short time. His early
education was acquired in the public
schools, after which he secured employ-
ment as a farm hand, being thus engaged
for a year and a half. Then believing that
he could profitably conduct a farm, he
rented sixt\--five acres of land from his
father on Section 3, Flint River township.
That he did not overestimate his abilities
is indicated by the fact that his labors were
so profitable that after two years he was
enabled to purchase the land, and he also
bought an additional tract of fifteen acres
of timber. In 1898 he built a residence on
his farm, and he has put all of the improve-
ments on the property, having now a fine
farm, although many others are greater in
extent. In all that he undertakes he is
practical, and his labors are therefore
profitable.

April 8, 1896, Mr. Schmidt was married
to Miss Minnie Reif, who was born in
Wapello, Iowa, and is a daughter of Philip
and Henrietta (Winters) Reif, the former
a native of Ohio, and the latter of Ger-
many. ]Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt have become
the parents of two daughters and a son :
Esther, born June 12, 1897; Viola, born
May 30, 1899; and Walter, born Dec. 3,
1901. The parents hold membership in
the Methodist Episcopal church, and are
people of genuine worth, their good quali-
ties of heart and mind winning them the

friendly regard of many with whom they
have been associated. Mr. Schmidt is yet
a young man, but his business enterprise
and unremitting diligence have brought
him gratifying success, and the visible evi-
dence of his life of labor is his excellent
farm in Flint River township.

JOHN McPAKE.

JoHx McPake, who owns and operates
a farm of thirty acres on Section 26, Flint
River township, Des Moines county, is a
native of Illinois, his birth having occurred
in Henderson county, Feb. 8, 1857. He is
one of eight children born unto Owen and
Bridget (Clark) McPake, both of whom
were natives of Ireland, the father's birth
having occurred in County- Tyrone, while
the mother was born in County Meath.

They came to the United States in early
life, and die father cast his first presiden-
tial vote for Polk. Establishing his home
in Pennsylvania, he was there employed in
rolling-mills. He was married in Allen-
town, Pa., and five years later brought his
family to Illinois, settling in Henderson
county, where he was employed as a farm
hand for a year and then purchased a
small farm, whereon he continued to reside
throughout the remainder of his active busi-
ness life. His last days were spent in re-
tirement from labor at the home of his son
John, where he died March 26, 1903, at the
venerable age of one hundred years and four
months. His wife died two years before
her husband, at the age of seventy-nine
years. Of their children five are still
living.

Remaining a resident of Henderson

y70

BIOGRAPHICAL Kill 1 EW

county, Illinois, for twelve years, John Mc-
Pakc acquired his early education in the
public schools there, and following the re-
moval of the family to Des Moines county,
July 29, 1869, he continued his studies in
the schotils of Flint River township. He
remained upon the home farm until old
enough to start out in life on his own ac-
count, when he began working on the farm
of William I-". Johnson, cuntiiuiing there
for two or three years. He then returned
to the home farm in Illinois, which he oper-
ated for several years, or until his marriage,
in 1879.

In Febniary. 1884, he returned to Iowa,
and again located in l-lint River township,
where he engaged in farming for two years.
He next took up his abode in West Burling-
ton, where he was engaged in the wood and
coal business for two years. He then en-
tered the boiler shops of the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy Railroad Company, being
employed there for three years, and later
he spent a similar period at Chicago in the
boiler shops of the Chicago & Northwestern
Railroad Company. On the expiration of
that period he returned to Flint River town-
ship, and has since engaged in farming in
Section 26.

April 21, 1879, Mr. McPake was married.
in St. Paul's Catholic church, in Burlington,
to Miss Anna Lacey, who was born in that
city, Jan. 2, 1858, a daughter of John and
Anna (Breen) Lacey. who were natives of
County Wexford, Ireland. The father came
to the United States when twenty years of
age, and located at West Chester, Pa., and
his wife crossed the Atlantic with her par-
ents in her childhood days, and also became
a resident of West Chester. They were mar-
ried there in 1852, and the same day started
for Iowa, settling in Burlington. Some years

later they removed to Flint River township,
where the father engaged in farming. His
death occurred Dec. 4, 1891, when he had
reached the age of seventy-four years and
nine months, while his wife passed away in
1859, when their daughter Anna was but a
year old. She was their only child.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. McPake have been
born eleven children, all of whom are liv-
ing: Ella, the wife of George Hetz, a team-
ster of Burlington. l)y whom she has three
children, Anna, Leona, and Gladys ; Kath-
erine, who resides in West Burlington ;
Joseph Owen, a machinist, married Dorothy
Ijrone, of West Point, Iowa, and now re-
sides at Moline, III.; John Lacey; Mary
Breen ; William Henry ; George Edward ;
Susan ; Rose Marie ; Marguerite .Mice ; and
Charles Philip.

The parents are members of the Catholic
church, and in his political affiliation Mr.
McPake is a Democrat. While living in
West Burlington he served as constable,
and for two years has filled the i)osition of
road supervisor, proving a competent officer,
and is always interested in public progress
and ini|)rovement.

EDWARD LEHR.

A PROMINENT and influential position
is accorded Edward Lehr among the suc-
cessful merchants of Burlington, his con-
nection with the lumber interests of the
community having added to their value
in various lines. He was born in West-
phalia, Germany, Feb. 19, 1850, a son of
Carl Lehr, who was a prominent lawyer
in Westphalia, but never came to Amer-
ica. He received a part of his education

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

Q7I

in the gyniiiasiuin schools in Germany,
anil came to America when he was fif-
teen years of age. He had an uncle in
Baltimore who was a tobacco exporter,
with whom he remained for one year.
He came to Burlington first in 1866, but
stayed only three years, when he returned
to Baltimore, where he remained till 1879
with his uncle. After again coming to
Burlington he was with the Murray Iron
Works for two years, and about this
time became identified with the Gilbert &
Hedge Lumber Companj', one of the
largest and most successful industries in
Burlington. He was bookkeeper and as-
sociate manager for some years, and in
1900 became a member of the firm and
has done much towards building up the
extensive business.

June 23, 1900, 'Mr. Lehr was married to
]Miss Alice Wolf, daughter of Charles
Wolf, of Burlington. They have two
sons: Edward, Jr., born Alarch 26, 1903,
and Gilbert, born Dec. 21, 1904. Mr.
Lehr was formerly a Democrat, but his
study of the political issues and questions
of the day has led him to give his support
to no party; for he believes that he can
best discharge his duties of citizenship by
supporting the men whom he thinks most
ably qualified for office regardless of
party affiliations. Air. Lehr resides at
1837 West Avenue. Both he and his
wife are held in high regard by all who
appreciate genuine personal worth.

JOHN MONTGOMERY.

John I^Iontgomerv was for many years
a prominent mechanic in the city of Bur-
lington, and well deserves mention among

the prominent residents of this community
who in the ])ast were loyal to its best inter-
ests and largely promoted the general good.
Although some years have come and gone
since he was called so suddenly to his final
rest, his influence remains as a potent factor
in the world, especially along those lines
which stand for the highest and best in life.

John Montgomery was a son of Robert
and Margaret (Montgomery) Montgom-
ery, and was born in Irvineston, County
Fermanagh, Ireland, Sept. 24, 1843. He
attended the local schools of his native
county for a few years, but his education
was principally acquired through the em-
ployment of his leisure hours in extensive
reading. He thus became a well-informed
man, for he possessed an observing eye and
a retentive memory. Hearing favorable re-
ports concerning the business ojiportunities
of the New World, and desirous of learn-
ing something of other countries besides his
native land, he determined to emigrate to
the United States, and in 1861 crossed the
great Atlantic, landing in New York, from
whence he came direct to Burlington, Iowa.

Here he learned the trade of a blacksmith
in the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Rail-
road shops, where he was later employed
as foreman in the blacksmith shop, in West
Burlington, till his death. Dec. 24, 1889,
Mr. ^Montgomery w^as accidentally killed by
the cars while attempting to board the morn-
ing work train. His death was deeply de-
plored by his employers and associates,
and was a sad blow to his beloved family.
Being the oldest mechanic in the employ
of the company at the time of his death, he
had become widely known in the industrial
circles of Burlington, and his many sterling
traits of character had gained for him the
warm regard of all with whom he was asso-

072

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIFJV

ciated. He died leaving his family a com-
fortable competence and an nntarnislied
name. His remains are buried in Aspen
Grove cemetery. For years Mr. Mont-
gomery has been an honored member of the
Association of United Workmen, in which
he carried an insurance policy of two
thousand dollars. He was a member of
the Presbyterian church, and his life was in
constant harmony with his Christian faith
and profession. His political allegiance was
always given to the Reijublican party, and
in matters of citizenshi]} he was ever pro-
gressive, being interested in everything for
the good of the city.

March i. 1864. Mr. Montgomery was
married to Miss Mary Ann Mitchell, daugh-
ter of John and Jane (Armstrong) Mitchell,
of New York city. Mrs. Montgomery was
born in County Derry, Ireland, June 20,
1843, and came to America when but eleven
years okl. making the trip in one of the early
steamers in some ten or twelve days. She
received her education in her birthplace.

L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery were
born four children : Jennie, a graduate of
ttu' high school and city training school of
liurlington, Iowa, has been a successful
teacher in the schools of the same city for
over twenty years, having charge now of
the ])rimary department of the Washington
School. Resides her school duties. Miss
Jennie is active in the service of the Pres-
byterian church, of which she is a faithful
member ; she has also, for a number of
years, represented the charity organization
of the city in her district, in wliich she is
deservedly popular, always being kind and
considerate to the poor and needy, and at
the same time exerting her influence for
right and justice. Mary, the second daugh-
ter, married Mervon Howe, a machinist,

and lives in Buffalo, X. V.. and has one
child, Margaret. Robert, the only son,
married Miss Louisa Schramm, is a ma-
chinist, and resides at Cleveland Station,
Ohio, and is the father of one son, Herbert.
Cora married a Presbyterian minister by
name of Quinn, has one child, Rubert, and
lives in Britt, Iowa.

Mrs. Montgomery and daughter Jennie
still live in the old home, at 1816 Agency
Street, which the husband and father
bought in 1865, and which he improved to
its jiresent condition. Montgomery Street,
in tiie same neighborhood, was named in
honor of our subject. Mrs. Montgomery is
a woman whose strength of character lies
in her integrity and her imfaltering <levotion
to the principles which she believes to be
right. Her church life has been one of pure
devotion, while her work in the behalf of
the sick and afflicted has been continuous
and far reaching, and in this resjiect she
has ever followed the example of her be-
loved hushaml.

CARL LUDWICK SCHMIDT.

C.\RI- Ll'DWICK Schmidt is a repre-
sentative of one of the pioneer families
of Des Moines county, having for many
years resided in this part of the State. A
native of Prussia, he was born in Bran-
denburg, \'oldenburg, Prussia, Germany,
Nov. 27, 1834, his parents being Frederick
and Johanna (Bench) Schmidt. In his
native land he attended the public
schools, and alter ])Utting aside his text-
books he learned the stone-mason's trade.
Later he secured a position as baggage-
master, but subsequently was taken sick.
Wluii he had recovered his health, he

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

973

worked in the freight house, and was
thus engaged at the time of his marriage.

In 1868 he came to America, believing
that he might have better business oppor-
tunities in the New World. Taking pas-
sage on an old sailing vessel, he was just
nine weeks in crossing the Atlantic, and
then landed at Baltimore. He came di-
rect to Burlington by way of Chicago,
and. accompanied by his family, estab-
lished his home in this city. Here he
secured employment in the gas works.
He also built a house, and later traded
that property for eightj^ acres of land in
Benton township, at the northeast corner
of Section 27. Here he turned his atten-
tion to general agricultural pursuits, and
has largely developed the farm, erecting
all of the buildings thereon with the ex-
ception of the house. He also placed a
foundation under the house and built a
porch. Everything about his farm is neat
and thrifty in appearance, and the well-
tilled fields are an evidence of his life of
thrift and industry.

Nov. 4, 1865, while still in Germany,
Mr. Schmidt was married to Miss Caro-
lina Franciska Fenska, a daughter of John
and Charlotte (Schultz) Fenska. She
was born March 2, 1841, and by her mar-
riage has become the mother of seven
children, four sons and three daughters :
Martha Antonia Elizabeth, born in Vol-
denburg, Germany, Sept. 13, 1866, and :s
the wife of Henry Young, of Benton
township; Otto Albert P., born in Bur-
lington, Dec. 20, 1868; Charles John Fred-
erick, born Aug. 9. 1871, and is living
in Burlington ; Juliana Louisa Francis-
ca, born Nov. 16, 1873, and is the wife of
Frank Haus, of Benton township : .\lbert
Julius Richard, born Oct. 21, 1873: John

W'ilhelm Gothelf, born May 7, 1878; and
Helena Maria Charlotta, born Dec. 4,
1881, and is the wife of John Nasius of
Benton township. The son, John W. G.
Schmidt, was elected to the office of road
supervisor, March, 1905. He had previ-
ously worked for the county under the
direction of the board of supervisors. He
is a wide-awake and enterprising young
man, full of energy and determination.

Air. and Mrs. Schmidt are members of
St. Paul's German Lutheran church, and
take an active part in its work and up-
building. He is serving as trustee and
treasurer, and does all in his power to
jjromote the growth of the church. In
politics he is a stanch Democrat, but has
never sought or desired office, preferring
to give his time and attention to his busi-
ness affairs, and as a farmer is now meet-
ing with creditable success. Upon his
place he has four cows, three calves, six
horses, and eighteen hogs. He carries on
general farming, and is nicely located on
Yellow Springs creek, in Benton town-
ship.

CHRIS ROLD.

Chris Rold, a retired farmer living in
Huron township, was born in Baden, Ger-
many, Dec. 21, 1839, h's father being Joseph
Rold, of that county. The son acquired his
education in the public schools, and learned
the carpenter's trade in early manhood.
Thinking that he might enjoy better bus-
iness privileges and opportunities in the
New World, he made arrangements to leave
the Fatherland in 1872, and crossed the
Atlantic to the United States. He did not
tarrv on the Atlantic coast, but made his

Q74

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

way at once to Burlington, where he secured
employment in Joy's factory, where he re-
mained through one summer and winter.
He was also employed by the firm of Gillis
& W inters, and he also acted as turnkey
at the jail under William SchaflFner, who is
the ])resent deputy sheriff of the county.
At length retiring from that ]iosition, he
bought twenty acres of land in Section 26,
Huron township, where he has since lived.
He is now living retired, his children doing
the work of the farm, but for a long period
he was actively engaged in farm life, tilling
the soil and harvesting his crops.

In the spring of 1872 Mr. Rold was
united in marriage to Miss Mary Wearly, a
daughter of Joscpli Wearly. and they have
nine children : lidward. Bertha, i^.arbara,
Mary. .Anna, Emerence. Gustave, Christ,
and Athcrn, all living in Des Moines county.
Several of the number were born in Huron
townshij), and three are still at home. The
parents are members of the Catholic church
of Kingston, and have reared their family
in that faith.

FREDERICK RAMILLER.

Frederick Rj\miller, who claims Ger-
many as his birthplace, and who has
been an esteemed citizen of the United
States from early childhood, and a
respected farmer of Flint River town-
ship for many years, is a son of Fred-
erick and Elizabeth (Brucr) Ramiller,
and was born in West Phalen, Germany,
Dec. 23, 1844. When he was but two
years old his parents brought him to
America, bought land, and settled in
Flint River township, being among the
very early pioneers of this county. They

spent the remainder of their good lives
on this pretty farm, made so by their
own personal efforts; and during this
long residence of more than thirty years
they became well known in the commu-
nity, where they made scores of true
friends. P'rederick Ramiller. Sr.. died in
1885. and his worthy wife, who had
shared his many jovs and sorrows, fol-
lowed in 1889.

Our subject received a limited educa-
tion in the rural schools of his parents'
neighborhood. In 1901 he bought a part
of the old homestead and purchased the
Frank Jones place, and now has two hun-
dred and forty acres of good farm land in
Flint River tow-nship on Sections 5 and 6.
His father left a nice country home, as
well as many other improvements. Mr.
Ramiller is kept busy tending to his large,
well-kept farm, wdiich is equipped with all
the modern improvements and machin-
ery. His horses and cattle all present a
fine appearance, and the whole place in-
dicates much pains and neatness.

Feb. 22, 1872, Mr. Ramiller took unto
himself Miss Mary Pagamiller for his
partner in life. Her parents were Weiloff
and Louisa I'agamiller. Like all noble
Germans Mr. and Mrs. U.imiller have
raised a large family, being the parents
of nine children, which, remarkable to
say, are all living, and are as follows:
Christ : Edward, of Danville township ;
George, at home; Henry, Samuel, and
Charles, of Minnesota: Benjamin, Emma,
and Nellie, at home.

Mrs. Ramiller died .\pril 26, 1901,
aged fifty years. Her death was a great
blow to her family and friends, as she
was a woman of many virtues, and whom
to know was to love and respect. Mr.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

975

Ramiller is a member of the Lutheran
church, as was also his departed wife.
Politically, he is a stanch Republican, but
does not care to hold office, preferring to
devote all of his time to his farm and
happy family.

Though probably not the oldest in
years, yet our subject has been a con-
tinuous resident of this prosperous town-
ship longer than any other man. He has
a retentive memory, and relates with
much interest all the hardships and pri-
vations his parents underwent upon set-
tling in this new country some fifty-nine
years ago. He is a very plain and unas-
suming man, who has always adhered to
honest principles in every business trans-
action, and being of a sunny and bright
disposition he has numbered his friends
bv the hundreds.

CHRISTOPHER BENDIX.

Christopher Bendix, now residing on
his farm in Section i6, Union township, is
a native of Prussia, having been born about
ten miles from the city of Mecklenburg,
Dec. 1 6, i860, a son of Andrew and Anna
Marie (Hess) Bendix. His parents were
married in 1846, and came to the United
States in 1871, bringing with them their
family of three children, of whom Christo-
pher Bendix was the youngest. They came
direct to Iowa, locating in the city of Bur-
lington, where the father immediately se-
cured employment at his trade as a car-
penter. He continued to reside there for
twenty years, but removed to Union town-
ship in the spring of 1895, and now resides
with his son. He has throughout life en-
joyed excellent health, and even now, in

the eightieth year of his age, is cheerful,
active, and remarkably well preserved. The
mother is now deceased, her demise having
occurred Dec. 15, 1875.

Mr. Bendix early had the advantage of
good training in the schools of his native
country, and later in the German schools
of Burlington ; but when only fourteen
years of age was obliged by circumstances
to quit school and begin work to aid in the
support of the family. He first worked in
the basket factory at Burlington, after
which he spent three years as a farm hand.
He then returned to the city to take a posi-
tion in the Union depot, whence he was
transferred at the end of one year to the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy roundhouse.
Here he worked for a period of fourteen
years as a machinist, the first three years
of that time being devoted to learning the
trade. In 1894 he purchased his present
farm in Union township, consisting of sixty-
three acres of excellent farming land, to
which he removed in 1895, and here he con-
ducts general farming in addition to en-
gaging largely in the feeding of hogs for
the market.

April 19, 1883, Mr. Bendix wedded Miss
Matilda Schwab, who was born in Swit-
zerland, and came to America at the age
of sixteen years, making her jiomc in Bur-
lington. To their union have been born
five children: Walter Wernhard, Leslie
Andrew, Goldie Malinda, Raymond Carl
Albert, and Elsie Marie Matilda. Mr. and
Mrs. Bendix and their children are mem-
bers of Saint Lucas' Lutheran church.

Fraternally, our subject is identified with
Red Cross Lodge, No. 242, .Ancient Order
United Workmen, and is in his political
affiliation a Democrat. He has been to
some extent connected with public service,

976

BIOGRAPHICAL KEllEW

having been elected to the office of director
of public schools in 1897. He occupied
that position for three years, or until lyoo,
with credit to himself and to the satisfac-
tion of all. He is pleasant, genial, a good
neighbor, and has many friends who wish
him well. He has achieved success by his
own eflforts, entirely without hcli) of any
kind, and this by the practice of those dis-
tinctively .Vmcrican virtues, energy, enter-
prise, and self-reliance.

HON. THOMAS HEDGE.

Hox. TiiOM.xs Hedge, member of Con-
gress, and president of the Gilbert-Hedge
Lumber Company, was born June 24, 1844,
in the city of nurlington, when Iowa was
still under territorial government, his par-
ents Ijeing Thomas and Eliza Burr (Eld-
ridge) Hedge. In his youth he attended the
public and private schools of his native
city, and continued his education in Den-
mark .\cademy, at Denmark, Iowa, and
Phillips Andover Academy, of Massachu-
setts, being graduated from the latter insti-
tution with the class of 1861. The succeed-
ing year was i)assc(l in his father's employ,
after which he entered u])on his collegiate
work at Yale, of which he is an alumnist of
1867. His college course, however, was
interrupted by his service in the Union army
in 1864 and 1865, when as a member of
Com])any E. One Hundred and Sixth New
Vi>rk Infantry, he went to the South, where
he won promotion to the .second lieutenancy
of Company G of the same regiment. His
professional training was received at the
Columbia Law School, from which he was
graduated in 1869.

For thirty-si.x years a member of the Bur-
lington board, Mr. Hedge has likewise
figured in financial and commercial circles
here, being a director of the First National
Bank, and president of the Gilbert-Hedge
Lumber Company. His name as a political
leader is well known, and since 1899 he has
represented his home district in Congress,
occupying a seat upon the Republican side
of the House. He is president of the board
of trustees of the Congregational church of
Burlington, and his name is found upon the
subscription list of many of the worthy
charities of the city.

Mr. Hedge was married Jan. 8, 1873. 'o
Miss Mary Frances Cook, a daughter of
the late L\mian Cook, and they have four
children : Thomas, Lyman Cook. .'\nna
Louise, and Henry Lorrain.

THOMAS HEDGE. SR.

TiiiiM.xs Hedge, Sr., whose life history
contributes an important chapter to the his-
tory of commercial and industrial develop-
ment in Burlington, saw in the new and
embryonic city of Des Moines county the
opportunity for successful accomplishment,
and. calling forth all his latent powers, he
utilized each possibility that came to him,
and in the course of years attained the suc-
cess that made his an honored name in com-
mercial and financial circles here. In pio-
neer times his connection with Burlington's
interest was that of a merchant, while later
he became one of the extensive lumber
dealers of the city, and the importance of
his operations in this direction made him
known even beyond the boundaries of the
State.

DES -MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

977

A native of Massachusetts, he was born
in Yarmouth, Feb. 14, 1815, and was de-
scended from Puritan EngHsh ancestry, the
first representative of the name in America
being Capt. ^^"iUiam Hedge, who settled in
Yarmouth in 1638. His father, Capt. James
Hedge, was a sea captain and farmer,
dividing his life between the water and the
land, his carefully directed labors bringing
him a fair measure of success in each place.

Thomas Hedge, reared in his Cape Cod
home, went to Boston when a youth of
si.xteen years to enter business life, and be-
came an employee in a commission house
in that city. He was retained in his first
service for two years, after which he secured
a better position with Burgess & Son, exten-
sive importers of goods from the West
Indies. Although but a youth he was given
a position of much responsibility, and dis-
played ready adaptability and superior qual-
ifications for the trust reposed in him.

Mr. Hedge retained his residence in Bos-
ton until 1836, but in the meantime had
given considerable attention and reflection
to the question of a residence in the new
but rapidly growing West, and in the _\ear
mentioned, in company with two young
Bostonians, Dickinson and Sears by name,
he came to Burlington. The young men
associated their capital in a general mercan-
tile enterprise, but, not meeting with the
success they had anticipated, they soon dis-
posed of their stock and returned to the
East, where Mr. Hedge again entered the
employ of the house of Burgess & Son, be-
coming agent for the firm in Cuba. He had,
however, formed an attachment for the Mid-
dle West, and subsequent to his marriage to
Miss Eliza Burr Eldridge, of Yarmouth,
he returned to Burlington in September,
1843, '^nd again ventured upon a mercantile

experience, establishing a general store upon
the present site of the large dry-goods house
of J. S. Schramm & Company. This time
he was more successful, and a rapidly grow-
ing patronage justified his active connection
with banking interests in 1838, in which
year he entered the private banking hou.se
of Gen. Jacob G. and George C. Lauman,
the new firm being styled Lauman, Hedge
& Company. Following his retirement from
this business in the early T)o's, he devoted a
few years to carrying on the grain trade, and
in 1866 he entered into partnership with
John W. and W. D. Gilbert as wholesale
lumber dealers, under the firm style of
Gilbert, Hedge & Company. Those famil-
iar with the history of Burlington, or with
the trade records of the State through the
latter half of the ninteenth century, know of
the success of this house. The operations
of the firm constantly grew, reaching mam-
moth proportions, and the promoters of the
enterprise became wealthy men of the city.
Mr. Hedge is, moreover, entitled to dis-
tinctive mention as one of the most promi-
nent and representative men of Burlington,
by reason of the active and stalwart support
which he gave to many measures for the
general good. Realizing the value and im-
portance of railroad transportation, he be-
came one of the most active promoters
of the plan for the building of the Bur-
lington & \'orthwestern Railroad in the
'/o's, and u|OTn its incorporation was chosen
its first president. His political allegiance
was unswervingly given to the Republican
])arty, and for .several years he rendered
effective service as a member of the Des
Moines board of supervisors. He was at
one time a member of the board of trustees
for the Hospital for the Insane, and at the
time of his death was a member of the board

978

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of trustees of the First Congregational
clnircli. in which he lonp held membership.

In 1869 Thomas Hedge was called upon
to mourn the loss of his wife, who in that
vear passed away, survived by a son and
daughter: Thomas Hedge, now representing
the Des Moines district in Congress ; and
Mrs. Anna Hedge Squires, widow of the
late C. P. Squires.

Mr. Hedge sur\'ived l\>r about sixteen
years, departing this life Jan. 8, 1885. While
his business success won him the admiration
of his contemporaries and the entire trust
of his business associates, his broad humani-
tarian principles and devotion to the general
good gained him the warm regard of all
who knew aught of his career ; and so ef-
fective, far-reaching, and beneficial was his
service in behalf of his community and his
State, that his demise was the occasion of
unifnnn and wide-spread regret.

AMOS BEERE.

A FINE representative of the middle-aged
farmers of Yellow Springs township is
.'\mos Beere, who was born in Franklin
township, Des Moines county, May 24, 1847.
His father was a cabinet-maker in the State
of New York, but on account of ill health
was induced to come West, where, in 1845,
he purchased a farm of one hundred and
twenty acres in Des Moines county, and
added to this till at the time of his death
two hundred and ninety acres bore golden
tribute to his labor.

Our subject was educated in the pioneer
district scho<ils of his native township, and
remained upon the home farm till long after
he had reached his majority. He then for a

number of years rented a farm, and in 1893
he bought his present place of eighty acres
in the northeast c<irner rif Section 29.
This farm then was devoitl of any improve-
ments, but Mr. Beere has now a nice house
and a good barn, besides all the other
buildings necessary for grain and stock.
He is a very methodical farmer, which
assertion is verified by the tidy and neat
ajjpearance of his place. He raises some
cattle each year, has from thirty to forty
hogs, and also raises from five to seven
calves annually.

Mr. Beere has always been a strong
Democrat, and taken much interest in the
work of his party. He was trustee of
Franklin township for two years, and has
served as road supervisor and school di-
rector, also.

Feb. 2, 1882. Mr. Beere was united in
marriage with Miss Charlotte Lines, daugh-
ter of Allison and Elizabeth (Bishop)
Lines.

Mr. Beere has e.xerted considerable in-
fluence in public and community affairs in
his township, and his worth is widely rec-
ognized, for his business methods will al-
wavs bear the closest investigation, and his
course in politics has ever been that of a
loyal and ]>rogressive citizen.

EDWARD W. M. CATLETT.

]'j>w.\Ki) \\'. M. C.\Ti.ETT, general agent
for the Connecticut .Mutual Life Insur-
ance Com])any, was born in Lexington,
McLean county. 111., July 4. 1866. and is
a son of William O. Catlett. whose birth
occurred in Martinsburg. W. \'a. His
paternal grandfather, although a resident

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DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

98 1

of the South, was a stanch aboHtionist.
William O. Catlett, in his early boyhood
days, was bound out to a miller, and
mastering the business he followed the
miller's trade until after the inauguration of
the Civil War, when he enlisted as a member
of Company C, Ninety-fourth Illinois In-
fantry, at Lexington, 111., as a private. He
w-as wounded in military service at Spring-
field, J\[o., while on guard at the arsenal
there, and was then transferred to Chicago.
He served for three years, and was put on
guard duty at Camp Douglas, in Chicago,
on account of physical disability that un-
fitted him for active field service.

After the war he engaged in the nursery
business at Lexington, building up an ex-
tensive trade, the Catlett nursery becoming
widely known. At length he disposed of
the nursery, and removed to Des Moines
Iowa, where he lived until his death. He
married Alice Caroline Mahan, Sept. 27,
1855, a native of Zanesville, Ohio. Her
father was also a stanch abolitionist, and
died in a rebel prison. He was an aged
man, and because of his bitter opposition to
the system of slaver\' he aided in freeing
a number of slaves, his home being a station
on the famous underground railroad. Sus-
picion being aroused against him in the
minds of Southern sympathizers, he was
captured by the rebels and put in prison,
where the hardships of prison existence
terminated his life.

Three brothers of William O. Catlett
were soldiers in the Civil War, and
although they lived in West Virginia,
were stanch abolitionists. Airs. Catlett,
following her husband's demise, came to
Burlington, Iowa, to make her home with
her son, Edward W. M. Catlett, and here
died June 20, 1889. In their family were

the following named : Thomas G., who was
the oldest child by Mr. Catlett's first mar-
riage, and who was at one time an attorney
of Burlington, died in Lineus, Mo., Oct. 28,
1903; Evelyn E., a daughter by the first
marriage, is the wife of John B. Wright,
a resident of Manitoba ; Viola is the wife of
W. V. Beal, of Red Cloud, Nebr. ; Maude
E. died Jan. 11, 1886; Edward W.: and
Horace, who died Jan. 25, 1900.

Edward W. M. Catlett acquired his
early education in the schools of Lexing-
ton, 111. In the year of the Chicago fire,
1871, when he was five years of age, his
father removed from Lexington to Ne-
braska, during a rush there, and secured
a claim; but later the family returned to
Winterset, Iowa, where Mr. Catlett, of
this review, pursued his studies in the pub-
lic schools. He also took a course in El-
liott's Business College after coming to
Burlington. When fourteen years of age,
he began learning the printer's trade in the
employ of the George A. Miller Printing
Company, of Des Moines, Iowa, with which
he was connected for three years. He after-
ward entered the employ of the Kenyon
Printing Company, of Des Aloines, and later
removed to Burlington, where, following his
commercial course, he entered the services
of the Conrad Lutz Printing Company, be-
ing employed as a job printer for three
years. Nov. i, 1889, he entered the office
of the Burlington Hazck-Eye as mailing
clerk, and was connected with the advertis-
ing and collection department for twelve
years, while during the last four years of
his relation with the paper he was also con-
nected with the mailing department. He
resigned his position on the Haivk-Eye, Jan.
I, 1904, to accept the agency of southeastern
Iowa for the Connecticut Mutual Life In-

982

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

surance Company, of Hartford, his territory
extending east of Ottuniwa and south of
Cedar Rapids. He appoints agents and
looks after the business generally in the
principal towns in southeastern Iowa.

Mr. Catlctt is a member of the Woodmen
of the World. He has filled all of its posi-
tions as an executive officer. He became a
charter member of lilack Hawk Camp. No.
33, and five times has been a representative
to the head camp, and twice to the sovereign
cam]). His political allegiance is given to
the Republican i)arty, and he is active in its
ranks, doing all in his power to promote its
local work and successes, being in 1903 a
delegate to the State convention.

On June 28, 1892, Mr. Catlett was mar-
ried, in Burlington, to Miss Bertha Krop-
])ach. wliii was born in iiurlington, while her
parents were natives of Prussia, coming to
this city at a very early day, and for more
than twenty years the father was assessor.

Mr. and Mrs. Catlett have an attractive
home at 807 .Soutli Ninth Street, wliich was
built in 1891) at a cost of three tliovisand
dollars. They have a large circle of friends
in the city, and enjoy the hospitality of many
of the best homes in Burlington. Mr. Cat-
lett is classed with the representative busi-
ness men here, and the success he lias
achieved is the tlirect result of his own
labors : for he entered business life without
capital, and has gained advancement
through close application, laudable ambition,
and imfaltering diligence.

FRANK E. THOMPSON.

Frank E. Tiiomi'.'^on. who is filling the
position of county attorney of Des Moines
county, was born in Grandview, Louisa

county, Iowa, Dec. 13, 1870, his parents
lx?ing John W. and Mary (See) Thompson.
1 lis grandfather, John Thompson, was born
in Ross county, Ohio, in 1810, and was of
New luigland ancestry. He came with his
l)arents to Iowa in 1839, settling in Louisa
county, near Grandview. This was a wild
frontier district. Every evidence of pioneer
life was to be seen here, and the work of
])rogress and civilization seemed scarcely
begim. The Thompson family were wealthy
people, and purchased large tracts of land.
John Thompson turned his attention to
stock-raising, and he also did a large
amount of contract work. He was twice
married, his fir.st wife being a Miss Nichols,
by whom he had four children. His second
wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah
Nichols, was horn in Ross county, Ohio,
and there were five children by that mar-
riage. The grandfather died in 1886, while
his wife passed away in 1880, when about
fifty-five years of age.

fohn W. Thompson ac<|uire(l his educa-
tion in the common schools, and throughout
his entire life has engaged in general farm-
ing and stock-raising. He has always been
identified with the interests of Iowa, taking
a most active part in its deveIo])ment and
l)rogress. About 1870 he removed to Henry
countv. Iowa, where be lived for thirty
years, and in 1900 he went to Missouri,
settling near Sedalia, where he owns a
large tract of lan<l. There he is extensively
engaged in dealing in horses, mules, and
cattle. He wedded .Miss Mary See, a
daughter of Rev. Michael See, and a repre-
sentative of one of the old colonial families
of \'irginia. Her father came to the West
in 1836, settling in Burlington with his par-
ents, who entered land from the government
in what is known as the Miller settlement,

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

983

in Des Moines county. Michael See was
a man of powerful and vigorous constitu-
tion. He became a circuit rider of the
Methodist church, and from the age of
twenty-one years devoted his life entirely
to the work of the ministry. He was a
very successful preacher, being gifted with
eloquence, and with that quality which for
want of a better term we have called per-
sonal magnetism. He was logical in argu-
ment, persuasive, and earnest, and his labors
led to the substantia! upbuilding of the
church. He was an intimate friend of H.
Clay Dean and Rev. Frank Evans, and
was one of the notable figures in the early
history of Iowa. He was twice married,
his first wife being a Miss Miller, whose
mother belonged to the Hanks family, and
was a relative of Abraham Lincoln. He de-
parted this life in 1899, full of years and
honors, having passed the eighty-second
milestone on life's journey. He had never
been ill until just prior to his death, and he
continued in the active work of the ministry
almost to the last.

Frank E. Thompson began his education
in the district schools, and at thirteen years
became a student in the high school at
Columbus City, Iowa. He also continued
his studies in the high school at Muscatine,
Iowa, and was a student in a business col-
lege there. Later he entered the Iowa State
University, where he pursued a literary
course for a time, and then entered upon the
study of law, being graduated with the class
of 1896. Soon afterward he opened an
office for the practice of law in Burlington,
and has since been an active member of the
legal profession in this city. Mr. Thomp-
son has ever prepared his cases with great
thoroughness,. and in tlie presentation of his
cause his arguments have been clear, and his

deductions have foUcjwed in logical se-
quence. He is clear and cogent in his
reasoning, and is familiar with precedent
and the points in law.

A stanch Republican in Iiis ]j(ilitical views,
Mr. Thompson was a candidate on the ticket
of that party for rci)resentative to the State
Legislature in 1901, and was defeated, as
were all of the other Republican candidates.
He lost the election, however, by a very
small vote, running ahead of many of the
candidates on the ticket. In 1904 he was
made the Republican nominee for county
attorney, and was elected, leading the
county ticket, his majority being about
nine hundred, notwithstanding his oppon-
ent was regarded as one of the strongest
members of the county bar. He has taken
an active interest in ])olitics, regarding it
the duty as well as the privilege of every
true American citizen to keep well informed
on the issues of the day, and to support by
his ballot the principles which he believes
contain the best elements of good govern-
ment. He was chairman of the Republican
count}- central committee in 1902, and has
been active in politics, delivering many cam-
paign addresses in Des Moines and adjoin-
ing counties. Fraternally, he is connected
with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, the Fraternal
Order of Eagles, and the Modern Woodmen
of America.

In 1894 Mt. Thompson was married to
Miss Lillian Russell, a daughter of John J.
Russell, a retired merchant of Columbus
Junction, Iowa. They are prominent
socially, having a wide and favorable ac-
c|uaintance in Burlington. Mr. Thompson,
devoting the greater part of his time and at-
tention to his profession, has made for
himself an enviable position as one of the

u84

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

leading young lawyers of Burlington, and as
county attorney is giving excellent satisfac-
tion by liis unfaltering devotion to the duties
which devolve upon him.

HENRY EWINGER.

Henry Ewinger, who made for himself
a creditable position in the business circles
of Burlington as a steam- and gas-fitter, and
•whose success was the legitimate result of
close application and earnest effort, was
born in Rhine, Bavaria, on the 20th of
February, 1827. The days of his youth
were there passed, and when he was sixteen
years of age he was apprenticed to a ma-
chinist of Germany, becoming very thor-
ough in his work, and gaining a practical
as well as theoretical knowledge of mechan-
ical principles that proved the basis of his
success in later life.

Before leaving his native country Mr.
Ewinger was niarricii, in 1852, to Miss
Kate Burg, also a native of Rhine, Bavaria,
and a sister of John Burg, the well-known
wagon-maker of Burlington, prominently
identified with the early industrial develop-
ment of the city. In the fall of 1853 ^^'■•
Ewinger started with his young wife for the
New World upon a sailing vessel. It was
sixty-five day later before they were allowed
to land at New Orleans, for the ship was
quarantined, cholera having broken out on
board. Every child on board died with the
exception of Mary, the little daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Ewinger, who lived to reach
womanhood. After reaching the Crescent
City, Mr. Ewinger proceeded up the Mis-
sissippi River to Burlington, where he ar-

rived with sixty dollars in his pocket. Not
finding immediate employment at his trade
he engaged in laying rails on the Chicago,
Burlington, & Quincy Railroad, which was
then being constructed on the east side of
the river in Illinois. There were no rail-
roads in Burlington, nor did a bridge span
the river, most of the products of the city
and surrounding district being shi])ped
down the river. In the spring of 1854 he
secured employment in the machine shops
of Rentz & Bradley, with whom he remained
until 1858, when he took charge of a sta-
tionary engine in the Putnam llonring mill,
occupying that position from 1858 until
1873. He then purchased an interest in a
plumbing and steam- and gas-fitting estab-
lishment, becoming a partner in the firm of
Conrad & Ewinger. Five years later he
became sole proprietor through the purchase
of his partner's interest, and so remained
until January, 1896, when the business was
incorporated, his two sons, William O. and
John H., being admitted to a partnership, at
which time Mr. Ewinger became president,
anil so continued until his death.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ewinger wen- born
eight children : Mary, who became the wife
of August Marquardt, died in 1886, at the
age of thirty-three years, leaving four chil-
dren; Kate, who became the wife of Fred
C. Frebert, and died in 1881, leaving two
children ; Sarah, the wife of George Reif,
a farmer living about seven miles from
Burlington ; Ricke, the wife of Chris Ebert,
a cigar manufacturer of Burlington, and
they have four children ; John, who is now
interested in the plumbing and steam- and
gas-fitting business, married Ursula Joanna,
and they have three children ; Lydia, the
wife of B. Dixon, a railway engineer of
Fort Madison, Iowa, and they have four

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

985

children ; William, now the president of the
business, married Tillie Strohm, of Tcru,
111. ; Emma, the wife of Carl Kurle, who
is engaged in the harness business in Dallas
City, 111. Mrs. Ewinger died in 1878, and
her remains were interred in Aspen Grove
cemetery, and there also rest the remains of
Mr. Ewinger and their two deceased
daughters.

In his political views Mr. Ewinger was a
Democrat, but while never remiss in the
duties of citizenship, he did not seek or
desire office. He was at one time a member
of the German Methodist Episcopal church,
and later he became a member of the First
Methodist Episcopal church. He came to
Burlington a poor man, but lived a life of
. imtiring industry ; and through the care-
ful husbanding of his resources, his unfal-
tering energy, and laudable ambition, he
achieved success, and at his death left a
very desirable estate, his realty being valued
at thirty thousand dollars. His son,
William O., was appointed his executor.
Mr. Ewinger was a man of fine physique,
six feet and four inches in height, and
weighing two hundred and twenty pounds,
and he was also noted for his feats of
strength. A man of domestic tastes he was
devoted to his family, and was also most
generous in his contributions to the deserv-
ing poor. When prosperity had crowned his
efforts, he traveled to a considerable extent,
twice returning to the Fatherland, and also
visiting the But^'alo Exposition, Denver,
Boston, and other cities. He died May 22,
1896, and the funeral services were con-
ducted by Rev. Hurlhurt. who s[)okc in
English, and Rev. Holkampt, who spoke
in German. Flis principles were high, his
actions manly and sincere, and without os-
tentation he \et did mucli good in tlic

world through the influence which he ex-
erted in his adopted city in behalf of im-
provement, reform, and the right.

PETER NEES.

Tjie success which has come to Peter
Nees is entirely the result of his own efforts,
the reward of a concentrated energy and
ambition, and as the architect of his own
fortunes he liuilded wisely and well. There
is probably no man in the entire comnuinity
better knoAvn than he is, nor one who is held
in higher esteem by his fellow-men.

He is a son of Leonard and Eliza (Hoop)
Nees, and was born in Stockstad, Germany,
Oct. 23, 1823. His parents gave him a
very substantial education in the public
schools in his home place, which he at-
tended, as well as the Sunday-schools, till
he was twenty-one years old. He also re-
ceived a thorough education in music, which
has been of much pleasure as well as very
useful to him in life.

After reaching his majority he learned the
tlorist's business, in which he exhibited great
natural ability. In 1850 he decided to
try his fortunes beyond the Atlantic, and
after being forty-six days on the ocean he
landed in New York, and went at once to
Pittsburg. Here he grew almost discour-
aged, as it was a long time before he could
find employment : but one evening he took
his cornet with him and played some very
l)retty pieces in front of an attractive house,
where his music was appreciated so much
that the owner of the house gave him a good
supper and a glass of wine, which Mr.
Nees relished very much, as it was the first
f(iod he li.'id had since early morning. Go-

986

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ing farther down the street he saw two other
musicians playing, the one a bass viol and
the other a violin. Permission was given
him to play with them, which he did for two
hours, receiving two dollars and a half and
one day's board at the hotel as a compen-
sation for his playing. Tims equipped he
went to an adjoining town, where he worked
as a hod carrier all that summer. He then
traveled all through the large cities of
America, maintaining himself by working
a few days at a time in each place at any
.thing he might find to do, till 1870, when
he came to Burlington, and bought his
present farm on the Mason road and Starr
.Avenue. He at once improved the land,
built his house, and erected modern green-
houses.

He was married in October, t86i, to
Miss Louisa Riecewick. They became the
parents of eight children, five of whom were
bom in St. Louis and three in Burlington:
Emma, married William Garrett ; William,
died aged six months ; William, has a
harness store at 700 Jefferson Street, Bur-
lington, Iowa ; Rose, a resident of Chicago ;
Oscar, a farmer of South Dakota; Vir-
ginia (Mrs. William Dowdie), lives in Bur-
lington : Arthur, a druggist; Otto and Peter,
florists, of Chicago.

Mrs. Nees was a great help to her hus-
band, for beside her family and household
cares she assisted him in the greenhouse and
also in the vegetable garden. For many
years she and one of the boys attended
regularly early market, supplying many of
the people of the city with fresh vegetables
and home-made cottage cheese. Mr. Nees
usually brought a load of potted plants and
cut flowers, and if he did not dispose of
them at the market, he would go round to

Third and Jeflferson Streets, where he al-
ways found a ready sale for his pretty
plants. He seemed to be very fond of chil-
dren, and was very generous to them with
his flowers, and on his return trip home,
nearly ahvays had a load of little folks
whom he was taking for a ride. His mu-
sical voice attracted everybody, old and
young: and as he was always yodeling,
either when walking or standing at his
accustomed comer with his plants, his
friends always knew he was around long
before they saw him.

Mrs. Nees died May 16, 1899, and is
buried in Aspen Grove cemetery, and since
then Mr. Nees has lived alone at the old
home place, where he still raises about five
thousand plants annually. On account of
the advanced age of our subject he does
not get to town as often as he used to do,
but his friends and customers go to him
for plants, cut flowers, prepared soil, and
general advice for the care of shrubs and
plants. His energy, activity, integrity, and
progressive spirit, together with a cultivated
natural ability, have been the means of his
prosi)erity in his line of business, and he
receives the respect and good-will of the
people everywhere. Besides his daily labors
with his hands he has also been enriching
his mental sphere, till his mind is like a
storehouse, filled with knowledge acquired
from his early and thorough education, from
general reading and observation, and above
all from his extensive travels ; and the
writer is justified in saying that it is very
rarely indeed that one meets with a man
so well posted on all subjects and so thor-
oughly acquainted with the manners and
customs of people of so many different
places.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

987

JOHN A. UHLER.

In no country is such scope furnished for
individual enterprise as in America, and it
is a matter of pride with us that this is so ;
but while in all lines of life advancement
depends upon personal effort and merit,
it is especially true that progress in the
learned trades or professions results from
individual accomplishment ; and when one
has attained success and prominence, there-
fore, it is indicative of talent and skill. John
Adam Uhler is a son of Uriah and Elizabeth
(Boger) Uhler, who were both born in
Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, the father in
1835, ^"d the mother in 1833. The father
of our subject learned the trade of a cabinet-
maker in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania,
with Joseph Troxel, father of John Troxel,
the furniture dealer, in Burlington, Iowa.
He later turned his attention to carpenter
work, but finally drifted back to the cabinet-
maker's trade, in Anville, where he was
foreman for }-ears in the building where our
subject afterward learned his trade — that
of a cabinet-maker.

Mr. L'hler was married three times, and
became the father of twelve children, of
whom five are now living. His first wife,
Elizabeth (Boger) L'hler, died in 187 1,
when a little later, he married Miss Sarah
Dontrich, who died in 1875, who was the
mother of three children, all of whom are
dead. The third wife was, in maidenhood,
Miss Caroline Long, who still resides at the
old home in Anville, Lebanon county. Pa.,
where her three children, Lucy, Carrie, and
Harry, all reside.

Mr. Uhler, of this review, has four sis-
ters, as follows : Mary Jane, born Oct. 7,
1862. married Henry Hershey, and lives
in Hummelstown, Pa. ; Elizabeth, born in

1868, is a resident of Burlington, Iowa;
Alice Minerva, lx)rn in March, 1871, is the
wife of Cieorge Phreamer, and they live in
F.urcka, Cal. ; Sarah Ann, born in October,
1859, married Henry Barnhart, who lives in
.\nvillc. Pa.

The father of our subject died in his
native home in 1892. He was a Republican,
hut did not .seek office. He and his first wife
were devoted members of the United Breth-
ren church, where his father was a trustee
for some years. John A. Uhler was born in
Anville. Lebanon county. Pa., Oct. 7, 1855,
where he received his early education. At
the age of fifteen years he began to learn
the trade of a cabinet-maker, receiving
twelve dollars a year for his services and
an allowance of eight dollars, which made
about twenty dollars for one year's work.
It took him about one and a half years to
complete his trade, vvhen he went to Harris-
burg, Pa., to assist in the building of a large
furnace as a common laborer ; but when he
got there, he was asked where his tools
were, and he told the foreman, who was a
friend and schoolmate of his father's, that
he was not to do carpenter work, and so had
no tools. This friend took special interest
in Mr. Uhler, and assisted him in many
ways, advising him how to secure a box of
tools, and telling him to go at once to work
with the carpenters, which he did, and re-
ceived as compensation one dollar and sev-
enty-five cents a day.

.\t the end of three months he was em-
ployed as one of the carpenters who helped
to build the Masonic temple at Harrisburg,
Pa., which is still standing. The contrac-
tors, recognizing his skill and ability as a
mechanic, raised his wages the second week
from nine dollars a week to twelve dollars a
week. When the panic of 1873 came on,

988

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEIV

a groat many of tlie cari)enters had to be
laid off, and Mr. L'hler, knowing this, and
fearing he would be one of them, applied
at once, one moniing by daylight, to a prom-
inent contractor by the name of Wilson,
who always employed a great number of
men, for a job. and was successful. In the
fall of 1873 lie went to the ftiot of the Blue
Mountains — the village of Rankstown —
where he was a partner of an uncle in the
erection of some houses and the making
of furniture, which in those days was mostly
hand-made.

In 1874 he came to Burlington, Iowa,
where he first worked for two weeks at nine
dollars a week at Quick's Mill, now called
Union Furniture Company. lie then
worked for a few weeks on two farms for
friends, when he returned to Burlington
and to his first love, that of a carpenter.
Mr. Kicliard Howard was at that time one
of tiic leading carpenters of the city, and
noting the determination of young Uhler
to siicceetl. either in the city or in the coun-
try, agreed to employ him for one day,
which gave such good results, that Mr.
Howard employetl him till winter set in,
shutting off all outdoor work.

.\fter .>;peiiding the winter in the East,
Mr. Uhler again returned to Burlington,
and was again employed by Mr. Howard,
working on the I'. II. Smythe house, the
Starr house, and others til! 1S77, when lie
and J. W. McClean formed a ])artnership.
Their first contract was that of the residence
of the late E. M. Burt, on the corner of
Fiftii and Spring Streets. Their business
increased steadily till they were soon num-
bered among the leading contractors of the
city. They had the contract for the wood
work of the stone front block on Fourth and
Jefferson Streets, owned by Mrs. C. P.

Squires, E. H. Carpenter, and John M.
(jregg. They also had the contract for the
car|)enter work for the Gregg building, on
the corner of Third and Division Streets,
and many others. In March, 1882, this firm
dissolved partnership, when Mr. Uhler took
charge of the shipjiing and retail depart-
ment of Gilbert Hedge Company, of Bur-
lington, Iowa. After filling this responsible
[Kjsition for twelve \ears, he was employed
by the same company as a traveling sales-
man, making fre<|uent trips in southern
Iowa, northern Missouri, southeastern Ne-
braska, and western Illinois, till 1903. when
he severed his connection with this firm, and
Ix'came a prosperous lumljer broker — being
a manufacturers' agent, selling posts, poles,
and shingles. He uses a very 'unique postal
to announce his coming. His business is
constantly growing, and he has connection
with the largest manufacturers of lumber,
selling white pine from the home manufac-
tories, as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin,
and Pacific Coast lumber and shingles ; he
also sells yellow pine from Louisiana, Ar-
kansas, and Mississippi; Louisana red cy-
press from Louisiana. California redwood
from San Francisco, white cedar posts and
poles from \\'isconsin and Michigan: red
cedar posts and poles from Tennessee ; white
and red oak stock from Arkansas. His
f)fiice is located in his home in Burlington.
On Oct. 2, 1879, Mr. Uhler married Miss
Ida M. Barlow, daughter of William F. and
Sarah E. (Babcock) Barlow, who was bom
in Monmouth. 111., Feb. 26, 1859. Mrs.
Uhler attended the Monmouth schools in
her youth : and when her parents located in
Burlington, she became a puj)il in the city
schools, where she graduated from the high
school in June, 1878. Mr. Barlow was bom
in Kentucky, June 6, 1831, and located in

DES. MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

989

Burlington, Iowa, in 1869, wlit-rc lie worked
for many years in the carpentering depart-
ment of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad shops. He was a devoted member
of the Baptist church. Mr. Barlow died
Sept. 6, 1877, and is buried in Monmouth
beside his children. Mrs. Barlow resides
in Burlington with her daughter, Mrs.
Uhler, and still retains some of the home
property.

Unto Mr. and ^Irs. Barlow were born
five children : Frank W., also a graduate of
the Burlington high school, who now resides
in Denver, Colo. He has one daughter,
Blanch, the wife of Christian Kumm, who
also has one daughter. They reside in
Denver: Ida M., wife of subject; and two
daughters and one son, who died when very
young.

^Ir. and Mrs. Uhler have been blessed
with three children : Pcrle, born Feb. 14,
1881. a graduate of the Burlington Insti-
tute, possessing a sweet soprano voice, and
who also assists her father in his large office
work ; Edna, born March 29, 1882, also a
graduate of the Burlington Institute, and
a piano teacher in the Lombard College at
Galesburg. 111., during the winters of 1901-
02 and 1902-03. Since then she has had one
of the largest music classes in the city. Oct.
4. 1905, she was married to William F. Gil-
man, son of H. H. Oilman, of Burlington,
Iowa. :Mr. Oilman is the bookkeeper of the
Burlington Lumber Company. He and his
charming wife reside on the South Hill.
Mrs. Oilman is still a member of the Phi
Beta Society, and is assistant secretary of
the Woman's Musical Club and corre-
sponding secretary of the City Federation
of woman's clubs. John Arthur Uhler was
born April 15, 1897, and is a student in
Saunderson's school. Mr. Uhler has been a

member of the .Vncient Order of United
Workmen since 1877 — Red Cross Lodge,
No. 242 — and has passed all of the chairs.
He is also a member of Iowa Camp, No. 98,
of Modern M'oodmen of America ; also
belongs to the Travelers' Protective Asso-
ciation, known ^s the T. P. A. of Burling-
ton. He is also identified with the State
Traveling Men's Association, of Des
Moines.

Mr. and Mrs. Uhler and family and Mrs.
liarlow are devoted members of the Congre-
gational church. In 1901 Mr. L'hler built
his handsome and substantial residence at
207 Marietta Street, where he now resides.
He is a self-made man, as this record shows
full well, and has gradually made strides
of success till he now has a goodly portion
of this world's goods. He is a very genial
and pleasant man, and has hundreds of
friends, not only in his home city, but all
along the line where he does business.

CHARLES WOODCOCK.

To know Charles W^oodcock is to honor
and respect him. for in all of life's relations
he has ever been true to upright principles.
His capability has been the success of his
business career, for without the aid of in-
fluential friends or of wealth he has worked
his way upward till to-day he is one of tlie
leading contractors in the city. He is a
son of Thomas and .Vnna (Hollyoake)
Woodcock, and was born in Tannerth, near
Hockleyheath. Warwickshire, England,
Dec. 15. 1836. His father was a native of
England, and was born in 1798. His mother
was born in \\'arwickshire, England, in
1800. Thev were married in England, and

90O

niOGRAPHICAL RRVIFAi-

came to America in 1858 on a vessel named
"Smith Hamptnii," which came iij) the St.
Lawrence River ti> (Jiichcc. and made the
trip in twelve days. They settled in Canaan
township. Henry county, near Mt. Pleasant.
Iowa, where the father hought a farm of
sixty acres, upon which place he lived and
farmed till he died in 18S1. Mrs. Wood-
cock died in 1879. They were the ])arents
of ten children, of whom three are living:
James, born in I-'ebruary, 1826, lives in his
birth|)lace, Warwickshire, England ; Emma,
married Thomas .Shaffer, who was killed
in the army at Mem])his in 1863, during
the Civil War. She married for her second
husband Riley Forbes, a farmer of Mt.
Pleasant. Iowa, and he, too, is dead, leav-
ing one child. Mrs. I'orbes, who also has
one chilli by her first husband, resides in
Mt. Pleasant. Charles is the subject of this
review.

He attended the .-.chools in his native
place, where his jiarents had to \\a\ two
cents a week for his tuition, and between
times learned the trade of a bricklayer with
his father, who carried on this trade with
much success. After he came to America
in 1858. he attended the Howe .Academy
at Mt. Pleasant, Towa, where he took a
commercial course, and thus leariKil nuuh
of the American business methods. Mr.
Woodcock went back and forth between
Mt. Pleasant and Burlington, working part
of the time on the farm and part of the
time at odd jobs in the city above named till
1872, when he settled in lUirlington and
finished his trade with Simeon Rus.sell. He
continued doing journeymen's work till
1887, when he began contracting, .\mong
the prominent buildings he has erected are :
the Burlington hospital, James Moir's resi-
dence, the addition to Mercy hospital, and

many other private homes. He has laid
brick walks in all parts of the city, and has
also built himdrefis of cisterns. Mr. Wood-
cock celebrated the national independence
day, July 4, 1869, by marrying Miss Mary
Cochran, who is a daughter of Matthew
and .Ann (Kennedy) Cochran, and was
I)orn in Galena. III., .\pril 23. 185 1. Her
]jarents died when she was very young,
and she moved to Iowa in early girlhood.
Her father settled in Mt. Pleasant, where
he died, and left seven children, of whom
four are living: Margaret Cochran, married
-Mr. McGinley, and lives in Dubu(|iie, Iowa;
Timothy, a farmer residing near Oberlin,
Kans. : Edward, a farmer, and also lives
near C)berlin : and Mrs. Woodcock, wife
of our subject.

.Mr. and Mrs. Woodcock have been
blessed with ten children : lamina, is at
home: Clarence, married Miss Teresa
Shaffer, owns and conducts the brick-yard
formerly owned by Henry Rittcr, and they
have three children, Margaret. Laura, and
Dorothy: Julia, married I-'wing lsh;un, has
one daughter. Myrtle, and lives in Texas;
Dora, bookkeeper for the Tabor Burns
Company, of Burlington ; Charles, Jr., mar-
ried Miss Jidia Ritter, and has one son,
Iknry: he has a brick-yard on Sunnyside
Avenue, in Burlington; Samuel, married
Miss Tillie Long, and has two sons, and
is a brick contractor residing on Garfield
Avenue, in Burlington; Myrtle, a student
in the high school ; Birdie, died when three
years of age : Theodore, died when three
months old ; Earl Lewis, died in infancy.

Mr. and Mrs. Woodcock have endeavored
to give each of their children a substantial
education in the grammar schools, and sev-
eral of them also attended the business col-
lege, of which .Samuel is a graduate. It

IS a great satisfaction to the parents to see
them all so comfortably settled in life.
When the call was made for men to defend
this country during the Civil War, Mr.
Woodcock enlisted in the Nineteenth Iowa
Volunteer Infantry at Mt. Pleasant, in 1862.
From this time until 1865, when the war
closed, he was located in the frontier
army most of the time, and was honorably
discharged at Springfield, ]\Io. After this
he returned home.

In politics he is a Republican, but gener-
ally votes for the man whom he considers
best qualified to serve the people. Though
ever ready to do his full dut\-. yet Air.
Woodcock does not aspire to public office
of any kind. Mr. and Mrs. Woodcock are
devoted members of St. Paul's Catholic
church, and so are their daughters. Mr.
Woodcock belongs to the Grand Army of
the Republic, and Mrs. Woodcock is a mem-
ber of the Relief Corps."

When this household was first estab-
lished, Mr. Woodcock bought a lot at 910
Linden Street, from Simeon Russell, and
resided in a cottage for many years. As
time advanced he was enabled each }ear to
lay by some of his income, which in 1892
had accumulated so that he removed the
cottage and replaced it with a beautiful
modern residence, in which he now lives.
He and his worthy wife have worked hand
in hand, and deserve many words of ])raise.
Mr. Woodcock surely has been the archi-
tect of his own fortunes, for he has worked
earlv and late, beginning in life with exceed-
ingly low wages. He possesses a large,
warm heart, and is of an unusually cheerful
disposition, while his business methods are
along those lines that lead to integrity and
uprightness, and thus has friends by the
score all through the communitv.

DES ^{0!XES COUNTY, IOWA. ggi

THOMAS K. HURLBUT.

As one f)f the very early settlers and
large landholders of Des Moines county,
Thomas K. Hurlbut is widely known
throughout this portion of the State, and
as a man of liberal education and broad
views, he has always exercised a marked
influence upon the side of true progress in
the community where he resides^. He has
been a citizen of Danville township since
his first settlement in the county, and now
occupies a pleasant home on his magnificent
farm of one hundred and forty acres in Sec-
tion 2j. .Mr. Hurlbut is a native of West
Hartford, Conn., where he was born April
22, 1817, in the old Webster house in which
the famous Noah Webster was born, Mr.
Hurlbut's grandfather having purchased
the house and farm from the father of Noah
Webster. He is the son of Samuel and
Catherine (Goodman) Hurlbut, being de-
scended on the paternal side from Puritan
ancestors who settled in the colonies in the
year 1635 ; while in the maternal line his
genealogy is traced to the Goodmans who
came over in the " Mayflower."

Samuel Hurliiut was born in Wethers-
field, Conn., and was by trade a shoemaker,
a trade which he learned from his father,
who was a shoemaker and tanner. He fol-
lowed his trade until several years after his
marriage, when he began cultivating the
old Webster farm, continuing in this occu-
pation until his death, which occurred in
the seventy-fourth year of his age. He was
a member of the Congregational church.
and in his political faith was originally a
Whig, but joined the Re|)nl)lican jjarty on
its organizaton. He was a man of pro-
gressive tendencies, and by the exercise of
industrv and natural talent acquired a com-

002

BIOGRAPHICAL Kill 'I Elf

pctcnce and genuine prosperity. Catlierine
Goodman Hurlbut was born in Hartford,
Conn., and died at the age of forty-six
years, leaving a family comprising one son
and four daughters, of which Thomas K.,
the subject of this review, is the only sur-
viving menilier. She, like her husband, was
identified with the Congregational church,
in which she was a prominent and devoted
worker, lloth ])arcnts are buried in West
Hartford, Conn.

The early education of Mr. Hurlbut was
received in the public schools near the place
of his birth, and he remained at home until
he was eighteen years of age. when a desire
for further progress along intellectual lines
led him to become a student in an academy
near the city of Rochester, X. Y. On com-
pleting his studies at that place, he returned
to the home farm in Connecticut, and re-
sumed the work of assisting his father in
the conduct of the farm. This he continued
for one year, at the termination of which
period he traveled westward to Cincinnati
in company with a college friend, they
making the trip with a horse and buggy
and selling books on the way — a method of
l)aying expenses which proved both pleas-
ant and profitable. He did not long remain
at Cincinnati, but struck boldly forth into
the untried West beyond the Mississipj)!
River, and in 1S37 came to Iowa, locating
on the farm which he still occupies. He
entered a quarter section of land, which
he soon placed under cultivation. The
farm has been developed by his efforts
.'iiid uiidiT his direction in a very high
degree, and he has erected a large and
substantial dwelling-house, as well as nu-
merous other buildings, which are con-
structed according to the most improved
methods, and constitute a monument to

his enter])rising spirit. In fact the farm is
one of the model agricultural establish-
ments of Des Moines county, and here Mr.
Hurlbut has engaged in general farming'
and stock-raising with conspicuous success.
It is becoming generally recognized in re-
cent years that the successful conduct of a
farm requires the exercise of business abil-
ity of the highest order, and that Mr. Hurl-
but has succeeded in the face of great diffi-
culties is the surest proof of his natural
talents and the firmness of his purpose. The
I)resent acreage does not represent the full
extent of his holdings, as he at one time
purchased an additional tract of one hun-
dred and twenty-three acres ; but this he
.sold about three years ago, the transaction
yielding him a handsome profit.

.\t Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1848. .Mr. Hurl-
but was united in marriage to Miss Jane
Tweedy, who was Ixirn in Ohio, a daughter
of James and Margaret (Kirk) Tweedy,
both of whom died in Ohio when Mrs.
Hurlbut was a mere child. To Mr. and
Mrs. Hurlbut have been born twelve chil-
dren, as follows : Charlotte E., who died
unmarried at the age of twenty-seven years ;
William H., who resides at Danville, Iowa,
and a sketch of whose successful career ap-
pears elsewhere in this volume ; Charles,
who is engageil in agriculture and stock-
raising on his father's farm ; Jennie, who is
at home ; Lucy, who was the wife of Wal-
lace Stevenson, of Nebraska, and is now
deceased, leaving two daughters. May and
Nellie, who reside with the family of our
subject; Emma, who is at home; Fannie,,
who died at the age of eighteen years;
Frank, who was an inventor of great tal-
ents, but died in the midst of his promising
career at the age of thirty-nine years ; Kath-
crinc C, who died in 1904, aged thirty-nine

DES MOINES COUXTY. lOUW.

993

years ; Sallie, who is the wife of Howard
Foster, of Shenandoah, Iowa, and has one
son, Harvey ; Delia, who is the wife of Will-
iam Kolb, a farmer of Danville township,
and has one daughter, Katherine L. ; and
John, who died in infancy, at the age of
one year.

Mr. Hurlburt is a man of broad and char-
itable views and impulses, and has always
been an interested student of public ques-
tions : and while he has been a lifelong sup-
porter of die great Republican party, in
whose declared principles he is a firm be-
liever, he has never sought recognition
through public office. A modest estimate of
his own worth has always been character-
istic of him, but at the same time he at-
tacked the hard problems of life in a new
country with aggressiveness and unwaver-
ing determination. Depending exclusively
upon his own efforts, he has acquired ample
resources and surrounded himself and fam-
ily with the comforts of life. On the other
hand, he hasf at no time neglected the higher
interests of life, and has devoted much time,
money, and thought to works of philan-
thropy and religion. He and Mrs. Hurlbut
have been for many years devoted members
of the Congregational church, in whose
work and that of the great cause for which
it stands they have labored with unceasing
fidelity ; and for a long term of years he held
the office of trustee of the church, discharg-
ing the duties of that position with the same
distinguished ability which have marked the
conduct of his private aflfairs. A good
neighbor, a loyal friend, and a man of
strong and spotless character, he has made
many friends, won the respect and esteem
of all who know him. and now. in the eve-
ning of his years, finds himself rich in the
possession of an honored name.

FRANK MILLARD.

Frv\nk Mill.xkd, for years one of the
prominent anfl enterprising business men
of Burlington, and now in his retirement
from labor occupying one of the finest
homes of the city, which from its height
on Prospect hill commands an excellent
view of the city, with its industrial and
commercial interests, and the river, with
its traffic and its pleasure craft, was born
in Hampton, Washington county, N. Y.,
Oct. 7, 1831. His father, .\shley Millard,
was a native of Rhode Island, and a
cousin of President ^lillard Fillmore, whose
mother was a daughter of Dr. Abiatha
IMillard, of Pittsfield, Mass., a sister of the
grandfather of Frank Millard. The wife
of Ashley Millard bore the maiden name
of Polly Peck, and her family were orig-
inally froin Connecticut, where they were
well connected and highly esteemed.

Frank milliard spent his early life upon a
farm in ^^'ashington county. New York,
and ere his removal to the West he was
married, in Warsaw, N. Y., in 1862, to Miss
Annie I. Catlett, a daughter of Bradley S.
Catlett. Three children were born of this
union, two sons and a daughter. Courtney,
Homer, and Emma.

In 1864 Mr. Millard arrived in Iowa,
locating in Burlington, where he engaged
in the lumber business in company with his
brother George, and William F. Thomp.son,
under the name of Frank Millard & Com-
pany. This connection was continued until
1879, when Mr. Millard sold his interest
and engaged in the paint and oil trade,
which he carried on until 1881, when he
purchased the interest of Gilbert, Hedge &
Companw in the Cascade Lumber Com-
pany, and was elected president of the or-

U04

BIOGRAPHICAL REVHIW

ganizatinn. This company was formed in
April, 1880, the incorporators being Gilbert,
Hedge & Company, W. S. Berry, H. H.
Gilman, and Charles Putnam. Thomas
Hedge, Sr.. was elected president ; John
Gilbert, vice-president : and Charles Put-
nam, secretary. 'J"he business was first es-
tablished and the mill placed in operation
by tlie firm of Berry & Gilman in 1876, and
in J 878 A. Kaiser was admitted to a part-
nership, the firm of Kaiser & Berry con-
tinuing the business until 1880. when the
Cascade Company was organized and suc-
ceeded to the business, the owners being
Gilbert, Hedge & Comjiany until 1881,
when Mr. Millard bought them out. He
was elected president and treasurer, with
W. S. Berry as vice-president, and R. G.
Saundcrson as secretary. These gentlemen,
with H. H. Gilman. Charles Putnam, and
the llurlington Insurance Company, are
the stockholders. The mill was situated
on the Mississippi River, near the south-
ern limits of the city, at the foot of the
bluflf of Crapo Park, at what is known as
Cascade, on the Keokuk branch of the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad. Em-
ployment was furnished to from fifty to
sixty hands, and the annual capacity was
seven million feet of lumber. Mr. Millard
continued with the Cascade Lumber Com-
pany until the i)lant was destroyed by fire
in 1896. Later he became identified with
J. D. Harmer & Company, who operated a
lumber and planing mill, and manufactured
sash and doors, acting as manager of the
business, and largely furnishing the funds
necessary for the conduct of the enterprise.
When the business failed .some months
after, Mr. Millard having withdrawn there-
from, he was apjiointed receiver for the
bondholders, and the business was sold.

since which time he has lived a retired life.
The Prank Millard Company was organ-
ized in 1 901 for the purpose of conducting
a wholesale and retail business in lime and
cement. A. A. McArthur, son-in-law of Mr.
Millard, being the active manager, the latter
partner being only financially interested.

In 1868 Mr. Millard was called upon to
mourn the loss of his first wife, who died
at her father's house in Warsaw, N. V. In
1871, at Galesburg, 111., he married Miss
Ella Blannerhasset Hewson, a daughter of
Prancis D. Hewson, of Toronto, Canada.
At the summit of one of the highest bluffs
along the Mississippi River, just opposite
and above the Iowa approach to the Chi-
cago. lUirlington & Quincy Railroad bridge,
stands the Millard residence, from whose
windows there can be obtained magnificent
views of a most attractive landscape, over-
looking the commercial center of Burling-
ton, as well as many of its homes, the Union
depot with its outgoing and incoming trains,
and the broad river, with its freight and
passenger boats and pleasure craft, and is
one of the finest homes of the city.

In politics always a stanch Democrat, he
has often been urged to accept a nomina-
tion for alderman, or for the mayoralty,
hut lias always declined ; yet for a number
of years he has been a member of the board
of education, the public-school system hav-
ing in him a strong champion.

ARTHUR WILLIAM SAARMANN.

Arthur Wii.i,i.\m S.\.\r.m.\nx. who is
now engaged as a farmer in Mint River
township, where he is the possessor of
eighty acres which has been acquired en-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

995

tirely through his own labor, industry, and
careful management, was born in the above-
named township, Jan. 29, 1878. He is the
son of Gotlieb and Mary (Saarmann) Wes-
terbeck, and the adopted son of William
and Frederica (Huseman) Saarmann. His
own mother was a native of Germany, and
was married to Mr. Westerbeck in Des
Moines county, Iowa, and died in Flint
River township July 7, 1878. Her husband
has been a resident of the village of Fon-
tanelle, Washington County, Nebr., for the
past twenty-five years. He was a carpenter
for many years, when by accident he lost
one of his eyes, and later, by disease, lost
the other one, thus making him totallv
blind. j\Ir. and ^Irs. Westerbeck were the
parents of eight children : Emma ; Philip ;
Lydia; William, died aged one year; Will-
iam, 2d : John ; Caroline, died aged one year ;
and Arthur William, of this review.

]\Ir. Saarmann, the foster father of our
subject, died Jan. 18, 1896, aged fifty-six
years, and his widow makes her home with
her adopted son. Mr. and Mrs. Saarmann
never had any chililren of their own, but
out of the generosity of their hearts they
took our subject and his sister Lydia, who
married C. J. ]\Iumme, and did by them
as their own flesh and blood. Mr. and Mrs.
Mumme reside on Section 15. in Flint River
township. His foster parents educated Mr.
Saarmann in the district school, and reared
him to be a fanner, which vocation he has
always followed. He now owns eighty
acres of land in the township where he was
born, besides having the general supervision
of the old home place on Section 16. His
interests are devoted to general farming
and stock-raising. He has a fine home, and
one that is enhancing in value all the time.
His marriage occurred April 23. 1902,

when he wedded Miss Clara M. Luecking,
(laughter of Henry and Hannah (Swartz)
Luecking. They have only one son, Ir-
win, born Jan. 21, 1903. They are both
consistent members of the German Luther-
an church, where Mr. Saarmann has been
the efficient Sunday-school sui)crintendcnl
for the past f(nir years. Politically, he is
a strong Democrat, but never cared to hold
any office. Mr. Saarmann is only a little
over twenty-seven years old at this writing,
being among the younger farmers in his
township, yet his success in business has
been gratifying, while the care and devo-
tion of his adopted mother has always been
very commendable, and his social stand-
ing and good name above reproach.

HENRY A. BINKELE.

The State of Iowa is greatly indebted
to its citizens of German birth and blood,
who have done much to build it up to its
]>resent imperial proportions. They are
a careful and c(Miservative people, indus-
trious in their habits, economical in their
manner of life, and as a body are ever
found on the moral side of every question.
It is always safe to appeal to their better
nature. Every great reform has found
among them stanch adherents. They are
the most persistent friends of a uniform
and general public education.

Mr. Binkele, whose name appears
above, is a noteworthy representative of
an old German family, being born in
Baden, Germany. March 27, 1878, the son
of Henry A. and Catherine (Baer) Bin-
kele. who are still living in the same place
where he was born.

996

BlOGRAPHli.lL REVIEW

Mr. Hinki-lf received his education in
the world-famed public schools of Ger-
many, attending them for eight years,
after which he attended the Landwird-
schaftliche Aker Bauschule, or Agricul-
tural College, for six months. .As he was
reared on a farm, and thus became thor-
oughly familiar with the ])ractical work
of the farm, after he had finished his
course at the Agricultural College, he fol-
lowed the vocation of farmer until lie
came to America.

lie came to .\merica in October, 1894,
coming by way of New York direct to
Morton, 111. Here he began life in his
new environment by working as a farm
hand. After remaining near Morton for
two years, he made a change, going to
Cissna Park, 111., where he remained for
one year. His next move was to Peoria.
111., where he left farming, and worked at
the Keystone Wire Works for three or
four years. After this time his natural
love for the free life of the country in-
duced him to give up the confinement of
city work, and he came to Des Moines
county, Iowa, working in the general
store of I. C. Thompson, in Oakville, for
one year. He then moved onto the farm
owned by Daniel Mangold, where he now
resides, this being his second year on the
place.

.Mr. IJinkele was married Nov. 9, 1902,
to Miss Emma Gerst, daughter of Henry
and Catherine (Grau) Gerst. Mrs. llin-
kele is also of German birth, liaving
been born at W'iirtemberg, Germany. In
.\ugust, 1893, she came to America with
her parents, who are both still living,
making their home in Des Moines county.

To Mr. .md Mrs. Binkele have been
born two cliildren : Frieda, born Sept.

\>. 1903; and Henry Abraham, bom
.March 3. njo.S- Mr. and Mrs. Uinkele
are members of the Christian Ajx^stolic
church, and are young people of such
sterling integrity and intrinsic strength
of character that their many friends look
to them to do much for the advancement
of neighborhood interests, as well as to
earn many material blessings for them-
selves during the next decade or two.

ISAAC JAMES YOHE.

Is.\.\c Ja.mes Vohe, whom to know is
to respect and honor because of his well-
spent and upright life, has long been iden-
tified with agricultural interests in Franklin
townshi]). and is also well known in the
county because of his activity in political
circles. He likewise has wide acquantance
throughout the State as a prominent repre-
sentative of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He was born in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1849, and is
a son of Daniel and Margaret (McPher.son)
Yohe. In both the paternal and maternal
lines he is descended from ancestors who
were in the .American army in the Revolu-
tionary War. The Yohcs came to this
country in 1680, with the first Gennan emi-
grants who established homes in Pennsyl-
vania. They settled near Easton, where they
followed the occu|)ation of farming, and
Michael \'o\k, the great-great-grandfather
of the subject of this review, was one of the
organizers of the First Lutheran church es-
tablished west of the .Mleghany mountains.
When the Colonies could no longer endure
the yoke of British oppression, and rose in
arms against the mother country, he joined

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

99~

the Colonial troops, and after the republic
was established, he was granted a patent
to land in recognition of his services, and
located this in Washington county, be-
ing one of the first to secure land in that
county after that manner. Isaac Yohe, the
grandfather, was a soldier of the War of
1812, serving as a captain in a Pennsylvania
regiment. Again the loyalty and valor of
the family was demonstrated, when in the
Civil War Daniel Yohe, father of our sub-
ject, became a lieutenant with the Pennsyl-
vania State troops. He was in active serv-
ice twice, taking part in the battle of Gettys-
burg. Among the maternal ancestors of
our subject were also those who served in
the war for independence.

Daniel Yohe, the father, was both a
farmer and a blacksmith, and through the
•dual pursuit he provided for his family.
He continued his residence in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, until 1868, when, re-
moving to the \\'est, he became a resident
of Washington township, Des Moines
county, where he was engaged in farming
for a year. He then purchased a tract of
land of two hundred and forty acres near
Allerton, Wayne county, Iowa. This, in
1869, was new land, whereon he made im-
provements, and there resided, actively en-
gaged in farming until he retired from
business life on account of old age, and re-
sided until his death at the home of his son,
Thomas Yohe. in Lincoln, Kans. He passed
away in July, 1903, and his remains were
interred at Lincoln. He was married on
the 1st of ^larch, 1844, in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, to iNIiss Margaret
McPherson, a daughter of Robert and Mary
(Russell) McPherson. They became the
parents of eleven children, of whom Isaac
J. was the third in order of birth. Both Mr.

and Airs, ^'llhe held membership in the
Lutheran church, and he acted as an elder
in the church in Washington county, Penn-
."^ylvania. He was also a justice of the peace
for twenty-five years, and his decisions were
marked by strict equity and a due regard
fur the law in the case. His political sup-
port was given the Democracy. His wife
passed away in Pennsylvania, May 4. 1867.

Isaac Yohe acquired his early education
in the public schools of Pennsylvania, and
afterward became a student in Howe's
.\cademy at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, which
he attended for two terms. He took up his
abode in this county in 1868, settling in
hranklin township, where he has since lived.
In his younger years he learned the painter's
trade, which he followed for four years.
and his savings during that period enabled
him to make his first purchase of land. He
bought forty acres of land on Section 16,
Franklin township, which he improved from
the original timber, erecting substantial *
buildings thereon, and transforming his
tract into productive fields. In 1886 he
bought eighty acres on Section 4, Franklin
township, and he also owns one hundred
acres adjoining in Yellow Springs township,
purchasing a part of it in 1895 and the re-
mainder in 1896. He is a general farmer
and stock-feeder, having no specialties in
his work, but in all the departments of Jiis
labor is energetic and enterprising, and
carries forward to successful completion
whatever claims his attention. He was also
one of the original stockholders and incor-
porators of the JMediapolis Mutual Tele-
phone Company, and his keen sagacity,
enterprise, and strong purpose have been
salient factors in his success.

On the 24th of November, 1875, Mr.
Yohe was married to Miss Mary McDonald,

998

BIOGRAPHICAL RBI -Hill'

who died in 1892, leaving four children:
Ramon, who is a farmer at Elk City, Kans. ;
James, Margaret, and Leslie, all at home.
His first wife was a daughter of James Mc-
Donald, one of the early settlers of this
county, and she was born in Franklin town-
ship in 1851. After the death of his first
wife, Mr. Yohe was again married in 1896,
his second union being with .\mcrica
Wright, who was born in Franklin town-
ship. May 16, 1853, and is a daughter of
John and Nancy (Woolscy) Wright, who
were among the i)ioneer settlers of this
township, the father being a respected
farmer of the locality for many years. The
daughter was reared and educated here.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Yohe are devout mem-
bers of the Predestinarian Baptist denom-
ination, holding membership in the old stone
church, which was organized in February,
1840, and is one of the oldest, if not the
oldest. Baptist churches in the State. Mr.
Yohe served as one of its deacons for many
years, and has taken an active and hcli)fnl
part in its work, contributing generously
to its support. He affiliates with the Odd
Fellows' Lodge, No. 326, at Sperry, Iowa ;
has held all of the offices in the local lodge,
and has also been district deputy grand
master. He is a broad-minded, intelligent
man, keeping well informed on the general
questions and issues of the day, jjolitical
and otherwise, and his efforts in behalf of
public progress in his adopted county have
been far-reaching and beneficial. A genial
manner, deference to the opinions of oth-
ers, kindliness, and loyalty to high prin-
ciples, have made him one of the most re-
spected citizens of Franklin township,
esteemed by all with whom he has come in
contact, while within the closer circle of
his friendship, and home life he has endeared

himself to many who know him. Since
age gave to him the right of franchise, he
has supported the Democratic party, and
has been township trustee for six years, and
clerk for four years. He is still active in
the party work, and his services are greatly
depended u])on. for he is a capable campaign
worker, getting out the vote for the candi-
dates of the party. Indeed, he enters heart-
ily into everything that he undertakes, and
his enthusiasm and interest are basic ele-
ments in the successful accomplishment of
his life work.

FRED RICKMAN.

A CAREFUL and methodical farmer, a con-
scientious citizen, and a good neighbor and
friend, Fred Rickman has established a
record of which his friends may well be
proud. Mr. Rickman is a son of James and
Mary (Houn) Rickman, and is a native of
Germany, his birth occurring Feb. 3, 1864.
His father emigrated to America in 1890
and settled in Flint River tCAvnship, where
he devoted his time to farming. His life
in .\nicrica was very short, as he died in two
years, his death occurring Christmas day,
1893.

Our subject attended the district schools
in his native land, after which he worked on
his father's farm till he was twenty years
old. In 1884 he sailed for America, coming
by way of New York, where he remained
for three months, after which he came di-
rect to Burlington. He at once took up
the life of a farmer, and in 1887, three years
jjrior to his father's arrival, he purchased a
farm of forty acres in I''lint River valley.

DES MOINES

where he immediately arranged things for
a permanent residence, and has devoted his
time ever since to truck gardening. He
finds a ready sale for his vegetables, which
are of the best, as he does also for his fine
poultry.

Mr. Rickman married IMiss Annie i\Ieyer,
March lo, 1888. ]\Irs. Rickman was a
daughter of William and Mary Meyer, who
were natives of Germany. Mrs. Rickman
died Feb. 28, 1896, leaving our subject with
four motherless children : Anna, Laura,
Minnie, and Fred ; Ina preceded her mother
to the better land about a year, her death
occurring May 25, 1895, aged two years.
The children are all at home with their par-
ents. Mr. Rickman was again married,
April 8, 1897, to Miss Fannie Loddeka, who
is a daughter of William and .\nna (Mer-
keng) Loddeka. She was born in Han-
over, Germany, April 15, 1874. At tl^e
age of twenty Mrs. Rickman came alone to
America, arriving in Homestead, Iowa,
Sept. I, 1895. After remaining here eight
months she came to Burlington, where she
made her home till she was married. By
this marriage four children were born,
namely : Emma, William, ^^'alter, and
Clarence.

Politically, Mr. Rickman is a Democrat,
but always acts to the best of his judg-
ment according to the aspirant for office.
Mr. and Mrs. Rickman are members of
the Lutheran church. He is a man of
retiring disposition, his interest centering in
his home, and he finds his greatest delight
in providing for the happiness and welfare
of his family, for whom he has provided a
very comfortable residence. In business he
sustains a high reputation for reliability and
enterprise, and those who know him best,
prize his friendship most highly.

COUNTY, IOWA. ggg

IRA M. McNAUGHT.

Ir.v M. McNaught, who now resides
in the city of Mediapolis, Iowa, was
born in Des Moines county, Iowa, Jan.
26, 1872, the son of George W. and Mc-
linda (Adams) McXaught. The father
was born in Knox county, Illinois, on
July 22, 1847, and lived there till he was
a man grown, engaged in farming. About
1868 he came to Des iMoines county.
Iowa, and engaged in farming here for
a number of years, returning in 1875,
when his son Ira was three years of age,
to the old home place in Knox county,
Illinois, where he lived till his death,
which occurred Jan. 17, 1882. He was a
Republican in politics, and was a con-
scientious believer in the doctrines of the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is
a member and supporter.

The mother of our subject was born in
.Missouri, Oct. 25, 1 85 1, and received her
early education at the jjlacc of her birth,
where she remained till the time of her
marriage. During her early life she was
a member of the Christian church, but
after her marriage she went with her hus-
l)and into the Methodist church. She is
still living, making her home in .Stark
countv, Illinois. She was married a sec-
ond time, taking as her second husband
Presley Terrell, a retired farmer.

Ira M. McXaught was the oldest of a
family of five children born to Mr. and
Mrs. George W. McXaught. The other
members of the family are as follows:
Charles E., resides in Kansas, where he
follows the occupation of farming and
gardening; George A., is a prosperous
merchant in Moline. 111.: William .\.. who
is a fireman on the railroad, makes his

lOOO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

home in Galesburg, 111. ; and John H., died
in infanc\'.

Mr. McXaufjht obtained his education
in the di.strict schools of Knox county,
Illinois, and at the same time assisted
with the work on the home farm till he
was ten years of ajje. He then went to
Atchison, Kans., and engaged in work at
the packing-house. He worked tliere for
some eight months, then undertook to
learn the painter's trade, and was in the
employment of the man from whom he
learned the trade for eight years. At the
expiration of that time he left Atchison,
Kans., and returned to Kno.x county, Illi-
nois; there he followed his trade for a
few years, after which he came to Bur-
lington, where he followed his trade for
part of the time, and also acted as clerk
at the Pauly House, and engaged in farm-
ing in Jackson township for a short time.

W lun the Spanish War broke out, and
the call was issued for volunteers, Mr.
McNaught was among the number of
brave men who responded to the call. He
enlisted at Des Moines, Iowa, in Com-
pany E, of the Fifteenth Cavalry of the
United States regular army. They went
to Presidio, Cal., where they were in
camp for six weeks; then to Bencia Bar-
racks, Cal.. where they remained for
seven months. .After that they returned
to Presidio, where they remained till the
troops left for the Philippine Islands.
When the time came for the troops to
embark, Mr. McXaught was in the hos-
pital. It was found that he c<iul(l not re-
maii^ in the army because of a defect in
his hearing, and other disability, therefore
he was discharged.

After receiving his discharge, he re-
turned home to Burlington, and followed

agriculture for a year, farming on the
land owned by his father-in-law, William
I'ichthorn. in Jackson township. The
next year he removed to Mcdiapolis,
where he has since made his home, en-
gaged as a painter and paper-hanger.

Jan. ID. 1903, Mr. McNaught was
united in marriage to Miss Mattie Fich-
tliorn. who was born in Huron township,
this county, the daughter of William
Fichthorn, a complete sketch of whose
life appears elsewhere' in this volume.
Mrs. McXaught was educated in the
schools of Jackson townshij). and later at
Elliott's Business College, in Burlington.
She is of a genial, sunny disposition, and
has made her home a synonym for hos-
pitality among her friends, who are many.
Both she and lur husband are devoted
nuMubers of the ^lethodist Ejiiscopal
church, and can be counted upon to as-
sist in its enterprises, and generously sup-
port its jdiilanthropies. In politics Mr.
McXaught is a Republican, ever devoted
to his party, its principles, and its chosen
leaders.

Mr. McXaught has had a varied career
for a man so young, and has known what
it is to attain success solely by his own
elTorts. having starte<l out on a self-sup-
porting career at an age when most boys
arc still living closely guarded lives
among all the protecting influences of
home. In all these various relations of
life, whether acting as a business man, a
soldier, or a citizen, he has commanded
uniform confidence and respect, and has
made for himself a sjilendid reputation,
while in his home and among his friends
he has disjilayed the sterling traits of
manhood that ever command good-will
and confidence.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

lOOI

JOHN H. GEAR.

Among the men of prominence in Iowa
was John H. Gear, deceased, who began Hfe
in a very quiet, humble way, but by his own
integrity and abiUty succeeded in occupying
all of the offices within the gift of the State.
He was the tenth gentleman to occupy the
executive chair of Iowa, and was a native of
the Empire State, where, in the city of
Ithaca, he was born April 7, 1825, being the
only son born to Rev. E. G. and Miranda E.
(Cook) Gear. His father was born in New
London, Conn., in 1792, and became a dis-
tinguished Protestant Episcopal clergyman,
being ordained in 1816, and served for many
years various congregations in western New
York. In 1836 he came to northern Illinois,
where he remained till 1838, when he re-
ceived the appointment as chaplain in the
United States army while located at Fort
Snelling, Minn. His life was long and
active, doing much good, and he quitted his
labors in the year 1874, at the advanced age
of eighty-two years.

In 1843 ^Ir. Gear came to Burlington,
when still a young man, and here he con-
tinued to reside after he became her most
distinguished citizen. He was first em-
ployed as a clerk in the store of Bridgman
& Brothers, with whom he remained one
year. He then entered upon an engagement
with W. F. Coolbaugh, who at that period
was the leading merchant of eastern Iowa.
After serving for five years as clerk for Mr.
Coolbaugh, with great credit and satisfac-
tion, he was rewarded by being made a part-
ner in this establishment, which was well
known under the firm name of W. F. Cool-
baugh & Company. This firm continued
for five years, when Mr. Gear purchased the
entire business, which he carried on with

marked success till he became known as the
oldest wholesale grocer in the State.

He always acted with the Republican
party, and was honored by his fellow-citi-
zens with many positions of trust. In 1852
he was elected alderman ; in 1863 he was
elected mayor over A. W. Carpenter, being
the first Republican up to that time who had
been elected in Rurlington on a jiarty issue.
He was chosen the president of the Burling-
ton, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad
Company, and was also active in promoting
the Burlington & Southwestern Railroad,
as well as the Burlington & Northwest-
ern Narrow-guage Road. In 1871 he was
elected a member of the House of Represent-
atives of the fourteenth General .A.ssembly,
and in 1873 was elected to the fifteenth
General Assembly. The Republican caucus
of the House nominated him for speaker by
acclamation, and after two weeks he was
chosen over his opponent, J. W. Dixon. He
filled the position as speaker very acceptably,
and at the close of the session all the mem-
bers of the House, independent of party
affiliations, joined in signing their names to
a resolution of thanks, which was engraved
and presented to him. In 1875 he was again
elected to the General .Assembly, being also
elected as speaker b}' a handsome majority-
over his competitor. Hon. John Y. Stone.
He was the only man in the State who ever
had the honor of being chosen to this high
position a second time.

In 1877 he was elected as governor, and
was inaugurated Jan. 17. 1878, which office
he held for four years, being re-elected in
1879, and inaugurated in 1880. Governor
Gear's business habits enabled him to dis-
charge the duties of his office with marked
ability, and though he found the financial
condition of the State at a low ebb. he raised

1002

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Iowa's credit to that of the best of our
States. In 1887 Governor Gear was elected
a member of Congress from the first dis-
trict, and re-elected in 1889, and again
elected in 1893. His political honors did
not cease here, for in 1894 he was elected
United States Senator, and re-elected in
1900; but an all wise Father had planned
otherwise, as Senator Gear had not (juite
finished his first term as Senator when the
hand of death was laid upon him, and he
rendered up his account July 14, 1900. when
not only the city, county, and State were
overshadowed with grief, but the United
States had received a loss which was
irreparable.

In summing uj) such a noted record as this
of Senator Gear's, words fail to express the
true worth and value of his noble life de-
voted to the public service : suffice it to say
tliat his efforts were always along lines of
right and justice, and as a friend, citizen,
or statesman, his memory will be everlast-
ingly enshrined in llic luarts of the people
throughout the nation.

In 1852 Mr. Gear married Miss Harriet
Foote, who was born Xov. 18, 1818. and
was a lady of great refinement and many
capabilities, whose warm and generous im-
pulses, attractive and winning manner, made
her innumerable friends not only in her home
citv, but also in the social circles in Wash-
ington and Des Moines. Her (juiet and
noble deeds of love among the needy are a
fitting example for all to emulate. Mrs.
Gear survived her husband only about two
years, her death occurring Oct. 4, 1902.
This hajJiiv niiioii was blessed with four
children, two of whom are living, ami reside
in Burlington: Margaret is the wife of J.
W. Blythe, and Ruth married Horace S.
Rand.

HON. JAMES W. GRIMES.

.\.MO.\i; the names whose personal his-
tory is inseparably interwoven witii that of
the State, and whose name deserves a
foremost rank, is James Wilson Grimes.
He was the third gentleman to fill the
chair of gf)vernor of Iowa, and was born
in the town of Deering, Hillsborough
county. \. H., Oct. 20, 1816. His par-
ents. John anil Elizabeth (Wilson) Grimes
were also natives of the same town, the
father being born Aug. 11. 1772. and
the mother March nj. 1773. They be-
came the ijarents of eight children, of
whom James was the youngest, and be-
came one of the most distinguished cit-
izens of Iowa. After an attendance at
the district school and some private in-
struction, he entered Dartmouth College
wdien he was sixteen years of age. In
1833 'i'" fiuished college, and began his
chosen profession with James Walker, of
1 Vlirhoioui;!!. X. 11. He felt there were
i)etler o))i)ortunities for young men in the
West, and in i83<> he came to Burlington,
and hung out his shingle, and ere long
establislui! a reputation as a rising law-
ver. In 1837 he was ai)pointed city solic-
itor, and entering ujion the duties of that
office he assisted in drawing uj) the first
])olice laws of that town. In 1838 he was
appointed justice of the peace, and be-
came a law ])artner of William W. Chap-
man. United States district attorney for
Wisconsin Territory, lie formed a part-
nership with Henry W . Starr in 1841.
which lasted for twelve years. This firm
stood at the lu-a<l of the legal profession
of Iowa.

In 1838 he was chosen one of the rep-
resentatives of Des Moines county in the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1003

first Legislative Assembly of the Terri-
tory of Iowa, which convened in Tur-
lington, Nov. 12, 1838; in the sixth, at
Iowa City, Dec. 4, 1843 : and in the fourth
General Assembly of the -State, at Iowa
City, Dec. 6, 1852. He early took front
rank among the public men of Iowa. He
was chairman of the judiciary committee
in the House of Representatives of the
first Legislative Assembly of the Terri-
tory, and all the laws for the new Terri-
tory passed through his hands.

In February, 1854, Mr. Grimes was
nominated by a convention of the Whig
party for governor of the State. This was
the largest convention of that partv ever
held in Iowa, and the last. Soon after
this it was proposed he should go to the
United States Senate, but Mr. Grimes
gave his admirers to understand that he
would fill the term of office for which he
had been elected, w hiih he did with great
satisfaction. The representatives in Con-
gress were allies of the slave power, and
after Mr. Grimes was elected, he gave his
whole soul to the work ; and it may he
truly said that Governor Grimes made
Iowa Republican, and allied it with the
loyal States. He retired from the exec-
utive chair in 1858. only, however, to as-
sume the responsibilities of a United
.States Senator, taking his seat on the
fourth of March, and being placed on the
committee of naval affairs, upon which
he remained during his senatorial career.

In 1864 Mr. Grimes was again chosen
to rei>resenl Iowa in the .Senate, receiving
all but si.x of the votes of the (jcneral
Assembly in joint convention. He was
a great advocate of education, being al-
ways ready to promote the welfare of the
State, and gave, unsolicited, land worth

si.x thousand dollars to the Congrega-
tional College, at Grinnell. Iowa. It con-
stituted the "Grimes foundation," and is
"to be applied to the establishment and
mainlenance in Iowa College, forever, of
four scholarships, to be awarded by the
trustees, on the recommendation of the
faculty, to the best scholars, and the most
promising, in any dep;irtnient, who may
need and seek such aid, and without any
regard to the religious tenets or opinions
of the persons seeking either of the said
scholarships." These terms were im-
posed by Mr. Grimes, and assumed July
20, 1865, by the trustees.

He receixed the hc^norary degree of
LL. I)., in 1865. from Dartmouth College,
and also from Iowa College. He also
aided in founding the public library in
lUirlington. donating five thousand dol-
lars, which was exijended in the purchase
of costly books. He subsequently sent
from Europe two hiindre<l and fiftv-si.x
volumes in the (German language, and
also contributed six hundred volumes of
public dncumeiUs. In January. i8f)0. he
made a donation to Dartmouth College
of five thousand dollars, and one thou-
sand dollars to the ".Social Friend," a lit-
erary society in the college of which he
was a member. He also secured the ap-
]impriati(>n for the Hospital for the Insane
at .Mt. rieasant.

Xov. i;, 184G. Senator Grimes was
united in marriage in lUirlington, Iowa,
to Miss Elizabeth Xealley. and they were
permitted to celebrate their silver wed-
ding anniversary in 1871, after returning
from a two-year trip abroad for the Sen-
ator's health. He did not have long to
spend with his family, for, Feb. 7, 1872.
after having voted at the city election.

I004

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW

he was suddenly taken ill. and died short-
ly after. Mrs. (irinics survived him a
numhcr of years, dying at Washington
in 1890.

Mr. Grimes stood in the foremost ranks
among the men of his time, not only of
the Slate hut of the nation. Tiie young
attorney who left the granite hills of New
Hampshire for the fertile ])rairics of the
West, distinguished himself both as an
attorney and as a statesman. The re-
mains of Senator and Mrs. Grimes are
buried in the cemetery of their adopted
home, where hundreds of friends visit
their graves.

GEN. AUGUSTUS C. DODGE.

The career of Gen. A. C Dodge pre-
sents a succession of varied and interest-
ing experiences : in some res])ect like
many others, yet marked bv a force of
will and character well worthy of men-
tion in the lists of prominent and success-
ful men. .Augustus Caesar Uodge was
the son of Henry anil Christiana (Mc
Donald) Dodge, who were married near
St. Louis in 1800, and became the ])arents
of thirteen children, of whom our subject
was the fourth in ordtT of birth. He was
born near St. (jencvieve. Mo., Jan. 12.
181 2, where he remained till 1827, when
his father, who had been i)reviously com-
missioned brigadier-general by I'residcnt
Madison for his successful expedition
against the hostile Indians of the ui)iier
Missouri, luaring nf the discovery of the
lead mines on the U|)])er .\lississi|)])i, in
Michigan Territory, now Wisconsin, mi-
grated thither. Simultaneously with his
arrival, the W innebagocs raised the mer-

ciless tomahawk. ;ind were killing and
scalping the few settlers, and were also
attacking the boatmen engaged in the
navigation of the Mississippi. Selected
as their leader by the volunteers under
arms, he led them to the Indian towns on
the Pecatonica, forcing them to surrender
the murderers of the whites for trial.
Peace having thus been restored, he set-
tled in the ])lace called in honor of him-
self, Dotlgevillc, the present c<iunty-seat
of Iowa county, Wisconsin. When the
iilack Hawk war broke <iut he was
elected first lieutenant of volunteers, for
home ])rotection.

in tS_^8 he was ai)])ointed by President
\'an Liurcn, register of the United States
land office at P.urlington, and removed to
this city, which was his home the rest of
his life. In January, 1830, he was ap-
])ointed by (iovernor Lucas, brigadier-
general of the first division of the militia
of Iowa Territory, and in 1840, without
the thought of effort on his part, he was
nominated to Congress, defeating a Whig
competitor by five hundred and eighty-
five votes. In .'-lei>tember he took his seat
in Congress, and on the "th of December
following he welcomed his father to a
seat by his side, as a delegate from the
Territory of Wisconsin, the first and only
instance of a father anti son sitting to-
gether in the House of Representatives
since the foundation of the government.
In 1848 he was elected L^nited States Sen-
ator; and as seven years before the son
had welcomed the father to a seat by his
side in tile i louse of Representatives, so
now the father, who had entered the Sen-
ate on the 23d of the previous June, as
one of the Senators from the State of
Wisconsin, greeted the arriv.'il of his son

DES J\fO[A'ES COUNTY. IOWA.

in the Senate chamber. This was an un-
precedented occurrence, and also note-
worthy that Augustus C. Dodge was the
first person born west of the Mississippi
River to become a Senator of the United
States. He was congratulated by Mr. S.
Fremont, who said, "General. I am sure
that you will be the best-l)clia\cd man in
the Senate, on the ground that a dutiful
son will be exceedingly decorous in the
immediate presence of his father."

During the time he was in the Senate,
there wers very exciting times, and the
reply which Gen. Dodge made to Senator
Brown, of Mississippi, who said, "There
are certain menial employments which
belong exclusively to the negro," verify
the fact that he was always a gentleman,
a man of warm and generous feeling, with
a high sense of honor, of courteous man-
ners, frank and kindly, the index of his
heart. He replied : "Sir, I tell the Sen-
ator from Mississippi, I speak it upon the
floor of the American Senate, in the pres-
ence of my father, who wnll attest its
truth, that I performed and do perform,
when at home, all of these menial serv-
ices to which the Senator referred in
terms so grating to my feelings. As a
general thing I saw my own wood, do all
my own marketing. I have driven teams,
oxen, horses, and mules, and considered
myself as respectable then as I do now,
or as any Senator upon the floor."

In 1874 Mr. Dodge was elected mayor
of Burlington by a spontaneous move-
ment of citizens, irrespective of party,
and in 1875 served, by appointment of
Governor Carpenter, on a connnission to
investigate alleged abuses in a reform
school at Eldorado, Iowa. He was an
ardent friend of the young folks, and was

a frecpu-nt visitor in the schools, where
he so often encouraged the youth Ijy tell-
ing them that the educati(jnal advantages
in his bo\lu)od days were very scant,
when he attended only a school kept in
an old log house for a few months, the
light of which came through greased
papers; pencils were made from a bullet
beaten into shape and hammered to a
point; ])ens were made with a Barlow
knife, and ink from the boiling of butter-
nut bark or gunpowder. The Bible,
Shakespeare, and Plutarch's Lives were
the only books that came within his
reach, but from these he learned the art
of reading, and with its mastery, he soon
ajjpreciated their literary excellence : and
undoubtedly that chaste language and
emphatic manner of expressing efen
connnonplace things which made his
speeches and conversation so interesting
and elevating, was due to the study of
these three books.

In summing up the public career of one
worthy anil illustrious we wish to add the
high tribute of respect which Gen.
George W. Jones, who was a fellow-
soldier, an aide-de-camp of his father in
that war, and afterwards a colleague in
the United States Senate, paid tieneral
Dodge in his address at the celebration of
the Semi-Centennial at lUirlington. ("len.
Jones said: "If modesty had not pre-
vented, he could have told of his own serv-
ice when under fifteen years of age, in
the Winnebago war of 1827, with his only
brother Henry L. Dodge; how he and I
campaigned together in the regiment led
by his gallant father; of how we slept,
and sweetly too, o'er nights with our sad-
dles for pillows, and resting upon the
under-side blanket, with no cover for the

ioo6

BIOGRAPHICAL RIUIEW

upper, save the starry heavens ; of how
ifrequently we swam rivers together,
drawing over them tlic liastily con-
structed rafts, laden with iniii who couhl
not swim. He might have informed yon
how, as brother Senators, we worked bv
day, and sometimes by night, drawing uj)
and preparing l)ills for pre-emption and
homestead rights, ajiprojiriations for thi-
Rapids, and to secure grants of land for
the four railroads which traverse our
State, from the Mississippi to the Mis-
souri, and also for the Union Pacific Rail-
road, for which wc sijoke and voted, not
mentioning ])riv;ite bills and acts of serv-
ice for our constitueiUs. I am tempted
to retaliate some of his comi^limentary
references to me by telling you how, as
representative to the court of Spain, he
was mentioned by Lord Ilowden. her
majesty's envoy at the same court, in let-
ters to Secretary Cass, as tlie man above
all others whom he (Howden) would se-
lect as his counsellor and advisor, on ac-
count of firmness, intelligence, and thor-
ough understanding of his duties. ( )ur
illustrious countryman. William (."ulUii
Bryant, who visited Madrid during Gen-
eral Dodge's residence tlure. thus also
spoke and wrote of him. Not long ante-
rior to his death. I met ex-President
Pierce at the Astor House, Xew York,
where, in a long conversation with me he
mentioned that of all foreign appoint-
ments made during his administration, he
believed that of General Dodge, as min-
ister to Spain, to have been the best."
Referring to his retirement from ])olit-
ical life, a friend wrote: "General Dodge
passed into private life, but not into ob-
scurity. He fell politically with his
party, but every man in his jiarty closed

around him in his downfall, honored him
in his misfortunes, and cheered him with
the hope of a better day, and pointed to
his private and public life as a model of
what an American statesman should be
and as it was in the earlier days of the
Republic. The honor which attaches to
the name of Augustus Caesar Dodge will
in\ite the young .Vmerican and)itious of
l)ublic position, to lot)k for future honor
and fame, not in speculation, but honest,
candid, and patriotic aspiration."

General Dodge was taken ill in the win-
ter of 1883. and although every effort
known to skilled and special physicians
was made to prolong his useful life, it
was without avail, and November 20.
1883. his spirit tied.

The domestic life of General Dodge
was also very pleasant and ha])py. it be-
ing inaugurated March ii>, 1837. when he
married Miss Clara .\. Hertich, who was
then seventeen years old, and the
daughter of Professor Joseph Hertich. an
educated Swiss gentleman who had a
private school near Ste. Genevieve. It
was in this school that the General first
learned to write, his teacher. Miss Her-
tich, becoming his future wife, under cir-
cumstances ])eculiarly romantic, and
which will be imderstood and ai>|)reciated
by those familiar with the devotion of
this model man and woman. To Mr. and
Mrs. Dodge were born eight children, of
whom but one remains: William J.,
Marceline .M.. Augustus \'.. Christiana.
Clara .\.. Henry ].. Charles J., and Will-
iam Wallace, who is a prominent lawyer
and legislator, and is a recent citizen of
Omaha, Nebr. Mrs. Dodge was very retir-
ing and quiet, but kind and lovable as
possible for woman, .ind was a \ery

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1007

pleasant conversationalist. She was a
devoted member of the Catholic church,
but her influence for good and charitv
knew no bounds of creed or church or-
ganization. Her beautiful life closed in
1892, and she sleeps beside her husband
in the lovely family lot in Aspen (Iroxe
cemetery.

HON. CHARLES MASON.

HoNOR.'\BLE Charles Mason, deceased,
was one of the very prominent and
influential men of Des Moines county,
and was respected by the entire com-
munity. He was enterprising and ever
ready to assist in all ways that would
promote the general prosperity of the
city. He was born in Onondaga county.
New York, Oct. 24, 1804, where his first
education was obtained. He went to
West Point in 1825 as a cadet, where
he remained for six years, — two as a
cadet and four as an assistant professor.
He spent the year 183 1 and jiart of 1832
in New York city, and in the autumn of
the latter year went to Newburg, where
he remained two years in the practice of
his profession. The next t\vo years were
passed in New York, the last si.\ months
as editor of the Post. In 1836 he relin-
quished that, and came ^^'est on an ex-
ploring expedition. Returning, he was
married Aug. i, 1837, to Miss Angeline
Gear, of Berkshire, Mass., and, early in
the November following, lu' Ijrought his
wife to Burlington. He was ap])ointed
prosecuting attorney for this district and
one of Governor Dodge's aides.

On the division of \\'isconsin Terri-
torv, he was made chief justice of the ter-

ritory, and at the same time held the
niifice of first solicitor of Burlington. He
held the office of chief justice till 1847,
when he resumed [iracticc. The gov-
ernor ai)pointcd him to represent the
.State in the matter of the boundary diffi-
culty with Mi.s.souri, which question was
decided in 1849. He was also appointed
l)y the governor to revise the code of
Iowa, which resulted in the code of 1851.
He was elected under that code judge of
the county, and served one year, when he
was elected, in the summer of 1852, presi-
dent of the Peoria and Oquawka Rail-
road, U])()n which he resigned his posi-
tion of judge. In May, 1853, he was ap-
pointed commissioner of patents, which
office he resigned in 1857. In the fall of
1858 he was elected a member of the
State board of jjubJic instruction, and
served one term. During the year 1859
he was connected with the New York
Scientific American, and went from New
York to Washington in i860, where lie
engaged in the practice of patent law, to
whicii l)usiness he devoted several years,
liurlington is indebted to Judge Mason
for its fine system of water-works, to
which he brought the resource of his
ample capital. He was president of the
Burlington W'ater Company, president of
the I>urlington and North Western Rail-
way, president of the i'lurlington .Street
Railway Conqiany. treasurer of tlie
school board, vice-])resident of the Bur-
lington. Keosauqua & Western Railway
Company, and president of the German
American .Savings Bank, all of which im-
portant trusts he filled with nuich dig-
nity and ability. I lis pretty country
home on the Mason road south of the
citv will be remembered, as will also his

ioo8

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

beautiful residence on the corner of Sixth
and Franklin Streets, which he erected in
the later part of the Tto's. Mrs. Mason
died during the early '70's.

Judge and Mrs. Mason were the par-
ents of three children, one daughter,
Mar\', now living, is the wife of .\diniral
George C. Reniey, of the navy. They
were members of the I-'piscoiial church,
and the Judge was a vestryman of the
church for some years. Judge Mason
died Feb. 25, 1882, and he and Mrs.
Mason are buried in a beautiful spot on a
part of the old Mason homestead south
of town. The hardwood from which the
casket was made for the Judge's body
was raised on this farm. In his death the
city lost one who could illy be spared.
He was kind, just, and considerate of all,
and was conspicuous for his manly bear-
ing, fine attainments, ri-niarkaljlc ()liysical
endurance, and great executive ability.

HON. DAVID RORER.

Judge Rorer, deceased, was promi-
nent among the i)ioncers of Dcs Moines
county. He was a son of Abraham and
Nancy (Cook) Rorer, and was born in
Pittsylvania county, Virginia, May 12,
1806. His father was of Swiss ancestry,
while his mother was of an old Virginia
family. They lived on a farm, where our
subject spent his early days attending the
country schools of the neighborhood.
When seventeen years of age he went to
I'^ranklin county, \'irginia, and there
studied law with a .Mr. Claiborne, a
prominent lawyer of that county, living
with the family, and teaching school at

the same time he was pursuing his law
course. In 1826, just before he reached
his majority, he was admitted to the bar,
and at once started West on horseback.
He located in Little Rock, .\rk.. where
he remained till 1835. when he sold out
his practice and came to Burlington in
1836, and built the first brick house in
Iowa, laying the first brick himself, on
the corner of Fourth and Columbia
Streets.

In 1841 he erected the old homestead
on the corner of Fourth and W'ashington
Streets, where he resided until death, a
pcriotl of over forty-two years. Judge
Rorer wrote the articles of incorporation
of llurlington in 1836, and was elected
one of the trustees of the town. He also
wrote the first ordinance, assisted in lay-
ing out the streets, named many of them,
and in various ways aided in the organ-
ization and (Ie\el()i)nK'nt of the ]>lace.
His ability as a lawyer soon became
known. His ambition was to become one
of the leaders in his profession, and he
was justly ranked among the eminent
jurists of his time. He drew up the char-
ter for the lUirlington & .Missouri Rail-
road, and also named it. He became the
attorney and afterward counselor of that
road, and al.so of the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy Railroad, until the time of his
death, which was about a (juarter of a
century.

He was essentially a self-made man,
who, by incessant study from his youth
up, had become a thorough scholar, and
enjoyed a national reputation as an au-
thor, having written and jmblished three
nuist valuable law books, "Rorer on Ju-
dicial Sales," "Rorer on Interstate Law,"
and "Rorer on Railroads." He also wrote

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1 000

and left in nianuscri[)t a nimiber of in-
teresting and valuable historical sketches
of the early Northwest, for which he dili-
gently searched the earliest records. An
interesting item that deserves to ])e men-
tioned here, and which illustrates the in-
terest he felt in his adopted State, is the
fact that to him belongs the credit of hav-
ing first given to the residents of Iowa
the name of "Hawkeyes." We learn from
an article published in the Burlington
Haivk-Eye, in November, 1878, that the
first mention of the name was in the Fort
Madison Patriot, in 1838, a paper pub-
lished by James G. Edwards, the founder
of the Hazi'k-Eye. At the suggestion of
Judge Rorer, Mr. Edwards proposed in
his paper that the people of Iowa adopt
the name of "Hawkeye." This was done
to prevent citizens of other States giving
the people of Iowa some more oppro-
brious title. The name was not adopted
at this time, however; but early in 1839,
after Mr. Edwards had moved his paper
to Burlington, the question was again
discussed, and it was decided to write a
series of letters to the papers then pub-
lished in Iowa, in which the people in
Iowa were to be called "Hawkeyes."
Judge Rorer, James G. Edwards, and H.
W. Starr were the principal parties to the
transaction, and it was voted that Judge
Rorer w-rite the letters. These letters
were so written by him. and bore the
signature of "A Wolverine among the
Hawkeyes." These letters created much
interest, and the name "Hawkeye" was
ever after adopted to designate the peo-
ple of Iowa. Soon after this Mr. Ed-
wards changed the name of his paper to
the Hawk-Eye, in honor of the people of
the State of Iowa, .\lthough Judge Rorer

was born in a slave State, yet his feelings
revolted at the injustice of slavery, and
early in the war he boldly advocated the
emancipation of the slaves as the heroic
remedy for the nation's relief; and with
all the firmness of his decided character,
.Southerner as he was, he knew no mid-
dle ground between loyalty and disloy-
alty. He was bold and fearless in his
advocacy of liberty and justice for all and
oppression for none. Before the war he
had been a Democrat in [xjlitics, but after
that time he became a warm supporter
of the Republican party. He was a mem-
ber of the Episcopal church.

Ill 1827, at Little Rock, Ark., Judge
Rorer married Mrs. Martin, nee Miss
Daniel, a native of Georgia. They had
four children : Daniel, who for many
years was a prominent lawyer in Worth-
ington, Minn. ; Martha, the wife of Will-
iam Garrett, of Burlington, both de-
ceased ; Claiborne, was killed at the bat-
tle of Rivas, in Nicaragua, whither he
went with the Walker expedition ; and
Frances, who is the widow of D. J.
Crocker, of Chicago. Mrs. Rorer died in
1838.

March 21, i83<;. he was united in mar-
riage with Miss Delia M. Viele, of Scott
county, Iowa. She was a native of Pitts-
town, Rensselaer county. X. Y., and a
daughter of .\bram and Hannah (Doug-
las) Viele, the former being of French
and the latter of Scotch origin. Three
(laughters graced this union : \'irginia
1)., who passed away a few years ago;
Delia M. : and Mary L., now the wife of
John T. Remey, of Burlington. Judge
Rorer died very suddenly, July 7, 1884,
ending a notable career in the history of
Iowa. By reason of a strong constitution

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJIEW

and U-mi)cratc haliits he hail cxcccdi'd
mans allotted years, " threescore years
and ten." and died with the honors of
ripe old aj:;c. His devoted ;iiid worthy
wife survived him four years, lu-r death
occurring Xo\'. 4. 1888.

HON. ABRAHAM G. ADAMS.

The subject of this brief biufjra])hy
was a man whose life work well illus-
trates what may be accomplished by per-
sistent, energetic, .'ind honorable effort.
AI)rahani (\. .\dams was a son of Reuben
and Maria ((iibbs) Adams, and was born
at .Sterling, Worcester county. Mass.,
.Sejjl. ,VJ. 1830. lie came to I'urlington
with his parents in 1831;. when only eight
years of age. being about six weeks in
making the trip to St. i.ouis by te:un and
canal-boat. He recited his first les.sons
in a log schoolhouse, with its puncheon
floor and its slabs for seats and desks.
Later his studies wire pnrsufd in tin-
basement of the old Zion church, which
had been converted into a schoolroonu
and where the ])ioneer jjedagogue ruled
and taught in the old-fashioned district-
school style.

In 1847. Mr. Adams went to St. I.ouis.
where he sjjcnt two years in a large job-
bing boot and shoe house, there ac<|uir-
ing a knowledge of the business, which
proved valuable to him in later years.
lie then assisted his father in his shoe
store for two years, and in 1851 was made
a ])artner of the firm. His father died in
i8()4, and after the estate was settled. A.
G. succeeded to the business, and carriecl
it on alone with marked success. He in-

creased the manufacturing facilities of
the house, and extended his jobbing trade
until he had one of the most im])ortant
and prosperous estal)lishments in the
wholesale boot and shoe line in the State.

In early life Mr. .\daius was a Whig,
and cast his first vote for Gen. W'inficld
Scott for president. When the Repub-
lican party was organized, he joined the
ranks, and was ever afterwards a faith-
ful adlu-rent to its i)rinci))Ie>. and an
earnest worker in its su])|)ort. He made
many warm political friends, some of
whom were the nation's most illustrious
heroes and statesmen. Gen. L'. S. (irant
was his true friend, who with his wife
and family were visitors at the .\dams
mansion, as were also Gen. and Mrs.
Logan and Hon. James G. I Maine.

In 1878 Mr. .\dams was elected mayor
of r.urlington. re-elected in 1879, and,
after an interval of five years, was ag^in
elected to the same office, and re-elected
each succeeding year, holding that office
at the time of his death, which occurred
juni' iS, 1887.

.\s a business man, Mr. .\dams was
clear-headed, sagacious, promjit. and up-
right, and his success in life was largely
due to his correct business habits, direct-
ness of ])urpose, and unswerving integ-
rity. He was eminently a self-made man,
and :U the tinu- of his death h.ul won a
foremost place among the leading busi-
ness men of the State. His strict regard
for the law made him one of the best ex-
ecutive officers Burlington ever had, mak-
ing a record in his administration of city
affairs that found an en<luring ])lace in
the niunici])al history of the city.

In June. 1852. .\lr. .\dams was married
to Miss Emily .Swain, a lady possessing

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

many excellencies of character that en-
deared her to a large circle of friends,
and her kindly sympathy and open-
handed benevolence relieved and cheered
many who were suffering from want or
sickness. Twelve children blessed this
union, of whom six arc living: Fannie
D.. Frank O., and .Maud L. reside in Chi-
cago; Arthur A. married Miss JMaud
Manning in 1882. anil they have one
daughter, Louise, and make lUirlington
their home ; Genevieve, the wife of Sam-
uel Harrington, of Peoria, 111.; Gail, is a
resident of San Francisco. Cal. Dec. i<).
1872, Mrs. Adams was taken from her
husband and children. up(jn the eve of
their removal to their beautiful new home
on Fifth and Arch Street.

Mr. Adams married Mrs. Laura
Weaver, June 4, 1885, in \ew York, and
took his bride on a wedding trip to the
old country. After the death of Mr.
Adams, his wife remained in the old home
for a while, and then went East, where
she passed away a few years ago.

DR. CHARLES BEARDSLEY.

Dr. Ch.xrles Be.xrdsley, deceased, was
one of the most prominent and ac-
tive politicians of Des Moines county.
He was a man of great executive and
literary ability, and held several high
offices in his adopted State. His ances-
tors were among the early settlers of
Connecticut, William Reardsley coming
from Stratford-on-.\von. iMigland. in
1635, and helped to found and probably
gave the name to Stratford, Conn., in
1639. John Beardsley, father of our sub-

ject, was l)orn in tiu' same \illage in
1792. and in 1822 wedded Mary I'itch,
a native of New Haven, Conn., hers be-
ing also an old family in that State.
They were tlie jjarents of six children.
Mrs. IJeardsley died in 1870. and Mr.
Beardsley joined her in 1887.

Our subject was burn in Knox counlv,
( )hio, Feb. 18, 1830, and when sixteen
\ears of age began to work at the car-
penter's trade, whieli he continued for
several years. He then attended school
in Granville, Ohio, which was supple-
mented by a year's course in tiie (jhio
Wesleyau L'niversity at Delaware, dur-
ing the presidency of the accomplished
and sweet-tem])ered Dr. Edward Thum-
son. afterwards bisho[) of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Mr. Beardsley then
began the study of medicine, teaching
school during the intervals of stud}', and
was graduated at Cincinnati in 1855.
.\fter practicing for a short time in .Mus-
catine and ( )skaloosa, Iowa, he became
the editor of the Oskaloosa Herald, and
in 1 86 1 was ap])ointed ])ostmaster of the
same city, continuing in that position till
1865. Under the act of Congress of July
14. 1862. he w^as also a])pointed examin-
ing surgeon of applicants for pensions,
and faithfully discharged the duties until
his reni(i\;d from Oskaloosa in i8C)3.
Removing to Burlington in the fall of
the same year he became the editor and
one of the proprietors of the Hawk-Eye.
and so continued until his witlidrawal
from the paper in 1874.

He rei)resented Des .Moines county in
the Slate Senate from 1870 to 1874, serv-
ing as chairman of the committees on
federal relations and on schools, and also
a member of the committee on railroads

IOI2

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJ -IIUV

and ])rintinp;-. At the session of 1872. hi'
introduced a l)ill into tlie Senate for coni-
I)iiisory education, wliicli was passed, but
which failed in the House. He again se-
cured its passaf^e in the Senate at the
extra session in 1873. hut it ajjain failed
to pass the House, .\fter spending sev-
eral nioutlis abroad Dr. Beardsley took
an active part in politics, speaking in the
majority of the counties of the State. In
187S lu' was appointed by President
Hayes one of the Chicago Commission-
ers, to visit the United States mint in
Philadelphia. In June, 1879, Secretary
McCrary tendered him a position in the
war department, to assist in the prejjara-
tion of the war records for publication.
This was accepted, but six weeks later,
the office of the fourth auditor of the
treasury department becoming vacant,
he was appointed to that position by the
president, on tlu' recommendation of Sec-
retary Sherman, as well as that of Sena-
tors Allison and Kirkwood and many
other leading Re])ublicans of Iowa. He
resigned this office when the Democrats
came into power in 1885. During his
service as fourth auditor. Dr. lleardsley
also served by ajjpointment of President
.\rthur as acting first auditor during a
brief interregnum in the latter office.

Dr. Heartlsley returned to Burlington
in 1885, and in .\ugust of that year he
was chairman of the committee on
resolutions in the Republican State Con-
vention, and the same day was chosen
chairman of the l\e|>ublican State central
committee, to which position he was re-
chosen in i88(). and again in 1887. In
April, Dr. fSeardsley became State audit-
or, having charge of that office for three
months, during tlu- trial :u\t\ mitil the

acipiittal of the former incumbent of the
office. In January, 1887, he was commis-
sioned by Governor Larabee to examine
the books and i)apers of the various pub-
lic institutions of the State, with a view
to imi)rove and make uniform their meth-
ods of bookkeeping and re])orts. In
March, 1888, Governor Larabee, by and
with the advice and consent of the Sen- »
ate, ai)])ointed him State inspector of oils
for the term of two years.

Nov. 2^. 1865, Mr. Beardsley was mar-
ried to Miss liliza M. Pool, who is a
daughter of Simeon Pool, formerly of
IVanklin county, Ohio, where he had
been known as one of the early and
stanch abolitionists. .Mr. Beardsley and
his estimable wife were blessed with five
children : I-'lorence, married lidward
Xeally, a rising young lawyer of Burling-
ton, and they now live in Santa iVna,
Cal.; Charles. Jr.. and G<jprge, reside on
a farm in Nebraska; Simeon, lives in
Danville. Iowa: John also claims Cali-
fornia as home. The family were all
devoted members of the Congregational
church. Dr. I'.eardsley being the beloved
superintendent of the Sunday-school
from i8()7-i874. and while in Washington,
D. C, was a trustee and ])resident of the
First Congregational society in that city.

.•\fter a few years rest from active busi-
ness life this political leader and high
official was called to meet his Judge, his
death occurring in the city of liurlington
Dec. 29. i8i)6. llis widow, who is a lit-
erary woman of much ability, resides
with her daughter, Mrs. Xeally, in Cali-
fornia. This was a famil)' Burlington
could ill afford to lose, and especially Dr.
I'eardsley, who iKit only displayed tal-
ents as an organizer, was of incalculable

DES MOINliS COUNTY. lOlVA.

lOI ■

benefit to the Repulilican party, and
proxed himself truly worthy and coni])c-
tent in the many responsii)le public posi-
tions to which he was repeatedly called,
but was also a man of large heart and
sympathy, being ever reaily to assist the
young folks in many har<l and diffictdt
undertakings.

HON. HENRY W. STARR.

Successful as have been many of the
able men of the early days, none have
achieved a more deserved reputation for
character as a citizen, and talents as an
advocate, than Henry W. Starr, deceased.
Noted from his boyhood for his clear and
active intellect, these faculties were high-
ly cultured by a liberal course of educa-
tion. He passed through college with
credit, and his studies in the law school
were a thorough preparation for the bril-
liant course of practice which followed.
In legal acumen, general scholarship, and
literary and social acquirements. Air.
Starr occupied a prominence above many
of his contemporaries of the bar of Iowa.
Had he gone into politics he might have
distinguished himself in the halls of leg-
islation. But neither his taste nor ambi-
tion led him in this direction. He was
twice elected mayor of I'.urlington, — in
1849 a"fl 1850, — beyond which he never
sought nor held office, but wholly es-
chewed the political arena.

Mr. Starr was born in Middlebury, Vt.,
July 24. 181 5, where he graduated from
college in 1834, and after studying law for
three years in Cincinnati, was admitted
to the bar in 1837. Chief Justice Chase
was his examiner. In June. 1837. he left

Cincinnati, seeking a jjlace in which to
locate in his ])rofession. lie visited St.
Louis, l'"ort iMadison, llurlington. Galena,
and Chicago, and finally decided to set-
tle in l')Urlingt(in, then the eajjitol of Wis-
consin Territory, Iowa having not yet
been set ofV. Ceneral Dodge was then
the gcjxernor. .\fter a short visit home,
he located in HurlingtDn, in .\'ii\end)er,
1837. It took him twenty days to reach
here from X'ermont, by the national roa<l
from ISaltimore to Wheeling, thence
down the Ohio, and u]) the Mississip])i.

In the winter of 1837-38 the Legislature
met here, holding its sessions over a store
in a frame building on the corner of Main
and Columbia .Streets. Mr. Starr was
waiting for a client. At that session the
Legislature passed resolutions to e.xpe!
one of its members, a Mr. McGregor, for
accepting a liribe from one Mr. Wilson,
and also to rei)rimand Wilson for offering
a bribe to a member of their body. Wil-
son employed Mr. Starr and Senator
(Crimes to defend him before the Legis-
lature. During the trial one of the mem-
bers, in replying to Mr. Starr, stated a
falsehood, which he characterized as
such, whereupon the Legislature arrested
him for contempt. He was acquitted and
so was his client. He afterward formed a
I)artnership with Senator Grimes, and
this trial giving them celebrity, they soon
came into a lucrative j^ractice, which con-
tinued for seventeen years.

In the early settlement of the country,
collections, loans, and real estate consti-
tuted an important part of a responsible
lawyer's business, and the firm of Starr
iv: Grimes h.ning established a reputation
for ])roni]>tness. ability, and integrity, se-
cured a line of business equal to at least

IOI4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

three of the leading firms of Iowa. At
their annual settlement, durinp the year
they were engaged in the celebrated Half-
breed Tract Suit, tlieir business netted
them sixty thousand dollars.

Mr. Starr was married twice. His first
wife being Miss Marian S. Teaslcy, to
whom he was married Sejit. 28. 1843, and
who died April zt,, 1834, leaving two
sons: Charles E., I^orn at lUirlington,
Iowa. Sept. 2t). 1845, while fitting for col-
lege in 1862, was ai)pointed to the United
States Naval Academy, where he re-
mained until he was orilered into active
service as midshipman, in i86('). After
one year of active iluty in that capacity
he resigned, and engaged in the study of
law, gfraduating from the law department
of tile W ashington I'nixersity at St.
Loui?- ill the class of 1873. Returning to
Iturliiigtoii. he began his profession in his
native city, where he was a rising lawyer
for many years. Peter J. was born Feb.
15, 1851, graduated from the .Michigan
Law School in the class of 1873. and died
in lii> native city Aug. 23. of the same
ytar.

.\l)ril 1;. 1837. Mr. .^tarr was married to
Miss Eliza A. .Merrill, daughter of
Thomas .\. Merrill, a native of Middle-
bury. \t.. and an estimable lady. She
survived her luisbantl for a number of
years, d}ing .M.ircli iS, i8<p. Uy this
union Mr. and .Mrs. Starr became the ])ar-
cnts of two daughters: Marian K., who
became the second wile of .Mr. Luke
Palmer, of Burlington, and whose true
and noble life was closed Feb. 11, 1898,
in her fortieth year. Carrie .A. married
Harry Clifton H.-idley, a prosperous law-
yer of Burlington, who died Oct. i, i8(X).
Mrs. Hadlev now resides in the East.

Mr. Starr continued in active practice
until on account of failing health he re-
tired from business, and spent the re-
mainder of his days in honorable ease.
enjoying the ample fortune which was
the result of many years of close applica-
tion to the arduous duties of a success-
ful lawyer. His death occurred from
apo])le.\y, ()ct. 30, 1881, closing an active,
useful, and honorable career, in which he
won distinction as an eminent jurist, be-
ing recognized as the peer of the highest
in the profession in the State, and the
esteem and respect of a wide circle of
friends.

JOSEPH C. STONE, M. D.

I)k. j. C. Stone, deceased, "was every
inch a man," and the thousands who
knew him appreciated that fact. We
could make a book were we to attempt
to give a detailed account of his life, and
a larger book if all of his good deeds, of
which he never spoke, were to be re-
called. He simply forgot the accounts of
hundreds who were not well able to re-
munerate him for his services; anil per-
haps a friendly greeting, a word of grati-
tude now and then, made the good doctor
as rich as all the wealth of Crcesus. He
was ever the same kindly, courtly gen-
tleman of the old school : generous to a
fault, chivalrous, gentle, yet firm.

Joseph C. Stone was a son of Henry
and .\l)igail .'^tone, and was born in West-
port. l-"ssex county, N. V.. July 30. 1829.
His father was a Xew England farmer,
and served in the War of 181 2. partici-
])aling in the battle of Plattsburg. His
mother, who was highly educated, was

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

enabled to give her large family a knovvl- of dollars have been saved to the govern-
edge of the rudiments of learning, and ment. That consciousness you carry
thus Joseph grew up to manhood with with you to your home, and with it the
only such advantages as were to l)e found
at a family fireside many years ago. De-
termining he would make medicine his
profession, he went to Illinois College,
where he remained one year, preparatory
to entering upon his professional studies.
He studied medicine at St. Louis under on to accept a nomination for Congress
Charles A. Pope, and was graduated with in 1876, and was elected. He did not
high honors in 1854. Later he returned like public life, however, and soon re-
to Iowa, where he entered upon a good turned to Burlington to rebuild his scat-

lo\e and respect of your connnanding offi-
cer and friend."

At the close of the war he settled in
Piurlington, and soon built up a large
and hicrati\e practice. Having always
been a kei)ublican. he was ])revailed up-

tered practice, and never again permitted
himself to be led away from the practice
of his chosen profession. He was on the
board of pension examiners and also the
commission of insane at the time of bis
death.

In 1862, Dr. Stone married Miss Ellen

practice, and gained a reputation as sur-
geon equalled by few in Iowa. When the
Crimean War broke out, he secured a
commission in the Russian service, re-
maining abroad over a year, and seeing
much of that campaign, which was
studied by George B. McClellan on be-
half of this government. Returning to L. Lutz, of Ohio. This union was graced
this country he located in Iowa City. He bv one daughter. Carrie, who is an as-
served the State acceptabh* as superin- sistant in the public library in Burling-
tendent of public instruction, and en- ton. The busy and useful life of Dr.
gaged in private practice. Stone was suddenly terminated, Dec. 3.
At the breaking out of the Civil War, 1902, and in the circle that knew him
Dr. Stone closed his office, and was one best, the genial, whole-souled physician
of the first to offer his services to his is missed and mourned, and his memory
country. He was soon made the adjutant will be kept green until the last one of
of the First Iowa Cavalry, and in a few those who prized him so highly in his
weeks was appointed captain and adju- turn "wra])s the drapery of his couch
tant-general, and from time to time was about him, and lies down to pleasant
promoted to the offices of major and lieu- dreams." He is buried in beautiful .\spen
tenant-colonel. He had the reputation of Grove cemetery, where a unique and
an officer of fine executive ability and tasty monument bears the following in-
solid integrity, and when the war was scription : —

over, and he about to return home, Gen- "In memory of Dr. Joseph C. Stone,

eral Canby endorsed his final order: surgeon in the service of Russia in the

"Few officers return from the service of Crimea, lieutenant of the First Iowa Cav-

their countrv with the consciousness that a!r\ in the Civil War. and a member of

their every act has been approved, and the Congress of the United States. He

that through their watchful care millions was of New England ancestry, born in

ioi6

BIOGRAPHKAL REllEW

Essex county, Xew York. July 30, 1820.
came to Iowa in 1844. Dieil in Ihirlin^-
ton, Dec. 3, 1902. This monument has
been erected as a mark of respect and
love for a pure, honorable, courtly, aiul
chivalrous gentleman."

HON. M. D. BROWNING.

Judge Milton D. Browning, deceased,
was born in Harrison county, Kentucky,
Dec. 25, 1810. His father's home was
his home till 1834, when he left for a
wider knowledge of the world ancl its
people, taking a position in the law
office of his brother, Orville H. Brown-
ing, of Quincy, secretary of the inte-
rior under President Johnson, and en-
tering upon the work of devolving upon
a man of large capacity, strong mind, and
great intellect, with all the enthusiasm of
an ambitious youth. His education was
com|)rised in a course of study such as
was afTorded by the C'>ninion schools, but
he failed not nor faltered for lack of
classic lore or university diplomas and
sounding degrees.

In the spring of 1837 he came to Bur-
lington, and liked it so well that he set-
tled here. In i83<) he returned to his old
Kentucky home, and soon came back to
our city, then young and hopeful like
himself, bringing with him as his bride,
Miss Anna, daughter of Judge Brown, of
Kentucky, and starting out upon life as
a citizen and a man with a pur])ose be-
fore him. He gained a noted prominence
in his profession, being one of the most
successful lawyers of the day, and never
lacking for clients when others were su])-

plied. From 1846 to 1857, inclusive, he
served in the capacity of State Senator,
and gained a wide reputation for coolness
and deliberative foresight, at a time when
such <|ualities were in demand. In 1857
President Johnson appointed him United
States district attorney, and he retired
with that administration. Before this, in
1851, he had associated himself with
Juilge Joshua Tracy, and the firm stood
till the latter became district attorney,
when his son, Henry O. Browning,
stepped into the vacancy. This partner-
ship was continuetl till the activity of the
senior partner was ended by his sudden
attack of paralysis. The younger partner
continued in the office until he became
police judge, which terminated the firm.

During the life and activity of the old
\\ big party Judge Browning was promi-
nciitl}' identified with politics, but upon
his retirement from the field, he secluded
himself from all political matters and
seemed to have lost all interest in it to so
great a degree as to almost entirely ab-
stain from voting. .After a lingering sick-
ness. Judge I'rowning died. Nov. 6, 1881,
aged seventy-one years. He was a man
of brilliant mind and strongest character,
and bis circle of ac(|uaintances was ex-
tensive and varied. His honest and un-
swerving nature won him many friends
and admirers. Mrs. Itrowning survived
him till Feb. 7, 1884. She was the oldest
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Brown,
of St. .\nna, Ky., and was born in that
place Aug. 19, i8ig. She was a member
of the R|)isco]ial cliurcli. and was active,
kind, and charitable in all things, which
made her a favorite in social circles.

Mr. and Mrs. Browning were the par-
ents of five children, of whom two are

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1017

now living: Philip, died in 1865 ; Milton,
passed away in St. Louis in 1893; Sallie
and Nannie, both reside in Burlington;
Henry O., was born in Burlington, Iowa,
Jan. I, 1841, and attended the schools of
Burlington, the old Baptist College, and
later Denmark Academy. His education
was finished at Transylvania University,
in Lexington, Ky. He first studied law
with his father, who was then a partner
of Judge Tracy. In 1863 he was admitted
to the bar, and from that time until he
entered the steamboat business he was
engaged in the practice of law in this
county. In 1872 Mr. Browning was
elected justice of the peace, and con-
tinued in that office until January, 1878,
when he was appointed to fill out the un-
expired term of A. H. Stutsman as police
judge. In March of the same year he was
elected to that office, and served the city
in that capacity until 1886. He then en-
tered the employ of the Diamond Jo
Steamboat Company as general agent
and traveled for them for a number of
years. He was the local agent for the
Carnival City Packet Company at the
time he was seized with his last illness.
Dec. 18, 1867, Mr. Browning was mar-
ried to Miss Margaret Virginia Trimble,
who died in 1880. Mr. Browning died
Dec. 8, 1901. He left one daughter.
Lydia, who married J. A. \\' hite, of Mo-
line, 111., and has three children. Mr.
Browning was high-minded and fearless
in the expression of opinion, and he did
not hesitate to place the proper estimate
on things and individuals. His integrity
was of a scrupulous nature, and in all his
relation with his fellow-men, whether in
business or social affairs, he was without
a suggestion of selfish or sordid motives.

GEN. JOHN M. CORSE.

Gen. John M. Corse was a son of
John L. and Sarah (Murray) Corse, and
was born in Pittsburg, I'a., April 27,
1835. il's father was born in Dover,
Del., March 5, 1813, and was for many
years engaged in the East in carriage
manufacturing. In 1842 he came to Bur-
lington, carrying on this business there
for several years, and tiu-n went into the
book and stationery business. He was a
Democrat in jjolitics, and served as alder-
man for three terms, 1844, 1851, and 1852,
and was mayor during 1845-46 and 1856-
57. His death occurred March 22, 1868.
Mrs. Corse died Sept. 28, 1866.

Our suljject received his ])riniary edu-
cation in the public schools of Burling-
ton, of which his father was a strong ad-
vocate and true friend. 1 le was after-
ward a cadet in West Point for about two
}'ears, when he resigned and returned to
Burlington, and engaging in the book
store with his fatiu-r. It is told of him
that when his father suggested that the
firm name should be "J. L. Corse & Son,"
the embryo patriot insisted that it should
be "John M. Corse & Father." At this
time he was nominated by the Demo-
cratic party for lieutenant-governor.

He entered the I'nited States service
as major of the Sixth Iowa Volunteers in
August, 1861, serving under General Fre-
mont, and then as judge-advocate and in-
spector-general on the staff of General
Pope ; but after the victories of Island
No. 10 and Shiloh, ])rcfcring active serv-
ice, joined this regiment and became its
colonel. He commanded a division at
Mem])his, and was connnissioncd a brig-
adier-general on Aug. II, 1863. He

loU

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

served in the Chatanooga campaign, dis-
tinguished himself at Chickamauga. and
was wounded at Missionary Ridge. In
Sherman's march to the sea he com-
nianded a division of tlie fifteenth corps.

W'lien, after the evacuation of .\tlanta.
the Confederates crossed the Chata-
choochee and destroyed the railroad,
Corse was ordered from Rome to the re-
lief of Allatoona, where large commissar}'
supplies, guarded hy eight hundred and
ninety men, under Colonel Tourtellotte.
were threatened hy an infantry division
of the enemy. General Corse arrived
with one thousand and fifty-four troops
before the Confederates; hut when the
latter came, being greatly superior in
numbers, they closely surrounded the ])0-
sition.

To the summons of the Confederate
general, French, to surrender and avoid
a needless effusion of blood, (leneral
Corse returned a defiant answer. The
Confederates, numbering four thousand
or five thousand, attacked the fortifica-
tions furiously Oct. 5, 1864, but were re-
peatedly driven back. During this at-
tack, the incident occurred which gave
rise to the famous Sunday-school song,
"Hold the Fort, for I am Coming." Gen-
eral Sherman, who had dispatched a
corps to attack the Confederate rear, sig-
naled from Kenesaw Mountain, where he
Iieard the roar of battle, eighteen miles
away, for the commander to hold out, as
relief was approaching; and when he
learned by tlie heliograph that Corse was
in command, he said: "He will hold out,
I know the man." General Corse was
badly wounded at Allatoona. but the next
morning after the conflict sent this mes-
sage himself: "\ am short a cheekbone

and an ear, but I can whip all h — 11 yet.
My losses arc very heavy. A force mov-
ing from Stilesboro to Kingston gives mc
some anxiety. Tell me where Sherman
is."

Corse defended Allatoona so bravely
that Sherman, who considered the point
very handsome and important, made it
the subject of a special order, emphasiz-
ing the principle in warfare that fortified
posts should be defended to the last,
without regard to the strength of the at-
tacking force. " The thanks of the army
are due, and are hereby accorded, to Gen-
eral Corse, Colonel Tourtellotte, Colonel
Rowe. and officers and men, for their de-
termined and gallant defense of Allalixjna;
and it is made an example to illustrate
the importance of pre])aring in time, and
meeting the danger, when present, boldly,
manfully and well." Corse received the
I)revet of major-general Oct. 5. 1864.

After the war. General Corse was for
two years (1807-y) collector of internal
revenue in Chicago, 111. He then spent
four years in Europe, and on his return
engaged in railroading, building several
hundred miles of road in the neighbor-
hood of Chicago. In 1881 he returned to
Massachusetts, residing in Boston and in
Winchester, where he settled in 1882.
He was a vigorous (opponent of General
I'lUtler ill his political campaigns, and be-
came chairman of the executive commit-
tee of the Democratic State Central Com-
mittee. On Oct. 9, 1886, he was ap-
])ointed postmaster of Boston.

General Corse was married first to
Miss Ellen Prince, who died in 1853, and
later to Miss Fannie McNeil, a niece of ex-
President Pierce, who died in 1881. He
was the father of one son, Murrav Pichot.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

lOIO

who is still livint,^ When his first wife
passed away General Corse erected a me-
morial chapel in Aspen Grove cemetery to
her memory, and here his whole family are
laid. A beantifnl statue of General Corse
and his fiery horse adorns Crapo Park,
placed there by the citizens of his old
home, as a mark of love and respect for
him and the great victories he achieved
at Allatoona. His death occurred April 7,
1893. This equestrian statue on the mon-
ument erected by the State of Iowa, may
also be found in Des Moines.

GENERAL FITZ HENRY WARREN.

General Warren, deceased, was the
fourth in descent from Daniel Warren,
son of John Warren, Avho was born in
England in 1585, and came to "Western"
in 1630, and from "Western" to Brim-
field. General \\'arren was also of the
same family as Joseph Warren, of Revo-
lutionary fame, was a son of Philemon
and Hannah (Johnson) ^^'arren. and was
born in Brimfield, Mass.. Jan. 11. i8i().
His father was born Jan. 31. 1761, and
died March 11. 1847. His mother died in
1850. After Fitz Henry went through
the usual course of the town school, with
one or more terms at W'illjraham Acad-
emy, he commenced his business life in
a mercantile house in Xew York City ;
from thence to Petersburg. \'a. I*"rom
1835 to 1843 he was in business with his
father and brother at Brimfield. During
his residence here at that peritxl. the
"Rifle Company," having become reduced
in numbers and efficiency, was, by the
eflforts of Mr. Warren and others, re-

cruited by eidistments to a full company,
of which he was chosen captain, June 12,
1837. He was promoted the ne.xt year,
and in 1840 was coloiul of the Tenth
Regiment ui" Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer
Militia. While in these positions he ex-
hibited the same (|ualities which in after
life were c<)ns]}icuous in the service of
his country in the war of the Rebellion.
In 1844 .Mr. Warren emigrated to and
located jn llurlington, Iowa, where he
was engaged in the mercantile business,
and for several years was connected with
the Burlington Hawk-Eyc as editor. Here,
as pre\-i()usly in his native State, he took
an active part in ])olitics, and was chair-
man of the Whig State Committee. In
|S4(; lie was a])pointed by President Tay-
lor first assistant postmaster general, in
which high and responsible position he
<lisplayed such judgment and business
tact as to secure general commendation ;
resigning the office in 1852, he had charge
of the Xational \\ big C(^mmittee during
tiie Scott presidential campaign. Re-
turning to Iowa in 1853, he was engagef!
in banking, and steamboating on the
.Mississip])i River. Notwithstanding the
business pursuits, Mr. Warren continued
active in ])olitics. a zealous worker, and
efficient s])eaker in national and State
elections, .\fter tiie election in i8fx). his
name was prnminent among those men-
tioned for the office of postmaster-
general. It is said his former position in
the department was ofTere<! him. which he
declined. In 1861, he was assistant edi-
tor of the Xew York Tribune, at the head
of the start' in W ashington, and was the
author of the famous "On to Richmond"
correspondence. He resigned this posi-
tion to take command of the First Iowa

I020

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Cavalry, one of tin- first volunteer cav-
alry regiments mustered into the service
of the United States. He was promoted
to be bripadicr-gcneral in August, 1862,
an<l afterward made brevet major-
general. In the following summer, his
health failing, he was relieved from com-
mand, and placed on duty in New Vork
City, where he remained until the close of
the war.

General Warren was elected* to the
Iowa Senate in 18M). and ser\ed one
term. He was a])i)ointed minister to
Guatemala the same year, and resided
there with his family till i86(;, when he
resigned, returning to Iowa the same
year. He was afterward engaged in the
construction of several railroads in the
States of Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska.

General Warren joined the Liberals in
the presidential campaign of 1872, taking
a prominent part in the convention at
Cincinnati, and was at the head of the
Iowa electoral ticket. In 1875-7^ he was
employed at Washington and New York
as writer for the New York Sun.

Oct. 31, 1838, General Warren married
Hannah So])hia llartlett, whose father
was Wait liarllett, born in 1786, and died
in November, 1869, whose wife was Mar-
tha (Gould) Chapin. They were married
January, 1808, and had twelve children,
none of whom are living. General War-
ren and his wife were married by a Con-
gregational minister, but soon after they
joined the I''.i)isco])al church. They be-
came the ])arenls of tliree sons and one
daughter, of whom only Francis Johnson
Warren and Lily Johnson Warren are
now living.

Mrs. Warren was born .March 15. iSi-;.
and died at lirimfield. Mass., .\pril 15,

1877. Her husband survive<l her about
one year, his death also occurring in his
Jiative place June 21, 1878. They left Bur-
lington, Iowa, in 1875: and though many
years have passed since titen, still the
memories of this worthy cou|)le are green
and fresh in the hearts of their many
friends.

THOMAS FRENCH.

Capt.m.n Tiiom.as I'RENCii was born
in ISrighton, Beaver county, Pa., Oct.
4. 181 5. When he was but one year
old his parents moved to Beaver, the
county-seat. Here Thomas was raised,
and attended the village school till nearly
si.xteen years of age, when he went to
Pittsburg and learned the engineer's
trade, remaining till the spring of 1836.
'J"hat S])ring he went on board a steamer
running on the < )liio River from Pitts-
burg to Louisville, in the ca|)acity of en-
gineer, running on the Ohio and other
rivers of the Southwest till 1841, when
he came to Burlington, from St. Louis
through Illinois, by stage. In the spring
of 1842 he took charge of the liurlington
ferr\ , then owned by Gales & Seaton, the
])roprietors of the National Intelligencer,
an anti-slavery paper, published in Wash-
ington city. He continued in that ca-
pacity till 1854, attending to all of the
business of Gales & Seaton in this local-
ity, which consisted of large landed es-
tates in Burlington and the Illinois land-
ing.

In 1854, in connection with (iencral
I"itz-1 lenry Warren and others, he went
to Washington and imrcliasid the entire
ferry iirojierty aii<l i.inil. amounting to

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1 02 I

about seven lunnlred acres on the oppo-
site side in Illinois. He built four steam-
boats— three for the ferry and one for the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
These were built, respectively, at St.
Louis, Cincinnati, and Brownsville, Pa.
In the fall of 1856 he sold out his interest
in the ferry to General Warren and
others, and had nothing further to do
with it till i8f)3, when he took charge of
it for Mr. Warren. In 1867 he purchased
the ferry again, and continued to run it
for many years. In 1859 Captain French
became a member of the city council, in
which he remained seven years. For five
years, during the entire war, he was
mayor of the city, and in that eajjacity did
efficient service in aiding the government.
He took a very active and prominent part
in getting up companies, particularly the
First Iowa Battery, in which he met with
the most violent opposition on the part
of the opponents of the war. But
through the aid of General Warren, in
Washington, and Dallam Gilbert and
John Lahee, at home, he succeeded in
getting it up in spite of all opposition. He
got a requisition from the secretary of
war on the governor of the State to ac-
cept the battery on July 23, 1861, the
second day after the battle of Bull Run.
Captain French was an efficient city offi-
cer, and during his administration affairs
were managed with order and economy.
There was not a single mob n<ir a single
life lost during the whole period.

At the commencement of the war the
citizens organized a society for the relief
of soldiers' families and widows, which
was kept up all through the war. It was
managed by a committee of three, name-
Iv: l\Ir. French, who was president.

George C. Lauman. and Mosby Evving.
This was an active institution, doing a
great deal of good. Besides carrying on
the ferry, Captain hrench dealt a great
ileal in real estate, and owned considera-
ble property on the west hill, which was
in lime dixidcd intd lots, and now forms
a very attractive portion of the city. In
1872 he purchased his elegant and com-
modious home on the west hill, which
was totally destroyed by fire a few years
ago.

Dec. 2, 1840, Mr. French was married
to Miss Delia E. Griffey, daughter of
William Griffey, one of the early settlers
of I'.urlington. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
iM'ench six children were horn, most of
whom are dead. Mr. French was all his
life on the liberal and progressive side of
politics, in favor of humanity, justice, and
liberty for all classes, races, and colors.
He cared little whether his views were
pojndar or not. if they were in his judg-
ment right. .After some years of retire-
ment, .Mr. French died in Burlington,
Nov. 2, 1886. He was a man of good
business talents, and was successful in
his financial operations. For integrity of
character and firmness of purpose he
justlv stood as a man and a citizen. His
worthy wife resides in Chicago with her
son, and is a lady of much ability and
intellect.

DR. G. J. JOHNSON.

The story of the life and labors of
Dr. George J. Johnson, deceased, would
fill a volume. Few men live to .see such
marked results, and reap such rich re-
wards for their life work. His travels

I022

niOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

would ri-acli moru tlian twiiiiy liiiu-s
around the cartli, — over five hundred
thousand miles: and wlierever he went
he not only made friends, hut imparted to
them the impress of liis own godly indi-
viduality and the strength of his enthusi-
asm. Alertness characterized his everv
movement, and a resolute will and inde-
fatigable industry served him mightily in
his victorious achievements ; but the pre-
dominating trait of this strenuous man's
life was his "fervency in siiirit." and
"serving the lord."

Rev. George J. Johnson was born at
Trenton Falls. \. V., Oct. 9, 1824. He
was educated in a school at Madison, now
Colgate University, N. Y. He received
his license to preach in his native place,
and during his college days supplied the
village church for months at a time. It
was also in Trenton Falls that he was
ordained, soon after which he came to
Burlington, in 1848. as a missionary from
the Baptist Home Mission Society. Here
he established a ehiirch of twelve mem-
bers, in an U])per room on Third Street.
He soon built and i)aid for a respectable
house of worship, and was prominently
connected with the school known as the
Burlington Institute, — raising much of
the money necessary for this school, and
being a member of the financial executive
board for many years.

After a pastorate of ten years in Bur-
lington, Rev. Johnson went to Fort Madi-
son, Iowa, where lie also assisted in the
organization of a church, and served as
its ])astor for five years, during which
time he led the pe()i)le in the Iniildiiig of
a good house of worship. Returning to
Burlington, he served as district secre-
tary of the American Baptist Publication

.Society, for the field of the entire West,
with headcpiarters at I'.urlington and
Chicago.

In five years his district was changed
to the southwest of the country, with
headquarters in St. Louis. During the
next two years he resided near .\lton,
111., and led in a eami)aign for the raising
of one hundred thousand dollars for
Shurtleff College. The ne.xt six years he
was stationed at the city of Philadelphia,
as the missionary secretary and Bible sec-
retary of the Publication Society, mak-
ing eighteen and a half years in all that
he served this society. During this time
he also preached, even more than when
a regular pastor.

In 1884 Dr. Johnson returned t<i i'.iir-
lington. Iowa, for a second pastorate, dur-
ing which he completed the second house
nf worship of the First Baptist church,
and bajjtized some sixty converts. Being
broken down in health he took a year's
trij) in Furo])e. He then gave his atten-
tion tor two \ ears to the affairs of Bur-
lington Institute, in Iowa, and mainly
supi)lied the ])ulpit of a church near by,
in Illinois. I'Or nearly two years follow-
ing he sujjplied the church at Auburn
Park, and for over three years served as
a S]jecial missionary of the Baptist Board,
at St. .\ugustine. l'"la., where he was per-
mitted to erect a beautiful house of wor-
ship, free from del)t.

Dr. Johnson had the i)leasure of <ledi-
cating over one hundred church edifices
in the difFcrcnt States and Territories,
and baptized over eight hundred persons
into new lite. He certainl) raised over
one million dollars for various churches,
schools, and missionary work. Ho never
fullv recovered his health, and at last.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1023

after months of patient waiting, God
spoke the word, July 7, 1902, in St. Louis,
Mo. The servant answered, and he was
with God.

We would like to write more of his
masterful ministerial labors, covering a
period of over half a century, of liis turn-
ing thousands to a life of righteousness,
leading many young men to the ministry,
building churches, endowing colleges, etc.,
and hold up his life more fully to the
\oung as an example, but this brief record
forbids, so we will add a few notes of his
happy domestic life.

Dr. Johnson became the husband of
Maria Louisa Nickerson in 1850, in Caz-
€novia, N. Y. Her father was a Baptist
clergyman of western New York. Unto
Dr. and Mrs. Johnson six children were
born : Emma E. is the wife of Alexander
E. Forbes, of St. Louis, Mo. ; James
Nickerson died Aug, 7, 1869; George
Thomas became the husband of Miss
Helen R. Forbes, of Alton, 111., and died
Nov. 19, 1892; Sarah M. resides with her
sister, Mrs. Forbes ; Kendall Warren
married Miss Nellie Colwell, of Chicago;
and Gove Griffith became the husband
of Miss May F. Russell, of Hamilton,
N. Y. The latter is a Baptist minister of
marked ability.

It is impossible to speak adequately of
the excellent traits which characterized
Mrs. Johnson as a mother, a minister's
wife, and a Christian. She had most
winning natural traits, both of character
and person, and under the sanctifying
touch of the spirit, became one of the
saintliest of women. C)n Sunday morn-
ing, Dec. 25, 1898. at her home in St,
Louis, she received a loving invitation
from her Lord to spend that Christmas

day with Him in glory. She was ready
to accept the invitation ; her work was
done ; her "wedding garment" was pre-
pared, and so she went where two of her
sons had gone before her, mmirned by
hundreds of friends in each of the many
cities which had l)een her home during
the forty-eight years she had been the
faithful and loving wife of Dr. Johnson.

GOVERNOR JOHN HOPWOOD
MICKEY.

John Hopwoou Mickey is a native
of the Hawkeye State, born six miles
west of Burlington, Iowa, Sept. 30, 1845.
His father, Oliver Perry Mickey, was a
pioneer in Iowa, locating there in 1836.
His mother in maidenhood was Betsey
Ann Davison, of English extraction. In
1847, two years after the birth of John
H. Mickey, the family removed to Louisa
county, Iowa, and there in the common
schools of the day the governor to be
received his early education, well directed
by careful parents who zealously guarded
the moral environments of their growing
children.

In 1863 John H. Mickey enlisted as a
private in Company D, Eighth Iowa Cav-
alry, and until the close of the war, with
his regiment, was in service in eastern
Tennessee, with Sherman in his cam-
paign until the surrender of .Atlanta, and
with Hood and Thomas in their Tennes-
see campaign. He was honorably mus-
tered out of service in .Vugusl. 1865. He
returned to his Iowa home, and for two
years was a student at Wesleyan College
at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Upon leaving

1024

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

college, he enpaged in school-teaching,
and during the vacation periods he de-
voted himself to farming.

Sept. ID, i86", he was married to Miss
Morinda McCray, of Des Moines county,
Iowa. One year after, with his worldly
wealth, the material ])art of which he
loaded into a prairie schooner, he set out
for Polk county, Nebraska, and on Sept.
3, 1868, he had reached the banks of the
Blue River, and there filed upon a home-
stead. M that time there was only one
family living in Polk county, though
quite a number of claims had been taken
up by homesteaders. Governor Mickey
remained upon his homestead until No-
vember, 1872, when he removed to Os-
ceola, then a town consisting of a court-
house and a small store. The town could
not at that time boast of a first settler,
as there was not a single residence in the
town, and there was much interest at-
tached to who should be the first settler.
Mr. Mickey, with his wife, their baby,
and a two-horse team and lumber wagon
laden with household effects, started for
the town, and at the same time another
pioneer, W. 1'. Kimmel, started over the
same road for Osceola. It was a race be-
tween the two parties as to which would
reach the place first. Their horses ran
neck by neck the last two miles of the
road, but as they neared the town. Mr.
Kimmel, having the lighter load, and per-
haps the best team of horses, left Gov-
ernor Mickey a little in the rear, and
thus was the Governor robbed of the
honor of becoming Osceola's first settler.
This race was Governor Mickey's first
and last horse race.

In 1870, two years before the location
of the county seat at Osceola, Polk coun-

ty was organized and Governor Mickey
was elected the first county treasurer, an
office he held for nearly ten years. In
November, 1880, he was elected a mem-
ber of the Legislature, and during the
term in which he served he was one of
the leaders of the House. He was active
in belialf of, and gave his ardent support
to, the Slocum bill for the regulation of
the sale of liquors.

In May, 1879, the Osceola Bank, with a
capital of five thousand dollars was
opened by Mr. Mickey. This bank
through the careful management of Mr.
Mickey, has been one of the successful in-
stitutions of its kind in the State, and in
1903 had a paid-up capital of $37,500.
Ever since its organization Mr. Mickey
has been its ])residcnt. During the finan-
cial stringency of 1893, when financial in-
stitutions throughout the country were
threatened with disaster, Mr. Mickey's
bank survived the storm, and was the
means of assisting many of the business
houses and farmers of Polk county in
maintaining such credit as enabled them
to survive during the depressed times.

Governor Mickey from his early man-
hood has been a Republican of the un-
swerving kind, though his father was a
Stephen .\. Douglas Democrat. Gov-
ernor Mickey's first vote was cast for
Lincoln in 1864, when he was only nine-
teen years of age, the State of Iowa hav-
ing passed a special act enabling all sol-
diers to vote irrespective of age. In jus-
lice to Mr. Mickey it may be said that his
ambitions for political honors have never
been overzealous, hut his ambitions to
serve the people, his State, and his coun-
try to the utmost of his power have al-
waj's been prominent. To this con-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1025

scientious sense of duty is due his ascend-
ency to the gubernatorial chair. His se-
lection for the nomination of governor
came to him without any jjcrsonal effort
of his own other than his (ibctliencc to
the desires of the Republican ])arty of
the State, voiced through the members of
the convention which nominated him.
The conduct of his campaign in Nebraska
was beyond criticism. The fight made in
his behalf was a clean figlit, and his elec-
tion was a victory, not alone for his
party, but for all citizens of the State who
advocate careful administration of public
affairs and untrammeled and unbiased
exercise of executive prerogatives.

Governor Mickej- is a member of the
Methodist church at Osceola, has been a
trustee of his church for many years, and
superintendent of the Sunday-school. In
the support of his church and in matters
of charity he has always been unosten-
tatiously liberal.

The church at Osceola was erected at a
cost of fifteen thousand dollars, toward
which amount Governor Mickey donated
five thousand dollars. \\'ithin the last
dozen years he has contributed more than
eleven thousand dollars to the Wesleyan
University at Lincoln, and there is hardly
a State enterprise of his church in Ne-
braska toward which he has not given lib-
erally, including a subscription of five
hundred dollars to assist in the erection of
the Methodist hospital at Omaha. While
he is a stanch supporter of his own
church, he is liberal in assisting other de-
nominations, and is broad-minded in his

•
religious views. For some years he has

been the president of the board of trus-
tees of the Nebraska Wesleyan I'niver-
sity, at University Place, near Lincoln.

Governor Mickey has been twice mar-
ried. His first wife died Dec. 23, 1886,
leaving him five children. On Dec. 8,
1887, he was married to I^lora C. Camp-
bell, of Norden, Nebr., who is the mother
of four of his children, his family consist-
ing of nine, all of whom are living — five
boys and four girls: The eldest son is
Oliver E. Mickey, thirty-three years of
age, and is the cashier of his father's
bank ; Harlan \., age thirty-one, of Keya
Paha county, and Evan S., age twenty-
nine, who is his father's chief clerk ; the
eldest daughter. Bertha E., is the wife of
H. O. Smith, of the Burlington ticket
office at Lincoln ; Mary N., the second
daughter, is a student at the Wesleyan
L'niversity at Lincoln ; Benjamin H., age
fourteen ; James H., age twelve ; and two
young daughters. Flora Elizabeth, age
eight, and Norma .Vdelinc, age three,
complete the family list of the go\ernor's
household.

Governor Mickey was inaugurated Jan.
6, 1903, and is. with his family, making
his home at the State executive mansion.
He was re-elected Nov. 8, 1904. and is
now serving his second term.

HON. CHARLES L BARKER.

Hon. Ch.vrles L Barker, deceased,
one of the leading Democrats of the State
of Iowa, was the son of Benjamin and
.\bigail Barker, and was born in West-
moreland, N. H., June 4, 1826. His father
was a prosperous farmer among the hills
of New Hampshire. Mr. Barker was the
voungest of thirteen children, — eleven
boys and two girls, — and was the last

I026

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEIV

survivor of liis family. He- came West
in the early "so's, and engaged in news-
paper work at Cincinnati, Ohio, publisli-
ing his first newspaper, the Hamilton
Democrat at Hamilton, Ohio, in 1854.

Feb. 19, 185^), Mr. Barker married Miss
Hannah M. Bell, of Hamilton, Ohio, who
was born in Urbana, Ohio, Feb. 10, 18.^7.
Mrs. Barker was a daughter of Daniel S.
Bell, a prominent lawyer of Ohio, and
Julia M. Bell, a niece of the late Governor
Thomas Corwin, of Ohio. Four children
graced this union : Breckinridge and
Paul C, both <lying in infancy; liell C.
and Abbie F. Barker, who reside in Chi-
cago. Mrs. Barker passed away in Chi-
cago, Sept. 3, 1898. She was one of the
charter members of the chapter, at Bur-
lington, Iowa, of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, her ancestor,
Major John Brown, having received dis-
tinction for acts of bravery during the
Revolutionary War. She was a woman
of literary ability, and also possessing
those lovely traits of character which en-
dear one to all.

Mr. Barker published a Democratic
paper at Anderson. Ind., during the war,
and later published a paper at lUooming-
ton. 111. After spending several years
South, he came to i'.urlington. Iowa, in
1867, and was editor and iinipriilcjr of
the lUirlington Gazette for a number of
years. He was always a stanch Demo-
crat, was a member of the city council in
1896, and re])rcscnled his State in the
Legislature in 1894-95. Mr. Barker was
a man of much intelligence, a great
reader, well posted on all questions of
the day, and was authority on all political
subjects.

Oct. 6, 1904, he was taken suddenly ill

while making a trij) to his wile's grave,
and died at once. The remains of Mr.
and .Mrs. Barker are buried in .-Kspen
Grove cemetery in Burlington.

JAMES FOX ABRAHAMS.

().\i; who was closely connected with
all the interests of Burlington in its early
days was J. Fo.x .\brahams. deceased.
He was born in Philadelphia. I'a.. in 1812.
His father was an Irishman, and did gal-
lant service in the War of 1812. under
that celebrated naval hero. Commodore
William Bonridge, and received a sword
from the commodore as a mark of a])i)ro-
bation for his service. The sword is still
in the family. His mother was a Quaker,
and the name by which he was so famil-
iarly known to the people of Burlington
was given to him in honor of George Fox.
the distinguished founder of the Society
of Friends. .Mr. .\l)rahams came froiu
Philadelphia to Burlington in 1846, at the
ago of thirty-four years, and resided here
till death. He was engaged in the book
and stationery business for some years,
and finally sold out to John L. Corse,
father of General John M. Corse. Dur-
ing the existence of the I'.urlington and
Mt. Pleasant plank road, he was secre-
tary of the company, and during his fre-
quent trips over the line made hosts of
friends by his cheerfulness of disposition
and many social qualities.

.\fter disposing of his book-store to
Mr. Corse, he engaged in real estate
transactions in this city, and continued
thus engaged up to the first year of Lin-
coln's administration, when he was ap-

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

1027

pointed postmaster, which position he
held for many years, until he resigned in
favor of Mr. Clark Dunham. After this
he retired to private life, and spent the
last part of his earthly career at the home
of Mr. James Love, who was a brother of
Mrs. Abrahams.

Mr. .Abrahams was a man of strong im-
pulses, of kindly feelings to his acquaint-
ances, and of many private deeds of gen-
erosity. None was more generously wel-
comed in all circles, business and social,
than Fox Abrahams, and his death, which
occurred July 8, 1875, cast a shadow over
the entire city. He was a man of brilliant
intellect, the files of the Hazvk-Eye contain-
ing many evidences of his ability. To him
we are indebted for the beautiful poem,
"The Night Before Christmas," and ''The
Tin Bucket Brigade."

DR. JOHN F. HENRY.

Dr. John F. Henry, deceased, was one
of the leading physicians here many years
ago, and was a typical Southern gentle-
man, being well and favorably known
throughout all the county. He was the
fifth child of General William Henry, be-
ing born in K^entucky, Jan. 17. 177,^ and
■dying in Burlington, Iowa. Xov. 12, 1873,
at the age of eighty-one years.

The doctor was married. May 7, 1818.
to Miss Mary Basil Duke, who was born
Feb. 10, 1797, a daughter of Dr. Basil
Duke and Charlotte Duke, of W'ashing-
ton. Mason county. Ky. They became
the parents of one child, Elizabeth Julia,
who lived only two and one-half years,
dying in 1821. Her mother continued to

grieve till malignant fever set in, and
death claimed her al.so Sept. 26. 1821, in
Perry county, Missouri.

Jan. I, 1828, Dr. Henry married .Miss
Lucy Stringer Ridgely, daughter of Dr.
Frederick Ridgely, a distinguished physi-
cian of Lexington, Ky. By this union
they had six children, all of whom are
dead but one: William; Grcenbury
Ridgely; Mary Belle, who was the wife of
the late George Robertson, of Burlington ;
John Flournoy, of Kentucky; and Flora.
Our subject was a fine conversational-
ist and a distinguished physician, being a
surgeon in the War of 1812-14 under Col-
onel Boswell, of Kentucky, and at his
own request was transferred to General
William Harrison's command, directed
against Canada. He was in Fort Meigs
during a long siege, and was also at the
battle of the Thames. In after years
he was professor in the medical college
of the Miami University in Cincinnati,
Ohio. He was a member of Congress, in
1827, from the Christian county, Ken-
tucky, district. Coming to Burlington in
the early forties he began the practice of
medicine, in which he continued with
much success till failing health and the
infirmities of old age overtook him.

His son. Dr. Greenbury Ridgely, was
born in Hopkinsville, Ky., Sept. 21, 1828,
and was educated principally at Jubilee
College, Illinois, and at Illinois College.
Jacksonville, in that State. He was grad-
uated from Louisville College, in Ken-
tucky, in March. 1849. Soon after this he
came to llurlington, and engaged in jirac-
tice with his father. He had met and i)e-
come engaged to Miss Kate Logan
Chambers during his school days, whom
he married, Oct. i6, 1850. Mrs. Henry

I028

BIOGRAPHICAL RllllElV

was born in Woodford county, Kenluckv,
Jan. 30, 1830, and was the daughter of
Col. George M. Chambers, of Lexington,
Ky. She was a capable woman, and it was
tlirniigli her that a large proportion of our
subject's success was due.

In professional life Dr. Henry was suc-
cessful, but met with some financial em-
barrassments in 1857 from land specula-
tions in the West, which, owing to iiis
large practice, however, he was able to
overcome in a short lime. He was on the
school board for a number of years, and
was the president of the board when he
died. He was also at that time a mem-
ber of the State board of trustees for the
Hospital for the Insane, at Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa; president of Des Moines County
Medical Society ; a contributor to the
Boston Medical Journal; and president of
the examining surgeons of the United
States Board of Pensions.

A Democrat of the Jackson school in
politics, he took active part in munici])al.
State and national afYairs, i)ut always de-
clined party office. He was a man of
very sensitive and tender feelings, — de-
voted to his profession, and literally died
in harness, May 14, 1885, niournccl by one
and all. Mrs. Henry survived him till
March 22, i8yi. They had six children,
of whom three are living: George C, who
recently moved from ilurliiigton to .\r-
kansas; Mrs. .Mary Short Tousey, of Chi-
cago; and John I-"., of Fo.'t Smith, ,\rk.

JOHN WILLIAM BURDETTE.

Among the respected and ])rominent
men who accomplished much for the city
of llurlington is John W. liurdclte, who

is a son of I-'rederick Rdwin and Sophia
Eberhartlt (Jones) llurdette. He was
born in Cummingsville, now within the
corjjorate liniits of Cincinnati. .\])ril zy,
1849.

His father was born .May 14, 1820, in
X'irginia. and is a st)n of Frederick Bur-
(lett, who was a successful general mer-
chant and leading citizen of \'irginia in
his day. His father, James Burdett, with
two brothers, came from England. The
original stock was Hugenot, and the
name was originally spelled rUirdcttc.
The final e was dropped in England, how-
ever, and has not been restored by all
branches of the family.

leather I'urdette, as he is familiarly
called, was engaged in newspaper work
for many years, and was also assistant
autlitor in Burlington one or two terms.
He moved to Chicago in 1892, and makes
his home with his daughter. Mrs. Anna de
Clercc).

.Mrs. I'redcrick Edwin Burdette. the
mother of our subject, was a daughter of
Robert and Elizabeth ( l-Lberhart) Jones,
and was born in Greensboro, Pa., about
1825, and died at Peoria, III., in June, 1869.
Her father was a full-blooded Welshman,
and for many years was a glass manufac-
turer at Pittsburg; her mother was a full-
blooded German.

John W. moved with his jiarcnts to
Peoria in 1852, where he was educated in
the public schools, graduating from the
Peoria high school in June, 1864. His
first em])l(>ynient was as office boy in the
counting room of the Peoria Transcript
( newspai)er, job printing, and book-mak-
ers), commencing on April 15, 1865: and
he .soon after became the general book-
keeper and cashier. In 1863 he resigned,

DES ^[OINES COUNTY. IOWA.

I02Q

and took the position of deputy county
clerk at Metamora, Woodford county, 111.
He was nominated by the Republicans of
that county for surveyor in 1869, a Demo-
cratic year. In 1869 he returned to his
first love, the Peoria Transcript, and be-
came one of the staff of that prosperous
house, covering southern Illinois, western
Indiana, and central Missouri.

Jan. I, 1871, Mr. Burdette took the
position of deputy county clerk at Pekin,
Tazewell county. 111., which office he held
till Dec. 31, 1875. He then accepted the
position of city editor of the Burlington
Hazvk-Eye, assuming his new duties Jan.
2, 1876. He was appointed city auditor
by the city council in August, 1877, for
the unexpired term of eight montlis. Dur-
ing his term as auditor the finances were
reformed, a large floating debt was paid,
interest on city warrants was abolished,
the business of city was put on a cash
basis, refunded bonded debt of $413,000,
and, saving one-per-cent interest, pro-
vided for paying the princijial with it, as
a sinking fund.

He was twice re-elected city auditor.
He assisted the city solicitor in obtaining
judgment in favor of the city for $28,000
against a firm of brokers for breach of
contract in sale of refunding bonds. He
organized and installed at r.urlington the
first public electric-lighting plant west of
the Mississippi River. In 1880. on reor-
ganization of the Hawk-Eye Company, he
•obtained control of a majority of the
stock, becoming its business manager,
and later also chief editor.

Mr. Burdette was appointed United
States collector of internal revenue for
the new fourth district of Iowa, in 1884,
by President Arthur. In 1885 he dis-

posed of all his newspaper interests, and
established a i)rinting and pul)lishing
house on North Main Street, as Burdette
& Company, incorijoratcd, and was also
engaged as manager and owner in several
other enterprises. He was the first pres-
ident of the Iowa Editors' Association,
and for four years was president of the
Iowa Baptist State Convention. In 1892,
at the request of county court of Cook
county. 111., he became assignee for a
niammiith label factory, — the R. S. Dickie
.Manufacturing Company, with headquar-
ters in Chicago, and a large plant in
Elgin.

The following December he closed up
his business in Burlington, and moved his
family to Chicago, where in 1894 he
opened up an office for the general prac-
tice of law. He v^'as the attorney for
Englewood Law and ( )rder League, and
forced a reform in justice-court practice
in criminal cases, by prosecuting an
action by mandamus against a justice of
the peace (Condit vs. Lee, 83. HI. App.

He carried to the supreme court of Il-
linois the famous Plumber's case, and re-
versed the appellate court's decision. He
invalidated a Chicago ordinance under
which the city collected $27.otx) annually
from plumbers as license (W'ilkie vs. Chi-
cago, 188, III. 444). recently on appeal,
and reversed the Cnited States circuit
court's decision at Chicago in two im-
portant ])atent-infringement suits. He
has personally practiced before federal
courts in seven States, covering five of
the nine circuits: and in the .State courts
of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and South Da-
kota, but has never specialized.

Oct. 9, 1870. Mr. Burdette was mar-

I030

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ried to Miss Anna M. Egbert, a daiigliter
of Captain Lewis J. and Annie Matilda
( Waterman j Kghert. of Mctamora, 111.,
formerly of Georgetown. Ohio. This
union was blessed with one son and four
(laughters, of whom three daughters are
now living: Irma. Zulcnic, and Idelle.
Mrs. Hurdette was a woman of rare
mental and moral gifts. ])ossessed great
force of character, and cherished the most
lofty ideals. For several years she con-
ducted with signal success the literary
and home department of the Burlington
lhnx.'k-E\c. Her acquaintance with books
anil authors was remarkable, and her
judgment the most reliable. -She died in
Chicago. Jan. 31, i8<j8. and is buried in
.\spen Grove cemetery, in Burlington,
Iowa.

On Jan. 3. i(;o5, .Mr. P.urdette married
Mrs. Helen M. Clark (nee Stedman), for
eight years the relict of George Clark, de-
ceased. She is an accomplished and pol-
ished lady, a lifetime resident of Chicago,
and one of its leading teachers and artists
in oil. water colors, and china decorating.
She holds a medal of the World's Colum-
bian Exposition, and maintains an ele-
gant studio in tlu Auditoriuni Tower, as
well as one in her home in Englewood,
and continues the devoted pursuit of her
art. She is a member of the Englewood
Baptist church, of which Mr. I'.urdette has
been deacon for eleven vears.

JOSEPH PENDLETON VVIGHTMAN.

Judge Joseph I'. Wightman, deceased,
heli)ed to make the name of " Old Hick-
ory " immortal, and could look back over
almost a centurv of vears and find in

in them little to regret so far as his per-
sonal life was concerned. He was born
in Hudson, X. Y., .\ug. 26, 1800. At the
age of twenty-four he left his home, and
went to Marietta, Ohio, where he taught
school for five years, and then became
interested in stcamboating on the Ohio
River. In 1843 'ic came to Burlington,
Iowa. In 1854 he was elected to the
mayoralty of I'urlington, and two years
later was ekclid presitlcnt of the board
of education. In addition to these civic
honors he was probate and county judge,
and was otherwise known to the public
and his fellow-citizens as proprietor of
the Wightman House, which was first on
Main and later on Eourth Street.

About 1875 he went to Chicago to live
with his daughter, Mrs. Oscar Ward, but
never engaged in business there. He was
a large and robust man, and during his
long life of ninety-four years rarely was
ill. and it is said of him that he did not
use a doctor's prescription nor ask iiis ad-
vice for fifty years. Death came to him
at last, when the machinery of life had
sim])ly run down. .Aug. 8. 1894. Judge
Wightman had always been in the front
rank of tin- citizens of Burlington, who
paid him a marked tribnU- of resjiect at
his large funeral.

In 1823 Judge Wightman became the
husband of .Miss Lucinda Cole, whose
girlhood days were spent m Marietta,
Ohio, where her father was a man of
some prominence. She was familiarly
known to all as .\unt Lucinda, and was a
woman possessing rare ability, and a dis-
position as mild and gentle as a dove.
.She was one of the earnest and faitliful
members of the First Baptist church.
Surviving: her husband six vears, she

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1031

passed peacefully away in 1900, at the
ripe old age of ninety-four. Judge and
Mrs. Wightman quietly repo.se in beauti-
ful Aspen Grove cemetery, which he
helped to plat, and was the first to buy a
lot where for forty-five years no spade
had broken the sod for a grave.

Unto Judge and Mrs. Wightman four
children were born, as follows : Wal-
lace W., of Buena Vista, Colo.; Henry,
deceased ; Julia, the widow of Oscar
Ward, residing in Chicago; and Joseph
P., who lives in Evanston, Til., where he
is a retired employee of the railroad.

HON. A. H. STUTSMAN.

Ex-JuDGE A. H. Stutsman, now a resi-
dent of Santa Ana, Cal., was for many
years a highly respected resident of Iowa,
where he followed the profession of a
lawyer. His parents settled on a farm
west of West Point, I^ee county, in 1842,
and it was there our subject spent his
boyhood days. When the Civil War
broke out, he was one of the first to enlist
in Company C, Iowa Volunteer Cavalry,
July, 1861, in Burlington, and served till
March, 1864, when he received a wound
which caused the loss of one of his arms,
and he was accordingly discharged.
.•\fter this he read law at Fort Wayne,
Ind., and was admitted to the bar in 1866.
In 1870 he located in Burlington, and be-
gan his chosen profession. He was a
strong politician, early in life having affil-
iated himself with the Republican party,
of which later he became a leader. From
1874 to 1876 he filled the office of city so-
licitor, and in 1878 was elected judge of

the district cOurt, the district being then
composed of four counties. In 1882 he
was re-elected without opposition, and at
the end of his term returned to his prac-
tice in the city.

Both the judge and his estimable wife
were active workers and devoted mem-
bers of the First Baptist church. They
still retain their beautiful home on Foster
Street, to which their many friends and
neighbors hope they will return. Mr.
and Mrs. Stutsman are the parents of
three sons and one daughter: Carl A.,
who for many years was associated with
his father in the practice of law, and was
also one of the young and enterprising
alderman of the city for several terms, is
with his parents in California, as arc also
Carrie, Walter, and Abraham. Judge
Stutsman's family stood high sociallj', as
well as prominently in business affairs,
and during their long residence here have
made many warm and true friends, who
would give them a royal welcome were
they to return to their old home.

RICHARD SPENCER.

Among the self-made and highly re-
spected men of Burlington we recall the
name of Richard Spencer, who was born
on the banks of the Susquehanna River,
in the village of Jersey Shore, Lycoming
county. Pa., Oct. 26. 1823. His father
was of English and his mother of Scotch-
Irish descent. The village schools af-
forded hut little means of education in
those days, but in 1837 the family moved
to Ohio, and Mr. Si)encer attended a bet-
ter common school for a few months. Ir»

I032

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

1840 liis father movefl to Jay county, In-
diana, where they had all the hardships of
pioneer life to contend with. There were
no schools or churches, social advantages,
books or ])a])crs. or any of the' refining in-
fluences that constitute social life as it
exists to-day in most parts of the country.
Here our subject had five long years of
hard laborous work with only an oc-
casional coon hunt as a means of recrea-
tion. After this he taught school in Indi-
ana and Ohio in small schools, boarding
around with the pupils. In 1846, Mr.
Spencer located in Lebanon, Ohio, where
he opened a harness and saddlery store,
having learned this trade some years be-
fore.

Ill iS4<) Mr. Spencer married Miss
Amanda J. Mathews, who was born Aug.
19, 1831. Of the nine children born of
this union, five are still living in New
York City: Laura, wife of George II.
Patchen : Ella, Kay, Fred, and Theodore.

\\'hen Mr. Spencer came to Burlington
in 1856, he was connected with the man-
agement of a threshing machine, and in
i85() took charge of the gas business in
liurlinglon; and to this business, as
superintendent, secretary, manager, and
president, he was devoted most of his life.
He was president of the two companies
when he died, Oct. 16, 1896. He had al-
ways been a Democrat till 1S54. wlun he
became a Whig, and later a Republican.
He was always a free trader, and ad-
vanced the cause of single tax, which ad-
vocacy grew out of his sincerest convic-
tion and a burning desire to improve
economic conditions among his fellow-
nuMi. .Mr. .*>pencer lixcd and itinl hnii-
ored and resjjected for his integrity and
singleness of pur])ose. He wa>; a deter-

mined champion of the rights of individ-
uals, and an equally stout defender of
law and order. Mrs. Spencer and daugh-
ters moved to New York city in 1897,
where she died, Feb. 8, 1905. Every one
ac{|uainted with Mrs. Spencer loved her
for her gentle. Christian character.

M. C. CONNOR.

M. C. Connor, deceased, was one of
the leading jewelers of Burlington for a
period o£ nearly forty years. His birth
occurred in Zanesville, Ohio, where he
entered the army at the age of si.xteen in
what is called the hundred-day service,
and as he was not quite old enough to be
accepted as a regular soldier, was made
orderly and assigned to the stafT of Col.
Jiihnson as a non-commissioned officer.

.\fter this he turned his attention to
learning the mechanism of clocks and
watches, and entered the store of R. S.
Mershone, a celebrated watchmaker, who
invented the patent regulator on the
Howard watch. In 1866 Mr. Connor
came West and located in I'.iirlington,
where the firm of Fix & Connor was es-
tablished and continued till 1878, when
Mr. Connor bought out Mr. Fix and
moved to Jefferson and Third Streets.
.Mr. Connor belonged to the Democratic
l)arty, but never as])ired to be a leader or
office holder.

Although of a very domestic turn, he
never married, but enjoyed a comfortable
home in his elegant rooms in Mrs. Cath-
t-rine Wightman's residence on North
Hill for over twenty years. The last
eight or ten years of his life he was in

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1033

very poor health, and though he spared
no means in trying to regain his lost
blessing, fate was against him. In April.
1905, he starte<l on a trip abroad, hoping
to be benefited by the journe_\-, but be-
came so weak he had to retire from the
vessel before the end of the journey was
reached, and died in Gibraltar, April 30,
1905, aged si.xty-onc years. His remains
were brought back to Burlington, and
buried in .Vspen Grove cemetery. Mr.
Connor is survived b}^ one sister, Mrs.
Grannon, a widow residing in Ohio.

Though he started out in life with lit-
tle, he liad at the time of his death ac-
•cuniulated a fortune, some of which he
distributed among the city hospitals in
Burlington. Mr. Connor was a perfect
gentleman, and enjoyed the hospitality
of many homes.

GEORGE FRAZEE.

George Frazee, deceased, stood prom-
inent among the leading lawyers of Bur-
lington ; his firm purpose from the be-
g'inning of his legal career was to honor
his profession ; and his success in this re-
gard is best attested by the high esteem
in which he was held by the members of
the bar. He was a son of William and
Betsey (Dennan) Frazee, and was born
in New York City, April i, 1821. His
father was a native of the same city, of
Scottish ancestry, his forefathers being
among the early Scotch emigrants who
settled in what is known as Scotch Plains,
N. J. His mother's family was originally
from the same region, and her father was
a major in the War of Independence.

Mr. Frazee attended the public schools

in his native city till in was about four-
teen years of age, and in 1843 went to
Danville, Ky., where he studied law and
was admitted to tlie bar. After practis-
ing there until 1849, he decided to come
West, and located in Burlington, which
was then a very small village. In early
life he was a Whig, but upon the forma-
tion of the Republican jiarty became one
of its able and earnest supjjorters. He
was on the editorial stalt of the liurling-
ton Haivk-Eye for several years.

^Ir. Frazee also held various public
offices, having served as United States
court commissioner, and collector of cus-
toms of this port. He was al.so justice of
the peace for many years, and the last
office he held was that of police judge.
In 1897 failing health and impaired eye-
sight caused him to abandon active busi-
ness, and he was necessarily retired the
remainder of his life. His life in Burling-
ton covered a period of over fifty-five
years, and at the time of his death, which
occurred Dec. 8. 1904. at the age of
eighty-five, was one of the oldest lawyers,
both in age and time of residence in the
city.

Nov. 12, 1848, Mr. Frazee was married
to Miss Nancy Park Martin, in Danville.
Ky. Mrs. Frazee was a daughter of Col.
Edward Martin, of Rhode Island, where
she was born. Of the six children born
to Mr. and Mrs. Frazee, only two remain;
Fannie, who kept house for her widowed
father for years, and in many ways tried
to cheer and comfort him in his long
period of blindness and poor health, is a
resident of Burlington ; Florence is a resi-
dent of New \'ork. .Mrs. Frazee's death
occurred Feb. 9, 1882. She was a woman
of much strength of character and one

I034

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

who made friends of all. As an editorial
writer Mr. Frazec was a sharp critic, and
forceful in argument. He had been a
great reader in his day, and during his
long years of residence made scores of
friends in the county, who were very kind
and attentive to him when nature de-
])ri\i.<l him of the blessing of sight.

PROFESSOR JOHNSON PIERSON.

Professor Johnson Pierson was a
])romiiient figure in the history of lUir-
lington, and the family name is closely
identified with the development of the
place. He was one of the bfst-cihicated
men of pioneer times, and i)ossesscd the
characteristics of the intelligent, affable
old \'irginian school, to be found in quite
a number of the prominent families of
early Burlington. He is the second son
of John Pierson, Sr., who came to Bur-
lington, Iowa, in 1835, where he died Jan.
3. 1861, in his eightieth year.

Professor Pierson was born un a farm
in Ohio county, Va., June 24, 1814, under
the administration of President Madison.
He received his i)riniary education in a
log schoolhouse in his native county, and
later, when about eight years of age, was
sent to a school on the Virginia and
Pennsylvania State line, where, in 1824,
he had the ])leasure of seeing General La-
fayette (escorted by the great Kentucky
orator, Henry Clay), caparisoned in reg-
imentals, wearing the sword that was
General Washington's gift. This was a
treat to the entire school. He later be-
came a student in the Wheeling .Acad-

emy, where he learned all the higher
branches of study.

In 1835 1'"^ came West with iiis father,
and settled in what was then called the
I'lint Hills. Still desiring a higher and
more com])lete education, he entered the
McKendree College in 1837, where he
took a classical course of four years. On
the day of his graduation, in 1841. he was
elected principal of .Mt. \'ernon Academy
by members of the board of education
(who were visitors).

In 1843 he was elected professor of an-
cient languages and literature by the
hoard of trustees of the Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa, Collegiate Institute. In 1849, ow-
ing to overwork, he was obliged to re-
sign, and moved his family to Burlington,
where he soon recui)eratc<l.

.\bout this time he was induced to be-
come editor of the Haick-Eye, and as the
times were lively with the political issues
of the day, he greatly encouraged his
])arty, yet at the same time treated his
o])poncnts in a very fair and courteous
manner. Througli tlie efforts of his
friend. Senator Dodge, he secured a
jjosition on the staff of Surveyor-General
Lewis. In connection with his father he
continued publishing his paper till 1855,
when Clark Dunham and John L. I'rown
bought the paper.

When Lincoln called for seventy-five
thousand to crush the rampant trend of
secession, he was appointed commissioner
of the draft for the first congressional dis-
trict. He served two years with Captain
Rutledge as chief, and Dr. James Shaf-
fer as examining surgeon. When the
Cedar Rapids Railroad was completed,
Professor Pierson was appointed postal
clerk, and ran on th'' road as such til!

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1035

1885, which covered a ijcriod of thirteen
years. Since then he has been retired,
devoting odd moments to his favorite
pastime of writing poems. He has made
his home among his chikhx-n since his
wife died, and at the jjresent writing he is
in St. Louis with his son. John L. Pier-
son, at 1252 Aubert .\venue. During the
last two months he has been sorely af-
flicted with paralysis.

Professor Pierson was married in 1842
to Miss Martha J. Howard, at Lebanon.
111., by Reverend John I\L Peck, author
of " Peck's Gazetteer." Airs. Pierson was
born in Xenia, Ohio, Christmas day, 1820,
and of the eight children born to them
five remain, as follows : Cora married
Robert Cameron, of Burlington, who died
a number of years ago. Mrs. Cameron
resides in Chicago. John L., of St.
Louis; Byron, and Ada, who is now Mrs.
Ball, reside in St. Louis. Robert J., the
youngest child, is now in Old Mexico.

Professor Pierson is a member of the
Philosophian Societ}-, and has had the de-
gree of Doctor of Philosophy conferred
upon him by McKendree College, his
alma mater, and by the Wesleyan Uni-
versity, where he taught. He has also
written a number of poems, the oldest of
which is: "Struggles of the Revolution-
ary Heroes." The first one published
was in 1842, entitled "The Judaied."
Another was entitled "The Old School-
master." One very interesting poem
called "Old Zion," contains the names of
many of the old settlers of Burlington.
His longest poem is: "Fair Illinelle, a
Romance of Kaskaskia." His Semi-Cen-
tennial of the Statehood of Iowa, entitled
"A Poem" was published in 1807. and is
a very interesting production.

JUDGE L. D. STOCKTON.

Jluuk L. D. Stockton, deceased, was
born in Richmond county, Kentucky, in
1814. and after ac(|uiring a thorough edu-
cation in law, which he had chosen as his
life work, he came to Iowa in 1837, and
located in iUirlington, where he at once
opened a law oflice. For a short period
in the early days Judge Stockton was as-
sociated with John Pierson, Sn, in the
publication of the Burlington Hawk-Eye,
but soon disposed of his interest to his
partner and gave himself to the practice
of law. In 1856 he was appointed judge
of the supreme court by Governor
Grimes. His wife, who was .Miss Eliza-
beth Collins in maidenhood, bore him five
sons and three daughters, most of wlicjm
are dead. Airs. Stockton died in 1862.
In early life Judge Stockton was a Whig,
and upon the organization of the Repub-
lican party became one of its constitu-
ents. He was the honored mayor of the
city of Burlington between 1850 and
1855. His death occurred June 9, i860.
He was active and enterprising and ranked
among the leading lawyers of the State.
Judge and Mrs. Stockton were devoted
members of the Methodist church. They
lived where the J. S. Schramm residence
now stands on Seventh and Columbia
Streets.

COL. JOHN CREE ABERCROMBIE.

CoL. John C. Ahercrombie, deceased,
was a resident of Burlington for fifty
years, and distinguished himself in the
Mexican and Civil Wars. His father, a
native of Philadelphia, of Scotch parent-

1036

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

age, was an officer in the "Pennsylvania
Bucktails" and served in tlie War of 181 2.
dying in Miami county, Uliio. His son,
Jolin Cree, was Ijorn in the village of
Lundesbiirg, Perry county. Pa., Oct. 30,
1823, and became an or])han at the age of
eleven years. W hen eighteen he left
Uhio and came to Iowa, arriving in l!ur-
lington Oct. 10, 1841, on the steamer ".Vg-
nes." Soon after coming he enrolled in a
company organized by Captain Hight to
aid Texas in gaining her independence.
When later the Mormon difficulties at-
tracted his attention, he went there, was
arrested as a spy, and with some tlifti-
culty secured his release through the in-
tercession of James W. Woods, familiarly
known as "Old Timber," who had .some
influence witli the saints. W'hen the
Mexican war was declared, he enlisted in
Com])any K, Fifteenth United .States In-
fantry, under Captain Guthrie, participa-
ting in many battles.

.A.t the close of this war he returned to
Burlington, and was engaged in the prac-
tice of dentistry till the beginning of the
Civil War, when he enlisted in the First
Regiment of Iowa Volunteers, leaving here
May 14, 1861, as lieutenant of Company
E, which company he commanded at the
battle of W'ilson's Creek. Soon after re-
turning he was appointed major of the
Eleventh Iowa Volunteers, and left for
tlie field with his regiment, which was a
part of the famous Crocker brigade. He
took part in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth,
Vicksburg, Atlanta. Jonesboro, and Ezra
Church. At Shiloh, the first ilay he was
wounded in the head. Returning to P>ur-
lington in 1864, he engaged in the com-
mission business, and also as agent of
steamboat lines, until i86o, when total

blindness set in, and also a crii)i)led con-
dition of liml)s, whicli confine<l him close
to his home.

Oct. 25, 1854, Colonel .\bercrombie
married Miss .Amelia Swain, at Cascade.
Iowa. Of their three children who grew
to maturity, two remain : John S.. who
was a mail-carrier in Burlington many
years ago; Nellie, is the wife of Carl
\'ogt, of Denver, Colo.; Anna, became
the wife of Mr. Randall, and died a few
years after her marriage. The severe
aftlictions of Colonel .\bercrondjie lasted
till January, i8yo, when ileath released
him. rile liigh regard in which lie was
held was constantly manifested by his
many friends, who visited and read to
him during his twenty years of blindness.
He took great delight in reviewing the
])ast, being \ery well posted on early
pioneer limes.

WILLIAM B. EWING.

WiLLi.\M li. EwiNG, deceased, famil-
iarly known as Father Ewing, was born
in Gettjsburg, Pa., May i, i"<)3, where
his ancestors on both his father's and
mother's side lived from the settlement of
the place. His father, John Ewing, was
a farmer in tlu' immediate vicinity, and
lia<l a mill on the ground rendered historic
by the famous battle fought there during
the Rebellion, and the national cemetery
since erected. Our subject was reared on
his father's farm, and educated in the
common schools of the district. In 1812.
when nineteen years of age, he crossed
the mountains by stage to Pittsburg, and
such was the condition of the roads that
the driver carried along a rail to pry the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1037

stage out of the mud in the worst places.
Arriving at Pittsburg, he descended the
Ohio River to Cincinnati, where he was
engaged with an uncle for six years in
the dry-goods business, having also a
branch store at North I'.end, Ind., on a
place belonging to Gen. William Henry
Harrison.

In July, 1819, Mr. Ewing was married
to Miss Martha A. Mosby, daughter of
Daniel Mosby, of Boone county, Ken-
tucky, who was a friend and companion
of Daniel Boone. He and his young wife
spent the first six years of their married
life on a farm in Kentucky, raising to-
bacco. After carrying on the dry-goods
business in Indiana for several years he
came to Burlington, Iowa, in 1839. He
at once opened a dry-goods store under
the firm name of Ewing & Logan, and
continued till 1844. when he retired from
business, turning his store over to his
sons, D. Mosby and John F. Ewing.

Mr. and Mrs. Ewing were the parents
of five children, all of whom are dead.
His son IMosby was engaged in the hard-
ware business on ^lain Street, with John
G. Foote, for many years. \Villiam and
Robert Ewing, sons of Alosby, kept a
drug store on the corner of Fourth and
Jefferson Streets, in Burlington, for some
time. The former died in i8go. Mrs.
Ewing died in 1830. and in 1832 Mr. Ew-
ing was married to Mrs. Mary A. Antro-
bus, of Greensburg, Ind. She died at her
mother's near Cincinnati, in 1840, after
which Mr. Ewing remained a widower.
He and his son Mosby lived together for
over fifty years under one roof, having
never been separated.

For over fifty-two years he was a de-
voted member of the Baiitist church, and

having been baptized in the Ohio River
in 1824, being one of the charter members
of the first church in Burlington, Iowa.
Mis death occurred Dec. 12, 1876. He
was a man of remarkable energy and in-
tegrity of character, and of a pacific and
conciliatory disposition in business. In
all his long years of mercantile life he
never had a lawsuit with any man. At
his death the city lost an upright citizen,
the church a true standard bearer, and his
many friends one whom they loved and
respected.

HANS THIELSEN.

H.\Ns TiiiELSEN, deceased, was con-
nected with the construction of the rail-
roads here many years ago. He was born
in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1819.
He came from a highly accomplished and
cultured family, and received a liberal
education in the colleges of his native
place. He was one of three children, all
of whom are now dead. In the early
'40's lie was married to an English
woman of many accomplishments, and
who gathered around her many friends
while residing in Burlington. Mr. and
Mrs. Thielsen became the parents of four
children : A daughter, who died very
young; Henry, Julius, and Horace, all of
whom now reside in Oregon.

Mr. Thielsen came to America when
([uite a young man, and was first engaged
as an engineer to help build the Michigan
Central Railroad. He also built the Bur-
lington & Missouri Railroad, and then
went West, settling in Oregon, where he
built the Short line from Portland to San
I-"rancisco. and later was with the North-

1038

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

em Pacific Railroad. Mr. Thielscn died
in 1892. and Iiis wife passed away in 1902.
They were both Swedenhorgians, and cit-
izens in every respect of whicli the whole
coninuinity were justly proud. .Mr.
Thielsen was a Republican, but never as-
pired to hold office. His home while he
resided in HurlinRton was in a house on
Washington Street on the present site of
the First Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Thielsen was a great reader, was well
informed on all the leading topics of the
times, and was considered good authority
on many subjects.

MERCY LEWIS.

Miss Mercy Lewis, deceased, was one
of the best-known ])ioneer settlers in Des
Moines county, an<l to her as much as to
any other old settler is due the present
high iiosition in educational circles which
r.urliuglnn now occupies. She was born
in Connecticut. Jan. 12. 1816, and spent
the early years of her life in that State,
where she received a substantial educa-
tion. In 1844 Miss Lewis and her sister
Lucada came to liurlington, and opened
up a private school in a small frame
building on the lot now occupied b)' the
residence of Mr. C. L. Poor, on North
Sixth Street. They carried on this school
for sixteen years, when Lucada died in
i860, at the age of forty-six years. After
this. Miss Lewis taught alone, continuing
till 1870, and such jjrominent citizens as
E. H. Carjienter, Hon. Thomas Hedge
and sister, Mrs. Srpiires, John T. Remey,
Mrs. Henry Ritter, Judge lirowning.

-Mark, Xeuton, and Laura Derby, and
numy others, were her pupils, and re-
ceived their first and, in many instances,
only education. She was exceedingly
poj)nlar with her pupils, although several
were severely disciplined. She was a
believer in the old-fashioned and strict
ideas of the people of Connecticut : these
were thoroughly drilled into her pupils.
Tiiere are very few of the i)resent older
business and ])rofessii>nal men who did
not receive their first instruction from
Miss Lewis.

After the school burned down, she re-
turned to private life. ])urchasing a com-
fortable home on High Street, where her
many friends often gathered to celebrate
her birthdays, and to listen to her as she
told things of interest concerning the
past. She was one of the older members
of the Congregational church, and an
active worker in religious and charitable
fields. Rarely did the state of the weather
keep her indoors, if she felt she could
relieve the sick or divide with the needy.
Her (juiet, conscientious ways, which she
demonstrated in a very modest manner,
and many noble deeds made her manv
friends among all classes of i)eoi)le.

Nov. 21, 1897, at the age of eighty-one
years, after a brief illness, she received
the summons to come uj) higher, and
joined the dear ones she talked so much
about. She was the last of her father's
family, as her l)rotlur X.ithan of Danxille
jiassed away a few years ])revious to her
death. Years may conic and go. and
many new ones will be ushered in to fill
the ]ilaces of the departed, still there will
ever be cherished in the hearts of all the
kindest and most pleasant recollections of
Miss Lewis.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

I039

HENRY K. EADS.

Henry K. Eads, deceased, was for
many years one of the most highly hon-
ored and respected citizens of Des
Moines county. He was born Oct. 25,
181 1, in Franklin county, Indiana, and
was a son of Jonathan and Mary (Kind-
die) Eads, both of whom were natives of
Maryland. They were the paretits of
eleven children. Mr. Eads came to Iowa
by team from Indiana in 1840, and found
on his arrival an uncultivated, uninhab-
ited region, with the exception of a few
settlements. At that time all kinds of
wild animals were plentiful, and bands of
Indians might be seen on the prairies.
The early life of our subject was spent
in Franklin county, Indiana, where he re-
ceived his education in the log school-
house, with its rude benches and no
floors. He attended school only in th'j
winter time, his summers being passed in
helping on the farm.

At the age of twenty he left the
parental roof for a home of his own, and
was united in marriage with Miss Ens-
ley, a native of Franklin county, Indiana,
and a daughter of Samuel and Catherine
(Eads) Ensley. Immediately after their
marriage Mr. Eads rented a farm, upon
which they lived till 1840, and where
three of their children were born. He
settled on a farm in Burlington for a
while, but did not find it very profitable,
and took up the trade of a stone-mason,
laying the foundation for the old build-
ing known as the Barrett House, and
also several other foundations. In 1846
Mrs. Eads was called to her final rest,
and was buried in Aspen Grove cemetery.

In August, 1847. ^Ir. Eads married

Miss Virginia Sleeth, who was born in
Harrison county, Virginia, in October,
1820, and was a daughter of John C. and
Catherine Sleeth, who emigrated to Des
Moines county in 1837. From this union
there were four children, of whom Flor-
ence is living in Stillwater, Minn., and is
the wife of Mr. Burnham.

During the early '6o's Mr. Eads bought
farm land in I'^lint River township, and
lived in that part of the country for over
thirty years. He was a Republican in
politics, and held the office of justice of
the peace for some twelve years, and his
decisions were always sustained by the
higher courts. Mrs. Eads passed away
in 1901. and Mr. Eads died in 1904, the
latter being in his ninety-third year.
They were both devoted members of the
Methodist church, and had many friends
and acquaintances in Burlington, where
they spent the last few years of their use-
ful lives. Mr. Eads was also a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

ADAM HARTZELL.

Adam H.\rtzell, deceased, was a son
of John and Mary (Row) Ilartzell, and
was born in Mcnallcn township, Adams
county. Pa.. April 6. 1809. H's father,
who was a miller by trade, died in June.
1828, and his mother passed away in No-
vember, 1838. Their large family of chil-
dren were educated in the common
schools of their native county.

Adam followed the milling business
from the time of his father's death till
1861, when he moved from Newport.
Pcrrv countv. Pa., to Iowa, and settled

I040

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

in Des Moines county, near liurlington,
April l8, 1844. He carried on farming
and stock-raising with much success, and
was an enterprising citizen.

May 21. 1833. he married Miss Cath-
erine A. McAllister, who was a daughter
of -Mexandcr Mc.Vllister, and was born
in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, June
17, 1816. She was one of ten children.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hartzcll thirteen chil-
dren have been born, six of whom are
living: Randall M.. .\dam R., and Sam-
uel T.. of Peru. Kans. ; Mrs. S. M. Lines,
Sophia M., and Austin L.. of Des Moines
county, Iowa.

Mr. Hartzell was a Republican, but
never an office seeker. He and his wife
were members of the Methodist church.
This upright and highly respected couple
lived to ripe old age, both being over
eighty years old at the time of their
death. Mr. Hartzell died Sept. 14. i8i)o.
and Mrs. Hartzell's death occurred .\pril
15. 1905.

J. ADAM FUNCK.

I. Ai).\.M I-'UNCK. deceased, was born
at Allheim, Grand Duchy of Hess'e-
Darmstadt, Germany, Sept. z'j, 1807. His
father was a baker, to which trade Adam
was brought up, and which he followed
from tlu- age of seventeen till he was
about thirty-three.

He came to America .\ug. i. 1830.
landing in Baltimore, where he lived and
followed baking for two years. He then
went to St. Louis, in the fall of 1833,
working there till the fall of 1834. when
he went into business at Vandalia, then

the cajMtal of Illinois, carrying on baking
and a grocery business.

In 1835 .Mr. Funck was married to Miss
.Maria Kriechbaum. in St. Clair county,
Illinois, .\fter remaining in Vandalia two
years, Mr. and Mrs. Funck came to Bur-
lington, in May. 1836: here he built a
house, and in October commenced the
baking and grocery business on Wash-
ington Street, between Front and Main
Streets. In 1842 he bought a farm in
Flint River township, and farmed there
some four years. He was also engaged
for some time in the furniture and tan-
ning business.

In July, 1865, he engaged in the wagon
and plow business on Seventh Street, un-
der the firm name of Burg, Funck &
Com()any. In .\ugust. 1871, he bought
out Mr. P'urg. and associated himself
with John Hertzlcr in the wagon busi-
ness, under the firm name of Funck &
llertzler. They were prosperous in this
undertaking, and built nj) a very large
trade throughout all Iowa.

Mr. I'unck and his family were mem-
bers of the (ierman Methodist church.
In politics he belonged to the Democratic
party. He was a man of strong and hon-
est convictions, possessing a kind and
sympathetic nature, and his name and
character were never marred by a guilty
act.

Mr. and Mrs. Funck were the parents
of twelve children, six sons and six
daughters, of whom seven are living. His
two youngest sons, Charles and .\dain.
reside in r.nrliiigtoii. the former being
city marshal, and the latter has a black-
smith shop on Columbia Street. Mr.
Funck (lied May 8. 1877, in his seventieth
vear. Mrs. I-'iinck survived her husband

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1041

some years, but was called to rest Oct.
28, 1897, aged eighty-five years. She was
a woman of a very mild and gentle dis-
position,— one whose arm was ever reach-
ing out toward the poor and needy. She
was faithful to her Christian profession,
and as long as health ])ermittcd was a
regular attendant of her beloved church.

COL. HENRY E. HUNT.

Col. Henry E. Hunt, deceased, fa-
miliarly called H. E., was a well-known
and popular character of Hurlington for
many years. His birth occurred in Elk-
ton, Todd county, Ky., Aug. 29, 1820.
When he was twelve years of age he
served as an apprentice in a blacksmith
shop in Newark, Ohio, which trade he fol-
lowed for twelve years and then became
a grocer in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1849 he came to Burlington, and
the ne.xt year opened a grocery store,
which he conducted for many years with
much success, owing especially to his
kind and genial disposition. He was a
member of the city council for some time.
After disposing of his grocery he did not
engage in any active business, though he
was identified with several shows, and
was ever considered the " showman's
friend."

He erected a beautiful home on lower
Main Street, which has recently been
purchased by Mr. Carl Neis. Mr. and
Mrs. Hunt are both dead, the former
passing away a number of years ago,
while her husband survived her till the
summer of 1903. Their three sons, Her-
bert, Hayden, and Harry, are now resid-

ing in Chicago. Mr. Hunt was a man
with a warm and generous heart, and
counted his friends bv the thousands.

HENRY MOORE.

Henry Moore, deceased, was one of
the very earliest settlers in Burlington.
coming in the spring of 1834, when there
were but two log cabins in the place, and
heli)ed to erect the first frame buildings
for the original proprietors, Doolittle and
White. He was born near Hagerstown,
Aid., March 6, 1808, and when six years
of age went to Ohio with his father, who
settled on Sunfish Creek. Here Ilcnrv
was brought up amidst the hardships and
privations of frontier life, without the
advantages of education, until twenty-
two years of age, when he moved with
his father to near Lafayette, Ind., where
he remained one year.

In 1833 he came to Nauvoo, 111., bring-
ing a good horse with him, which he
sold for fifty dollars, and was thus en-
abled to purchase a chest of tools and
other necessaries oi life. He began to
work for a dollar and a quarter a day
for Lyman Chase, who had several frame
buildings to erect. He went into part-
nershi]) with Mr. Stone, and remained
with him for a short time, after which
he began contracting and carrying on
business for himself until 1851, when he
entered into the real estate business. In
1858-59 he erected a large and substan-
tial residence on the corner of Third and
Court -Streets, which was known in later
days as the Moore House.

In politics Mr. Moore was always a

I042

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Democrat, and in 1846 was elected mayor
of the city, having served six years pre-
viously in the capacity of an alderman.
He was also town recorder and county
treasurer at different times.

When (|iiite a young man .Mr. Moore
married Miss Sarah Pierson, daughter of
John Pierson. \\\ this union one son
was born, William II., who is a resident
of Burlington. Mrs. Moore died Nov. 19,
1876. Mr. Moore finally retired from
active business, though he enjoyed hunt-
ing and fishing as well as many a young
man. He passed away March 6, 1891.
In business he was always a careful and
])rudent manager, and by his energy
and integrity accumulated a comfortable
property. He possessed an excellent
memory, and often furnished many rem-
ini.scences of pioneer life to those who
sought historical data of the county.

DR. W. B. CHAMBERLIN.

The career of Dr. William Brattle
Chamberlin was a remarkable one. He
possessed all the traits of the good and
upright citizen, and was a true philan-
thropist, a devoted Christian, and one
who took the most active part in the wel-
fare of his fellow-men in his day.

Dr. Chamberlin was born in Pittsfield,
Mass., Aug. 12, 1794. He was reared a
Presbyterian, and belonged to the Brattle
family tiiat founded tlu- I'.rattle Street
church, the first church in Boston; and
his uncle, or great-uncle, gave the very
first money to start Harvard College.

Dr. Chamberlin studied medicine, and
received the degree of M. D. from the
Berkshire College, at Pittsfield. In 1822

he married Jeanette Campbell, and about
the same time removed to Kentucky,
where he lived and practiced medicine for
some twenty-five years. In 1841) he re-
moved from Warsaw. Ky., to Burlington,
Iowa. Prior to the war he lived for
some years at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and
then returned to Burlington. In 1865 he
went to California, where he remained
two 3'ears. and then once more returned
to I'urlington. In 1873 Dr. Cliamberlin
went to live with his daughter, Mrs.
.Manly, in Kentucky, and there remained
till his death. He survived his wife about
thirty-one years.

Mrs. Chamberlin was born Nov. 30,
1801, and died June 2, 1853. She was a
noble Christian woman, of fine mind and
great refinement. This exemplary couple
were the ])arents of eight children, two
of whom died in early infancy. Of the
rest, — two sons and four daughters. —
only one daughter is now living: Will-
iam, the elder son, died June 16, 1859, in
his twenty-fifth year: Elisha died Aug.
if), 1870. in his forty-fourth year; Eliza-
beth died Aug. 18, 1851, in her eighteenth
year: .Alice (irey, the youngest child, wife
of Edwin Knowles, of Galesburg, died
Dec. 22, 1865, in her twenty-sixth year;
Ida, born in Warsaw, Ky., Sept. i, 1837,
became the wife of Horace B. Ransom,
of Burlington. Iowa, and died in Burling-
ton, July 21, 1894, leaving one son, Will-
iam Otis ; Mary Jane, married for her
first husband \'ir^i] McCracken Pendle-
ton, a lawyer in Burlington, Iowa, who
was killed in the Civil War. Later Mrs.
Pendleton married M. C. Manly, of Ken-
tucky. Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton had three
children: Elisha, Ida, and Nettie. Mrs.
.Manly now resides in Chicago. The

mother, the two sons, and Elizabeth died
at Burhngton, and Mrs. Knovvles in fali-
fornia, all of consumption.

Dr. Chaniberlin was of a very sensitive
temperament, and subject to extremes of
buoyancy and dei)ression, depending
chiefly on his health or exhaustion from
labor. At times all looked dark to him,
but when well he was disposed to look
on the bright side of all things. In his
darkest hours he never expressed or felt
a doubt of the ever-enduring goodness of
God. He led a very active life, and ex-
cepting when aslec]) or disabled, was
never idle. He was always engaged in
some business transaction, or in converse
with friends ; and about his home he was
busy with hoe, or spade, or prnning-
knife, or other implement; or with book
or pen ; or in search of something attract-
ive in nature. He was a great lover of
the beautiful and useful, ami took special
delight in the cultivation of fruits, plants,
shrubs, and flowers aliout his premises,
and in such cultivation he was very suc-
cessful.

He was also a great lover of books,
and a great reader on theological, relig-
ious, moral, and educational tojjics, — tak-
ing especial pains to obtain and circulate
such works as fell in with the liberal and
humanizing tendencies of the age. He
was proud-spirited but not haughty, and
was keenly sensible of his own imperfec-
tions, in common with those of others.
He was thoroughly democratic in his feel-
ings. A lover of freedom and equality,
civil and religious, he could brook no as-
sumption of superiority on the part of
king, lord, pope, bishop, priest, or others,
save the simple excuse of their legitimate
functions as public servants.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA. 10+3

lie was, of course, opposed to slavery,

and living many years in a slave State,
and being more or less outspoken on the
subject, he incurred the serious displeas-
ure oi the more ignorant and \iolenl of
the slave-holders of his vicinity. He was
what was called a violent abolitionist in
his day, and believed in buying all over
a certain age, and setting free all born
after a certain time. These strong views,
always freely expressed, made him many
bitter enemies, and at erne time his life
was threatened. He bought a girl to
keep her from being sold away from her
family, which cost him .-djDut four thou-
sand dollars. He forgave a man that in-
debtedness for her. She lived in the fam-
il}' a nund)er of years, and was taught to
read, — almost a crime in those days, —
and was free the moment he took her.
She preferred to stay in his family, in-
lending to go to Iowa with them, but
died just before Dr. Chand)erlin's family
started.

Dr. Chandierlin possessed largely the
faculty of ac(|uisitiveness. which not only
spurred him to make such attainments as
he deemed useful, but also enabled him to
gather, in his early manhood, a consider-
able share of this worlds goods. He
seemed to entertain the idea that he had
become possessed of more than really be-
longed to him. In looking over the broad
field of humatiity, he saw the great ine-
cpiality existing, and that the masses
needed more education, and tile ])oor
needed more relief, and so making what
j)rovision he deemed necessary for him-
self and family. In- determiiie(l. rather
than to continue acquiring simply to
hoard, to become his own executor,
and made such disposition while living of

IO+4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

his surjjlus means, as would, as he
thought, be of the greatest service to his
more needy fellow-men.

About the time the doctor came to
Iowa he purchased books and gave li-
braries to religious societies in different
locations, one of them to the Mt. Pleas-
ant L'niversalist Society. He also brought
with him to Iowa a number of Mexican
lan<l warrants, one of which he gave to
the Mt. Pleasant society, one to the so-
ciety at Oskaloosa, and one or two each
to other societies. The one he gave to
the Mt. Pleasant society laid on land in
the county, and brought one thousand
two hundred dollars, which went toward
building the church. Dr. Chambirltii be-
came a member of the Universalist
church of Mt. Pleasant in March, 1868.
While living there he was an active mem-
ber of the school board, and devoted
much time to the interests of the schools.
He also, during the same period, gathered
and set on foot, through solicitation and
purchase, a ])ublic library of several hun-
dred volumes. This library constituted
the nucleus of what is now the Ladies'
Library of Mt. Pleasant, whiili has be-
come one of the establisheil institutions
of the city.

While living in iUirlington. in conjunc-
tion with Senator Cirimes and others, he
aided in the establishment of the IUir-
lington City Library, and took personal
care of it for several years. In 1855 he
placed in the hands of the trustees of the
Universalist Society at Mt. Pleasant the
sum of one thousand dollars to be in-
vested. ;md the interest to be used freely
and annually, for the relief f)f the neeily
in the county. Subse(|uently. in 1868. he
added to this fund obligations which

after a time, amounted to six thousand
dollars, which was to be kept as a penna-
neiit fund, with the provision that the
annual income, after some allowance for
the care of the fund, and for local relief
as before, should be apportioned to Uni-
versalist and Unitarian parishes in Iowa
and neighboring States, to be used solely
for the relief of the needy, irrespective of
religious belief. lie also placed a like
fund of one thousand dollars, for like pur-
l)oses, with the trustees of the Univer-
salist church at (ialesburg. In 1856 or
1857 Dr. Chamberlin also gave Lombard
College, of Galcsburg, five thousand dol-
lars, some valuable books to the library,
and some additions to the cabinet. He
was made a trustee in 1858, and served
.some years. In 1870 he added to his
former gift certain bank stock worth
three thousand dollars.

Dr. Chamberlin died at the home of his
daughter. Mrs. Mary J. Manly, in Cov-
ington, Ky., March 28, 1884, in the nine-
tieth year of his age, and his remains
were brought back to Rurlington, Iowa,
for interment with his beloved wife and
other members of his family. The doctor
was of a very retiring and unassuming
disposition, and was very averse, while
living, to have his name paraded in con-
nection with his benefactions. Xow that
he is gone it is but just to his memory,
and to his relatives and friends, that suit-
able mention he made of them. While
he was not what might be called a rich
man, still he gave freely and cheerfully,
and certainly his example will lead others
likewise situated to follow his worthy
deeds.

The doctor's idea of genuine religion
was that it consists in doing good to

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1045

others, and probably intended to illns-
trate this idea in a small lithographic-
card, which many looked upon, standinj^'
with a basket of fruit in his hand, with
a couple of barefooted urchins standing;
by his side, to whom he appears to be dis-
pensing the fruit. ( )n the margin over
the picture, in his own hand were the
words : " Getting and enjoying religion."
On the back of the card were several
short sentences, of which the following is
one : "All the good that we can get out
of the world is the good we do in it."

HON. SHEPHERD LEFFLER.

Among the honored dead, who by up-
right character and enterprising disposi-
tion became prominent in State and
county, is the Honorable Shepherd Lefif-
ler. He was an early pioneer of Iowa,
and respected throughout the State. The
ancestors of the Leffler family a few gen-
erations back came from Bavaria. Mr.
Leffler was a son of Jacob and Jane
(Smith) Leffler, both of German descent
but born in America, and was born in
Washington county, Pennsylvania, April
24, 181 1. When he was quite young he
moved with his parents to West N'irginia,
where he lived till he completed his edu-
cation. He was graduated at Jefferson
College, Canonsburg, Pa., in 1833, and
afterward studied law, graduating from the
law department of the same college. He
came West in 1836, making the journey
from his home in West Virginia to Burling-
ton, Iowa, on horseback.

He was married at Muscatine. Iowa, in
December, 1840, to Miss Elizabeth Par-

rotte, who was born in Virginia, Aug. 12,
1821. where she lived until shortly before
her marriage. 15y this happy union four
children were I)orn, two sons and two
daughters: The elder daughter, Mrs.
.\melia L. Sunderland, resides in Chica-
go; Charles D. is married, and lives near
Maryville, Mo.; the younger daughter,
Jane, wife of Lsaac IS. Morris, died .March
2y, 1878; Paul Eugene, the younger son,
is married, and lives near Maryville, Mo.

On Oct. 2, 1878, the devoted wife and
mother was called from earth to heaven,
leaving a vacant chair in this home,
which was never filled. Mr. and Mrs.
Leffler were members of the Episcopal
church, and he always took an active in-
terest in everything calculated to advance
both church and State.

Hon. Shepherd Leffler was a man of
<|uiet and unassuming manners, strictly
temperate, a great reader, and profound
thinker. Early in life he began to take
an active interest in the political ques-
tions of the day. He belonged to the
Democratic ])arty, and was elected to the
State Legislature in 1839, when Iowa was
a Territory. He was president of the
first convention which met at Des
Moines. Iowa, to frame the laws of the
State, and a member of the upper house
of the Legislature, in 1841-43. He was
elected to Congress in 1845, ''f'^ served
till 1851 ; and later, at the beginning of
the Civil War. in 1861. he was again
candidate for Congress, but the State
being hopelessly Republican, he was
defeated.

.\fter that he retired to private life for
a few years, always living the life of a
country gentleman when jiolitical honors
did not call him from home. His home

1046

BIOGRAPHICAL RFJIEIV

life was one of uninterru])tefl happiness
for nearly forty years. Mr. Leffler se-
cured the right of way for the C. B. &
Q. Railroad as far west as Ottumwa,
Iiiwa. givinj; them the right of way
tliroiigii all his land. He was the Demo-
cratic candidate for govern<ir in 1875. but
was again defeated, although he polled a
large vote, and was su])])ortcd by many
of the leading Republicans on the
strength of his high moral standing in
the Slate.

Shortly after thai his health, which
was never robust, began to fail, and he
once more retired to his country home
near Montrose, Iowa. After the death
of his younger daughter and beloved
wife, which occurred within si.\ months
of each other, Mr. Leffler seemed to lose
all interest in life, and lingered in this
condition for nearly a year, dying Sept.
7, 1879. His remains were taken to Bur-
lington, Iowa, for burial, and for twenty-
six 3'ears have rested in .Xsijcn Grove
cemeter}' l)y tlu- side of his devoted wife
and loving daughter. Years may conic
and years may go, but they can not efface
from the hearts and minds of his many
friends and admirers the clKTishe<l mem-
ory of Shepherd Leftler, who was an
ideal, home-loving man, an enterprising
citizen, and a noble statesman.

WILLIAM E. BROWN.

\\'iM-i.\M E. Uia)WN, an early pioneer
of Burlington, was born in Fairfield
county, Connecticut. Jan. 4, 1807, being
a son of Jedediah and Rebecca Brown,
natives of Connecticut. His marriage to

Miss Rhoda ISonton occurred in Sep-
tember, 1828, at Pound Ridge, Westches-
ter county, .\. Y.

Removing to New York City, he
worked in a store for some years, until
wishing to remove to the far West, as
this region was then known, he came to
Des -Moines county, Iowa, settling at
I'lint Hills, as Burlington was formerly
called, Nov. 18, 1834, where he worked at
blacksmithing some years. Later he en-
tered Hendrie's foundry and worked as
a moldcr for seventeen }ears, when he
retired from active employment, enjoying
the accunndations of a lifetime at his own
home on the corner of I'ifth and Yine
Streets, the parchment deed for which he
held from the govermnent, with Presi-
dent Tyler's signature.

To Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born ten
children, five of whom died in infancy.
The others were: William Mitchell, a
minister of the Methodist Episcopal
church, lioiii Sept. 10. 1837, the first white
child horn in iX-s Moines county, and
died in L'nion -Star, .Mo., Oct 2, 1903;
Emily, born in Burlington, June 20, 1843,
and died in Burlington, the widow of
Daniel Howard, July 6, 1898; Clara, born
in Burlington Dec. 3, 1845. and died un-
married in Burlington, Jan. 18, 1868;
Gould J., born in Burlington March 10,
1847, and died in Crete, Nebr., Jan. 26,
1894; Anna E., wife of J. B. Staples, born
in Burlington Jan. 5. 1850, and lives at
corner of Fourth and .Maple Streets, Bur-
lington. Mr. Brt)wn's wife died March 3,
1864, in Burlington, aged fifty-two years.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Brown were active
Methodists, doing much to establish
Methodism in the new country. Mr.
I'rown organized the first Sunday-school

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

104.7

in the State of Iowa, at Burlington, and
was its superintendent, the school hold-
ing its sessions in a log cabin in 1837.

Mr. Brown's second marriage was
made April 8, 1866, with Mrs. Elizabeth
W. Andress, widow of Daniel S. Andress.

In Mr. Brown the .Methodist church had
a faithful worker for a long lifetime, join-
ing the church at twenty-four years. He
held various offices — trustee, steward,
.Sunday-school superintendent, and class-
leader — many years, to all of which he
gave absolute fidelity.

His first vote was cast for Jackson, his
only Democratic vote, as he thereafter
affiliated with the Whig and Republican
parties.

He was a man of strong and pure prin-
ciples, hating slavery, intemperance, and
all sin uncompromisingly. Of a cheerful,
gentle nature, he was well beloved by all
who knew him. Mr. Brown died Sept.
9, 1889. in Burlington, and was buried
from the church he had helped so long
to maintain, it having risen from a log
cabin, with few members, to a beautiful
and stately edifice, with nearly a thou-
sand membership — a power in the com-
munity.

1865 his family removed to Ciiristian
county, Illinois, where he resided until
coming to Burlington in 1875. '" Mon-
tana he practiced his profession, attorney-
at-lavv, from his arrival in 1882 until his
election to Congress in 1S8S. He was the
last delegate in Congress from the Terri-
tory of Montana, and was elected its first
representative in Congress on its admis-
sion to the Cnion in 1889. He was com-
sioner of the general land office from
March, 1891, to July, 1892, wiien he re-
signed to accept the chairmanship of the
Republican National Committee, which
position he held until the election of
Marcus A. Hanna at the St. Louis con-
vention in 181/). In January. 1895, he was
elected to the Senate of the United States
for the term beginning March 4 of tiiat
year. In the elections of 1896, 1898, and
1900 the Bryan silver forces overthrew
the Re]niblican majority in Montana, and
Carter was defeated for re-election at the
legislative session of 1901, being suc-
ceeded by the millionaire mining mag-
nate, Hon. W. A. Clark. In 1905 Mr.
Carter was again elected a Senator from
Montana to succeed Hon. Paris Gibson,
whose term expired March 4. 1905. His
term will expire in 191 1.

THOMAS H. CARTER.

Thom.'\s H. C.\rter, now a Senator
of the United States from the State of
Montana, resided in Burlington from 1875
until his departure for Montana in 1882.
His family here consisted of himself and
two sisters. They resided for many years
on Franklin Street, and then moved to
Prospect Hill. Mr. Carter was born in
Scioto county, Ohio, Oct. 30. 1854. In

GEORGE H. WILLIAMS.

One of the noted men among the
early settlers of Burlingtt)n. who is still
prominent in pul)lie life, is Hun. Ceo. H.
Williams, now, at eighty-two years of
age, mayor of the city of Portland. Ore.
He was born in New Lebanon, Columbia
county, N. V., March 26, 1823. He moved

1048

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIFJV

uilli his parc-iUs t(j (Jnondajja county
when a child. He was educated at Pom-
pey Academy, studied law with Hon.
David Gott, and was admitted to i)ractice
in the State of \ew \'ork at tlie age of
twenty-one years.

He emigrated to Iowa Territory in
1844, and located at Fort Madison, where
he practiced law until 1847. when he was
elected judge of the first judicial district.
then including the counties of Lee, Des
Moines, Henry, Louisa, and Washington,
serving five years. At that time Mr.
Williams was a Democrat ; but the Whigs
united with the Democrats in offering
him a unanimous re-election, which he
declined. 1 le was jiresidential elector-at-
large for J'^ranklin I'ierce in 1852. and
canvassed the State for him.

By this time a strong tide of emigra-
tion was (lowing toward the Pacific
Coast, and Mr. Williams removed from
Uurlington to Oregon, of which Territory
he was appointed chief justice by Presi-
dent Pierce in 1X5.^ lie was re-a])pointed
by President l'>uch;inan. but declined the
a])pointment, because, in common with
many other Democrats of that ])erio(l. he
did not approve of the President's policy
as to Kansas. He was a member of the
constitutional convention to form a con-
stitution for Oregon, and chairman of the
judiciary committee. The new State
was admitted to the Union Feb. 14, 1859,
and -Mr. Williams has ever since been
prominent in its i)olitical activities, and
has represented it at Wasliington in both
the .Senate and Cabinet.

He was elecled to the United States
Senate in 1864, and served six years from
March 4. 1865. He was a member of the
high joint commission to make the treaty

of \\ ashington for the settlement of the
.Alabama claims, and was appointed at-
torney-general of the United States by
President tirant in 1871, serving nearly
four years. The ])resident, recognizing
his eminent legal qualifications, nomina-
ted .Mr. Williams for chief justice of the
L'nited States .Su])reme Court, but polit-
ical complications arising, afterwards witli-
drew his name.

In 1902 Mr. Williams was elected
mayor of Portland, which office he now
holds tluring the progress of the Lewis
and Clark Exposition (1905), setting a
marked example of ])hysical and mental
virility, and devotion to public interests.
He is the only surviving member of
President (irant's Cabinet, and. it is be-
lieved, the only pioneer of Murlington
dating as far back as 1847 who is still in
])ublic life.

THOMAS M. WILLIAMS.

One of the early settlers of Burling-
ton, who was held in high esteem by his
fellow-citizens, was Thomas Martin W'ill-
iams, a native of Ireland, who came here
from Pittsburg. Pa., in 1838 or 1839. ^l""-
Williams was of .Scotch-Irish descent,
with an ;uimixlure of Welsh blood, and
inherited the rugged manhood of those
people. He was a man of more than ordi-
nary intellectual capacity, and coming of
;i family in comfortable circumstances, he
was well educated, and developed a taste
for literature and general knowledge. He
l)Ossessed an aptitiide for ])olemics. and
was endued with the characteristic
Scotch-Irish gift of oratory, which es-
pecially qualified him for public discus-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1040

sion, and in which he found ;i pleasinp sprang^ a leak, and was compelled to find

and useful field of effort. a harbor at Aliraniachi, Canada, instead

Without necessity for eni,raj?ing in of New York or Philadelphia, as intend-

manual employment, he thought to fit ed. From that point Mr. Williams and

liimself for the profession of law, but ul- his sister journeyed to Thiladelphia, ar-

timately abandoned the project at the riving in that city in 1824.
earnest solicitation of his mother, a Instead of welcoming their mother by

woman of profound religious convictions the next vessel, they received a letter an-

and piety, who regarded the jjrofession nouncing her death. The ties of family

■of law, ;it that time, as incompatible with affection were strong, and both were

a deep religious faith. The son revered i)rostratcd by the great sorrow; the

the mother, who was undoubtedly a daughter was taken with brain fever, and

woman of unusual intelligence and de- was ill for a long lime. The son, in a

voutness, and he inherited much of her paroxism of grief, suffered a hemorrhage

religious faith and zeal, a trait that domi- which nearly ended fatally, and laid the

nated his entire life and left its imprint foundation for his premature death later

upon all with whom he associated. in life.

Mr. Williams was the son of George Mr. Williams engaged in business em-

MacWilliams, the latter being the family jjloyments in Philadelphia, and traveled,

name until the migration to .\merica, Me married Miss I.etitia Benning, the

when the prefi.x Mac was omitted, and daughter of a merchant and manufacturer

the simpler and more popular form at Downingtown, now a suburb of Phila-

adopted, as has been quite generally done delphia. Owing to his health failing, with

by many of the descendants and collat- apparent symptoms of lung trouble, he re-

€ral branches. moved to Pittsburg, and engaged in the

George MacWilliams was a farmer, manufacture of rope, in concurrence with

ajid lived at Cooteshill, County Cavan, the theory of the physicians that the in-

Ireland. and was married to Elizabeth halation of the fumes of tar used in the

McCrea. He died at the age of twenty- |)rocess would be beneficial. After living

four, leaving a widow and two children, at Allegheny City several years, and his

Thomas and Agnes Nancy. health again becoming precarious, he ac-

The estate was settled, the farm sold, cepted medical advice to change to a

and the family prepared to remove to Western climate. He shipped his family

America ; but after the passage tickets and household goods by steamer down

were bought, the mother was taken sick the Ohio and up the Mississippi River

with what was supi)osed to be only a as far as Galena, but concluded to return

severe cold. The doctor ordered her to to Burlington, where he had friends, and

the seashore to await recovery, and the located f>n the Irish Ridge road. After

son and daughter reluctantly sailed, ex- farming for several years, Mr. Williams

pecting the mother on the next vessel, removed to the city, bought property

It was a long and tempestuous voyage near the foot of Agency Hill, and estab-

of eleven weeks' duration. The vessel lisluil a mpe factory, selling the product

lOSO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

to mcrcliants in eastern and southern
Iowa and western Illinois. He died Dec.
i6, 1856, and was buried with Masonic
honors.

At a special connminication of the Des
Moines Lodge, No. i. Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, held Tuesday, Dec. 16,
1856, resolutions were adopted in memo-
riam ; and the Daily State Gazette, of Bur-
lington, in commenting upon his death in
its issue of December 17, said : —

"His character through life was that of
an honest, industrious, ujiright man and
a good citizen, signally faithful in all the
duties that belong to the head of a family,
to the social relations, and to good citi-
zenshi]). To a mintl of unusual vigor and
much culti\alioii he adtled a heart that
was ever alive to the best affections, and
a benevolence of disposition which never
slept when the charities of our nature
demanded its activity. He was, in a
word, a man of many virtues, and of hut
few, if any, faults.

" ' None knew him but to love him —
None named liim but to praise.'

He died, as he had lived, without an
enemy, and the sympathies of a whole
community have followed him to his final
resting place on earth.

"His funeral took i)lace yesterday after-
noon, and was largely attended, not only
by our citizens generally, but by almost
the entire Masonic fraternity of the city,
of which society he had long been a bright
and most honored member, and of which
he was grand senior warden for the State
at the time of his death."

Mrs. Letitia (Bcnning) Williams, born
in Oxford, Pa., Nov. 13, 1805, was the

daughter of John and Jane (Hopkins)
I'.enning. The father was born at Xew-
toncumavady. County Derry, Ireland,
1774, and died at Piiiladelphia when he
was forty-five years of age. He came to
.\merica when eighteen years old, but re-
turned to Ireland and kept a store at
Coleraine until he returned to .\mcrica a
few years later. He was a man of great
enterprise in manufactures and general
merchandizing, and accumulated quite a
fortune. His religious faith was Presby-
terian; in politics a Jacksonian Democrat.
His wife, Jane Hopkins, was born at
Newtoncumavady within two and one-half
miles of the sea, and from their home
passing ships were in plain view. The
family were of tlie Covenanter, or Pres-
byterian, faith. They had nine children,
all except the first one born in the United
States. Letitia, the fourth child, was
married in Philadelphia to Thomas M.
Williams, Dec. 3. 1R27, and died at P.ur-
lington, Iowa, March 12, 1883. She was
a woman in whom the love of home and
faiuily was very strong, a inost devoted
wife and mother, of marked patience and
cheerfulness, facing every peril and trial
of life with wonderful endurance and an
abiding Christian faith.

Children: George, Elizabeth J., Rev.
Addison C, Milton B., Mrs. Matilda W.
Power, and Mrs. Letitia C. Waite.

REV. A. C. WILLIAMS. D. D.

The Rev. Addison Crawford Williams,
D. D., son of Thomas M. and Letitia (Den-
ning) Williams, was born in Allegheny
City, Pa., June 23, 1834. The family gen-

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1051

€alogy is given in the sketch of Thomas
M. Williams in this book.

He prepared himself for a college
course, and coni])lete(l his secular educa-
tion in the lUirliuglon University. He
taught school for a short time, and con-
tinued his studies preparatory to enter-
ing the ministry. Mr. Williams and
Charles C. McCabe (afterward the famous
war chaplain, and now bishop oi the
Methodist Episcopal churcii) were boy
associates, and both were converted in
"Old Zion" church, r.nrlington. Hoth
resolved to consecrate their lives to re-
ligious work. Mr. Williams was licensed
to preach in 1851), and entered upon his
first appointment at West Point, Iowa.
He filled in succession pastorates at Den-
mark, Fort Madison, Mt. Pleasant, r.nr-
lington, Des Moines, and Indianola, Iowa ;
St. Louis, Mo.; Minneapolis ami Xnrth-
field, Minn.: Lincoln, Nebr. ; Kansas
City, Mo.; and Los .A,ngeles and River-
side, Cal. A profound stvfdent, he ke])t
in touch with the best thought of the day.
Blessed with natural gifts of oratory, he
was a successful and jiopular preacher
and faithful pastor. He was a man of
strong personality, and of rugged convic-
tions, loyal to principle, and imbued with
great faith and zeal for the cause to which
he was called and to which he consecrated
his manhood.

He was married, June 2t,. 1859, to Miss
Edith Candy, of Uurlington, Iowa. Mrs.
Williams was born in Piath, England,
Dec. 22, 1839, but was brought to this
country when eleven years old. She
united with the Methodist Episcopal
church in her girlhood, and attended the
Iowa Wesleyan College at Mt. Pleasant.
Mrs. Williams died in Riverside, Cal.,
Nov. 22. 1896.

They had seven children: IvJith Lola,
born in liurlington, Iowa, \\n\\ 7, 1861,
married Evan Abram Hosier, Kansas
City, .Mo., Oct. 3, 1888. now living in
Kansas City, Mo. They have one child,
Abram Williams, born in Kansas City,
Mo., Feb. 27. 1891. George Addison,
born in Fort Madison, Iowa, Aug. 11,
i8()2. Abbic Lincoln, born in l-'ort Mad-
ison, Iowa, Se])t. 22, 1864, married George
(iale Hitchcock, of Lincoln. Xebr., .Sept.
7, 1887, lives in Claremont, Cal., and is
member of the faculty of Claremont Col-
lege. They have four children: Fdith
Marguerite, burn at L.ake Minnetonka,
Minn., Sejjt. 1, 1888: Harry Williams,
born in Lincoln, Xebr., Dec. 31. 1889;
George Gale, born in Claremont, Cal.,
Xov. II, 1895; .Arthur Lincoln, born in
Claremont, Cal.. March g, igo2. Mary
Eva, born in .Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. .\i)ril
(), 1866, now living in Los Angeles, Cal.
Charles Milton, born in Purlington,
Iowa. .\])ril i(). 1868, and has one son,
I'ert, Ijoru in Los .\ngeles, Cal., Dec. 22,
1896. He is now living in Los Angeles,
Cal. Letitia Elizabeth, born in Indian-
ola, Iowa, Xov. 22. 1872, now' living in
Los .Vngeles, Cal. Letitia Eliza, born in
Indianola, Iowa, Nov. 22, 1872, now liv-
ing in Los Angeles, Cal. Thomas Dale, born
in -St. Louis, Mo., in 1874. died in infancy.

REAR-ADMIRAL JOHN GRIMES
WALKER.

John Grixies W.\lker is a naval offi-
cer, and was born in Ilillsboro, X. H.,
March 20, 1835. He graduated at the
United States Academy in 1856. When
the Civil War broke out, he enlisted, and
took part in the capture of New Orleans,

IOS2

HinCRAPHICAL Rlil 'I Ell'

in o])frati()ns apainsl X'icksburK, and al-
most all the battles on the Mississippi
River in i86j anil 1863. He coninian<letl
the gunboat "Shannuit" in the capture of
W'ilniinfjton. \. C He was secretary of
tile light-house board in if^/.V/^. and
chief of the bureau of navigation in 1881-
89. He was ])ronioted commodore in
i88r>. and rear-admiral in i8<)4: was then
assigned to command the Pacific Station,
and was retired in 1807. He was presi-
dent of the naval retiring hoard in i8<)5.
chairman of the light-house board in
1895-96, and of the commission for the
location of a deep-water harbor in the
coast of southern California in 1896-97..
From i8<)7 to i8<;i; Mr. Walker was pres-
ident of the Nicaragua Canal Commis-
sion, and president of the Isthmian Canal
Commission since T899.

GOVERNOR JOHN CHAMBERS.

Joii.N Cii.vMHERS, the second governor
of the Territory of Iowa, was Ixirn at
Bromley Bridge, Somerset county, X. ].,
Oct. 6, 1780. His father, who was of
Scotch-Irish descent, served in the war
of the American Revolution. When John
Chambers was fourteen years of age, the
Chambers family moved to Mason coun-
ty, Kentucky. In 1800 our subject was
licensed to practice law, and his career
as a lawyer was cpiite successful. At one
time he embarked in the business of man-
ufacturing, but incurred heavy losses

In 1803 Governor Chambers was mar-
ried to Miss Margaret Taylor, who died
three years later; and in 1807 he married
Miss Hannah Taylor, a sister of his first
wife.

During the War of 1812 he served on
the staff of (ieneral William Henry Har-
rison, with whom he campaigned later in
the famous presidential campaign of 1840.
.\s a civil officer, John Chambers held
many positions. In iji)j he became dep-
uty clerk of the district court, and in 1812
he was chosen to represent his county in
the State Legislature of Kentucky. In
1815 he was re-elected to the State Leg-
islature. In i8j8 he was elected to fill a
vacancy in the House of Representatives
at Washington, D. C. In 1830 and 1832
he was again elected to the State Legis-
lature, and in 1835 he was returned to
Congress, being re-elected in 1837.

March 25, 1841. he was commissioned
governor of tiie Territory of Iowa, by
President Harrison. He arrived at lUir-
lington, Iowa, on the twelfth day of May,
where he succeeded Robert Lucas, who
was practically removed from office nearly
two months l^eforc the close of his first
term. The day following iiis arrival, .May
13, 1841. lu- entered upon his duties as
governor. In 1844 he was re-appointed
to the office of governor of the Territory
of Iowa, by President Tyler: but in 1843
he was removed by I'resident Polk. He
then retired to his farm, "Grouseland,"
which was located a few miles west of
Burlington, and died Sept. 21, 1832, at
the age of seventy-two years.

GEORGE COLLIER REMEY.

RE.\R-AnMiR.\L George Collier Remey,
of the I'nited States navy, was l)orn in
Burlington, Iowa, Aug. 10, 1841. He
is a son of William Butler and Eliza

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

1053

Smith (Hovvland) Remey, the former a
native of Kentucky, the latter a native of
Vermont ; grandson of Nathaniel and
Matilda (Grigsby) Remey and of Seth
and Harriet (Emmons) Howland, and a
descendant of the Pilgrim, John How-
land, who came to this country on the
"Mayflower," and landed at I'lymouth.
Mass., December, 1620.

He was graduated from the United
States Naval Academy in 183c), and was
attached to the "Hartford," East India
squadron. 1859-61. He was commis-
sioned lieutenant, Aug. 31, 1861, and
served on the gunboat "Marblehead" at
the siege of Yorktown, and operations on
the York and Pamunkcy Rivers; was on
the lilockade and engaged in the siege of
l]attery \\'agner, August and Septend^er,
18(13; for a time during this period com-
manded the "Marblehead," and com-
manded tlie naval battle on Morris Is-
land; took part in the bombardment of
Fort Sumter, where he commanded the
second division of Ijoats in a night as-
sault on the fort on the night of Sept. 8,
1863, and was taken ])risoner; was ex-
changed No\-. 15, 1864. He was promoted
lieutenant-commander June 25, 1865, and
was attached to the steamer "Mohongo,"
Pacific squadron, Naval Academy, the
sailing frigate "Sabine," the Tehantepec
& Nicaragua Ship Canal Survey, the
Naval Observatory, the f!agshi])s "Wor-
cester" and "Powhatan," and commanded
the "Frolic," 1865-1873; was commis-
sioned commander Nov. 25, 1872.

He was married July 8, 1873, to Miss
Mary Josephine, daughter of Charles
Mason, the first chief justice of Iowa, a
native of New York, and a descendant of
Captain John Mason, of the Pequot war

fame, and .\ngelica (Gear) Mason, a na-
tive of Massachusetts, of Burlington,
lovva. A sketch of Judge Mason may be
found elsewhere in this volume. Mr.
Remey served in the bureau of yards and
docks and on other duty, 1 874- 1 876; com-
manded the "i'jiler])rise," 1877-1878; was
chief of staff on the flagship "Lancaster,"
European station, 1881-1883; and at Navy
Yard, Washington, D. C. 1884-1886. He
was promoted captain in October, 1885, and
was captain of the Navy Yard, Norfolk,
Va.. 1886-1889; commanded the cruiser
"Charleston," 1889-1892, Pacific and
Asiatic squadrons ; was captain of the
Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N. H., 1892-
1905, and commandant of .same yard,
1896-1898. He was promoted commo-
dore June ii;, 1897; commanded the naval
base. Key West, Fla.. during the Spanish
war: afterwards cinnmanded the Navy
Yard, Portsmouth, N. H., 1898- 1900. He
was promoted rear-admiral Nov. 22, 1898;
was commander-in-chief of the Asiatic
station, A])ril, 1900. to March, 1902; was
from May, 1902. to Aug. 10, 1903, chair-
man of the lighthouse lx)ard and senior
rear-admiral on the active list of the navy,
and was then placed on the retired list of
the navy by operation of law, sixty-two
years of age.

GOVERNOR ROBERT LUCAS.

RoHiiKT Luc.xs, the first governor of
the Territory of Iowa, was born at Shep-
herdstown. in the valley of Jefferson, Jef-
ferson county, Va., .April i, 1781. His
father, who served in the Revolutionary
War with the rank of captain, is said to

JO? 4

lilOGRArUICAL REVIEW

have I)fi'n a (k-sccndaiil of W illiain I'cnn.
of I'l-nnsylvania. His mother was of
Scotch (Ifsccnt. Robert was the nintli in
a family of twelve chiklreii. six of whom
were sons.

About the time our subject attained
his majority, the Lucas family removed
to Portsmouth. Scioto county, Ohio, then
a part of the Xorthwest Territory. I'c-
fore goinp to the ( )hio frontier, however,
the father freed his slaves. In i8l6 Rob-
ert Lucas became a resident of Piketon.
Pike county, Oliio. where he continued
to live imtil his removal to the Territory
of Iowa, in 183S.

Governor Luca> w .i> first married in
1810, to Miss Elizabeth I'.rown. who died
in i8ij: and in iSi() he married Miss
]'"riendly A. Summer. ( )ne of his sons,
Edward W. Lucas, was lieutenant-colo-
nel of tiie Fourteenth Iowa Volunteers in
the War of the Rebellion.

Robert Lucas si)ent the greater part of
his life in tlte public service, and held the
office of first lieutenant in the Ohio mi-
litia in 1803, and in 1804 held the same
office in the militia of Scioto county,
Ohio, .\fter promotion through the sev-
eral subordinate ranks, he was finally
ap|)ointed major-peneral of the Ohio
militia in i.SiS. He was at one time com-
missioned as captain in the re,£jular army
of the L'nited States, and served in the
W'ar of 181 2. .Subse(|uently he was ap-
pointed to the |)osition of lieutenant-colo-
nel, and then of colonel, in the L;nited
States army.

,As to civil positions, it appears that
Robert Lucas was first appointed to the
office of county surveyor by the governor
of Ohio, in 1803. In 1803 he was com-
missioned justice of the peace for l^nion

townshi]), Scioto county, t )hio. For
nineteen years he served in the Legisla-
ture of ( )hio. The records show that he
served as chairman in both branches of
the Ohio Legislature. In 1820, and
again in 1828, he served as presidential
elector from ( )hio. Two years later he
was re-elected to the same high office.
In 1838 he was appointed governor of the
Territory of Iowa by President \'an
I'.uren. I-"inally. in 1844, he served as a
member of the First Constitutional Con-
vention of Iowa. It is worthy of mention
that Governor Lucas acted as chairman
of the first national convention of the
Democratic ])arty, which was held at
lialtimore, Md. At this convention .An-
drew Jackson was nominated as the
Democratic candidate for the office of
president of the United States.

.After retiring from the office of gov-
ernor of Iowa, in 1841. Robert Lucas took
up his residence on a farm which he had
purchased near Iowa City. Iowa. lie
died at Iowa City, Feb. 7. 1853. at the
age of seventy-two years.

GOVERNOR JAMES CLARKE.

James Clarki:. the third and last gov-
ernor of the Territory of Iowa, was born
in Ligonier \'alley, W'estmorclaTid Co.,
Pa.. July 5, 1S12. Leaving home at an
early age, he learned the trade of a printer,
and found work in several ])laces, in-
cluding Ilarrisburg, Pa. In 1836 he de-
cided to go West, and secured a position
in the office of the Missouri Republican.
It was about this time that the original

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

1055

Territory of Wisconsin was cstal)lished
b\ Congress, and Mr. Clarke was attract-
ed by the opportunities afforded by this
new Territory. With .Mr. John ]'.. Rus-
sell he joined in the publication of a
newspaper (the Belmont Gazette) at Bel-
mont, the newly appointed capital of
Wisconsin. This was in the fall of 1836.
and when the first Legislative .Vssembly
of the Territory met in (Jctohcr. James
Clarke was named as the printer for the
Territory. When it was decided to re-
move the capital to Piurlington, Iowa, Mr.
Clarke hastened to the new seat of gov-
ernment west of the Mississippi, and
founded the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette
and the Burlington Advertiser.

Prior to the establishment of the Ter-
ritory of Iowa, in 1838, Mr. Clarke was
appointed Territorial librarian by Gov-
ernor Dodge. Upon the death of William
B. Conway (first secretary of the Terri-
tory of Iowa), President Van Buren ap-
pointed Mr. Clarke secretary of the Ter-
ritory of Iowa. In 1844 he became mayor
of Burlington, Iowa, and during the same
year he served as a delegate to the first
constitutional convention, which con-
vened at Iowa City. Upon the removal
of Chambers by Governor Polk, Mr.
Clarke was appointed to the ■ office of
governor of the Territory of Iowa, which
])osition he held from Xovember, 1845;, to
December, 1846.

In 1840 Mr. Clarke married Miss Chris-
tiana H. Dodge, a daughter of Henry
Dodge, the first governor of the Territory
of Wisconsin. In 1850, at the age of thir-
ty-eight. Mr. Clarke died a victim of the
cholera plague. One son and his wife
had met a similar fate a few weeks before
the death of the ex-governor.

HON. P. HENRY SMYTH.

Hon. p. Hi£.\rv Smvtii, deceased, an
eminent lawyer and early settler of Bur-
lington, Iowa, was a prominent figure in
legal circles, and during his long years of
residence in Burlington acquired a reputa-
tion for a deep and comprehensive knowl-
edge of the law. He was born in Wash-
ington county, Mrginia, March 10, 1829,
and was the son of James Crawford and
.■\nn Ryburn (Orr) Smyth. At the age of
eighteen, Mr. Smyth moved to Henry
county, Tennessee, where he studied law
and was admitted to the bar. In 1851
Judge Smyth was married, in Cleveland,
Ohio, to Miss Mary A. Crocker, daughter
of J. Davis and Deborah (Doane) Crocker.
Mrs. Smyth was born in Cleveland, of
which i)lace her ancestors were the earliest
settlers. The Doanes settled in what is
now Cleveland in 1801, when there were
but two houses on its present site.

In 1857 Mr. Smyth removed to Burling-
ton, Iowa, where he soon succeeded in es-
tablishing a large and lucrative practice, and
by his superior legal ability and prompt
attention to the business of his clients was
soon declared one of the foremost lawyers
of the State. In politics he was a Demo-
crat, and uncompromising in his views. He
was appointed district judge of the first
judicial district of Iowa in April. 1874, by
the Republican governor, C. C. Car])enter,
to fill a vacancy, but resigned the position
in September of the same year.

In 1900 Judge and Mrs. Smyth sold
their handsome home, which they erected
in 1874 on Fourth and Court Streets, to
Mercy Hosi)ital, and moved to Cleveland,
Ohio, where they owned a beautiful subur-
ban residence. Here he lived in retirement

1056

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

for some years, when the failing health of
old age came on. and March 21, 1905.
ended his earthly career, leaving a widow
and two children to mourn his death : Judge
James D. Smyth, the respected district
judge of the district court of this district,
who is a graduate of Trinity College, Hart-
ford. Conn., of the class of 187^, and is a
resident of Burlington ; and Dora, who is
the wife of Charles L. Dyer, of Seattle.
Washington.

He is also survived by one brother. Cap-
tain John O. Smyth, a railway builder, and
for many years chief of police of Burling-
ton, who is now the last of his father's
family, which consisted of seven sons and
two daughters. Judge Smyth was a de-
voted member of the Episcopal church,
being one of the early members. He is
buried in Cleveland, beside his children,
who died many years ago. Personally,
Judge Smyth was a man of charming dis-
position and ready wit, being a pleasant
conversationalist and the possessor of de-
cided ii])ini()ns un the leading topics of the
day. In his profession he was respected as
a worthy opi)onent and a hard fighter, and
won many stubbornly contested cases by
his superior insight in legal niatters.

CLARK DUNHAM.

Clark Dl'mia.m, at one time editor and
proprietor of the Ha'a'k-Eyc. and also post-
master of Burlington, was descended from
an ancestry honorable and distinguished,
the line being traced directly back to Elder
Brewster, one of the leading members of
the Puritan band who came to the shores of
New England on the " Mayllower." Na-

thaniel Wales, his great-grandfather, was-
an ensign, serving with that rank in the
Revolutionary War, and later became a
ca])tain.

Asahel Dunham, father of Clark Dunham,
was married in Norwich, Conn., Oct. 30,
1814, to Susan Wales, and their son Clark
was born at New Haven, Conn.. Jan. 21,
1816. In 1818 the father, with his family,
removed to Hartford, Licking county, ( )hio,
and in 1826 went to Newark, that State,
where he engaged in making brick. There
Clark Dunham ac(|uired a common-school
education, and witli money which he earned
met the expenses of a course of study in
Granville College. About the same time he
learned the printer's trade, and about a year
after the completion of his college course,
purcha.sed and edited the Smark Weekly
and a tri-weekly pa])er called the Farmers'
Journal, lie was thus engaged until 1850,
growing in experience and judgment as the
years passed by. Selling the paper in 1850,
he then engaged in the construction of the
Sanduskv & .Vewark Railroatl, now a part
of the Baltimore & ( )hio system.

Coming to Burlington with his family in
1854, Mr. Dunham, in connection with his
brother-in-law, John L. Brown, purchased
the Hawk-Eye, which was then published
three times a week. They continued its
publication un<lir the firm style of Dun-
ham & Brown for two years, when Mr.
Dunham became sole owner. He had pub-
lished this ]Ki])er in the interest of the newly
organized Republican party, hut was so
tactful in the expression of his views that
he did not ofTend those politically opposed
to him. and built up a good patronage. In
1S57 Ju' bought the Tri-Wcekly Telegraph.
and for a short time the paper was jniblished
as the f lawk- Eye ami Telegraph, but soon

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

1057

the latter name was dropped, and the Ihn^'k-
Eye has since heeii the name of this journal.
It was an earnest champion of the Union
under the leadership of Mr. Dunham, who
just before the close of the war sold the
paper to the firm of Edwards & Beardsley.
After a period of rest, he accepted the posi-
tion of postmaster of Burlinsfton in 1867,
and thus served until his death, .Xpril 12,
1871, when fifty-four years of age.

Mr. Dunham was survived by his wife
and four children. Mrs. Dunham bore the
maiden name of Lucretia Adams Williams.
They were married Jan. 21, 1841.

WILLIAM SALTER. D. D.

Dk. \\'illi.\m Salter, a distinguished di-
vine, author, and lecturer, and a prominent
and honored citizen of Burlington, has since
1846 maintained his residence here. While
he has never sought to control the ma-
chinery of vast business enterprises that
move forward the wheels of material prog-
ress, or endeavored to figure in political
circles where they "cry and groan for pub-
lic good, and mean their own," he has yet
wielded an influence whose impres.s is seen
in the lives of thousands of his fellow-
beings, — in their moral awakening, in a
broadening spirit of benevolence and hu-
manitarianisin, in a greater breadth of
thought, and in outreaching sympathy.

His life history began in Brooklyn, N. Y.,
on Xov. 17, 1821. The ancestry of the
family can be traced back to John Salter,
a seafaring man. who sailed from Devon-
shire, England, his native land, and became
a resident of the New World in the latter
part of the seventeenth century, establish-

ing his home at the Isle of Shoals, and in
Portsmouth, N. H. Successive generations
of the family resided there, and that city
was the birthplace of William Frost Salter,
father of Dr. Salter. At the age of thirty,
William F. Salter married Miss Mary
Ewen. whose father, Alexander Ewen, a
native of Scotland, came to the United
States during the colonial period.

William Frost and Alary (Ewen) Salter
lived a few years in Portsmouth, and after-
wards in Brooklyn. It was in the schools
of New York City that their son, Dr. Salter,
acquired his preliminary education. Later
he became a student in the University of
the City of New York, from which he was
graduated in the class of 1840. His careful
thought concerning his future, and his duty
led him to the determination to become a
minister of the gospel, and for two years,
1S41-42. he was a student in the Union
Theological Seminary of New York City,
subsequent to which time he spent a year
in the Theological Institution at Andover,
.Mass., completing his course there in the
class of 1843. I'o'' 3 brief period he had en-
gaged in teaching school in Walden, N. Y.,
and in South Xorwalk, Conn. Now the
West, with its possibilities for development
along moral as well as material and intel-
lectual lines, attracted him. This great
region of the countr\' was fast becoming
settled, and needed workers in the church
as well as in other lines of activity.

To this rich field, therefore, William
Salter turned his attention, and in October,
1843, arrived in Burlington, Iowa, after
which he devoted two years to missionary
work in Maquoketa and Jackson counties,
Iowa. He preached his first sermon in tliis
State at Keosauqua on Oct. 29, 1843, and
on Xov. 5 of the same year was ordained

I058

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

to tlie ministry. Accepting a call from the
Congregational cluirch in P.urlington, he
became its pastor on April \2. 1846, and
was installed by ecclesiastical council Dec.
30, 1846.

With earnest piir[)ose and untiring zeal
Dr. Salter entered \\\»m his pastoral work.
He made a close stu<ly of the conditions
that existed, and formed a definite plan of
action for the church work. Its member-
ship was small, and its house of worshij)
was not completed until the December fol-
lowing his acce|)tance of the pastorate. The
years passed, and the work and scojjc of
the church was gradually extended muler
his direction. He had the faculty of se-
curing the co-operation of the member-
ship, of systematizing the labors, of organ-
izing new church activities, and of gaining
the supjiort and confidence of his people
and of the community at large. The church
grew into one of the strongest Congrega-
tional organizations in Iowa, and its mem-
bers were drawn from the most influential
and cultured class in the city. His work
along literary lines, as well as in the field
of religious activity, gained for him the
degree of Doctor of Divinity, which was
confern-d npun him b\- the Iowa State I'ni-
versitv, in 1864.

Dr. Salter has continually grown in
breadth of vision ; in his understanding of
the great jiroblems of life, of the relation
of man to the divine constitution and course
of nature ; in his oratorical power, and in
his strong and consecrated purpose. As
pastor and preacher he won fame that ex-
tended far beyond the limits of Burlington,
even of the State, and in fact won distinc-
tion as a prominent divine of the country.
In more recent years he has had an asso-
ciate pastor, but at the present day. when

eighty-four years of age, he still occasion-
ally speaks to his people, and continues in
literary work as well.

Xov. 17, 1 901, in the Congregational
cluirch of Burlington, Iowa, on the occa-
sion of the eightieth anniversary of his
birth, be delivered an address which was
number two thousand nineteen in the se-
ries of his written discourses. It was indeed
a sjiecial occasion in the history of the
church. The day fell on Sunday, and
special services were arranged. Dr. Salter
preaching the sermon in the morning upon
the subject. "Unsearchable Rich(is of
Christ." On that occasion he had sur-
vived all but four members of the Congre-
gational church of Burlington as it was
constituted when he was called to the pas-
torate, these four being : Mrs. David Leon-
ard, of the \\'est Burlington church ; H. B.
Ware, of Parsons, Kans. ; Rev. Isaac Leon-
ard and Mrs. Charlotte Leonard, of lona,
\. J. As far as was known, only one per-
son present. Mark Foote. was still living
in rairlinglon at that time who bad heard
the first sermon preached by Dr. Salter in
this city. Dr. Salter is now the only one
living who was a member of the church
when he came to Burlington.

A man of deep research, of original in-
vestigation, of native intellectual strength
and keen analytical power, he has given to
the world the result of his study not only
from the ])ulpit, but also from the lecture
platform aiid in many published volumes.
.\mong his j)ublications are : "Letters of
Ada R. Parker," published in 1863, and
constituting a work of rare value to the
many friends of that lady, whose beautiful
Christian character is well illustrated in
the correspondence. He also wrote the
"Life of James W. Grimes," third governor

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

1050

of Iowa, which has been widely accepted as
an invaluable liistorical work, not only as a
deserved tribute to one of the fjreatest
American statesmen of the time, but also
as throwing much hght upon Iowa history
at tlie time when the State as well as the
naliun was lireakintj away from the control
of the "Slave Power." All of Dr. Salter's
works possess great value to the students
of the history of Iowa, and western his-
tory. He has been careful in his investi-
gations concerning historical facts, and his
writings may be accepted as correct con-
cerning the subjects of which he treats.

His bibliography includes : "An Address
in Commemoration of the Two Hundredth
Anniversary of the Discovery of Iowa, by
Marquette and Joliet," at the fifteenth an-
nual meeting of the State Historical So-
ciety in 1873 ; "The Western Border of
Iowa ;" "The Eastern Border of Iowa ;"
"Dubuque in i(S2o:" '"Henry Dodge, Gov-
ernor of the Original Territory of Wiscon-
sin;" "Sermon Preached in Reference to
the Death of James G. Edwards, in 1851"
(Edwards was the founder of the Burling-
ton Hawk-Eye) : " James Clarke, Third
Governor of the Territory of Iowa :" "The
Progress of Religion in Iowa for Twenty-
five Years ;" "The Death of the Soldier
of the Republic, with References to the
Death of Captain Cloutman ;" "Sermon
Preached at the Funeral of Rev. Benjamin
A. Spaulding:" "Memorial Discourse upon
the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Denmark
Congregational Association :" "The Plant-
ing of Iowa ;" "Address upon the Laying
of the Corner-stone of Gaston Hall. Tabor
College, in Mills County, Iowa;" "Fif-
tieth Anniversary of the Congregational
Church of Burlington ;" "Augustus C.
Dodge, United States Senator;" "A Ser-

mon Commemorative of the Fiftieth Anni-
versary of the Congregational .Association
of Iowa ;" "Major General John M. Corse ;"
"The Fiftieth .\nniversary of the .-Vdoption
of the Constitution of the .State, at Burling-
ton, Oct. 1-8, 1896;" and others. During
the period of the Civil \\ ar he prepared
and published a work entitled, "The Great
Rebellion in the Light of Christianity," in
which he spoke of the war for the Union
as a cruel necessity for the life of the na-
tion. He also compiled a ciuirch hymn-book,
presenting a fine selection of Congrega-
tional hymns and tunes; "Words of the
Lord Jesus, .\rrangcd in Order of Sub-
jects," and "Psalms for Worship and In-
struction," and one hundred selections, leav-
ing out psalms and parts of psalms, such
as John Wesley said were "highly improper
for a Christian congregation."

One of his sermons on "Labor and Prop-
erty" attracted much attention, and was
largely circulated in pamphlet form. Among
his more recent writings is a volume en-
tilled, "Iowa, the First Free State in the
Louisiana Purchase," published by A. C.
McClurg & Company, Chicago. It is a
brief and well-written history of the State
from its discovery by Pere Mar(|uette in
1673, to its admission into the I'nion in
1846.

In J\uie, 1895, Mauro & Wilson published
Dr. Salter's "Schiller Memorial Lecture,"
with some "Gleanings from Schiller," in a
booklet. The memorial lecture was read
by Dr. Salter at Library Ilall, Tuesday,
May y. 1905, and was a splendid tribute
to the life, talent, ability, and work of the
great poet, showing thorough familiarity
with his style, his thought, and his pur-
pose. Hon. Charles .Mdrich says concern-
ing this volume: "It has interested me

io6o

BIOC.R. IfinCAL RlillElV

greatly. You oiitliiu- Schiller's character-
istics and soine of his life work in a manner
not only instructive hut deeply entertaining
as well." Dr. Salter is also the author of
"Words of Life for 1905." Speaking of
this, the naven])ort Democrat and Leader
says : —

"This little hook excels anything of the
kind that has been offered ; not only in
the length of the quotations, hut in the
range of its research, and the fine sympathy
and discrimination with which they have
been selected. ICvery day in the year has
its gem. in jirose or verse, and they run
from I'ythagoras to Phillips Brooks. The
finest things by the best authors have been
gathered with extreme care. It has been
a labor of love with Dr. Salter to com])ile
them, and he has bestowed upon the task
all the cai)ability that a keen natural dis-
cernment, a discriminating mind, and a
broad and thorough erudition have given
him. .\nt merely moral ])recepts, rever-
ence, thankfulness, and worship to God,
are in this collection, but ]iatriotism, love
of nature, a kindly sympathy with other
men, zeal for education, for honest money,
for probity in office, for industry and thrift,
invention, aiul national progress, have their
place as well. The beauties of peace, ecpial-
ity before the law, reciprocal relations in
trade and otherwise ; the making the most
of life in the best way; good government,
plain, common neighborliness, and every-
day honor and honesty, are here set forth
in epigrams that scintillate. One nuist read
the book, and read it again, to appreciate
the amount of reading it has taken to make
the coni|)iler know all those from whom he
([notes, and where to find the gems which
he here resets for our daily wear and use.
The best that can be said of this book that

Dr. Salter has given us, is that it truly re-
flects himself."

Dr. Salter, in his writings, his labors, and
his sermons, has shown himself a man of
scholarly attainments. Moreover, he has
always been the champion of education, and
his efforts have been a tangible factor of
the advancement in this direction in Iowa.
He assisted in founding the Iowa College
at Davenport in 1851, and became a mem-
ber of its board of trustees, acting continu-
ously thereon until 1864, about which time
the college was removed to Grinnell, Iowa.
In iS')7 he was appointed a member of the
board of visitors to the naval academy at
.VunajKilis.

Dr. Salter was married Aug. 25, 1846. in
W'inthrop church at Cliarlestown, Mass., to
Miss Mary Ann Mackintire, the ceremony
being performed by the Rev. John Hum-
phrey, and the following month they came
to their new home in Burlington. Her par-
ents were Deacon E. P. and Mary (Tufts)
-Mackintire, of Cliarlestown, Mass. Her
father was born .\ug. ,^1, 1797, and died
Feb. 3, 1864: while his wife, who was born
May 4, 1797, died Dec. 20, i86o. She was
the sixth in order of birth in a family of
lieven cliildren. whose parents were Amos
and Deborah ( l-rothingham ) Tufts, and
was a representative in the fifth generation
of the descendants of Peter Tufts.

Mrs. .Salter was born in Cliarlestown,
.Mass., Dec. 25, 1824. She attended Miss
Ketleirs school in t"harlcstown from her
fiiurth til her iwrlflli year, after which she
was a pupil in 1 larvard school at Charles-
town for three years. In 1840 she attended
the Tem])le School held in the Masonic
rem|)le of Boston, of which Charles E. Ab-
bott was the principal. In 1841 she entered
the academy at IJradford, Mass., where she

DES MOINES COUNTY, lOlVA.

1 06 1

pursued the full course of study and was
graduated in the class of 1844. Mrs. Salter
joined the Wintlirnp chnrch of Charles-
town in her sixteenth year, and her heart
and hand were quick in response to every
call of need, whether from near or far. She
shrank from thinking evil and refused to
speak it, and cultivated in her life all that is
true, good, and beautiful. She loved music,
flowers, and all the different phases of na-
ture that are displayed in the outdoor world,
and ever looked on the bright side of life.
She was indeed a helpmate to her husband,
not only in his home life but also in his
pastoral relations ; and no death, perhaps,
save that of Dr. Salter, could create deeper
sorrow or more profound regret than that
of Mrs. Salter. She was uniformly be-
loved, not only in her own church but by
people of all denominations, as well as by
those who have no religious belief. She
made for herself a firm place in the affec-
tions of all with whom she came in contact
by her graces of character, her intellectual
culture, her broad charity, and kindly, help-
ful spirit. She was active, cheerful, and
courageous in all life's relations, and in
various missionary and benevolent societies
for the public good. She never failed in
the full performance of the duty of a pas-
tor's wife, both in the religious and social
side of church work. Gifted by nature with
superior intellectual powers, she kept pace
with her husband in his scholarly attain-
ments, in all of his theological studies, his
writings, his historical research, and his lit-
erary work. In her home she was a de-
voted and loving wife and mother, and at
all times exemplified the traits of a true
mother in Israel.

June 12, 1893, she was driving with her
husband and some friends through beautiful

Aspen Grove cemetery. They api)roached
the place where some workmen were felling
trees, and stopped that the doctor might
converse for a few moments with the men,
when all at once without warning a massive
oak fell upon the surrey, pinning the occu-
pants to the ground by ihe enormous weight
of its great branches. .Mrs. Salter was in-
stantly killed, and the doctor was badly
hurt, while the friends were less injured.
The funeral services were held in the Con-
gregational church June 15, 1893, Rev. Dr.
Robins, of Muscatine, and Rev. Dr. E.
.\dams, of Waterloo, officiating ; and on
the 22(1 day of June a memorial service was
held at the regular Thursday evening meet-
ing of the church. The Ladies' Benevolent
Society, of which she was the president, and
the Women's I'"oreign Missionary Society,
of which she was also the president, adopted
suitable resolutions.

" She spreadetli out her hand to the poor.

Yea. she reachctli forth her hands to the
needy;

She openeth her mouth with wisdom;

And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

She looketh well to the ways of her house-
hold,

.\nA eatcth not the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praiseth her, say-

M.iny dauj^hters have done virtuously,
I'm thnu exccllcst them all."

Dr. and Mrs. .Salter were the parents of
four sons and one daughter. The eldest,
Mary Tufts, born hVi). 4, 1849. was a stu-
dent in Denmark .-\cadcmy in 1863, and
died Nov. 5, 1864, .saying, the day before
lier death, "You know I shall be happy,
mother. " William Mackintire Salter, the
eldest son, was educated in Knox College,

io62

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

at Galcsburp. 111., from which he was grad-
uated in 1 87 1, and attended the divinity
school of Yale College in 1872 and 1873,
and of Harvard University in 1876. He
now resides in C'hica'^o, where he is the
Icctnrer of the Ethical Society. He was
married Dec. 2. 1885, to Miss Mary Sher-
win Gibhens, and their daughter, Eliza
Webb, born in Chicago, Jan. 20, 1888, died
Dec. 2, 1889. Sumner Salter was educated at
Amherst College, in Massachusetts, where
he was graduated in 1877. He now resides
at W'illiamstown, Mass., where he is organ-
ist in the Thompson Memorial Chapel of
Williams College. He was married May 2(^,
1 881, to Miss Mary E. Turner, and their
children are: Winthrop, born June 10,
1883, in Syracuse, X. Y. ; Harold, born
April ID, 1886, in Atlanta, Ga. ; Edith,
born Feb i., 1891, in New York City; and
William Frost, born Sept. 18, 1898, in New
York City.

Charles Frederick Salter, born Dec. 25,
1861, died March 23, 1863. George Benja-
min Salter, twin lircitlur of Frederick, born
in Burlington, Dec. 25, 1861, was educated
in the city schools here, and at Exeter Acad-
emy, in Exeter, N. H., after which he en-
gaged in the clothing business in Boston.
Later he became connected with Donahue
& McCosh. hardware dealers at Burlington,
with whoni he remained for several years,
until he began business on his own account
as a dealer in hats and men's furnishing
goods. Later he added a tailoring and
clothing establishment, and is to-day at
the head of the Salter Clothing Company,
which was incorporated in 1905, and of
which he is the president and treasurer.
He was married Oct. 17, 1893, to Mrs.
Mary (Tuttle) Stocker.

An analvzation of the life work and char-

acter of Dr. Salter is a difficult task for the
historian, not because of its complexity, but
because of the extent and scope of his la-
bors. He has been actuated by a singleness
of purpose that is based entirely upon a
desire for tlie betterment of his fellow-men.
Without the narrowness of mind engen-
dered by sectarianism, he has stood strong
in support of his views concerning the great
questions affecting human happiness and
the improvement of the world. The catho-
licity of his behef and oi)inions. his broad
scholarship and comprehensive knowledge,
have made him the colleague and friend
of many prominent representatives of in-
tellectual culture in the nation. He was
an abolitionist at a time when it required
personal courage to announce one's con-
victions on that subject. He has ever been
a friend of the down-trodden and op-
pressed, and has extended a helping hand
not only from the i)ul])it or by the dissem-
ination of great moral truths, but by actual
contact with the poor and needy when his
assistance could be given in tangible work.
His writings and public utterances have
made him known and honored throughout
the land, but in Burlington and Des Moines
county, where he has resided for so many
\ears, he has that warm personal regard
and friendsliii> which has arisen through
his social life among the people, his per-
sonal interest in the welfare of the individ-
ual, and his helpfulness of direct or indirect
character that is proving so strong an ele-
ment in ihf r,])liuiliiinL; of the moral life of
the city, i'erliaps no more titling ending
to this life history can be given than the
sonnet of Rev. Charles E. Perkins, of Keo-
sauijua, to the Rev. William Salter, pub-
lished in Coiigrcj^atioiial lotva. in May,
1 90 1 : —

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

1063

" Time lays his burdens gently on the head
Of those high-minded ones who love the
truth.
And follow her high lead. With stately
tread
Their feet press forward. Gentleness and
truth
Their course inspire; sweetness and light,
Honor and faith, attend their steps each
day.
So time, who loves the righteous soul, liis
flight
Makes manifest as softly as he may.
And though the hair be silvered, and llie
flesh
Pale to a finer whiteness, in the eyes
The clear light shines, while warm and
fresh
The heart with loving fervor ever flies,
And year by year the mind grows yet more

nobly wise.
Thus, thanks to God, life writes an unstained

page.
And shines most glorious in the gracious
youth of age."

E. D. RAND.

E. D. RanDj of Burlington, Iowa, now
deceased, was a pioneer in the development
of the lumber industry in the Mississippi
valley, was active in the promotion of rail-
road construction, in financial circles, and
in civic and political life, his labors entitling
him to rank with the founders and builders
of his State. A native of Watertown, Mass.,
he was bom July 22, 1814, eldest son of
Samuel and Mary (Carter) Rand. By the
death of his father he was thrown upon his
individual resources at a very early age,

and worked on a farm until he was fifteen
.\ears old. gaining his education in the pub-
lic schools at such times as the exigencies
of his eniiiloynient would allow, sometimes
working nights and mornings for his board
and attending school during the day. Thus
his childhood exemplified that worthy am-
bition and unconquerable determination
which were to shape iiis later career. Going
to Providence, R. I., he served an appren-
ticeship in the soap and candle manufactur-
ing business, remaining there until 1835,
when he proceeded to Hamilton, Ohio, and
became superintendent of the packing house
of J. A. N. Fisher. This position he oc-
cupied for two years, and then again fol-
lowing the star of empire westward, lo-
cated at Quincy, 111., where he engaged in
stock-raising and pork-packing. The date
of his coming to Iowa was 1839, when he
settled on the Black Hawk purchase on the
Des Moines River in the vicinity of Keosau-
qua. He entered a claim, and began farm-
ing operations, but sold his holdings be-
fore the first harvest.

Mr. Rand's next move was to Burlington,
which thenceforth became his permanent
home, and it was here that he spent the
remainder of his life. Here he was em-
ployed in the Bridgenian & Partridge packing
house, and also entered tlic draying business
in a small way, buying a horse and dray and
hiring a driver. He left this firm in 1843,
and formed a partnership with the firm of
Peasley & Brooks to conduct a provision,
lumber, and pork-jiacking business. Mis-
fortune attended the venture, however, for
on the recommendation of Mr. Peasley the
firm had invested heavily in grain, and as
a consequence suffered serious loss. Mr.
Rand therefore retired from the business at
the end of three years ; but prior to this

:o64

BIOGRAPHICAL RFAIEW

time he Iiad purchased a tract of land, and
u|)<)n this he now erected a building and
began an independent pork-packing busi-
ness, relying partially on borrowed capital
for the inauguration of the enterprise.
In this he was so successful that his profits
amuunteil to $7,000 for the first year,
an<l he built a brick packing-house and
enlarged the business. In 1842 he be-
gan in addition a lumber business on a lim-
ited scale, and this increased so rapidly that
in 1852 he invested therein all his capital.
He l.itiT 1)1 night out the interest of Mr. Hill
in tile saw-mill owned by the firm of Berry
& Hill, and from this transaction grew the
Burlington Lumber Company, the largest
lumber company operating along the whole
middle course of the Mississi])pi River. He
became a jjartner of Carson & luiton. after-
ward Carson & Rand, in the exploitation of
Wisconsin timber lands, and was one of the
organizers and heavy stockholders in the
\'alle\ Lumber Company, of Wisconsin. It
was in 1877 that he organized the Burling-
ton Lumber Comi)any and was elected its
first president : and two years later he organ-
ized the Rand Lumber Com]iany. of which
he also was the first president, and which he
eleiated to the position of one of the largest
lumber firms in the State. The largest lum-
ber company with which .Mr. Rand was
identified, however, was the Carson & Rand
Linnher Comjjany, of Keokuk, Iowa, organ-
ized in 1881, and of which he became presi-
dent. He was also ])resident of the Keiths-
burg Luniber Company, and was the mov-
ing si>irit of many other enterprises that con-
tributed to the prosperity and growth of the
West, in which lie liad such implicit faith.

With the State Bank of Burlington Mr.
Rand became associated in 1862, when it
was yet a branch of the Iowa State Bank.

and on its organization into a national bank
in i8()5 he became a member of its first
board of directors, a |)osition in which he
continued until his death, while he was
elected ])resident of the bank in 1869 for a
ix'riod of two years and re-elected for a sim-
ilar term in 1881. He was one of the incor-
porators of the Iowa State Savings I'.ank,
and was its vice-president and a member of
its directorate at the time of liis death, and
was a director of the I'irst National I'ank
of liurlington.. Tn the direction of these
importaiil institutions, lie exhibited the same
rare (jualities of business insight and dis-
crimination which distinguished his conduct
of the great lumber companies of the State,
and which won him his first successes, and
to his transcendant abilities much of their
present pros])erity and unrivalled staiuling
is due. He lent substantial encouragement
to the building of the Narrow Gauge Rail-
road and the Burlington & Missouri Rail-
road, and his aid was given in many ways
to the nil mil and material imi>r(>vement of
the city of I'liirlington. He erected one of
the finest and best business blocks in the
cit\. besides numerous residence buildings,
including a l)eanlifnl hdiiie for himself and
famih. known as the "I'ines." In 1852 he
ac(|uired a fifty-five-acre tract adjacent to
his former jiurchase. which he plotted, and
this is now an addition to Burlington, and
the site of many manufacturing establish-
ments, which ftirnish employment to a large
amount of labor.

E. D. Rand was twice married, his first
marriage being in .\i)ril, 1837, to Miss Sarah
I'roiul. of Centerville, Ohio, by w-honi he
had six children, only one of whom is now
living. Mary .\., wife of John M. Sher-
le\. .Mrs. Rand died in Burlington in
hiiic. iS:;(i. .Mr. Rand chose for his second

DF.S MOrXF.S COUXTV. IOWA.

1065

■wife, whom he wedded June 13, 1852, at
Burlington, Mrs. Caroline A. Roberts,
widow of J. W. Roberts, and daughter of
S. Sherfey, one of the pioneers of Burling-
ton and of Iowa, he having settled in this
city in 1837, although .Mrs. Rand was born
at Hagerstown, Md. Of this union two
children .survive, Horace S. and Carrie.
Throughout life Mr. Rand was interested in
public affairs, and by his work in the field
•of practical politics manifested the posses-
sion of many qualities of statesmanship in
the truest and best sense of that term. In
his early manhood he was a Whig, and
joined the Republican party on its organiza-
tion, later becoming a Liberal Republican.
He was a valued worker in his party's in-
terest, exercising a potent influence in its
behalf, and materially contributing to many
of its successes. He enjoyed the public con-
fidence to a high degree, and was elected a
member of the Iowa State Legislature in
1856. serving with conspicuous ability, and
was elected a member of the city council of
Burlington in the years 1856, i860. 1862,
and 1863. His influence in public life was
always on the side of justice and right, and
many highly praiseworthy measures, pro-
mulgated by the public bodies of which he
was a member, owed to him either their
origin or effective sponsorship. His was a
religious nature, and he united with the
Congregational society, of Burlington, in
1844, and ever after gave to the church his
fullest support, contributing generously to
its material necessities in all branches of its
work, and at the same time exemplifying the
truths for which it stands in his own life
and daily conduct. His deatii occurred
April 10, 1887, after a residence of nearly
four decades in Burlington. His business
ability was of vast scope, and although he

suffered many reverses, he regarded each
transition stage as the beginning of new
opportunity, and left behind him a very
large fortune. I'nder the stinuiius of neces-
sity in early manhood his powers developed,
and his keen mentality always enabled him
to recognize the possibilities of a business
situation. He found in the young but grow-
ing city of eastern Iowa the opportunities
he sought, and, i)rompted by a laudable am-
bition which had for its objective point the
acquirement of large success through honor-
able methods, he gradually worked his way
upward from a humble position until he
ranked with the leading financiers and in-
dustrialists of the State, thus proving by his
life's record that prosperity and an honored
name may be won sinniltaneouslv.

DR. CHARLES A. WHITE.

It is with pleasure that we present the
life record of Dr. Charles .Abiathar White,
as he is a self-educated and self-made man
in the full meaning of the term. He began
life in a plain and humble way, and having
a great desire to obtain a higher education,
worked during the daytime and studied bv
lamplight till he had secured sufficient
means to enable him to carry out his cher-
ished ideas.

The ancestry of Dr. White can be traced
back to William White, of Boston, an Eng-
lishman, who settled there about the year
1640. and from whom Dr. White is of the
seventh generation. All the members of
that ancestral line were yeomen, closely
answering to the freehold yeomen of Eng-
land.

Some of Dr. White's ancestors were act-

io56

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ive participants in the war of the American
Revolution. I lis prand father. Captain
Cornelius White, was a captain in the Col-
onial militia, and fought for his king; but
when the Revolution began, he was an
ardent patriot, and was a member of the
" committee of inspection, correspondence,
and safety " for Taunton, Mass., his native
town. His son, Cornelius White, grand-
father of Dr. White, enlisted and served as
a minute man immediately after the battle
of Lexington, althougli he was only twenty
years of age. He afterward became captain
of militia, as his father had been. The
father of the wife of Dr. White's paternal
grandfather. Abiathar Leonard, was also a
captain of minute men.

Dr. Charles Abiathar White was born on
a farm in Xorth Digliton, Bristol county,
Mass.. Jan. 26, 1826, on his father's inher-
ited portion of his grandfather's landed
estate.

Abiathar White, father of Dr. C. A.
^\'hite, married Miss Nancy Corey, daugh-
ter of Daniel Corey, of Dighton. Mass., on
April 20, 1823. Six children were born to
them in the following order : John W., now
aged eighty-one, resides in Portland,
Ore. ; Charles A., of this review ; Mary,
married John Prugh, of P>urlington, and
died there July 28, 1850; Sarah, became the
wife of .Albert Walling, and went with
him to Portland, and died there in 1884;
Caroline, died in early infancy in Dighton;
Albert, died in childhood in Burlington,
Iowa, to which place Abiathar White's
family moved from their New England
home in 1838, and where Dr. White grew
to citizenship. The parents of Dr. White
both died in P.urlington, and are buried in
Aspen Grove cemetery.

In 1847 I^""- ^^hite visited his old New
England home, where he was married, in
1848. to .Miss Charlotte R. Pilkington,
daughter of James and .\ancy Pilkington.
who were both of English birth. Mrs.
White was born at Taunton. Mass., March
I, 1829. Soon after our subject was mar-
ried, he brought his young wife to Burling-
ton, where they resided till 1864. when they
moved to Iowa City. Eight children were
born to Dr. and Mrs. White, all in Iowa,
six of whom are now living : James Albert,
a physician, of Portland. Ore. ; Charles
Everett, a lawyer in Madison, Wis. ; Ger-
trude, wife of Herbert J. Browne, of Wash-
ington, D. C. ; Herbert Corey, farmer, of
i'.catrice, Ncbr. ; Lillie, died in infancy at
Iowa City : Marian, principal of the depart-
ment of Domestic Sciences in the High
school of Washington, D. C. ; Edward
Winslow. died in Maine in childhood ;
Leonard Alwyn. dentist, in Washington,
D. C.

It has ever been a great comfort to Dr.
White that he could give his children a lib-
eral and finished education. When Dr.
White took up his residence in Iowa City,
his public scientific career began, as he was
professor of natural history in the Iowa
State University and State geologist of
Iowa. He received the degree of M. D.
from Rush Medical College, in Chicago, in
1863. and the degree of A. M. from Iowa
College at Grinnell in 1866. He was State
geologist of Iowa, by legislative appoint-
ment, from 1866 to 1869, inclusive ; profes-
sor of natural history in the Iowa State
University from 1867 to 1873, when in the
latter year he moved his family to Bruns-
wick, Me., and occupied a similar position
in Bowdoin College till 1875. He was

DES MOISF.S COUXTY. lOlVA.

1067

appointed paleontologist to the geograph-
ical and geological surveys west of the
one-hundredth meridian, in charge of Lieu-
tenant George M. Wheeler, in 1874. He
spent thirteen seasons in western geological
field work, extending from Canada to
Mexico, and west to the Pacific Coast.

The great ability of Dr. White as a geol-
ogist was recognized among the foremost
geologists in the United States, and upon
his removal to Washington, D. C, in 1876,
he at once became connected with the gov-
ernment surveys and the Smithsonian Insti-
tution. The travels of this noted scientist
were not confined to the States alone, as he
made several trips abroad, the first one
being made in 1886, when he traveled over
Europe from Scotland to Italy, and as far
east as Vienna. In all these countries he
was received with the greatest cordiality by
the geologists and naturalists, and has
since continued a large correspondence with
these gentlemen.

In 1892 Dr. White became the associate
in paleontology of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, which position he now occupies, and
where he enjoys the most cordial friendship
of all its official force. Besides holding the
above-named positions of trust and honor.
Dr. White has written largely on scientific
and popular subjects. During the fifty-
eight years of his literary life he has written
some two hundred and thirty-one books and
articles. Three articles have appeared from
his pen within less than a year, and he is
at present prejiaring another one. Owing
to the great number of Dr. White's writings
it will be impossible to enumerate them, but
among the most important are : Geology of
Iowa and the various official reports and
bulletins of the United States Geological

Survex', and Uic Smithsonian Instiluti(jn.
John F.elknap Marcou and Timothy W.
Stanton have each issued a catalogue of Dr.
White's writings, which are of special in-
terest. " The Mutations of Lycopersicum "
and ".V Visit to the Quarry-Cave of Jeru-
salem ■■ are among his later articles, and
are very interesting and much appreciated.
Mrs. White was an earnest Hible student,
and in 1890, in order that she might have a
sight of the I'.iblc lands, and of those places
which are of special interest and helpful in
church work. Dr. and .Mrs. White visited
England, I->ancc, llelgiuni, Holland, Ger-
many, Switzerland, Italy, Egypt, and Pales-
tine, 'ihis proved to be one of the most
enjoyable experiences of their useful lives.
This worthy and devoted couple were life
companions for nearly fifty-four years, and
had the rare ])leasure of celebrating their
golden wedding, in 1898. Four years after
this happy occasion death entered this
home, and carried from it the devoted wife
and beloved mother on July 16, 1902.
Rarel}- do we find a woman of more retire-
ment and greater domesticity than Mrs.
White ])ossessed. Those who knew her
best, loved her most. She was a woman
of unusually clear and practical intelligence,
a devoted Christian of unwavering faith
from girlhood, active in church and char-
itable work. She was long a member of
the relief committee of the associated char-
ities of South Washington, showing rare
judgment and great efficiency in the cause,
and relinciuishing it only because of failing
health, lint her chief characteristic was
shown in the quiet and judicious perfomi-
ance of domestic duties and her faithful
devotion to her family and friends. Mrs.
While is buried in Washington, D. C.

io68

RlOGRAPHICAl. REllEW

Dr. White is a Royal Arch Mason, and
a rcco^'nizod menihcr of tlie Phi Kappa Psi
collcpe fraternity, although he has not at-
tended a chapter for more than thirty years.
In addition to the degrees mentioned, Ur.
White received that of LL.D. from the
Iowa State University. He has long been
a member of the Xational Academy of
Sciences ( .M. X. .\. S. ), which is the high-
est scientific honor our country has to give
to any one. He is also foreign member of
the Geological Society of London, the
highest honor Great Hritain has to give
to any geologist, an honor conferred upon
only forty living persons for the whole
world, lie is also corresponding member
of many other scientific societies of both
Europe and America.

The intelligent and highly gifted family
of Or. Charles A. White are remembered
in great kindness by the old residents of
Burlington and Iowa City. Dr. White
still resides in Washington.

ISHAM GILBERT.

IsH.v.M Gii.HEUT was lx)rn in llaniin
county. KeiUucky. July J, iS-\V '"id emi-
grated with his father's family to Prairie
du Chien. Wis. (then Michigan Terri-
tory), in 1830. His grandfather Gilbert
was a N'irginian. and afterward a tobacco
planter and tra<k'r in Hardin county.
Kentucky. and a large slaveholder, though
a just and honorable one. Becoming con-
vinced of the error of holding slaves, he
liberated them all. even old "Maniniy
Ailsey," who was his devoted attendant
during his last illness, an<l his most faiili-
fiil friend. His son. Sanniel Ciilbert, the

father of "Isham" (iilbert, as he was al-
ways called, was lx)rn in Booneville. Ky.,
in I7f>8. and in i8im married Pliiloiheta
Parker, in Louisville. Her father, Samuel
Parker, was a pioneer citizen of Louis-
ville, and the family had traveled thence,
in iSij. all the way from Xew ^'ork State
in an enn'grant w.igon, Philotheta being
fourteen years old at that time. She was
born in 17<)8. near Canandaigua, Ontario
county. X. \' . Her father was a lineal
descendant of the Parker Earls of Mac-
clesfield, and her mother was a Howe, of
the family of Admiral Lord Howe, of
l\ev(dutionary fame.

\\ lu II the Gilbert family arrived in
Prairie du Chien, there was only a smat-
tering of white families. American and
Canadian Freiuh. in e\ idence : but there
were many Indians, and the family min-
gled in friendly intercourse with the Chip-
pewas. Menominees, Winnebagoes, Sacs.
and I'dxes. and acquired a fluent command
of their languages. Samuel Gilbert be-
came one of the pioneer hnnbernien of the
Xorthwest. and at the age of twenty-two
his son Isham rafted a large (juantitN of
lumber down the "father of waters" to
the .Mormon settlement at Xauvoo. where
he disposed i>f lii^ !und)ir lov liie l)uil<liiig
of the Mormon temple then in process of
construction.

Returning to his home at Prairie du
Chilli, his (|nest for adventure led him to
undertake a (|uestional>le enterprise, as
regarded his personal safety. In the em-
ploy of llie Hudson Bay Fur Company,
Isham (iilbert set out, in the company of
four half-breeds, for the British Posses-
sions, and the Red River of the north,
taking with him a stock of goods in ca-
noes, which he jiroposed to exchange for

niis MoiNiss couxTv. loir.i.

io6g

furs. He passed the entire winter with
the Indians, going as far north as the Sel-
kirk Settlement, in tlie i'.ritish Posses-
sions, and in these months did not meet a
single white man. I (|uote the following:
"His fine ajipearanee. friendi\- manners,
good judgment, and discretion, made him
many friends among the intluential men
of these great tribes, and his presence was
welcomed, and his going regretted."

In 1847 'i*^ married a New England
woman, Susan Augusta Sampson, and
with her established a hdnic at the foot
of Lake Pipin, opposite the town of Ruds
Landing, Bufifalo county. Wis., at which
point he had a trading post. Sept. 17,
1849, a son, John Webster, was born to
them, who still survives. In the spring
of 1 85 1, I sham Gilbert and family re-
moved to Allamakee comity, Iowa, where
he laid out the town of Lansing, Iowa.
He took up his abode in Lansing, and
here, Aug. 7, 1851. a daughter, Ella, was
born. She did not live to maturity, but
died at the age of twelve, and is buried
in Burlington, Iowa, where she died. At
Lansing, Isham (lilluTl built np an ex-
tensive mercantile business, and was as-
sociated with Joseph Reynolds, better
known as "Diamond Joe Reynolds," in
numerous and extensixe transactions and
speculations.

At the outbreak oi the Civil War the
subject of this sketch organized a com-
pany, which was mustered into the serv-
ice at Dubu(|ue, in i8()j. as the Twenty-
seventh Iowa Infantry, and James Isham
(iilbert was ai>pointed colonel. .\ portion
of the regiment under Colonel (iilbert was
detailed to take the government annui-
ties to the Chippewa Indians, his knowl-
edge of the language and ac(iuaintance

with the tribe giving liim peculiar fitness
for this duty. The regiment reunited at
Jacksonville, and was attached to Smith's
Division of the .Vrmy of the Tennessee,
and had part in General i'.anks's expedi-
tion to the Red River. At the battle of
Nashville, in December, 1864, Colonel
Gilbert was in command of four regi-
ments and a battery of light artillery, and
led the charge on the left (lank of Hood's
army, starting the retreat and rout of that
.general's army. l'"or gallantry at these
battles the colonel was promoted to be
brigadier-general. His brigade attested
their admiration for their commander by
presenting him with a costly sword, upon
which are inscribed the names of the bat-
tles in which he participated. I'jjon this
fine gold-mounted sword is inscribed the
following: " Presented by officers of the
Second Brigade, Second Division, Six-
teenth Army Corps, composed of the Six-
teenth .Minnesota. Tenth Kansas, Twen-
ty-seventh Iowa. Thirty-second Iowa, and
One himdred and seventeentii Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry, to Brigadier-tieneral Isham
(lillnrt. as a testimonial of respect to a
gentleman, an officer, and a friend." On
the op])osite side of the scabbard from
this inscrijjtion, is engraved a list of bat-
tles in wliich ( Icneral (Iilbert participated,
as follows : —

Little Rock, September 10. 1863.

I'ort De Russey. .March 14. 1864.

Pleasant Hill. .\])ril 9, 1864.

Chow Anville. April 23, 1864.

.Marksville Plains, .May 16. i8f)4.

Lake Chicat, July 6, 1864.

Tupelo, Miss,, July 14, 1864.

Oldtown Creek. July 15, 1864.

Nashville. December 15 and 16, 1864.

Fort i'.lakely, Ala., .\pril (). 1865.

lOTO

BIOGRAPHICAL REIIEIV

His commissions are dated as colonel.
Aug. lo. i8^)2: as brigadier-general, Feb.
9, 1865; as major-general, .March 26, 1865.
At the close of the war, (k-neral Gilbert
took up his abode in Burlington, Iowa,
whore his mother, two brothers, and only
sister abode, and then entereil into part-
nershi]) with his brother, John Webster,
and W. Dallam Gilbert in the luniher
business, in which they had been engaged
since 1851 under the name of (iilbcrt
Bros., now Gilbert, Hedge & Co.

Geiural ( iillurt was a lover of the beau-
tiful, as the grounds about the stately
homes occui)icd by him at different pe-
riods in Burlington attest. His home on
Prospect Point, coiumanding an extensive
view of the Mississip]>i River, was one
of the handsomest in Burlington. His
stables were always filled with line horses,
for which he had the keenest apprecia-
tion, and the lion of the stables was the
beautiful bay war-horse "Dandy," who
h:i<l been his companion throughout the
war.

In 1877, he cml>arke(l in extensive min-
ing transactions with his old-time friend
and ])art!U'r, "Diamond Joe" Reynolds,
of .St. Louis, of steamboat fame, and re-
moved to Georgetown. I-'or the next
seven years succeeding he continued to
live in Colorado, at various points, but a
year and a half previous to his death had
taken up his abiding place in Topeka,
Kans., where he quietly dropped asleep,
never to wake, Saturday night, Feb. 11,
1884, the cause of his death being paraly-
sis of the heart. .\ To])eka pajier com-
mented as follows: "One of the most
distinguished and gallant soldiers of the
Civil War has just <lied in this city." His
funeral took place in Burlington, where.

in the (iilbert lot in .\spen Grove ceme-
tery, he lies amidst his jjarents, child, broth-
ers, and others of his kin.

The Iowa pajiers commented freely
upon his life and death and the nobilit\
of his character. I quote as follows:
"General liilbert was lor many years a
citizen of Burlington, and his death will
cause widespread regret among the many
who admired this high-principled, digni-
fied, genial gentleman. .As a citizen he
was progressive, liberal, and representa-
tive, and in business affairs and private
life, was the soid of honor and of excel-
lence."

The following is a tribute from a fel-
low-soldier: "The soldiers who were in
the Twenty-seventh Iowa Infantry, as
well as those who were in other regi-
ments, and who may have been from time
to time brigaded with the Twenty-
seventh, are saddened at the death of
General James I. Gilbert, who was the
gallant colonel of the twenty-sc\enth. Oi
the many soldiers of Iowa and the North-
west who knew Colonel Gilbert, none
knew him but to love and admire him.
He was of most commanding physique,
and always commantled with bravery and
dignity. It is entirely safe to say that no
man ever commanded a regiment of men
whose confidence and love for their com-
mander were more complete than was
that of his regiment for him. In the many
battles through which he ])assed during
the war, he showed the most consummate
bravery and daring: but after the battle
was over, was the time when his great,
manly heart was exercised for the suf-
fering ones around him ; and how (|uick
he was to aid and assist them in distress!
This same great nature was always his.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1071

l\Iany, many times have T seen him, when
on a long marcli. ride alon.ir I'k- line until
he saw some lame and tired soldier, when
he would dismount, and having placed the
weary one upon his steed, would himself
walk, perhap.s for nnlcs, till he had
reached camp. Then always before re-
tiring, he made a visit to each tent in
the regiment. The colonel, for his good
soldierly ability and bravery, was made a
brigadier-general long before the close of
the war. W'hile tributes have been writ-
ten and published in some of the maga-
zines of the day, commenting upon the
good qualities of the great men of the
war, yet none of them all was braver or
kinder than James Isham Gilbert."

From the Burlington Hazvk-Eye: " Gen-
eral James I. (Albert, than whom no more
genial gentleman or bra\er soldier ever
lived in Iowa, a former resident of Piur-
lington for many years, died at Topeka,
Kans., Saturday evening, of paralysis of
the heart, the unexpected and sad intelli-
gence of his dissolution being conveyed
to his aged mother and brothers residing
in this city, yesterday morning. The news
was generally circulated upon the streets,
general regret being expressed at the tak-
ing away of a man who was the embodi-
ment of honor, integrity, and bravery. He
was one of the public-s]Mrited, leading,
and representative men of I'.urlington, be-
ing connected v^ilh the lumber firm of
Gilbert, Hedge & Co. At the outbreak of
the rebellion, he organized the Twenty-
seventh Iowa Infantry, which was mus-
tered in at r)ulni(|ue in 1862. and of which
Mr. Gdbert was made colonel. His regi-
ment participated in the expedition to the
Red River, under the command of Gen-
eral Hanks, and was engaged in the mili-

tary operations in Tennessee. .\t the bat-
tle of Nashville he served with distinc-
tion, and for the bravery he displayed was
promoted to the rank of brigadier-general.
He commanded four regiments and a bat-
tery of light artillery. Three brigades of
the army had been repulsed in their ef-
forts to silence a battery, the capture of
which was essential to the success of the
Union forces. ' Can you take that bat-
tery?' asked General Thomas. 'I can,
and I will," was General Gilbert's prompt
and firm reply. He effectually silenced
the battery ; and later in the day General
Thomas addressed him, ' I hope vour
future will be as bright as the star that
will soon adorn your shoulder.' He was
made a brigadier-general. At Mobile,
General Gilbert, by his bravery, won the
praise of (leneral Canby. He captured
Fort De Russey, and at the close of the
war was sent to Te.xas to take charge of
military affairs, and a short time after
was mustered out of the service, at his
urgent solicitation."

From a Des Moines paper: "In the
heat of debate, the senators paused long
enough to hear read and pass a joint reso-
lution, paying the tribute of the great
State of Iowa to the memory of her great
soldier and citizen, who has lately passed
away. General James Isham Gilbert, of
the Twenty-seventh Iowa. Several of
his old soldiers are in the Legislature, and
in the light of fading day the senators sat
with bowed heads and busy brains as the
joint resolution was read, and back rolled
the \'ears of time, and once more the roar
of the cannon and tlie whistle of the min-
nie was heard, and tlic old flag seen ad-
vancing, carried by the Twenty-seventh
Iowa, on the bloodv field of Pleasant Hill.

I072

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and each one respondcil to tlic low call of
his name by the secretary, in a still lower
voice, and the joint resolution was adopted
unaniinonsly, showinj^ that an Iowa Leg-
islature still dcliphted to honor the name
of her heroic dead."

I-Vom the liurlingtoi) IIai\.'k-E\c: —

"gknkkai. (;ii.1!i:i<t"s military

KIXORIJ.

"The 1 "weiity-sevenlh Iowa \oluiileers,
of which (jeneral (lilbcrt was colonel, was
recruited in the nortliirn part of Iowa, for
the most part from counties in the tliird
congressional district. ( )n the third of
October, 1862. they were imistered into
the service, the rolls at this time being
nine hundred and tifty-tvvo (052) cnliste<l
men and forty (40) officers. Within a
wejk after entering tile service, the regi-
ment was ordered to .Minnesota to aid
(jeneral PoiJe. Shortly afterward (General
(iilbert was ordered to Mille Lac. a vil-
lage on the lake of that name, one hun-
dred and .twenly-fi\e miles north of St.
I'aul. there to su])erintend the iJaynicnt of
annuity to certain Indians. Taking six
companies of his regiment. Colonel Gil-
bert marcluMl rai)idly thitherward, per-
formed the iluties assigned him. and re-
turiu-<l to St. I'aul on the 4lh of .\'o\em-
ber. While Colonel (Iilbert was absent
on the march to Mille Lac, Major How-
ard, commanding the four companies
whicii had liieii left ,it h'ort Snelling. re-
ceived orders to rejxirt with his detach-
ment at Cairo, 111. Cpon returning to
St. I'aul. Colonel (iilbert received simi-
lar orders, and immeili.alelv proceeded
to Cairo. The united command re-
ceived orders to march with the forces
under General Sherman. The men com-

plained loudly of the (piality of their arnts.
which were old Prussian muskets, jjoor
at best, but Colonel (iilbert had the nerve
and tact to satisfactorily sileiue .ill com-
plaints,"

While General (jrant was inaugurating
the cam])aign against Vicksburg, the
Twenty-seventh Iowa was posted in de-
tachments at various places on the rail-
road, not far froiu Jackson, Colonel (iil-
bert being in ct)mmand of that post. He
here won the highest com])liments of (len-
eral Oglesby for his energetic adminis-
tration, which was es]>ecially commend-
able on account of the unrelenting sys-
tem whereby rich inhabitants wxre coni-
jjelled to contribute to the su])])ort of the
indigent L'uion people who had been
driven from home, and sought jirotection
within the lines. In the ca])ture of Little
Rock, the regiment did not take an active
])art. the fighting of the occasion being
done princi])ally by cavalry and artillery.
The regiment remained op])osite the city
about two months, on guard and ])icket
duty, (."olonel (iilbert the most of the time
being in command of the brigade. On
the 15th of Xovember, he moved his com-
mand by rail to Durrall's I'luff. and going
thence by steamer down the White and
up the Mississippi River, reported to Gen-
eral llurlburt at Memphis, near which
city they went intt> (piarters, and there
remained till near the close of January.
1864. ( )n the 26th of January of that
year the regiment moved down the river
to X'icksburg, and engaged in the battle
of IMeasant Hill, in which Colonel (iilbert
was wnuniUd in the hand during the
afternoon, but remained in the field
thnnighout the engagement. .\l)ove and
below (jreenville, .Marmaduke was doing

DES MOINES COUNTV, JOll,!.

1073.

much damage, (jcncral Smith left Vicks-
biirg to dislodge the troublesome intruder,
who was routed, and the l)loekade of the
river raised. In this spirited alTair, in
wdiich the losses were about one hundred
and twenty-five (125) on each side. Col-
onel (Gilbert commanded the brigade.
Throughout the campaign of Tupelo, he
commanded a brigade, and the regiment
bore its full share of the labors, skir-
mishes, and battles. In the battle of
Xashville, the Twenty-seventh, Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Lake commanding. Colonel
Gilbert ])eing in conuiiand of the brigade,
took a prominent ])art, entering the rebel
works, or engaging any trooi)s on their
part of the line, capturing guns ;ind ])ris-
oners, and doing its whole duty, with a
bravery unsurpassed. The regiment was
the jjivot of General Smith's army, which,
making a grand left whet'l, swung an.uind
the enemy's left, fighting splendidly all
the way, capturing e\ery fortification in
the front, sex'eral lines of good works,
and large numbers of prisoners, the colo-
nel commanding, and his troops won
great eclat for their conduct on the field.
It was not long afterward that Colonel
Gilbert was promoted, without a ])article
of political influence, to the rank of briga-
dier-general. His brigade in this contlict
met with casualties numbering only
ninety-one, a most honorable and gratify-
ing fact, which may be accounted for by
the wild firing of the rebels.

"The Twenty-seventh next ])articipated
in the campaign against Mobile. On
April 2, it was sent out with the brigade.
General Gilbert cunimanding. on a recon-
naissance, with the oliject, also, of open-
ing communication with General Steele,
about to invest the works of lilakel)'. It

was on this march that General (Jilbcrt
narrowdy escaped death from a torpedo
buried in the road, whicii was exploded
by his horse trampling on it. General
(Gilbert was entirely uninjured, although
the sand was driven with such force
against the horse as to start the blood all
along his sides. General (Gilbert moved
with General Canard's army division to
the k'ft of (ieneral .Steele, now besieging"
lUakely, the regiment doing excellent
service. On April <), an impetuous charge
was made on the rebel works, and the
garrison fell. In this fine success, General
( iilbert's brigade captured eight ijieces of
artillery, six hundred prisoners, with a
loss to itself of less than thirty men,
killed and wounded. He gave higli praise
to all the officers and men o£ his com-
mand. General Gilbert, for his gallant,
skilful conduct in ibis brilliant operation,
was again recommended for promotion,
which no doul)t he would ha\a' at once
receivicl but for the cessation of hostili-
ties. He was brevetted a major-general
.soon afterward. .\t Montgomery the
command awaited orders for mustering
nut. ( )n the 2,^1 I if Jime. General Gil-
bert issued an eloquent farewell a<ldress
to his troops, and de])arted for the North,
l)earing with him the benedictions of all
bis old comrades in arms. Such is the
military record of General Gilbert, tiriefly
told. He was a bold, fearless, intrepid
commander, and brave as the bravest."

I'ersoual : In regard to General (jil-
bert's education, he attended for a time
the school in I'rairie du Chien, but later
the grandfather ( lilbert sent East for a
tutor for his children, and he resided in
his famil\. The children ac(|uircd a flu-
ent commaml of the I'rench language as

I074

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

taught tluin by the Canadian French, and
were conversant with the languages of
the several tribes oi Indians by whom
they were surrounded. ( jrandniothcr Gil-
bert employed an Indian nurse, and the
children, with this nurse, would fre-
quently ])ass an entire day with the Chip-
pewa tribe unmolested. Their free, health-
ful, out-of-door life developed in the boys
the fine physique for which they were
noticeable, making of them the strong
and rugged types of manhood that ren-
dered tluiii veritable "sons of Anak."'
General (iilbert was nearly six feet in
height, broad-shouldered, and of good
weight in ])roportinn to his height. My
father was never tired of rehearsing his
deeds of bravery and his nobility of char-
acter. He was the ideal son, brother,
husband, and father, and of such mag-
netic sweetness of nature as to draw all
men unto him. W'c children grew up
reverencing our soldier uncle, and con-
tinue to revere his memory, and feel that
" To live in hearts we leave Ix^hind, is not
to die."

ROBERT BURNS.

No history of Des Moines county
would be coni])lete without mention of
Robert Burns, who has passed the nine-
tieth mile-stone in life's journey, and is
therefore one of the most venerable citi-
zens of this i)arl of the State. He is so
well ])reservcd, however, both mentall\'
and physically, that he would hardly lie
accredited with that number of years by
those unfamiliar with his history. In
spirit and interests he seems yet in his

prime, and kee])s well informed concern-
ing the events of the day. He was born
March 21, 181 5. in .\dams county, Ohio,
his jjarents being Andrew and Hannah
(.\danis) Burns. He comes of the same
family to which belonged the illustrious
bard of Scotland. Robert Burns. His
father was a farmer, and was reared in
Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Vir-
ginia, and afterward to Adams county.
Ohio. The education of Robert Burns
was obtained in the olil-time subscrijjtion
schools, and it was not until he was
eighteen years of age that he had the
opportunity of attending a free school.
He began his education in a dilapidated
old log building with greased paper win-
dows, and in one end of the room was
an immense fireplace. There were slab
seats, and the desk was formed by laying
a slab u])on wooden pegs driven into the
wall.

Robert Burns left Ohio, after edu-
cating himself in both vocal and violin
music, and in 1856 went to Morning Sun.
Iowa, where he lived and taught music
for ten years. He then removed two
miles north of the town, where he spent
three years, and in 187 J came to his pres-
ent home in Yellow Springs township,
purchasing forty acres of land. He after-
ward sold twenty acres of this, and now
retains the remainder. He was married
Jan. 31, 1837. to Miss Jane Milligan. who
was born in Adams county, Ohio, April
22. 1811;, and was also educated there in
the early schools. Her ]iarents were
James and Mary (Pilson) Milligan. .Mr.
and Mrs. Burns jiad one child, .Mary
Caroline, who was born Feb. 12. 1830-
and died of cholera .Vug. 7, 1849.

Out of the kindness of their hearts,

DES MOINES COUNTY. IOWA.

IOTt

liDwevcr, they liavo given homes to other
ehildren. They adopted Evaline Trimble,
\vh(3 was i)orn in western Iowa, Ang. 7,
1873, and was a dan,t,diler of IIum])hrcy
and Phclia (\'aughan) Trimljle, who
came hy wagon to eastern Iowa. The
father died when thirty-five years of age,
leaving the family, consisting of the
mother and six children (the eldest being
only nine years of age), in very limited
financial circumstances, and Mr. and Mrs.
IJurns then adopted the daughter, Eva-
Una. After the loss of her first husband
Mrs. Trimble married George Mason,
and they have one child, Etta Pearl, who
now lives at W'oodburn, in Clark county,
Iowa. The other members of the Trim-
ble family were: Mar\' Minerva, who
died at the age of thirty-tliree years;
John \'auglian, living in Sioux Rapids,
Iowa; Cora Luella, wife, of Millard
Sprinkle, living three miles east of New-
port, Iowa; William .Andrew, residing at
Genesee, Idaho; and Anna Deborah, who
died at the age of eight years. The other
child whom Air. and Mrs. Burns adopted
was Adelaide Grubb, a daughter of John
and Adeline Grubb. She married Joseph
Lenty, and lives two miles north of Morn-
ing Sun.

Mr. and .Mrs. linrns have now traveled
life's journey together for sixty-eight
years, and for several years past their
friends have gathered on each anniver-
sary of their wedding to celebrate the occa-
sion. Jan. 31, 1905, the celebration was
held in the spacious home of Mr. and
Mrs. R. G. Reed, and one hundred and
thirty-five guests were present. A sub-
stantial meal was served, and afterward
an interesting program was rendered, a
number of speeches being made by those

present, while some excellent musical
numljers were rendered. There were
also many letters of congratulation and
greeting from absent friends, and the oc-
casion was one long to be remembered by
every one present. Mr. and Mrs. Burns
are always in attendance at the old set-
tlers' meetings, and it was arranged that
at the last meeting this venerable couple
of near!)- ninety years were to sing. They
did so ; and others who were to take part
then declined to fill their places on the
program because .Mr. and Mrs. Burns
had done so well.

He followed the profession of teaching
music for over twenty years after coming
to Des .Moines county, and from the age
of eighteen years until about two years
ago he was leader of the church choir,
and is still one of the bass singers. Mr.
Burns yet operates all of his own farm,
and nearly every year also rents an addi-
tional tract. I'oth he and his wife have
long been devoted members of the Re-
formed Presbyterian church. In 1903 he
suffered an accident whereby all of his
ribs on the right side were broken, to-
gether with his collar bone. He was
driving a team of horses from Mediap-
olis, which, becoming frightened at a
burro, threw him from the buggy; but in
due course of time he recovered his
health. Mrs. Burns also enjoys good
health, and her eyesight and hearing are
very slightly impaired. Since joining the
Reformed Presbyterian church she has
missed only three communion days, and
.Mr. Burns has missed but one since
eighteen years of age. They are a re-
markable couple, and their lives of
Christian rectitude furnish an example
well worthv of enuilation.

1076

BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lIiW

JOHN WILSON WILLIAMS.

John Wilson Williams, who was prom-
inently connected with many of the early
surveys of the State, and has left the im-
press of his individuality and ability upon
the le}^islation of Iowa by reason of his serv-
ice in the State Senate and his influence
in political circles, was bom in Qiarlotte,
\ t.. .March 25, 1816, his parents being John
Wilson and Minerva (Barnes) W'illiams.
His education was acquired in the early
schools of his native town an<l in the high
scliool at Ileinsburg. IK- was reared by
Mrs. .\nna I'arnes. his grandmother and also
his guardian. an<l when he was twenty years
of age she gave him a portion of his patri-
mony, having complete confidence in his
business ability and trustworthiness. He
then started out in life on his own account,
making his way westwanl to Hancock
county. 111., where he made investments.
He determined to become a surveyor, and
received his theoretical knowledge of the
profession from a Mr. Johnson in Wrmont.
while his ])ractical training came from Mr.
Sheldon, a noted civil engineer of Jackson-
ville. 111., under whose direction he followed
the business until lu- became a practical and
skilled civil engineer.

Mr. Williams maintaimil his residence
in Illinois until 1S41), when he came to Des
Moines county. Iowa, where he had pre-
viously purchased three hundred acres of
land lying in various tracts. He settled on
a tract of one Inmdrid acres in Section 13.
Huron township. ;md thereon continued to
make his home initil iiis death, which ])eriocl
covered almost forty-five years. He de-
veloped this ])ro|)erty from its jirimitive
condition, turning the first furrows in the
fields, and continuing the work of improve-

ment until modern buildings and rich har-
vests gave evidence of his care, supervision,
and practical methods. Indeed, his farm
became one of the best in the comity ; but it
did not re|)resent alone his landed posses-
sions, for. as he was able to save from his
profits a sum sufficient for further purchase,
he added to his land, anil at one time was
the owner of twenty-seven hundred acres,
while at the time of his death he retained
possession of alxmt si.xleen lumdred acres.
He also became greatly interested in stock-
raising, and fed many hundred cattle. He
likewise pastured many others, his landed
interests giving excellent o])i)ortunity in this
direction. IK- also followed surveying, after
his arrival in this county, and as an expert
representative of the profession he surveyed
the bomidary line between .Missouri and
Iowa, and also surveyed many of the islands
in the .Mississippi River for the government.
He did only exjjert work in this line, having
gained a rei)utation as one of the most
skilled followers of the calling.

In his political affiliations .Mr. Williams
was a Whig in early life, casting his first
presidential ballot for the candidate of that
party in 1837. I'jjon the organization of
the Republican ])arty he joined its ranks, and
was one of its stanch advocates throughout
his remaining days. .\ man of marked in-
fluence and capability, his fitness for leader-
ship was readily recognized, and he was
elected to the State Senate, where he ren-
dered conspicuous and distingui.shed service
to the connnonwealtli. i !<.■ was also a repre-
sentative in the lower house of the State
Legislature, and was connected with many
important constructive measures, while to
each cptcstion which came up for settlement
he gave earnest and thoughtful consider-
ation.

DES MOIXliS COl'XTV. IOWA.

1077

Mr. Williams was married in P,iirlin<^l()n.
Dec. I, 1847, to Miss Julia Ann Robison. a
daughter of Charles and Jerusha ( Kellogg)
Robison. Mrs. Williams was born in Ohio,
on Mill Creek, where her people were i)rom-
inent pioneer residents, her natal day being
Feb. 14, 1822. The six children born of
this marriage were as follows : Herrick-. born
Oct. 7, 1848, in Hancock county. Til., mar-
ried Emma J. Pugh, a daughter of James
L. and IMary E. (Barnett) Pugh. They
have three children living and three de-
ceased : Frank H., who resides on the
island: Maggie, who died in 181/) at the
age of fifteen years ; James Wilson, who is
married, and resides upon part of the old
homestead farm; Ida M., wife of Ed. Alc-
Fadden, living in Oakville ; Charles, who
died in T887, at the age of nineteen
months; and Elmer, who died about 1891,
when nine months old. Lela Minerva, the
second child of Mr. and Mrs. Willi;iiiis, died
when about twenty months old. Wilson
Barnard, living in ( )akville, owns a ])art of
the old homestead ])roperty in Huron town-
ship, but much of the farm was sold to
German settlers who located here in 1902.
Minnie Minerva, the next member of the
famil\-, died in 1886 at the age of twenty-
five years. Julia Eliza is the wife of David
\\'addle, a resident of West Plains, Mo.
One child died in infancy unnamed.

Mrs. Williams came to Des Moines county
at a very early epoch in its development, and
was one of the first school-teachers within
its borders. She did not regard her own
education as completed at that time, and
afterward continued her studies in Warsaw,
Carthage, and Galesburg, 111. She remem-
bers the boats that plied the rivers in 1829,
and relates many interesting reminiscences
of pioneer times. In fact, she has written

many articles concerning the early days,
and is one of the most intelligent and cul-
tured j)ioneer women of the county. To her
husband she was ever a faithful companion
and helpmeet on life's journey.

Mr. Williams was a Congregationalist
in religious faith, and took an active and
helpful part in every movement tending to
promote the social and material welfare of
the coninumity, and to uphold its legal, po-
litical. an<l moral status, lie Ijonght land at
the fir.st land sale held in this locality, and
served as deputy county surveyor of Des
Moines county while still at work in Illinois.
I-'rom that early day until his death he was
closely associated with the improvement and
progress of this section of the State, and
was numbered among its luost distinguished
pioneer residents, his efforts contributing to
the best interests of the commonwealth, as
well as to his home comnuuiity. He was
thorough in all that he undertook, pos-
sessed keen discernment, recognized possibil-
ities and utilize<l advantages not only for his
personal profit and achancement but also for
the welfare of the whole community. True
nobility of character won him high esteem,
strong purpose caused his efforts to be
crowned by successful accomplishment, and
thorough reliability made his name a re-
spected one wherever it was known.

HERMAN MEYERS.

11i;kma.\ .Mmykks, owner of extensive
landed interests in Des Moines county,
his realty holdings aggregating six hun-
dred and twenty acres, was born in Prus-
sia. C.ermany, .Aug. 13, 1839. When three
years of age he was brought to .America

1078

BIOGRAPHICAL REyiEiy

by his parents. Henry and Mary (Smith)
Meyers, wlio embarked on an old-time
sailing vessel, which, after ten weeks and
four days spent upon the water, dropped
anchor in the harbor of New Orleans.
They then continued their journey up the
Mississippi River to St. Louis, and on to
I'.urling'ton.

When he had reached 1 )es Moines
county, the father purchased one hundred
and twenty acres of land in I'enton town-
slii]). In his farm work he was intensely
I)ractical, and his resolute purpose and
laudable ambition proved effective in win-
ning success. .-\s the years went by he
added other land, and made his h(jme up-
on the farm until his death, which oc-
curred in 1885. when he had reached the
very advanced age oi eighty-eight years.
Mis wife had long since ])assed away,
having died in i!^53. when fifty-tliree years
of age. In their family were six children,
of whom Charles, of Hancock county,
Illinois, Mary, the wife of Theo. Ickof, of
I'lUrlington. and Herman, are still Ii\ing,
while I-'red. William, and Charles, have
passed away.

Herman Meyers, reared in this county,
has been familiar with its development
and ])rogress for more than six decades.
He shared with the family in the hard-
ships and trials thai form a part of the
exi)erience of every pioneer settler, and
as his age and strength permitted he more
and more largely aided in the work of the
home farm. Eventually he became the
owner of land, and carried on farming on
his own account.

It was in 1863 that Ik- juirchased one
hundred and twenty acres in Yellow
Springs, Benton, and Franklin townships,
and as his financial resources have in-

creased he has wisely placed his money in
land, which is the safest of all invest-
ments, until he now has over six hundred
and twenty acres. He has also given
much land to his children, and he expects
soon to retire from the farm and remove
to Mediapolis, where he will spend his
remaining days in well-earned ease, en-
joying the fruits of his former toil. At
<:)ne time he was (|uite ^extensively en-
gaged in the raising of cattle and hogs,
and was accounted one of the most pro-
gressive and prosperous agriculturists of
the county. At the time of the Civil War
he was drafted for service, but he fur-
nished a substitute.

In March, 1861. Mr. .Meyers was mar-
ried to Miss Mary Granaman, a daughter
of Christ and Caroline (Ueckman) Grana-
man. Ten children have been born of
this union: I.onie. the wife of Henry l!re-
der; Louis; Molly, the wife of Henry
lUirney ; William ; Lona, the wife of John
Thie: ICmma, the deceased wife of
Charles Ileizer; Minnie, at home; and
three who died in infancy.

Mr. Mej'ers has always been generous
with his family, and devoted to their wel-
fare. He is a man whose many personal
traits of character are in accord with the
elements of good citizenshi]), honesty in
l)usiness. and reliability in all life's rela-
tions.

JAMES HENDERSON.

TiiK State of New York has furnished
scores and scores of men who have set-
tled in nearly every State in the Union,
and by so doing have assisted very ma-
terially in the ui)building of the same.

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1079

Iowa claims a goodly number of New
Yorkers, among them being James Hen-
derson, of this review. He is a son of
William and Margaret (Smith) Hender-
son, and was born in Meredith, Delaware
county, N. Y., Aug. 23, 1838. His parents
were married in TJelawarc county, Xew
York, and became the parents of eight
children, six of whom grew to maturity :
Mary, married James Cummings, and
lives in Louisa county, Iowa ; ElizalxHh
and John B., both deceased ; Margaret,
the wife of Thomas Cummings, has passed
away ; Hugh, died in tlie Civil \\'ar, after
serving for a year and a half ; and James,
of this review.

The father came to Iowa in 1S53, and
located in Yellow Springs township,
where he purchased a large tract of land,
consisting of two hundred and ten acres,
from Samuel McElhinney, where he es-
tablished his Western home, in which he
lived till he was called to his home be-
yond the skies. He was a member of the
Reformed Presbyterian church, and a
man whose aim in life was of the very
highest.

The education of our subject was be-
gun in New York, and as he was but
fifteen years old when he came to Des
Moines county, he had the privilege of
attending the district schools in his
adopted home. W'hen his school days
were at an end, he turned his attention
to farming, remaining under the parental
roof for many years.

March 27, 1867, Mr. Henderson was
married to Miss Mary Jane Huston, a
daughter of John and Susanna (Craig)
Huston. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Henderson
have been born nine children: Susanna
Margaret : Hugh I., lives on a farm ad-

joining his father's; William John; Let-
titia A., is Mrs. James Carson, of Wyman,
Iowa ; Josiah James, at home ; Mary Isa-
belle, married Leonard .\. I-'lindt, and re-
sides at Evans, Colo.; Lettie Almira, a
twin to Lettitia, died at the age of six
months ; Rosa Etta, died when about four
months old; and an unnamed infant, also
deceased.

.Mr. Henderson has three hundred and
thirty-eight and one-lialf acres of land,
one hundred of which is in Section 6, one
iiundred and sixty in Section 8, and
eighty acres in Section 7. When this
property fell into the hands of Mr. Hen-
derson, it was in its ])rimitive state, only
eighty acres being broken. All the nice
and modern iniiirovements were made by
our subject and his father, the former
having erected a comfortable dwelling of
eight rooms and the necessary conve-
niences for grain and stock. Mr. Hender-
son and his son annually raise on an aver-
age of about fifty head of hogs, five to
ten head of cahes, and three or four colts,
mostl}- of the draft stock. They also raise
a few colts of fine bred fast stock. This
place is well kept up and is one of the
best in the county.

In all public enterprises Mr. Hender-
son has been an active, energetic worker,
and no one stands higher in the respect
and confidence of the people of this com-
munitv than does he.

HON. JAMES BRUCE.

jA^rEs Bruce was born March 19, 1814,
in Frederick county, Virginia, and died May
I, 1888, at Mediapolis, Iowa. His father,

io8o

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

fames Bruce, was a native of Frederick
county, and volunteered as a soldier in the
Revolutionary army, in 1779, when' seven-
teen years old. His father was a Quaker,
and opposed to his son bearing arms, and
through the influence of his friends. Law-
rence Washington, a nephew of deneral
Washington, had hini made wagon-master,
and he served in that position. The mother
of James Bruce was Ann B.. a daughter of
Morris Job and Lydia Bond, of Maryland.

The family removed to Highland county.
( )Iiio. in 1815. and James came to Des
Moines county. Iowa. .\i>ril 1, li^^j, three
tlays later entering a claim which was his
for thirty-eight years.

lie married Mary H.. a daughter of
Judge David Rankin. March 28. 1839. He
was a member of the first Ixianl of supervi-
sors of Des Moines county in 1861. also iti
1862-63, 3nd chairman of that body. He
was a member of the House of Represent-
atives of the tenth general assembly in 1865.

His later years were spent quietly in his
home in Mediapolis. Both his sons served
in the Civil War. the elder, Lawrence H.
C. liruce. dying from wounds received at
^'ellow Bavou. La.

SAMUEL FULLENWIDER, M. D.

Dk. Sa.ml'ki. 1- 1 i.i.k.s w idkk. who for
many years was an active member of the
medical jjrofession of Des Moines county,
and whose kindly spirit and Christian
life, as well as ])rofessional skill, made
him honored and respected by all men.
was born in Shelby county. Sejit. 6. 1803.
His boyhood and youth were passed
without incident of s|><ci;il im])ortance.

and m 1858. when twenty-five years of
age. he was married to .Miss Jane Hous-
ton, a native of Mason count\ . Kentucky.
Soon afterward they removed to Indiana,
locating near Lafayette, where Dr. I"ul-
lenwider engaged in the practice of medi-
cine, for which work he had i)reviouslv
prejiared. In this cajiacits- he did much
good throughout the community, being a
conscientious practitioner whose labors
were effective in alleviating suffering and
checking the i-avages of disease. While
in that locality he became deeply inter-
est v-d in the founding of Wabash College,
and did everything in his power to ])ro-
mote the enterprise.

In 1837 Dr. F"ullenwider removed from
Indiana to Iowa. locating in the village
of Wllow S|)rings. but subsecpiently ]nir-
ciiased a tract of lan<l known as the Leon-
ard \- Seeds farm. He erected thereon a
brick residence, and it was in that home
that his wife died in 1843. and her grave
was the first made in Kossuth cemetery.

in Deceni!)er. l.S4h, I )r. !• iillcnwider
was again married, his second union be-
ing with Miss .Mary .\. Blair, daughter
of Thomas Blair, a ])ioncer resident of
l)es .Moines county. She died in 1836,
and her rem;iins rest by the side of his
first wife.

Dr. l-"nllenwi(Ier continued the practice
of niediciiie after removing from ^'elIow
S])rings to Kossuth, traveling in the in-
terests of his |>rofession all over the
northern part of Des .Moines county, un-
til in atlvanccd years he gave u)) ])rofes-
sional service. He was a ])hvsician
trusted and well beloxed. and kept in
touch willi the progress ai the medical
fraternity. In jniblic affairs he was also
active and |)ro!ninenl in his community.

DF.S MOIXrS COUSTY. IOWA.

1081

He became one of the eleven charter
members who organized the Yellow
Spring;s Presbyterian church (X. S.) of
Kossulh, So])t. 12, 1840, and in connec-
tion with Thomas I'.lair and John ikindy
constituted the first board of ndins^ elders
of tile new church. At the time of the
amalgamation of the Round I'rairie and
Yellow Springs Presbyterian churches,
on the basis of reunion of the old and new
school bodies, adopted liy the two assem-
blies Xov. 10, i86g, the membership of
the two churches was transferred to the
new organization known as the First
Presbyterian church of Kossuth, and Dr.
Fullenwider continued his membershi])
therewith until his death, being a regular
and generous contributor to its support.
The cause of higher education also found
in him a warm friend, and he was one of
the founders and a charter member of
Jefferson Academy, of Kossuth, which
was organized in the winter of 1844.
Questions of state and national imjior-
tance also elicited his attention, and he
gave his co-operation to many measures
for the general good. He was a member
of the last Territorial Legislature of
Iowa, and a mend)er of the Senate of the
first general assembly following the ad-
mission of the State into the Union. A
man of strong and decided views, he al-
ways had the courage of his convictions,
and many instances are cited of how he
stood resolutely for a position which be
believed to be right, even though he had
the strong opposition of the majority.

Dr. Fullenwider passed away at the
home of his ilaughter, Mrs. Narcissa J.
McDill, in Preston, Iowa, Nov. 19, 1896,
and was survived by the following chil-
dren: J. H. Fullenwider, of Missouri;

Xarcissa J., the widow of the late Judge
J. W . .McDill, of Preston; Sanniel, who is
living in Pjclleville. 111.; and .\. L. I'ullen-
wider, of Colorado. Dr. hullenwider was
a man of wonderful will power, of strong
convictions, and had a keen sense of right
and wrong; he never faltered in his ad-
herence to a course which hi^ conscience
and his judgment sanctioned. During his
acti\-e life he was regarded as a leader in
his comnnmity, and he also bore no un-
important i)art in framing the early pol-
icy of the State. Few men in the com-
munity filled a larger sphere in shaping
the destiny of Des Moines county, for he
left his impress for good upon various
lines of activity which find consumma-
tion to-day in the splendid material, in-
tellectual, and moral ]>rogress of the
countv.

PROF. S. O. THOMAS.

li)i;xTiFiEi) with the work of the ])ublic
schools of Des Moines county, Iowa, for
more than forty years, and during the
greater ]iortion of that period occupying
a ])riiminent place in the forefront of
educational jarogress in Iowa, is Prof.
S. O. Thomas, who was born Dec. 12.
1838, in Elizabethtown, Pa., a son of
Thomas Francis antl Xancy (Kiln)
Thomas. In his youth he removed with
his parents to Washington county Penn-
s\lvania. where he attended the scliool
that afterward (levelo[)ed into the West-
ern Xormal School. .\s a boy and as a
vonng m.in he was variously em|)loyed.
but at the inception of the war between
the .States he relinquished all care for his
private interests, and resolveil to devote

I082

nrnck.ii'Hic.iL re\ iiiir

himself to the service ol his country. Ac-
cordingly he enlisted on ( )ct. I, 1861, in
Company 1), Kighty-tifth Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to
Casey's Division of the .Army of the
Potomac. .\t his own rc(|iiest he was
transferred, in iS()_'. to the Independent
New York Light .\rlillery. and with this
force he remained lor about one month,
when the advance was made on York-
town, lliere he had the misfortune to be-
come the victim of illness, and with others
was left in the hospital at that ])lace, and
later was removed to P.altimore, where
he remained until discharged on July 4.
1863. returning immediately to his home.
During his military e-\])erience he was
engaged in a number of skirmishes, but
on account of his illness was jjrevented
from |)articipating in the great battles of
the war.

At the close of the Civil War, Professor
Thomas, linking his fate with that of the
West, came to Des Moines county, ar-
riving here in December. 18O4, and took
uj) the work of teaching in the rural tlis-
trict schools, .\fter three very successful
terms in the country schools, he was
called into the service of the Hurlinglon
city schools, in the spring of 1867, and
this has ever since been the scene of his
efforts for the ad\ancement of education,
he teaching continuously for approxi-
mately forty years (with the exception of
three years on account of poor health) in
one school. During that time he was the
jirincipal, an office which he still retains,
and whose duties he has discharged with
such marked ability that his re-engage-
ment year after year has always been con-
sidered a matter of course, and only modi-
fied in the ])ublic mind by the possibility

that he might be induced, i)_\ M>nie of the
many flattering offers that have come to
him from other cities, to desert the local
field. He has always chosen, however,
to remain loyal to his first choice; and
although the school comprised at his
coming only one hundred twenty pupils,
the number rapidly increased under his
leadershij). finally attaining the six hun-
dred mark, with a corps of nine assistant
teachers. In i8<>7 the old school edifice
was destroyed by fire, and a new and
modern structure consisting of twelve
rooms, steam-heated, has been erected. In
that year also a redistribution of school
districts in the city limits cut off a large
portion of the old territory, thus decreas-
ing the number of |)upils to three hundred
seventy-six : but more modern methods
have been adopted, and while the number
of pupils has been reduced, the number of
assistants has been augmented to twelve,
a change which has resulted in a marked
increase of efficiency.

( )n .\ov. 2. 1871, Professor Thomas
wedded Miss Jessie Donnell, a daughter
of Thomas and Kuth Jane (Braden) Don-
nell, and to them have been born six chil-
dren, two of whom (lied in infancy, wliile
four survived until maturity, these being
as follows: Frank, now a resident of
Lewistdii. Idaho; Stella .May, who was
killed in an elevator acci<ient in Chicago,
Jan. 2/. Kpi ; IJert, also a resident of
klaho: and Jessie, now a student in Par-
son's College, at Fairfield, Iowa.

Politically, Professor Thomas is allied
with the Republican party, and in ad-
dition to his other activities has long been
a prominent worker in the cause of re-
ligion, being a member of the Presbyte-
rian church, which he has served for many

DES MOIXES COUXTV. IOWA.

1083

years as deacon, and he still holds that
office. As a man and a citizen his long
and upright course has won him universal
approbation, esteem, and regard, and his
record of splendid achievement as an edu-
cator is for his adopted State a matter of
unbounded pride and self-gratulation.

T. A. MERRILL.

T. A. Merrill, editor and proprietor
of the Neiv Era, at Mediapolis, was born
in this town Jan. 2, 1878, a son of James
and Jessie R. (Telfer) Merrill. The
father. James \\". Merrill, is a native of
Ohio, his I)irth having occurred in Mos-
cow, that State, July 31, 1833. In 1855,
subsequent to the death of his parents,
he came to Iowa, being at that time a
young man of twenty-two years. He was
married Dec. 17. 1863, to Miss Jessie R.
Telfer, who was born in Dundee, Scot-
land, April II, 1839, and is a daughter of
Alexander and Margaret (Robertson)
Telfer. Subsequent to his marriage Mr.
Merrill removed to Illinois, where he lived
for a nund^er of years. In 1869 he re-
turned to Northfield, and taught in the
schools of that neighborhood for several
years. In 1875 he purchased of O. S.
Green the printing plant at .Mediapolis.
and conducted the ])aper for some years
under the name of The Enterprise, after
which he changed it to the Xezi.' Era. He
then published the |)aper semi-weekly
until May, 1904, when it was purchased
by his .son, T. A. Merrill.

Mr. Merrill served for a short time in
the army as a member of Company Ci,
Forty-fifth Iowa Infantry, but because of

physical disability was unable to take a
very active part in the service. He has
for many years figured prominently in
journalistic and literary circles in Des
Moines county, and was the publisher of
the Yellow Springs and Huron townships
history.

T. .\. Merrill ])nrsued his education in
the public schools of Mediaiwlis, and in
his youth became familiar with the prin-
ter's trade, gaining practical experience
in his father's office. In 1899 he ])ur-
chased the Nichols Gaaette office, which
he still owns, and conducted that paper
until May, 1904. when he purchased the
Xeiv Era office of his father, and has since
continued the publication of the latter
journal as a semi-weekly ])aper. It is a
bright, enterprising sheet, devoted to the
dissemination of general and local news,
and has a large circulation.

Mr. Merrill was married to Miss Mattie
H. Miller, a daughter of Miles M. and
Jane (Sheppard) Miller. They have no
children.

MARLOW M. COON.

Maui.ow .M. Cooi\, who is following
farming and stock-raising in a practical,
])rogressive, and profitable manner in Yel-
low Springs township, was torn Oct. 11,
1846, his parents being Samuel and Maria
(Cook) Coon, both natives of New York.
Removing to the West, they settled in
Hancock county, Illinois, coming to that
State with their family of seven children.
They started by boat, and two of the chil-
dren. Rozeltha and Milo, died while en route.
The five children who lived were, Erniina,
Rosanna, Caroline, Lorenzo, and Lucy, but

ioH+

inOCR.IPHlC.lL KEIIIIW

Fvosaiina died at the age of nineteen years.
The fatlicr's death occurred in lUinois, May
17. iSiS". while his wife passed away June
-'3. 1 88 1.

Marlow .\l. Coon acconipanied his par-
ents on their removal to Illinois, .\fter
reaching adult age he was married in that
State to Miss Mary E. Hamilton, a daugh-
ter of George and I'olly A. (Owens)
1 laniilton, and a native of Indiana. She
was only four years old when her |)arents
removed to Illinois. Mrs. Coon was born
June 15, 1848, and by her marriage has
become the mother of the following named :
(iarah Hell, hnm Sept. 4, 1868, is the wife
of W . 15. I'olk, a resident of Denver, Colo. ;
Samuel Edward, born I'eb. 26, 1870, is liv-
ing in Burlington ; Wilson Weekley, born
Oct. 4, 1873, makes his home in Kossuth ;
John Thomas, born Jan. 24. 1875. is a resi-
dent of Chicagc); Charles .\rtluir. born July
9, 1877, 's located in Xorthfield, this county :
.Marlow Clinton, born Sept. 28, 1879. is liv-
ing in I'airfield, Iowa ; Margaret I'della.
born Sei)t. 20. 1881, is at home : Orval I'irch.
bi>rn ( )ct. 30. i.'<S4, is residing in Moline,
111.; and George N'ictor. born I'cb. 14. 1888.
is with his parents.

At the time of the Civil War, .Mr. Coon
offered his services to the government in
defense of the I'nion cause, enlisting in
March, 1863, as a member of Company D,
Sixty-fourth Illinois Infantry. He joined
the regiment at Carthage, 111., and was mus-
tered into service at Springfield, that State.
His command was assigned to the army of
the Trinussee. ami he participated in all the
engagements in which the regiment took
part, including those of the .-\tlanta cam-
l)aign and the celebrated march to the sea
under General Sherman. Mr. Coon was ever
faithful to the cause which he espoused,

and remained with his command until after
the close of hostilities, when lie received an
honorable discharge at Louisville, Ky., and
was mustered out at Chicago, in i8<')5.

Returning to his family in Illinois, Mr.
Coon continued to remain in that State
until 1887, when he came to Iowa, and here
he has continuously followed farming, hav-
ing a good tract of land in Sections 29 and
30, Yellow Spring.s' townshi]), twenty acres
being on the former section, and sixty
acres on the latter. This property has been
partially tiled, but much of it has natural
drainage, the alluvial soil producing excel-
lent crops. The land has all been cleared
and placed under a high state of cultivation,
so that the farm returns an excellent income
to the owner as a reward for his capable
Tiianagement and practical efforts in culti-
vating the place. He |)iirchased this property
from .Mrs. .Mc.Meen in .March, 1887, and im-
mediately took possession, since which time
he has carried on general agricultural pur-
suits. He has also made a study of the
raising of hogs, keeping on hand an average
of twenty-tive head of Poland China an<l
Duroc Jersey hogs. He is a member of the
(irand .-Xrmy post at .Mediapolis, and in
politics has been a stalwart Republican since
casting his first presidential ballot for Gen-
eral Grant.

ROBERT McELHINNEY.

RoitERT McElhinnev, one of the pioneer
settlers of Des Moines county, was a native
of Ireland, and after residing in Louisa
county, Iowa, for a time, he came to this
county, arriving May 28, 1840. It was
largely a wild and unimproved region, but
he feared not the hardships and trials inci-

DES MOINES COUXTV. IOWA.

1085

dent to frontier life, and resolved to make a
home for himself and family in this section
of the State. He therefore took up land
from the government, becoming the owner
of about four hundred acres, and the farm
upon which his son, Joseph M. McElhinney,
now resides is a part of the original tract.
The entire farm lay in Des Moines county,
but Mr. JMcElhinney always made his home
just across the boundary line in Louisa
county. He was an enterprising agricul-
turist, a man of enterprising purpose and
determined spirit, and in his fanning opera-
tions he accomplished whatever he under-
took. He died in 1883 ^' the advanced age
of eighty-seven years, and thus passed away
one of the well-known pioneer settlers of
this section of the State. He had contrib-
uted in substantial measure to the earlv
development and progress here. His wife
died about 1873 at the age of seventy-three
years. She was also a native of Ireland,
and their marriage was celebrated ere they
emigrated to the New World. They became
the parents of five children : Catherine, now
deceased; Gavin, who is living in Morning
Sun, Iowa ; John, of Leavenworth, Kans. ;
Joseph .M., who occupies the old home farm ;
and Samuel, who has also passed away.

Joseph M. McElhinney was born in Ca-
yuga county. New York. Oct. 26, 1829, and
was ten years of age when he came to Iowa.
He pursued his education in tiic early sub-
scription schools, the schoolhouse being built
of logs, and furnished, after the primitive
manner of the times, with rude benches and
a big fireplace. Reared to the occupation
of farming, he has always followed that pur-
suit, and is now the owner of one hundred
and ten acres of valuable land on Section
4, Yellow Springs township. The greater
part of this is under a high state of cultiva-

tion, and he also has twenty acres of timber
land in Louisa county. He has made all
of the im|)rovements ujjon his farm, erecting
his large dwelling in 1876, and the barn in
1875. There are other substantial buildings
on the place for the shelter of grain and
stock, and these in turn are surrounded by
well-tilled fields. Mr. .Mcl'^lliinney raises
annually from fifty to sixty head of hogs,
mostly of the Duroc breed, and he also has
some high-bred Hereford cattle.

On Feb. ly, 1862, Mr. McElhinney was
united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Wil-
son, a daughter of Robert and Mary (W^il-
son) Wilson. Her father was one of the
original Covenanters in this ])art of the coun-
try, and assisted in organizing the church in
Yellow Springs township. He was a man
of strong mentality and force of character,
and he left the impress of his individuality
for good upon the lives of those with whom
he came in contact. Mrs. McElhinney was
born in Ohio. March 28, 1833, and died Oct.
7. 1895. By her marriage she had become
the mother of three children : .\nna. the wife
of Matliew Hutchinson, of Yellow Springs
townshiij ; .\ancy, who died at the age of
two years ; and William, who is superintend-
ing the home farm. He was born in Yellow
.Springs township, .April 5, 1868, and was
married Jan. 3, 1895, to Miss Mary Ken-
nedy, whose birth occurred Nov. 29, 1872.
and who was a daughter of James Kennedy.
Mr. and Mrs. William McElhinney have
three chiklren : ( )live May. Ixirn June 18,
1896: James M.. burn Jan. 2\. 1899: ami
Martin Wilson, Ixirn July 2"/, 1904. The
McElhinney family has been represented in
the county from early pioneer times, and its
representatives have always been known as
enterprising agriculturists, reliable business
men, and faithful citizens.

lo8b

BIOGRAPHICAL REllIiW

THOMAS HUTCHCROFT.

Thomas Hutchcroit was born in York-
shire. F-lnglaiid, May 5, 1819, and died at
his home in MediapoHs. Iowa, June 13, 1905

He was united in marriage to Miss Eliza-
bi-tli Fowler, Aug. 16. 1855. To this union
one child was born, which died in infancy.
The couple came to America in 1858, and
settled in Des Moines county. They lived in
this township most of the time since coming
to this country, and for many years they
lived on the farm east of and adjoining the
town. In 1892 he retired from the farm and
settled in town, where he spent the remain-
der of his days.

Mr. Hutchcroft — or Uncle Tommy, as
lie was familiarly called — was a man of
good habits, worthy of the confidence of all
his relatives and neighbors ; honorable in
all his dealings with his fellow-men. He
was a loving husband, and his was a most
hos])itablc home, where all his friends —
who were legion — were always made wel-
come. He leaves an aged wife, with whom
he had lived half a century.

The funeral was held from the family
residence on Harrison Street at 1 : 30 p. m..
Thursday, and was attended by a large con-
course of relatives and friends. The casket
was covered with many beautiful and costly
Howers given by loving friends. Rev. \V. H.
Perdew conducted the services. .\ few
nuisical numbers were renderd by Edward
Bridges. M. L. Blake, Miss Circe Wagner,
and Miss Margaret McConnell, Miss Lou
Rogers playing the organ. The remains
were then conveyed to Kossuth cemetery,
where they were laid to rest until the resur-
rection morn. The |)all-bearers were
nephews of the deceased, and were as fol-
lows: I'" rank Driiikall, of Yarmouth; John

Drinkall, of Yannouth ; Henry Drinkall, of
\\'\ man ; Tiiomas Drinkall, of this place ;
William Pilling, of this place; and Oscar
Hutchcroft, of Arapahoe, Nebr.

People who were in attendance from a
distance were: Mrs. .Anna .\t1lick, .St. Paul,
Minn.: .Mrs. Hannah jordon, Mrs. Eliza
RundorfT, and .Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Dotter-
wich, of Burlington ; Mr. and Mrs. Moody,
and Mrs. Geo. Lane, of Winfield ; Mrs.
Elizabeth Drinkall, Mr. Wren Hutchcroft,
Mr. and Mrs. George Hutchcroft, Mrs.
Jessie McCann, Mrs. Mary Seickmann, .Mr.
and Mrs. Geo. Drinkall, Mr. and Mrs. Gil-
liar<l. and Miss Gladys Drinkall, of Yar-
mouth; -Mr. and Mrs. John Jack, of New
Port.

WILLIAM SCHAFFNER.

WlLLIA.M SCHAIF.VER, of Burllngtoll.

deputy sheriff of Des Moines county, has
been a factor in the progress and upbuild-
ing of his adopted city along industrial
lines, and by his long and honorable part in
public affairs has merited and won the
esteem of those who know him. Mr.
Schaffncr was born .April 4, 1835. in Unter-
maszfeld, duchy of Meiningen, Germany,
a son of Christopher Schaffncr, a minister
of the Lutheran church, and Carolina
(Fleischman) Schaffncr, the former of
whom died in 1840 and the latter in 1880.
Our subject is one of a family of five
brothers and one sister, of whom he is the
last survivor, all the others being now de-
ceased. He received his schooling before
leaving his native land, being educated in
a Real school, where he learned the French
and English languages, and also studied the

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

1087

economy of agriculture for a two years'
term on a large farm where actual farming
operations were conducted. Mr. Schaflfner
(lid not, however, drop study when he com-
pleted his term at sclifwl, but by constant
reading and observation has come to be a
well-informed man.

When only seventeen years of age Mr.
Schaffner decided that the best field for
his activities was to be found in America,
and he accordingly took passage in the
sailing vessel " Itzstein & Welker," from
which, after a voyage of sixty-two days' du-
ration, he landed at Baltimore on Aug. 17,
1852. From that city he traveled by rail to
Cincinnati and thence by boat to New Or-
leans by way of the Ohio River. He re-
mained in New Orleans during a period of
eight months, during which he acted as
clerk to an architect, and then went to
Louisville, Ky.. where for fifteen months he
was employed by a garden marketman. For
one year he occupied a position as clerk in
a delicatessen store in Louisville, and in
1885 he came West and located in Burling-
ton. He shortly formed a partnership with
Mr. Philip Bauer, in association with whom
he built what is now the Burlington brewers-
of Casper Heil. The firm, which was con-
ducted under the name of Bauer &
Schaffner, continued to operate the brewery
for seventeen years, or until the business
was abandoned in 1872.

During this period of his residence in
Burlington, ^Ir. Shaffner made many
friends in the city and throughout Des
Moines county, and as an active worker
for the success of the Democratic party won
much popularity and universal appreciation
for his determined character and strength
of purpose. LTn<ler the administration of
Mavor Adams he was appointed city

market- and weigh-master, an office which
he held for a .short time, and when the
death of Sheriff Latty left that office vacant
he was nominated by his ])arty ior the
place and elected in the fall of 1872. Later
he was re-elected and continued in office
for a total period of seven years, so satis-
factory was his adminstration. His dis-
charge of his duties was at all times highly
effective, for he conscientiously regarded
his office as a sacred trust, and one in which
he was morally obliged to serve the people
and the public interest with absolute and
unfailing fidelity. Upon the expiration
of his last tcmi as sheriff of Des Moines
county, he engaged for six or seven
years in soliciting work for the American
Publishing House of Chicago, for whom
he traveled in Nebraska selling the " En-
cyclopedia of Health and Home," with
which he had excellent success. Dur-
ing the incumbency of Sheriff George
Smith he received appointment as deputy
sheriff, and has remained in that office
during the tenure of Sheriffs Muenzen-
meier, Ernest, and Williams.

At Burlington on Nov. 22, 1855, Mr.
Schaffner was united in marriage to
Miss Dorothy Giebrich, who was born in
Germany, and came to .America when only
seven years of age, in company with her
parents, who died at Centerville, 111. To
them have been born ten children, seven
of whom survive, as follows: Mrs. C. W.
Cornell, Knoxville, Iowa ; Bertha, wife of
M. Block, also of Knoxville ; Mrs. Dorothy
Forsman. widow of J. P.. Siegfried, of St.
Louis : Ida, unmarried, director of the
Kindergarten on North Oak Street, Bur-
lington ; William, of Burlington, a traveling
salesman ; and Angela, who is a member of
her parents' household. Mr. Schaffner is

io88

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

a nicmlHT and faitliful worker in the Ger-
man Lutheran clnirch, with which he has
been actively connected for a long term of
years. He was formerly a member of the
Turner Society of I'urlington, but has
droi)i)e<l from its membership roll. His
political affiliation was with the Republican
party until 1888, at which time he changed
his allegiance in view of the fact that the
question of Prohibition then became an
issue. In 1859 he receivetl the honor of
election as alderman from the third ward
of Burlington under the administration of
Mayor Corse, but owing to the pressure of
private affairs he resigned after a short
time.

He displayed a jieculiar talent and abil-
ity in business, but owing to circumstances
beyond his control and by reason of great
misfortune has suffered heavy financial
loss. .\t the time of the failure of the
brewery business he lost the entire fortune
which he had accumulated up to that
time, but nothing daunted by this calamity.
he at once made a new beginning, and by
care, industry, and stnuid judgment se-
cured a competence by his own efforts.
Through his long and honorable course of
life, his high integrity and absolute up-
rightness anil hiMKsu have won for liitn
the deepest admiration and regard of all
who know him, and he is to-day rich in the
friendship of many of Burlington's most
eminent .sons, men who have witnessed for
many years the purity of his private life
and his unsullied public career. He has
deserved well of his fellow-citizens, both
for what he has accomplished for their
welfare and for the magnificent example
of his life, and to no man is their respect
vouch.safed in a truly greater or a higher

degree.

EDWARD HEIZER.

Ekwaki) Hicizer is one of the pioneer
settlers of Des Moines county still identified
with its interests. He came here first in
1844. arriving after a long journey across
the country with a two-horse team and
wagon : and after staying about three weeks
he returned to his native county in Ohio.
He was born in Ross county, Ohio, Nov. 13,
1822, his parents being Samuel and Mary
(Ware) Heizer. The father removed from
X'irginia to Ohio, and it is thought that he
was a native of Maryland. He died in the
Buckeye State at the age of fifty-one years
and eleven months, and his wife passed away
in ( )hio when si.xty-seven years of age. In
their family were thirteen children, of whom
Kdward was the tenth in order of birth,
and the only other surviving member of
the father's household is his sister, Mrs.
William .Anderson, a widow, who resides
with her daughter in Highland county,
( )hio.

lulward lieizer began his education in
the old-time subscription schools of his
native State, the little " temple of learning "
being a log structure fumisiied with slab
seats, a puncheon floor, a long, narrow win-
dow ina<le by removing one of the logs, and
slab writing desks. The methods of teach-
ing, too, were primitive when com|)ared
with those of tlie jiresent day, but students
were well grounded in the three essential
branches of reading, writing, and arithme-
tic. Mr. Heizer was reared to the occupa-
tion of farming, which he has followed all
of his life; and attracted by the possibilities
of the growing West, he came with a two-
horse team to Media|)olis in 1844. Soon he
made arrangements whereby he purchased
eighty acres of land in Section 24, Yellow

DF.S MOfXrS COUNTY. IOWA.

io8g

Springs township, about a mile from the board of his district. At one time he was

village, and later he added forty acres, coimectcd with the Know-Notliing society,

while subsequently he purchased another 1 le belongs to the Presbyterian church, and

tract of fifty-eight acres. This, however, he in his life has exemplified his faith in his

sold to George Walker, while subsequently honorable relations with his fellow-men and

he sold his original claim to Hope Eland, in his active and straightforward business

This was all in a wild state when it came career. His mind bears the impress of the

into his possession, and he developed it early history of the county, with all its

into one of the fine farms of the township, pioneer conditions, its hardships and trials,

on which he erected a modern farnihouse its pleasures and iiuerests : and his mem-

and other commodious and substantial build- ory, as it were, has a ])annramic view of

ings, adding likewise all of the equipments the development as the county has emerged

and accessories found upon a model farm from a wild state, taking on the improve-

ments known to the older Ea.st, keeping also
in touch with modern ])rogress.

HON. BENTON J. HALL.

of the present age. Here he lived until 1904,
when he purchased a nice residence in
Mediapolis, where he now makes his home,
living in well-earned ease and retirement
after long, active, and honorable connection
with agricultural pursuits.

Xov. 20, 1845, ^Ir. Heizer was unite<l in
marriage to jMiss -Anna Harper, a daughter .\If.n of marked ability, fnrcetul char-

of Joab and Lydia (Jones) Harper, and a acter, and upright purjjose leave their im-
native of Ross county, Ohio, bom April 2, press u])on the world written in such in-
1825. For many years she traveled life's delible characters that time is powerless to
journey by his side, proving a capable com- obliterate their memory, or sweep it from the
panion and helpmeet to him : but Sept. 28, minds of men. The force of their example
1903, she was called to her final rest. There spurs to emulation, and what they have
were six children born of that marriage, of accomplished is an inspiration to those who
whom five are living: David X., born Xov. come after them, while their sterling virtues

live on forever in the hearts of those who
have known and loved them, and are cher-
ished in the annals of the community in
which they lived and labored as faithful
citizens.

Uenton J. llall, deceased, in manner was
always dignified, courteous, and kind, being
of a very affectionate but somewhat re-
served disposition. He rose step by step
through indefatigable industry to wealth,
honor, and inlluence. and numbered among

II, 1846, now engaged in mining inter-
ests, his home being at Colorado Springs.
Colo. : Joab H., born Oct. 22, 1849, now
a farmer of Iowa: Clara E., born July 8,
1853, and died .\pril 6, 1856; Lydia E., born
Mav 4, 1856, now the wife of Thomas
Eland: .\ddie J., born June 5, 1859, now
the wife of George E. Blake ; and Robert E.,
born June 10, 1836. now a farmer of Col-
orado.

In his political affiliation Mr. Heizer has
long been a stalwart Re])ublican, and was his friends persons in ail walks of life. In
for a number of vears treasurer of the school early life he was an enthusiastic outdoor

lOUO

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

sportsman, and greatly excelled in what-
ever he undertiKjk. His natural reserve
kept him from joining any of the many
secret societies, and whatever his personal
popularity, it rested upon his ability and in-
tegrity alone, and derived no assistance from
friendships drawn from these associations.
He inherited from his father, one of the
prominent pioneers of Burlington, a mind
of unusual strength and activity.

His father. Judge J. C. Hall, a lawyer
of mark, his chief characteristic being great
force and clearness. He was always spoken
of as one of the most powerful lawyers of
the West, and won his way by sheer force of
intellect to a position u|)on the supreme
judicial bench of the State. Nothing could
exceed the per.sonal devotion of Mr. Hall
to the memory of his father ; and sometimes,
in the power with which he bore down upon
a jury or court, it seemed as if the son ex-
ceeded the father.

]\Ir. Hall derived a poetic, imaginative
faculty from his beloved mother, which
sometimes led him into refinements, but
added a charm of imagery and fancy that
contributed to make him popular as an
orator. His was a very conservative dis-
position, never following after fads of any
kind, and it was always easy to know where
he stood upon any public question. If he
was sentimental, he never was unsound.
.Mways a Democrat of the old school, a
strict constructionist, opposed to all sump-
tuary legislation, or doubtful experiments in
tinance, he was steadfastly loyal to his party.
\\ liile a man of reserve<l temperament, he
was a man of the greatest courage in ex-
pressing his conviction, regardless of con-
sequences. During the war period, being a
Democrat, he did not hesitate to speak his
mind freely even in the midst of great ex-

citement in the community. Similar cour-
age he often exhibited in the conduct of
his legal business, never concealing his
views nor mincing his words through cow-
ardice. His mind was especially useful and
serviceable in legislative and judicial direc-
tions.

When in the State senate he was a rec-
ognized leader — was looked to for leader-
ship. But the judicial (juality was most
conspicuously shown in the position of com-
missioner of patents. This is essentially a
judicial position, requiring, to make it a
success, a rare combination of scientific
ability and talents of a jurist. These Mr.
Hall possessed and exhibited to a marked
degree, according to the unanimous opinion
of those who were best qualified to judge —
the examiners and members of the bar.

Mr. Hall was favored with public honors
to a greater extent, jierbaps. than any other
early citizen of Burlington. He was for
eight terms city solicitor, for years president
of the school board, a member of both houses
of the Legislature and of Congress, and
candidate of his ])arty fi>r attorney-general
and judge of the supreme court. These all
came to him as a favorite of his party and
the ])eo])le. but it can be truly said that they
did not come from his self-seeking. Ho
could not ])ush himself, ami he never would
try. The oftices sought him because of his
ability, integrity, and reliability. In these
qualities he was popular, but not in any abil-
ity to solicit support for himself. He would
never have been a success as a politician or
wire puller, because he was not a politician,
but eminently a statesman.

Mr. Hall was born in Mt. X'ernon, Ohio,
Jan. 13, 1835. He was the only surviving
son of J. C. Hall, and came to Burlington
in 1840. Shortly afterward the family set-

DES MOIXES COLWry. lOirA.

log I

tied in Henry County, but came back to
Burlington a year or two later and made
this city their permanent home. Young Hall
received his primary education in the Howe
School, of Alt. Pleasant, afterward gtjing to
Kno.x College, Galcsburg. where he con-
tinued till his junior year, and was gradu-
ated from Miami Cniversitv. of Oxford,
Ohio, in 1855. I'pon his return from col-
lege he entered upon tiie study of law in
the office of his father, and after two vears'
reading under tiie tutelage of that eminent
jurist, was admitted, in 1856. to practice in
all the courts of the State. At different
subsequent periods he was associated in the
practice of law in this city with his father.
Judge S. B. Huston. \\". \\'. Baldwin, and
E. S. Huston.

April 16, 1857, Mr. Hall was married to
Miss Louise Webb, of La Fayette, Ind., the
youngest daughter of the late Col. David
and Mrs. Sally T. \\'ebb. Mrs. Hall
was always a faithful, helpful companion
to her husband. There was a great deal
of literary and oratorical talent in her
family. Mrs. Hall possesses a mind of
rare ability, is a woman exceedingly well
posted on all the issues of the day, and
is considered authority on all literary sub-
jects. She is a lady of dignity and refine-
ment, perfectly at home in any circle where
culture and refinement exist. Perhaps her
greatest charm is that of a brilliant conver-
sationalist, and she. too. like her departed
husband, has friends among persons in
every station of life.

In 1861 Mr. Hall became the candidate of
his party in Des Moines county, for the
State Legislature, but was defeated at the
polls. Tn the years that followed his first
legislative race he suffered himself to be-
come the candidate of his party many times.

though never with the chance of election
in his favor, owing to the adverse political
com])lexion of the county and State. He
was earnest in his ])olitical convictions, and
never could refu.se when his party friends
came to him and asked him to be their
standard bearer.

In 1862 he was the Democratic candidate
for attorney-general of Iowa, but was de-
feated by C. C. Nourse, of Des Moines.
In 1 87 1 he was elected over J. Wilson
Williams to represent Des Moines county
in tile .State Legislature. In 1873 he was
the choice of his party for Iowa Su])reme
Court Judge, but was defeated by J. M.
Beck. He was elected to the State Senate
in 1881. defeating John Patterson.

In 1882 he consented to be the Democratic
candidate for Congress from the I'irst Dis-
trict, though the district was overwhelm-
ingly Republican. He was defeated by
Moses M. McCoid. Again, in 1884, he Ije-
came the Democratic candidate for Con-
gress, and was elected, defeating John S.
Woolson, and was the first Democratic
congressman elected from this district in
over thirty years, the last being his uncle,
the late judge Augustus Hall, of Nebraska.
He was defeated two years later by Hon.
John H. Gear. In the spring of 1887 he
was appointed by President Cleveland com-
missioner of patents of the United States,
and served with distinction in this responsi-
ble position until the close of Cleveland's
first administration.

Retiring from public lite, he opened a law
office in Chicago, with a view to devoting
himself to patent practice. He was con-
ceded to be at this time one of the best-
equipped patent attorneys in the United
States. But his failing health forced him to
refrain from entering actively into business,

IO02

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and he rctiirnc<l to IJiirlington, fully realiz-
ing that his days of active life were over.
Mr. Hall died after a short illness at his
home, 422 Columbia Street.

The r3cs .Moines County Bar Association,
of which Mr. Mall was an esteemed mem-
ber, convened at the court-room to take
appropriate and sympathetic action upon
iiis death. Judge James D. Smyth, presid-
ing, called the late Hon. George Frazee to
the chair. W. L. Cooper was made secre-
tary. On motion of Mr. Illick and amended
by Mr. Wake, the chair appointed a com-
mittee of four. .Mr. George Frazee, Mr.
W. W . Baldwin, .Mr. Thomas Hedge, and
.Mr. 1-^. .S. Huston (it being in the motion
that the chairniaii of the meeting act as
chairman of the committee), to draft suit-
able resolutions. The funeral of Mr. Hall
was held from his late home, which is still
occupied by his widow, and was one of the
largest ever held in the city. During the
hours of his funeral the schools were closed
and all business suspended in attestation
of their grief for the death of this estimable
man. The members of the bar attended in
a body, and Rev. J. M. 13. Davidson, as-
sisted by Dr. Salter, a treasured friend of
Mr. Hall, conducted the services, speaking
words of cheer and comfort to the widow
and other relatives, and paying a just
tribute of respect to the dei)arted states-
man. Mrs. Hall was not alone in her sorrow
and mourning, for all Uurlington truly felt
they had lost a good citizen and a man
whom every one loved and respected. His
remains were laid to rest in beautiful .\spen
Cirove cemetery-

" In a quiet s|)ot, away from tlic heat
and dust, the mad race for peif and power,
the anxiety and loss of living, where all
is calm : out there in the beautiful cemeterv

— the city of the dead — where there is
no liarsiicr sound than the song of the early
bird, come to mingle its melody with the
voice of the whispering leaves, or the buzz
of the bees ban(|ueling among the tlowers
that n<xl and bow their stately heads as if in
dreams among the shadows of the tombs,"
lie the remains of our departed statesman,
slumbering on through eternity — at rest
forever more.

The following is the eulogy he delivered
while a member of Congress, upon the death
of X'ice-President Hendricks : —

" When we consider how empty and
tasteless are the rewards of honor and the
successes of ambition, how vain are the con-
solations of wealth and power, how fidl the
world is of wreck and failure ; when we
look down upon the plains of human life and
witness the restless, wearied struggle for
existence, the discontent and misery, we are
led to ask : Where is there refuge ? What is
hajjpiness, and where may it be found?
It is not in camp or court or the busy marts,
where want and penury call aloud. It is
only in the home — in that domestic bliss,
the only liai)]Mness that survived the fall.
It arises from the pure consecration of two
lives, one man and one woman, to each
other. This is not a mere privilege, but a
necessity to our humanity : without it life
loses its zest, love its reward, and hope its
realization. Xo one who by jirecept or cx-
amjjle imperils the high standard of this
awful necessity can be regarded as a friend
to his fellow or a lover of his race. In
this direction, with what safety and satis-
faction can we then turn to Mr. Hendricks.
'llie iinniaculate purity of his private life is
the ])ro]K'rty and glory of the nation.

" We may not lift the veil, even in this
hour of desolation, and intrude the .sanctity

DES MOINES COUNTY. lOlVA.

1093

of that blissful union between him and her
who yet Hngers here. We know the golden
cord is broken, but the casket yet retains
its treasure. Frail pitcher of beauty upon the
head of purity, borne safely by faithful feet
to the journey's end through rough and
tempting paths ! Where can the image find
pediment or lodgment for contemplation and
the perfection of our lives save in the peo-
ple's homes and beside their hearths? And
there the life and purity of the Indiana
man has helped to elevate it."

In concluding this address, which brought
Mr. Hall into national fame as an orator of
high intellectual jiowers, he thus expressed
himself upon the philosophy of life : —

'■ But. Mr. Speaker, why these ceremonies
and eulogies? Though they might gratify,
they reach him not. Are they not really for
ourselves ? It is ordained for all to die, and
is there a great undertone, never ceasing,
which, like a solemn bell, when we listen,
reiuinds us of mortality ? Alas ! the deep
strain of human life pours in so constant and
imperceptibly ! As generation after gen-
eration disappears, the sullen roar of that
broad tide which pours itself down the dis-
tant and precipitous cataract into the dark
valley of the shadow of death, is so remote,
inaudible, and low, that we live as if we
were immortal and would never die. Only
when the dreadful dart comes home, strikes
with sudden clangor in the circles of our
household, or smites down some lofty char-
acter entrenched in popular affection, are we
startled out of deep, absorbed preoccupation
into the consciousness of immortality ; and
then, trembling and crouching, we wait
expectant, and it strikes still nearer; then
fright and fear again. Fear and fright are
the instruments of safety. They forewarn
and add speed to flight. But there is no

safety, no flight from the universal Presence.
Only one refuge, one need prepare, jirepare !
It requires long years of studious applica-
tion and wide experience to prepare the
garment to appear in before that august
Tribune whose seat is near these precincts.
" The highest social life adorns itself with
nicest care, puts on its costliest raiment,
when it comes before presidents and minis-
ters of state : but there is a tribunal, a court,
where none may enter unbidden and without
[)reparation, — not the jircparation of an
hour or a week, snatched in weakness and
trembling from long years of health and
boastful strength, but that which comes from
long communion vvitii the divine attributes,
a noble and willing submission to His
visitations and His judgments, the observ-
ance of His statutes, and a faith that places
all things in the hollow of His great hand."

H. P. SCHEURS.

H. P. ScHEURS, superintendent of roads
and ])ridges of Des Moines count\-, Iowa,
is one of Ihirlington's native sons, having
been born in this city March i, 1844, a son
of P. M. Scheurs, who was born in Ger-
many, and came to this city in 1840. after
living in .\'ew York, Penn.sylvania. and
Ohio, where he worked at his trade of cab-
inet-making. When our subject was but an
infant, his father died, the date being 1846;
but the mother, whose maiden name was
Magdalena Kauffmann. survived him many
years, and died in Burlington at the age of
about si.xty years. They were the parents
of seven children, as follows: Christina,
deceased wife of P. .\. Andre: Sophia,
wife of John Demling. of liurlington : Mary,

IOU4

lilOCR.U'HICAL RlillEll

widow (if Charles Wcdcrtz. late of Burling-
ton : Klizabcth, who resides with her sister.
Mrs. W'edertz ; Kathcrine. deceased, who
was the wife of Fred Schildt, of Burlington ;
II. I*., our subject: and John M.

Mr. Sclieurs was reared in Burlington,
beginning his education in private schools ;
and when the pulilic schools were opened,
he attended the South Hill school. He
remained at his mother's home until 1859.
when he went to ( )bio, wlicre he remained
until 1S62. working with a cousin on a farm.
In the latter year he returned to Burlington,
and began working for the Chicago. Bur-
lington & Quincv Railroad Company, en-
tering its emiiloy as brakeman on a con-
struction train, later doing re])air work and
being variously employed. When the Mis-
sissipjii River bridge was built, he was given
the foremanship of a gang of fifty men
engaged in putting down stub tracks, haul-
ing lumber and materials, and similar work.
I'or one year lie was ])asscnger and freight
conductor, running between Burlington and
Keokuk, and in all was engaged in railroad
work for alxiut ten years, during which he
gained much valuable exi)erience. which has
no doubt played an important part in his
subsequent success. In 1870 he embarked
in mercantile pursuits, entering the grocery
antl wholesale ice business with W'edertz &
Comi)any, the business comprising in addi-
tion a produce and fruit commission trade.
which he continued successfully until 1888.

.Mr. .Scheurs's public activities date from
1889. when he received from Mayor George
.\. Duncan the a|)|)ointnient as street com-
missioner of the city of Burlington, a posi-
tion in which he served with credit and to
the general satisfaction until 1894. He then
was employed by the board of county com-
missioners to build the highwax north of

the city known as the North Bottom Road,
now a magnificent thoroughfare ten miles
in length. His most important work up to
the present time, however, was accomplished
as superintendent of the bniUling of Crapo
I 'ark — an enterprise requiring a vast
amount of executive ability and technical
skill. The site of the ])ark was at that time
in the rough, encumbered with farm build-
ings, underbrush, hedges, etc.. and it was
necessary to take the ground in almost its
wiM state and bring it to its present per-
fection. This .Mr. Scheurs did. with only
the drawn plans as a guide, cutting all the
roadways, doing all the gratling and filling,
constructing the walks down to the river,
clearing otT the ground, putting in the
sewers and tiling, thus doing all the funda-
mental landscape work, and leaving it ready
for the decorations that gave it the final
form. His pay-roll during all the time he
was thus engaged was approximately $500 a
week, alxjut forty men and ten teams being
employed for two years or seasons on the
work, to the superintendency of which Mr.
Scheurs was ap])ointe(l by the first park
commission, consisting of I'. M. Crapo,
Charles Starker, and K. Hagemann.

( )n the successful conclusion of this great
undertaking, he was appointed by the county
hoard to the office of suiK-rintendent of
bridges and highways, to have charge of
building all bridges, constructing all high-
ways, and the execution of all other work
on highways of Des Moines county, such as
cutting down hills, opening new roads, mak-
ing big fills or grades, building ajjproaches
to existing bridges, etc. He has served Des
.Moines county in this capacity since i8(;4,
hut was assisted by a foreman deputy during
the period in which he was giving his atten-
tion to the construction of Crapo Park.

DRS MOIXliS COi'XrV. IOWA.

1095

In 1867 ^^r. Scheiirs wedded, at Burling-
ton, ^liss Elizabeth Armknecht, of German
parentage, who died in 1889, and is buried
in Aspen Grove cemetery. Mrs. Scheurs
was a woman of many estimable traits of
character, and enjoyed a wide circle of
friendship among the best ])eople of Bur-
lington. To them were born one son and
six daughters, these being in order of birth
as follows : Charles H. : Clara, wife of
George Yackel. of Fort Madison. Iowa:
Mary: Katberine : F.mma : Charlotte: and
Mildred.

Mr. .Scheurs has achieved a measure of
success which is highly gratifying to his
friends and to all those who have watched
his sure and steady progress, for his success
is all his own, having Ix'en won without out-
side aid of any kind : and thus it is that he
is fairly and fully entitled to the name of
self-made man — the proudest title which
any citizen of this nation may bear, and one
which the greatest ma}- well be content to
deserve. His career has been long and
varied, but uniformlv honorable, upright,
and just in every particular, and his reward
is the high regard and profound respect of
bis fellow-men, while the qualities of his
heart and warm: friendly disposition have
endeared him to many. .-K member of a
political ])arty. the Democratic, he has never
allowed his allegiance, loyal as it is, to
estrange him from any amicable or social
relation, and has rather given his most
earnest thought to the higher interests of
mankind, finding true e.xpression of the
ideal side of his nature in his religious re-
lations. The key-note of his life has been
useful endeavor and the building of char-
acter, and in these respects his life record is
one that should command the careful study
of all as])iring and ambitious youth.

SAMUEL HERSCHLER.

S.\.\iL'Ei. Heusciilkr, in whom the spirit
of enterprise and business activity finds ex-
emplification, is a member of the firm of
Ilerscbier iK: Eisfeld, succes.sors to the Eis-
feld Cioiliing Company, of Burlington. A
native .son of this city, he was born Jan. 5,
1856, his ])arents being Solomon and Caro-
line (Weiler) Herschler. The father was
born in German), and came to America
.ibout 1848, .settling first at Terre Haute,
hid., where he remained until his removal
to Burlington. Here he established a
clothing business, being one of the leading
merchants of his city. He was also an active
factor in political circles as an advocate of
the Democracy, and twice represented the
third ward in the city council. He was a
warm admirer of Stephen A. Douglas, when
the Illinois statesman visited the Democracy
of this city. Interested in all that pertained
to public progress, his efforts in behalf of
the general good were far-reaching and
beneficial, lie was married in Terre Haute,
Ind., to Miss Caroline Weiler, who was
also a native of (iermany. and came to the
I'nited States on the same vessel on which
her husband crossed the Atlantic.

They became the parents of five chil-
dren, who reached mature years : Henry
and Hardy, who are now deceased; Louis,
who is in Pond Creek, Okla. : Samuel : and
Rachael. wife of G. Schaaf, of Burlington.
The father was killed May 10, i860, in a
runaway accident, while taking his children
out riding, and the mother, long surviving
him. passed away in 1887.

Samuel Herschler entered the public
.schools at the usual age. proceeded through
successive grades until he had completed the
high-school course by graduation with the

1096

BIOGRAPHICAL RFA'IFAf

class of 1872. Later he entered Bryant &
Stratton's Iliisiiiess College, and completed
the entire course in three months — a work
that no other ])n|)il of the institution had
ever accomplished, his previous business ex-
perience, however, assisting him in this.
His business career began practically when
he was hut nine years of age, for at that time
he began carrying the Ar^^iis. — now the
Gazelle, — and was thus employed until he
had completed the high-school course. ( )n
July 5, 1872, he entered the employ of R. M.
Raal) & I'.rothers as cashier and book-
keeper, remaining witii tliat firm for seven-
teen years, being advanced from one respon-
sible position to another until 1884, when he
became a member of the firm. This relation
was continued until i88y, when Mr. 1 lerscli-
ler removed to Lincoln, Xebr., where for
two years he was engaged in the clothing
business. .Vt the end of that time, E. M.
Eisfeld. of I'.urlington, wishing to retire.
Mr. Ilerschler jnircliased his interest in a
clothing business lure, and became the
senior partner of iln' linn ot Ilerschler &•
Eisfeld, successors of the Eisfeld Clothing
Company, his partner being L. .M. Eisfeld.
Thev hold eiiual shares, and have conducted
the business with mutual pleasure and
profit since i8(;i. They also have a branch
store at Litchfield, 111., and in addition to the
eight persons emjjloyed in the Burlington
establishment, they have five employees in
the other store, making fourteen persons in
all. including the ])roprietors. who are active
in the business.

Mr. Herschler was married, in 1885, to
Miss 15ertha Eisfeld, a daughter of E. M.
Eisfeld, and a native of Burlington. They
have one child. Irina. who is a graduate of
the high school of this city. In his polit-
ical affiliation .Mr. Herschler is a Democrat.

but without ambition for office, although he
is well informed on the issues which divide
the two great parties. He has attained high
rank in Masonry, and now Ix-longs to Des
Moines Lo<lge. Xo. 1, .\ncient I'ree and
Accepted Masons, of which he is a past
master, and was one of the youngest wor-
shipful masters of the State, holding that
office when but twenty-five years of age.
He also belongs to Iowa Chai)ter, Xo. i.
Royal .\rch Masons: to Zerapath Consis-
tory, in which he has attained to the thirty-
second degree of the Scottish rite : and to
Kaaba Temple of the .Mystic Shrine. He
is also connected with the Elks, and is a
member of the Carthage Lake Fishing Club.
He has social qualities which render him
))oi)ular with a large circle of friends, and
business (|ualifications which have gained
him i)rominence in the commercial circles of
Uurlini/ton.

WILLIAM P. FOSTER.

Wii.i.iA.M I'. I-'()STi;k, who is the oldest
active bank officer in Burlington, having
been connected with the First Xational Bank
for over thirty-four years.is a son of Lionel
and Caroline (.Saiupson) I'oster. and was
bom in Calt, ( )ntario. Aug. 9, 1850. His
father, who began life as a farmer, was liorn
near Woodstock, \'t., in 1813. and his
mother, Caroline Samp.son Foster, was torn
at Kingston, Canada, in 1813. In 1856 they
moved from Canada to a farm near Des
Moines, Iowa, when five years later they
moved to the city of Des Moines. While
residing in Canada and Des Moines, Lionel
Foster was engaged in the shoe and leather
business. In 1867 he moved to Burlington.
Iowa, where he engaged in life insurance

DES MOIXHS COUNTY. IOWA.

1097

till his death. He enlisted in 1864, in Com-
pany H, Forty-seventh Iowa Volunteers,
and served until the regiment was mustered
out. Mr. Foster was a Repul)lican, but did
not aspire to office. He and his wortJiy
wife were devoted members of the Presby-
terian church. Mr. Foster being very active
in his early life in the church in Canada. He
died Feb. 6. 1879, while his wife survived
him some si.x years, her death occurring
Dec. 4, 1885. They are both buried in A.s-
pen Grove cemetery.

Besides our subject, Mr. and Mrs. Foster
left one son, I. G. Foster, secretary of the
r.urlington Lumber Company, and two
daughters, Mary P'oster and C. Emma Ivis-
ter. the latter being supervisor of writing
and drawing in the iniblic sciimils in l!ur-
lington.

William P. Foster received his education
in the public schools in Des Moines, and
soon after coming to P)Urlington learned
the trade of a printer, working on the Gaccttc
and Argus and Haivk-Eyc till 1871. It
was also in the _\ear of 1871 that Mr. Foster
was first engaged by the First National Bank
as messenger and bookkeeper, which position
he held till July, 1876, when he was elected
assistant cashier of the bank, and in January,
1877, his ability and efficiency secured for
him the cashiership of the bank. In i8g8
he was elected vice-president and cashier.
This First National Bank is one of the old-
est in the State, its charter number being 35 1 ,
and the business was established .\pril J4,
1864. June 5, 1900, Mr. i^'oster was mar-
ried to Miss Elizabeth Julia Robertson.
daughter of George Robertson, of Burling-
ton, whose sketch appears on another page
in this volume.

By this happy union one son, \\"illiam P.
Foster, Jr., has been born, his 1)irth having

occurred .\pril 3. 1902. .Mr. I'dster is a Re-
publican. In i(p3 Mr. l'"()ster erected the
home at 403 Court Street, where he now
resides. Mr. h'o.ster began life enii)ty handed
an<l with a very limited education, but by
industry and persistent efforts, coupled with
high moral principles, has secured his posi-
tions of trust and honor, till to-dav he stands
as one of the leading and prosperous citizens
and business men of the city, where he well
deserves the esteem and confidence reposed
in him.

ALBERT WILLIAM RINKER.

.\i.r'.i:Ki ^\'. Ri.\Ki:u, one of the younger
business men of this city, was born in Bur-
lington township, 13es Moines county, Oct.
21. 1876. He was the son of John and
.Margaret (Pfeiffer) Rinker, and spent his
early days at the home of his father, receiv-
ing his education in the jniblic schools of
the city of Burlington, and also the German
Catholic Parochial .'school. His first busi-
ness experience was as an employee of the
Burlington Wheel ^^'o^ks, where he was
employed about eighteen months, after-
which he apprenticed hiniself to McConnell
lirotiiers, in their large iiarness and saddlery
establishment, remaining with them until he
had served his full time. His next employ-
ment was with .Mr. Piaumberger, with whom
he remained for one year, and was then
for a time in Rock Island. He however
returned to Burlington, ami in the fall of
i8i)7 engaged in business for iiimself, put-
ling in a .stock of iiarness, and iloing custom
work, and also repairing at his store, 1700
' Isborn Street. I'or five months, from
.March, 1898, he was with .Mr. Xees, when
he again returned to take a i)osition with

logS

lilOCRAI'IIU .11. Rurii-.w

McCoHiicll I'lrothers. witli wliom lie re-
mained six years, this long term of service
for one tirni showing tlieir appreciation of
his services. Feb. i. 1904. lie again em-
barked in business for himself. locating
at 512 Xorth t'enlral .\venne, where he
opened a good harness and saddlery store,
carrying a full line of all commodities usu-
ally found in such an establishment.

.\'ov. 12. iyo2. Mr. Riiiker was united
in marriage to .Miss .Mary Eversman. a
daughter of Henry and .\nna ( Koestiier »
I-'versman. To this union have been Ixirn
two children: Ralph Henry, who was born
Sept. 25, i(p3 : and .\nna Alice, whose birth
occurred June 7. 11)04.

I'olitically. .Mr. kinker has never taken
an active part, voting indei)endentlv for the
men and measures that he deemed best fitted
for the |)osition.

and served for two years. He al.so served
several terms as chairman of the Ixiard of
supervisors. In 1882 he was elected alder-
man at large, which ])osition he held at
the time of his death, which occurred Sept.
(k 18S4.

Nov. 25. i8_V>. .Mr. Robert.son married
-Miss .Mary I'.elle Henry, daughter of Dr.
John 1-". Henry, of IJurlington, Iowa. I'nto
.Mr. and .Mrs. K<itx^rtson were Ixirn three
children: Mary I'.elle: Klizatxtli Julia, wife
of William I", b'oster. wlio.se sketch ajipears
on another ])age in this book, and Dr.
George .\. Robertson, of Louisville, Ky.
.Mrs. RolK-rt.son is buried Ix'side her husband
in .\.s])eii (irove cemetery. They were Pres-
byterians, and were long faithful and de-
voted members of the h'irst IVesbvterian
church in I'.urlington, Iowa. The home of
.Mr. and .Mrs. RolxTt.son was IcKated on the
corner of Fourth and Court Streets, where
their daughter, Mrs. I-'oster. still lives.

GEORGE ROBERTSON.

(iKOKtii-; RoiiiiKT.so.N. deceased, a much-
resjiected and ])rominent citizen of Burling-
ton. Iowa, for thirty years, was of English
and .Scotch ancestry, and was l)orn in Jes-
samine county. Kentucky. .May <). i82<;.
His parents were Dr. William Iteckwith and
-Margaret (blelcher) Robertson. Mr. Rob-
ertson studied law at the Transylvania L iii-
versitv in Lexington, Ky., where he was
graduated in the spring of 1854.

In ilie fall of the same year .Mr. Robert-
son moved to llurlington, Iowa, and began
the jjractice of law, meeting with great suc-
cess. He was a Democrat in politics, and
ever ready to serve his party to the best of
his abilitv. In 1872 he was elected mayor
iif I'.urlington on the Independent ticket.

THE McMULLIN WOELLHAF CO.

TkiNrKKs AM) sr.vrio.NKRS, who are in a
high degree representative of the nnxlern
energy and enter|)rise which characterize
hiisiness and industry in the latest phase of
their development, are the gentlemen form-
ing the above company, all of whom have
been for several years residents of lUirling-
toii. and at the ]jre.sent time rajiidly assum-
ing a prominent ]x)sitioii aniong the business
men in their adopted city. Mr. Mc.Mullin
was born in Huron townshi]), Des .Moines
count), near .\orthlield. a i)it)neer village
whose site lia-- long since been deserted,
the date being 1866, and he is a' son of
lohn Mc.Mullin. a full sketch of wbose life

DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA.

Toyu

and ancestry is given elsewhere in the pres-
ent vohinie.

In 1880. when he was only fourteen years
of age. Mr. McMullin began his active
career, entering at that time the employ of
a large job printing concern in ihirlington.
Working at the business contiiniouslv to
the present date, becoming thoroughly fa-
miliar with the business in every detail, he
has won the confidence and respect of all
with whom he came in contact. Some-
what more than two years ago. in I-"ebru-
ary. I<P3. he decided that the lime was
ripe for the inauguration of his independent
career, and being ambitious for the achieve-
ment of a larger success than was possible
in a subordinate position, he severed his
connection with his employer at that time
and established a small printing business
with his own capital. This enterprise has
expanded far beyond the original hopes of
its founder, and is still growing at a rate
of progress which is truly remarkable.

In March. I<P5. the McMullin-W'oellhaf
Co. was organized. Mr. F. (i. Woellhaf
and Mr. Elmer Sikes taking an interest in
the business.

^Ir. I", (i. Woellhaf was born .\ug. I,
1877. in liurlington, Des Moines county,
where he spent his early life, and he
began working at the |)rinting business in
1892. and developed marked ability in the
■■.\rt Preservative of Arts." becoming thor-
oughly familiar with the business in every
detail. He has an inclination for military
work. During the ."^iianish-American War
he enlisted in the Sixth Batter\ . Iowa \'ol-
tniteers. In the organization of Com]iaiiy
H. P'ifty-fourth Infantry, 1. N. G., enlist-
ing as a private, he successively held all
non-commissioned offices, and in October.
1904. was elected first lieutenant, which ])o-

sition he is now holding with, credit to
himself. He was married to Miss Minnie
.May .Schaefer \ov. 18, 1903.

-Mr. Elmer Sikes was born in .\urora, 111.,
in 1861. l)ut has lived in lluriington since
1870. and was educated in the public schools
of this city. When a young man he entered
u])on a business career as a bookkeeper, and
for twentx years was associated with Mr.
I'liilli]) M . (.'rapii in the farm loan business,
and secm'ed his business training in that
connection.

lie has other business interests, and en-
joys a wide aci|uaintance, lx)th in his home
city and adjoining States. He was mar-
ried to .Miss .Agnes liock in 1893.

In May. 189J. .Mr. Mc.Mullin was mar-
ried to .Miss Antoinette Stiller, of Keokuk,
Iowa.

As printers lhe\ are masters of their art.
and are never satisfied with anything less
than the last possible degree of excellence
in the work produced by this establishment
— a fact wliich is highly significant, and
in no small measure accounts for their suc-
cess. The office is located in the Hedge
building, where ten workmen and assist-
ants are constantly employed, the business
consisting of ])rinting of all kinds. Electric
power is used, and the e(|ui)iment is thor-
oughh and exclusively modern in every
i)articidar.

JACOB M. RISSER.

JAcoi; M. RissKU. a leading and inlluen-
tial citizen of Sawyer, Lee county, Iowa,
and a descenilant of one of the early pio-
neer families of the West, was born in West
Point township. Lee county, Nov. 2, 1847.
the son of Jacob and .\melia (Miller)

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Risser. Jacob Kisser, Sr., was born in
Bavaria. Cierniany, Dec. 12. 1815. a son of
Daniel Risser. wlio was born Aug. 25, 1794,
and of Klizabeth (Smith) Risser. bis wife, a
liaiig^bter of Henry Smith, and the date of
the marriage of bis parents was May 26,
181 1. When a lx)y of sixteen the father of
our subject worked bis passage to America
on a saibng vessel, and located at Cleveland,
Ohio, wlure lie learned the trade of cabinet-
making, and later established a cabinet-
making shop of his own, a venture in which
he was very successful. It was in that
city on Dec. 8, 1842. that be married Amelia
Miller, who was like himself a native of
Bavaria, where she was born May 16. 182 1.
In May. 1845. Mr. Risser. togctlur with his
father-in-law and bis wife's sister and bus-
band, accomijanied by their families, came
to Lee county, settling in the southwest
part of West Point township, where they
moved into a log cabin : and it was in this
bouse that Mr. Miller and his son-in-law,
Henry Leisey, on May 10, 1845. became the
victims of the celebrated " Mormon Mur-
der." ftjr which the perpetrators of tiie
crime, who were members of the Hodges
family. ])aid the i>enalty with their lives in
July of the same year at lUirlington. Iowa,
where they were hanged.

Soon after coming to Iowa. Jacob Risser
purchasfd ;i farm of eighty acres, which he
cultivated for a time, and later he owned a
saw-mill in the village of West Point, oper-
ating it with considerable j)rofit until some-
time in the "So's, when it was destroyed by
tire. He achieved success in all he under-
took, anfl was respected for the fact that he
was what is called a self-made man. having
accumulated a competencx' by his own
efTorts and entirely without aid of anv
kind.

1 le was a Democrat in matters of politics,
and in his religious connection be was a
member of the Mennonite church, together
with his wife, continuing in that faith until
his death, which occurred in 1896. followed
by that of bis wife in 1902, they both being
buried in the West Point cemetery. To
them were lx)rn the following sons and
daughters: Daniel I-., who resides in Pleas-
ant Ridge townsbi]). this county ; John, who
is a resident of Kansas: Jacob M.. our sub-
ject: Abraham, who died when young:
.Mary A.: and Anna, whose death occurred
in childhood.

Jacob M. Kisser, the subject of this re-
view, received a good education in a select
school at West Point, as well as being
thoroughly trained in the work of the farm,
and was employed as his father's assistant
until the twenty-third year of his age. when
he wedded Miss Elizabeth Schantz. who set-
tled in that townsbi]) in i84('). At the time
of his marriage, Mr. Risser. in company
with a brother, worked the land belonging
to the family. Jacob Risser. Sr.. of three
hundred and forty acres, in partnership for
six years, after which be bought a farm in
Pleasant Ridge townsbi]) of eighty acres,
where he resided until 1891. when be again
disjKised of his land, and purchased one
hundred and twenty acres in the north-
western ])art of Washington township. .\t
the latter ])lace be resided for twelve years,
or until 1903, in the spring of which year he
removed to the village of Sawyer, there
entering into a ])artnershi]i with G. W. \'an
Hyning to conduct a mercantile business,
the style of the firm being \'an Hyning &
Risser. but the connection has since been dis-
solved, Mr. Risser retiring in 1904.

Mr. Risser is widely known in Lee county
as a progressive and enterprising farmer

DES MOIXES COUNTY. IOWA.

IIOI

who has achieved large and lasting success
in his work by virtue of business qualifica-
tions of an unusual order, and his political
activities have also brought him a large
circle of friends and acquaintances, as he is
a prominent member and worker in the
Democratic party, and has received public
honors at the hands of the people, having
been twice elected to the important office
of county supervisor, and added much to
his popularity. He has also taken an act-
ive and helpful interest in promoting the
progress of religion and morals in his com-
munity, he and ]\Irs. Risser being consist-
ent followers of the Mennonite faith, and
rendering much assistance in the labors of
their denomination in this section. They are
the parents of a family of two sons and one
daughter, to whom thcv have given the ad-

vantages of modern education and excellent
home training, and who occupy an honored
place in the society in which they move.
These are : Jona G.. a resident of Montrose
township, this county, who married Miss
VAVa Claypoole, and has one son, Clay : and
Elma E., and Irving P., who are members
of the parental household.

Mr. Risser, in November, 1904, purchased
a home in Danville, Iowa, where he is now
residing. Irving I'., in partnership with
Charles liurton, purchased the general mer-
cantile business of L. R. "Kelly & Co., of
Danville, in October of 1904, and are now
doing business under the firm nan-fe of
FUirton & Risser, Miss Elma E. Risser act-
ing as their chief clerk.

[Complimentary sketch copied from our
Review of Lee County. — Editor.]

INDEX.

Abercrombie, Col. J. C.. 1035

Abrahams, James Fox... 1026

Adams, Hon. Abraham G. loio

Adolphson, Charles John- 826

.'\nderson, Andrew Peter. 8ig

.'\nderson, Carl .\lbert... 600

.Anderson, Carl Angnst... 538

.\nderson, Charles John.. 415

Anderson. James .A 869

Anderson, John 146

.■\nderson, Nils 287

.Andre, Edward 273

.Andre, John H. 272

Andre, P. A. 270

.Andre, Philip C. 398

Andre, P. Henry 273

-Archer, Edward Gillam.. 362

.Archer. George Henry... 853

Arnold, Jacob 568

Arnold, John 588

.Asmussen, Benjamin .... 675

Aiigutta, William 684

.Avery, Henry 400

Baird, James Wallace... 738

Bailey, John Clark 512

Bailey, Monroe 965

Bailey, William Henry. . . 773

Bandleon, Emil G 65

Barhydt, Theodore W. • ■ . 548

Barker, Hon. Charles I. . . 1025

Barr, James F 847

Barton, Joseph H 573

Bauer, Fred Wilhelm-... 312

Baughman, D. O., Jacob S. 520

Beardsley, Dr. Charles... loii

Beardsley, Simeon 560

Betk, Conrad 849

Beckman, Edward .Angnst 533

Beckman, John T 236

Beckman, Stephen J 463

Beere, Amos 978

Beere, Charles 939

Beere, John 752

Bendix, Christopher 975

Bonne, Henry 442

Bcrges, John Dietrich.-.. 285

Berges, Sr., John Henry. . 286

Bergsten, Giistaf Herman 944

Berlin, William 920

Bessin, Frederick 389

Biklen, Charles H 476

Binder, Joseph 783

Binder, Joseph G 785

Binder, Theodore 778

Binkele, Henry .A 995

Bird, George W 667

Bishop. John Riles 590

Blair, VX'illiam 178

Clan!, Jolin 265

Blaiil. Louis 269

Blaul, Theodore 268

Bloomberg, Carl J. H.... 171

Blythe, Joseph W 15

Bock, Frederick 932

Bock, Jerome 505

Boeck, George 544

Bohlen, John Bernhard-.. 958

Boesch, George C 158

Boesch, John 154

Boner, Wesley Reeves... 506

Bosch, Charles G 900

Bosch, George U 808

Bosch, John George 431

Bosch, John G.. Jr 431

Bouquet, Peter 807

Boyer, .Aaron 635

Bradcn, John R 438

Brand. William 663

Brant, John H 566

Breder, Casper H 104

Breuer, Charles August.- 706

Breuer, Henry 527

Bridges, John Dilon 705

Bridges. J. .A 908

Bringer, .August F 455

Brown, William E 1046

Browning, Hon. M. D.... 1016

Bruce, Hon. James 1079

Bruhl, Max 800

Brumm, William 652

Brun. Emil 885

r.run. Jll^epll .A 867

Brydolf, Col. l-",ibian 901

P.umgardncr, Jacob 576

Bulirmaster, C. F. W.... 513

Burdctte. John William.. 1028

Burdette, Robert J 227

Burkholdcr. l-'raiik (i 915

Burnham, Loren i; 143

Burns, Robert 1074

Buser, Maximilian 804

Busse, Frederick William 878

Cady. Ralph P 606

Caldwell, Elmer Ellsworth 696

Caldwell. Milton P 854

Calkins, Millard B 492

Cameron, Clarence E. . . . 675

Garden, John 248

Carithers, .Andrew French 243
Carithers, Isaiah Reid.... 681

Carmean. William R 503

Carnegy, John Johnson.. 788
Carpenter, George B. P. . . 188

Carson, William 16

Carter. Thomas H 1047

Cartwright. Stephen 328

Cartwright, William 11- •. 832

Caster, Dr. Jacob S 230

Catlett, Edward W. M . . . 978
Cave, William I'rederick. . 122
Chamberlin. Dr. VV. B-... 1042
Chambers, Governor John 1052
Clarke, Governor James.. 1054

Clinc. John .M 955

Cludy, William 967

Cochran. Dr. R. 1 395

Comstock. Joab C 160

Conkling. ICdwin B 496

Conley. .Melvin Deloss... 383

Connor, .M. C 1032

Cook. Lyman 689

Coon. Marlow M 1083

Copcland. William W 56

Corse, Gen. John M 1017

Cowles, La Monte 34

Cowles. D. D.. Rev. W. F. 332

1 104

IXPfiX.

Cox, Daniel V 346

Crap... Philip Ashley 468

Crapo, Philip M 11

Crawford. John R 397

Cross. William C 192

Dannii-s. William I-' 697

Uaviy, Charles E 81 j

Davis. David William 113

Deam, James 665

Dcarlove, George W 938

nohii. John G 801

Dod^je. Geii. Augustus C- 1004

Doetnelaiul. Christ 864

Donner, l-'rederick 709

Downer. Klisha 774

Downer, Willis Krwin... 703

Dunham, Clark 1056

Du'-linan. Henry John.-.. 234

ICads, Henry K 1039

ICarnest. David 708

I'berhart, George K 376

l''dg.ir, Samuel I-^lder 561

E-:dgar, William John 500

Kdwards, James Lyman.. 40

l-"ibes, Joseph 779

ICideniiller, George 918

l-isfeld, I-:. .M 656

l".lliolt. Robert Francis... 692

l"'nde. Charles 212

l-'nke, James W 410

]ipstein, Jacob O58

Ernst. Frederick Got fried 706

Esau. Frank 943

Fvans. Merrett Thomas.. 132

Evans. Th.inias T 130

Ewing. William H 1036

Ewinger, Henry 984

Ewinger, John H 677

Ewinger, William 0 601

Faris, Joshua 723

Fichthorn, William 694

Fischer, Tophel 850

l-"isiher, William 60

F'isher, Charles l-'rederick 858

Manders, Daniel J 256

Flanders, Samuel A 250

Iteming, John C, Dr 55

Memiiig, John J 337

l-"orkel, .Vuguslus H. H... 574
Foole, lion. John Graham 51
Foster, Williani P 1096

Frantz, John 223

F'razec, George 1033

Freeburg, Gust 787

I'rench, Thomas 1020

FulIenwider,M.D., Samuel 1080
I-'unck, J. Adams 1040

Gahegan, Michael Henry. 283

Gallaher, George 631

Gardner, l-"rederick J 921

Garman, Charles M 516

Gear, John H looi

Geng, William .'\ugust... 787

Gerbeling, Herman 802

Gerdes, John F 669

Gerling, Fred 662

Getty, Hugh C 7(19

(iibson, .Mien Essington.. 381

Gibson. George 379

Gicse, John H 164

Gieseker, Carl Louis .S4()

Gieseker, Louis Charles.. 845

C.ieselmaii. Henry 4.^9

Gilbert. Isham 1068

Gilbert, John Webster 302

Gilbert, Samuel 305

(Gilbert, Washington D-.- 46

Gillette, Delos A 666

Gingrich, John Peter 2.V)

Glascr, .August G 585

Gottschalg, lulward 930

Gould, Ora Jackson 291J

GrandstaflF, 1-. Otis 36

Green, Cyrus 570

Grcvc, Henry 95()

Griggs, Charles Thaddcus 421
Grimes, Hon. James W.. 1002

Gross, John 1)37

Guest, Gen. James A 43

Gustafson, .\ndrcw F.... 763

I lacker, .Mbert 240

Hafncr, John 55(1

Haiglit, Charles Henry... 311

Hale, Bernard 448

Hall, Hon. Benton J io8()

Hamilton, Albert 1 754

Hanaphy. Dr. Frank P. . . 480

Hanna. Caswell 66

I lanson, N'els C 352

Harms. John Willi.ini . . . . 757

Harper. Hon. William 18

H.-iri)er. John 942

Harris. Hiram Spurlock.. 367

Hartzell. .\dam 1039

Hatton. Hon. Frank 608

Hausenclever. l-'dward... 680

Hawkins. .Mbert H 555

Hawkins. James .\ 454

lleckenberg, Charles .A.. 737
Heckenburg, Mrs. Marg. 691

Hedge, Hon. Thomas 976

Hedge, Thomas, Sr 976

Hedges, Jerome lildward.. 237
lleitmeicr, Henry........ 883

Heitz. Sebastian 671

Heizer. Capt. Samuel B. 360

lleizer, Edward 1088

Heil. Casper 529

Hellenthal, John Peter.. 695

Hellenthal, .Michael 882

Helt, Nicholans 464

Helt, William 786

Henderson, James 1078

Henry, Dr. John F 1027

lleiisleigh, William 655

Herschler, Samuel 1095

Herzog, Rheinhart. . . ... . 714

Hess, Benjamin C 862

Hingst, Theodore. 879

Holsteen, .Major Fred S.. 465

Howard. Wesley. 511

Hudson. Hon. Silas .X. .. . 94
Hueholt. Gustav .\dolph. 904
Hukill. Charles Wesley. . . 524

llnnl. Charles William 124

Hunt, Col. Henry E 1041

Hunt. John B 372

Hunt. William B 186

limit. William Claiborne. 41

llurlbut. Thomas K 991

Hurlbut. Willi.im H 923

Huston. Samuel John R.. 547

llulchcroft, George 618

llutchcroft, Thomas 644

lliitclicroft, Thomas 1086

Mnlchison, John 445

Ibbotson, John 661

""•cr. F. C. 437

Inghram. William D 682 -

lla. Ulrich. 140

Jackson, Edgar Thomas.. 194

Jackson, I-Vank Oscar 755

Jackson, George Kramer. 583

Jackson, James 621

Jackson, John Albert Sio

INDEX.

Jackson, Smith H 719

Jackson, William Harvey- 622

Jacoby, James H 557

Jamison, George S 534

Jenkins, George 718

Johnson, Andy 8go

Johnson, August H 748

Johnson, Charles 8,?-

Johnson, E. W 87

Johnson, Frank Alfred. •• 482

Johnson, Frank E 541

Johnson, Dr. G. J 1021

Johnston, Richard 642

Jones, John Lincoln 698

Jones, William E 112

Jordan, Robert C 602

Julius, Frederick S58

Jnnk, Riibert B 604

Kaestner, Henry 593

Kelly, Daniel 147

Kelley, David John 959

Kelley, John L 257

Kendall, William Albert- ■ 222

Kirk, James 586

Killough, James 715

Kitchen, Jeremiah 539

Klein, Joseph 319

Kline. Charles Frederick- 594

Kline, John Belless 595

Klindt, Ferdinand H 704

Knapp, Joseph 567

Kocli, F. H. A 347

Koch. M. D., Frederick E- 348

Koestner, Charles 851

Kolkman, Fred -^44

Koonz, J. C 315

Korf, Anton 941

Krekel, John Henry 792

Krekel, Louis F 775

Kriechbaum, T. W 45

Krieger, Frederick 877

Krieger, William Henry. . 876

Krueger, Charles H 742

Knechen, Frank X 369

Kuhlemeier, Fredrick J... 530

Kuhlenbeck, John F 580

Kuntz, Christian 816

Lahcc, John 458

Lahec, John S 462

Lane, Charles Arthur---. 751

Lane, John 575

Lang, M. D., .^nna J 626

Lange, Paul 434

Langley, Howard .A.mes.. 342

Landwehr, Joseph 672

Laubscher, John 794

Laner, Anton 373

Lauer, Theobald 898

Lee, John Thomas 599

Lp^ffler, Hon. Shepherd--- 1045

,Lehmann, Jacob L 764

Lehr, Edward 970

Leicht, Fred g6r

Lembergcr, Henry 47S

Leonard, David 414

Lewis, Mercy 1038

Lines, Allison 747

Lines, John R 716

Lloyd, Joseph A 322

Lloyd, William Vaughan- 139

Lofquist, John A 818

Logan, Richard 420

Logan, Samuel 420

Lomax, Robert A 274

Lowry, J. William 612

Lucas, Christ 780

Lucas, Fred William 879

Lucas, Governor Robert-- 1053

Luecking, Henry J 761

l.undecn, Charles M 951

Magel, Benjamin 487

Magel, Clarence J. 489

Magel, George Seibert--- 490
Magle, Henry (see Sei-
bert Magle).

Magel, Peter 490

Magle, Seibert 485

Mailandt, Jacob P. 810

Malchow, John 829

Marquardt, Herman G--- 108

Marsteller, Frank L. - - . - - 933

Martin. Hugh Harvey...- 760

Martin, Major J. N. 924

Mason, Hon. Charles.... 1007

JLithes, Chris 80

Mathews, Howard A..-.- 121

.Mathews, J. Ken 300

McClure, Isaac Newton-- 103

McCIurkin, John Calvin.- 201

McColloch, Nathan A.- - - - 896

McElIiinney, Robert .\. . - - 571

McF.lhinney, Rcibcrt--.-- 1084

Mclntire. Joseph .'\. 905

McKee, David Harris...- 78

Mcl.ain. John W. 623

.McLane, Daniel W. 830

McMullin, John 815

McMullin- Woellhaf Co.,

The 1098

McNaught, Ira M. 999

McPake, John 969

Mehaflfy, David 798

Mehaffy, John 746

Mehmken, Fred 805

Mercer, John M. 62

Merrill, T. A. 1083

Mesmer, Leander J...... 668

Messenger, Hyram- ------ 532

Meyers, Herman. 1077

Millard. l'"rank 993

Miller, George A. 545

Miller, William 734

Mickey, Gov. John H.. . . . 1023

Moehle, Chris William.. 708

Moehlc, William 678

Moehn, Adam 629

Moehn, Martin 374

Mohr, Christian 918

Moir, Robert 553

Montgomery, John 971

Moore, Henry. . 1041

Morehouse, William H... 92

Moyers, Pearl Alfred.... 950

Mumme, Joachim Andres. 686

Munson, Peter .^ugust. . . - 817

Murpliy, Michael W. 596

Nees. Peter 985

Nelson, Carl N. 478

Nelson, Charles H. 945

Nelson, Charles M. 860

Ni.xon, M. D., Samuel E. . . 197

Nordstrom, Jacob Robert 727

Norton, Frank C. 423

O'Farrell. John 797

Orr, William 582

Parker, M. D., Addis E... 515

Patterson, Horace.-.-.-- 150

Peterson, Andrew John.- 676

Peterson, Henry .Anton.. 638

Peterson, John .\ugust.-- 649

Peterson, William 651

Pieper, Henry William-- 726

Picrson, Prof. Johnson... 1034

Pietzsch, Louie 791

Pilger, Jacob .Andrew---- 357

Price, Dr. Jacob W. 339

1 1 06

fXDRX.

Porter. Jaini-s Thompson. .340
Piirtlock. David I,. 710

Quell, Henry

SSo

Kand. Charle- W jX'j

Rand, K. D. iot).i

Randall, Or. William M . . igg

Rankin, Thomas Richard. 43J

Ramillcr, Frederick 974

Rapp, Jacob ■ ■ ■ ■ 902

Raiihaus, .Mbert 764

Reed, Jcdui Walkinshaw 6}<5

Reed, Robert G. 95J

Reid, Millard Fillmore.. 503

Rcid. William James-... 8j5

Reipc, John Henry 614

Reis, George John ,394

Renner, Franklin 964

Renner, John 218

Renu-y, George Collier. . 1052

Rickni;m, Fred 998

Riepe. Charles II. 616

Riel)e, Herman II. 615

Riepc. Henry H.. 617

l\ici)e, John Flick 618

RilTel, George W 457

Rinkor, Albert William. • io<)7

Risser, Jacob M ioo9

Ritler. Henry 404

Ritztn.inn, John Baptist.. 235

Roe, .Albert James. 226

Roe. I). 1). S.. I'. .\. 224

Robl), John J.inies 558

Robb. Robert G. 247

Rolib, Thomas Cargill. . . . 273

Robertson. George 1008

Rold. Chris 973

Rolf, Jiihn I'rederich. . . . 741

Roiiikey. I'".dward W...... -'81

Ronr, Hon. D.ivid 1008

Roih. John 886

Rnssell, Simeon 296

Rntter, Samuel 729

Ryuii, Dr. William H. 758

Saarmann. .\rtliiir Win

Sacrison, Gust

.Salter. William, D. I).

Sandberg, I lenry

Schaefer, M. I)., PanI II
Schaffner, William....
Schenrs, H. P

994
1057

1086

109.1

Schick. Charles Henry- • - - 745

.Schupp. Gebhard .587

Scholer. Jact)b 6,38

Sihniiers. John Christian. 1^73

.Schmidt. Carl 1 972

.Schmidt, Henry C 968

Schrader. Frederick 897

Schramm. Charles F. ---■ 148
Schramm. John Siegmund 220

Schrei. -\flolpli 641

Schroder. John -A 947

Schro<ler. John .X 948

Schroeder. John Henry-- 865

.Schroeder, William F. .--- 866

Schnltes, Adrian loi

Schnltz. Henry 679

Schultz, John 670

Schuiz, William 728

Schnlze, James Henry... - 750

Schuler. Joseph 654

Schwartz. Herman 890

Scott, John C. 387

See. Rev. Michael 843

Senti. .-\ndrevv 777

Senti. Samuel 776

Sheagren. (instaviis V. . - . - 789

Sheridan, Thomas Wm.-- 732

Shcrrill, I.ce R 724

Sielcrman, Freideric C--- 740

Slingluff. Christian John-- 640

Smith, \. J 206

Smith. .Andrew 647

Smith, F.dward J. • - - 625

Smith, Fr.mk M. 74

Smith, h'rederick .Monzo- . 182

Smith. Hon. l-"llison 118

Smith, Hon. I'rederiok \. 31

Smith, Jiistns C. 447

Smith, Joseph I". 648

Smith, Thomas l.eander. . 700

Smith, Samuel 276

Smith, William CoKvell- 903

Smith, William H. no

Sniylh, Hon, P. Henry---- 105.1

Sowden, F'rank H 542

Spencer, Richard 1031

Stadtlander, Henry W... 824

Starr, Hon. Henry W.- - - - 1013

Steffcner. Fred W. 822

Steingrcaber, Walter G.-- 202

Stewart. George J. 465

Stewart. John Ramsey..-- 949

-Steyh. William 424

Sliefel. .Mbrecht 720

Stiver-. Thomas 128

Stockton. Judge L. D 1035

Stodt. John 835

Stone. Joseph C. .\l. D.. 1014

Strothman. Charles A 926

Strothman. John H 840

Stncker, George W 386

Stutsman. Hon. A. H..--- 1031

Sucssens. I-"redrich 963

Sunderland. N. P. 428

Sutcliffe. James 881

Sutcliffe. John Sidney.... 919

Sutherland. D. D.. John R. 76

Swan, John Ward 893

Sweny, George 135

Swygard. Frederick Wm.. 957

Swygard. John P. 562

Tabor. hVank Charles---. 491

Tackenbcrg. II. J. 766

Taeger. Henry J. 821

Tacgcr. J. Henry 690

Thie. Friedrich Hermann 528

Thic, Henry 90

Thie. Herman 871

Thielsen. Hans 1037

Thcmias, .Alfred 793

Thomas. Fli 838

Thomas, F.nos 744

Thomas. John L. 114

Thomas. Prof. S. O [081

Thompson, F'rank F 982

Thompson, Wm. H. 799

Thornton, I'Vancis C. 769

Timmerman, Lewis 584

Timmerman, Louis I-". ---- 803

Tomlinson, James A....- 208

Tschenisch, Herman 839

Turpin, William W. 210

Uhlcr, John .\ 987

L'nterkircher, Charles T. - - 310

Unterkircher, I". L 307

Unterkircher, G. L .309

ITnterkircher, P. !•' 306

Vahic, William 733

Vance, Peter 327

Vance, Reverend Wm.--- 326

V^-indemark, Zuro 960

V'annice, .Andy 409

Vannice, James 407

Van Osdol, John W. 72

\'oelkel, Jo-eidi 770

DEC 231949

INDEX.

(igelgcsang, John 290

._igt, Frederick 452

v'ogt, George Josepli .... 453

Waclisimith. Prof. Chas. .. 159

Waddel. John 416

Waddel, Samuel 417

Waddle, John William... 418

Waddle, Robt. Courtney. 321

Wagner. Jacob Frederick 924

Waite, Charles Wesley... 330

Waite, John 259

Waite, John L. 262

Walker, Rear-Admiral

John Grimes 1051

Walker, M'iUiam 510

Wallentin, George 153

Warren, Gen. Fitz Henry, roig

Warren, Michael 876

Watson, Alexander 390

Watssin, J;imcs Richard.. 501

Watson, John Milton 931

Weingart, Rudolph 823

Weinrich, Herman 16S

Weinstein, Louis 88

Weis, John P. 319

Wertz, Jacob Christian... 720

Westerbeck, Henry 935

Westerbeck, William 936

Welch, Samuel F.. 637

White, Dr. Charles .\ 1065

Whittemore, John 888

Wichhart, Charles Henry. 809

Wightm.an, Joseph P. 1030

Willson, David 771

Wilson, Samuel H. F. .... 133
Williams, Rev. A. C, D, D. 1050
Williams, George H. 1047

Williams, Jacob 872

Williams, John Wilson... 1076

Williams, Thomas M 1048

Wischmcier, Christian J.. . 940

Woellhaf, Gottlieb 934

Woepking, Theodore.... 734

Woodcock, Charles 989

Woodward, George M 184

Wotring, Winfield S. 317

Wunnenberg, Fred C. 806

Wunncnbcrg, Henry 753

Wunnenberg. Otto 907

Wynian, Jolm 11 30

N'ager. John 739

Vagcr, William Augustus. <S99

Yaklcy, Andrew 863

Valcy. Horace J. 174

Yohe, Isaac James 996

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