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THE BLUE BOOK
OF
IOWA WOMEN
A HISTORY OF
CONTEMPORARY WOMEN
Edited and Compiled by
WINONA EVANS REEVES
19 14
1G6715G
To your mother, and to my own of
blessed memory, to whom we owe all
that we are and to whose inspiration we
are indebted for all we have tried to do,
this book is dedicated.
Press of the
Missouri Printing and Publishing Company,
Mexico. Mo.
PREFACE
STATE in the union has produced a bet-
ter or a higher type of womanhood than
Iowa. From pioneer days until the pres-
ent they have had a very helpful interest
in the advancement of education, of the
arts, of literature, of religious and moral training, in
the great work of philanthropy and of social service in
all of its phases. Some of them have been women of
unusual talent and have a national reputation, and
some have a world-wide reputation. To record the
achievements of these exceptional women, and to make
a permanent record of the lives and work of the
women who within the State and in their own commu-
nities have given their service to the common good is
the object of this book. It is not claimed that all the
women deserving recognition are included in these
pages, no book would be large enough to contain them
all.
The labor involved in collecting and compiling this
history has been far beyond our expectation, yet if we
have added to the written history of our state, or if
the lives herein recorded prove an inspiration to
others, it will be compensation for all the labor it has
cost.
In compiling this history of Iowa women, the first to
be published in the state, we have been aided by many
prominent women, by the Historical Dept. of Iowa
and by the State Historical Society. We here give
grateful acknowledgment of that aid.
WINONA EVANS REEVES.
"The common problem, yours, mine, everyone's
Is not to fancy what were fair in life,
Provided it could be, — but, finding first
What may be, then find how to make it fair
Up to our means: a very different thing."
— Robert Browning.
The Blue Book of loiva Wom^n
MRS. GEORGE W. CLARKE
Mrs. George W. Clarke, the wife of the Governor of
Iowa, was born at Adel, Jany. 16, 1857, her maiden
name being Arietta Greene. She is the daughter of
Benjamin Greene and Parmelia Catherine Sturges,
who came to Adel in 1847 when there were only two
or three families there. The settlement was called
Penoach and later Mr. Greene gave the town the name
Adel.
Mrs. Clarke was educated at the Oskaloosa College
with the degree M. S. She was married on June 25,
1878, at Adel to George W. Clarke, a young attorney
who had just graduated from the Law Dept. of the
State University. Their home is still in Adel. He was
a member of the Iowa legislature for four tenns and
was speaker of the house for two additional terms.
He was elected Lieut. Governor in 1908, and in 1912
became Governor, and he is a very popular executive.
Four children have been born to them: Fred Greene
Clarke, Charles P. Clarke, Portia Clarke Van Meter
and Francis Ada Clarke. Mrs. Clarke is a member of
the Christian church and has been a Sunday school
teacher and an active worker in the Missionary
Society for many years. She is an interested club
v/oman in her home town and in Des Moines where
they reside a part of the year. She is a member of the
Civic Service and Social Reform committee of the I. F.
W. C. and is an earnest advocate of equal suffrage.
She is a charming woman socially and in every way
graces her position as the First Lady of the common-
wealth.
10 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. W. L. HARDING
Mrs. Carrie May Harding, the wife of W. L. Hard-
ing, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, was born in Dun-
barton, Wis., Nov. 17, 1879. She is the daughter of
H. H. Lamareaux and Margaret Annetta Phoenix,
bolli natives of "Wyoming county, Penn. She received
her education at Morningside College, Sioux City,
having been graduated from that institution in music
and expression. On Jany. 9, 1907, she was married at
the home of her parents at Meriden, la., to W. L. Hard-
ing, an attorney by profession. Lieut. Gov. Harding
is the son of Mr. and Mrs. 0. B. Harding, natives of
Pennsylvania, who came to Osceola county, Iowa, in
1874, being among the early settlers of that part of the
state. He was graduated from the law school of the
State University of South Dakota, in 1905. He imme-
diately opened a law office in Sioux City and is now
the senior member of the firm of Harding & Oliver.
He was elected Representative in 1906 and re-elected
in 1908. When George W. Clarke was elected Gover-
nor of Iowa, he was elected to the office of Lieut. Gov.
Since 1906 Mr. and Mrs. Harding have spent a part of
the year in Des Moines. IVIrs. Harding is a member of
the Board of Directors of the Legislative Ladies'
League, and has been both prominent and popular in
the social life of the capital city. She is a charter
member of the Sioux City Woman's Club. She is a
home lover and does fine needlework and china paint-
ing, and has for a creed, "East or west, home's best."
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 11
MRS. A. J. RARKLEY
Few women in the state are more widely known
than Mrs. A. J. Barkley. The creed and policy of her
life are embodied in this motto which is over the fire-
place in the library of her home: "I shall pass this
way but once. Any good thing therefore that I can
do, or any kindness that I can show to any human
being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect
it for I shall not pass this way again."
Flora E. Spencer was born in Rice county, Minn.,
Feb. 28, 1860. She is the daughter of Wilson Spencer
and Caroline Beaver Goodykoontz. On her father's
side her lineage is traced to a soldier of the war of
1812. Her mother is descended from the Beaver fam-
ily of Pennsylvania, whose ancestors came from Al-
case in 1740. The family were leaders in public af-
fairs in the great commonwealth and have furnished
"food for powder" in every war which America has
waged since they became citizens of this country. In
1865 the Spencer family moved to Waukon, la., where
the daughter was educated in the public schools, later
taking a course in the Normal School of Valparaiso,
Ind. She was a high school teacher for eight years,
after having taught four years in tlie country graded
schools.
On July 28, 1891, she was married to Alonzo J.
Barkley, one of the organizers of the Boone county
bank, and its president until he retired from business
in 1911. Many distinguished guests have been
graciously entertained in their home, whose doors
swing wide, welcoming the rich and poor, who meet
together to enjoy the hospitality. A nephew, Earl
12 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
Barkley Spencer, makes his home with them and is
being carefully educated by them.
Mrs. Barkley is an active member of the M. E.
church. She has taken a deep interest in the library
work of the state, and was president of the State Li-
brary Association in 1907-08. It was largely through
her influence that the 28th General Assembly passed a
law providing for the establishment of a State
Library Commission. She is now a member of that
commission, having been appointed by the Governor.
She has been a member of the Library Board of the
Ericson Public Library of Boone since 1898, and upon
the death of its founder. Senator Ericson, she became
president of the Board. She is chairman of the Lit-
erature and Library Extension Committee of the I. F.
W, C. She has served the I. F. W. C. as vice-president
and has represented the state at four general federa-
tions. She is a member of the board of the Eleanor
Moore hospital. She was the first president of the
Giij federation of Women's Clubs and has served
De Shon chapter, Daughters of the American Revo-
lution as its regent, and represented the chapter in the
National Congress in 1913. She was a charter mem-
ber of the Lowell club which was one of the first clubs
to join the L F. W. C. She has had a great interest in
and influence upon the public schools and has taken
a personal interest in many pupils who needed aid
and encouragement. The tremendous energy and
systematic efforts of this unselfish woman have enabled
her to accomplish something worth while without neg-
lecting her home duties.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 13
MRS. CYNTHIA WESTOVER ALDEN
Iowa is proud to claim "The Sunshine Lady," Mrs.
Cynthia Westover Alden, President General of the In-
ternational Sunshine Society. Born in Afton in 1862,
the daughter of Oliver S. and Lucinda Lewis West-
over. When a child her parents moved to Colorado.
She was graduated in the first class of the State Uni-
versity at Boulder. For years she was one of the best
known newspaper women in the United States, one of
the few holding the degree Master of Literature.
While she was one of the editors of the Daily New
York Recorder, she organized half in jest, "The Sun-
shine Society" among those connected with that pub-
lication. There were eighteen who promised "To do
the thing that was needed whenever it was needed,
whether it was a little or a big one," and to pass on
any article in their possession, not needed, but might
be of use to another. There are now over 3000 or-
ganized branches with 300,000 members. Head-
quarters are at 96 Fifth Ave., New York. With the
growth of the society Mrs. Alden gave up her news-
paper work and with it a yearly salary of $5,000. For
ten years she was on the staff of the Ladies Home
Journal and through it made the Sunshine Society
known to the world. The society has done every sort
of work imaginable — founded schools, playgrounds,
nurseries, clothed the naked, helped the sick, buried
the dead. Mrs. Alden thinks their greatest work is
the homes established for blind babies and the cam-
paign to prevent infant blindness. This work was in-
augurated by them and is now far reaching in its
scope. No letter from a troubled heart — rich or poor
— ever failed to receive a reply from the Sunshine
Lady.
14 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. HELEN READ ANDREW
A woman of broad culture and a gentle woman of
the highest type is Mrs. Helen Read Andrew of Ot-
tumwa. She was born in Byron, 111., Jany. 17, 1844,
the oldest daughter of Lucius and Emily Read who
came from Vermont to Illinois when the state was
considered on the far frontier. She graduated from
Wheaton College in 1863, having had unusual educa-
tional advantages for the time. She is the widow of
Archibald Andrew and has one son, Lucius A. Andrew,
who is president of the Citizens' Savmg Bank of Ot-
tumwa. She taught school after her husband's death
in Illinois and Wisconsin for twenty years and was in-
terested in newspaper work for ten years. She has
always been a woman of keen thought and a great
reader. She keeps abreast of the times and is much
interested in the advancement of women. She
believes sincerely in the justice of equal suffrage. She
has been prominent in the State W. C. T. U. work; for
five years she was press superintenent and later dis-
trict president. For thirty years she has been a club
woman; for several terms she was president of the
Ottumwa "Woman's Club, treasurer of the City Fed-
eration of Clubs, president of the Bay View Club and
of the Union Bible Class. As president of the Visit-
ing Nurse Association she has directed a splendid work
for Ottumwa 's dependent classes. She is a member of
the Presbyterian church and devoted to its interests in
the Sunday school and missionary work. She has
traveled extensively in this country and in Europe.
Mrs. AndrcAV has always been a woman of vision,
who saw possibilities of human advancement and up-
lift and has done her part to make real her vision.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 15
MRS. ALICE BIRD BABR
Alice Bird was born in Mt. Pleasant, la,, May 8,
1850. Her father. Dr. Wellington Bird, was a leading
physician of Southeastern Iowa from 1849 to his death
in 1897. Her mother, Sarah Thornton, descended
from one of the leading families of Bloomsbery, Perm.
She received her education in the public schools, in
Howe 's Academy and . in the Iowa Wesleyan Uni-
versity from which she graduated with honors in 1869.
She was immediately elected principal of the high
school and took high rank as a teacher. In 1872 she
was elected to a professorship in the I. W. U., at the
end of the year she resigned and was married on Oct.
8, 1873, to Judge W. I. Babb, then a young lawyer at
that place. Four children were born to them, Max
Wellington, born July 28, 1874, who is vice-president
and general attorney of the Allin Chalmers Manufac-
turing Co. of Milwaukee. Miles Thornton, born Feb.
27, 1878, is a successful business man representing the
Western Wheel Scraper Co., and other corporations at
Kansas City. Clara Belle, born Feb. 16, 1883, died
when seven years of age, and Alice, born March 29,
1887, still remains at home. Mrs. Babb's children
have ever been her greatest joy and pride. It was her
guiding hand and her loving, sympathetic, counsel
which fashioned their lives which today reflect honor
upon her. Mrs. Babb has a bright, vigorous, versatile
mind and a keen appreciation of everything beautiful
in life and in nature. She has a peculiar sympathy
which has rendered much of her life devoted to the
service of others and makes her an ideal wife, mother
and friend. She has rare literary and dramatic talent
and is a delightful platform speaker. Had it not been
16 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
for the cliarm of her home life and her devotion to it.
she might have had a brilliant career as a lecturer.
She has always been in demand as a speaker and has
captivated many audiences with her Avit and with
her scholarly presentation of her theme. For twenty
years she had charge of the annual class plays given
by the seniors in the Iowa Wesley an University and
only gave it up upon their removal to Aurora, 111., in
1906. On July 21, 1869, Alice Bird, Mary Allen, Hat-
tie Briggs, Alice Coffin, Franc Roads, Suella Pearson
and Ella Stewart, seven congenial girls in the Iowa
Wesley an University, met in the music room of the
main building and organized the P. E. 0. Sisterhood.
Allie Bird wrote the constitution and was the first to
take the oath and was the first president serving for
three successive years. During the thirty-seven years
she afterward lived in Iowa she was an earnest and
enthusiastic worker in Chapter Original A. When
chapter A celebrated the thirty-third anniversary they
presented Mrs. Babb a handsome star, the emblem of
the sisterhood, richly studded with diamonds, in
recognition of her great service. The P. E. 0. sister-
hood today has a membership of 22,000, with chapters
in 27 states, in the District of Columbia and in British
Columbia. Its membership is made up of a high type
of women, the standard of culture having been set by
the seven college girls. The principles embodied in
the first constitution written by l\Trs. Babb remain
unchanged today. When the growth of the sister-
hood made necessary State Grand Chapters and a Su-
preme Chapter, Mrs. Babb was chairman of the com-
mittee to formulate the laws governing them. She is
held in highest honor and love by this great body of
women.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 17
DR. MARGARET V. CLARK
Dr. Margaret Vampel Clark of Waterloo, was born
at Pleasant Ridge, Lee county, Iowa. She is the
daughter of John Christian Vampel and Clara Sand-
ganger. She received her early education in the pub-
lic and private schools, receiving her classical educa-
tion in the University of Wisconsin. Her professional
education was received at the Woman's Medical Col-
lege of New York Infirmary, and Hahnemann Medical
College of Chicago. She took post-graduate work in
London, Berlin and Vienna. She was ever an am-
bitious and conscientious student, and as a result is a
woman of broad education, as well as having unusual
professional knowledge and skill.
In 1886 she was married at Humboldt, la., to Dr.
G. Hardy Clark, who is a very successful practitioner
She is a member of the American Medical Association,
the Iowa State Medical Society, the Public Health
Com. of the General Federation of Women 's Clubs, the
Public Health Com. of the I. F. W. C. She is medical
director of the baby health contests and compiled
the grade cards for the contests, which cards received
the approval of the National Medical Association and
are used in the contests in many states. She is a mem-
ber of the Public Library Board of Waterloo, of the
State Association of Charities and Correction, of the
W. C. T. U., the Waterloo Political Equality Club, the
Iowa Woman's Professional League, the Audubon So-
ciety, is chairman of the local Civic Club and is a de-
voted church woman, being on its Board of Trustees.
Through the lives and by the efforts of such busy, able
women as Dr. Clark, do the agencies for the better-
ment of society, the raising of health and moral stand-
ards of the race move toward accomplishment.
18 Tlie Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. MATILDA A. VON SCHMIDT ARP
Matilda Anna von Schmidt is the daughter of John
and Anna Elizabeth Lenz von Schmidt, both of whom
were born in Germany and met for the first time on
board the ship which brought them to America. She
attended school until sixteen years of age when her
father died, leaving her mother with eight children.
She began to help her mother in the support of the
family by conducting a millinery store, and the brave
spirit of the girl was manifested in the success of the
undertaking. On Oct. 31, 1884, she was married to
Mr. Arp in Denison. Two children have been born to
them, Myrtle Wilhelmina, the wife of Dr. H. T. Ken-
nedy, of Pierre, S. D. She is a graduate of the Chica-
go Musical College and took post-graduate work in
Boston. Esther Anna, the second daughter, is a stu-
dent at the State University of South Dakota. Mrs.
Arp has always been an active worker in the church
and Sunday school, and is a warm advocate of study
classes and clubs for women. "When she moved to
Sioux City in 1910 she found no Woman's Club. She
advocated its organization for several months and then
invited a few women to a parlor meeting at her home
from which the Sioux City Women's Club was organ-
ized on Nov. 25, 1911, having in its membership some
of the brightest women in that city. Mrs. Arp is a
member of the Equal Suffrage Club and an earnest
advocate of its principles. Her life has been saddened
by the tragic death of her brother, the Rev. Lewis J.
Schmidt, a man of great ability and usefulness in the
world. She has two brothers, Charles and John
Schmidt, living in Manning, Iowa, and a sister, Mrs.
Minnie Behrens, living in South Dakota.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 19
MRS. LUCIUS A. ANDREW
Hazel Summerwill Andrew, the daughter of Wm.
James and Florence Sleramons Summerwill, was born
in Prairie City, Nov. 1, 1876. Her father's ancestors
came from England and he was born in Kingston,
Canada. Her mother was the oldest daughter of Ben-
jamin and Rhuhemia Slemmons, who came from Ohio
and were among the early settlers of Iowa near Eddy-
ville. Mr. and Mrs. Summerwill went to Northern
Iowa in its early development period and took up
their residence in Odebolt, where for many years he
was a prominent business man and banker, a man of
highest integrity, and sound business judgment. Mrs.
Summerwill was a charming woman of many social
graces and a warm steadfast friend. They had three
children, Hazel, who is now Mrs. Andrew, Ben S. Sum-
merwill, who is a lumber dealer in Canton, S. D., and
Miss Katherine Summerwill of Ottumwa.
Mrs. Andrew was educated in the public schools
and in the Ohio Wesleyan University. She was mar-
ried in Newton, June 8, 1894, to Lucius A. Andrew,
who is president of the Citizens' Savings Bank of Ot-
tumwa. Two children have been bom to them, a
daughter who died in infancy and a son, Lucius A.
Andrew, Jr., who was born in 1908. Mrs. Andrew is a
member of the Presbyterian church, of the Ottumwa
"Woman's Club, which she has served several years as
treasurer and is chairman of the Domestic Science
department. She is a member of the P. E. O. sister-
hood and of the Country Club. She has traveled ex-
tensively in this country and in Canada. She presides
over a beautiful home on Prairie Ave., and finds there
her highest pleasure.
20 Tlie Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. DAVID CRAWFORD BROCKMAN
Mrs. Lucy Nottingham Warden Brockman was born
in Otturawa, Aug. 29, 1868, and has lived there all her
life. Her father was Dr. Charles Warden whose an-
cestors as far back as colonial days lived in Virginia
and Kentucky; they were slave holders and had to-
bacco plantations. Dr. Warden was educated in the
Medical College at Cincinuatti, coming to Wapello
county in 1843 and was the first practicing physician
in that county. He was for years a member of the
Board of Trustees of the Agricultural College at Ames.
Mrs. Brockman 's mother was Martha Williams. Her
father, Washington Williams, crossed from Ohio to
Oregon in a wagon with a short stay in Ottumwa
where his daughter and Dr. Warden were married on
June 13, 1846, For twenty years before her marriage.
Mrs. Brockman was a teacher in the public schools of
Ottumwa, for the greater part of the time was princi-
pal of the Lincoln building. She was married Feby. 2,
1910, to Dr. David C. Brockman, a surgeon who is well
known throughout the State, having a wide practice.
She is a member of the Episcopal church. She is vice-
president of the Play-ground and Recreation Associa-
tion, and has had an active part in the establishment of
public play grounds. She has done a great deal of
archeological research and has a large collection of
Indian curios, many of them she gathered on long
tramps in Wapello and Van Buren counties. She is
versed in bird lore and is an enthusiastic botanist.
She has a special talent for painting and drawing,
especially in water colors and in designs for china
painting.
The Blue Boole of Iowa Women 21
MRS. DRAYTON W. BUSHNELL
Among the Iowa women well known not only in her
own state, but throughout the nation is Mrs. Drayton
W. Bushnell of Council Bluffs, than whom few women
have done more to promote the best and highest inter-
ests of the Daughters of the American Revolution. At
the twenty-third congress of the national society she
was elected to the life office of Hon. Vice President
General in recognition of her meritorious work.
Sophia Walker Hyndshaw Bushnell was born in Hen-
ry, 111., and is the daughter of Silas Condict Hyndshaw
and Elizabeth Walker, who were married in Cincin-
natti, Ohio, in 1858, later moving to Norwood Park, a
Chicago suburb. Mrs. Bushnell was educated at Mon-
ticello, having taken a four years course in this well
known school. In 1878 she was married to Drayton
Wilson Bushnell, going to Council Bluffs, which has
since been their home. Mr. Bushnell served in the
Civil War, having enlisted at the age of seventeen and
served for nearly four years. He enlisted in the
famous Crocker brigade. He is always in attendance
at the reunions of the Crocker Brigade and has for
years been corresponding secretary of the organiza-
tion.
In 1897 Mrs. Bushnell joined the Council Bluffs
chapter D. A. R., as a charter member, and has been on
its Board of Management since the organization. For
three years she was chapter regent. She was for two
years Historian of the Iowa society D. A. R., and State
Vice Regent for one year. She was Vice-Pres. General
of the National Society for four years, and in April,
1914, was elected Hon. Vice-Pres. Gen'l. for life. She
22 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
is a member of the Colonial Dames, the Huguenot
society, the Society of Founders and Patriots, and the
United States Daughters of 1812. Her line of ances-
try through her father embraces many prominent New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England names. Her
father was named for the Hon. Silas Condict of New
Jersey, who was a member of the first Continental
Congress and speaker of the House. Mrs. Bushnell's
great-great-grandfather, Capt. James Hyndshaw, was
a distinguished soldier in the French and Indian wars,
a fort near the Delaware Water-gap having been named
for him in recognition of his service. Mrs. Bushnell's
mother, Elizabeth Walker, of Ohio, traces her lineage
to the Walkers, Fosters, Hicks and Millers of Mary-
land, and to the Wiltsees and other Dutch families of
New York,
When Mrs. Bushnell was elected Vice-President
General from Iowa she suggested to the Daughtei*s of
Iowa that they furnish a room in Continental Hall,
which they did. She was chosen chairman of the com-
mittee and largely through her efforts the Iowa room
was furnished. In recognition of her service to Iowa,
the Council Bluffs chapter had her name placed on the
Roll of Honor Book in Continental Hall, Mrs. Bush-
nell is a woman of charming personality, quite un-
spoiled by all the honor that has come to her. Her
motives are always of the loftiest and she is loved in
her home city, the state, and in the national society.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. W. E. BLAKE
Susan Elizabeth Safely Blake, wife of the widely-
known attorney, W. E. Blake, was born in Waterford,
N. Y., April 23, 1845. Her father was Thomas Safley,
and her mother, Henrietta Fenwiek, who died, when
her daughter was only six years old. In 1853 her
father with his family came to Linn county, Iowa. All
three of Mrs. Blake's brothers served in the Civil War.
Dr. A. F. Safley enlisted in New York, Alexander F.
Safley in a Colorado Regiment and won from the Indi-
ans the name "Brave White Chief" because of his
bravery. Maj. John J. Safley enlisted in the 13th regi-
ment at Davenport which was a part of the Iowa
Crocker Brigade.
She was married to W. E. Blake, Nov. 4, 1903. He
has practiced law in Burlington since 1869. He has
been an elder in the First Presbyterian church for over
forty years and was superintendent of the Sunday
school for twenty-five years. He was a mem-
ber of the Board of Education for twelve years,
being president for eleven years. Mrs. Blake
belongs to most of the clubs and associations
in Burlington which are worth while, among them
the Musical Club, the King's Daughters, the Y.
W. C. A., the Visiting Nurse Association, the Red Cross
society, the Humane society, the Hospital Aid and her
church organizations. To all these she gives very
helpful support. She has lived in Burlington for forty-
one years and through all that time has had a part in
the best life of the city. She has seen the city grow and
improve in these years until it seems transformed, very
few of the old land marks being left.
24 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
DR. KATE STEVENS HARPEL
Kate Stevens Harpel born Oct, 22, 1867 near Spring-
field, 111., is the daughter of Asher M. Stevens and Jo-
hanna Chelsey who came to Cerro Gordo county, la.,
in 1868 and settled on a farm which is still in the pos-
session of the family. Her paternal grandmother,
Julia Kellog, was a granddaughter of Eliphalet Kel-
log, an officer in the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Stevens
died in 1878 leaving a family of seven children, the
daughter Kate, with an elder sister, did the house
work and attended district school.
At the age of 15 she went to Mason City,
where in two years she completed a four years course,
working for her board and expenses, graduated at the
head of her class. She taught in the Mason City
schools until 1887 when she entered the Iowa State
College, having saved sufficient money to cover a
year's expenses. The other three years she taught
during the winter and acted as assistant Librarian at
the college. She received the degree of Bachelor of
Letters, 1890, ranking second in a class of forty-four.
For one year she was principal of the Webster City
High School. In July, 1892, she was married to Llewel-
lyn V. Harpel, a successful lawyer of Perry, where they
lived until 1903, when they moved to Boone, their
present home. For three years she was a member of
the school board in Perry. She studied medicine in
Drake University, receiving her degree in 1903, since
which time she has been a successful practitioner. Her
only son, Gates Harpel, was born in 1893. She is in
religious belief a Universalist and is an efficient club
woman. Through her life no difficulty lias ever daunt-
ed her; through courage and native ability she has
come to success in all she has undertaken.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 25
ANNIE TURNER WITTENMYER
One of the greatest heroines of the Civil War, of
whom General Grant said "No soldier on the firing
line gave more heroic service than she rendered," was
an Iowa woman. Annie Turner Wittenmyer was born
in Sandy Springs, Ohio, in 1827. Her husband was
Wm. Wittenmyer, a merchant. They moved to Keo-
kuk in 1850, where she conducted a free school at her
own expense. In 1862 she was appointed by the Iowa
legislature, State Sanitary Agent. Secretary Stanton
issued a pass which admitted her and her supplies
through all army lines. Over $150,000 in Iowa alone
passed through her hands in money and supplies.
Later she entered the service of the Christian Com-
mission, having charge of the diet kitchen; the first
one opened was in Nashville. She raised the hygienic
excellence of these kitchens to a higher grade than had
then been known in military life. Until the winter of
1865 she constantly cared for the sick and wounded on
the field and in the hospitals.
Through her influence the soldiers' Orphans Home in
Davenport was established, the first of its kind in the
United States. She was National President of the W.
R. C. and practically wrote its code of laws. She was
first national president of the W. C. T. U. She inau-
gurated the plan under which the Woman 's Home Mis-
sionary Society of the M. E. church operates. Largely
through her influence the federal law pensioning army
nurses was passed. She was the author of ''Under the
Guns, a Woman's Reminiscences of the Civil War,"
and other books. President Lincoln, General and Mrs.
Grant, were personal friends.
She died Feb. 2, 1900, having in her life rendered
public service of a very high order.
26 Tlie Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. E. F. BROCKWAY
A village in one of the garden spots of Iowa bears
the name Letts. To many of its residents the name re-
calls a train of golden memories of the pioneer, Madi-
son Letts, for love of whom the people changed the
name of their village from Onanawa to Letts. From
the tower of the church where his descendants still
worship, a sweet toned bell, the gift of appreciation
for the honor bestowed, still calls the people to wor-
ship. In 1854 the Letts family journeyed westward
from their Illinois home and established here the
"Letts Homestead." Here it was that Rowena B.
Letts spent her girlhood days and here in 1860 was
married to Edwin P. Brockway of Canesville, a de-
scendant of an honored pioneer family. All the sterl-
ing characteristics of the pioneer father and the lov-
able traits of a refined mother seem to have centered
in the personality of Mrs. Brockway. She glorified
womanhood in its highest degree and the influence she
created in her home, church and society, still lives to
honor her memory. Hers was a keen intellect and her
father, husband and son, who have aided in shaping
Iowa's laws and destinies found in her a helpful ad-
visor. She was a loyal member of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, of the Nehemiah Letts chap-
ter. A history of this Revolutionary ancestor was
written by her and published in the history of the Iowa
D. A. R's.
The later years of her life were spent at the ''Letts
Homestead," where she dispensed hospitality and good
cheer until her death in September, 1912, The world
was better for having known her.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 27
MISS MINNETTE ELEANOR BROWN
Minnette Eleanor Brown is the daughter of Dr.
Lafayette and Angeline Loretta King Brown. Her
father's ancestors came from England in the early
days of the country's history and settled in New York,
and in later years came to Wisconsin where the family
was prominent in a political and educational way.
Dr. Lafayette Brown who died in 1912, was a gentle-
man of the old school, a scholarly man along many
lines. Mrs. Brown's parents came in pioneer days to
Hamilton, 111., where their influence was felt in a
marked degree on Methodism,
Miss Brown has had many advantages of education,
travel and association with gifted people. She re-
ceived her higher education in Drake University and
in the Chicago University. She is an Episcopalian and
an exemplary church woman. She is president of the
Woman's Auxiliary of St, John's church and an asso-
ciate editor of Church Life, the parish paper. She is
talented to an unusual degree along many lines. She
has a historical and technical knowledge of music, she
lectures delightfully on literary topics, she reads and
interprets literature as a professional, she has done a
great deal of journalistic work and writes with a
charming style. For ten years the family lived in Chi-
cago where she belonged to the Every Wednesday
Club. During her residence in Keokuk she has been
interested in all that tends to civic and social better-
ment. She is a member of the Y. W. C. A. Directorate,
an officer in the Monday Music Club, a member of the
Civic League, the Mentor Keading Club and the Ben-
evolent Union, a charity organization. She is eligible
to the D. A. R. and to the Colonial Dames.
28 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. ADDIE B. BILLINGTON
Helen Adelaide Bonnell Billington inherited mental
activity and refined gentility from parents of noted an-
cestry. She received her early education in the schools
of Wisconsin and Indiana and finished school in a sem-
inary on the Mt. Holyoke plan. She says the
public library was her university. She was a success-
ful teacher as preceptress in the German-English
Normal School at Galena, 111.., and as Dean of Women
in Coe College. On Dec. 22, 1873, she was married to
T, E. Billington and lived in Marion. In 1882 she ac-
cepted a secretaryship in the Department of Public In-
struction in Des Moines, which position she held many
years. She has marked journalistic ability and has
contributed articles to Chicago papers, Eastern maga-
zines, conducted for two years "The Ladies' Social
Circle" in the Burlington Hawkeye, has been on the
editorial staff of the Des Moines Capital. For the
Register-Leader she wrote a series of sketches
"Women Whom Iowa Delights to Honor," a portrait-
ure of Iowa home life such as had never appeared in
print before. She has always been active in church
and temperance work. She held membership in the
Social Science club of Chicago and was one of the five
Iowa members of the Association for the Advancement
of Women which met in Des Moines in 1886. She was
one of the founders of the Des Moines Woman's Club
and is honored with a life membership. She was presi-
dent of the Iowa Press and Author's Club in 1907- '08,
is a member of Abigail Adams chapter D. A. R. She is a
woman of unusual ability and she herself is a "Woman
whom Iowa Delights to Honor."
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 29
MRS. WILLIAM A. BROWNELL
Mary Higbie Brownell was born in Penfield, N. Y.,
March 15, 1841. She is the daughter of Silas Higbie,
born in Duansbery, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1810, and of Hester
A. Ross born at Penfield, May 13, 1820. Her father
was of Holland ancestry, Aneke Jans, of Old Trinity
church in New York was an ancestor. Her mother was
of fine Scotch ancestry, Mrs. Brownell was educated
in the Tracy Female Seminary at Rochester, N. Y,
She was married in Penfield, February 13, 1861, to
"William Augustus Brownell who died in Keokuk, Feb.
20, 1901. They came to Muscatine, Iowa, to live, later
moving to Keokuk where Mr. Brownell was associated
with his brothers in the Keokuk National Bank. Seven
children were bom to them, four of whom lived to be
grown, Ralph Brooks died at the age of 33 years;
Edwin Higbie living in Beverly, Wash. ; Francis Ray-
mond and Marion Harold both living in Hailey, Idaho.
These sons have been a great comfort and joy to their
mother. At the age of 13 she united with the Baptist
church, but after her marriage, with her husband
united with the Congregational church of which she
is a devoted member. She is a member of the Keokuk
Chapter D. A. R., of which she has been regent. She
was a charter member of the Woman's Club and treas-
urer for many years. She belongs to the Civic League,
the Y. W. C. A., the Wednesday Reading Club, the Art
Club and church societies, having a helpful interest in
all of them. It was Emerson who said "The only way
to have a friend is to be one." Mrs. Brownell has
hosts of friends who are devoted to her. She is a
patrician by birth and in all her tastes, she is fond of
society and brings to it a gracious, charming presence.
30 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JOHNATHAN P. DOLLIVER
Louise Pearsons Dollivei- was bom in Vermont and
came with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George R. Pear-
sons to Ft. Dodge when she was but two years old.
That city has been her home ever since except for the
time spent in Washington during the public life of her
husband. She received her education at "Wellesley
College, being graduated in the class of 1889. She was
married Nov. 20, 1895, to Johnathan P. Dolliver, who
was then Congressman from the 10th District. From
the time of their marriage until 1910 when Senator
Dolliver died, their home for the greater part of the
year was in Washington. They have three children,
Margaret Eliza, born in 1900, Francis, born in 1901,
and Johnathan Prentiss, born in 1905.
Mrs. Dolliver is eligible to almost all patriotic so-
cieties; she is a descendant of the Colonial governors,
has ancestors who fought in the Revolution, the Mex-
ican War and the war af 1812. She is interested in
historical societies and is an advocate of the co-opera-
tion of historical and patriotic societies. Her uncle,
Dr. D. K. Pearsons, of Chicago, who gave millions of
dollars to endow small colleges had a very efficient
helper in Mrs. Dolliver in the selecting of colleges
most worthy. During the long service of her gifted
husband in Congress and in U. S. Senate, Mrs. Dolliver
was one of the most popular women in Washington
society. She was a most gracious hostess and a woman
with every (|ualification for the social duties which
came with her husband's position. Johnathan P. Dol-
liver was one of the men of Avhom Iowa is very proud ;
he possessed unusual native ability, was a great states
man, an incomparable orator, and a man of the highest
personal integrity.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 31
MRS. RANDOLPH S. BEALL
Martha StaM was born Aug. 11, 1862, the daughter
of Michael and Mary Talley Stahl who came to Ring-
gold county in 1856, locating on a farm bought from
the government which is still in Mr. Stahl's possession.
She was graduated in 1888 from Simpson College and
has the degrees of B. S. and M. S., later taking post
graduate work in the Chicago University. For nine
years she was professor of Latin in Simpson College.
On August 25, 1904, she was married to Randolph S.
Beall of Mt. Ayr. She is an active member of the M.
E. church and for several years has been secretary of
the Des Moines Conference Woman's Foreign Mis-
sionary Society. In 1912 she was a delegate to the
General Conference, being the only woman delegate
from the district comprising Iowa and Nebraska. She
is president of the Monday Club and of the Village Im-
provement Association. She organized and was for
several years president of the Mt. Ayr Lecture Course
Association. She has travelled in this country and in
Europe. A sister, Miss Josephine Stahl, has for twenty
years been a missionary in India and Burma, and was
the heroine of the Darjeeling disaster in 1897. Mrs.
Beall 's family in all of its branches are devoted mem-
bers of the M. E, church. Her father was a member
of the first class organized in the county and for sever-
al years his home was used for religious services since
there were no churches of that faith near. Of his
nineteen living children and grandchildren all are
members of that church and fifteen of them have been
educated in Simpson College.
32 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
HELEN MANVILLE HENSHAW
Helen Manville Henshaw, author and secretary of
the Young Women's Christian Association, the only
child of Edwin and Helen Hinman Henshaw, was born
April 5, 1876, at Clarinda, Iowa, died at Des Moines,
July 11, 1908. Her father and mother are descend-
ants of early New England patriots of English origin
dating back in clear line on her father's side, to the
family of Henry VII, and on her mother's side, to Sir
Edward Hinman, an officer in the body guard of
Charles I.
After preparation at Miss Clarke's School, Des
Moines, and at Stanley Hall, Minneapolis, Miss Hen-
shaw spent four years at Vassar College, receiving her
A. B. degree in 1900. The next five years she was at
home, dividing her time among social interests, study,
and volunteer service in the local Y. W. C. A., and
the State Committee of Iowa, So splendidly did she
perform these volunteer duties that she was called the
most efficient worker of this kind in the United States.
In 1905, she became Student Secretary of the Y, W. C.
A. for Iowa, and continued so to serve until her death.
As secretary she revealed marked adaptability. Her
academic training, social charm, beautiful home life,
and depth of religious life, combined to make her an
unusual secretary. Her executive services and her ef-
fectiveness as a public speaker ranked her among lead-
ing Y. W. C. A. secretaries.
These things, however, were not the measure of her
greatness. It was in dealing with the personal prob-
lems in religious matters, that the student women of
Iowa found Helen Henshaw an evangel. Wholesome,
well poised, experienced, she won instinctive trust;
The Blue Boole of Iowa Women 33
sympathy and spontaneous love for young women
made her a dear personal friend, a wise counselor.
From the thick of the struggle for advancement
comes the book with a message. There were in Miss
Henshaw's life and work numbers of vital incidents,
striking examples of character development, evidences
of the joy and power of applied Christianity. Little
wonder that conclusions from such combinations were
expressed in book form. From snatches of time she
wrote, completmg but a few weeks before her last ill-
ness her only draft of ''The Passing of the Word," a
novel that has done splendid part in meeting some of
the questions of modern doubt and in bringing scores
to a Christian life.
In the summer of 1905, Miss Henshaw, in company
with Miss Ruth Paxson, now National Student Secre-
tary of the Y. W. C. A. for China, attended the World's
Student Christian Federation in Zeist, Holland, and
afterwards visited extensively in Europe. A rare
Christian friendship united these two girls. Upon
Helen's death, Ruth gave sincere expression of a de-
voted heart in a matchless memorial booklet.
Near the close of her work she was tendered the
secretaryship of the Vassar College Christian Associa-
tion in Tokio, Japan, but refused to accept the honor
on account of the declining years of her parents. To
be from home and her mother, as duty demanded, was
grievous hardship, but to return after even the brief-
est absence was gladness unalloyed. Her generous
fund of quaint humor was a well spring of joy in the
home. One who never saw Miss Henshaw with her
family failed in estimating her character, for here her
being yielded its most natural fruitage.
The Proteus Club, Des Moines, of which Miss Hen-
34 Tlie Blue Booh of Iowa Women
shaw was a constituent member, memorialized her by
hanging four choice copies of the old masters, on the
walls of the Y. W. C. A. building. Her sympathies
were with all activities advancing the cause of women.
For equal suffrage she always stood firm. Hers was a
rare soul, capable, unassuming, cheerful, heroic, ad-
herent to every standard of truth and nobleness. In
her passing, thousands of the young women of our
land had common grief, but they have also abiding for-
ever the uplifting power of her gracious Christian life.
MRS. GEORGE MARTIN KERNS
Mrs. Leona Gertrude Kerns was born in Towanda,
HI., in 1878, the daughter of John A. Miller and Alice
Salina Chaney. She was educated in the Illinois
Wesleyan University B. S., a member of Kappa Kappa
Gamma Sorority. On April 24, 1906, at Bloomington,
111., she was married to George M. Kerns, an architect
of Ottumwa, which city is their home. She is promi-
nent in society and in club life. She is a member of
the Art Club, Tourist Club and Fortnightly Club. She
has served the Art Club as president and has been sec-
retary of the other two. She is a member of the Play
Ground Association and of two social clubs. She is a
member of the Presbyterian church and believes in
Equal Suffrage.
1667156
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 35
MRS. EDWARD READ BURKHALTER
Lucy Anna Denise was born in Franklin, Ohio, Jany.
18, 1847. She is the daughter of Denise Denise and
Mary Elizabeth Sehenk Denise who in 1847 moved to
Burlington, la., where they were honored residents
and pillars in the First Presbyterian Church the re-
mainder of their lives.
An ancestor founded the old ''Log College,"
which afterwards became Princeton University.
She was married on July 12, 1870, to the Rev. Edward
Read Burkhalter, of New York City, and moved to
New Rochelle, N. Y. Four children were born to them,
Lucy, Denise, Mary and Louis D. In October, 1876, the
family moved to Cedar Rapids, where Dr. Burkhalter
became pastor of the First Presbyterian church. Mrs.
Burkhalter was president of the local W. C, T. U. for
many years and has held office in the State organiza-
tion. She has been president of the City Missionary
Society which founded and maintained an institution
known as The Helping Hand, which aided women of
the poorer classes by teaching them practical lessons
along many lines. Mrs. Burkhalter has had many ad-
vantages of travel, having been in almost every state
in the Union, has traveled through Europe and in the
countries around the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Red
Seas. Her life is one of practical sei*vice ; she has
sought to bring the kingdom of God to the earth right
where she lived and follows closely the precept of Him
"who went about doing good."
36 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JOHN ALEXANDER BERRY
Jennie Iowa Peet, born Feby. 5, 1866, in P'air-
view, la., is the daughter of Wilbur Riley and Sarah
Ellen Gillilan Peet, both of Revolutionary descent.
Her mother was a native of West Virginia and her
father was born in Iowa territory. She was educated
in the public schools and in the Epworth Seminary.
For seven years after graduating she taught in the
public schools. On July 7, 1887, at Troy Mills she was
married to John Alexander Berry. She is a member of
the Presbyterian church and of the Home Missionary
and the Chapel Society connected with it. Mrs. Berry
is one of the leading patriotic women of this state. She
has held almost every local office and state office in the
Woman's Relief Corps which is an auxiliary to the
Grand Army of the Republic. She has served this or-
ganization as the National President in 1909-1910.
When we remember that the organization has a mem-
bership of 167,000 we appreciate the honor which was
given Mrs. Berry. She is now a member of the com-
mittee on revision of national law and is president of
"The Past Department President's Association." She
is regent of Ashley Chapter, Daughters of the American
Revolution. She was for three years president of the
Cedar Rapids Woman's Club and has been chairman
of several of its departments. She has served the Iowa
Federation of Women's Clubs as corresponding secre-
tary and been chairman of several state committees.
She was a prominent factor in securing the passage of
a law for the appointment of a woman factory inspec-
tor to better labor conditions. She has contributed
many articles to patriotic publications and has done a
great deal to promote patriotic education in this state.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 37
MRS. JOHN B. BUTLER
Prominent among the women in Ft. Dodge in clubs
and in society is Mrs. John B. Butler. Her maiden
name was Mary Ida Rhodes, born June 14, 1862, in
"Webster county. Her parents, Daniel and Margaret
Ann Willetts Rhodes, came in the early days by cover-
ed wagon from Indiana to "Webster county where they
had a large part in the progress and development of
that part of the state. She received her education in
the Fort Dodge High School and in the Iowa State
Teachers' College at Cedar Falls. For eight years she
followed the profession of teaching. She was married
on Nov. 3, 1887, to John B. Butler, at Kendallsville,
Ind. They have four children, Harry, Margaret K.,
John B. and Elizabeth Rhodes. She is affiliated with
the Congregational church and is active in all of its
branches of work. She is president of the local chap-
ter of P. E, 0. and has been their representative at
both state and national conventions. She is an officer
in the Fort Dodge Chapter Daughters of the American
Revolution. Her lineage comes from Frederick Rhodes
who came to America from Germany and fought in the
Revolutionary "War. Mr. and Mrs. Butler have travel-
ed extensively in this country and in Europe. She has
visited every great exposition given in this country ex-
cept the Centennial, and saw the Paris Exposition.
They have a beautiful home in Ft. Dodge and a cottage
at Lake Okoboji where they spend their summers.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. EUGENE S. BAKER
Mary Cochran Baker of Keokuk, is tlie daughter of
Isaac K. and Elizabeth Stark Cochran, the father a na-
tive of Tennessee, and the mother of Kentuck3^ Mrs.
Cochran was a great great grand daughter of Col. Wni.
Stark, brother of Gen. John Stark of Revolutionary
fame. The family moved to Keokuk in Mrs. Baker's
infancy. She received her education in Williams Sem-
inary and in private schools before the public schools
gained their present efficiency. She was married June
17, 1874, to Eugene S. Baker, the son of Dr. and Mrs.
S. F. Baker. Three sons have been born to them, Eu-
gene Ross, Jesse Edgar, and Myrle Fitch, all of whom
are splendid young men, a joy and pride to their
mother. Mr. Baker has large business interests; he is
president of the Keokuk National Bank, the senior
member of the firm of S. F. Baker & Co., a business es-
tablished by his father, and has many other business in-
terests. Mrs. Baker, since her childhood, has been a
member of the First Baptist church of which she is a
regular attendant and a constant worker. She has
many charity interests; she was a charter member of
the Benevolent Union and has held every office in the
association. She is vice president of the Visiting
Nurse Association, a director in the Civic League and
a member of a number of prominent literary and social
clubs. She has traveled all over America from Alaska
to Cuba and Mexico and has visited almost every coun-
try in Europe. Her greatest pleasure is in her beauti-
ful home. Cor. of 4th street and Orleans Ave., over-
looking the Mississippi, one of the most beautiful
scenic spots in Iowa.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 39
MISS FLORA DUNLAP
"Let me live in a house by the side of a road,
Where the race of men go by —
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner's seat,
Or hurl the cynic's ban —
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man."
A wish to help, was the object which prompted the
establishment of the Roadside Settlement House in
Des Moines, than which there is no more helpful insti-
tution in all the state. For the past ten years Miss
Flora Dunlap has been head resident and in that time
the settlement has grown from a small struggling or-
ganization to one of the most prominent and best
equipped in the State. The Roadside Settlement
House was opened in September, 1896, under the aus-
pices of the Des Moines Union of Kings Daughters.
Later the management was vested in a settlement as-
sociation with a Board of Directors composed of men
and women prominent in business, social and profes-
sional life in Des Moines. In 1905 the present house
was erected in an industrial neighborhood known as
the Southeast Bottoms. The building contains an
equipment for public baths, a public wash house, a
gymnasium, assembly hall, library, day nursery, cook-
ing and manual training rooms, club rooms and rooms
for resident workers. In 1913 a cottage next door to
the main building was fitted up as a model cottage, the
furnishings being simple and of the kind any young
people in the neighborhood might purchase in the es-
tablishment of a home. In this cottage lessons in
40 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
housekeeping and housewifely arts are taught.
The settlement is entirely non-sectarian and is open
seven days in the week. It is a social and civic center
and the best proof of its usefulness is the number of
people of all ages who go in and out of its doors every
day. Young people find here wholesome recreation
and instruction. The people helped are for the greater
part, hard working people, earning small wages, try-
ing to raise their families decently and honestly.
There are no parks in this neighborhood or recreation
grounds of any sort. Very few have much money to
spend for pleasure and that is why this building means
so much to them. Here they come for books, for
amusements, for employment and above all for fellow-
ship and sympathy without which life were a dreary
place indeed. In a large measure the genius which
makes this work effective is the head resident, Miss
Flora Dunlap, who did volunteer work in Kingsley
House, Pittsburg, Goodrich House, Cleveland, and at
Hull House, before taking charge of this settlement.
Besides this work she is vice-president of the Des
Moines School Board, the first woman elected to that
body. She is president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage
Association and has done much to carry forward the
dignified campaign in this State for equal suffrage.
She represents Iowa on the Board of the National
Suft'rage Association. She is a member of the National
Cliild Labor Committee, the National Trade Woman's
League, and of the National Settlement Association.
She is a woman of a great heart and a keen mind — a
combination which always accomplishes great things.
The Blue BooJc of Iowa Women 41
MRS. DIXIE CORNELL GEBHARDT
Mrs. Dixie May Cornell Gebhardt, was born Nov. 18,
1866, in Knoxville, the daughter of Dr. Riley Norman
Cornell, born Sept. 11, 1824, in New York state,
married Oct. 8, 1847, to Mary Fletcher Timmonds, who
was born in Kentucky, Aug. 1, 1827. They came to
Knoxville, la., March, 1850, where Mrs. Cornell died
March 2, 1900, and Dr. Cornell, April 10, 1912, at the
age of 87 years. He was a graduate, with honors, of
the Geneva Medical College, New York. He was as-
sistant surgeon of the 23rd regiment of Iowa troops
and surgeon of the 40th regiment during the Civil
War. He was for sixty-five years a member of the
Masonic Order, a man who brought honor to the State.
The daughter was christened Dixie, in memory of
her mother's southern home. She was educated in the
public schools of Knoxville and in the Visitation Con-
vent of Evanston, 111. On June 27, 1900, she was
married to George Tullis Gebhardt, at Knoxville. She
is a member of the Presbyterian church, has served
the P. E. 0. sisterhood as its national recording secre-
tary, is a member of Sorosis and a Bay View graduate.
She is a member of the Mary Marion chapter D. A. R.
and has served the state society as recording secretary
since 1911, being an officer of unusual efficiency.
Through her father she is descended from Benjamin
Knowlton, an officer in the New Hampshire troops
which marched from New Ipswich to Cambridge on
April 19, 1775; he was in the battle of Bunker Hill and
the Siege of Boston. Mrs. Gebhardt was a devoted
daughter to her father and mother in their declining
years, giving all her time to their care and companion-
ship. She is a woman of fine mind and gentle manner,
a woman who has friends in all parts of the state.
42 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS FLORENCE BRINKMAN
Florence Brinkraan, pianist, was born in Keokuk,
July 17, 1888. She is the only daughter of Geo. A. and
Alice C. Breitenstein. Her grand parents on both sides
were natives of Germany, and came to Keokuk in 1840.
Her mother is descended from the von Breitensteins,
the ruins of whose ancestral castle are still to be seen
on the Rhine.
Miss Brinkman graduated from the high school in
1906 and the following September entered the Chicago
Musical College from which she graduated with hon-
ors. She took a post-graduate course, receiving hon-
ors in that, also. She has the degree B. M. She re-
ceived the gold medal for excellence in theory. She
studied theory under Adolph Brune and piano with
Paul Stoye and Hans von Schiller. While in Chicago
she appeared both as accompanist and soloist in con-
cert with some of the leading singers and violinists of
this country. In the autumn of 1913 she went to Ber-
lin to continue her studies at the Stern's conservatory
and will do further work in Vienna. She is a brilliant
pianist with a remarkable knowledge of tecnique. She
is intellectual in her playing and understands what
she wishes to express. One critic says, "She puts
poetiy into her playing." She is a young woman of
ambition and her home city is very proud of her, and
some day we shall all say with pride, "Miss Brinkman
is an Iowa girl," for she is certain to succeed in her
ambitions.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 43
MRS. MARGARET WARNER MORLEY
One of the first settlements in Iowa was the village
Montrose on the Mississippi river. It was here on Feby.
17, 1858, that Margaret Warner Morley was bom. She
is the daughter of Isaac and Sarah Robinson Warner,
who were Iowa pioneers living in a cabin as did all
their neighbors. Shortly after the birth of their
daughter they returned to the East where she was edu-
cated for the profession of teaching, being graduated
from the New York City Normal College in 1878. She
taught in the Oswego, N. Y., Normal School, in the
Milwaukee, Wis. Normal School and in the High
School at Leavenworth, Kan. She also taught biology
in Armour Institute, and in the free kindergarten as-
sociation training class of Chicago. She has delivered
lectures in many cities. Her specialty is biology
and she has written many books and magazine arti-
cles on the beginnings of life, and how to teach chil-
dren the simple laws of biology and nature study. In
1913 she contributed a series of articles on nature
studies for the Outlook which received most favorable
criticism. Many of her books are used as supplemen-
tary readers in the schools. They are attractively il-
lustrated and the children love them. Among her
books are "A Song of Life," "A Few Familiar Flow-
ers," "Life and Love, "Flowers and Their Friends,"
"The Bee People," "Seed Babies," "The Honey
Makers," "Little Wanderers," "Down North and Up
Along," "The Insect Folk," "Little Mitchell,"
"Wasps and Their Ways," "The Renewal of Life,"
"Grasshopper Land," "Donkey John of the Toy Vil-
lage" and "The Insect Folk." Mrs. Morley lives at
Tryon, North Carolina.
44 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. W. D. EVANS
Mrs. Julia Stark Evans of Hampton, a native of Illi-
nois, is yet a true daughter of Iowa in education sym-
pathy and long residence. Her education was com
pleted bj'^ a course at the State University and it was
here that she met her husband, W. D. Evans, nove
Chief Justice of the Supreme Coui't of Iowa. The mar-
riage took place in 1879, after Judge Evans' gradua-
tion from the collegiate and law departments of the
University and one year before the completion of Mrs.
Evans' course. After she had been married thirteen
years and was the mother of four children she com-
pleted her course and received the degree B, Ph. The
necessary study was done in her own sitting room sur-
rounded by her children, the examinations being taken
at the University at different periods.
Although Mrs. Evans has been prominent in the ac-
tivities of the Congregational church, a state officer on
its Missionary Boards, and a member of the Public Li-
brary Board of Plampton, her literary ability much
sought, it is yet in her children that the result of her
strong and masterful life is felt. A happier home,
children more sanely reared it would be hard to find.
The family consists of six sons and daughters; all ex-
cept the youngest have been graduated from college
and received advanced training in music and in the
professions. Their broad education is expressed in
practical industry most valuable in the communities
in which they live. With duties at home so manifold
it was not possible that Mrs. Evans should give a
great deal of time to clubs, until within the last five
years. She is an efficieint member of the committee
on Legislation of the L F. W. C. and lias rendered a
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 45
great service in her book "Laws of Iowa Relating to
Women and Children." Its appearance is most timely
just as Iowa women are stepping into greater politi-
cal responsibility. Her keen intellect has made her a
very sympathetic companion to Judge Evans. His
parents were born in Wales. They came from Wis-
consin to Williamsburg in 1858. Here their son re-
ceived his early education, entering the State Uni-
versity in 1873 and taking the classical and law
courses. He was admitted to the bar in 1879 and lo-
cated at Hampton. From 1886 to 1890 he was attor-
ney of Franklin county. In 1902 he was elected Judge
of the district court. In 1907 and 1908 he was law
lecturer at the State University. In 1908 he was elect-
ed judge of the Supreme Court and in 1909 became
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A series of pro-
motions such as these, tell their own story.
In her general influence Mrs. Evans has been an ex-
ample at good cheer, an apostle of courage, a minister
of faith and love. She has been blest with a clear
spiritual vision which sees in every duty an opportu-
nity for building eternal interests.
46 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS ANNE B. DAVIS
Anne Britton Davis is the daughter of Calab Forbes
Davis and Caroline Thistle Cox who were married in
Keokuk in 1856. Their home was continuously in that
city, the remainder of their lives. Judge Davis was
born in Clarksburg, W. Va., in 1829, died in Keokuk,
Jany. 6, 1898. Miss Davis' mother was a Virginian
by birth, the daughter of Friend and Susan Cox. She
was an unusually handsome woman of very strong
character. After the death of Judge Davis she still
kept the home, a large octagon stone house, in the cen-
ter of a big lawn — a picturesque place, one of the land
marks of the city. Mrs. Davis died Feby. 9, 1913.
Judge Davis was prominent in public life ; for years
he was special inspector of the public land service by
appointment of Pres. Benj. Harrison. He was a man
of literary ability and compiled twelve volumes of
local history and biography which are of incomparable
value as state history. He had an American Indian
collection which experts say surpasses that of the
Smithsonian Institute. He presented to the Keokuk
High School a collection of mounted birds of several
hundred varieties. Largely through his intervention
with the Department of the Interior, the bones of
Chief Keokuk were brought to that city and buried be-
neath a monument erected by popular subscription.
This monument has since been surmounted by an in-
comparable statue of the old chief, Miss Anne B,
Davis, Judge Davis' daughter, being one of the eight
women of the Daughters of the American Revolution
to bring about the completion of this work begun by
her father so long ago. Five children were bom to
Judge and Mrs. Davis, — James Cox Davis of Des
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 47
Moines, general council for the Chicago & North "West-
ern R. R., in Iowa. Frank "Wells Davis, cashier of the
Keokuk Savings Bank of which his father was one of
the founders ; Caleb Forbes Davis, of Seattle, Wash. ;
Caroline Thistle, the wife of Dr. Frank M. Fuller and
Anne Britton.
Miss Davis was bom in Keokuk, educated in the
schools of that city and at Hosmer Hall in St. Louis.
She is a woman of marked ability, interested in every-
thing for the public good. She is a member of St.
John's Episcopal church and devoted to all of its in-
terests. She is a member of the Board of Directors of
the Y. "W. C. A. and its corresponding secretary. She
is a director of the Benevolent Union, a charity organi-
zation, a director of the Civic League and is a member
of the Mentor Reading Club. For ten years she was
secretary of the Keokuk Country Club and is an ex-
pert golfer. She has won eight trophies : one loving cup
represents the Trans-Mississippi Golf Championship,
and other trophies were won in Southern California
contests. She is a member of the Keokuk Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution, being a de-
scendant of Isaac Cox, who fought in the Pennsylvania
troops. He administered the oath of allegiance in
1877 to the people of "Washington county, Penn., when
they renounced fidelity to King George of Great
Britain. Miss Davis is a daughter worthy of her
father and mother, true to the traditions of her ances-
try and her family, which is praise indeed.
48 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
AIRS. JAMES SIMPSON BELLAMY
Mary Alice French Bellamy was born at Knoxville,
la., Feby. 9, 1859, where she has lived all her life. She
is the daughter of Dr. Jedediah Tingle French and
Mary Ann Crisler, both of whom are descended from
Revolutionary stock and whose ancestry is traced
back seven generations. She was educated in the pub-
lic schools, receiving her musical education in the In-
dianapolis conservatory. She was married to James
Simpson Bellamy on Feby. 13, 1879. Five children
form the family, Paul E., aged 33, who was educated
at Cornell; Herbert, age 31, also educated at Cornell;
Earl Delmar, age 28, a graduate of the State Univer-
sity at Iowa City; Rebekah Imogene, age 21, a junior
in the North Western University, and Mary Marguer-
ite, age 16, a senior in the Knoxville H. S.
Mrs. Bellamy is a member of the M. E. church and
for more than twenty-five years has been a member of
the choir. She has been a member of the P. E. 0. sis-
terhood since 1886 and has served her chapter as presi-
dent. She has been worthy matron of the 0. E. S. for
two years. She has been a member of the Rebekah
lodge since 1872 and was the state president for two
terms. Through her recommendation the two orphans'
homes at Mason City were established. She is a busi-
ness woman of ability, having taken charge of the
Knoxville Electric Co. for two years while her husband
was engaged in extending his business interests in Des
Moines. She has been a mother to a nephew who is
now a captain in the regular army stationed at Hono-
lulu, and to a niece who was educated at the North
Western University and is now a missionary in West
China.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 49
MISS MARGARET GAY DOLLIVER
Miss Margaret Gay Dolliver who is Dean of Women
of Moniingside College, Sioux City, was born on a
farm near Kingswood, Preston county, West Virginia.
She is the daughter of the Rev. James J. Dolliver and
Eliza J. Brown. Her father spent over forty years in
the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, for the
greater part in the mountains of West Virginia. The
family moved to Ft. Dodge, Iowa, in 1881. Miss Dol-
liver received her preparatory education in the schools
of Ft. Dodge, later attending the Ohio Wesley an Col-
lege at Cincinnatti. graduating in 1886. She took post
graduate work in the North Western University 1905-
'06. Taught in Fort Dodge schools 1886- '90. Upon the
death of her mother she made a home for her father
and her brother, J. P. Dolliver, from 1890- '95. In 1895
Miss Dolliver accepted a position in Morningside Col-
lege and since that time has devoted herself to the edu-
cational interests of the young women of that institu-
tion, being Dean of Women. She is a member of the
Education Committee of the I. F. W. C. She is a mem-
ber of the P. E. 0. sisterhood and of a number of local
clubs. She is a woman of broad mind and splendid
Christian character. Beside the late J. P. Dolliver she
has two other brothers, Robert H., a Methodist minis-
ter in Rochelle, 111., and Victor B., an attorney in Ft.
Dodge, and a sister, Mrs. E. R. Graham of Evanston.
50 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. A. R. DEWEY
Sarah Rousseau Dewey belongs to one of the honored
pioneer families of this state. Her father, Dr. W. H.
Rousseau, came to Washington, la., in 1844, and for
many years successfully practiced his profession there.
Her mother, Electa Atwood, died at the early age of
thirty-four years. Sarah Rousseau was married May
20, 1873, to Almon Ralph Dewey, a young attorney,
who made rapid strides in his profession. For twelve
years he served as district judge and by his just and
impartial decisions, and by his knowledge of law won
the respect and approval of the bar and the confidence
of the public. He was a man of high rank in the Ma-
sonic order and was honored with many state offices.
He died April 15, 1905, at the age of 60 years. Two
children were born to Judge and Mrs. Dewey, Mrs.
Mable Dewey Brookling, of Pueblo, Colo., who is a
singer of remarkable talent, and Charles Almon
Dewey, a successful attorney, who is serving his third
term as attorney of Washington county. He was mar-
ried Sept. 1, 1911, to Miss Jessie Laffer. Mrs. Dewey
is a devoted member of the M. E. church and teaches
a class of fifty members in the Sunday school. She is
a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood and has served in
its highest office, that of president of the Supreme
Chapter. She was chairman of the committee which
compiled the History of the P. E. 0. sisterhood. For
eight consecutive years she has been president of the
Nineteenth Century Club and is a member of the Wed-
nesday Reading Club. She is interested in civic affairs
having been a director of the Washington Chautauqua
and is president of the Rest Room Association. She is
a widely read woman and a woman of charming per-
sonality.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 51
MISS M. MARGARET BAKER
Miss Baker has rendered a peculiar sei-vice in the
establishment of diet kitchens in hospitals and by com-
piling a book, "Recipes for Nurses," giving sick diet
for patients under various conditions. She took her
first training in the Department of Domestic Economy
at the Iowa State College, which ranks among the
filiest institutions of its kind in the world. She took
further work in Columbia University, N. Y. She was
the first dietitian in the Iowa Methodist Hospital in
Des Moines, from there she went to St. Joseph's Hos-
pital in Chicago and organized the dietetic department
there. She is now head of the Domestic Science de-
partment of the Wisconsin Dunn County School of Ag-
riculture and delivers lectures in the state on dietetics
and domestic science. Her father, Ira Baker, who
was bom in Marion county in 1852, is the oldest hard-
ware and implement merchant in Iowa. Her mother,
Emma Reynolds Baker, is a native of Iowa, her pa-
rents coming here in 1850. The Reynolds family has
been prominent since pioneer days. Miss Baker's
grandmother, Mrs. Reynolds, resides in Des Moines,
and is able to tell interesting and thrilling stories
of the early days in Iowa and of the dark
days of the Civil War, when she, like other
brave women of that day, cared for the family and
the farm while her husband fought for the preserva-
tion of the Union. Beside her professional work Miss
Baker has found time for church work, Y. W. C. A.,
P. E. 0. and local clubs. She is one of the successful
young women of Iowa.
52 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS ETHA JOSEPHINE BABCOCK
There are people whom once having met, you always
remember. I can't fancy anyone's ever forgetting
Josephine Babeock. Her face is always radiant and
she is so clever that her personality makes an impres-
sion not easily effaced. By profession she is a Journal-
ist and has contributed to many newspapers and peri-
odicals. She has a smooth, interesting style and one
always reads her articles to the last word. She is the
daughter of the late Nathan Lee Babeock, the son of
Stanton and Thirza Babeock of New York. He was a
soldier in the Civil War of Co. C, 19th Iowa Infantry.
Her mother, Ophelia Smith Babeock, is directly de-
scended from Samuel Rogers of Revolutionary fame.
Miss Babeock was educated in the public schools,
"Washington Academy and the Iowa "Wesleyan College
where she was an Alpha Xi Delta. She is a trained
librarian, had charge of the library in Washington and
worked one summer with a story teller in Hamilton
Park, Chicago, this being a branch of library work.
She is especially interested in public play grounds and
all that benefits children. She is a member of the D.
A. R. and of P. E. 0. and has served the Iowa Federa-
tion of Woman 's Clubs as recording secretary. She is
chairman of the Press Committee of the first district.
Miss Babeock enjoys travel and she loves people, of all
kinds and conditions and makes friends with them all.
The Blue Booh of Towa ^Yomen 53
MISS LILLIE WEST BROWN BUCK
The great majority of people who have read the
bright and readable musical and dramatic criticisms
by "Amy Leslie," have failed to recognize in the nora
de plume, Lillie West Brown Buck, who was born in
West Burlington, Oct. 11, 1860. Her parents, Albert
Warring West and Kate Webb West, lived in West
Burlington for many years and their daughter received
her early education in the schools there. In 1876 she
was graduated with honor from St. Mary's Academy at
Notre Dame, Ind. As a child she was far above the
average in her school work and her clever, quick mind
gave promise then of the ability developed in the
woman of later years. Her musical ability while she
was yet a child was also evident. She has a clear
soprano voice of unusual range and sweetness. She
sang the leading roles as Lillie West in Audran's, Of-
fenbach's and Pianquettes operas. She was the origi-
nal Fiametta in La Mascotte and in other soprano
roles. As prima donna she appeared in the principal
cities of America and in many European cities. She has
been for years dramatic critic for the Chicago Daily
News under the pen name of Amy Leslie. She is the
author of a number of books, among them "Amy Les-
lie at the Fair," "Some Players," and "Plays and
Players." Early in life she was married to Harry
Brown, who died in 1890. In 1891 she was married to
Franklin Howard Buck, a native of Texas. They have
a beautiful home. The Roost, 265 Crescent Ave., Nor-
wood Park, Chicago.
64 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. EDWARD LE MOYN BUTLER
Florence McNaughten Butler of Oskaloosa was bom
in Superior, Nebr., Jany. 27, 1884. She is the daugh-
ter of Moses Gilbert McNaughten and Carrie Elizabetli
Flint. Her father is of Scotch descent, the family com-
ing originally from the Mac Nachtan Stronghold on
the shores of Loch Awe in Argyllshire, Scotland. He
was born in Caladonia, N. Y., at the time when it was
exclusively a Scotch settlement. Mrs. McNaughten is
the daughter of Dr. Amos Flint who was a surgeon in
the regular anny. They trace their ancestry to the orig-
inal holders of the Flint castle in Wales. Mrs. Butler
studied oratory and physical culture in Omaha, later
completed a course in the Cunnock school of oratory at
Evanston. She is a member of Zeta Phi Eta, a national
oratorical sorority. She has appeared as a profession-
al reader for several years, having done a good deal of
Chautauqua work. She also has charge of the
children's story hour in the public library. She was
married on June 27, 1906, in Villisca to Edward Le
Moyne Butler, who is connected with the Oskaloosa
Savings Bank. His parents, Frederick and Delilah
Kendig Butler, were Iowa pioneers, coming from Ohio
in 1852. One son has been born to them, Frederick Mc-
Naughten Butler. Mrs. Butler is an active member of
the Presbyterian church, is a member of the P. E. 0.
sisterhood and of the Woman's Club. Her mother,
Mrs. McNaughten, has been a prominent P. E. 0. for
years, having served as president of the Nebraska
Grand Chapter.
Tlie Blue Book of Jowa Women 65
MRS. HORACE BARNES
Olive Sehreiner Barnes was born Sept. 6, 1874, in
Ottumwa, Iowa. She is the daughter of the Rev. Ed-
win Luther Sehreiner and Martha Anne Robinson.
Her father, as his name indicates, was of German
descent. He was an alumnus of the Iowa Wesleyan
College and for forty years was a minister in the Iowa
conference of the Methodist church, being presiding
elder a part of the time. He served in the Civil War,
enlisting with the first Iowa volunteers, later he joined
the U. S. Christian Commission, serving to the close of
the war. Mrs. Sehreiner was the daughter of the Rev.
Anthony Robinson and was a woman of unusual cul-
ture — a gentlewoman in every phase of her character.
Mrs. Barnes is a graduate of the Iowa Wesleyan Col-
lege, having the degrees B. A. and M. A. She is a
member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. She was mar-
ried June 15, 1898, to Horace Barnes, who is editor of
the Albia Republican. He comes from a family of
newspaper men, his grandfather having established
and edited The Independent Press, the first Iowa
paper printed west of the Des Moines river, and his
father, A. C. Barnes, edited the Albia Union for many
years, and is always given a place of honor at the
editorial meetings in the State. Mrs. Barnes is a mem-
ber of the M. E. church, is secretary of the Board of
Trustees of the Public Library, has been a state officer
in the P. E. 0. sisterhood and belongs to a number of
local clubs. She is a great reader, a keen observer and
appreciative of the fine things of life. She is a charm-
ing companion, having a sense of humor unsurpassed.
66 The Blue Booh of Iowa Wo men
MRS. W. H. BAILY
Alice A. Crawford Bailey was born Feby 16, 1854.
She is the daughter of John Barnes Crawford whose
ancestors came from the north of Ireland in 1735 and
whose grandfather was an officer in the War of the
Revolution. Her mother was Naomi Davis Wood,
whose ancestors came to America with William Penn
in 1682. Mrs. Bailey was graduated from the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin in 1875 with the degree B. S. She
was married Sep. 23, 1878, to William H. Baily of
Spirit Lake, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin,
the class of 1873, Ph. B. He was graduated from the
Law Department of the University of Iowa in 1875.
Mr. Baily died May 10, 1910, after having served his
home city, Des Moines, and the State with distinguish-
ed legal ability and devotion. One son was bom to
them, Robert William Baily, who was graduated from
the University of Wisconsin in 1907, in the Mechani-
cal Engineering Department.
Mrs. Baily is a member of the Central Presbyterian
church and probably the only woman in the state who
has served on the Board of Trustees in a Presbyterian
church. She has served as president of the Des Moines
Woman's Club; president of the I. F. W. C. ; president
of the Conversational Club, and is now president of the
Ex-Presidents Association of the I. F. W. C. Has served
as regent of Abigail Adams Chapter D. A. R. By ap-
pointment of Gov. Cummins she served as chairman of
the Woman's Auxiliary Committee of the Iowa Board
of Managers for the St. Louis Exposition and in that
capacity presided at the many functions held in the
Iowa State Building. She is a woman of poise and
executive ability of a high order, coupled with a
gracious charming personality.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 57
MISS ELIZABETH WILKINS DUNLAP
Some one has said "He has achieved success who
has lived well, who has gained the respect of intelli-
gent men and the love of little children; who fills his
niche and accomplishes his task; who has never lacked
appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it;
who looks for the best in others and gives the best he
has." Measured by this standard, the life of Miss
Elizabeth W. Dunlap is a success, for daily she does
all these things. She was born in Zanesville, Ohio, the
daughter of David Riddle Dunlap and Harriett Ann
Wilkins. She came to Keokuk, September, 1879,
which city has since been her home. She has one
brother, John A. Dunlap, who is cashier of the Keo-
kuk National Bank. She was educated in the schools
of Zanesville and Keokuk, taking advanced work in
the University of Chicago and in the Harvard sum-
mer school. For twenty-six years she has been a very
successful teacher in the Keokuk schools, having been
principal of the Garfield building for fourteen years.
She is a member of St. John's Episcopal church. She
has served the Keokuk Chapter Daughters of the
American Revolution as its regent, being a descend-
ant of James Newsmith, Jr., who fought in the War
for Independence. She is fond of travel and has twice
crossed this continent, beside other trips to points of
interest. She has made two trips abroad and visited
most of the countries of Europe.
58 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. ED. E. EGAN
Henrietta Martha Bousquet Egan was born in Ames,
Iowa, Nov, 28, 1869. Her parents, John J. Bousquet
and Anna Van der Linden, are of Holland birth, and
came to America with their parents, with a company
of religious refugees in 1847, to find a home in the Hol-
land settlement at Pella, Iowa. In all American his-
tory' there is no more interesting story than the found-
ing of that settlement at Pella. The colonists brought
the traditions of the home land in their hearts and for
years and years Pella was a little Holland in its life
language and customs. The Bousquet family after a
brief residence at Ames returned to Pella and here the
daughter Henrietta Martha was educated, graduating
from Central College in the department of music. She
continued her musical studies in Boston, her natural
talent and training have made her a very accomplished
musician. She was married Sep. 3, 1896, to Ed. E.
Egan, and lived in Glenwood and Atlantic, Iowa, until
1904, since which time their home has been in Burling-
ton, where Mr. Egan is secretary of the Commercial
Exchange. Four children have been born to them,
John Bousquet, born in 1897, Eugene William in 1907,
Louis Gardner in 1910. Geraldine was born in 1901
and died in 1906. Mrs. Egan is an active member of
the Congregational church and a valued member of
the Burlington Musical Club. For fourteen years she
has been a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood, having
belonged to the chapter in Atlantic before joining the
Burlington chapter. In her life she is wonderfully
well balanced; she is domestic in her tastes, generous
of her musical ability to her friends, fond of society
and interested in all that ministers to the welfare of
the community.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 59
MISS ALICE FRENCH (Octave Thanet)
A name which stands very near the top in the list of
literary women not only of Iowa but of America is that
of Octave Thanet, which is the pen name of Miss Alice
French of Davenport, She was born in Andover.
Mass., March 19, 1850, descended from a long line of
honored men and women, representative of the best
American ancestry. Her father was the Hon. George
Henry French who was a prominent legislator of
Massachusetts. She was educated at Abbott Academy
in Andover and has traveled and studied all her life,
making her a broadly educated woman. She is a mem-
ber of the Colonial Dames of America, being the His-
torian of the National Society. She is a member of the
Mayflower Club of Boston and of the Barnard National
Arts Association of New York. Much of her life has
been spent in the east, although she has always claim-
ed Davenport as home. She has a residence at Clover
Bend, Ark., where she spends a part of every year.
She has received many honors, and much praise for
her literary work, all of which is merited, and yet she
has been wholly unspoiled. She is a sweet, gracious
woman, loved by her friends and sincerely admired by
all who know her. Among the best known of her books
are "Knitters in Sun," ' ' Expatiation, " "An Adven-
ture of Photography," Otto the Knight," "A Mis-
sionary Sheriff," "The Heart of Toil, '"A Book of
True Lovers," "A Slave to Duty," "The Lion's
Share," and "A Man of the Hour."
60 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. HAZEN I. SAWYER
"Life is not measured in years but in deeds." If
this be true the measure of Mrs. Sawyer's life is far
more than the forty years which marked its beginning
and its close. Marcia Louisa Jenkins was the daugh-
ter of Dr. George F. Jenkins and Charlotte Van Wag-
genen and was born in Keokuk, July 16, 1873. She
received her preparatory education in that city and
after graduating from the High School, spent four
years in study at Rockford College, being graduated
from the musical department. Feby. 8, 1899, she was
married to Hazen Irwin Sawyer, a prominent attorney,
the son of Captain I. A. and Mary Irwin Sawyer. She
was a devoted member of the First Westminster Pres-
byterian church and for many years played the organ
for its services, in memory of which a bronze tablet has
been placed on the pipe organ in the main auditorium.
She was a musician of unusual talent, having a pe-
culiar sympathetic ability as an accompanist. She was
a charter member of the Monday Music Club and active
in its interests. She was a charter member of the
Young Women's Christian Association, for a number
of years a director. She was a charter member of the
Keokuk Chapter Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion, and twice its Regent. At the time of her
death she was Vice Regent of the State Society of
D. A. R. It was during her regency that the Keokuk
statue was erected and her name on the bronze tablet
at its base bears testimony to her part in the work.
Her death occurred after a few weeks' illness at the
home of her father, Dr. Jenkins, April 10, 1914. At the
State Conference of D. A. R's. in 1914, a special mem-
orial service was held in her memory.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 61
MRS. F. S. BURBERRY
Martha Dashiell Burberry was born in 1865 at Hart-
ford, la. She is the daughter of Dr. Mark Anthony
and Louisiana Noble Dashiell. Her father was de-
scended from the French Hugenots who settled in
Maryland. His father came west to Indiana and here
Dr. Dashiell grew to manhood, coming to Warren
county, Iowa, in 1853, where until his death in 1907,
he practiced his profession and was prominent in the
affairs of the state, serving several terms in the legis-
lature. He was an orator of ability and many laws
which promote public health were enacted through his
influence. Mrs. Dashiell was the daughter of Dr. B. S.
Noble, who for many years was a practicing physician
of Indianola; he was a brother of Gov. Noble of Indi-
ana. Mrs. Dashiell was a woman of unusual beauty
and culture, her mother, Mary Jane Armstrong, hav-
ing been a famous beauty of Indiana. Mrs. Burberry
was educated at Simpson College and a member of the
Pi Beta Phi sorority. In 1893 she was married to F. S.
Burberry, a prominent resident of Indianola. She is a
Presbyterian, president of the Indianola "Woman's
Club, president of the P. E. 0. chapter, a mem-
ber of the Shakespeare Club and active in the alumnae
Club of Pi Beta Phi. She has represented the P. E. 0.
chapter at state and national conventions, has attend-
ed two biennials of the General Federation of Women's
Clubs and is a member* of the State Board I. F. W. C,
being chairman of the seventh district. She has no
children, but has given a home to two orphan nieces
and a nephew, to whom she has been a devoted mother.
She is a much traveled woman and a woman of culture
and education.
62 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. ELEANOR HOYT BRAINARD
Among the Iowa authors Eleanor Hoyt Brainard
stands very high in the realm of short story writers.
She was born and reared in Iowa City, born in 1868.
She is the daughter of Water Hoyt and Louisa Smith,
who were married in that city in the early 60 's. She
received her early education in the public schools of
Iowa City and was graduated from the Cincinnatti
Wesleyan College with the degree A, ]\1. She taught
for several years in the Cincinnatti Wesleyan College
and in the Gardner schools for girls, 5th Ave., New
York. She Avas married in June, 1904, to Charles Chis-
holm Brainard, of New York, Their home is at 319 W.
95th St. Since 1898 she has been on the staff of the
New York Sun. Besides this she writes regularly for
many periodicals of the best class. Her short stories
deal largely with the experience of girls, in society, in
school, and in business. Her long experience in teach-
ing young women gives her a very keen insight into
the life which surrounds the girls of today. Her style
is bright and clever and appeals to the older people as
well as to the younger generation. She is the author of
the following books: "Nancy's Country Christmas
and Other Stories," "Concerning Belinda," "In Van-
ity Fair," "Bettina" and "The Personal Conduct of
Belinda."
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 63
MRS. GEORGE H. FRANCE
Nannie Bourne France is the daughter of one of the
first white settlers of Iowa Territory and as such is
certainly a real daughter of Iowa. She was born in
De Witt, Clinton county, Iowa. She is the daughter of
the Hon. James D, and Christiana Dennis Bourne who
were married in 1844 and resided in Clinton county the
remainder of their lives. Mr. Bourne was born in
Prince Williams county, Va., in 1832. At the age of
21 he came to Gelena, 111., and was one of a company
which built the first smelting works in this section of
the U. S. In 1836 he moved to Clinton county, Iowa,
and occupied a cabin built by the American Fur Co.,
on the banks of the Waubesipinicon river. He was
the second white settler in the county and was post-
master at Waubesipinicon, Dubuque county, which
was then a part of the Wisconsin territory. He was
appointed lieutenant of the militia by the governor of
the Territory. He served as deputy sheriff continu-
ously by election until Iowa was admitted as a state.
He filled the office of U. S. Marshall, was a member of
the second general assembly, and served both as treas-
urer and recorder of Clinton county, and as U. S. Com-
missioner. In 1863 he began the study of law, was
admitted to the bar and became one of the best known
members of the profession in Iowa. His death occurred
in 1893. His wife having died Nov. 23, 1890.
On April 13, 1887, Nannie Bourne was married to
George H. France, of Des Moines. They have one son,
George Bourne France, who was born Nov. 23, 1889.
He is a graduate of the North High School of Des
Moines, and of the University of Wisconsin, and is in
business in Des Moines. Mrs. France is an active club
64 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
woman and identified with many of the prominent
organizations of Des Moines. She is a P. E. 0. and has
served chapter Q, which is the largest chapter in the
State, as treasurer and as president. She is a member
of the Board of Directors of the Roadside Settlement
House. She has for a number of years been chairman
of the Civics Committee of the Des Moines City Fed-
eration of Women's Clubs. She was the first woman
of that city to take up the movement against the smoke
nuisance. She spent the greater part of nine years in
familiarizing herself and the public, through the press,
of the waste and of the destruction to plant and ani-
mal life and to property by the smoke nuisance. De-
feated many times in securing a state laAv, giving cities
power to deal with this problem constitutionally, Mrs.
France did not give up, but persevered with determi-
nation, that for the sake of suffering humanity she
would yet win. At last in 1910 the Anti Smoke law
was passed, and in Sep. 6, 1911, a city ordinance was
passed for the abatement of smoke. These laws are
being enforced by a smoke inspector and by a smoke
abatement commission of five persons of which Mrs.
France is one, being the only woman on the commis-
sion.
She is an earnest advocate of equal suffrage and is an
active member of two clubs, working for the full en-
franchisement of women. Mrs. France has for a number
of years been a member of the First Church of Christ,
Scientist, Des Moines. She is a lover of nature and of
travel and has seen the greater part of this country.
"While she is a woman of public spirit and interested
in civic affairs, yet her home is her first consideration
and receives a great deal of her personal supervision.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 65
MRS. D. A. COLLIER
One of the homes of Keokuk which is a center of
good cheer and hospitality and whose roof has shelter-
ed at some time or another most of the people worth
while who have come to that city, is that of Mr. and
Mrs. D. A. Collier. Susie Chambers Smythe Collier
was bom in Keokuk and is the daughter of the late
George B. Smythe and Martha M. Chambers. Mr.
Smythe moved to Keokuk in 1848 and was for many
years a central figure in the business and municipal
life of that city; a pioneer to whom Keokuk owes
much. He was mayor in 1863, during the exciting
times of the Civil War. In the early 70 's the city had
a debt of $3,000,000 and he was appointed fiscal agent.
He went to England in 1875, seeking capital with
which to settle the debt. It seemed attempting the
impossible, but the city eagerly agreed to let him try
it and he achieved the impossible, and by his diplo-
macy, reduced the debt to a size which the city could
handle. He was appointed by Pres. Hayes govern-
ment director of the Union Pacific. He was on the
same financial committee with Russell Sage and Jay
Gould. He was a wholesale merchant and at one time
owned a fortune. Mrs. Smythe was a woman of such
fine character as is seldom seen. She was a pioneer in
organizing the Women's Foreign Missionary Society
in the Presbyterian church when the voice of women
was seldom heard in that denomination. For twenty
five years she was superintendent of the primary de-
partment of the Sunday school of the First Westmin-
ster church. Her whole life was a beautiful exhibition
of Christian character. She lived for her family, her
66 The Blue Book of Iowa 'Women
church and her God, and the trials and sorrows which
came to her life but further refined the pure gold of
her character.
Susie Smythe was married on Jany. 14, 1886, to
David Alexander Collier, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Al-
exander Collier, who were pioneers and prominent
citizens of Keokuk. Mr. Collier is president of the
firm of Blom, Collier Co., wholesale grocers and a
director of the Keokuk National Bank. Mrs. Collier
is devoted to her home city and to all its interest. She
was a charter member of Keokuk Chapter D. A. R. and
is State Vice Regent of Iowa. It was largely through
her effort the handsome bronze statue of Chief Keokuk
was erected. She is a member of the First Westmin-
ster Presbyterian church and of two of its societies.
She was president of the first Audubon Society of the
State of Iowa. She is president of the Benevolent
Union and was a very influential factor in the estab-
lishment of the Birge Benevolent Union Home for old
women and children. She is a director of the Civic
League and for ten years was a director of the Country
Club. She is a skillful and scientific whist player and
has won trophies at the "Whist Congresses. Mrs. (Jol-
lier is fond of society and it is natural that she should
be a leader there as in other things.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 67
MRS. CHAUNCEY P. COLEGROVE
Emma Ridley Colegrove was bom Dee. 28, 1866, at
Grinnell. Her mother, Maria Anna Brown, bom in
Evercreech, Eng., in 1845, came to Grinnell in 1855.
Her grandfather, John Brown, was prominent and in-
fluential, working with J. B. Grinnell and others, for
the general uplift. Her father, Chas. A. Ridley, bom
in Searsport, Me., 1841, a veteran of the Civil War, is
a descendant of the ancient Ridley family, Northum-
berland, Eng. Mrs. Colegrove graduated from the
Grinnell High School, the Iowa State Normal, M. Di.,
Michigan University Ph. B., Radcliffe College, A. M.
She taught in the Grinnell schools, principal of the
Perry high school and was head of the Historical Dept.
Iowa State Teachers' College. Married Aug. 29, 1899,
to Chauncey P. Colegrove, A. M., SC. D. They have
three children — Marian Emma, born 1900; Donald
Ridley, 1901 ; Catherine Anna, 1909. She is president
of the Cedar Falls Woman's Club, the largest and most
influential club in the city, a member of the M. E.
church, active in the missionary work of the upper
Iowa conference, a member of the Tuesday Club,
of the Cedar Falls Chapter D. A. R., recording secre-
tary of the Iowa Congress of Mothers and secretary of
the Iowa Sate Teachers College Alumni Association.
She often makes public addresses on missionary, social
and educational topics. She is the author of an "Out-
line guide to American History." Her husband.
Dr. Colegrove, is head of the Professional Department
and vice president of the Iowa Teachers' College. He
is a lecturer of national reputation on educational
lines and his latest book, "The Teacher and the
School," has already (1913) been adopted by the State
Reading Circle Boards of twenty-six states..
68 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. HELEN MAR COMSTOCK
"You might read her beautiful biography written in
the hearts of her friends; and heart biographies are
the only true ones we know." Certainly this is true
of IMrs. Helen Mar Corastoek, who long will live in the
memory of all who knew her. She was descended from
Virginia ancestry. Her great-great-great grandfather
founded the second church in the valley of Virginia
which was known as the Old Stone Church. Her
grandfather lived in a settlement in Augusta county,
Va., from which came President Harrison and other
noted men. Her father was William Graham, whose
lineage is traced from the Earl of Montrose and many
of the family won distinction in the professions. Gra-
ham Hospital in Keokuk is a memorial to William Gra-
ham. Her mother was Martha M. Coyle, born at Lex-
ington, Ky., of Scotch-Irish descent. Mrs. Comstock
was bom in Jasper, Ind., in 1837, and died in Pasadena
on Easter morning, April 12, 1914. She moved with
her parents to Keokuk in 1847. At the age of sixteen
she was married to Gilbert Comstock who died several
years ago. Mrs. Comstock always called Keokuk
"home," although she spent many seasons in Wash-
ington ; lived in the north in the summers and the last
ten years of her life lived in California, and only visit-
ed "home." At her death she left many bequests to
benevolences. She was a devoted Presbyterian and a
member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She was a woman of the greatest charm, an unusually
beautiful woman physically, a woman cultivated by
study and travel and above all a woman of the most
devoted Christian character.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JULIA ELLEN ROGERS
Although not a native of this state, yet a woman
whom Iowa claims because of her long residence with-
in its borders is Julia Ellen Rogers, author and
lecturer. She was born in La Salle county, Illinois,
Jan, 21, 1866. Her parents, Daniel Farrend and Ruth
Dodd Lewellyn, lived on a farm and it was here that
as a child she lived near to nature and learned to love
and understand nature in her varied seasons and
moods. In 1892 she was graduated from the State
University of Iowa with the degree Ph. B. In 1892 she
received the degree of M. S. in agriculture, in the Col-
lege of Agriculture in Cornell University, New York.
For many years she taught in the public schools and
academies of Iowa. She was head of the Department
of Biology in the East High School, Des Moines, and
taught also in the Cedar Rapids High School. She
taught nature science in many summer schools in dif-
ferent parts of the state. She has lectured in many
cities on various phases of nature study, on civic im-
provement, the beautifying of cities by trees and parks
and kindred subjects. She is the editor of the Nature
Club department in Country Life in America and has
done much to encourage her readers to love the out of
doors and to conserve the beauty spots of our country.
She is the author of a number of books, among them
"The Shell Book," "Among Green Trees," "Earth
and Sky," "Trees Every Child Should Know," and
"Wild Animals Every Child Should Know." She is
a devoted member of the Presbyterian church and is
a sorority woman, being a member of Pi Beta Phi and
Phi Beta Kappa. She has a residence in New York
at 2338 Loring Place.
70 The Blue Boole of Iowa Women
MRS. GEORGE W. DELAPLAINE
In 1852 there came to Iowa from Ohio, the Collier
family and the Wilson family of Scotch and Scotch-
Irish lineage, and firm in the Presbyterian faith. They
settled on adjoining farms in Van Buren county. The
household goods were sent by boat down the Ohio and
up the Mississippi to Keokuk. The families drove
across the country or rode horseback. Mary Wilson
rode her own saddle horse all the long journey. In
1855 Alexander Collier and Mary Wilson were married
and in 1856 came to Keokuk to live. Mr. Collier was
a wholesale merchant and four generations of his fam-
ily have been prominent in the social and business life
of that city. To Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Collier were
born eight children, six of whom are living, John Wil-
son, David Alexander, George, Charles Cox, Mary
Belle and Elizabeth Jean. Mary B. Collier was born
at Keokuk and educated in the schools there. She was
married Jany. 4, 1888, to George Walker Delaplaine,
who died in 1894. He was the son of James W. Dela-
plaine, who was a prominent Keokuk pioneer. Mrs.
Delaplaine enjoys society and her friends, loves travel,
is a keen observer, a charming conversationalist and
a constant student. She is a member of the Art
Club, the Travel Class, the Mentor Reading Club,
the Monday Music Club, the Country Club, and to
the Fortnightly Whist Club. Margaret Collier Graham
of literary fame is a cousin, their fathers being broth-
ers. For more than thirty-five years, the Collier home
at 1st and High St. on the bluff overlooking the Mis-
sissippi River was a center of hospitality and good
cheer and only recently because the size of the house
and the family were not commensurate did the old
home pass into the possession of strangers.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 71
CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT
For more than twenty-five years Mrs. Carrie Chap-
man Catt who is president of the International
Woman's Suffrage Alliance, lived in Iowa. She was
state lecturer ond organizer of the Woman's Suffrage
Association of Iowa in 1890- '92. To her is due in a
large measure the marked impetus which equal suffrage
received in Iowa at that time. She was born in Ripon,
Wis., the daughter of Lucius and Maria Clinton Lane.
She was educated in the State Industrial College of
Iowa. Later she took a special course in law, which
knowledge has been of the greatest aid in promoting
suffrage measures. For several years she was princi-
pal of the high school at Mason City and later was
elected superintendent of the schools. In 1884 she was
married to Lee Chapman who died two years later.
She was married in 1890 to George William Catt, a
prominent civil engineer, who died in 1905. No other
woman in the United States has a wider reputation in
the work for equal suffrage than Carrie Chapman Catt.
She served in various capacities in the state work in
Iowa, then became president of the National Woman's
Suffrage Association and is now president of the Inter-
national Association. She has lectured in every state
in the union. She went to Colorado, Idaho, and Louisi-
ana during the campaign and was an active agent in
bringing about the passage of suffrage bills. She has
gone again and again to Europe in the cause of suf-
frage and has lectured in many countries. She has
worked for the passage of laws in various states to give
women the right to vote on tax levying questions. She
has a remarkable mind, which reasons questions with
the greatest logic. As a platform speaker she has few
equals.
72 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. A. H. FORTUNE
Effie Caroline Law was born March 31, 1863, in
Bloomfield and has lived there all her life. Her father,
William James Law, was born in Frederic county, Va.,
in 1826. Her mother, Caroline Catharine Brunner, was
bom in Somerset, Ohio, in 1827. They were married
in Ohio in 1845, and ten years later came to Iowa,
moving to Bloomfield, where they resided the remaind-
er of their lives. Their daughter was educated in the
public schools and in the Southern Iowa Normal
School. On May 10, 1888, she was married to A. H.
Fortune, a cashier in the Davis Co. Trust Co. Bank.
Mrs. Fortune has unusual business ability and ex-
perience. She was in the money order department of
the post office for four years and has had experience
in bank book keeping. She has aided many clubs by
starting the books in a business like way. She has
been a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood since her girl-
hood days and has received many honors from them.
She has filled most of the local chapter offices, was cor-
responding secretary and president of the Iowa grand
chapter and for four years was on the Supreme Board
as treasurer and custodian of supplies. She is a mem-
ber of the Conversational Club and of the Chautauqua
Club, having received two diplomas and having to her
credit several years of reading. In religious faith she
is a Presbyterian. She has contributed to local papers
and to the P. E. 0. Record and appeared on many con-
vention programs. She is a woman having a wide
acquaintance in the State, as well as among the women
of other states with whom she has been associated in
club and society work.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 73
SUSAN GLASPELL
Davenport has been the home of many people of tal-
ent, particularly in a literary way. Society there is
marked by the unusual cultivation of the men and
women who live in that city. Among the literary
women is Miss Susan Glaspel, who was born in Daven-
port, July 1, 1882. She is the daughter of Elmer S. and
Alice Keating Glaspeli. She received her preparatory
education in the public schools of Davenport. She was
graduated from Drake University at Des Moines with
the degree Ph. B. Following her graduation she took
a post graduate course in the University of Chicago.
For a number of years she lived in Des Moines and did
newspaper work of a high order, on the staff
of the Des Moines Capitol and News. Through several
general assemblies she was State House and Legis-
lative reporter. She has written articles and short
stories for Harper's Monthly Magazine, the American,
the Atlantic and other periodicals. She is the author
of "The Glory of the Conquest" and of "The Vision-
ing," both of which have been widely read. Miss Glas-
peli is a woman of delightful personality, interested in
society and in club life, although she is first of all de-
voted to the profession in which she has met with sig-
nal success. Her friends believe that the future holds
for her still greater success as an author.
74 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS RUTHANA PAXSON
When a friend once asked Miss Paxson to tell her
the secret of the success of her wonderful life of ser-
vice she replied: "I got from my mother, who was
God 's own kind of mother, a love for service to others ;
I got from the beautiful spirit of my Quaker father a
belief in the guidance of the Holy Spirit in which I
have found that there is power sufficient to meet the
requirements of all true service." Ruthana Paxson,
daughter of Charles and Mary Jane Williams Paxson,
was born in Manchester, la., Nov. 19, 1876. At the age
of sixteen she was graduated with honors from the
Manchester High School, and in 1898 was graduated
from the State University of Iowa, with a record for
scholarship of a high order. In the University Miss
Paxson showed her capacity for work and service for
others which has since characterized her life. She
was president of her class, president of the Y. W. C. A.,
a member of the leading literary societies, a star
basket ball player, a member of two sororities, the
Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Phi Beta Kappa.
Shortly after her graduation she entered Moody Ins-
titute in Chicago. In 1900 she was made state secre-
tary of the Iowa Young Women's Christian Associa-
tion. So successful was her work in the State that she
was called to the national work and became the nation-
al secretary of the student Y. W. C. A. In this capacity
she visited the leading educational centers of this
country and it was many times said of her that she was
the best known and best loved young woman in Amer-
ica. She represented the American Board at the Inter-
national Y. W. C. A. conference in Switzerland and
went later as a delegate to China and Japan. In Feb-
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 75
ruary, 1911, a life long wish was realized, when she
sailed for China to engage in her chosen work in a
nation of great possibilities. Her success among the
Chinese has been marvelous, and she holds today per-
haps the most important position held by an American
woman in North China, She is national student secre-
tary and in that position maps out the religious and
educational policies followed in the colleges and cities
where there are Y. W. C. A's. She devotes much time
to a study of the language and to understanding the
character and life of the Chinese people. Miss Paxson
was one of the seven women who were delegates in
1913 to the famous conference at Shanghai, conducted
by John R. Mott. She organized and conducted the
first sununer conference for young women in North
China and secured as speakers many leading men of
China. At Tien Tsin she established the first city as-
sociation for young women. Her work in China is
truly that of a pioneer but she loves it all, its hard-
ships, its responsibilities and its pleasures. She has a
gifted pen and has written many magazine articles,
and her morning prayer has been a guide in the de-
votions of hundreds of women of many nations. No
words can place an estimate on such a life of service.
76 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS HARRIETT SOLOMON
"Let the soldier be abroad if he will, he can do noth-
ing in this age. There is another personage abroad, a
personage less imposing perhaps — the school master,
and I trust to him armed with his primer, against the
soldier in full military array." Harriett Eliza Solo-
mon of Keokuk was born in Oregon, 111, Her father
was Henry Christopher Solomon, born in Gustrow,
Mecklenberg Sehwerin, and served in the regular
army of Mecklenberg. Her mother, Mary Louisa
Burmeister, was born near Gustrow. They were mar-
ried in 1849 and came to America in 1854, the sea voy-
age taking six weeks. They came overland to Oregon,
111., and lived there until 1870, when they came to
Iowa. Few women have had a wider influence in their
home city than Miss Solomon has had. For thirty-seven
consecutive years she has taught in the Keokuk schools,
twenty-one of which have been in the high school ; and
through those years she has left a lasting impression
for good upon the lives of hundreds of young people.
She is a charter member of the Iowa Association of
mathematic teachers, is a prominent member of the
Teachers' Club, secretary of the Art Club, leader of the
Travel Class and a P. E. 0. She is a member of the
Board of Directors of the Y. W. C. A. and one of the
most useful and efficient members of the association.
She is president of the Parent-Teacher Association of
Keokuk. She is a Presbyterian in religious faith and
serves the church in many capacities. She is a woman
of the greatest culture and educated along broad lines.
While professionally her specialty is mathematics, she
has a technical knowledge of art and of the many
schools of painting and sculpture. She is a Bible
scholar above the average and is widely read on other
lines.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 77
MRS. VICTOR GURNEE COE
Mrs. Ernestine Kent Coe was born in Roscoe, HI.,
Sept. 6, 1862. She is of Puritan ancestry, the daughter
of George H. S. Kent and Belinda Smith, who came
from Pennsylvania to Illinois in 1844. Her great-
grandfather had a thrilling experience in the early
days of Pennsylvania, fighting the Indians to protect
his home. Later he fought in the Revolutionary War
for American Independence. Her grandmother, Char-
lotte Cray Smith, was one of the first pupils in Miss
Emma Willard's school in Troy, N. Y. Mrs. Coe, after
having graduated from the high school, took a course
in music in the Kimball Conservatory in Chicago. In
1887 at Roscoe, 111., she was married to Victor Gurnee
Coe of Rock Rapids, la. In 1891 they moved to Iowa
City, where Mr. Coe completed his law course. In
1893 they moved to Clinton where they now reside.
They have three sons, Leonard Gurnee, Allan Kent,
and Floyd Herman. She is an active member of the
Congregational church. She is a charter member of
the Harmonic Club, a musical organization and of the
Woman's Club, During the time she was president of
the Sunoida Club, through its influence, the Civic As-
sociation was organized and the public rest room estab-
lished. She is a member of the Library Extension
Com. I. F. W. C. She has traveled a good deal in this
country and in 1910 traveled in Europe and witnessed
the Passion Play. Notwithstanding an interest in the
outside world she believes that
"Home keeping hearts are the happiest
Home loving hearts are the best."
78 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS JENNIE COULTER
"These are her fruits, kindness and gentleness,
And gratefully we take them at her hands;
Patience she has and pity for distress
And love that understands."
Born and reared in the City of Burlington is a young
woman who in a way has done more for her home city
than any other citizen in it. Her name in that city is
synonymous with good works. Jennie Coulter is the
daughter of F. J. and Ida M. Coulter. Since childhood
she has been a member of the First Presbyterian
church and has all her life been a practical Christian.
Realizing that there were neglected children in the
city whom the church did not reach, she opened
a Sunday school in June, 1901, in the Miller Block, in
the tenement district, in one room. The school called
this place home for over ten years, adding more rooms
as the attendance of children increased. It was called
"The Children's Mission." Many people saw and ap-
preciated the work done here by Miss Coulter and The
City Mission Association was formed. In October,
1911, the school was moved to an old but large build-
ing in Division street and was named the "Jennie
Coulter Mission." Settlement work is being done
there now under Miss Coulter's supervision. The
Sunday school is still maintained, a girls' club of a do-
mestic science nature, a boys' club to counteract the
attractions of the street, a mother's club and an emer-
gency day nursery are features. A branch Sunday
school is conducted in the cabin boat settlement. Look-
ing after all these interests and visiting the homes of
the people fill the heart as well as the hands of this
city mission worker.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 79
MRS. HIRAM J. CHITTENDEN
Mrs. Lou Miksell Chittenden, daughter of Powel
Garner Miksell and Mary Kline Watts, was born in a
log house, J any. 7, 1863, near Red Rock (now Cordova)
in Marion county, la. Her grandfather, John Huff
Mikesell, came to Marion county, Oct. 18, 1842. Promi-
nent among pioneers he had a very large share in the
upbuilding and progress of that part of the state. Mrs.
Chittenden is a direct descendant of William Ashley
of Rochester, Mass., who rendered heroic service in the
War of the Revolution. She was educated in the Coun-
cil Bluffs High School and in Drake University. For
eighteen years she taught in the schools of Council
Bluffs, being a ward principal six years of that time.
She was married Jany. 30, 1905, in Denver, Colo., to
Hiram Jonah Chittenden. They lived in Colorado for
a short time, then came to Sioux City where they still
reside. She is a member of St. Thomas Episcopal
church and an officer in the parish Guild. She is a
member of the Sioux City Woman's Club and for two
years was chairman of the Household Study class ; is a
member of the National Society D. A. R., of the Mid-
lothian Golf club, and of the Boat Club. She has four
sisters, all residing in Council Bluffs. Mrs. Anna
Burtch Mikesell, Mrs. Adolph George Henning, Mrs.
Richard Harry Harris, Mrs. Patrick Henry O'Donnell.
80 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS EMMA KATE CORKHILL
Emma Kate Corkhill, daughter of Rev. and Mrs.
Thomas E. Corkhill, was bom in Burlington. Reared
in a Methodist parsonage she was an earnest Christian
from early childhood. With a keen mind, eager for
knowledge she was a tireless student. She graduated
from the Iowa Wesleyan College and at once decided
to devote her life to teaching. She taught in the college
at Mt. Pleasant for a few months, then went to Bos-
ton to take her degree. This she did in two years — re-
ceiving the degree of Ph. D. from this school. She
then accepted the chair of English in Simpson College,
where for seven years she taught with great success.
She then spent one year in the University of Edin-
borough, from which she received the "highest hon-
ors," as this school does not confer degrees upon
women. On her return she was called to fill the chair
of English in the Lawrence College at Appleton, Wis.
Here she brought into action this finely educated and
well developed mind — to such an extent as to rank her
among the best of women instructors. Aside from her
teaching she was gifted as a writer, and had contribu-
ted generously to church periodicals. Her idea
was not to teach her students how to learn books but
rather how to apply what the books said to their own
lives, thereby enlarging and enriching them. She
sought the highest ideals in every line of work. And
"she was so true to her ideals, which were pure and
high, so sweet and strong, so akin to the Christ whom
she loved above all else on earth, so clear and positive
in her devotion to truth and so constant as a friend."
Her life, though not long in years, was rich in deeds.
She died in Chicago, Dec. 13, 1913, and sleeps in Forest
Home Cemetery at Mt. Pleasant.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 81
MRS. ALBERT E. CONNABLE
Rose Florida Franklin, the daughter of Noah Arnold
Franklin and Nancy Long, was born in Keokuk. The
first home built by her parents in 1845 at 110 N. First
St., still stands; as the town grew they moved to 319
Morgan St., later to 623 High St., which is still
the home of the elder daughter, Mrs. J. C. Paradice.
The Franklin family was a prominent one socially and
in a business way. Mrs. Connable was educated in
Miss Lawrence's private school and in the convent of
the sisters of the Visitation ; later she graduated from
the Oakland Female Seminary at Hillsborough, Ohio.
She was married Nov. 6, 1872, to Albert E. Connable.
Their home for 35 years was at "Rose Dale," a beau-
tiful home surrounded by 300 acres, a mile east of
Hamiton, 111. Here three children were born to them —
Saidee Perry, now the wife of Ira W. Wills, president
of the Kellogg-Birge & Co. of Keokuk; Lucile Helen,
the wife of Lewis C. Judd of Los Angeles, who is in-
terested in the Imperial Valley and in Mexican Mines.
Franklin Albert of Houston, Texas, is president of the
Hot Well Co. Mrs. Connable is a member of the Uni-
tarian church of which her father was a charter mem-
ber and of which her father-in-law, A C. Connable,
was a pillar for many years. For years she was presi-
dent of the Montibello Floral Society of Hamilton, and
belongs to several prominent Keokuk Clubs. She has
traveled all over America and in 1909-10 she and Mr.
Connable made a journey around the world. She has
given many delightful addresses and travel talks be-
fore clubs and societies and the written story of her
journey furnishes material for an unusual book of
travel, which she has been urged many times to have
published.
82 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. D. N. COOLEY
Mrs. Clara Aldrich Cooley, widow of Judge D. N.
Cooley, during her many years residence in Dubuque,
has been a forceful leader in religious, literary and
philanthropic circles. Her interests are wide and va-
ried. The General Federation of Women's Clubs, at its
biennial held in St. Paul, gave her the title of ''Hon-
orary Vice President, ' ' an honor as great as they could
bestow. She is a member of the Pioneer Woman's
Club of New York, the founder and first president of
the Dubuque Woman's Club; one of the incorporators
and first president of The Home for the Friendless. Of
colonial ancestry, Mrs. Cooley is a most enthusiastic
member of the national organization. Daughters of the
American Revolution. She founded the Dubuque
Chapter, served as its regent and later served as State
Regent; she is now honored by the office of Honorary
State Regent. This gifted woman at the age of eighty-
four is presiding over and leading The Monday After-
noon Club of fifty members, organized by her twenty-
three years ago, and meeting at her home, Mrs. Cooley
has won honors from the club women of our country
because of her enthusiastic work in behalf of the club
movement. Sorosis of New York has made her an hon-
orary member of their organization. She is a member
of the Mary Washington Association, of the American
Economic Association, The Academy of Political Sci-
ence of New York, and the National Geographical So-
ciety. Mrs. Cooley is a Methodist and has a national
reputation as a Bible teacher. Four children were
born to Judge and Mrs. Cooley, all of whom are living
—Mrs. Clara C. Becker, Chicago; Mrs. J. F. Douglas,
New York ; Mrs. C. W. Bassett, Baltimore ; Mr. Harlan
Ward Cooley, Chicago.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 83
MRS. ROGER N. CRESAP
Elizabeth Borland Cresap of Bonaparte was born
June 3, 1864, at Leavenworth, Kan., and is the daugh-
ter of William Patterson Borland and Elizabeth Has-
son of Scotch- Irish ancestry. Mrs. Cresap 's father's
ancestors were among the early settlers of Maryland,
the Ogle branch of the family had in it several Revo-
lutionary soldiers. She was was married July 2, 1886,
to Dr. Roger N. Cresap, who is the third physician in
the family to practice in Iowa. His grandfather, the
first Dr. Roger Nelson Cresap, came to Bonaparte, la.,
in 1833 and a part of the town is platted from the
grant of land he received from the government. The
Cresap family line is recorded through seven genera-
tions to Michael Cresap who is buried in Trinity church
Yard, New York. Dr. Cresap is a member of the Sons
of the American Revolution, his ancestors having
fought in the Maryland troops. The family has been
a prominent one in Southern Iowa for more than
eighty years. At the time of the arrival of Dr. Cresap I,
the state contained only a few scattering settlements of
white people. Two children were born to Dr. and Mrs.
Cresap, Katherine Cresap-Hughes and Mary Elizabeth
Cresap.
Mrs. Cresap is an active member of the Presbyterian
church. She is president of the P. E. 0. chapter which
has done an unusual amount of civic work. They have
aided in the building of churches, in installing beauti-
ful stained glass windows and have made needed im-
provements in the cemetery. She is a public spirited
woman and while she has done much work along that
line, she has not failed in her duties as the wife of a
busy physician and in her home which claims her chief
interest.
84 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JOHN H. COLE
Mrs. Leulia Warner Cole was born July 29, 1854, at
Meshoppen, Penn. She is the daughter of Riley and
Rachel Dunlap Warner. Was married at Em-
porium, Penn., Dee. 23, 1873, to John H. Cole, and
shortly afterward moved to Keokuk, where they still
reside. Mr. Cole for thirty-three years has been
superintendent of the Carnegie bridge which
spans the Mississippi River at Keokuk. He is
a civil engineer, an architect of ability and a
man of unusual mental caliber. They have three
daughters, Emma L., Ora Belle, and Iva Valentine.
Emma graduated from the University of Illinois, has
taken post-graduate in the University of Chicago
and has traveled and studied in Europe. She is now a
teacher in the Chicago High Schools. She was mar-
ried to William Allin Spain who died in 1909. The
second daughter, Ora, graduated from the University
of Chicago with a high rank of scholarship. Iva gradu-
ated from the high school and shortly afterward was
married to S. Chandler Carter and resides in Keokuk.
Mrs. Cole has been a member of the First Westminster
Presbyterian church for thirty-nine years, member of
the Benevolent Union, was its president for six years.
She is a charter member of the Travel Class
and of the Wednesday Reading Club and belongs
to prominent social clubs. Mr. and Mrs. Cole
are both descended from Revolutionary ancestry.
One of Mr. Cole's ancestors. Col. Phillip Cole,
commanded the 4th Battalion of Northumberland Co.
Associators, a Pennsylvania Regiment and was in the
battle at Trenton, N. J., another was Gov. John Web-
ber of Connecticut whose son was a Minute man.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 85
DR. CARRIE BUTLER COLLIER
Prominent among the professional women of Iowa is
Dr. Carrie Butler Collier, an unusually successful prac-
titioner, secretary of the Iowa Osteopathic Association,
a member of the American Osteopathic Asso., and one
of the Board of Managers of the Still College of Osteo-
pathy of Des Moines, she has had a wide professional
experience. Her parents, Jacob and Martha Siraonton
Butler, came to Iowa in 1855. She was born in Clarin-
da, Dec. 29, 1862. Was educated in the high schools,
receiving her doctor's degree at the Dr. S. S. Still Col-
lege of Osteopathy in Des Moines. She was married
to Dr. C. H. Collier, Sept. 10, 1884, and together they
practice their profession. She is a woman who not-
withstanding her busy life has found time to aid in
many social reforms and to take an active part in the
M. E. church, in the Sunday school and in the Mission-
ary society of which she has been president for several
years. She has delivered many addresses in the inter-
ests of missions, one in particular on ''The Obligation
of Christian Women," was published in booklet form.
She is a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood, the Shakes-
peare Club, the City Federation of Women's Clubs, the
Beta Delta Omega Sorority and other local clubs. Her
parents were pioneers in Southwestern Iowa and help-
ed to build up that part of the state. Dr. Collier's
great-great-grandfather, John Simonton, was a Lieu-
tenant in Capt. James Fisher's Co., First Battalion, in
Cumberland Co., Penn., during the Revolution. Her
great-great-grandfather on her father's side was a
member of the convention which adopted the Federal
constitution. She is a worthy descendant of a long
line of ancestors and kinsmen who have excelled in the
professions.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JULIA CHAPIN GRINNELL
Mrs. Julia Chapin Grinnell (Mrs. J. B. Grinnell) was
born in Springfield, Mass., Nov. 2, 1827, and died in
Grinnell, Iowa, Dec. 11, 1907.
Mrs. Grinnell traced her descent from Deacon
Samuel Chapin, the founder of Springfield, Mass.,
whose statue now stands in the public square of that
city. Her grandfather was Judah Chapin, who enlist-
ed in the Revolutionary War, December 25, 1776. Her
father was Deacon Chauncey Chapin of the historical
First Church of Springfield. The mother of Mrs. Grin-
nell, Nancy Jones Lombard, numbered among her an-
cestors Reverend John Eliot, the Apostle to the Indi-
ans, and others holding positions of honor and trust in
Colonial history; among these were Governor Thomas
Dudley of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Governor
Thomas Wells of Connecticut, Governor William Leete
of Comiecticutt and New Haven Colonies, and Gover-
nor William Brenton of Rhode Island. Mrs. Grin-
nell was a student at Mount Holyoke in the days of
Mary Lyon. February 5, 1852, at Springfield, Mass.,
she was married to Rev. Josiah Bushnell Grinnell, then
a Congregational minister in New York City, of May-
flower ancestry and a native of New Haven, Vermont.
Four children were born to them, a daughter and a
son died in infancy. Two daughters are living: Mrs.
Mary Grinnell Mears, the wife of Rev. David 0. Mears,
D. D. Pastor-Emeritus of the Fourth Presbyterian
church, Albany, N. Y., and Mrs. Carrie Grinnell Tones,
wife of Professor Richard Jones, Ph. D. of Tufts Col-
lege, Massachusetts.
In 1854 Mr. Grinnell, with three others, founded the
town of Grinnell, Iowa, which was named in his honor
The Blue Boole of Iowa Women 87
and became his home thereafter, until his death, Mch.
31, 1892. This little prairie hamlet, a typical New Eag-
lad village, had from the first an unusual history.
"Consecrated to temperance, education, and religion"
it bore a worthy part in the movements of the time and
its influence became felt in state and nation.
Mrs. Grinnell shared with her husband in his plans
for the development of town and college, and was the
leading spirit in the formation of many organizations
of a public nature. She was the organizer of the first
Maternal Association west of the Mississippi River,
which now bears her name; the founder of the Grin-
nell W. C. T. U. ; a charter member of the Congrega-
tional church; an officer in the Ladies' Education So-
ciety, etc. For many years she edited monthly a For-
eign Missionary Column in "Congregational Iowa"
and served on the executive committee of the Woman's
Board of Missions of the Interior. She was a gradu-
ate of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle of
the class of 1883 and a member of the Elizabeth Earle
Magoun Club. The portraits of Honorable and Mrs. J.
B. Grinnell have a place in the Iowa Historical Art
Gallery at Des Moines, Iowa. In requesting these por-
traits the Hon. Charles Aldrich who was then curator
of the Historical Dept. said :
"I am of the opinion that none of the Iowa women
whose portraits are likely to come here are more de-
serving of this honor than your mother. She was a
brave, intelligent Iowa pioneer, who not only sustained
your father in his great works, but who has always
been helpful to young people who needed assistance in
acquiring an education and position in life."
88 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. CHARLES P. FRANTZ
Mary Eliza Arnold Franz was bom in Salem, Iowa,
Feby. 29, 1876. She is the daughter of Columbus Ves-
pucius Arnold and Adeline Patterson Howard. Her
father was one of the prominent men of southern Iowa,
living in Mt. Pleasant for nearly forty years. For
twenty years he was treasurer of the Iowa State Hos-
pital for the Insane, for twenty-two years he was treas-
urer of Henry county, for fifteen years he was cashier
of the Henry Co. Savings Bank. It is interesting to note
that Mr. Arnold's grandfather held the first patent
for the threshing machine. Adeline Patterson Howard
Arnold was a descendant of Henry Howard, the sec-
ond son of the Duke of Norfolk who settled in America
at Newbern, N. C. Her grandfather, Elisha Bates, was
a Quaker preacher who stood very high in the councils
of the church and was sent three times to church con-
ferences in England.
Mrs. Frantz was educated in the public schools of
Mt. Pleasant and in the Iowa Wesleyan College, being
graduated in 1896, with the degree B. S., later receiv-
ing M. S. She belonged to the College P. E. 0. chapter,
and to Alpha Xi Delta, which later supplanted it.
She was married November 7, 1900, to Dr. Charles
Peter Frantz, a successful practitioner of Burlington,
where they reside in a beautiful home on North Hill.
They have three children, Robert Arnold, Charlotte
May and Howard Jerome. She is an active member of
the M. E. church. She has served the Burlington chap-
ter of P. E. O. as president three years, as organizer
and as vice-president of the State Grand Chapter. She
belongs to the Burlington Musical Club and to the Golf
Club, enjoys society and her friends but finds her
greatest interest in her family and home.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 89
MRS. F. F. FAVILLE
Cora Thomburg-Faville is the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. A. S. Thornburg, who were Iowa pioneers, coming
to Mitchell county in 1856. Her father established one
of the first saw mills in Iowa, the engine and boiler of
which were drawn by five yoke of oxen from Dubuque
to Orchard on the Cedar River, Mrs. Faville was born
at Orchard and received her education in the public
school and normal schools. She began teaching when
she was only sixteen years old. Her husband, Frederic
F. Faville, is a lawyer by profession. Shortly after
their marriage they moved to Des Moines where he was
clerk of the twenty-third general assembly. In 1892
they moved to Sioux Rapids, where they lived for sev-
eral years, from there moving to Storm Lake, where
they now reside. They have two children, Stanton
Sherwood and Marion Blanche. Mrs. Faville is Rec.
Sec. of the I. F. W. C, has served on many committees
of the Iowa Federation as well as on committees of the
general Federation. She has spoken many times at
district meetings and at the Iowa biennials and is
always a delightful addition to the program. She was
a charter member of the Tuesday Club and its president
for sixteen years. This club has added books, pictures
and statuary to the public library as well as helped
to beautify the lake front. She is a member of the Li-
brary board and was instrumental in establishing a
rest room which has come to be a sort of civic center.
The Favilles have a summer home, " ' Idylrest, ' ' on the
south shore of Storm Lake, where they spend a part of
the year. Mrs. Faville is a woman of unusual poise,
being able always to keep an ideal atmosphere in her
home and yet extend her influence far beyond the con-
fines of those four walls.
90 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. BELLE HANSON
The splendid civilization of Iowa did not come into
existance easily but through hard labor and endurance
of privation by the early settlers. In 1850 when north-
em Iowa was a great field of prairie grass James John-
son and his wife, Rusie Brannen Johnson, came from
Indiana and settled on a farm in Iowa county, west
of Marengo, which farm is still in possession of the
family. In the family were ten daughters. Walt
Whitman says that "The mother of a large family is
one of the surest sources of wisdom;" if this be true
then Mrs. Johnson was a wise mother. We know she
was a good mother, judging from her children. The
youngest daughter was Belle J. Hanson of Ida Grove,
who was born in Marengo June 4, 1858. On Aug.. 27,
1877, she was married to Dwight Smith. To them were
born two children, Nina de Estelle, and Dwight Curtis,
the latter died at the age of two years. The daughter
is now Mrs. Babcoek and has three children, Phyllis
Belle, Dwight Vincent, Dean Curtis. In 1882 Mr. Smith
died and his wife bravely took up the burden of the
support of herself and her daughter. For twenty-five
years she conducted a millinery establishment at Ida
Grove and had a photographic establishment in Mar-
engo and in Ida Grove for a number of years. Her
business experience has made her an earnest advocate
of equal suffrage, for some time she was on the execu-
tive board of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association. On
Dec. 31, 1885, she was married to Neil Hanson, who
died in 1893. She is a member of the M. E. church, of
the P. E. 0. sisterhood and an equal suffrage club. She
has a beautiful home in Ida Grove which is seldom
without guests under its hospitable roof.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 91
MRS. DELL PHILLIPS GLAZIER
Mary Dell Phillips was born May 2, 1870, in Mercer
county, 111., coming to Iowa in 1872. She is the daugh-
ter of Silas Phillips and Sarah Ann Patterson, both na-
tives of Greene county, Penn. Her mother is a de-
scendant from Lieut. Wm. Sayers of the Pennsylvania
troops who fought in the Revolutionary War. On Aug.
28, 1895, she was married to Albert Edward Glazier, of
Ft. Madison, which city has since been her home. Mrs.
Glazier is the guardian of her nephew, Albert Phillips,
who lives with them as their own son. She is a de-
voted member of the Presbyterian church and for more
than twenty years has been a teacher in the Sunday
school. She is a charter member of Jean Espy, chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution and has served
as Regent for several years. She is a member of the P.
E. 0. sisterhood. Has served the local chapter as presi-
dent and has been organizer, recording secretary, vice-
president and president of the Iowa Grand Chapter
and is now corresponding secretary of the Supreme
Chapter. She has been a member of fifteen state con-
ventions and three supreme conventions. She is a
member of the Pythian Sisters and has served that or-
ganization in its highest office as Supreme Chief. She
was thirty years old at that time and has the honor of
having been the youngest woman elected to that office
in the history of the order. Previous to being Supreme
Chief she held a number of state offices, among them
Grand Chief of Iowa. She is now chairman of the
Committee on Written Laws in Iowa and in the Su-
preme Temple also. She is the only member of the or-
der who attended the organization of the Grand Tem-
ple and every session since held in Iowa, twenty-four
in all. She has attended nine sessions of the Supreme
92 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
Temple. She was corresponding secretary of the Na-
tional Council of Women ; she is a member of the Inter-
national Peace Committee of the International Coun-
cil of Women. In the National Council of Women she
had the honor to be associated with Mary Wright Sew-
all, Anna Howard Shaw, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie
Chapman Catt and other women who have helped make
history. Locally she is an influential woman. She has
served as president of the Woman's Auxiliary to the
Y. W. C. A. She was chairman of the committee
through whose influence the monument in the form of
a chimney was erected to mark the site of the old Fort
Madison. This fort was built in 1808, under the super-
vision of Col. Zachary Taylor, who was sent by the
government to build some forts along the upper Mis-
sissippi River. He built this one on the Iowa side
about ten miles above the Des Moines Rapids, and
named it Ft. Madison. This was in direct violation of
a treaty with the Indians, who made bitter complaint
and some time after under the leadership of Black
Hawk they made an attempt to capture and destroy it.
In 1813 the fort was burned, but for many years one
lone chimney stood a land mark visible for miles. To
replace this land mark Jean Espy Chapter, D. A. R.,
with Mrs. Glazier as chairman, was instrumental in
erecting the new chimney of Bedford stone. She has
traveled extensively in America, having been in fifty-
one of the fifty-eight states, to Cuba and through Can-
ada, and has visited some parts of the United States
many times. She is a woman of strong character and
remarkable executive ability. It is unusual to find a
woman who has been so prominent and successful in a
public way, to be domestic in her tastes and a good
housekeeper; but in Mrs. Glazier is found that unusual
combination.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 93
MRS. EDWARD D. CHASSELL
Mary A. Calkins, daughter of Dr. Martin H. and Lu-
cinda Louden Calkins, was born in Wyoming, la., Dec.
13, 1865. Her parents came to Wyoming in 1856,
where Mrs. Calkins still resides. Dr. Calkins died in
1909. For fifty years he was a successful practitioner
and a writer of ability. He compiled a local history
and delivered lectures on early Iowa history. He was
a member of the 19th and 20th General Assemblies of
Iowa. Mrs. Chassell was educated in the public schools
and in Mt. Carroll, 111., seminary and took advanced
musical training in Chicago and Boston. She taught
music in Drake University and other colleges. On Dec.
19, 1906, she was married to Edward D. Chassell, of Le
Mars, by profession a newspaper man. He has been a
member of the General Assembly and was also State
Binder. She has one sister, Mrs. W. E. Briggs, of St.
Paul, to whose children Martin Calkins, Walter
Charles and Mary, she is devoted. Mrs. Chassell has
served the I. F. W. C. as a state officer and on state
committees. She is a P. E. 0. and a D. A. R. She is
descended from Sir Thomas Kinne, knighted in 1618,
and from Mary Allerton of the Mayflower. She and her
sister own the homestead in Oneida county, N. Y.,
which has been in the family since 1792. Here Chas. G.
Finney, the founder of Oberlin College and Robt. G.
Ingersoll were frequent guests of her great grand-
father. She is an honorary member of the Pioneer
Law Makers Association of Iowa. She originated the
first Old Home Week, celebrated in Iowa on the 50th
anniversary of the founding of Wyoming. Her father
erected a monument in Wyoming to the memory of the
89 men to whom he administered the oath of allegiance
and who formed the greater part of Co. K., 24th Iowa.
94 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. GEORGE P. GRINNELL
Cleodora Hitchcock Grinnell was born near Morri-
son, 111., Oct. 22, 1858. She is the daughter of Gad
"Walter Hitchcock and Harriett Emily Topping, both
natives of New York state. Her grandfather, David
Hitchcock, was one of the early supporters of Oberlin
College. The Hitchcock family were pioneers in Illi-
nois, coming there in the early 50 's, when only villages
and settlements stood where now stand the cities of Illi-
nois. On April 2, 1884, in Morrison she Avas married to
George P. Grinnell and came to Grinnell, la., which is
still their home. In 1887 Mrs. Grinnell helped to form
the Industrial School of Grinnell, a mission school in
which many useful arts were taught. She was superin-
tendent or teacher in it until May, 1913, when the
school was closed because the public schools had intro-
duced manual training, domestic science, sewing, etc.,
all of which had been taught in the Industrial School,
This school was a practical institution and was one of
the forerunners of manual training as a part of the
public school course. Mrs. Grinnell is a member of the
Grinnell Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion and of the Woman's Relief Corps. She helped to
organize the Priscilla Club which was the third club to
be organized in Grinnell. Her husband is a nephew of
J. B. Grinnell, one of the founders of the town which
bears his name and one of the noblest men whom Iowa
has yet produced.
The Blue BooTc of Iowa Women 95
MRS. WILLIAM E. STEWART
Martha Evaline Pike Stewart was born Sept. 22,
1863, in Kirksville, la. She is the daughter of James
Brown Pike and Prudence Jane Ross, who settled in
Wapello county in 1858. Her grandfather was James
Brown Pike, who was a brother of Lieutenant Zebulon
Montgomerj^ Pike, who was born in camp during the
Revolutionary War ; he was the first American to enter
Iowa, 1805, the other white settlers having been
Frenchmen. He was 24 years of age, when on Aug. 9,
1805, he started from St. Louis with 20 men in a boat
75 feet long, to explore the Mississippi. On August
20th they passed the mouth of the Des Moines River
and stopped at the Sac village, now Keokuk, to explain
the friendly object of the expedition. On September
4th he landed near McGregor and there met the Win-
nebago Indians in council. On September 9th they
reached the mouth of the upper Iowa River near the
northern limits of Iowa. In 1806 he returned to St.
Louis and was sent on that memorable trip west when
he discovered the peak bearing his name. At the age
of 34 he was a general, serving in the war of 1812, and
was killed in the battle of York, Canada. His wife was
Clarissa Harlow, the daughter of Capt. John Brown.
Their daughter married Cleve Symmes Harrison, the
son of Pres. William Henry Harrison.
Mrs. Stewart's great grandfather was Col. Zebulon
Pike, who fought in the Revolutionary War under the
direct command of General Washington who signed
his commissions as Capt. and Major, Thomas Jefferson
signing his commission as Colonel. Mrs. Stewart is a
D. A. R., and has been regent of Jefferson Chapter.
In 1884 she was married to Wm. Ellis Stewart of Jef-
ferson, which city is still her home.
96 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
DR. JENNIE G. GRIST
Jennie G. Grist was born July 4, 1869 in Wapello
county. She is the daughter of Alonzo Garrison and
Eliza Margaret Cross. Her mother was a daughter of
Nancy Spelman who was a descendant of Henry Spel-
man, the noted antiquarian who is buried in Westmin-
ster Abbey. One of his sons came to America and was
with John Smith during his captivity with the Indi-
ans ; he was present at the marriage of John Smith and
his picture is to be seen in the large painting at the
landing of the stairs in the Capitol at Washington.
Alonzo Garrison is a descendant of William Lloyd Gar-
rison of Civil War fame. Dr. Grist received her pro-
fessional education at the Keokuk Medical College,
later taking post graduate work in Chicago, New York
and in Vienna. July 3, 1890, she was married to David
M. Grist, M. D. Their home is in Ames, where both
very successfully practice their profession. They have
two children, Orrie E. Grist and David Garrison Grist.
Dr. Grist belongs to the State Society of Medical
Women of which she was president in 1912. For a
number of years she was president of the Ames Civic
Improvement Society. She organized and conducted
a baby health contest at the Tri-county Fair which was
a very successful contest. She has given many talks
and lectures before clubs and Y. W. C. A's. on social
hygiene. She made a journey around the world, visit-
ing hospitals and studying the diseases peculiar to the
various countries. On her trip she observed the work
of the medical missionaries and many times since her
return she has spoken before churches and missionary
societies on the subject of missions. Dr. Grist is one
of Iowa's very successful professional women.
The. Blue Booh of Iowa Women 97
MRS. DAVID BROWN HAMILL
Maria Louise Sullivan Hainill was born in Mt. Ver-
non, Ind., Dec. 12, 1849, the daughter of Richard Lamb
Sullivan and Maria Nettleton Sullivan. Her father
was a banker by profession. The beautiful home in
which she was born stands unchanged in Mt. Vernon
and is now the residence of Col. Manzies. Her child-
hood recollection of the Civil "War is very vivid, their
home being just across the Kentucky border and in the
line of the famous Morgan's raid. As a child she
helped make bandages and prepare supplies for the
sick and wounded, as many battles were fought near
by. The sudden death of her father was a tragedy in
her life ; on a trip to New Orleans he died very sud-
denly from cholera.
She received her education in the public schools of
Evansville and in a finishing school of that city. On
June 2, 1870, she was married to Maj. David Brown
Hamill, of Keokuk, which city has since been her home.
Maj. Hamill is the oldest son of the late Smith Hamill,
an Iowa pioneer and a man of splendid character, who
founded the S. Hamill Co., wholesale grocers, of which
firm Maj. Hamill is president. They have three chil-
dren living : Mrs. Paul Dysart of Keokuk, Mrs. Frank
R. Fry of St. Louis and Smith Hamill of Keokuk. Mrs.
Hamill 's father was a school-mate of Henry Ward
Baacher and of Harriett Beecher Stowe.
She is descended from General John Sullivan,
one of Washington's trusted generals, whose sword
is a family possesion. She is eligible to both
the D. A. R's. and Colonial Dames. She is a mem-
ber of the First Westminster Presbyterian church, a
devoted church woman and an interested worker in
charitable, civic and social organizations.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JULIA CLARK HALLAM
One of the really brilliant women of Iowa is Julia
Clark Hallam, of Sioux City. She is an exceptionally
veil educated woman, a lecturer of power, and a
wiiter of ability. She was a pioneer advocate of suf-
frage and of the teaching of social hygiene, advocating
these two ideas long before they came to be accepted
as generally as they are today. She was born Jany. 7,
1860, in Portage, Wis. Her father was John Tellotson,
Clark, and her mother, Louise Harriett Halley. She is
a Mayflower descendant, tracing her ancestry direct to
Gov. Bradford. She was graduated from the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin, B. A., 1881, M. A., 1883.
She received the degree M. A. from the University of
Chicago in 1910. Elected to Alpha Chapter Phi Beta
Kappa of Wisconsin in 1913. On Aug. 17, 1883, she
was married to Joseph Wood Hallam. They have four
children: Marguerite, now Mrs. A. L. Matthews of
Los Angeles ; Clark, Arthur Wood, and Kirkland. For
thirty years she has been a member of the First Con-
gregational church and has been an active worker in
the Sunday school and in boys' and girls' clubs. She
has been state president of the Political Equality As-
sociation, has been secretary of the L F. W. C's., and
has been a leader of the Child Psychology Section of
the Sioux City Woman's Club. She has served
the Mothers' Child Study Club as president, and is a
member of the D. A. R., church Missionary Society and
Ladies' Aid. She has lectured throughout the state
in Child Training and on Equal Suffrage. She is the
author of "A Story of a European Tour," "Relation
of the Sexes from a Scientific Standpoint" and "Stud-
ies in Child Development, ' ' all of which have had wide
circulation.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. THOMAS GOSS
Mrs. Frances Cornelia Lanius Goss was born Jany.
28, 1874, in Trenton, Mo.
Her father's name was Henry Clay Lanius, a
native of Ohio. Her mother's name was Hester Anne
Fouts, whose forbears were among the prominent fam-
ilies of Virginia, and was the daughter of Elizabeth
Perry, who was an own cousin of Commodore Hazard
Perry, of Lake Erie fame.
Mrs. Goss was educated in the public schools of Tren-
ton, Mo., and in Hardin College, Mexico, Mo., where
she specialized in music. She was married in Septem-
ber, 1893, to Rev. Wilbur M. Jones, a Baptist minister
of FaiiTnount, 111., where her work in the church re-
sulted in much lasting good. Their one son, Thaddeus
C. Jones, is now a student in Drake University, doing
work preparatory to a Harvard University Law course.
She was married to Mr. Thomas Goss, a promient
business man, and a member of one of Iowa's oldest
and most highly respected families, in February, 1903,
and went to live in Centerville, Iowa, where they now
reside. To this marriage have been born two children,
Frances Ima, age nine, and Henry Clay Goss, age six.
Mrs. Goss is a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood, of
the Ladies Civic Improvement Club and of the M. X. L.,
a social organization. She has the honor to be a mem-
ber of the Board of Education which position she fills
with dignity and intelligence on matters relating to
the welfare of the schools. She is a woman who has
traveled widely and reads a great deal and is a delight-
ful conversationalist. She is possessed of an abund-
ance of good cheer and sees life through optimistic
eyes, making her always a delightful companion.
100 The Blue Boole of Iowa Women
DR. ELLA RAY GILMOUR
Prominent among the professional women of Iowa is
Dr. Ella Ray Gilmour of Sioux City. She was born in
Holly Springs, Miss., March 3, 1866. Her father was a
Baptist minister, Rev. Cyrus N. Ray, and her mother
was Anna Lockhart Ray. She was educated at La
Grange College and took her professional training at
the American School of Osteopathy, at Kirksville, Mo.,
receiving the degree of Doctor of Osteopathy. She
was married to Joseph B. Miller, a lawyer of
Blackfoot, Idaho, on May 12, 1887. His death oc-
curred in January, 1895. On July 24, 1898, she was
married to Dr. George H. Gilmour, who died in May,
1907. Dr. Gilmour has three children by her first mar-
riage, all of whom were adopted by her second hus-
band and who therefore bear the name Gilmour. They
are Ray B. Gilmour, Howard J. Gilmour and Mrs. Alta
M. Quick. She has one grand child two years old, Roy
F. Quick, Jr. She is a member of the American Osteo-
pathic Association, and of the Iowa Osteopathic Asso-
ciation of which she is president. She has served as
president of the Fifth District Iowa Osteopathic Asso-
ciation. During the World's Columbian Exposition at
Chicago she was one of the Board of Lady Managers,
representing Idaho. She is a member of the Order of
the Eastern Star and has served as worthy Matron for
three years. She is a member of the Baptist church,
and like most business and professional women, be-
lieves in equal suffrage. She is a successful prac-
titioner and one who loves her profession.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 101
MRS. A. D. HOWARD
Maude De Vee Howard, the daughter of Vitruvius
Tew, whose parents came from Tewshire, Eng, and Lide
Shoup Tew, was born in Pekin, 111. Her father served
four years in the Civil War, enlisted in Co. B., 108 111.
Vol. Inf., was transferred to the Fifth Veteran Corps
and served until the close of the war. He was one of
the soldiers selected to escort the body of President
Lincoln after his assassination. Her mother's father,
Solomon Shoup, was Colonel of the First Colo. Regi-
ment, organized to fight the Indians in that territory
in 1859-1863, and was the first post-master of Denver.
Mrs. Howard received her education in the public
schools of Jefferson, and in the Dunning Academy, of
which she is a graduate. She was married on June 18,
1890, to A. D. Howard, a very successful attorney of
Jefferson, which city is their home. They have one
daughter, Helena De Vee Howard, who was born in
Helena, Mont. Mrs. Howard is an interested club
woman. She is a member of the Culture Club, having
been its president two years. As a member of the City
Federation of Women's Clubs she helped establish a
rest room for women. She has attended every meeting
of the Tenth District Federation since 1907. She has
attended two State Federations as delegate and the
General Federation at Cincinnatti. She is a member of
the committee on Civil Service and Reform of I. F. W.
C. She is a charter member of chapter CZ, P. E. O.
She is past noble-grand of the Rebecca degree of Odd-
fellowship. She is a very talented painter in oil col-
ors, having displayed pictures in exhibits in Chicago,
St. Louis, and other cities. Her work has received
very favorable notice from art critics.
102 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. FREDERICK P. HARTSOOK
A visitor at one of the bienniels of the General Fed-
eration of Women 's Clubs, said : "I am impressed
with the fact that practically all of the women are de-
voted Christians, loyal members of their churches. And
most of them if the question were asked, would admit
that the vision which made them really successful in
their club work had its beginnings in their church
life." Lavina R. Hartsook was born July 7,
1876, near Winterset, which town is still her
home. Her parents, James Foresman and Mary E.
Travis Foresman, came to Madison county in the
early 60 's. Mr. Foresman with three brothers
served through the Civil War, in the Union Army. Her
paternal grandparents were Samuel and Rebecca
Oakes Foresman; her maternal grandparents were
Martin B. and Lavina Beyer Travis, all of whom were
Pennsylvanians. She received her education in the
schools of Winterest and in the Northwestern Uni-
versity. On June 12, 1900, she was married to Frederic
P. Hartsook. They have one daughter, Helen. Mrs.
Hartsook is a member of the Presbyterian church and
superintendent of the Sunday school. She has served
the local missionary society as president and secre-
tary. For seven years she has been an officer in the
Des Moines Presbyterial Society of Foreign Missions.
She was secretary for four years, secretary of litera-
ture one year and is now president, having held that
ofHce two years. This is one of the largest and strong-
est Presbyterial societies in the State and much of its
success is due to Mrs. Hartsook. She is Cor. Sec of the
Woman's Club, a member of the Conservation Commit-
tee I. F. W. C. and is a member of the P. E. 0. sister-
hood.
Tie Blue Book of Iowa Women 103
MRS. F. M. HOPKINS
Mrs. Lucy Holsman Hopkins of Guthrie Center was
born in Senacaville, Guernsey County, Ohio. She is
the daughter of William Holsman of German descent,
and Lucy Dilley of English-Scotch descent, who came
to Iowa in 1857. Her education received in the public
schools has been supplemented by a four years' course
in reading and travel in all parts of the United States,
in Canada and in Mexico. On Sept. 27, 1882, she was
married to Francis M. Hopkins, who is the son of Dr.
John Y. and Mary Needham Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins
was bom in Oskaloosa, March 8, 1854, and is a gradu-
ate of the Iowa State University. For eight years he
was clerk of the Guthrie Co. Courts, for three years
was mayor of Guthrie Center, and for ten years was
State Senator. He is president of the People's State
Bank of Guthrie Center and is a man of fine character
and wide influence.
Mrs. Hopkins is a member of the D. A. R., being
descended from Ephriam Dilley, who was a Revolu-
tionary soldier. She has served as regent of her chap-
ter. She is a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood, of the
O. E. S., having held the highest office in both organi-
zations. She is a member of the M. E. church and a
faithful church woman. She does all kinds of fine
needle work and is an artist of ability, making a spe-
cialty of china painting. She has two brothers and
three sisters living, Mrs. Geo. W. Reed of Emmett,
Idaho; Mrs. W. C. McCool, Salem, Nebr. ; John D.
Holsman, Mrs. Susan Carpenter and Henry B. Hols-
man, all of Guthrie Center. One brother, Geo. W. Hols-
man died several years ago.
104 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. I. A. SAWYER
Mrs. Annette Martin Sawyei", the daughter of Rob-
ert Hueston Martin and Mary Ann Meara Martin, is
descended from a long line of educated, thinking peo-
ple and has inherited a vigorous mind. Since girlhood
she has been a student, allowing no day to pass with-
out some study or reading. She received her early
education in St. Vincent's Academy and was a
graduate of the High School of Keokuk. For twenty-
seven years she was a teacher in the public schools.
She is a French scholar above the average and has a
knowledge of English and its correct use which is truly
technical. She has marked literarj^ ability and is a
regular contributor to one of the city papers, being on
the staff. She is a devoted member of the Catliolic
church, although her paternal grandparents, Thomas
Martin and Elizabeth Marshall Martin, were i Presby-
terians. Her mother's parents, Patrick Meara and Fran-
cis Cecilia Anderson, came from Ireland and settled in
Cincinnatti, Ohio, when it was a mere village. Her
family has always stood very high in Keokuk, On June
5, 1905, she was married to Capt. I. A, Sawyer, who
died May 12, 1909. He was a prominent business man,
of splendid family. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer traveled ex-
tensively during their married life, making a long so-
journ in localities which particularly attracted them.
Mrs. Sawyer was a charter member and the secretary of
the Keokuk Woman's Club. She was a member of the
Board of Directors and the recording secretary of the
Visiting Nurse Association at the time of its organi-
zation and did efficient work for its success. She was
one of the originators of the Ladies of Charity and is
the secretary. She believes in equal suffrage and logi
cally defends her position.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 106
MRS. MARIA PURDY PECK
In the memorial to Mrs. Maria Purdy Peek, which
was printed by the Iowa Daughters of the American
Revolution it was said of her: "Although winter was
on her head, eternal spring was in her heart." She
was bom Nov. 16, 1840, in West Butler, N. Y., and died
at her home in Davenport, Jany. 2, 1914. She was edu-
cated in a New York seminary. On Sept. 18, 1865, she
was maiTied to Dr. Washington Freeman Peck, who
was considered one of the ablest Iowa physicians. It is
said that in a very large measure the credit is due him
for the establishment of the Medical Department of the
State University. He was the chief founder of Mercy
Hospital in Davenport. He died Dee. 12, 1891. One
daughter was bom to Dr. and Mrs. Peck, Mrs. Jessie
Allen Vollmer, who has two children, Harry Vollmer
and Dorothea Peck Vollmer. Mrs. Peck was one of the
ablest and most prominent women Iowa has produced.
She was vice-president at large of the International
Council of Women and was a prominent member of
the International Council held in London in 1899. She
read a paper before this council, which is the largest
organized body of women in the world. One of the
New York magazines speaking of her said: "She is a
broad-minded western woman who is identified with
nearly all the educational, philanthropical and club
work of her state, Iowa." At this conference she was
invited to a seat on the platform by Lady Henry Som-
erset, and she had the honor of being liie guest of
Queen Victoria at a garden party. Mrs. Peck was a
devoted member of the D. A. R. She was regent of
Hannah (Caldwell chapter for fifteen years. She was
State regent of the Iowa D. A. R. and was honored at
106 TJie Blue Book of Iowa Women
the State and Continental Congresses. She was a mem-
ber of the State Historical Society, of the Mayflower so-
ciety, of the Daughters of 1812 and of Founders and
Patriots. In 1874 she organized the Clionian Club,
one of the oldest Iowa clubs and was its president for
years. She was president of the Biennial Board of the
Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs and has served on
many state committees, having been especially active on
the child labor committee. She was one of the found-
ers of St. Luke's hospital and was the first president
of its Board of Managers. She helped establish St.
Luke's training school for nurses. She was one of the
founders of the public library. She gave liberal sup-
port in money and influence to the maintenance of the
Mission Kindergarten She organized the Woman's
Club of Davenport and was the first president. She
was a writer of ability and contributed to magazines
and periodicals. She was a delightful speaker and
was often heard in conventions and conferences and
on other public occasions. She is one of the few
American women who had the distinction of having
her portrait and name appear in "The Roll of Honor
for Women, ' ' an annual biographical record of women
of the world who have worked for the public good.
This periodical is published in London. One friend in
appreciation of her, summed up her character by say-
ing:
' ' She was a woman of fine mind, great culture, sound
judgment and rare insight into human nature and
withal a kind heart and the tenderest womanly in-
stincts. She was a lover of home, family and friends and
though a busy woman in outside affairs, she never
strained the silken cord that bound her to her own
bright, happy fireside."
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 107
MRS. A. S HAZELTON
Mrs. Emma Higham Hazelton, daughter of Abel
Highman and Anna Pierce Eaton, was born April 23,
1858, at Keokuk, Iowa. Abel Higham came from an
English Quaker family and emigrated in an early day
from Bolton, England. He settled first in Philadelphia
where he married Anna Pierce Eaton, who descended
from Francis Eaton of May Flower fame, Abraham
Pierce of Plymouth Colony, the Rounsville and How-
land families, and was connected with many of the
most prominent families of Colonial times. In 1851
Mr. and Mrs. Higham located in Keokuk, where they
made their home and both found their final resting
place. Mrs. Hazelton 's oldest brother, Richard High-
am, was the only soldier killed at the battle of Fort
Donaldson, in Co. A., Second Iowa Regiment. When
a boy a lasting friendship was formed between Rich-
ard Higham and Mark Twain, which only ended with
the former's death. In 1856, he with a number of the
most prominent young men of Keokuk, formed the
Gate City Literary Institute which founded the mag-
nificent public library of that city.
May 16, 1888, at Keokuk, she was married to
Arthur Sargent Hazelton, a promising young lawyer
of Council Bluffs, and has made her home in that city
ever since. Two sons were born to them, Charles Sar-
gent and Paul Higham. Mrs. Hazelton has never been
inclined to public life, and while she was for some
years a member of social and literary clubs, they have
been rather an incident in her life than live issues.
She is a member of the Council Bluffs Chapter of the
D. A. R., and has traveled quite extensively in her own
country, is deeply interested m public affairs, but is
not an advocate of woman suffrage.
108 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. EDGAR W. GARDNER
Mary A. Maehin Gardner was born Oct. 30, 1883, on
a farm in Illinois. She is the daughter of Miller Ma-
ehin, D. 0., M. D., and of Kate A. Lynn-Machin, M. D.
Her father was the first osteopath to practice in Iowa,
locating in Keokuk in 1893. He is a descendant of
Capt. Thomas Maehin who placed chains across the
Hudson during the American Revolution, preventing
the British ships from going up the river. Mrs. Maehin
is descended from the Carters and Lynns, two well
known Virginia families. Mrs. Gardner was graduated
from the Keokuk high school in 1902 and from Knox
College A. B., 1895, A. M., 1909. So far as the Knox
College records show she was the only pupil to com-
plete the full work outlined for four years residential
study, in two years. In addition to literary study, she
was a pupil of Mrs. Manie Barbareaux Parry and of
Mrs. Elsie Barbareaux-Conser in vocal music. For five
years she studied piano, pipe organ and school music.
On May 9, 1906, she was married at Keokuk to Dr. Ed-
gar Winfield Gardner. Two children have been born to
them, Edgar Maehin Gardner, Edmar Lynn Gardner.
Mrs. Gardner is a Presbyterian, a member at large of
the Daughters of the American Revolution and one of
the organizing regents of Iowa. She is a member of the
P. E. 0. sisterhood and was one of the group who help-
ed organize the Keokuk Young Woman's Christian
Association. Dr. and Mrs. Gardner live now at Web-
ster, Iowa, where Mrs. Gardner is president of the
Board of Education. She organized there a Boys'
Club which has been a successful and very helpful
boys' organization. She is a young woman full of life
and ambition and wherever she has lived she has had a
vital interest in public welfare work.
109
The Blue Booh of Iowa ^^^^^ ^^^
MRS. EUGENE HENLEY
Mrs Louise MiUer Henley of Grinnell, belongs to a
family well known in this state. H- father was^CoL
Alexander James Miller; Supreme Judge W. E Miller
and Dr Emory Miller were uncles and Judge Jesse A.
Miller of Des Moines is her brother, f ^^^^/'^^^
June 9 1872, near North Liberty, la. Her father, Col.
A^l^^der J'ames Miller, was of I^^tch f-ekerb^^^^^^^^
stock whose grand father was one of the settlers of
rew'Imsterlam, and owned Staten Island unt
driven out by the British. A deed to this purchase is
sSITfamily^possession. Col. Miller ea-ed his tit^ as
Colonel of the Sixth Iowa Infantry during the Cml
War. Mrs. Henley's mother was Mary Louise McColm
a native of Baltimore, Md. When Mrs. Henley was five
years old her parents moved to Oxford, la., where her
ather edited the Oxford Journal. She was educated
in the public school and at the State University
Iowa On June 28, 1892, she was married at Oxford to
Eugene Henley, who is one of the best known educa-
tors in the State, having been superintendent of Grin-
nell schools since 1905. They have two daughters, Inez
Louise and Margaret Kirkley. Mrs. Henley is a P. E.
has served the Iowa Grand Chapter as organizer and
corresponding secretary very efficiently. She is vice-
president of the Historical and Literary Club, one of
the oldest clubs in Grinnell, a member of tlie Art Study
■ Club and Shakespeare Club and the City Civic Leagne^
She is a member of the Civic Com. I. P. W- C. She ha
written many magazine articles and m 1913 printed a
series of articles on the Yellow Stone Park where she
has spent several summers. These were later publish-
ed in book form, and is a charming description of one
of the greatest wonders of the world.
110 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS FLORENCE A. ARMSTRONG
Miss Florence A. Armstrong, teacher and journalist
was born in Indianola, Feby, 12, 1884. She is the
daughter of Sanford Armstrong, a pharmacist, of Eng-
lish descent who was born in Rutland, Vt. Her
mother, Laura Van Pelt Armstrong, was born in
Seesbury, Ohio. Miss Armstrong received the degree
A. B. from Simpson College, and studied later in State
University of Iowa and in New York City. She is the
granddaughter of Daniel Hoff Van Pelt, an Iowa
pioneer of a Dutch family distinguished in Holland for
financial aid given to the Dutch government. From
Ohio, D. H. Van Pelt and family came to Iowa in 1852,
with his parents, who settled near Mt. Pleasant. Three
years later he removed to Indianola, and built up an
estate of fifteen hundred acres of rich agricultural
land two and a half miles north of Indianola. He
did much to develop the community, materially and
morally, holding various local offices, and contributing
heavily to bring in a railroad, to found religious work
and to establish and support Simpson College. This in-
stitution six of his eight children attended.
Like all the older Iowa Colleges, Simpson has had a
career of heroic struggle. In 1861, "Old Bluebird,"
officially known as the "Des Moines Conference Male
and Female Seminary," was erected by the citizens of
Indianola, on the present campus. In 1867 the semi-
nary was raised to college rank, because of
its rapid growth, and named "Simpson Centen-
ary College" in honor of Bishop Matthew Simp-
son and of the Centennial of American Meth-
odism. In the same year Indianola raised funds for
the erection of a more suitable college building, the
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 111
present chapel, the oldest building now standing on the
campus. Simpson has had ten presidents, and has
grown steadily in usefulness and prestige. The chief
growth of the institution has occurred during the last
two incumbencies. Of the 650 alumni, half have gradu-
ated during the last ten years.
Of the literary societies of Simpson, the Zetalethean
for women, and the Everett for men, are the oldest
(1867). One of the founders of Zetalethean was Laura
E. Van Pelt, mother of Florence Armstrong ; a genera-
tion later, Miss Armtsrong was a member and a presi-
dent of the same society. She was a leader in Y. W, C.
A., serving on the cabinet, 1905-06, and as an alumna
member served as secretary of the Iowa State College,
Ames. "While scholarship and wholesome spiritual de-
velopment have ever been stressed at Simpson, ath-
letics and social life are prominent. Miss Armstrong
held a high place in scholarship but had time for much
interest in basket ball, playing for a season on the
champion women's team. Since receiving her degree
in 1906, Miss Armstrong has taught History and Ger-
man at the Indianola High School, English at Iowa
State College ; has been editor since 1910 of The Lyre,
the national fraternity magazine of Alpha Chi Omega,
and of the two secret magazines of that Fraternity,
The Heraeum, and The Argolid; edited an important
work, "The History of the Alpha Chi Omega Frater-
nity," published in 1911 to commemorate the twenty-
fifth anniversary of the fraternity (1910) ; has for sev-
eral years been a feature writer for the Des Moines
Sunday Register and Leader. Alpha Chi Omega
(founded 1885, De Pauw University), is made up of
liberal and fine arts students, and among its 2200 mem-
bers are many artists, professional women, and women
successful in widely varied walks of life.
112 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS NANNIE PEAIRS FULTON
Nannie P. Fulton was born in Keokuk, the daughter
of Wm. Fulton and Elizabeth Dalzell, who were mar-
ried in Keokuk, June 22, 1865. Mrs. Fulton died in
1898, and Mr. Fulton in 19088. Mr. and Mrs. Fulton
were born in Pennsylvania, coming to Iowa in the early
60 's. Miss Fulton has been the very efficient librarian
of the Keokuk public library since 1896. The library is
one of the oldest in the state, having been founded in
1863 and been a free library since 1894. James L.
Rice gave the first $10,000 which made the library pos-
sible. Miss Fulton is a member of tlie Westminster
Presbyterian church in which her father served as
Deacon and Elder for forty-one years, and of which
her mother was a devoted member for forty years. She
is descended from an unusual lineage. The name Ful-
ton was originally a Scotch-Ayreshire name, this line
having crossed to Ireland and then to America. Her
great-great-grandfather, Abraham Fulton, came to
America, to Westmorland Co., Penn., in 1772. Her
great grandfather, Robert Fulton, served in the War
of the Revolution; her grandfather, William Fulton,
served in the War of 1812. Her maternal grandfather,
William Dalzell, came to America from Belfast, Ire-
land in 1824. He married Jane Dalzell, another
branch of the same family. The origin of the name
Dalzell, and the coat of ai*ms is traced historically to
the time of the reign of Kenneth II, King of Scot-
land in 853. The name originally was De Dalzell.
meaning, "I dare," and many heroes of Scottish his-
tory bore the name. Miss Fulton has two brothers and
a sister: Robert Dalzell Fulton, Portland, Ore. ; James
McQueen Fulton, Keokuk : Mrs. Elizabeth Fulton Pat-
terson died June 13, 1908.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 113
MRS. NORA BABBITT HARSH
Mrs. Nora Babbitt Harsh was born in Ypsilanti,
Mich., the daughter of Judge J. Willard Babbitt, who
has in his line of ancestry two presidents of Harvard
College. Her mother, Florence S. Babbitt, has a na-
tional reputation as a collector of antiques. The legis-
lature of Michigan recently made an appropriation for
glass cases to contain her collection of twenty-five hun-
dred pieces of antique china at Lansing. She has col-
lections in Kent IMuseum, Grand Rapids, at Detroit
and in the State Normal College at Ypsilanti. Dr.
Gunsaulus purchased in 1914, her collection of thirty
cover lids, probably the largest single collection in the
United States, for the Chicago Art Museum. Mrs.
Harsh received her musical education at the Michigan
State Normal Conservatory and in the Ann Arbor Uni-
versity School of Music. She later took lessons in
voice with teachers in New York and Boston. She
has taught voice in a number of cities and came to
Iowa in 1899, and opened a conservatory in Creston,
which was very successful. She was married Sept. 2,
1903, to F. D. Harsh. They have one daughter, Nancy
Babbitt Harsh, born in Des Moines. July 2, 1904. Mrs.
Harsh is interested in all the musical organizations of
Des Moines, which city is her home. She has for a
number of years been chairman of the musical depart-
ment of the Woman's Club, president of the Woman's
Club Chorus, which is limited to forty voices and in-
cludes the principal soloists and semi professional
singers of the city. She inaugurated in 1913 a series
of Sunday aftenioon concerts. The principal singers
of the city appeared on the program, which were of
the highest merit. It attracted very wide attention
114 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
and letters were received from musical people all over
the United States regarding the management of such
a course. To make it a success The Des Moines Musi-
cal Association was organized with Mrs. Harsh as
president. Every interest is represented in the asso-
ciation; on its board is the Governor of the State, the
Mayor of the city, prominent business men, ministers,
and musicians. The concerts have been a wonderful
agent to educate the general public musically. She is
very anxious that Des Moines shall have a permanent
orchestra and has bent every effort to bring it about.
Mrs. Harsh has written for many periodicals; she is
the Des Moines critic for the Chicago Musical Leader,
and is Iowa Editor of The Clef. She is a member of
the Newspaper Women's Club. Her daughter Nancy
is named for her great-grand mother, Nancy Harsh,
who was bom in 1810, and who lived to be 103 years
old. She was a resident of Creston and a wonderful
woman. She was a handsome old lady, charming in
her manner, with every faculty keen to the time of her
death which was occasioned by a fall. In 1910 when
she was one hundred years old, a reception was given
in her honor at the home of her son, Hon. J. B. Harsh,
to which all the residents of Union county were in-
vited. Hundreds of people called that day to pay her
honor. When she was a little girl she was one of
twelve to strew flowers in the way of Genl. Lafayette
on his visit to this country. Her picture hangs in the
Iowa Historical Building.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 116
MRS. MARY T. WATTS
Mrs. Mary T. Watts of Audubon is president of the
American Baby Health Contest Association, and the
woman to whom the world gives credit for originating
the idea of Baby Health Contests. At the Iowa State
Fair in 1911, for the first time in any state a baby
health contest was held. Mrs. Watts has been asked
many times how she came to think of the plan and
this is her reply: "One day, two years ago, I attended
our county fair," said Mrs. Watts. "I stood at the
booth, which I was supervising, listening to the talk
that drifted in snatches of prizes won on pigs, sheep
and cattle — the same talk that I had heard at every
fair for ten years. Suddenly I became conscious of
how often I had heard this talk of the wonderful im-
provement that had really been made in the conditions
of live stock in that length of time. Just at that mo-
ment a woman with a fretful baby in her arms stop-
ped near me to rest. A child of about three years clung
to her skirts with one hand and with the other fed her-
self with a large under-ripe banana. Three other chil-
dren, brothers and sister, clambered about in imminent
danger of broken necks and tramped toes. One might
label the picture, I thought, an average family on a
holiday. As I looked back I saw myself and my broth-
ers and sisters forty years ago, no better — no worse.
Measles, mumps and whooping cough would be a part
of these children's lives as it had been of mine. If they
lived through these necessary evils, without too great
loss of vitality, they might grow to manhood and
womanhood. Then I began to think that this family
would probably mean five more families of the same
kind — possibly with less endurance,
116 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
"A friend interrupted my thought to invite me to go
to the stock barns with her where the premiums had
just been awarded. Blue ribbons and red ribbons
showed bravely on the stalls. Every animal in the
clean, well ordered cattle and hog pens had been fed
and groomed with utmost care. A man pointed with
pride to a pen of hogs, and told us that they had been
watched almost night and day; that the water they
drank had been analyzed, their food measured and
weighed and only the kinds given them that would
bring results. It was then that the idea of the babies'
health contest for our next state fair was born.
''When the thought really became something tangible
I wrote to Dr. Margaret Clark of "Waterloo, asking her
to try to make a score card. This she did and together
we planned the details of the first contest at the Iowa
State Fair. Miss Neale S. Knowles of Iowa State Col-
lege granting the use of the rooms in the college build-
ing on the fair grounds and contributed five dollars
as a first prize. The Mothers' Congress of Iowa fi-
nanced this contest to a large extent and assisted in
various ways to make it a success, in fact I worked
under the auspices of the congress and Mrs. B. F. Car-
roll who was president at that time was an enthusias-
tic supporter."
This first contest was put on for eighteen dollars,
the next one cost five hundred doUars.
In 1913 she asked the legislators of Iowa for an ap-
propriation of $75,000 to erect a building on the state
fair grounds, to promote the welfare of "Iowa's
greatest crop," the babies. The appropriation was al-
lowed and Iowa is the first state to recognize this
campaign and to erect a child welfare building. Mrs.
Watts has assisted many contests by mail in all parts
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 117
of the United States and Canada. She has person ally-
assisted in contests in many cities, at county fairs,
chautauquas. Armour's Institutes, etc. She has writ-
ten scores of articles for magazines and newspapers.
For only one of them has she received pay, all the
others have been given in the interests of the cause.
She has been an active club woman in her home city,
has been vice president two years and president two
years of the Iowa Congress of Mothers. She says her
life "has been happy and uneventful." One might
think that it was an "event" to have started a world-
wide movement which is bound to result in a better
and stronger race.
She was born in Andalusia, 111. She began teaching
at the age of sixteen and taught until she was twenty,
when she was married to F. S. Watts, a clerk in the
First National Bank of Audubon of which he is now a
stockholder and cashier. They have two sons, both of
whom were graduated from the University of Chicago
and are now successful business men.
Mrs. Watts ancestry is as follows :
Maternal grandmother, Jane Barlett, bom in Penn-
sylvania, Dutch descent; Maternal grandfather,
Daniel Barlett, born in Pennsylvania, Dutch descent;
Paternal grandfather, Daniel Terrill of English de-
scent; mother, Helena Barlett, born in Conneautville,
Penn. ; father, John Terrill, born in Elizabethtown
New Jersey; Mary Elizabeth Terrill Watts, born, An-
dalusia, 111. (one of six girls and one boy, aU living)
January 19, 1864.
118 Tht Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS HARRIET ISADORA LAKE
Miss Harriet Isadora Lake, Vice-president General
National Society, Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion, was born in Independence, the daughter of Col.
Jed Lake, a prominent Iowa lawyer, and Sarah Meyer
Lake, descended from many old New England
families, viz: Lake, Waldo, Adams, Dimmock, Ab-
bott, Church, Blakeslee, etc. She was graduated from
the Independence high school, later attending the Uni-
versity of Michigan and the Boston School of Expres-
sion. She is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sorority. She is a member of the Protestant Episcopal
church. For two years she was corresponding secre-
tary of the Iowa Federation of Women's Club and
for two years she was General Federation state secre-
tary. She started the federation loan fund in the
third Congressional District in 1909, it was adopted as
a work of the state in 1911. Miss Lake was chosen
treasurer of the Scholarship and Loan Fund Committee
in 1911, and served until 1913, when she was chosen
chairman, which position she now holds. She is one of
the best known Iowa women among the Daughters of
the American Revolution. She organized Penelope Van
Princess chapter, June 3, 1903, and was its regent un-
til 1910. She was elected Vice-president General of the
national society at the Continental Congress held in
Washington, D. C, April, 1911, which position she still
holds. She is a D. A. R. by virtue of the services of
Henry Lake, Capt. James Blakeslee, Malachi Church
and John Waldo. Is a member of the National Society
of Colonial Dames, through the service of Capt, Sam-
uel Adams of Massachusetts, son of Henry Adams, emi-
grant ancestor of the Adams' family. She was state
regent Iowa D. A. R., 1908-10.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 119
MRS. ELIZABETH SAMPSON NORRIS
Mrs. Elizabeth Sampson Norris, of Grinnell, widow
of D. W. Norris, a once prominent attorney of that
city, who died in 1907, is now serving her fourteenth
year as member of the Iowa State Library Commission
and should be addressed as the mother of the Library
Commission in Iowa, if that title could rightfully be-
long to any one person more than to another. It was
Mrs. Norris, as chairman of the library committee of
the State Federation of Women's Clubs, who inspired
the federation at its biennial in Burlington in 1899 to
demand a state commission and it was through the in-
fluence of the club women of the state that the com-
mission was finally created by the legislature. Gov-
ernor Shaw then appointed Mrs. Norris as one of the
members of the first commission.
Before becoming identified with the state library
work Mrs. Norris had interested a wealthy neighbor
and his wife in public library work in Grinnell to such
a degree that they gave to their city the Stewart li-
brary, of Grinnell. Besides her library work Mrs.
Norris has been active in club and hospital work. She
was a charter member of the "Historical Club" of
Grinnell, organized in 1882, of which she was later
president. She has been president of the "Priscillas"
and chairman of the executive board of the city hos-
pital association as well as treasurer of the cemetery
association. Mrs. Norris is a type of Iowa's self-made
women. Born of educated and intellectual parents at
Elgin, 111., Aug. 20, 1852, adversity threw her upon her
own resources at the age of sixteen, when at seventeen
years of age she was teaching primary grades in the
schools of Tama, Iowa. Her father, Edmund Gifford,
120 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
a Harvard law graduate, lawyer, local judge and
president of the school board at Elgin and later pay
master in the union army, was an advocate of the syn-
thetic or word method of instruction before the war,
which method was used by Mrs. Norris in her school
work at Tama long before it gained its popularity of
today.
Mrs. Norris married David W. Norris, then superin-
tendent of the Tama schools and graduate of Grin-
nell College, at Tama, Dec. 23, 1874, and shortly after-
ward located permanently in Grinnell where six chil-
dren were born to them, three of whom are now living,
D. W. Norris, Jr., the eldest, is the editor of the Times-
Republican at Marshalltown ; P. G. Norris, the second
son, is judge of the superior court at Grinnell, and
Lucy Elizabeth Norris-Cartwright is the wife of T. C.
Cartwright, a lumber merchant of Marshalltown,
where Mrs. Norris now makes her temporary home.
Teacher at seventeen, later mother of six children,
the daughter of a Harvard law graduate and mother
of another, wife of a Grinnell College graduate and
mother of two graduates from the same college, it is
not strange that this self-made woman in her public
activities should have found her interests in the public
library movement of her day and it is an evidence of
her strength of character that she has been able to see
works of lasting public benefit come from the pur-
poses which she has pursued.
The Blue Boole of Iowa Women 121
MRS. CHARLES E. PERKINS
One of the most interesting women in Iowa, and cer-
tainly one of the most charming, is Mrs. Chas. E. Per-
kins of Burlington. She is a woman whom one would
notice in a thousand, a woman of striking personality,
and gracious manner. Mi-s. Edith Forbes Perkins was
born March 4, 1843, in Boston, Mass. She is the
daughter of Commodore Robert Bennett Forbes and
Rose Smith. Her father in 1847 took the ship James-
town, which the U. S. Government loaned him, to the
famine sufferers in Ireland, loaded with a cargo of
food furnished by the merchants of Boston. She was
educated in the schools of Boston. In 1864 in Milton,
Mass., she was married to Charles E. Perkins, at that
time a clerk in the offices of the Burlington and Mis-
souri River R. R. Mr. Perkins was born in Cincin-
natti, Ohio, and at the age of nineteen (1859) came to
Burlington and began his connection with the corpora-
tion of which he later became president. His biogra-
pher says of him: "He has earned and won by supe-
rior executive ability, energy and fidelity to the trust
reposed in him, an honorable promotion through all
grades of service, from that of clerk in the treasurer's
office, at thirty dollars a month to the position as chief
executive of one of the greatest railway systems of the
country." He was promoted to the superintendency in
1865, when the road extended from Burlington to Ot-
tumwa, a distance of seventy-five miles. Since that
time there has been constructed a net work of rail-
roads from Chicago to the Pacific Coast. In the creat-
ing of this great system Charles E. Perkins had a very
large part. For twenty years, to the time of his death,
he was president of this great system. Six children
were bom to Mr. and Mrs. Perkins: Mrs. Elsie P.
122 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
Hooper, Robert F. Perkins, Mrs. Edith P. Cunning,
ham, Mrs. Margaret P. Bice, Mrs. Mary P. Mellvain,
and Charles E. Perkins. In 1867, Mr. Perkins pur-
chased what was known as the Dill farm on the edge
of Burlington. On this place Benjamin Tucker, a
pioneer and a pedagogue, had built a log cabin and
planted an orchard of apple trees, the first orchard in
that section. They moved to this cabin, which,
through all the years they have kept practically in-
tact, and it still forms their principal living room, —
"the heart of the house." At the coming of each child
they enlarged the house by adding a new building,
which has made a rambling mansion, with wings and
additions and porches — a wonderful house, unlike any
other. It has been named "The Trees," and is filled
with most exquisite treasures. It is a rare privilege
and one never to be forgotten to be a guest in this
house. Each room has its own characteristics. One
room is filled with the possessions of Mrs. Perkins*
mother, brought from the old home in Boston. The
beautiful rose wood and mahogany furniture would
fill with longing the heart of one who loves antiques.
Everywhere about the house there are books, books,
books,. There are books of history, sociology, books on
music, books on art with exquisite illustrations, all
giving evidence of Mrs. Perkins' wide reading and of
her knowledge along many lines. But the books she
has made herself are the most interesting of all. For
each year she makes a Christmas book of all the letters
and notes of greeting which come to "The Trees."
She has a set of books on the Indians which have not
their parallel anywhere. Her guest book which has
been kept for years contains the names of many dis-
tinguished people.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 123
MRS. CHARLES ADELBERT GIBBS
Mrs. Lola Elizabeth Gibbs of Greenfield was born at
Henry, 111., Sept. 6, 1869. She is the daughter of Ed-
ward Payson Faris and Fausta C. Scholes. Her father
was a native of West Virginia, his ancestors having
fought in the Virginia troops in the Revolutionary
War, He served for three years in the Civil War.
Her mother's ancestors came to America from Eng-
land in 1825. After completing a course in the Green-
field high school she taught for several years. On
Sept. 3, 1890, she was married at Henry, 111., to Charles
Adelbert Gibbs. They have four daughters: Edna
Lillian, Fausta Louise, Gertrude Irene and Mildred.
She was a charter member of the Ladies' Wednesday
Afternoon Club, and has served several terms as its
president. It is a village improvement club and has
accomplished a great deal to beautify Greenfield and
to better its sanitary and civic conditions. She is a
member of the P. E, 0. chapter and has served as ita
president for several years, and has been a member of
several state conventions. She is also a member of the
0. E. S., and has filled several offices in the local chap-
ter. While she has always been a very helpful agent
in every movement which has been for the betterment
of the little city in which she lives, her greatest inter-
est has been in her home and family. In religious
faith she is a Presbyterian and is a woman of very
strong character.
124 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. WILLIAM LOGAN
Mrs. Sarah J. Jackson Logan was born July 30,
1849, at Nauvoo, III. She is the daughter of Archi-
bald Jackson and Katharine Little. Her father was a
native of Scotland, born at Glasgow, and came to
America in 1S33 in a sailing vessel, the ocean voyage
taking nine weeks. On Dec. 26, 1872, she was married
to William Logan, a young man, who in later years has
come to be a financier and a promoter of many great
interests. One of the greatest works in which he had
a part was in the Keokuk & Hamilton Water Power
Co., through whose efforts the greatest power plant in
the world, was developed at the Des Moines rapids in
the Mississippi River at Keokuk. On July 6, 1899, the
late Charles P. Birge called together twenty-five
prominent men of Keokuk and Hamilton to organize a
water power company. Seven men of the twenty-five
were chosen as directors: C. P. Birge, Sam M. Clark,
A. E. Johnstone, Judge William Logan, Edmund Yae-
ger, R. R. Wallace and S. R. Parker. The next day the
Keokuk & Hamilton Water Power Co. was organized.
C. P. Birge was chosen president and R. R. Wallace,
secretary. With the aid of Senator W,. B. Allison, Col.
B. F. Marsh, Thomas Hedge and W. P. Hepburn, and
many others of the U. S. Congress, the necessary legis-
lation was passed in 1905, permitting the work to be
done in the river. Judge Logan, John N. Irwin and
A. E. Johnstone made a trip to Washington in January,
1905, and presented the case in person which was the
means of securing the necessary legislation. On April
1, 1905, the stockholders of the company assigned all
their stock to John N. Irwin, A. E. Johnstone, Wm.
Logan and C. P. Dadant, giving them full authority to
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 126
sell or dispose of it and the franchise in any way they
saw fit. They issued a prospectus of 30 pages, telling
of the possibilities of this power, which was given
wide circulation. In September, 1905, Hugh L. Cooper,
who was building a power plant at Niagara came to
Keokuk, looked over the situation and decided he
could build the dam, and accordingly a contract was
made with him, Sept. 15, 1905. From that date until
Jany. 10, 1910, when the first shovel full of earth was
thrown beginning the work, Mr. Cooper sought capi-
tal to carry on the enormous enterprise. He finally se-
cured capital and the great work was completed May
31, 1913, Judge Logan being interested in the project
through all the years and is a director of the corpora-
tion. He is president of the State Central Savings
Bank of Keokuk, and of the Iowa State Ins. Co. He
owns banks at Glenwood, Queen City and Downing,
Mo. He owns large tracts of land in Missouri and has
many additional business interests. Two children
were bom to Judge and Mrs. Logan: "William Archi-
bald Logan, who died in 1905, and Eva Isabel, who is
Mrs. James Huiskamp of Keokuk. Mrs. Logan is a
member of the Congregational church and a faithful
worker in all of its agencies. She was vice-president
of the Keokuk Woman's Club, and is a director of the
Civic League. She is interested in every measure for
public good.
126 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. F. M. HUBBELL
One of the most beautiful homes in Des Moines, sur-
rounded by a great lawn, shaded with forest trees, and
filled with beautiful things gathered from every coun-
try in the world, is presided over by Mrs. F. M. Hub-
bell. She is a woman of gentle manner, gracious and
kind to all who enter the wide portals of her home.
She was born near Toledo, Ohio, in 1840, and came to
Iowa in 1845 with her parents, Isaac Cooper and Caro
line Armstrong Cooper. Her father was a nephew of
J. Fennimore Cooper, the novelist. They lived the life
of the pioneers, and with strong hearts and great
courage did their part toward laying the foundation
which made possible our Iowa of today. On March
19, 1863, Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Hubbell were married in
Des Moines and began life in a very unpretentious
way. In March, 1913, they celebrated their golden
wedding anniversary, the pleasure of which occasion
was shared by hundreds of friends. In those fifty
years through diligence and good business judgment
Mr. Hubbel has come to be the richest man in Iowa.
They have three children: Frederic Cooper Hubbell,
Beulah C. Hubbell, now Countess Wechtmeister of
Sweden, and Grover Cooper Hubbell. They have six
grand children : Frederic Winson who made Har-
vard in three years, and James Winson now a Harvard
student, both sons of Frederic C. Hubbell. Their
daughter who is married to Count Wechtmeister, a
diplomat from Sweden, now stationed at Cairo, Egypt,
has a son five years old who will take his father's title.
The youngest son, Grover Cooper Hubbell, has three
little daughters: Frances Cooper, Virginia and Mary
Belle. Mrs. Hubbell is an ideal mother and home maker.
She has traveled the world over many times, which has
only served to strengthen home ties.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 127
MRS. W. R. LAW
Mary Makepeace Morris Law was born in Atlantic,
Iowa, the daughter of Joseph Robert Morris and Edith
Nichols. Her father is descended from Robert Morris
of colonial fame. Her mother's ancestors came from
England to Massachusetts in 1635. William Make-
peace Thackery, the English novelist, belonged to one
branch of her mother's family. She received her pre-
paratory education in the Atlantic High School, was
graduted from the State University of Iowa in 1904,
with the degree Ph. B. She is a member of three so-
rorities: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Beta Kappa and
Epsilon Tau, a senior girls' sorority, at the State Uni-
versity. After graduation she taught for several
years, Latin and German in the Carroll High School,
and English in the Iowa State College at Ames. On
Oct. 2, 1910, she was married at Atlantic, Iowa, to
William Robert Law, a successful attorney of Water-
loo. They have one son, Robert Morris Law, born
June 12, 1912. She is a member of Priscilla Alden
chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, hav-
ing joined on the service of William Makepeace. She
is a member of the Literary and Fine Arts Department
of the Waterloo Woman 's Club and of the Fortnightly
Club and of two social clubs, the Monday Needle
Work Club and the Thursday Auction Bridge Club.
In religious faith she is a Congregationalist. She is
fond of out-door sports and is an expert tennis player.
She enjoys society and has traveled extensively in
this country.
128 Tha Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. B. B. GRIFFITH
Mrs. Lilian Long Griffith was born at Otley, Marion
county, Iowa, Nov. 3, 1865, The daughter of Columbus
Long, and Mary Baldwin. Mrs. Griffith received her
education in the public schools at Otley, in the Pella
High School and at Central University.
At seventeen she became a teacher and taught
for five years, part of the time in the city
schools of Harlan. She resigned her position to
be married to B. B. Griffith, Jr., a Harlan clothing
merchant, Jany. 12, 1888. They have one child, Harry
B. Griffith, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
In religious faith she is a Congregationalist. She has
always been an active worker in the church and in the
"Women's Auxiliary, but her greatest interest has been
in Sunday School work and her classes of boys have re-
ceived her best efforts for good. She is a member of
the Harlan Literary Club and of the Women's Union.
She has served in all the offices of the local Eastern
Star chapter, being Worthy Matron for two years. In
P. E. 0. she has for years been an enthusiastic and ac-
tive member, serving for two years as president of
chapter AP. For three years she served as organizer
of the Iowa Grand Chapter, then as First Vice-Presi-
dent, and in 1914, was elected President, the highest
honor which the State chapters can confer. Mrs. Grif-
fith is not a woman with particular fads or fancies, but
believes in doing her best at all times and under all
circumstances. Her influence for good during her
years of teaching, in her home, in her church work,
and in her devotion to the interests of Iowa P. E. 0.
wiU stand as a testimonial to her true worth as one of
Iowa's women.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 129
MRS. HENRY J. HOWE
One of the most popular women in Iowa and one
who merits the popularity is Mrs. Henry J. Howe of
Marshalltown. Anna Belknap Howe was born May
14, 1849, at Randolph, Vermont.
She is the daughter of Lorenzo Belknap and Betsy L.
Austin, She is a descendant of Sir Robert Belknap,
Chief Justice of England, under Edward the Second,
1357. She was educated at Northfield Academy,
Northfield, Vt. On May 31, 1876, at Northfield she was
married to Henry J. Howe. She is a member of the
Congregational church. She has served as president
the following local clubs: Twentieth Century,
Woman's Club, Marshalltown Federation of Women's
Clubs, Hawthorne, and Witengamote. She was presi-
dent I. F. W. C. in 1895-97, being the second president
of the state organization. She is now Honorary presi-
dent. She is chairman of the Scholarship and Loan
Fund Com. I. F. W. C. She is a member of the Iowa
Society of Colonial Dames. She has served the Spin-
ning Wheel chapter D. A. R. as its regent. She joined
D. A. R. on the service of Simeon Belknap. She is
president of the Marshall Co. Historical Society. Has
served the Iowa Librarj^ Association as its president.
For eleven years she was president of the Marshall-
town Public Library. She has served the National
League of Library Commissions as vice-president.
Since 1904 she has been a member of the Iowa Library
Commission. In 1904 she had the honor to be a mem-
ber of the Woman's Auxiliary Committee of the Iowa
Commission to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at
St. Louis. She has contributed to Iowa's Literary His-
tory by compiling "A List of Iowa Authors." Mrs.
Howe is typical of the very best among Iowa women.
130 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. HENRY GOSS
Eva Drake Goss was born in Drakeville, Iowa, the
daughter of General Francis Marion Drake, who was
the fourteenth Governor of Iowa, and Mary Lord
Drake. Her father was one of the great men of Iowa,
a soldier and patriot, a statesman, a great financier
and a most generous philanthropist. He was born on
Dec. 30, 1830, in Schuyler county, Illinois, and died in
Centerville, after having lived a life full of honor and
usefulness. In 1855 he was married to Mary Jane
Lord a woman of the noblest impulses and highest
Christian character. She died in 1885. To them were
born six children: Frank Ellsworth, John Adams,
Amelia (Mrs. Theodore P. Shontz), Eva, the subject of
this sketch, Jennie (Mrs. John L. Sawyers) and Mary
Lord (Mrs. George "W. Sturdivant). Mrs. Goss spent
her early life in Centerville, where the Drake home
was the center of social life, and open always to guests
and whose hospitable roof at one time and another
sheltered men and women of state and national fame.
She was married Oct. 30, 1881, to Henry Goss, a promi-
nent business man of Centerville, who died June 12,
1908. They have one son, Joseph Marvin Goss. She
is a member of the Church of Christ. For many years
she has been a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood.
After the death of her husband she lived abroad for
several years, and now has a residence at Pasadena,
California.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 131
MISS MAISY B. SCHREINER
Among the unusually successful teachers of Iowa is
Miss Maisy B. Schreiner, who brings to her profession
an unusually vigorous mind and a sympathetic under-
standing of boys and girls, which is one secret of her
success. She is a high school teacher and in a single
season has been offered positions in six different cities,
unsolicited. She was christened Mary Boone, being
named for her great grandmother who was a descend-
ant of Daniel Boone of Kentucky. Her father was the
Rev. E. L. Schreiner, who for forty years was a promi-
nent minister of the Methodist church in this state.
Her grandfather, Theodore Schreiner, was for many
years a minister of the Lutheran denomination and for
twenty-five years was Grand Tyler of the Masonic
Grand Lodge of Iowa, and was lovingly known by
Iowa Masons as "Father" Schreiner. Her mother
was Martha Ann Robinson, a daughter of the Rev.
Anthony Robinson, a minister in the M. E. church for
forty-three years. Miss Schreiner is a graduate of the
Iowa "Wesleyan College, as were her father and
mother and most of her kinsmen. She has taken post-
graduate work in the University of Chicago and in the
Leland Stanford University, specializing in Latin.
She has taught in Iowa schools for nineteen years, eight
years as principal of the Albia High School and six as
principal of the Ames High School, and is now teach-
ing Latin in the High School at Colorado Springs. She
has traveled extensively in this country and in Europe.
She is an Alpha Xi Delta and a P. E. 0. and one of the
finest women this state has produced.
132 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
REV. ELEANOR ELIZABETH GORDON
The Rev. Eleanor E. Gordon has exerted a lasting
influence upon the lives of hundreds, indeed thous-
ands, of Iowa people, among whom she has worked
chiefly since her ordination into the Unitarian minis-
try in 1889. Seven years in Sioux City were followed
by terms of service in the churches of Iowa City, Des
Moines, and Burlington, and two years in Fargo,
North Dakota. She has been secretary of the Iowa
Unitarian Conference for seven years and still holds
that position. For three years of this time she had
charge of the field work and also edited the state
paper. Old and New. For the last four years Miss Gor-
don has had charge in the winter of the Unitarian
church in Orlando, Florida.' This is a winter parish
only and the work can be done easily by one who has a
four months' vacation. Miss Gordon's work has been
characterized by practical accomplishment and she
has achieved her ends by her own hard work, rather
than by exercising the art of getting other people to
do it. She might say with the Tennessee Sheriff: "I
seen my duty and I done it." She has sought results
rather than personal glory. Whenever the Unitarians
have had a forlorn hope it has been the rule to send
Miss Gordon there because she was willing to make
the sacrifice and her good sense, tact and intellectual
power were counted on to put the cause right. Her
most important work probably was saving the church
at Iowa City, the seat of the State University. Numer-
ous men had been trying it for many years, supported
by the American Unitarian Association and had not
made much impression. Miss Gordon made the Uni-
tarian gospel respected there and gave the church its
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 133
first real grip on the university so that now it has a
real reason for being. Cheerfulness and unselfishness,
as well as intellectual ability of high order, have given
Miss Gordon her strong hold upon the affections of the
people she has served. Her preaching has always been
sane and wholesome. She understands human nature
and is charitable and broad in her views, so people
have trusted her and been helped by her counsel. Her
grasp of affairs and tactful way of getting on with
people were well shown in her management of the
"Woman's Suffrage Campaign in the State Legislature.
Miss Gordon was president of the State Suffrage Asso-
ciation for two years. In this work, as in all her par-
ishes, she commanded the devoted support of loyal
friends, and these friends she holds through life, for
they never fail to find her friendship helpful and up-
lifting.
Miss Gordon was born in 1852 at Hamilton, 111., the
daughter of Samuel Gordon and Permelia Alvord.
The Alvords were of English origin. The Gordons
were Scotch Presbyterians, driven from Scotland
under the Catholic persecution and settled in Ireland.
They came to America in 1745, and the old Gordon
homestead still stands in Peterborough, N. H. She was
educated at the Iowa State University and at Cornell
University, N,. Y. Her address is Hamilton, 111.
134 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. SUSIE MOREING BURR HEALEY
Mrs. Susie Moreing Burr Healy who or;ganized at
Dubuque the National Society of the Women of the
Civil War and was its first president, was born in
Dubuque, Jany. 5, 1856. She is the daughter of Jesse
Moreing and Celia Johnson. Her father was one of
the very early settlers, having come with Dr. Stephen
Longworthy, the first physician to come to that section
of the state. He settled on a farm where their six chil-
dren were born. Later he built the Illinois Central R.
R. from Dubuque to Galena. Mrs. Healey was gradu-
ated from the high school and taught in the city
schools for several years. June 3, 1867, she was mar-
ried to Prof. David P. Burr ; to them were born two
children, Louie Farwell and Theodore Louis. She is a
member of the First Presbyterian church of Chicago.
She has lived many winters in California and during
the mid winter fair in San Francisco she was superin-
tendent of the San Joaquin county building, the
largest county building on the grounds. She has been
appointed to an important position by the Woman's
Board of the Panama Exposition, 1914. She has been
a prominent club woman of Dubuque as secretary of
the city federation of clubs, president of the church
federate of women, and a member of the Y. W. C. A.
Directorate. Because she, a Dubuque woman, organized
the National Society of Women of the Civil War, that
city will always be its national headquarters. She is
familiar with every section of this country, having
crossed the continent forty-two times and sailed
around it once. She is a business woman, having dealt
largely in land, as well as in city property. She has
always been a successful self-reliant woman, and yet
she is most womanly in her tastes and ideals.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 135
MRS. J. G. HUTCHISON
Mrs. Mabel Dixon Hutchison, of Ottumwa, is the
daughter of J. W. Dixon and Sallie Ann Vernon, both
of Pennsylvania Quaker stock.
The Vernons came originally from Cheshire,
Eng., and owned Haddon Hall, from which Dorothy
Vernon eloped with Sir John Manners. Her father
was a graduate of Poughkeepsie Law School, N. Y.
He came to Iowa in 1856 and served two terms as rep-
resentative and two terms as state senator. In 1898
she was married to the Hon. J. G. Hutchison, a very
well known lawyer. He served one term on the Iowa
Legislature as representative and four terms as state
senator. He was a brilliant, scholarly lawyer and a
man of wide knowledge of public affairs. A few years
before his death Senator Hutchison had purchased a
wholesale grocery establishment, of which his wife is
now president and manager. She brought to this
business enterprise a trained mind, a confident optimis-
tic spirit which has made her work a success. Mrs.
Hutchison is a member of the Trinity Episcopal
church and for several years was leader of the boys'
choir. She was a director of the first Y, W. C. A. or-
ganized in the state of Iowa at Ottumwa. She was
one of the founders of the Ottumwa Woman's Club
and was one of the most popular presidents the Iowa
federation ever had. She is a member of the Delta
Gamma Sorority, having joined in her college days at
the University of Wisconsin. She has a beautiful
home, containing many rare art treasures. Her home
is shared by a niece. Miss Esther Hutchison, whom she
has adopted and educated. Two nephews, Clarence
Vernon and Ralph Vernon, are associated in her busi-
136 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. HAROLD RIVERS HOWELL
Elizabeth Myi-a Brown Howell was born in Fon du
Lac, Wis., the daughter of Henry Purehis Brown
and Maria Kesiah Hall. Her father was a gradu-
ate of Bowdoin College, Maine, and a pioneer
of Wisconsin. She received her preparatory education
in the Misses Martin's school for girls, and was gradu-
ated from the Northwestern University in 1890 with
honors. She was one of two women in the class elect-
ed to Phi Beta Kappa, being the first woman in the
University to be given that honor. Her sorority is
Kappa Kappa Gamma. On Jany, 12, 1892, she was
married to Harold Rivers Howell, a prominent busi-
ness man of Des Moines. They have two children,
Dorothy Brown Howell and Henry Adam Howell. She
is a member of the First M. E. church and for ten
years was superintendent of the primary department
of the Sunday school. She is a member of the Des
Moines Woman's Club and has served on the director-
ate. She is a member of the Mayflower descendants,
her ancestor being Gov. Bradford. She is a member
of the Daughters of the American Revolution by the
service of Capt. David Brown. She has served Abigail
Adams Chapter as Regent, and was State Treasurer,
and State Regent for two terms. She was the first
chairman of the Early Iowa Trails Committee and in
1912 with an automobile party traced the Mormon
trail from Council Bluffs to Keokuk and Montrose,
verifying the old survey. She is chairman of The
Children of the Republic Committee of Abigail Adams
Chapter, which has done remarkable service in patri-
otic education. She is a member of the Board of The
Roadside Settlement, and of the Votes for Women As-
sociation.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 137
MRS. GEORGE H. JOHNSON
One of the prominent pioneer families of Cedar
county, is the Wilkinson family. Philip Wilkinson
came to Iowa from Indiana in 1837 and entered land
located near the present town of Tipton. Here he
built a cabin in which he lived alone for nine years,
cutting the forest and tilling the prairie ground. In
1845 he was married to Elizabeth Anderson. The
original farm has remained continuously in the family,
being now in the possession of Philip Wilkinson's
daughter, Mrs. Drusy Moffett and her son. Perry Mof-
fett. The subject of this sketch, Ella Wilkinson John-
son, of Iowa City, was born April 6, 1857, the daugh-
ter of these Iowa pioneers. She was educated in the
public schools of Tipton and the Iowa State Univer-
sity. In January, 1882, she was married at Anamosa,
Iowa, to George Henry Johnson. They have one son,
Ralph Wilkinson Johnson. She is a prominent church
woman in the United Brethren denomination. She is
president of the Iowa state branch of the Woman's
Missionary Association. She is a member of the Iowa
Woman's Club of Iowa City and has served as its presi-
dent. She has also served the Toledo Woman's Club
as its president. Mrs. Johnson is a widely read
woman, one who studies and keeps abreast with the
times, although she is inclined to be conservative in
her views.
138 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. JAMES B. HOWELL
One of the splendid women of Iowa who in her day
was known in Washington society and in many cities
of Europe was Mrs. James B. Howell. She was born
in Iowa City, Oct. 29, 1829, daughter of General Jesse
Bowen, who served as State Senator and as Adjutant
General of Iowa. At the beginning of the Civil War he
was appointed paymaster in the regular army by
President Lincoln. After several years of service he
resigned and passed the remainder of his life in retire-
ment. At her father's home in Iowa City, Mary A.
Bowen was married, Oct. 3, 1850, to James B. Howell,
of Keokuk. Judge Howell was at that time the Whig
leader of Iowa and was publisher of the Keokuk Gate
City. He had been publisher of the Des Moines Valley
Whig at Keosauqua, from 1845 to 1849, when he moved
the paper to Keokuk and changed its name. He dis-
tinguished himself as a journalist, a statesman, and a
scholar. He became U. S. Senator from Iowa and later
Federal Judge of the Court of Claims by appointment
of President Grant and President Hayes. He was a
man of wide influence in Iowa affairs from the time he
came to the state in 1841, to the day of his death in
1880. The Hon. Sam M. Clark, one of the most bril-
liant writers Iowa has produced, said of him: "We
have seen Judge Howell's life from the earth side of
view where we stand with the general lookers on ; and
then from the moonside of Browning's fine fancy —
that other side of a character which is its sacred own,
and which those who look only at the public side can
never know. So we know him well enough to know
that it takes no charity to judge him. There is noth-
ing to forgive and nothing to forget as to his charac-
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 139
ter. * * * We are disposed to hold him the most
sagacious man we have ever known ; the wisest in his
judgment of men and events. While a man of affairs,
he was a man of books ; his reading was large and ac-
curate^ * * * gjj^ finally James B. Howell was a
supremely honest man. ' ' Seven children were born to
Judge and Mrs. Howell, three of whom died in in-
fancy. A son, Jesse B. Howell, died at the age of 45
years. He succeeded his father in the management of
the Keokuk Gate City and for twenty-five years was
its able business manager. Three children are still liv-
ing: Miss Lida Gordon Howell, in whom are em-
bodied the traditions of her family, a scholarly woman
of the highest culture. Col. Daniel Lane Howell, U. S.
A., and Capt. James Fredrick Howell, U. S. A. Mrs.
Howell's life was a very full one. From her childhood
she was associated with people in public life, for in her
father's home in the territorial days were gathered
the men who made the early history of this state. She
had always a vital interest in her husband's career,
and her fine tact and charming manners made her a
helpmate indeed to her talented husband. She had a
knowledge of business and politics which would have
done credit to a man, and yet she was always woman-
ly, full of sentiment, and high ideals. Her residence
in official Washington society and in the capitals of
other nations made her familiar with the usages of
cosmopolitan society, and yet her heart was always in
her home and its interests. She was a strikingly
handsome woman and a woman of great dignity. She
died June 17, 1903, in Keokuk, which had been her
home for more than half a century.
140 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. ROGER S. GALER
Mrs. Laura Bowman Galer was bom in Carroll, May
12, 1877. She is the daughter of Truman Lewis Bow-
man and Anna Hubbard. Her ancestors on both sides
have been Americans since 1650 and have fought in
1776, 1812 and 1861. Her great grandfather, Godfrey
Bowman, of Pennsylvania, was one of the eight men
who carried Commodore Perry from ship to ship dur-
ing the battle of Lake Erie. Her mother's mother was
a Hale of Connecticutt of the same family as Nathan
Hale and Edward Everett Hale. Mrs. Galer is a grad-
uate of the Boston High School, of the Iowa State Nor-
mal, B. Di. 1900, of Radcliffe B. A. 1904, and of the
Rider Divinity School, B,. D. 1911. She was a mem-
ber of the faculty of the Iowa State Normal School
1904- '09, of Lombard College, 1909-11. She was pas-
tor of the Universalist church of Markesaw, Wis,,
1911-12. She is now pastor of the Mitchelville, Iowa
church and vice-president of the Iowa Convention.
In 1912 she was married to Roger Sherman Galer at
Wellesley Hills, Mass., a well known lawyer of Mt.
Pleasant, which city is their home. Mr, Galer 's
parents were pioneers of southeast Iowa. He received
the degree M. A. at Iowa State University,
later studying law. Mrs. Galer believes very sin-
cerely in equal suffrage. She is a woman of
the keenest intellect, and one of the most de-
lightful public speakers among the women of Iowa.
She thinks as she talks, and holds the interest of her
audience every moment. She belongs to the Ladies'
Library Association, the second oldest club in the
United States. She is fond of society and has a rare
faculty for making friends.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 141
MRS. H. E. JEWELL
"To whom it be given to dream, he can in no wise
have peace, save in the recording of the vision."
Pauline Bonwell Jewell is the daughter of the Hon.
John C. Bonwell of Audubon county, who served in
the Iowa Legislature from 1906- '10. At the age of
nineteen he enlisted in Co. F, 60th Ohio Volunteer
Infantry. He served in Virginia and was taken pris-
oner at Harper's Ferry in 1862; was paroled and sent
to Ohio where he served with the State Militia and par-
ticipated in the pursuit and capture of John Morgan
in his raid through Ohio. In '64 he again enlisted in
Co. A, 175th Ohio Vounteer Infantry, and served to the
close of the war. He came to Iowa in 1869, to Marion
county where he was married. His daughter was bom
and educated in Iowa and has lived here all her life.
She was educated at Iowa State College at Ames. At
an early age she was married to Dr. Harrison E.
Jewell of Coon Rapids, where they now reside. There
are three sons in their family. When a school girl Mrs.
Jewell began to write verse and allegories, showing
marked talent even as a child. She has written many
verses since then, many of which have been published.
At the time of the development of the water power at
Niagara when there was a good deal of feeling over
the possible destruction of the falls she wrote a book,
"Wailing Waters." It is in the form of an allegory
and profusely illustrated. For some time she has been
at work on a series of poems, "Madonnas of the Cen
turies." One series has been finished and the others
are in process. When finished they will be an addition
to Iowa's literature.
142 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
REV. EFFIE McCOLLUM JONES
Rev. Effie MeCollum Jones of Waterloo, minister,
lecturer and worker along philanthropic lines,
was born near Ft. Scott, Kansas, March 29, 1869.
She is the daughter of Cornelius A. MeCollum,
a native of Ohio, and Martha KidM^ell, of Ten-
nessee. She received her earliest schooling in the dis-
trict schools of Kansas, later attending a training
school in Ft. Scott. In 1888 she entered Lombard Col-
lege, pursuing studies in the college department and
carrying the work in Ryder Divinity school at the
same time, from which she received the degree B. D. in
1892 and D. D. in 1907. She married Ben Wallace
Jones, a classmate and with him was ordained to the
ministry of the Universalist church in 1892. Their
first home was at Waterloo where Mr. Jones was pas-
tor of the church of the Redeemer. Mrs. Jones did
missionary and supply work over the state. In 1894
they moved to Barre, Vt., where they were called as
co-pastors of the First Universalist church, one of the
oldest and strongest churches in Vermont. Here Mr.
Jones died, Jany. 19, 1898, during an epidemic of ty-
phoid fever, throughout which he had aided many,
only to fall a victim himself. Dr. Jones remained
more than six years as pastor after her husband's
death. She had a wide range of influence and activity
here outside her church. In 1904 she was called again
to Waterloo, her husband's first pastorate. In 1910
Dr. Jones was honored by being one of the American
speakers at the International Congress of Religious
Liberals in Berlin. She is an officer of the Associated
Charities, of the Woman's Club, W. C. T. U., P. E. 0.,
Visiting Nurse Association and a trustee of Lombard
College.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 143
MRS. JAMES B. DIVER
There is no more attractive spot in Iowa, than Port
Sunshine, the home of Mr. and Mrs. James B. Diver,
of Keokuk. It stands on the bluff overlooking the
Mississippi River and is filled with treasures brought
from many lands, and with family heirlooms, price-
less in their association.
When Port Sunshine was built, there were no river
improvements on the rapids. Mr. and Mrs, Diver have
seen from Port Sunshine the building of the Govern-
ment canal and locks, the steel bridge which spans the
river, the dam and power house, the greatest power
plant in the world. Descriptive of this last great
work, the power plant, Mrs. Diver has written a
booklet, "Sound Waves," which gives a graphic
picture of the great work, through the various
sounds which accompanied the construction. The con-
ception is unique, and it is charmingly written.
Lorene Curtis Diver, the daughter of Julius C. Cur-
tis and Eliza Skinner Curtis, was born in Lima, Ohio.
The family arrived in Keokuk to make their home the
day on which President Lincoln was assassinated in
1865, and her early memory of the nation's sorrow is
very vivid.
Mrs. Diver is a descendant from the Yale family of
Wales. The first ancestor recorded in the direct male
line in the pedigree, was Dominus Otho, nobleman,
who came from Florence, Italy to England, in 1057,
A. D.
The ancestor of the maternal side of the house, was
Cuneda, 415, A. D., the head of the long line of kings
and princes from whom the Yales were descended.
The name, date of, and place of birth, of the line
144 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
from these two, down to Lorene Curtis Diver, is re-
corded and vouched for by historical records.
In December, 1869, Lorene Curtis was married to
James Brice Diver in Keokuk. Two children were
bom to them. Their first child died at birth. Helen
Curtis Diver, bom Thanksgiving day, 1875, lived fif-
teen short years, passing in the early springtime of
young womanhood.
Mr. Diver comes from a long line of honorable an-
cestry, prominent in Colonial affairs, and in the forma-
tion of the State of Maryland, Thomas Johnson and
Thomas Brice, signers of the "Resolutions of the Com-
mittee of Observation," March 22, 1775, which ante-
dates the Mecklenburg Resolutions and the Declara-
tion of Independence. On July 4, 1900, a bronze tablet
commemorating the signers was placed on the ground
in Harford county Maryland.
Mr. and Mrs. Diver accepted the committee's invi-
tation and went to Harford county to witness the cere-
monies.
James Brice Diver is the son of Dr. Wm. Beck Diver
and Lavina Brice. Dr. Diver after graduating as a
surgeon, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, was
sent by the American Board of Foreign Missions as a
medical missionary to China, May, 1838, where he es-
tablished dispensaries and hospitals in Canton, Macoa,
and other coast cities. Aftes his return to America he
crossed the plains to California in 1849 as surgeon to
the Cincinnatti Mining and Trading Co.
James Brice Diver, engineer in steel and iron
construction, bridges, viaducts, etc., (now retired),
among close friends he is called, "bureau of in-
formation," a veritable court of inquiry; courteous,
generous, progressive, liberal and philanthropic in his
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 146
views. Served in the Civil War, is a son of
American Revolution, Shriner, Knights Templar,
Royal Arch, Master Mason, Elk.
A fcAv 3^ears ago Mr. and Mrs. Diver made the tour
around the world. While in Macoa, China, they visit-
ed one of the hospitals which Dr. Diver had establish-
ed nearly seventy years before. When about to leave
Madras, India, they incidentally learned from an
Englishman of an interesting pagoda-like monument,
erected in 1681, by Elihu Yale, then Governor of Mad-
ras, in memory of his son, David. For more than two
hundred years this peculiar structure had stood alone
on the open plain in full view from the sea, now within
the compound and surrounded by the High Courts of
Madras. Believing they were probably the only de-
scendants of the Yale family who had ever seen this
monument (from America at least), a young German
officer who was with them took a picture of this old,
old structure, with these two twentieth century tour-
ists in evidence; while under surveillance of a native
guard, suspicious of their harmless intentions. Later,
while on the home stretch, circling the world, they
went purposely to Wrexham, Wales, to the church, the
grave of this Elihu Yale, Gov. of Madras, founder of
Yale University 1701.
In England they realized they were among their
own, "The mother country," after more than
a year among the dark races of the far east.
They enjoyed the White Man's Country, and
prowled about London by themselves, making dis-
coveries of places read about, and found the locality,
then the old building where Mrs. Diver's mother's
forebears had manufactured ink. Printers Ink, an ink
spot on her memory not to be effaced,
146 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
Mr. and Mrs. Diver have traveled extensively
through the States seeing the places of wonder and
pleasure in their best seasons. In 1906- '07 they made
the journey around the world. They took with them
in their minds a wealth of information, and in their
hearts, a love for travel, and so the journey meant
vastly more to them, than the average traveler. They
covered some 42,000 miles and visited 26 countries.
Nothing could better illustrate Mrs. Diver's position in
her home city than to give a list of clubs of which she
is a charter member: Keokuk Book Club, 1883; Au-
dubon Society of Iowa, 1886; Woman's Club, 1898;
Keokuk Chapter D. A. R., 1898; The Benevolent
Union, 1890; Monday Music Club, 1900; Wednesday
Heading Club, 1895 ; Country Club ; Humane Society ;
Sunshine Society ; Civic League, 1912. Mrs. Diver was
one of the organizers of the State Audubon Society in
Iowa. She is devoted to the study of birds and loves
nature in all its forms. The first meeting of the Keo-
kuk Chapter, D. A. R-, was held at "Port Sunshine,"
when the organization was effected.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 147
MRS. E. J. KELLER
Among the successful business women, as well as an
efficient club woman, is Mrs. E. J. Keller of Salem.
Emma Jane Lusk was born near Lancaster, Ohio,
Feby. 2, 1853, the daughter of James Lusk and Nancy
Ricketts Lusk, who came to Iowa in 1853, settling on
a farm in Lee county. She received her education in
the public schools and in the Denmark Academy,
which was one of the first schools in that section of the
state. It was a Congregational school and from its
halls have gone manj^ pupils who became successful in
life above the average. She w^as married April 24,
1878, to D. S. Keller, of Bloomfield. They lived in
Bloomfield until 1884, w^hen they came to Salem. Mr.
Keller died in 1908. For twenty-nine years Mrs. Kel-
ler has been a successful business woman. For twenty-
three years she kept the books and did all the clerical
work in connection with their furniture business, and
since 1909 she has conducted a variety store, which
has been a very successful enterprise. She is a mem-
ber of the Congregational church and active in all of
its branches. She was a charter member of the Salem
Woman's Club, (1895) one of the oldest in the state,
serving as its president and its representative at
several meetings of the federation. This club founded
a city library which has a splendid collection of books.
Mrs. Keller has been a state officer in the auxiliary to
the K. P. Lodge, the Rathbone Sisters, which was
later merged in the Pythian Sisters. She enjoys
travel and has visited nearly every place of interest in
this country. She has a rare faculty for making
friends and is a woman of the greatest kindness of
heart and charity.
148 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. GEORGE HARPEL
Mrs. George Harpel, (Almeda Brenton Harpel),
State Consulting Registrar of Iowa, D. A. R., was
born in Johnson county, Indiana, and came to Iowa in
infancy, with her parents, James Baird Brenton and
Elizabeth Glenn Brenton. Her early education was
received in the public schools of Dallas county which
was later supplemented by a normal school training.
She taught successfully for a number of years and was
deputy superintendent of schools in both Dallas and
Polk counties. At an early age she was married to
George Harpel, who died in 1908. Since her husband's
death she has been a very successful business woman.
She was a charter member of Daniel Boone chapter at
Boone, being admitted on the service of three Revolu-
tionary ancestors: Maj. James Brenton, Archibald
Glenn and Jacob Rhodes. Since 1911 she has been con-
sulting registrar of Iowa Daughters of the American
Revolution. She has been a very successful officer
and has an unusual knowledge of revolutionary
records and of lineage books. The Iowa Historical
library is said to contain the third largest lineage
records in the United States. Mrs. Harpel 's residence
is in Des Moines where she is a member of the Woman 's
Club and an active worker in the City Federation. She
is vice president of the Chautauqua union and a mem-
ber of the Order of the Eastern Star, and of the Rebec-
ca order. Her line of ancestry in America is : Daugh-
ter of James Baird Brenton and Elizabeth Glenn;
granddaughter of Rev. Henry Brenton and Esther
Baird, Archibald Glenn and Lydia Rhodes. Great
grand daughter of Maj. James Brenton and Mary
Woodfield; Archibald Glenn and Sarah Furgison;
Jacob Rhodes and Elizabeth Fenlow.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 149
MRS. CHARLES W. MULLAN
Prominent among the women of Waterloo and one
whose history has been closely allied with the city and
whose father-in-law surveyed, platted and named that
city, is Mrs. Charles W. Mullan. Emma Lucy Ham-
mond Mullan was born Dec. 15, 1851, in Paris, Oneida
county, N. Y. She is the daughter of William Ham-
mond, who came to Waterloo in 1855, and established
the first bank and real estate office in that city, and the
second bank of the state. Her mother was Frances
Chesebro Babcock, a woman of rare beauty and grace
of character. She was a gentle woman of the old type,
who painted in water colors, did exquisite needle work
and read carefully selected literature. She was
descended from the historic Perry family. Matthew
Calbraith Perry, the American naval officer, who
opened commerce with Japan, was her grandfather's
brother, as was also Commodore Oliver H. Perry, who
defeated the British in the battle of Lake Erie. The
late Rev. Maltby Babcock, who was pastor of the
Brick Presbyterian church of New York, and Edward
Noyes Westcott, author of David Harum, were cousins.
Kendric C. Babcock, dean of the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences of the University of Illinois, is a
cousin. Mrs. Mullen was educated in a seminary
conducted by Miss Anna B^ield, of Mt. Holyoke, and a
pupil of Mary Lyon. She was married Nov. 6, 1782, to
Charles W. Mullen and has four children. Chas. W.
Mullen was born Dec. 31, 1845, son of Charles Mullen,,
one of the first settlers of Black Hawk county, go-
ing there in 1846. He surveyed, platted and named
the city of Waterloo. He and his wife, a woman of
great strength of character, endured many hardships
150 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
of pioneer life. Their son was educated in the Upper
Iowa University, read law with a private tutor and
was admitted to the bar in 1870. He served as city
solicitor, as county attorney and in 1897 was elected
state senator, serving in the 27th and 28th general as-
semblies. He resigned in 1900 to accept the office of
Attorney General, which office he held until 1913,
when he was appointed Judge of the Tenth Judicial
District, the position he now holds,
Mrs. Mullen is a member of the Congregational
church, in which she has been an active member since
she was thirteen years of age. She is a member of the
Waterloo Woman's Club, the second oldest woman's
club in Iowa. She is a charter member of the Fort-
nightly Club, a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood and
of the Ladies of the G. A. R. Her life work has been
to rear her family, and right well has she accomplished
that task. Her oldest son, Charles Hammond, is a
graduate of Iowa College, and resides in St. Paul, be-
ing department manager of the Minneapolis Dry
Goods Co. Her daughter, Frances Gertrude Blair, is
a graduate of Iowa College and resides in Des Moines,
the wife of Mr. John Blair, First Vice President of the
Des Moines National Bank. The third child, Alice
May Walker, was also a student at Iowa College, is the
wife of Carl R. Walker of St. Cair, Mich., manager of
the Diamond Chrystal Salt Co, The younger son, Al-
fred William, is a graduate of Iowa College and of the
law department of the State University of Iowa. He
very successfully practiced his profession in Waterloo
for several years when because of ill health he tempor-
arily gave up the law and is now in the U. S. forestry
service in New Mexico.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 161
MISS S. ELIZABETH MATHENEY
The woman who holds the record in Iowa, if not in
all the United States, in the length of tenure of a state
ofBce, is Miss Sarah Elizabeth Matheney of Keokuk,
who has for twenty-three consecutive years been secre-
tary of the Rebekah Assembly I. O. O. F. of Iowa. She
was bom near St. Francisville, Mo., March 8, 1861.
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew N. Matheney, came
to Iowa in 1853. Her father was a shoe manufacturer
and later in the retail business. Miss Matheney, after
graduating from the high school and a business col-
lege, for many years aided her father in the store, and
it was here she got the business training, which has
made her the expert in keeping the records of the more
than 41,000 members who comprise the Rebekah as-
sembly of Iowa. When she was elected to this office
in 1891 there were 74 lodges with a membership of
4,000; there are in 1914, in Iowa, 566 lodges with a
membership of 41,000. She has done much to promote
this remarkable advancement. Many of the laws and
the improved methods in the state work are due to her
insight and realization of the needs of the Degree. She
is perhaps the best known woman in the organization
and is a woman of great influence. The Journals of
the State Proceedings which she issues annually are
models of their kind. She is a devoted member of the
M. E. church, and of the Bible school. She is a mem-
ber of the Civic League of Keokuk and has served the
organization as treasurer. Miss Matheney is appre-
ciated, not only in her public service, but in her home,
where she has ever been a most devoted daughter and
sister, always ready to sacrifice her own interest and
advancement for the love and care of those who were
ill or needed her aid.
152 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. DOROTHY CHRISTY KETCHAM
Dorothy Christy Ketcham enjoys the distinction of
belonging to one of the oldest and most prominent
families of Van Buren county, Iowa, being the daugh-
ter of Thos. Christy, who came from Harrison county,
Ohio, in 1842, and Sarah Johnson Christy, who came
from Fountain county, Indiana, in 1837. Her father
was prominent in the commercial and political affairs
of the state and county during his life. He served as
County Supervisor in 1873 and as a member of the
State Legislature in 1876. He organized the Farmers
& Traders' State Bank of Bonaparte, Iowa, which was
the first bank in the county and was active in the
management of it until his death in 1887. Her mother,
who is still living, now resides at Bonaparte, Iowa, in
the same home where she entered as a bride sixty years
ago, this being the birthplace of Mrs. Ketcham on
June 16, 1876.
Miss Christy became the wife of B. F. Ketcham,
Nov. 29, 1899, after which they spent a year in Donnell-
son where her husband was cashier of the Citizens'
Mutual Bank. They came to Farmington in 1900,
where they have since lived, Mr. Ketcham being the
vice-president of the First National Bank of Farming-
ton. They have one child, Helen Christy Ketcham.
Mrs. Ketcham is a graduate of the Bonaparte High
School. Her ancestry on both sides for several genera-
tions back were of the Presbyterian faith, but since
coming to Farmington Mrs. Ketcham affiliates with the
Congregational church. She is active in society and
club work. She is president of chapter 0, P. E. 0.
She is a modest, dignified and charming woman whose
influence is pronounced in behalf of all that is noble
and lofty in sentiment.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 153
MRS. J. B. MORRISON
Toma Espy Morrison, the wife of Col. Joseph Mor-
rison, was born in Ft. Madison, June 11, 1849, the
daughter of Stephen Barlow Espy and Rebecca Cutler.
She received her education in Shelbyville, 111., Semi-
nary, Denmark Academy, Mt. Pleasant Seminary, and
at Knox College. On May 3, 1868, she was married to
Joseph Blacker Morrison at Ft. Madison. To them
were born eleven children : Vincent Espy Morrison of
Minneapolis, Dr. William Iverson Morrison of Aurora,
II.., Genevive Marie, now Mrs. Walter G. Smith, of
Chicago, Mabel Josephine, now Mrs. Robert N. John-
son, of Ft. Madison, Maria, now Madame Morrison,
nun of the Sacred Heart, Omaha, Helen Louise, Sinia
Lucile, Joseph Barlow Morrison of Chicago, Denis
August Morrison of Chicago, Loras who died in in-
fancy, and Virginia.
Col. Joseph B. Morrison served with distinction
through the Civil War, enlisting as a private at the age
of nineteen in Co. D, 7th la. Vols. At the siege of
Atlanta he was serving on the staff of Gen. E, W. Rice,
Commander of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Div., 15th Army
Corps. He was brevetted Lieut. Col. by a special act
of Congress for gallant and meritorious service. At
the time of his death, in 1904, he was president of the
Morrison Mfg. Co. He was one of the most prominent
citizens, and for many years was a leader in business,
social and church life. His paternal ancestor, William
Morrison, came from Scotland to Orange county, N. Y.
just before the Revolutionary War and served as a
private soldier. He married a daughter of Capt. Crane
of New Jersey. Samuel D. Morrison, his son, and the
father of J. B. I\rorrison, came to Iowa from Ohio in
154 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
1848 aud died in Ft. Madison in 1881, honored and re-
spected by all who knew him. The Morrisons are all
devoted members of the Roman Catholic church. Mrs.
Morrison's father, Capt. Stephen Espy, was born at
Espyville, Pa., June 8, 1827, and came to Ft. Madi-
son September, 1846, when he entered into mercantile
business and married Rebecca Cutler, Sept. 11, 1848.
In 1861 he entered the service of the Union as Captain
of Co. G, 115 111. Vol. Infantry, at Shelbyville, 111.,
where he was then in business. He was killed Sept.
20, 1863, at the battle of Chickamauga. Maj. Hicks
said of him in a letter from the field to the N. Y. Trib-
une: "Capt. Espy, of Gen. Whitaker's staff, was a
very lion that day. He was advised to remain with
his trains but too noble spirited for that, he went on
the field and fearless of danger did wonders in cheer-
ing and rallying the men under the destructive fire of
the enemy. He was one of Illinois' noble sons and his
loss is severely felt." He was the son of Patterson
Espy, a man of education and a lawyer by profession,
who married Mercy Freeman, a quaker. Patterson
Espy was the son of George Espy who was a barefoot
boy at Valley Forge and was captain of a company in
the War of 1812. George Espy was the son of Josiah
Espy, a member of the committee of safety in the
State of Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary "War.
His father, George Espy, came to Pennsylvania from
Scotland and married Jean Taylor. Jean Espy had
nineteen descendants^ — sons and grandsons, in the Rev-
olutionary War, and for her the Jean Espy chapter, D.
A. R, is named. Mrs. Morrison 's mother, Rebecca Cut-
ler, was the daughter of Judge Jacob Cutler, who came
to Ft. Madison April 7, 1836, and her mother was a
lineal descendant of Abraham Clark, signer of the Dec-
laration of Independence.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 155
MRS. MAX MAYER
A woman who stands very high in her own city in
social, civic, and club life, and one who leaves behind
her wherever she goes friends and admirers, is Mrs.
Max Mayer of Iowa City. She has spoken in many
cities of the state, before clubs and conventions of
both men and women, on "The New Civic Spirit,"
"Public Playgrounds," "The Sanitary Disposal of
Garbage," and other subjects of a civic nature. She
has a logical mind, is quick witted, and always very
pleasing to an audience. Julia B. Mayer was born in
Iowa City, Sept. 28, 1872, the daughter of Moses
Bloom and Sarah Wise. Her father came to America
from Prance at the age of seventeen, and for fifty
years was a resident of Iowa City where he was a suc-
cessful business man and held many positions of honor
and trust. Her mother was of German ancestry and
was always a great inspiration to her daughter and
her close companion until her death in 1914. Mrs.
Mayer was educated in Sacred Heart Convent, Omaha,
St. Mary's, in South Bend, Ind., and at St. Katherine's
Hall, Davenport. She was married to Mr. Max Mayer
in Iowa City, March 20, 1894. One son has been born
to them— Edward Bloom Mayer, who with two chil-
dren of Mr. Mayer's, Florence and Lawrence Mayer,
form the family. Mrs. Mayer is President of
the Iowa City Improvement League, Treasurer of the
Home for Aged Women, Chairman Public Playground
committe, Chairman Visiting Nurse Association, mem-
ber of the Art Circle, Charities Council, King's Daugh-
ters, Child Welfare Committee, Fine Arts Association,
State Historical Association. For many years she has
been very prominent in the I. F. W. C. as an ofBcer and
committee worker.
156 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. G. B. McINTOSH
Rose May Tuttle Mcintosh was born at Clear Lake,
Oct. 24, 1857. Her parents, Marcus Tuttle and Caro-
line Warner, were Iowa pioneers, coming from New
York to Clear Lake in August, 1855. Her father was
active in the development of the city and county.
He helped to lay out the city and was one of the early
merchants and lumber man, later engaging in the
banking business, and served his district two terms as
State Senator. Mrs. Mcintosh was educated in the
Cazenovia Seminary in New York. On Feby. 4, 1876,
she was married to Gilbert Blodget Mcintosh, who is
of New England birth. Among his ancestors are men
prominent in the history of Massachusetts and Con-
necticut. He has large farming interests, and is an in-
fluential man. They have three children — Arthur
Tuttle Mcintosh, born March 28, 1877, Walter Gilbert
Mcintosh, born May 1, 1883 ; both successful business
men in Chicago, and Eunice May, born Sept. 18, 1886,
All three children were educated in the North Western
University, Evanston. Mrs. Mcintosh is a member of
the M. E. church and active in all of its interests, par-
ticulary in the women's societies connected with it.
She is a charter member of the Progress Club, which
is a study club, but has also done a good deal of civic
improvement work. She is a member of the Civil Ser-
vice and Social Reform Committee of the I. P. W C.
and has served the federation on the State Board. For
many years she was president of the Aid Society and
of the Home Missionary Society of the church. She
has traveled extensively in this country and spent
several winters in the south. It is an interesting bit
of history that Yale College is built on the homestead
of one of her ancestors, Wm. Tuttle.
The Blue Booh of Iowa ^Yomen 157
MRS. BELLE A. MANSFIELD
Belle A. Mansfield, nee Babb, was born May 23, 1846,
in Des Moines county, Iowa, and died at the home of
her brother, Judge W. I. Babb in Aurora, 111., August
1, 1911. Her father. Miles Babb, came to Iowa in 1837,
and was killed by caving in of the tunnel of the Bay
State Mining Co., of which he was superintendent, in
1852; and her mother, Mary Babb, removed to Mt.
Pleasant, in 1860. Here Mrs. Mansfield attended
the public schools until 1862, when she entered the
Iowa Wesleyan University, graduating from it in 1866.
She spent the next year in teaching in Simpson College
at Indianola, Iowa.
In 1867 she commenced the study of law and was ad-
mitted to the bar in June, 1869. She had the honor of
being the first woman in the United States that was
ever admitted to practice law. That she was the first
to be so admitted was definitely settled by an investi-
gation of the question by a committee appointed by the
Congress of Women Lawyers held in Chicago during
the World's Fair in 1893. She was married to Prof.
John M. Mansfield, Ph. D., then Professor of Chemis-
try in the Iowa Wesleyan University, in June, 1898,
and in 1872 she and her husband went to Europe
where they remained over a year studying in London,
Paris and Berlin. Upon their return she was elected
Professor of Englisb and Preceptress in the Iowa Wes-
leyan University in the fall of 1873, which positions
she held until 1881, when she resigned to join her hus-
band who was then Professor of Chemistry in De Pauw
University of Greencastle, Indiana. From 1881 to the
day of her death in 1911, she served De Pauw Uni-
versity in various important positions. She was first
elected Dean of Woman and in charge of Ladies' Hall,
158 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
which places, in connection with others, she held for
nearly twenty years. In 1886 she was also made Reg-
istrar of the Faculty and in 1890, on the resignation of
Dr. John C. Ridpath, she was elected Professor of His-
tory, which place she held until 1894, when she was
elected Dean of the School of Music and also Dean of
the Art School. Both of these schools, up to that time
had been a burden to the University financially. Such
was her energy, executive and business ability that
they soon became not only self-supporting, but also a
source of revenue. She was an eminently effective col-
lege woman. She was a close and accurate student, a
very extensive reader, and had the highest quality of
social traits, so that without apparent effort she im-
pressed her rare personality upon the entire college
community. The many thousand students with whom
she come in contact during her nearly forty years col-
lege work hold her name in grateful remembrance.
She was always an active church worker, serving for
years as superintendent of Sunday school, president of
the "Woman 's Foreign Misionary Society, and an active
worker in the cause of temperance. She was also
popular as a club woman, cheerful, responding to
every demand made upon her.
Bishop Edwin H. Hughes of the M. E. church, who
was at one time president of the De Pauw University,
thus summoned up her character in a letter written the
day after her death :
"She was the strongest and truest woman I have
ever known, and my five years' association with her at
De Pauw University gave me an adequate opportunity
for seeing what a brave, patient, effective worker she
was. Above all else she wrought out for herself in ser-
vice a splendid character. She will be much at home
with God."
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 159
MRS. THOMAS METCALF
Eva Canfield Metcalf was born in Cardon, Ohio. Oct.
5, 1853, the daughter of Delos Wilford Canfield and
Saphronia Allen. She was educated at Lake Erie Col-
lege, Painesville, Ohio. Jany. 24, 1871, she was married
to Thomas Metcalf at Charder, Ohio, and shortly after
came to Iowa. They have three children — Thomas
Delos Metcalf, Frank Arnold Metcalf and Delia, now
Mrs. H. H. Pinney, Llewellyn Oaks, Council Bluffs.
In religious faith she is an Episcopalian, being affi-
liated with St. Paul's church. She is a member of the
Ideal Club, a study club of which she has been presi-
dent for eleven years. She is a prominent member in
Iowa of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She is a member of the Council Bluffs chapter which
was organized in 1897. She joined on the service of
the following ancestors : Nathaniel Read, Lieut. Col.
Samuel Canfield, Amasa Read, Thomas Canfield, Capt.
Stephen Calkins, and Prince Allen. She has served
her own chapter as regent and for three terms was
State Vice Regent. She has sei-ved on many import-
ant committees of both the State and National society.
She has had a part on the program of state confer-
ences and has attended several national D. A. R. Con-
gresses. She was a member of the state committee of
the Iowa room in Continental Hall which planned the
furnishings of that room. She has served the Iowa
Federation of Women 's Club on state committees. She
is now a member of the Committee on Literature and
Library Extension, being chairman of the Biblical
Literature committee. She is a woman of ability and
of gracious presence, but a woman very modest of her
own attainments.
160 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. ARTHUR W. MANN
A woman who does her duty every day, as she is
given vision to see it, and whose life has always been a
sacrifice to others and to the common good, is Mrs.
Arthur W. Mann of Onawa. Carrie M. Foote Mann was
born Sept. 25, 1865, at Fort Atkinson, Wis. She is the
daughter of Elisha Lockwood Henman Foote and
Ellen Cordelia Simonds. She is a direct descendant of
Daniel Foote who came from England and founded
Weathersfield, Conn. Nathaniel Foote founded and
named Colchester, Conn. Nathaniel Foote the third
was a quartermaster in King Phillip's War. Her
mother is descended from Elizabeth Franklin, a sister
of Benjamin Franklin. On Aug. 16, 1892, she was
married to Arthur W. Mann and shortly after came to
Onawa to live. She is a member of the Christian
church and for sixteen years has been president of the
Ladies' Aid Society of the church. For four years she
has been chairman of the Eleventh District I. F. W. C.
and has served on many state and general federation
committees. She belongs to the Art Club and has been
its president for two years. She did all the prelimi-
naiy work for the organization of the P. E. 0. chapter
and has served as its president since organization in
1912. She was instrumental in organizing the Onawa
chapter D. A. R. and has been its regent since organi-
zation in 1910. She is secretary of the Improvement
League and a member of the Library Board for many
years. She has written many articles for newspapers
and journals. Has traveled over America, and Europe.
She has spoken before many clubs and organizations
on The Passion Play and other subjects.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women l^^
MRS. JULIA BALDWIN McKIBBIN
Julia Baldwin McKibbin— author, college professor
and one of "God's good women," was born Dec. 16,
1855, in Keosauqua, la. She is the daughter of Charles
Baldwin and Rachel Wright, who were mar-
ried on the Wright farm in Van Vuren county and
lived in Keosauqua for fifty-four years, celebrating
their golden wedding in the old home in 1894. Her
mother was a sister of Geo. G. Wright of the Supreme
Court of Iowa, and later of the U. S. Senate. Another
brother, Joseph A. Wright, was Governor of Indiana.
Mrs. McKibbin attended the State University at Iowa
City and was graduated from the Iowa Wesleyan Uni-
versity, B. A. and M. A. She belonged to P. E. 0. when
it was a college sorority, being one of the early mem-
bers. On July 20, 1886, she was married in Keosau-
qua to Dr. Geo. J. McKibbin. One son was bom to
them— George Baldwin McKibbin, April 26, 1888. He
is a lawyer by profession, practicing in Chicago, a
young man of whom his mother is justly proud. After
the death of Dr. McKibbin for several years she held
the chair of history in the Iowa Wesleyan University,
and was later field secretary of the Women's Guild of
Iowa AVesleyan and Dean of Women. She is the au-
thor of "Miriam," a book which has had wide circu-
lation, and has received favorable comment by literary
critics. She has written many short stories, and serials
for magazines and has done a great deal of newspaper
work. She is a member of the M. E. church and a
woman of staunch Christian character. She belonged
to the Mt. Pleasant Ladies' Library Association, the
second oldest club in the United States, and the oldest
in Iowa. She has traveled extensively in this country
and in Europe and is a woman of broad culture.
n"^ i\\<^ Academy. She also attended Cornell College, and
VA^^ later took a course in a business college. On Sept. 30,
162 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. ALICE SCOVILLE MILLER
"These are her fruits, kindness and gentleness
And gratefully we take them at her hands;
Patience she has and pity for distress,
And love that understands."
Alice Scoville Miller was born at Coleta, 111., the
daughter of Ira Scoville, a native of Erie, Pa., and
^\^ Mary J. Bushnell, who was born at Hillsdale, N. Y.
^V ,o(^H "When a child her parents came to Vinton, later mov-
^ C- ing to Grundy Center and in 1898 moved to Cedar
^ ^ Rapids, which is still her home. She was graduated
V'"^ 1 j|/,from the Vinton high school and from Tilford
1903, she was married to Harry Miller, who is a suc-
cessful real estate dealer in Cedar Rapids. His parents,
Leslie Miller and Caroline McKee Miller, were pio-
neers and prominent citizens of Vinton, Iowa. Mrs.
Miller is a member of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal
church. She is a member of Malta chapter 0. E. S.
She is a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood and is one
of the prominent P. E. 's. of the Iowa Grand Chapter,
having served as second vice-president 1908- '09, as re-
cording secretary 1909- '11, first vice-president 1911-
'12, and as state president 1912- '13. She is now a
member of the Board of Trustees governing the P. E.
0. Record, which is the ofificial magazine of the sister-
hood. The Board of Trustees are by appointment of
the Supreme Chapter. In whatsoever capacity Mrs.
Miller has served, she has been efficient and gracious
and has merited all the honors which she has received.
She has many times appeared on the program of the
state and national conventions. She is a very attrac-
tive woman, one of great kindness of heart, and gentle-
ness of spirit and yet a woman, of strong character.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 163
MRS. ANSON MARSTON
Mary Alice Day Marston, of Ames, was bom near
Gasport, Niagara county, N. Y., June 21, 1865. She is
the daughter of Dudley Watson Day, Sr., and Rachel
Scott Day, both of New England ancestry. She is a
graduate of the University of Michigan. After her
graduation she taught school for several years and was
married Dec. 14, 1892, to Anson Marston, Dean of En-
gineering at Iowa State College. He was born May
31, 1864, the son of George W. Marston and Sarah
Scott, pioneers of Illinois. Prof. Marston is a gradu-
ate of Cornell University, Ithica, N. Y., and is one of
the foremost men in this country in his profession. He
is a member of the American Society of Civil Engi-
neers, of the National Society for the Promotion of
Civil Engineering Education, the Western Society of
Civil Engineers and the Iowa Engineering Society.
Under his professorship the engineering department
of Iowa College has become a model for other schools.
Two children have been born to Prof, and Mrs. Mars-
ton, Morrill Watson Marston, bom Jany. 30, 1896, and
Anson Day Marston, born May 30, 1905. Mrs. Mar-
ston is a member of the Congregational church, of the
P. E. 0. sisterhood, of the Club of Faculty Women of
Iowa State College, of the Parent-Teachers' Associa-
tion and of the Sun Dial chapter. Daughters of the
American Revolution, joining on the service of Abram
Van Vleet and Serg. Noah Day. She has served on
many committees of the state and national society and
was State Regent of Iowa D. A. R., 1911- 12, being a
very efficient and just officer. She presided at the con-
ference held in Des Moines, which was one of the most
successful of the state conferences.
164 The Blue Book of Iowa 'Women
MRS. LA VERNE W. NOYES
Ida T. Smith Noyes, the daughter of Dr. Joel "W.
Smith and Susan M. "Wheat Smith, was born in Dela-
ware county, N. Y., April 16, 1853, and died at her
home, 1450 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Dec. 5, 1912.
Her ancestors on both sides had lived for many gen-
erations past in New England — mostly in Connecticut.
Mrs. Noyes' grandparents on both sides moved from
Connecticut to Delaware county, New York, where
they were pioneer settlers. When Mrs. Noyes was
four years old, the family moved to Charles City, Iowa,
at that time a hamlet, and this was the family home
for more than fifty years. She attended the public
schools and later studied at the Iowa State College,
graduating with honors with the class of 1874.
Mrs. Noyes was married at her father's home in 1877
to LaVeme W. Noyes, who had been a fellow student
at the Iowa State College. From that date her home
was in Illinois, but her many Iowa friends kept up
their interest in Mrs. Noyes and noted with pride and
satisfaction the leading position she attained in her
new home. In her adopted state she found ample
scope for the development of her unusual talents. She
had great artistic ability, and, for some years, devoted
the larger part of her time to the study of painting at
the Art Institute, later pursuing her studies in the
leading studios of Paris.
For some years Mrs. Noyes was president of the
North Side Art Club, a position she filled most accep-
tably. She was also active in the Chicago Woman's
Club, Woman's Athletic Club, and had, for some
years, been prominent in the society of the Daughters
of the American Revolution. In the work of this or-
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 165
ganization she took great interest and was particu-
larly active in the efforts to enlighten our foreign bom
citizens regarding American history and government
and to instill patriotism into the minds of their chil-
dren. After serving as State Regent successfully for
two terms, she was elected Vice-president General of
the National Society, a position to which she was re-
elected a short time before her death. In view of her
great popularity, it was expected by many of her
friends that, a little later, she would be made head of
the National D. A. R. organization.
She was active in all good causes, and not only made
a great many public addresses, but gave generously,
both in money and personal effort, to help those in dis-
tress and to aid others in their charitable work. Be-
sides her artistic ability she had great facility in the
writing of verses. She was particularly successful in
producing poems for social events — often written on
the spur of the moment. Since her death a little vol-
ume has been printed containing many of these poems,
and among her friends it is highly prized.
She loved travel. Not only had she visited every
part of her own country, but she had made countless
trips abroad, one trip encircling the globe. A pictorial
record of her travels was obtained by means of her
camera, and these thousands of beautiful photographs
show how successful had been her artistic training.
The memory of Mrs. Noyes will be long cherished
by her hosts of friends to whom she was devoted, and
later generations will also learn of her good works
through the generosity of her husband, who has, as a
memorial to her, given to Chicago University a beauti-
ful building to be used as a gymnasium and social
center for the young women of the University.
166 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
In accepting the gift, President Judson of the Chi-
cago University said: "The gift of $300,000 to the
University of Chicago by Mr. LaVerne W. Noyes, in
memory of his wife, is an act unusual in its direct ap-
propriateness. The generous fund is to go to build the
'Ida Noyes Hall,' a gymnasium and social center for
the women students. The impress that Mrs. Noyes'
life left upon the various branches of women's ac-
tivities in Chicago is still fresh. The memorial at the
great university will preserve its memory in the years
to come. It was altogether fitting that the Board of
Trustees declared in formal resolution its 'especial
gratification that there is to be commemorated in the
quadrangles of the university the name of a gracious
and gifted woman whose rare qualities are well
worthy of admiration and emulation by successive
generations of our young women.' "
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 167
MRS. OLA BABCOCK MILLER
Among the Iowa women who have that peculiar
quality which for want of a better name we call
"charm," is Mrs. Ola Babcock Miller of Washington.
She is a public speaker of ability and writes
with a delightful style. She is the daughter of Nathan
Lee Babcock and Ophelia Smith, who were Iowa
pioneers. She was born March 1, 1871. She was
graduated from the Washington Academy in the clas-
sical course in 1890. She later attended the Iowa Wes-
leyan College. On May 28, 1895, she was married to
Alex. Miller, who is editor of the Washington Demo-
crat, a paper widely read in this state. Mr. Miller has
a peculiar style, unlike any one else and makes one in-
terested in reading the everyday news about people
whom you have never seen or heard of before. He is the
son of Peter and Barbara Somner Miller. His paternal
grandfather, Joseph Somner, was a pioneer — a minis-
ter in the Mennonite church. The barn on the old
farm which was used as a recruiting station during the
Civil War still stands. Mrs. Miller is a member of the
M. E. church. She is a charter member of the 19th
Century Club, organized in 1894. She is a D. A. R.,
joining on the service of Samuel Rogers. She has
ser%'ed the I. F. W. C, on the Child Labor Com., and
the Civil Service Reform Com. For many years she
has been a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood and has
served the Iowa Grand Chapter as secretary', vice-
president and president. She was one of the most
popular and efficient presidents the Iowa Grand Chap-
ter has had. She is the mother of three children —
Ophelia Smith Miller, Barbara Somner Miller and
Joseph Somner Miller, who died in infancy.
168 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. WALTER McHENRY
Louisa Caroline Cummins McHenry was bom in
Greene county, Pa., Oct. 25, 1865, the daughter of
Thomas Layton Cummins and Sarah Baird Flanniken.
She is the sister of U. S. Senator A. B. Cummins and
J. B. Cummins of Des Moines. Her great grandfather
was Judge Flanniken, a signer of the Mechlenburg
Declaration, and a soldier in the war of the Revolu-
tion under Francis Marion. She was educated in the
Green Academy, Carmichaels, Pa. On June 15, 1857,
she was married to Walter McHenry, a prominent at-
torney of Des Moines, which city is her home. They
have two children — Mary McHenry Williams and Har-
rison Cummins McHenry. In religious faith she is a
Presbyterian. She is a member of the Outlook Circle,
of the Des Moines Woman's Club, and of the P. E. O.
sisterhood. She has served chapter Q of Des Moines,
which is the largest chapter in the sisterhood, as its
president. She has been state cor. see'y. for three
terms, 1909-12; vice-president, 1912-13; president,
1913-14. She is a thoughtful, painstaking woman, con-
scientious in all she does, and possesses a good mind,
reasoning out questions logically. A. B. Cummins,
who was governor of Iowa for seven years, and who is
serving his third term as U. S. Senator, is her oldest
brother. He is a national figure, one of the best known
men of this country. Before entering politics he was
recognized as one of the foremost lawyers of the state.
At the age of nineteen he became self supporting,
working his own way through Waynesburg College.
He came to Iowa in 1869, in 1877 he came to Des
Moines where he practiced law successfully until 1899.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 169
MRS. GEORGE W. NEEDLES
Mrs. Margaret Crosby Needles was born June 19,
1861, in Columbus, Ohio. She is the daughter of Ama-
sa Jones and Ellen Crosby. Her great grandfather, Dr.
Samuel Crosby, was a surgeon in the army under Gen.
Washington during the War of the Revolution. In his
honor the CenterviUe chapter, D. A. R., is named Dr.
Samuel Crosby Chapter. Her paternal great-grand-
father was also a Revolutionaiy soldier. On Aug. 29,
1883 she was married in Centerville to George W.
Needles, editor and publisher of the Centerville Daily
Citizen, which was established in 1864. For ten years
Mrs. Needles has been on the staff of her husband's
paper of which her sou is the business manager. She
is the mother of three children— Otis Crosby Needles,
Eleanor Colby and Lyman C, who died several years
ago. In religious faith she is a Unitarian and is active
in all the interests of the church. She is a member of
the M. X. L. Club, a prominent social organization, of
the 0. E. S., the P. E. O. sisterhood, and of the D. A. R.
She was instrumental in organizing the chapter in
1910 and has been for several years its regent. She is
a charter member of the Ladies' Cemetery Association,
which has a mmbership of fifteen. It was organized
by Mrs. Geo. W. Merrett in 1898, and in that tune
beautiful drives have been laid out, a pergola built in
the center of Bradley Memorial Park, a superintend-
ent's home built and a white stone chapel erected. Mrs.
Needles is vice-president of the association. She has
served the State Society of D. A. R. two years as or-
ganizing regent and has served on state and national
D A. R. committees. She enjoys society and leads a
busy life in her home and in her interest in public wel-
fare work.
170 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. MARY H. S. JOHNSTON
Mrs. Mary H. S. Johnston, of Humboldt, State Re-
gent of Iowa D. A. R., and author of the History of the
Iowa D. A. R., has the honor to be eligible and to be-
long to many patriotic organizations. Mary Hannah
Stoddard Johnston was born at Red Wing, Minn., Feb.
28, 1865, She is the daughter of James Stoddard, a
descendant of Elder William Brewster, who came to
America in the Mayflower in 1620, and of Gov. Theo-
philus Eaton, founder of New Haven Colony. Her
mother was Margaret Barr, daughter of Andrew and
Mary Auld Barr, descendants of the Douglas and
Stewart families. She was married June 27, 1888, to
Robert James Johnston, cashier of the Humboldt State
Bank and nominee for State Senator. She is a mem-
ber of the Humboldt Woman's Club and an active
worker in the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs,
having served it as treasurer and is now its auditor.
She is a member of Mary Brewster chapter D. A. R.,
joining on the service of Sergt. Mark Stoddard, Capt.
William Morgan, Capt. EHjah Brewster and Isreal
Morgan. She has served as treasurer for the Iowa D.
A. R. and is now the state regent. She is state presi-
dent of the U. S. Daughters of 1812. She is a member
of the Connecticut Mayflower Association, of the Col-
onial Dames, Founders and Patriots of America, U. S.
Daughters of 1812, Ladies of the G. A. R. and the Or-
der of the Eastern Star. She is assistant cashier of the
Humboldt State Bank and is secretary of its Board of
Directors. In 1911 Mrs. Johnston compiled a history
of the Iowa D. A. R. from the date of its organization
in 1891, and provided the funds for its publication. It
is a complete history and a most generous contribu-
tion to the records of the society.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women ITI
MRS. SAMUEL YOUNKER
A brave pioneer, au exemplary mother, and a
woman of broad charity, was Mrs. Samuel Younker.
When the womanly virtues are summed up, they are
compassed in these three— to face life, and its hard-
ships bravely, to be a good mother and to "love thy
neighbor as thyself." Mrs. Younker embodied them
all She was bom Nov. 17, 1839, in Kurnick, Prussia,
and died in Chicago, April 16, 1909. Her father, Falk
Cohen, was a Rabbi, a CoUege Professor, an author,
and a linguist of high standing and wide reputation.
They were people rich in culture but poor in this
world's goods; the memory of that poverty, in later
years, added to her joy in giviug from her abundance
With her parents she came to America at the age of
fifteen, taking up her residence in New York in 1854.
In 1863 she was married to Samuel Younker, a dry
goods merchant of Keokuk. Six children were born to
them— Aaron, Nettie, Falk. Isaac, Gertrude and Mar-
cus who died in childhood. Mr. Younker was a very
successful busines man. He was one of the organizers
of the B'Nai Israel church at Keokuk, the oldest Jew-
ish church in Iowa. He died in 1879. The oldest son
having moved to Des Moines in 1883, Mrs. Younker
and her family moved to that city which was her home
until her death. Her sons with two uncles, Marcus
and Herman Younker, established the Younker store
of Des Moines, which is one of the best known stores in
the middle west. Mrs. Younker was a woman of great
charity a humanitarian in every impulse. She gave
comfort to the sorrowing, lifted the fallen and gave
courage to the disheartened. She was not one who sent
her gifts by a messenger, but with the gift went her
own gracious personality.
172 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. L. F. ANDREWS
Mrs. L. F. Andrews, literary woman, one of the lead-
ing club women of Iowa,, real Daughter of the Ameri-
can Revolution, at the age of 85, is recognized as a
leader among the women of the state. She is the
daughter of John Van Dalson, who was born in New-
borough, N. Y. in 1702. He was a minute man and
served during the whole of the Revolutionary War.
He was with Washington at the battle of Trenton on
Christmas night, 1776. He was in the battle of Sara-
toga and witnessed Burgoyne's surrender; he was in
the battle of Yorktown when the new nation won its
victory there. At the close of the war John Dalson was
married to Elizabeth Carr at Big Flats, N. Y. Their
daughter, Sophia M. Dalson, was bom in Elmira, N^
Y., in 1829, and came with her parents in a covered
wagon to Michigan in 1835. When a little girl
she became proficient in household arts., learned to spin
and to do the tasks which fell to the lot of the pioneers.
Her early life was a struggle for an education in a day
and land where there were few advantages. She
taught school at intervals to pay the expense of her
education. Mrs. Andrews has been twice married.
Mrs. John W. Bishop of Santa Ana, Call., is a daugh-
ters by her first marriage, and Mr. Frank M. Andrews,
the very successful architect, is a son by her second
marriage. Mrs. Andrews came to Des Moines in 1864,
since which time she has been a leader in society,
clubs, and literary life. She was one of the first women
to be given a seat in the Iowa legislature as a press cor-
respondent. She is a charter member of the Des Moines
Woman's Club, organized in 1865, and first regent of
Abigail Adams Chapter, D. A. R.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 173
MISS MARY OSMOND
Miss Mary Osmond, for eighteen years a magazine
editor, and for four years a newspaper editor, and one
among the first women in Iowa elected to the office of
county superintendent of schools, was born near Phil-
adelphia. She is the daughter of William R. and Ann
Samms Osmond, coming when too young to have any
memory of it to Iowa Miss Osmond lived the life of
frontier people, all poor people and all working hard
—laying the foundation for Iowa's prosperity. In her
girlhood she was blessed by having access to books and
the best magazines and newspapers; she read every-
thing, educating herself in a large measure that way,
being possessed of a vigorous mind and an insatiable
desire to learn. Her father "entered" a farm at
Hoperville in Clarke county, and there was little of
primitive farm work that she did not learn. She at-
tended the Southwestern Normal School at Lebanon,
Ohio, for several months and began teaching school.
For several years she taught in the country schools,
then in the graded schools of Osceola and Murray. She
was a remarkably successful teacher and was elected
on the republican ticket as county superintendent of
schools in Clark county, and held the office for two
terms. She was the first woman to hold the office in
that county and among the first elected in the state.
During all those years of teaching she had been writ-
ing stories and sketches and news for various periodi-
cals. At the end of her terra of office as superintend-
ent she decided to take up newspaper work as a voca-
tion and became associate editor of the Osceola Senti-
nel,. She later became sole editor and proprietor of
the Osceola Gazette, a paper she started herself and
ran for fifteen months when it was merged in the
174 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
Osceola Sentinel of which she was then half owner.
For three years she was editor of this stiff republican
paper. It was at this time that the editorship of the P.
E. 0. Record literally "fell into her hands." She was
elected editor without her knowledge at the state P.
E. 0. convention in 1890. In 1891 she took the maga-
zine, then in its third year, to Osceola and published
it there for three years. She gave up the work for a
few years, but in 1898 became its editor and had
charge of it continuously until January, 1914. During
those years she gave all her time to the magazine, hav-
ing a knowledge of all the details of printing and pub-
lishing and having at some time or another done
everything on the magazine from writing editorials to
inking the roller. She is a practical newspaper woman
with a knowledge far beyond the average man in that
business. While she was editing the P. E. 0. maga-
zine, quite unconsciously to herself, she was doing
something else — she was making friends in that great
sisterhood of splendid women until today she has a
circle of friends as wide as this nation. "When she re-
signed as editor of the magazine the sisterhood in ap-
preciation gave her a check for five hundred dollars
and made her a life member of the national conven-
tion and of the Iowa convention. She belongs to the
Iowa Press and Author's Club of Des Moines, to the
Research Club of Osceola, and to the P. E. 0. sister-
hood. She is a member of the Christian church. For
years she has believed sincerely in equal suffrage and
has advocated the justice of its principles. Born of a
race of abolitionists and war-haters, her sympathies
inherited, seem to have turned to the love of animals,
and no cause is nearer her heart than the humane
treatment of animals.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 175
MRS. SHERMAN I. POOL
Minnie Alice Lewis Pool, of Waverly, daughter of
James Sawyer Lewis and Harriet Stebbins Lewis, was
born Oct. 27, 1866, in Apple River, 111. Descended
from seventeen lines of New England ancestry, noted
for their piety and patriotism, many of whom bore
coats-of-arms, coming to America from England about
1630, helping to found many New England towns, and
being men of affairs in their towns. The Stebbinses
were original settlers of Springfield, Northampton,
and Deerfield, Mass., and trace back to 900 according
to the Domesday Book. The Odell line is very ancient,
tracing back to 795, closely related to four kings of
England, William the Conqueror, Alfred the Great,
Edward II, and Henry VIII; also related by blood or
marriage to fifty families entitled to bear arms. The
first Baron Odell was Count of Flanders, a powerful,
noble family, said to have possessed a complete and
unbroken record back to Priam, King of Troy, about
1200 B. C. Numerous ancestors served in King Phil-
ip's War, the Inter-Colonial Wars, French and Indian
War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and her father
served three years in the Civil War.
One noteworthy fact in connection with Mrs. Pool's
Odell lineage is that she is the 36th generation by
direct descent from the first Count of Flanders, and
that for thirty-two generations the line from father to
son was unbroken. She has in her possession the whole
line of genealogy ; it is said to be correct beyond ques-
tion, being founded upon documentary evidence and
traced by eminent scholars and is one of the most
ancient lineages on record. She belongs to the Taft-
Emerson line. She and Ralph Waldo Emerson are
176 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
descended from the same immigrant ancestor, Thomas
Emerson. Robert Taft, the immigrant ancestor of
William Howard Taft, is also her immigrant ancestor
on that line. Roger Sherman, the signer, and Ethan
Allen, are both connected with her line.
Educated in the public schools of Illinois, and the
State Normal University at Normal, 111., she was, for
twelve years, a successful teacher in the schools of
Jo Daviess county. Married Nov. 24, 1898, at Rush,
111., to Sherman Ira Pool of Upper Sandusky, Ohio,
who is of Revolutionary descent. Member of the M.
E. church. For many years an active Sunday School
worker. Member of the Chautauqua Literary and
Scientific Circle, class of 1901 ; member of the Pocum-
tuck Valley Memorial Association, a noted historical
society of Massachusetts; an ardent Daugther of the
American Revolution, joining in 1901 ; had seven
Revolutionary forefathers,. In 1908 helped organize
and named the Revolutionary Dames chapter of Wa-
verly, and served four years as registrar and his-
torian, one year as regent. During her regency, was
instrumental in locating and marking the site of a
pioneer fort at Janesville, Iowa, the oldest town in
Bremer county. October 8, 1913, organized the Clock-
Reel Chapter of Janesville. Appointed state chair-
man committee on Preservation of Historic Spots, N.
S. D. A. R. Elected state historian at the 14th con-
ference, Iowa D. A. R. Represented her chapter at the
22nd and 23rd continental congresses at Washington.
Devoted to the best interests of the society, and par-
ticularly to its historical work.
Mr. and Mrs. Pool are antiquarians in taste, devoted
to genealogical and historical research, and have made
many historic pilgrimages. On one — which led them
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 177
through the New England States, New York, and
Canada, to the homes of their ancestors,— they attend-
ed a Field day of the P. V. M. A,, at Deerfield, Mass.,
where Mrs. Pool had a prominent part in the program,
at the unveiling of monuments to two of her Colonial
ancestors, who were original settlers of Deerfield, 1686.
They plan to take a trip every year, and an extensive
one every two years. Mrs. Pool favors equal suffrage.
178 The. Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. A'DALINE M. PAYNE
Mrs. Adaline Maria Brown Payne was born at
South Champion, N. Y,., Nov. 12, 1834. She is the
daughter of Orville Brown and Louisa Phelps of New
England stock. Her father, through his mother, a
Waldo, was seventh in the line from John Alden and
Priscilla of the Mayflower. She was graduated from
the State Normal school at Albany, N. Y., in 1854.
She was married at South Rutland, N. Y., Jany. 16,
1859, to "William Pierce Payne, a Universalist minister,
who for twelve years did pastoral work in Massachu-
setts and New York. They have one son, William Or-
son Payne. Coming west in 1874 Mr. Payne
became principal of the Mitchell Seminary at Mitchell-
ville, la., with Mrs. Payne as matron and teacher. In
1875 they moved to Nevada, la., which is still their
home. For six years she taught in the public schools
of Nevada and Boone and fifteen terms in teachers'
institutes. For thirty years she has been associate
editor of the Nevada Representative, a paper publish-
ed by her husband and son. She has continuously
done general editorial work and specialized in local
history and in a department, "Words From Busy
Women," she has compiled and edited many cata-
logues, published booklets of occasional verse and fam-
ily history and has contributed to the published "His-
tory of Story county." She is very prominent in the
Iowa Federation of Women 's Clubs. She was the first
auditor and has served on prominent committees since
its organization, and as district chairman. She is a
member of the Iowa Press and Authors' Club, a char-
er member of the Nevada Woman's Club. To crown
aU this public service, she has through all these years
practiced the household arts and been a home maker.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 179
MISS CORA ELLEN PORTER
Miss Cora E. Porter, county superintendent of
schools and prominent Iowa teacher, was born in
Washington, Iowa, the youngest of a family of six
children, daughter of Charles Robert Porter and Ellen
Keating. Her father was bom in Fleming county,
Kentucky, and her mother in County Down, Ireland.
They were married in Washington, Dec, 6, 1854. Miss
Porter was educated in the public schools and in the
University of Colorado. She began teaching in the
district schools, then in the Washington grammar
school, and then to the position of teacher of mathe-
matics in the Washington high school. In 1902 she re-
signed her position and spent a year in Colorado-
Upon her return to Iowa she was elected superintend-
ent of schools of Washington county, which office she
held for five years. During that time she raised the
standard of requirement for teachers and also secured
better salaries for the teachers in that couuty. She
published a Journal for the teachers and school offi-
cers of the county, which was an innovation very much
appreciated. She realized that a public office is a pub-
lic trust and all her duties were performed in adher-
ence to that truth. She was held in highest esteem by
the teachers, and at the first teachers' conference she
was presented with a handsome diamond ring as a
token of their appreciation of her work. In 1909 she
accepted the position as teacher of mathematics in the
Fairfield high school, which position she still holds.
She is a member of the Presbyterian church, of the
Fortnightly Club of Washington, the P. E. 0. sister-
hood, the Iowa State Teachers' Association and of the
South Eastern Iowa Teachers' Association. She has
often appeared on their prograpis.
180 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. BENJAMIN F. SHAMBAUGH
Bertha M. Horaek Shambaugh was born in Cedar
Rapids, Feby. 12, 1871, Her father was Frank J,
Horaek and her mother Katharine Mosnat, of whom
her daughter says: "Anything that I have done in
the past and all I hope to do in the future is due to
her inspiring guidance."
Mrs. Shambaugh was educated in the State Univer-
sity of Iowa, having been graduated in 1893. She is a
member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She was married
in Iowa City, Aug. 11, 1897, to Prof. Benjamin F.
Shambaugh, head of the department of PoUtieal Sci-
ence in the State University of Iowa and Superintend-
ent of the State Historical Society of Iowa. She is a
member of the First Unitarian Church, of Iowa City,
secretary of the board of trustees and superintend-
ent of the Sunday School. She is a member of the N.
K. Club, one of the oldest literary clubs of the city
and the first to join Iowa State Federation. She is a
member of the Iowa Press and Authors' Club and has
served it as vice-president. She is a member of the
committee on education, I. F. W. C. For three years
she was head of the department of Biology of the Iowa
City high school. She is an author of marked ability
and wide reputation. She is the author of "Amana;
The Community of True Inspiration," published by
the State Historical Society of Iowa , which gives a
picture, historically true, of that unique settlement in
Iowa. She has written many stories and nature
sketches for magazines which she herself has illus-
trated. She has contributed to the Midland Monthly,
The "World Today, Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Re-
ligion and Ethicsi, Our Animal Friends, The Church-
man, The Interior, The Outlook, Youth's Companion.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 181
MRS. ADA LANGWORTHY COLLIER
Among the Iowa women of unusual literary attain-
ment is Mrs;. Ada Langworthy Collier, of Dubuque,
who for many years has contributed to the best
periodicals and journals of this country. She has
written novels, poems, short stories, essays and re-
views which have received the most favorable com-
ment from literary critics. Her earliest works were
printed in the early '60 's and for more than forty
years her pen has added to the store of literature and
has brought honor to her native state. Perhaps her
most important work is the poetical story of
"LiUth," which was published in 1892, and which has
had a wide circulation. Much of her first literary
work appeared over the noms de plume of "Marguer-
ite" and "Anna L. Cunningham." Her first produc-
tion was a series of Hospital Sketches which were true
Civil War pictures. Her travel sketches "Among the
Mountain Mists," "A Day's Ramble" and others are
delightful word pictures. She was bom and reared in
Dubuque, the daughter of Lucius Hart Longworthy
and Valeria Bemis. Her father came to Dubuque in
1827, before the state had been named Iowa, but was
called "Black Hawk Purchase," being among the
first to work the lead mines there. He erected the first
frame home built in Dubuque. In later life he was an
essayest and lecturer of ability. Mrs. Collier was edu-
cated at LaSell Seminary, Auburndale, Mass. She
was married Oct. 16, 1867, to Robert W. Collier, who
was a man of scholarly attainments. They have one
son, James C. Collier. "Linden Croft" is still the
family home although Mrs. Collier spends much time
in traveL
182 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. W. H. COWLES
"There came to me the comprehension of the value of a
woman's worth, the beauty and blessing of the American
home, of the obedient daughter, the loving wife, the Madon-
na Mother, and of all that these mean as the very foundation
rock of our nation's strength and honor."
Mrs. Elsie Merrill Ferguson Cowles of Audubon,
was born in Peacham, Vt., the daughter of Paul F.
Ferguson, who was born and reared in Scotland, and
Ellen Kineison of New England birth. She was edu-
cated in the Peacham Academy, Married on Sept.
18,1879, at Peacham, to W, H. Cowles. Shortly after
they came to Iowa taking up their residence in Audu-
bon, where Mr. Cowles is a jeweler. They have one
son, N. N. Cowles, who is a jeweler, living in Ottum.-
wa. Mrs. Cowles is a member of the Presbyterian
Church, interested and active in all its branches. For
two years she was chairman of the ninth district, Iowa
Federation of Women's Clubs and during that time
interest in the federation increased very materially in
that district. She has also been a member of the
board of directors of the 1. F, W. C. She is a member
of the P. E,. 0. sisterhood and has for several terms
served as chapter president. She is a member of the
Columbian Club which follows two lines of study —
sociology and domestic science. She has done a great
deal of china paining in a semi-professional way. Be-
side these manifold interests she has taken an interest
in her husband's business and aided him many years.
She is a versatile woman, being an expert housekeeper
and home maker, a business woman, one of artistic
temperment and a woman having a helpful interest in
the world outside her own little sphere.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 183
MRS. FRED TOWNSEND
Helen Dawson Townsend, daughter of Arthur Mid-
dleton Dawson and Lucie Moon, was born at Paxton,
111., Jany. 17, 1866. She graduated from the Ann
Arbor, Michigan, high school and later studied in the
University of Michigan. On Aug. 14, 1889, in Min-
neapolis, she was married to Fred Townsend of Albia,
a successful attorney, state senator 1900-04 and presi-
dential elector in 1912. He is the son of Judge John
Selby Townsend who served as district judge for ten
years and was a member of the legislature in 1852
He was a man of great force of character and wide in-
fluence. Mr. Townsend 's mother was Annie Elbert,
daughter of Dr. John D. Elbert, who came to Iowa in
1840, settling near Keosauqua. He was president of
the Territorial Council and as a physician and surgeon
his practice covered most of southeastern Iowa. An-
nie Elbert was one of the earliest graduates of Wesley-
an Female CoUege at Cincinnatti, Ohio, and was a
very cultured woman. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend have
four children: Robert Dawson, Hugh Elbert who
died in 1913, Katherine Lucie, Arthur Selby and Fred
J., who died in infancy. Mrs. Townsend is a devoted
Episcopalian and has been church organist many
years. Through her mother, a gentle-woman in every
characteristic, she is a D. A. R. She joined P,. E. O. in
1892 and served the Iowa Grand Chapter as corre-
sponding secretary', vice-president and president
She was appointed by the Supreme Chapter in 1909
chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Educational
Fund established in 1907. Mrs. Townsend has given
her best thought to the administration of this fund by
which hundreds of girls have been educated.
184 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. HOWARD TEDFORD
Mrs. Regina Vale Tedford of Mt, Ayr was born at
Bonaparte, Nov. 4, 1876, the daughter of Benjamin
Rex Vale and Julia Biddle. Her grandfather, Jacob
G. Vale, was state senator for two terms and her
father was state senator for four terms, representing
the same district. Her father's mother's ancestry is
traced from morganatic marriage of George III of
England, hence the family name Rex. She received
her classical education at Monmouth College and at
the State University of Iowa. Her musical education
was obtained at New England Conservatory of Music,
Boston. At her home in Bonaparte, on June 4, 1902,
she was married to Howard Tedford, of Mt. Ayr, edi-
tor of the Mt. Ayr Record, son of James Harvey Ted-
ford and Elizabeth Rowan. His father has been an Iowa
newspaper man since 1870. His mother was a native
of New York, a descendant of the Rowans, who
were noted patriots and who rendered valiant service
in the war of the Revolution. Mr. Tedford was for
three terms state binder and was clerk for the Inter-
state Commerce Commission (1895-96) of which Co\.
W. P. Hepburn was chairman. From this committee
the Panama Canal bill was first recommended for pas-
sage by Congress. Mrs. Tedford is in religious faith a
Presbyterian. A member of the P. E. O., and has
served her chapter as president and been a delegate
to both state and national conventions. She is one of
the organizing regents of Iowa D. A. R. She has
traveled all over this country; been to Cuba, Panama
and through Europa She is a woman who has had
every advantage, birth, education, travel association
with cultivated people, and the result is a woman of
very high type.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 185
MRS. CLARA ROBERTSON TITUS
For more than fifty-four years the Robertson home
in Keokuk was a center of unbounded hospitality, un-
limited kindness and good cheer. Clara Robertson Ti-
tus, the last of her father 's family, is an apostle of that
same good cheer. She was bom in Keokuk, Oct. 22,
1859, the daughter of Hugh Robertson and Mary Sin-
ton, both natives of Perth Shire, Scotland, in whose
hearts lived always the love of the highlands and the
heather. Annually they celebrated the birth of Bob-
bie Burns with a party which was one of the happiest
events in the social calendar of Keokuk. The Robert-
son clan is one of the oldest in Scotland, and count
their chiefs from Duncan, under whom they appear as
a clan in support of Robert-the-Bruce. From first to
last the clan is noted for its loyalty to the Stewarts.
On the murder of James I at Perth, it was Robert the
chief who captured his murderers for which act he
had many honors conferred on him by King James'
successor, and to further commemorate this, both
father and son took the name Robertson, which the
clan has retained. The Robertson tartan is red, cross-
ed with bars of olive green and purple ; the badge is
fine leaved heather; the motto, Virtutis gloria merces,
and the coat of arms one of the oldest in Scotland.
They were a family of birth, rather than wealth, in
Scotland. They were staunch Presbyterians and Alex-
ander Campbell, who before coming to America to
found the United Brethren church was a Presbyterian,
preached in the Robertson home in the highlands. Mrs.
Titus' father, Hugh Robertson, made frequent visits
to Scotland. He was for many years secretary of the
186 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
Iowa State Insurance Co. and was a gentleman of the
old school, gracious and courteous always. Mrs. Titus
was educated in the Keokuk schools, later attending a
school for young women in Washington, D. C. She
had one brother, William S. Robertson, who died,
leaving a son, Hugh Robertson. She was married
Oct. 10, 1882, to W. J. Ruddick, who died June 11,
1886, leaving one daughter, Charlotte, who is now
Mrs. Earl Collins of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and has a
daughter, Janet Robertson Collins, born in 1913. On
Oct. 3, 1901, she was married to W. H. Titus, who died
July 24, 1908. She has three step sons: L. J. Titus,
J. V. E. Titus and Horace L. Titus. Mrs. Titus has
traveled this country over and made three trips to
Europe, once spending a year and another time six
months abroad. She enjoys society and belongs to a
number of prominent clubs and charity organizations.
Is a member of the board of directors of the Benevo-
lent Union of the social department of the Y. W. C. A.,
a charter member of the Travel Class, a charter mem-
ber of the Iowa Audubon Society, a charter member
of the Woman's Club, and of the Wednesday Reading
Club. She has a perfect genius for making friends
and for keeping them. No day is ever dark for her,
her optimism and good cheer sees always sunshine.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 187
MRS. MARY BERRY PRICE
Mrs. Mary Berry Price is one of the few women who
has made a success of practical farming; for the past
fourteen years she has managed her farm, bought and
sold fine cattle, relying on her own judgment in the
transactions. She was born in 1856 in Ottumwa, the
daughter of the Rev. A. P. Berry and Harriett Dicken-
son Berry, who came to Iowa in 1849, from Zanes-
ville, Ohio. She attended the district schools and was
the first graduate of the Moulton high school. She be-
came a charter member of the P. E. 0. chapter at Cen-
terville, 1882. She was a delegate to the preliminary
convention, preparatory to the organization of the
Supreme Chapteri, held in Bloomfield, Nov. 1-2, 1882.
The first supreme convention was held in Fairfield,
Oct. 12, 1883, at which time Mary Berry was elected
the first supreme president of the P. E. 0. sisterhood.
She presided at the conventions at Centerville and Ot-
tumwa. Since then she has been accorded marked hon
or in many state grand chapter conventions and in the
supreme conventions. In 1884 she was married in
Centerville to A. R. Price of London Mills, who died
in 1900. She has six children; at the time of their
father's death ranging in age from 15 years to ten
months. It was then that Mrs. Price took up the
management of the farm which she is still successfully
conducting. She has been prominent in the community,
serving on the Board of Education, on the official
board of the M. E. Church, and in other public inter-
ests. She is a woman of gentle manner, unassuming
and straightforward in her speech, a woman of practi-
cal charity, one who commands the love and respect
of all who knew her.
188 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS MARGARET E. PREBLE
The term politician does not apply to many Iowa
women, but it does properly apply to Miss Margaret
Elizabeth Preble of Humboldt, who since 1908 has
been recorder of Humboldt county. The plan of
campaign which she originated and executed would
have done credit to a seasoned politician. She began
in June, 1907, by sending out three hundred personal
letters; in December she visited every precinct in the
county; in January she began publicity work through
the papers ; in February she sent circular letters to
every voter in the county, asking support on the
ground of efficiency and economic administration.
During the months of her candidacy she worked in
her office from 8 a. m. to 6 p. m. She spent one full
month canvassing the county and shook hands and
talked with more than 1,500 voters. She conducted a
fair, clean, campaign; relying entirely upon her capa-
bility for the office and her business experience. The
result was she won over an opponent who was a man
of high standing in the community and of wide
acquaintance in the county, carrying every voting
precinct, with a majority of seven hundred in the
whole county. She is now serving her third term.
She had large experience in the office of law firms be-
fore entering the recorder's office. She is faithful
and conscientious in all her work and is conceded *o
be the best recorder Humbolt county has ever had.
She iK the daughter of Henry James Prebel and
Emma Jane Heath. A member of Unity Church, the
Woman's Club, and P. E. 0.
The Blue Book of lotva Women 189
MISS EMILY CALKINS STEBBINS
Emily Calkins Stebbins was born January 22, 1843,
at Longmeadow, Mass., the eighth generation on
American soil. She received her education in the vil-
lage school supplemented by a course in Peacham
Academy, Vt. She came to New Hampton, Iowa, July
13, 1861, and lived with her sister, Mrs. Powers.
When H. C. Baldwin, deputy county recorder and
treasurer, enlisted with Co. C, 38th Iowa Infantry,
Sept. 1, 1862, she took his place and was deputy until
January, 1864. In 1865 she entered the law and ab-
stract office of the late J. H. Powers. Feby. 2, 1866, she
was commissioned notary public by Gov. Stone, the
first woman in Iowa so commissioned, and so far as she
can learn, the first in the United States. She is yet no-
tary, abstracter, insurance agent and pension attor-
ney in the office on the ground where she has worked
for forty-eight years. She well remembers the looks
of holy horror she encountered when she first began
working in a public office among men, and remembers
that some people would not be waited upon by her be-
cause they believed that a woman could not do busi-
ness correctly. She remembers, too, the flood of fe-
male suffrage literature that was then poured upon
her. She was for years an active worker in the W. C.
T. U., and is a practical, not political, prohibitionist;
IS a stand-patter in politics and an orthodox Con-
gregationalist. Inheriting from her father French
and English blood, and from her mother, Scotch and
Welsh, she has positive opinions and language in
which to voice them. Touching shoulders with the
business world she is up-to-date, or as she says, ''I am
not a chestnut, and resemble one only in that the
worst is on the outside."
190 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. J. J. SEERLEY
Mrs. John J. Seerley, was president of the Iowa
Federation of Women's Clubs, 1905- '07, and always
active in its interests. Mrs. Elizabeth L. Clark Seer-
ley was born in Huntsburg, Ohio, Nov. 19, 1854, and
died at her home in Burlington, April 2, 1913. She
was graduated from the State University of Iowa in
1876. For two years she was superintendent of
schools at West Liberty. On Sept. 17, 1879, she was
married to the Hon. John J. Seerley, a prominent
member of the Iowa bar, who has practiced in
Burlington since 1877, and who served as congress-
man from the first district 1890-92. They have three
children: Mrs. Florence E. Reed, of Denver; Mrs.
Hazel V. Bell of Evanston, and John J. Seerley, Jr., of
Burlington. Mrs. Seerlej^ was by nature a leader, but
charmingly tactful and kind, and so this quality never
offended even the humblest. She was a patron of
everything that ministered to the public welfare.
She was prominent and popular in society, and enjoy-
ed meeting her friends in a social way. She was a de-
vout Christian, being a member of the Congregational
church. She was a devoted wife and mother and the
atmosphere of her home life was all the name ''home"
implies. She was a woman steadfastly loyal to woman-
hood, and to the welfare of women she gave her deep
interest. She believed sincerely in clubs for women
for the sake of study and for the co-operative sympa-
thy which they create. She belonged to many local
clubs and was prominent in the Iowa Federation and
in the General Federation to which she was many times
a delegate. She spoke with ease, and with conviction
and was always a force in the conventions. She was a
woman whose life and work are a lasting memorial.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 191
MISS NELLIE V. WALKER
Miss Nellie Verne Walker, one of the well known
American artists, was born in Red Oak, Dec. 8, 1874.
She is the daughter of Everett A. and Rebecca Jane
Lindsey Walker of Moultou, to which town they
moved when she was a little girl. When she was still
a child, she had the consciousness of her own ability,
and one day asked her father — who was a dealer in
monuments, for a block of marble which he had on his
shelf. The piece of marble was probably worth ten
dollars. He hesitated and asked her why she wanted
it; she replied that she knew she could "make some-
thing." She persisted for several days and finally ap-
pealed to her mother, who is ever the child's mediator,
and she was given the marble. She found a picture of
Lincoln, which she set up before her, and with such
tools as she found in her father's shop, went to work.
In a few daj'-s the face of Lincoln with its gaunt out-
lines emerged from the block of marble. Finally the
bust was finished and was displayed in the Iowa build-
ing at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
as the work of an Iowa girl. There were six children
in her father's family and not much money to be spent
in developing her talent. She studied stenography and
worked in an office until she had enough money to pay
her way to Chicago. Lorado Taft tells the story of
her coming this way: "One day there walked into my
studio a little girl, who had come to Chicago to learn
sculpture and make her mark in the world of art. It
was all arranged in her own mind, — she had decided
it. It made no difference how steep or how hard the
way, she was going to succeed. And she has succeeded,
and we are proud of her. But one day, we are going
192 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
to be very, very proud of her." It was altogether
characteristic of Miss "Walker that she should go to
the very best teacher she knew anything about. Lora-
do Taft at once recognized her ability and has been
her friend as well as her teacher. During the first
years in Chicago she supported herself by doing
stenographer's work at odd hours and taught some in
the art institute. The way has not always been easy,
but her spirit undaunted, and with faith in her own
ability and an all consuming love for her art kept her
steadfast to her purpose until today she stands well to
the front among American sculptors. She has exe-
cuted many important commissions; among them a
statue of "Winfield Scott Stratton, and also a memorial
to him in Colorado Springs, the ideal group, "Her
Son" which is in he Art Institute in Chicago, ''Young
Donatello," a statue of James Harlan in "Washington,
D. C, Memorials in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, in
Battle Creek and in Cadillac, Michigan, and the
splendid bronze statue of Chief Keokuk in heroic size,
which stands on the bluff overlooking the river in
Rand Park, Keokuk. In 1914 she went to Europe to
study. She had gone to Europe twice before but only
for a short stay. It was her purpose this time to stay
a year, but a group of friends in Chicago, quite un-
known to her made up a purse which will allow her to
stay several years. This gift was significant of the
faith which the art-loving people of that great city
have in her. She is a tiny woman, only a little over
five feet tall, — modest, gracious and most lovable.
Her studio is on Ellis Ave., Chicago, in the Midway
Studios.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 193
MRS. H. L. WATERMAN
Alice Hill "Waterman was born Jany. 6, 1855, the
daughter of Newton Clark Hill and Mary Blake,
pioneers of Ottumwa. At eighteen she graduated
from the Ottumwa high school, and taught four
years. On Oct. 9, 1879, at Oakland Farm, her father's
estate, she was married to H. L. Waterman, a very
successful business man, the head of a great coal
mining industry, and for three terms state senator.
He had one son, Philip H. "Waterman, by a previous
marriage. In speaking of him Mrs. "Waterman said:
"If he has ever felt other than as my own son he has
never shown it, and his children are as my own, and
because of them I have known, what otherwise I
should not, 'The touch of baby fingers on the cheek.' "
For a number of years she was on the official board of
the M. E. Church and for years was superintendent of
the intermediate department of the Sunday School.
Her greatest public service has been in behalf of the
Ottumwa hospital. One of her earliest friends was
Mrs. Mary Brooks Thrall, whose heart's desire had
been the establishment of a city hospital, but who had
not been able to bring about the realization. In her
last illness she asked Mrs. "Waterman if she would un-
dertake this work and the promise was given. Pre-
vious to this a Bible class of twenty-five had been or-
ganized and named the Mary Brooks Thrall Bible
Class, and it was in this group of women the work be-
gan. Mrs. "Waterman has worked for the hospital in
season and out of season, for eighteen years, as secre-
tary of the association and now, its president. The
success of the institution and its beneficient ministry
are in a great measure the result of her labor.
194 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JANE B. RINGLAND
To Mrs. Jane Bane Ringland belongs the title "A
Mother in Isreal," and what more honored title could
any woman bear? She was the daughter of Adam
and Mary Weir and the widow of Maj. John Newton
Ringland. She was born in "Washington county, Penn,,
May 22, 1824, and died in Mt. Pleasant, la., Oct. 10,
1909. With her husband and children she came to
Pilot Grove, la., in 1851, her husband died the follow-
ing October. She maintained her little family by
teaching school. She rode to the district school on
horseback, with two children behind her and one on
the saddle in front of her. Never for one day did she
lose courage in those trying times. Out of bleak sur-
roundings, as out of more prosperous ones, she firmly
held to the faith that God doeth all things well. She
was descended from generations of cultivated people,
and under all conditions and at all times there was a
certain aristocratic bearing which made one remem-
ber just who she was and whence she had come. In
the 70 's she lived for several years in Winfield, later
moving to Hamilton, 111., where her son, Dr. E. B.
Ringland, conducted a sanitarium, and for a few years
lived in Keokuk. She had four children: Dr. E. B.
Ringland, now a Presbyterian minister in Oklahoma
City; Thomas R. Ringland, of Winfield, a prosperous
farmer, and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church ;
Rev. A. W. Ringland, D. D., a Presbyterian minister in
St. Louis, and Miss Anna Mary Ringland, of Mt. Pleas-
ant, who was her mother's companion through her
many years of invalidism. She left no great heritage
of gold, but to her children she left a better legacy,
the memory of a faith that never failed, a courage
that never faltered, a life triumphant,
The Blue Bool of Iowa Women 195
MRS. GEORGE D. RAND
Mrs. Sara MeGaughey Rand represents two families
historically worth recording, and in her personally is
a woman who merits a place in a history of Iowa
women. She was bom in Greencastle, Ind., the daugh-
ter of Edward W. MeGaughey and Margaret Mat-
lock, who were married Jan. 18, 1838. Their family
consisted of five children: Sara, Mary, Edward,
Charles and Thomas. In 1835 her father, E. W. Me-
Gaughey, at the age of eighteen years was upon ex-
amination admitted to the practice of law in Putnam
county, Ind. In 1842 he was elected state senator. In
1843 he resigned to make his first race for a seat in
congress in which he was defeated by only three votes.
In 1845 he was elected to congress. He was a strong
opponent to the Mexican War and delivered a speech
against the action taken by congress, which speech
cost him the seat of governor of the Territory of Min-
nesota. President Taylor nominated him for terri-
torial governor, but failed of confirmation by the sen-
ate in consequence of his attitude on the war question.
In 1852, being broken in health he started to Cali-
fornia, in the hope of being benefitted. In crossing
the Isthmus of Panama he contracted fever from
which he died in San Francisco, Aug. 6, 1852. Mrs.
Rand's grandfather, Arthur 0. MeGaughey, was clerk
of the first court held in Putnam county, Ind., in a pri-
vate house. He was clerk of the courts for 23 years.
He took the first case taken to supreme court. Mrs.
Rand was the oldest of five children and was educated
in the Conventual College of St. Mary of the Woods
near TerreHaute, Ind. For many years she was presi-
dent of the Alumnae of St. Mary's, and in 1911, was
196 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
made honorary president for life. At Greencastle,
Ind., on Dee. 25, 1862, she was married to George Dex-
ter Rand, of Burlington, they had one daughter, Mary
Rand. Mrs. Rand is a convert to the Catholic church
and for many years has been one of the most promi-
nent and useful members, not only of the parish of St.
Peters', to which she belongs, but of the church in a
wider sense. She has given liberally of her money and
of herself in the interests of the church and the schools
connected with it. The St. Peter's school for boys
was made possible by the generosity of Mr. and Mrs.
Rand. She is always thought of as one of the fore-
most women of Keokuk, a woman intellectually strong,
broad-minded, and one who is known and loved by
people in every walk in life, from those who are high-
est, socially, to the humblest. For four years she was
president of the Keokuk Woman's Club. She was one
of the organizers of the Civic League and has been on
its board of directors ever since its organization.
Since 1899 she has been president of the Woman's Aid
Society of St. Peter's Church. Her husband, George
D. Rand, who ''passed from time to eternity" on Nov.
12, 1903, was one of Iowa's well-known men. He was
educated in Asbury (now De Pauw) University at
Greencastle, Ind. His father was E. D. Rand, the
well known lumberman of Burlington, and after leav-
ing school he was employed by his father. In 1860 he
was appointed assistant paymaster in the Volunteer
Navy, and was ordered to the gun boat "Silver Lake."
Soon after he was appointed pay master in the regu-
lar navy, his commission bearing the signature of
Abraham Lincoln and Gideon Welles, Secretary of the
Navy. After the surrender in 1865 he resigned his
commission and returned to commercial pursuits. He
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 197
engaged in the lumber business in Alabama until 1880,
when he went to Keokuk and took charge of the lum-
ber yard of Carson & Rand. In 1883 he was elected
mayor of Keokuk. During his term of office the city
bought the public park, which the council in compli-
ment to him, named Rand Park. He was a director of
the Keokuk National Bank, of the Water Works Co.,
of the Iowa State Insurance Co., and was vice-presi-
dent of the State Central Savings Bank. Mr. Rand
had a genial nature and made many friends. His
father was one of the very prominent men of Burling-
ton, who was twice married, his first wife was Sarah
Proud, an Ohio woman. By this marriage there were
six children: George D., Mary, Frank, Hattie, and
two who died in infancy. On June 13, 1852, Mr. Rand
was married to Mrs. Caroline A. Roberts, who was the
daughter of Soloman Sherfey, a Burlington pioneer.
Four children were born to them: EUbridge D.,
Charles W., Horace S., and Carrie. Mr. Rand died
April 10, 1887, in Burlington, to the prosperity and
growth of which city he had so liberally contributed.
It may truthfully be said, that through all his varied
and extensive business experiences, he was never
known to intentionally wrong any one. He was just
courteous, and considerate to every one, from the
wealthiest capitalist to the humblest laborer in his
yards. He was a self-made man, and suffered many
reverses, but with courage kept on until success far
beyond the expectation of even an ambitious man,
crowned his efforts.
198 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS NANN CLARK BARR
To an Iowa young woman belongs the honor of hav-
ing received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the
age of twenty-three, being the youngest person so far
as the records show to earn that high scholastic de-
gree. Miss Nann Clark Barr is the daughter of Dr.
and Mrs. G. Walter Barr of Keokuk, her mother a col-
lege woman and her father an author and literary man
of high attainment, she has always lived in an atmos-
phere which fostered her ambition,. As a child she
showed unusual proficiency in literature and wrote a
number of poems which appeared in well known maga-
zines. She was graduated from the Keokuk high
school in .1907, receiving the second Kilbourne prize.
She spent four years at the Western College for
Women at Oxford, Ohio, the alma mater of her mother.
Here she was graduated in 1911 with the degree
Bachelor of Arts. Her work at Western College won
her the scholarship in philosophy at Wellesley, where
she did post-graduate work for a year and won her
scholarship in philosophy at Cornell University. At
the end of one year's work at Cornell she won the de-
gree of Master of Arts, and at the end of the second
year, (1914) she had earned her doctor's degree in
philosophy, beside winning the philosophy prize. Such
a record of scholastic attainment is very unusual and
the honors have not come without work, but a re-
markable mind and a great ambition has made the
work easier than it would have been for a less gifted
person. Miss Barr, when but a child, read literature,
much beyond her years and reasoned with the faculty
of a mature mind. Those who knew her as a child ex-
pected great things of her and her work has justified
that expectation.
Tlie Blue Booh of Iowa Women 199
MRS. STELLA M. PORTER
Mrs. Stella May Porter of Ottumwa, a prominent
club woman of the state, was bom in Wapello county,
Iowa, Nov. 8, 1869, the daughter of Sanford Kirkpat-
riek and Hester M. Lentner. Her great grand father,
Hugh Kirk Patrick, with six brothers, Scotchmen from
the north of Ireland, came to America with the British
to fight against the American in the war of the Revo-
lution,. After they had been here a short time and un-
derstood the conditions, every one left the British
army, enlisted with the American forces and remain-
ed with them to the close of the war. Her great-great-
grand father on her mother's side was Conrad Lentner,
living in Germany near the French border. He heard
the call of Lafayette for troops and with his wife came
to America and fought with the Americans to the end
of the Revolutionary War. Their son, Jacob, served
in the War of 1812. Mrs. Porter's father served almost
five years in the Civil War, a member of Co. K, la.
Reg. He is now United States congressman, repre-
senting the 6th District of Iowa. Mrs. Porter was edu-
cated in the public schools and in the Iowa Teacher's
College at Cedar Falls. She was married Sept. 3,
1892, to George E. Porter, who died m 1913. She was
the first president of the Ottumwa Y, W. C. A., for
four years was a member of the I. F. W. C. executive
board, member of the Ottumwa Woman's Club, Clio
Club, Choral Society, and of the P. E. 0. sisterhood,
of which she is the first vice-president of the Iowa
Grand Chapter, and has served for three terms as
state corresponding secretary. She is a member of
the First M, E. Church, active in all of its depart-
ments, and is a long-time member of the choir. She is
a woman of unusual ability.
200 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. L. F. PARKER
Sarah Condace Pearse Parker, who was for seven-
teen years a teacher in the State University of Iowa,
was born in Sudbury, Vt., Feby. 21, 1828. She was
educated in Oberlin, Ohio, and came to Grinnell, Iowa,
in 1856. She served as Lady Principal of the State
University from 1870 to 1887, when she resigned and
returned to Grinnell, where she died, June 5, 1900,
survived by her husband, L. F. Parker, and one daugh-
ter, Mrs. Harriet P. Campbell, of Denver, Colo. Dur-
ing Prof. Parker's residence in Iowa City their home
was a veritable haven for the discouraged students.
She was fond of society and her home was famed for
its hospitality. She was versed in all house-wifely
arts, was a musician and a public speaker of
ability. She was fond of all beautiful things but con-
tent to live in her own beautiful thoughts and deeds
that her beneficence might reach a wider circle. She
was an unusual teacher, — dignified and firm, but ten-
der and kind and true to every pupil under her care;
a conscientious, painstaking teacher, the influence and
power of whose presence in the class-room continues
still in the lives of those privileged to be under her in-
struction, an incentive to thoroughness and accuracy.
She was a wise counselor, a noble woman — fit model
in every respect for the young women under her care.
"My girls/' she continued to call them to the day of
her death, and they reverence and treasure her mem-
ory and the memory of those college days — so largely
shaped by her — as a precious legacy. Hundreds of
these "girls" in our own and in distant lands, rise up
and call her blessed.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 201
MRS. ALBERT MYRON PRICE
Georgia V. Snoddy was born on a farm in Clinton
county, Iowa, Dec. 13, 1868. Her parents, Matthew
Snoddy and Ellen Teskey, figured in the early strug-
gles of the first settlers, of eastern Iowa. In 1886 she
moved with her parents to Maquoketa, Iowa, where
she was educated in the public schools, later taking a
course in the Northern Illinois Normal College. For
several years she was a successful primary teacher.
She was married to Albert Myron Price, cashier of the
First National Bank, De Witt, Iowa, on June 18, 1895.
Besides looking after a commodious home, she takes
an active part in all organizations, having for their
object, public improvement, and moral and social
progress. She is serving as president of Pierian Club
for the second time ; was first president of the Clinton
County Federation of Women's Clubs, a charter mem-
ber of Chapter B G, P. E. 0., also of Golden Star chap-
ter, O. E. S., and in 1909, served as deputy grand ma-
tron. She helped organize the Twentieth Century
Dames, a local organization, and was its second presi-
dent. She is now chairman of the second district of
the Iowa State Federation of Women Clubs, and was
a member of the educational committee during the
previous year. She is a trustee for the Carnegie Pub-
lic Library, is an active member of the First Congre-
gational church, and interested in all branches of
church work. She has traveled extensively in the
United States, Alaska and Canada,. Her capable and
efficient service has brought many responsible posi-
tions, which she has filled with much credit to herself,
as well as to the organizations which she represented.
202 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS ANNIE E. PACKER
One of the most widely known, most successful and
most beloved teachers of Iowa, is Miss Annie E. Pack-
er, of Salem. For more than fifty tears she has been
actively connected with the schools of southeastern
Iowa, — forty years of teaching and eleven years as
county superintendent. In 1913 when she had com-
pleted fifty years in the schools, a public celebration
was held in Salem, in her honor^ which was attended
by former pupils from many states. Telegrams and
letters of congratulations, and many handsome gifts
were sent to her in appreciation of the work she had
done and of her splendid personality. She was born
near Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, April 30, 1845. She is the
daughter of Thomas Vickers Packer and Margaret
Linton. The first Quaker sermon in Philadelphia was
preached by an ancestor, John Linton, son of Sir
Roger Linton, of England. Wm. P. Packer, Gov. of
Pennsylvania was her father's cousin,. Miss Packer
was a member of the first graduating class of Whittier
College, 1871, receiving the degree M. S. She taught
in Whittier College for many years; it was a Quaker
institution, having very high standards and for nearly
forty years continued its splendid work for the young
people of southern Iowa. She served for eleven years
as county superintendent in Henry and Van Buren
counties and for seven years was principal of the Bon-
aparte high school. She has taught in many insti-
tutes and summer schools in Iowa and Kansas. She
has delivered many lectures, done newspaper report-
ing and for seven years edited the Henry County
Teacher. She belongs to the Ladies' Library Associa-
tion, Chapter Original A. of the P. E. 0. sisterhood,
and to the Congregational church.
The Blue Book of Iowa \Yomen 203
MRS. CHARLES WILSON PINKERTON
Among the prominent women of Afton, and one
who has had part in the public welfare work of the
city for many years, is Mrs. Elizabeth Frances Nix
Pinkerton. She was bom near Danville, Iowa, Sept.
16, 1869. She is the daughter of Benjamin T. Nix and
Virginia E. Rhodes. Her grand father Nix was a
pioneer Methodist preacher, a "circuit rider" in Ken-
tucky and Tennessee, and her mother's people were
Virginians. Her parents were married during the
Civil War and lived in Kentucky. Her father was a
captain in the Union army, an unusual thing for a
man born in the south and living in the south. They
came to Iowa in 1868. Mrs. Pinkerton was graduated
from the Afton high school in 1884. She was gradu-
ated from the Iowa Wesleyan University in 1889, with
the degree Bachelor of Music. She is a member of the
Pi Beta Phi Sorority. On Feby. 21, 1898, she was mar-
ried to Charles Wilson Pinkerton. Since girlhood she
has been a member of the M. E. church and has been
for years church organist. She is a charter member
(1893) of the East End Club, a social organization, and
the oldest club in Afton, and is its president. She is
president of the Alpha Book Club, a member of the
Library Association, and the Cemetery Association.
Since 1900 she has been a member of the P. E. 0. sis-
terhood, and of the 0. E. S. She is interested in chari-
ty organizations and in every agency for the aid and
uplift of those unfortunately placed in life. She
believes with Robert Louis Stevenson that "The best
things are nearest ; flowers at your feet, duties at your
hand, the path of God just before you, certain that
daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in
life."
204 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS EDITH PROUTY
Among the very successful professional women of
Iowa, is Miss Edith Prouty, a lawyer, practicing at
Humboldt. She was born in Freeport, 111., and came
with her parents to Iowa when she was only one year
old. Her father, James Nathaniel Prouty, served dur-
ing the whole period of the Civil War as a private and
a non-commissioned officer. He was the first lawyer
in Humboldt, helped to found Humboldt College, to
establish the Unitarian church and has had a part in
all the public interests of that city. He still maintains
a law office with his daughter, and age has by no
means lessened his skill in his profession. Her
mother, Irene Sabastian Henry, was one of the pioneer
women who helped to form society in a new town, ac-
tive in church work and all social matters. Her mid-
dle name was given her in honor of her father's friend,
William Sabastian, the Quaker "tavern keeper," men-
tioned in the story "On Indiana Roads" by Mary
Hartwell Catherwood.
Miss Prouty was graduated from the State Univer-
sity of Iowa in 1890 ,with the degree B. S. In 1891 she
received her degree LL. B. She has been engaged in
the active practice of law since June, 1891. She has
been in the continuous practive longer than any other
woman in Iowa. She has argued one case orally in the
supreme court and been engaged in other cases be-
fore that court but did not appear personally. She
has been local attorney for the Chicago & North-
western R. R, for several years, and has appeared as
attorney for the M. & St. L. R. R,. Co. in several cases,
and her father's law firm was local attorney for that
road for many years. She has taught law in the Law
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 305
School connected with the Humboldt College, and in
1901 was appointed on the Board of Examiners who
examined the law classes of the State University for
admission to the bar. She has traveled very exten-
sively in this county. She was a member of the Baha-
ma Expedition sent out by the State University of
Iowa in 1893 to the West Indies for the purpose of
studying marine invertebrate life. A history of this
expedition was written by Prof C. C. Nutting who
had charge of it. She is a student of the equal suf-
frage question, having visited all the states in which
women vote and observed the conditions before and
after the granting of the franchise to women. Her in-
vestigation has made her a strong advocate of equal
suffrage and she has done all in her power to further
the cause in Iowa. She is firm in the faith of the Uni-
tarian church and a zealous worker in its interests.
She was the first president of the Humboldt Woman's
Club and has served on state committees I. F. W. C.
She was a charter member of the Humboldt chapter of
P. E. 0. In the second year of her membership she
was elected recording secretary of the Iowa Grand
Chapter and remained on the state board for four
years, being state president in 1905-6. She was for
four years organizer of the Supreme Chapter and
visited every quarter of the United States and
British Columbia in P. E. 0. interests. In October,
1913, she was elected to the highest office in the gift
of the sisterhood, that of supreme president, which
office she now holds.
206 Tlie Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. FRANK PRICE
Jennie Maude Reeves Price was born in Salem, Dec.
18, 1866. She is descended from a family which came
to Iowa in its territorial days. Her grandfather,
David Stewart Bell, was born in Miffin county, Pa.,
Nov. 11, 1811 and came to Ft. Madison, April 9, 1838.
He bought a farm in Cedar township,
Lee county, which was for many years the family
home. He was a member of the Iowa legislature in
1870, at which session the bill was passed for the erec-
tion of the present capital building in Des Moines.
He died Jany. 14, 1878. His wife, Sarah Stewart Rail,
was bom near Harrisburg, Penn., Sept. 22, 1819. She
was of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry and was a cousin
of the Studebakers, who in later years became the
great wagon manufacturers. Mrs. Price's grand par-
ents, John Mulford Reeves, born March 11, 1811, and
died November, 1889, and Lydia Clark Reeves, born in
Green county, Penn., Oct. 17, 1813 and died Oct. 24,
1904, were early settlers in Henry county. Her
father, Isaac Clark Reeves Avas born in Green county,
Penn., May 23, 1835. Her mother, Agnes Susanna
Bell, was born at Enisville, Penn., Sept. 23, 1843, and
was married at West Point, Sept. 24, 1863. Mrs. Price
was graduated from Whittier College in 1888. On
Jany. 10, 1889, she was married to Frank Price, the
son of T. J. and Josephine McFarland Price. They
have five children: Agnes Josephine, now Mrs. Jack
Caviezel, of St. Joseph; Robert Jefferson, Frank
Reeves, Walter Withrow Harlan, and Ralph. Mrs.
Price is a member of the Presbyterian church, and a
P. E. 0. since 1886. Their home is in Mt. Pleasant,
where Mr, Price has large business interests.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 307
MRS. FRANCIS D. REID
Mary Blanche Reid, of Oskaloosa, teacher, writer,
the adopted daughter of Benjamin and Martha
Richey Beatty, was born in Bella, Iowa, June 13, 1856.
Her own father was John Little Wisner, who fought
in Co. F, 14 U. S. Inft., in the Mexican war. Her
mother, Amanda Stephens, was a cousin of Alexander
Stephens. She was educated in Drake University,
graduating in the class of 1875, with the degree M. S.
She was a successful teacher in the public schools for
a number of years. On June 14, 1876, she was married
to Francis D. Reid, an attorney of Oskaloosa. Four
children have been bom to them : Frank Beatty, Alice
Evangeline, who died in 1900, Jessie and John B. She
is a member of the Christian church, for twelve years
a teacher in the Sunday school. Charter member of
the Oskaloosa Woman's Club, acting president for
three years, and a member of the board of dirctors
since organization. For fifteen years she was chair-
man of the philanthropic and civic improvement de-
partment, during which time the department raised
funds for a public hospital and completed its erection.
She has been a member of the hospital board since its
organization,. She was chairman of the library com-
mittee, which together with the Y. M. C. A. and the
Woman's Club, secured the City Carnegie Library.
For five years she was president of the Woman's Suf-
frage Club, and says she is "a born suffragist." For
ten years she has been a member of the Associated
Charities, is a member of the Mothers' Club. She has
been a contributor to many papers and magazines, has
published several songs and written many poems
which have been published. She is an omniverous
reader and a woman who puts to good use every hour
of the twenty-four.
208 The Blue Bool of Iowa Women
MISS GRACE ROBERTS
For fifty-five years, through three generations, the
Van Cise home in Mt. Pleasant, has had its doors hos-
pitably open to kinsmen, friends and to strangers, who
for any cause would welcome slielter under the wide
spreading roof. Miss Grace Roberts, with her two
aunts, still live in the old home. In 1857, when Iowa
was ' ' away out west, ' ' Dr. Edwin G. Van Cise brought
his family to Mt. Pleasant, being attracted by the good
schools there, for he had nine children to educate. He
established a drug store and practiced his profession.
His oldest daughter, Elizabeth Garretson, married Dr.
Watson Roberts, who became Dr. Van Cise 's partner
in the practice of medicine. Dr. Roberts died in 1872,
leaving two children, a son, EdAvard, and a daughter,
Grace, who with their mother, went back to the old
home to live. Dr. and Mrs. Van Cise loved books and
all the refining things of life, and in this atmosphere
their children and grand children were reared. They
were descended from the early Quaker settlers of
Pennsylvania. Mrs. Roberts' great grand parents
were married by the old time Quaker ceremony in
which the young people in the presence of the congre-
gation in the meeting house repeat the vows without
a minister's officiating. She was educated in the pub-
lic schools and the the Iowa Wesleyan College. She is
a member of the Unitarian church and active in all its
departments. She is a member of the Art Study
Club, the Rommel Musical Club, the P. E. 0. sister-
hood, the Ladies' Library Association, and is chair-
man of the First District I. F. W. C, is a member of
the board of trustees of the Public Library. She is a
woman of quiet voice and gentle manner, a gracious
hostess and a woman of great executive force.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 209
MRS. EFFIE HOFFMAN ROGERS
Mrs. Effie Louise Hoffman Rogers, editor, journalist,
and teacher, was born in Jackson, Ohio, May 13, 1853.
She is the daughter of David Allen Hoffman, who for
sixty-one years was a physician engaged in active
practice. He was the son of Daniel Hoffman, who was
a member of the Ohio state senate for a number of
years, and whose wife was Julia James, born on James
Island, above Parkersburg, Va., in 1800. Dr. Hoffman
was educated at the Ohio University, and received his
medical degree at the Western Reserve College, Cleve-
land, from which he graduated with honors in 1847.
He died Jany. 12, 1908, He was married to Emily
Smith at Logan, Ohio, Nov. 16, 1848. She was edu-
cated at the Female Seminary at Putman, Ohio. She
is the daughter of John Adams Smith and Mary
Emluch, whose father served in the Revolutionary
War. Dr. and Mrs. Hoffman came to Oskaloosa in
1861. This family consisted of four children, three
sons and one daughter, Effie Louise. She was edu-
cated in the Female Seminary at Mt. Pleasant, gradu-
ating in 1872 with the degree Bachelor of Philosophy.
On April 2, 1880, she was married at Oskaloosa to
John Franklin Rogers, who was born in Thibodeaux,
Louisiana. His father was James Arthur Rogers, bom
in Baltimore, Md., a descendant of one of the old
families of that state. His mother, Sarah Ball Gillis,
was bom in Philadelphia of an old and promient fam-
ily of that city. He was a man of unusual business
ability and of fine literary and artistic taste. He died
Aug. 9, 1883. They have two children, Emily Jozelle
and Franklin Ripley, who was born after his father's
death, and who died Nov. 25, 1883. The daughter,
210 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
Emily, was bom at Great Bend, Kan. She received
her education in the public schools, at Pennsylvania
College and at the Girls' Latin School, Boston. Her
professional training as a nurse was received at St.
Luke's Hospital, Davenport. She is a physician's as-
sistant, living at La Junta, Colo. She stands very high
in her profession and is a fine woman. Mrs. Rogers is
a member of the Episcopal church and interested in
all lines of church wort;. She is a member of the P. E.
0. sisterhood, being one of the earliest initiates, be-
longing when she was a young woman in the seminary
at Mt. Pleasant. She was the third woman to be elect-
ed to the supreme presidency, serving three terms.
She was the first editor of the P. E. 0. Record, which
was established in 1888, the first number issued in
December, 1888. She was authorized to name the
magazine, which she did. She resigned the editorship
in 1890. At the supreme convention held in Hutchison,
Kan., in 1913 she was again elected to the editorship
of the Record, upon the resignation of Miss Osmond.
She is a member of the School Board, has served as
county superintendent of schools and was a very suc-
cessful high school principal. She has done much lit-
erary work; has had eight years journalistic ex-
perience as newspaper reporter and magazine writer.
She has been manuscript reader for the Boston school
book publishing house, manager of a teachers'
agency, manager of a collection and insurance agency,
a representative of the Prang fine art house in New
England. She has written many verses and poems
which have been published and are of a very high or-
der in a literary sense. She is a woman of marked
ability and self reliance, one who can meet the world
and win in whatever she undertakes.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 211
MRS. GEORGE W. RANDLE
Mrs. Ella Williams Randle, is a member of a family-
very well known in the activities of the Methodist
church in Iowa and connected with musical interests.
She was born in Centerville, Feby. 8, 1859, the daugh-
ter of John W. Williams and Mary Elizabeth Bradley,
names well known in the history of that town. Mr.
Williams was of German descent, born in Freeport,
Penn. He introduced the round note system of musi-
cal notation into this section of the state; thus doing
away with the earlier system of square and three
cornered notes or the "buckwheat notes," as they
were called. He was church chorister for many years.
He was a manufacturer of pianos and his sons, H. B.
and Carl S. Williams, own one of the large piano and
organ factories in Chicago. Mrs. Handle's mother,
Mary Elizabeth Bradley, was born in Belfast, Ireland,
of Scotch-Irish ancestry. On Sept. 22, 1880, Ella
Williams was married in Centerville to George W.
Randle, a prominent business man. They have six
children: Lulu Virginia, Ruby Mary, Bess Margaret,
Albert Williams, Roy Waldo and Ralph George. She
is a member of the Methodist church of which she was
organist for eight years, and a member of the official
board. For ten years she was president of the Ladies'
Aid, and has been active in missionary society and lo-
cal charity work. She is a member of the M. X. L.,
Club, and of the P. E. 0. sisterhood since 1882. She
is a trustee of the Drake Free Library Board. She is
a woman who helps along every good work, which is
characteristic of the Williams family. She is a promi-
nent woman socially and enjoys that phase of life also.
212 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
DR. ALICE TURNER
Alice Bellvadore Sams Turner, writer and physician
of Colfax, was born March 13, 1859, near Mingo, la.
The daughter of John Sams and Susan Evaline Hum-
phreys, who came to Iowa in 1853, locating near Min-
go, where they lived for fifty years. Dr. Turner
was educated at Simpson College and Lincoln Uni-
versity, receiving her degree M. D., Feby. 26, 1884,
from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Keokuk,
la. She is a student of psychology, suggestive
therapeutics, occult science, of sociology and political
economy. She believes in equal suffrage, and in 1895
cast the first ballot in Colfax, by a woman. She was
married Oct. 21, 1878, to Dr. L. C. S. Turner. To-
gether they have practiced their profession for twenty
years, the last ten years have conducted a sanitarium
and rest home. They have two children: Vera, now
Mrs. J. W. Preston, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., who grad-
uated from Wellesley in 1895, later attending the Col-
lege of Philanthropy in New York. She has one child,
Ruth Alice, bom July 13, 1911. Carroll J. Turner, is
a student in the dental department, University of
Iowa. Married Eleanor Blanche Alley, daughter of
Wm. Alley, Grinnell, June 11, 13. Dr Turner is a
member since April, 1903, of the Iowa Society of Med-
ical Women. Was the first woman admitted to mem-
bership, Iowa Public Health Association. Was the
first woman health officer in Iowa (1886-87). Was one
of the founders of the public library, a trustee for
twenty-two years, and its president since 1903. Is
the author of a history of Colfax, She is a Unitarian,
a U. S. Daughter of 1812, P. E. 0., member of W. C.
T. U., W. R. C. and 0. E. S. She is a woman of re-
markable ability and splendid attainment.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 218
MRS. E. E. SHERMAN
Josephine Ballow, bom Dec. 22, 1864, in Blandins-
ville. 111., daughter of Hiram Ballow and Fannie
Chamberlin. The Ballow family is of Norman-French
descent, and the Ballow Geneology contains many
men and women of history, among them, Eliza Bal-
low Garfield, Hosea Ballow, and Guinebond Ballow,
who fought at Hastings, (1066) a marshal in the army
of William the Conqueror. Mrs. Sherman was edu-
cated in the Illinois Normal School and was a success-
ful teacher for eight years. Was married to Dr. Elmer
Emmett Sherman, Sept. 2, 1886, who is a successful
physician of Keosauqua. For many years she has been
a newspaper correspondent and has written many
feature articles, as well as short stories, which have
appeared in magazines. As the county rep-
resentative of rural club work of the extension depart-
ment of Iowa State College, she has delivered many
lectures and conducted study classes. She is a charter
member of the Woman's Improvement Association,
which has done much civic work. She is county sec-
retary of the Christian Women's Board of Missions.
She is a member of O. E. S. She conducted the first
Babies' Health Contest held at a Chautauqua, in
Farmington, in 1912. She was assistant superintend-
ent of the second contest at the Iowa State Fair in
1912. She is the mother of five children, one of whom
died in infancy : Evaline Sherman is a registered
nurse in Des Moines; Dorcey E., a secretary for the
Secretary of State, Des Moines; Esther, a milliner;
Ruth, a school girl at home. Mrs. Sherman is an ideal
doctor's wife, a devoted mother, one who discharges
her social obligations and withal finds time for study
and much work outside her home.
214 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. GEORGE P. SANFORD
Mary Belle Leverett Sanford, of Council Bluffs,
member of the Author's League of America, news-
paper correspondent, short story writer, and widow of
George P. Sanford, a prominent banker and financier,
was born in Salem, Nebr., Oct. 16, 1860. Her parents,
James Walker Leverett, and Harriett Maria Tisdel,
lived in Nebraska when the Indians were troublesome,
and her father slept with a gun by his side. John Lev-
erett, who was one of the early governors of Massa-
chusetts, and whose portrait hangs in the new state
house in Boston, was an ancestor, "Parson" Asa Tur-
ner, one of the pioneer Congregational ministers, of
Iowa, was her father's kinsman. Iler father was a
graduate of Colgate University, Hamilton, N. Y,, then
Madison University. Her mother, a woman of beauty
in face and character, was a graduate of Ingham
Institute, Le Roy, N. Y., she died Dec. 21, 1909. Mrs.
Sanford was educated in the Northwestern University
and in the University of Texas. On May 26, 1880,
she was married to George P. Sanford, at Garden Val-
ley, Wi§., a man of high financial standing, a stock-
holder in a number of Natioinal banks, and president
of the First National Bank of Council Bluffs, to which
city they moved in 1892. Through the force of hard
times and misfortune he lost heavily, and in 1898 sold
his stock to the Citizen's State Bank, which took the
name and business of the First National. He died
August, 1902. She has two sons living and one who
died in infancy: Arthur, manager of B. F. Sturtevant
Co's. office in Chicago, and Raymond, a merchant in
Decorah, Iowa. She is a member of the Broadway
M. E. Church, Council Bluffs Club, member for
twenty years of Oakwood Ave. Reading Club.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 216
MRS. SAMUEL KIRKWOOD STEVEN-
SOiN
"On Washington Heights in Iowa City, reached by
a climb of steps and a walk up a path, stands an old
home christened by the young women who frequent it
'The Wayside Inn.' This is the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel Kirkwood Stevenson since their marriage in
1898, a home of beautifu 1 and unusual hospitality.
"To this home, day after day, year after year, flock
the university girls.
"Should one of the large circle of Wayside Inn fre-
quenters desire a night's rest away from all interrup-
tions, or should Mrs, Stevenson desire such a rest for
one of her 'children,' the Blue Room is called into use.
Fresh and sweet in the memory of many a rested girl
is the Blue Room, with its walls decorated with the
pictures of girls who have been there before — to rest,'"
Thus does Florence A. Armstrong, one of Mrs.
Stevenson's "girls," describe her home at Iowa City.
In the atmosphere of that home you have the key to
the unusual work done by her for young women. She
was for years a member of the State Committee of the
Y. W. C. A., and through that work and the summer
conference she came to be known and loved by the
young women all through the middle west. She has
spoken in all the larger colleges of Iowa and in many
colleges in neighboring states, and almost every city
Y. W. C. A. has been blessed by her visits, for it
always means that. The great purpose she has in this
work for young women is "to help them to fit the
Bible into the plan of their daily lives." For fifteen
years she has been a Bible teacher and all her life a
Bible student. She is a polished speaker, every ad-
dress is finished in a literary sense, and always bears
216 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
in it a definite message which is never forgotten. In
the summer of 1900 she visited the missions of Bul-
garia, Turkey and Palestine, and has delivered many-
illustrated lectures of the journey. In all her ad-
dresses there is an evangelistic note which speaks of
Christian life in a very personal way. She lovingly
gives credit to her English mother for the inspiration
for the work she is doing, saying — ' ' To her I owe very
very much of the inspiration, help and training for my
present work. She was a great student of the Book
before me and her father before her." For two years
she carried on investigations for the university de-
partment of Political Economy and Sociology, acting
as volunteer inspector in the state and speaking to
many women's clubs on the need of a regularly ap-
pointed woman factory inspector. Largely as a result
of this work the Iowa legislature made provision for
such an office. During 1913 she made a scientific
study of wage-earning women in small towns and pre-
sented the subject at the meeting of the Iowa Charities
and Correction, bringing to them a practical working
plan of bettering the conditions. She has special ad-
dresses on The American Indian and his needs and on
Social Settlement Work, having studied both these
questions first hand. Before she was married her
name was Marcia Jacobs, born at Galena, 111., March
25, 1875, her parents, Henry Hayes Jacobs and Eli-
zabeth Stephens. Was graduated from the State Uni-
versity of Iowa, 1898, B. A. Married Aug. 3, 1898, to
Samuel Kirkwood Stevenson, an attorney, who sym-
pathizes in every line of work she does. She is a Pres-
byterian., She belongs to the Charles Dickens Fellow-
ship, London. Her mother's father befriended Charles
Dickens, and when he came to America he made the
long journey to Galena to see her mother.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 217
MRS. T. D. STOCKMAN
Mrs. Nannie Torrence Stockman was born April 25,
1859, at Fremont, Iowa. Her parents, William Mor-
row Torrence and Jane Livingstone Cummins, came
from Pittsburg, Penn,, to Iowa in the territorial days.
They were both of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the grand
parents of both fought in the Revolution. Her father
was killed in the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. For
ten years she was a successful teacher, and from 1886
to 1890, was superintendent of the schools of Keokuk
county, and editor of "The Keokuk County Teacher."
She was a member of the Educational Council, com-
posed of the foremost school men and women of the
state. Was a member of the State Reading Circle
Board and secretary of the County Superintendent's
Section of the State Teachers' Association. March 12,
1890, she was married to David Theodore Stockman, a
prominent and successful attorney of Sigourney.
They have four children : Donald Theodore, who is in
the U. S. Navy, stationed at San Francisco ; Helen
Louise and Edith Margaret, students at the State Uni-
versity of Iowa, members of Kappa Kappa Gamma and
P,. E. 0., and William Laurence, in the high school.
Mrs. Stockman was elected president of the Supreme
Chapter of P. E. 0. in 1890. She established the first
state grand chapter, that of Nebraska, in April, 1891.
She served on the committee which established the
P. E. 0. Record ; she wrote the prayer which is used in
the opening of P. E. 0. meetings everywhere. To her
is due in a large measure the establishment of the free
public library in Sigourney, of whose board of trus-
tees she is a member. She is a D. A. R., and is a de-
voted church woman, being a Presbyterian, She was
one of the organizers of the Sigourney Woman's Club.
218 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS MAY ROGERS
Miss May Rogers, club woman, journalist and lect-
urer, was born in Dubuque, and that city has always
been her home. She wears the insignia of the Colonial
Dames, D. A. R. and U. S. Daughters of 1812. She has
been president of the Dubu<)ue Woman's Club, regent
of the Dubuque Chapter, 1). A. R. and chairman of
Borough Number One of the Iowa Society of Colonial
Dames. She was the first state correspondent of the
General Federation of Women's Clubs. She was a
member of the first board and a signer of the articles
of incorporation, May 13, 1892. The Iowa Federation
was admitted to the General Federation on her mo-
tion. She has been a frequent after dinner speaker
on club and patriotic themes. She was one of the prin-
cipal speakers at the Semi-Centenniel of Iowa, at Bur-
lington, October, 1896, her subject, "The Pioneer
Woman and the Club Woman." She has lectured in
many cities in this state and elsewhere. She has de-
livered her lecture on Madame Roland in New York,
Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, Chey-
enne and Oakland. During the Columbian Exposi-
tian she spoke in the Woman's building on "The
Novel as an Educator of the Imagination." She
spoke in 1910 before the Chicago Equal Suffrage
League on "The Conservation of Privilege." At the
Philadelphia Biennial, G. F. W. C, May 12, 1894, she
spoke on women as "A New Social Force." At the
Des Moines Chautauqua in 1898, she lectured on "The
Civic Duty of Women." In New York City in 1892
she spoke before the association for the advancement
of women from the capitalistic point of view, being,
"Women in Relation to Labor Reform." Recently
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 219
she has largely confined her lectures to Iowa history,
and to patriotic themes as "Forefather's Day,"
"Causes and Ideals of the Revolution." She spoke
before the Iowa D. A. R. Conference in 1900, on "The
Settlement of Iowa." As a journalist she has done
much editorial and special reporting. Her book re-
views are literaiy essays. Her papers on Lydia Maria
Child, Charlotta Bronte and George Eliot were widely
copied and eomjnented on. In 1878 she published her
Waverly Dictionary, of the characters of Scott's
novels, which has had a very wide circulation. Her
father, Thomas Rogers, came to Dubuque, from New
York, in 1839. He was a scholar, a lawyer and an
orator. In 1850 he married Anna W. Burton. He di-
rected the historical studies of the daughter and read
with her the Greek and Latin classics. Miss Rogers has
been an extensive traveler. She wrote for the Dubuque
papers her experiences in the shipwrck of the City of
Chicago, off the Irish Coast, July 1, 1892. She is much
interested in financial affairs and manages her own
business interests.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS KATHERINE H. SCOTT
Miss Katherine H. Scott, portrait painter, writer of
prose and verse, was born in Burlington, the daugh-
ter of Frederic J. Scott and Ada Winton, pioneers of
that city. Her father is a veteran of the Civil War and
her mother who came to Burlington in 1853 was one of
the leading teachers of instrumental music in the early
days. Miss Scott attended the Burlington schools.
She was graduated from the Chicago Art Institute in
1901. Later she took a post-graduate course in the
same school. She was a pupil of the late John H. Van-
derpoel, Henry Hubble, Albert Herter, Frederic W.
Freer, Mrs. Evelyn Beachy, Frank Duveneck and
other prominent artists. Her special work is oil por-
traits, and ivory miniatures, although she does land-
scapes in both oil and water color, makes her own il-
lustrations, for her "Verses for Children," and makes
her own designs for craftwork. Her work has been
exhibited, especially portraits in oil, and miniatures in
the Art Student's League in Chicago, Society of Chi-
cago Artists, American Water-color and Miniature
Painters, St. Louis Exposition, and in prominent galler-
ies in Chicago and other western cities. She has
since 1899 been a successful art teacher, having taught
in the Chicago Art Institute, both in the normal de-
partment and in the juvenile department; she was
director of the art department of the Douglas Park
School of Music, Chicago, 1908-10; she was for ten
years director of the art department of Rockford Col-
lege. She is now successfully directing the School of
Art in Burlington. She is a woman of unusual talent,
one who sincerely loves her art, and who in all her
work is true to her ideal.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 321
MRS. ALTA H. SULLIVAN
Mrs. Alta Haskell Sullivan, of Fairfield, is one the
women to whom has been given the highest honor in
the gift of the members of the Iowa grand chapter
Order of the Eastern Star, that of worthy grand ma-
tron. She was born in Monroe county, Iowa, July 28,
1864, the daughter of the Hon. Lorenzo Osborn Has-
kell and Angelina Bay. She was educated in Howe's
Academy and in the Iowa Wesley an University at Mt.
Pleasant. Howe's Academy was one of the oldest pre-
paratory schools in Iowa, and the Iowa Wesleyan is
the oldest University in Iowa. In recent years the two
schools have been combined. Mrs. Sullivan also at-
tended the State University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
For two years she was principal of the schools at Al-
mena, Kansas. On Oct. 24, 1887, she was married to
William Parris Sullivan, at her home in Norton, Kans.
She is a member of Log Cabin Chapter, D. A. R., her
mother being of Revolutionary descent. She joined
Original A, chapter of P. E. 0., in the days when it was
a college sorority. She is a patroness of Achoth So-
rority, of Iowa City. For many years she has been a
prominent member of the Order of the Eastern Star,
serving as grand matron in 1912-13. Her compilation
of the memorial given at the grand chapter in
October, 1913, is especially admired by the order. She
is now chairman of the Board of Custodians of the
Order. Mrs. Sullivan has fine literary taste and is a
woman of wide reading along many lines. She has a
fine appreciation of art. She believes that women
have the inalienable right to franchise and should be
given the privilege. She is a careful housekeeper and
a devoted home-maker, and the other things among
her activities have been incidental to her home-making.
222 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. H. B. SCOTT
Mrs. Leonora Cranch Scott, of Burlington, was born
in Sorrento, Italy, on June 4, 1848. She is the daugh-
ter of Christopher Pearse Cranch and Elizabeth De-
Wendt. Both of her parents were of direct English
ancestry, and both were related to John Adams.
Through this line she is descended from John Alden
and Priscilla de Molines. Her father was a poet, an
artist and a scholar. He was educated for a minister
in the Harwood Divinity School, She was bom dur-
ing the residence of her father and mother in Europe.
When she was nineteen months old they left Italy, and
until she was fifteen years old, they lived in Paris. Re-
turning to this country they lived in New York and
Cambridge, Mass. For fifty years her grandfather
was judge in the District of Columbia. At Staten
Island, N. Y., on June 20, 1872, she was married to Col.
Henry Bruce Scott. They have six children: George
Cranch, Henry Russell, Sarah Carlisle, Richard Gor-
don, Elizabeth Rose and Margaret. She inherited from
her gifted father a love for art which was fostered
by her residence in the art centers of Europe during
the impressionable years of childhood. She is a stu-
dent of art and traveled for several months with her
daughters in an art class in Holland, Spain and Italy.
She has written a history of her father in "Life and
Letters, of Christopher Pearse Cranch." In religious
faith she is a Unitarian, and for six or eight years
worked very hard for the establishment of the Peo-
ples' Church. She is a member of the Sheldon Circle
of King's Daughters, Musical Club, Director of the
Visiting Nurse Association and of the Humane Society,
President of the Burlington Art Club and of the Res-
cue League,
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 328
MRS. PRINCE E. SAWYER
Mrs. Cornelia Johnson Sawyer was bom in Osceola,
Iowa, March 29, 1869. She is the daughter of Allison
Cord Johnson and Emily Brenton. She was graduated
form the Osceola high school, after which for six
years she did cashier's work in her brother's bank.
This experience gave her a broad knowledge of
business methods, which has made her an unusually
efficient officer in various clubs and charitable organi-
zations in later years. On Sept. 6, 1899, in Armour,
S. D., she was married to Dr. Prince B. Sawyer, an able
surgeon and practitioner of Sioux City. Is a mem-
ber of the First Congregational Church of Sioux City.
She is president of the Emerson Club, and for four
j-ears was president of the local P. E. 0. chapter. For
many years she has been a prominent worker for the
Boys' and Girls' Home, one of the most efficient phil-
anthropic institutions in Iowa. She has served as re-
cording secretary, corresponding secretary and
treasurer of the board governing the institution, and
is now president. The children in the Home love her
devotedly and she is like a mother to them all. She
was one of the chief promoters of the Better Baby con-
test held at the Inter-State Fair in 1913, which was
given under the auspices of the City Federation of
Women's Clubs. She is a prominent member of the
P. E. 0. sisterhood in Iowa, having served the State
Grand Chapter most efficiently as vice-president for
one year, and as treasurer since 1912. She has travel-
ed over this country from ocean to ocean, making
many journeys to different points of interest. She is
a very clever, quick witted woman, is fond of society,
charitable and generous, and always a loyal friend.
224 The Blue Boole of Iowa Women
MRS. JACOB B. STERN
Mrs. Millicent B. Stern, with her hushand, organ-
ized the first Farmers' Chib in Iowa in 1866. They
recognized the need of some social organization and
out of this need was born the Harris Grove Farmers'
Club, which is still a thriving, useful organization.
Mrs. Stern was born in Lincolnshire, England,
Jany. 27, 1820, and died Nov. 12, 1904, in Logan,
Iowa. Her parents, John Fletcher and Lydia Beet
Fletcher, were natives of Lincolnshire, Bng., came to
the United States in 1830, settling at Kennett Square,
Chester county, Penn. She was married at Kennett
Square, Sept. 30, 1841, to Jacob T. Stern. Five chil-
dren were bom to them : Amy Ann Milliman, who
died in 1874; Etta Rest Milliman, who died in 1883;
Earnest, who died in 1847 ; Almar Stern and Willis
Lewis Stern, who reside in Logan, Iowa. In April,
1857, they moved to Harrison county, Iowa, to "Lin-
wood Farm," which for many years was their home.
Mrs. Stem was almost eighty -five years old at the time
of her death, and had lived a long, useful life, into
which much of shadow as well as sunshine had enter-
ed. It was said of her that "she identified herself
more clearly with movements to build up the commu-
nity as a whole than any other person in the county.
Her efforts were unselfish, she sought no place of pre-
ferment, no reward except the approval of her own
conscience. For years she occupied, not the seat of
honor, but she honored the place because she was in
it." Her religion was the simple faith of the Qua-
kers. She was a patriotic woman, an active member
of the W. R. C, an earnest advocate of temperance,
and a pioneer in the cause of equal suffrage.
The Blue Book of lovm Women 226
MRS. HENRV A. SCHLICK
Mrs. Flora Schlick was born at Charles City in 1868.
Her father, Samuel F. Ferguson, was the son of James
Ferguson of Scotland, a member of the Ferguson clan.
Her mother, Nancy McKinney, born at old Salem, N,
Y., one of ten children. The oldest was the mother of
John J. Hill, president of the Hill Publishing Co., of
New York. Mrs. Schlick was educated at the State
University of Iowa and at Iowa College at Ames. She
was a successful teacher for four years in the schools
of Charles City. On May 20, 1891, at Charles City, she
was married to Henry A. Schlick, Three sons have
been born to them : Marvin F., Forrest S., and Robert,
(deceased). She is a member of the First M. E,
Church, was superintendent of the Junior League for
five years, for several years teacher of a young men's
Bible class, and president of the Woman's Home Mis-
sionary Society for five years. For six years she was
corresponding secretary of the Decorah District. She
was the conference delegate to the national conven-
tion of the Woman's Home Missionary Society held
in Washington, D. C, in 1913. For fourteen years she
has been a member of the Cultus Club, and has served
in all of its offices. Since 1910 she has been Chairman
of the fourth district I. F. W. C's. She is also a
member of the state board and of the legislative
commission, I. F. W. C. The fourth district contains
about thirty club towns, many of which have more
than one federated club. From these facts can be
judged the success of the work done here under Mrs.
Schlick 's chairmanship. To her own mind the great-
est work she has done has beeo in her own home, in
the rearing of her two sons, young men who would
bring pride to the heart of any mother.
226 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS EMMA SCHWENKER
The city in Iowa which may be called the pioneer
in the way of higher schools is Mt, Pleasant, for it was
there the first university was established and one
among the first seminaries for young women in this
state was established there in 1862. In the days
when co-educational schools were looked upon rather
askance, this school was established by Prof. Bergen,
a Presbyterian minister of unusual ability, and was
called the Female Seminary. It offered a classical
course with music, painting, drawing and French ad-
ditional. For thirteen years, from the most cultured
homes in Iowa, young women came to this school. The
first class was graduated in 1866, and in that class was
Miss Emma Schwenker, Through the intervening
years she has made her home in Mt. Pleasant, spend-
ing her winters in California or Florida. She is a
gentle woman of the finest type, cultivated, and gra-
cious, a woman of rare personality. She is a member
of the Episcopal church and faithful to all its interests.
She was one of the encorporators of the Ladies' Li-
brary Association organized in 1872, and encorporated
in 1875, the second oldest club for women in the Uni-
ted States. She is a member of the board of direc-
tors of the Public Library, and through her generosity
many rare books have been placed on its shelves. For
many years she has been an active member of The
Rambler's Club, a leading literary club. She is gen-
erous and charitable to those less fortunate, seeking to
hide from one hand the good deeds of the other. She
has a beautiful home and is a gracious hostess. She is
modest in the extreme, and is altogether unconscious
of her own rare qualities, unless she sees them in the
appreciative eyes of her friends.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 227
MRS. THEODORE PERRY SHONTS
Amelia Drake Shonts; daughter of the late Ex. Gov.
Drake, of Iowa, and wife of T. P. Shonts, the Railroad
Magnate of New York, was born in Drakeville, Iowa.
Her mother, ]\Iary Lord Drake, was a woman of rare
spirit and beauty of character. Mrs. Shonts was
graduated from Oskaloosa College, later attended
Wellesley and finished with the study of music and
the languages abroad. On Dee. 28, 1881, at the beau-
tiful old home in Centerville, she was married to Theo-
dore Perry Shonts, the son of Dr. Henry Daniels and
Margaret Nevin Shonts. He was at that time employ-
ed by the national banks of Iowa to standardize and
simplify their system of bookkeeping. When a very
young man he had been graduated from Knox College.
He took up the study of law and was admitted to the
bar becoming associated with General Drake, who
had very large financial and railroad interests, a large
part of the management of which he placed in Mr.
Shonts' hands. He built and became the controlling
interest in the Iowa Central R. R., built the M., la. &
Nebr. R. R., and later the Ind., 111. & la. R. R. He
sold these interests and bought the control of the To-
ledo, St. Louis & Western R. R., which he made a suc-
cess. In 1905 he was appointed by President Roose-
velt as chairman of the Isthmus of Panama Canal
Commission. He formulated the plans for that work
and continued as its head until 1907, when he became
president of the Interboro Rapid Transit Co., and had
charge of the subway and elevated systems of New
York. He is now president of the Interboro. Met. Co.,
Toledo, St. Louis & Western R. R. Co., and the Iowa
Central R. R. Co. They have two daughters;
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
Duchesse de Chaulnes, and Marguerite Amelia Shonts.
They live in the Plaza Hotel, New York, although Mrs.
Shonts returns each year to the old home in Center-
ville, and spends much time abroad. She is a mem-
ber of the Church of Christ, of the P. E. 0. sisterhood,
the Chicago Woman's Club and the "Woman's Athletic
Club.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 229
MRS. ELEANOR J. HAWK
To an Iowa woman, Mrs. Eleanor J. Hawk, belongs
the credit for the establishment of the custom all over
this nation, of placing an American flag on the breast
of the soldiers at burial. Among her personal posses-
sions was a flag which she always placed as a guard
over the soldiers who died in her home city, Colfax. It
was a beautiful tribute paid by a patriotic woman to
the soldiers who had bravely defended the stars and
stripes. While she was Department President of the
W. R. C. of Iowa, she secured the establishment of this
custom in Iowa and later the national department G.
A. R. adopted it. Eleanor J. Johnson was bom Dec.
29, 1850, in Muskingum county, Ohio, and died Feby.
27, 1913, in Colfax. She came to Iowa in 1864. In
1870 she was married to Dr. W. W. Hawk, who served
for three years in the Civil War in Co. E, 33rd Iowa In-
fantry. To them were born two children: Mrs. Nellie
H. Witmer, of Newton, and a son, Charles, who died in
early manhood. There are four grand children: Jes-
sie, Cecil, Howard and Irene Witmer. Mrs. Hawk
was a woman whose strength of character and person-
ality made an impression upon all whom she met. Be-
side her state-wide work in the W. R. C, she was an
active church woman, was one of the organizers of the
Colfax Parent-Teachers' Association, and was its
president for two years. Was for twenty-one years a
trustee of the Colfax library, twelve of those years be-
ing secretary. After her death the pupils of the pub-
lic school purchased a handsome chair, which they
placed in the library in her memory. She was a mem-
ber of the Woman 's Club of the U, S. Daughters of
1812, and of the O. E. S. She was a devoted wife, a
good mother, a loyal friend and a Christian patriot.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. J. L. SAWYERS
Mrs. Jennie Drake Sawyers, daughter of the late
General Francis Marion Drake, Ex-Governor of Iowa,
and Mary Lord Drake, was born in Drakeville, Iowa.
Her father should be remembered in Iowa history, not
only because he was governor of the commonwealth,
and a man of large financial interests, a general in the
Civil War with a record of which Iowa may feel proud,
but because he was a great man, a Christian man, who
stood on the side of righteousness, a generous phil-
anthropist, and a patron of education. Mrs. Sawyer
was the first graduate of the Centerville high school,
she later attended Oskaloosa College, the Chicago Fe-
male College, studied art in New York City, which
was followed by three years of travel and study
in the art centers of Europe. On June 12, 1883, she
was married at her home in Centerville, to Dr. John
Lazelle Sawyers, a successful physician and surgeon
of Centerville, one of the best known men in his pro-
fession in southern Iowa,. They have two daughters:
Mary Drake Sawyers Baker of Baltimore, Md., and
Hygiene Drake Sawyers, who is at school in the east,
and one son, Francis Lazelle Sawyers. Mrs. Saw-
yers is a member of the Church of Christ, in Center-
ville, a member of the Christian Women's Board of
Missions, and of the Philathea Class in the Sunday
School. She is a member of the P. E. 0. sisterhood,
and has an active part in the society life of Center-
ville when she is at home. The Drake family has been
prominent in Centerville since 1865, having always
been interested in church school and other local in-
terests.
TJie Blue Book of Iowa Women 231
MRS. F. MAY TUTTLE
Mrs. F. May Tuttle, of' Osage, is president of the
American Society of Curio collectors, editor of its
official magazine, "The Curio," is a noted botanist
and geologist, and a writer of much merit. The So-
ciety of Curio Collectors promotes scientific
collection, and has members from all parts of the
United States. It includes geological, botanical,
zoological students as well as collectors of antiques,
autographs, coins, gems, historical articles, rare books,
etc. Flora May Woodard Tuttle, daughter of Otis
Pinkham Woodard, and Ellen Lueretia Sawyer, was
bom April 15, 1868, in a log cabin near Manchester,
Iowa. She is of Puritan descent, from the families,
Woodward-Bryant and Sawyer-Taft of Massachusetts.
Her great grand father, Capt. Joseph Bryant, was one
of the minute men who defended Concord Bridge,
Her love for science came from the English family of
Woodwards, some of whom were famous scientists.
She was valedictorian of her class in the high school,
after which she attended the Cedar Valley Seminary;
this with forty-five years as a student of "God's out-
of-doors" constitutes her schooling. On May 6, 1890,
she was married to H. E. Tuttle, of Osage, who is at
the head of a large printing plant. Mr. Tuttle is de-
scended from Dorothy Howe, a cousin of Lord Howe,
who commanded the English army during the Revo-
lution. Stephen Howe Tuttle is head of that branch of
the family and his descendants annually hold a re-
union near Poolville, N. Y. Mrs. Tuttle is the mother
of four children: Mrs. Ruth Tuttle Simpson, Mrs.
Dorothy Tuttle Simpson, Donald Woodard Tuttle, and
Marion Alice Tuttle, She is a woman of prominence
in the work of the Baptist church in this state.
232 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS IDA VAN HON
Among the prominent members of the Rebekah As-
sembly of Iowa, and one who has served as the State
President, is Miss Ida Van Hon, of Mt. Pleasant. She
is the daughter of Thomas J. Van Hon, who for forty-
six years was identified with the First National Bank
of Mt. Pleasant, and its president for twelve years.
He was a soldier of the Civil War in the 155 HI. Vol-
unteers. He died May 2, 1913. Miss Van Hon's
mother, Melissa Rathbone, is descended from a promi-
nent English family, which settled in Block Island, in
1636. Both of her grand fathers were captains in the
Revolutionary War, and her father. Dr. Rathbone, was
a prominent physician of southern Illinois. Miss Van
Hon has two brothers. Dr. William Van Hon, who
died in 1896, and Fred Van Hon. She was graduated
from the Mt. Pleasant high school in 1886 from the
Iowa Wesleyan University in 1890, B. S., 1893, M. S.
She belongs to the Pi Beta Phi Sorority and was one
of the organiezrs of the Hypatia Literary Society in
I. W. U. She specialized in Latin and for several
years was a high school Latin teacher. For twenty
years she was secretary of the I. W. U. Alumni Asso-
ciation. She is a member of the 0. E. S. and of the
W. R. C, having served as presiding officer of both.
She served the Rebekah Assembly of Iowa as state
treasurer, warden, vice-president and president in
1901- '2. During that year the organization had the
largest increase in membership of any previous or sub-
sequent years. For four years she was chairman of
the Advisory Board of the Iowa Odd Fellows Orphans'
Home, and assisted in its dedication. She is a member
of the Board of Charities, Ladies Library Association,
Y. M. C. A. Auxiliary, and the Episcopal Church.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 233
MRS. O. R. YEAGER
Mrs. Katherine Ambrose Yaeger, of Greenfield, is
one of the most successful business women of this
state, owning and managing one of the large depart-
ment stores of southeastern Iowa. She was bom in
Peoria, 111., Feby. 27, 1868, the daughter of Robert
Ambrose and Anne Creeden, natives of Ireland, who
came to this country in 1865, At the age of fifteen she
left school and a year later began to gain a practical
knowledge of the dry goods business in one of the
leading stores of Creston, in which she was employed
for nine years. April 10, 1894, she was married to
Orville R. Yaeger, who that year established the Yae-
ger store in Greenfield. For fourteen years she and
her husband conducted the store most successfully,
untn his death, in 1908, since which time she has been
sole proprietor. In religious faith she is a Catholic
She is very generous in her aid to charity and philan
thropic organizatioins. She is a member of the Com
mercial Club, the L. W. A. C, a federated club of
Greenfield. She joined the P. E. 0. sisterhood in 1901
she has served the State Grand Chapter as organizer,
treasurer, vice-president, and was elected state presi-
dent in 1911 all of which state offices she filled with
the greatest efficiency. For the past four years she has
annually audited the state treasurer's books as well as
those of the supreme chapter. One of the facts which
speaks of the personal side of this business woman, is
that all who are in her employ are devoted to her jand
her interests. Strikes or dissatisfied employes are
quite unknown in that establishment. Mrs. Yaeger is
an enthusiastic motorist and takes her pleasure out of
doors in that way.
234 The Blue Book of Iowa Women '
MR. J. M. EARLE
Mrs. Teda Morgan Earle, of Des Moines is the
daughter of Elija Dodson Morgan, and Kirilla Ann
Dorsa Wilhite, who came to Pella, Iowa, April 1, 1854,
being early settlers of that very interesting Holland
colony. Beside the daughter there were four sons in
the family : John S. Morgan, who served through the
Civil War and was promoted from the ranks to the
office of First Lieutenant for conspicuous gallantry in
the field. After his return from the war he practiced
law for several years, but died as a result of exposure
while in the service. The other three sons were prac-
ticing physicians, — Dr. Horace Wilbur Morgan, and
Dr. Curtis Chapman Morgan, both of whom died a few
years ago, and Dr. Benjamin Franklin Morgan, who
practices his profession in Clay Center, Kansas. Mrs.
Earle was educated at Central University at Pella,
Iowa. In 1876 she was married to Ira Marshall Earle,
of Des Moines, general counsel for the Bankers' Life
Association, and its vice-president. Mrs. Earle is a
member of the Christian Science Church, Des Moines
Woman's Club the Votes for Women League
In 1910 she published a charming book of
verses, — Jack Frost Jingles under the nom de plume
of Earlaine Morgan. Other poems and verses have
been published in the Mid Western, and other maga-
zines. Her verses have all been well received. While
she does not write as much as she did a few years ago,
occasional verses still appear in magazines and
periodicals. She has a fine appreciation of literature,
music, and all of the refining things of life. She is a
woman of poise, of remarkably sweet spirit, and opti-
mistic in every view of life.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 235
MRS. CLARA PERDEW SHELDON
Mrs. Clara Idella Perdew Sheldon, was bom in Keo-
kuk, June 12, 1861, and that city has been her home
all her life. She is the daughter of John and Maria
Vrooman Perdew, who came to Iowa in 1851. Her
mother was a direct descendant of the Vroomans who
settled "behind Kinderhook" in 1670. She received
her early education in the Keokuk schools, being a
graduate of the high school, which has been supple-
mented by courses in summer schools, by constant
reading of the best literature, classical and current,
and by travel. June 17, 1886, she was married in Keo-
kuk, to Claude Allen Sheldon, a native of New York
state. Two sons were bom to them: John Perdew
Sheldon, in 1887, and George Alyn Sheldon, in 1888.
Mrs. Sheldon is a member of the M. E. Church. She is
a member of the Keokuk Chapter, D. A. R., joining on
the service of Samuel Vrooman. She is one of the
most faithful and efficient members of the chapter. She
has served as treasurer and vice-regent, declining
the regency because of other duties. For thirty-four
years she has been an efficient teacher in the public
schools of Keokuk, during nine years of which she was
principal of the Carey School, and for the past eight
years principal of the Tarrence building, which posi-
tion she still holds. One of the most interesting sub-
scription lists to the bronze statue of Chief Keokuk,
erected through the efforts of the D. A. R's., was made
up of gifts sent Mrs. Sheldon by one hundred of her
former pupils who wished to aid in this public enter-
prise, in which she was deeply interested. Mrs. Shel-
don stands very high in her profession, is a woman
who loves her friends and society, but above all, loves
her own fireside, and the companionship of her sons.
236 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. REBECCA H. S. POLLARD
Rebecca Harrington Smith Pollard, author, was
born in Allegheny City, Pa., in 1831. She was edu-
cated by her father, Professor Nathaniel Ruggles
Smith, a graduate of Harvard, who is said to have
taught fifty years in advance of his time. Miss
Smith, herself, adopted the pedagogical profession and
also contributed frequently to literary periodicals.
Mark Twain once stated that he remembered "setting
up ' ' .some of her poem^. George D. Prentice, editor of
the Louisville Courier Journal, was interested in
her career, and through him she met her first husband,
Mr. Oliver 1. Taylor. Mr. Taylor, a gifted poet and
editor, died two years and six months after their mar-
riage, leaving his widow with a litle daughter, who,
also, passed away in 1869, on her tenth birthday. A
poem, entitled "Maymie," written by her mother in
memory of this child, was published in book form in
1870, It is a poem full of tender pathos, peculiarly
comforting to bereaved mothers. Mrs. Taylor was
afterwards married to James Pollard, an Iowa state
senator. Four children were born to them, three of
whom are still living. Mr. Pollard died in April, 1902.
Lippincott & Co., of Philadelphia, published a volume
of Mrs. Pollard's poems — "Centennial and Other
Poems"— in 1876. She is also the author of a novel,
dealing with conditions prevalent at the time of the
Civil War, and called "Emma Bartlett or Prejudice
and Fanaticism." "Full Surrender," one of Mrs. Pol-
lard's hymns, ranks among the most popular conse-
cration songs of the present century. One of her best
poems is "The Legend of Indian Summer." In her
eightieth year, although nearly blind, she composed
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 287
a story in verse — "Althea, or the Morning Glory" —
which was published by Sherman, French & Co., of
Boston, Mass. It tells the story of the summoning to
service of a missionary and her friends, it is full of
missionary spirit and inspiration. Mrs. Pollard's
method of teaching beginners to read, known as the
"Synthetic Sound System," with its teacher's man-
ual, its series of spellers and readers and its stencil
pictures, was the outcome of many years of practical
experience in primary work. She, herself, when a
child, had been carefully drilled, by her father, in
phonics. She recognized the defects and limitations of
the word method, and gradually originated and
formulated a successful plan of teaching by sound and
diacritical markings which unprejudiced students
believe to be the foundation of the new education now
so wisely used by primary instructors,. A letter, re-
cently received, and signed by many Iowa school su-
perintendents and teachers, gratefully acknowledges
Mrs. Pollard's contribution to past and present gene-
rations. Mrs. Pollard has shared the fate of ahtiost
every genius who discovers new and better paths for
humanity. She has been persecuted for the courage
of her convictions, and her ideas and devices and illus-
trations have been appropriated, without permission,
by imitators. Nevertheless, she says, "My greatest
compensation is found in the thought of the benefit
my method affords to the children themselves. ' '
Mrs. Pollard 's home is in Ft. Madison. Her children
are Miss Adelaide Pollard, New York; Mrs. Eleanor
E. S. Ehart, and J. A. S. Pollard, Ft. Madison.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. G. W. STURDIVANT
Mrs. Mary Lord Drake Stiirdivant, during her
father's term of office as Governor of Iowa, assumed
the social duties devolving upon the first lady of the
commonwealth, with charm and dignity, making her
one of the most popular Iowa women who have had
that honor. She was born at Centerville, Iowa, the
youngest of six children, and to her was given her
mother's maiden name, Mary Lord. She attended
the Centerville schools in her childhood, later attend-
ing the Grant Collegiate Institute at Chicago, and
finishing at Miss Reed's school in New York City. Her
education has been supplemented by travel in many
lands. On March 28, 1896, she had the honor of Chris-
tening the U. S. Battleship, "Iowa," at Cramp's ship
yard, Philadelphia. She was one of the charter mem-
bers of the Society of Sponsors of the U. S. Navy, and
served on the Board of Control,. She is a P. E. 0. and
is a member of the Central Church of Christ in Center-
ville, of which denomination her father was one of the
most liberal supporters. His gifts to the various de-
nominational schools and colleges, and to the advance-
ment of Christian civilization, through its mission
boards won for him the title of "first philanthropist
among a million disciples." He gave most generously
to philanthropies and charities of many kinds. For
more than twenty years he made a gift to the building
fund of every church of his denomination in Iowa.
Drake University is named in his honor. To this insti-
tution alone he gave more than a hundred thousand
dollars. On Act. 28, 1896, Mary Lord Drake was mar-
ried to George Wood Sturdivant, a prominent mer-
chant of Centerville. They have one daughter, Mary
Drake Sturdivant.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women Q89
MRS. W. G. BLOOD
Jane Ewing Blood, was born at Kittaning, Arm-
strong county, Pa. Her father, the Rev. Thomas Ewing,
D. D., was an alumnus of Washington and Jefferson
College, and of the Allegheny Theological Seminary.
He was pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Kit-
taning, Pa., 1864-1880, was president of Parsons Col-
lege, Fairfield, la., 1880-1889, and was principal of the
Academy at Corning, la., 1889-1905. He died, July,
1905. He was a scholarly man of a xery high type of
Christian character. Her mother, Anna Maria Gra-
ham, was born of Revolutionary ancestry at Browns-
ville, Pa., July 16, 1844, She was distinguished by un-
usual beauty and intellectual brilliancy. She died at
Fairfield, September, 1884. Mrs. Blood was educated
at Parson's College, Fairfield, a coeducational Chris-
tian College, in the class of 1890. For a number of
years after leaving school she made her home with her
grand mother, Mary Rebecca Graham, at Brownsville,
Pa., where in the same house and the same room in
which her mother had been married, she was married
to William Graffen Blood, a successful attorney of
Keokuk, Jany. 15, 1903. Mr. Blood is the son of Col.
Hv B. Blood, a Civil War veteran, born near Wor-
cester, Mass., and of Anna Belle Graffen, who belong-
ed to a Quaker family of Philadelphia. They came to
Keokuk in 1876. Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Blood have one
son, William Graffen Blood, Jr., born Oct. 2, 1904.
His paternal great-great-great grandfather was a Lex-
ington minute man, Nathaniel Blood. Mrs. Blood is a
dyed-in-the-wool blue Presbyterian. She served for
three years as Treasurer of the Iowa Presbyterial Mis-
sionary Society Auxiliary to the Woman's Board of
the Northwest at Chicago. Her sister, Rebecca Ewing
240 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
McClintock (Mrs. Paul W.) is engaged in foreign mis-
sion work on the Island of Hainan, China. During her
visits to this country she has spoken in many Iowa
churches and no one who has met this brilliant, charm-
ing woman could forget her or the missionary mes-
sage she always leaves in the hearts of her hearers.
Mrs. Blood's brother, Prof. James F. Ewing, of Port-
land, Oregon, is an alumnus of Princeton University,
Class 1893. He is principal of Portland Academy, an
elder in the First Presbyterian church, and superinten-
dent of the Sunday School. Mrs. Blood is a member of
the Daughters of the Revolution, and of the Daughters
of the American Revolution, joining on the service of
Michael Sowers. She served on the committee of the
Keokuk chapter, which raised funds for the monu-
ment to Chief Keokuk, unveiled in Rand Park, Oct.
22, 1913. Her son, Graffen, was one of the two chil-
dren who unveiled the statute. She belongs to
the Civic League, Visiting Nurse Associa-
tion, Shakespeare Club, Mentor Club, Current Events
Club, Fortnightly Club, Wednesday Reading Club,
Woman's Whist League, Keokuk Book Club, Y. W. C.
A., Westminster Guild, the Rebecca Ewing Circle,
Woman's Missionary Society, Chapel Fund Society,
the Benevolent Union, Travel Class, Monday Music
Club, and the Keokuk Country Club. She has inherit-
ed a collection of antique furniture, old china and sil-
ver, which completely furnishes her home, a ten room
house on Fulton Terrace. From the plate and knocker
on the front door to the quaint three cornered cup-
board in the kitchen, the house is filled with an incom-
parable collection of furnishings in perfect state of
preservation, which fills with longing the heart of a
lover of the antique.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 241
MISS GULIELMA ZOLLINGER
Guilielma Zollinger, author, was born in Mt. Mor-
ris, ni., April 13, 1856, and came with her parents to
Newton, la., March, 1857, which has since been her
home. She is the author of a number of books which
have had wide circulation, perhaps the best known is
"The Widow 'Callaghan 's Boys." She wrote this
book to show that when people do not succeed in life
it is largely their own fault — there is a chance for
every one, no matter what their condition in life may
be. "Maggie McLenehan," a book for girls, teaches
the same lesson. She has begun a series of Historical
Juveniles, the first of which is "A Boy's Ride," laid
in the reign of John. The second is "The Rout of the
Foreigner," laid in the early years of the reign of
King Henry IH. She spent several months in Eng-
land in study for this series, the completion of which
has been delayed by the illness of her mother, to
whom she has for several years given her entire time
and companionship. Her books are wholesome and
charming, and are enjoyed equally by children and
adults. She is personally a most interesting woman,
one with a sense of humor and the keenest wit. She
is a member of the Authors' League of America, the
Iowa Press and Authors' Club, of the Faith Trumbull
Chapter, D. A. R., at Norwich, Conn. She is a P. E. 0,
and was the first president of the Newton chapter.
She is an active worker in the Friday Club, a local lit-
erary club, and is a member of the O. E. S. In relig-
ious faith she is a Congregationalist. She has traveled
widely in America and spent three summers in Eng-
land. Her literary work has received merited recog-
nition throughout this country as well as in England.
242 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. LIBBIE MILLER TRAVERS
Libbie Miller Travers was bom Dec. 17, 1865, near
Edina, Mo., the daughter of John Miller and Anne
Bryson. She is a graduate of the North Missouri State
Normal school, B. S. She is a member of the Pi Beta
Phi Sorority, being now a member of the alumni chap-
ter at Des Moine^. She has had seven consecutive
years of reading in the Chautauqua course. She
taught for several years in the Southern Iowa Normal
school, at Bloomfield, and also in the Missouri Normal
school at Kirksville. On Dec. 25, 1890, she was mar-
ried at Kirksville to Frank C. Travers. They have
two daughters, lone and Isabel Travers. She is a
member of the Christian church and has been a promi-
nent worker on the state board of the Christian
"Woman's Board of Missions for a number of years.
She is also state superintendent of Young People's
Work of the Christian Church. She has been sent by
the State Board to many conventions and other special
occasions to give addresses on the "United Mission
Studies," which she has been conducting for several
years. She is the author of "The Honor of a Lee," a
book published in 1910, which has been favorably
criticised and widely read. She is a member of the
Robert Browning Club, the Aloha Club, and to P. E.
0., in Des Moines, which city is her home. Her mother
is descended from distinguished ancestry, the Stew-
arts, who trace a direct line to the Stewarts of Eng-
land. Mrs. Travers has had some journalistic
experience in contributing to magazines and periodi-
cals, particularly to women's magazines, and is best
known through her literary work and in the state
work in various departments of the Christian church.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 243
MRS. ALBERT C. ZAISER
Grace Melcher Zaiser, dramatic reader, was born at
Danville, la., Sept. 19, 1879. She is the daughter of
Dennis Melcher and Sarah V. Hanna. She received a
classical education at Monmouth College, Monmouth,
111. Later she was graduated from the Columbia Col-
lege of Expression, Chicago, and took a post graduate
course in Emerson College, Boston. At the close of
her training she appeared in many cities under the
management of Lyceum bureaus, most successfully.
She has made a specialty of the interpretation of mod-
ern drama. She has successfully appeared in lecture
courses, with concert companies and in individual
programs. She is a woman of unusual beauty and has
a charming stage presence; her interpretations are
natural and always artistic. Her repertoire, includes,
besides most of the modern dramas, which lend them-
selves to this sort of interpretation, a number of mod-
ern novels, allegories and many short poems and prose
selections. On Jany. 1, 1902, she was married in Burl-
ington, la., to Dr. Albert C. Zaiser. They have one
son, Donald Zaiser, bom June 14, 1905. She is a mem-
ber of the United Presbyterian church, of the Shakes-
peare Club, of the Burlington Musical Club, of
P. E. 0. and of the King's Daughters. To
make even one mind appreciate good literature, who
else might miss that joy in his life, is no small service.
To such a talented woman as this J. M. Barrie's ap-
preciation of his mother might well apply: "When
you looked into my mother's eyes, you knew as if He
had told you, why God sent her into the world — it was
to open the minds of all who looked to beautiful
thoughts. And this is the beginning and end of Lit-
erature."
244 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. GEORGE A. YOUNG
Ema Jackson Young was born May 23, 1870, in Ter-
re Haute, Ind. Her father, Henry Llewyln Jackson,
was of English descent and her mother, Elizabeth Mc-
Kenna, was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Their early
home was in Liverpool, England, whence they came to
Philadelphia. Later they moved to Indiana, where
Mrs. Young was born. After her father's death her
mother moved to Sioux City. She was educated in
the Sioux City schools, and on April 2, 1889, at Des
Moines, was married to George A,, Young, president
of the Homesteaders' Insurance Society. Since their
marriage their home has been continuously in Des
Moines. Mrs. Young is a member of the First Uni-
tarian Church and of the Unity Circle. She is a char-
ter member of the original Robert Browning Club. She
is a member of the Iowa Press and Authors' Club, of
the Political Equality Club and of the Votes for
"Women League. She believes very earnestly in equal
suffrage, in its justice and expediency. She is a mem-
ber of the 0. E. S., and of the Iowa Humane Society.
For the past seven years she has been associate editor
of The Back Log, a fraternal insurance magazine pub-
lished in Des Moines. She is a widely read woman and
finds in this one of her greatest pleasures. She is a
home-loving woman, not caring for society in the com-
mon acceptance of that term. She and her husband
have always been the closest companions, having a
common interest in everything. "There are a few
people who live in perfect sympathy, in silent under-
standing; who do not have to spend years in shouting
explanations to each other above the noise of living.
Each has looked into the other's soul, and that glance
has left its record and made those souls akin forever."
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 245
MRS. ROMA WHEELER WOODS
A very interesting wman, one loved and revered by
all who know her, is Mrs. Iloma Wheeler Woods, of
Sutherland, Iowa. She was born in Perrysberg, Ohio,
March 16, 1835. Her father was Daniel Holbrook
Wheeler, descended from a historical family of Con-
necticut; her mother, Lydia Churchill Martin, was
descended from John Churchill of Connecticut. She
attended high school in Akron, Ohio ; her father taught
her higher mathematics, and French and music were
taught by private tutors. For several years she was
soprano singer in St. Paul's church in Akron. On
Sept. 4, 1855, at her home in Davenport, she was mar-
ried to William Hanston Woods, of Iowa City, which
was then the capitol of the state. Their first home was
in Iowa City, where Mrs. Wood was assured by legis-
lators that her songs were no small factor in securing
the passage of the first Iowa temperance laws. Dur-
ing the Civil War she was an active member of the
Army Aid Society of Davenport. Her husband
died in 1909, a son and daughter having preceded
him. Mrs. Woods is secretary and supervising
librarian of the Gen. N. B. Baker Library, founded by
her husband in 1874, the pioneer library of the dis-
trict. She was for three years chairman of the
eleventh district Political Equality Clubs and edited
The Standard, the state paper, for two years. She
has contributed to magazines and papers for many
years. Is district chairman I. F. W,. C. of the eleventh
district where she established the scholarship fund be-
fore it was adopted by the state. In her pleasant
home, filled with books, pictures, music and good
cheer, at the age of 79 she is still active and finds in
each new day, new joy.
246 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. THOMAS S. WELLS
Aletha Lilburn Randall-Wells was born in Utica,
la., Jane 16, 1875. She is the daughter of Dr. Jason
M. Randall and Olive Fegtly. Her paternal grand-
mother was a first cousin of John Quiney Adams. Dr.
Randall served throuhgout the Civil War in Co. E,
62nd 111. Vol. In 1870 he moved to Van Buren county,
where he practiced medicine for thirty-five years.
Mrs. Wells was graduated from the Birmingham high
school, then from Iowa Wesleyan University in the
class of 1898-, degree B. M. She joined chapter S, P.
E.G., when it was a college sorority. For three years
she was on the staff of "The Wesleyan," the college
paper. She took a post graduate course in school
music in Chicago, after which she taught music in the
schools of Fairfield for three years. In Birmingham,
on June 25, 1902, she was married to Thomas S. Wells,
of Burlington, which city was their home for seven
years, — the past five years they have lived in Water-
loo. They have three children: Robert Randell
Wells, born in 1904; Thomas Lilburn Wells, born in
1907, and Edward Thayer Wells, born in 1912. Mrs.
Wells is a member of the M. E, Church, of its Aid and
Missionary Society of the Waterloo Woman's Club,
and of the Ladies' Musical Improvement Club. She
organized the Mizpah Circle of King's Daughters, the
first in Waterloo. The movement has grown until now
there are four circles there. She belongs now to chap-
ter Z, P. E. 0., and is active in all of its interests. She
is a bright, talented woman, a devoted mother, who
finds her first duty and greatest pleasure in the care
and rearing of her three boys.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 247
MISS MAMIE E. WELLER
Miss Mamie E, Weller was born Jany. 8, 1862, on a
farm at the edge of Greenwood village, near Nashua,
in the house which is still her home. She is the
daughter of Luman Hamlin Weller and Mary Eliza
Pickett. Her father was a lawyer by profession and
represented the fourth district in the U. S. congress,
1883-1885. He was a scholarly man, a progressive
along every line of thought. He died March 2, 1914,
Her mother's grand father, Sylvanus Stewart, during
the Revolution collected all the ammunition stored at
Danbury, Conn., and had it carried in ox carts to
Powkeepsie, N. Y., thus saving it from the British,
when they marched on Danbury. Philo Penfield
Stewart, who founded Oberlin, the first co-educational
college, was a cousin of her gi*andmother. Miss Wel-
ler attended the Nashua high school and Bradford
Academy. There are books in every room of the Wel-
ler house and these have been her university, for she
is a constant reader. She has traveled all over this
country, Canada and Mexico. She is a member of the
Isabella Club which was a charter member of the 1. F.
W. C. She attended the first session of the Iowa fed-
eration and has been a delegate at many subsequent
meetings; has been a delegate to four general federa-
tions and to the National Conservation Congress. Her
special club interest has been in conservation, having
been a member of the state committee on conservation
for several years. She is a member of the Congrega-
tional church, of the D. A. R., King's Daughters, In-
ternational Sunshine Society, and the American For-
estry Association. She is fond of society, having a
home famed for its hospitality.
248 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. FRANCIS E. WHITLEY
Mrs. Cora Call Whitley, vice-president of the I. P.
W. C, was born in Virginia in 1862. She is a member
of probably the best known educational family in the
state. Her father is the Rev. L. N. Call, a retired minis-
ter of the Baptist denomination., for more than twenty
years he was a member of the executive committee
of the state Board of Missions. Her mother, Mary
Guyon Call, died in 1913. She was a scholarly woman,
a reader, familiar with the best in classical and cur-
rent literature.
Mr. and Mrs. Call in 1905 celebrated their golden
wedding anniversary. At that time they received let-
ters of congratulation and best wishes from friends in
all parts of the world, from young men and women
who had been inspired by them to activities in the
business, professional and mission fields. These letters
were bound in a volume and form an unusual testi-
monial to the great worth of such a life as they
lived. Six children were born to Rev. and Mrs. Call:
of whom a son died in infancy and a daugh-
ter, Grace, passed away when eight years of age.
Another son, David Forrester Call, was professor of
Greek at the Iowa State University, but died when
twenty-nine years of age, just as a life of unusual use-
fulness and promise in the educational world was
opening to him. He was succeeded on the university
faculty by his sister. Miss Leona, who held the place
twenty-three years. Another daughter, Miss Myra, is
professor of Latin at the state college in Cedar Falls,
where she has been eighteen years. Mrs. Whitley was
educated in a denominational school. She was mar-
ried in 1883 to Dr. Francis E. Whitley, a leading phy-
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 249
sician of Webster City. They have three children:
Gladys, who is Mrs. Varict C. Crosley, of Webster
City, a graduate of the State University of Iowa, with
Phi Beta Kappa honors. She is a member of the state
committee on music, I. F. W. C. The second daugh-
ter, Grace Bingham Whitley, is also a graduate of the
State University of Iowa, with Phi Beta Kappa hon-
ors. The son, Guyon Call Whitley, is a student at the
State University of Iowa. Mrs. Whitley is a writer of
much ability, having contributed to many periodicals.
She is a member of the Daughters of the American
Revolution, joining on the service of John Jamieson,
and is regent of New Castle Chapter. She has been
for many years prominent in the state federation, hav-
ing been for four years chairman of the tenth district,
and served on state committees, before her election to
the vice-presidency, which office she now holds. She
belon^gs to three local organizations, — the Wednesday
Club>, the Civic Improvement League, and the Humane
Society. She has just pride in her sisters who deserve
more than a passing notice: Miss Leona Call, Prof,
of Greek in the State University, was the only
woman at that time in any state university in the
United States with the full rank of professor. She and
Miss Myra Call have taken post-graduate work in the
University of Chicago and in Ann Arbor, besides hav-
ing studied abroad. They are both club women and
P. E. O's. Her brother, David Forrester Call, who
died at the age of twenty-nine, had achieved much.
He had the degree Ph. D., was Professor of Greek at
the State University, had been called to the chair of
Greek in the Divinity School of the Chicago University
and engaged to edit Harper's series of Greek text
books.
260 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. S. O. THOMAS
No woman in Iowa is better known in the mission-
ary work of the Presbyterian church than Mrs. S. 0.
Thomas, of Burlington. For twenty-seven years she
has been secretary of the Foreign Missionary Society
of the First Presbyterian Church of Burlington, and
for fifteen consecutive years she has been an officer in
the Iowa Presbyterial Society. She has attended in-
numerable sessions of the presbyterial and synodical
societies and meetings of the Board of the Northwest.
Jessie Donnell Thomas was born at Greens-
burg, Ind., in 1850. She is the daughter of Thomas
Donnell and Ruth Jane Braden, who came to Des
Moines county from Indiana in 1852. She was gradu-
ated from the Iowa Wesleyan University in 1869, B.A.
1872 M. A. She was a charter member of the I. C. soci-
ety, organized at I. W. U., in 1868. It later became the
Greek letter sorority, Pi Beta Phi. Mrs. Thomas owns
one of the first pins, a gold arrow with I. C. on it in
black enamel. She was married in 1871 at New Lon-
don to S. 0. Thomas. They have three children:
Frank D. Thomas, of Portland, Ore. ; Bert Thomas, of
The Dalles, Oregon, and Jessie Marie Thomas. Mrs.
Thomas has for twenty years been president of the Y.
M. C. A. Auxiliary, an organization having one hun-
dred fifty members. She was instrumental in organiz-
ing the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club in Burlington. She is
a member of the Fortnightly Club, a study and travel
club, organized in 1895. The Missionary work is per-
haps nearest her heart since it has formed a part of
her life for so many years.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 251
MRS. HORACE M. TOWNER
Mrs. Horace M. Towner, of Corning, had a large
part in tiie creation of the Iowa Library Commission,
appointed a member in 1900, and has been twice reap-
pointed.
She was born April 13, 1869, in Providence, R. I.,
daughter of Charles T. Cole and Caroline Greene. She
was educated by private tutors, specializing in English
literature. In 1887 at Corning, la., she was married
to Horace Mann Towner, for twenty-three years
judge of the third judicial district, and now con-
gressman from the eighth Iowa district, and is one of
Iowa's most able men. They have three children:
Leta E. Towner, Horace C. Towner, and Constance M.
Towner. Mrs. Towner has unusual literary ability
and is a frequent contributor to magazines, and has
prepared many copyrighted study outlines for clubs.
She is secretary of the Congressional Club of Wash-
ington, D. C, vice regent for Iowa of the Mt. Vernon
Ladies' Association of the Union, vice-president of
the Children of the American Revolution, President of
Iowa Library Association, 1904- '5, member of the P.
E. 0. sisterhood, member Old Thirteen Chapter, D. A.
R., president board of trustees of Corning Free Pub-
lic library, recording secretary Iowa Federation of
Women's Clubs, 1909-11, auditor 1. F. W. C, 1907-'9,
chairman of the Department of Legislation of the
General Federation of Women's Clubs, 1912-14, mem-
ber of the Iowa Press and Authors' Club, Des Moines,
and of the Corning Culture Club, and has been chair-
man of many standing committees of I. F. W. C. Mrs.
Towner has been Iowa's representative in many na-
tional organizations and the state has much pride in
such a representative.
262 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. F. P. WEBBER
Mrs. Phoebe Jane Webber was born in Chatts-
worth, Minn., is the daughter of Benj amine
Ross Case and Elizabeth Grist. She received her early-
education in the high school at Greely, Delaware
county, Iowa, which has been supplemented by pro-
fessional training, which in 1896 enabled her to suc-
cessfully pass the examination before the Iowa state
board of dental examiners. For several years she was
an active practitioner of her chosen profession. On
March 12, 1876, she was married to Dr. F. P. Webber,
of Cherokee, in which city they have lived since
1879. There was born to them one son, Dr. Forrest G.
Webber, Feby. 12, 1877, who died Oct. 7, 1910. In re-
ligious faith Mrs. Webber is a Presbyterian. She is a
charter member of the Cherokee Columbian Club, a
literary organization, and of the Tone Circle, a musi-
cal club. She is a member of the Woman's Relief
Corps and interested in its patriotic work. She was
one of the organizers of Carnation Chapter, Order of
the Eastern Star, and served as worthy matron for
two years. She was appointed grand chaplain and
held the office of associate grand conductress for two
years, and for two years was associate grand matron.
She was elected to the office of grand matron of Iowa
in Oskaloosa, October, 1901, and presided over the
grand chapter at its meeting held in Iowa City
October, 1902. In 1913 she was appointed committee
on fraternal correspondence. She was a charter
member of the P. E, 0. chapter at Cherokee and its
first president. She devotes much time to public wel-
fare work, and is prominent in local charity work.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 363
MRS. HELEN LUSK EVANS
On a farm near Lancaster, in Fairfield county, Ohio,
on April 18, 1847, was bom a daughter to James and
Nancy Ricketts Lusk, She was given the name Helen
Isabel. She had a brother, James Harvey, who was
nine years her senior, and when Helen was six years
old her sister, Emma Jane, was bom. In 1852 her
father determined to go west, and came to Lee county,
Iowa, and bought a farm in Marion township, near the
postoffice, Clay Grove. He returned to Ohio and in
1853 they started on the morning of September 5th, to
make the journey overland to Iowa, arriving on Sep-
tember 26th. Helen attended the district school, where
she learned all that the master knew, and read every
book, paper or piece of printing that came into her
hands — her mind was insatiable and her greatest joy
was to learn. When she was fifteen years old she
taught school near Bonaparte for a year. When she
was sixteen she entered the Young Ladies' Seminary
at Mt. Pleasant, a very superior school for the times.
She always had a ready pen and at this school won
special recognition for her composition work. On
Dec. 3, 1868, she was married to Dr. Jas. Mc. Farland
Evans, a young physician, who had come from
Pennsylvania. Dr. Evans was the son of Abel McFar-
land Evans and Elizabeth Weir, bom in Washington
county. Pa., Sept. 19, 1841. At the age of sixteen he
entered Waynesburg College, but left school at the
end of three years to enlist in the army. He enlisted
May 1, 1861, in Co. K, Eighth Regiment Pa. reserves.
In the second battle of Bull Run he received a severe
wound in the left shoulder and was discharged from
service because, of this disability, Feby. 13, 1863. He
254 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
came to Iowa May 28, 1865, and began the study of
medicine with Dr. L. E. Goodell, after which he at-
tended the Western Medical College in Cleveland,
Ohio. He began the practice of medicine at Pilot
Grove in 1868, in 1872 he moved to West Point, and in
1880 moved to Salem, where he died, June 6, 1912.
For forty years he practiced medicine in southeastern
Iowa, and was a man well known in the state. For thir-
ty-four years he was a deacon in the Congregational
church and was one of its most prominent supporters.
In faith he was a Presbyterian, but there was in Salem
no church of that denomination. He had an unusual-
ly large library and was a great reader, a man of
broad education and skillful in his profession. There
were three daughters born to Dr. and Mrs. Evans :
Elma Victorine, now Mrs. C. H. Cook, of Salem; Em-
ma Winona, now Mrs. Harry J. Reeves, of Keokuk,
and Helen McFarland, now Mrs. F. W. Garretson, of
Hamilton, 111. The grand children are : Max Evans
Cook, died in 1900; Helen Elizabeth Cook, died in
1913; Miriam McFarland Cook, Helen Lusk Reeves,
Agnes Evans Reeves, and James Lusk Garretson. In
1873 Mrs. Evans was very ill, and for years was an in-
valid, never fully recovering. The force of her per-
sonality and the strength of her mind made one lose
sight of the frail body. She almost never went from
home, and yet her friends were legion. She was an op-
timist and her life preached always the gospel of cour-
age. She was a very practical christian and sacrificed
every day for someone's aid or comfort. She taught
her children more than they learned in any school, and
the memory of her still guides and directs their lives.
She died May 2, 1897.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 265
MISS ELIZABETH G. IVINS
Eliazbeth Galland Ivins, musician, was born in Keo-
kuk, Oct. 9, 1858, and died in Cincinnatti, Ohio, May 2,
1912. She was the daughter of William S. and Vir-
ginia Wilcox Ivins. She was not only a musician, but a
linguist of ability, being proficient in Italian, French,
German and Spanish. Her early training in music and
in the languages began at Helmuth College, London,
Ontario, when she was but fourteen years old. Here
she won the medal for highest proficiency. Later she
took an exhaustive course in the Cincinnatti College
of Music. She studied in New York, Chicago and Paris,
under the most famous teachers of the times. In Cin-
cinnatti she was soprano soloist in a choir under the
direction of Theodore Thomas. She appeared success-
fully in operas, oratorios, and concerts, and refused
many flattering offers for a professional career. She
was a member of the faculty of Canton College and
head of the vocal department of the Conservatory at
Quincy. She had charge of the choir of St. Stephen's
Episcopal church in Terre Haute, and for years was
soprano soloist in St. John's Episcopal and other
Keokuk churches. Her home city had the greatest
pride in her art, and love and admiration for her per-
sonally. She was generous in the gift of her voice and
no musical program seemed complete without her.
She was one of the organizers of the Monday Music
Club, and its president for nine years. She was a char-
ter member of the Woman's Club and for several years
its president. She was its representative at many
state meetings and at the General Federation in Los
Angeles. She was modest of her own attainments, un-
spoiled by honors, generous of her art, a devoted
daughter, one who lived true to her own high ideals.
256 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. WILLIAM S. IVINS
Mrs. Virginia Wilcox Ivins, author and pioneer, was
born March 26, 1832, in Warsaw, 111. She is the daugh-
ter of Major John Remele Wilcox, of the U, S. armj^,
who after graduation from West Point was ordered on
duty successively at Forts Snelling, Armstrong and
Edwards. In the Black Hawk war he served as major
in the state troops of Illinois. Her mother, Mary
Williams Kenney, a descendant of Roger Williams,
was a typical soldier's wife, — brave in enduring the
hardships and inconveniences of life in the army. Both
parents died when Mrs. Ivins was very young, so she
came to Keokuk in 1840, to the home of her uncle, Dr.
Isaac Galland, who in 1837 platted and laid out the
town of Keokuk, and named it. He laid it out a mile
square, taking the plan of Philadelphia as a model.
Her early education was received at Akron, Ohio. In
1845 her guardian, Benjamin F. Marsh, of Warsaw,
sent her to Edgeworth Seminary in St. Louis, where
she remained for three years. Returning to Keokuk
she had a part in the society of that town, which had
in it then many men and women who came to be na-
tional figures in the political world — famous lawyers,
financiers and military men of high rank. In 1849 she
was married to William S. Ivins, whose parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Ivins, had come to Keokuk from
New Jersey in 1845. When she was only twenty years of
age, she and her husband and little son, Charlie, start-
ed in covered wagons drawn by ox teams on the long
journey across the plains and over the mountains to
California. The story of this journey is told in her
book, "Pen Pictures of Early Western Days," pub-
lished in 1905. The book gives a remarkable picture
The Blue Book of loiua Women 257
of the journey and the times, graphic in its descrip-
tion and full of heart interest from the first page to the
last. It is authentic historically, which is more than
can be said of many books written descriptive of the
time^. The experiences of the little band would grip
the heart of any reader, but when one knows the au-
thor personally, a brave, noble woman, the story has
an incomparable interest. Mrs. Ivins is a splendid
type of women, one who rises to the occasion, what-
ever that may be. She is a very handsome woman of
fine mind, gracious and charming in society, a woman
of unusual interest. There were seven children born
to Mr. and Mrs. Ivins: The oldest, Frank Herbert,
died at the age of two years; Charles died at the age
of four years ; Sierra Nevada, now Mrs. Ralston Jones,
of Cineinnatti, was born on the journey across the
plains, while they were in the Sierra Nevada moun-
tains, hence her name. Mrs. Jones' husband has charge
of the government work on the Ohio river. She has
two children, — Elizabeth Ivins Jones, an artist in New
York, and Robert Ralston Jones, who is in school.
Mrs. Ivins other children are: Harry, died at the age
of five years ; Elizabeth Galland Ivins, a musician, who
died in 1912 (see page 254) ; Ivan Walton, who died in
infancy, and "William N. S. Ivins, who married Mar-
garet Betcher Worthen, lives in St. Paul, is an attor-
ney in one of the departments of the Great Northern
Railroad. He is an artist of much merit, an author
and a musical composer, having written the words and
musical score for an opera which has been successfully
presented in many cities, Mrs. Ivins' husband died
May 18, 1889, leaving in her heart and life a great va-
cancy. She is at work on a second book, "Yester-
days," to be published later.
258 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. DRUSILLA ALLEN-STODDARD
Drusilla Allen Stoddard, missionary and college
professor, was known for thirty years to the boys and
girls of Central College, Pella, as "Mother" Stoddard.
She was born near Batavia, N. Y., in 1821.
She was a graduate of the Emma Willard
school at Troy, N. Y., 1815. She taught in a Quaker
mission school among the Seneca Indians in western
New York. In 1847 she was married to Ira Joy Stod-
dard, a young Baptist minister, accepting the faith of
that denomination. For their wedding journey they
sailed to India as missionaries. Here they worked for
nine years and here their three children were born.
In 1856 they were forced to return to America because
of ill health,. In 1866 they returned to India, but
again because of ill health returned to this country.
A third time they started for India but the mission
board would not consent to their sailing, knowing that
it would mean death to them. In 1858 she went to
Central College, Pella, as a member of the faculty with
her husband. She was a women of excellent scholar-
ship, of great tact, and with a heart that mothered the
boys and girls of the school. In 1861, at the outbreak
of the Civil War, one hundred and twenty pupils and
teachers enlisted from Central College, only Mrs.
Stoddard and President Seartf were left to keep the
school ; twenty-five of the boys who went out never
came back, but were left on the battle fields of the
South. Those were trying days for the school.
"Mother" Stoddard sacrificed everything to keep the
boys and girls in school, — there being little money for
tuition. Thus the college was kept open and its future
assured. She was held in highest honor by the college
until her death, in June, 1913, at the age of 92 years.
The Blue Booh of Iowa \Yomen 259
MRS. ANNICE BALDWIN TRACY
Mrs, Annice Baldwin Tracy, is the woman to whom
credit is due, for the establishment of the first hospital
in Des Moines, and one of the first in the state of Iowa.
Her father, Capt. James W, Davis, was a manufacturer
of pig iron in Portsmouth, In 1861, on the outbreak of
the Civil War, every man in his employ, several hun-
dred in all, enlisted in 'the army. He closed his busi-
ness and in November, 1861, came to Des Moines with
his family, including Mrs. Tracy and her two children,
her husband having died in 1854. Mrs. Tracy was
a graduate of Steubenville Female Seminary, and a
woman of marked ability. In 1863 her children died
of diphtheria; this sorrow opened her heart to see the
sorrow of others, and she gave much of her time to the
relief of unfortunate people For years Des Moines
had felt the need of a hospital, and in 1876 Mrs. Tra-
cy called a meeting of a number of women of the
Episcopal Church. As a result of this meeting, Cot-
tage Hospital was opened, with Mrs. Tracey in charge
of it. Generous contributions were made by the citi-
zens and a five room house at 929 Seventh street was
bought for $1,000. On May 27, 1877, a terrific storm
swept away a bridge near Des Moines, causing the
wreck of a passenger train, to which was attached one
of P. T. Barnum's show cars. The injured were taken
to Cottage Hospital, among them a number of Bar-
num's employes. So grateful was he for the care given
them that he gave several thousand dollars to the hos-
pital. A $10,000 hospital was then erected, which Avas
used until it was supplanted by the Mercy and the
Methodist hospital. Later she established the "Tracy
Home," a private hospital. She died Aug. 24, 1899.
260 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. JOSEPH J. AYRES
Helen Mar Allen was born, reared and educated in
Keokuk, She is the younger of two children, her
brother, Herbert "Wells Allen, being a resident of Kan-
sas City. Her parents, Charles Lee Allen and Adelia
Talbot Allen, came to Keokuk in 1860 and were promi-
nent in the social and civic life of the city. Their hos-
pitality was unbounded and their home was the scene
of many social gatherings. Charles Lee Allen was
descended from the same Lee family of Virginia, from
which Robert E. Lee came. He was born in New York
state and died in Keokuk in 1882. He was one of a
committee which planned Oakland Cemetery, and
served several years on the city council. Her mother,
Adelia Talbot, was a native of "Western New York,
where her parents had come as pioneers, while the way
was yet unbroken. Their home was a log cabin at
Pompey, N. Y., where the Talbot homestead still
stands. Mrs. Allen was one of five women who mado
the silk flag which was carried through the Civil "War
by Co. A, 2nd Iowa Reg. The flag is now in the his-
torical department of Iowa. Mrs. Allen died in 1893.
In 1896 Helen Allen was married to Joseph James
Ayres, youngest son of T. R. J. and Sarah Ann Smith
Ayres, who were natives of Kentucky. T. R. J. Ayres,
fifty-three years ago, founded the wholesale and retail
jewelry house of T. R. J. Ayres & Sons, of which
Joseph J. Ayres is now president. Mrs. T. R. J. Ayres,
a woman of great culture, was the daughter of Prof.
Smith, a linguist, who spoke seven languages with
fluency. Their home for many years in Keokuk was
"The Pavillion." It was built by a religious sect,
known as "The Millerites," who believed that they
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 261
would be translated to heaven. On more than one oc-
casion they dressed themselves in flowing robes and
ascending to the top of that building, prayed earnestly
and waited for translation. Their prayers being un-
answered, they would descend and take up their daily
tasks. Many of their peculiar beliefs are a part of
Keokuk's traditions. Mrs. J. J. Ayres is a charter
member of the Civic League and is its president; it is
an organization of two hundred members, with repre-
sentatives from every ward in the city. She is one of
the vice-presidents of the Benevolent Union, which
maintains a home for old women and children. She is
a member of the advisory board of the People's Insti-
tute, which does social settlement work among the col-
ored people of the city. She is a member of the board
of directors of the Visiting Nurse Association and
chairman of its finance committee. She is a member
of the Y. W,. C. A., the Keokuk Country Club, and a
number of social clubs. She was a charter member of
the Keokuk Woman's Club, and chairman of one of
its departments. Mr, and Mrs. Ayres are both mem-
bers of St. John's Episcopal church, the former being
a vestryman. Mrs. Ayres is a member of St. John's
Guild, and of the Woman's Auxiliary, having held
offices in both organizations.
262 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. CATHARINE BEATTIE COX
Mrs. Catharine Beattie Cox is one of the few real
daughters of the American Revolution, living in Iowa.
Her home is in Des Moines and she is a member of
Abigail Adams chapter. Her father, Andrew Beattie,
was bom in Cumberland county, Pa. He was a mere
lad when he enlisted, Nov.. 1, 1780, in the Cumberland
Co. Militia, under the command of Capt. Matthews.
Records were not kept very accurately, but the family
believe he became captain of a company, for he was
known as Capt. Beattie. At the close of the war he
married Judith Carter, a member of the family of Car-
ters of Virginia, whose founder, John Carter, came
from England in 1635, in the ship America. Mrs.
Cox's ancestor, Robert Carter, was born in 1660, and
was president of the King's Council in Virginia. His
wife, Sarah Judith, was the daughter of Sir Thomas
Ludlow, who was related to the royal house of Eng-
land. From this Sarah Judith, Mrs. Cox's mother was
named. Andrew and Judith Carter Beattie imme-
diately after their marriage set out on horseback for
their new home in Kentucky. There being no roads
they followed a blazed trail, encountered both indi-
ans and wild animals on the journey. At the end of
eight years residence in Kentucky they moved to
Highland county, Ohio, on a farm of three hundred
acres. Prosperity came to them, and a very comforta-
ble log house was built, and eight daughters were bom
to them. Six weeks before the ninth daughter, Cath-
arine, was born, the father died. Had the mother
been born of less sturdy stock she would
have given up in dispair, but American pioneer
women were the sort who endured and triumphed over
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 263
hardships and difficulties. She rented a part of her
land, reared and educated her daughters as well as the
times permitted. One of the older daughters married
and moved to Cincinnatti, and here Catharine went to
receive her education. In 1846 she was married to Dr.
Henry Cox, a descendant of Gen. James Cox of the
Revolution. Their first home was at Danville, Ind.
Here they became leaders in church and educational
work. Dr. Cox endowed the Methodist Academy
there. At the outbreak of the Civil War, DanvUle was
a hot-bed of secessionists, and the Cox home was a
place of refuge for unionists, and their attic was used
as an arsenal. Dr. Cox was not eligible to enlistment,
but was allowed to go to the front as an army surgeon.
He was with Sherman during his march to the sea. He
refused pay for his service, saying he was glad to give
that aid to the union army. In 1865, Dr. and Mrs. Cox
moved to Des Moines, making part of the journey by
stage coach. Through all the intervening years Mrs.
Cox has been one of the most prominent women in Des
Moines. In her childhood, Gov. Trumbell, the first
governor of Ohio, had been a family friend. His
daughter, Mrs. Thompson, had founded the W. C. T.
U., because of this fact, as well as of her interest in
temperance, she became a leader in the W. C. T. U.
work, and had for a personal friend. Miss Francis E.
Willard. Nearly thirty-five years ago she founded the
Home for Friendless Children, which is still a splen-
did institution. She has been prominent in all branch-
es of the M. E. Church. She is the author of many
poems and verses of literary merit. She is the mother
of five children. For a number of years she has made
her home with her daughter, Mrs. W. P. Mitchell, of
Des Moines.
264 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. GEORGE ERSKIN KILBOURNE
Augusta Wells Kilbourne, was born in Newberg, N.
Y,, in 1835, the daughter of Albert Wells and Emma
Louisa Hassert. Her father was head of a classical
school in Westchester county. He was a graduate of
Rutger's College. Her mother was a lineal descend-
ant of Minna von Voorhies, who came from Holland
and was the first settler of New Brunswick, N. J. Mrs.
Kilbourne was educated by private teachers, at Kings-
ton-on-the-Hudson and at the Pittsfield Young Ladie>s'
Seminary. In 1854 she was married to George Erskine
Kilbourne, of English descent, the son of David Wells
Kilbourne, a New York commission merchant. In
1836 David Kilbourne was sent west by a New York
company to locate land, and came to Keokuk, which
was then only a straggling village of log houses. He
bought large tracts of land. He and his brother, Ed-
ward Kilbourne, owned two hundred acres of land
near Davenport, which they stocked with blooded
sheep imported by them from the Island of Jersey,
near the southeastern coast of England. It was be-
fore the days of pedigree cattle, but they appreciated
the value of fine stock and gave many of these sheep
away to the early Iowa settlers. In 1867 Mr. and Mrs.
Geo. W. Kilbourne moved into the house on Third and
High street in Keokuk, which is still the family home.
Mr. Kilbourne was associated with his father in the
railroad business, his father being president of the
Des Moines Railroad, one of the first in the state. Four
children were born to them: Harriett Erskine Kil-
bourne was educated at Pelham Priory, N. Y., married
Hiram Barney, a New York lawyer, collector of ports
at New York, by appointment of Abraham Lincoln,
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 265
Avho was a personal friend. She is now the wife of
Thomas Francis Brady. Augustus Wells Kilbourne,
of Cleveland, Ohio, is a graduate of Williams College,
and married Eleanor Hoyt, daughter of Geo. Hoyt,
editor of The Plaiudealer ; Emma Louise Hassert Kil-
bourne, was educated at St. Gabriels, in New York,
and married Robert Erskine Wright, an Episcopal
clergyman of an old and prominent Philadelphia fam-
ily; Georgia Wells Kilbourne, educated at Miss Reed's
school in New York, married Gen. John McAllister
Sehofield, commanding general of the army in the
United States. They resided in Washington until Gen.
Sehofield 's death. She is now the wife of John H.
Hewson, of New York. The education of all of Mrs.
Kilbourn's children was supplemented by travel in
Europe. Four generations of the family have belonged
to St. John's Episcopal Church. Before the erection
of the church the congregation met in Edward Kil-
bourn's parlor. David Kilbourne gave a town lot to
every church in Keokuk in the days of the first estab-
lishment of the churches. In connection with the de-
velopment in Iowa in 1913 of the greatest power plant
in the world, it is an interesting bit of history to know
that in 1848 the "Navigation & Hydraulic Co. of the
Mississippi Rapids" was eneorporated by the legisla-
ture of Iowa with a capital of $1,000,000, having for
its object "the improvement of the rapids at Keokuk
and the formation of a waterpower by means of an ar-
tificial channel with locks and dams." The encorpora-
tion papers were signed by Genl. Samuel R. Curtis,
David W. Kilbourne, Edward Kilbourne, and Hugh W.
Sample. A small bit of paper, about the size of an or-
dinary bank check, was all they thought needed to
record one of the greatest enterprises in the history of
266 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
country. In 1850, a board of directors having^ been
chosen, they appointed David W. Kilbourne to go to
Washington to get the necessary permission to enable
them to go to work. In company with the Hon. Hiram
Barney, of New York, they spent several weeks in
Washington, working to get the franchise and looking
for men willing to take the contract to do the work.
Finally they secured the franchise and made a contract
with the Barnes Co. of New York, who agreed to build
the dam for $960,000. They arranged for the labor,
common laborers to work from 7 a. m. to 6 p. m. for
seventy-five cents a day, skilled laborers to receive
$2.50 a day. They returned to Keokuk expecting the
work to begin at once. In their absence, however,
enemies to the enterprise had been at work, and con-
vinced some of the influential men that the enterprise
was visionary and too great an undertaking. Local
support having thus been withdrawn, the enter-
prise was abandoned and only taken up again after a
lapse of sixty years. Mrs. Kilbourne is a most inter-
esting woman, having an inexhaustive fund of pioneer
history, stories and anecdotes, which she tells delight-
fully, with quaint touches of humor, peculiarly her
own. She is a brilliant woman, socially, and quite
outshines the women of this generation, at social
functions. Her home is filled with antique furniture
and treasures of other days, and a visit with Mrs. Kil-
bourne in that old home is a memory long to be treas-
ured.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 267
MRS. S. F. PROUTY
Mrs. Ida Warren Prouty, wife of Judge S. F.
Prouty, and daughter of R. B. Warren and Emily
Bingman Warren, was bom in Mahaska county. Her
father was an Iowa pioneer and a man of influence in
public affairs. He was a member of the nineteenth
session of the Iowa legislature. Her brother, J. L.
Warren, served two terms as representative and four
terms in the senate of Iowa. She was educated at
Central University, at Pella, and taught in the schools
of Oskaloosa. In 1887 she was married to S. F.
Prouty of Pella, an alumnus of Central College, and
later its president. He studied law, which he practices
very successfully in Des Moines, having moved to that
city in 1893. For several years he was judge of the
district court of Polk county. They have a beautiful
home, "The Collis." Their family consists of four
daughters, who have been very carefully educated.
Mrs. Prouty is a member of the Des Monies
Woman's Club, and for many years was on its board
of directors. She has served as chairman of the civics
committee, and chairman of the girls' department of
the city federation. She is a member of the Chauncey
Depew Club, and has for many years been one of the
promoters of the Business Women's Home, one of the
most practical and helpful philanthropies of Des
Moines. She is a member of chapter Q, of the P.
E. 0. sisterhood, and has many times opened her hos-
pitable home for the social affairs of the chapter. She
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and
active in its various organizations. She is a woman of
strong principles and adheres rigidly to them. She is
a woman of ability and a woman of great heart, which
makes her of service in all sorts of philanthropic work.
268 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. J. K. MACOMBER
Mrs. J. K. Macomber, of Des Moines, by profession
a travel conductor, was born in New York. Her
maiden name was Mattie Locke; she came in infancy
with her parents to Davenport, where her father help-
ed to build the first bridge across the Mississippi river.
At the age of fifteen she entered the Iowa State College
at Ames; graduating from there she entered Ann Ar-
bor, upon completing the course there she taught a
year at Cornell College. She went to Germany to con-
tinue her studies, and then to France, specializing in
languages. Upon her return to America she was of-
fered a position as teacher of French in Vassar Col-
lege, but declined the position, and was married to J.
K. Macomber, science professor at Iowa State College,
who later became a lawyer and practiced his
profession in Des Moines until his death.
They have seven children : Kingsley Macomber, living
in California; Elsie, now Mrs. Louis Lower of Chica-
go ; Kate, now Mrs. Charles Clarke, of Adel, whose hus-
band is a son of Gov. Clarke ; Locke Macomber, of Des
Moines; Sumner Macomber, living in Mexico; Ara-
bella, now Mrs. Fred Thompson, and Miss Bertha, who
is still in school. Mrs. Macomber has for many years
taken parties to Europe, to the Orient and to Mexico.
She enjoys the journeys herself, is never blase, but
gains each year herself a new fund of pleasure and in-
formation in studying the changed social conditions
in the lands visited from year to year,. She is a good
business woman, and an accomplished linguist, two es-
sentials in her profession. She has an unusual collec-
tion of old china and brasses. She is a member of the
P. E. O. sisterhood and is one of the very well known
women of this state.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 269
MRS. JAMES G. BERRYHILL
Mrs. Virginia J. Berryhill, vice-president of the
General Federation of Women's Clubs, and the first
president of the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs,
was born in Fairfield, Iowa, the daughter of Christian
Wolff and Nancy M. Seward Slagle. After complet-
ing the public school course, she entered the State Uni-
versity of Iowa, graduating in the class of 1877,
A. B. Her college sorority is Phi Beta Kappa. In
1878 she studied in Berlin, taking the Victoria lyceum
lecture courses. She taught for one year in a Female
Seminary in Pennsylvania. On Jany 19, 1881, she was
married at Fairfield to James G. Berryhill, of Des
Moines. They have two children : James G. and
Katherine. She is a member of the Unitarian church
and active in the Unity Circle. She is one of the best
known club women of Iowa, having made this state
known favorably in the general federation. At the
meeting of the general federation in Chicago, 1914,
she was elected its vice-president, an honor altogether
merited. When the Iowa Federation was organized in
1893, Mrs. Berryhill was elected its first president.
She has since served on many state committees and
was chairman of the legislative committee when at the
biennial held in 1913, at Cedar Rapids, the Iowa fed-
eration declared for equal suffrage. She has served
the Associated Charities of Des Moines as vice-presi-
dent ; she has served the Des Moines Woman 's Club as
president, and has also been president of the City Fed-
eration of clubs. She is a member of the Iowa Press
and Authors' Club and has been its president. She is
corresponding secretary of the Colonial Dames of
Iowa. She is the author of a biographical sketch of
Prof. A. N. Currier, published in the annals of Iowa.
270 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MISS CARRIE HARRISON
Miss Carrie Harrison, a plant expert of national
reputation, was born in Fayette county, Iowa, the
daughter of C. C. and Louisa Ray Harrison. After
graduating from the upper Iowa University, she at-
tended the normal school at Valparaiso, Ind,, was
graduated from Wellesley College and took further
work at Cornell University, N. Y. When she was six-
teen years old she taught a country school. At the age
of seventeen she managed a farm in Fayette county,
and during those two years began her interest in
plants. She began making collections of Iowa plants.
She then did curator work for the national herbar
ium, collecting a half million specimens. She visited
the largest herbaria in Europe and secured from Ger-
many for the U. S. government the most complete
collection of plants from Porto Rico, to be found any
place. She is now a resident of Washington, D. C,
filling an important position in the bureau of plant
industry in the United States Department of Agricul-
ture. She is an extremely clever woman, aside from
her knowledge of plants, as was demonstrated during
the Boxer uprising in China, when she was the means
of getting a cablegram through to the American lega-
tion, in Peking, which probably saved all the foreign
embassies in China. Miss Harrison is a member of the
Woman's National Press Association, the Washing-
ton Wellesley Club, and the College Women's Equal
suffrage League. She says her original equip
ment for the study of plants was a botany, a
horse on which to ride and a dog for a compan-
ion; with these she spent long summer days
studying Iowa plants, from that beginning
she has gained a knowledge of the plants of every land.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 271
MRS. MYRON D. SMITH (MadameMyron)
Alice Pettit Smith (Mrs. Myron D.,) vocalist, daugh-
ter of William S. and Amelia Ray Pettit, was born in
Aliance, Ohio, and came with her parents to Creston,
in 1885, which city is still her home. In 1887 she was
married to Mj^ron D. Smith, cashier of the First
National Bank of Creston. In 1902, while visiting in
Omaha, a friend persuaded her to have her voice test-
ed, which she did, and it was discovered that she pos-
sessed a voice of unusual power and sweetness. She
studied two years in Omaha, and more than a year in
New York, before going to London, where she spent
ten months under George Henschel, one of the great
masters. She appeared at a number of private recitals
and parlor concerts given at the homes of prominent
society people in London. Her first professional tour
was with the Scottish Orchestra, composed of one hun-
dred instruments,. As soloist of this orchestra she
adopted the stage name, Madame Myron. At the close
of her tour she returned to her home in Creston, re-
solved that her professional career should be only sec-
ondary and incidental to her home, to this resolution
she has adhered. She was for one season soloist for
the George Crampton Concert Co., touring the United
States and Canada, and for one year was at the head
of the Lyceum Grand Concert Co. She has appeared
many times in Iowa cities and elsewhere in oratorios,
concerts and recitals, everywhere receiving the ova-
tion which her art merits. Her voice is a mezzo so-
prano of wide range and remarkable sweetness, and
back of the voice, and speaking through it, is the soul
of the fine woman, of whom Iowa is proud.
272 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. JAMES CALLANAN
Martha Coonley, early Iowa reformer and editor,
was bom near Albany, N. Y., May 18, 1863. She re-
ceived an education such as the common schools of
that period provided. In 1846 she was married to
James Callanan, a lawyer by profession, but who was
interested in many financial institutions in Des Moines.
He was President of the Capital City Bank, a director
in the Citizen's National Bank, the State Savings'
Bank, and in the Iowa Loan and Trust Co., M^^as one of
the founders of the Hawkeye Insurance Co., and part
owner of the Des Moines and Minneapolis Railroad.
Possessed of great wealth and with a mind which saAv
the needs of those less fortunate than herself, and with
a heart which prompted her to aid in all sorts of phil-
anthropical and educational measures, she became one
of the great philanthropists and reformers of Iowa.
She was prominent in the work of the "W. C. T. U., in
both the state and national work, a liberal contribu-
tor to the Benedict Home for friendless girls, was one
of the founders of the Home for the aged, was a sup-
porter of the Methodist church in all of its lines of
work, particularly in the cause of missions. She aided
many struggling colleges and helped in the education
of many boys and girls who, without her aid, would
have missed the privilege of a higher education. In
1870 she helped to organize the Equal Suffrage Asso-
ciation of Iowa, at a convention called at Des Moines
for that purpose. She gave liberal financial aid to the
association and edited and published the Woman's
Standard, which advocated equal suffrage, temper-
ance and other reform movements. She died Aug. 16,
1901.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 273
REV. MARY A. SAFFORD
Rev. Mary Augusta Safford, TTnitarian minister, was
born in Quincy, 111., Dec. 23, 1851, daughter of Stephen
F. and Louisa Hunt Safford, moving in childhod to
Hamilton, 111. She attended the public schools there
and at the age of eighteen entered the State Uni-
versity of Iowa. In 1878 she organized a Uni-
tarian Society in Hamilton, in which she preached
for nearly two years. The Iowa Unitarian Society in-
vited her to be ordained in this state, receiving her
ordination in Humboldt, where she preached for seven
years. In 1885 she was called to Unity church at
Sioux City, which to that time had been a struggling
organization. Through her efforts the society was
built up until it became one of the strong churches
in the state. She founded the Humane Society
in Sioux City, and aided in the work of
other literary and reform clubs. In 1889 she
resigned her pastorate in Sioux City, to accept a call
to the First Unitarian church at Des Moines, where
she preached until 1910, at which time she was made
pastor Emeritus. In 1909 she went to England, where
she preached in the principal churches of the liberal
faith, both in England and Scotland. Miss Safford
has always been a missionary, giving the very best
that was in her to build up weak churches and organ-
ize new ones. For eleven years she was president of
the Iowa Unitarian Conference, secretary of Iowa
Unitarian Association and a dictator of the American
Unitarian Association, and a member of the National
Fellowship Committee. She -is at present editor of Old
and New. She is a woman of the highest type, and one
who truly serves humanity.
274 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. ADA E. NORTH
Mrs. Ada E. North, the first Iowa woman to hold a
state office, was the daughter of the Rev. Milo N. Miles,
a prominent Congregational minister in this state.
She was educated in the schools of Iowa City. In 1865
she was married in Des Moines to Maj. George J.
North, who was military secretary to Gov. Stone dur-
ing the Civil War. In 1870 Maj. North died, leaving
his wife with two little children. She at once began
to look for a means to support her little family, and
was given a clerical position in the legislature, being
one of the first women clerks in the Iowa state house.
In 1871 a vacancy occurred in the office of state li-
brarian and Gov. Merrill appointed Mrs, North to the
position, being thus the first woman in Iowa to hold a
state office, if not the first woman in the United States
to hold a state office. The state library was in its in-
fancy and had received little attention, the appropria-
tions had been small and it had not been considered a
very important department, Mrs. North, with a real
interest in the work, and with a realization that the
eyes of the officials were upon her, to see whether or
not a woman was capable of administering the duties
of a state office, undertook the work with the careful
attention to detail, and with the conscientious effort
which marks the work of women. At her suggestion a
bill was passed by the 14th general assembly, provid-
ing for a board of trustees, consisting of the Governor,,
Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion, and the Judges of the Supreme Court. For eight
years she was state librarian, and laid the foundation
for our present splendid state library. Resigning in
1879 she was for thirteen years librarian of the State
University. She died Jany, 9, 1899.
Tie Blue Book of Iowa Women 275
MISS LOTTIE E. GRANGER
Miss Lottie E. Granger, teacher, school officer and
literary contributor, was born near Granville, Ohio.
Her father, Sylvester Spellman Granger, was of Eng-
lish-Connecticut descent, dating back to Battle Abbey,
1087. Her mother, Elizabeth Walruth's ancestors,
were German, and settled in the middle of the 18tli
century in northwestern New York. Sylvester
Granger inherited great riches, and a large estate, but
was unfortunate in losing it. Miss Granger was edu-
cated in the public schools of Ohio and at Shepardson,
the Woman's College of Denison University of Gran-
ville, A. B., 1880; A. M., 1895. She studied two years
at the Des Moines College, then affiliated with Chicago
University. She took a two years course at
the Bible Teachers' Training School, New York. In
1886 she was elected superintendent of the schools of
Page county, which position she held for three terms,
refusing to be a candidate for a fourth term. In 1888
she was unanimously elected president of the Iowa
State Teachers' Association, the second woman in
Iowa to be given that honor. She served on the board
of managers of the Iowa State Teachers' Reading Cir-
cle from the date of its organization. For six years
she edited a magazine, "The Page County Teacher."
She was president of the W. C. T. U. of the eighth
congressional district, and was offered the presidency
of the State W. C. T. U. upon the resignation of J. El-
len Foster, but because of other duties, could not ac-
cept it. For eleven years she was a teacher of English
in the high schools of Des Moines. For several years
she was Associate Principal and Dean of Stanley Hall,
Minneapolis, in connection with which duties she also
276 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
taught English and English Literature. Of far reach-
ing importance has been Miss Granger's work as a vol-
unteer teacher of the English Bible. She has had large
classes in the First Baptist church of Des Moines, of
which she is a member, and in the Y, W. C. A. She is
chairman of the library committee of the Y. W. C.
A., and editor of "Inklings," the local association
paper. She is the author of short stories, poems, and
has written editorials for various publications. In
collaboration with Mrs. Edwin Henshaw, she prepared
for the publishers, the manuscript of "The Passing of
the Word," left in the first draft at the death of its
author, Helen Henshaw. During her work as County
Superintendent she formed a rarely beautiful friend-
ship with Mrs. Henshaw, then of Clarinda, now of Des
Moines. "A Woman of the Century," says: "The
name of Miss Granger and Mrs. Henshaw are almost
synonomous in Page county, ' ' For twenty-seven years
this bond of friendship has held true, earnest of con-
tinuing true to the end. Miss Granger's permanent
home has been with Mrs, Henshaw all these years.
Miss Granger is a member of the Woman's Club, the
Robert Browning Club, Votes for Women League, Po-
litical Equality Club, all of Des Moines, and is active
in every cause of welfare for which she can find time.
She is a good club member, leader of program and
committee member, and when she takes the floor is an
impressive, forceful speaker. She has traveled much in
this country, but has reserved the pleasure of foreign
travel for days yet to come. She has given the fruit-
age of active years to the uplifting of many young
people in Iowa, and still has so much reserve force
that it is easy to believe that her best has not yet been
given.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 277
MRS. AUSTIN ADAMS
Mary Newbury Adams was bom at Peru, Ind., Oct.
17, 1837. She came of remarkable lineage, her ances-
tors for many generations were prominent in public
life in New England, five of them were Colonial or
State Governors. Her parents moved to Cleveland,
Ohio, in her girlhood days. Her earliest education
was received from her mother; later she attended the
public schools of Cleveland and was graduated from
the Emma Willard seminary at Troy, N. Y., when she
was only eighteen years old. A year later she was mar-
ried to Austin Adams, a remarkably brilliant lawyer,
a graduate of Dartmouth and of the Harvard Law
School. The Adams came to Dubuque in 1854. In
1875 he was elected Judge of the Supreme Court aud
became Chief Justice in 1880, which office he held for
twelve years. He was a regent of the State University
for sixteen years and a Law Lecturer from 1875, to
his death, in 1890. He was one of the first Iowa law-
years to urge women to study law. He was the first
chief justice to admit a woman to practice in the Su-
preme Court of Iowa. Thus Mrs. Adams in her work
for the advancement of women, had a sympathetic
supporter in her husband. She was a charter member
of the Association for the Advancement of Women, a
member of the Equal Suffrage Association, and one of
the pioneer workers in the Iowa Federation of
Women's Clubs. She was a student of science and be-
longed to the National Science Association, the
Anthropological Society, and other organizations to
promote science and its study. She was chairman of
the historical committee of the World's Columbian Ex-
position in 1893. She died at her home in Dubuque,
Aug. 5, 1901.
278 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. GATE GILBERT WELLS
Mrs. Gate Gilbert Wells was born in Burlington,
May 27, 1863. Her father, W. Dallam Gilbert, born
Feby, 6, 1829, in Cassville, Wis. His father, a Ken-
tuekian, was a lumber man on the upper Mississippi
river and in 1851, Dallam Gilbert, with his brother,
John, established a lumber business in Burlington,
which is still owned by the family. He was descended
from the Devonshire branch of the Gilbert family, of
which Sir. Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh,
were illustrious members. W. Dallam Gilbert was
married Jany. 5, 1854, to Hetta Wells Merrill, born
June 27, 1835, at Plymouth, N. H. Her father, Stevens
Merrill, a Boston merchant, visited California in '49,
and returning, stopped at Burlington and purchased
the property, Hickory Hill, afterwards selling it to his
son-in-law, Dallam Gilbert. It has since been the
home of the family, four generations having dwelt
within its old stone walls. Mrs. Wells received her
preparatory education in the Gordon school, after-
ward attending the New York City school, conducted
by Madame Benedict and Miss Chapman, which was
followed by two years of travel in Europe and the
Orient. On this journey she met her future husband
in Egypt, in the temple of Kamah, on the river Nile —
Charles William Wells, to whom she was married June
8, 1892. Mr. Wells was born Aug. 28, 1861, in Mil-
waukee, the son of Charles Kimball Wells, a native of
Wells, Me., a Yale graduate and a pioneer lawyer of
the firm Wells, Brigham & Upham. The son was edu-
cated in the University of Wisconsin and for seventeen
years lived in Chicago, a member of the prominent
lumber firm, the I. Stej^henson Lumber Co. He died in
Phoenix, Ariz., in 1897. Three weeks later their little
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 279
daughter, Catherine, died, leaving only Mrs. Wells
and her son, Gilbert, of the family. Gilbert Wells was
born June 13, 1893, the last of the name, which he de-
rives through various royal lines directly from Alfred
the Great. Having completed courses at a prepara-
tory school in Connecticut, and at St. John's Military
Academy, in 1914 entered the University of Pennsyl-
vania. Mrs. Wells has been for eighteen years Presi-
dent of the Burlington Musical Club, beginning with a
membership of four, it now has six hundred members.
She is president of the City Federation of Women's
Clubs, regent of the Stars and Stripes chapter, D. A.
R., which she joined upon the service of Stephen Wells
and Joshua Copp. She represented the chapter at the
National Congress, 1914. She has served as historian
of the Iowa Society, D. A. R., and chairman of state
program committee. Is a member of two state com-
mittees, I. F. W, C, and was chosen delegate at large
to the General Federation at Chicago, 1914. At the
1913 biennial she was one of three women nominated
for the presidency, I. F. W. C. In 1913, by appoint-
ment of the mayor she represented the city of Burl-
ington at the National Convention of the Peace
Society. Mrs. Wells is an accomplished pianist, is
fond of society and of humanity at large. Her beauti-
ful old home, Hickory Hill, has for three generations
been a center of Burliugton hospitality, and every
year is the scene of many brilliant social functions. It
is an interesting bit of family history to note that Mrs.
Wells' mother, Hetta Wells Merrill, whose mother's
name was Mehetabel Worthly Wells, line of ancestry
connects with the line of ancestry of her husband,
Chas. W. Wells, through Thomas Wells of Ipswich,
Mass. (1635) Deacon and Doctor, and member of the
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston.
280 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MRS. HARRIET A. KETCHEM
Harriet A. Ketchem, sculptor, was bom in New
Market, Ohio, July 12, 1846. In 1851 she came with
her parents to Mt. Pleasant. She was educated in the
public schools there and in the Iowa Wesleyau Uni-
versity, but did not complete the course, leaving school
to marr-y William B. Ketchem,. They have three chil-
dren : Alfred, Earnest and Roma, the last one being
born in Rome, her mother named her Roma. It was
not until after her marriage that she began working
in clay; her friends realized that the figures indicated
artistic possibilities and persuaded her to go to Chica-
go to study. She gave ten years of hard work and pa-
tient study to her art in this country, before she went
to Italy, where she studied under several teachers,
spending most of her time in Rome. While there she
made Peri at the Gates of Paradise her best known
work, which was exhibited at the World's Columbian
Exposition in Chicago and which received there fav-
orable criticism by many art critics. It is now in the
library of the State House at Des Moines. When the
committee for the Iowa Soldiers' Monument asked for
designs, forty-seven different models were submitted.
The one made by Mrs. Ketchem was accepted and the
commission given to her. She made busts of President
Lincoln, Senator James Harlan, Senator W. B. Allison
and of Judge Samuel F. Miller, all of which are promi-
nently placed. She w^as an untiring worker, and per-
haps because of the nervous strain under which her
ambition sometimes led her to work, she was stricken
with paralysis and died in October, 1890.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 281
MRS. AMELIA JENKS BLOOMER
Mrs. Amelia Jenks Bloomer, was a native
of Cortland county, New York, but came to
Council Bluffs to live in 1855. She was one of the
pioneers in the Woman's Movement, having been as-
sociated with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stan-
ton, Abby Keller, Elizabeth Smith Miller, and others.
In 1849 she established a paper which had for its ob-
ject the advocating of temperance and equal suft'rage.
It is interesting to note that through all the history of
the effort to gain suft'rage for women, the cause of
temperance has been advocated by the women. Mrs.
Bloomer was a writer of merit and a brilliant speaker.
For years she lectured for these two causes. In 1851
Elizabeth Smith Miller invented a new style of dress
for women, a skirt which reached a little below the
knees and wide Turkish trousers gathered at the ankle.
Mrs. Miller was the first to wear the costume, Elizabeth
Cady Stanton the second and Mrs. Bloomer the third.
The costume was named for her because she advocated
the dress reform in her paper, and the public drew
the inference that she had invented it, so called it the
"Bloomer costume." She was a clever woman and
used the fame of the dress as an advertising medium
for her paper, the subscription to which grew enor-
mously. She was thereby able to reach many more
people with her suft'rage and temperance ideas. She
was the second president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage
Association, having been elected in 1871. She died in
Council Bluffs, Dec. 30, 1894. Her husband. Dexter C.
Bloomer, was a lawyer and journalist and was at one
time mayor of that city. In 1895 he published "Life
and Times of Amelia Bloomer." He was the author
of a history of Pottawattomie county.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. MARGARET McDONALD STAN-
TON
Margaret McDonald Stanton, teacher, member of
the first faculty of the Iowa State College at Ames,
was born in New Concord, Ohio, Oct. 22, 1845, and died
at her home on the college campus, July 2, 1895. A
teacher is not alone one who teaches the rule of three
and the facts and dates of history but one who moulds
character and gives to young people ideals. Margaret
McDonald was educated in the public schools of Ohio,
in the Muskingum College, and in the Young Ladies'
Seminary in Mt. Pleasant, from which she graduated
with honors. She taught in the public schools for sev-
eral years, spending her vacations in the home of an
educated French family, to improve her French,. In
1871 she was elected to the chair of English and French
in the State Agricultural College, as it was then call-
ed. Vocational schools were then an experiment and
there were very few co-educational schools. Largely
through her tact and wisdom did this co-educational
college become popular and many girls came here to
be educated. On Feby. 22, 1877, she was married to
Prof. E. W. Stanton, and in 1879 resigned her position
as teacher, to make a home. Four children were born
to them, one died in infancy. Margaret Hall, on the
campus, is named in her honor, as is also the beautiful
campanile in which a chime of sweet toned bells sound
the hours, and every day from the tower is played
some hymn, bringing to mind the faith, the noble char-
acter, and the womanly graces of the woman whose life
inspired the erection of this monument.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 28S
MRS. WILLIAM OGLESBY GRIFFITH
Helen Sherman Griffith (Mrs. William Oglesby
Griffith) is the youngest daughter of the late Major
Hoyt Sherman, of Des Moines, Iowa, and a niece of
General William T. Sherman. Her father came to Iowa
in 1848, and was a prominent lawyer, banker, and fi-
nancier of Des Moines. During the Civil War, by ap-
pointment of President Lincoln, he was pay-master,
with the rank of Major. Hoyt Sherman Place, the
woman's club house, was their old home. Mrs. Grif-
fith had the habit of scribbling from her littlest girl-
hood, and occasionally was made blissful by having
stories and sketches published in local papers and mag-
azines. At the age of fourteen, when living with her
married sister in Cincinnati, Ohio, she won a prize of
$50.00 for the best short story submitted by girls of
that age, or younger, in the state of Ohio.
Miss Sherman was married in 1896 to William Og-
lesby Griffith, an Englislnnan on his father's side, but
on his mother's side, a grandson of General Oglesby,
of New Orleans. After a year abroad, Mr. and Mrs.
Griffith returned to the United States and settleu in
Washington, moving later to Philadelphia, and it is
since then that Mrs. Griffith has done most of her lit-
erary work, which consists principally of twenty-four
plays for amateur performance, eight books for girls —
six. of them in a series known as the "Letty Books"
two novels and many short stories appearing at differ-
ent times in various magazines. Of these, one was a
prize story, "Some Crimes and a Thief." Mr. and M's
Griffith, with their four children, live at Chestnut Hill,
a suburb of Philadelphia, where Mrs. Griffith continues
her literary work, being at present engaged upon the
seventh of her "Letty Series."
284 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. RACHEL J. WILSON ALBRIGHT
Rachel Wilson Albright, the grand-daughter of Bet-
sy Ross who made the first United States flag, was
born in Philadelphia, June 16, 1812, and died at her
home in Ft. Madison, April 18, 1905, at the age of
ninety-two years. Her daughter, Mrs. Kate Albright
Robinson, the great-grand-daughter of Betsy Ross,
still lives in Ft. Madison. Mrs. Albright, with her hus-
band, came to Ft. Madison in the spring of 1841, bring-
ing with them many family heirlooms, some of which
are priceless. In the collection of furniture are two
chairs, which were in Betsy Ross' parlor at 239 Arch
St., Philadelphia, that morning in 1777, when George
Washington and the committee appointed for the pur-
pose, came to ask Betsy Ross to make the flag. We
like to think that Geo. Washington sat on one of these
chairs that memorable day. The design which George
Washington brought had on it stars with six points.
Betsy Ross, with her scissors, cut a five pointed star
and suggested its use, which suggestion was accepted.
Mrs. Robinson has also in her possession a work box
made in 1837 for her aunt by Miss F. Key, an aunt of
Francis Scott Key, who wrote "The Star Spangled
Banner." Mrs. Albright, and later her daughter, made
duplicates of the original flag made by Betsy Ross.
Many of these flags are in the possession of Daughters
of the American Revolution in Iowa and one is in the
Historical Department in Des Moines. Mrs. Albright
was very quaint and courtley in her manner, and seem-
ed herself quite to belong to colonial times.
The Blue Booh of' Iowa Women 285
MRS. ELIZABEH MARTIN
I haven't the faintest idea where she was born, or
when, but I know in what village she spent her long,
useful life, and on Avhat hillside she lies buried. She
lived in West Point Ta., for many years, where she
taught in the primary grade of the public schools and
later in a private school. She was a Presbyterian and
a Sunday school teacher for forty years. In June,
1903, when she died, Mrs. Max Evans Garretson, wrote
this memorial which was published: "The death of
Mrs. Elizabeth Martin, brings to a great many men
and women, the memory of their first school days.
Those lessons learned from books may have been for-
gotten, but the example of her sweet, pure life, the
lessons taught us by her unselfishness and loving kind-
ness have lived in our minds all these years, and I trust
have borne fruit in the lives of every one of those lit-
tle children. I have no doubt Grandmother's method
of imparting knowledge would be laughed to scorn in
these days of Froebel. I fancy the method of teaching
fractions with the aid of apples and cookies for dem-
onstration is not in use now. I am very sure no teacher
today would permit the little children of her school to
call her 'Grandmother.' Be that as it may, I know
that in those days when she held a private school in
the kitchen of her little brown house on the common,
she laid as firm a foundation for an education as the
most modern expert in child study. God, Himself,
only knew the bitter sorrows of her life, but her coun-
tenance was always cheerful to her little friends. We
who were taught by her may pay to her memory a
daily tribute by living upright lives and by bearing
life's ills with a brave spirit and a cheerful counte-
nance."
The Bine Book of Iowa Women
MISS FLORENCE ELIZABETH WARD
Miss Florence Elizabeth Ward, head of the kinder-
garten department, Iowa State Teachers' College, was
born in Wisconsin and is the daughter of Lemuel J.
Ward and Elizabeth Herrington. She is a graduate of
the Chicago Kindergarten College in the class of 1903.
She is one of the foremost kindergartners in this coun-
try. When the American Civic Association sent a com-
mission to Great Britain and Europe to study primary
schools, Miss Ward was appointed on the commission.
In 1912 she went to Rome to study the Montessori
method first hand. Since her return she has written a
book, "Ten Practical Talks on the Montessori Method
for Home, Kindergarten and Primary School," which
was published by the MacMillan Co. of New York,
and is considered one of the clearest expositions of the
Montessori method yet publishd. She has delivered
many lectures on primary and kindergarten subjects,
child study, etc., before chautauquas, and teachers' as-
sociations, as well as before city audiences. She is a
member of the Congregational church, is a member of
the Propagation Committee of the International Kin-
dergarten Union, member of the educational com-
mittee of the I. F. W. C, of the educational com-
mittee of the Iowa Society, D. A. R., is chairman of the
educational committee, Iowa Congress of Mothers,
chairman of the Iowa Department of school patrons
of the National Educational Association, member of
the educational committee of the General Federation
of Women's Clubs. She is a member of the Waterloo
Woman's Club and is a member of the Daughters of
the American Revolution. She has contributed to
many school journals and other school publications.
The Blue, Bool of Iowa Wowsn 387
MRS. ELBERT W. ROCKWOOD
Laura Clarke Roekwood, writer and lecturer, was
born in Iowa City, which is still her home. She is a
daughter of Charles Franklin Clarke and Julia Brown.
Her father is a direct descendant of a brother of Ben-
jamin Franklin. She is a graduate of the State Uni-
versity of Iowa, with the degrees B. Ph. and M. A. ; a
member of Phi Beta Kappa. She took post graduate
work at Yale, Stoute Institute, and in Leipzig Uni-
versit}^ and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
On March 21, 1894, she was married to Dr. Elbert W.
Roekwood, professor of chemistry and toxicology of
the State Univeristy of Iowa. They have two children,
— Paul Redd Roekwood, and Alan Clarke Roekwood.
She is a member of the Congregational church, is
President of the N. N. Club, a local organization, ac-
tive in the college sorority, Phi Beta Kappa, and presi-
dent of the King's Daughters. She is special advisor
of the household economics committee of the I. F.
W. C, and is chairman of the state social service
committee of King's Daughters. She is the author of
"Food Preparation and its Relation to the Develop-
ment of Efficient Personality in the Home," "Dignified
Drudgery," and has contributed numerous articles on
household topics to leading magazines and periodicals.
She believes in the justice of equal suffrage but does
not believe it is expedient. She is fond of society,
music, and of everything out of doors. She is one of
the exceptionally well educated women of Iowa, hav-
ing had unusual advantages in this country and
abroad, and having spent her life in the atmosphere of
a university town.
288 The Blue Bnok of Iowa Women
MRS. LEONARD MATLESS
Josephine IngfalLs Matless was born in Keokuk, but
in early childhood moved with her parents to Ft. Mad-
ison, where she lived until her marriage returning
then to Keokuk which is her home. Her father, Charles
John Ingalls, was descended- from Edmund Ingalls,
who came to Lynn, Mass., from Lincolnshire, Eng., in
1629. In early manhood Charles J. Ingalls was a pro-
fessor of music in Boston where he was a director of
choral societies and orchestras. Her mother was Lo-
vinna Saxe, granddaughter of Jacob Saxe, of Saxe-
Coburg, a hero of the Revolutionary war. Mrs.
Matless received her early education in the schools
of Ft. Madison. She studied vocal and instrumental
music in Chicago and dramatic art from one of the
leading teachers of Boston. For several years she
taught school in Ft. Madison, at the same time keep-
ing up her musical studies. On Jany. 9, 1894, she was
married to Leonard Matless, of Keokuk, secretary of
the Huiskamp Bros, Co. manufacturers of shoes. He
is the son of Leonard and Matilda Gobel Matless,
natives of England who came to Keokuk in 1853, and
belongs to one of the oldest families in Keokuk. They
hav^e two children. Leonard Ingalls Matless and Ruth
Ingalls Matless. Among ]\Irs. Matless' distinguished
relatives are John J. Ingalls, the statesman and John
G. Saxe the poet, lecturer and journalist, however,
"Greatness is not an affair of station or birth or abil-
ity; its secret is service for the common good. The
inventors, the statesmen, the thinkers, the discoverers,
the writers whose names are among the immortals
made their talents count for humanity's good." She
fills a peculiar niche in Keokuk having a specially
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 289
helpful influence in the club, social and religious life
of the young people. For several years she was su-
perintendent of the Girls' Missionary society of the
First Westminster Presbyterian church, to which she
belongs. She is one of the assistant superintendents
of the Bible school and has charge of all the special
programs given during the year in the school. She
teaches a class of youug girls and supervises the
music of the school. For several years she has been
sponsor of the student's auxiliary of the Monday
Music club and has planned their yearly programs.
When a committee was appointed by a mass meeting
of citizens to plan for the establishment of supervised
public playgrounds, Mrs. Matless was the only woman
appointed on the committee, being the representative
of the Civic League. She is deeply interested in the
welfare of the public schools and is secretary of the
Parent Teachers' Association. In 1913, when because
of a ward feeling which had been aroused on the
question of the erection of public school buildings in
Keokuk, a school bond election failed to carry and it
seemed impossible to secure public consent for the
erection of much needed school buildings, Mrs. Mat-
less with remarkable generalship secured the neces-
sary petition signatures and organized and command-
ed the campaign that was conducted in support of the
bond issue, which was successfully carried. Mrs.
Matless sang in the Presbyterian choir for many years,
was president of the Woman's Home Missionary so-
ciety and has contributed to missionary magazines.
She is a member of the board of directors of the
Y. W. C. A., a member of the Civic League, Current
Events Club, Country Club, and a director of the Mon-
day Music club. She has written a number of cantattas
290 The Blue Boole of Iowa Women
and plays which have been presented in Keokuk and
elsewhere to audiences appreciative of their excellence
but unconscious of their origin. Among her most
prized possessions is a Cremona violin made in 1690
by Andreas Amati, a violin which has been played by
the great artists, in many capitals of Europe. It is
one of the few violins of that period in this country.
Another possession is a fine old English harp which
is a family heirloom.
The Blue Booh of Iowa Women 291
MRS. J. C. SANDERS
Laura Snider Sanders is doing a unique sers'ice for
this state, in aiding her hushand in his work of mak-
ing men over, of changing the lives and the view-point
of the hundreds of men whom the laws of Iowa give
into his charge because they have violated those laws.
She is the wife of the warden of the Iowa penitenti-
ary at Ft. Madison who was the first man to try the
honor system in a penitentiary. It had been tried to
a limited degree in the reformatories and juvenile
courts. That the plan has justified itself is proven by
the prisoners who almost never break their faith with
the warden; and by the records of the men who have
left the prison by pardon or expiration of sentence ; of
these by far the larger per cent are leading straight
and honorable lives. They have gone out with a dif-
ferent conception of duty and citizenship than they
had before meeting warden Sanders and his wife.
Prison experts from all parts of the U. S. and some
from abroad come to study warden Sanders' methods,
and so prisoners everywhere are benefitting from his
ideas and ideals. He began by making the prison
itself more sanitary. He asked his wife to look into
the housekeeping and to the food given the prisoners.
Under her supervision many changes were made, the
men now eat supper in the dining room instead of a
bite in their hand taken to the cell. All that soap
and water can do for the place was ordered and now
it is clean and wholesome. She planned meals of
good and well-cooked food. The kitchen dietary
daily will excel any we ever scanned for so large a
number of persons.
Fifty men were interviewed and found stolid and
292 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
stupid and wellnigh forgetting how to speak and
think; they were gloomy and had many of them lost
their identity. He ordered the men called by their
names. To reawaken the minds of many of the men,
who were somewhat competent, he organized a debat-
ing and literary society which meets regularly each
week and has proven a great factor in keeping up the
mental life of the prisoners. A regular Lyceum lec-
ture course was established, this Iowa prison being
the first penal institution in the world to have a full
lecture course of platform speakers and entertainers.
Saturday afternoon after the labor hours of the week
are over the men are allowed a game of base ball.
This alone goes a long way in the matter of good dis-
cipline as only those who have a clean record for the
week are entitled to the privilege of the yard games.
Mrs. Sanders is a firm believer in the open policy,
as it is called, at the Iowa prison. It came about in
this way: One day the warden was in the hospital
and said to an inmate there who had a pretty bad
record, "What would you do, James, if I gave you a
job outside the walls?" "I'd run like hell, warden,"
This was a disappointing reply, to the man who had
wished for months that he dared try putting men on
their honor outside the walls. At the end of the week
the prisoner left the hospital, but asked the privilege
of speaking to the warden, and said, "I have been
thinking over the answer that I gave you a few
days ago, warden ; of course I know you did not mean
to give me a job outside, but I want to tell you now,
that if you trusted me enough to give me a job out-
side the walls, and without a guard, I'll cut off my
right hand before I'll do you dirt, in trying to run
away." So he experimented with this man, and let
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 293
him take the cow to a pasture two miles away, every-
day, and to care for the lawn around the warden's
house. The man never for a moment broke faith.
This led to the full persuasion to give other prisoners
the same chance. Picking his men carefully he ap-
plied the honor system to one and another until now
on many a day there are from 150 to 200 men work-
ing outside the walls with guards or overseers, who
go unarmed. The prisoners cultivate 700 acres of
land. All of this has been brought about in six years.
The warden and his wife have thus earned the con-
fidence of the State Board of Control, and of the
thinking citizens of the state, and the respect and de-
votion of the prisoners in their care.
Mrs. Sanders was born in Kilbourne City, Wis.,
near the dells of the Wisconsin river, the daughter of
Henry Randolph and Eliza Christy Snider. Since her
marriage she has liven in Iowa. In the church and
social life of every city, where they have liven until
coming to the warden's position, she has been a real
factor and a great help. As a family they are church
people, being communicants of the Presbyterian
church in Ft. Madison. She is a prominent member
of the P. E. 0. sisterhood, and a past matron of the
Eastern Star order; besides at other times identified
with the Federated Woman's Clubs of the state. Her
inspiration, encouragement and faith have entered
into all the work which has been done by that very
unusual man, her husband.
294 The Blue Book of Iowa Women
MRS. FRANK WALCOTT WEBSTER
Mrs. Louise Rhine Webster was born in Hartford,
Iowa, daughter of Joshua Wilson Rhine and Malinda
Wilson. Her grandfather, John Rhine, was one of
Washington's life guards. She was educated in the
Indianola schools, at Ackworth Academy and in
Drake University. For several years she taught in
the public schools of Des Moines. On March 31, 1891
she was married in Des Moines to Frank Walcott
Webster, a descendant of Henry Walcott, through
Wm. Bradford to the Rev. John Walcott, colonial
governor of Connecticut. They have three children,
Frank Rhine Walcott Webster, Louise Walcott Web-
ster, and Theodore Walcott Webster. Mrs. Webster
belongs to the Disciples' church, University Place, to
the Des Moines Women's Club, a member of the board
of management and chairman of the art committee,
to Abigail Adams Chapter D. A. R., of which she
has been vice-regent and secretary. She organ-
ized the Beacon Hill Chapter, Children of the Ameri-
can Revolution, having fifty members and was the
president two years. She has served as chairman of
state D. A. R. committees, is a member of the Mississ-
ippi Valley Historical Society, Des Moines Musical
Association, Unity Circle, Equal Suffrage League, was
president of the Des Moines Federation of Women's
Clubs, 1913-14. She is now chairman of the school of
methods for the Iowa Suffrage Association and has
made many addresses in the state along this line. She
has contributed to periodicals and magazines, for
some time being a department editor. She is the
author of many verses which have been published,
some of which have been set to music. She is a
woman of much ability and many talents.
The Blue Book of Iowa Women 296
MRS. GRACE WILBUR TROUT
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, the woman who is said to
have done more to bring equal suffrage to Illinois than
any other woman in that state, was born in Iowa, edu-
cated in the schools of Iowa and lived here until after
her marriage. Her public work having been for the
greater part done since moving to Chicago, her name
is associated with the activities of Illinois women.
She was born in Maquoketa and attended the public
schools there. She was married in Maquoketa to
George W. Trout and lived there for several years
after their marriage. She is the mother of three sons,
the youngest of whom died in 1912, at the age of
twenty-one. A number of years ago she made a study
of Mormonism, in its religious, social and political
phases and as a result of that study wrote a book "A
Mormon Wife." She is a lecturer of marked ability
and has lectured in eight different states on the
Chautauqua platform and before clubs and city au-
diences. Her best known lectures are Suffrage from
an American Woman's Standpoint and The English
Novel as a Social Protest. She is state president of
the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association and led the
campaign in Springfield which brought equal suffrage
to Illinois in 1913. She is president of the Ladies'
Auxiliary of the Ashland Club of Chicago, a member
of the West End Woman's Club, of the Chicago
Woman's Club, of the Chicago chapter D. A. R., and
was president of the Chicago Political Equality
League 1911-12. Her home is at 434 Forest Ave, "Oak
Parkj Chicago.
2d6 The Blue Booh of Iowa Women
MISS JULIA E. OFFICER
Julia E. Officer, musician, was born in Council
Bluffs, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Mills
Pusey Officer, who came to Iowa in 1856, both descend-
ed from pioneer Pennsylvania families. She was
graduated from the college for women at Rockford,
111., with the degree B. A. She was also graduated
from the musical department of that college with the
degree B. M. She took post-graduate work in music
in Boston and Chicago. She has appeared as concert
pianist in many cities. She was a teacher of piano in
Chicago, Omaha and Council Bluffs, having also been
pipe organist in prominent churches of these cities.
During her residence in Chicago she was a member of
the Apollo Musical Club. During the Trans-
Mississippi Exposition in Omaha, she was manager of
the musical features of the exposition, and of the
musical festival. For three years she was director of
the choir in the First Presbyterian church of Council
Bluffs. She is interetsed in athletics for boys and
girls. She was prominent in promoting public super-
vised playgrounds. At her own expense she brought
a number of celebrated speakers to lecture on the sub-
ject. She has made a valuable collection of historical
pictures of pioneer days of Council Bluff's, which she
presented to the public library. One is a picture of
Abraham Lincoln in 1859 on his visit to Council
Bluffs, when he determined that that city should be
the eastern terminus of the U. P. R. R. She is a char-
ter member of the first literary woman's club of Coun-
cil Bluffs, president of the first woman's musical club
of Omaha and Council Bluffs.
The Bl ue Boole of Iowa Women 297
REV. MARION MURDOCH
Marion Murdock, Unitarian minister, was born in
Granaville, Iowa, Oct. 9, 1853. She is the daughter of
Samuel and Eliza Pach Murdock, Iowa pioneers. She
received her classical education in the Boston Uni-
versity. She studied for the ministry at the Mead-
ville Theological school, from which she was gradu-
ated with the degree B. D. She took post-graduate
work at the Oxford University. For five years she
was minister of the Unitarian church at Humboldt and
exerted a marked influence on the schools and social
life of that town. For six years she was pastor of a
church in Cleveland, 0. At the end of her ministry in
Cleveland she became a supply and missionary minis-
ter, in that capacity she has visited all parts of the
United States. She spent a year in Europe studying
art, and has been an art and literature leader and
teacher in clubs and classes in various cities. She is a
writer of both prose and poetry and has contributed
to many periodicals. She is president of tlie League
of Women in the Ministry, is a member of the Drama
League of America. She was one of the speakers at
the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago during
the World's Columbian Exposition, the subject of her
address was "What Did Phoebe Do?" and was pub-
lished in Dr. Barrow's book on the parliament. She
is an arts and crafts worker and is a specialist in bird
study. Her home is at 9 Warland Str., Cambridge,
INDEX
Page
Dedication - - 5
Preface - - - 7
Mrs. Geo. W. Clarke - 9
Mrs. W. L.. Harding - 10
Mrs. A. J. Barkley - - 11
Mrs. Cynthia W. Alden - 13
Mrs. Helen R. Andrew - 14
Mrs. Alice Bird Babb - 15
Dr. Margaret Clark - 17
Mrs. Matilda A. Arp - 18
Mrs. Lucius Andrew - 19
Mrs. David C. Brockman 20
Mrs. Drayton W. Bushnell 21
Mrs. W. E. Blake - - 23
Dr. Kate Stevens Harpel 24
Mrs. Annie T. Wittenmyer 25
Mrs. E. F. Brockway - 26
Miss Eleanor Brown - 27
Mrs. Addie B. Billington 28
Mrs. William A. Brownell 29
Mrs. Johnathan P. Dolliver 30
Mrs. Randolph S. Beall ai
Miss Helen Manville Hen-
shaw - - 32
Mrs. Edward R. Burkhalter 35
Mrs. John A. Berry - 36
Mrs. John Butler - - 37
Mrs. Eugene S. Baker - 38
Miss Flora Dunlap - 39
Mrs. Dixie C. Gebhardt - 41
Miss Florence Brinkman - 42
Mrs. Margaret Warner Mor-
ley - - - - - 43
Mrs. W. D. Evans - - 44
Miss Anne B. Davis - - 46
Mrs. James S. Bellamy - 4 8
Miss Margaret Gay Dolliver 49
Mrs. A. R. Dewey - - 50
Miss M. Margaret Baker 51
Miss Josephine Babcock - 52
Mrs. Lillian West Brown
Buck - - - - 53
Mrs. Edward L. Butler - 54
Mrs. Horace Barnes - 55
Mrs. W. H. Baily - - 56
Page
Miss Elizabeth W. Dunlap 57
Mrs. Ed. E. Egan - - 58
Miss Alice French - - 59
Mrs. Hazen I. Sawyer - 60
Mrs. F. S. Burberry - 61
Mrs. Eleanor Hoyt Bralnard 62
Mrs. Geo. H. France - 63
Mrs. D. A. Collier - - 65
Mrs. Chauncey P. Colegrove 67
Mrs. Helen M Comstock 68
Mrs. Julia Ellen Rogers - 69
Mrs. Geo. W. Delaplain 70
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt 71
Mrs. A. H. Fortune - - 72
Miss Susan Glaspell - 73
Miss Ruthana Paxson - 74
Miss Harriet Solomon - 76
Mrs. Victor G. Coe - - 77
Miss Jennie Coulter - 78
Mrs. Hiram J. Chittenden 79
Miss Emma Kate Corkhill 80
Mrs. A. E. Connable - 81
Mrs. D. N. Cooley - - 82
Mrs. Roger N. Cresap - 83
Mrs. John H. Cole - - 84
Dr. Carrie B. Collier - 85
Mrs. Julia Chapin Grinnell 86
Mrs. Chas. P. Frantz - 88
Mrs. F. F. Faville - - 89
Mrs. Belle Hanson - - 90
Mrs. Dell P. Glazier - 91
Mrs. E. D. Chassill - - 93
Mrs. Geo. P. Grinnell - 94
Mrs. Wm. E. Stewart - 95
Dr. Jennie Grist - - 96
Mrs. D. B. Hamill - - 97
Mrs. Julia Clark Hallam 98
Mrs. Thomas Goss - - 99
Dr. Ella R. Gilmour - 100
Mrs. A. D. Howard - 101
Mrs. Frederic P. Hartsook 102
Mrs. F. M. Hopkins - 103
Mrs. I. A. Sawyer - - 104
Mrs. Maria Purdy Peck 105
Mrs. A. S. Hazleton - 107
Pajre
Mrs.
E. W. Gardner
108
Mrs.
Eugene Henley
109
Miss
Florence Armstrong
110
Miss
Nannie P. Fulton -
112
Mrs.
Nora Babbitt Harsh
113
Mrs.
Mary T. Watts
115
Miss
Harriet Lake
118
Mrs.
Elizabeth S. Norris
119
Mrs.
Charles E. Perkins
121
Mrs.
Charles A. Gibbs -
123
Mrs.
William Logan
124
Mrs.
F. M. Hubbell
126
Mrs.
W. R. Law -
127
Mrs.
B. B. Griffith
128
Mrs.
Henry J. Howe
129
Mrs.
Henry Goss
130
Miss
Maisy B. Schreiner
131
Rev.
Eleanor Gordon
132
Mrs.
Susie M. B. Healey
134
Mrs.
J. G. Hutchison --
135
Mrs.
H. R. Howell
136
Mrs.
Geo. H. Johnson
137
Mrs.
James B. Howell -
138
Mrs.
Roger S. Galer
140
Mrs.
H. E. Jewell
141
Rev.
Effie McCollum Jones
14 2
Mrs.
James B. Diver
143
Mrs.
E. J. Keller
147
Mrs.
George Harpel
148
Mrs.
Charles W. MuUan
149
Miss
S. Elizabeth Matheney
151
Mrs.
Dorothy C. Ketcham
152
Mrs.
J. B. Morrison
153
Mrs.
Max Mayer
155
Mrs.
G. B. Mcintosh
156
Mrs.
Belle A. Mansfield -
157
Mrs.
Thomas Metcalf
159
Mrs.
Arthur W. Mann -
160
Mrs.
Julia B. McKibben
161
Mrs.
Alice S. Miller
162
Mrs.
Anson Marsten
163
Mrs.
La Verne Noyea
164
Mrs.
Ola B. Miller
167
Mrs.
Walter McHenry
168
Mra
Geo. W. Needles
169
Page
Mrs. Mary H. S. Johnston 170
Mrs. Samuel Younker - 171
Mrs. L. F. Andrews - 172
Miss Mary Osmond - 173
Mrs. Sherman I. Pool - 175
Mrs. Adaline M. Payne - 17 8
Miss Cora Ellen Porter 179
Mrs. Benj. F. Shambaugh 180
Mrs. Ada Langworthy Col-
lier .... igi
Mrs. W. H. Cowles - 182
Mrs. Fred Townsend - 183
Mrs. Howard Tedford - 184
Mrs. Clara R. Titus - 185
Mrs. Mary B. Price - 187
Miss Margaret Preble - 188
Miss Emily Calkins Steb-
bins - - - - 189
Mrs. J. J. Seerley - - 190
Miss Nellie V. Walker - 191
Mrs. H. L. Waterman - 193
Mrs. Jane B. Ringland - 194
Mrs. Geo. D. Rand - 195
Miss Nann Clark Barr 198
Miss Stella M. Porter - 199
Mrs. L. F. Parker - 200
Mrs. Albert Myron Price 201
Miss Annie E. Packer - 202
Mrs. Chas. Wilson Pinker-
ton - - - - 203
Miss Edith Prouty - 204
Mrs. Frank Price - 206
Mrs. FVancls D. Reid - 207
Miss Grace Roberts - 208
Mrs. Effle H. Rogers - 209
Mrs. Geo. W. Randle - 211
Dr. Alice Turner - - 212
Mrs. E. E. Sherman - 213
Mrs. Geo. P. Sanford - 214
Mrs. Samuel K. Stephenson 215
Mrs. T. D. Stockman - 217
Miss May Rogers - - 218
Miss Katherine H. Scott 220
Mrs. Alta H. Sullivan 221
Mrs. H. B. Scott - - 222
P.fC
Mrs.
Prince E. Sawyer
223
Mrs.
Jacob B. Stern
224
Mrs.
Henry A. Schlick -
224
Miss
Emma Schwenker -
226
Mrs.
Theodore P. Stiontz
227
Mrs.
Eleanor J. Hawk -
229
Mrs.
J. L.. Sawyers
230
Mrs.
P. May Tuttle
231
Miss
Ida Van Hon
232
Mrs.
O. R. Yaeger
233
Mrs.
J. M. Earle
234
Mrs.
Clara P. Sheldon
235
Mrs.
Rebecca H. S. Pollard
236
Mrs.
G. W. Sturdivant -
238
Mrs.
W. G. Blood
239
Miss
Gulielma Zollinger
241
Mrs.
Prank Travers
242
Mrs.
Albert C. Zaiser
243
Mrs.
George A. Young
244
Mrs.
Roma Wheeler Woods
245
Mrs.
Thomas S. Wells -
246
Miss
Mamie E. Weller -
247
Mrs.
Francis B. Whitley
248
Mrs.
S. O. Thomas
250
Mrs.
Horace M. Towner -
251
Mrs.
F. P. Webber
252
Mrs.
Helen Lusk Evans -
253
Miss
Elizabeth G. Ivins -
255
Mrs.
William S. Ivins -
256
Mrs.
Drusllla Allen Stod-
dard
258
Mrs.
Annice Baldwin Tracy
259
Mrs.
Joseph J. Ayres -
260
Page
Mrs. Catharine Beattle Cox 262
Mrs. Geo. Ersklne Kil-
boume . . - 264
Mrs. S. F. Prouty - - 267
Mrs. J. K. Macomber - 268
Mrs. James G. Berryhill 269
Miss Carrie Harrison - 270
Mrs. Myron D. Smith - 271
Mrs. James Callanan - 272
Rev. Mary A. Safford - 273
Mrs. Ada E. Worth - 274
Miss Lottie E. Granger - 275
Mrs. Austin Adams - 277
Mrs. Gate Gilbert Wells 278
Mrs. Harriett A. Ketchem 280
Mrs. Amelia Jenks Bloomer 181
Mrs. Margaret McD. Stan-
ton - - - - 282
Mrs. Wm. Oglesby Griffith 283
Mrs. Rachel J. Wilson Al-
bright - - - 284
Mrs. Elizabeth Martin - 285
Miss Florence Elizabeth
Ward - - - 286
Mrs. Elbert W. Rockwood 287
Mrs. Leonard Matless - 288
Mrs. J. C. Sanders - 291
Mrs. Frank Walcott Web-
ster - - - - 294
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout 295
Miss Julia Officer - - 296
Rev. Marlon Murdock - 297
