llPiPPEilKi'UH:^;-^ «* ,0 0, V.0 • o.^' ,o' V* v » aV •*-» r>; ^- 'ill ' ^^v./ -^ K'^'^- \> * - • ° ' .^f'" xO=?*. *- -^ ^^^•^X /vf'^^> V^"~^\\ /.^::;44^^^ c .^0■' ''7:.'\^^\.,.%_ \0°<. o'^'^ . " " "" ,^i, ♦ D N ^ .V yi a /! r/^^^ ^^/J^^ / ^/6 ^o^Vz^ r^<=^ ■<2y SO- J<3^ l^ BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF LEE COUNTY, IOWA CONTAINING BIOGRAPHICAL and GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES of MANY OF THE PROMINENT CITIZENS OF TO-DAY AND ALSO OF THE PAST '■'■Biography is the only true history." — Emerson. ILaLaUSTRATRD CHICAGO HOBART PUBLISHING COMPANY 1905 ^.JV 'Tlic liislory of a nation is best told in the H-rcs of its people." — Macatlay. PREFACE The present age is happily awake to the duty of writing- its own records, setting down what is best worth remembering in the lives of the busy toilers of today, noting, not in vain glory, but with an honest pride and sense of fitness, things worthy of emulation, that thus the good men do may live after them. The accounts here rendered are not of buried talents, but of used ability and opportunity. The conquests recited are of mind over matter, of cheerful labor directed by thought, of honest, earnest endeavor which subdues the earth in the divinely appointed way. "The great lesson of biography." it is said, "is to show what man can be and do at his best." A noble life put fairlv on record acts like an inspiration, and no more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent public. In this volume will be found a rectird of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land.- It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk of life who have striven to succeed, and records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of those, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued the "even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them, as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy, "They have done what they could." It tells how many, in the pride and strength of young manhood left all and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the land. Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public record, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible given to those rejiresented to insure correctness in what has been written ; and the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. Yours respectfully, January, 1905. HOB.\RT PUBLISHING COMP.WV. ". / l^coplc that take no pndc m the imblc achici'cinciits of remote aiieestors khI! never aclnevc anything zvorthy to be remembered with pride by remote generations." — Macaulay. BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF LEE COUNTY, IOWA SAMUEL ATLEE. Samuel Atlee, honored and respected by all not alone because of his success, Init by reason of the straightforward methods he has ever followed, has in a long and active business career developed ideas into com- mercial possibilities and transmuted im- mature plans into marketable commodities. The extent and importance of his business interests and connections at the present day render him one of the prominent factors in conunercial, industrial and financial circles in southeastern Iowa, and l;iis investments efifect trade relations and promote business prosperity o\-er a wide territory. The nnme of Atlee has figured in the history of I.ee county since 1836, when John C. and Kmeline S. (Brooks) Atlee, estab- lished their h(^me in Fort Madison. It was but two years later on the 29th of October, 1838, that their son, Samuel Atlee, was born. He accpiired his preliminary education in the public and private schools of Fort Madi- son and afterward continued his studies in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he pursued a business course that qualilied him for en- trance into the active career which has since claimed his time and energies. Returning to Fort Madison, he entered his father's mill not a.s the hani])ered son of a prosperous parent, but as an employe who made it his object to fully qualify himself for the busi- ness by a mastery of every detail in each de- partment. Gradually as he acquainted him- self with the trade in its \'arious branches he assumed the management and eventually in 1868 was admitted to a partnership. Con- secutive progress has marked his endeavors and as opT)ortunitv has offered and tnide de- manded he has enlarged the plant until it has a capacity of about twenty-five million feet of lumber aiuuially, while employment is furnished to three hundred workmen. The mill is ec|uippcd with modern machinery and every facilit\- to advance the business and the entire plant and yards cover thirty- five acres. F.xcellent shipping facilities ha\e been secured, private tracks connecting the yards with all of the railroads entering Fort Madison. The business is largely con- ducted along wholesale lines, but a retail de- partment is now in operation. Mr. .\tlee owns luniher lands in Minnesota and Wis- 12 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW consin, while during the winter months he gives employment to many men to prepare the timber for shipment to the mill to be mainitactured into a product for the lumber market. This is but one of the interests which claim the attention and have profited by the co-operation of Samuel Atlee. He was a prominent factor in the organization of the Lee County Savitig's Bank, which was in- corporated in 1889 and at the first meeting of this board of directors he was elected president, wliicli position he still holds. The bank was capitalized for thirty thousand dollars, which amount has since been in- creased to fifty thousand dollars and the in- stitution now has a surplus of $10,000 and deposits amounting to $500,000. In 1895 was erected the structure now known as the Lee County Savings Bank Building at the corner of Second and Market streets. It is 50x145 feet, is three stories in height, was constructed of lirown sandstone and is the best building in this section of the state. The bank occujiies the rooms on the ground floor at the corner and the adjoining room is occupied by tlie postoffice. The bank is equipped with the latest devices for safetv protection as well as for convenience in con- ducting the banking business. The second story of the building is de\i)ted to offices and the third floor is utilized by the Ma.sonic fra- ternity. .Mr. .\tlee installed the electric light plant that is used in lighting the city and also for private lighting and in this enter- prise was associated in the ownership with hia father. The ]>lant was established in 1887 and has been enlarged from time to time until it is now very extensive. Mr. Atlce is a director of the Street Railway Company, of Fort Madison, and is finan- cially interestetl in the Fort Madison Can- ning Factory, which gi\es employment to many operatives during the season. Public spirited in citizenship and a stanch Rc])ublican in his political views Mr. -\tlee has. however, never .sought nor de- sired oftice. but his position in the regard of his- fellow townsmen was indicated by his election in the years 1893, 1895 and 1899 to the mayoralty. He gave to the city an efficient, business-like administration, con- ducting municipal affairs with the same sjjirit of industry and enterprise that has e\'er been manifested in his private com- mercial and industrial interests. It was dur- ing his terms in office that the sewer system was inaugurated and that much of the pav- ing in Fort Madison was laid. Fraternally a Mason, he belongs to Stella Lodge, Free and Ac('ei)ted Masons; Potowonok Chapter, l\o\:d .\rch Masons, and Delta Command- er)-. Knights Templar. l)n the 20th of January, 1867. Mr. Atlee was married to Miss Nancy M. Wright, of '■"ort Madison, a daughter of Mrs. Rosanna Wrigln. Mrs. .\tlee died March 29, 1904. Mr. .\tlee has a beautiful home in the midst of attractive grounds at the corner of Fourth and Market streets, in the city which has been his ])lace of residence diroughout his entire life, save for a brief period in his bovhood, when his parents resided upon the farm in Lee county. To him there has come tlie attainment of a distingui.shed position in connection with imjiortant productive in- dustries and financial cnter])rises. It is true LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 13 that in early iiiaiihond lie became interested in a business already established, but he had the foresisjht and capability to develop and enlarge this and has also extended his efforts into various other fields, his entire career pi-o\'ini;' that success is not a matter of genius, but the direct result of sound judg- ment, experience, commendable ambition and honoralile pur])ose. JOHN C. ATLEE. John C. Atlee, of Fort Madison, now deceased, who as a pioneer in the develop- ment of the lumber industry of southeastern Iowa and an active promoter of railroad construction contributed in a large measure to the substaiuial upbuilding and prcjgress t)f the state, his lal)ors entitling him to classification with its founders and builders, was descended from English ancestry. A nati\e of Marxland, he was born ou the J2d of March, 1816, and spent his youth in tiiat state, living with his paternal grand- parents. Subsef|nently he removed to New ^'ork city, where he entered U])ou an ap- prenticeship to the carpenter's trade and when his term of indenture had ended he was employed as a journeyman in New \nvk city for several years. The keen fore- sight which enabled him in Later years to recognize and im])rove business opportuni- ties led him to seek a home in the West and he went by way of the sea to New Orleans and thence to Mobile, .\labania, working in different cities at his trade. His .sojourn in tile South, liowe\er, was temporary and he made his way up the Mississippi river to l-'ort Madison, where he arrived in 1836, finding an embryo town with the develop- ment and upbuilding, with which he be- came closely associateil. He continued his active connection with building operations until 1S41. assi.stiug in the construction of many of the more important of the earlv i)uiidings of b'urt Madismi. in the year mentioned, however, he removed to Cedar township, where he purchased a tract of land and developed a farm, but after car- rying on agricultural pursuits for eleven years he returned U\ fort Madison in 1S52 and began the lumber business. He dealt in the manufactured product until 1855, when in connection with a Mr. Bennett, under the firm name of Atlee & Rennett, he built a sawmill, which the\' operated for two years. On the expiration of that period he purchased his partner's interest, thus be- coming sole ])roprietor. The mill was lo- cateil on the ])resent site of the extensive Atlee lumber enler])rise of Fort Madison that is now c inducted by his son, Samuel Atlee. The father enlarged the mill from time to time as the demand for his product increased and became the owner of the first extensive lumber industry of the city. He was also the first man to bring logs down the river to be mruiuf.actured into a market- able commodity and he carefully watched for indications pointing to success, enlarg- ing and developing his business as he saw opportunity until its importance as a pro- ductive iuflustry of southeastern Iowa was widelv .acknowledged. About 1868 he ad- 14 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW initted his sun Samuel to a partnersliip and the firm style of S. & J. C. Atlee was as- sumed. The relation between father and son was maintained for some time, Init ultimately the father retired from active business life some years prior to his death. Had he confined his attention alone to his lumber business he would haVe merited dis- tinction as a citizen of southeastern Towa who had won notable success, and yet he extended his efforts into other fields of activity that resulted to the great benefit of the state as well as to his individual pros- perity. He was instrumental in securing- the buildint^ of tlie St. Louis. Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad, now a part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system through Fort Madison. He was likewise instrumental in the building of the Chicago, Burlington & Kansas City road and with B. W. lOavis took the contract for building the section of the roafi from Fort Madison to Farmington. It was also largely through his influence that the narrow gauge road to West I'oint. now a branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, was con- structed and his labors proved a potent fac- tor in securing the extension of the Santa Fe Railroad to Fort Madison. No other element has done more to advance civiliza- tion and ])roniote industrial and commer- cial activity than has railroad building and in this connection Mr. Atlee's service proved of direct and lasting lienefit to liis adopted state. .\ stanch ad\ocate of Re- publican principles from the organization of tile party to the time of his demise John C. Atlee, although without aspirations for public office, represented his ward in the city council and was also a member of the school board. He was es])ecially interested in edu- cational matters and township improvements and was a co-operant factor in many measures that resulted beneficially to Fort Madison and Lee county. b'raternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, his association therewith dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century. Mr. .\tlee was married at Quincy. Il- linois, in 1836. to Miss Emeline S. Brooks. of Boston. Massachusetts, a representative of the same family to which Philips Brooks, the noted dixine. belonged. ^Ir. and Mrs. .Atlee became the parents of four children who reached adult age : Samuel : Martha, the wife of Peter Okell, of Fort Madison; Margaret, the wife of (j. M. Hanchett, and William H. The life record of John C. Atlee forms no unimportant chapter in the history of Lee county, for along business, social, po- litical, educational and moral lines his in- fluence was felt as a directing force and his labors were of acknowledged benefit. HON. EDWARD JOHNSTONE. Edward Johnstone was for half a cen- turv one of the most prominent and dis- tinguished citizens of Iowa, and was a leader in business and political affairs, as well as a man of most extensive information and versatile talents. No man in the State LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 15 of Iowa was better kiKnvn (ir more Iii.i^hly mil for the West, locating at Mineral Point, respected than was lie. In almost every Wisconsin, where he remained niitil tlie pnhlic enterprise he was a prominent hgure, fall of the same year, when he went to yet he ne\er sought preferment, although Burlington, then the cajjital of Iowa, and he possessed qualifications for the highest served as clerk in the territorial legislature, oftices. During that session he was appointed one Hon. Edward John.stone was horn in of three coniniissioners to gather testimony Kingston, Westmoreland county, Penns\i- regarding titles to what were known as vania, July 4. 181 5. His jiaternal ancestr\- "half-breed" lands. The discharge of this was originally from Annandale, Scotland, duty was facilitated by his removal to Mont- and the first of his immediate family who rose, where he remained for one year. In emigrated to Ireland was Robert John- 1839, 'iftt^r the law under which he was ap- stone. Tiiis was late in the seventeenth or pointed was repealed, he went to Fort Madi- early in the eighteenth century, .\le.\ander son, having", together with General Hugh Johnstone, the father of our suliject, was T. Reid, been employed by the St. Louis born in Ireland in 177-i. and came to this Land Conipan}- to institute proceedings to countr\- in 1796. where he married Miss secure a division of the lands under the Elizabeth Ereame, a native of the Keystone partition laws of the territory. This re- stale though of Irish descent. Unto them suited in the Decree Title under which the were born ten sons and two daugiiters. The lands are now held. two eldest sons were eilucated in the United In 1839 Mr. Johnstone was elected to States Military Academy, West Point, New tlie legislature, and for two successive terms York, and served in the regular army, was speaker of the house. In 1840 he was .Another son. William V. Johnstone, was the elected to the council, and during President third governor of Pennsylvania, .\nother. Polk's administration was I'nited States dis- James, a scholar and a poet, was through trict attorney for the judicial district of the Me.xican War and was one of the prom- Iowa. In 1851. when the board of county inent military men of western Pennsylvania, commissioners was estaljlished, Mr. John- .\nother lirother, John W., served in the stone was elected judge of Lee county, and Me.xican ami Civil W.ars. attaining the served in that capacity until 1855, making rank of colonel. The youngest son. Rich- the most efticient guardian of the com- ard, was appointed to a lieutenancy in the munity's interests to wMiom the ])ublic af- regular army, and was killed in the Me.xican fairs of the county was ever intrusted. War. The father, a man of fine physique. In 1857 ^^ "^^'^^ '"^ meml)er of the state died at the age of one hundred years. constitutional convention, and as such as- Our subject was educated in his native sisted in making the present constitution of town, and also read law and practiced at the state. He distinguished himself in that Greensburg in the same county. .Admitted body by his eminent ability, took a prorni- to the bar at the age of twenty-two, he set nent part in all its deliberations, and did i6 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW mucli to secure the incorporation into tlie constitution of many of its most important provisions. After the expiration of his term upon the bench Judge Johnstone engaged in the banking business, the title of the firm l)e- ing McMurpliy, Jolmstone & Bacon, whicli was subsequently changed to Johnstone & Bacon. In 1868 he removed to KeokuI< and to the management of the Keokuk Sav- ings Bank, of wliich he continued the executive head until his death, which oc- curred May 17. 1891. and it is to Judge Johnstone's great business and financial ability that the success attained by this most prosperous institution is due. Through his influence the first state in- sane asylum at Mount Pleasant was estab- lished, he being one of three commissioners. When Iowa's commission was appointed for the World's Columbian Exposition he was made a memlier and chosen president. In fact, he never entered a meeting of men as- sembled for deliberation that he was not called to preside. When -Mr. Cleveland was elected to the presidency for the first time there was a large and spontaneous movement to have Judge Johnstone called to the cabinet from the West, but he himself refused to con- sent. From public office he ever shrank. During the last years of his life he was president of the Pioneer Lawmakers' As- sociation of Iowa. In January. 1840, the first attempt for- mally to organize the Democratic party in Iowa was made, and with that end in view a document, which is still in existence, was prepared by Mr. Johnstone personally and' signed by himself and sixteen others setting forth the necessity of at once taking steps toward bringing the party's members into line and electing Democrats to congress. When Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. met with those difficulties at Xauvoo which have become matters of his- tory he at once wrote to Mr. Johnstone to defend him, and had not that gentleman been starting for his old home in Pennsyl- vania, he would have been counsel in that celebrated case. The letter from Mr. Smith is still in the possession of Judge Johnstone's family. Judge Johnstone was greatly interested in the success of the Columbian exposition, and was especially anxious that Iowa's geological display should be full and com- plete. Had he been spared, there is no doubt that he would have been of great assistance to Iowa's exhibitors. To Judge Johnstone as much if not more than any other man is the city of Keokuk indebted for its fine gov- ernment building, as well as for the dry docks, for his influence was exerted most effectively in behalf of these important im- provements. He was a close student as well as a great reader, and it was rare indeed that the moments between business hours did not find him engaged in reading. To his many other accomplishments was added the ability to compose poetry of superior merit. As early as 1857 he was awarded the prize of- fered by the management of a prominent St. Louis opera house for the best poem to be used on the occasion of their opening performance. Judge Johnstone married Miss Elizabeth LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 17 V. Ricliards in .\i)ii!. 1849, the cereiiionv being celebrated in St. Louis county. Mis- souri, and to them were Ixirn three sons ■ and one daughter. Alexander E.. president of the Keokuk Savings Bank, of Keokuk, Iowa. Edward R.. now residing in Cali- fornia. Hugo R., a residetit of New York. Miss Mary M. makes her home with her brother at Keokuk. Judge Johnstone was affable and friendly in conversation, and had the faculty of making friends. He numbered his friends among both political parties. He was a man of high culture and education, with all the instincts and fine sensibilities of a gentleman. No man in Iowa had more to do with the making and shaping of the commonwealth than he. During all the time of his residence here he was identified with all the great public movements. He had a wide acquaintance throughout the state, and many went to him for counsel and advice. It seems appropriate in this place tc) quote from an estimate of Judge John- stone's character as made by a fellow citizen of Keokuk : "A mail of strong convictions, he was ready on all occasions to express them and conscientiously stand by them. Charitable in his judgment of others, fair to those who opposed him, considerate of the opinions of others, however widely they might difYer from those entertained by himself, with a warm and sympathizing heart towards all who were in need and sorrow, with a loyalty to friends that was ])roverbial, the sum of such a life may find expression in the words, a good citizen, faithful public servant, true friend, kind husband and indulgent father. lie was at all times an honest, honorable, kindly man. lie flattered nobody, he per- secuted nobody, he maligned nobody, but was always frank and open. He gave every- body his due. He was plain in his manner, plain in attire, plain in language. He was a man of the people." JOSEPH M. CASEY, M. D. Dr. Jose])h M. Casey, one of the leading physicians of Eort Madison with offices in the County Savings Bank building, was born in this city August 3, 1865, and is a son of Hon. Joseph M. Casey, who is repre- sented elsewhere in this work. The public schools afforded him his literary education and after completing the high school course by graduation he entered upon the study of medicine under the direction of F. C. Rob- erts, of Fort Madison, with whom he con- tinued for some time. He then matricidated in Rush Medical College of Chicago and was graduated with the class of 1888. Return- ing immediately to Fort Madison, he again entered the office of Dr. Rolierts, with whom he remained for about three years, during which time he gained valuable, prac- tical experience, thus putting to the test his theoretical knowledge. He then opened an office and has since remained alone engaged in general practice, in which he has been \ery successful, viewing from both a busi- ness and professional standpoint. He has pursued a post-graduate course in the New i8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW York Polyclinic and has been a constant student of the science of medicine, carrying his investigations far and wide in order that he might promote his efficiency and render his labors of greater value in the important calling which he has chosen as a life work. In 1893-4 he was the physician for the peni- tentiary located at Fort Madison and was also physician of the board of health of this city for three years. At one time he prac- ticed in Old Mexico for a little more than a year, being located at Cedral Coahuila as mine physician. He belongs to the Lee County Medical Society, the State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the Tri-State Medical Association, of which he is one of the charter members while at its organization he was elected the junior vice-president. Dr. Casey was married December 23. 1895. at Fort Madison, to Mi.ss Sarah Zillah Johnson, a daughter of Professor Nelson Johnson. She was educated in Fort Madi- son and is well known in social circles. She also received a musical education in St. Louis. Of the two children born of this marriage one died in infancy, while the other is Robert Sabert Casey, now seven years of age. Dr. and Mrs. Casey hold membership in the Episcopal church and he belongs to Claypoole Lodge, No. 13, Free and Accepted IVLisons; Potowonok Chapter, Royal .\rch I\L-isons. No. 28; Delta Com- mahdery, No. 5 1 , Knights Templar, and the Mystic Shrine. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never had aspiration for office. Com- munity interests, however, elicits his atten- tion and receive his support and he favors everv movement calculated to benefit his city. He is now president of the board of trustees of the Cattermole Memorial Library of Fort Madison. His home located at No. 932 Fourth street is one o'f the handsome residences of the citv. REV. GEORGE D. STEWART, D. D. Rev. George D. Stewart, D. D., who for fifty-five years devoted his life to the Chris- tian ministry the greater part of this time lieing spent in promoting the work of the Presbyterian church in Iowa, resigned on the 1st of JanuarA^ 1904. his pastorate in Fort Madison after twenty-se-ven years' con- nection therewith and is now living in the enjoyment of a rest well-merited. How- ever, his life, growing broader spiritually and mentally year by year, still gfives out of its rich stores, wisdom and experience, and his counsel is yet sought by many. His influence has long been a potent power for good in Iowa, and will continue after he has passed away for- "Our echoes roll from soul to soul, and grow forever and forever." Rev. Dr. Stewart is a native of Penn- sylvania, his birth having occurred at Jen- kintown. near Philadelphia, in Montgomery county, on the 30th of December. 1824. His boyhood was spent there and his early edu- cation was obtained in the Abington Friends' school. Subsequently he entered the Law- renceville Classical and Commercial High School, of New'Jersey, completing his course in that institution in September. 1842, and KEV. GEORGE 1). STEWART LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 21 is now one of the oldest living graduates of that famous institution of learning. He is likewise a graduate of Lafayette College, at Easton, Pennsylvania, of the class of 1845, and his literary training was supplemented by preparation for the ministry as a student in Princeton Theologicid .Seminary, where he completed his studies in .\])ril, 184Q. The previous year he had been licensed to preach and on leaving the seminary he immediately entered upon the active work of the ministrj' his first charge being a missionar}^ field at Conquest, Cayuga county, New York, Octo- ber, 1849, \vhere he remained for two years. While there, in April, 1850, he was ordained by the Presbytery of Steuben, Synod of \^'estern New York, at Port Byron. He then accepted a call from the First Presby- terian church of Bath, New York, where he labored as pastor of that church for eight years. In the fall of 1859, Rev. Dr. Stewart came to Iowa to seek a drier climate for throat trouble, accepting the charge of the missionary ciraiit comprising West Point. Sharon, Pilot Grove, Primrose, Dover and Franklin in Lee county, Iowa. He contin- ued that work for four and a half years. The minister, whose pastoral duties are now con- fined within a small circuit owing to the condensed population of our towns and cities, little realizes the arduous labors that devolve upon the pioneer minister, who braved the storms of winter and the hot sum- mer's sun in order to carry the message of salvation into frontier districts, to proclaim the glad tidings of great joy in pioneer homes or to speak words of consolation and sympathy at the death bed. With marked consecration to his chosen field of labor, put- ting forth every effort in his power to bring the world into harmony with divine teach- ings and principles, Dr. Stewart rode for miles on horseback over a country where homes were widely scattered and wliere the journey was ofttimes frauglit with danger as well as discomfort. His visits were eagerly welcomed and to this day his name is lov- ingly spoken in mrmv a hnvisehoid, wliich he visited in pioneer times. His next charge was the First Presby- terian church at Burlington, Iowa, where he remained for six and a half years, meet- ing with marked success and then accepted a call from the First Presbyterian church at Omaha, Nebraska, where he labored for a similar iieriod, trebling tlie church member- ship. In June, iHjj, the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by Hanover College, Indiana. In 1877 '^*^ ^^'^^ called to the pastorate of the Union Presby- terian church at Fort Madison, Iowa, en- tering on his duties on the ist of April, of that year, and remained as pastor until Jan- uary I, 1904, when after a continuous serv- ice of twenty-seven years he resigned and is now leading a retired life. Fifty-five years he has given to the work of the ministry and his labors have not been denied the full har- vest nor the aftermath. Every church with which he was connected made substantial progress, growing in spiritual growth and extending the various church activities. Un- der his pastorate the present house of wor- ship at West Point was erected and the church edifice at Fort Madison was also built. Another material evidence of his la- bors is shown in the cemetery and church 22 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW grounds at Sliaron. Tlie land was pur- chased throus^li liis instrumentality and the church located there. Upon the cemetery a large sum of money has been expended, amounting probably to about $85,000 the gift of the Seeley family according to the expressed wish of the youngest son and brother, George Seelej-, and although this is a country cemetery the cities of the state can display no more beautiful resting place for the dead. The church at ^Primrose is also the result of the labors of Dr. Stewart, the First Presbyterian minister who preached there. Under his careful guidance and con- secrated labors his congregations have de- veloped a spiritual strength that has been a most potent element for good in the vari- ous communities mentioned. At leng^th af- ter more than a half century's active con- nection with the ministry, of which forty- five years have been passed in Iowa, and Ne- braska, Rev. Dr. Stewart was honorably re- tired by his presbytery, at his own request. He still officiates occasionally, however, in the pulpit and at funerals and at weddings in response to the demands of those who have come to love him and desire his min- isterial services on these sacred occasions. Dr. Stewart was married in Fort Madi- son. Iowa, October 4, 1864, to Miss Emily Stewart Walker, the eldest daughter of Dr. J. C. Walker, one of the pioneers of this city who came to Lee county in 1836. Their union was blessed with one son and three daughters: George B.. who is a practicing attorney of Fort Madison; Helen Walker, who died at Omaha. Nebraska, at the age of five years, her remains being in- terred in the citv cemetei-y at Fort Madison; Anna residing with her par- ents in this city; and Miriam, now the wife of T. P. Hollowell. Jr., of Fort Madi- son. Mrs. Stewart's parents, grandmother and great-grandfather were pioneers of Lee county, coming to Lee county. May, 1834. The maternal grandmother of Mrs. Stewart was Mrs. Emily Stewart, widow of Dr. Abram Stewart, who was assistant surgeon in the L^nited States army, and was sta- tioned at JefiLerson Barracks, St. Louis, Mis- souri, as early as 1809. He resigned his position in the army to enter upon the pri- vate practice of medicine in and near St. Louis, making his home at Florissant, a suburb of that city. There upon the 20th of January. 1820, Martha Maria Stewart, the mother of Mrs. George D. Stewart, was born. Dr. Joel Calvin W^alker. the father of Mrs. George D. Stewart, was born in .Springfield. Ohio. February 7. 1812, his parents having removed to that city from Rockbridge county. Virginia. He studied medicine in Circleville. Ohio, and afterward attended lectures in Jefferson Medical Col- lege, at Philadelphia. For a number of years he practiced his chosen profession and then retired. He held a number of the lead- ing local offices in Lee county. Iowa, and was a prominent and influential citizen here, mak- ing his home in Fort Madison until 1888, when he passed away at the age of seventy- six years. His widow still resides in Fort Madison. The Union Presbyterian church of Fort Madison was organized in 1838 with a charter membership of seventeen and seven of this number were members of the Walker and Stewart families. Mrs. George D. Stewart was born in Fort Madison, Iowa, LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 23 and acquired her early education in the private schools and pubHc schools of Fort Madison, and in Denmark Acjidemy, in Lee county, the oldest incorporated educational institution of the state. She afterward at- tended for three years, the Female Semi- nary at Steubeinille. Ohio, where she was graduated with the class of i860. She has been a most able, helpful and sympathetic assistant to her husband in all of his work and throughout Lee county the names of Dr. and Airs. George D. Stewart are revered. Nature bestowed upon them many of her rare gifts. They possess minds of broad compass and industry that have brought forth and developed the talents wiiich they received. Their humanitarian spirit and kindly sympathy have been continually man- ifest ill their relations to their fellowmen and have made them honored and respected wherever they have gone. Dr. and Airs. Stewart spent three of the early months of 1904 at San Diego and Los Angeles. California, with great pleasure and profit to health. While this volume is pass- ing through the ])ress, they are arranging for a trip to the Southern Mediterranean .in "the P.ible Student's Cruize." on the White Star steamer, "Aral)ic." If permitted to carry out their puri:)ose. they will visit South- ern Spain. Giliralter, Algiers, Walta. Athens, Constantinople, .Asia Minor, Palestine, Eg)Tit, Italy, Englanfl and Scotland. This trip which Dr. Stewart has long desired to make will be a suitable and very pleasant conclusion to his many years of labor, and will show that as he enters his eighty-first year sufficient health, energ}' and courage re- main to enable him to undertake, with Mrs. Stewart's companionship, a journey over the Atlantic ocean of 15,000 miles and which will take them from the center of this continent to visit the shores of Europe, Asia and .\frica. HON. C. A. KENNEDY. Among the better known and most suc- cessful of tlie younger ])usiness men of Lee county, Iowa, is Hon. C. A. Kennedy, of Montrose, a native of that village, where his birth occurred March 24, 1869. He is the son of \\"illiam Kennedy, who was born in the year 1830 in County Galway, Ire- land, and the father of our subject on com- ing to America first located at Ogdensburg, New A'ork, whence he removed to Keokuk, Iowa, and there in 1856 he married Miss Maria Williams, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, December 13, 1837, and on the death of her parents accompanied an aunt to the United States, living for a number of years in the State of New York and later removing to Keokuk, where she met Mr. Kennedy. William Kennedy, who learned in his native land tlie trade of shoemaking. worked in a shoe shop for a time in Keokuk, but in i860 removed to Montrose, where he worked as a shoemaker until his death, which occurred June 22. 1885. ^^ ^^'"^^ "^ faithful member of the Episcopal church and fraternally was connected with the Ma- sonic order anfl with the IndeiJendent Order 24 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW of Odd Fellows, while his political al- legiance was given to the Republican party, through which he took an active part in public affairs, being elected to membership in the municipal council and board of edu- cation. Air. and Mrs. Kennedy were the parents of eight sons and daughters, as fol- lows : John, now postmaster of Montrose, who married Miss Marjoie Ballou and has two children, Katherine and Margaret ; Wil- liam, who is engaged in the lumber business at Doty, Washington ; Eva, who died in December, 1902, was the wife of N. J. Chapman, of Everett, Washington, and is survived by three children, George, Fred and Helen; Jennie, wife of F. D. Butzer, of Bucoda, Washington; C. A., the subject of this review; George, who is superintend- ent of the public schools of Montrose ; Anna and Lilly. For his formal education Hon. C. A. Kennedy is indebted to the public schools, but as the death of his father occurred when he was but fourteen years of age, and as this event necessitated his leaving school, he owes the extraordinary development of his mental powers to intelligent oljservation and the reading of good literature, combined with a constant interest in current affairs, as to which he keeps himself thoroughly in- formed. Since his fourteenth vear he has been successfully engaged in the nurse\-y business in association with his brother, John Kennedy, the firm being Kennedy Brothers, and they are proprietors of the Eagle Nursery, which they purchased in 1885 of H. M. Grouse, who had established the enterprise fifteen years previous to that date. Twenty-five to seventy-five men are employed during the spring and autumn, and Mr. Kennedy travels extensively in order to keep in touch with the work of similar establishments in other states, in- troducing all modern ideas as rapidly as it is possible to demonstrate their utility and availability. By these energetic and pro- gressive methods a very large and con- stantly growing business has been built up. covering a very wide extent of territory and supplying dealers who are located at very great distances, even as far, in some cases, as the State of South Dakota, where the products of the Eagle Nursery are well known and highly appreciated. In addition, ]\Ir. Kennedy personally owns the twelve- acre tract on which is located the old family home, where he resides with his invalid mother, and he occupies the position of as- sistant postmaster of Montrose, giving his attention to the office in the absence of his brother John, w'hose profession, that of the law, frequently requires his presence at other points. Mr. Kennedy has always been active in local politics, serving the Republican party as chairman of its countv committee at one time and also in various other capacities in which his energy and unwavering loyalty have been important factors in its success, for he is possessed of practical ability of an unusual order. He enjoys vast popularity in his own community and throughout Lee county, and is known to all the leading statesmen of Iowa as a man whose honor- able record makes him a power in the state's affairs. He served as mayor of Montrose before he w'as twenty-one years of age. being then probably the youngest man to LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 25 hold that office in tlie history of the United States, and a fact no less remarkahle, his administration was equal in efficiency to that of many a more experienced man. and he was re-elected. He was elected city re- corder and to many minor offices, and was treasurer of the hoard of education for many years. In the year 1903 he hecame a candidate for the Iowa legislature, and such is the esteem in which he is universally held hv his fellow citizens that although his party in Lee county is normally in the minority. he overcame the usual large majority of his opponents, and was triumphantly elected, thus securing entrance into what his friends freely predict will prox'e new and still greater fields of honor and usefulness. Mr. Kennetly has fraternal connections with the order of the Knights of Pythias and with the Modern Woodmen of America, while his mother and four sisters are memhers of the order of the Eastern Star, of which Mrs. Kennedy has been Worthy Matron in the Montrose lodge. The career of Hon. C. A. Kennedy is one that should 1)e full of inspiration for all young men. especially for those who depend for advancement upon their own efiforts and devotion to dutv. SABERT M. CASEY. .Sahert M. Casey, occupying a prominent position at the bar and in public regard, was born at Sigouniey, Keokuk county. Iowa, on the 28th of August. 1858, a son of Judge Joseph M. and Sarah J. C\asey. who was only three years of age when Inought bv his par- ents to Fort Madison, where he continuously made his home up to the time of his demise. He arrived in the city alxiut the hour that I'urt Sumter was fired upnn. I lis primary education was aci|uircar. lie had a wide acquaintance in legal circles through the state and the Burling- ton Gazette said of him: "In the death of Mr. Case\' the profession loses one of its brightest ornaments, the district one of its best citizens and the community in which he lived one of its most honored members. All who had the pleasure of his acquaintance knew him onh- to honor and respect him. lie was a nuxst courteous and agrecal)le com- panicjn. an intelligent and interesting as- sociate and withal a highly agreeable and en- tertaining member of any society where his presence was met. Sabert M. Casey's mem- ory will long be cherished and honored by those who knew him in this part of the state, Ijccause he was always courteous, and no one parted with his companv without feeling that his association had cast a pleasant shadow upon the surroundings." There is no standard by which man may be lietter judged than 1)\ the concensus of public o])inion ;uid all unite in bearing testi- mony to the loftv character, high principles and manly conduct of Sabert M. Casey. One who knew him long said of him: "We be- lieve we are truthful in saying lli;it the an- nouncement of the death of no other man in Lee count}' would be received with the general sorrow that has been brought by the announcement of the passing away of Hon. Sabert M. Casey. We believe also that we are truthful in saying that there does not live in the broad State of Iowa a better man lh;in was he. .\n intimate friendship with him for twenty-ti\e years had ende.'ueil him to the writer as ;i brother. Huring these 28 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW years we obser\e(l him in all manner of try- ing circumstances, especially in a political way and in conduct of legal battles where sometimes unfairness characterized those opposing him ; and where others would have chafed and fumed and fretted and vented their ire or disgust in loud or angry words, he ever preserved a calm demeanor and calm, dispassionate judgment and speech — always permeated v.'ith charity for those of- fending. Resourceful and tactful, forceful and kind, he won the highest esteem of his countless friends. Socially he was a charm- ing companion, well read, bright and witty — in business and profession as fair as the evenly balanced scales of justice. His life was as near faultless as it is possible for mortal man to live — and his fellowmen knew and ap]3reciate it. His memorj' will linger long witli them. Ma\' he rest in the utmost peace and may the fullest joys of whatso- ever may come after this life be his." WILLIAM R. TIMPE. Tn tliis age of energy and success, when men nf merit, industry and brains are ir- resistility pushing their way to the front, tliose wild by their own individual efforts have won favor and fortune may with pro- priety claim recognition. Mr. Timpe is an exxellent rejiresentative of this class. His position in the business world is that of senior menil)er of the firm of Timpe & Schroeder, lending dry goods and carpet dealers of Fort Madison. He was born in West Point township, Lee county, Iowa, September 4, 1859, and is the son of Jacob F. and Henrietta (Schultz) Timpe. Jacob F. was born in the village of East Lynn, province of Brunswick, Germany, January 18, 1824. The mother was a native of the same pro\-ince, the date of her birth being March j6, 1823. Jacolj F. Timpe, in search of larger op- ])ortunities for self-advancement, emigrated from Germany in 1848, and came to Lee county, where he secured employinent on a farm. The ordinary rewards of labor at that tiine were small, and the first wages he re- ceived were at the rate of five dollars per month. However, his work afforded him an opportunity to become acquainted with the business of farming and to familiarize himself with the language of the country which was to be the scene of his life and efforts. For six years he continued in this employment, and at the end of that time he had accumulated sufficient money to enable him to rent a farm to make an independent start in life, he having in the meantime mar- ried Miss Schultz. who had also come to this county directly from her native land. He rented a farm for eight years, and then purchased 120 acres in Pleasant Ridge town- ship. This he continued to occupy and to increase by further purchases until, at the time of his death, June 12, 1.902. he owned 900 acres, having, by care and untiring in- dustr}-, became one of the most prosperous residents of that section. In politics he was a lifelong Democrat, although a firm be- liexer in gold as the basis of our national currencv, casting his ballot for Mr. Mc- R. TIMPK LEE COUNTY, 10 IV A. 31 Kinley in 1896. ami was honored by elec- tion to a number of township offices. He was one of the early members of the local congregation of the Lutheran church, and was a member of the building committee of the Cumberland Presbyterian church in his township. The wife and mother still resides on the old home farm in Pleasant Ridge townshij). To them were born six children. Four survive, and of these the subject of this sketch is the fourth, the others being Caroline; Sophia, wife of Isaiah Hosier, of Pleasant Ridge, and George S., who lives on the home farm. William R. Timpe was educated in the common schools of Pleasant Ridge town- ship and in Johnson's Business College at Fort Madison, after which he returned to the farm, and there remained until he was placed in charge of a business which came to his father through the failure of a man whom he had befriended in a financial way. Mr. Timpe assumed charge in 1886, and after six months he bought the store of his father. He continued the business in Fort Madison with great success for a number of years, and after several times changing to larger quarters he erected a fine two- story brick building in 1888 at No 731 Sec- ond street. The structure, the dimensions of which are 2-5x100 feet, is devoted exclusively to the business, and here he conducts the largest dry goods store in the city. In 1889 he admitted Henry L. Schroeder as a ])ru-t- ner. the style of the firm being Timpe anr tlie public-school system was dem- onstrated (luring his four years' service as president of the board of education. He was the champion of many progressive measures and his interest in his city was of so practical a character that its benefits are yet felt. .\ member of the ^lasonic fraternity Judge Casey's connection was with Clay- pool Lodge. Xo. 13. Free and Accepted Ma- sons: Potowonok Chapter. No. 28, Royal Arch Masons; Delta Commandery, No. 51, Knights Templar. He also belonged to Fort ^ladison Lodge, No. i^j. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was honored with various offices in these different organi- zations. In 1854 Judge Casey was married to Mrs. Sarah Jane Ward Hollingsworth. who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1832. a daughter of Thomas and Jane \\'ard. In 1850 she l)ecame the wife of Mr. Hollingsworth. who died the following year, and the son of that marriage, .\lbert E.. has always been known in I-'ort Madison by his step-father's name. Five children were born to them, of whom one died in infancy, the others being : Sabert M.; Belle \\. wife of William S. Hamilton; Josei)h M. and Sarah. Judge Casey died suddenly February 9, 1895, having just entered upon his third term as judge of the first judicial district. Perhaps no better estimate of his character can be gi\-en than that contained in the journals of that date, one of which said : "Judge Casey was a man among men and his friends were numbered only by the limit (if his acquaintance. He was big hearted, kind to e\"eryone, pleasant in conversation and was loved by all. He was ever affable and obliging. As an attorney his opinions were highly \-alued. His aim has always been to put forth his best efforts for his clients and was ever opposed to the prac- tice of dishonesty or deception for the win- ning of a case when it could not be won on its merits. In fact he was a man of prin- ciple. As a judge he was always fair and unbiased in his opinions and possessed rare legal ability. He was probably the greatest brain worker in the state of Iowa, .\lways at his office in the earlv morning he read his newspaper and kept well in touch with the doings of the world through that me- dium and would then sit for hours at a time looking up decisions and references or read- ing law and seemed to be wh{')llv taken up with his profession. He was a deep rea- soner; in argument forcible in expression, convincing in tone and impressive in man- ner. His sudden death is a severe loss to his family and friends, his constituency of LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 35 the district, the bar of the state and the pub- lic in general." S. T. Marshall, long his friend and ad- mirer, knowing almost his every thought, expressed the following sentiment : "Judge Casey had marked virtues inherent in his nature. He was all merciful and a wor- shiper of truth and right. The judge adopted that grand Roman motto in all his practice, 'prodesse quam conspici' (to im- prove rather than be seen). He loved not display and had a contempt for those who tried to pass for more than they were worth. His integrity could not be shaken and his innate love of honesty and trutli was pro- verbial and universally known." Faultless in honor, fearless in conduct, stainless in reputation, — such was his life record. His scholarly attainments, his statesmanship, his reliable judgment and his charming powers of conversation would have enabled him to ably fill and grace any position, however exalted, and he w^as no less honored in public than loved in private life. HON. ANDREW J. DIMOND. Hon. .Andrew J. Dimc^ntl, mayor of the City of Keokuk and proprietor of the Keokuk Milling Company, is a fair repre- sentative of the more progressive business element of Lee county. Mr. Dimond was born at Louisville, Kentucky, December 6, 1845, the son of John and Elizabeth (Rudy) Dimond. The father was born in Ireland, and came to Kentucky as a young man. Being a shoemaker by trade, he conducted a shoe business in Louisville for a number of years. Elizabeth Rudy Dimond was born in Penn,sylvania. and removed when young with her parents to Maysville, Kentucky. In 1854 the father of our subject sold his business in Louisville, and brought his family to Keokuk, where he continued in tlie shoe business until 1885. becoming one of the leading shoe dealers of the city. He died in February, 1893. The death of the mother occurred in May. 1897. They reared a family of seven children. .Vndrew J. Dimond received his educa- tion in the public schools, and while grow- ing to years of maturity gained some knowl- edge of business in connection with the en- terprise conducted by his father. At the early age of nineteen years he volunteered for the service of his country in her strug- gle for the suppression of rebellion, enlist- ing in Company C of the Forty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantrjr in April, -1864. His regiment formed part of the Sixteenth army corps under General Smith, and was sent to Tennessee and Mississippi, where the young soldier .served until the end of the war and was honorably discharged. His military service ended, Mr. Dimond formed a partnership with his father, and they Qonducted a shoe business on Main street in Keokuk. By his energy, tact and talents he assisted in building up a very ex- tensive volume of business. This enter- prise they continued to conduct, with signal success, until 1885. when they sold it, and in 1887 Mr. Dimond bought what was then the Eagle Mills, changing the name to the 36 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Dimond Mills. The firm is now known as the Keokuk Milling Company, of which he and his son are proprietors, he having taken his son into partnership in 1889. Since acquiring the business he has thor- oughly remodeled the mills, installing the most impn)\ed equipment, modern in every respect, and the product has liecome cele- brated throughout a \ery extensive territory as of superior excellence. The details of the work have his personal attention and supervision to a large extent, and he has cause to feel pride in what he has accom- plished. Special lines manufactured are table meal, brewer's grits and meal. Pearl hominy and graham flour. The firm are also dealers in hay and feed, and Mr. Di- mond 111 lids real-estate interests in the city. In his fraternal relations Mr. Dimond is a member of Puckechetuck Lodge, No. 43, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is Past Grand and trustee, and also a member of Puckechetuck Encampment, Xo. 7, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has been through the chairs, and has served as delegate to the Grand Lodge of the state. In the Grand Army of the Re- public he is a memlier of Torrence Post of Keokuk. In December, 1867. ^Ir. Dimond was married to Miss Carrie T. Kaltwasser, who was born in Germ;uiy and with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Kaltwasser. came to America when two years of age. They have two sons and one daughter, as follows : Harry C, who is associated with his father in l)usiness; Dr. Charles A., physician and surgeon of Keokuk, and Elizabeth C. The familv residence is a commodious and liand- some structure erected by ^Ir. Dimond at 718 High street. Mr. Dimond has never been an aspirant for public office, but by reason of the general favor with which he is regarded and on account of the ability displayed in the con- duct of his private affairs, he was elected in 1903 mayor of the city of Keokuk, and has proved easily equal to the trust, giving a strong and efficient administration. Among his official acts was the appointment of the first water commission, which has resulted in considerable improvement in the municipal water supply. He is a man of ])leasing and genial presence, and enjoys wide popularity, while at the same time the substantial nature of his connection with the city's material interests has tended to inspire confidence and respect. HON. JAMES A. JORDAN. As the architect of his own fortunes Hon. James A. Jordan, mayor of the city of Fort Madison, Iowa, has builded wisely and well, and his efforts, too, have been of material benefit to the city. As a servant of the public and through his position as superintendent of the Iowa Farming Tool Company he has contributed largely to the improvement of ' Fort Madison, and while promoting individual prosperity has also advanced the general welfare. Practical in all he does, far-sighted and enterprising in his quick recognition of opportunity, he has LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 37 used time, talent ami means t() the best ad- vantage. A man of purpose, upright in in- tent and honorable in contact, his popularity is of the kind that comes to such a man naturally and unsought. He was born at ['ratts\'ille, Greene county. New ^'ork, May iS. 1840. and is the son of William R. and Dolly ( W'eismer) Jordan. William Jordan was in lousiness in Prattsville for a numl)er of years, being by trade a (ailor. He later removed to Leonardsville, Madison county. New York, and there rounded out the full measure of a worthy and useful life, his la- mented death occurring in 187T. There also passed awav his helpmeet and companion, the mother of our subject, in the year 1880. She was born at Delhi. New York, the daughter of Walter Weismer, of that place. James A. Jordan was educated at Leon- ardsville and the academy at West W' infield, and immediately upon the conclusion of his schooling entered the' fork and hoe shop which w-as in operation at that time in Leonardsville. and. by hard and ])ainstaking toil as a practical workman, attained a thorough mastery of the business of manu- facturing the tools and implements of agri- culture. He pursued the same line of en- deavor for a time at Naugatuck. Cnnnecti- cut. his services having been secured by the Tuttle Manufacturing Company of that place, and in 1875 '^^ came west to the city of his adoption, taking employment as a foreman for the Iowa Farming Tool Com- pany. With this company he has remained continuously for thirty years, and the proof of his ability and high integrity is that he has risen by merit alone to his present posi- tion. In 1894 he was also made superin- tendent of the company which manufactures farming tools at the state penitentiary, and in this capacity he has direction of the work of 140 to 200 men. this being in addition to his other duties. A number of other busi- ness enteqjriscs h;ivc also profited bv the imjietus of his favor and substantial aid. In politics Hon. James A. Jordan gives his allegiance to the Democracy. Beginning in 1 89 1 he served his ward, the second, in the city council for three terms of two years each, being an active and zealous member of se\eral important committees, and it was during this period that many of the improve- ments which now grace the citv were con- summated. In 1897 he received the high- est honor within the gift of his city, that of the office of mayor, and his eminently business-like administration led to his re- nomination in 1899, at which time, however, he was defeated, luit was again elected in 1903. The electric lighting, steam hauling and interurban railway franchises have all been granted during his term of office. Both his administrations have been notable in the history of Fort Madison. In Claypoole Lodge Xo. 13, I'ree and Acepted Masons, and in Potowonok Chapter Xo. 28, Royal Arch Masons, Mr. Jordan has filled positions of honor and responsi- bility, and is also a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks. On August 2T,. 1887. he married Miss Susaiuia R. Wild, a daughter of W^alter Wild and a member of one of the older fam- ilies of Fort Madison. They occupy the l)eautiful residence erected by Mr. Jordan at Xo. 608 Third street. The career of Mr. Jordan illustrates 38 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW most happily the truth that the man who possesses the right quahties of mind and heart needs nothing but his own merit to carry him to success in the business world, and that one so gifted may confer greit and lasting benefit in shaping the destinies of his community. And of him, as of few others, it may be said that had he never risen to the position which he now occupies, he would still be a man of marked and recognized dis- tinction. JOHN LACHMANN. John Lachmann, a prominent farmer re- siding on the southeast quarter of section 1 8, Green Bay township, was born Decem- ber 1 6, 1859, in Jefferson township, Lee county, and is the son of William H. Grubb. The mother and father of Mr. Lachmann died when he was but an infant, and when he was two years of age was adopted, though not formally, by Carl and Louise V. (Frank) Lachmann, whose home was in Green Bay township. As they had no chil- dren of their own, he continued a member of their household until his marriage. Learning after he had attained his majority that he possessed no legal right to bear their name of "Lachmann," he made application to the Circuit Court of Lee county for the privilege, which was granted. Mr. Lachmann's foster father, Carl Lachmann, was born September 2, 1818, in Silesia, Prussia, and Mrs. Lachmann was a native of Saxony, near Leipzig, the date of her birth being September 11, 1830. They became acquainted in the State of New York, where both resided for a time, but were married in Chicago, coming then to Iowa. Carl Lachmann was a self-made man, haxing won his own \\ay in the world. He was of rather retiring disposition, but possessed ability, and was respected by all. Both were members of the Lutheran church. As a boy, our suljject received a good education in the public schools, and later he spent three terms in a German private school. During his early years he learned the German language at home, and when he began attending school he knew not a single word of English. He soon learned it, however, and now possesses the advan- tage of Ijeing thoroughly acquainted with both languages. In the German Evangelical church at Fort [Madison, October i, 1889. Mr. Lach- mann was united in marriage with Miss Anna E. Schubert, a nati\-e of Green Bay township. Lee county, where her birth oc- curred June 15, 1865. The marriage cere- mony was performed by Rev. Mr. Batrsch. Islvs. Lachmann is a daughter of Carl and Caroline Dorothy (Knospe) Schubert. She has recei\'ed a good common school educa- tion, and reads and speaks both the English and German languages. To Mr. and Mrs. Lacinnann ha\e been born two daughters and one son, as follows : Louise Victoria, l)orn in Green Bay township Tuesday, June 30, 1891 ; .August Carl, born in Green Bay township Tuesday, January 2, 1894, and Alma Anna, bom Thursday. August 23, 1900, at the present home of the family. LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 39 \Vhen about twenty-two years of age Mr. Laclinianii purchased forty acres of land atljoining the Lachmann lionie farm and later added forty-eight acres to tliis, having eighty-eight acres at time of his marriage, and after his marriage he resided in the old home of his foster parents, they having moved, and had charge of tlie farm. On May 6, 1894, he nio\-ed nn tlie Junge place, which he had boiiglit a short time l)e- fore. Tlie death of Carl Lachmann oc- curred "Februar}' 7, 1899, and that of his wife November nth of the same year, and all the property they possessed tliey Idc- queathed to Air. Lachmann, excepting $600, which went to other relatives of the Lach- mann family. Fie now owns 190 acres of excellent land, on which are three residence buildings. Mr. Lachmann acts in ix^litical matters with the Democratic party, and cast his first presidential ballot for Cleveland in 1884. He is popular, and has served his township two terms as its trustee. Indeed, he has at various times filled all the township offices except that of clerk. In the autumn of 1899 he was elected county supervisor, and was re-elected in 1902, serving as chairman of the board one year. Fralernallv he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and has been honored by election to all the of- fices of the local lodge at W^ever, as well as delegate to the Grand Lodge of losva. lie also has membership relations with Empire Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Fort Madison, in which lodge he has passed all the chairs. He has attended the Grand Lodge, though not at the time serving as delegate. He is simi- larly connected with Claypoole Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, at Fort Madison, and with Potowonolv Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons and the Benevolent and Protective Or- der of Elks at that place. He has hosts of friends, the result of his a1)ility, well-known integrity and genial disposition. Still in the prime of life, he has achieved much. JONAS RICE. Jonas Rice, a ^■enerable resident of Washington township, has had a long and useful career in this part of the state, and his name deserves honorable mention among those who have done so much to make it what it is. For more than sixty years his lot has been cast in Washington township, and here he has made an enviable name for himself, being widely known as an honor- able, upright and industrious man, a kind neighbor and a good citizen. Mr. Rice comes of good New England stock, and was born in Worchester county, Massachusetts, November 28, 1823, where his parents, Jonas and Grata (Partridge) Rice, were born and reared. In 1839 t'^^Y removed to the West, and settled in Wash- ington township, the journey in those days being both fatiguing and dangerous. It be- gan by stage to Springfield, Massachusetts, and thence to Hartford by boat ; to New York by steamer, and to Philadelphia by rail ; thence to Pittsburg mainly by canal, and down the Ohio by a new steamer to St. 40 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Louis; an old boat brought them to Fort Madison. The passengers had to walk around the Rapids, and take team for the Fort, a three days' trip, costing them twenty- five dollars. They arrived at the old hotel, the Maclntyre, in time for a late dinner, and in the afternoon paid a man five dollars to take them out on the prairie, where they quickly found a very desirable location. E. A. Eaton, a brother-in-law. had lo- cated the previous year on section 6, Wash- ington township, and was then living alone. His wife came on later. The elder Rice paid $400 for a claim on a quarter of section 5, in the same township, and a year or two after a land sale was made for Washington township, at Burlington. For the purpose of making a promising investment he bor- rowed two hundred dollars, for which he' had to pay thirty-three and a third per cent, interest, building a log cal)in, part of which is still in existence, being used in the house in which the subject of this sketch is still living. The elder Rice was always a farmer, and was a thoroughly upright and patriotic citi- zen of his day. In the old state militia he took a deep and vi\-id interest, and for many years held rank as a lieutenant colonel in its organization. He was long known as Colonel Rice. He was over seventy-two years of age when he was called to the world beyond. Mrs. Grata Rice lived to be a little older than her honored hus])anle and devoted priests. Father Jacoby, is now the priest in charge. In June. 1855, Father \\'alterman was made resident pastor, and the oldest baptis- mal register, now preserved in St. Mary's was opened by him. .\bout this time some of the members sent back to Hanover, their fatherland, and induced Henry Krebs, a finely -educated young man. to come over and teach their children. In 1858, several families, removing to Minnesota, induced him to accompany them and teach their chil- dren. There remains in his beautiful hand- writing, a list of the parish which he com- piled in 1854. In the spring of 1856 Father Hatten- berg visited this parish, and he was followed by Father Michel for a time, and later by Father Reffe and Father Eusebius Kaiser. In December, 1858, Father Reffe became pastor, and was continued as such until 1864. That year Father De Cailly took charge, and under him was a period of great growth for the pa.rish. He was a wise and exemplary priest, and as many families came over from Hanover and \\^estphalia, he was their one friend in a new and strange countn,-. He enlarged and improved the parsonage, and secured the erection of a new church, which was dedicated in 1862. Father Michel, from St. Paul, cared for the interests of this progressive movement for a year, and Father Orth, from Fort Madi- son, for another year. Father Hattenberg was sent here in 1867. and remained for two years, and under his direction the pres- ent brick parsonage was constructed. To him succeeded Father Johannes, and when this faithful pastor and pious priest was called to Dubuque in 1S71. his departure was felt as a personal loss by many who knew him well. .After him came Father Orth, who remained until 1876, when he was called to Keokuk. The memorable mis- sion of the Redemptorist Fathers Giessen and Jacobs must not be omitted in this hasty review. leather ^\'illiam Jacoby arrived in March, 1877, and has been in charge to the present time. I'nder him all the loose ends of parish administration have been gathered LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 45 up, and magnificent progress in Iniilding a church of the Master has been made. Under him tlie church has been completely re- modeled and redecorated at a total expense of about $25,000. The parish has everj- mo.deni facility for e\ery department of its work, and all societies that it may need. Its school work is very dear to the hearts of the congregation, and was a part of its field as early as 1846, and in 1S50 was erected its first school house. In 1877 was built the present fine edifice, a brick build- ing, 55x70 feet, two stories in height with a roomy basement. It is arranged with four school rooms, in which the children are taught by the Sisters of St. Francis, whose mother-house is at La Crosse, Wisconsin. German and English are taught, church his- tory is made a study, and religious exercises are conducted in each room two hours a week by Fatlier Jacoby. Connected with the parish is a Young Men's Sodality for general literary work, a Young Ladies' Religious Society, and the Altar Society, to wliicli married Ladies are admitted. St. Mary's parish has also an assembly hall, seating about four hundred people, and here is housed a large circulating lil)rary. There is also a handsome parsonage, the home of Father Jacoby for many years, and to which all who call are made welcome. In 1903 the church began the remodel- ing of its building, and today it has one of the finest structures in this part of the state. The cost of the rebuilding exceeds $17,000. The redecoration, including the fixtures and windows amounts to $4,200. and the church is now valued at over $40,000, largely through the patient and persistent efforts of Father Jacoby, who has also installed in the church several valuable oil paintings and the first pipe organ the church has pos- sessed. St. Mary's in all its departments is equipped for work, and the work that it is doing reflects credit on its earnest and faith- ful members; but most of all upon its pious and consecrated pastor. Father Jacoby. THE REV. FATHER WILLIAM JACOBY. The miselhsh and dexcitcd labors of the Christian ministr\- have done much to elevate the manners, purify the hearts and quicken the moral powers of the people of the Nineteenth century, especially in the newer regions and on the frontier. The rush and stir of settlement is so immense in a new country, the material value of things so impressive if not overwhelming, that all the resources tlie unselfish life and the re- ligious heart could comm;uid. were needed to the maintenance of the kingdom of God in this worleen con- spicuous. Its members able and consecrated ha\'e always tried to keep ali\'e in human society the sense of God and the obligation (if duty. In this great work Father Jacoby has been ])v no means silent or inefficient, lie has abundantiv ])ro\ed himself a loyal and trust\\iirth\- son of the Church, which 46 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW has accepted his vows of consecration, and sealed him to its ministry. Father Jacoby, who has been pastor of the Catholic church of the Assumption, at West Point, since 1876, was bom in the city of Ettelbruck, Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, and was there reared. His parents, Peter and Catherina (Berg) Jacoby, were of pure German lineage, and their entire lives were passed in the old fatherland. The father was a successful shoe merchant. Father Jacoby when a young man pos- sessed but little means, and to a consider- able extent paid his way through college by money earned in giving instruction to the younger students. For seven years he was librarian of the lAixemberg public library, containing over a hundred thousand volumes. He completed his classical and philosophical studies in Luxemburg, and came to this country unattended by relative or friend. After his arrival in the United States the future priest became a student in the theological seminary at Milwaukee, Wis- consin, where he devoted two years to study, and was then admitted and ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Hennesy, of Du- buque, Iowa. The work of preparation had been well done, and the young priest had greatly profited by the rich opportunities af- forded him ; so that when he came to the West Point parish in 1876, it was with all the ])owers of a rich and generous mind, brought to a high degree of activity by a thorough and systematic training. From 1876 to the present time West Point has continued the home of this schol- arly and eloquent di\ine, whose influence has been great in the communitv. All his attention has been given to the St. Mary's church, which has greatly grown under his pastorate. When it began there were one hundred and forty-five families on the parish rolls. Today, in spite of the many removals from this region into the newer West, by those seeking cheaper lands and the opportunities found there, there are one hundred and eighty-five families still en- rolled in the church. The years of Father Jacoby have been full of hard labor as well as of rich attain- ment. Here he has built a large school, which is now under the charge of the Sis- ters of St. Francis from La Crosse, and has one hundred and ninety pupils in attend- ance. The building is a substantial brick structure, and is a monument to the zeal for education that has always moved and in- spired the pastor of St. Mary's in his public work. Father Jacoby made a trip to Eu- rope in 1890, and while there paid his re- spects to Pope Leo XHL, then the venerated and l:)eloved head of the church. In 1894 Father Jacoby erected the Mor- tuary, located at the cemetery, which was built at a cost of $1,700, and which is the pride of the community. It was erected in honor of the dead who rest there. The in- scriptii.in inside says : "Memento homo quia pulvis es et in puherem reverteris." Father Jacoliy is a devoted student of church liistory, and takes a deep interest in every effort that looks to the improve- ment of society. He is much beloved and respected alike by his own people and those of all faiths, who comprehend the useful and beautiful work continually being ac- complished at St. Mary's. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 47 EDWARD C. LYNN. The persistency of purpose which Su- perintendent E. C. Lynn displayed wliile ac- quiring liis education indicates the elemental strength of his character, and gave early promise of his successful future; and his career since leaving school has been in harmony with the promise of his youth, while his present activities and earnest atti- tude toward the work to which he is de- voting his life and energies bespeak still further development of his native talents and yet greater advancement to positions of honor, usefulness and public service. He is now superintendent of schools of Lee county. Iowa, and enjoys a rapidly increas- ing reputation as one of the rising educators of the southern portion of his state. Superintendent Lynn, who is now a resi- dent of Donnellson, Iowa, was liorn near Osage City, Kansas, and with his parents removed in 1878 to Henry county, Iowa, where he spent his boyhood days on a farm and began his education in the rural schools. He was graduated from the public schools at the age of sixteen years, and subsequently entered and was graduated from Howe's Academy, the Mount Pleasant Academy and the Henry County Normal Institute and also did considerable work along special lines bearing upon the teaching profession in the Iowa State Normal L^niversity. He holds a teachers state certificate, and his career as a teacher extended over a period of nine years of highly useful service, be- ginning with two years in rural schools, fol- lowed by one year in the Mount Pleasant Academy, and the remainder of the time he I was principal of graded schools, first at Primrose, then at West Point and the last three years at Donnellson. Meanwhile his personality and his brilliant work had at- tracted the widespread attention of older educators and of the general public, and in the autumn of 1903 he was elected lo the important office of county superintendent of schools, resigning his position as principal of the Donnellson schools to accept the larger opportunities and responsibilities. While ]\Ir. Lynn is one of the younger teach- ers of the county, his uniform success as a teacher, his energy, enthusiasm and natural ability have strongly appealed to the people, who placed him at the head of their schools with full confidence that these in- stitutions would receive his most careful thought and conscientious attention in every detail relating to their highest welfare and efficiency — an expectation entirely realized during the comparatively brief period of his incumbency and one evidently destined to yet fuller fruition in due time. In 1900 Mr. Lynn was united in mar- riage to Miss Mabel Ilarlen, a nati\e of Lee county, and two sons grace their union, these being Harold and Max. Mrs. Lynn, who is a lady of liberal culture and of un- usual social talents, is a member of the Christian church at 1 lillsboro, and Mr. Lvnn is a member of the Presbyterian church at New London; and while there is no congregation of either of these denomi- nations at Donnellson, and they have not be- come formally identified w ith any church in their present home, they ne\ertheless main- tain close relations with religious progress in the community, and are helpful and 48 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW valued supporters of the work of the church in its various departments. Mr. Lynn has shown himself to be public spirited in all the best senses of the word, and is a loyal worker in the ranks of the Republican party, in whose principles he is a thorough be- liever and on whose ticket he received the honor of election to his present office. His principal and almost exclusive care, how-- ever, is the welfare of the public-school sys- tem under his charge, which is a very ex- tensive one, there being more than 200 teach- ers employed in Lee county, and in this field he finds worthy employment for his powers, for his work as principal of schools has shown him to be the possessor of execu- tive ability of no mean order, and in all that relates to the purely technical aspects of edu- cation his superiority is undisputed. More- over, he brings to his task that invaluable factor in the success of all public enterprises, the support and sympathy of the people, as he is highly popular, not only in the im- mediate vicinity of his home, but through- out Lee countv and wherever he is known. ALLEN T. ADAMS. -Mien T. Adams, one of the earlier set- tlers of Lee county, Towa, and now num- bered among the oldest residents of the county, was born December 16, 1826, in Adams county, Ohio, a memljer of one of the pioneer families of that state and son of Robert and Xancy (Oxchier) Adams. The father died in Ohio, but the mother came west and located in Whiteside county, Il- linois, whence she later removed to Iowa and joined her sons in Lee county, and died in Scotland county, Missouri, at the re- markable age of 106 years. She was the mother of six children, of whom only three survive, the two others being Chambers Adams, of Whiteside county, Illinois, and Sarah .\., wife of Thomas Walker, of near Kirksville. Missouri. Mr. Adams was first married near Rome, Ohio, in 1846, to Miss Margaret McCandlass, who died in 1873. and was buried at Yellow Bank cemetery\ she being the mother of eleven children of whom eight survive, these being Mary C., wife of Jacob M. Shook, of Mitchell county, Kansas, who has eight children: IMrs. Louisa Evans; Mrs. Anna Leckenneyer ; Mrs. .\llen Sharp; Mrs. Bertha Teten ; Joseph M. ; Francis R. ; Walter E. and Ralph E. ; Robert, who mar- ried Miss Margaret Danford, resides at Mooar. Iowa, and has four children, Mary, Cora, Katherine and Lydia ; William, who married Miss Belle Sharp, resides in Pratt county, Kansas, and has three children liv- ing, Viola, Ruby and William ; Joseph, who married Miss Belle Forsythe, resides at Pueblo, Colorado, and has two children, Nora and Ruby; Nancy, wife of Frank Croi- son. of New Mexico, has one child, Mar- garet : Allen, who married Miss Katherine I'^letcher, resides at Fort Madison, Iowa, and has three children. Pearl, Allen V. and Lida M. ; John, who married Miss Emma High, is a farmer of Jackson township: Lizzie, wife of William Lee. of Pratt county, Kansas, has one son, Joseph. On LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 49 April 27, 1876, Mr. Adams remarried, wedding Mrs. .\manda J. Blakemoore, of Fort Madison, Iowa, and to them have been born five children, of whom four are living, as follows: James, now residing in Pratt county, Kansas, who married Miss Jenett Sharp and lias three ciiildren ; Wal- ter married Irene Oilar and resides at home : Ida. wife of Alonzo McCandlass. who re- sides at Mooar, Iowa, and has one child, and Margaret, wife of Charles Wright, of Keokuk, who has one child. Mrs. Adams also has one son. Edward Blakemore, a farmer of Jackson township, who married Miss Alice W'ittich and has four children. Richard. Alberta. Charles and Louise. Coming to Lee county in 1857, he was variously employed for four years, and in 1861 went to Scotland county. Missouri, where he soon after enlisted in Company B, First Northeast Missouri Regiment of the Home Guards under Colonel Moore and Captain James Best, and was engaged in the battle at Athens and in scouting and skirmish duty for five months. .\t the ex- piration of that jieriod the regiment was regularly organized, and left the state, but Mr. Adams was then in such feeble health as to prevent his re-enlistment, and he re- turned to Iowa, locating in 1865 on his present farm in Jackson townshi]). where he has ever since resided. Here he has l)een very highly successful, and occupies an enviable position among the leading agri- culturists and largest land owners of Lee county, owning approximately 350 acres of fertile farming land well improved and un- usually productive. The farm, which was originally all located in Jackson township. has been divided into two tracts by a change in the channel of the Des Moines river, so that a portion now lies outside the town- ship. ]\Ir. and Mrs. .\dams are well known throughout this vicinity as lifelong Methodists, and are members of the Valley Methodist Episcopal church, whose house of worship Mr. Adams helped to build and in whose welfare he has ever taken the deepest interest, contributing generously to its support and to its various charitable enterprises. All public movements of a worthy nature have commandetl his atten- tion and study, and he was in former years an active and helpful member of the Grange, which derived substantial benefit from his influential position and standing in the com- munity, and he is also known as a promi- nent member of the Republican party in Jackson township. Although he has never aspired to the holding of public oifice. he has at various times consented to discharge the duties of several minor official positions with a view to serving the interests of the community in which he lives, and tor this he deserves credit, for he has always amply justified the confidence of his fellow citizens. The public schools have been the especial object of his care and solicitude, and he has at times occupied the othce of .school director in order to keep more intimately in touch with this characteristically .\merican institution, which is the foundation stone of the nation's liljerties and one of the chief factors in her progress and continued great- ness. In fact, every movement or institu- tion calculatetl to promote the general wel- fare has elicited his sympathy and aid, and 50 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ever since casting his first ballot for Gen- eral William Henry Harrison for president of the United States he has conscientiously observed all the duties of citizenship, and in consequence enjoys today the admiration and respect of those who know him for the uprightness and strict integrity which mark his life record, while his personal loyalty and the social virtues of his character have made him a host of friends. DENNIS A. MORRISON. Among the strongest forces that have contributed to the substantial upbuilding and development of Fort Madison has been the intelligently directed effort of the men who have promoted its business afTairs Promi- nent in this class stands Dennis A. Morri- son, a leading financier of Lee county, whose association with important financial interests includes the presidency of the Fort Madison Sax'ings Bank and the vice-presi- dency of the German-American Bank. With keen insight into business possibili- ties and (ipprirtunities he has likewise been a promoter of varied interests which have had important bearing upon the business outlook and prosperity of the city, while con- tributing as well to iiidixidual success and in this connection he is the president of tlie Fort Madison Street Railway Company, the Fort Madison Gas Company and the Fort Ma(lisf)n Canning Comprmy. Mr. Morrison was born at Frankfort, Ross county, Ohio, October 5, 1839, his par- ents being Samuel D. and Maria (Blacker) Morrison. The father, a native of Xew York, Ijecame a resident of Ohio in his boyhood days and in Chillicothe learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed in that city and in Ross county for many years. He came to Fort Madison, Iowa, in 1848, and after residing here for one year removed to Augusta, Des Moines county where he made his home fc.ir five years, returning then to Fort Madison, where he continued to re- side until his death. Prior to i860 he established a plant for the manufacture of plows and although the enterprise was be- gun on a small scale he developed a busi- ness in later years to extensive and profit- able proportions. After the close of the war his sons, J. B. and D. \. Morrison, who had been to the front as soldiers of the Union Army as had their two brothers, joined the father in business under the firm style of S. D. Morrison & Sons. The plant was then enlarged and its producing capacity increased from year to year as occasion demanded, it becoming one of the leading industrial concerns of the city. Samuel D. Morrison was united in mar- riage to Maria Blacker, during his residence in Ohio and all nf their children were born in that state. Mr. Morrison became one of the early members of St. Joseph's church of Fort Madison and was a generous contributor thereto, at the .same time giving liberally to any movements having for their object the educational and material upbuild- ing of the city. Dennis A. Morrison acquired his educa- tion in the common schools of Ohio and LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 51 Des Moines county, Iowa, ami when seven- teen years of age began working in his father's shop, gaining intimate knowledge of the practical methods of manufacturing plows as well as conducting the financial de- partment of the business. After the in- auguration of the Civil War, hcjwever. in response to his country's need he enlisted in September, 1862, as a member of Company D, Seventh Iowa Infantry. He joined the regiment at Corinth. ^lississippi, and con- tinued with that command until after the close of the war when he was honorably dis- charged at Washington, District of Co- lumbia. He had participated in many im- portant engagements, including the battles of the Atlanta campaign, the march to the sea under Sherman and the march from Savannah to Washington and in the capital city he took part in the grand re\iew, which was the most celebrated military pageant ever seen on the western hemisphere. Dur- ing the latter part of the war he acted as quartermaster sergeant. I'ollowing his return from the ami)' Air. Morrison was admitted to a partnership in his father's business under the firm style of S. D. Morrison & Sons. He remained actively engaged therein until after the re- tirement of tile father, when the business was continued under the firm name of Mor- rison Brothers and later was incorporated as the Morrison Manufacturing Company, with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars, D. A. Morrison becoming the president. This was one of the earliest of the productive industries of Fort Madison and its business development was one of continueers of the old City Reserves and in that connection was frequently called upon to protect the Ixirder and was with his com- pany at the battle of Athens, Missouri. His aid was never sought in vain in behalf of any mo\-ement which he believed would con- trilnite to public progress or to the perma- nent good of Keokuk. His efforts in be- half of jjublic education were particularly beneficial. He served for almost eighteen years as a member of the board of education and did all in his power to promote the ef- ficiency of the schools and to raise the stand- ard (if ])uljlic instruction for he justly con- sidered the best educated man makes the best citizen. In 1871 he was chosen a mem- ber of the school board, serving at that time for three years and again in 1881 he was called to the office and continued therein until his death. Another matter of deep in- terest to him was the public library, which owed its existence in large measure to his efforts, for he was one of the originators of the plan and the organizers of the library in 1863. He was chosen its first president by election and re-elected both in 1864 and 1865. He continued a member of its lioard of directors throughout his entire life and when the library was made a free institution in the summer of 1894 Mayor Moorhead appointed hiiu a member of the new board. Rv his fellow members he was chosen pres- ident and was acting in that ca])acity at the time of his demise. The first certificate of life membershiji was issued to him on the 1st of May, i8(')4, and it is now amc^ng the treasures in the custody of the lilirarian. His fellow citizens accorded him recogni- tion of his personal worth, his public spirit and his devotion to the general good by electing him to the ofiice of alderman, where he served in 1867-8. The following year LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 59 he was elected maynr and thus cmitroUed the nuinici])al interests for one term. He held memljershii) in Atlantic Lodge. Xo. 178, Free <1nd Accepted Alasons, of New York city, the Northwestern Travel- ing; Men's Association, the Knights of Honor, the Loyal Legion and the Ancient Order of LJnited Workmen, but the membership which claimed most of his time and energies was his church relation- ship. He was a communicant and vestry- man of St. John's Episcopal church and aided in large measure in the development and growth of tlie church when it was es- talilished near his residence. His broad hu- manitarian s])irit was manifest in his active and unostentatious charity. None knew the extend of bis benevolences for while he gave freely be never boasted of his generosity and, in fact, there were times when not e\en the recipients of his bounty knew to whom they were indebted for timely aid. fie was uniformly courteous and his gentle- manly demeanor made him a man whom to know was to respect and honor. He passed away after an illness of three months, al- though for onl_\- a few days was he con- fined to his home, his death ocairring Jan- uary 7. iS<;3. Resolutions of respect were passed b\- the various organizations with \\hich he had been closely associated, in- cluding the lodges and the public lilirary board. The city council passed the follow- ing resolutions : "in the broad sweep which it is making among those who wear a crown of honor in our city the scythe of death has reached and cut down the faithful, courteous and conscientious .\ndrew J. Wilkinson. "It is no mere formal manner that we take this occasion to sliow our respect for him. When a man who has lived as Mr. Wilkinson has, who has, through long years, constantly chosen the right, the good, the honest, the sincere, and who. as a result, carries the honor, the confidence and the fa\-or of his fellows — when such a man is taken men do not merely show the outward garb of sorrow. He carries down with him men's hearts. In the lack of his counsel and example men feel tliat the}- have sus- tained a loss. "The influence of Mr. Wilkinson's life has for many years been strongly felt in the religious, educational, political and social work of Keokuk. In 1869 he was thought worthy of the honor and was elected mayor of the city. For years be has been a zealous worker for the public library and when that institution was by the city made free to all the mayor appointed Mr. Wilkinson a mem- ber of the Ixiard of trustees, of which tody lie was chosen to be president, and which office is vacated by his death. "In respect to him. who. through so manv years and in so many ways has served his city and his fellowman. l)e it "Resolved, That this council do now rise until Thursday evening. January 10. after the bodv of ex-Mayor Wilkinson has been laid to re.st." One who knew him well, said : "He bad been for many years one of the chief busi- ness men of Keokuk. He was a gixid and lovable man. He lived his life in 'the Iieauty of holiness;' not cant or religious pretense: there was not a particle of that in him ; but all iiis life he simply did to others as he 6o BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW would have them do to him. He seemed incapable of selfishness. He was gentle, gracious, kindly, courteous, considerate, obliging, helpful and yet fixed and resolute in his convictions. He could say 'no' as firmly as an}^ man we ever knew. We have many times had occasion to admire the high and punctilious sense of official duty, ex- actness and thoroughness he took to the discharge of any public trust that fell to hiiu. His pervading integrity, sincerity and dignity made him do all his work without paltriness or slighting. It was a delight to \x associated with him on the school board or anywhere. His high courtesy, kindness, calm but fixed regard for justice and the properties of life made it so that his re- spect for the personality of every one per- vaded any meeting with the atmosphere of good will and gracious comradship. Human nature is a rather lofty matter after all or there would not be so many really noble men and women as there are. We say what is simply true when we say that the parting breath of .Vudrew J. Wilkinson ended one of the best and most l)eautiful lives that have ever been in Keokuk." THOMAS J. MAXWELL, M. D. Dr. Thomas J. Maxwell, one of the most eminent surgeons of Iowa, one of the or- ganizers of St. Joseph's Hospital of Keokuk and i^rofessor of surgery and clinical sur- gery in the Keokuk College of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Keukuk, v.as born in New Athens, Harri- son county, Ohio, March 6, 1837. His par- ents were John and Jane (Orr) Maxwell. The father was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, was a representative of one of the old families there and in 1804 accom- panied his father, Thomas Maxwell, on his reniDval to Ohio, where he attained his ma- jiirity and was married to Miss Orr, who was born in Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, and had gone to New Athens, Ohio, with her father. Robert Orr. and his fam- ily. In early life John Maxwell mastered the trades of a wheelwright and cabinet- maker and followed those pursuits in Ohio. In 1842 he visited Iowa on a prospecting tour and in 1844 he brought his family to this state, locating in Crawfordsville, Washington county, where he continued to work at the millwright's trade, building many mills throughout that section of the state. There his death occurred in 1871 and his wife passed away in 1885. They were members of the United Presbyterian church and their influence was strongly felt on the substantial and moral development of the community in which they made their home. Dr. Maxwell, when seven years of age. accompanied his parents to Iowa and pur- sued his liter.arA- education in the district schools and in the academv of Crawfords- ville, after which he engaged in teaching in Wa.shington county, \\1iile thus engaged he determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, and to this end began study- ing with Dr. J. D. Miles, a highly educated and skillful ]ih_\-sician, as his preceptor. He LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 6i pursued lecture courses in Keokuk, in what was then known as the medical department of the University of Iowa, and was grad- uated in Febniary, 1861. Dr. ]^Iaxwell located for practice in Wash- ington county, Iowa, but in 1862 he was commissioned assistant surgeon in the Third Iowa Cavalry, continuing in charge of the field practice with that regiment until 1865. The command participated in many hotly contested engagements, resulting in the ne- cessity for much surgical treatment. In 1865 Dr. Maxwell was transferred from the Third Iowa Cavaln,- to the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth colored regiment as sur- geon, with the rank of major, and he was mustered out under order given by the war department in Januar\-, 1866. Returning to Washington county, Iowa, Dr. Maxwell then made arrangements to remove to Olena, Henderson county, Illi- nois, where he built up a large country prac- tice, that made his labor financially as well as professionally successful, but in 1882, de- sirous of putting aside the very arduous duties involved in such a practice, he re- moved to Keokuk and opened an office. Al- though he began here as a general prac- titioner the demands made upon him for surgical work soon made him a specialist in that line, and his superior skill gained him eminence that has since ranked him with the leading surgeons of the state. He has performed many capital operations and has the honor of having first successfully per- formed the operation for the removal of an ovarian tumor in Iowa, resulting in the re- covery of the patient. He continued to enjoy a very large and important surgery practice until 1885, since which time his at- tention has been given chiefly to education labor in the line of his profession. In that year he became lecturer on state medicine and hygiene in the College of Physicians and Surgeons and subsequently was given the chair of clinical surgery, while later he was made professor of anatomy and ocaipied that chair for four years. His next posi- tion was the professorship of obstetrics and gynecology, but on the return of the former ocaipant of the chair he gave up the de- partment of obstetrics, continuing, how- ever, to lecture on g\'necologA' and anatomy. In 1890, in connection with Dr. Jen- kins and a few other noted members of the profession. Dr. Maxwell assisted in found- ing Keokuk Medical College and became professor of surgen- and clinical surger)', ocaipying that posilicn until the Keokuk ]\Tedical College bought out the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the two insti- tutions were consolidated, the new school be- ing known as the Keokuk Medical College, College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Maxwell continued to fill the chair of sur- gery and clinical surgery and at the same time has contributed in substantial meas- ure to the success of the school through his efforts to advance its standard and promote its efficiency. He has seen old methods su- perseded by new and improved ones and the college has kept pace with the universal progress that has marked the medical pro- fession, no greater advancement being made in anv line of scientific research and investi- gation. Dr. Maxwell is also connected with the dental department of the college and has seen great growth in the attendance in 62 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW recent years, a fact indicative of its rank as an institution for the training of those who desire to become active members of the pro- fession. Dr. Maxwell was a member of the Illi- nois State Medical Society and the Military Tract Medical Society and now belongs to the Keokuk Medical and Iowa State Medi- cal Societies, both of which he has been the president. He likewise belongs to the American Medical Association and is the author of various papers of merit and of value to the profession which he has read before these different organizations. He is now ]jreparing a book for publication upon the treatment of intra-capsular fractures, such as fractures inside the hip joint, hav- ing devised a method of healing which was previously thought to l>e an incurable frac- ture of the hip joint. He has treated many cases successfully and his discovery has proven of the greatest benefit in surgery. He was active in founding St. Joseph's Hospital and since its establishment has been surgeon-in-chief. Dr. Maxwell married Miss Elizabeth Riley, who was born in Ohio, in 1866, and they became the parents of six children, but Mabel died at the age of twenty years and two clied in earlv childhood. The living children are Maude, Helen and John R. Tlie son is a graduate of the Illinois University at Champaign and of the Keokuk Medical College and is now professor of anatomy and clinical surgery in the Keokuk College of Medicine. The Doctor has a beautiful and hospitable home at No. 727 North Ninth street, in Keokuk. He is a member of Tor- rence Post, Grand .\rmy of the Republic and of the Loyal Legion and in his political views is a Republican. He took an active part in politics while in Illinois and was there candidate for senator but the district was strongly Dem- ocratic. The demands of his profession now leave him little time for outside interests, and his labors as medical and surgical prac- titioner, lecturer and author have made his life work of marked value to his fellowman. JOHN R. DIMOND. In \'arious official positions John R. Diniond has demonstrated his loyalty and his public-spirited citizenship and at the present writing is capably serving as city, county and state assessor for Keokuk and Lee county. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, June 17, 1841, his parents being John and Elizabeth (Rudy) Dimond. The father was born in Londonderry, Ireland, in May, 1806, and there learned the shoe- maker's trade. When twenty-one years of age he left his native countiy and crossed the Atlantic, establishing his home in Buf- falo, New ^'nrk, but soon afterward he re- moved to Louis\-ille, Kentucky, where he followed his trade for .some time and was also engaged in the shoe business. He like- wise conducted what was known as a shoe- maker's boarding house, the third story be- ing fitted up as a shop for the boarders, to which thev might take their custom work MK. AN'I) MRS. JOHN R. OlMOND LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 65 and finish it. Mr. Dimond, taking; an active part ill Democratic politics in the Soutli. was made turnieing respected by all who knew them. Early forming a resolution to bear a share in the conquest of the vast and wealthy region west of the Mississippi river, they set out from their eastern home in the year 1857, and after an arduous wagon journey of twenty-eight days arrived in Des Moines county. Iowa; and in the fall of that year they purchased a farm of 160 acres in Franklin township. Lee county. There they improved the land and pursued the vocation of farming until the early seventies, when the\' disposed of their holdings in order to jiurchase a farm near Dover in the same township, on which they resided for a num- ber of years, selling it later, however, and buying a small farm in that neighborhood on which the remainder of their days were passed in the enjo}-ment of the well-earned fruits of their long and faithful toil. Much honor is due them for the part they played in the early development of Iowa, and it LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 69 is with eminent fitness that a record of their Hves and deeds is here inscribed in loving remembrance and veneration. Mr. W'aher attained to (juite a degree of jirominence in local public affairs, being an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party and having held the office of assessor and a number of minor elective positions of tmst and honor, and enjoying a wide acquaint- ance anil popularity. Ever striving for the triumph of humanity's higher interests, he and his wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and did much to advance its welfare. The remains of both rest in Clay Grove cemetery. Two brothers and two sisters of Mr. Walter, our subject, attained to years of maturity. Jesse Carroll, the eldest, is now- deceased. He was a prominent member of the Lee county bar, and at one time held the office of county auditor, and was a vet- eran of the Civil War, having served with the Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He .was a man of brilliant endowments and extraordinary ability. Mar\- A., the elder sister, is the widow of Henry Jefferson, and resides at Cedar Falls, Iowa. Kate G., who is the fourth in order of birth, is the widow of Francis H. Semple, formerly a prominent attorney of Keokuk, and is a resident of Cliicago. George R., the young- est, is also deceased, his demise having oc- airred in 1903. The early educational advantages of I^wis Walter were limited to those of the public schools in his native state of Peim- sylvania, and practically ended in his fif- teenth year when he accompanied iiis par- ents to Iowa. Init l)eing of a studious dis- position he made the most of his opportu- nities, and by following an instinctive love of knowledge qualified himself for many ]^ositi()ns o{ honor and usefulness in his later life. The days of his youth were de- \'oted to the exacting duties of his father's farm, in which lie continued until the call of patriotism drew his attention from peace- ful pursuits and he went forth to serve his coimtry in the cause of freedom, justice and national unity. In 1862 he enlisted in comjiany "E, " Nineteenth Iowa \'olunteer Infantry, at Fort Madison under Captain William Adams. The first nine months of his service were spent in the department of the Frontier, and it was during this period that he participated in the famous battle of Prairie Grove. Later he participated in the siege of Vicksburg, after which he was trans- ferred to the department of fiulf, and on September 29, 1863, the entire regiment, consisting of 206 men, were captured by a superior number of Confederate forces at Sterling Farm, Louisiana, and held as ]jrisoners of war. first at Tyler, Texas, and later at Shreveport, Louisiana. .\t the latter place they were ex- changed on July 22 of tlic follow- ing year, after suffering many h.-u-dshijis in prison, and rejoined the Union army un- der General Canby. taking part in the nu- merous engagements of the campaigni which culminated in the fall of Mobile, at which place our sul)ject was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant, having earned that military grade by meritorious service in camp and on the field of battle. L'pon the close of hostilities Mr. Walter returned home, and sliortlv after was united 7° BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW in marriage to Miss Martha Adeline Walker, daughter of Milton Walker, a highly re- spected citizen and early pioneer settler of Iowa. For a year after his marriage he cultivated his father's farm, but owing to the low state of his health, which had been much impaired by the life of southern pris- ons, camps and fields, he was compelled to abandon the work, and for a number of years followed successfully the profession of teaching. Later he was interested at inter- vals for the space of ten years in mer- cantile enterprises at West Point and at Dover, and also completed a course of read- ing in law. but did not apply for admission to practice in the courts. On removing to DonnelLson he spent two years in teach- ing, and subsequently became the first editor of the Lee Count)- Record, published at this place, of which he afterward became owner but which he has since sold. At one time he was also an editorial writer for the Plain Dealer, of Fort Madison, and in these positions he exercised a very considerable influence in public afifairs, acquiring a wide reputation as a clear and consistent thinker and forceful writer, whose pen was ever employed on the side of justice and sound policy. To Mr. and Mrs. Walter have been born the following children who reached maturi- ty: Alice R.. who is the wife of Charles H. Scheurs, at the present time a rural mail carrier of Donnellson, and has two chil- dren. Walter and Karl ; John, who died at the age of eighteen years; Elva and Kath- r}-n. who reside with their father. In March of 1903 the mother of this family passed to the higher life, and was laid at rest in Clav Grove cemetery. Although reared in the Presbyterian faith, in which denomination her father was a prominent and leading worker, she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. She was a woman of many rare qualities, a consistent Christian, a devoted wife and loving mother, and to those who, by the intimacy of family rela- tions, it was permitted to know the depth and truth of her affections, the sweet aroma of her memopt' will remain ever precious. To Mr. Walter has fallen many public duties. During a year of his residence at West Point he held the office of justice of the peace, for a period of thirty years he acted as notary public, in the village of Don- nellson he has been elected by his fellow citizens to the offices of alderman, recorder and mayor, and during the administration of President Harrison he was appointed postmaster, a position to which he was re- appointed on the inaguration of the late President McKinley. Also he was at one time made its secretary by the Lee county agricultural association. In 1892 he was one of the prime movers in the organiza- tion of the People's Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and was its first secretary, a re- lation which he lias ever since sustained. In fraternal affairs he has assumed a promi- nent place, being a past chancellor of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias, and a member of the Masonic order and Sedge- wick post Grand Army of the Re- public of Maryville, Missouri. His political faith is that indicated by the part he has borne in public affairs — that of the Republican party, in which for a long term of vears he has been a valued worker. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 71 both on account of his large personal influ- ence and his advice in the councils of the party. Mr. Walter's life work has been one of broad and lasting usefulness, and the varied abilities he has displayed in differing occupations, together with his honorable and strictly upright course in all relations of life, fully entitle him to that universal re- spect which he has long enjoyed. He is well known, by reputation and personally, throughout Lee county, and has a host of friends who honor him for his character and his long record of dut}' conscientiously and nobly performed. HON. CHARLES H. FINCH. Success which comes from capability and the honor which is accorded in recognition to true worth are today enjoyed by Hon. Charles H. Finch, auditor of Lee county and ex-mayor of the city of Fort Madison. He was born in Fort Madison November 17. i860, and is the son of Hiram and Jane (Jenkins) Finch. Hiram Finch was born at Montrose. Susquehanna county, Pennsyl- vania, May 27, 1824. The family came to America from England at an early date, the grandfather, Hiram Finch, being an early resident of Montrose, Pennsylvania, where he secured a grant of land. He was one of the prominent men of his day, a sheriff of the county, and a successful real-estate oper- ator. Hiram Finch, the father of our sub- ject, followed the sea for many years, as mate of a sailing vessel. On retiring from the life of an ocean sailor he became, in i^57> mate and captain on the Mississippi river, and was one of the well-known river- men during the days when the river traffic was large and important. He continued in this line of activity until 1872. The parents of Charles H. Finch were married at Swansea, South Wales, and came to Fort Madison in 1857. After retiring from the river the father was connected with the state penitentiary at this place, holding various positions in the institution until about one year prior to his death. He was one of the early memljers of the Ma- sonic order at Dallas City, Illinois, being a charter member of Dallas City Lodge, Free and Accepted Masc^ns. He died July 8, 1900, the demise of his wife having l^receded his own by a year. Five children survive them. The subject of this sketch, after the com- pletion of his education in the public schools nf his native city, entered the employ of the Towa Farming Tool Company of this place, serving a regular apprenticeship of three years, in order to acquire the trade of a ma- chinist. As a master mechanic he remained with the same company until June, 1900, when he became manager of the Hotel An- thes. This connection was continued until April, 1904. In politics he has been an active worker in the Democratic ranks ever since attain- ing his majority. Twice he has Iteen elected to serve his ward in the city council, but resigned the oflfice during his second term on account of having changed the place of his residence. In the first term of his tenure 72 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW he was chairman of the Light and Park com- mittees, and it was at this time that Old Set- tlers' Park was graded and filled and other- wise beautified and improved. In 1901, the year following his resignation, he was called by his fellow citizens to the highest office within their gift, and it was during his ad- ministration as mayor of the city of Fort Madison that the floating debt of the mu- nicipality was materially reduced. Prior to the expiration of his term of office as mayor he was elected auditor of Lee county, assuming his new duties in January, 1903. He has discharged the ob- ligations and responsibilities of this posi- tion with credit to himself and in such a manner as to reflect honor upon the con- stituency which has seen fit to repose in him a tnist of such importance and magnitude. Fraternally he is Master of Stella Lodge, No. 440, Free and Accepted Masons, and as a Past Master of the lodge has been its representative in the Grand Lodge. In Potowonka Chapter, No. 21, Royal Arch Masons, he holds membership, and has occupied the positions of High Priest and representative to the Grand Chapter. In the Masonic craft, especially, has he been prominent. He is a member of the council and of Dallas Commandery No. 51, of Fort Madison, of which latter he has been Emi- nent Commander. In the Mystic Shrine his membership is in Kaba Temple, Davenport, Iowa. April 10, 1894, Mr. Finch married Miss Elizabeth Anthes, a member of one of the prominent families of Fort Madison. She is a daughter of George and Anna Anthes. Two sons grace their home — George H. and Charles A. Mr. Finch gives his active sup- port to the Episcopal church, in which he was reared, and Mrs. Finch is a member of that denomination. In Fort Madison and throughout Lee county the name of Hon. Charles H. Finch stands for many things of which any man might feel justly proud. Among these are honor, integrity and an unswerving faithfulness to duty. GEORGE RANSON. George Ranson, an old and honored pioneer of Cedar township, Lee county, Iowa, who is living upon his magnificent estate of four hundred and eighteen acres and after a long and useful career is pass- ing his last \-ears in a well-deserved peace and quiet. -\Ir. Ranson was born in Yorkshire, Eng- land, March 3, 183 1, a S(in of James and Elizabeth Ranson. The following year his parents crossed the ocean in an old sailing vessel, and made their way to Jacksonville, Illinois, where they maintained their home until 1841. That year they removed to Henry county, Iowa, where the father bought a two-hundred-acre farm, to which he later added thirty acres, on which he spent the balance of his life. There was only a log cabin and stable upon the place and made such other improvements as the needs" of the place demanded. He was the father of six girls and two boys. Three of the girls are dead, and the subject of this sketch was the fourth member of the fam- ilv in order of birth. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 72, George received but a limited education in the old log" school houses of Illinois and Iowa, under the instruction of the frontier pedagogues, but he has made the most of the instruction that he did receive. By close ob- servation and wide reading he has supplied many of the defects of his early training, and has become a well-educated man in the great school of life. He lived at Jionie until he reached the age of twenty-five years when his father died. In March. 1861. he was married to Miss Romelia Hyde, who was born near Columbus, Franklin county, Ohio, a daughter of George ^^'. and Sarah (Hart) Hyde. Her father was born in New York city, and her mother in Ohio, but her people were of Southern origin. About 1849 they settled in Cedar township. Lee county, bought a farm of twd hundred acres, on which her father was engaged in farm- ing his remaining years. Mr. Ranson made his home with his father-in-law. for one summer, then bought the place where he now resides on which he built a fine house and barn, making many other improvements, such as setting out a fine orchard, and bringing the entire place up to the most exacting recfuirements. After his father-in-law's death he bought out the other heirs' interest. To Mr. and Mrs. Ranson have come the following children : Elizabeth and Laura died young; Eva is dead: Luella. the wife of George E. Powell, has four living chil- dren — Howard. Lena, Nellie and Vern; Frank, a resident of Big Mound, Lee county, married Miss Olive Crawford, and they are the parents of two children — Roland and Martha; Ellen married C. W. 6 King, a farmer in Cedar township, and is the mother of four children — Ellen, Henrv, George Marion and V'elda ; Walter married Grace Zigler, and is a farmer near Salem; I'lorence Magnolia married Richard Dods- worth, and is a resident of Marion town- ship ; Martha is at home ; Charles and W'al- lace died young. Mr. Ranson is Republican in his political sympathies, and though he has never sought official honors he has acted as treasurer of his school district for many years. In re- ligion he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has well squared his life l)y the principles of honesty, brother- hood and square dealing. Among the old settlers his name is well known, and he is the most respected and esteemed by those who have known him the longest. JAMES M. GARDNER. James M. Gardner, who was for many years a resident and large landholder of Franklin township. Lee county, Iowa, was born at Hillsboro, New Hampshire, May II, 1835, a son of William and Sophronia Gardner, with whom he removed to Jackson county in what is now West Virginia, when he was but four years of age, and there he received his education in the rural schools and grew to years of maturity as his father's assistant on the farm, but in i8(')3 he de- cided to broaden the field of his labors, and entered the employ of the I.x)uisville Bridge 74 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW & Iron Company as a bridge builder. He remained in the employ of this company throughout the remainder of his life, and having early displayed remarkable aptitude for the work of his chosen profession, was given charge of the bridges of the Louisville & Xash\-ille Railroad during the disturbed period which marked the close of the Civil War. and was captured a number of times by the Confederate guerrillas who then in- ' fested that section, but being a non-com- batant, was always released. He soon took high rank as a superintendent of bridge building, and in that capacity did a great, deal of construction work on various rail- roads, being thus engaged in nearly all the states of the Union, and building a large number of bridges. He possessed mechan- ical ability of a high order, and was a man of strong executive force, possessing in an unusual degree the talent for governing and directing men, and it was this quality that caused his services to be always in demand and brought him unusual appreciation from his employers, together with the fact that he was always thorough in his work and never failed to insist upon the same con- scientious observance of detail from those under his command. On December 15, 1879, Mr. Gardner wedded Miss Amanda Peoples, of Ohio, who was born in Steubenville, Meigs county, that state, July 8, 1838. In 1874 he purchased a farm of 160 acres in Franklin township, Lee county, Iowa, and in 1876 he brought his family from West Virginia and estab- lished them in this new home, he having great faith in the possibilities of the West as a field of opportunity for his children, to whom he desired to furnish all the advan- tages in his power. Later he added to his real-estate holdings until he owned 364 acres of fertile lands, which was ailtivated by his sons, he himself being constantly absent upon the duties of his profession. To Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were born the following children who survive them : William S., of Central City, Nebraska; Lucinda H., wife of A. L. C. Wolf, of Central City, Ne- braska ; Harry A., of Gushing, Iowa ; Mary E., wife of Laurence Ray, of Central City, Nebraska; Robert A., postmaster at West Point, Iowa ; and John E., practicing the profession of dentistry at Newman's Grove, Nebraska. Two sons, James C. and Edwin E., are deceased. Mr. Gardner's death occurred July 11, 1886, his demise having been preceded by that of his wife, which occurred March 7, 1884, and both are buried in Clay Grove cemeter}'. While Mr. Gardner was en- thusiastically devoted to his work, his first consideration was ever that of his duty as a citizen, and he was an intelligent, student of public affairs in their more general as- pects, and a consistent member of the Re- publican party, which he supported in all important contests. He believed in an over- riding Providence, to which he owned al- legiance, and holding firmly to the tenets of the Christian faith, he held membership in the Christian church, as did also his de- voted wife, and they observed a lifelong fidelity in their religious relations as embody- ing the most exalted conception of which the human mind is capable. He was a man of resolute and determined character, yet kind and gentle in disposition, one who LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 75 made friends easily and retained their re- gard without effort as belonging to him by natural right, and was respected by all with whom he came in contact. CHARLES E. RUTH, M. D. Dr. Charles E. Ruth, physician, surgeon and educator, now holding the professor- ship of surgery and clinical surgery in the Keokuk Medical College, College of Phy- sicians and .Surgeons, of Keokuk, was born in Johnson county, Iowa, on the 17th of August, 1 86 1, his parents being Alexander and Sarah Jane (Funk) Ruth. The Ruths are of old Pennsylvania stock. The great' grandfather of Dr. Ruth was brought from England to America when only a year old, the family home being established in Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania, prior to the American Revolution. There he was reared, becoming a farmer and stockraiser. His home was located about two miles south of West Alexandria, Pennsylvania. His wife, a native of Ireland, was also brought to America when about a year old and was reared in the same neighborhood as her hus- l)and. Tiiey became the parents of ten chil- dren. Their son. Hugh Ruth, the grand- father of Dr. Ruth, died in Winterset, Madi- son county. Iowa, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. He was married twice and had twelve children. His first wife, a Miss Jacobs, was the grandmother of Dr. Ruth. She died in 1845, age thirty-four. Alexander Ruth was born in Washing- ton county. Pennsylvania, in 1836, and came to Iowa when twenty years of age, settling in Johnson county, where he has since made his home. He enlisted in Company G, Fourteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served in the Indian war on the border under General Sully, participating in all the en- gagements of his regiment. Later he was transferred to the Forty-first Iowa Volun- teer Infantry and subsequently to the Sev- enth Iowa Cavalry, and remaining. at the front until after the close of the war, he then received an honorable discharge and has since lived in Johnson and Muscatine counties and at present is a resident of Win- terset. Iowa. In i860 he married Miss Sarah J. Funk, who was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, in 1840, a daughter of Joseph Funk, also a native of that county, where the family was established in pioneer times, and where the descendants are now very numerous. Her father was a shoemaker and later a farmer. Six cliildren were born to Alexander and Sarah Ruth, of whom four are living: Charles E.. Oliver J., Car- rie B. and Lizzie J. The elder daughter be- came the wife of Walter Braham, who was killed by a falling timber in 1894, while liv- ing at Croxton, Nebraska, and she is now the wife of J. H. Mark. Lizzie J. is en- gaged in deaconess work in Mother's Jewels Home, in York, Nebraska. Mrs. Ruth died in July. 1896. Charles E. Ruth, reared upon his father's farm, acquired his early education in the district schools and afterward attended the high school of Iowa City. Determining upon practice of medicine as a life work 76 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW he pursued a three years course of study in the Medical department of the Iowa State University, from which he was graduated, March 7, 1883. He at once began practice in Atalissa, Muscatine county, Iowa, where he remained for four years and then re- moved to the city of Muscatine. While there he became a member of the County and State Medical Societies and the Amer- ican Medical Association. Finding that Muscatine did not offer him the field of labor he desired and wliich was demanded by his constantlv developing powers. Accordingly he came to Keokuk in 1892. Two years prior to this time he had been elected pro- fessor of anatomy in the Keokuk Medical College, while in 1893 he was elected pro- fessor of clinical surgerx^ at St. Joseph's Hospital, at Keokuk. His connection with the Keokuk Medical College began in 1890. He was elected vice president of the insti- tution in 1896, and his connection there- with has since lieen continuous. In 1903 he Ijecame secretary- of the faculty of the Keokuk ^ledical College. College of Phy- sicians and Surgeons, and in July, 1904, was elected professor of surgery- and clinical surgerv in tiie college. In the same year he was made chairman of the section of surgery of the Iowa State Medical Society. He has also served for one term as presi- dent of tlie Tri-State Medical Society, em- bracing Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. In 1898 lie was chosen chairman of the sec- tion of obstetrics and diseases of women of the Iowa Medical Society, and in June of that \ear he was appointed brigade surgeon, with tlie rank of major, in the United States volunteer army, but on account of illness was obliged to resign his commission the following month. Among later societies or- ganized for the dissemination of knowledge among the members of the profession, of which Dr. Ruth has become a representa- tive are: The Western Surgical and Gyne- cological Society, the Military Tract Med- ical Society, the Southeastern Iowa Medical Society and the Southwestern Iowa Medi- cal Society. His prominence and ability are widely acknowledged by the profession, and not only in pri\'ate practice liut also as an educator his labors have proven of far- reaching benefit to mankind. On the 3d of Octolier. 1883. Dr. Ruth married Miss Adella Tantlinger, an accom- plished daughter of John L. and Louisa (Warren") Tantlinger, born in Johnson county, Iowa, August 28, 1864. The Tant- lingers located in Iowa City as early as 1840 when the site was nearly ail luicultivated ])rairie or timlier land. Josepii Stover, a nati\-e of Kentucky and a descendant of Daniel Boone, was the great-grandfather, in tiie maternal line, of Mrs. Ruth. He was a broad-shouldered, powerful maii. intensely loyal and was well fitted to cope with pioneer conditions, which undoubtedly he enjoyed, for he liecame a frontiersman in four states. He became wealthy through inveslment and well-directed business acti\-ity and died at the advanced age of ninety-seven years, leaving his farm, two miles southwest of Iowa City, to his son, who still resides there. His wife died at the age of eighty-eight vears. His daughter, grandmother of Mrs. Ruth, was a widow when she went to Iowa LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 77 City with lier fallier. ?ler name was Mrs. Sarah (Stover) V\'arreii and she had six cliil- dren. Dr. and Mrs. Ruth have three children: \'eri .\hnn, I'na Gertrude and Zana. The parents are menihers i>f the Methndist F.])is- copal eluuvh. In whidi Dr. i\nth has he- lonsjed fnmi tlie age of ten years. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity and is deeply interested in all that pertains to the betterment of mankind. It would be almost tautological in this connection to en- ter into any series of statements as showing him to be a man of strong intellectuality and progressive ideas, for these iiave been shad- owed forth between the lines of tliis review. Those who have profited by his professional service have also recognized in him a broad humanitarian spirit and a kindly sympathy which have won him the entire respect of the general public as well as his fellow members in the profession. RUDOLPH H. KREHBIEL. In order to properly and fully inider- stand the greatness of the country in which we live it is necessary to make a study of the various sources from which that great- ness arises, to analyze its elements, and to appraise, with what accuracy we may. the value and importance of its several constit- uent parts ; and in any inquiry of this kind it invariably appears that a very great meas- ure of credit is due to families of Germanic origin, and that tlie energy, enterprise and keen mentality of this class of citizens has entitled the part ])layed by them in the ma- terial, moral and civic advancement of the nation to be considered highly e.xcellent, ]3raiseworthy and broadly significant. A re])rescntali\e of this class of estimable citi- zens in Lee county and a member of one of its old and prominent families, is Ru- dolph H. Krehbiel, of Franklin township, where he resides on a large and highlv im- proved farm in section 29 and successfully conducts a business of general farming and stockraising. Mr. Krehbiel is a native son of Lee county, hax'ing been l)orn March \q. 1866. in the home which he now occupies, and is the son of Christian and Mary (Schnebele) Krehbiel, who were both of German birth and an account of whose lives will be found elsewhere in this work. lie received his erlucation in lioth the German and English languages, attending the public schools and a German institution in his district, the latter being maintained by families of that na- tionality in order that their children might enjoy superior ad\antages and that the most clierished and valuable traditions of the b'atherland might be perpetuated for their inrtuence on tiie characters of their descend- ants. He also took an active share in the work of the farm, learning the details of management md OjieratitMi imder the direc- tion of his father, and in his twenty-si.xth vear he began his independent work in life bv renting one of his father's farms in l-'ranklin township, which he conducted with great success luitil the death of his father in 1899, when, receiving the bequest of the 78 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW home farm, he removed here and has since made it his place of residence. Here he has profitably continued his work of farming, and devotes a great deal of attention to the raising of high-grade stock, a subject on which he is a recognized authority. Besides the farm of lOO acres on which he resides he owns 80 acres in section 30 and 35 acres of fine timber land in section 30. He has brought his land to a high state of cultiva- tion, has introduced m.any modern improve- ments, thus demonstrating his thorough confidence in up-to-date ideas and proving bv his success in their application that en- terprise is as valuable in agriculture as in any other line of business, and at the same time he has observed a legitimate conserv- atism which gives full respect to the results of past experience. On May 15, 1892, Mr. Krehbiel was united in marriage to Miss Mary Lowen- berg, a native of Lee county and a daughter of Valentine and Kate (Krehbiel) Lowen- berg. Mrs. Krehbiel's father was born in Germany, and when only fourteen years of age came to America, locating in Lee county, where he successfully engaged in farming throughout his acti\e life. To Mr. and Mrs. Krehbiel ha\e been born eight sons and flaughters, as follows : Hilda, Edgar, Robert, !\Iary. Rudolph, Kurt, Lillian and Honier, who died at the age of two months. All had l*"ranklin township for their place of birth, and are being educated in the pub- lic schools of that township. Mr. Krehbiel is a member of the Mennon- ite church and an acti\e supporter of its work as of all movements calculated to se- cure tlie welfare of his conmnmitv. \Mn'lc an advocate of all progressive measures and taking a great interest in public afifairs, he has never aspired to public office, but con- tents himself with conscientious effort in his capacity of private citizen to promote hon- est and efficient go\-ernment. In his partisan relations he is a member of the Democratic party, believing the principles and declared policies of that organization to lie the high- est embodiment of American political sci- ence, !)ut usually maintains an independent attitude in affairs of local government, cast- ing his ballot according to his individual es- timate of the men and measures involved. Always public spirited and ready to aid all worthy enterprises, he was at one time a stockholder in the Bank of Donnellson dur- ing the earlier history of that institution, but has not maintained the connection. Mr. Krehbiel's position among the progressive and substantial citizens of Lee county is one of the very highest, and by reason of bis successful career, his representative character and his wide acquaintance he is well deserving of a prominent place in a work of the present nature. JOHN C. COURTRIQHT. A careful and methodical farmer, a con- scientious citizen, a good neighbor and friend, and a sincere Christian, John C. Courtright has left behind him a record which will long keep his memory in the hearts of those who knew him best. From LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 79 tlie comforts and pleasures (if tlie lunne which he liaeen a contiinious resident here since 1856, and his record has been honorable and sig- 82 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW nificant. Mr. Eppers was born in Bruns- wick, Germany, January 4, 1848, the son of Henry and Wilhelmina Eppers. He came with his parents to America when eight years of age, and settled on a farm in Jefferson township, and here his fatlier spent the remainder of his Hfe. Our sub- ject received his early education in the pub- lic schools of his township, and later he at- tended the village school of Franklin. Dur- ing vacations, however, he assisted in the work of the farm, learning those lessons of useful labor that were destined to prove of value in later life. With that independence which charac- terizes the best young American manhood, Mr. Eppers immediately began his active ca- reer on his own account as soon as he at- tained to the age of twenty-one years, secur- ing employment at rafting and with lumber boats on the Mississippi river. He followed this occupation very successfully for a num- ber of years. He then bought a fann of forty acres in Jefferson township, hut finding after a time that he was able to make a handsome profit from the pur.suit of agriculture, he decided to enlarge his holdings, and there- fore traded his farm for one of eighty acres in same tDwnship, that which he now owns and on which he has resided for twen- ty-five years. By industry, economy and care he has here made for himself a pleasant home, one in which are to be found many modern conveniences, and in which his fam- ily enjoy the comforts of life. On April 23, 1874, Mr. Eppers was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Kne- meyer, of Fort Madison. Mrs. Eppers is of German parentage, but was born in Amer- ica, being a native of Illinois. Of this union have been bom four sons and one daughter. They are : Frederick, Edward, Minnie, Charles, Roy. In matters of politics Mr. Eppers has given his support with unswerving loyalty to the Democratic j)arty, and has Ijeen an active worker for the triumph of its princi- ples. To him the party in southern Iowa owes much, and has often rewarded his ef- forts in its behalf by elevating him to posi- tions of honor. His first public trust was t1iat of township clerk of Jefferson town- ship, which post he held for ten years, and later he was elected to the office of assessor and for a period of eight years he performed its duties with signal success and to the satisfaction of his constituents. He has served his party as delegate to every state convention for the last ten ye:irs, and as delegate to every county convention .for thirty years — a remarkable record. For several years he was chairman of the county central committee, and it was during his tenure of ofiRce that the Demo- cratic party received the largest majorities at the polls that it ever enjoyed — before or since. Of recent years he has been sending as a member of the congressional commit- tee of his district, and is at the present time chairman of that body, having 1>een elected in 1902 and re-elected in 1904. It will thus be seen that Mr. Eppers's part in shaping the policies of the great party to which he belongs has been one of no limited extent. In 1880 he accepted the iiomination for coimty recorder, and as a result of his pop- ularity he reduced the normal majority against him more than t,too votes. Long LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 83 practical experience in politics gives great weight to his voice in Democratic councils, and he deserves honor from the fact that his influence has always heen on the side of protecting the purity of the ballot and safe- guarding the popular liberties. On account of his ability and integrity he enjoys the uni- versal confidence and respect, and his pleas- ing manner and personality have made him a host of loval friends. CHARLES JEFFERSON HAQAN, M. D. Death often remo\'es from I'ur midst thcise whom we c;'.n ill afford to lose, men whose lives ha\e become an intetjral factor in the history of their communities, because of an unselfi.sh spirit which prompts effort for the general good as well as for individual progress. Brave in the i)resence of danger, calm in the midst of excitement, at all times using his faculties to the utmost along pro- gressive lines, giving of his labors for his fellowmen not only in his profession but also in other walks of lite. Dr. Hagan com- manded the respect and confidence of all and won the sincere friendship and deeper love of many. He was a man of scholarly tastes and attainments devoted tn his family and in his daily cunduct displayed those sterling traits wliich cause his friends to say : "He w^as a man : take him for all in all. I shall not look upon his like again." Dr. Hagan was a native of Tuscarawas countv. Oiiio. born on the loth of I"el)ru- ary. 1842. his parents lieing Charles and Margaret (Bailes) Hagan, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Xew ^'ork. In his native county he spent his youth and acquired his education, obtain- ing fair knowledge of the sciences and the luiguages. Throughout his entire life, how- c\er. he continued a student, constantly broadening his mind by research and in- vestigation. Taking up the .study of medi- cine in 1859, '^^ ^^"''S graduated from Starling Medical . College, of Columbus, Ohio, in 1863. about the time he attained his ma- jority. In 1862. however, when he was but twenty years of age and while yet a college student he was appointed acting assistant surgeon in the United States Army and after his graduation was commissioned assistant surgeon in the Forty-sixth Ohio Infantry, with which he remained until after the close of hostilities. His was a noble and com- mendable ser\ice. Ever forgetting all per- sonal danger he made his way to the battle- field again and again to relieve the suffering of his wounded comrades. He was one of the few army surgeons wounded in the war, being severely wounded in Sherman's fa- mous campaign to Atlanta. Georgia. He came to be loved bv all to whom he minis- tered, because of his kindly, genial spirit as well as his professional skill. When tlie war was ended Dr. Hagan re- turned to his old home in Ohio and there practiced his profession until 1867. when he came to the Mississippi valley and opened an office in Alexandria, .\lmost immediately he attained success as a practitioner there, his knowledge and skill being recognized and continualK- Miss Louise G. Conway, and the\' becauic the parents of two daughters, but the elder, Xona. died Feljruarv 3. 1896. The younger, the wife of Dr. H. A. Grav, . is living in Keokuk. The death of his daughter was a blow to Dr. Hagan, from which he seemed never to recover. He was deeply attached to his familv, his interests centering in his home and the best traits of his character were there daily displaved. Although he was not demonstrative in its expression his love for his wife and chil- dren was the ruling element in bis character. He took little part in public life, dividing his attention between his family and his prac- tice. While living in Mis.souri he had be- come a member of Memphis Commandery. Knights Templar, and was in full svmpathy with the beneficent spirit of Masonry. He also belonged to the Northeastern Missouri Medical Society. He was always conscien- tious, nc\-er yielding one iota in a matter of principle or duty, yet he had ready sym- pathy for the mistakes of others and was ever willing to extend a helping hand to those who were finding it difficult to climb upward. He was of calm temperament, kindly spirit and genial disposition, possess- ing much of cbi\alr\- and entirelv free from ostentation or display. He was a great lover of books, devoting much of his leisure hours from his profession to the studv of historv. biography, science and general literature. He read onh' the liest and had the ]xr,ver of assimilating the great ideas of the master minds. He was a companionable man, al- though the circle of his friends was select rather than large and those who gained his friendship j^irized it as a rare jewel. JAMES H. ANDERSON. James H. Anderson, classed as one of the ablest lawyers that has ever practiced at the bar of Keokuk, has been a memlser of the legal profession for forty years and while his clientage has been extensive and of an important character he has at the same time found opportunity to assist in the substan- tial development of the city, his tangible labors in behalf of Keokuk rendering him a valuable and forceful factor in community afTairs. His life work has won the admira- tion and respect of bis fellow men and he receives the deference which the world in- stinctivelv jiavs to the man whose success has been worthily achieved. Born in Cin- cinnati, Ohio, on the 30th of May. 1842. he is a son of Robert James and Mary J. (Whitnev) .Anderson. Although his father was born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 5th of March, 1813. the ancestral history of the family can be traced back to an early epoch LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 85 in Scottish annals. Robert Anderson, the founder of the family on the Emerald Isle, went with William the Conqueror, to the north of Ireland, and in the general confis- cation which was there made according to the customs of war at that time he was given three -small farms in the county of Cavan — propert}- which remained in possession of his descendants for one hundred and forty years. His namesake, Robert .\nderson, the gi-andfather of James H. Anderson, left the ancestral home in the north of Ireland and went to Dublin, where he married Con- stance Iloare. a daughter of a prominent lawyer of that city and a member of the same family to which belong^s George F. Hoar and the London bankers of that name. Robert .\nderson was an accountant at Dub- lin for a number of vears and subsequently emigrated with his fafnily to Canada in 183 1, locating in Greenville. After his son. Robert James Anderson, emigrated to Cin- cinnati, he and his wife also made their way to the United States and spent their last years in Covington, just acr(iss the river from the Ohio city. In the schools of Ireland, Robert James Anderson acquired his education and be. too. became an accountant there. l)Ut his business connection with his native country was of short duration as he came with his parents to the new world and in i8_^8 he went to Cincinnati, where be became book- keeper for and a member nf the firm "f James Beatty & Company, extensive pork- packers of tliat city. It was during his resi- dence there that he wedded Mary J. Whit- ney, a daughter of William W. Whitney, whose ancestors came to .America with a Massachusetts Bay colon\- in 1635. Sever- ing his business relations in Ohio Rol^ert J. Anderson came to Keokuk in 1857 and re- mained an active factor in business circles of this city until iiis death in 1891. His widow still survives him and has reached the advanced age of eighty-one years. Both were consistent and active members of the .Methodist Episcopal church. Acquiring his early education in the public schools of Cincinnati, James H. An- derson continued his studies in the high school of Keokuk, from which he was grad- uated. His loyalty stood the test of the Ci\il War and was demonstrated bv his ac- tive service with the First Northeast Mis- souri Regiment of Volunteers and which afterward became the Twenty-first Missouri Volunteer Infantry. He continued with the latter command for si.x months and was tak- en prisoner on the 14th of September, i86t, after which he was paroled and re- turned to his home. The regiment re-en- listed before he was exchanged, but with a characteristic feeling of honor he would not break his parole, and later re-enlisted in Company C, of the Forty-fifth Iowa In- fantry. The regiment w-as assigned to Ten- nessee in 1864 and he remained with that command until mustered out at the close of his term of enlistment. Subsequent to his return to civil life James II. Anderson enterctl upon the study of law in the office and under the direction of John H. Craig and was ad- mitted to the bar by examination at Keo- • sauqua, Iowa, on the nth of March, 1866. On the nth of November, 1867, he entered into partnership with Mr. Gilmore, an at- 86 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW torney of Keokuk, having a ver\' large prac- tice. This association under the firm name of Gihnore & Anderson was continued until the death of the senior partner August 31, 1881, and they were classed with the most prominent law firms of the city and of southeastern Iowa. Mr. Anderson has at different times been associated in practice with his brother and with James C. Davis, but is now alone. He is a forcible and con- vincing speaker, a fluent writer and trusted ofiice adviser, having acairate and compre- hensive knowledge of the principles of juris- pnidence. He has ever prepared his cases with great fairness and care and his analyt- ical mind and gift of oraton,- has enabled him to present his case so that his deduc- tions have followed in logical sequence and with a force of a strong climax. He is one of the few members of the bar who have practiced here continuously since 1867 and his legal business extends to the higher courts and to the supreme court of the United States. Had Mr. Anderson accomplished noth- ing save what he has done in connection with the conduct of important litigated in- terests he would be entitled to representation in this volume as one of the leading profes- sional men of Keokuk, but his labors have been extended to other fields of activity re- sulting in great benefit to the cit\-. He may well be termed a promoter in this connection, for with ready recognition of needs and possibilities he has so utilized the means at hand as to produce results whose far-reach- ing and beneficial influence will be ever found in later generations. Figuring in financial circles, he was for ten vears a di- rector of the State National Bank of Keo- kuk. He was also the organizer and the president of the Keoktik Water Works Com- pany that built and put in successful opera- tion the water works system of the city. He was vice-president and manager of the Keokuk & Northwestern Railway when it was built. He was one of the original pro- moters of the Keokuk Street Railway and was president at the time of the building of its line. He has also erected many resi- dences in the city and purchased the land and laid out the Keokuk public park, which after he had greatly improved it and which today is one of the handsomest public parks in the West, he sold to the city for less than its cost to liim. In connection with W. S. Sample he purchased, fenced and laid out the property and made a boulevard around Keokuk, which was afterward donated to the city, public-spirited citizens assisting him in this worthy enterprise by generous sub- scriptions. Mr. Anderson has frequently been solicited to accept public office and un- doubtedly could have received any political preferment within the gift of his fellow townsmen, but he has no aspirations in that direction preferring that his service in be- half of Keokuk should be done as a private citi;^en. He has always been deeply inter- ested in educational affairs and was presi- dent of the school board for three years, during which time the fine high school building was erected, the work receiving his earnest endorsement and co-operation. On the i2th of March. 1868. occurred the marriage of James H. Anderson and Miss Anna Riggs, who was bom at Brook- ville. Indiana, and thev have five children. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 87 of whom three are Hving-: Edwin G.. who is an agriailtural implement manufacturer of Council Bluffs, as a member of the firm of E. Children & Sons ; Elizabeth, the wife of John W. Atwood, manager of the Big Four Implement Company at Council Bluffs, Iowa ; and David P., who is a book- keeper for his brother. Mr. and Mrs. An- derson are members of the Unitarian church, in which he has held various offices. From the age of twenty-one years he has been a Mason and was at one time identified with the Knight Templar Commandery. He be- longs to Torrence Post, No. 12, Grand Army of the Republic. In 1870 he erected a fine residence at Fourth and Morgan streets, which he has since occupied and in the social life of the city as well as in its professional circles and public interests he was prominent. He stands today among those who are building for themselves last- ing monuments in the success which they accomplish through capability and merit and in the effective effort which they put forth along lines that result beneficially to their fellownien as well. LAWRENCE SMITH. A young man who has within a few years attained for himself an enviable posi- tion in the financial circles of Lee county is Lawrence Smith, of West Point. Mr. Smith was born in Hancock county, Illinois, Oc- tober I, 1874, the son of Riley Smith. He received his early education in the district school, and later attended college at Quincy, Illinois, from which he was graduated in the classical and commercial courses in tlie class of '93. Shortly after his graduation he began his independent career bv remov- ing to West Point, Iowa, and identifying himself with the private bank known as the Bank of West Point, having a capital of $15,000, with Riley Smith as president, Frederick Kriekenbaum vice-president and Air. Smith as bookkeeper and assistant cashier, acting in this capacity until Novem- ber, 1896, when he became the cashier and has since filled this position. In 1896 Mr. Smith was united in niai- riage to Miss Anna Hutchinson, a native of \\'est Point, and they have one daughter, ■Muriel. Mr. and Mrs. Smith attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Smith is a member. In matters pertaining to politics Mr. Smith maintains an independ- ent attitude, never casting his vote accord- ing to partisan distinctions, but giving his support to those who in his opinion are in- dividually best qualified for the public serv- ice. He enjoys the general esteem in the county and town of his adoption, and in 1904 was elected to the office of Mayor of West Point on an independent ticket. Fra- ternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Smith devotes his entire time dur- ing office hours to the banking business, and his experience here has been one of un- broken success. This being the only bank in the northwestern part of Lee county, it draws from a very extensive and resourceful tributarv territon', and the choice of location 88 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW reflects credit upon the founder. Mr. Smith's residence in \\'est Point is an ar- tistically designed edifice of impressive pro- portions, modern in its appointments and of pleasant surroundings, and is the centre of a refined and cultured social circle. He possesses talents of no mean order, and by virtue of his well-known character of high- minded integrity and frankness, qualities which mark his contact witli others in all relations of life, he is accorded respect wherever known, and is justh' considered one of the rising young men of Lee county. THEODORE B. SNYDER. Theodore B. Snyder, a resident of Fort Madison, where he has been successfully en- gaged in general legal practice for a num- ber of years, is a native of Des Moines county, Iowa, the date of his birth being 1845. Mr. Snyder began his education in the public schools, and later entered Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant, where he pursuerl the classical course of study, being graduated with the degree of Uachelor of Arts with the class of '69. He then began reading law in the city of Bur- lington, and afterward entered the law de- partment of Iowa State University, from which he was graduated in 187 1. He lo- cated in Burlington, and continued in the practice of his profession there until his re- moval to Fort Madison in 189 1, where he has met with a very gratifying measure of success. Shortly after his graduation from Iowa State University Mr. Snyder was elected, although a young man, to the position of county superintendent of schools of Des Moines county, and on the expiration of his term was re-elected. He was also elected, while a resident of that county, to a num- ber of minor ofifices. Mr. Snyder is a son of Andrew and Sarah (Baker) Snyder. The father was a native of Ohio, but being of an enterprising disposition, came west in 1844 with the ob- ject of sharing the more abundant opportu- nities of a new country, and settled near Burlington, where he continued his business of farming for the remainder of his life. He died at his country home August 3, .1885. at the age of eighty-two years and nine months. The death of his wife oc- curred December 24, 1882, in her seventy- fifth year. He was a successful farmer, and by the exercise of energy, care and abil- ity attained to a very prosperous condition. He was the father of ten children, four of v.hom survive. On Februar\- 25, 1880, Mr. Snyder was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Dor- gan, who is a native of Massachusetts. Mrs. Snvder is the daughter of C. P. Dorgan, now deceased, and Man,- J. Dorgan. Her father was engaged in the shoe business at Brock- ton, Alassachusetts, near which his widow still lives. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are the parents of four children, all of whom were born at Burlington and all survive. They are : Ma- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 89 rie L., who is a graduate of Brockton, Mas- sachusetts, liigli school ; Garnet L.. and Arlecn I... who are grackiates of Fort Mach- son high school; and Erlon L., who is at the present time in California. All ha\e received advantages of excellent schooling and education. Mr. Snyder is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and of the Lee County Association. In his fraternal relations he is connected with the Masonic order, being a member of Stelle Lodge, 440, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Potowonok Chap- ter, No. 28, Royal Arch Masons. He gives his entire attention to the line of effort with which he is directly connected with the pros- perity and progress of the community, and it may justly be said of him that he is a valued and valuable member of his profes- sion. His ability has w"on him admirers, and his tact and social qualities, together with the confidence inspired by his well- known integrity in all relations, have made him manv friends. JOHN B. UNDERWOOD. In taking up the history of the represent- ati\'e men of Lee county, especial mention must be made of John B. L^nderwood, an early .settler of the county, a representative of one of its most prominent pioneer families and a well-known and influential citizen. A native of the Empire state, the date and place of his birth being Columbia county, New York, April 5, 1828, he removed with his parents when eight years of age to Che- nango county, where he remained until 1853, when, having attained to years of maturity, and being possessed of an ambitii)n to achieve for himself a career of honor, use- fulness and independent success, he decided in favor of the great W^est as the scene of his future labors, and coming to Iowa, lo- cated in Lee county. Here he engaged in the lumber business at Montrose, meeting with much success in this pursiu't. Later Air. Underwood returned to his native state for a short time, but came again to Lee county in 1857. purchasing a fine farm of 160 acres in Van Buren township and there establishing a home which has ever since been his place of residence, im- proving the wild land and adding to his real-estate holdings until he now owns 240 acres of fertile and productive lands, almost all of which he has placed under cultivation. Here he makes a specialty of stockraising, limiting his attention to the finer and more choice varieties, and conducts general fann- ing on a large scale. .\ thorough believer in modern methods, he has equipped his farm with the latest and most approved apparatus, has introduced new ideas into its operation, and by the e.xercise of sound and practical business judgment has succeeded in secur- ing a most gratifying return for his time and thought, having achieved a success which must be considered extraordinary even in this land of large successes. He has erected a large and substantial dwelling house in the midst of beautiful grounds, and here en- joys in well-earned case the fruits of his care and toil. 90 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Mr. Underwood is al^le to trace much of his success in Hfe to early training- and the advantages derived from sturdy New Eng- land ancestry, he being the son of Artch and Rhody (Chapin) Underwood, both of wliom were born in Berkshire county, Mas- sachusetts. The father was a farmer all his life, with the exception of teaching at Livingston Manor for four years and the son was his assistant in the work until he reached manhood, meanwhile receiving a good common-school education in the public schools of Chenango county. New York. The death of the father occurred in the se\'entv-sixth year of his age. and the mother attained to the age of seventy-seven years. They were the parents of nine sons and daughters, of whom Mr. Underwood, our subject, was the youngest and is now the sole survivor. At Keokuk, on February i6, 1859, -^^''• Underwood was united in marriage to Miss Almeda Baldwin, who was born in the State of New York and there received her early education. She was the daughter of Stephen Baldwin, was a member of an excellent fam- ily, and manifested in her life high qualities of Christian character, being a devoted wife and a kind and loving mother, of an alto- gether unselfish disposition, and always plac- ing the welfare of her family and others be- fore her own. She died May 7. 1898, at the age of sixty-two years, and was laid at rest in Croton cemetery in Van Buren town- .ship. To Mr. and Mrs. l^nderwood were born during their residence in Van Buren town- ship five sons and two daughters : George Allen, bom May 8, i860, died at the age of twenty years; Orlena. born August 4, 1862, died July i, 1863; Jeremiah H.. born April 17, 1864, now residing with his father, mar- ried Miss Capitolia Kinnick, and has five children, John Earl, Nellie May, Carl, Hil- ton and George; Ralph W., born April 5, 1867. died June 13, 1869: Philinda Estelle, lioni April 11, 1870, is the .wife of Perry McPherson, of Clark county, Missouri ; Isha Morell, bom July 25, 1872, and now resid- ing in the State of Washington, married Miss May Belle Starr and has one child, Roy; and Charles F., born May 11, 1877, (lied July 4. 1878. Mr. L'nderwood was a member and active worker in the Presbyterian church, while the church was here, but of late years there has been no church here of that de- nomination, as was also the late partner of his joys and sorrows, and has always given of his worldly goods in the cause of religion and supported all worthy charities, welcom- ing all opportunities to do good in a quiet and becoming manner. He has served the community in which he lives in variovis pub- lic capacities, having for a time acted as school director and treasurer and for a num- ber of years past holding the office of justice of the peace of his township. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party, and his voice carries weight in its councils. By reason of his long residence here, his well- known ability, his success in whatever he has attempted, his honorable share in ad- vancing the moral and material welfare of the community, his steadfast devotion to the cause of right and justice and his admir- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 91 able Christian character lie has become known, by reputation at least, throughout Lee county, enjoys aniical)le intercourse with a laree number of friends, and is esteemed and respected wherever known. ROBERT AINSLEY GARDNER. Robert Ainsley Gardner, postmaster at \\'est Point and a rising and popular young man of this community, is a native son of Lee count)-. ha\ing been born at Dover, Franklin township, September 16, 1874, a son of James M. and Amanda Gardner, an account of whose lives and ancestr}' appears upon another page of this work. It was in the district schools that Mr. Gardner re- ceived his early education, which he has since supplemented, however, by wide read- ing and study, and in 1892 he matriculated in the Gem City Business College at Ouinc>', Illinois, from which institution he was grad- uated in 1893 with the degree of Master of Accounts. He began his independent career utterly without capital or other resources ex- cept his own native ability, borrowing money to pay the expenses of his college course, and has always depended solely upon his unassisted personal efforts for the suc- cess which he has achieved. After his graduation from business col- lege Mr. Gardner entered the photographic business in partnership with a Mr. Court- right, under the firm style of Gardner & Courtright. with studios both at West Point and Fort Madison, and lived at West Point until 1895. following which he removed to Fort Madison, but returned, at the expira- tion of a period of one year, to West Point, where he has since resided. Here he contin- ued in the photographic business for a num- ber of years with very gratifying success, but in 1900 he sold his interest to his part- ner, and purchased a half interest in a drug store at West Point in association with Dr. \y. S. Carpenter. This relation continued for only six months, however, and was ter- minatcfl by his election at the end of that time to the position of superintendent of the West Point public schools, whose many and complex responsibilities he met with eminent credit to his own ability and satis- faction to the public until the spring of 1901, when he resigned to accept the office of post- master, which he still holds. He took the oath of office on April i. 1901. and it was in Julv of that year and under his adminis- tration that the three nn-al delivery routes were established which have added so ma- terially to the efficiency and satisfactory service of the West Point office. On De- cember 17, 1895, he was united in marriage to Miss Belle Courtright, w-hose family his- tory is given in full under the name of J. C. Courtright elsewhere in the present vol- ume, and to them have been born two daugh- ters, Gertrude and Violet. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of West Point, in which they are active workers, and contribute to the support of its regfular w-ork and numer- ous charities and philanthropic movements, 92 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW holding the advancement of ethical ideals to be equally important with the attainment of material success in life. In fraternal circles Mr. Gardner is rec- ognized as occupying a leading position, sus- taining membership relations with Clay- poole Lfidge, No. 13, of the Masonic order at Fort Madison; with the Modern Wood- men of America at West Point, of which he is Past Venerable Consul; and with the Woodmen of the World in Rover Camp of Omaha, of which he is Past Counsellor Commander of the West Point Camp, now out of existeiice. He has occupied a promi- nent place in all organizations of which he has been a member- for any considerable time, and in 1S96 was vice-president of the Photographic Association of Iowa, while he was the first president of the Commercial League of ^^'est Point, a club of which he is a charter member, and held that office during the first t\vo years of its existence, during which time the organization was placed upon a firm footing and started well upon the road to that prosperity which it now enjoys. Politically, he is a believer in the principles of the great Republican party, for whose success he has worked with un- failing energy, tact and judgment, and the weight of his personal popularity and influ- ence has been of distinct advantage to the party in this section, while it has made his name known throughout Lee county as a positive force in afifairs of local government. In 1904 he served as delegate to the state convention at Des Moines, and has also served several terms as township committee- man with signal ability. Mr. Gardner is one of those voung men characteristic of America who, working their way upward from humble beginnings, have attained hon- ored places among their fellowmen by the practice of the old-fashioned virtues of per- severance, integrity and courtesy, and while his present standing is in all respects an enviable one, it is safe to predict for him still greater things in future. JOHN H. SMUTZ. One of the more successful farmers and rising yoimg men of Cedar township, Lee count}-. Iowa, is John H. Smutz, who was born Nuntry became involved in hostilities growing out of the slavery question, he became a "graybeard soldier," enlisting at St. Louis, Missouri, in the Seventeenth Missouri Infantry, with whicli he ser\-ed for about tw'O years, and then passed away October 2, 1863, dying of illness while in the army. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Bunyan, and was Ixirn near London, England, died in Paducaii, Kentucky, June 16, 1902. In their family were seven children : Franklin, of St. Louis, Missouri : W^illiam, living in Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Quicksell ; Ho- mer, of Keokuk: Mrs. Ellen Benson and Mrs. Minnie Meyers, both of Keokuk, and George, a resident of Fort Worth. Texas. There is also an adopted brother. Charles Ackley. living in Hamilton. Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Quicksell became the par- ents of but two children: .\lonzo P., who was born November 16, 1872. and is a cooper, married Effie Lee Watson, of Padu- cah. Kentucky. Bessie May. Ijorn January 16, 1880, bec:unc the wife of John Wacker, now a resident of Paducah. Kentucky. ;uid her death occurred July 31. 1901. There is one grandchild — Selma Louise Wacker, who was l)orn July 28. 1900, and lives with her grandmother, Mrs. Quicksell. Mr. Quicksell was a member of the Grand .\rmy of the Republic and his widow is a meml^er of Torrence Woman's Relief Corps, No. 100. In May, 1880, he erected a residence at No. 724 Paleau street, where his widow now resides. His death occurred August 16, 1898, and was deeply felt in the immediate circles of his friends, where he was held in high esteem for his personal worth. Within the last three years Mrs. Quicksell has lost her husband, tw^o sisters- in-law. a brother-in-law, her daughter and her mother. She is now living in the home which her husband Iniilt for her almost a quarter of a century ago, devoting herself to the care of her little granddaughter and to charitable work. EDGAR K. TOWNSEND. The last half century in Lee county is a period of great change. The untravelled prairies have been transformed into peopled regions, and the few ;nid scattered h:unlets. thin lines of frontier settlement, have be- I02 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW come prosperous and crowded centers of trade, while some very considerable cities have risen, prophecies of a Still more crowded population and more pressing in- dustrial development. Men who were Ijorn and reared in this county, and who are still enjoying an unabated manhood, have seen such a transformation. Like Caesar, they can say, "All of which I saw, and part of which I was." They have watched the growth of the county, and have done much to help things onward, as they have had strength and opportunity. Mr. Townsend, whose name appears above, has done his full share in the development of the conjmunity, in the history of which his own career forms an integral part. Edgar K. Townsend, orie of the higlily respected citizens of Lee county, and now residing on his farm of 247 acres in sections 30 and 31. Harrison township, is a native of this county, and was born in the house he now occupies as a home, November 9, 1850. His early education was secured in the dis- trict schools of his native township, and while quite young he assisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm. His fa- ther, Clark Townsend, was born in Putnam county. New York, Januar\- 19, 1823, came to Iowa in 1845, spending the following win- ter in Farmington, and then purchasing the farm on which the subject of this sketch is now residing. It consisted of 160 acres, and here be made a home for himself, en- gaging in general farming, and also in stock- raising to a limited extent. Politically he was a Democrat, though he never held office. In religion he was a member of the Baptist church, which he served as deacon mam- years. About ten }ears before his death he left the farm and moved to Farmington, Iowa, where he led a retired life, and died April 25, 1899, when over seventy-five years old. The mother of Mr. Townsend, Sarah Elizabeth (Kelly) Townsend, was also born in Putnam county. New York, September II, 1822. She died in Farmington, Iowa, on August 5. 1898, and her rennins. with those of her husband, are at rest in the Farmington cemetery. Three of the four children to her marriage with Mr. Town- send are still living: Francis is a farmer in Harrison township ; be was l)orn in New York ; Edgar K. ; Albert is now engaged in the real-estate business in Farmington, Iowa, where he holds the position of justice of the ])eace. Carrie married Benton Pool, and is now dead: a sketch of Mr. Pool appears on another page of this work. Edgar K. Townsend remained on the home farm, and after the death of the fa- ther, purchased it from the other heirs. From time to time he bad added to his farm holdings until he now owns 247 acres of exceedingly choice land, all of which is highly improved and brought to an advanced stage of cultivation. ]Mr. Townsend is de- voting much attention to stockraising and has more than a local reputation as a breeder of fine strains of stock, which attract much attention wherever exhibited. In ]wlitics Mr. Townsend is a Demo- crat, and takes an intelligent and thoughtful interest in public aflfairs. He is much es- teemed by his friends and neighbors, and takes a leading part in all local affairs. Mr. Townsend was married December LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 103 II. 1873, to Miss Mary John, daughter of Griffith John. She was horn in Henr\- county, Iowa, and her father, who was a native of Ohio, came to Henry count}'. Imva. at an early day. There he engaged in farm- ing and stockhuying, and when lie died at Salem, Iowa, he was seventy-eight years of age. Mrs. Edgar K. Townsend was reared in Henn- countw where she was given a good education and well prepared for the duties and responsibilities of life. To her tnar- riage with Mr. Townsend have come two children to hless the union: Walter C., whi 1 was born on the home place in Harrison township, and educated at the district school, and in the Farmington school, was married December 11, 1901. to Miss Ella Anders, a native of Primrose, Lee county. and a daughter of John .\nders. an e;irly settler, and now deceased. To their union have been born two children: Dorath\- M. and John Edgar. Normal C horn at the h(.)me place in Harrison township, is at home. Griffith John, the father of Mrs. Town- send, was married October 17, 1839, to Miss Caroline Brantover. He died March 26. 1899. They were honorable and u])- right people, and are kindh- rememl^red by the old pioneers. Clark Townsend and his good wife were superior people. They were faithful and de- voted in their religious life, and made their faith a matter of daily living. Edgar K. Townsend and his faithful wife stand in the place of good men and women, and that they fill these places is no exaggerated praise. Their character is high, their word is good. JOSEPH H. D. CHENOWETH. Joseph H. 1). Chenoweth. of Keokuk, for thirty years in the postal service, a record which stands as incontroxertible evidence of his ability and fidelity, was bom in Jackson township. Lee count)', Iowa, on the 15th of February. 184J. He was named in honor of Jo,seph Ilauiilton Davies, who was killed in battle with the Indians near L.afavette, Indiana, in 181 1 — a great Indian fighter and pioneer for whom Thomas Jefferson Cheno- weth. the father of our subject, had the greatest admiration. The Chenoweth fam- ily for many generations, both in its direct and colhttcral branches, has been distinctively American. The great-grandfather. Richard Chenoweth. was a native of Virginia. He came west with George Rogers Clark to Kentucky. He was at the head of a colony that settled on the site where Louisville now stands. The Indians were troublesome and killed ni;my of these pioneers. Rich;u'd was the first sheriff of Jefferson county. Ken- tucky. Xot far from Louisville the Indians attacked Richard's home while the men folk were away. They scalped his wife, wuunded one of the hoys, two girls hid in the spring-house and escaped being seen by the Indians, the spring is called the "Cheno- weth" spring to this day. His wife re- co\ered from her injuries and lived for man\- years afterward. The grand- father was taken prisoner by the Indians, but his life was spared on account of his black hair, which the Indians admired very much. He was a soldier of the Mexican War. Thomas Jefferson Chenoweth, father of the subject, was born near Louisville, I04 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Kentucky, January 12, 1809, and was reared upon the frontier and for many years lived the life of a pioneer. He was married near Franklin, Indiana, in 1833. to Miss Mary Wright, who removed to that state from Ohio. Mr. Chenoweth became a farmer by occupation and carried on agricultural pur- suits in the Hoosier state until 1837, when he came to Lee county. Iowa, and de\eloped a farm in Jackson township, upon which he continued to reside until his death, which occurred on the 21st of Aprii, 1880. His wife passed away July 16, 1878. In their family were eight children and those who reached adult age are Amanda, who died February 15, 1868: Henn,' Clay, a resident of California; Ruharna, who became the wife of Senator John Downey and died March 29, 1887, and Melvina. Joseph H. D. Chenoweth, of this family, pursued his education in the public schools such as were common at that day, the little temple of learning which he attended being a log structure. He was trained to habits of industry, economy and integrity iipon the home farm, worked in tlie fields through the montiis of summer and until crops were har- vested in the late autumn and remained upon the old homestead until nineteen years of age. when he joined the Union Army, serv- ing for three years. He enlisted on the 28th of July, 1 86 1, as a member of Company E, Seventh Iowa Infantry under command of Captain James C. Parrott and Colonel J. G. Lauman. of Burlington, Iowa, being with the Sixteenth Army Corps at the close of the war. His services during the greater part of the time were in the vicinity of Cor- inth, Alississippi. and Pulaski, Tennessee. Pie participated in the battle of the Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, and in many lesser en- gagements. He was mustered out August 10, 1864, at Chattanooga. Tennessee, after three years' service and reached home on the 19th of the same month. Not long after his return !\Ir. Chenoweth began learning tlie marlile cutter's trade, serving a regular apprenticeship and worked in that line until 1871, when he entered the postal service on the 19th of October, as a clerk under Postmaster James C. Parrott. On the 26th of August. 1874. he was ap- pointed railway postal clerk by the late Judge George \\'. ]\IcCrary. then congressman from the first district. His run is on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad be- tween Keokuk and Des ]\Ioines. known as the Des Moines & Keokuk Railway post- office. In 1884, when the present fast mail was put on the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad from Chicago to Council Bluffs an increase in the postal force was needed on that line and men of marked ef- ficiency were chosen. Mr. Chenoweth was among the numl:)er. but he found that the long run and heavy work were aggravating ])hysical afflictions sustained because of his army life and he, therefore, returned to his original run. He has been most capable during all this long period and now his active connection with the railway postal service covers thirty years. On the 15th of October. 1873, in Keo- kuk, Mr. Chenoweth was united in marriage to Miss Ida A. Pollard, who was born in Keokuk, September 27, 1852. They became the parents of five children, of whom four are living: Melrov Milton married Elizabeth LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 105 Boudewyn and is a plumber of Keokuk : Cora (lied at the age of twenty-five years ; Joseph Downey, a graduate of Keokuk Dental College and is now practicing at Waverly, Illinois; Eva Maude, a graduate of the Keokuk high school, and Roy Logan. The family home is at Xo. 1206 High street and in addition to this property Mr. Cheno- weth owns a half interest in a Iniilding in tiie diiwntown business district. He be- longs to Torrence Post, No. 2, Grand Army of the Republic, to the Unitarian church and is a Republican in his political views. Fidel- ity to duty and to principal has e\'er been one of his salient characteristics and has won him unqualified confidence and respect. The same trait of character is manifest in his friendships and in the county in which his entire life has been passed he is held in the highest regard by those who know him. ETHAN L TREVITT. To pursue a career of service to human- ity and to rise by virtue of talent and integ- rity to a position of honor is an ambition well worthy of the most aspiring. Such has been the life history of Dr. Trevitt. He was born near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, No- vember 12, 1862, the son of Rev. John Tre- vitt, a Baptist minister, and Emma (Bevins) Trevitt. Both parents were born at Birm- ingham, England, and were married in Eng- land just before John Trevitt entered the ministr>'. The mother died in Pennsylvania when Ethan L., who is the youngest of a family of eleven, was but three years of age. The following sons and daughters survive Iier: Enoch J., of Birmingham, England; Mrs. Kizie Vogan, of Washington, Penn- sylvania; Mrs. Anna Moorman, of Fort Madison; Mi.ss Sadie, of St. Louis; John E., of Fort Madison: Hem-y C, of Burlington, b>\va; Samuel W., of Alaska; Dr. Alfred W., of Wausau, Wisconsin. Those de- ceased were Lizzie and Minnie, who died in girlhood. The father removed with the family to Lee county in 1865, locating on a farm in Pleasant Ridge township. He died in Feb- ruary, 1871, at Bonaparte, Iowa, while con- ducting a revival meeting. The subject of this sketch received his education in the puljlic schools of Fort Madison and the Den- mark Academy at Denmark, this county, from which institution he was graduated in 1879. In Fort Madison he became a tin- ner's apprentice, leariiing the trade and be- ing employed at that work for four years, and then in September, 1884, he entered the Eclectic Medical Institute, of Cincinnati, Ohio, from which he was graduated June 7, T887. The two years immediately follow- ing his graduation were spent in further pre- paring for the work of his profession at a Minneapolis hospital, and for two j-ears he was an interne of the hospital at Wausau, Wisconsin. In 1891 he returned to Fort Madison, and here established himself in the practice of his profession. He devoted his time exclusively, and with rather more than the ordinan.^ measure of success, to the work of his profession until September i, 1897, when he was appointed by President io6 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW McKinley to the office of postmaster of Fort Madison, which position he still holds, having received reapiwintment from Presi- dent Roosevelt January 31, 1902. Despite the duties of his office he continues to give considerable attention to his medical prac- tice. In his fraternal connection Dr. Trevitt is a mem1)er of the BnitherhoDd of American Yoemen, and in politics has all his life loy- ally supported, as in his opinion most con- sistent with the general welfare, the Re^ publican party and its principles. In 1896 he was president of the McKinley and Ho- bart club of Fort Madison, and served his party as delegate to the congressional and state conventions, and was also in attend- ance at the national convention. For a term of two years he sei^ved the city as physician to the board of health. On April 20, 1897, Dr. Trevitt was united in marriage at Burlington, Iowa,> to Miss Minnie W. Knoch, who was born at Franklin, Lee county, August 20, 1876, and they have their home at 11 15 Third street. To them has been bom one daughter, Evelyn L., her natal day being July 20, 1900. Mrs. Trevitt is the d'uigliter of John Kudch, a carpenter. He died in Louisville, Kentucky, to which place he had removed from Iowa. Mrs. Trevitt is one of a family of four sis- ters. Tile others are : Mrs. Harr\' Kent, who lives on a farm in Madison township: and Misses Emma and Valley Knoch, who live with their mother in Fort Madison. During Mr. Trevitt's incumbency as postmaster the revenues of the office have been increased from approximately $10,000 annually to nearly $14,000 per annum, three rural routes have been established, the sal- arj" of the assistant postmaster has been ad- vanced from $700 to $1,100, that of the money order and register clerk from $600 to $800, the salary- of the general delivery clerk has grown from $300 to $600, and an additional general delivery clerkship has been created, carrying a salan,' of $600 per annum. Moreover, there are not wanting those who affirm that the general efficiency and tone of the service rendered to the pub- lic have been constantly improved. Person- ally, Dr. Trevitt enjoys a gratifying degree of popularity. He is a man of much force of character and strong individuality, and his pleasant, social manner has won him a host of warm friends. JOSHUA 0. BEALL Joshua O. Beall, prominent ex-railroad man and now justice of the peace in Fort ]\Iadison, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1828. the eighteenth of a family of twenty. lie is the son of Zephaniah Beall who was bom in 1773 in what is now the District of Columbia. The grand fatlicr, who was also named Zephan- iah. was in tiie Rex'olutionary War, and at its close was serving under General Crawford. He was a farmer, and in addition made a business of buying farm produce to the amount of about $5,000 for shipment to New Orleans, ^^'^hile on one of these ex- peditions he and his party, about six in all. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 107 were niunlered. and were never afterward lieard from. The mother of our subject was Mary Purcell, who was born in Greene county. Pennsylvania, about 1788 or 1790. the date not lacing clefinitel_\- knuwn. and died in 1S60. Mr. Bcall is proud of the fact that men f)f his l)l(»id have been engaged in e\-ery war w itliin the present borders of the Luited States since the Inihan massacre at James- town. His father served for tiiirteen months in the Indian War of 1790. In the War of the Reliellion two of liis sons and two of liis grandsons were mcmliers of the Federal .\rmv. while three of his grandsons were in the Confederate forces. Some of his brothers were engaged in the War of 181J, and Reason Beall. a relative, was a member of Gen. William Henry Harrison's statif in that conflict. Ze])haniah Beall. the father, was twice married, and ten children were born of each marriage. He removed with his parents to Pennsylvania in 1774, and lived and died within three miles of the family's original place of settlement. Our subject was reared amid primitive conditions, attending school in a log building in which "slab" benches without backs did duty for seats, and receiving but six weeks of schooling each year, consisting of tiie traditional "three R's." He grew to maturity in the business of farming, and also for a time drove a wholesale and retail stoneware wagon, and bought beeswa.x, feathers, hides, etc. True to the s])irit and traditions of his forefathers, the Civil War had no sooner l)cgun than he was ready and anxious to 7 go til the fmnl. and on Xovem))er 14, 1S61, he enlisted at Washington, District of Co- lumbia, in Company I of the Fourth Penn- sylvania Volunteer Cavalry, in which he served as a second lieuten.anl. under Col. David Campbell, of Pittsburg, .\fter two months of provost duty at Washington he was ."^ent to join the Army of the Potomac, took ])art in the seven days' fight before Richnii md. the second battle of Bull Run. Fredericktown, Maryland; South Mountain, Maryland ; .\ntietam and finally the battle of Fredericksburg umler General Burnside. lint the constant hardships were too great for his constitution to be;u", and he suffered a complete physical collajjse, and was honor- ably discharged December J5, 1863. on ac- count of disability. Returning to his home in l'ennsyl\-;uiia, he came west in 1866. and was for a time at Streator. Illinois. From there he pro- ceeded to Monroe City, Marion county, Mis- souri, where he remained for seven years, then returning to Streator, whence he re- moved to Fort Madison in 1888, and here he has since resided. At Streator he was "first hand" in the roundhouse of the Santa Fe Railroad, having full charge under the master mechanic. Henry Randels, now de- ceased. He was with the same company, all told, about fifteen years. Prior to tliat engagement he had held positions with the Hannibal & .Saint Joseph, the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern, ,ind the Chicago, Burlington &• Ouincy Railroad Companies, being employed while with the Hannibal & St. Joseph Company on the wrecking train. The aggregate of his r.iilro.id experience amounts to nearly thirty vears. On Decern- io8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ber 24, 1902, he retired from railroad work, and being elected by his fellow citizens justice of the peace for Madison township,, has since held that office. December 14. 1853, ^^i"- Beall was mar- ried at Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth A. Donahho, who was born at that place in 183 1. To them were born six children, as follows: Cyrus D.. of Colorado; Mary, who died in 1889; Charles M., sup- posed to be deceased; John D., deceased; Mary B., dressmaker, who is at home, and Joshua L.. of Albia. Iowa. The other mem- bers of the family are of the Presbyterian faith, while ^[r. Beall is a Catholic. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Re- public at Streator, Illinois, and of the An- cient Order of United Workmen, in which order he has passed through the chairs and has twice served as delegate to the Grand Lodge at Galesburg and at Springfield, Il- linois. His first vote for a president of the United States was cast in 1848 for Zachary Taylor, and he has always been a loyal Democrat, although related by ties of kin- ship with the "peerless leader" of the Re- publican party, James G. Blaine. The grandmother of James G. Blaine was a sister of Mr. Beall's mother, Mary Purcell. ^Ir. Beall was personally acquainted with the fa- mous statesman, and last saw him in Wash- ington in 1 86 1. By reason of his honorable and upright life Joshua O. Beall is entitled to a promi- nent place in this volume, and for service rendered to his country in time of her need, the gratitude of all is his by right. It is with confidence that a sketch of his life is here presented, assured, as it is, of many interested readers. CHARLES MARTIN. Charles Martin, a widely known and prominent retired merchant of West Point and one of the present supervisors of Lee county, Iowa, was born in the Kingdom of Prussia October 20, 1839, of pure Ger- man ancestr}-, the son of Henry and Barbara (Geib) Martin, who were the parents of nine children, all born in Prussia, and who with their family emigrated to America. The voyage was made in a sailing vessel, and lasted sixty days, at the end of which they landed at the Port of New York and came thence directly to West Point, locating near the village in the year 1854. The father was a surgeon, but almost before he had time to begin the practice of his profession he was overtaken by an epidemic of typhoid fever, which was then raging, and died soon after his arrival here, and this terrible ca- lamity was followed a few weeks later by the death of his wife, and this by the death of the eldest son, all of whom succumbed to the same dread disease. Charles Martin, our subject, was the youngest of the family thus bereaved at one blow of its natural protectors and dearest earthly ties in a new and strange land. He had, however, received an excellent educa- tion in Germany, and so was not without means of self-support. After the death of his father he secured a position in a drug store in the village of West Point, which he retained for two years, and at the end of that time he entered the employ of \Y. R. Stewart, proprietor of a dr^^goods store, with whom he continued for a number of years, learning the details of the business and American methods. Later he estab- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 109 lished a store of his own. which he con- ducted for the long period of forty years, witli ver}' marked success, his energ}', tact and careful business judgment enabling him to win the good will of the public, and tlic same qualities making it possible for him to tide his business over the numerous financial panics and seasons of depression which have caused the ruin of so many commercial houses during the last half century. At the close of this successful career he sold the store to ^Ir. John Schroder, and has since been Ii\ing in retirement from active life, enjoying in well-earned ease the declining years of a life worthily spent in useful serv- ice to his fellowmen and in devotion to noble causes. On November i, i860, Mr. Martin wedded Miss Fannie L. Jarrett at her fa- ther's home in West Point township. Mrs. Martin was born August 10, 1836, in North Carolina, of Southern ancestry and came with her ])arcnts to Iowa in 1850. Unto them have been born three sons and four daughters, as follows : Nettie, wife of E. T. Alter, of West Point township ; Edward C, of Chicago; Hattie, wife of William H. Smith, of Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago; William ?T.. of Seattle, Washington; Emma ' E., wife of F. C. Daube, who resides with her parents ; and Ira and George, who died in childhood. To each of these, now so widely separated, was given a careful home training and a finished education such as would fit the recipient for the battle of life and for a high and worthy success in what- ever part it may be necessary to play. The extent of Mr. Martin's material achievements may be gauged by the fact that he is the owner of two fine farms, one in Marion township and the other in West Point township, as well as valuable residence property in the village, having erected a very pleasant dwelling house in which he receives his many friends and passes much of his time in reading. He was at one time largely engaged in real-estate operations in the village of West Point, having built fif- teen houses here, and thus contributed ma- terially to the advancement of the commu- nity in which he lives and displayed a very commendable public spirit as well as indi- vidual initiative and enterprise. These traits of his character have also manifested themselves in other ways, for he has borne an aggressive part in promoting the fortunes of the Republican party in this section, and such is the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens that he was the first Repub- lican ever elected to the office of county su- pervisor in Lee county, and received the re- markal)ly large majority of S73 votes. His first election to that position was in 1895, and in 1903 he was re-elected, each time for a term of three years, and liolds the office at the present time. He also served the vil- lage as recorder for a number of years, and for a term of years was secretary of the West Point Agricultural Society, and thus his life has been one of constant usefulness and of continued activity, having for its ob- ject the general welfare without hope of personal aggrandizement or reward. His nature is fundamentally religious, and he is a believer in tlie efticacy of the Christian faith' to elevate the ethical standards of so- ciet\-. and for this reason is a faithful mem- ber, as is also his wife, of the Presbyterian no BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW church at West Point, of which he is a. dea- con and the treasurer. He has done mucli to extend the influence of the church, and has given to its cause much thouglit and earnest effort, while his private Hfe lias been a true reflection of its teachings and has given no man cause to speak ill of the creed which he professes. The keynote of his life" and character is integrity and fidelity to his obhgations in all his relations with his fellowmen, and such has been the strict up- rightness and unswerving directness of his course that to him all accord admiration, re- spect and genuine regard. IRA STEPHEN SIMS. Ira Stephen Sims, now living retired fmni active business life on his farm of 120 acres on section 7, Jackson township. Lee county, Iowa, is a man who oWes, his success entirely to his personal and unassisted effort — who, from his early years has depended upon his own energ}', enterprise and judgment for the increase of his fortunes. He is, there- fore, deserving of being called a self-made man, and few if any have borne that high title with greater propriety or honi ir than he, while at the same time his modesty leads him to ascribe a large share of the credit to our American institutions and spirit of equality, which enable every man of ability to do as lie has done, and achieve for him- self an important and highly respected po- sition in the community in \\liich he lives. He was born June 14, 1836, in Wayne county, New York, and at the early age of sixteen years, after obtaining a good edu- cation in the public schools of the Empire state, he set out to begin his career in the world, having in view as the field i)f his labors the great undeveloped country known as the West. He located in Illinois, where he became a trusted agent for a contractor engaged in the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad between Centralia and \ an- dalia. His employer, Mr. Brigham, was so favorably impressed witli his ability and soundness of judgment that in 1850 he per- suaded him to come to Lee county, where he owned a farm, and here Mr. Sims was connected^ with the work and management of the farm for a period of six or eight years, at the expiration of which he went to Keo- kuk. Later he was entrusted with the su- ])erintendency of the Hines farm in Jack- son township, in which capacit_\- he met with his usual success. While thus engaged, he also became superintendent of the freight lighter business in the Des Moines rapids of the Mississippi river, during the fall of the years when the water was low until the present canal being at tliat time unl)uilt. and it being necessar\- to transfer freight from packet to packet in boats of light draught which plied between Keokuk and Montrose. In 1870 he purchased his present farm of 120 acres of fertile land, on which he has since continuously resided, and by constant, energetic and determined effort has trans- formed the tract from a wilderness covered with original forest to one of the most thor- oughly ailtivated and productive farms in Lee county. Here he has conducted general LEE COUNTY, IOWA. Ill faniiiiis;' on an extensi\'e scale, and has given attentiiin to stockraising, especially in line horses, of which he has sold a number at very unusual i)rices. In the purely agricul- tural branch of his work he has been very successful, both in a ]iecuniar_\- way and in furthering the ujibuilding and development of this section of Iowa, for which he de- serves much credit. On June 14. i<'^50, Mr. Sims was united ■ in marriage at Keokuk to Miss Eliza Thompson, who was born in Birmingham, England, in 1840, came to America in 1848 with her parents and settled in Bond county, Illinois, where she lived for five years Ijefore removing to Iowa. The father, who was in his native countn- a hardware merchant, but was engaged as a bookkeej^er during his entire residence in this country, was a man of much ability, and was generally re- spected for his talents and his character. The family after a time removed to Des Moines, where the deaths of both parents occurred. Mrs. Sims has borne an active share in the management of the farm, has made her home the center of a much prized hospitality, and by many is her name spoken in tones of esteem and affection. To Mr. and Mrs. Sims have been torn five sons and two daughters, as follows : George, now a resident of Montana: Clara, who is engaged in dressmaking at Colorado Springs : Ira Laml)ert, employed in the powder works at Mooar ; James, who is a fanner and resides near Mooar: Samuel, who is also emjiloyed in the powder works; Lucy Elise, wife of George C. Bold, and resides near Mooar : and Fred, who died at the age of five years. They have also adopted one son, Leo. Twelve years ago Mr. Sims suffered a stroke of paralysis, and since that time he has been unable to perform acti\'e labor and has been taking a well-earned rest from toil but his mind retains undimmed all its for- mer lustre, and he relates many entertaining incidents of his earlier life and struggles and of pioneer times in the West. Although the aboriginal inhabitants had departed before his settlement in this region, he has col- lected nuich information in regard to their habits and customs, and relates that Sugar creek, which flows through Jackson town- shi]). was so named fmm the fact that its banks were formerl}' a noted camping ground for Indians who resorted thither for the jnuijose of making maple sugar, and that a large boulder, which is still ])ointed out, formerly supplied the Indians with the material for the manufacture of arrow and spear heads. Mr. Sims has dcx'oted much time and thought to reading along the lines of public questions, and has always taken a part in affairs of government as a meml)cr of the Republican party, of which he is a valued counselor in this township. He has also manifested throughout his life a dee]) inter- est in the moral and ethical advancement of society, and both be anoth of May. 1831, he there acquired a common-school education and in youth learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner. He followed that pursuit in the Fatherland uiUil 1S5J, when at the age of twenty-one years he came to the United States, board- ing a westward bound vessel on the 5th of September and arriving in the harbor of New Orleans on the 24th of October, fol- lowing. Proceeding up the ri\er to St. Louis, Missouri, he reached that place on the /th of November. The joumey across the Atlantic had lieen made in a sailing ves- sel "Sarah," w hich w;is seven weeks en route. After spending a few months in St. Louis Mr. Schmidt came to Keokuk, Iowa, in 1853 on t!ie stcamer"Kate Kearney,"" making the tri]) in .\pril. Here he worked in various wa\s that wnuld yield him an honest living and gain him a start. In 1856 he built a small shop in which to do carpenter work. He labored very industriously, but made little money. When the war broke out he- began work on the railroads, helping to buikl liridges at Ottumwa and Rock Island. He afterward was employed at shop work in Eddyville, but subsequently turned his at- tention to contracting antl building. When he arrived in Keokuk he was entirely without capital and had no friends in this locality, but he possessed laudable ambiton and firm purpose and these qualities have enaliled him to steadily work his way upward. He com- menced coiUracling and building in 1857 and was thus engaged for two years in New Orleans. The year 1880 was the beginning of his present business, for with two hand machines he at that time began the manu- facture of screens. This proved a profitable \enture, his trade gradually increasing and in 1886 he installed a steam engine, which was in operation until 1894. In the mean- time he had extended the field of his labors not only making screens, but also sash, doors and \arious kinds of buildiTTg fixtures. In the year mentioned he erected a building 50x102 feet and two stories in height. It is a solid brick structure and was equipped with machinery valued at froiu six to eight thousand dollars. The company now makes not only screens, doors and windows but all kinds of building work to order, including the best bank fixtures. Employment is fur- nished to twenty-five people and the payroll in 1903 for labor aloi^ was $15,000. The capital stock was increased in the same year bv $25,000 and the buildings and machinery are worth an equal aniouiU. The business was begun under the name of Henry Schmidt, but later he admitted his son to a partnership and in 1894 the Henry Schmidt & .Sons Company was incorporated. The enterjirise has become one of the leading productive industries of the city and a large LEE COUNTY, IOWA. "3 ami protitalile lousiness is now carried on. 'Mr. Schmidt was also engaged in a contract- ing business from the close of the war until 1894 anJo biographical record of Lee county would be conijjlete without a full re\"iew of his career, and this account is offered with entire con- fidence that it will prove deeply interesting to his many acquaintances and friends, among wlmni he is admired fur his con- scientious work in life and respected for the the strength and unfailing, uprightness and integrity of his character. JOHN C. DANIELS. John C. Daniels, whose intense and well directed activity made him a forceful fac- tor in community interests in Keokuk, where for twenty-six years he figured prominenll\ in commercial circles, was an opportunist — readily recognizing his chance and utilizing conditions for practical, resultant ends. With no special technical training for the business world he made for himself a posi- tion prominent in the trade circles of south- eastern Iowa, winning at the same time an honored name because he followed no other road to success save the path of rectitude. A native of Chenango county, \ew York, Mr. Daniels was born March 23, 1840, a son of Martin and Alice (Allen) Daniels, also natives of Chenango county. The father followed merchandising in New ^'l>rk while later he established his home in Richmond, Virginia, where he was en- gaged in the lumber business, and afterward removed to Canada. He next removed to F.au Claire, Wisconsin, in 1857 and figured prominently in the business circles of that place for many years. He was also a recog- nized leader in political circles there and for many years he held the office of county clerk and other local ]iositions. wherein he fur- thered the interests of the community, fos- tering many measures for the general good. He was a man of much tact as shown in I)oth his business and political relations, pos- sessed a most cheerful . Mar- tin Daniels died at the age of fifty-eight years and his wife jiasscd away about six years later. John C. Daniels ac(inired a common- school education and while living in Can- ada learned to speak the I'Vench l.mgnage. He displayed much energy and business ability while yet a young man and at the age of seventeen years was operating a saw- mill at F.au Claire, Wisconsin, in which he employed twenty men. At the outbreak of the Civil \\'ar it was his desire to enter the army, hut his mother opposed this and he went instead to the northwest, where he re- mained from 1861 until 1866. It was a wild 120 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and unimproved district in which he located and in that locaht)- he engaged in mining, merchandising and in Uimbering, cutting and sawing lumber or doing anything that his hand found to do. It was this ready adaptability to any task that lay nearest him and seemed to promise the best results that made him an opportunist. Returning to Wisconsin, Mr. Daniels ■went into the wholesale lumber commission business, selling rafts of lumber along the river. After living at Hannibal. Missouri, for three years, he settled at Keokuk, Iowa, in 1872 and continued in the wholesale lum- ber business at this point for twenty-six years, handling a large amount of lumber annually and conducting an extensive and profitable business. He also owned the steam- boats "Lumberman," "Lumber Boy" and "Kit Carson" and was familiarly known as Captain Daniels. His steamers towed rafts from Reed's Landing and down the Missis- sippi river as far as Louisiana, Missouri. His raft boats were the first of their kind to use search lights on the Mississippi. In 1803 -^I''. Daniels entered into partnership with William Garten, inventor of the Gar- ten lightning arrester, a device for use on street cars, and they founded the Garten- Daniels Lightning Arrester Company, of which Mr. Daniels became the president. In 1902 the present Garten-Daniels Company, manufacturers of electric specialties, was organized, and Mr. Daniels was elected pres- ident, in which capacity he served up to the time of his death. In 1869 John C. Daniels married Mrs. Cordelia May Hamer, daughter of Levi Munson and Sophia (Galbraith) Munson, whose early life was passed in Lawrence county, Indiana. Ida May, an adopted daughter is now the wife of E. L. Cham- berlain, of Jonesville, Louisiana. Mr. Daniels was a Republican in politics and a member of the Masonic fraternity, having attained the Knights Templar degree, and was also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He held membership in the First Congregational church of Keokuk, of which he was a trustee for many years, and while his attention was chiefly given to his busi- ness affairs, he yet took cognizance of the conditions of life which wrought for good to the individual and to the community, and was the champion of many helpful and pro- gressive measures. He held friendship in- violable and was kindly and sympathetic, but the \ery best elements of his character were reserved for his family and for the relation of an ideal home life. He passed away at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, October 25, 1903. Mrs. Daniels, also a member of the Con- gregational church, ocaipies a beautiful home overlooking the river, and in Keokuk, where she has now lived for nearly a third of a century, she has a very large circle of friends. JACOB HANDRICH. One of the older residents of Franklin township, Lee county, Iowa, and at the same time one of the most enterprising and suc- cessful farmers of this part of the county, is Jacob Handrich. who now resides on his LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 121 farm of i66 acres on section 8. Mr. Hand- rich was born February i8, 1838, in Ger- many, tlie son of Jacob and Katherine (Neff) Handrich, and with his parents came to America in 1844, taking passage in a sailing vessel and landing after a stormy voyage of sixty-five days' duration at New Orleans, whence the family traveled by way of the Mississippi river to St. Louis. From that city they crossed over to Madison county, Illinois, where the father, who was a farmer by occupation, purchased a farm of 100 acres, and this he cultivated with success until his untimely death, which occurred only six years later. In 1S52 the mother brought her children to Lee county, locating in Franklin township, where the remainder of her life was passed and where her own death occurred. She was a member of the Mennonite church, while her husband was of the Presbyterian faith, and both were people of the most admirable character, highly esteemed by all who knew them, and many friends who prized them for their rare qualities. Mr. Handrich, our subject, enjoyed in his youth only the most limited educational advantages, and when but twelve years of age began working out as a farm hand, and thus at a very early age commenced to ac- f|uire that hard and practical ex]")erience which proved so useful to him in later life and which has constituted in no small degree the basis of his success. During the years 1859 and i860 he was employed in Davis county, Iowa, but in the latter year he re- turned to this count}' and married Miss Mary DiefFenbach, who was a native of the same German province as himself. She is a member of an enterprising family and the daughter of Jacob and Mary Katherine (Xauert) Diefifenbach, who emigrated from Germany with their children in 1851, and in their progress to the New World they en- countered many discouraging circumstances. After embarking the}' discovered that the ship upon which they had taken passage was old and unseaworthy, being then on its last voyage and requiring the constant use of pumps to keep it from sinking, oc- cupying the long period of seventy-eight da\s, and after landing at New Orleans the passage up the Mississippi river occupied three weeks, during which their boat was frequently frozen fast in the ice. Arriving at St. Louis, eight more days were consumed in coming up the river to Keokuk, whence they drove to Franklin township, where they made their home for three years and then removed to Davis county, both parents com- pleting in that county the span of their lives and passing to the life beyond. To them were born nine sons and daughters, of whom Mrs. Handrich is the fourth, and the others now living are as follows : Jolm, a resi- dent of Davis county, Iowa; Martin, who resides in the same county ; Jacob, of Cali- fornia ; Phoebe, wife of Mr. Layman, of California; and Anna, wife of Mr. Look, also of California. Prior to his marriage Mr. Handrich had purchased a farm of 100 acres in Franklin township, on which he built substantial barns and a fine dwelling house, improving the property in many ways, and later traded it for his present farm of 122 acres, to which he has since added forty-four acres. Here he has erected a magnificent residence and 122 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW many necessary buildings, besides installing all the most modern improvements, and maintains throughout the entire establish- ment an atmosphere of scrupulous neatness that bespeaks careful supervision and i)rac- tical efficiency. To ^Ir. and Mrs. Handrich have been born eleven children, of whom ten survive, as follows : Jacob, of Davis county ; Anna, wife of Henry Rings, of Franklin township; Mary, wife of John Frueh, of this township; Katie, wife of Phillip Dieffen- bach, of Davis dainty; Henry, of Franklin township; Emma, wife uf August Gram, of West Point township; Laura, wife of John Specht, of this township; L_\-dia, wife of Ed- ward Loewenberg, of Donnellson, Iowa; and Elizabedi and John, who reside with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Handrich are lifelong members of the Mennonite church, in whoso work they have always taken an active and hel])ful part, and doing much to advance the cause of religion among those who have come under tlieir ]:)ersonal influence, both liy precept and by the high and noble example of their lives. Mr. Handrich has also borne a share in the shaping of public affairs as a sui)p(irter of the Democratic part}-, but he has never sought public office, preferring to devote his attention and abilities princi- pally to the work of his farm, and in this he has been extremely successful by reason of his constant care, sound judgment and Inisiness f(jresight, achieving a very gratify- ing degree of jjrosperity. Tn all his relations with his fellowmen he has observed the strictest integrity, and the history of his life is a chronicle of honor, honesty and fair, impartial dealing that has earned him the admiration of all, while at the same time his whole-hearted and genial good nature have been the means of winning many friends. REUBEN C. STONER. Reuben C. Stoner, at the present time an engineer on the Santa Fe Railway and re- siding at No. 2621 Webster street. Fort Madison, was born in Henr}' county, Iowa, on Jaiuiarv 26, 1870. and removed to Lee county with his parents when five years of age. The family coming to Lee county, located about four miles north of West Point in Pleasant Ridge township. There our subject received his early educa- tion in the public schools of his township, and was his father's assistant in the work of the farm until attaining his seventeenth year, when he hired out as a farm hand for three years, thus Ijeginning his independent career at a very early age. He then came to Fort Madison, where he went to work for the Santa Fe Railway Company as call boy, anrl at the end of one year became a fireman. After ten years of conscientious service in this capacity he was promoted, in 1901, to the position of engineer, which he still re- tains. In the three years of his connection with the freight service as an engineer he has never been concerned in a wreck, nor indeed, in any serious accident, and is rap- idlv coming to be recognized as a valuable factor in the system. Mr. Stoner is a son of John and Ma- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. I -'3 linda (Lyle) Stoner. The father is a native of Ohio, but early came west, locating in Henry county, Iowa, and is now a resident of Lowell, that county. He was a farmer thmughdut his active life, but is nnw re- tired. ]\Ialinda Stoner, the mother, died when her .son Reuben C. was thirteen years of age. At Fort Madison on April 22, 1891, 2\Ir. Stoner was married to Miss Nettie Davis, who was born near Burlington, Des Moines county. Mrs. Stoner is a daughter of John C. Davis, who was a farmer imtil 1890, at which time he removed to Fort Madison, where he now resides and is in the eniplo}- of the Santa Fe Railroad Company. Mr. and Mrs. Stoner are the parents of one child, Clarence William. Mr. Stoner is tlie third of a family of six brothers and sisters, as follows : Clara E., now deceased, was the wife of Charles Miner, teamster, of Fort Madison ; Emma L. is the wife of Charles G. Tull, farmer, of Bertrand. Nebraska; Reuben C, the subject of this review ; William, who was in the men's furnishing business in Chicago, died at the age of twenty-seven years ; Samuel resides in St. Louis, Missouri ; Ida E., is the wife of Alfred Canaday, farmer, of Lowell, Iowa. Mrs. Stoner is the elder of a family of two sisters. Susan B., her sister, is the wife of John B. Sibert, formerly of Fort Madison but now of San Bernardino, Cali- fornia, where he is a carpenter for the Santa Fe Railroad Company of tliat place. Mr. Stoner is affiliated with the Brother- hood of Locomotive Firemen, and in his strictly fraternal relations has been a mem- ber of the Ancient Order of United Work- 8 men since 1891. He holds meinbership in the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which he takes a \'ery active part. He bestows a portion of his time upon the study of public questions, and from considerations of the general welfare has allied himself with the Democratic party. He has not, however, aspired to any public ofifce, being only care- ful to cast his vote in the interest of good governnieiit. In 1894 ]\lr. and Mrs. Stoner built a pleasant home at 2621 Webster street wliere thev now reside. HARRY FULTON. Harry Fulton, the oldest continuous resi- dent of Keokuk, ulio for many years had figured prominently in local political circles and in this connection also had a wide ac- ([uaintance throughout the state, was born in Watertown, Jefferson county. New York, March 29. \S2~,. his parents, Nathan and Philena (Hastings) Fulton, the former born in Vermont and the later in Massachusetts. They were married in New York and be- came the parents of eight children — Harry. Lucretia, who became the wife of of M. T. Langdon and ilied nf cholera in 1849; .Xmanda, married William Hunt and died at his home in Jefferson county, NevN' York, in 1902; Caroline, married Orrin Webb and died in California; Philena, died in child- hood; Albert, living in Vilisca; Cynthia, the wife of William Sprague, of Lakeview, Wisconsin, and Ehvin. who died in Kansas 124 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW in 1903. Tlie mother died in 1857, while visiting in New York and was buried at Watertown. Harry Fuhc:)n pursued his early educa- tion in the schools of his native city and afterward continued his studies in Keokuk. He came west in 1842 with his father, mother and their seven children. They left the Empire state on the 24th of August, tra\'eling after the primitive manner df the times, and arrived at their destination on the 19th of October. Leaving Watertown they passed through Rochester. Buffalo, Cleve- land, Dayton, Columbus, Indianapolis, Springfield, Illinois, and thence to Nauvoo, from which point they crossed the river to Keokuk. The father purchased a farm three miles west of the present city of Keokuk, and in 1844 died of small-pox, from which disease the entire family suiYered. The loss of the father threw the responsibility of caring for the family upon Harry, who was the eldest son. He remained ujjon the home farm until 1847, when he sold the property and removed to Keokuk, where he has since resided. Here he began clerking in the wholesale dry goods house of Cox & Shelley, with whom he remained for three years, when he turned his attention to mer- chandizing on his own account, conducting both a wholesale and retail clothing busi- ness until i860. The following year he was appointed deputy United States marshal for the southern district of Iowa by H. M. Hoxie, the first United States marshal in this State, his appointment having been re- ceived from Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Fulton continued to serve in that capacity for fif- teen or sixteen years and was deputy pro- vost marshal for Lee county during the period of the Civil War. He had also been deputy sheriff in 1847 under Teter Miller. In 1848 he was a candidate for the state legislature on the \\'hig ticket, but was de- feated on accovmt of the overwhelming Democratic majority that the district gives. He served for two years as coroner, and at one time was candidate for sheriff, but was defeated. Other official positions, however, he has lilled. He was appointed by Judge Love as jury commissioner and acted in that capacity for a long period. He served under different United States marshals, for two years under H. M. Hoxie, for two years under Peter Melinda, four years under G. W. Clark, one year under Ed. Campbell, a Democrat, four years under David Miller, two years under E. P. Bradley, also a Demo- crat, two years under Col. R. Root, and four years under George M. Christian. In this capacity he has been called forth into active, arduous and ofttimes dan- gerous service. During the Santa Fe Rail- road strike in Madison in 1894, he was on duty and again during the Wabash Railroad strike at the time of President Cleveland's first administration. In this connection he did consitlerable official business in the mat- ter of making arrests. He has ever been prompt and fearless in the discharge of his duty and has the entire confidence and good will of the law-abiding community. In local affairs he has also been promin^Mit and for five years he served on the city council from the second ward. His first election came to him in a singular manner. He was at that time in Cincinnati buying goods for his mer- cantile establishment and when he returned LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 12- hi line he foiiiHl lie had lieen elected to the office. The ticket on which he was nomi- nated was placed in tlie field only on the niurning of the election, and was called the Know-Nothing ticket. On this occasion D. W. Killnun was elected mayor of the city. Xone of the candidates on the ticket knew that their names had heen placed there when the ticket was put in the field, hut a number alliii!^t'r, a iiieinher of the Keokuls liar, was born in Sandusky, Lee count}-. Iowa. May 2. 18^)-, his p.arents 1)e- ing Frank M. and Florence (l'\atio) Bal- lineer. The family is of Ensflish lineage and was first planted on American soil in \'ir- ginia. whence representatives of the name remo\-ed to Kentucky, where the famih" is now yery numerous. Many who bear the name have become prominent in that state, including distinguished representatives of ■the Kentucky 1i;ir. l-'rank Ballinger, grand- father of F. M. Ballinger, of this review, \\as a prominent lawyer of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where he was judge of both the circuit and appellate courts and an intimate friend of Cassius M. Clay. Removing to Iowa in the early fifties he settled at w hit is now Ballinger's Station, Lee cotmty. and be- came an extensive landowner. He built a large stone house, which is still a prominent feature of the landscape and in excellent state of preservation. Its construction was superintended b)- Steve Green, one of Judge Ballinger's former slaves, who was after- ward a pmniinent cnntr.ictor and builder of Ottumwa. Iowa, where he is now li\ing, aged and feeble. Frank M. Ballinger. a son of Judge Bal- linger. came to Iowa and lionght land for his f;it1ier in the "half-l)rced tract" of the Sac and Fo.x reservation. He became an agriculturist with extensive landed holdings, well known in Lee county. He married Florence batio while in the go\ernment service in Washington. D. C. She was the daughter of a navrd officer, a native of Spain, who served in both Spani.sh and English navies. He afterward came to the L'nited States, settling at Washington. 1). C. and he married a Miss Birch, of Vir- ginia, a member of a prominent Southern family of that name. He served in the United States navy and died of yellow fever off the coast of Brazil, while in command of a go\'ernment vessel. Mr. Ballinger. father of our subject, died in Keokuk, in Novem- ber. i88g. and the following year his widow retimied to Washington, D. C, where she now resides. brank !\L Ballinger. their son. was edu- cated in the schools near Sandusky and Keo- kuk, and following the completion of his literary course he entered upon the study of law. pursuing his reading in Colorado and in Keokuk, He was admitted to practice May 13, 1896. by the supreme court of the state, at Des Moines, and was admitted to practice in the L'nited States circuit and dis- trict courts of the southern district of Iowa in 1896. and to the supreme court of the United States .\pril u. 1901. Following his admission to the bar he entered the of- fice of Hon. John K Craig, of Keokuk. At first he had a large mercantile practice, rep- resenting at different times nearly all the wholesale merchants of Keokuk. His later years have been devoted more largely to the practice of criminal and corporation law. and in this branch of jurisprudence his clientage is large. He is particularly well fitted for his si)ecialty, because he not only has a comprehensive knowledge of legal principles, liul is also forceful in argument, logical in his rea.soning, clear in his deduc- tions and presents his cause with the force 128 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and power of oratorical ability. The bar and the courts always listen attentively and his clear presentation of his cause, based upon the correct application of the law, has won him many notable forensic victories. Mr. Ballinger is a stanch Republican, and in 1899 was a candidate of his party for the state legislature. Init as the district is Democratic he was defeated. He is a val- ued member of several fraternal organiza- tions, including the Benevolent and Protect- ive Order of Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, the Modern Woodmen of America and tile Sons of Veterans. On the 13th of February, 1888, :Mr. Bal- linger was married to Miss Eliza S. Carpen- ter, of Sandusky, Iowa, daughter of Charles L. and Mary J. (Sawyer) CaqDenter, he being one of the early settlers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Ballinger now have a daugh- ter, Hazel, and their acquaintance is wide and favorable in their native county. Hav- ing always made his home within the bor- ders of Lee county the life record of Mr. Bal- linger is well known to his friends,- who recognize in his salient characteristics those traits which make for good citizenship, for high professional ideals and for ethical rela- tions in private life. HENRY HARMON DEIMAN. Henry Harmon Deiman, deceased, long one of the prominent citizens of Lee county and for a number of years a successful pork packer in Fort Madison and later a farmer of Pleasant Ridge township, was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 181 3, and came to America as a young man, crossing the ocean in a sailing ship and taking six weeks for the voyage. Landing in New Orleans, he proceeded by way of the Mississippi river to St. Louis, where he remained some three or four vears, and there he was married to Miss Elizabeth Jansen, a native of Hanover, Germany. He engaged in farming, and was very successful, so much so that he was able to surround his family with the comforts and many luxuries of life, and to give them a fine home. The beautiful residence build- ing, however, was destroyed by fire, a loss which was very considerable and was keenly felt. Mr. Deiman then removed with his family to Quincy, Illinois, where they lived for a number of years, and about 1848 came to Fort Madison, taking up their residence in the western part of the city. In Fort Madison Mr. Deiman engaged in pork pack- ing, building up a very extensive business and giving employment to a large number of workmen, thus greatly assisting in the ma- terial progress of the city and contributing in an important measure to its prosperity at that time, as well as doing much, by en- couraging an industry which was then in its infancy, to secure the present welfare of a comnnmit)- which still honors his memory. In 1879, however, he relinquished his work here, exchanging his packing business for a farm of 320 acres in Pleasant Ridge town- shi]). There he passed the remaiiider of his life in supervising the work of his farm, which he made one of the finest in the town- ship, introducing modern improvements in both equipment and methods, and erecting LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 129 buildings according to the latest and most ai)i)rtived models. The death of Mr. Deiman ocairred at his home in Pleasant Ridge township Jan- uary I. 1894. He was a man of great abil- ity and strong but gentle character, and his passing was mourned by a large circle of acquaintances and friends, neighbors and former business associates who held him in affection for his genial but just disposition, respected his qualities of high honor and integrity and honored him for those traits of heart and mind \\hich set him apart as a notable man, one of those rare personalities which appear but once in a generation, up- lifting all those with whom they come in contact. Many hold him in grateful remem- brance, and the record of liis life is a pre- cious possession to those left to mourn his loss. Mrs. Deiman survived her husband only one month, her demise occurring Feb- ruary I, 1894. She was a woman of saintly character, universally beloved for her many virtues, and left a family which has done her credit through the testimony borne by their lives to her careful, conscientious and pious teachings and training. Both Mr. and Mrs. Deiman were members of St. Mary's Catholic church at West Point. They are survived by a son and a daugh- ter, these being Joseph, now a resident of South Dakota, anfl Elizabeth, who was born in Fort Madison November i, 1854. There she received a very superior education in a private school and academy, thus fitting her- self for the conspicuous position she has since occupied in refined and cultured social circles. At Fort Madison in JanuaPt\ 1874. she was united in marriage to Lawrence Fig- gen, who was born in the city of St. Louis, and who was a very successful young busi- ness man. and they took up their residence in Chicago, where Mr. Figgen was associ- ated with his father in the candle business. In 1884 they decided to remove to the coun- try, and returning to Lee county, they lo- cated in Pleasant Ridge township, residing nern- the Deiman home for one year, at the end of which time they accepted the invita- tion of Mr. and Mrs. Deiman to share their liiinio and care for the old people during the remainder of their years. The death of Mr. Figgen, however, preceded theirs, that sad occurrence taking place May 10, 1887, and his remains were laid at rest in Saint Mary's cemetery at Fort Madison. He was a mem- ber of Saint Mary's Catholic church at West Point, and ever faithful to the teachings of his religion and the highest attributes of his nature. He possessed great ability and the most admirable character, and was very ])iipular, having the good will of all who knew him. Li his death his wife and chil- dren sustained a loss which is too great to be calculated and which no favor of for- tune or circumstance can ever repair. To Mr. and Mrs. Figgen were born three sons and three daughters, as follows : Law- rence, now residing at Leadville, Colorado, who married Miss Nellie Murdock and has line Son, Law rcncc James ; Lillian, \vhi> mar- ried l'"rank McKibben, of Winfield, Kansas, and has two sons, Lawrence and Harold ; Harry, who died in Chicago when only one year of age: Marie, who is the wife of (jeorge Kri'hhiel ami Ins one son. Law- rence ; Joseph, who operates Mrs. Figgen's farm : and Emma, who also remains at home. I30 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Lawrence and Marie are members of Saint Mary's Catliolic church at Fort Madison, wliile ^Irs. Figgen and her youngest two chikh"en are memljers of the West Point con- gregation. Mrs. Figgen has disposed of part of the original farm, but retains the ownership of 120 acres, which she devotes to general farming, in which she has had- remarkable success. In addition to her abil- .ities of a more practical nature she is a pleas- ant and accomplished lady of channing con- versational powers, is widely celebrated for her hospitality and her social qualities, and is gifted with exceptionally brilliant intel- lectual endowments. JOHN DOWNS, M. D. Dr. John Downs, \\hose thorough prep- aration and resourceful effort in the prac- tice. of medicine have gained him prominence as one of the ablest representatives of the profession in Fort Madison, was born on the farm near what is now Reeseville, in Highland county, Ohio, April 15, 1854. his parents being James and Mary CMcKer- nertny) Downs. lie was onlv a year old when his parents remo\-ed In Fayette county, Ohio, and in October, 1863, they became residents of Ralls county, ^Missouri, settling near Saverton,' where the father purchased land. Ills death there occurred in 1865, and in 1868 the mother married again. Dr. Downs was the eldest in the family of six- children, of whom only two reached ma- ture years, one sister dying at the age of twelve years, while a lirother, James, was injured in a railway accident and soon after- ward died. Following the mother's second marriage the property was sold in Ralls county, and the family removed to Marion county. Missouri, settling on a farm, there living until 1870, when they went to Shelby count}- anfl again established their home on a farm. Dr. Downs remaining with the fam- ily there until twenty years of age. Having acquired a fair common-school education he started out in life on his own account. He began work as a farm hand in Kno.x county, being employed by the month, and in the succeeding winter he entered the high school in Edina. He completed the high-school course, and when twenty-one years of age began teaching. While thus engaged lie also took up the study of medi- cine under the direction of Dr. Cornelius O'Brien, with whom he made his home for three years while following the teacher's profession. In the fall of 1876 he entered Rush ^ledical College, of Chicago, and in 1877 became a student in the medical school in Kenkuk. the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now the Keokuk iMedical and Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons On liis graduation in the spring of 1878 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and im- mediately afterward entered upon the prac- tice of his profession in Edina, Missouri, where he remained until June, 1882. He met with a fair measure of success, antl he soon saved enough to pay for his medical education. In the \ear mentioned he re- moved to Fort Madison, and almost immedi- ately entered upon a large and lucrati\e prac- JOHN DOWNS, M. I). LEE COUNTY, IOWA. ^2>i tice that, indeed, made greater demands upon liis time than he could meet. He lias since resided continuously in I'ort Madison, and although in recent years he has retired some- what from active professional duties, his services are yet in demand by many who are loth to call in another family physician. Throughout his professional career he has made it his purpose to kee]) well informed concerning the advancement that is being continually made by the medical fraternity, and while quick to adopt any new method which he believes will prove of genuine value in his practice, he is, nevertheless, slow to discard the old and time-tried methods whose value has been proven through many years. His first venture in real estate was in taking a twenty-year lease of a lot at No. 220 Pine street, on which be built an ofifice. In 1887 he made his first purchase of acreage jirnperty in the west part of Fort Madison and improved it. In the same year he was named a member of the Soliciting Committee to raise money to bring the Santa Fe Railroad to this city. In that move- ment the committee was successful, raising $30,000. Dr. Downs was one of the guar- antors of the right-of-way through the town. He aided in getting a charter for the bridge across the river, and the building of the rail- road and the bridge proved a splen- did impetus to the growth of the city, bringing about what is in popular parlance termed a "boom." He began to invest in real estate, and was among the first to build in the western part of town. In 1892 he as- sisted in raising a $50,000 bonus for the building of a slaughter house and meat ])acking establishment, although he lost con- siderable money in that deal, everything was done in good faith to advance the in- terests of Fort Madison. In 1895 he built the Marguette Building as a memorial to pioneers of the northwest. It was origin- ally intended as an educational and club cen- ter. Init is now used for office purposes. Dr. Downs maintaining his own office therein, and also the top floor being used as the home of the Knights of Columbus, the building thus, to a degree, reverting to its original purposes. He liuilt his first residence at the corner of Third and Cedar streets, and there made his home until 1897, when he sold and removed to his present residence at No. 804 Third street. Dr. Downs has likewise been identified with the improvement of the city aside from his real estate operations. He was one of the incorporators of the Fort Madison Street Railw.ay, but afterward sold his stock. .\fter coming to Fort Madison Dr. Downs was married on the i6th of October, 1883, in this city, to Miss Caroline Schwartz, a native of Fort Maullar7 latter's deatli, which occurred in 1898. Sarah Bullard, the motiier, died in 1885. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bullard have been born two sons, Robert Edward, who died at the age of about nine years, and one other who died in infancy. One child, M.nrie Bullard. they have adopted. She was liorn in St. Louis, May 26, 1900. Mr. Bullard conducts a general farming Inisiness on a small scale, renting most of his land. He is a student of public cjues- tions, and in his political faith is a consist- ent supporter of the Democratic party, be- lieving its principles to be in accord with the spirit of .\merican institutions. Per- sonally, however, he has always refused to accept public office. In a fraternal way he is a member of Wever Lodge, Xo. 552, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. He is well known in this section of Lee countv, has made friends by his geniality and hos- pitality, and is esteemed for the uprightness and justice that characterize all his dealings. ARTHUR ROGERS. .\rthur Rogers, who is one of the younger farmers of Green Bay township, is a native son of the lnwiiship, hax'ing been born September 9, 1861, on section 16. It is recalled, as a reminder of pioneer times and in contrast to the present highly devel- oped condition of the county, that his birth occurred in a log cabin. He is the son of Mihvard Rogers, a sketch of whose career and ancestry ajjpears elsewhere in this re- view. Mr. Rogers, our subject, received his early knowledge of books in the public schools of his district, but may be said to be largely self-educated, as his home mental trrnning, in connection with natural talent, has enaliled him to assume his i)resent place in the community. L'ntil his twenty-second year Mr. Rogers assisted in the work of the home farm, acquiring the familiarity with the details of practical agriculture, which has since stood him in good stead and has been a most val- uable factor in his success. On December j8. 1884. he was united in marriage to Miss Florida Marsh, who was born in Wayne county. Iowa, the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Baldwin) Marsh. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh were among the earlier settlers of the present State of Iowa, and both of eastern birth. Mr. Marsh died in 1897, at the age of sixty-live years, and was laid at rest irj Cherry Grove cemetery, in Washington township, Lee county. Mrs. Mar.sh, who still sur\ives at the age of seventy-three, re- sides in (ireen Bay township. She was l)orn in Delaware, and as a girl came with her parents west and located at Nauvoo, Illinois. After his marriage Mr. Rogers rented a portion of his father's farm, which he culti- vated and upon which he continued to re- side until i8(>8, when he moved to his pres- eut place of residence. This farm consists of tine farming lanrl, and is in two tracts of sixty-five and 140 acres, respectively. He has improved 4he original buildings on the farm, and ni;ide the entire establishment thoroughly imidern, having installed, among T38 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW other conveniences, a private gas plant for his own use. The residence building is a handsome and commodious structure sit- uateil amid pleasant surroundings. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are members of Good Hope Rebecca Lodge. Xo. 267, at Wever, and Mrs. Rogers is a member of the Christian church. To Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have ])een born two daughters and one son : Ethel Rebecca, Sarah Jane and Harold .\rthur. Fraternally Mr. Rogers is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 552, at Wever, of which he is Past Grand, and of Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks. Xo. 374, at Fort Madi- son. In political affiliation he is a free thinker and considers well before casting his ballot. He is thoroughly progressive in his ideas, both as a farmer and as a citizen, and by his loyalty to his con\-ictions and his capacity for friendship has won the regard and respect of those who know him. ANDREW J. EIDSON, M. D. Dr. .\ndrew J. Eidson. whose scholarly attainments, professional skill and broad humanitarianism made him a man among men, standing as one of the representative citizens of Fort Madison, where he won the honor and respect of all, was born in Butler county, Ohio, on the 26th of October, 1837. He was the eldest in a family of four sons and two daughters born unto \\'^illiam M. and Catherine (Daugherty) Eidson, the former liorn in X^orth Carolina in 1814 and the later in Ohio in 181 7. They were mar- ried in Butler county, Ohio, to which place \\'illiam Eidson had removed in early man- hood. The}' afterward became residents of Adams county, Illinois, where the mother died in 1858. but the father, long surviving her, passed away in 1886. After the death of his first wife he was united in marriage to Mr.s. Eliza X'elson. During the Mexican War he offered his services to his country, but was not mustered into the army. His was an honorable and useful career, and late in life he became identified with the Con- gregational church. Dr. Eidson accompanied his parents on their removal to .Adams county, Illinois, in his early boyhood days and was reared upon the home farm there. He attended the common schools and l)y close application qualified himself for teaching, which pro- fession he followed in the district schools for several years. He regarded this, however, merely as an initial step to other prefes- sional labor, for it was his ambition to be- ■ come a member of the medicdl fraternity. X^eeding further preparation for this, how- e\er. he entered Ouincy College, wherein he won the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and thus with broad literan,' knowledge to serve as the foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning he entered the McDowell College at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1859. Subsequently he ma- triculated in Rush Aledical College, of Chi- cago, from which he was graduated in Jan- uary', 1865. The following month he en- listed for service in the Civil War. becom- ing a private of Company D, One Hundred LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 139 and Fcirty-eighth IIHikms Infantry. Illness, howexer, soon compelled him to go to the hospital, and after partially recovering he was made ward master of the hospital and its acting surgeon, which position he filled until discharged on account of his own physical disability. \\'lien his military service was over Dr. Eidson returned to Illinois and settled in McDonough county, where he resided until 1 87 1, when he removed to Coatsville, Mis- souri. There he enjoyed a large and lucra- tive practice and his wife was the owner of a drug store there. He continued a resi- dent of Coatsville until 1893. when he re- moved to Fort Madison. He afterward lived a retired life, devoting his attention to literary piirsuits. for his practice in former years had brought to him a very desirable remuneration that enabled him to spend his last days without further recourse to pro- fessional labor. He had more than a local reputation as a writer and his poems have appeared in various periodicals fmni time to time. It was his intention to ha\-e these published in book form, but death cut short his work, but his widow intends publishing the volume of her husband's poetic produc- tions, many of which have received favor- able comment from the press. Dr. Eidson was a member of tiie Ma- sonic fraternity and for a number of years served as tyler of Stella Lodge, No. 440, Free and Accepted Masons, of Fort Madi- son. He was also a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge at Fort Madison. In politics he was a Republican and held the office of alderm.nn from the first ward for two years. He held membership in the Methodist chiu-cli. and during his life, prior to taking up the study of medicine, he studied the- ology and was known as a boy preacher, al- though he was never ordained. His in- fluence was ever on the side of right, prog- ress, reform and improvement and his career was a most honorable and straight- forward one. Dr. Eidson was married twice. In Feb- ruary, 1863, he \\edded Aliss Lucinda M. Monroe, of Cass county, Illinois, and by this marriage there were two children : Araminta A., the elder, is the wife of Charles C. Dean, a son of the late Hon, Henr)- Clay Dean, and they reside in Schuy- ler county, Missouri, where Mr. Dean is fol- lowing the occupation of farming. They have become the parents of four children, all of whom are living: Charles Cass, Leo, Alice and Edith. Lillie'Maude Eidson died the wife of Frank Waters, a son of Dr. Waters, of Salem, Arkansas, her remains be- ing interred in the cemetery at that place. She left three children: Eidson, deceased. and Annie and Cecil, who li\-e with grand- mother at Salem. l'"or his second wife Dr. Eidson cliose Bethany M. \Mieeler, a native of Van Bu- ren county, Iowa, and a daughter of Henry M. and Bethany M. (Charles) Wheeler. Mrs. liidson was born August 8. 1850, and resided at the place of her birth until seven years of age, when she accompanied her parents to Missouri, where they lived until 1861. Her father was a mechanic and fol- lowed pursuits along that line throughout his entire life. He served as a member of the Home Cuard and during the early part of the Ci\'il War herded cattle for the gov- I40 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ernnient. About 1862 he removed to Illi- nois, locating at Huntsville. He died, however, at Coatsville, Missouri, and his wife passed away at Birmingham, Illinois, some years prior to his death. In their fam- il)' were twelve cliildren, of whom Mrs. Eidson was the youngest. In Huntsville Mrs. Eidson acquired a part of her educa- tion. She also attended school in Birming- ham, Illinois, and it was there that she formed the acquaintance of Dr. Eidson. Their marriage was celebrated in Brooklyn. Schuyler county, Illinois, March i, 1871, and they afterward went to Missouri, locating at Coatsville, where they remained until their removal to Fort Madison. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Eidson were born three children, all of whom are living. Marcus M., a resi- dent of Manhattan, Illinois, is agent for the Wabash Railroad Company at that place. He is a member of the Masonic order and also of the Methodist church. South. He married Miss Ethel Seymour, of Sturgeon. Missouri, whose father is a merchant of that place. Edmond E., who was born in Coatsville and acquired his education there and in Fort Madison, is a machinist with the Iowa Farming Tool Company in the latter city and fraternally is connected with the Masonic Lodge of Fort Madison and also the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Catherine E. is the wife of Benjamin J. Bothe, a resident of Fort Madison and a foreman of the finishing shop of the Iowa Farming Tool Company. He was born and reared in Fort Madison, being a son of Cas- per and Margaret Bothe, his father leading a retired life on Fifth street in Fort Mad- ison. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin J. Bdlhe has been born one son, Charles Lewis, born at Fort Madison and now three years of age. Dr. Eidson departetl this life on the 4th of September, 1903. He had during the period of his residence in Fort Madison gained many warm friends who valued him not only l)ecause of his professional ability, literary skill and scholarly attainments, but also because of his kindly spirit, his gen- erous sympathy and his genial companion- ship. He was a man of local prominence for wh(im his fellowmen entertained high regard because of his fidelity to duty and honest convictions. He possessed keen sen- sitiveness to the humor and pathos of life, its pain and its pleasures and his keen ap- preciation of the beautiful and the ideal was manifest in his writings. WILLIAM FULTON. William Indton, a resident of Keokuk, is a representative of one of the old families of Pennsylvania, tracing his ancestry back to .\braham Fulton and on back to Ireland. Abraham became the founder of the family in America and was a man of upright char- acter as is indicated by a paper which he brought with him from his native onintry and which reads : "Whereas, Abraham Fulton, with his wife and family are now moving from tliis country to the Continent of America, this is to inform whom it may concern that they LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 141 were born and lived until tlie date hereof in ye parish antl beliaveil in a sober and Chris- tian manner and now leaves us free from any pulilick scanilal or other censm'e. Cer- tified at Articlav, in the Kingdom of Ireland, this 26th (.lay of May, 1772, by M. Kxox, V. D. M.. H. Caldwell, Robert Guthry, Elders." Abraham Fulton was the father of Rob- ert Fulton, who was the father of William Fulton, Sr.. who served in the Revolution- ary War. William I-'ulton, Sr., was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and became a volunteer for service in the War of 18 1 2, haxing charge of wagons and transportation. He married Miss Nancy r^eairs, who was born in 1791 and the)' be- came the parents of three sons who reached manhood, but William Fulton, of this re- \'iew, is the only son now li\'ing. The father ' died in Westmoreland county. Pennsyhania, in 185 I, and his remains were interred there. The mother, however, long survived him and coming west, passed away in 1882 in her ninety-second year, the burial being iri the Kcdkuk cemetery. William Indton. the subject of this sketch, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. June 4, 1829, and in his youth receix'ed but moderate school privileges. lh)we\cr. he aftcrw.ard attended Washing- ton College in Pennsylvania, and was grad- uated with the class of 1854. While in col- lege he was ciiosen as essayest in a contest and was awarded tlie favoral)le verdict as preparing the l)est essay among those in the two literary societies contesting. This contest was an annual event and he chose as his subject the "Flements of American Literature." \\ ben twenty-three years of age he left home and went South. He did not lea\e, bi)\\e\er. until after election day, when he cast iiis first presidential bat- lot for Franklin Pierce. Mr. Fulton spent about two years in teaching school in pri- \'ate families in Lnuisiana, being located in Concordia Parish and elsewlierc in that state. He also read law while in the South with a Air. Perkins, who afterward became a member of Jefferson Davis's cabinet dur- ing the Southern Confederacy. in 1856 Mr. I'\iIton returned t(.i the Xorth and spent the winter in teaching in his home district in Penns\'l\-ania. In April, 1857, however, he came to Keokuk and read law with the firm of Hornish & Lomax for a year. He was admitted to the bar at Albia, Iowa, and practiced with his pre- ceptor, John P. Hornish. In 1862, iiowever, he turned his attention to the insurance and real estate business and on accoinit of defec- tive hearing he has not been actively con- nected with the legal profession for twenty years. His time and energies instead have been devoted to the building up of a good insurance and real estate business and in this he has met with fair success. He lias acted as special adjuster for the Phoenix, Hartford, Liverpool, London and Globe In- surance Companies in Missouri. Iowa, Kan- sas, Nebraska and Illinois. During the period of the Civil War Mr. I-"ulton was a memlier of the City Rilles, which was afterward merged into tlie state milili.i. It was an organization preparing men for active service and seventy-two men 142 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW were enlisted from the City Rifles. Its pur- pose was for local defense and for the pro- tection of ammunition and supplies stored here. x\Ir. Fulton was in the battle of Athens, was promoted to the rank of ser- geant and served as secretary of his com- pany. He served as alderman from the fourth ward for two years and was school director of Keokuk for four years. His interest in communitv affairs is deep and sincere and has been manifested in active co-operation in many measures for the general good. He was secretary of the public library for eight or ten years, and has been co-operant factor in the promotion of religious interests in his city. He has twice been sent as a dele- gate to the general assembly of the Presby- terian church, attending its conventions in Washington and Cincinnati, and has served as deacon and elder in his church contin- uously from the time that he was admitted as a member in 1866. He was largely in- strumental in securing the erection of the Presbyterian house of worship in 1872, act- ing as secretary of the building committee. Fraternally he is connected with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. His in- fluence can always be counted upon in behalf of right, progress, reform and improvement and in good citizenship his strong qualities are such as commend him to the good will and confidence of all. On the 22d of June, 1865, Mr. Fulton was married at Keokuk to Miss Elizabeth Dalzell, who was born in Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania, in 1832. They have four chil- dren : Nannie Peairs, who is librarian in the public library; Robert Dalzell, who is with tlie Northwestern Paint Company, of Portland, Oregon ; James McQueen, now employed in the freight department of the ^^^abash Railroad at Keokuk, and Mary Elizabeth, an employe of the Iowa State In- surance Company, living at home. NELSON COMMINS ROBERTS. The modern newspaper, wherever it as- pires to.be anything more than a village newsletter, demands both business skill and intellectual ability in its management. Es- pecially is this true of those publications that are somewhat metropolitan in their charac- ter, and undertake to enforce ideas and ad- vance policies as well as to disseminate the news. The editorial profession is a field where character, ability and integrity are factors of success in no small degree; and he who ocaipies the editorial chair largely sways the destiny of the country. And while it is true he may not far outrun public opinion, still he leads. Day after day, and week after week, he leads, exhorts and en- treats, and gradually the people follow him. They respect his moral character, yield to his fervid appeals, and adopted his opinions as their own. A striking illustration of the editor at his best estate is presented in the life his- tory and personal character of the gentleman whose name introduces this article. Mr. Roberts, the editor of the Fort Madison Dailv Democrat and Fort Madison Weekly LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 143 Democrat, enjoys more than a local reputa- tion as a master of the editorial art. His till night is clear and deep, his style modeled upon the masters, and admirably calculated to impress his readers, while his English is pure and simple. He has taken a very high rank in his chosen profession and is very popular in the community where his work is done. Nelson Commins Roberts was born in Otsego, Michigan, October 11, 1856, and is the second son of Dr. Abel C. and Emily A. (Cole) Roberts. His parents removed to Fort Madison in 1839, nnd here he was given such lil)eral educational advantages as the times afforded and the finances of his parents permitted. He graduated from the Fort Madison Academy in 1872, and f<^r a time was a student in the high school (the i)repar- atory school of the University of Michigan) at Ann .\rbor. In 1874 he tecame con- nected with the Fort Madison Democrat, where he mastered the printer's trade in all its details. Later on he was an assistant in the business end of the administration of the paper. Here he also did editorial work until his appointment as postmaster of Fort Mad- ison by President Cleveland in 1893, took him out of the sphere of active newspaper work. I le entered upon his official duties June I, 1893, and continued to discharge the functions of that position until September 7, 1897, to the very great satisfaction of the Fort Madison public. At that time he gave way to a Republican successor. Mr. Roberts removerl in November, 1897, to Keokuk, where be l)ecame business man- ager of the Constitution-Democrat. In this •capacity he remained in Kenkuk until De- cemljer 31, 1898, when he came back to Fort Madison to take charge of the Demo- crat, which he had acquired by lease from his father. Dr. Roberts. In 1901 he pur- chased the entire plant, which has greatly expanded under his very capable manage- ment into a very extensive business. It is now one of the influential publications of the state, and its editorials are freely quoted oil all matters of general interest. -Mr. Roljerts is a prominent member of the ^Masonic fraternity, and is well versed in its mystic lore. He is a member of Clay- ])oo]e I>odge, No. 13. Free and Accepted Masons, Potowonok Chapter No. 28, Royal Arch !\Iasons, and Delta Commandery No. 51, Knights Templar, all well-known Fort Madison fraternities. He is also connected with Zeraphath Consistory (thirty-second degree). Valley, of Davenport, Iowa, Kaaba Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles Mys- tic Shrine, also of Davenport, and Fort.Mad- ison Lodge, No. 374, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. At one time he held membership in Gem City Lodge. No. Ji, Knights of Pythias, and Fort Madison Lodge, Xo. 157, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a non-resident member of the (iiicago Press Club. For three years he was a member of the school Ixiard, and is now on the board of directors of the Catter- mole Memorial Library. Mr. Roberts's zeal and his ability as a political leader were early recognized by his party and he was soon called to the front. For some years he served on the Democratic county central committee, of which lie was chairman two terms. From 1900 to 1904, he was on the Democratic State Central 144 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Committee, of which body he was secretary the last two years. In this connection his services have been very valuable throughout the state, and the loyal workers of the party have everywhere laeen glad to meet and know this capable exponent of Jeffersonian Democracy. The wedding ceremonies of Mr. Roberts and Miss James Preston were celebrated September 23, 1880. To this very happy union have come three children : Preston E,, Ruth E., and Dorothy V. Mrs. Rol)erts is an accomplished lady and is a worthy as- sociate of her gifted husband. They liave many friends wherever they are known, and are esteemed and beloved alike for their strength of character, general intelligence and social spirit. EDWARD M. BUCK, M. D. That success is the result of individual merit is true of the learned professions to an extent that does nut obtain in any other field of human effort, and the prominence which Dr. E. M. P.uck is achieving as a practicing physician at Montrose, Iowa, is especially creditable to him' because he owes his pres- ent position to his own energy, determina- tion and desire to accomplish a useful work- in the world, and has pursued this laudable object in spite of many obstacles that would ba\'e meant defeat had he been possessed of a less forceful character. Dr. Buck was born September 5, 1865, near Kahoka, Mis- souri, the son of A. Y. and Mary (Helmick) Buck and the third of a family of six broth- ers and- sisters, the others being as follows : Txlrs. Eleanor Brenn, of Fort Madison; Mrs. Clara Fleming, of W'ayland, Missouri ; Ella F.. deceased; Effie, wife of William Buck- ley, of New Winchester, Missouri; John W. and Orvey C. A. Y. Buck, who is a native of Indiana and by occupation a farmer, came to Lee county with his father in 1858, and the family was living in Montrose township when the disturbances which drove the church of the' Latter Day Saints from the Mississippi \-alley culminated in the l)urn- ing of the Mormon temple just across the ri\'er in Xauvoo, Illinois. Thence he re- moved to Green Bay township, antl in 1861 to Clark county, Missouri, where the doc- trine of secession was then ver)- imjjular and the situation was one full of danger for supporters of the Union cause, and there he still continues to reside on a farm of 160 acres. During the closing year of the Civil \\'ar he was in active military service for a time, being a member of the militia. Our subject grew to years of maturity in the work of his father's farm, and in 1890 he heeded the call of ambition and returned to Lee county to take employment in Huis- kamp Brothers' shoe factory at Keokuk, and at the same time to enter his name as a student in Keokuk Medical College. For six years he was engaged in the work of the factory and in the pursuit of his med- ical studies, and on March 3. 1896, he was graduated from Keokuk Medical College, While at Keokuk he wedded Miss "Virginia Spicer in 1892, and .she died November 13, 1895, survived h\ one child. Earl. On May LEE COUNTY, IOWA. •45 20, 1897, he was united in marriage to Miss Pauline Strong, a native of Keokuk, and to them iiave been born four cliildren, as fol- lows: Morris, who died at the age of two years; Theodore, born December 14, 1900; Carroll, born October 7, 1902; and Eulnlia. born Septeml>er 9, 1904. Immediately upon his graduation Dr. Buck removed to Mont- rose, March 5, 1896, and here established himself in the general practice of medicine and surgery. In his work here the perfec- tion of liis scientific preparation, the high qualities of his mind and heart — his sound, practical judgment and genial disposition — have endeared him to the people and won for him an enviable place in the afifairs of the community in which his useful career is being passed. Among the members of his profession he is widelv known, and is a member of the Lee County Medical Society and of the Iowa State Medical Society, while in fraternal circles he holds membership in the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in Camp No. 853 of the Modern Woodmen of America and is exam- ining physician for the Mutual Protective League and for the Bankers' Life Associa- tion of Des Moines. In his political faith he is a believer in the doctrines of the Re- publican party, and while he does not aspire to the honor of public office, he acts as official physidan to the municipal board of health. His own interests are closely allied with those of the community, as he con- siders this his j)erniancnt home, having erected a substantia! dwelling here in 1900, and is a stockholder in the Montrose Sav- ings I'ank. of which he was one of the in- corporators. ASA TURNER HOUSTON. .\s a worthy representative of one of Lee county's sturdy and capable pioneer families the name of Asa Turner Houston may well be chosen, for it stands high upon the list of younger farmers who have made themselves felt in the afifairs of the com- munity. Mr. Houston was born on the farm on wliicli he now resides, located on section 34, Denmark township, Lee county, Iowa, on August 18, 1868, and is the son of John, Jr., and Maria (Sturges) Houston, his father being a native of Lyndeboro, New Hamp- shire, where he was born December 15, 1823; and John Houston, Jr., was the son of John, Sr., and Zerviah (Fields) Houston. John Houston, Sr.. was horn June 5, 1787, and on March 21, i8ii, married Miss Fields who was born November i, 1784, and to them were born the following sons and daughters: Alliert F.. horn January 15, 181 J ; Laura, who married \\'illi;nii Davis, was born .\ugust 13. 1813. Abigail, born .\pril 2. 1812, became the wife of Dr. George Shedd, a pioneer physici;ii of the village of Denmark; Sarah, born October 7, 1816. married W'arrL-n Henderson; .?erviah, who became the wife of Mr. Bell, was born July 13. 182 1 ; John, father of our subject, born December 15, 1823; Joseph, born Sei)tember 13, 1826, now re- sides in lUirlington, Iowa, and is the only survivor of his f;ither's family; and Mary Jane, born May 28, 1829, married Joseph Ingalls. WHien ten years of age John Houston, Jr., removed with his p.irents to I^well, Massachusetts, where his father was a mechanic in a woolen 146 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW factory, and tliere he pursued his edu- cation in the city schools preparatory to entering college, l)ut before the time for his graduation the family again re- moved, having resolved to locate in the ^\''est, and traveling by rail to Albany, New York, where they took the Erie canal to Buffalo, thence by the lakes to Chicago, and from Chicago westward by wagon, they arrived in Lee county after a long and trv'- ing journey. Upon their arrival here they took up their residence with Ira Houston, brother of John Houston, Sr., with whom they continued to reside until a dwelling could be erected upon the farm which they had purchased, they having bought eighty acres of land at $1.25 an acre with money earned by the daughter Laura as a school teacher before leaving the East. L'pon this farm the father and mother of the family passed the remainder of their lives in the pursuit of their vocation and in devotion to the higher needs of the community, they being faithful workers in the Congrega- tional church. Both were buried in the Den- mark cemetery. After coming to Iowa John Houston, Jr., taught school for a number of years, and in 1849 he was united in marriage to Miss Maria Sturges, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Sturges, both natives of Connecticut who joined the colony from that state at Granville, Ohio, where their daughter was born April 20, 1827, and came to Lee county with her brother, Albert A., who was the first teacher in the Denmark Academy and one of the three who established the mission at the Island of Micronesia. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Houston took up their residence on the old Houston home- stead, to which Mr. Houston eventually ad- ded another eighty acres, and here he gave his attention to farming and cheesemaking, always maintaing a large daily, which was the source of considerable profit. He was very successful in his business, and attained to much prominence in public affairs as a loyal supporter of the Republican party and its doctrines, being elected to the office of assessor and to a number of minor official positions, in which his faithfulness to the interests of others was always conspicuous and was the determining factor in all his public acts. He was also an active worker in the Congregational church of Denmark, in which he was a deacon, continuing this connection until his death, which occurred on December 23, 1898. He is buried at Denmark, survived by his widow, who now resides in the \-illage of Denmark, and bv a numerous family. To them were born the following children : .\1- bert S., born July 6, 185 1, who was gradu- ated from Denmark Academy, from Grin- nell College and from the Theological School of Chicago, and for a number of years acted as a missionary' at the Island of ^licronesia, but is now deceased ; Servia J,, born September 8, 1853, who is the wife of Charles A. Swift and is a resident of Ore- gon : Warren H., born November 23, 1854, who was educated at Oberlin College and is now a Congregational minister in Kan- sas: Laura M., born Novemljer 27, 1856, who was a successful teacher prior to her marriage, is the wife of Fred Bement. of Sioux Falls. South Dakota; Mary E., born Januarv 2t;. 18 ^q, who is a teacher and re- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 147 sides in Denmark; Ilattie A., bom August 7, 1862, wife of William Hitchcock, pro- Jessor in Jaffna College, Ceylon, India; Jdhn J., born May 23, 1865, who died at the age of four years; and Asa Turner, the subject of this review. Mr. Houston received his formal school- ing in Denmark Academy, a training which he has since supplemented by extensive read- ing and observation, and has always resided on the home farm, which is known as the Fairview farm and which he purchased after his father's death. In 1899 he wedded Miss Mary Leverett, of Denmark, and one son, Clyde Leverett, and one daughter, Florence Sturges, grace their union. Mr. Houston is engaged in stockraising and in general farming, in both of which he has grati- fying success, having been trained to work since his early years and having made a study of the problems involved under the direction of his father and later independ- ently, keeping abreast of modern progress by reading along the line of scientific in- vestigation which has a bearing upon his occupations as a farmer and stockraiser. He gives his support consistently to the Re- publican party, as embodying in its princi- ples the fundamentals of political science as necessarily applied to American condi- tions, and is widely known in this portion of the county as a representative of agricul- tural interests. He is at the present time one of the trustees of Denmark .Xcademy, a position for which he is eminently fitted by business aliility and liy his training and well-known devotion to the cause of eduai- tion, while the connection is of benefit to the institution by reason of his prominent stand- ing in the community. Mr. and Mrs. Hous- ton are members of the Congregational church, being active and helpful in its vari- uds departments of endeavor, and their beautiful home is a prominent center of social life on a high plane, for they have many friends who yield them respect and esteem. HUGH H. CRAIG. Although a young man and a compara- tively recent addition to the legal fraternity in Keokuk, Hugh H. Craig in the short space of three and a half years has demon- strated himself to be the possessor of unus- ual aptitude and enthusiasm for his chosen profession, in which he has already achieved a gratif_\-ing degree of success and if past attainment be a criterion for prophecy is destined to genuine distinction and a high plane of usefulness. A native of Keokuk, he was born October i, 1874, the son of John H. Craig, now deceased, a sketch of whose career and lineage appears elsewhere in these pages. His preliminary education was obtained in the public schools of this' city, and he is a graduate of Keokuk high school, class of 1892, but lieing ambitious for further training, he entered Parsons Col- lege, at Fairfield, Iowa, in which institution he ]nirsuc(l ri th'irougli course of classical study and was graduated in 1896 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Mr. Craig early determined in favor of tiie law as a lifelong vocation, and on his 148 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW graduation entered the law offices of John E. Craig in this city, where he studied for several months, but with a view to obtaining a variety of experience he then accepted a position as city editor of the Gate City, a leading daily newspaper of Keokuk, con- tinuing in that line of work with marked success for three years, at the expiration of which period he resigned and resumed the study of law. Shortly afterward, in Sep- tember, 1899, he was appointed by the county board of supervisors a justice of the peace, and after ser\-ing in that capacity until the following November was elected to fill the unexpired term for which he was orig- inally appointed, and discharged the duties of the office in an acceptable manner until January i, 1901. Meantime he had contin- ued his legal studies, and in May, 1901, he was admitted to the bar, since which time he has devoted his attention to general prac- tice. Mr. Craig has shown himself to be a young man loyally devoted to the general welfare, and has assumed a prominent part in local politics as a member of the Democ- racy, having served his party for four years as secretary of the county central commit- tee and for two years as secretary of the Keokuk committee, while he is also an active member of the board of directors of the As- sociated Charities of Keokuk, and since March of the past year has serveo\e. Thev engaged in ;i pork- packing and grocery business under the firm name of H. & .A. C. Cattermole, a business that long continued and became very pros- perous. In 1871 Henry Cattermole retired in fa\()r of his partner, who carried on the entire enterprise until 1882, when he retiretl from active life. After becoming sole owner of the business Mr. Cattermole disposed of the grocen' trade, and dcv'oted himself en- tirely to the packing interest, in which he was N'ery successful, and became quite wealthy. L'pon the organization of the (lerman American Bank of Fort .Madison, .\rthur C. Cattermole became one of its stockholders and was chosen \ice-presi(lent. Here his conceded business abilities had full play, and t(i him this bank, now one of the solid finan- cial institutions of the city, is very largely indebted for its splendid organization and building. Its management has been careful anf Kaaba Temple Mystic Shrine. He is also affiliated with Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. No. 374, Modern Woodmen of America. No. 641. the Mulu;il Protective League and the Knights and Ladies of Security. He is a member of Lee County Medical Society, and has held the official position of physician to the iMirt M;idison Board of Health. In politics he is a believer in the principles ad- 164 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW vocated by the Democratic party, and con- sistently supports its nominees. At Fort Madison December 19, 1891, Dr. I. W. Traverse was vmited in marriage with Miss Daisy L. Ehart. One child graces this union, a son, John William, born December 29, 1892. ]\Irs. Traverse is the daughter of Phillip and Sarah (Jarrett) Ehart. Phillip Ehart, who was by trade a wagonmaker, was born in Germany, and his death occurred July 30, 1876, intennent be- ing in the Fort Madison city cemetery. Mrs. Ehart, who is a native of North Carolina, makes her home with Dr. and Mrs. Traverse. The grandmother, Mrs. Fanny Jarrett, who is in the nin'ety-seventh year of her age. is a resident of West Point. Lee county. Mr. and Mrs. Ehart were the parents of three children, the others being John, who is an express agent at Fort Madison, and Maggie, wife of Frank Swanson, foreman in the Santa Fe railroad shops at this place. Mrs. Traverse is a member of the Pres- byterian church and of its missionary so- ciety, in which she is an active worker. She was graduated from the Fort Madison high school in the class of 1891, and has been a teacher in the schools of W^est Point and Fort Madison. At a cost of $7,000 Dr. Traverse erected in 1901, a commodious and handsome res- idence at 907 Fifth street, and here he de- votes to his home life the time which may be spared from the exacting demands of public and ])n)fessional duty. He is a man of at- tractive personality, and in his technical equi]>ment very thorough. W'e bespeak for him an increasing measure of the popular favor. VALENTINE J. KREHBIEL. One of the prominent younger farmers of I-'ranklin township, where he owns 215 acres of farm lands, as also seventy-five acres in Harrison township, is Valentine J. Ivrehbiel. He was born on a farm adjoin- ing that on which he now resides .September 16, 1862, the son of Christian and ]^Iar}- (Schnebele) Krehbiel, both natives of Ger- many. Their portraits appear upon opposite page. The father was a man of enterpris- ing spirit, and came to America in 1850. at aliout twenty years of age, locating in Ohio. The following year, 1851, he came west and located in Franklin township. Lee county. Iowa. His future wife came to the town- shij) about the same time, with her parents. Here he took employment as a farm hand, in which he continued for abovit five years, when he married, and having saved his earnings, was able to purchase a farm. This consisted of eighty acres of unimproved land, upon which stood a log house. This tract he cleared and made it productive, oc- casionally adding to it by further purchases, until finally he was the owner of 415 acres in this township, besides a great deal of land in Kansas and forty-five acres in Har- rison township. Pie was a self-made man, and by his own efforts came to be one of the most successful farmers in this section of the county. He was also an important factor in the township's affairs, and was for a number of terms trustee of the township. He was a lifelong Democrat, and often ser\ed the party in county conventions. His death occurred in 1899. and that of his widow in 1902. Both were early members > X n X H > LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 167 of the Meiiiirtiiite cliuvcli. and lielped in the building of the lirst churcli eihhce for that denomination in Lee county. Tlie father was for nnny years speaker of tlie churcli. \'alentine J. Krehhiel, the suhject of this review, received his education in the schools of his township, and during his early years was his father's assistant on the farm. He continued in this work until the time nf his marriage. April 27, 1890, to Miss Christina Hirschler. of Franklin township, when he purchased eighty acres where he at present resides, and there hegan his active l)usiness life as a farmer. That he has succeeded is evidenced by the fact that he now owns a fine home, witii a farm of 215 acres, together with seventy-five acres in Harrison town- ship, and also conducts a very extensive live-stock business, shipping in carload lots. He is engaged, largely in general farming, but makes stockraising and dealing his specialty. Mr. Krehhiel, besides his private business, takes a prominent part in town- ship affairs, acting politically with the Dem- ocratic parly. He was elected trustee of his township in 1899, and was honored l)v re- election in 1902, being the present incumbent of that office. He is a man of unusual a!)il- ity. and has ])erformed the duties of his of- fice in a highly efficient and satisfactory manner. The family occupies a large and handsiinie residence, which Mr. Krehhiel re- modeled and impr'ued a few years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Krehhiel h ive been horn two sons and five daughters, as follows: Delia. Ruth. Leona, Carl, Hulda. Bertha and Adnlph. Mr. and Mrs. Krehhiel are b'lth acti\e members of the MenuDuite church, of Franklin townshi]), and teachers in the Sun- day school. Mr. Krehhiel is posses.sed of a genial and generous disposition, which, to- gether with the reputation he enjoys for strict uprightness and integrity in all his dealings, has won for him the friendship of man}- and the respect of all who kmiw him. WILLIAM A. SCHERFE. William A. Scherfe, a native son ot Fort Madison, was born July 24, 1867, his parents being Augustus and Amelia Scherfe. He has continuously resided in this city, save for a lirief period spent in the city of Burlington. His 'early education was ob- tained in the schools of this city, but when twelve years of age he put aside his text- books and began working as a deliver}'^ clerk in a grocery- store. He was afterward a salesman in a hardware store for Joseph Fhart & Son, of h'ort Madison, with whom he continued for two years, and then at the age of eighteen he became an aii])rentice in a machine shop, where he remained for four vears. thoroughly mastering the trade. When twenty-two years of age he became a locomotive fireman on the Chicago. Fort Madison & Des Moines Railroad and at the age of twenty-six he met with an accident that incapacitated him for manual labor. In T894 he entered the insurance business with his father and this relation was continued until i8()0. when the father retired and Wil- liam A. Scherfe has since remained in the business alone. He does a general insurance 1 68 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW business, which extends throughout Lee county and he is also assistant special agent for the German American Fire Insurance Company of New York. He is also buying and selling' real estate and has seaired a good clientage in both departments of his business. Mr. Scherfe was married, on the i6th of June, 1892, to Miss Mary A. Young, a na- tive of Cincinnati. Ohio, born December 13. 1870, a daughter of Jacob Young, a harness- maker of Troy. Iowa. In 1894 Mr, Scherfe was elected secretary of the independent school district of Fort Madison and still holds that position. He is a member of Fort Madison Lodge, No. 374, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and belongs to the Presbyterian church, while in his po- litical faith he is a Republican. One of the enterprising young business men of the city, he has gained well-merited success and the methods he has pursued are such as have won for him high regard and confidence. Dependent upon his own resources from an early age his history stands in evidence of what can be accomplished by strong and hon- orable purpose. GEORGE W. SMITH. George \\'. Smith, editor of the \\'est Point Bee. of West Point. Lee county, Iowa, was born at Waterloo, Illinois, February 10. 1858. the son of George and Caroline Smith. He received his education in the common schools of St. Louis, having re- moved to that city in his early childhood. He remained a resident of St. Louis until 1871, during which time he learned the printing trade, which as a young man he followed for a number of years. After 1871 he worked at his trade in all the principal cities of the United States, his longest connec- tion with any one publication being that with the Chicago Herald, which covered a period of fifteen years. In 1894, ]Mr. Smith located in West Point, purchasing the Bee. a Democratic paper which had been established in 1892. At the time of the purchase the publication had but a small circulation, but under the thoughtful and enterprising management of ]\Ir. Smith has greatly improved in charac- ter and appearance, and now enjoys a cir- culation of more than one thousand copies per week, a remarkable achievement. This is the only newspaper in the northwestern part of the county, where it occupies a pe- culiarly influential position. Mechanically it is of a high grade of excellence, and con- sists of four pages of well-written articles of local and general interest. In 1887 Mr. Smith was married to Miss Kate R. Carroll, a native of Chicago, and to them have been born two daughters. Er- nestine and Consuelo. Mr. Smith is at the present time director of the public school, and a new and modern brick building has been erected for the ac- commodation of the schools. He has no other outside interests, however, and devotes all his time to the newspaper, including job printing, and in this enterprise has met with financial and professional success of ver\' LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 169 gratifying proportions. He is well known throughout Lee county, and his force of character and genial temperament have made him universally popular. REUBEN CREPS. One of the most public-spirited citizens of Fort Madison is Reuben Creps, who has Ijeen a resident of this city and activelv con- nected with its growth and development for a great many years. Mr. Creps was bom in Dixon township, Cumberland county, Pennsyh'ania, September 22, 1822. and there grew to years of maturity. In 1845 he made a trip to the West, going to Burling- ton, this state. After a year spent there he returned to his home in Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1851. He then came to Iowa a second time, arriving at Fort Madi- son June 21, 1 85 1, and here be has made his home ever since. Mr. Creps received a good education in the public schools at the place of his birth, and for several years was a teacher in that state. In Pennsylvania he also learned the carpenter's trade, which he was destined to follow for the greater part of his active life, anrl as carpenter and contractor he has been connected with the construction of nearly all the principal buildings, public and private, of Fort Madisf)n, among which are the state penitentiary at this place, the Epis- copal church, the court house, the jail and the city power house. He also attained some reputation as a millwright, and was connected with the building of the McConn mills and most of the other larger mills in this section. During the last six years he has been leading a retired life at his pleas- ant home at the corner of Fifth and Chest- nut streets. He doubtless owes much of his success to the fact that he early had a rigid inu'niiig in the school of hard work and business management. Born on a farm, he was his father's assistant until the latter's death, when he assumed the management of the farm, which he continued until he came west. I\Ir. Creps was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Catherine Mower, who was born in Germany and came to the United States in her girlhood. She died, leaving one son and line (laughter. The daughter is now de- ceased. The son, La Fayette, is a resident of Idaho, where he is engaged in the lum- ber business, and has achieved very consid- erable success. The wife and mother is burieil at Fort Madison, her death having oc- curred in this city. Our subject is a son of David and Eliza- beth (Clippinger) Creps. His father was during his early life a farmer .'uid for some time engaged in the mercantile business, but later returned to the farm. Mr. Creps was originally a member of the Democratic party, but has since assumed ail independent position in politics. In his religious connection he is affiliated with tiie Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a member ever since arriving in Fort Madison, and of which he has served as trustee fur many years. He has been ac- tive in good works, and was one of tliose 170 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW >\ho organized, in about the year 185 1, the first Sunday school formed in Fort Madi- son. Tiiroughnut tlie course of a long res- idence here he has been witness of all the more important steps in advance taken by his adopted city, and has borne his full share in securing for Fort Madison the enviable position wliich it now occupies. He has been an advocate of improvement, and has al- ways taken an interest in everything calcu- lated to forward the real welfare of the com- munity in wliich he lives. Bv his character of integrity and strict justice in his deal- ings he has won the general respect, and his capacity for friendship has brought him into close relations with many who prize his acquaintance. Mr. Creps again married, his second wife being Mrs. Lizzie Bock, on the 29th of April, 1890, his first wife having died in 1884. She was born in Fort Madison, a daughter of Henry and Elsie (Meier) Bock, both of whom were born in Germany, and came to Fort Madison about 185 1. Here Mrs. Creps grew up and has spent her life here, and is well-known. FRANK TROJA. One of the prominent and well-known agriculturalists of Lee county is Frank Troja, wild resides just outside the corpo- rate limits of the City of Fort Madison. Mr. Troja was born in Germany, November 20, 1835, there he was reared on a farm, ac- quiring in youth the habits of industry and frugality which made him successful in after life, and at the age of twenty-nine years came, in com])any with his brother Joseph, to America. Locating in Fort Madison, the first year was spent in the work of a brick yard, at the end of which time he took employment in the .\tlee sawmill. Here he remained continuously for seventeen A-ears. Three }'ears he was in the employ of his brothers, Joseph and John, who conducted an tgg liusiness in Fort ^Madison. In 1886 he took up his present location, bu}ing a tract of seventy-two acres of tim- ber land just outside the city limits of Fort Madison. Twenty acres of this farm he has cleared and placed under cultivation, and here also he has built a comfortable and commodious home, and is now enjoying the fruits of a life of labor and continuous and conscientious toil. The farm is considered a \-alualile piece of property. In 1865 Mr. Troja was married at Fort Madison to Miss Lizzie Putmeyer, who was born in Germany and came to America in the party of whicli Mr. Troja was a mem- ber. I^ntri them have been liorn eight sons and daughters, of whom six still live luider the parental roof. They are as follows : Joseph, born August 15, 1869; John, b(^rn December 11, 1872: Benjamin, born March 4, 1876: George, born October 27, 1877, married Margarette Lackery ; Lizzie, born September 25, 1879.: Katie, Mrs. George Larkey, of Madison, born Septcnilier ifi. 1882: Annie, born January 15, 1870, wife of Barney Heiling, of Fort Madison: and Maggie, born November 10, 1874. wife of LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 171 Frank Heiling, of Fort Madison. All the children were educated in Saint Mar>''s Parochial School. Mr. Troja is a member of Saint Mary's Catholic church, and in politics he early de- cided, after a careful study of political ques- tions in the United States, to associate him- self with the Democratic party. In his re- ligious duties he has been active, having assisted in the building of Saint Mary's church, taking part in the labor of construc- tion. Although now in his sixty-ninth year, he still assists in the work of the farm, and does some gardening. su])plying garden truck, small fruits and milk to a number of city customers. Frank Troja is the second of a family of eight children, of win mi the only other survi\'ors are Joseph, of I'ort Mac'ison, and Barney, who still lives in Germany. He is a self-made man, owing his success entirely to his own efforts ; and his integrity, strong character and genial disposition have won for him manv admirers and friends. GEORGE E. ROGERS. An enterprising citizen and agricultur- ist of Green Bay township is George E. Rogers, residing on section 16. He was born in a log cabin located on section 15, of this township, October 7, 1S58, son of Mil- ward H. and Susan Rogers, an account of whose lives and genealogies appears else- where in this volume. He acquired his early education and early knowledge of books in the i)ublic schools of his district, and grew to manhood in the acquirement of useful training as an assistant to his father. In fact, this training began very early. When only eleven years of age he was impressed into the hard service of caring for the year's harvest, his one elder brother having suf- fered from sunstroke. It is to such duties well and courageously performed, however, that many a man, like Mr. Rogers, has been al)le to trace his success in after life, and often what appears to many as mere good fortune is the result of years of training in the school of experience. Mr. Rogers made his home Ijeneath the paternal roof until the year 1880, when he was united in marriage with Miss Cordelia May Vogt, daughter of Samuel H. and Eliz- abeth (McGregor) Vogt. The father of Mrs. Rogers was a native of Switzerland, and emigrated to America when seventeen years of age, making the voyage by sailing vessel and taking twenty-three days to cross the ocean. He located at Nauvoo, Illinois, and was there married before the Civil War. At the beginning of the war he enlisted in the Sevent'eenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, serving his country as a soldier for the long period of three years and four months, four months of which were spent as a prisoner of war, and was for a time detained in the famous Andersonville prison. He removed some time after his marriage to Montrose township, Lee county, and in 1880 again re- moved, taking up his residence in Green Bay township, where he bought a small farm in the southeast corner of section 15. There he died December 5, 1899, at the age of 172 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW sixty -five years and twenty-seven days. Mrs. Vogt was a native of Coshocton county, Ohio. She died February 22, 1903, aged seventy-one years, five months and twenty-one days. The remains of both rest in Beebe cemetery, this township. They were active and vahied members of the Christian church, and were universally es- teemed and respected. To them were born four children, of whom Mrs. Rogers is tlie only survivor. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are the parents of six sons and daughters, two of whom died in infancy. Those living are: Roy V., Cora E., Frank K. and Charles Bruce. The sons remain at home, and the daughter is the wife of William Sweeney and resides at Macomb, Illinois. Mr. Rogers owns 185 acres of fine farm- ing land, on which he conducts general farming operations and the usual amount of stockraising. Here he has built a beautiful dwelling in the midst of fine grounds orna- mented with shade trees, and has erected other buildings to meet the necessities and provide the conveniences of modern farm life, installing many improvements which combine the advantages of city and coun- try. He supports the Christian church, of which Mrs. Rogers is a member, and in his political views is a Democrat, believing the policies to which that party stands pledged to be in accord with the fundamental prin- ciples of .\merican government. Fraternally he has membership relations with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, being Past Grand of the Wever Lodge and having served as representative to the Grand Lodge ; is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Wever and holds in that order the rank of Past Grand Deputy ; and is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Fort Madison. He is a gentleman of un- usual ability, is thoroughly informed as to topics of current interest, and is accorded a position of high standing and great in- fluence in his community. Although of the most modest pretentions as to his own worth, he is everj'where respected for the sterling qualities of his character .and has many friends. JACOB M. RISSER. Jacob M. Risser, a leading and influen- tial citizen of Sawyer, Lee county, Iowa, and a descendant of one of the early pioneer families of the West, was born in West Point tnwnship. Lee county, November 2, 1S47. the son of Jacob and Amelia (Miller) Risser. Jacob Risser, Sr., was bom in Bavaria, Germany, December 12, 1815, a son of Dan- iel Risser. who was born August 25. 1794. and of Elizabeth (Smith) Risser, his wife, a daughter of Henry Smith, and the date of the marriage of his parents was May 26, 181 1. When a boy of sixteen the father of our subject worked his passage to Amer- ica on a sailing vessel, and located at Cleve- land, Ohio, where he learned the trade of cabinetmaking, and later establi.shed a cabi- netmaking shop of his own, a venture in which he was very successful, and it was in that city on December 8, 1842. that he mar- ried .Amelia Miller, who was like himself a LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 173 native of Bavaria, where she was born May 16. 182 1. In May, 1845, Mr. Risser. to- gether with his father-in-law and his wife's sister and husband, accompanied by their families, came to Lee county, settling in the southwest part of West Point townsliip, where they moved into a log cabin ; and it was in this house that Mr. Miller and his S(in-in-law. Henry Leisey, on May 10, 1845, became the victims of the celebrated "Mor- mon murder." for which the perpetrators of the crime, who were members of the Hodges family, paid the penalty with their lives in July of the same year at Burling- ton, Iowa, where they were hanged. Soon after coming to Iowa Jacob Risser purchased a farm of eighty acres, which he ailtivated for a time, and later he owned a sawmill in the village of West Point, oper- ating it with considerable profit until some time in the eighties, when it was destroyed by fire. He achieved success in all he im- dertook, and was respected for the fact that he was what is called a self-made man, hav- ing accumulated a cnmjietency by his own efforts and entirely without aid of any kind. He was a Democrat in matters of politics, and in his religious connection he was a member of the Mennonite church, together with his wife, continuing in that faith until his death, which occurred in 1896, followed by that of his wife in 1902, they both be- ing buried in the West Point cemetery. To them were born the following sons and daughters: Daniel F., who resides in Pleas- ant Ridge township, this county : John, who is a resident of Kansas: Jacob M.. our sub- ject ; Abraham, who died when young : Mary A. : and Anna, whose death occurred in childhood. Jacob M. Risser, the subject of this re- view, received a good education in a select school at West Point, as well as being thor- oughly trained in the work of the farm, and was employed as his father's assistant until the twenty-third year of his age, when he wedded Miss Elizabeth Schantz. a native of Pleasant Ridge township and daughter of Peter and Anna Schantz, who settled in that township in 1846. At the time of his mar- riage ?ilr. Risser. in company with a brother, worked the land belonging to the familv, Jacob Risser. Sr.. of 340 acres, in partner- ship for six years, after whicli he bought a farm in Pleasant Ridge township of eighty acres, where he resided until 1891. when he again disposed of his land and purchased 120 acres in the northwestern part of Wash- ington township. .At the latter place he re- sided for twelve years, or until 1903, in the spring of which year he removed to the village of Sawyer, there entering into a partnership with G. \\'. \"an Hyning to con- rluct a mercantile business, the style of the firm being Van Hyning & Risser. but the connection has since been dissolved. Mr. Risser retiring in 1904. Mr. Risser is widely known in Lee county as a progressive and enter^irising farmer who has achieved large and lasting success in his work by virtue of business qualifications of an unusual order, and his political activities have also brought him a large circle of acquaintances and friends, as he is a prominent member and worker in the Democratic party, and has received public honors at the hands of the people, having been twice elected to the important office of county supervisor and added much to his popularity. He has also taken an active and 174 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW helpful interest in promoting the progress of religion and morals in his community, he and Mrs. Risser being consistent followers of the Mennonite faith and rendering much assistance in the labors of their denomination in this section. They are the parents of a family of two sons and one daughter, to whom they have given the advantages of modern education and excellent home train- ing, and who occupy an honored place in the society in which they move. These are : Jona G., a resident of Montrose township, this county, who married Miss Ella Clay- poole and has one son, Clay; and Elma E., and Irving P., who are members of the parental household. Mr. Risser in November, 1904, pur- chased a home in Danville, Iowa, where he is now residing. Irving P., in partnership with Charles P)Urton, purchased the general mercantile business of L. R. Kelley & Com- pany, of Danville, in October of 1904, and are now doing business under the firm name of Burton & Risser. Miss Elma E. Risser acting as their chief clerk. SABRET T. MARSHALL Sabret T. Marshall, a practicing attor- ney at the Keokuk Bar, was born in the city which is yet his home, November 20, 1869, his parents being Samuel Taylor and Louisa Davis (Patterson) Marshall. The father was born in Butler county, Ohio, February 26, 18 1 2, and was a son of Gilbert and Mar\' (Hueston) Marshall, native of Pennsylvania and Virginia, respectively. Tlie paternal great-grandfather, James Marshall, was a native of Washington county. Pennsylvania, and a farmer by occupation. His wife's father was a pioneer settler of the Keystone state and was killed by the Indians. He lived in a block house in order to secure pro- tection against possible dangers, but was shot while trading some tobacco. Gilbert Marshall had a family of ten children, all of whom lived to mature years and reared families. This number included Samuel Taylor Marshall, who spent his boy- hood days upon his father's farm within sight of the old Oxford College of Ohio. WHien he had completed his course in the country schools he entered the preparatory department of Oxford and in due course of time was graduated on the completion of a full classical course in July, 1830- He wrote the first constitution and by-laws for the Beta Tlieta Pi, a Greek letter society and was one of the founders of this organiza- tion which now numbers hundreds of mem- bers. In early manhood he became very patriotic and joined the army called The Patriots, which served at the time of the Canadian invasion. In recognition of his zealous activity he was commissioned a lieu- tenant colonel and the document indicating his soldierly rank was chewed and swal- lowed by him when he was captured by the British troops. He and a comrade were captured and were thrown into prison. They were then tried, pronounced guilty of in- vasion, sentenced to be fined and transported to Vandiemans Land. Mr. Marshall on ac- count of the indiflference with which he viewed the situation was set free, but his friend and comrade was sent into banish- ment. During his term of imprisonment, however, Mr. Marshall suffered great hard- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 175 ship and exposure and this brought on a severe illness. On reaching home he entered the law office of Timothy W^alker, of Cin- cinnati, and after a season there passed, re- sumed his reading in the office of Pettit & Orth, of Lafayette, Indiana, where he com- pleted liis studies. In December, 1842, Mr. Marshall arrived in Lee county. Iowa, and entered upon the practice of law at West Point, then the county seat, continuing there until 1847, when he removed to Keokuk. Here he became one of the leading repre- sentatives of the early bar, securing a good clientage and in public affairs was promi- nent and influential, winning not only suc- cess as a reward, but also becoming a recog- nized leader in movements that advanced the general progress and upbuilding. At one time he was associated with the Nip & Tuck paper, pulilished at a very early day in Lee county. In politics he was a recognized leader of the Democracy of this part of the state, and in his fraternal relations he was a Mason. He married Miss Louisa Davis Patterson, a native of Kentucky, their wed- ding being celebrated at West Point in 1846. Her father. Colonel William Patterson, was one of the honored pioneer settlers of Iowa, and served in the first territorial legislature and several succeeding ones. He was a son of Joseph Patterson, a native of \'^irginia, who espoused the cause of the colonists in the Revolutionary War and served in the battle of LTah Springs, South Carolina. Colonel Patterson was a very prominent man in early times and carried on business in Iowa as a pork packer. In official life he was a recognized leader, serving as post- master, as alderman and as mayor of his city. His religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church and he assisted mate- rially in erecting the house of worship, fur- nishing all the stones from his own quarry. His death occurred in 1888, and his wife passed away a few years prior. Mrs. Mar- shall passed away on the 28th of March, 1904. and his death occurred June, 1895, in the city of Keokuk. Their children were as follows : Robert M., who resides in Keo- kuk, and is county attornej' of Lee county, and has held the office twice previously; A. Tom, who is engaged in the practice of law with his brother, Sabret; C. H., who is .en- gaged in painting and paper-hanging in Keokuk; Maude M., and Sabret. At the usual age Sabret T. Marshall en- tered the public schools of Keokuk and passed through successful grades until he had become a high-school student. Deter- mining to make the practice of law his life work he began reading with his father and brotlier, and in January, 1895, was admitted to the bar at Des Moines, passing an exam- ination in open court before the supreme court (if Iowa. Soon afterward he began l)ractice in his native city, but he spent the years 1896-7-8 in Denver, Colorado, and El Paso, Texas, on account of the failure of his health. In 1898, however, he returned to Keokuk and resumed his law practice here. He also became an active factor in political circles and in 1899 he was nominated on the Democratic ticket for the office of legis- lature. He was elected and served so capa- lily during his first term that he was re- elected. He was an active working member and though he did not seek to figure before the house in brilliant public debate he did 176 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW- effective service for his party and for his state in the committee rooms, being instru- mental in securing the passage of a number of important 1)ills. He belonged to the com- mittees on judiciary, railroads and com- merce, municipal corporations, compensa- tion of public ofificers, buildings and loan, hospital for insane, woman's suffrage and rules. During the campaigns he has deliv- ered many addresses and is a forceful, ear- nest and logical speaker, who keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day, is able to support his position by intel- ligent arguments and to present it in the strong light of clear reasoning. ^Ir. Mar- shall was one of a family of ten children, of whom five survive. Mone of these are married and they all reside at the old fam- ily homestead at No. 730 Grand avenue. One brother, W. P. Marshall, also an ad- vocate of the Democracy, died in 1890 while serving his second term as county sheriff. Sabret T. Marshall is accorded a position of leadership in political circles in his native county, and has also attained a creditable position as a memlier of the Lee County Bar. havjng gained a clientage which is con- stantly growing in extent and importance, and which has in recent years connected him with much of the notable litigation in his district. WILLIAM M. CONLEE. William M. Coulee was for many years a prominent farmer of Lee county, and well deserves mention among the leading resi- dents of this community who in the past were loyal to its best interests and largely promoted the general good. Although some years have come and gone since he passed to his final rest, his influence still remains as a potent factor in the world, and the mem- ory of his life and character is a precious heritage to his descendants. He was a native of Kentucky, having been born near the celebrated Mammoth cave in that state, Xo- vember 9. 182 1. There he obtained his edu- cation in the public schools, and at the age of nineteen he removed with his parents to Burlington, Iowa. After a short stay at that place the family came to Lee county, locating upon the farm on which Mrs. Con- lee, the widow of our subject, still resides. He was the son of Reuben and Nanc)' (Doyle) Conlee. On removing from Burl- ington to Lee count)', Reuben Conlee, his father, purchased sixty acres in Jefferson township, composing part of the present es- tate, and here passed the remainder of his life as a farmer. He died in his fifty-sixth year. December 23, 1846. while at Iowa City attending the session of the first legislature of the State of Iowa, he being a member of the lower house. He is buried in Wil- son cemetery in Jefferson township. He was a man of prominence, and in addition to his other honors he for many years held the office of justice of the peace in this county. His widow survived him for five years, her death occurring in April, 1856. Reuben and Nancy Conlee were the parents of eleven sons and daughters, only four of whom are living at the present time. William Conlee. after the death of his father, remained on the home farm, purchas- ing the interests of the other heirs, and in- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. ^77 creasing his holdings until tliey consisted of i6o acres of fertile land which is now vir- tually all under cultivation. He continued general, farming and stockraising until his death, whicii occurred September 23, i(S96, at the old farm home. His remains rest in the Wilson cemetery. He was a consistent Christian, and a faitliful memlier of tlie Bajitist churcii. Pnliticallv he was a believer in tlie principles for whicli the Democratic party stands, and was loyal to its best in- terests. For nearly fifty years he was a jus- tice of the peace in Lee county, and held that ofifice at the time of his deatli. His last ill- ness was of long duration, and because of the low state of his health he tendered his resignation from the office, but this was re- jected. He was also at one time elected trustee of Jefferson township. He was a public-spirited man, an advocate of all meas- ures tending to improve conditions in the community of which he was a valued and valuable member. He was profoundly re- spected by all who knew him, and a refer- ence to his long career as a public ser\'ant will indicate the honor in which he was held by the general public. Many were accus- tomed to seek his advice and counsel in re- gard to matters of importance, and this was always freely given. On December 6. 1R63. in \'^an Buren county, Iowa, at the home of the bride's parents, he was united in marriage with Miss Sylvia Jane Standley, daughter of Robert and Catherine (Bray) Standley. Mrs. Coulee's father, Robert Standley, was born in Kentucky, and coming to Iowa in pioneer days, located in Van Buren county, where he died while his daughter was yet a child. His wife survived him several years, her death occurring in Van Buren county in 1866. Unto Mr. and Airs. William M. Coulee were born five sons and four daughters at the family home in Jefferson township, and all are still living. They are : Laura, wife of Fred Xa\lor. a frirnicr of Jefferson town- ship, has two children, Sylvia Eunice and Lawrence ; Mary, wife of W^illiam Wood- side, a farmer, of Van Bure'n county, Iowa ; George W., a resident of Keokuk, where he is a clerk in the postal service, married Nancy Davis, and has two children, Mildred and Anita ; Robert, who operates the home farm, on which he resides: Nora, wife of Noah Hewitt, a machinist in the Santa Fe shops at Fort Madison, has three sons and three daughters, Roy, Cecil, Arthur, Alice, Walter and Gladys ; Reuben, who is at home, is at the ]iresent time holding the office of clerk of Jefferson township, and is secretary and treasurer of the Viele Telephone Com- pany : Elvira, wife of Fred Bullard, a farmer of Warsaw, Illinois ; Linza is living at home: .Xndrew A., farmer of Jefferson township, married Miss .^nna Christianson. On the original purchase which formed the nucleus of the present Coulee home- stead the grandfather of our subject, fol- lowing the custom of the time, built a large log house. Tliis reminder of pioneer days was in use until about six years ago, when Mrs. Coulee and her sons erected the pres- ent frame structure, which is a very pleas- ant and commodious residence. They have also made other improvements. William Coulee was an interested wit- ness of the development of Lee county from 1/8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW primitive conditions, and did his full share toward making the county what it is today, one of the richest agriadtural sections of the state. A kind and loving husband and father, a good citizen and a true man, his was a life without a stain and a character that was rich in traits of native nobility. CHARLES H. HENNEMANN. The name which introduces this review is one familiar to the residents of Keokuk, and it is one which suggests to the honest man a feeling of confidence and security, while to the evil doer it betokens a power which is feared as the instrument through which he is most likely to meet with ap- prehension, and therefore pay the penalty of his crimes against the laws, which are the stable foundation of the peace and prosper- ity of his fellow beings. As city marshal, Mr. Hennemann has made a most honorable record, and one which reflects credit upon his unfaltering allegiance to duty and the right. Charles H. Hennemann was born in Keokuk. Iowa, February 15, 1866, the son of Charles George and Elizabeth (Schroe- der) Hennemann, and his father was a native of Eversberg, Westphalia, Prussia, the date of his birth being March 17, 1836. The mother of Charles G. Hennemann died when he was but six weeks old. survived by her infant son and a daughter, Matilda, who passed the greater part of her life in St. Louis, but is now deceased, and his father was later married a second time. Father and son were coppersmiths by trade, and when Charles G. Hennemann was twenty years of age, in 1856, he decided to seek the broader opportunities of the New World for the ex- ercise of his skill, and accordingly took pas- sage in a sailing vessel to New Orleans, and landing there, ascended the Mississippi river to St. Louis, where he took employment as a copper smith. Later he was joined by other members of the family, including his father, who worked at his trade in St. Louis, and whose death occurred there four or five years after his coming to America. Li St. Louis the father of our subject married Miss Schroeder, who was bom in Hamburg, Ger- many. September 17, 1843, and came to America with her parents and settled in St. Louis in 1846 or 1847, and to them were born ten sons and daughters, as follows : Bertha, who first married Sylvester Betts, by which union she had four children, and who is now the wife of James Carss ; Charles H., the subject of this sketch; Addie. wife of Frank Sheldon, who resides in St. Louis, and has one child ; Albert, a resident of Keo- kuk ; John, who died at the age of thirteen ; Willis, of Ouincy, Illinois; Matilda, who (lied at the age of twenty-four years ; Frank, who died in infancy ; Henry, who died in childhood ; and George, who resides in St. Louis. The father of the fam- ily was foreman of the copper smith depart- ment of the Missouri Pacific Railway in St. Louis from 1861 to 1865, in which latter year he removed to Keokuk, where he was for a time employed by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, but LEE COUNTY, IOWA. I/O later establislied himself in independent busi- ness, which he continued until 1880, when lie retircil fmni active life, and his death occurred in this city on November 25. 1888. The formal education of Charles H. Hennemann was received in the public schools, and when onlv fourteen years of ag'e he began to learn the trade of cigar- making by taking employment as a tobacco strijijier in a factorv. continuing in this work for two years, after which he served a reg- idar apprenticeship of three years, and fmm 1885 to 1887 was a iournevman cigarmaker. During this time he traveled to San Fran- cisco, thence by an ocean voyage of twenty- eight days' duration, and- crossing the Isth- mus of Panama by rail, he reached Xew York, and worked at his trade in All)any. Troy. Lockport, Rochester, Erie. Pennsyl- vania ; and Chicago, whence he returned to Keokuk, and here he formed a partnership with Edward Smith to conduct a business of cigar manufacturing and dealing. At the end of a year, however, this connection was dissolved, and for the following six months he was in the manufacturing business at Nauvoo, Illinois, and froni 1890 to 1895 he was engaged in the pursuit of his trade in St. Louis, but in the latter \ear returned to his native city, and for four years conducted a successful business here. He then be- came a member of the Keokuk police force, and two years later was elected to the offlce of city marshal, which he holds at the pres- ent time, this being the fourth year of his incumbency, as he was re-elected at the close of his first term. Under his administration the Citv of Keokuk has enjoved remarkable inununil\- from crime, especially from the violence and depredations of habitual offend- ers, while those who have had the hardihood to tresspass against the majesty of the law have been brought promptly and sharply to account. Every effort has been put forth to suppress crime in any form, and the law- breakers of the city are beginning to under- stand that they can not with impunity abuse the rights and privileges the law accords to their fellowmen. Mr. Hennemann cer- tainly deserves credit for what he has ac- complished in the wa^' of suppressing vice, and his course has the endorsement of all the best citizens of Keokuk. He has made arrests of many desperate characters, nota- l)ly tint of Walter Dorman. who was after- \\ai"(l the com]ianion of the Biddies, ban- dits of Pittslnu'g. who were executed for murder. To mention nierelv bis |)h\sical devel- o]imeiit. Mr. Plennemann is a magnificent specimen of manhood, being six feet, three and a half inches in height and weighing 26^ pounds, while he holds rank as one of the leading and 1)€St-known athletes of the United States, and holds many important championship medals, as well as having broken a number of the world's records in athletic performances. Aiuong his better known feats of strength may be mentioned the w inning of the championship for jnitting the fifty-six-pound weight in 1892. when he made a record of twelve feet, ten inches, and also won the Western Athletic .'\ssociation medal by throwing the sixteen-pound ham- mer. t2T feet. In 1895 be won a champion- ship by throwing the fifty-six pound ham- mer twentv-nine feet, and in the Central i8o BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Athletic meet of the same year made the champion shot put of forty-one feet, ten inches, and the champion sixteen-pound lianimer tlirow of 127 feet. In 1897 he ac- companied the Chicago Athletic Association team to Xew York, where he won the na- tional championship for putting the sixteen- pound shot, forty-two feet, seven and three- fourths inches, and at the same meet took second place for throwing the fifty-six- poiind shot, while on the same day he won the world's record for the classical sport of discus throwing, making a distance of 1 18 feet, nine inches, the best previous record being 106 feet. This remarkable record was made on August 28, 1897, and the following month Mr. Hennemann again went to New York to participate in a meet between the Chicago Athletic Association and the New York Athletic Club, and won the discus throw at 113 feet, and second, the sixteen- pound shot put with a distance of forty-one feet, and won second place in the sixteen- pound hammer throw with a distance of 136 feet. At the Olympian games at St. Louis in 1904, he was awarded fourth place, throwing the fifty-six-pound weight thirty- two feet, one inch. On September 26, 1888, Mr. Henne- mann wedded Miss Mary A. Gallett, daugh- ter of Eseph Gallett, a native of Paris, France, and an early settler of Keokuk, and previously of Nauvoo, Illinois. Mr. Gal- lett is now deceased, and his widow has since married Louis Cobelena, and resides in Keokuk. To Mr. and Mrs. Hennemann have been born two children, Charles M. and Mary A. Politicallv, Marshall Hennemann is a Democrat and a loyal worker for the success of his party. In his fraternal relations he has numerous connections, being a member of Hardin Lodge, No. 29, Free and Ac- cepted Masons ; Knights of Pythias, No. 5 ; Keokuk Camp, No. 622, Modern Woodmen of America ; the local lodge of Ancient Or- der of United Workmen; Keokuk Assembly No. 105. American Benevolent Association; Keokuk Lodge, No. 106, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; Keokuk Lodge, Xo. 544, Knights of Honor, and the local lodge of the Order of Eagles. It is scarcely necessary to say that I\Ir. Hennemann is a man endowed with the strongest individual- ity, intrepid bravery when in the face of the most desperate situations, and a remark- able coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances. As a man among men he holds the esteem of those with whom he comes in contact, either in an official or a social wav. WILLIAM M. DOOLEY. William M. Dooley. a retired business man wf Keokuk whose careful management and the husbanding of his resources in for- mer ^•cars now enables him to rest from further active labor, was born in Bath county, Kentucky. May 9. 1862. His father, Jefferson Dooley, also a native of Bath county, was a farmer by occupation and en- gaged in the raising of horses. He mar- ried I^lizabcth Boyd, who died June 23. 1 88 1, at the age of forty-five years, while LEE COUNTY, 10 IV A. i8i his demise occurred March i. iSng period of time he met with but one accident of import- ance, which occurred in 1865, when he was making the trip up the river on the boat, IS2 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW "Island City," with a cargo of corn belong- ing to the Federal government, and destined for the garrison at Fort Union. The cargo becoming wet, it swelled and burst the hull of the vessel, thus causing the boat to sink, and while the ma- chinery was saved and towed back- to the City of St. Louis on barges, the hull of the boat was left in the river, as all efforts to raise it failed. The second en- gineer on this trip was \\^illiam Oldenburg, now deceased, a sketch of whose career is given on another page of this volume. Mr. Gerboth's experience as an engineer has been extremely varied, and included during the Civil War considerable work on trans- port boats, he also acting as engineer of the dispatch boat, "Adam Heine," which was in the service of General Grant, at Millikin's Bend, near Vicksburg, from which the general viewed the maneuvers of the army and fleet. His first regular employment on the Mississippi river was as engineer of a towboat plying over the Des Moines rapids, after which he was engineer on the North- ern line, which ran daily packets between St. Louis and St. Paul, and for three years he was employed on the ferryboat "Keo- kuk," plying between Keokuk and Ham- ilton, this being before the Keokuk and Haniiltiin l)ridge \\'as constructed, while from tS8o to 1885 he run a sawmill at Mont- ro.s'e for the firm of Healy, Felt & White. During the latter period of his work he was engineer of the Kit Carson raft boat, owned 1)_\- John C. Daniels, of Keokuk, and engaged in towing lumber and logs from Stillwater, Minnesota, to Hannibal, Missouri, and to other points, and among the principal boats on which he has filled the position of chief engineer are the "Reserve," the "Canada," the "Ivit Carson," and the "Savannah." On September 9, 1863, Mr. Gerboth was imited in marriage to Miss Harriet Pat- terson, who was born in Ohio, and came to Montrose in her girlhood, and to them have been born three sons, as follows: Edward, who died at the age of thirty-eight years; Charles, of Decth, Nevada, who married Miss Ida Bane, and has four children, Charles. Ruth, Albert and Eloise: Albert, groceryman, of Davenport, who married Miss Nellie Reeves, of Montrose. Husband and wife are faithful members of the Pres- byterian church, in which they are devoted workers, and to whose support anrl charities they have always generously contributed, and fraternally Mr. Gerboth is a member of Joppa Lodge, No. 136, of the ^Masonic Order, being Junior Warden of the Lodge, and Mrs. Gerboth is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. He has done his full share in attending to the public affairs of his community, having served as a member of the common council, and of the board of education, and lieing a helpful worker in the ranks of the Republican party, in whose principles he is a thorough and conscientious believer, although bound In' no hard and fast ties of partisanship. In a i)ecuniary way he has been verv successful, owning at the ]M-esent time the ranch of 240 acres in Ne- \ada, managed by his son, Charles, the store building in Davenport, Iowa, occupied by his son .\lbert, residence property in East Mo- line, Illinois, and the . pleasant home in Montrose, where he enjoys in retirement from active duties of life the ease which he LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 183 has well earned by a life of conscientious labor, frugality and economy. Jlis place in the esteem of his neighbors is an enviable one, and the honor in which he is held has been fully merited by the life record which he had made for the inspiration of future generations, for his achievements are en- tirelv the result of his own efforts, unas- sisted bv familv. kindred or friends. SARAH J. THOMPSON, M. D. Dr. Sarah J. Thompson, who. since 1869, has engaged in the practice of medi- cine, and is now devoting her attention ex- clusively to the treatment of chronic di- seases, in Keokuk, was I)orn in Delaware county, Indiana. July 7, 1S34, lier parents being Josejih and Elizabeth (Pope) Bent- ley. The founder of the Bentley family in America was Jonathan Bentley, who came from England and settled in Virginia. He was the father of Dr. Joseph Bentley. The latter married Elizabeth Pope, a daughter of Nathaniel Pope, a native of England, and a son of Sir Walter and Lady Isabella Pope, of England. Lady Isabella was shipwrecked while on a voyage to .\merica in colonial days to visit members of her family in this country, and was lost at sea. Nathaniel Pope was a resident of Ohio at the time his daughter. Elizabeth, became the wife of Dr. Joseph Bentley. Dr. Bentley was born near Richmond. Virginia, and became a physician and sur- geon, lie practiced many years ami was a resident of Jndiana while the Red Men were still living there. There he reared his faniih . nunil)ering one son and live daugh- ters : Lydia and Sydia, twins ; Sarah Jane, Julia .Ann, Nathaniel, and Mary. In 1852 Dr. Bentley made the overland trip to the Pacific coast, acconii):uiied by his daughter. Dr. Thompson, who was then sixteen years of age. He drove an ox team and she rode a pony. Their road lay through Council Bluffs, up the Platte river and through the Black Hills country, striking the Columbia river at The Dalles, Oregon. Indians were numerous in the Western districts, but did them no harm. Dr. Bentley's oxen died on the road, and he and his daughter were as- sisted by a Mr. Huntington to the John Day river, where they found William L. Thomp- son, who had a mule team, and took them to The Dalles. From the cascades of the Co- lumbia thev went to Portland by boat, thence up the Willamette to Oregon City, and from September Dr. Bentley and his daughter made their home with his cousin, a Mr. Jennings, wlm had been the first school teacher in Iowa, and who then lived a mile and a half from Oregon City. On the 2d of December, 1852, Sarah Bentley gave her hand in marriage to Wil- liam Lytic Thompson, the wedding taking ](l;u-e in Oregon City. Mr. Thompson was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, .\ugust 18, 1823, and was a descendant of Thomas Thomiison. who was born Decem- ber 7, 1744. He was of Scotch-Irish line- age, and settled in Pennsylvania about 1768. He married Eleanor Lindsey. who was born May 4, 1767, and they settled on govern- 1 84 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW nicnt land in Carter county, Pennsylvania, which was then an almost unbroken wilder- ness. Twelve children were born unto them there, eleven of whom reached adult age. They were: William, Elizabeth. Abraham Thomas (who died in infanc}-), Jolm, Thomas (second of the name), Israel, Amos, Nathan, Mary, Jonathan and Joseph. All of the sons, with one exception, were over six feet in height, and were strong and active. Amos Thompson, father of W. L. Thompson, was torn October 27, 1783. and was the smallest of the family — -being five feet and ten inches in height — but was the most active, and the finest shot, not only in his own. biijt also in adjoining counties. For several years he wore the champion belt as a fist fighter, surpassing all others in that part of Pennsylvania. In later years he left behind him the games of youth and became an active member of the ^lethodist Episcopal church. In 1812 he married Miss Eliza- beth Bateman, of Center county, Pennsyl- vania, who was born July 4, 1790. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for over sixty-six years. Amos Thompson died in ]Morgan county, Ohio, March 18, 1851, and his widow passed away in Keokuk, Iowa, March 4, 1871. They reared four sons and five daughters : Thomas B., Eleanor, Hannah, John \\'.. William L., Rachel M., Joseph L., Jane E., and Drusilla. William Lytle Thompson ac(|uired a common-school education, and in 1852 went to Oregon. There he ran a wharfboat and transported goods up the Willamette twenty miles to the Falls, assisted by Dr. Bentley. In 1854 he and his wife and her father returned to "The States," by way of I'ortland, proceeding by steamer to- Frisco, where they boarded another boat for Panama. After landing there ?klrs. Thomp- son rode a nuile, carrying her bain' in her arms, over the rough trail to the entl of the railroad, which transported them to the At- lantic coast, where they boarded a steamer for New York, and from the Eastern me- tropolis returned to Muncie, Indiana. Soon- afterward they made their way to Keosa- qua, Iowa, where they settled. ]\Irs. Thomp- son's mother and the other members of the family had gone to Kansas, and there they were joined by Dr. Bentley. Both he and his wife died in that state. In 1861 Mr. Thompson enlisted in the Third Iowa Cavalry for service as a de- fender of the Union cause, but was soon transferred to the hospital corps as a nurse. He remained on acti\e duty until the close of hostilities, and was discharged at the close- of the war with health shattered. He had been in the hospital service in Missouri, Ar- kansas, Georgia, and Kentucky, and was dis- charged in Louisville in 1865. Mrs. Thomp- son also went to the front as a nurse, and was in the field service until 1863, enduring all the privations and hardships of marches through the heat of summer and the cold of winter. She was in the hospitals at Ful- ton, Pilot Knob, Houston, and Mexico, Mis- souri, and also spent some time in the hos- ])ital at Keokuk. She was in the- hospital in the Ozarks one winter, then returned to Pilot Knob, and later to Keo- kuk, being in the Simpson House Hospital for two years. When the war ended Mrs. LEE COUNTY. 10 IV A. 185 Tliompson coiitinuetl in liospital work, be- ouiiing matron of the hospital condiicteil by Dr. J. C. Hughes, of Keokuk, and there, in addition to her duties, she attended three courses of lectures daily in the Keokuk Med- ical College for five years, at the end of which time she stood the examination and obtained a certificate to practice from the State of Iowa. She has engaged contin- uously in practice since i86g, and her long hospital experience, as w'ell as her thorough preparation as a medical student, well (|ual- fied her for the wurk wliich she chose and in which she won creditable success. She has now retired from general practice, treating only chronic diseases. Her husband, follow- ing his return fmm the war. was unable to engage in any business on account of a sun- stroke which he had sustained. He was a Republican in politics. His death occurred June 28, 1904. Mrs. Thompson became the mother of twelve children, but only one is now living: Joseph C. Thompson, who was born in Oregon City, Oregon, and is now a mail car- rier in Keokuk. He was graduated from Jamison's school and Miller's Commercial College, of Keokuk. He married Mamie McDonald, a daughter of Michael and.Kath- erine McDonald, who were natives of Ire- land, while tlicir daughter was Ijorn in Keo- kuk. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Thomp- son six children have been born : Mary Alice, the wife of Edward G. Singleton; Virginia Ellen, the widow of Clifton Floyd, of Texas ; Grace Elizabeth, deceased ; James C, Mamie L., and Laura Ruth. Dr. Thompson has one great-grandchild. Clifton T.. son of Clifton V. and Virginia E. Flovd, of Keokuk. Dr. Thompson receives a pension for her services in the war. Hers has been an e\entful life, full of unusual experiences that have developed her latent powers and l)rought out splendid traits of character. Leaving home at the age of sixteen to ac- company her father on the arduous joiu-ney across the jjlains, she became familiar with life on the Pacific coast during the period of its pioneer development, and later returned to the West to soon afterward render ef- fective aid to her country in caring for its sick and w<]unded soldiers. The ill health of her husband ])rompted her to become a factor in professional circles, and as a phy- sician she has won notable success, at the same time e\er displaying those W'Omanly qualities which have made her a strong fac- tor socially as well as professionally, win- ning her the unchanging respect ana esteem of many friends. ROBERT KERR. .Vny work which has for its object the philosophical exposition of the history of a community, with a view to its adoption by the present or future generations as a guide or inspiration in the daily affairs of life, must in a large measure deal with the origins of th.at .'■■ociety, with the primeval condition of the land and with the careers and characters of the men and women who, urged by the stimulus of .some supreme con- viction, waged war with hostile nature, pushed back her borders, and reclaimed her t86 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW hitherto wild and untamed forces to the uses and purposes of civilization. Of one of the well-known pioneer families which made Lee county what it is today — one of the richest argricultural sections of the Missis- sippi valley — Robert Kerr was a worthy rep- resentative, and a record of his life, show- ing the relation in which he stood to the early development of Iowa, will be valuable as illustrating" man's power over environ- ment, and as an example of high achieve- ment thrr)ugh noble and inflexible resolve. Robert Kerr was torn near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and on coming west with his parents, settled near Peoria. Illinois, but later, when the lad was fifteen years of age, the date Ijeing 1840, the family removed to Lee county and purchased a farm in Jack- son township, where a house of logs was erected, and the pioneers settled down to the long fight with the wilderness, which was to issue in such splendid triumph in later years, and whose object was to secure "the glorious privilege of being independent." Theirs was a life of manv cares, and was necessarily much concerned with the acc[uirenient of worldy wealth, not because they considered material benefits as the highest good in life, but because they saw that these might be made the means to spiritual ends, and that the successful tiller of the soil has the strength to resist the march of Wrong and to help forward the cause of Right. Mr. Kerr grew to years of maturity on the farm in Jackson township, and near Charleston, on May 9, 1852, he was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Caldwell, who was born May 19, 1832, near Monmouth. Illinois, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Carruthers) Caldwell, of near Mount Pleasant, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Kerr were born six sons and two daughters, all of whom are still living, as follows : Alex D., who married Miss Laura Wright; Wil- liam C, who married Miss Anna Hemp- stead: Olive C now the wife of \\'illiam C. Kite: Robert C. who married Miss Lilly Van .Vusdal : Walter B., who married Miss Lucille O'Blennis; Isaac B., Thomas E., and Mary Isabel, wife of C. M. Snodgrass, of Albia, Iowa. The roll of family names also contains those of eight grandchildren, Mr. Kerr was a lifelong member of the L'nited Presbyterian church, as was also his father, and was for a long term of years an elder of the Summitville congregation, and always by the influence of his life doing much to advance the cause of Christianity. On his farm one of the early church edifices was erected, consisting of logs, and he and his father and brothers assisted in hewing the logs for the structure, which occupied the present site of the "Hickoni- Grove" school-house. The "Hickory Grove" ceme- ter}' is also located on his farm, and has al- ways been cared for liy the family. He gave careful and detailed attention to the man- agement and operation of his farm, which was a" fertile tract of 200 acres, weli-im- ])roved and cultivated, liut he never neg- lected his (kities to the public, discharging the functions of director of the public school nearly all his life after attaining his majority, and holding the important office of trustee of his township for a great many years. Enjoying as he did the fullest con- fidence of his neighbors and of all who knew him — confidence in his ability, soundness of judgment and the absolute rectitude of his every act — his administration of public in- LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 187 terests was always vigorous and effective, tliough at the same time cautious, conserva- tive and economical. Politically he acteil with the Republican party, and was one of its highly valued members in his township, possessing much influence in its counsels, which was used in accordance with the pur- est dictates of integrity and honor. He passed his life in the practice of the cardinal virtues, and upon all with whom he came in contact he left his impress for good, and this was strengthened by his genial and gen- erous temperament and admirable social qualities. His death occurred at the home farm, July 21, 1884, in the fifty-ninth }'ear of his age, and he was laid at rest in Hick- ory Grove cemetery beside his father, mother, brothers and sisters, who preceded him to the better life beyond. His mother's death occurred in her ninety-first year, and she is also interred in Hickory Grove ceme- ter)', leaving a mynory rich in records of good deeds. Mr. Kerr was a man of great force of character, and is entitled to credit for what he accomplished, for while achiev- ing a private business success of no small proportions, he contributed in a material degree to the general advancement and up- building of the community. EUGENE S. BAKER. The more important financial and busi- ness interests of southern Iowa are worthily represented by Eugene S. Baker, of Keo- kuk, who has for a number of j'ears been actively and substantially connected with most -of the large enterprises having their inception in this section of the state. Mr. LJaker was born at Waukegan, Illinois, April 10, 1850, antl is the son of Silas F. and Weltha ( i. (Buell) Baker. His father was born at Sandy Creek, Oswego county. Mew York, and' coming west as a young man, became a farmer in Lake county, Illi- nois. There he married Miss Buell, who was also a native of New York, but removed to the \\"est with her parents. S. F. Baker made several changes of residence, and finally settled in Keokuk, where he engaged in the proprietary medicine Ijusiness, achiev- ing, by the exercise of energy, care and abil- ity much above the ordinary, a verj' gratify- ing measure of success. He formed some connection with purely financial interests, being at one time a director of the State Central Bank. For fifteen years before his death, which occurred in 1898, he lived re- tired from active life. Mrs. Baker, mother of our subject, died in 1891. Eugene S. Baker recei\-cd his education in the public schools of Iowa, and on coming to Keokuk in 1868 engaged in business, first with his father, under the firm style of S. F. Baker & Son. The name was changed to S. F. Baker & Company, and has since Ijeen continued as such. A large and well-equip- ped manufactory is maintained at Seventh and Johnson streets, i)lacing upon the mar- ket a general line of family remedies, amf a force of traveling salesmen is employed, sufficiently numerous to cover thoroughly all the states of the entire Middle West. Mr. Baker is at the present time a direc- tor in the Blom-Collier Company, wholesale grocers, of Keokuk ; the Drake Carpet & BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Furniture Company, of Burlington ; the Col- lins-Heaslip Company, of Keokuk ; the State Central Savings Bank, of Keokuk; the Lin- coln Trust Company, of St. Louis ; the Gate City Printing Company, of Keokuk, and of the Taber Lumber Company, and vice-president of the Keokuk Xational Bank. Keokuk is pre-eminently a city of beau- tiful homes, and one of the finest is the mag- nificent edifice erected by Mr. Baker, at the corner of Fourth and Orleans streets, on the l)hiffs o\-erlooking the Mississippi river. Both the situation and the structure are all that might be desired. In 1874 Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Marj- E. Cochran, of Keokuk, and to them have been born three sons, as follows : E. Ross, who married Miss Upham, and has one son, E.. Ross, Jr. : Jesse E.. who married ]\Iiss Ade- laide La Taste, of Montgomery, Alabama, and Myrle F.. who is at present a student in Yale College. Jesse E. and E. Ross Baker are associated with their father in the medi- cine business. Mr. Baker has beeen prominentlv as- sociated with the various charities and phil- anthropic movements of Keokuk, and was n director of the Young Men's Christian As- sociation during the erection of the present large and beautiful building. Fraternally he is a meml^er of the Independent Order Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. In political affiliation he is a Republican, but has never engaged in partisan activities, nor aspired to public office. His position and standing in the community, however, to- gether with the signal ability displayed, is shown in the conduct of his private affairs. Self-respecting, of known integrity and strong character, he has risen easily equal to all trusts reposed in him, he has made himself known and felt throughout a wide circle of action, and wherever known en- joys the respect and esteem which rewards success honorably achieved. WILLIAM SCHNEIDER. William Schneider, one of the early set- tlers and highly respected citizens of Fort Madison, now leading a retired life at his pleasant home, at No. 1736 Fifth street, was born in the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, on the i6th of March. 1837, and was a son of Francis Schneider, who was in the English service at the time the Duke of Wel- lington checked the progress of Napoleon in his conquest of Europe. He received a medal in recognition of the aid which he thus rendered, and the medal bears the in- scription "Francis Schneider, Third Land Battalion, K. G. L., Wellington. Waterloo, June 18, 181 5." He had one .son, Fred Schneider, who came to America ten years before the emigration of ^^^il!iam Schneider, and who was a very successful man, his es- tate being valued at about $100,000 at the time of his death, which occurred in 1803. W'hen sixteen years of age William Schneider, bidding adieu to home and friends, crossed the Atlantic to the new world, and he never saw his parents after- ward. He brought with him the medal just mentioned and it is one of his cherished LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 189 possessions. When lie reached the L'nited States he had only a tew cents and one set of clothing. He niacle his way westward to Chicago, and there found employment at seventy-five cents per day. After a year spent in that city he came to Lee county, Iowa, locating at St. Paul, where he ar- ranged to work as a farm hand at sixty dol- lars per year. He continuetl to reside at that place and within a short time purchased forty acres of land near St. Paul, making his home there. He engaged in farming un- til his removal to Fort Madison, ahout fif- teen years ago, after which he accepted a position as guard at the penitentiary, acting in that capacity for twelve years. He has since lived a retired life, doing just enough gardening upon his own place to occupy his attention, for idleness and indolence have ever heen utterly foreign to his nature, and he could not content himself without some ocaipation. He purchased his pleasant home about eleven years ago, and it is the visible evidence of his life of thrift, economy and enterprise. Mr. Schneider manifested his loyalty to his adopted country at the time of the Civil War by enlisting in 1864 as a member of Company F, Twelfth Iowa Infantry, with which he served until the close of hostilities. He was in Alabama and Louisiana, and fol- lowed Sherman through the Atlanta cam- paign, being honorably discharged at Mont- gomery, Alabama, where he was also mus- tered out. He is now a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and thus maintains pleasant relations with his' old army com- rades. His interest in matters of citizen- ship and of local and national progress is deep antl sincere, and he manifests the same loyalty to his country in days of peace that he displayed when he wore the blue uniform and followed the stars and stripes on the battlefields of the South. On the 3d of November, 1867, in St. Paul, Lee county, Iowa Mr. Schneider was married to Miss Maggie \'an Tiger, who ■was l)orn in Cermany and came to the United States in 1862, being a resident of St. Paul at the time of her marriage. Her father was a farmer, and following his emi- gration to the new world lived and died in St. Paul. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Schneider have l;ecome the parents of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters : Gertrude, the wife of Barney Korte, a farmer residing at Salisbury, Missouri, Ijy whom she has six children : John, Margaret, Katherine, Benja- min, William and Louise; Frank, who is now living in Omaha, Nebraska, and married Bertha Leach, by whom he has four chil- dren: Lydia, Eva, Ruble, and Margaret; Kate, the wife of Rudolph Pletscher, of Da-venport, Iowa, and the mother of two children: XN'aldemar and Elsa ; Lizzie, who died at the age of seventeen years; William, who conducts a saloon in Fort Madison; Henry, at home ; Stephen, of Seattle, Wash- ington ; Martin, also of Seattle : John, of Hannibal, Missouri; Joseph, who is a mem- ber of a railroad construction corps and re- sides in Indiana, and Margaret. All of the children were born in Lee county, and have been educated in the Catholic schools, both Mr. and Mrs. Schneider being commun- icants of the Roman Catholic church. In politics he is a Republican, and has been a member of the registration board. Having 190 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW long been a resident of Lee county, he has witnessed many important changes here and has seen the work of improvement car- ried on, bearing his full share in the labor of developing the couhty and promoting its substantial progress. Having lived in the United States from the age of sixteen years, dependent entirely upon his own re- sources since he left the Fatherland, his life record is today an exemplification of what may be accomplished when one has a strong will, a persevering spirit and unfaltering en- erg\^ These being numbered among Mr. Schneider's salient characteristics he gradu- ally won for himself successes in the busi- ness world and in his adopted county has gain.ed manv friends. CHARLES OFF. Charles Off. proprietor of the bakery in West Keokuk, was born in W'urttemberg, Germany, on the nth of March, 1866. His parents. Gottlob and Christina (Dannen- hauer) Off. are still living in their native country. There were eight children in the family: Mrs. Carrie Sturm, Ji>hn and Charles, being in America; and those in Germany are Christina, Christian. Rosina, Gottlob and Ernest. Charles Off obtained his education in the schools of his native country and when fifteen years of age came to America, land- ing at Philadelphia on the 25th of ]\Iay, 1 88 1. There he learned the baker's trade. which he followed for five years and in 1886 he removed to Peoria. Illinois, where he spent eight months. In August, 188", he came to Keokuk and after working for others for ten weeks he began business on his own account at Xo. 918 Main street. This was on the ist of Xovember. 1887, and on the 8th of the same month he was married. After three years he purchased jiroperty at Xo. 501-3 A street, building there a residence and baker\'. He improved the property to the \alue of four thousand dollars and has since been at this place, con- ducting business here for fourteen years. He is now proprietor of a general baking establishment, employing three bakers and using three horses and two delivery' wagons in sending out his goods to his customers. His is entirely a local trade and there is a large demand throughout the city for the products of his establishment. His business has reached very gratifying proportions, owing to his thorough knowledge of the trade and his reliability in all transactions. On the 8th of November, 1887, Mr. Off was married to Miss Minnie Traenkle, who was born in Germany in 1865. They became acc|uainted in Philadelphia and their marriage has been blessed with six children, three sons and three daughters, Carrie, Min- nie, Charles, Gustaf. Gertrude and Ernest. Charles Off was reared in the German Evangelical Lutheran church, to which he belongs. He is also a member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Woodmen of the World, the .\ncient Order of United \\'orkmen and is the president of the Liederkranz Singing Society. He possesses in common with the majority of LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 191 i-1 '$ his countnnien great love of music and lias considerable talent in that direction. In his political \ie\\s he is a Democrat and is now serving as alderman from the fourth ward. He is an active working member of the council and is now in the committees on finance, railroads, board of health ami streets. He is deeply interested in local politics, doing all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of his party and has frequently been a delegate to county conventions. Time has demon- strated the wisdom of his choice of Keokuk as a place of residence for in this city he found the business conditions he sought and through close application and capability in the control of his trade interests he has gradually advanced toward success and is one of the substantial representatives of in- dustrial life in Keokuk. MRS. GRACE REBO. Mrs. Rebo was born on a farm near Fort Madison September 20, 1864, and is the daughter of Wilson and Gertrude (Wal- lace) Bullard, being the only child. The mother died in the child's infancy, but the father is still living. At the age of sixteen years she was married to Bernard Rebo, who was born near Waterloo, Iowa. He was of French descent. To them were born three children, as follows : John, born De- cember 14, 1883; Ray, born September 13, 1887, and Gertrude, born February 7, 1889. 12 Mrs. Rebo's main characteristic is self- reliance, and for many years she has sup- ported herself and the family b\- her own efforts. Fifteen years she spent as a pioneer in the \\'est — in Kansas, Nebraska, Colo- rado and South Dakota. She has taken, held and sold two "claims" or homesteads of goverimient hind, one in Hitchcock county, Nebraska, and the other in Chey- enne county, Kansas. At Wano in the lat- ter state she conducted an ice-cream parlor for a year. It was here also that she be- came the proprietor of a house and eleven lots, trading for this property a farm of eighty acres. But the town is now of the past, as when the railroad was constructed through that section it passed through Saint Francis, one mile east. By this important change the Rebos lost everything they then possessed. At Loop City, Nebraska, Mrs. Rebo earned a living by exercising her skill in dressmaking. The life of Mrs. Grace Relxi furnishes for her children and for all who read its history an example of constant, earnest and noble endeavor. All the hardships and heartbreaking trials of pioneer life have been hers to endure. In her travels over the western plains .she has suffered, even to tears, for a drink of water; she has fought the terrible prairie fire: in Hitchcock, Ne- braska, had her home torn from its founda- tions by cyclone; at Loop City in that state, suffered from visitations of terrific hail- storms and cloudburst; she has lived in a dug-out where, night after night, the only sound outside was the dismal howling of the coyote; has defended herself and family from rattlesnakes; has helped in the"round- 192 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW up" of the cattle ranch, doing the hard work tainly there should belong a place on the that usually falls to the lot of a man. roll of the distinguished men of Keokuk, In 1900 she returned to Fort Madison Towa. In this class belongs Mr. Charles where she bought a house and three lots. Schultz. He was born at Kupferzell. W'urt- She also rents thirty-five acres of land, temberg, fiermany, November 13, 1839, the which she cultivates, hiring the necessary son of John Schultz, who was by trade a help. She keeps a half-dozen cows of the butcher and also was engaged in business finest Jersey stock, eligible for register, and as proprietor and manager of a hotel. The furnishes milk to customers. The products family landed at New York No\-ember 13, of the land are principally tomatoes, sweet 1^-51. and located at Philadelphia, where tlie father was employed in a bark shed, near the na\-y yard, until ]May 4, 1857, at which time they started west for Keokuk, arriving in this city May nth. Here the father was potatoes and peas, which are sold to a can- ning factory. On a tract of four acres she, this vear. raised 401 5-8 bushels of peas — the largest yield ever known in Lee county. Ey careful study and planning she has employed as a sausagemaker. His death brought the whole thirty-five-acre tract to a mar\elous degree of productiveness. It is excUisi\-eIy devoted to truck farming, and the success with which it is being operated should be an encouragement to others to make attempts in the same direction. On occurred in 1866. The mother, who was Susanna Schulz, also died in Keokuk. Charles Schulz is the only living rep- resentative of his father's family, although there were five brothers and sisters besides himself. He received his education in the Fel)ruary 24, 1901, Mrs. Rebo purchased public schools of Philadelphia, and in that her present home, giving her note for the city also he began his active career as an full amount. She owned at that time one employe in a factory which produced nails horse and one cow, and these were her en- and wooden letters and figures for sign let- tire assets. Since then her success has been tering. During the last two years of his phenomenal, and of her achievements she residence in Philadelphia he was employed has every reason to be proud. in a metallic-cap factory. On coming to Keokuk he began, in the summer of ^S^^j. to acquire the trade of cabinetmaking. , From 1859 to 1897 he combined his work with mercantile business, having established a high-class furniture store, but at the pres- CHARLES SCHULTZ. ^"^ ^^^ gives his time to his trade of cabinet- making. To one who has shown his readiness and July 7, 1863, Mr, Schulz married Miss ability to serve his community and his Barbara Schmied, daughter of John country in the walks of useful Indus- Schmied, and to them have been bom seven try and on the field of battle, cer- sons and daughters, all of whom are living. m 'W- A1N1AV3H SI HV3H o( -U| »m :(e UA|JJ8 pinu.vi vjbj 0M) Udi|.H A'|uu «d)|d «| JK.) j^mu dl|) Ji I m3u 9m sen on;vv nO'^ "j S3i3 -UB mau JB auilBABJ} JBO J3l()0 -UB miM suii) auiBs aq) )b uon uoaqouni B ;e s;san3 aq hiav sa^BS -ajaa 'sdnoj? snoiSiiaj bmoi JO AiiSJaAiun aq; jo saA!;Eiuasajda.i Ofr JO pasodiuoa si pjBoq aqx uoiiDaia jCq paii?} aq i[uw| saa^snji }o P-ieoq aqi uo suonisod St puB jjodaj IBHUUB siq ;uasajd| : ll!A(v aH [OoqDs aq^ jo jopajip ■JduiBT paBinAY "W Ja oi Suipjoo -3B 'uoouaaijB aq^ ui pjaq aq n!'VV Sunaaui saa^sruj jo pjBoq y ■A"Bpuoiv aiaq uoiSijaa jo jooqas B;Woi JO A'jisjaAiun. a^Bis ^Ht Jo Sunaaut lenuuE aqi puajiB n!A\ sq-jiBj o![oq5BO puB qsiMaf ';uei -sa^ojd am :guniiasaadaa suba\oi 00c A|.iBaN--vi AilD VMOI yo /ooi/jy 77 7-5- •aiQBIIBAB apBUI SBM osiB sjBiiop uoHiiui 0A\; uaqAV ■jBaK siqi piBd saxBi joj siuibid uo piBd aq pinoo agB-juaojad aiuBs aq; ;noqv '^uaa jad gg jnoqB Xiuo Xed pinoM sjuaiUitBd g^ei Joj aiqBiiBAB Baeiiop uoiiiiiu omi aqx 'piES uos -uqof 'sisBq bibj o.id b,uo luiBja qoBa JO ;uaD aad gt :inoqB Xjuo ABd pinoM i^6I UI piBd saxB} uo spunj -ai JOJ aiqBiiBAB Ooo'oOQS 9UX *a)B)8 aq) A'q uo ua){B) uoi;«Snqo aq; ||nj U) A'Bd O) jea.{ B sjBiiop uoimiu xis )noqB a>|B) p|nOA\ (|| |aAa| luasajd aq) )b )Bq) pjcs uos -uqof .tea Ja|ioj)diuo3 »)«)§ '^jnoo auiajdns bmox aq; o-) pa|B3d -dB puB 'jjnoD jou^sip aqi ui )soi 34S e^ei '^Z Idas paiij iins b UI 'jjnoa i3u)sip X^unoo anbnqna aq) ui )DB aq) pa3uai[EqD q)jOM -da JO uosuijfDia BJnBT -sjiy ■)JV pa3uaiiBq3 'itei "! 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Iliid UB3 aq )Bq) noA )aq oq.w puBqsnq y :a)BUiaiE)s %\ ^^'4 JlJOJd A'vui aq 'jaduia) •HDVKKVO P"« ."IP' Aiappw 9jt uSiq 098 i -}Bjado q) LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 193 Of these Lizzie, wife of Cliarles Sclimiilt, lives in Keokuk; Charles J. married .Miss Martha Weil, ilaiighter of Jacol) \\>il. and he is employed in a shoe factory in this city ; Minnie is the wife of Ed. Loewenstein. a traveling salesman of Keokuk ; Julia is the wife of Harry Wolf, of this place: -\nna married George Mayer, and has her home here, and Edward is at home with his father at the family residence. 1205 Exchange street, as is also Alhert C. ^\'hcn the first call for volunteers was issued at the time of the Civil W'ar Cliarles Schulz enlisted in Company D, of the First Regiment Towa Volunteer Infantry, under Captain — afterward General — Mathies, and after going into camp at Keokuk was sent to Hannibal, Missouri, Macon City and Booneville, and thence to Springfield, Mis- souri, where he was engaged in the battle of Wilson's Creek, which was an extremely severe engagement in its consequences to the Union troops. Later he took part in several skirmishes but was shortly incapaci- tated hy illness from which he still con- tinues to suffer after the lapse of so many years, and was compelled to quit the service, having Iieen discharged about August 20th. Mr. Schulz is not without some of the tastes of the collector and virtuoso, antl among other articles of value he possesses a chiffonier that holds rather an odd and amusing interest on account of its peculiar dating, which reads: "Tschermantaun (Ger- mantown). Pa., \jy('>." The lettering is in German characters. A careful consideration of the basic prin- ciples of government early led our subject to affiliate himself with the Republican party, and he has acted with that organization all his life. He has never a.sked for office, but his popularity h.'is caused him to lie elected to various positions of trust in his township, among them that of township trustee. He is a consistent member of the German Evangelical church, and fniternallv he holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Iowa Workmen, Knights of Honor and the Grand Army of the Re- public, in all of which he has held offices of honor. In the latter order he is a mem- ber of Torrence Post. He at one time organized two lodges of the Knights of P}-thias, but has since dropped his member- ship in that order. He is a self-made man in all senses of the word, and has a wide cir- cle of acquaintances and friends. He is truly a representative citizen. JOHN DE ROSEAR. John De Rosear, a representative of one of the old and highly honored pioneer families of Lee county, Iowa, was born .\pril 19, 1854, in Cedar township, the son of William De Rosear, a native of l-"rance. On coming to America William De Rosear first located in the State of Kentucky, and later remo\'ed to St. Louis, where he was united in ni:irriage to Miss Sarah .\nn P.ristow, who was born in London, Eng- land, and they came to Lee county, he pur- chasing a farm of 170 acres in Cedar town- ship, and it was there that his death oc- 194 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW curred on June 25, 1892, and his wife died in October, 1895. He was a highly success- ful farmer, being possessed of unusual busi- ness ability, as well as of high moral quali- ties that made him esteemed and respected wherever known, and enjoyed in a marked degree the confidence of his fellow citizens, being elected to a number of township offi- ces, although he never sought public favor. He was a veteran of the Mexican War, and when the great war between the States cast its shadow over the land of his adoption, he enlisted in the year 1862 in the regiment known as the "Old Gray Beard." at Keo- kuk, and for a period of approximately three vears he fought the battles of liberty on Southern fields. He and his wife were the parents of fifteen sons and daughters, as fol- lows : Mary Jane, now deceased; Sarah, wife of James Nicholson, of California; William, of Colorado ; David and Jane, twins, of whom the former is a resident of Kansas and the latter of Colorado; John, our sub- ject ; Ellen, wife of Armenus Irwin, of Ring- gold county, Iowa; Alice, wife of M. Holmes, of Lee county; Isaac, of Lee county ; Clara Holmes, of Lee county ; James, of Arizona; Zephyr, deceased; Char- lotte Lunsford, of Illinois; Isabelle, de- ceased, and Albert, of Lee county. For his early education John De Rosear studied in the public .schools of Cedar town- ship, at the same time being engaged in the work of the home farm under the direction of his father and as his assistant, continuing in this occupation until about the year 1887, when he entered the employ of the United States government, and for sixteen years assisted in the operation of the guard lock of the Des Moines rapids canal. During this latter period he resided at Galland, but in October, 1903. he remoxed to Montrose, where he has engaged in the meat business, and at the present time is expecting to take up farming in a short time, for which pur- pose he will remove to Harrison township, where he owns a farm of eighty acres, as well as property in Galland and in Mont- rose. In this enterprise he will, no doubt, achieve the same success which has been his in other ventures, as he enjoys the ad- vantage of an early training in the work and also farmed independently for a num- ber of years in Cedar township with gratify- ing results after leaving his father's employ and before entering the government service. Mr. De Rosear has been a prominent worker in the Republican party in Lee count}', lia\ing a decided taste for affairs of a public nature, and for nine years was a member of the township board of trustees, and also has done much ty advance the wel- fare of the public schools in the capacity of director. Fraternally, he is a member of Cascade Lodge, No. 66, Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows of Montrose, in which he is Past Noble Grand and as whose rep- resentative he attended the Grand Lodge at Burlington in 1881, and he, with his wife, is a member of the local lodge of Daughters of Rebekah, in which Mrs. De Rosear has held official rank. He attends and supports the Presbyterian church of Harrison town- ship, and both his parents are buried in the Presbyterian cemetery at that place, which is universallv conceded to be the most care- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 195 fully maintained and most artistically ap- pointed cemetery in the State of Iowa, being supported by endowment. On February 19, 1880, at Galland. Towa, Mr. De Rosear was united in marriage to Miss Kmma Lyons, who was bom in Lee county, the daughter of David Lyons, a farmer of Montrose township. The mother of Mrs. Rosear, whose maiden name was Henrietta Young, was first married to Mr. L Bain, who died, leaving two children, and later she married Mr. Lvon. and thev are lioth now deceased, ha\ing flied several years ago. They were the parents of nine sons and daughters, of whom five are still living, as follows: George Lyons; Emma, wife of our subject: \\"arren Bain, and Ltta Johns and Viola Hemmingway. the latter two be- ing twins. To Mr. and Mrs. De Rosear have been born two -sons, these being David Everett, who died at the age of eighteen months, and Charles Earl, liorn September 30. 1892. PATRICK H. FINERTY. I'alrick H. l-'incrty. a dealer in groceries and notions in Keokuk, who is also .serving as oil inspector by appointment of the gov- ernor, is one of the worthy citizens that Ireland has furnished to the new world and in his life record he displays the ready adapt- ability, executive force^and energetic char- acteristic of people of his race. His birth occurred in County Galway. Ireland. March 14. 1S44. His father. Patrick Fincrtv, was a stone mason and contractor which occupa- tion he pursued until he retired from busi- ness life on account of advanced age. He wedded Mary Logan, also a native of Ire- land and his death occurred on the 9th of Alarch, 1876, while his wife passed away on the 26th of Januani', 1890, the remains of both being interred in (he Catholic ceme- tery. They were members of .St. Peter's Catholic church and in their familv- were four children: Mrs. Bridget McGrath; -Mary, the wife of H. J. :\Iills; John F.. de- ceased, and Patrick W. The li\ing members of tlie family are all residents of Keokuk. John F., the deceased brother, was a soldier of the Civil ^^^^r for four years and five months, serving with the gallant Second Towa Infantry, which stormed Fort Donel- son. He also went with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea and participated in the grand review at W^ashington. fol- low ing the close of hostilities. Patrick H. Finerty was only three years of age at the time of his parents' emigration to the new world. They located first at Halifax. Nova Scotia, where they re- mained for eighteen months and then went to Maine, settling in the town of Gardner on the Kennebec river, where they passed se\en years. On the expiration of that period they removed to Madison. Indiana, but six mouths later came to Towa. arriving at Keokuk on the ist of April. 1855. Mr. Finerty accompanied his jiarents on these \-arious removals. He acquired his educa- tion in the public schools of Maine and in the i)ublic and parochial schools of Keokuk .and in 1858, when but fourteen years of age. he was apprenticed to learn the shoemaker's T96 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW trade, at which lie worked for a number of years. In 1869, however, he went to San Francisco by way of New York city, tlie Istlimus and up the Pacific. It was a de- h'ghtful trip and he was in Cahfornia at the time the completion of the Union Pacific Raih'oad was celebrated. He worked in San Francisco for about eiglit months as a cutter in a shoe store and then returned over the newly completed railroad. At that time he resumed work as a shoemaker in Keo- kuk, but again his labor in that direction was interrupted for in 1864, wlien twenty years of age, he responded to the call of his adopted country and enlisted at Keokuk as a member of Compan}' C, Forty-fifth Iowa Infantr}', under command of Capt. C. K. Peck and Col. A. H. Berr}man. He was too young to enlist at the outbreak of the war, but after he joined the army he dis- played his unfaltering loyalty to the govern- ment and the cause which he espoused. The regiment was attached to the Western Anny, forming a part of the Sixteenth Army Corps commanded by General W^ashburn. and was largely engaged in guard duty, holding forts and defending garrisons. It was for this purpose that the regiment was organized, it being intended that the Forty-fifth Iowa should take the place, in the garrisons, of the soldiers who went into battle. Mr. Fin- erty was in Gayosha House Hospital, at Memphis, Tennessee, for two weeks with typhoid fever contracted while in the swamp districts of Tennessee. He was then sent home by reason of the e.xpiration of his teriM of enlistment. .A.s a boy he had served in militia companies in Keokuk, during the turmoil on the Missouri border, these com- panies being (M-dered to stop any threatened invasion. Resuming his work at the shoemaker's trade. Mr. Finerty was thus engaged until 1876, when he entered the employ of the Constitution Democrat as superintendent of the city circulation, acting in that capacity for four years. He then began clerking in a dry goods store for John Zerr, now of Fort Aladison, with whom he continued for four years and on the expiration of that period he entered the employ of Brinkman & Com- pany, dealers in dry goods. He was made manager of the dry goods department, con- tinued in the establishment for about twenty years and during much of the time was a partner. When this business was closed out Mr. Finerty spent six months with the Cen- tral Dry Goods Company and then on ac- count of failing health rested from further business labors for six months. In April, 1900, howe\er, he established his grocerv' and notion store at 316 South Tenth street and has since carried on busi- ness. Here he has built up a good trade, having constantly enlarged his stock to meet the growing demands of his business. His long and practical e.x- perience in connection with mercantile in- terests had well (|ualified him to conduct an enterprise of this character and he is now meeting with \'ery gratifying success. For two years Mr. Finerty has also been deputy oil inspector through appointment of Gov- ernor Cummins. He was selected from out of ten applicants and he tests all the refined oil that is shipped to Keokuk, Fort Madi- son and Farmington. He tests by the car tank, visiting the different points regularly. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 197 ][is principal business is with tlie Standard Oi! Company, of Keoknk. On the 2d of May, 1873. in Keokuk, Mr. I'inerty' was married by the Rev. Father Travis to ]\Iary R. Flood, who was born in Ha\erstraw. New York. August 4, 1853. She is of Irish descent, was reared in Keo- kuk and pursued her education here, at- tending the common schools and afterward St. Vincent's Academy. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Finertv have lieen born foiu" children who are \et li\ing: Mary Josephine, who was born March 7, 1876, and is now employed as a bookkeeper; Alice JuHa. who was born August 4, 1882. and assists her father in the store; Arthur Logan, born April 30, 1892. and Leon Patrick, born February 28, 1895. They also lost two children: Henry Francis, who was born April 10, 1874. and died October 20. 1878. and Clara Belle, born Jul}'* 26, 1884. and died February 2, 1887. In his political views Mr. Finerty is a Republican. He l)elongs to the Catholic church, and is fraternally a member of the National Union, an insurance order. Dur- ing the past two years he has been a mem- ber of the Soldiers' Aid Commission, a county office secured by appointment of the county board. In 1903 this commission dis- bursed $1,740 in this locality among sol- diers who were ill or deserving, widows and orphans. This amount was secured from a fund raised by special taxation of four mills. The commission consists of three members and Mr. Finerty is now president of the board. He belongs to the Grand .\rmy of the Republic, in which he has served as commander. In his business career and in his public rmd private life there are many elements worthy of commendation and emulation. With no family or pecuniary ad- vantages to aid him when he started out in life, he has progressed through his own ef- forts and his utilization of circumstances and possibilities. He h;is long figured as a representative of commercial interests in Keokuk and is known for his straight- forward dealing in business and his reliabil- ity in discharging every public trust re- ])()sed in him. He has a wide and favorable acquaintance in Kcukuk and ihroughout the county and manv friends esteem him for his genuine worth. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HAGERMAN. Benjamin Franklin Hagerman was born September 18, 1823. at Cool Springs, near Aldie. Loudoun county. Virginia. His father. Ca])t. Benj.amin Hagerman, was a |)roniinent man, and occupied a high rank in the Masonic order. The subject of this sketch came with his widowed mother and his sister to Missouri in 1833. settling first in Lewis and afterward in Clark county, and it was in the latter county tliat he was married, in 1848. to Miss .\nn Staunton Cowgill. a daughter of Missouri pioneers who had removed thither- from Kentucky. The legendary historj' of the Hagerman family relates that three brothers of the name emigrated from Holland and settled in New Jersey, whence one brother, and later another, removed to Virginia. Mr. Hagerman came to Keokuk in 1864, 198 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and here passed the remainder of a hfe rich in good deeds — a career whose reward was the en\-ia1)le reputation tliat crowns a beau- tiful character. His death occurred Febru- ary 6, 1900. The death of his wife pre- ceded his own, the date of her demise being August 19, 1897. Husband and wife were interred in Oakland cemetery, Keokuk. In his early days in Missouri Mr. Hager- man passed through all the hardships and vicissitudes of pioneer life, and was in turn ■ farmer, school teacher, merchant, real estate and collecting agent and a large land-holder. He was a man of powerful mind and over- whelming forc-e of character — ^self-reliant, honest, brave, truthful, frank and unselfish, a true man, a majestic personality; to his family, kindred and friends, loving and de- voted. Upon his children he bestowed those advantages which he himself was not priv- ileged to enjoy. Three sons and one daugh- ter survive him. Of these, James, who was educated at Christian Brothers" College, is a resident of St. Louis. He is a member of the legal profession, and although a young man, is one of the leading lawyers of the West. He is president of the National Bar Association and general counsel for the Mis- souri, Kansas & Te.Kas Railway Company. Frank HageiTnan, of Kansas City, Mis- souri, the second son, is also eminent in the profession of law, and is adding to the glory of the family name. He is universally conceded to be one of the most brilliant law- yers ever produced west of the Alleghanies. George C. is a resident of Hot Springs, Ar- kansas, and Aliss Linnie Hagerman, the daughter of this accomplished and dis- tinguished family, makes her home in one of the most desirable and pleasant localities of Keokuk. She was educated at Visitation Convent, St. Louis, and is a woman of liter- ary tastes and accomplishments. Li politics Mr. Hagerman was a life- long Democrat, ever devoted to his party, its principles and its chosen leaders. He was one of the best-known citizens of Keo- kuk. He enjoyed the friendship and coii- lidence of a large number of eminent men , throughout the We.st, especially in Missouri and southern Iowa. The circle of his ac- quaintance was wide, and co-extensive there- with was the circle of those that honored him for what he was and no more. D. NELSON COON, M. D. The name of Dr. D. Nelson Coon is en- duringly inscribed on the pages of Lee county's history, for he located in this county at an early date, and has continued one of its most honored and valued residents until the ])rcsent time. His life has been devoted to labors wherein wealth and in- fluence are of little avail, the measure of suc- cess depending upon mentality, ability — both natural and acquired — and the broad culture of the individual. Pos,sessing all the requisite qualities of a physician. Dr. Coon advanced during his active career to a prominent place among thej'epresentatives of the medical fraternity in Lee county. A native of New "N'ork, he was born in Chenango county on ?^Iarch _'4, 1841. His D. NELSON COON, M. D. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 20 1 preliniin;ir\- LMlucatiiMi was (il)taine(l at tlie academy at He Ruyter. Xew York, a Sev- enth Day Baptist institution. On leaving the academy he resolved to take up the studv of medicine, and pursued courses of reading with various practitioners in the Em- pire state, as well as for a time in \\''isconsin, whither his ])arents had removed. During the years i8()0 and 1861 he attended the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York city, and in 1863 passed the examina- tion of the United States Medical Board, at Wasiiington, and was appointed hospital steward and acting assistant surgeon at Lincoln Hospital, of Washington, which position he held until the assassination of President Lincoln. He was then sent to Hart Island, in Xew York harbor, and con- tinued in the government service there until discharged in August, 1865. After some time spent at his home in Syracuse, New York, he removed, in 1866, to Green Bay, A\'isconsin, and there established himself in the practice of medicine, continuing at that place for about two years. At the expiration of that period he came to Iowa, locating at 01in( then called Rome), and after a short stay there, and two years of residence at Carmen, Illinois, he removed, in 1875, to Fort Madison. The following year he be- gan the practice of medicine in this city, devoting himself to general practice, in which he was eminently successful. By his ability and In* his constant fidelity to the welfare of those who depended in times of need upon his knowledge and skill, he secured a great patronage, his serv- ices being in demand throughout a territory having a radius of fifteen to twenty miles in all directions from I'ort Madisf)n. This work he continued until 190-', when, on ac- count of failing health, he brought his active career to a close, and is now leading a re- tired life at his pleasant home in this city. Dr. Coon was married in 1878 to Miss Josephine Sprague, of Des Moines comity, Iowa, who died July 19, 1897, leaving two children: Harry, who was born in 1879, and is a professional musician, residing at Milwaukee. Wisconsin, and Esther, who is living with her father. He wedded on Sep- tember 12, 1899, as his second wife, Mrs. Emma Krehbiel, who was born at West Point, Lee county, the daughter of George Linhard, one of the early settlers of that place, now deceased. His death occurred five years ago, in his seventy-fifth year. He was a prominent and very prosperous farmer. Mrs. Coon, at the time of her second marriage, was the widow of Chris- tian \V. Krehbiel, and had one child, Elsie. Her mother, who has for the last seventeen years been an invalid, is still liviing, and resides at 140 1 Sixth street. Fort Madison. Air. and Mrs. Linhard ha\e alw;iys been members of the German Lutheran church. Dr. Coon is the son of .\bram and Esther (McCall) Coon. His father, who was a farmer, was born in the State of New York in 1804, and there remained until 1857, whence he removed to Fond du Lac, Wis- consin. He continued farming near that place until the time of his death, which oc- curred in his eightieth year. The mother of our' subject survived her husband, and died January i, 1903, age ninety-three years. Roth are interred at Fond du Lac. Dr. Coon is a memljer of the Christian 202 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW church, and in his pohtical affihations has al- ways acted witli the Republican party. At one time he permitted the use of his name as a candidate for the legislature, but suf- fered defeat in common with the remainder of his ticket. For ten years he served the City of Fort Madison as city physician. He is a member and has held all the offices of James B. Sample Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Fort A'ladison, and in his fra- ternal relaticMis he is similarly connected with the Bene\'olent and Protective Order of Elks. He is also an honorary member of Lee County Medical Association. Dr. Coon early qualified himself thor- oughly for the work of his profession, real- izing the great responsibility which devolves upon a physician. Moreo\er, he possesses a sympathetic, kindly nature that has prompted him to put forth every effort in his power to aid his fellowmen. All his strong traits of character are such as commend him to .the confidence and good will of the pub- lic, and he enjoys the warmest regard of all with whom he has associated. HENRY WENDE. Henry W^ende, who was for many years connected with the business interests of Keokuk, was bom November 15, 1833, in Germany, and there acc|uired his early edu- cation, attending school until his thi'rteenth year. Arrived at that age he formed the resolution, remarkable in one of such ten- der vears, to emigrate to America and make his own way in the new world without aid or encouragement from family or friends. .\ccordingly he set out alone, taking passage in a sailing vessel, and after a voyage of eight weeks' duration arrived in New Or- leans, whence lie proceeded to the City of St. Louis and began working at the trades of cabinetniaking and carpentering, con- tinuing there until 1849, '^vhen he removed to Quincy, Illinois. There he took up and pursued the trade of wagonmaking for a few yeai's, but desiring to secure a more de- sirable location, he again removed, in 1854, this time to Keokuk, Lee county, Iowa. In Keokuk i\Ir. Wende established a wagon shop at Thirteenth and Main streets^ where he continued in business for a period of twenty years, being ven,- successful and by his workmanlike skill, his integrity, up- rightness and straightforward methods in all his dealings attracting a large and profit- able patronage. As one of the pioneer wagonmakers of the West, he occupied a \'ery prominent position, was well known throughout a wide extent of territory, made many friends and contributed in a very im- portant degree to the development and more rapid upbuilding of the country in which he made his home. For a portion of this I>€riod he was associated in partnership with Jacob and Charles Frank, the firm being known as Wende & Frank, and for two years engaged with his partners in the manu- facture of plows, conducting quite an exten- si\e enterprise and sometimes employing as many as ten workmen simultaneously. Mr. Wende has been identified with many sig- nificant moveiuents in the history of the West since an earlv day, and recalls that LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 203 liis iiiaiiutacturing enterprise in Keokuk re- ceived a substantial impetus from the dis- covePt" of gold in California and the result- ing emigration ti> that place. He built many of the famous "prairie schooners" in which the argonauts of '49 crossed the continent of North America to pluck wealth and untold treasure from the moun- tains and streams along the golden shores of tlie Pacific ocean. For one man he built a train of twelve wagons, using extra heavy construction on account of the length and difficulty of the journey. In 1882 he disposed of his shop and ac- quired his present farm of forty acres on sec- tion 21. Jackson township, where he has since continuetl to reside, conducting ger.- eral farming operations and working at his trade in a small way, building a few wagons and doing a great deal of repair work, being still in the full enjoyment of all his faculties and remarkably vigorous and acti\e for one of his years. Mr. W'ende was married at Ouincy, Illinois, in 1854, to Miss Amelia Lang, who was also of German birth, and to them were born se\en daughters who still survive. They are: Ivatlierine, wife of Henry Peters: Mollie. widow of Leonard Siebold. of Keokuk; Minnie, wife of George S. Merriam. of Kedkuk; Etta; Cora, who has been for five years a teacher in the public schools of Keokuk; Emma, who is acting as clerk in a store at Keokuk, and Elizabeth, who married O. F. Peterson, of Keokuk, Iowa. Three sons and one daugh- ter are deceasen his aid and counsel are valuable. He has served as alternate delegate to the national Democratic convention, and has many times acted as delegate to the state and congressional conventions, often serv- ing as ch;u'rm:in of the latter. Twice he has presided over the county conventirin, and for the last seven years has been central committeeman for the Third ward. In the Democratic state convention of 1903 he was a member of the committee on resolu- tions. His interest in politics is eminently practical, while at the same time directed toward the attainment of higher ideals of government. Mr. Johnson is a member of the First Presbyterian church, and fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, of which he has held the chair two terms; the .\ncient Order of United Workmen, holding in this order the rank of Past Master Workman, and the Loyal Americans. On his twenty-fourth birthday, March jy, 1882, Air. Johnson was united in mar- riage with Miss Beatrice E. Strickling, of Keosauqua, Iowa. She is the daughter of the late Judge Henry Strickling, for two terms county judge of Van Buren county, .prominent in the Masonic order, and highly esteemed as a judge, as a physician and as a man. He died in 1902. The mother, who was Sarah .A. (T^inkead) Strickling, died in 1S77, and rests in the Keosauqua cemetery. Both were members of the Methodist Episco- pal church. The date of Mrs. Johnson's liirth is January 11, 1858. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born two children, a son and a daughter. Daisy M., born October 22, 1883, is acting as stenographer in her father's law offices, and William Harry, born March 12, 1885, is city editor of the Gem City, of Fort Madi- son. Both are graduates of Fort Madison high school. Tf it is true, as it probably is, th.at suc- cess in the learned professions depends solely upon talent and individual merit, Thomas H. Johnson has demonstrated that he is the possessor of natural gifts of a high order, and a genial disposition and pleasing man- ner, combined with the elemental strength of his character have made for him many friends and admirers in Lee county, as well as in the larger fields of action in which he is known. 208 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Mr. Johnson passed away some time after this sketch was written, September 25, 1904, and was buried at Bonaparte, Iowa. EUGENE LA BARRON MATTESON. Peace of mind and a contented spirit belong to the farm. Close to the heart of nature may be found true wisdom, and in the tillage of the fields may be nurtured the noblest philosophy of life. Under the shadow of the great trees with the blue skies above, and the waving grain before the eye, there is little room for envy and bitterness. The country life is good for the largeness of the soul and helps men culti- vate and strengthen the things that belong to God and immortality and the free soul. More and more does it become evident that the men of this generation who keep close to the soil are wise. They escape the heart worry and the nerve exhaustion the strenu- ous and utter abandon to business cares and interests that so strongly characterize the present life ; and while no less earnestly la- boring in their appointed fields of work, do so in that steadiness and patience that make men strong and mighty in their day. Eugene La Barron Matteson, whose name introduces this article, is a good illus- tration of the wise farmer and the upright citizen, who prefers the airs of nature and the fragrant odors of the meadow to the turmoil and commotions of the city pave- ment. He is an honorable and successful farmer, and is widely regarded as a good citizen and a man of unimpeachable char- acter. Mr. Matteson, whose pleasant and spa- cious residence is on his farm in section 4, Green Bay township, Lee county, was born at Central Falls, Rhode Island, July 3, 1847, a son of Isaac A. and Joan (Gage) Mat- teson. The father is known as one of the early settlers of Lee county, coming into this part of Iowa as early as 1854, when he secured a fine farm of 240 acres in section 4, of Green Bay township. He was bom in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. .April 14, 1 819, and was a son of Greene and Sallie (Fowler) Matteson, both natives of Rhode Island, v.here they spent their entire lives. They were the parents of a family of eleven children, of whom Isaac A. was the fourth in order of birth. When he was a boy he became an employe of the cotton and woolen mills in his native town, ;md there continued at work until he reached the age of twenty- six years. His tastes were for a more open and out-of-door life, and he became a car- penter and machinist, in which occupation he rose to positions of trust and responsi- bility, soon attaining place as a foreman in railroad bridge construction. In this work he continued until 1851, when he removed to the West. W'hile constructing two or three bridges he spent a year in Chicago, then giving but little promise of its future greatness. The following year Mr. Mat- teson went on to Kankakee, where he con- structed a railroad bridge. Returning to Chicago, where he stayed until 1854, when he came into Lee county, where he bought his farm and on which he spent his remain- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 209 ing years, with the exception of a period of three years, when he was a resident of Fort Madison. When he made his first purchase of land he contracted for 240 acres, hut part of this he later sold. Isaac A. Matteson was married in South- field, Rhode Island, May 20, 1840. to JMiss Joan Gage, a daughter of Benjamin and Isabella (^Randall) Gage, natives of Mas- sachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively. She was horn in CransliMi. October 22. 1818. and was the mother of one child, Eugene La Barron. Mr. Matteson was appointed a member of the county board of supervisors in 1883. and was re-elected for three sue cessi\e terms. He filled the office of jus- tice of the peace for many years, and was called upon from time to time to fill other minor positions. In politics he was a Demo- crat, and enjoyed more than a local reputa- tion as an upright citizen. His death oc- curred February 9, 1899, his wife having passed to her rest October 11, 1887. Eugene La Barron Matteson was edu- cated in the public schools, and in a com- mercial school at Fort Madison, which he attended one winter. He remained at home until 1880. That year he went to Colo- rado, where he found a profitable business in the gi'ld and silver mines. I'V)r three vears he remained in that state, and then returned to his Iowa home, having met with very fair success in his western ventures. Mr. Matteson was married in 1867 to Miss Eliza Speaks, a daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Flaynes) Speaks. Mrs. Speaks is still living, and has her home with her daughter, Mrs. Matteson. She has reached the age of ninety-four years, and is a bright and well-preser\cd old lady. To Mr. and Mrs. Matteson have been born two children : Joan, who married Frank Farnsworth, and has her home in Denmark township; and .\ri(Mi, who married Miss Nettie Osborn, and still has his home with his father. Mr. Matteson is nuich interested in stiick farming. In this line he has done a large business, and is known far and wide as a reliable and trusty dealer. Politically he is a Democrat, and is an intelligent and thoughtful student of the times, preferring, however, to follow the peaceful avocation of agriculture to the turmoil and disturbance of active political cares and ambitions. The farm to him is a field large enough for all noble aspirations, and he has liveil in the enjoyment of the full privileges of the mod- ern agriculturist, studious, public-spirited and industrious. He is wide-awake and en- terprising, read}- for business at any time. and keeping his hands clean and clear of taint in all transactions. WILLIAM OLDENBURG. William Oldenburg was a resident of Keokuk the greater part of his long life, was well known to the majority of her peo- ple, and was closely associated with many of the men who played the most important parts in her histor}'. He was torn at St. Louis, October 22, 1832, of a family belong- ing to the religious body known as Pennsyl- vania Quakers, although his father was a 2IO BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW native of Oldenburg, Germany. Mr. Olden- burg, the sul^ject of our sketch, removed to Keokuk with his parents on April i, iSj^i, five years before the admission of the ter- ritory to the Union as the State of Iowa, and received his education in tlie public schools, was the schoolmate of George E. Kilbourne, Frank McGavic and many others whose names were in after years linked with the development of the city and county. Being very am))itious, he began at the early age of fourteen years to fit himself for his work in life, and took up the profession of steamboat engineering, a field of endeavor which in that pioneer community was very well calculated to appeal to the adventurous and enterprising instincts of aspiring youth, and \\hich offered pecuniary rewards of tempting proportions. I\Tr. Oldenburg progressed rapidly in ac- rpiiring knowledge and skill in his chosen work, which he continued to follow for a great many years, and had a vast and varied experience, being employed on most of the principal boats plying on the Mississippi river, working below St. I.ouis in the win- ter season and on the upper course of the river in the summer. During the Civil War he was often engaged in transporting United States troops, and in many other ways was connected with imp(~irtant and interesting events and movements in the history of the West and the nation. For a period of four or five years subsequent to 1877 he was half owner of the steamer "Plowboy," which plied between Keokuk and Warsaw, making three trips daily, and in this enterprise he had very gratifying success, and added very considerably to the small fortune which he had amassed by his previous efforts. In- deed, he proved himself in all he undertook to be the possessor of sound business judg- ment and foresight, and also exhibited qualities of absolute faithfulness and recti- tude in all positions which he was called upon to occupy. For sixteen years he was in the employ of the national government, and these qualities gained for him the praise and regard of his official superiors, as they gained for him the trust and admira- tion of all who came into contact with his personality in the various relations of life. His later years were spent in retirement from active business, and during this time he resided in Keokuk, where he enjoyed the comforts of his pleasant home and the so- ciety of his many warm friends. Here he owned residence property, but contracted no new business relations. A year before his death he had the misfortune to be over- come by heat, from the effects of which he never recovered, and he died September 17, 1902, his mortal remains being laid at rest in Oakland cemetery. Mr. Oldenburg never neglected the du- ties of citizenship, and while he did not consider it within his proper province to seek public office, he was a consistent mem- ber of the Democratic party, and gave to that organization his unfailing support in all matters of importance. He was also a believer in fraternal societies, and was en- thusiastically devoted to the work of Odd- fellowship, being for thirty-five years a member of Puckechetuck Lodge of In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. He was twice married, first at Middieton, Missouri, in 1856, to Miss Sarah Jane Hogue, who LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 211 died in 1870, leaving three daughters, Mrs. Leola A. Lucas, of WHiitewater, Colorado ; Mrs. Mollie F. AIcGrew, of Denver, Il- linois, and Mrs. Willie Cornelia Shoel, of Keokuk. In 1875 he wedded at Monterey, Kentucky, Miss Sarah Isabella Sparks, who survives him, and continues to reside at the family Imme overlooking the Mississipiii river, at Xo. 102 Concert street, Keokuk. Mrs. Oldenburg is a daughter of Ivison Sparks, who was born in Owen county, Kentucky, and died there at the age of fifty-se\-en years, and his wife, Mary (Cal- vert) Sparks, whose death occurred in Owen county in the thirty-third year of her age. She came west when only eight years old, making her home with her brother-in-law, E. Hardin, and pursuing her education in the public schools, but returned to Owen county, Kentucky, in 1868, and there re- mained until her marriage, which was cele- brated at her brother's residence, the old home of the family. She then came with her husband to Keokuk, where she has since resided, and here she has witnessed many of the improvements which have made the city what it is at the present time, it even having been her good fortune to see the first railroad train cross the MississipjM river at this point — an event of historical significance. She has also borne a promin- ent part in social affairs in Keokuk, and is a member of Colfax Lodge, No. 4, Daugh- ters of Rebekah, in which she has occupied all the positions of honor, and has also at- tended meetings of the Grand Lodge at Burlington and at Keokuk. A pleasant lady of gracious presence and unusual aljility, her friends in Keokuk are manv. WILLIAM H. NEWLON, M. D. Dr. William H. Newlon, a man of rare capacity, whose intense and well- directed activity and strong intellec- tual force have made- him one of the ablest representatives of the medical fraternity in Fort Madison and Lee county, was reared in an environment which fostered any natural predilection or inher- ited tendency which he may have had for the i)ractice. His father. Dr. Benjamin I'ranklin Xewlon figured for many years as one of the prominent early physicians of Illi- nois and not only along professional lines, but also in many other ways did he prove an active and helpful factor in community in- terests. He was born in Louisville, Ken- tucky, July 27, 1833, and during his infancy his parents removed to Edgar county, Illi- nois, establishing their home near Paris, where he was reared. Ilis literary educa- tion was completed by study in the Edgar County Academy, and he began prepara- tion for the practice of medicine in Peoria, Illinois, with Dr. Shubal York as his pre- ceptor. He was one of the few graduate physicians of the \\^est at an early day, and after completing his reading he located for practice in Hancock county, Illinois, in 1843. About two years later, in 1847, he .settled at Dallas City and practically became one of the founders of that town. He entered into partnership with his elder brother, Dr. John F. Newlon, and the busi- ness relation between them was continued for five years, after which Dr. 15. F. New- lon was alone in business. He was one of the most capable and therefore one of the 212 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW most successful of the pioneer physicians of western Ilhnois, and he enjoyed a very large and important practice until 1862, when his health failed him and he temporarily put aside the arduous duties of the profession. On recovering his health he entered into a partnership with the younger brother. Dr. William S. Xewlon, which was maintained for five years. Dr. Benjamin F. Xewlon was a moving spirit in many of the enterprises which led to the substantial improvement and upljuild- ing of Dallas City. He was present when the town was surveyed and laid out, and he wrote the charter of the city, and in connec- tion with Colonel Rolloson, in 1859. went to Springfield, in order to secure its passage through the legislature, which mission he successfully accomplished. He also pre- pared the ordinance of the city when it was first chartered: was chosen its first mayor, serving for two years, and for five terms was supervisor. His political supj^ort was given the Democracy, and he labored earn- estly for the advancement of the party's growth. .\s a Mason he also won more than local distinction. He was the founder of Dallas City Lodge, No. 235, Free and -Accepted Masons, and its first Worthv Mas- ter, occupying that position for manv years. He was also a charter member of Dallas Chapter, No. in. Royal Arch Masons; was its High Priest and was District Deputy Grand Master, and a representative to both the Grand Fodge and the Grand Chapter. He had comprehensive and accurate knowl- edge of Masonry, its teachings and its tenets, and did much to inculcate its benefi- cent spirit -among his fellow townsmen. At one time he edited the Dallas City Democrat. and was a frequent correspondent for pub- lications of the country, his articles appear- ing under the non de plume of Don Osso, be- ing greatly appreciated by the reading pub- lic. He held membership in the Universalist church, and thus his activities touched al- most every line affecting the general inter- ests of society in his part of the state. He yet managed his professional and business interest most successfully and accumulated a large amount of jiroperty. although at a later date he met with financial reverses. Dr. Newlon was married three times, first to Mary W'alker, of Dallas City, who died within a year; afterward to Alniira A. Richards, who at her death, left three daughters and a son;. and third, to Mrs. Katherine McCarty. daughter of James Gassaway, of Dallas City, by whom he had a son and daughter. His living children are : Hattie. now the widow of Dr. W. V. Eng- lish and a teacher in the schools of Keokuk; Melissa, wife of C. Lee, of Berkeley, Cali- fornia; William H. ; Benjamin F.. a phy- sician of Leger. Oklahoma, and Katherine. wife of R. C. Barnett, of Kansas City. Dr. Newlon died ALarch 2. 1882. and was sur- vived by his widow for two years. The mother of our subject was a Methodist. Dr. William Fl. Newlon, who was liorn in Flancock county, Illinois, November 10, 1862, began his education in the public schools of Dallas City, and suiiplemented his preliniinaiy advantages by study in the Dallas .Vcadeniy. Interested in the practice of medicine from early boyhood because of his father's connection with the profession he pursued his early professional studies LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 213 under the direction of his father, but liis course in medicine was not continuous, ow- ing; to his financial circumstances, whicli niaoni. of 'I'opeka, Kansas, a daughter of Dr. George W. and Sophia ( Buckmaster) Hogeboom. Her father was born in Northampton. Ful- ton county. New York, in 183J, and in earlv youth his educational privilege was limited to three months' attendance annually at the common schools. At the age of thirteen he entered Kingsboro .\cademy, where he prepared for college, and then engaged in teaching in order to meet the expenses of a course in the Berkshire Medical College. of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1853, when twenty-one years of age. He became a practitioner at Glovers- \ille. Xew York, where he remained imtil failing health compelled him to .seek a change of climate, and in May, 1857, he re- moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, which place he called his home for eight vears, but dur- ing ti\e years of that time he served as as- sistant surgeon of the FJghth Kansas In- fantry and surgeon of the Kleventh Kansas Regiment, in the Civil War. In 1863 he w.is conimissioned by President Lincoln as staff surgeon, with the rank of major, and at the close of the war he was brevetted lieu- tenant-colonel for faithful and merito.rions ser\-ice. Dr. Hogeboom removed to Oskaloosa, Jefferson county, Kansas, in 1866, and \vhile engaged in practice there also figured prom- inently in public affairs affecting not only the connnunity, but also having marked in- fluence upon the welfare of the state. In 1869 he was chosen .state senator by ]5opular suffrage for a term of two years, and in 1878 was elected 'to the house of rei)resenta- tives. He then removed to Topeka, and un- til his retirement from professional life was accounted one of the most prominent and 214 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW able physicians and surgeons of the capital city. In 1881 he was appointed chief sur- geon of the Santa Fe Railroad, which posi- tion he ably filled until March 15. 1897. when he resigned. The present hospital service of the Santa Fe Railroad was or- ganized by Dr. Hogeboom in 1882. and the company hospitals in Colorado and Xew Mexico were built the following year. The erection and equipment of the finest railroad hospital in the West is due tf) the efforts of Dr. Hogeboom. who early in his labor as chief surgeon of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, recognized the necessity for such an institution, where every medical and surgical attention could be paid to those \\ho were wounded, crippled or sick while in the company's service. All plans for the railroad hospital at Topeka were made under his persona] supervision, with the result that this model institution is a lasting monument to his extensive and lengthy service as chief surgeon of that railroad line. Dr. Hogeboom was married on the 4th of ;\Iay, 1 86 1, to Sophia Buckmaster. the eldest daughter of Dr. Henry Buckmaster, a physician of much uKire than local reputa- tion, and who was a member of the first house of representatives of the State of Kan- sas. He served through the War of the Re- bellion as staff surgeon, with the rank of ma- jor, and he and Dr. Hogeboom were the only surgeons of United States Volunteers com- missioned liy President Lincoln from the State of Kansas. To Dr. and ATrs. Hoge- boom were born Umr suns and three daugh- ters, and his belief in education has been shown by the liberal op])ortunities he has provided his children. The three sons are graduates of the high school of Topeka and completed their studies in the University of Kansas. Denton is now a druggist and Henry B. and Roch W. are graduates of Rusli Medical College, of Chicago, and have attained more than local repute as success- ful practitioners. The daughters — Kate, yinry and Helen — completed their educa- tions in the College of the Sisters of Beth- any, at Topeka, and the second daughter has become the wife of Dr. Xewlon and the mother of one child, Helen, who was born June 4, 1898. Dr. Xewlon has attained high rank in !\Iasonr\', belonging to Dallas Citv Lodge. X'o. 235, Free and Accepted Masons; Dallas Chapter, Xo. iii. Royal Arch Masons; Delta Commandery. Xo. 51, Knigiits Temp- lar, and Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine, at Davenport, and also a member of Fort Madison Lodge. X^o. 374, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Hardly yet in the prime of life, he is nevertheless recog- nized as one of the prominent men of the city, of a strong and forceful individuality, (if lauilable ambition and of earnest and conscientious purpose in his profession. DAVID WHITE McELROY. This is pre-eminenlly the age of intlus- irial and commercial acti\it_\- ;inil the busi- ness conditions afford excellent ])ossibilities for the achievement of success to the man of keen discernment and unfaltering energy. LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 21 = II is also true that in the development and control of a prosperous business enterprise there must be close application and unfalter- ing purpose and the rewards of labor are sure. We are led to this train of reflection by examination into the life history of D. \\'. McElroy, who today stands at the head of one of the leading productive indus- tries of Keokuk, and who has risen to a po- sition of prominence in business circles through his own unaided efforts. A native of Armstrong county, Penn- sylvania, he was born ou the ist of March. 1842. I J is father, John ^IcElroy, was a native of Belfast, Ireland, and throughout his entire life carried on merchandising. He was married in 1837, in \\'ashington county, Pennsylvania, to Miss Julia Anna White, a native of that county, and in 1840 they re- moved to Armstrong county, where they resided for about twenty-nine years. In 1869 the\' became residents of Adams county, Illinois, where the father spent his remaining days, passing away in 1879, while his wife spent her last days with her sons in Keokuk, dying at the home of John A. McElroy. in 1892. Our subject has Init one i)ri)ther living, John A. McElroy. who was a soldier of the Civil War and is now with S. Hamill Company, of Keokuk. D. W. McElroy was reared in the county of his nati\ilv until seventeen vears of age, and acquired his education under the direction of his father, attending school not more than six months. However, his father was a man of learning and he care- fully directed the studies of his .son, and Mr. McElroy was preparing to e'nter Washing- ton and Jefferson College, of Pennsylvania, when his patriotic spirit was aroused and he enlisted in the United States Army from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, becoming a member of Company A, Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania Infantry, under Capt. William Cummins, and Col. William Sirwell. He joined the army .Vugust 27, 1861. and served until November 3, 1864. The regiment was attached to the Fourteenth .\rmy Corps, and he participated in the engagemeirts at Stone River. Chickamauga, Xew Hope Church, and the .\tlanta campaign as far as the City of .\tlanta. Me was also in many skirmishes, and he was wounded at Stone Rixer l)y a gunshot in the leg. This in- capacitated him for active field service for six weeks, hut he wciuld not go to the hos- pital. Prior, hcjwex'er. he was taken to the hospital with typhoid fever, in December, 1 86 1, and was in a Louisville hospital for aljout two months. During a period of his sersice the regiment did i)ro\ost duty at Murfreesboro, Tennes.see. Following his discharge from the army on the e.Kpiration of his term of service Mr. McElroy returned to his home in Pennsyl- \ani;i. and in 1867 became a resident of Keo- kuk-. He entered the employ of Sample, .\rmitage & Company, iron workers, in 1869, in the capacity f)f bookkeeper, and the following year purchased ;in interest in the business. He became purchasing agent and has so continued in \arious changes in the firm. In 1880 he and Mr. .\rmitage pur- chased the interest of the other partners, and in 1898 Mr. .Mcl''h-oy became .sole owner ,ind has so continued. He does all kjnds of architectural work and drafting ;'emi)loys sixteen men in the shop and turns out some 2l6 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW splendid specimens of architectural iron work, manufactured in his plant. His con- nection with the business covers more than a third of a century, and his efforts have been largely instrumental in its substantial flevelopment. The plant is \'alued at $25,000, and the annual output of these products amounts to $35,000. A specialty is made of steam generators and rendering tanks, which for twenty-five years had been manufactured after designs made by Mr. McElroy. On the 17th of January, 1872, in Keo- kuk. Mr. McElroy was married to Miss Mary Bailey, and they have three children who are living: John A., who is now cash- ier in a I)ond and stock office in Chicago, and who married Elizabeth Sawyer, of Keo- kuk: Margaretta, the wife of H. R. Colli- son, of Keokuk, local agent of the Iowa State Insurance Company, and David W., at home. Fraternally Mr. McElroy is con- nected with the Royal Arcanum, and is prominent in the Grand .\rmy of the Re public Post, at Keokuk, in which he has filled all of the ofifices. He has served for two terms as commander, three terms as adjutant and has been assistant adjutant general of the State Department for one year. His political allegiance is given the Republican ])arty, but while keeping well informed on the issues of the day his busi- ness affairs have left him little time f(^r active political work. He belongs to the Westminster Presbyterian church, in which he has served as deacon since 1871. and his labors in the line of various church activities have contributed to its u])building and the extension of its influence. In 1875 he erected his present home at Xo. 619 High street, occupied by his family. He thor- oughly enjoys home life and takes great pleasure in the society of his family and friends. He is always courteous, kindly and affable, and those who know him person- ally have for him warm regard. A man of great natural ability, his success in busi- ness, from the beginning of his residence in Keokuk, was uniform and rapid. .\s has been truly remarked, after all that may be done for a man in the way of giving him early opportunities for obtaining the re- quirements which are sought in the schools and in books, he must essentially formulate, determine and give shape to his own char- acter, and this is what Mr. McElroy has done. He has persevered in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and gained the most satisfactoiy reward. His life is e.Kemplar}' in all respects and he has ever supported those interests which are calculated to up- lift and benefit humanity, while his own high moral worth is deserving of the highest com- mendation. RICHARD EDMUND SMITH. R. E. Smith, who died in Keokuk in Februarw 1802. was a man of marked busi- ness energy and personal popularity, and his death was the occasion of deep regret throughout the city in which he had long made his home and in which he had come to be recognized as a man whom to know was to respect and honor. He was liorn, reared LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 217 and educated in Maryland and in early man- hood removed from that state to Pennsyl- vania, where he became a snh-contractor in the building of a tunnel a mile and a quarter in length through the Alleghany mountains. This was a difficult piece of engineering and indicated his superior skill in that direction. Mr. Smith arrived in Liwa in 1854. at which time he took uj) his abode in Daven- port. Init not pleased with tbat city he came to Keokuk in 1855 and purchased property here with the intention of making his permanent home in Lee county. He then returned to Loretta. Pennsyh-ania. where on the 4th day of May, 1856, he was mar- ried. He then brought his bride to his new home and here began con- tracting and building, his attention being gi\'en to the construction of houses. Later he was made assistant su- perintendent on the Des Moines -Valley Road, occupying that position for sixteen years, when his health failed and he turned his attention to the building of county bridges for Lee county. He was employed as count\' supervisor and afterward took small contracts up to the time of his death, doing whatever his health ])iTmitted. lie enjoyed the unqualified conlitlence of the business community because of his fidelity to the terms of a contract and his strict con- formity to the ethics of business life. He constructed the first freight car ever built in the State of Iowa and the tree is still standing unfler which he did his work, for that was before any shops were built. Later he gave his attention to the building of pas- senger coaches. As stated. Mr. Smith was married, in Loretta. Pennsvlvania, the lady of his choice being Miss Catherine A. Myers. who was born in that city April 18, 1832. Her parents were John B. and Catherine (Meyers) Myers. Her parents were na- tives of Germany and came to the United States soon after their marriage, locating in Loretta, Pennsylvania, where 'Mr. Myers carried on farming. Sul)sequently he turned his attention to hotel keeping at that ]jlace. Mrs. Smith is related to the Schwab millionaires, of Pittsburg, and is an aunt of Charles M. Schwab, of steel fame. L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born six sons and two daughters: Charles, now living in Hannibal, ^lissouri ; b'rank, who died in 1899, at the age of thirty-seven years; Ed- ward, a resident of Pentler, Nebraska ; George, who is living in Omaha ; \Villiam, who is with the FrankcblM-ank & Company, wholesale milliners, of Kansas City, Mis- souri ; John, a member of the firm of Cherry, Sither & Company, stoves and tinware, of Keokuk; Mrs. Anna White, a widow re- siding with her mother, and M.ary (irace. the wife of W. Winger, a dry goods mer- chant of Keokuk. Mrs. Smith now has ten grandchildren. Mr. Smith held membership in St. Fran- ces De Sales Roman Catholic church, to which all his family belonged. He was a man of many estimable traits of character, was veiy generous and kind to the poor and needy, sympathetic with those in distress and had a ready understanding that enabled him to enter into the feeling and realize the conditions of others. His benevolent spirit prompted him to give assistance wherever it was needed and yet he was always unosten- tatious in his charitv. He was a wise coun- in BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW seller in business, giving his advice freely when it was sought, and his judgment was rarely, if ever, at fault. In his family, how- ever, his best traits of character were shown. He was a devoted husband and father, doing everything in his power to promote the wel- fare and happiness of his wife and children. His relations to his employes is shown by the fact that while he was serving as rail- way superintendent the employes of that road bought and presented to him a horse and saddle, the former valued at $250. His popularit}- with his friends was proven by the gift of a gold-headed cane, which was voted to him at a Catholic fair as the most popular railroad man of the city He left his family in comfortable circumstances, having his home and other city property in addition to considerable life insurance. He died at the age of sixty-two years, respected by all who knew him and his memory is yet cherished not only by his immediate family, bufalso b}- the many friends whom he won during the years of his residence in Keokuk. L. H. PHINNEY. Deeds of valor ha\e been the theme of song and story throughout all the ages, and while memory' remains to the American people they will hold in grateful recognition the men who fought ti)r the preservation of the Union, in one of the most sanguinary struggles that has ever been recorded in the annals of the world. During the most try- ing period of that trying time L. H. Phinney was one of "the boj's in blue," and yet he was no more loyal to the duties of citizenship in time of war than he is in days of peace. Mr. Phinney claims Ohio as his native state, having been born at Kirtland, Geauga county, June 2, 1838. He is the son of Horatio and Emily (Kent) Phinney. they being of New England birth, but early set- tlers of Ohio, where the father was a farmer. In 1855 the family decided to emi- grate to the more distant West, and removed to Lodi. Wisconsin, and there they spent the remainder of their lives, their later years especially being rich in works of piety and good deeds. The father was a very prom- inent memljer of the Methodist Episcopal church at that place, acting as class leader for many years, and being ever active and zealous in support of the church and her charities. In politics he was a Whig, and on the formation of the Republican party he became a member of that organization. It was in Ohio that L. H. Phinney re- ceiveayles cemetery, as does those of his wife, whose death occurred February 27, 1885. Politically he was a Democrat, and is remembered as a man of 128 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW mucli cliaracter and energy. He was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, February 22. 1812, and his wife was born in Robinson county, Tennessee, September 6, 181 1. ]\Ir. Hott helped to develope a large farm, and he built a home on his forty-acre claim in Cedar township. He also bought out the different heirs to his wife's first hus- band, Mr. Warren. At the time of his death he owned 425 acres. He started out poor in this world's goods, though he was blessed with indomitable courage and a mighty per- sistance that carried him safely through all difficulties. Handicapped by a lack of edu- cation, when lie began fur himself he could not even sign his name, l)Ut he became a well-informed citizen, and mastered every detail of his calling. For some years he was engaged in the cooper trade, and was engaged in that work at h^armington, Iowa. The cultivation of the soil was his master passion, and he devoted his life to general fa.rming. At the time of his second mar- riage he had 1)ut ten acres under cultivation. All the rest was wild [jrairie and timber and he patiently and persistently worked at it luitil it was all under the domain of the plow and. the harrow. Peter Hott attended school for a little time, when the building was burned with all the school books, and as his father would not buy more he had to go to work. Tliis was known as the Bayles school, and when he did attend it he and his brother tocik turns going on alternate weeks. They found it a hard school of instruction, but what they learned they prized, and it became the nu- cleus of a wider knowledge as the years passed until as they entered manhood they were able to take a stand as uprigiit and in- telligent citizens. Mr. Hott has devoted his life to farming, and at the jiresent time is the proprietor of a fine rural estate of six hundred acres all in one piece except as crossed liy the puljlic high^^•ay. This land has cost him on the a\erage a little over thirty dollars an acre, but could not be bought for several times that price. Here he has six houses and other conveniences for advanced and progressive farming, and by common repute is said to be worth more than $50,000. Peter Hott and Miss Mary Harlan were married January 18, 1855. She was a na- tive of Ohio, and after a brief matrimonial career passed to her rest, March 6, 1865, leaving two children : Dora, who married William Shaw, they had one child, Florence M. She married Lute Hixon, and has one child, Lester. Mr. Shaw is deceased and his wife's second marriage was to Mr. Samuel Huddleston, and they live upon part of her father's farm. To this union has lieen born the following children : Ora J., who married Samuel Maloy, and has one child, Kenneth; Sherman M., deceased; Cy- rena M. ; George P.; Blanche; Mary H.; Merle and Olive. The second child of Mr. Hott was Cyrena, who died at the age of twenty-eight. She was not married. Mr. Plott contracted a second marriage, December 7, 1865, when Miss Anna Lane became his wife. She was a native of High- land county, Ohio, and a daughter of Ja- cob and Charlotte Lane. Her parents drove through from Ohio, and settled on a farm a half mile only from the present home of I\Irs. Hott. Later on thev remo\ed to Clark LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 220 county, Iowa, wliere Mr. l.ane secured eighty acres under j;fc)\ernnient entry. They spent their last days witli Mr. and Mrs. Hott. and (Hed under their roof. Their re- mains rest in the Bayles cemetery. To the second marriage of Peter Hott was liorn one child. Isaac Henn', who has his Iionie on part of the paternal estate. He married Miss Elizabeth Yargus, who died, lea\-ing two children. Boyd and Edith. Mr. Hott is a Republican, though he has ne\er consented to take office, and has de- voted his life to his farm. He is a member of the Christian church, of which he is an elder, and has been a deacon. Mr. and Mrs. Hott w^ere burned out May 6, 1903, with the total loss of eventhing above the first floor. He has since erected a new aufl handsome residence. It contains all the modern im- provements, and is a model farm residence. Fi\e years prior his son, Isaac Henry, burned out, losing everything, and Mr. Hott erected a fine large residence. LOUIS A. HECHLER. Louis A. Hechler. proprietor of a meat market in Keokuk, was born in Warsaw. Il- linois. December 26. 1862, his parents be- ing Carl Frederick and Margaret (Wagner) Hechler. The father was born at Nord- heim. W'urttemberg, September 5. 1821. and was a stonemason. He also learned the weaver's trade, but his father had owned a stone quarry, and had educated his sons with reference to the business and its kindred in- dustries. He first married Elizabeth Wag- ner, who died a year later, leaving no chil- dren. He afterward married Margaret Wagner, who was born at Badenheim. Wurltemberg, March 3. 1832. After his second marriage he became discontented with regard to the treatment of his family and came to America with his father-in-law, George Wagner, a tailor. They left Ger- many in 1854 and crossed the Atlanta to New Orleans, thence proceeded up the river to ^^'arsaw. Illinois, where thev re- mained in the fall of 1S54. Carl Hechler had been a healthy, strong man until sea- sickness left him a dyspeptic, he ne\er' being well after the voyage to the United States. Following his arrival in this country he worked in a bi^ewery in Warsaw. His wife died February 17. 1868, and his death oc- curred Januaiy 18. 1871. Their children were as follows : Fred C, who was torn October 20, 1853, and is. now in California; Caroline C. who was born April 6, 1856, and is now the wife of George Lowenstein, a cigar manufacturer and city collector, of Keokuk; Elizabeth M.. who was born Aug- ust 2T, 1858, and is the wife of Charles Sayl- ler, of Keokuk: Catherine Helen, who was born January 2, 1866, and was adopted by Dr. Knowles, and is the wife of J. G. Koon, of \Mnemount. .\l;ibama. Louis A. Hechler was left an orphan when eight years of age. He lived with his guardian. Charles Barney, .until sixteen years of age and then worked for S. P. Pond & Company, dealer in eggs, for eight 230 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW years. He was later a porter for Collier, Robinson & Hamilton, wholesale grocers, for two years, and subsequently spent one year with the firm of J- Burke & Company, bottlers ot mineral waters. Throughout these years he was saving money as he found opportunity, and in 1889, when his capital had sufficiently increased to permit of the venture, he opened a butcher shop in Keo- kuk, which he has since conducted, being now one of the well-known meat merchants of the city. He always carries a good line of meats, and his earnest efiforts to please his customers, combined with straightforward dealing, has secured to him a liberal and profitable patronage. ]\Ir. Hechler married ^liss Mary Heine, a daughter of Charles E. Heine, a farmer residing west of Keokuk. They have two children, Grace and Ralph. Mr. Hechler is a member of Hardin Lodge, No. 29, Free and Accepted Alasons ; Keokuk Lodge, No. 13. Lidependent Order of Odd Fellows; Aerie Lodge, No. 683, Fraternal Or- der of Eagles, and Keokuk Lodge, No. 256, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and has many warm and admir- ing friends among his brethren of these fra- ternities. He votes with the Republican party, but has ne\er aspired to office, prefer- ing to concentrate his energies and attention upon his business affairs. Starting out in life for himself at an early age, he has stead- ily worked his way upward through per- sistency of purpose, which he would allow nothing to swerve, and his business capacity and energy' have made him one of the sub- stantial citizens of his ward. FRED H. OHNING. In Lee county are many inhabitants of foreign birth who, attracted by more pro- gressive institutions, broader educational fa- cilities and the superior advantages offered for making a living, have come here with their families and means for the purpose of founding homes in the new country. These valuable additions to the native population lia\e by their industry, economy, and hon- orable methods become essential factors in the growth of the county. A member of such a family is Fred H. Ohning, of Frank- lin township, who was born in Hanover, Germany, November 2, 1864, the son of Frederick and Dorothy v. Aim Ohning. His parents were both natives of Hanover, and removed to America in 1873, sailing from Hamburg and landing at New York. Proceeding directly to Lee county, Iowa. thev located at Primrose, where the father opened a shop and established himself in his traile of tailoring. The following year he removed to Franklin township, and here he continuetl to work at his trade for some vears. Later he became a veterinary sur- geon. In this profession he was highly suc- cessful, and attained a wide reputation, his services being in constant demand. He is a member of the Evangelical church, antl in questions of political policy has always sup- ported the Democratic party. He owns resi- dence jiropcrty in the village of Franklin, where he has erected a substantial brick dwelling house. Being of an original and investigating turn of mind, he discovered some six years ago a method of curing the LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 231 dreaded disease of cancer which entitled him to rank as a benefactor of the human race. The process is one which does not require a surgical operation, and has proved very suc- cessful. This achievement alone would constitute a life work of which any man might well lie proud. Mr. Ohning, the subject of this sketch, received a good education in the jniblic schools, and remained a member of his fa- ther's family until he was twenty years of age. when he began active life on his own account, determined to achieve success for himself by his unassisted efforts. Compar- ing all available fields of honorable en- deavor, his choice was made in favor of the West, and he located at Nebraska City, Ne- braska. There 'he secured employment for a time as a laborer, but in 1883 took up the trade of printing, which he followed for eight years. In 1892, returning to Frank- lin township, he began farming, having long felt an inclination for that sort of work, and the following year purchased a farm of forty acres. I.,ater he purchased his pres- ent home in the village of Franklin. Here he carries on general farming, in which he has met with much success. On September 22, 1887, Mr. Ohning was united in marriage with Miss Louise Karte. a native of Hanover, Germany, who removed from the Fatherland to Nebraska City, Nebraska, at the age of twenty-five years, the date of her*birtli ha\ing been July 30, 1859. Mr. Ohning is an actix'c worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, and has served his party and the public in various positions of honor and im]iortance. In 1899 ^""^ ^^''*s aijpointed to fill an unexpired term as justice of the peace, and since that time has been twice elected to the office for tenus of two years each. Such has been the high judicial character of his rul- ings on all points of law in matters submitted to his decision, that during this period no decision of his court has been reversed by a superior jurisdiction. For nine years he was clerk of the village of Franklin, and for the past six years has been secretarj' of the school board, a position which he occupies at the present time. This official record speaks loudl\- of the esteem he en- joys in the community in which he has his home. In a business way, he is a stock- holder of the German-American Telephone Company, of Houghton, Iowa. In all his enterprises he has been very successful, and the ability thus displayed, combined with his well-known character of integrity and frank and open methods in all his dealings, ha« made him many friends who give him tiieir confidence and profound respect. W. Q. DOERN, M. D. Among all the callings and professions into which human activity is divided, prob- ably a census of opinion would award the di.stinction of greatest and most direct use- fulness to the practice of medicine. Cer- tainh- no iirofession is held in higher honor or is more deserving from the viewpoint of the self-sacrifice involved. One of the 222 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW \'ounger physicians and surgeons of Lee county who have shown greatest promise of future distinction is Dr. W. G. Doem, of Fort Mar,s of Captain Galland. of this review, and of his honored father, {•"roni ])ioneer times down to the ])resent their efforts have had beneficial and far- reaching effect upon the i)ublic life, upon substantial upbuilding aufl consecutive prog- WASHINGTON GALI-AXH LEE COUNTY, IOWA. ^35 ress, and Kiokiiiuf l)ey<)nil the exis^encies of the moment to the possiliilities of tlie future they have wrouglit along Hues tliat have benefited present generations and will ])rove most helpful for years to come. Captain Galland, whose office is located in the Hesse Ruilding, Fort Madison, was born, according to an account left by his father in the fly-leaf of the family Bible, at Lower Yellow Banks, now Oquawka. Hcn- de-!^on county, Illinois, July 20, 1827. An a'Tount given by a maternal uncle, George W. Kinney, says that he was l)orn there when his parents were on their way liy water from Yellow Banks to the present site of the City of Nauvoo. or at this place after the arrival of the parents, which was the home of his maternal grandfather, Peter Kinney, who was then residing at a point now known as the Hibbard Spring or Smith Grove, alxnit a mile below the present City of Xauvoo. His parents were Dr. Isaac and Hannah ( Kinney) Galland. In the winter of 1827-8 the father hired men to build a store house and dwelling on the west side of the Mississi])])i river a few miles down the stream from Naux'Do, at what is now called Galland. the place being then known as the head of the Des Moines Rapid of the Mississippi river, the Indian name being .\h-wi-pe-tuck, signifying beginning of the cascades. This was the first building erected at that imint. There was an Indian village about three miles above composed of the Sac and Fox tribes. The Indians had not yet relinguished their title to the land. rnid the white race, therefore, could not lo- cate there except by permission and for this Dr. Galland a]iplicd. It was about the latter part of 1828. or early in 1829, however, be- fore the pa])ers granting him permission reached him. and. therefore, it was not until that time that his family was installed at his new home. He was to have the priv- ilege of establishing a trading post for trade with the Indians, and also that he might supply steamers with wood, and in addition to his labors in these directions he was to practice medicine in the pioneer community. In the winter of 1830 several other families settled in the same district. Dr. Galland, with his white neighbors, realizing the need of educational privileges for their children, built a log schoolhouse. which was the tirst "temple of learning" in the territory of Iowa. The first teacher was Berryman Jen- nings, a scholarly gentleman, who was clerk- ing in a store for Dr. (jalland, anti also studying medicine with him. There were about sixteen or eighteen pupils, some of whom came from the Illinois side of the river, crossing the water either in canoe or on the ice, for at that time the river was frozen over for a mucli longer period each year that the ]iresent. In fact, the ice was so thick over the b'ather of Waters that teaming could be done on the ri\'er from Ouincy to Fort Madison. Captain (ialland was one of the ])upils in this little school, but of the number that attended at that early dav onlv four ai'e known to lie li\ing now. Captain Galland and Ca])t. J. W. Campbell, who are residents of I'ort Madison ; Benja- min Galland, a cousin, now Jiving in central Iowa, and a half-sister, Eliza Sturdevant Galknul, now Mrs. Eliza S. White, who lives at La Crosse, Wisconsin. In 1831 Dr. Galland's second wife tlied 236 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and was taken across the river into Illinois, being buried in a cemeten.^ within the pres- ent limits of the City of Xauvoo. About twenty years later, however, her remains were removed to Fort !\[adison cemetery. Ev Dr. Galland's first marriage there were three daughters, and l)y the second union there were two children ; \\'ashington and a \'ounger sister. Eleanor, was unquestion- ablv the first white child born in the ter- ritory now occupied by the State of Iowa, her birth occurring at Ah-wi-pe-tuck Jan- uarv 3. 1830. .\fter the death of the second wife, two daughters by the first marriage came to live with Dr. Galland, the elder taking charge of the household affairs. In 1832, on the breaking out of the Black Hawk W^v, Dr. Galland and many others fled to Fort Edward, now Warsaw, Illinois, and his property was left in the care of a young man, Samuel Brierly, who after- ward married the Doctor's eldest daughter. Most of the men joined the militia, and Dr. Galland rose to the rank of colonel, and was stationed at Fort Edward. Captain Galland has seen the commission which was issued to his father. In 1833 Dr. Galland was again married, wedding Miss Elizabeth Wilcox, of War- saw, a sister of his warm personal friend, Maj. John R. Wilcox, who was a graduate of West Point and an officer of the Regular Army, at one time in command of a detach- ment of troops at Fort Edward. He after- ward retired from military service and set- tled permanently at Warsaw. Illinois, where he was married. .\ daughter of that mar- riage, Mrs. Virginia \\'. Ivins, now lives at the corner of Second and Bloudeau streets. in Keokuk. After his third marriage Dr. Galland removed to Carthage, Illinois, where he remained a .short time. Later he traded that for a large stone house, two stories in height, on the bank of the ]Mississippi river,, now the present site of Xauvoo, which was known as the property of Capt. James M. White, the maternal grandfather of Capt. James W. Campbell, now of Fort Madison. There Dr. Galland lived until 1839. when he sold that property and other property to Sidney Rigdon and the Mormons. On the 4th (if July. TS39. taking with him his fam- ily and household goods. Dr. Galland be- came a passenger on the steamer Brazil, bound for St. Louis, Missouri. There the part}- changed to an Ohio river boat and went to Portsmouth, Ohio, and thence by canal to Chillicothe, where they remained for several months. Washington Galland was only seven or eight years of age when the family located in Illinois, and up to the time of their re- moval to Ohio his education had been only such as could be obtained in log school- houses at different places. One year Dr. Galland had employed a private tutor, but after reaching Chillicothe our subject had the privilege of attending an academy. Dr. Galland was at that time interested with others in a tract of land of 120.000 acres in the sonth side of Lee county, known as the half-breed tract or reservation. While in Chillicothe he published a book and map. en- titled "Iowa Emigrant's Guide," which was intended to give information and to induce emigrants to the west side of the Missis- sippi river. The result of his efforts was that a large number of people emigrated to LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 237 and settled in Iowa, many estal)lisliing homes in or near Keokuk. In 1840 Dr. Gal- land and his family returned to this state, locating at Keokuk, where he continued in the practice of medicine, which lousiness he had never ahandoned during all these years. He made his home in Keokuk until 1854. when, with his family, he went to California. making a trip overland with ox teams, and reaching his destination after several months of travel. In 1856, however, he again came to this state and located in Fort Madison, where lie dietl two }-ears later, his remains being interred in the Fort Madison cemetery, where has been erected a monument to his memory, and his second and third wives are also buried there. As a pioneer of Iowa his name is inseparably associated with its histor}', and not only did he establish one of the first homes and built the first school in Lee county, but he contributed in large measure, through his published work to its settlement, and along man)- lines aided in its substantial upbuilding, laying the founda- tion for its present progress and prosperity. On leaving Chillicothe. Ohio, Captain Gal- land came to Iowa, but later his father took him back to Ohio, placing him in school in .Vkron, which was then a village of about 2.500 population. On leaving school he again came to Iowa, and when sixteen years of age he became a clerk on a river steamer plying between St. Louis and points on the upper Mississippi. After two years he be- gan working in a store at Alexandria, Mis- souri, and in the sjjringof 1847, at St. Louis, Missouri, he enlisted as a ])ri\ate of Com- pany .\, Third Missouri Mounted Volun- teers, under Lapt. George W. Lafayette Mc- Xair and Col. J. Ralls. On the march to Fort Leavenworth he stood guard one night ii\cr the horses, and was then detached as a clerk in the adjutant's office. After about a year he was appointed sergeant-major of a battalion and was continued until after the- last battle of the war was fought at Santa Cruz. He participated in that engagement, which. ]i(]we\-er, was the onlv battle in w-hich he took part. He was under fire there through the greater part of the day. This occurred in the State of Chihuahua, where he remained uiitil the fall of 1848, when his regiment returned to Independ- ence. Missouri, where he received an honor- able discharge. Following his leaving llie niilitary serv- ice Captain Galland retunied to his father's home in Keokuk, and in 1849 he again be- came a clerk on a steamer on the Missis- si]ipi, plying in its u]iper waters. Next year with the same employers, but on a new steamer he entered the Missouri river, going to points as far as St. Joseph. There was an immense business being done, as Cali- fornia emigration made travel heaw. He followed the river until 1856, and then, at his father's solicitation, located in Fort Mad- ison. After a short tinie, however, he went to Montrose, where he accepted the agency for the sale of town lots, the owners living in St. Louis. Captain Galland began the study of law while living in Montrose, and completed his reading under the direction of Rankin, Miller & Enster, a leading firm of attorneys, of Keokuk. In 1858 he w-as ad- mitted by examination to practice in all of the courts of the state, and in the federal courts, and he opened a law otTice in Mont- 238 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW rose, and also engaged in practice in Keokuk and Fort Madison. In April. 1861. at the first tliree years' call for men. Captain Galland recruited, or- ganized and drilled a company for service. and at his own expense, quartered and fed them for two months until they were ac- cepted 1)V the national government and ordered to Burlington to be mustered into the United States service as Company H, of the Sixth Regiment of Iowa Volunteers. They were sent to Jefiferson Barracks and later to St. Louis. They did not get su])plies and arms, however, for two months. At the end of that time they became a part of Gen- eral Fremont's army, and took part in his campaign through southwestern Missouri to S])ringfiel(l. After General Fremont was superceded they were sent to Sedalia, Mis- souri, and during the winter of 1861-2 guarded railways and bridges between that place and .Syracuse, Missouri. In March. 1862. they were ordered to St. Louis and taken by transport to Cairo. Illinois, thence up the Ohio and Tennessee rivers to Pitts- l)urg Landing, becoming part of Sherman's di\ision of Grant's Army. There thev had tlieir baptism of fire on the memorable 6th of April, 1862. During the engagement Captain Galland and sixteen of his own company and thirty-two members of the regiment \\ere captured, being taken Sotith as prisoners of war. .\t ^lemphis he be- came ill, and was sent to the Confederate Hospital. After being at Mobile for ten days he was transferred to Tuscaloosa ; was for one week at Macon, Georgia, and for one month at Madison. Georgia, where he and liis comrades remained until thev received notice that they were ordered to RichniDud for parole and transportation witiiin the Lnion lines. This was in Xovemljer, 1862. after having been held as a prisoner for seven months. Captain Galland passed through the capitals of South Carolina. Georgia and North Carolina, and when in Richmond was for one night in Libby prison. He suf- fered many hardships incident to Southern prison life, but at Aikens Landing he saw again the stars and stripes, and for the first time in months drank good cof¥ee with real sugar in it. The}' were sent to Fortress Monroe, thence to Annapolis, Maryland, and on to Washington, and after a few days re- ceived notice that they could go home and there await the notice of exchange and further orders, .\bout a month later he was told to rejoin his command at Grand Junc- tion, Tennessee, under Gen. Sooy Smith, confronting General Chalmers. In June, 1863, on account of disability and l)eing in- formed that he would have to submit to a dangerous operation. Captain Galland con- cluded to resign, and by special order of General Grant his resignation was accepted, to date from June 20, 1863. He then re- turned to his home in Montrose, Iowa. At Shiloh he had received a slight wound in the left wrist, caused by a fragment of shell. After recovering his health Captain Gal- land resumed the practice of law and soon won creditable success at the bar. In the fall of 1863 he was elected to the general assembly from Lee county for a term of two years. He served on several committees and introduced a number of bills, some of which were passed. Some also failed, including one for the establishment of a reformed LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 239 scliodl for hoys for each congressional dis- trict, hut at a later date this hecame a law of the state. After the close of that Iegisiati\c session he engaged to go to southwestern Missouri to close up the affairs of several l)ranches of a St. Louis lianis. lie took a contract for five counties, and this work re- quired five years. His health l)ecoming im- jjaired during that time, he went to Cali- fornia hy order, remaining four years on the Pacific slope, during which time he was greatly benefited. Upon his return to Iowa in 1880 he located -in Montrose. He was in Washington. District of Columbia, when President (iarfield was shot and saw him carried out on a stretcher. He also saw Guiteau, the assassin. Since his return to Lee county he has continuously engaged in the practice of law. real estate and loans, and stands today as one of the most ca- pable members of the Lee County Bar, and ' also successful as a real estate dealer. Captain Galland has been a stanch Re- publican since the war. His father was a \\ big in early life, and when he Ijecame a supporter of Fremont Captain Galland gave his allegiance to Democracy, but soon after- ward changed and voted the Republican ticket. In his religious faith he is an Epis- copalian. He became a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity at Montrose, filled all of the chairs in the Blue Loerse- verence, honesty and industry, liis three watcli-wnrds, that he has gained a very com- fortable competence.. Mr. Day was born at Sheffield, Lorain county, Ohio, November 27, 1838. a son of John and Cornelia M. (Sackett) Day, both born and reared in Massachusetts. The father went from Sheffield', Berkshire coun- ty, where he was born and reared, when he was fifteen years of age, in 18 16, to Shef- field, Ohio, where he met and married Cor- nelia Sackett, and there they lived and died. John I. Day was their second child to reach maturitw He was given good edu- cational advantages, and was a student in Oberlin College. He remained at home and assisted his father upon the farm until 1859. That year he came west on a visit to Kel- log Day, an uncle, who had been very suc- cessful in his labors in Lee county. Mr. Day was pleased with the country, charmed with its promise, and decided to make it his home. Back in Ohio he had already taught school two winters, and here he con- tinued teaching, engaging as a clerk during the summer in the mercantile establishment of Day & Ingalls. About this time he con- tracted the "Pike's Peak fever," and in the month of October, i860, crossed the plains with a cattle team, starting from Nebraska City, and safely making what was then a very dangerous journey. He remained in Colorado some four years, and then spent six years in Montana, after which he was ready to return to Denmark township, and resume the peaceful and uneventful life of the Iowa ailtivator of the soil. While in the West he did various things to keep busy and earn money. In Colorado he was mostly engaged in mining, but in Montana did farming on (|uite a large scale. Air. Day was married in 1870 to Miss May Elizabeth Brown. She was a daugh- ter of William Brown, and a sketch of her brother, E. H. Brown, appears on another page of this work. Her father was one of the early settlers of this county, and at one time was a considerable landowner, having title to four hundred acres. The different heirs have been bought out 246 ' BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW by Mr. Day until he now owns 250 acres of the old Brown farm. Part of the house in which he lives was the first frame house t(j be put up in Denmark township. All the details of the old farm property have been rearranged by him, the entire place greatly remodeled and improved, and the place is now pronounced one of the most desirable in the township. To ]\Ir. anil Airs. Day have come no children, but they have an adopted daughter on whom they have lavished tender care and affection. She was taken by them when only ten weeks old. and given their name, Lillian A. Day. She was born in North Carolina, and was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peebles. Her mother died when she was but two weeks old. She is now the Avife of Charles Wharton, and is the mother of one daughter, Mildred Day Wharton. Mrs. Day was born and reared in Denmark township, and received her education in Denmark Academy. She taught school for several years, and was married in the house in which her life has since been spent. Mr. Day is a Republican in his political affiliations, and has been trustee of Den- mark township for five years. He has com- pleted one term as justice of the peace, and has proved himself a capable and impartial administrator of the law. He is a member of the Congregational church, and has served that body as trustee and as deacon for many years. Both he and Mrs. Wharton have served as trustees of the Academy, Mr. Wharton also filling the position of treas- urer of that institution, from which both himself and wife were graduated. Mr. Day is engaged in general farming, though he devotes much attention to dairy- ing and the breeding of hogs and cattle for the stock markets. He is a wide-awake and enterprising farmer; and despite the weight of years, is still alert and vigorous. MARTIN MURPHY. Martin Murphy, .who is now living re- tireil, belongs to that class of citizens who win the admiration and respect of all by what the\- have accomplished through in- dividual effort and along honorable lines. Mr. Alurphy is entirely a self-made man and all that he has enjoyed and possessed has been won through well-directed labor, guided by sound l)usiness judgment. He was born in IreL'uul on the lith of Novem- ber, 1838, his birthplace being in Queens county, about thirty-three miles west of Dublin. His father, James ]\lur])hy, died in Ireland in 1855 and three years later his widow with her children came to the United States. She bore the maiden name of Helen Delaney and was born in Ireland, her peo- ple, however, coming at an early day to America and settling in New "^'ork. Those of the family yet living are Maggie, of Monroe county, Iowa ; Julia, now of Cali- fornia ; Kate, also of California, and Bridget, of New York. Patrick Delaney, one of the maternal uncles of our subject, had the con- tract for opening up Johnston street, the first street opened up in Keokuk. William De- laney, an uncle, was killed by the caving in LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 2A7 of an embankment while Blondeau street was being' opened up. It was their sister, Helen, who became the wife of James Mur- phy. She (lied in 1884 after a long- resi- dence in Keokuk. The living members of her family are Patrick Murphy, a resident of this city; Mrs. Maggie Furlong and Mrs. .\nnie Kellev, also of Keokuk, and ^Irs. Man- E. Donnelly, of Chicago. Tn his native country Martin Murphy ac- quired his education by attending the public schools. He afterward worked at a brick yard for eight years, for it was necessary that he start out in life on his own account when still quite young. He was twenty years of age when, on the nth of June, 1858, he embarked on a sailing vessel, the "Da\-id Clinton," for New York, reaching that harbor after thirty-one days spent upon the .\tlantic. He then proceeded westward by train to Keokuk and the same year began teaming for wholesale stores, continuing in that business until 1901. He at first had but one team, but later used four teams in the conduct of his business. He worked for Samuel A. Kerry for forty-four years, for A. \\'e1)er for thirty years, for J. F. Dough- erty, forty-six years for the City Milling Company and the Warsaw Milling Com- pany. In 1901 he traded his business to a Hamilton, Illinois, nian for a farm in Clark coiuity, ^lissouri, covering one hundrctl and twenty acres of improved land which he now rents. As the years passed by and his financial resources increased he made some investment in realty and in 1862 he built the home at No. 302 South Fourtli street, which he has since occupied. He now owns two double houses and one single house in Keokuk. In 1868 Mr. Murphy was married in Keokuk to Miss Jane Nelson, who was born in Couny Clare, Ireland, and in her girl- h(K)d days came to this city. They have three children : \\'illiam, who is now en- gaged in merchandising in Chicago; James, a bookkeeper of Keokuk ; and Anna, a suc- cessful teacher, who has been employed in connection with educational work in vari- ous schools in Lee county. Mr. Murphy is a member of St. Peter's Catholic church and I)clongs to the Catholic Mutual Protec- tive Society. His political support is given tb.e Democracy, for on becoming a natural- ized citizen he concluded that the platform of that party contained the best elements of good government. He has never yet had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in the new world, for he found the business opportunities which he sought and has gradually progressed toward the goal of success. He has also raised a good fam- ily, (if which he has every reason to be proud. In the evening of life he is now liv- ing retired, enjoying a well-earned rest, the income from his property being sufficient to supply him with all of the necessities and manv of the luxuries of life. THOMAS J. CASE. Those who are coming on the stage of action, and laying bold of llio implements of industrv and the weapons of power that the ])assing generation is laying down, should al- ways think tenderly of them. The pioneers 24^ BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW in the settlement of a community are en- titled to peculiar re\erence. as they have made possible comfort and ease by their sac- rifice and hard labor. Because the men of the "forties and 'fifties dared such large and nol)le enterprises, striking out into the prai- ries, and cutting loose from the great centers of trade and indu.stry. that new centers might arise and new states be made, do we ha\e the great West today in all its mag- nificent splendor. The men who settled southeastern Iowa were cast in a heroic mould, and should be long and gratefully remembered by those who come after and occupy seals of ease where they toiled and endured greatly, .\mong the few remaining of the old and sturdy pioneers is the man whose name introduces this article. Thomas J. Case, who is now a resident of Vincennes, Des Moines township, Lee county, is a son of Horatio and ]\Iary (Thomas) Case. He was born in Augusta, Kentucky, July 4. 1827. His father was born in Virginia, and was an early settler in Kentucky, where he followed the car- penter trade v.hen he was not engaged in farming. He lived to be seventy-eight years of age, and finally passed to his rest in the village of Vincennes. The Thomas family lived near .Augusta. Kentucky, and there the mother of Thomas J. Case was born and married. To Horatio Case and wife were born the following children : George \\'., James AI.. \\'alter, who died a youth; Lu- cinda, who innrried Klisha Harris, and later Daniel Comstock : Matilda, the wife of James Decker, died in Indiana; Thomas J., whose name introduces this article, and Augustus D.. now a resident of Seymour, Iowa. Horatio Case, in company with his son, .Augustus, and his son-in-law, Daniel Com- stock, £ame to Iowa, and effected a settle- ment in Des Moines township, in 1853. Three years Inter the subject of this sketch, and his wife came to what was then more a land of promise than of reality. Mrs. Hor- atio Case died in 1873, at about the age of seventy-three. The year that his father came to Iowa. James Madison Case went to California. George W. died in Indiana. Thomas J. Case married Mary J. Mc- Bride. in Dearborn county. Indiana, Xo\em- ber 24. 11X50. She was born August 6, 1833, and was a daughter of Robert and Sarah (I-"uller) McBride. Her father was born in Dearborn county. Indiana, and was a son of Hugh McBride. Sarah Fuller Mc- Bride was also a native of Dearborn county. They had but one child, and after his death she married John I'oster, to whom she l)ore five children. This was while they lived in Indiana. They came to Iowa in 1856. George Foster, Mrs. Case's steplirother, served in an Illinois regiment during the Civil War. and died of sickness. Lewis Foster, a half-brother, was also a soldier in the I'nion army. Samuel Fuller, a brother of Mrs. Case's mother, served in the Mex- ican War. Lewis Harrison, an uncle of Mrs. T. J. Case's mother, is said to have served in the War of 1812. Mrs. Foster lived to l)e about seventy years of age. and passed to her rest some twenty-eight years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Case were born nine children, of whom four lived to reach ma- turitv : Augustus, who married Amanda Best, is a resident of California; Sarah F., LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 249 tlie wife of W. \\\ Newberry, of whom a sketch may be found in another place in this wori< : L.ewis, wlio married Belle Best, and is a farmer in California; Ann Frances died when seven years old; Thomas Elmer married ]\Iinnie Robertson, and lives in Des Moines townshiii. Mrs. Case is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and very highh- regarded liy all who know hcr best. ]\lr. Case took sides with the Democratic party in all matters relating to general and national topics, but in local cjuestions has felt that the fitness of the candidate for the position was the determining issue. He has led a long and useful life, and now in his advanced years is much revered in the communitv where he lives. ABRAHAM B. NEWBERRY. Abraham B. Newberry, now deceased, was a son of James A. and Mary (Smith) Newberry. anle lessons of industry, working as a farmer and gardener initil about his fifteenth or sixteenth year, when he took employment in a sawmill at Mont- rose, ami (luring a jieriod of eleven years discharged successfully all the duties of the establishment except those of engineer. At the end of this time he spent three years in Keokuk with the firm of Taber & Com- pany, and later was with S. & J. C. At- lee, of Fort Madison, for two years, win- ning b_v careful work and faithful attention to duty the good will and confidence of his employers, and establishing for himself a reputation as a young man of unusual abil- ity, enterprise and energy, thus laying the foundation for his future career. On returning to Montrose Mr. Vanos- doll went into the meat business, which he followed for sixteen years, and the magni- tude of the success he achieved in that ven- ture is shown by the fact that at the expira- tion of this period he was able to abandon the enterprise whicli he had Iniilt up and enter upon a new business that has proved to be i)rofital)le in a still more gratifying mea.sure: for in 1903 he established a gro- cery and men's furnishing store, to which he has since added a bakery department, and the new store is already recognized as the leading institution of the kind in this section of Lee countv. Extensive and thoroughlv BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW modern stocks are carried, the appointments are of tlie latest and most approved style and quality, and the work of the various departments is systematized to an extent that commands unqualified admiration, while a rapidly and steady growing popu- larity attests the confidence of the general public. On February 8, 1886, Mr. \^'mosdoll was united in marriage with Miss Adele Le Matty, a native of La Harpe, Illinois, she being of French parentage and daughter of Joseph Le Matty, who as a partial invalid is retired from active life, and resides at Xauvoo, Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Van- osdoll have been born five children, these being Verda ; Kenneth ; Wanda, now de- ceased; and two which died in infancy. As a member of the Republican party and a man of great public spirit Mr. Vanos- doll has played a very important part in the civic life of Montrose, having at one time held the office of Mayor, in which his ad- ministration was notable in local annals, and for a period of eighteen or twenty years acted as Recorder, while he is at the pres- ent time the municipal Treasurer, and was also once elected Justice of the Peace, al- though he did not accept the office. In a fraternal way he is widely known, being a member and Past Noble Grand of Cascade Lodge, No. 66, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having, in fact, held all the offices of the lodge and acted as treasurer for a period of more than eight years, while he is also secretary and treasurer of Montrose branch of Falls City Council, No. 166, Mu- tual Protective League, in both of which orders he lias been a constant and faithful worker. In addition, he is a member of the local organization of Daughters of Rebekah, in which Mrs. Vanosdoll also holds mem- bershi]), and she has frequently been elected to the office of secretary and is now Noble Grand. Mr. Vanosdoll is closely identified with the substantial interests of Montrose, owning the buildings in which his stores are located and a pleasant home that is the center of a refined social circle, and he en- joys the respect of the comrnunity in which his career is passing because of the strict in- tegrity which is observed in all his business and personal, relations. WINFIELD WEST NEWBERRY. W'iufield West Newberry is one of the younger representatives of a notable family in Lee county, and worthily sustains an honored name. While engaged in farming and always a hard worker, he is a well-in- formed citizen, and keeps abreast of the doings of the \vorld. Agriculture is to him not a narrowing but a broadening occupa- tion, and its opportunities for thought and reflection, its close contact with the order of nature, and its deep insight into the play of eternal forces, makes for a large and lasting culture. Mr. Newberry was born in Des Moines township, Lee county, Iowa, February 29, 1856, a son of James W. and Edith (Bene- dict) Newberry, of whom a biographical sketch appears on another page of this work. LEE COUNTY, 10 IV A. ^S3 lie was given a coninion-sclincil etlucation, aiul became an intelligent and thonghtful man. He remained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage, and assisted his father in the management and work of tiie family homestead. After he married he established his home on an eighty-acre farm, to the south of the southeast quarter of sec- tion 8, and here he has lived and labored until now he is known as a successful culti- vator of the soil, and the owner of 147 acres of the choicest land. To this he has given close and constant attention with the excep- tion of about a year in 1883 and 1884, which he spent in Sutter county, California. Mr. Newberry was married February- 7, 1877, to Miss Sarah E. Case, a native of Indiana, where she was born February 23, 1855. Her jjarents, Thomas J. and Mary J. (McBride) Case, were among the pioneers of Lee county, making their arrival here as early as 1857. The}- were honorable and upright people, and stood very high among the early settlers. An interesting sketch of their career appears on another page of this work, and shows that their character, gen- eral intelligence and industr)% united with integrity and pul)lic spirit were mighty fac- tors in their pronounced success. To Mr. and Mrs. Xewberrv was horn one child, Ida May, the wife of Dr. Am- brose W. Teel, a noted physician, of Ka- hoka, Missouri. Their wedding occurred May 18, 1899, and has i)ro\e(l in every way a fortunate one. ^^r. Xewberry is a Republican in his po- litical views, and has been a township tnis- tee for fifteen years altogether. For two years he served as justice of the peace. He is much interested in educational matters, and for man\- years has been school director. Mr. Newberry is awake to all public af- fairs, and anything that looks to the public good can always depend on him as an ac- tive supporter. He and his bright and charming wife have always drawn around llieni warm-hearted friends, ami they are greatly attached to their friends and neigh- bors in turn. JOHN S. FERGUSON. That the life of John S. Ferguson, of Keokuk, illustrates a high and noble ideal of American manhood is due in part to a rig-id discipline in the school of experi- ence and honest labor during his earlv vears, as well as to those personal characteristics which are peculiarly his own. Mr. Fergu- son was born on October 15, 1830, in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and at the early age of sixteen years became assistant to his father, who was George Ferguson, working with him at his trade of blacksmithing. Cicorge Ferguson early removed to Indiana, taking up his residence at the town of St. Omar, and later, when the subject of this sketch was eighteen years of age, again fol- lowed the star of empire westward. This time he ])urchased a farm of 160 acres at West Liberty. Muscatine county, Iowa, and here he did his work and lived his life and passed to the life beyond. The voung man was his father's co-la- 254 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW borer until three years after attaining his ma- jority, at which time he married Miss Jeru- sha H. Odell, daughter of Thomas Odell. a farmer and Christian minister of Odell's Ferr\', in the same vicinity. To them were born four sons and one daughter, as follows : George, who lives in the city of Keokuk and is the father of a family of three children : Elmer J., who has his residence at Gales- burg, Illinois; Thomas D., also of Gales- burg, and who for a full quarter of a cen- tur_\' has filled the position of conductor on the-Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad ; Clara, who with her six sons and daughters, lives with her father at his pleasant home in Keokuk ; and Charles Henrs*. who is em- ployed in Burlington, this state, where he and his wife have their residence. At the beginning of the great Civil War Mr. Ferguson was living quietly on his farm of i6o acres in Marshall county, Iowa, which he had entered as a "homestead" five years before; but at the first call of his country for defenders he relinquished the care of his own business afifairs, and offered himself as a recruiting officer to assist in. sending men to the front. He was accepted, and during several months which he devoted to this service his influence and standing in the community were instrumental in raising a large number of troops. Then, in August, 1862, he himself joined the active forces, enlisting in Company F, of the Twenty- eighth Iowa Infantry. Three months after enlistment he was promoted to the office of first or orderly sergeant, which position he held until just before his discharge, when, in recognition of his distinguished and mer- itorious service, he was honored with a brevet colonelcy. With his company Pri- vate Ferguson went into camp at Iowa City, and later at Davenport, Iowa. Thence -he was sent to Helena, Arkansas, and there first saw active service in battle. He arrived at \'icksburg, Mississippi, at the beginning of the siege, and was engaged there until the surrender of the city to General Ulysses S. Grant. Proceeding immediately to New Or- leans. Louisiana, the regiment lost heavily in the battle of Lake Ponchartrain. Our subject was a member of the Red River expedition which, starting in March, 1864, fought its way over bitterly contested ground as far as Pleasant Hill, where a fierce en- gagement took place, as also one at Nat- chitoches. At Sabine Cross Roads he sus- tained the loss of his right arm. liesides thir- teen other wounds, and was, in consequence, taken prisoner by the enemy. He was held as a prisoner of war at Mansfield. Louisiani. utterly without medical assistance m- care of any kind, suffering from hunger, and had for a bed only the bare floor of his prison. From the hardships of this terri- ble time his health has never fully recovered. When captured he was a fine specimen of physical manhood, his weight being 200 pounds ; when released he weighed but 104 1-2 pounds. At the end of the war Mr. Ferguson was transferred to St. Louis, Missouri, and thence to Keokuk. Iowa, Immediately upon his honorable discharge from military duty. although still sufYering from the effects of wounds and pri\'ntions, he went to Farming- ton, Iowa, and entered the Methodist Epis- copal itineracy as a minister of the gospel. In this work he continued as long as his LEE COUNTY, 10 IV A. -00 health would permit, which was a period of fourteen years. For three or four years thereafter he followed mercantile pursuits, keeping a store at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Receiving the appointment as superintend- ent of x\shland National Cemetery at Jef- ferson City. Missouri, he held that posi- tion for six years, and was then transferred CO a similar post at Keokuk, where he has since inade his home. .\t present he is en- gaged in the real estate business, owning besides his own home considerable property m the city of Keokuk. In addition to nis ntliLT duties he acts as notary pulilic and pension attorne}'. Mr. Ferguson is the present chaplain of the National Association of Prisoners of War, president of Missouri Prisoners of ^^"ar, and chaplain of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Iowa. He is a member and Past Commander of Belknap Post, Grand Army of the Republic, has passed through the chairs of the American Benevolent Association, being now its c\vA\y- lain ; has passed through the chairs of the local lodge of Independent Order of Odtl Fellows, and holds membership in the Dis- trict Camp and State Canton of the latter order. In politics Mr. Ferguson has been a Re- publican ever since the organization of that party, having cast his first vote for John C. Fremont for President. He has never cared for public office, but his popularity caused him to be elected sheriff of Musca- tine county, Iowa, at the age of twenty- five years, and later he was elected justice of the peace in IMarshall county. John S. Ferguson is an excellent example of a -self-made man. His formal education was merely that of the public schools, and his advantages have been few; but an ever pres- sent readiness to follow the call of duty has led him upward along high paths of honor, and his reward is the respect and profound regard of his fellowmen. NOBLE BLACKINTON. Noble Blackinton, in whose life record there is much that is worthy of emulation and whose memory is dear to the hearts of a large circle of friends who knew and hon- ored him during his active life, was one of the noble figures in the history and de- velopment of this section of Iowa, being known throughout Lee county and south- eastern Iowa as one who was singularly de- voted to all that might conduce to the moral and spiritual advancement of mankind, as well as being always among the first to aid any worthy movement for the material up- building of the community in which he made his home. He was born May 24, 1801, at Attleboro, Massachusetts, of old New Eng- land stock, one of a large family of brothers and sisters, and, fortunately, was reared to economy and toil, always two prominent conditions of health and longevity, as ordi- narily they are also of virtue and usefulness in life, and indeed, the family was charac- terized by sobriety, strict temperance and frugality, qualities which especially marked the career of our subject, and was remark- 256 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW able for longevity, his father laying aside earthly existence wlien eiglity-four years of age, and one brother, who was a wealthy woolen manufacturer at the village of Black- inton, Massachusetts, attaining to the ripe age of eighty-eight years. Mr. Blackinton in early childhood re- moved with his parents to North Adams, Massachusetts, where he received his educa- tion, and there he acquired, in addition to a knowledge of farm work, considerable skill in the trades of brickmaking, tanning and coopering, while the necessity of mak- ing his own way in the world was at the same time developing in him the qualities of perseverance, self-reliance and soimd. dis- criminating business judgment. Later, .he began to look about him for some more remunerative field of endeavor, some place of more abundant opportunity and wider scope for iiis individual effort, and very na- turally making his choice in favor of the great West, he removed, when only twenty- four years of age, to Ashtabula, Ohio, and thence to Ouincy, Illinois, at whicli latter place he was united in marriage to his first wife, and with her again removed in 1840. taking up his permanent residence in Den- mark, Lee county, Iowa, where was passed the greater part of his long, useful and hon- orable life. Thus he became one of the very early pioneers of this great state, which was at that time only a territor}- and had a population of but about 30,000. Neither Illinois nor Iowa had then a mile of rail- road, most of the 55,000 square miles of what is now the state of Iowa was then a vast area of scarcely broken waste, Keokuk had not a half dozen cabins, Fort Madison liad only a single brick building, Burlington, though the territorial capital and the largest town in the territory, was but a small vil- lage, and Denmark had no church or acad- emy, but simply a plain school house, which was the only public building. ]\Ir. Blackinton was twice married, and his first wife, who was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, died in Denmark in 1850, the mother of six children, of whom only two survived him, these being ^^'illiam N. Blackinton, of Denmark, and Mrs. Harriet Copp. of Nebraska. The latter died Decem- ber 5. 1887. In 1866 he wedded Mrs. Anna Gooch. of New York, with whom he had become acqtiainted during her residence in Denmark at a previous period, and she still survives him. His was a deep religious nature, and having become a member of the Baptist church when only eighteen years of age, he maintained the connection throughout life, being one of the seven orig- inal members of the first Baptist church or- ganized in Denmark, in the year 1848, and contributing liberally to the building of the first churcli edifice erected in the city, as he did also for the present home of the con- gregation to which he belonged. He also took a prominent part in sean-ing a parson- age for the church, always gave lavish finan- cial support to missionary work, and in 1852 when the first steps were taken in Iowa for the establishment of an institution of learning of higher grade, to be under the control of the Baptists of the state, and the preparatory school was opened in Burling- ton, he was made one of the board of trustees in control of the school and its property, an ofiice to which he was re-elected from time LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 257 to time for the remainder of liis life — a pe- riod of tliirty-four years. His contributions to the support of the institution were fre- quent and generous, and his place was sel- dom vacant at a regular or special meeting of the board, where his counsel, advice and encouragement were highly valued, both for their intrinsic merit and for the value which attached to his words as the utter- ances of a strong and cheerful nature. Thus he was faithful to even' duty while life last- ed. His death occurred at 10 p. m., on Thursday, September 15, 1887, and thus passed away a valued member of the com- munity, one the story of whose life was a priceless bequest to his descendants and whose influence still remains potent for good. WILLIAM N. BLACKINTON. One of the most popular and widely known men in commercial, financial and ptditical circles of Lee county, is William X. Blackinton. of Denmark, who conducts a hanking and general mercantile business and for the last five years has occupied the office of postmaster at that place. Mr. Blackinton was born .February 22, 1838, at Payson, Illinois, and is the son of Noble Blackinton, a sketch of whose career ap- pears on another page of this volume. Com- ing to Denmark with his parents in 1840, he received an excellent education in the Denmark Academy, and in 1856 removed to Hancock county, Illinois, where he assumed charge of his father's farm at the early age of eighteen years, thus giving promise of that independent and enterprising spirit which has characterized his later life. To this work he devoted ten years, with grati- fying success, and during that period he married Miss Roberts, of Plancock county, who died two years after her marriage, leav- ing one child, which died in infancy. His business career in Denmark dates from 1866, at which time he returned to this place and engaged in a mercantile en- terprise in company with George Epps, un- der tile firm name of Epps & Blackinton, they conducting a general store for two and a half years, at the expiration of which period Mr. Blackinton sold his interest in the business. In 1870 he again became engaged in the business in partnership with Dr. A. Holland, the firm being known as Blackin- ton & Holland, and this connection was continued until 1884, when Dr. Holland dis- posed of his interest to Peter Sheric, and after seven years during which the firm bore the style of Blackinton & Company, Mr. Blackinton purchased Mr. Sheric's holdings in 189 1. Since that date he has been the sole proprietor, and by his ability, tact, close attention to detail and well-known character of honesty, integrity and strict justice in all his dealings has succeeded in seairing a very large and profitable patronage. The stock is a general one and among the larg- est and most complete in the county of its kind, and here Mr. Blackinton also con- ducts a small banking business for the ben- efit of his patrons and friends, an institu- tion which has proved of great convenience to residents of the surrounding territory. 258 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Air. Blackinton's willingness to assist all worthy enterprises is evidenced by the fact that when the Lee County Savings Bank was organized he became one of the origi- nal stockholders and directors and is one of its largest depositors and that his counsel and advice have been strongly instrumental in raising the bank to its present high posi- tion among the leading financial institutions of southern Iowa, a credit to its founders and a monument to the ability, care and far-seeing sagacity of those who have made it what it is today. In 1867 Mr. Blankinton wedded Miss Anna Hughes, born in Bumbury, Cheshire, England, in 1841, and they have one son, Fred L. Blackinton. who received his pre- liminary education at Denmark Academy, and later was graduated from Grinnell, after which he was for six years connected with the First National Bank of Chicago. De- ciding, however, to adopt the profession of law, he entered Harvard University, and in two years completed the full course in the study of law — an achievement which must be considered truly remarkable. Mr. and Mrs. Blackinton occupy a commodious and luxuriously furnished home adjoining the store, all the appointments being of the most modern type and including an up-to- date system of plumbing, with hot and cold water and artistically exeaited open fire- places in many of the apartments. Mrs. Blackinton is a pleasant lady of genuine cul- ture, and in social circles has always been higlil\- esteemed. She is a member of the Congregational church. .Although never an aspirant for polit- ical honors, Mr. Blackinton early recognized the duty of even,- good citizen to interest himself in affairs of government, and be- came allied with the Republican party, in whose ]3rinciples he has always been a be- liever, and by the force of his example, his great influence in the community and by his counsel and faithful work in a private capacity has been of material assistance to his party in this section. In all walks of life he has been a positive force for good. Starting in a small way and working upward to greater things by his own strength of character, he has achieved a success which should be an inspiration to all younger men and to future generations. He is widely known throughout this portion of Iowa, en- joys the intimate friendship of many lead- ing people of this and surrounding coun- ties and is respected wherever known for his ability and the inflexible integrity not- al)le virtues of his character. REV. JOHN BURGESS. The world passed favorable judgment upon the life of Kev. John Burgess, for there were many elements in his character which commanded for him universal confidence and esteem. The place which he occupied in the regard of those with whom he came in contact was a tribute to that genuine worth and true nobleness of character which are every\vhere recognized and honored. He accepted life as one long course of spir- itual warfare, and to him was vouchsafed a LEE COUNTY. IOWA. ^59 great \ictury over the forces of evil because of liis conscientious use of great natural gifts and because of his infinite, unfaltering- trust in a Higher Power. John Burgess was born at Xew Market, Frederick countv, Maryland, May 2. tSji, the son of William Pitt and Lydia (Griffith ) Burgess. About the year 1826 the family removed to Mount \'ern(«i, Knox county, Ohio. There the father conducted a general store, and at that place his death occurred. After beginning his etlucation in Mount Vernon Rev. Burgess attended Kenyon Col- lege for a time, and later completed his formal schooling in Norwalk Seminary. He was naturally of a somewhat thoughtful turn of mind, ha\-ing a de\-(_nit natin-e, and at Xorwalk he was converted to the religious life. Being strongly impressed by the idea th.'.t his field of labor lay in the Christian ministry, he joined the North Ohio confer- ence of the Methodist Episcopal church, re- ceiving the rites of ordination at the hands of that body. In 1847 he married ^liss Sarah Elizabeth Gray, daughter of John and Mary (Ponder) Gray, who was born in Milton, Delaware, July 8, 1826. Mrs. Bur- gess removed with her parents from her na- tive state to Marion county, Ohio, about the year 1842. There her father followed his trade, which was that of blacksmitliing, and he also purchased land on the present site of Upper Sandusky, after that section was vacated l)y the Indians. Mr. and Mrs. Gray lioth removed to Keokuk in their latter years, and here was the scene ■ of their passing to the life beyond. The first pastoral charge held by Rev. Burgess after his marriage to Miss Gray, in 16 1847, was that of the Pulaski ' and Bean Creek mission, in W'illirnns coniUx'. The ne.\t year he was assigned to the W'aterville circuit, and following that, the Orange cir- cuit. He was then located at Lexington for a time, and at various other places in Ohio. Transferred to the lllini>is confer- ence, he held successively the charges of Grand View, Virden, Chatham and Chili. During his second year in Illinois he was ap- pointed agent for the Jacksonville b'emale Seminary to sell scholarships and collect for the college. He procured a second transfer, this time to the Iowa conference, and was first sent to Springville, near the Missouri line. The following year he was stationed at Bloomfield, and the third year at Fair- field Station, and the next year had charge of the circuit at Brighton. At the beginning of the Civil War he enlisted for the service of his countiw and his faith, as cha])- lain of the Thirtieth Iowa \'o]unteer Infantry. He went to the front with his regiment, and remained until his health failed, when he applied in person to Gen. L'lysses S. Grant for a furlough. The gen- eral, however, on seeing the low state of his physical condition, gave him an honorable discharge instead. Arriving at home in Feb- ruary of 1863, and attending conference, he was i)laced in charge of Brookville circuit. After a year at that place he came to Keokuk and for three years acted as pastor of the Exchange Street church, then the oldest church of the denomination in the city. He was then made presiding elder of Albia dis- trict, l)Ut preferring pastoral work, he re- signed after a time, and spent a year at Pella. Following that he was made pastor 26o BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW of Montrose and was appointed chaplain of the State Penitentiarj'. Rev. Burgess's health was not of the best at that time, and for that reason and be- cause oppressed by the weight of years, he ass'.imed superannuated relations, and re- tireil from the regular service of the church. He continued to preach occasionally, how- ever, until the close of his long and useful life. He removed to Keokuk, purchasing property at the corner of Twelfth and Des Moines streets, where his widow still re- sides. In this city he pursued a course of study in the College of Physicians and Sur- geons, taking an honorary degree, but did not have in view the practice of medicine. He also organized and for some time was pastor of the Free For All, an independent chiuxh attended only by men, and by this means was able to present the truth to manv who. feeling themselves debarred by their style of dress, were not accustomed to attend divine worship. Services were held in the United States court rooms. He won the love of his congregation, and as a token of their esteem he was presented by them with a large and elegantly bound copy of the Holy Bible. Dtu-ing his later years Rev. Burgess at- tained recognition as an author and literary man of prominence. He was the author of two books, published by the IMethodist Book Concern, of Cincinnati. The first was a book of sermons, and enjoyed an extensive sale. His more recent and larger work was entitled. "Pleasant Recollections with Old Scenes and ]\lerry Times of Long, Long Ago." and is a i2mo. of 460 pages. This volume, embodying, as it did, the ripe reflec- tions of a lifetime of earnest thought and wide experience, was verj' well received, its sale being remarkably large. Two sons and two daughters of Rev. Burgess survive their father. They are; William Crawford, who married Miss Anna Haines, and has two children. Edith and Ethel; Anna, wife of John Cale; Mary L., wife of John W. Harmon, has three chil- dren, Charles. Myrtle and Ralph ; John Arthur, who married Miss Hattie Crowell, ■ of Keokuk. Rev. Burgess was an active member of the i\Iasonic Order and of the Grand Army of the Republic. His lamented death oc- curred May 6, 1897. For more than fifty years he labored faithfully as a minister of the gospel, and his social, kindly nature en- deared him to hosts of friends. Though he has passed away, yet his memory is cher- ished by those with whom he came in con- tact. He left his impress for good upon all who knew his high Christian character. His career was one long benediction, and the laright example of his life shall be an inspi- ration to lead the coming generations to higher things. The world is better because he lived. Mrs. Burgess is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church., and is an in- telligent and pleasant lady of unusual ability. NICHOLAS McKENZIE. Nicholas McKenzie.» who is serving as lockmaster of the lower lock at Keokuk, was born in Brooklyn, New York, October LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 261 18, 1840, a son of William H. and Rosanna (Riley) McKenzie, botii of whom were natives of Ireland. The father was a stone- mason by trade. lie came to the United States in his boyhood days, but afterward returned to Ireland, where lie married, and then lirought his liride to the new world. settling in Brooklyn. Later removing" to the W'est, he established his liome in St. Louis, Missouri, and was there engaged in the construction of the first gas works of that city, following his trade of a stone and l^rickmason for some time; He afterward joined the Regular Army and was stationed at Jefferson Barracks prior to the Mexican War, in which he did effective service. A'hile he was at the front his family made their home at Jalapa, Mexico, and in the City of Me.xico. .\fter the war he went to New Orleans, and thence up the river to Keokuk, arriving in this city on the 3d of August, 1848, but he died three years later, passing away on the 6th of .Vugust. He left three children to the care of the mother, who long surxived him and died on a farm, the home of her (laughter, Ann, in Lee county, on the 13th of August, 1897. Nicholas McKenzie was the eldest of three children, his sister and brother being .\nn and William McKenzie. He was but eight years of age at the time of his father's death. He attended school in Keokuk, being a student under General Torrence, of Civil War fame. At an early age he had to work and help su])port the family, being the main- stay of the household after his father's death. He was apprenticed to George Engel- hart to learn the blacksmith's trade, but did not complete his term. He worked in a blacksmith's shop as striker or helper, then entered the government service in 1857 on a chisel boat and dredge on the river, being thus employed for about five years. On the 27lh of May, 1861, :\Ir. Mc- Kenzie enlisted as a member of Company A, Second Iowa Infantry, under command of Capt. R. H. Huston and Colonel Curtis. The regiment was attached to the Sixteenth .\rmy Corps and he served for three years as a private, and afterward became corporal. He aided in the capture of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, siege of Corinth and several eng ige- mertts with the troops under General For- rest. He did much scouting and skirmish- ing, and was mustered out at Louisville with his regiment, receiving an honorable dis- charge at Nashville. He did his full duty as a soldier and \-alinntly defended the stars and stripes wherever duty called him. \Mien the war was over Mr. McKenzie caine to Keokuk, and three days later began as a brakeman on the Keokuk & Fort- Ma(;li- son Railroad, but after being employed in that \\ay for three days he gave up his posi- tion on account of Sunday work, as he wished to hold that day sacred from secular labor. He then secured a position in the Rock Island shops, and was employed at his trade for about si.x years altogether. He then turned his attention to the grocery business and was proprietor of a store for alxiut four years as a partner of his lirother, William. who is now in .'>t. Louis, Missouri. In 1876 he was made turnkey at a police station, and the following year began working for the government as a lock hand on the middle 262 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW lock. He cime to the lower lock in 1898, and was made lockmaster in 1904, which posi- tion he is now filling. In October. i8r)4. Mr. McKenzie was married in the old St. Peters church, by Father DeCailly, to Miss Grace McCaffrey, a native of [reland, who was brought to the United States in her early girlhood by her parents, Hugh and Bridget McCaffrey, also natives of the Emerald Isle. Her father was a stonemason and built many house foundations and buildings. He afterward remo\ed to a farm in Minnesota, about 1S57, and he aiifl his wife spent their re- maining days there. They were members of the Catholic church. Mrs. McKenzie has three sisters, Mrs. Kate Swift, of Valley Junction. Iowa; Mrs. Ann McGinty, of Min- nesota, and Mrs. Eva Rouse, of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Unto Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie ha\'e been born eight children : Hugh, who is a butler on the government steamer "Lucia," and makes his home in Keokuk, married Kate Burk and they ha\e two children, Lewis and Margaret; Rose is the wife of Howard Conable, a clothier, of Keokuk, and they have one child, Madaline; Frank, who is superintendent of the shipping de- partment with a Kansas City millinery firm, married Ellen Downey, and thev have two chilflren, IMarie and Grace; John, a cigar- maker, married INIary Roe and resides in Keokuk; Nicholas, a 1>artender, of the city, wedded ^lary Trofter, and they have one child, Mary Louise. Will is employed in the office of the Iowa State Insurance Com- pany. Joseph is connected with the millinery firm, of Kansas City. The family home is at Xo. 206 North Seventh street, and in addition to this propert\' Mr. Mc- Kenzie owns a place on Palean street, which he rents. He belongs to St. Francis Cath- olic church, and holds membership relations with the Catholic Knights and with the Grand Army of the Re]iublic, maintaining- through the latter connection pleasant re- lations with his old army comrades, with whom he marched to the defense of the Union, following the stars and stripes upon hotlv contested battlefields. REV. MELVIN SCOTT ACKLES. The consecrated energy and persistency of high puri)ose exhibited in the activities of Rev. M. S. Ackles indicate for him. al- thoug'h he is as yet a young man. a probable career of success, usefidness and h(inor. Melvin Scott Ackles was liorn at .\rbela. Missouri, November 14, 1874. While the .■\ckles family came west from Pennsyl- vania, Mr. Ackles takes pride in the pos- session of a potent strain of Scotch charac- teristics inherited from his paternal grand- mother, who was born on a Mississippi river boat during the journey of her parents from Scotland. George Scott Ackles, the father, was born near St. Louis, and owned property that is now very valuable as constituting part of the city. He at one time was the proi)rietor of a large wood yard at that place, also a fine farm, being very well provided LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 263 with worldly goods. In 1865 he disposed of his various properties in the vicinity of St. Louis, and remn\-ed to Hamihon, Illi- nois, where he had a horse-])ower sawmill and conducted a hotel near the levee, being very successful from a financial viewpoint. He afterward made some investments in which he lost a fortune. He is now retired from active participation in affairs, and has his residence at Warsaw, Illinois. The date of his birth is February 6. 18 17. The mother of our subject is 'Hannah Elizalieth ( Xorth- craft ) .\ckles, and hers is an old Missouri family, large slaveholders in ante-bellum days. .\ matter of interest is the fact that there recenth' died in Keokuk a former slave of the family. .\unt Rose Washington, at an age approximating a century. Mr. Ackles began his education in the public school of Warsaw known as "the seminary," and was later a ]irivate student of theology for six years under the guidance of Revs. H. J. Frothingham and C. M. Tay- lor, pastors of the Warsaw Presbyterian church. At the age of eighteen he relin- quished his studies, and took emiiloyment with the Roesler Stove Polish Company, and also spent two years with the Warsaw Pickle Company, supporting the family by his labor. During the four succeeding years he was engaged in retail grocery and cloth- ing business at Warsaw, and at the end of that period came to Keokuk as agent for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. In recognition (it abilitv he was ]iromoted. October 28. 1901. after a short Init emi- nently successful connection with the busi- ness, to the position of Assistant Superin- tendent, which he still occupies. In this ca- pacity he is charged with the local affairs of the company throughout an extensive dis- trict, and during his incumbency has verv materially increased the imjjcirtance of his office. In pursuance of a long-cherished ideal Mr. Ackles made an arrangement with the Sugar Creek congregation of the Christian church near Keokuk on Octoljer 17, 1900, to act as their pastor without compensation, as they were so few and he ]iroposed to build up the church as a missionar\- work. At that time no formal organization existed, but si.x months later Rev. Ackles organized the congregation, and for two and a -half years continued the work v\ithout compensa- tion, erecting, during this period, one of the most beautiful — perhaps the most beautiful — church edifice outside the cities and towns in the State of Iowa. Since the com- pletion of the new building one year ago he has received a nominal salary, but has continued his ministrations as he began them — for the love of the work. The society is now large and flourishing, the number of communicants, originally twenty. ha\-ing been trebled. October 3, 1899, Rev. Ackles was united in marriage with Miss Katie Herstcin, daughter of Christian and Barbara (Uhl) Herstcin. and gracing this union is one daughter. Mildred M.. born November 23, 1901, and a son. Harold Scott, born May 20. 1904. Rev. Ackles received his authorization as a minister of the gospel at the hands ot the First Christian Church of Keokuk, the date being September 9. 1901. and the work of his life, were he free to choose, would 264 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW lie in the service of the church. He is a young man of sterling character and un- usual ability, and such a consummation would doubtless result in marked advantage to his denomination and the great cause for which it stands. JOSEPH E. FORDER. Joseph E. Forder. an honored veteran of the Civil War, now engaged in gardening, was born at Ribovelle, Alsace, France, De- cember 4, 1834, l)ut though born across the water there is no more loyal adherent of the stars and stripes among the native-born citi- zens of the United States. His parents were Joseph and Katherine (.Sirrette) Foi"der, also born in Alsace. The paternal graiid father, who also bore the name of Joseph Forder, was a shoe dealer and his son, Joseph, became a shoemaker and shoe- cutter in a government depot where clothing was made for soldiers. In the maternal lines our subject comes of a family that has furnishing many representatives to military life. His grandfather, Francis Sirrette, had four brothers, three of whom were in the Frencli army. The eldest was Francis Sir- rette. who held the rank of major, and was witli Napoleon in Moscow, and up to the battle of Waterloo, in which the great French commander met his first serious de- feat. He was a cuirassier, was six feet and five inches in height and was ninety-two years of age at the time of his death. For a time thereafter our subject and his mother were \vith the widow of Francis Sirrette. August Sirrette, another brother, was in the French army as a lieutenant, and died in the service, while Ma.ximilian was a captain. After loosing her first husband Mrs. Kererine (Sirrette) I'ortler was married, in 1837, to Joseph Brucker, a wine inspector for the government, and coming to America they settled in Burlington, Iowa, in 1857. By her second husband she had four chil- dren, and Ijy iier first marriage there were one son and one daughter : Kate, deceased wife of Blace Ringer, of Burlington, Iowa, and our subject: The children of the second husband were as follows : Alexander, of Grand Island, Nebraska; Louis, of Buffalo county, Nebraska; Joseph and Frank. Joseph Forder attended .the common schools and a military academy in France, intending to become a soldier, but he crossed the Atlantic at the time of his mother's emigration. He learned the butch- er's trade in his native country, and after reaching America began working on a farm in the vicinity of Burlington, Iowa, while later he was employed in the Barrett House, of that city, until he enlisted in the army. He was a member of the state militia for two years before the Civil War, belonging to the Ellsworth Zouaves, and in 1861 he enlisted in the First Iowa Infantry, with which he served for four months as bugler. He participated in the skirmish at Bunker Hill and others, and was mustered out Au- gust 10. 1 86 1, after the expiration of his term of enlistment, re-enlisting the same year in the Twenty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantrv, as bugler of the First Batallion. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 265 He was at Arkansas Post, afterward in the seige of Vicksburg, and in the engagements at Haines Blufif, Champion Hills and other movements of that campaign. The regi- men did much scouting and skirmishing and lost many men in action. After the seige of \'icksl.)urg they camped at Black river bridge and there Mr. Forder became ill with fever, and was discharged and sent home. He next joined the Ninth Cavalry as chief trumpeter and served in Arkansas anfl went with Sherman through the seige of Atlanta, and on the march to the sea ; also through the Carolina campaign, which terminated the war. He received an honor- able discharge in ]\Iarch, 1866, after more than four years of active field service. The military spirit of his ancestors was manifest in his capable discharge of duty, his unques- tioning loyalty and his fearlessness in the midst of grave danger. When the war was over Mr. Forder conducted a meat market in Burlington for many years, and also went on the Burling- ton, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad as pit foreman in the roundhouse, occupying that position for about three years. He also worked in a packing house at Burlington for about two years, and then renx)ving to Keo- kuk, conducetd a meat market for three years. Returning later to Burlington, he there engaged in gardening, and later came again to Keokuk and entered the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road Company as foreman of the coach de- partment, cleaning and inspecting the coaches. In Hamilton, Illinois, he was en- gaged in the meat and ice business, and on the 5th of November, 1898, he came once more to Keokuk, where he is now engaged in gardening. In February, 1862, in Burlington, Mr. Forder was married to Miss Josephine Goodrich, who was born in that city in 1836. a daughter of Philander and Eliza- beth (Ashmore) Goodrich. Five children have been born unto them : Philander and Flora, who died in childhood ; Elizabeth, who passed away in early girlhood; Harry, who married Celia W^eber and resides in Keokuk, and Frank, who married Myrtle Shaw and lives in Chicago. ]\Trs. Forder passed away in 1904. Mr. Forder is a Catholic in religious faith ; a Republican in politics, and frater- nally a member of Belknap Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and the Odd Fellows Lodge, at Hamilton, Illinois. His has been a busy life, and now he is living in com- parative retirement. He owns a house and lot on Ligdon street, in Keokuk. He still has in his possession his sword and bugle, and he nightly Ijlows the retreat, which is to many of his neighbors the signal that the ilay is ended and the hour for repose has come. DR. EDWARD C. FIEDLER. Dr. Edward C. Fiedler, who is engaged in the practice of electro therapeutics and massage, having for twenty-five years been connected with the profession, while for fourteen years he has been located in Keo- kuk, was bom in Germany in 1839 and 266 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW when thirteen years of age was brought to the United States, the family home being es- tablished in Memphis. Tennessee. He there attended school and was afterward a student in the medical college at Memphis, in which he was graduated in the class of 1882. For five years he was in the hospital of the United States army of the Sixteenth Army Corps, being stationed at JeflFerson Barracks in St. Louis for two years and during the remainder of the time in Arkansas. He practiced medicine in .\rkansas during the succeeding three years and then locating in St. Louis he served for eight years as act- ing chief and captain on the police force. He joined the force through the virgent so- licitation of some of his army friends who wanted him to organize a mounted force. He was made captain fif the mounted force and was acting chief for a part of the time. On leaving St. Louis he went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he engaged in practice, giving massage and electric treat- ments. In 1S78 he went to Memphis. Ten- nessee, at the time of the yellow fever epi- demic in order to study the disease. He remained in the hospital there for two years and during that time was induced to enter college. In 1882 he left the hospital and re- turned to Hot Springs. .Arkansas, where he remained until 1890. when lie came to Keokuk and established an office at the so- licitation of some of his former patients in Hot Springs. He is now located at Xo. 411 Blondeau street. He has an X-ray ma- chine and all modern electrical appliances. He has ne\cr believed much in the use of medicines, Init has lalxired for the allevia- tion of human suffering through surgical work and electro therapeutics. At the time of the Civil War Dr. Fied- ler was married and he has two children, a son and daughter, Mrs. E. J. Gable, whose husband is a physician at New Albin. Iowa; and Ciiarles. of Xew York. Dr. Fiedler gives his political allegiance to the Repub- lican party, but has neither time nor inclina- tion for office, prefering to give his undi- vided attention to his practice which is con- stantly growing in volume and importance. HORACE SAWYER. In days of strength and youthful vigor it would be a disgrace for a man to retire from active life and labor. He is full of the zeal and strength that his Maker has given him for great purposes, and it is his to meet all that fate or fortune has for him, with a composed face and an unshaking spirit. K is work, and duty, and responsibility, and "give and take" the blows of adversity, or the favors of fortune. It is different w'hen years have passed, and the hair is white and the back bowed to its burden. Rest is de- ser\ed after toil, and there is a fitness for a man to pause a little while before the Sun- set Gates are opened, and enjoy the fruits of well-spent years. In old age the retired life is fitting and natural, and gives grace and dignity to the years. All this may be saiti of the gentleman with whose name tliis sketch begins. Horace Sawyer, now a retired farmer, whose home is in the village of Denmark, a charming little hamlet of Denmark town- * LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 269 sliij). was Iiorn in Xew Hampshire January llicir arrival in Lee county, and are remem- 14, 1832. a son of Francis, Sr.. and Lydia Iiercd as among ilie must active mcml)ers of (Hil)bard ) Sawyer. The parents were prob- that church. In pohtics lie was first a Whig, ably natives of that state, and there they and later became a Republican. Well along were married. When they came to L>wa in years at the time he became a resident of they drove through from their far eastern Lee county, he was satisfied to make a ivonie home with a team, cox'ering what was tiien for himself and famil\-. and did not become an immense distance in a period of nine prominent, though he was known as an up- weeks. Here they settled in Washington right and honorable man and a good citizen township, near where the village of Sawyer in e\ery w ay. ( The remains of both him- subsequentl}- arose. When the land came .self and his excellent wife rest in the Den- into market Mr. Sawyer entered different mark cemetery.) He was much interested tracts in Washington, Denmark and \\'est in the cause of education, and gave liberally Point townships, until he had secured about to the su])i)ort of the Denmark Academy. 440 acres in all. Here he made his home He died in i860, being at that time seventy- some eight years, and then removed to the eiglit years of age. His widow, who lived village, where he and his good wife spent to the same age, passed to her rest in 1867. the balance of their days. A brother of Francis Sawyer was killed in While ^Ir. Sawyer lived in Xew Hamp- the French and Indian \\'ar. The Sawyer shire he ran a grist mill and a starch factory, family comes of Engli.sh stock. in which he used potatoes as the material Horace Sawyer was but six vears of age for the starch. He was a poor man. how- when he was brought liy his parents into ever, on his arrival in the \\'est, and had to this county, so that practically it may be said borrow money with which to enter bis land, that his entire active life belongs to Lee As time ]jassed be became quite well-to-do, countv. Here be attended district school, if not rich. Largely he was the architect of and for several winters was a student at his own t'ortunes. and made himself what he Denmark .\cademy, living at home under was. the parental roof, and moving with his par- I'rancis Sawyer was the father of a fam- ents into the village of Denmark. When he ily of ten children, as the following names was twcnt\- vears of age he started out for show: Lovina, Lois, Lydia, Francis. Jr.. himself, his father giving him 120 acres in Timothy, Clarissa, Martha, Alfred and Kl- Washington townshi]) for the care of the dridge (twins), and Horace. The two old- parents during their lives, and on which est children died in the Fast: Lydia died he made his home initil the year iX(XJ. in Massachusetts; Clarissa died while visit- Th.at yc;ir he left the farm, and retired to ing in this county. The parents brought the village of Denmark, where he has since seven children with them. made his home. In the meantime he had .Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer associated them- brought the farm to a high state of ef- selves with the Congregational church after ficiency, and made it one of the model places ?7o BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW of tlie township. In Denmark he occupies the same spot Avhere his parents hved, though having a new and modern house. Mr. Sawyer was married in 1863 to Miss Mary- A. Miller, a native of Dutchess county. New York, and a daughter of Henry Miller. Both her parents died when she was young, her father in Wisconsin, and her mother in Chicago. She was married in Jefferson county, Iowa, and though they have had no children they have reared several, and have always had them in the house. At one time Mr. Sawyer had added forty acres to his original farm, but he has sold it, and only retains ten acres in Denmark. He and his wife are members of the Congregational church, and in politics he is a Republican. At different times he has held local and minor offices, and is highly regarded by his neighors, who know him as a man of ex- cellent parts and spirit. The family, of which he is a leading representative, is an old and honored one, gives its name to the pleasant little village of Sawyer, one of the thriving centers of country trade that are so convenient to the neighboring population and so interesting to the tra\eling student of human life and conditions. LEWIS A. BERRYHILL Born at Rochester, Pennsylvania, No- vember 2, 1842, Lewis A. Berryhill came west with his parents and located in Keo- kuk in the spring of 1855, and since that time has been a continuous resident of this cit}', an interested witness of her develop- ment and a loyal supporter of all measm'es calculated to promote her welfare. He is the son of John and Man,- Anne ( Allward) Berryhill. His father was born in Al- legheny county, Pennsylvania, and died in Keokuk. Alarch 14, 18S7. Mrs. Berryhill, mother of our subject, was a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and her death also occurred in Keokuk. They were the parents of eight sons and daugh- ters, as follows: Anna E., wife of William Johnson, of Westmoreland county, Penn- syhania : Lewis A. ; Sarah, widow of Rob- ert Haines, resides in St. Louis ; John H., a plasterer, resides in Keokuk; James Mad- ison, also a plasterer, died in Keokuk in 1888. and William R., of Kansas City, Mis- souri, is foreman of a large plumbing estab- lishment. Our subject received his education in the schools of Keokuk, and as a boy and young man learned his father's trade of caliinetmaking. continuing in that occupa- tion until August 29. 1861. when, imbued wkh a desire to serve his country in her struggle for survival, he enlisted in Com- pany C, of the Third Iowa Cava'lry, in which he was afterward commissioned as first duty sergeant in 1862. At the time of receiving his commission he was the duly private who was able to drill the company. He afterward joined the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth L'nited States In- fantry, in which he was commissioned a lieutenant. His commission bears the sig- nature of President Johnson, and was mus- tered out at Atlanta, Georgia, January i. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 271 1866, at the age of twenty-two, with the rank of captain, having been made captain of colored troops. On his enlistment he first went into camp at Camp Rankin, Keokuk, after two months proceeded to St. Louis. Remain- ing at that place for one month the regi- ment then made a forced march to join Gen- eral Curtis, at Pea Ridge. The first gen- eral campaign in which our subject was a participant was that executed by the Army of the Frontier, and this has become ;i mat- ter of histon-. The second, of lesser im- portance, was an expedition from Helena. Arkansas, to Vicksburg, where he remained until the surrender of that stronghold, known as the Gibraltar of America. The stay at this place, however, was not con- tinuous, as it was interrupted by a minor campaign against the Confederate General Johnson, during which the City of Jackson was captured, and from which the regiment returned on July •4th, the day Vicks- burg fell. Ordered to Memphis, Tennessee, to destroy rolling stock on the Mississippi Central Railroad, Confederate troops were encountered at Granada, where an engage- ment took place. It was at Memphis that Mr. Berryhill had the pleasure of traveling down the Mississippi river for a short dis- tance on the same boat with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Mr. Berryhill was with the .\rmy of the Frontier at Little Rock, Arkansas, when his original term of service expired, and was the first m;m of that arm_\' to re-enlist, leading a party of twenty-nine comrades to an officer's tent for that purpose at two o'clock on a bitter cold winter night. Through this action the entire regiment was led to re-enlist. Thirty days afterward he came home on furlough, but rejoined his regiment at Memphis in time to take part in a vigorous campaign in that region. Across the ri\er from the city two battles were fought, those of the Big Blue and Little Blue Creeks, in which the enemy was routed. Proceeding to St. Louis, fresh mounts were secured, and at Gravel Springs, Tennessee, organization was completed for Wilson's raid on Ander.sonville. The fol- lowing campaign including the battles of Ebenezer Church, whicli was a se\erelv con- tested action. Other battles in which Mr. Berryhill was engaged were Selma, Ala- bama, and Columbus, Georgia. The sever- est in which he was engaged was that of Pea Ridge, where the regiment lost heavily. On July 7, 1862, there was a severe battle at Cotton Plant, in which his regiment took part. Mr. Berryhill was wounded at the Ijattle of Guntown, in 1865. It was not un- til he reached Selma, however, that he suf- fered disabilities which deterred him from continuing in actice service. This occurred May 5, 1865. The I'nion infantry had made an assaidt upon the Confederate posi- tion, but suffered repulse, when Col. John \y. Noble, at the head of a cavalry detach- ment, led a charge and captured t}ie city after fifteen minutes of h.inl fighting. .\mong the captin-ed munitions was a large powder magazine, which he received orders to guard personally, and to fire it and re- treat in case Rebel reinforcements were sighted. While he was on guard, however, the magazine was fired from the rear, and in the explosion Mr. Berryhill sustained the loss of his sight, and suffered from total blimlncss for the ensuing four years. 272 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Prex'iiius to the battle of Selma Mr. wlio lias alreaily liegun his independent ca- Berr\'hill acted as a memlier of a searching reer, is pro\ing himself to be a young man partv in [Jiu'suit of Jefferson Da\is. the pres- of marked ability, and is rapidly forging to ident of the Confederacy, and the capture the front in his chosen calling. At present wa= made by members of his brigade. he holds a very responsible position with Captain Berryhill was one of the organ- the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad izers of Torrence Post, Grand Armv of the Comjjany, being located at Center\ille. Iowa. Repufilic, aufl for five years was its com- Captain Berryhill possesses great natural mander, and also was the first commander aptitude for all activities of a military nu- of Belknap Post, serving two years. He is tnre. In 1876 he organized a drill regiment a man of much public spirit, and organized in Keokuk, which, after being under his the first lodges of the Sons of Veterans and care for the short space of six months, took the Women's Relief Corps, in Keokuk. For part in a contest held at Burlington, in a period of six years he was deputy marshal which regiments from all parts of the state of the City of Keokuk, and proved himself jjarticipated, and won the prize as the a strong and aggressive officer, but at the best-drilled re,ginient present. It is prob- sanie time acted with fairness and impartial- ,able that heredit\' pla_\'ed some part in en- ity to all. For four years he was engaged dowing him with this talent. His grand- in the mail ser\ice, but resigned the position, father, Thornton Allward, was aide-de-camp Although an active worker in the ranks of to General Washington, losing his life by a the Republican party and the org.anizer and wound receix'ed from a poisoned arrow in captain of all the Repul)lican marching clubs an Indian fight. His father, John Berry- of Keokuk for the last thirty years, he has hill, was a soldier in the Mexican War, as never sought office. He was, however, with- was also his father's l^rother. William, who out his own solicitation, at one time nomi- jierformed distinguished service. One n;ile(l for an im]iortant public office b_\- the lirotiier, John, enlisted for the Ci\al War at largest majority ever received b\" anv can- the age of fourteen, and suffered imprison- didate in the City of Keokuk. I'raternally ment in Anderson\-ille. he is a member of the Knights of Pvthias. Mr. Berryhill was for three years fore- and ca])t;iin of the Uniform Rank. man of construction work on the govern- On May 7, 1S80, Mr. Berryhill was ment canal at this place. He has been con- united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Nout- nected with various public enterprises, and ncy. daughter of Albert Noutney, and to has a great many friends and a large circle them ha\'e been liorn five children, two of of acquaintances, who respect him for his whom died in inf.ancy. Those lix'ing are: integrity, courage and talents. In the re- John T,, b'red, and (ieorge McKinley. Mr. gretable troubles antl disturbances which Berryhill has been able to supply his sons took ]jlace se\'eral years ago and resulted in with better educational advantages than he the organization of the American Protective himself received, and the eldest son, John. Association at this jilace. Captain Berryhill LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 2/3 was It. reed to talkiik. was born in Belfast, Ireland, on llie 1 I til of November, 1847. and in tbe fol- lowing' spring- A\'as bronght to tbe United States by his parents who established their Iionie in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a youth of ten \ears when they located upon a larni in Hancock count\-. Illinois, and Mr. Cosgnu'c pursued his education in the dis- trict schools while in the periods of vaca- tion he assisted in the operation of field and meadow. While in St. Louis be had been a student in the lirdthers school. When a youth of si.xteen he left home and came to Keokuk to accept a position in the wholesale and retail hardware estalilisbment of .\. Weber & Company. lie had bad no mer- cantile e.\])erience, but he manifested a will- ingness and desire to learn the business and his close aijplication and ready adaptability soon won him recognition in deserved pro- motions, (iradually be worked his way up- ward and in each transition stage of his ca- reer found opportunity for further progress. I'or sixteen years be represented the house upon the road as a traveling salesman and in 1884 be became a ])artner in the firm and has since been actively connected with the control of tbe business. He is today the \'ice-president of the company which is con- ducting an extensive wholesale and retail hardware trade. The re]nitatiiin which the bouse sustains is unassailable and Mr. Lds- grove added greatly to its record in this di- rection wdiile upon tbe road. In 1874 occurred tbe marriage of Mr. Cosgrove and Miss Mary C. Gregg, a daugh- ter of M, ( iregg, once a prominent merchant of Keokuk, but now deceased. The wed- diii"- was celebrated in this citv and has been blessed witli seven children: Cecelia, the wife of Lrmise Culkin, a resident of Carth- age, Illinois: jdjm Clement; Llizabeth ; Stella: I high liernard : Henry Ivlward. and Harriet. Mr. Cosgrove is a member of tbe Knights of Columlius, having ji lined De La- .Salle Council, Xo. 619, npim its organiza- tion. He l)elongs to Keokuk Lodge, No. 106, Benevolent and Protecti\'e Order of Elks, and to the Travelers' Protective As- sociation. At one time be was ])resi(len1 of the Keokuk branch nf that org;mization and the local secretary and treasurer. He was also a charter member of the Keokuk Club, but is not identified with that organiza- tion at tbe ])resent writing. He belongs to the Catholic Knights of .\merica and was a state delegate to tbe national convention, held in Philadelphia, and also in Indianap- olis — the only delegate from this state. He belongs to St. b'rancis ("atbnlic church and was one of tbe members of tbe liuilding committee, having in charge the erectio;; of tbe handsome gray stone church at tbe corner of High and l-'ourtb streets. His po- litical allegiance is always given the Dem- ocratic party, and he was once a candidate for alderman, but the Repul)licans have tbe niajiirity in this ward, lie ranks high in tbe cimncils of local and state jiolitics and fre(|uently attends the national conventions. Mr. Cosgrove owns a magnificent home overlooking the ri\er, it having been bnill by .Mr. Sanford and is situated at Xo. loi Xorth Second street. A local new sp;i|)er has said of him: "Tie ai)])lies himself closelv til bis business duties, but tinds time to be genial, courteous and comp;niionable anmni'- 284 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW. liis associates in his liome city and hunclreds of visitors coming liere who met him during' liis \'ears on the road. Always in a good humor and with a kindly greeting for those with whom he comes in contact on business or in a social way. he makes friends readily and has no enemies."' As a prompt and thorough husiness man. a fast friend, a gen- ial associate, a good neighl^^r and a progres- si\e and valued citizen, no man in Keokuk stands higher than John Cosgrove. who is accounted today one of the foremost repre- sentati\'es of social. p(ilitical and husiness circles in Keokuk. MARTIN F. REIGLE. .Martin F. Reigle. of Fort Madison, was liiirn at Peru, Indiana. August 26, 1872, and is the son of John Reigle. who was born in ( icrman}-, and on cmning to .Vmerica lo- cated at Harrishurg, I'ennsyh'ania. Later Jiihn Reigle was one of the early settlers (if Peru, where he now lives, in his nine- tieth year. l'"or a time he was a locomotive engineer on the nld indiana])iilis, Peru & Michigan City Railway, hnl in the pursu- ance of the duties nf this position had the misfortune tt3 lose the use of one eye_, and fnr ten years acted as a stationary engineer. Since twentv vears ago he has been li\ing re- tired. The mother of our subject is Eliza- beth ' Mortor) Reigle. She is living at Peru, and is in the si.xty-eighth year of her age. I 'nto them have been born seven children, fi\-e of ',vhom besides Martin F. are li\ing". They are: Edward, Albert and Andrew, of Peru, Indiana: I'rank, of California; Mrs. Thomas Abxire, of St. Louis, Mis- souri; and ]\riss Lettie, of Kansas City. Martin V. Reigle grew to years of ma- turity at the parental hume in Pei"u. and at that ])lace received his schooling. After leaving school he was variously employed until 1891, when he entered the employ of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Com])any as a brakeman. He was assigned to duty on various sections of the road, mak- ing his first trip from Topeka to Emporia, then receiving a passenger run from Kansas Citv to Xewton. Kansas, later traveling be- tween Chicago and Kansas City, and since 1K93 doing jiassenger work between Fort Aladison and Kansas Cit)-. Since the latter date he has removed to this place, and on September 2^. i8()6. was here married to ^liss Minnie Becker, daughter of Charles and Emilie (Muender) Becker. Ciiarles Becker was ])orn at Melberger bei Renne Kreif Huford. tiermanx-, came to America and located at St. Louis in 1831, and there his marriage took ])lace in 1854. He came to l'"ort Madi.son in 1856, and followed his trade of blackstnithing and wagonmaking until iSyo, when he retired from active work. His death occurred in 1891. He was a member of the (icrman Lutheran chmxh. Emilie Pecker was born in Halle. Prussia, (icr- many, Decemljer 26, 1834. and came to .\merica in 1831. Her death occurred April 16. 1898. L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Becker were born six children-: Mrs. J. W. Meyer and Edward !•'. Becker, of Kahoka, Missouri ; LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 28; Mrs. F. M. Reigle; Misses Emilie and Gal- lic J., of Fort Madison; and Mrs. Fred W. Dodd, also of Fort Madison. Mr. Reigle pnrchased pleasant residence property at 1015 Second street, Fort Mad- ison, December 8, 1903, and in this he makes his home. He also owns a handsome resi- dence at 1412 Fourth street. Believing Re- publican principles best fitted to maintain the general prosperity and well-being of the nation, he has always given his support, in important contests at the polls, to that party. In his fraternal connections he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. Genial. e\'er coiu'teous, and well-informed on all leading topics of the times, he is justly popular, and those among his friends who know him best predict for him honors, ad- vancement and still greater successes than he has achieved in the past. SYLVESTER T. WORLEY. The expansion of trade interests and the evolution of business conditions are no- ticeable factors in American history of the present. In every community are found men f)f marked enterprise who are broaden- ing the scope nf their labors and meeting cir- cumstances with an energy and discrimi- nati(jn that results in the development of ex- tensixe and imixirtant industrial and com- mercial ciinccrns of value to their cities as well as t(i the individual. ( )f this class S. T. W'orley is a representative who from a humble jjosition in business life he has advanced until as a carriage manufacturer he occupies ;i prominent place in industrial circles in Keokuk. Mr. \\"orlcy was born in Portsmouth, Scioto county. Ohio, on the 19th of Janu- ary, 1832, and is descended from German ancestr}-. In the early development of Penn- sylvania Henry and \^'illiam ^^'orIey. na- tives of the Fatherland, crossed the Atlantic to the new world, estal)lishing his home in Pennsylvania in 1669. The old family homestead near Philadelphia, which was ob- tained from \\'illiam Penn, is still in pos- session of representatives of the family name. John \\'orley, grandfather of S. T. Worley, served as a spy and scout with the Colonial Army in the Rex'olutionary War. After the establishment of peace he removed to Ohio, becoming a resident of that state when the site of the City of Cincinnati was occupied only by a fort. Jacob Worley, f.'Uhcr of S. T. W'orlev, was born and reared in Ohio and throughout his life followed the occupation of farming, save that during the second war with England he espoused his country's cause and rendered military service in defense of .\merican rights. He married Elizabeth Truitt, a native of Dela- ware, the Truitt family removing from that state to Kentucky in 1789, the family home being established near Flemingsburg. It took three years to m.ake the journey from Delaware on account of the Indians. Mrs. Worlcv's mother rode over the Alleghanv 286 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW mountains on a pack horse. The Truitt family was represented in the Civil War. Jacob W'orley continued a resident of Ohio until his death, which occurred in the year 1849 '^"'^ '""'S widow afterward removed to Quincy, Illinois, where her death occurred in 1874. In the family were three daugh- ters who reached mature years : Evelyn, the wife of James .Hall, of Ottumwa, Iowa; Ann, who became the wife of H. \"each and died in Quincy, Illinois, and Lydia, the widow of Moses Hall, of Quincy, who was captain on a river steamer. S. T. Worley was reared to manhood in the state of his nativity upon the old home farm and when twenty-one years of age he was married in 1853 ^^ Portsmouth. Ohio, to Miss Caroline Pyle, who died in 1856, leaving two children, of whom Charles died in Keokuk at the age of thirty-six years. The other, Laura E., is now the wife of Seaberry Chandler, who resides upon a farm near \\'arsaw, Illinois. After loosing his first wife Mr. \\'orley was married again in Portsmouth in 1858. his second union being with Elizabeth J. Hicks. In i860 he re- mo\-ed with his family to Quincy, Illinois. He had previously learned the carriage- maker's trade at Portsmouth and he con- ducted a shop there and upon his removal to Onincy. Illinois, he established a similar enterprise, which he conducted until his enli.stment for service in the' Cicil War. In June, 1862. his patriotic spirit having been aroused, he joined the army as a private, but was made lieutenant on the organization of Company A. One Hundred and Nineteenth Illinois Infantry, and cm tlie ileath of Cap- tain Holland he was commissioned captain of his company. The regiment was under comtnand of Colonel Kinnev and was as- signed to the Sixteenth Army Corps, doing dnt}' in Tennessee, ^ilississippi. Louisiana and Arkansas. Captain \\'orley participated in the battles of Champion Hills, Fort Derussa. P'leasant Hill, Moore's Plantation, Markville Prairie and Yellow Bayou. The ranks of the regiment had been so depleted that it numbered only 250 men at the time of the last-named engagement. All the officers in the regiment but three were wounded or killed and forty-se\'en men were killed in that engagement in about four minutes. Captain Worlev and five others were the only ofiicers who escaped. He par- ticipated in the liattles of Tupelo, ^lississippi, and in a two days" engagement at Xashville and was mustered out imder special field order issued by General Thomas, depart- ment commander, in March, 1865. He was a bra\'e and Inyal soldier, careful of his men yet never hesitating to lead them wherever duty called and with a most creditable mili- tary record he returned to his home in Qiuncy. In /vpril. following, j\Ir. W'orley came ■ to Keokuk and established a carriage fac- tory on First street, continuing business there until 1884, when he built on Johnson and Se\enth streets. When his son attained a sufficient age he was admitted to a part- nership and the fimi was incorporated under the present style of the ^\'^orley Carriage Company. The preseiU building is 50x80 feet and two stories in height with basement. From the time of the establishment of the en- LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 287 terprise it has constantl\' grown in x'nlunie and importance and tlie Inisiness has readied Iarg;e annual figures, furnishing em- plo\-nient to a number of workmen and liringing a gratifying annual return. As his financial resources ha\e made it possible Mr. W'orlev has become the owner of extensive farm rmd timber lands in Dent and Riles counties, he and his sons having bought 600 acres there. L'nto Air. and Mrs. W'orlev ha\'e lieen born nine children : William, who is in part- nership with liis father; Emma, the wife of Paul Richardson, superintendent of the Keokuk Gas Works: Ida. the wife of H. B. Barnes, a farmer of Hannibal. Missouri; James, who ch'ed at Oakland. California, in 1900. at the age cff thirty years and was laid at rest in the Keokuk cemetei'y ; Harry F.. a practicing physician of Oakland, California; Grace, the wife of Lewis Rein- ard. of Pheonix. Arizona, and Mary, the wife of Dr. X. B. Patty, of Syracuse, Ne- braska. While Captain Worlc)- has led a very busy and useful life he has yet found time from his inrlustrial interests to devote to thf)se lines of actix'ity which develop char- acter and ])romote the moral growth of the communit}'. He has long been a prominent member of the I^'irst ]\[ethodist lipiscopal church and for twenty years has served on its board of trustees. He has been an active worker in the Sunday school for forty years, thirty years being a teacher of the young men's class and by example as well as ])re- cept he has done much to inculcate those princijjles whfch develoj) strong and honor- able manhood and which work for the ethical ideas in all life's relations. Mr. W^irley likewise belongs to Torrence Post, Xo. 2, Grand Arm\- of the Republic, and he gives his political allegiance to the Republican party. His home is at the corner of Twenty- first and Orleans streets and he owns a small fruit farm of nine acres. It is his intention soon to retire from active business life, hav- ing through the long years of his connection with the trade of carriage manufacturing dex-clojied a business that has brought him gratifying success. To him there has come the attainment of a distinguished position in cfMinection with the great material in- dustries of the county and his efforts have lieen so discernitiglv directed along well-de- finefl lines thai he seems to ha\'e realized at any one point of progress the full measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. Moreo\'er, his entire career has been in harmony with the rules that govern un- swerving integrity and honorable manhood and his entire career has won him not only the admiration but respect. THE REV. FATHER JOHN TEQELER. The Reverend Father John Tegeler, whose career forms the subject of this bio- graphical study, belongs to the number of those ministers of religion who wait on the altars of faith with deep devotion and make their lives eloquent with good deeds and helpful words. As a priest of the Catholic church he has been faithful and devoted. ^88 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and as a citizen public spirited and awake to all social interests. He has shirked no responsibility that attended his divinely ap- pointed labors, and has been a man of sym- pathy, godly counsel and ready charity. No needy soul turns unrelieved from his door. He chides, pleads and entreats for the better way. and is a living gospel of help and cheer. Such is the tnte priest of the ever- lasting church, "founded on the Rock," and ■such has been the ideal of the minister of Jesus Christ tliat has ever been cherished in the heart of the rector of St. James's Catholic church of St. Paul, Lee county. To wait on the oracles of faith, to declare the full gos- pel of his blaster, to guide his people in the way of truth, honesty and sobriety, to watch, and lead and pray, and bear them ■on a tender heart has ever been his work and spirit, and for it he is known and re- vered, beloved by his own flock, and much respected by all in the community, who liave come to prize him at his full worth, and to kno\\' how true and strong a man he is. The Rev. Father John Tegeler, the pres- ent elocfuent and devoted rector of St. James's Catholic church of St. Paul, Lee ■county, was born in New Vienna, Dubuque county, Iowa, March ig. 1859, a son of Ger- hard H. and Frances (Belm) Tegeler, His father was a native of the town of Thine, Alfhausen, Germany. His mother w-as born in Rieste. Hanover, Germany. The father was born January 18, 1827, and his good ■wife August 24, 1824. When he was a young man he became a plasterer, and for many years followed tiiat trade in the United States after his arrival on the Amer- ican shore. \\'hen he was twenty }'ears of age he crossed the ocean, and settled in Onincy, Illinois, where he was married in 1852. Some years later he removed to Dy- ersville, Iowa, where he purchased a farm, on which his family was reared, while he himself worked at his trade. Still later he purchased a home in D)-ersville, Iowa, where he and his wife spent their last days in that peace and comfort that should attend the closing period of a true and noble ca- reer. He died December 27, 1899, and his widow December 9, 1900, and both are bur- ied in St. Francis's cemeter}', Dyersville, Iowa. They and all of their family were devout members of St. Francis's Catholic church, of Dyersville, Iowa. To them were born the following children: Henry, wdio married Miss Anna Burkle ; Barne}-, who died young ; Katie, the wife of G. W. Sudmeier: Gerhard J., who married Miss Anna Brunsmann : Barney, who married Theresa Beckmann : John, the pastor of St. James; Joseph J., who mar- ried Miss Maggie Filers: Lewis, wdio mar- ried Miss Mary Steffin. All these children are living near Dyersville except the suli- ject of this sketch. The Reverend Father John Tegeler was born and reared on a farm. His priniary ed- ucation was secured in a district school, and the opportunities for health and phys- ical culture, together with the liuilding of nervous vitality and force, were his, and he profited by the privileges that were open to boys on what was still in no small meas- ure the frontier. For one term he was a student in the Dyersville high school ; and when he was twentv-one he entered St. % LEE COUNTY, lOlVA. 28(> Joseph College, at Dubuque, Iowa, April i, i8So, for the purpose of taking a classical course in that institution. He had at that time as the ambition of his life to become a priest, and for that purpose after his grad- uation in Dubuque, he was for two years a student at Mount Cal\-ary. a Wisconsin col- lege, from which he went to Cape Cirardeau, Missouri, where he completed his theolog- ical studies with high honors, and was grad- uated in May, 1890. He was ordained to the priesthood on the 31st of the same month Iiy the Right Reverend H. Cosgrove, of Davenport, Iowa, and soon after he was called to Bauer, Iowa, where he also had charge of a mission at Rosemount. In February, !<;o2, he was appointetl rector of St. James's church, at St. Paul, Lee county, Iowa, and entered at once upon the sacred duties of that position with zeal and devo- tion. He arrived at his appointed field of labor, and on the following Monday broke ground for a new parsonage. By his un- tiring energ}' and push he has here erected a most modem home, in w hich 90,000 lirick w'ere used. It is modern in all its equip- ments, and has before it a fine lawn on which many trees have been set out. The build- ing cost $5,000, and is a marked credit to the county. St. James's church is a line ]>rick Innld- ing, I50.xr)0 feet, with a tower 175 feet in height. Father Tegeler has made many im- provements in the house of worship, added much to its adornment, and today has one of the finest churches and the best appointed home in this section of the county. On his clnux'h rolls are carried the names of over 125 families, and connected with it is a par- ish school under the supervision of three sisters of the Order of St. Francis, P. A. They ha\-e the care of a hundred or more pupils, and the school is widely known for its fine spirit and thorough work, h'ather Tegeler is a Democrat in his po- litical \iews. though his profession demands all his thought and attention. He is widely read ;nid deeply educated both in school and by tra\el. having been over much of the United States, and equally at home, in Ger- man, English and Latin. He is a polished and scholarly gentleman and ])e:irs himself e\-erywhere with that kindly dignity and gracious manner that become his sacred calling. BENJAMIN B.JEWELL Those who have to do with the banking interests of a community hold in their hands its most vital springs of action. Tlie bank has become the heart of the business world, which has become so complicated that only those who are in daily touch can un- derstand how vital to all commercial activi- ties is the accommodation and facility af- forded by the various banking institutions, both large and small. Mr. Jewell, whose name introduces this sketch, has been asso- ciated with the Keokuk Savings Bank for a long period of years in the capacity of gen- eral bookkeeper, and in that time has be- come intimately acquainted with the powers and privileges of the bank. Prior to his becoming cniniected with the Keokuk insti- 290 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW tution he was in business many years as a wholesale grocer, so that it is hardly too much to say that he is one of the most ac- complished commercial men of southeastern Iowa. Kindly and courteous in his manner he is quick in his conclusions, and strong in his convictions. In the long period in which he has been in active life in Keokuk he has made a host of friends, and is universally pronounced one of the leading spirits of the city. Benjamin Blackiston Jewell was born in Madison, Indiana, July 10. 1839, a son of William J. and Eliza A. (Blackiston) Jew- ell. The father was born in Baltimore, Maryland. October i, 1812, and died April 12, 1 89 1. He was a painter by occupation, and led a long and useful life. Eliza Ann Blackiston, to whom he was married at New Albany, Indiana, May 27, 1834, was born February 14, 18 15, and died Decem- ber 19, 1884. In their long and happy mar- ried life of fifty years, they were l)Iessed with the liirth of the following children : Harriet Eliza, who was born January i, 1837 : Benjamin Blackiston ; Charles Wil- liam ; Sarah Elizabeth ; Mary Margaret ; John and James Edward. Mrs. William James Jewell was the daughter of Benjamin Blackiston, who was born in Kent county, Maryland, in May, 1788, and who came west in 1819 to New Albany, Indiana, in 1819. He married Eliza Erskine March 28, 18 14. who lived until November t, 1868. They reared the following children : Eliza Ann, who was born February 15. 1815, and died Decem- ber 19. 1884; Edward; Benjamin F. ; Mar- garet : Sarah ; Hester Caroline ; Mary Su- sannah ; James Edward and Elizabeth Jane, who were twins. John Jewell, the grandfather of Benja- min B. Jewell, whose career is the theme of this writing, was born July 18, 1788, and is the earliest ancestor of the Keokuk bookkeeper, of whom there is an authentic record. He was a cliairmaker and a painter by trade, and lived in Baltimore. He bore arms for his country when the English in- vaded that section of the nation in the War of 18 12, and was in the engagement at Blandensburg. About 18 18 he removed to Indiana, where he soon established himself in a paying business. Twice married, his first wife was Sarah Gregory, to whom he was united in matrimony October 4, 18 10. She was born in 1789, and died September 5, 1819. To them were born: Mary, born July II, 181 1 ; William James; Susanna, February 4, 18 14; Elizabeth, November 11, 18 1 5, died January 3, 1900; Sarah Ann, .August 23, 1817, died December 19, 1817; and John, September 5, 1819, died October 25, 18 19. Air. Jewell contracted a second marriage, December 21, 1819, when Miss Sarah Davidson became liis wife. She was born May i, 1796, and became the mother of the following children : Thomas Asa, born December 8, 1820, died September 20, 1821 ; Harriet; Charlotte; Amanda; Al- fred D. : Sarah Eliza and Laura A. The father of these children died May 15, 1842. William J. Jewell learned the painter's trade from his father, with whom he was as- sociated in business for several years. This business he carried on after the death of his father, and for two and a half years made his home in New Albanv. He then re- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 291 moved to Keokuk, where he arrived Novem- ber I, 1855. Here he resumed work at his trade, which he followed until about 1883. His death occurred on April 12, 189 1. Mrs. Jewell died December 19, 1S84. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Jewell, the following facts may be men- tioned : Harriet E. married Thomas J. Har- desty, and is now a widow residing- in Keo- kuk. Charles William died in childhood. Benjamin Blackiston is the subject of this article. Sarah E. has her home with her brother, Benjamin B. Mary M. is the wife of J. D. Graves, and is now living at Aspin- wall. Pennsylvania. John is living in Keo- kuk, where his brother, James E., died in 1884. Benjamin Blackiston Jewell, the subject of this article, received his early education in the public schools of Indiana. For a time he was a student in a private school, but when he was fourteen years of age he passed from the school room into active business, and was employed in mercantile pursuits until he came to Keokuk in No- vember, 1855. For some two years he was a clerk in a retail store, when he took a po- sition as bookkeeper. January t, 1865. he became a meml>er of the firm of S. Pollock & Company, wholesale grocers, a position he continued to fill for twenty-four years, and until the firm retired from business in November, 1889. He became connected with the Keokuk Savings Bank as general bookkeeper June. 1890. As a business man he is alert and capable, taking rank among the leading men of the city ; and personally he has many friends both in and out of his commercial associations. Mr. Jewell is a Republican in political matters, and takes a prominent part in all city matters. He has been treasurer of the City of Keokuk two terms of a year each, and for twenty-four years has been a trus- tee of the Keokuk public library, and -chair- man of books and catalogue committee for many years. The long and useful career, which is briefly outlined above, abounds with inci- dents which illustrate the genuine worth and dignity of the character of Mr. Jewell. He has carried himself .so carefully and well that as he advances into the midst of the years he writes a record of integrity and uprightness. His life is worthy of study and his business career worthy of emula- tion. DAVID HOUGHTON. David Houghton, now engaged in busi- ness as a barber at Montrose, Iowa, was born Octolier 23. 1840, in Orange county, Ver- mont, the son of David and Elizabeth ( Rowell) Houghton, both natives of Ver- mont, and is the sixth of eight brothers and sisters, of whom only three now survive, these being Melissa, wife of C. Hamma, of Sonora. Illinois; Pomelia, wife of William Dnstin, of Oregon, and our subject. In 1841, the year following that of his birth, he came with his parents to Nauvoo, Illinois, the\' being converts to the faith of the Latter Day Saints or Mormons, and having sold their property in \'^erTnont to follow the 292 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW fortunes of the prophet, Joseph Smith. For his adherence to the new faith David Hough- ton. Sr.. was disinherited by his father, a wealtliy citizen of Vermont. l)Ut he neverthe- less rehnquished all his interests in his na- ti\'e state, including a very desirable posi- tion as manager of a large shoe factorj' em- ploving sixty men. and set up a shoemaker's shop in Nauwoo, where he prospered, and by his industry built up a good business. He lomained a ^lormon all his life, and in 1848 went to Prairie du Chien, where he died the same year, while his wife died at the home of her son, David, in Montrose iu 1 87 1, she having been remarried to a Air. Timnions and returned to Nauvoo, where she taught school after the occupa- tion of that place Ijy a French colony. When ten }-ears old Mr. FToughton left home in consequence of a quarrel with one of his schoolfellows, and went to live with a sister in Chicago, where he remained, \.()rking as a shingle packer for ten years, returning in 1854 to Montrose, and here he has since continuously resided. He worked for a time in the boat yard owned by John Bunker, and in the autumn of 1861 en- listed in Company B, Seventeenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry under Colonel Rankin and Cai)tain Hnxie. In the spring of 1862 he went into camp at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, and after remaining there for two weeks proceeded down the Mississippi river to Shiloli. landing at tliat place just after the battle, but in time to participate in the battles of Corinth and luka. At Jackson, Mississippi, he was captured by Rebel forces and placed in Liliby prison at Richmond, Virginia, whence after about fiftv davs he was paroled, and went to the hospital at Annapolis, INIaryland, being detained there for a period of seven or eight months on account of suffering from gangrene in the right hand. After ninety days spent at Camp Tyler, Baltimore, subsequent to his leaving the hospital, he set out to rejoin his regiment, meeting it at Scottsboro, Georgia, and the next battle in which he was engaged was the second fight at Corinth in 1863, and while occupying a blockhouse at Tilden he, with the entire regiment, was captured by the soldiers of General Hood on October 13, 1864. Thence he was taken to Kahoba, then to I\Ielon, Georgia, and later to the fa- mous military prison of the Confederacy at Anderson\ille. where he remained a prisoner of war until April i. 1865. a period of more than six months, during which he suffered great hardships. Released from prison, he was at Vicksburg at the time of the as- sassination of President Lincoln, and im- mediately thereafter started north, landing first at St. Louis, where for two weeks he was at Benton Barracks, and then returned to Montrose, and three days after his arrival here was called to Davenport. Jowa. where he was honorably discharged from the serv- ice of his country after a long and faithful devotion to duty on field of battle, in camp and in many perilous situations. After the close of the w ar he worked for some time as a freight handler on the !\Iississippi river, lighting freight over the Des Moines rapids. On July II, 1866, Mr. Houghton was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Ray, he then took up his present occupation, that of a barber, having learned the trade while a prisoner in Andersonville, and this he has LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 293 ever since continued with great success. He has taken an active interest in public affairs as a member of the Republican part)-, hav- ing served two terms in the city council and also having been once elected to the office of constable, although he refused to' accept the office. Fraternally, he is a charter member of Tip Best Post, No. 75, Grand Army of the Republic, while Mrs. Houghton is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps. They occupy a pleasant home at Second and Walnut streets, and enjoy the esteem and regard of a large circle of friends. GEORGE WILSON. In so new a country as the world west of the rolling waters of the Mississippi may be considered, it is somewhat difficult to form a proper itlea of how young the old families may be. Such a term in Europe would mean hundreds of years, and many generations in New England. In Lee county it means perhaps the span, or less than that, of a human life. It is measured by what has been done rather than by what time has been required in the doing of it. Judged in this way, the Wilsons and the Drollingcrs are old families. They have seen a wonder-working in the planting of civilization in the wilderness accompli.shed, and in the doing of it they also helped. George Wilson, the son of Hugh and Susan (Skyles) Wilson, was born on the 1)anks of the Cumberland river in Tennessee, in 1809. and coming to Lee county in 1834, secured a tract of government land compris- ing 160 acres. From time to time he added to this until he owned 400 acres. His mar- riage occurred in Schuyler county, Illinois. July 22. 1832, and his wife died June 2, 187S, and he, March 20, 1891. Their eleven children were as follow's : James, Susan, Elizabeth. Sarah. Jane, Louisa. George, I lannah, John and others who d.ied in in- fancy. George Wilson was a Democrat and a member of the Methodist church. He bore arms in the Black Hawk War, and was remembered by those who knew him ■best and in his prime as a man of resolution and activity. The Drollinger F.\mily came to Lee county from Illinois and settled on the place which has been the family .homestead since their marriage. Of this family all are now deceased with the exception of Benjamin Wesley, who is a son of Samuel and Rachel (Cook) Drollinger. He was born in Indi- ana December 4, 1830, where he was reared to the life of a farmer. His marriage to Miss Susan Laura Wilson occurred Decem- ber 14, 1 85 1. She was born in Commerce, Illinois, January 13. 1834. and was brought into Iowa when only three months old. Here she has since maintained her home. To this union have come nine children : George Monroe ; Burrle Perry ; Rachel Re- becca, who died at the age of four years; Emma Louise; Laura Caroline, who died at the age of two years ; Frances Ellen ; Mary Malvina; Benjamin Franklin, and Anna Luticia. Mr. Drollinger is a Democrat, and has filled the office of treasurer for this district 294 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW for the last twenty-five years. He is a man of whom good things are said, and is liighly respected by the friends and neighbors of the commvmity in which his peaceful life is passing. He is a member of the United Brethren church, where his honest character, upright dealing and truthful spirit gave strength to his religious profession. Moses Justice, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Drollinger, was a veteran of the Revo- lutionary War and lived to be loi years old. JOSEPH GREGORY. Jose])h Gregory, formerly identified with building operations in Keokuk but now en- gaged in the raising of small fruit, was bom in Indiana near the City of Indianapolis, March 27, 1839, and comes of Quaker par- entage. His father. Silas Gregory, a native of North Carolina, was a prominent mem- ber of the Society of Friends. He followed the occu])ation of farming in Indiana for a number of years and afterward removed to ■ Keokuk. Iowa. He first wedded Sarah Allen, who died in Indiana in 1862 and later married Miss Jane Holxson. who died in 1885 at Richland, Iowa. Silas Gregory was a gentleman of broad humanitarian prin- ciples, strongly opposed to slavery or to op- pression in any form and he did much to counteract the unfavorable conditions of life that worked hardships for people in his lo- cality. During the great famine in Ireland when so many were starving his feelings were on one occasion deeply touched by the song of an itinerant musician traveling over the country with a melodion. The chorus ran : "Give me three grains of corn, mother, Oh, give me three grains of corn. It will keep the little life I have Until the coming of the morn." The song .so touched Mr. Gregory and acquainted him with the conditions in Ire- land that he forthwith entered upon the service of gathering quantities of corn from among his Quaker friends and the result was that many hundred bushels of corn went from his Indiana neighbors by boat, finally reaching Ireland, where it helped to sustain the famished nation. He was a great- hearted man of philanthropic nature and gave practical and generous assistance to the poor and needy. By his first marriage he had ten children, five of whom are yet living, namely: Eliza, the wife of Levi Pierce, of Kansas; Hulda. the wife of I. M. Hornaday, of Morgan county, Indiana ; Joseph ; John, of Indiana, and Albert, of Kansas. Those that are dead are William, Richard M., Rieley, Rebecca and Anice. Joseph Gregory was reared on his father's fami, pursued a common-school education and assisted in the development and cultivation of the fields until tiie 9th of August, 1862, when he enlisted at Mon- rovia, Indiana, as a member of Company D, Seventieth Indiana Infantry, under Captain Johnson and Col. Benjamin Harrison. The regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and became a part of the Twentieth Army Corps in Sherman's cam- paign under the command of Gen. Joe LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 295 Hnoker. Tlie [jrincipal engagements in which Mr. Gregoiy participated were at Russellville, Stone Ri\er, Rocky-faced Ridge, Resaca, Cassville, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek and the siege of Atlanta. While at Chattanciga he was transferred to the First United States \'eteran Volunteer Engineers and, remaining at Chattanooga, assisted in the erection of forts and stockades. He was mustered out there on the 30th of June, 1865, fi.)rt\' (lavs liefore the expiration of his term of enlistment, hut the war had ended and his services were no longer needed. He had joined the army as a private, hut was corporal in the engineering corps. He was never wounded, hut sus- tained injuries in the fall of 1862 and on account of this has for five years been dis- abled for active work in the lin* of his trade. Mr. Gregory was personally ac- quainted with Gen. Joseph Hooker and re- lates many interesting anecdotes concerning that commander when in the service. He also had a ])ersonal acquaintance with Gen. Benjamin Harrison, ex-president nl the United States, whom he knew in Indiana. I'or a year after his return to ci\il life Mr. Gregoi-y suffered from malaria. He then went to Brookfield, Missouri, where he worked :U the carpenter's trade and during three years of the nine years that he spent there lie was carpenter for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company. In 1874 he removed to Richland, low'a, where he spent ten years as a car])enter and builder ;uul then came to Keokuk, where he worked at his trade as a contractor. He was also for six years a stairbuilder with George Xunn. and he spent three years in business on his own account as a contractor and Iniilder. In 1 89 1 he jnuxhased his present home and now has ten acres planted to small fruits. This gives to him a good annual income, the products of the jjlrice finding a ready .sale on the market. In 1 859 Mr. Gregory was married in Mooresville. Indiana, to Miss Martha E. Harvey and they have six living children : .Mhinus Edwin, who is married and has a family, makes his home in Minneapolis, Minnc-^ota, and is superintendent of con- struction for the Twin City Telephone Com- pany, installing its plant; Annie Gertrude is the wife of Charjes N. Hood, of Min- neapolis, who is foreman of the Cable Sup- ply Telephone Company; Amanda B. is the wife ofW. H. Weed, a mechanic, of Keokuk; Lydia is the wife of William Davies, fore- man of a printing establishment of Keokuk; .Sadie married Charles Alden, who is em- ployed by the Habinger Starch Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, and John Roscoe is fore- man of the Alissouri-Kansas City Telephone Com])any ;ind resides at Springfield, Mis- souri. Mr. and Mrs. Gregoi-y also lost one son. Charles Bert, who was killed by a street car when twenty-four years of age. He was superintendent of an electric light plant. Init was k'ilk'd while coupling cars on a run that he was making as motorman for a friend. Mr. Gregory has been a valued repre- sentative of Iowa since 1874, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft. He is also a leading meml)er of the Grand .\rmv Post at Keokuk rmd is now acting 296 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW as commander of Torrence Post. He at- tended the state encampment for two years and in 1903 he went as commander of Tor- rence Post. He is now a Hfe member of the state department. His poHtical al- legiance is given to the Republican party and he has ser\-ed by appointment on two occasions as ward registrar. He belongs to the First Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a classleader and he has served as trustee and steward and also as superin- tendent of the Sunday school. He assisted in completing the church and in dedicating it as a member and trustee and has been very helpful in church work. He is a man of broad sympathies and the poor and needy have found in him a friend. In all life's relations he has commanded uniform con- fidence and respect and has made for himself a splendid reputation as a business man, as a soldier and as a citizen, while in his home antl among his friends he has displayed the sterling traits of manhood that ever com- mand good will and confidence. FREDERICK W. SMITH. The State of Iowa is greatly indebted to its citizens of Gennan birth and blood who have done much to build it up to its present imperial proportions. They are a careful and conservative people, industrious in their habits, economical in their manner of life, aufl as a bodv are ever found on the moral side of every question. It is always safe to appeal to their better nature. Every great reform has found among them stanch ad- \ocates. They were the stoutest opponents of slavery; they are the most persistent friends of a uniform and general public education. Air. Smith, whose name appears above, is a noteworthy representative of an old German family, though he himself was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1 85 1. His father. Joseph Smith ( Schmitt), was born in Bavaria, in 181 G, and when he was seventeen years of age emigrated to the United States. In Pennsylvania he fol- lowed the trade of a shoemaker, luit on his removal to Lee county, Iowa, he secured land in Charleston township, and the re- mainder of his active life was a farmer. He is nt^w retired, and is making his home with a daughter in Keokuk. At one time he owned a fine farm of 175 acres, but has long since converted it into cash. Joseph Smith has led a somewhat check- ered career, having had to face serious trou- bles when he was quite young. His father died when he was but six years old. and though his step-father proved a kind- hearted and capable man, was not as his own. He brought the family to America, and here the young lad left school at the age of four- teen years and set himself to learning the shoemaking trade. The family, consisting of mother, step-father and seven children, landed at Baltimore in September, 1834. Joseph Smith became a young man and located himself in Pennsylvania, where he married Miss Henrietta Wittich, in January, LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 297 1839. in the City of Washington. Here he worked at his trade until 1854, when he re- moved to linva w ith liis wile and tlieir sc\cn cliildren. His ad\-enl was not encouraging for of his first two years in the state eigh- teen months were taken up I)y a severe ill- ness. For some two years he did mason wnrk nixin the W'as'.iington and Jefferson College, then in process of construction ; he was also employed in the erection of a female seminary at ^Vashington. Pennsyl- vania. Tn Lee county Mr. Smith bought land of Mr. Casey and a Mr. Eaton, and from others as well. These tracts of land he held until 1869, when he sold them to buy the "Heiike! farm," in \'an Buren township, of John r\Ic\'e}-. Here for twenty years or more he was acti\'ely engaged in farming, leading a thoroughly industrious, honest and useful life. Ten children were born to him, all liut one of whcmi are now living. His daughter, Agnes, who married Jnhu Ander- son, died when she was twenty-eight years old, having become the mother of three chiUlren. — Carrie, George L. and Leroy. Mr. .Nnderson is also dead. Of the other children this may be noted: John \\'. lives in Sioux county, Iowa ; Henrietta C. is the wife of Steven Beaty, of Farniington, Iowa; Mary F,. is Mrs. Fred Geiser, of Keokuk, Iowa : Rosa is single, and is a nurse at Des Moines; Hannah L. Nenhoff lives in Chicago: Frederick W. is the subject of this writing; Samuel B. lives in Keokuk; l'~lla 1 l;u-dwick has her home in California, and Nettie is Mrs. Henry Blagg, of Des Moines. The mother of IMr. Smith lived to be se\enty-two years of age, and her remains rest in F,ml)erry cemetery, \'an Buren town- shi]), Lee county. She was a woman of mure than the u^ual force of character, and lier mcmriry is dear to those who knew her and lox'ed her for many c.Kccllent qualities of heart and mind. Jdlm W. Smith, the oldest brother of I'Veclerick W'.. was a soldier in the Civil War, and served five years in the First Iowa Cavalry as a member of Company A, under the command of Captain Torrence. Upon the expiration (jf his first term of enlistment he re-enlisted, and when he was finallv mus- tered OLit of service he was much broken in health, coming home seriously ill. .\fter a protracted sickness he recovered, and is now lis'ing in Sioux county, Iowa. Mr. Smith often says that the happiest moment of his life v.^as when he was handed his naturalization papers, which gave him the full rights of an Atnerican citizen. He is well \'ersed in the political questions of the day, I'eing always an extensive reader of the English papers. His support is given to the Republican part}', of which he is a stanch advocate. l-"redcrick \\'. Smith was gi\-en more th.an the usual educational adwantages. In addition to the privilege of the public school, he enjoyed the opportunity of studying at Whittier College, an old and well-established instilulion of learning at Salem, Iowa. He became a capable and successful teacher, and for eighteen years found profitable employ- ment in the school room, ^\^^en he taught at Salina, b^iwa. he did the work of two teachers, ami had se\enty-twii pupils under his charge. In 1890 he retired from the teacher's calling, mid bnving his father's 298 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW place in Van Buren township, has since been devoted to the cultivation of the soil. He has sold the Van Buren township farm, but reinvesting the proceeds in land, he now owns a splendid tract of 250 acres on which he has made his home since 1891. On Christmas Day, 1884, Mr. Smith and Miss Sarah E. Brown were married in Sum- mitville, Iowa, where the Ijride was born and reared, her birth occurring March 22, 1858. Her father, John J. Brown, was born in Utica, Michigan. August 29, 1830, and was a son of Andrew Brown, commonly called "Citizen" Brown, in recognition of his wide-awake spirit and public interest. At one time the grandfather owned a large warehouse in Keokuk, where his son, John, assisted him, doing "lighter" work, or car- rying goods over the Des Moines rapids of the Mississippi river. It was impossible at that time for the river packets to ascend the rapids, something they were not able to do until the construction of the canal by the government. Mr. Brown became a wealthy man and purchased some 400 acres of land in Montrose township, though his home con- tinued in Keokuk until his retirement fmm active business, when he removed to Clay- ton, Illinois, where he died. His wife was born at Johnstone, and came of .Scotch par- entage. John J. Brown was married April 5, 1854, to Mrs. Elizabeth Null (nee Meltz), who was born in Calhoun county, Illinois, November 11, 1827, and was of German parentage. She died J.inuary 31, icSyS, and he March 4, 1900. Both were buried in Hickory (irove cemetery, in Jackson town- ship. Mr. Brown was a great reader and a wide student, being unusually well versed on all the ciuestions of the day. He was a stanch Republican, luu never sought official position. All his life he advocated good schools, and made his watchword their im- provement. After his marriage he located (in his father's farm in Montrose township, where he spent his subsequent life with the exception of a few years before his death when he removed to a farm he owned near Warsaw. Here his wife died, while his death occurred at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Frederick \\". Smith, wlien he was making them a visit. Mr. and Mrs. John J. Brown were the parents of the following children : Roy, of Lake Charles, Louisiana: Ir\in J., a grocer at Salem, Iowa; Sarah, who is Mrs. Smith; ■prior, a merchant in Summitville. Iowa; Horatio S., who is engaged in the same business at the same place; Amelia M., the wife of Albert Miller, a resident of Mont- rose township. Mr. Smith is a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows at Farmington, and the Anti-Horse Thief Association, which organization he at one time repre- sented at a state meeting in Des Moines. In political matters he is a Republican, and for some years served as a school director. He was elected as justice of the peace, antl also as town clerk. Init nex'er saw fit to qualify for either position. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the i)arents of a familv of six children : Lizzie H., Willma A., John P., Alta Af, Clyde V. and Daisy B. He is a man of fine education, broad views, and exercises a large influe?ice for good wherever he is known. He belongs to an excellent family. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 299 and well sustains an old and honored name. He is a worthy citizen, and the pen of the historian finds in him. his career and family relations and associations a congenial theme. In Lee county, where so much of his active life has passed, he has a host of friends who will he triad to read of him and his. THE NEWBERRY FAMILY. The Xewherrv family, which is one of a few families which trace their genealogy back to the pioneers of Des Ah^ines town- ship. I,ee county, was founded by ancestors of sound principles and sterling worth, per- sons who were mentally, morally, physically and spiritualh- superior — abo\'e the average. The traits of tlie progenitors of this family are largely reproduced by their descendants, who are now among the leading citizens of the township. James A. X'ewberry, the ancestor of all the famiij- now here, was born in Vermont, and when a young man removed to Orange county. New York, where he was united in marriage to Miss Alary Smith, who was l)orn and reared in that state. In 1821. James A. Newberry, with his wife and family, then consisting of four children, moved from Orange county to 'make his home in Pennsylvania. Later on in life he moved again and settled in Lorain count V, Ohio, where he resided some years. Then, impelled by the spirit of unrest and ambition that sent so many of the boldest and the best from the East, they continued their way towards the setting sun, and located in Clay county. Missouri, on a tract of new and unimproved land. Two years later they made another removal, and took up a piece of raw land for a farm in Caldwell county. Here they resided for a short time, and then removed to the \'icinity of Nauvoo. Illinois, and in 1838 they came to Des Moines town- ship. Lee county. Here the sons secured land under pre-emption laws, but the father, well-advanced in years and having a com- petence, never became a landholder in Lee county. James A. and Mary (Smith) Newbeny were the parents of a numerous family: Jane, the oldest child, married Jacob Cran- dall and became herself the mother of eight children. — they lived in Panama, Shelby county, Iowa: she was ninety years old in Ma\', 1904: John married Lucinda Williams, — they l)ecame the parents of four children, of whom three bore arms in the Civil War. He was for many years engaged in mining in Galena, Illinois, and died in 1856, at the age of fifty-six years, having never enjoyed robust health. Abraham B., the third child; James W. was the fourth child, and his sketch appears on another page of this record. Electa married (Jeorge Wixam. She went to California at an early da\' and was there married, her husband lieing a man of ami)le means. Sallie .\nn married James Pendleton and removed with him to LHah before the Ci\il W;ir. 'V\\ti\ now' live in Paraw.in. Iron county, in that state. Har- riet married Seth Palmer and died in Mont- rose, where her remains now rest. She had no children. Mariah married George Mor- 300 ris. a stonemason. They went to Utah be- fore the Civil ^Var, and have reared a large family of children. She died about 1898. Esther married Edward Beebe, at Montrose, and went to California, where they were greatly prospered, becoming the owners of a large fruit farm. They were the parents of several children, and both are now dead. Pattie married George Hiatt, and lives in Parawan, Utah. They and the Pendletons made the journey to that distant country in company. Mrs. James A. Newberry died in 1842, at the early age of forty-six. Mr. Newberry contracted a second mar- riage two years later, when Elizabeth Ras- kins, of Des Moines township, became his wife. She bore him four children: Alma M.. a son who died March 12, 1904. in De- catur county, Iowa, leaving seven children; Joseph and Eber li\e in Mills county, Iowa; Joanna married Ilenry Winniger and lives in Missouri. Mrs. Elizabeth Newberry died in Mills county about 1858. James A. Newberry, while in this county, resided with his children until his second marriage. In 1883, at the venerable age of ninety years, he passed to his rest, having led a long and useful life. He was truly a pioneer and lo\'ed the freedom of a new country, where all had room and comfort. BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ton township, Lee county. June 25, 1849, CHRISTIAN TRUMP. Christian Trump, who is one of the leading real estate owners and liverymen of Fort Madison, Iowa, was born in Charles- and is the son of George and Katherine (Seyb) Trump. The father and mother were both natives of Germany, but were married in America, buying and locating on a farm in Charleston township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The father's death occurred about 188?, and that of the mother in 1903, they being survived liy nine children. They were early mem- bers of the Lutheran church, and were ever faithful to its teachings. Christian Trump received his education in the schools of Charleston township, and assisted his father in the duties of the farm until his seventeenth year, when he began his Imsiness life by buying and shipping stock. In this he was so successful that he soon had sufficient capital to enable him to engage in mercantile business, and he be- gan the conduct of a general store at Frank- lin Station. Here he continued for several years, but finally sold his interest to his part- ner, Mr. Best, and devoted all his time to dealing in live stock. In 1883 Mr. Trump married Katherine Lang, of Franklin township, a daughter of Frederick Lang, who is one of the pioneers of the county and at the present time a general merchant at Franklin Center. For a vear thereafter they made their home at Franklin. For several years ]\Ir. Trump had been very acti\e in Republican politics, and at this time he was appointed to the office of deputy sheriff, in which capacity' he served for two years during Colonel Root's term as sheriff. At the same time he established himself in the livery business in Fort Madison, and continued dealing in horses, as well as contracting for grading CHRISI'IAN IkUMP LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 303 and heavy hauling, tiding much work for the city, and building up his contracting busi- ness to large proportions. His many and successful enterprises brought him into con- tact .with a large number of people, and \vhei-e\er he went he made friends. A thing that shows his wide acquaintance and his standing in the community is the fact that he was elected to the ofifice of sheriff of Lee county for two terms at a time when the party of which he was a member was in a normal minority of ime thousand votes, and that in his first election he received the as- tounding majority of 293 and for his sec- ond term 297 votes. He filled his office ac- ceptably, and retired with increased reputa- tion. During his term of office he continued his livery and horse business. The first building erected by '\\r. Trump in Fort Madison was a livery barn on Locust street, and later he erected a fine business block, known as the Trump Block, at the corner of Locust and Front streets. He then con- verted his frame barn into a brick structure, with stone front and cement floor, facing south on Front street. This barn, in di- mensions 50.x 1 50 feet, is the best in the city. .Another large stone and brick barn, two stories in height, and now occupierl as a feed and sale barn, stands at another cor- ner of Locust and Front streets as a moiui- ment to the public spirit of Mr. Trump. He now confines his activities to the livery and sale business, shipping constantly large numbers of horses to all parts of the United State.s. Father died in [884. Mr. Trump's only fraternal connection is with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, of which he has been a member for several years. To INlr. and Mrs. Truni]) ha\e been born two sons, Richard R., who has now com- pleted his educaticjn at Flliott's Business College, at Burlington, Iowa, and Raymond F., who is at home. On .\ugust 16, 1892, the family sustained its greatest sorrow in the death of the wife anrl mother, blather and sons are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church. To ]\lr. Trump alone be- longs the credit for what he has achieved. Starting empty-handed in life for himself, he has w on his way to his' present high posi- tion in the world by his own ability, energy and merit. HOWARD M. DEWEY. Howard ]\L Dewey is a farmer, and has his home in Sawyer, \^^^shington township, where he was born January 23, 1852. His entire life has been passed in Lee county, with the exception of Ijrief periods, mention of which will appear farther on in this sketch, and here he has achieved an enviable standing both as a man and a follower of the noble profession of agriculture. By in- dustry and perseverance, joined to a close study of his calling, and an anxiety to pro- duce the best results to his unflagging labors, he has won a commendable measure of suc- cess, and though not yet passed the prime of life takes higli rank among the leading citizens of his community. Mr. Dewey is a son of George Howland 304 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and Cliliie ( Butler) Dewey. The father was torn in Leroy, Berkshire county, Mas- sachusetts, in iSiTi. and was a son of Asaph Dewey. He came to Iowa in 183S, and ef- fected a location on section 18, Washington township. He attended the first land sale in Burlington, to which he walked from his home, and there he hought a quarter section at $1.25 an acre. He made some improve- ments on his land, hut after a year had elapsed returned to Massachusetts, where he was married in 1839 to Miss Chloe B. But- ler, a nati\-e of Pittsfield, in that state. The young couple made their way immediately to their western home, and there passed many honorahle and useful years. They were both members of the Congregational church, and were highly respected for their many excellent qualities of heart and mind. Politically he Avas for many years associated with the Republican party, but in his latter years became somewhat prominently identi- fied with the Prohibition movement. He long .served as justice of the peace, and was at different, times assessor of the township. Mr. and Mrs. George H. Dewey were the parents of a family of ten children, of whom brief mention may be made : George H., Jr., born February 7, 1841, enlisted as a private in the Nineteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry in 1863, died in 1871 ; Eunice S., born December 8, 1842, married X. F. But- ler, and died in 1891 ; Asaph C, born April 8, 1844, was a soldier in the Civil War, being a member of the Xineteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantr}', and is now living in Stone county, .Arkansas. His wife, Mary Riggs, is dead: Sarah E., Mrs. William .\. Tade, a resident of Van Buren countv, Iowa, was born April 10, 1845, she died in ]March, 1 88 1, her husband served as a captain in a colored regiment during the Ci\il War; James B., born Xovember 29. 1846. died when only eight months old; Xancy W., Inirn February 4, 1848, after the death of her sister, became the second wife of Wil- liam .V. Tade; Kate M., born August 11. 1850. married John Tade, lived in N^e- braska, and is now dead; Howard M., whose name appears at the opening of this article ; Siar Butler, born July 2, 1853. in Wash- ington township, always made his home on the paternal estate, which he carded on in 1876. in company with his two brothers, Howard M. and Frank. He had a good common-school education, and was a man of more than ordinary gifts. On the 14th day of February, 1883, he was married to Aliss Olga J. Kirk, a native of Pennsylvania, and a niece of Prof. Edson, who was for many years the head of Denmark Academy, and later a professor in Grinnell College. They had a family of six children : Charlotte C, Ethel B.. Grace H., Ruth E.. Kirk M. and Alice Irene. In pditics he is a Re- ])ulilican. and in religion a member of the Denmark Congregational church, of which he has long been a deacon. He is the owner of forty acres of land in W^est Point township, and has in his home farm 190 acres. His specialty is I'olled Angus cattle, in the breeding of which he enjoys more than a local reputation. Frank M.. bom April 22. 1855, has his home in Cahoka, Missouri. George H. Dewev died in 1891. and his widow. June 8. 1894. .After 1876 he lived a retired life. Howard AI. Dewey, whose name ap- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 305 pears at the heat! nf this hins^Taphical sketch, received a CDiiimun-schnol education and hved at home until his marriage, February 14, 1881, to !NJiss h'lora M. Sawyer. She was a daughter of Francis and Lucy (Bax- ter) Sawyer, and a lady of more than the usual character and attainments. Her father was horn in Rindge. Cheshire county, X^ew Hampshire, in 1815, and when he was eleven years old was taken by his parents to New Ipswicli, where he was gi\-en a good e(ki- cation. In 1838, in ccjmpany with his Ijrother. he left home for the W'est, making the journey in a one-horse buggy. F^rom Albany to Buffalo they availed themselves of the canal, then a popular route, .\fter being on t'ne road six weeks they reached Lee county, and made claim to the land on which the son-in-law. ^Ir. Dewey, now lives. Here he erected a cabin, and here he passed his remaining years. In 1840 he went back to his native state to marry Miss Lucy Bax- ter. She was born at Xew Ipswich. New Hampshire, December 7, 1816. She died in 1843. Three years later ]\Ir. Sawyer married Miss Abbie Flolt. who was born in Andover, Massachusetts, in I-"ebruar>', 1828. She died May 27, 189S, leaving four chil- dren : Henry B., born January 30, 1849, '* now deceased: Alfred, born in 1850, is also deceased; Perle\' I'"., born in 185C), ilicd in 1871 : l-dora M.. now Mrs. Dewey; Herbert, born in i860, died in 1869. Mr. Sawyer be- came the husband of Miss Lucy Baxter in October, 1865. She was born in Xew Ipswich in i8jt, and died May 27. 1898. Mr. Sawyer died September 11, 1897. He was a member of the Congregational church in which he had long serveil as a deacon. In farming he was \ery successful, and was known as a man of fine character and un- usual merit. -Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Dewey arc the parents of three children : Perley Fran- cis, born .Vjjril 6, 1885; .\rtluu- Howard, born October 7, 1890. and Daisy Helen, born October 25, 1893. The children are bright and gifted, and would do credit to anv home. Mr. Dewey is a very successful farmer and owns a fine farm of 250 acres, to which be has gi\en the name of "Long Field Farm." While he is .--killed as a general farmer, he makes a specialty of Polled An- gus cattle, and is widely and favorably known as a stockraiser. In addition to his home farm he has a fortv-acre tract of tim- ber land in the township of West Point. Mr. Dewey is a member of the Congrega- tional church, and was the first postmaster at Sawyer. Personally he is a man of ir- reproachable character and genial ways, and enjoys the respect and confidence of the com- munitv in which he lives to a verv unusual MONTGOMERY MEIGS. Among the more widelv known residents of Keokuk, Iowa, is Montgomery Meigs, who has been in the service of the federal government since 1874 and is at the pres- ent time occui)ying the [position of United States ci\i! engineer, superintendent of the Des Moines Rajjids canal and locks and su- perintendent of the Mississippi river im- 3o6 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW provements between Burlington, Iowa, and Hannibal, Missouri. He is of English an- cestn', and is the son of Gen. M. C. ^leigs, who was for a number of years quarter- master-general of the United States army, a position attained by simple force of merit and in recognition of distinguished services as a member of the engineering corps of the army, in which he liad risen to high rank. General Meigs, who was a native of Pennsylvania, was a man of great talents and executive ability, and erected many pub- lic works which stand as a monument to his skill as an engineer, among these ijeing the aqueduct in the City of Washington and the famous "Cabin John" arch, the largest structure of its kind on the globe. He oc- cupied a high place among the leading public men of his time, enjoying a reputation of in- ternational scope, and although he never sought to stand in the limelight of publicity, his name is an important one in the history of his country. Montgomeiy Meigs was born in the year 1847 in Detroit, Michigan, and passed the years of his boyhood and youth in the City of Washington, and there in tlie shadow of the national capital he grew to years of ma- turity in an atmosphere of large events and the society of many great and celebrated men of the time, meanwhile securing the founda- tion of his education in private schools of that city. Having determined, however, to attain to a high plane of usefulness and dis- tinction in his father's profession, which he had also chosen for his own, he pursued further courses of study along special lines in the scientific department of Harvard Uni- A-ergitv and in the Roval Polvtechnich School at Stuttgart, Germany, from which latter in- stitution he was graduated in 1869. Having thus acquired a magnificent training in the theoretical branch of his profession, he be- gan his acquaintance with its practical side by starting at the lowest round of the ladder and gaining familiarity with its every phase by actual experience. The Northern Pacific Railroad was then in course of construction, and he first acted as rodman in a party en- gaged in surveying the route of that great transcontinental highway, later, becoming assistant' engineer and finally resident en- gineer, and also taking and executing the contract for building a fifty-mile section of the road, terminating at Bismarck, in what is now the State of South Dakota. His whole connection with the building of the Xorthern Pacific road, including the pre- liminary survey and construction, lasted four years, a period which he now considers the most fruitful of useful experience in his entire career, and certain!}- he had cause to feel much satisfaction for his rapid rise to a position of trust and profit. In 1875 ]\Ir. Meigs accompanied the quartermaster-general, his father, as his sec- retar}- on a military mission to Europe, and in 1877 he was appointed United States civil engineer, stationed at Rock Island. Il- linois, to conduct the inipro\ements designed to aid navigation on the Mississippi river. He made an especial survey of the upper course of the river, and superintended the execution of innumerable improvements throughout its entire navigable length, namely from St. Paul to the Gulf of Mexico, thus performing a service to mankind which must rank as one of the notable achievements LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 307 of his generation, it being due to his efforts more than to those of any other man that the present concHtion of this greatest of the world's waterways is due. Following the successful conclusion of this great en- terprise he was assigned, in 1882, to the su- perintendency of the Des Moines Rapids canal, which had been opened in 1877, and of the ri\er improvements which he had established between Burlington and Hanni- bal, a position whose duties he has since continuously discharged in a highly merito- rious and efificient manner, and it may be safely said that no section of the river has recei\'ed more conscientious and painstaking care than that intrusted to his charge, or that nowhere have the improvements been more perfectly maintained. When he as- sumed charge of the canal it was only par- tialh' tinished, and he at once took stejis for its completion along the most approved lines, building a dry dock at the middle lock, rais- ing the walls of the two lower locks, con- structing solid masonry sluices for the dis- charge of flood water into the river from the canal, building the boom at the lower lock, and, in a word, bringing the work to that state of perfection which has excited the admiration of all who have been privi- leged to inspect it. In connection with this work Mr. Meigs has built more than half a hundred barges for the government service, as well as two drill boats, three pile drivers and four building boats, and has built and nametl a Heet of twelve ri\er steam- ers, as follows : "The Lucia," "Iris," "Ada," "Irene," "Pearl," "Marion," "Stella." "Lou- ise," "Emily," "Ruth," "Fox" and "Grace." At Rock Island, Illinois, in 1877, Mr. Meigs was uniteil in marriage to Miss Grace L}iide, daughter of ("ornelius Lynde. a lead- ing Ijanker and prominent citizen of that place, and during her residence in Keokuk Mrs. ^leig's many graces of character won for her a host of friends. She died Sep- tember 2. 1894. survived by six daughters, as follows: Mary, wife of Maxwell W. .\twater, of Baker City, Oregon; Louise, wife of Meh'in Green, of Winchester, Vir- ginia, and Misses Grace S., Alice McK., Cor- nelia L. aufl Emily F. The daughters of the famil}- have all had the advantages of ex- cellent training and education, and those of their number who remain residents of Keo- kuk adorn the most desiraljle social circles of the city. The present family home, which has been its place of abode contin- uousl}- for twenty-five years, is what is known as tlie Judge McCreary homestead, at Xo. 618 Franklin street. Mr. Meigs has borne a prominent part in the affairs of his adopted City of Keokuk, l;eing at the present time a member and chairman of the Board of Education, a member of the Buildings and Improvements Committe and vice-president of the Keokuk Water Commission, a body whose labors ha\-e solved in a highly satisfactory manner the \exed ])roblem of the city's water sup- ])ly. Socially, he is a member of the Keo- kuk Country Club, and along the line of his professional work he is affiliated with the American Society of Civil Engineers .and the American Society for the Advance- ment of Science. One important public ser\ice performed by Air. Meigs, and one which has brought him a large ineasure of fame thnuighout the United States, was his 3o8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW proposal before tlie Good Roads Convention, at St. Louis, to which he was appointed the member for Keokuk Iw Judge F. T. Hughes, then mayor, to apply crude petroleum to the roads as a dust preventative, and in order to render ungraveled roads passable in all weathers. The idea was at once \\idely adopted, especially in tlie Western States, and is rapidly growing in favor, being found highly practicable and useful, and in all re- spects is fulfilling the claims of its orig-. inator, who is certainly entitled to the uni- versal gratitude of this eminently utilita- rian discovery. Thus it is manifest that the life of our subject has Ijeen one long period of service to his fellowmen, and while his business ability has enabled him to acquire a sufificient store of worldy goods, his chief riches consist of an honorable, upright and useful career, a possession which no accident of fortune can ever destroy or take away. C. F. WAHRER, M. D. Dr. C. F. ^^^al^rer, of Fort Madison, physician and surgeon, has through his writ- ings along professional lines become known to the medical fraternity throughout the countr\' and through his eflforts for the dif- fusion of medical knowledge and for the promotion of general education to the public at large. A nati\'e of Baden, Germany, he was born July 19, 1850, and when three years of age was brought to the United States by his parents, who settled at Keokuk, Iowa, where the next eight years of his life were passed. He began his education in the pub- lic schools of that city, and following the removal of the family to Charleston, Lee county, he continued a public-school student there. He spent his early life upon his fa- ther's farm and after teaching in various dis- trict schools entered Whittier College, at Salem, Iowa, from wliich institution he was graduated. Immediately afterward he was elected professor of mathematics and filled that position, alternating with that of professor of natural sciences for a pe- riod of six years. He then became principal of the Salem public schools, and during the years thus spent he took up the study of medicine, pursuing his • reading under some of the prominent phy- sicians of that city. He afterward matricu- lated in the Medical College of Keokuk, and completed his course by graduation with the class of 1887. He immediately entered upon the practice of his profession at Mount Hamill, Lee county, Iowa, where he con- tinued until 1893. when he removed to Fort Madison, where he has since engaged in gen- eral practice. During the latter years of his residence in Mount Hamill and until 1893 he was professor, of pathology at the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, of Keokuk, Iowa, and then resigned his position. In' the years 1898 and 1899 he was persuaded to accept the professorship of therapeutics and at the close of the session he was ten- dered the cliair of medicine, but resigned in order to devote his entire attention to his private practice, now grown to extensive proportions, making heavy demands upon LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 309 his time and energies. He is a member of nearly ail tlie prominent medical societies, including the Lee County Medical Society ; the Southeastern Iowa Medical Society, of which he was president in 1902; the Iowa State Medical Society, of which he was vice- president in 1902. and also chairman of its various sections at different times — positions of distinctive honor. He has also been a trustee of this society for a number of years. He holds membership in the American Med- ical Association, in which he has held vari- ous positions of trust, the last being that of secretary of the section of the diseases of children. He has also been elected a mem- ber of the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science. In connection with his identification with these organizations he has traveled extensively throughout the United States and because of this and his writings on professional topics, there are few better known members of the medical profession, not only in his own state, but also throughout the United States. He is the author of many medical monographs, which he expects to publish in connection with other medical works. Aside from his labors in connection with the science of medicine he has been inter- ested in the advancement of musical and literary associations and has frequently de- livered addresses upon medical, literary and moral topics and has identified himself with general educational matters. Dr. Wahrer has been a lifelong Repub- lican, but has never sought ofiice. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic fraternity, having in tile latter attained the KnigJits Templar degree. He is also a memlier of Kaba Tem- ple of the Mystic Shrine, at Davenport, Iowa. Dr. Wahrer was married, July 11, 1876, near Richland, Iowa, to Miss Sara Mc- Cracken, who was born near Pleasant Plain, Iowa, and resided there during her girlhood. She acquired her education in Whittier Col- lege, in Salem, Iowa, and afterward became a teacher of history in that institution. \\ liile there she formed the acquaintance of Dr. Wahrer. Her parents were Hiram and Dinah (Hadley) McCracken, of Fairfield, Iowa. Dr. and Mrs. Wahrer had four chil- dren : Evelyn, who was born at Salem, Iowa, and pursued her earl}- education in the public schools of Fort Madison, after- ward attended Knox College, at Galesburg, Illinois, and the State Normal School, of Iowa. She is an accomplished scholar now occupying a position as one of the teachers in the high school of Fort Madison. She is also much interested in music. Carl W. Wahrer. born at Salem, Iowa, graduated from Rush Medical College, and after com- pleting a two years' post-graduate course, became associated in the practice of his pro- fession with his father. Dr. C. F. Wahrer. Within the last three years he has also illus- trated a nuni])cr nf medical works, .some of them being published by the press of Co- blentz. Germany. August H. Wahrer. born in Salem, Iowa, died at the age of twelve years, and was buried at Fort Madison, Iowa: k'rederick L. Wahrer, born at Mount Ilamill. Iowa, was educated in the high school of Fort Madi.son. It will be interesting in this connection 3IO BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW to note something of the family to which Dr. Wahrer belongs. He is one of the nine chil- dren, five of whom are living, born imto Au- gust and Rosina (Fiedler) Wahrer. The father was born in Baden, Germany, August i8, 1825, became a furrier and followed that occupation until his removal to the United States in 1852. He located at Keokuk, Iowa, and there followed his trade and also en- gaged in merchant tailoring, in which he continued until 1861, when he removed to Charleston, Iowa, where he carried on farm- ing until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-six years of age. He was a fairly prosperous and successful man and was interested not alone in business, but also in church and educational affairs, being an active member of the Evangelical church. His wife died about five years prior to his demise, passing away at the age of sixty- seven years. J. H. COULTER, M. D. Dr. Coulter, who is a well-known figure on the streets of Summitville, Lee county, is an honored member of a noble calling, and well sustains the best traditions of his pro- fession. It is a calling that demands the best in human nature, and confers its rich- est rew;irds nnlv on those who take its vows of consecration, and live as brothers to all the world of the suffering and needy. It is the work of the physician to help and cheer. It is his to put courage into hearts that fal- ter and faint, and strength into bodies weak and feeble. His shadow upon the threshold of pain should be a benediction upon the fevered brow of sickness, and in his touch a healing. Such men are very close to the heart of the race : and when they are once discovered, are revered and loved. The Summitville physician is a man after the best ideals of his profession, studious and learned, deeply versed in medical lore, but modest and unassuming, he is respected and esteemed wherever he is known. Dr. Coulter was born in Adams county, Illinois, January i, 1856, a son of Josiah and Mary J. (Dunlap) Coulter, natives respect- ively of Pennsylvania and Virginia. They were farmer people, the father died in Ne- braska, whither they had gone in 1886 to settle on a ranch for stockraising, which thev proposed to make their final home. The mother resides in Denver, Colorado. To them were born six children of whom the subject of this sketch was the oldest. The others were Emma, wife of A. J. Dunham, of Mi.ssouri : Mary, wife of Henr\' Vance; Samuel H. ; Wilber, and Warren, both Ne- braska stockmen, and Charles. Dr, Coulter seaired his education in the common schools and in his earlier life was engaged in farming near Tarkio, ^Missouri. From Nodaway county, in that state, he en- tered the College of Physicians and Sur- geons at Keokuk, in 1887. In 1890 he was graduated from that justly celebrated insti- tution, and immediately efifected a location in Summitville, Lee county, where his high character and manifest ability commanded quick recognition and a profitable practice. For some nine \ears he has been county LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 311 physician and also local physician for the local branch of the Du Pont Powder Mills. He is local examiner for the more noted life insurance companies, such as the Equitable, and the Mutual Life, of New York, the New York Life, the Pennsylvania and several fra- ternal associations as well, being an active member and local examiner for the Modern \\'oodmen of America. He is associated in the various medical societies of the day, and is a member of- the American Medical Asso- ciation, the Tri-State Association, the State Association, the Des Moines Valley Associa- tion, and the Lee County Medical Society. He takes much interest in the workings of these various organizations, but is especially active in the Tri-State Association and the Lee County Society. The doctor is a mem- ber of the Morning Star Lodge, No. 5, Knights of Pythias, at Keokuk, and of Sum- mitville Camp, No. 4594, Modern Woodmen of America. Dr. Coulter was married in 188 1 to Miss Myra Dunham, who was liorn in Williams- burg, Indiana, in 1853. They were married in Alaryville. Missouri. To them two daugh- ters were born, Elsie and Nellie. Her father, Jerry Dunham, is dead, but her mother, Mary (Allen) Dunham, is still living. Dr. Coulter has a very handsome and attractive home at Sumniitville. It com- prises twenty-one acres, and on it are found 2,500 fruit trees. Here he has his office, and takes much delight in his leisure moments in superintending the improvements of his place, which is still continuing. All improve- ments have been made by him, and he is known as a public-spirited and wide-awake citizen, ready to make beautiful the com- munity in which he lives. 19 The Doctor had to work his way through medical college, and his was no easy road to learning. He had saved some money in Missouri, but when he went to Nebraska with large plans he lost it all. In religion he is a memlier and a deacon in the Chris- tian cliurch. and his faniil)- are workers in the Sunday school. He was active in the building of the Simimitville church, being on the building committee, and is now serv- ing on the board of trustees of that organiza- tion. He is an occasional contributor to the medical journals. Politically he is a Re- publican. The fact that Dr. Coulter is the only physician in Summitville is not as some might imagine a warrant of ease to him, but rather a call to constant study and close application to his profession, that he might keep abreast of its rapid development and be ready for all occasions. He has had to go through much trial and adversity in order to win his present prominence in his chosen calling, and only what has put him forward will sustain him. So he studies, and works, and gi\-es his best to his great profession, which in turn is giving him honor and rep- utation as a healer of men and a doer of eood in the world. OSCAR 0. TRACY. The present age belongs pre-eminently to the young man, and he has shown his ap- preciation of the fact by the capable man- ner in which he has availed himself of its ;i2 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW opportunities for advancement in all lines of endeavor. One of Keokuk's younger men who has manifested the possession of valu- able qualities of aggressiveness, self-reliance and fidelity to duty in all matters intrusted to his charge, is Oscar O. Tracy, manager for the Western Union Telegraph Com- pany. Mr. Tracy was born near Brighton, Iowa, August 14, 1871, the son of ^Mark Albert and Martha (Ohmart) Tracy, his father being by occupation a farmer and re- moving to Brighton from near Barnesville, and later, in 1872, to Pleasant Plain. Iowa; but in 1875 he came to Keokuk and was a resident of this city for a number of years, while at the present time he is located at Des Moines, and is employed in the car de- partment of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company. The mother of our subject is the daughter of Christian Ohmart, and of Scotch-Irish extraction. She died at Brighton in 1872. Both are still remembered in Brighton as being people of sterling character, and they had many friends there who valued them for their kindly dispositions and sincerity of manner. To them were born one son, Oscar O., and one daughter, Amelia Belle, who is now the wife of Henry E. Schmidt, with the Keokuk drug firm of ^^'ilkinson & Company. Oscar O. Tracy removed to Keokuk with his parents in 1875, and has resided in this city continuously since that time. He re- ceived a good education in the common schools,. and on the completion of his studies became a messenger in the service of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and while acting in this capacity he took advan- tage of his opportunities to familiarize him- self with the art of telegraphy, in which he soon became expert and was promoted to the position of regular operator. His work hav- ing attracted the attention of his superiors, V he was three years ago made local manager for the company, and in the conduct of this office he has displayed executive ability of an unusual order, a quality which, while ad- vancing him in the favor of the public and proving of material benefit to the interests of the company which he represents, will doubtless be the means of his attaining still higher honors in future. In 1894 he wedded ^liss May Antrim, who was born at Dan- ville, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Wil- liam and Hannah (Hammond) Antrim, both of Pennsylvania birth, and to ]Mr. and Mrs. Tracy has been born one daughter, Martha. Mr. Tracy is well known in the fraternal circles of Keokuk, being a member of the Masonic order in Hardin Lodge, No. 29, and also of Keokuk Lodge, No. 13, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has held official positions and has been a prominent worker. In all matters of pub- lic concern he has taken a constant inter- est, and has given special study to politics, but has never formed any partisan connec- tion, preferring to act with that increasingly important body of voters known as "inde- pendents," and believing that the best re- sults may be obtained by deciding each ques- tion of public policy on its individual merits and not according to partisan bias. His religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he and Mrs. Tracv are members, and he is a liberal sup- porter of its work and a contributor to its LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 313 various charities. He is a }-oiing man who is much esteemed in the business world of Keo- kuk, and enjoys the respect of many friends who have watclied his upward course with interest. STEPHEN H. KOTTENSTETTE. Stephen H. Kottenstette, now deceased, was born at Fort Madison, Iowa, on the i8th of February, 1867, his parents being Peter and Theresa (Beine) Kottenstette. The fatlicr was born in Germany and in 1849 came to the United States, lo- cating first at St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained until 1861. He there followed the cooper's trade, wdiich he had learned in liis native country. In the year mentioned he came to Fort Madi- son, Iowa, where he has since resided, be- ing now about sixty-five years of age. Here he ciintinued the work of coopering for a number of years and at this writing, in the fall of 1904, was employed in the S. & J. C. Atlee lumber yards. He is a member of the Catholic church, and in his political af- filiations is a Democrat. He married Ther- esa Beine, who was born in Germany, and was brought to the United States when aliout eight years of age. The family land- ed at New Orleans and when on the way up the Mississippi river to Fort Madison, the mother died as did one of the sisters of Mrs. Kottenstette. The voyage across the At- lantic had covered sixteen weeks and the trip uj) the river was also a very hard and tedious one, while its difficulties were height- ened by the sorrow induced by the death of the members of the family. Mr. Beine had to spend all the money which he had saved in order to bring his family to the United States and pay the expenses of the illness and burial of his wife and daughter. He was a shoemaker by trade, and after locating in Fort Madison, foilowed that pursuit for a long period, but about twenty years prior to his demise retired from active business cares. In the early days he suffered the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life, but as time passed by these gave way be- fore an advancing civilization and Mr. Beine prospered in his work. He lived to the ven- erable age of eighty-four years. Unto Peter and Theresa Kottenstette were born eleven children, nine of whom are yet living. Stephen H. Kottenstette acquired his early education in the Catholic schools of Fort Madison, and also attended Johnson's Business College. After leaving school he clerked in the grocery store owned by Joseph Helling for five years and then started in business for himself as a grocer at No. 1202 Fourth street. At the time of his death he was in partnership with Frank Hermes as proprietor of a grocery store and he had succeeded in building up a large and lucra- tive business. Popular as a merchant, he enjoyed the full confidence of the business community and his success was due to his earnest desire to please his patrons, the ex- cellent line of goods which he carried and his straightforward dealing in all business transactions. On the 20th of November. 1892, Mr. Kottenstette was united in marriage at Fort 314 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Madison to Miss Mary Pieper, who was born in this city and is a daughter of Frank and Elizabeth (Jaeger) Pieper. who still reside here. Her father was born in Prussia, in 1832. and there learned the carpenter's trade. In 1854 he started for America in company with his brother, William, now deceased. They took passage on the sailing vessel "Al- bert," which left the por^ of Bremen for \e\v Orleans and thence they proceeded up the Mississippi river to Fort Madison. There was no railroad here at that time and in fact the city was only a trading post. Mr. Pieper began work at the carpenter's trade and when the Atlee saw and lumber mill was established in 1855. he obtained work in connection with that industn,-. For forty- seven years he was connected with that busi- ness and during the last years was foreman in the machinery department. He lost three fingers from his left hand and the fourth finger from his right hand, while working at the saw. He is now retfred from active business life and his rest is well merited. As the years passed and his industry and economy brought him more capital he made judicious investment in property and now owns a valuable farm of 235 acres in Cedar township. He also owns a home at No. 1904 Division street at the corner of Walker street, and he likewise has ten acres of farm land in Madison township. He also owns three tenement houses and four lots on block No. 8 in Fort Madison, Ijut his realty pos- sessions indicate that his has been a life of business activity and usefulness. He was married in 1857, in Fort Madison, to Miss Lizzie Jaeger, and they became the parents of ten children, of whom six are living: William, who operates his father's farm in Cedar township, and married Lizzie Kot- tenstette, by whom he has six children, four sons and two daughters, Mary, the widow of Stephen Kottenstette, of Fort Madison, and the mother of three children : Lizzie, the wife of Frank Schilte, of Fort !\Iadison, by whom she has five children; Anna, at home: Theresa, the wife of Frank Hermes, of Fort Madison ; and Kate, at home. The parents and family are communicants of the Sacred Heart Catholic churcli, and Mr. Pie- per belongs to the Old Settlers' Associa- tion. His daughter, Mrs. Kottenstette. ac- quired her education in the Catholic schools 'of Fort Madison, and by her marriage be- came the mother of four children : Peter, who was born in Fort Madison, and is now eleven years of age; Frank, a youth of nine years ; Edward deceased : and Robert, four years of age. Mr. Kottenstette was a progressive young man, alert and enterprising in busi- ness and witli ready recognition of possi- bilities and opportunities. He won success and also an honored name and it seemed that his death was most untimely, for he was filling a creditable position in both busi- ness and social circles in Fort Madison. In 1 89 1 he built the pleasant home now occu- pied bv his widow and there his death oc- curred on the 27th of ]\Iay. 1902. He was a Democrat in his political views and be- longed to Gate City Lodge, No. 288, An- cient Order United Workmen. Widely known and enjoying the full confidence and esteem of all with whom he had l>een asso- ciated the loss of Mr. Kottenstette was LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 315 deeply deplored by his many friends who still cherish his memory. Mrs. Kottenstette still occupies the home which was erected for her hy her husband and is rearing her children there. She. too, is well-known in Fort Mailison, and the hospitality of many of the best homes of the city is extended to her. THEODORE A. CRAIG. Theodore A. Craig, a member of the Keokuk bar and a leader in local political circles, was born in Lee county. June 13, 1872, his parents being John H. and Alice (Read) Craig. His father coming to Keo- kuk aliout 1855, was one of the first prac- ticing attorneys of this city and was asso- ciated in his profession with General Noble. He was a Democrat and took an active in- terest in the work of the party, frequently delivering cam|)aign addresses in the county and state, although always refusing to be- come a candidate for office. He died in Kcnkuk in Seiitember. 1893, and is still sur- vived by his wife. The four children of the family are also living: Read, who resides in .\urora, Illinois; Bertha R., who is teach- ing histor\- in the Keokuk high school; Hugh 11., an attornc\- of this city, and Theo- dore A. Theodore A. Craig attended the common and high .schools of Keokuk, and afterward continued It's studies in Parson's College, of Fairfeld, Iowa. On the completion of his literary course he entered the law office of John E. Craig and following his preliminary reading, which ga\-e him a thorough knowl- edge of many of the principles of law, he was admitted to the bar on the i8th of Jan- uary. 1899, before the supreme court, at l)es Moines. 1 !e practiced alone for a year and then entered into partnership with John \\. Craig, this connection being continued from Jinic, 1900, until the ist of June, 1904, when he again l)egan business alone. His success along professional lines has been gratifying, and he now has a distinguished representative clientage. He presents his cause in a strong and forcible manner, dis- playing an excellent knowledge of the prin- ciples of jurisprudence and correct applica- tion of them to the points in litigation. For the past six years he has published annota- tions of the Iowa code, showing changes in the laws, sujiplying these to the attorneys of the state. Public spirited and interested in the great questions that concern the state and nation, he gives his political allegiance to the Democracy and served as Mayor of Keokuk from 1901 to 1903. He is a mem- ber of the Democratic Central Committe, and during campaigns delivers many ad- dresses in support of the party candidates. He has often l)een chairman of the county convention and has been an attendant upon state and national conventions. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Wood- men of America, the .\ncient Order of United Woodmen and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Air. Craig was married in April, 1902, to Miss Jean Blood, of St. Louis, Missouri, and they have resided at No. 503 North Third street. Tliev ha\c many warm friends in Keokuk and occujjy an enviable position in social circles of the citv. 3i6 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW FRANK H. JONES. One of the most extensively known and highly respected citizens in the business world of Keokuk, Iowa, for a long period of vears, was Frank H. Jones, who was born in Cass county, Ohio, January 30. 1843, the son of Benjamin and Eliza Jones, and came with his parents when about ten years of age to Keokuk, and here spent the remain- der of his life in constant and useful activity along commercial lines. He was one of a familv comprising four sons and one daugh- ter, as follows : Edward H., now clerk in a bank in the Island of Porto Rico ; Hezekiah, who died at the age of thirty years; Frank H.. our subject; John, now a resident of Allniquerque, Xew ^Mexico, and Kate, wife of Newton E. Clark, of Newtoaville, Massa- chusetts. While yet a mere boy Mr. Jones be- came a clerk in the hardware store of Cady, Jones & Peck, in whicli position he quickly won the favor of his employers, but at the beginning of the Civil War his enthusiasm for the cause of his country w'as so great that he determined to enlist in the Union army. Being opposed in this re.solution. howe\'er, by his mother, he went in company with a friend to Chariton, Missouri, where was then stationed the First Regiment Iowa Cav- alry, and enlisted in Company A, in which he continued until an injury caused by be- ing thrown from his horse rendered him unfit for further active service, and he was honor.-tbly discharged. Later he became clerk to a sutler, a position in which he was paid a very high salary, and in this capacity accompanied the army througout its cam- paigns in the South until close of the war. In 1865 Mr. Jones resumed his inter- rupted relations with his former employers, who gladl)- re-engaged his services, and he continued with them until they retired from business, when he formed a partnership with Samuel Dillon, -and they established a men's furnishings business, the style of the firm being Dillon & Jones. This enterprise proved xtvy successful, and its large pros- perity was justly attributable in a very marked degree to the care, energy and sound business judgment of Mr. Jones, whose best efforts were ever devoted to its welfare, but after a time the connection was terminated bv the sale of 'Sir. Dillon's interest to James Welch, the firm then becoming Welch & Jones. For a number of years, however, Mr. Jones conducted the business alone, and he continued to be actively associated with its fortunes until the hand of death removed him from the world of the living. At Chariton, Iowa, on November i, 1866. Mr. Jones wedded Miss Mary Eliza- beth ]iIoore. daughter of Samuel and Isabel (Burney) Moore. The Moore family were early arrivals on the frontier, and William Moore, grandfather of Mrs. Jones, came into contact with the Indians, by whom he was taken ])risoner and held in captivity for three years. Shortly after his capture he was stripped of his clothing to undergo the ordeal of running the gauntlet, and as he stood at the head of the two ranks of savages armed with clubs and weapons ready to rain blows upon him. a squaw began the torture bv thrusting a firebrand against his flesh; and this act of ferocity saved his life, for, seizing the squaw by the feet, he threw her down a steep, high bluff, on which the party LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 317 was standing, and this so amused the In- dians that they burst into laughter, and he was not required to run the gainitlet. He came to be great!}' admired by the Indians, and after his return home he was visited each year In- the chief of tire tribe, who finally died at his home. Samuel Moore, who was one of a family of eleven sons and daugiiters. all of whom grew to maturity, was a farmer, and leaving Cadiz, Ohio, in 1853, he traveled westward by water, set- tling at Bloomington. Illinois, whence he again removed in 1865 to Keokuk, Iowa, and afterward to Chariton, this state. Later the family located in Grand Glacier, Arkan- sas, and it was at that place that Mr. Moore died in 1876. at the age of sixty-five years. Isabel Burney, mother of Mrs. Jones, was one of thirteen brothers and sisters, all of whom grew to maturity and married, and her paternal grandparents, who were of Scotch-Irish extraction, early settled in the neighborhood of Urichsville. Ohio, where they reached the land on which they estab- lished their home by cutting roads through the forest. To ^Ir. and Mrs. Jones were born three sons and one daughter, as follows : Georgia Belle, wife of \V. S. Phillips, of Keokuk; Charles E.. clerk, and Frank M.. manager of their father's estate, including the mer- cantile business left by him, aufl which they still conduct, and William S., who is a resi- dent of Chicago. To the sons who manage the mterests which he left in Keokuk has descended much of the prestige enjoyed by Mr. Jones during his life, and the responsi- bility attached thereto is an important one, for he occupied a recognized position of leadership, and was active in all good causes. Me wiili his wife was a faithful member of the Congregational church, to which he was a generous and willing contributor for all its charities and philanthropic movements, and he took an active and helpful interest in the affairs of tlie Grand Army of the Re- public, of which he was a member, while his public spirit and desire to fulfill the obliga- tions of citizenship made him a loyal worker in the ranks of the Republican party. He occupied a desirable position as one of the earlier and more celebrated merchant pro motors of Keokuk's welfare, while his enter- prising disposition led him always to cnrry a large and seasonable stock of goods in his particular line: and he held his patrons by the strong ties of strictest integrity in his dealings and absolute frankness in all mat- ters. Personally he was ever cheerful, courteous, considerate of others, and unfail- ingly kind to all. He died February 19. 1903. and his passing has been a matter for deep and sincere regret for many, as he num- bered his friends by the score, and the hun- dred in this and more distant communities, and was universally respected for those high qualities which endeared him to those who now mourn a devoted husband and loving, indulgent father. BYRON C. DAVIS. The life of one who, beginning his busi- ness activities at an early age, passing through many changes of scene and fortune, achieving success, and always maintaining for himself an honored and respected stand- 3i8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ing in the community, can not fail to furnish an interesting study to the readers of this vohime. Mr. Davis was born at Frankfort. Kentucky, July 30, 1846, and when nine years old accompanied his parents to Fort ^ladison. At the age of eleven years he began clerking in a dry goods store. After three years of faithful service he became second clerk of the ^lississippi river steamer "Pomeroy," this step ha\ing been taken in i860. During the following four years he was employed on the "Pomeroy," "Kate Cassel." "New Boston," and "Keithsburg," and in January, 1864, he went to Chicago and entered school, having a high regard for education, and wishing to perfect himself in certain branches of learning. Here, how- ever, his patriotism and a knowledge that his country was in danger triumphed over his desire for self-adwancement, and he en- listed as a soldier in the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantr>% under Capt. A. C. Bardwell and Col. H. F. Sickles. Assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, the young soldier was not destined to participate in any of the more important battles of the war, but passed through a year of hard and exhaust- ing service, mostly .skirmish duty, and sus- tained hardships from which his health suffered much in after years. Mustered out of the ranks at Savannah, Georgia, and receiving his arrears of pay at Springfield, Mr. Davis visited Xew York city for a short time and then returned to Chicago, where he accepted employment as a traveling salesman for Day, Tilden & Company, wholesale dealers in notions and fancv drv goods. Yov three vears he con- tinued in this work, the latter part of the period Ijeing spent with the firm of Dunlap Brothers, when he was seized with a violent attack of rheumatism, which rendered him unable to perform any work for seven years. during which he remained at home. This affliction, which also led to a heart affec- tion of a serious nature, was a recurrence of the same disease contracted while doing militarv flutv in the South. .\bout the year 1879 ^f''- I^^vis had so far recovered his health as to enable him to resume active life, and he entered the employ of McDonald Brothers, of La Crosse, Wisconsin. For seven years he was engaged in rafting and towing logs and lumber from Stillwater to St. Louis. This work he abandoned in 1885 for the purpose of establishing himself in the retail shoe business in Fort Madison. After success- fully conducting this enterprise for two years he disposed of it. selling to D. T. Brown, and was engaged in clerical em- ployment until 1903, when he repurchased his former business. On January 30, 1879, at Fort Madison, Mr. Da\is married Miss Mary Elizabeth Brown, daughter of Daniel T. Brown, of this place. .As Mr. Brown has been long identified with the business interests of the city it seems fitting that he should receive mention. He was born in Athens, Ohio, August 2j, 1822. and removed to Iowa in 1856. Until attaining his majority he acted as a clerk, but then established a gen- eral store, which he sold before coming to Lee county. In Denmark township, this county, he bought a farm, which he operated until 1870, when he became the proprietor LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 319 of a store tor the sale of IxooUs. wall paper, sewing machines, etc. Here he Iniilt up a larg-e luisiness. but sold it in i88j. Later he opened a shoe store, which he has since sold to his son-in-law. His marriage to Aliss Maria Dean Foster, who was liorn at Athens, Ohio, took place in October, 1845, and unto them ha\-e been born six childrei: — William E., of Fort Madison; Charles P., of Clark county, Missouri; Mrs. B. C. Davis, of Fort ]\Iadison; Augustus P., of Fort Madison, Iowa; Frank R.. who is in Mexico, and Herbert D.. who is in Washington, D. C. Mr. Brown is himself the only living member of a family of eight children, of whom he was the youngest. He has long been a memlier of the Presbyterian church, and in politics has always affiliated with the Republican party. He owns a commodious residence at 629 Fourth street. Mr. Davis, our subject, is the son of William H. Davis, a physician, who served during the Civil W'ar as assistant surgeon of the Twenty-first Missouri Volunteer In- fantry. His death occurred at Corinth. Mississippi. July ly. 1862. At one time he was engaged in professional practice in Fort Madison, and at another period of his life was a contractor, having built the levee along the river front. At the time of his enlist- ment in the Union forces he was conducting the McFarland Hotel on Front street. The wife and mother was Margaret (Davis) Davis. She died October 12. 1888. Four of their sons and daughters survive them, Byron C. Davis being the eldest. They are: \\'illiam H.. who was murdered at Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Februarv' 22, 1879; Mrs. Margaret J. McDermith, of Fort Madison, a widow : Charles J. Daxis. of Jefferson City. Missouri: and Ibilmes Lee Davis, actor and musician. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Byron C. Davis have been born four children, as fol- lows: Daniel Churchill, born Octoljer 17, 1882; Bessie, liorn December 11. 1883; Frank Bn^wn. born December 1 1. 1885. and William Lvnn, born September 19. 1887. ]\Ir. Davis is a member of the Presby- terian church, and fraternally has member- ship relations with the Masonic order, the Grand Army of the Republic, of the local post of which he is a charter member; the Knights of Pythias. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order United Work- men, the Druids and the Brotherhood of American Yeoman. At the present time he is acting as deputy state fish and game war- den, and holds the honorable office of presi- "dent of the board of education of the City of Fort Madison. The family home is at 409 Fourth street. Air. Davis is well liked and popular, with a wide circle of friends, and well deserves mention in the history of the city in which a great part of his life has been passed. WILLIAM H. HOPKIRK. A long career of highly useful public service, first on the field of battle and later in the no less honorable field of education, combined with a character of inflexible in- tegritv and broad human sympathy, such are the claims to consideration possessed by the 320 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW man whose name stands at the head of this article. WilHam H. Hopkirk was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, October 13, 1843, the son of John and Jane (Nicholson) Hop- kirk. The father, who was a farmer, was born in Scotland, April i, 1808, and emi- grated to America in 1828, and the mother was a native of England, her natal day being February 8, 1810. Their marriage took place in Jefferson county, this state. William H.. our subject, was reared in the work of his father's farm, acquiring dur- ing his early years those lessons of diligence and application which have since carried him to positions of usefulness. At the be- ginning of the Civil War, although scarcely more than a boy, he resolved to aid in the great struggle upon which his country was then entering, and enlisted in Company M, of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, under Colonel Winslow and Captain Whiting. His regi- ment formed at different times a part of the departments of Mississippi and Ten- nessee, and the young soldier was destined to experience much hard and active duty. -Among the more imporant battles in which he was engaged were those at Guntown and in the rear of Vicksburg. During his regi- ment's Missouri campaign he was prostratefl by malarial fever, and was assigned to hos- pital. He was mustered out of the military service June 22. 1865, at Davenport, Iowa, having ser\-ed through the entire course of the war. On lea\ing the army Mr. Hopkirk re- sumed his education, entering Iowa W^es- leyan Lnix^ersity, at Alount Pleasant, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1872. He then began his life work of teaching. For many years he acted as principal and teacher at Burlington, being teacher of science in the high school at that place for ten years. For an interval of two or three years he was engaged in business with his brother at Lockbridge. but returned to teaching, and spent fi\e years as principal of schools at Agency and five years in a similar position at Montrose, thus completing a total of twenty years devoted to educational work with scarcely an interruption. In 1894 he came to Fort Madi.son, and engaged in the insurance and real estate business, in which he still continues. He occupies handsome offices in the Marquette building. At Burlington, Iowa. June 2y, 1877, Mr. Hopkirk was united in marriage with Miss Etta Cowles, who was born in Massachu- setts March 15, 1854. Unto them have been born five children, as follow^s. Ruth, now deceased : Jessie L., student in the State Xormal School, at Cedar Falls ; Clarence C, graduate of Fort IMadison high school, class of 1904; Roland, attending the public school, and Howard. Mr. Hopkirk's father died in Jefferson county in 1876. He was the father of five children, two of whom, besides our subject,, survive him. They are : David, of Fair- field, Iowa, and Airs. Isabel Sampson, of the same place. He was well favored of fortune, leaving to his family at his death 480 acres of fertile and improved land in Jefferson county. Mr. Hopkirk and his family are active workers in the Presbyterian church, and he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 321 the Grand Army of the RepubHc. In mem- ory of his school days he holds membership in the Alumni Association of Iowa, Wes- leyan University, and in the Greek Society of Phi Delta Theta. Politically he adheres to the principles and organization of the Re- publican party, and is an especially warm admirer ami supporter of President Roose- velt. Warm-hearted, genial, and a ready reader of character, he is popular with a large circle of acquaintances, and enjoys the general esteem. ELIZABETH PENNARTZ. Elizabeth Pennartz, of Fort Madison. was born in Germany, October 3, 1847, and came with her parents to America at the age of ten years. Siie is the daughter of Frank and ^tlargaret (Kolkmann) Otte, the father Ijeing a linen weaver in his native land and an engineer in a woolen mill at Ouincy. Illinois, where he spent the latter part of his life and where he died. Before going to Quincy the family lived for a time at West Point, Lee county, and at that place our subject was married to Hubert Pennartz. a farmer, in 1866. On account of ill health they later left the farm and re- moved to Fort Madison, where Mr. Pen- nartz conducted a billiard hall on Front street, and in tliis city he (bed in 1895. ^^^ was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church and of the Catholic Mutual Protective As- sociation. To them were born nine chil- dren, as follows: Bertha, wife of Frank W. .Sloan, of Chicago; Margaret, who died at the age of four months; Marie, wife of Cassimere W'olpers, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Dental Surger\-, Chicago; Magda- len, wife of Winter Hupp, of Des Moines, Iowa; Katherine, wife of William Maize, of Fort Madison; Anna, wife of Peter Kron, of Fort Madison; John Joseph; Clara, who died at the age of twenty years, and Richard Hubert, student. Since her husband's death Mrs. Pennartz has been practicing midwifery and acting as a nurse. She was graduated from the Chi- cago School of Midwifery, August 28, 1896, and from the Chicago School of Anatomy and Physiology, February 22, of the same year, receiving diplomas from both schools, and passed the state board examination at Springfield, Illinois. Fraternally Mrs. Pennartz is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. The family home is at 1304 Third street, and notwithstanding the care of its supervision and her other duties, Mrs. Pennartz has al- ways gi\-en the closest attention to the ad- vancement of the individual members of her family. The four older children were edu- cated at St. Mary's parochial school, and the others in the public and high schools of Fort Madison. Mrs. Pennartz is a woman of strong character, and her ciiildren are fortunate in the inherited abilities which are enabling them to win success in the world. She enjoys the respect, confidence and es- teem of a wide circle of acquaintances and friends. 322 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW SARAH MARIA BENBOW. The name wliich forms the title of this article is well worthy of a place in the pres- ent volume as the representative of a family widely known in connection with the more important interests of Lee county — a family which in its history exemplifies in the most admirahle manner the triumph of those qual- ities of enterprise, sound judgment and un- wavering integrity which have caused men of English race to win supremacy in all de- partments of the world's activity. Mrs. Sarah Maria Benbow was born on the 1 2th day of August, 1835, in Lon- don, England, the seventh child of William Cole and Sarah Cole. The father was also born in London, the only son of Richard and Sarah Jourdon Cole. Richard Cole was a designer of patterns and embosser, and manufacturer of silks, and accumulated a considerable fortune. His son received a liberal education at Edinburgh and Oxford Universities, and afterward studied law at Lincoln's Inn, where he was admitted as a barrister-at-law. He was married to Sarah Gosling, and having imbibed the spirit of freedom and being a firm belie\-er in Re- publican institutions, he decided to emi- grate to America with his wife, seven chil- dren and his parents, and started on the long journcv. The voyage across the ocean took o\'er four weeks, during which voyage his father died and was buried at sea. They landed at New York city and from there journeyed westward by the slow Erie canal boats to Buffalo, thence by lake to Racine, in theTerritory of Wisconsin, arriving there on the 14th day of February, 1842. The next spring they moved to Yorkville township, Racine county, and settled upon a large tract of unimpro\ed prairie land, entered by Mr. Cole from the go\-ernment. and there established their new home on the border of civilization, a great change for a family born and raised in the City of London. The chil- dren being }'oung, cfuickly adapted them- selves to their new surroundings. It was here that Sarah Cole, at the age of seven years, commenced to attend school. For- tunately such advantages as the school of- fered were supplemented by parental in- struction and discipline in a refined home and under the guidance of liberally edu- cated parents. Lnder these influences she grew to womanhood and on the 24th day of April, 1854, was united in marriage to John William Benbow, a native of Eng- land, born in Staffordshire, the eldest son of William Benbow and Ann (Bagley) Ben- bow, who resided near Dudley. At the age of nine vears the parents, with their family, emigrated to America, crossing the Atlantic ocean, which voyage took over five weeks, landing at New York city in June of 1840, where they immediately took up their west- ward journev by way of the Erie canal and Great Lakes, at that time the most conve- nient mode of travel to the great Mississippi valley, and finally settled in Yorkville town- ship, Racine county. Territory of Wisconsin. It was here also that John attended school, and while growing to manhood exjierienced the frontier life of a new and undeveloped country, and with these surroundings he de- \eloped a strong character and vigorous constitution, and it was here that he first met Sarah Cole. After their marriage they. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 325 too. followed the wave of emigration west- ward and finally settled on a farm in Lee county, Iowa. Afterward they moved to the City of Fort ^ladison. Iowa, where Mr. Benl'iow engaged in Inisiness as a dealer in erain and seeds and carried on this lousiness up to the time of iiis death, which occurred on tiie 29th d?iy of March, 1890. resulting from an injury sustained from l)eing run o\-er l)y a railway train while walking along the railway track from his place of business to the depot. He was an energetic ag- gressive and honest man. commanding the respect and confidence of those who knew him. He left survix'ing him his devoted wife, one daughter and six sons, whose fam- ily ties have kept them close together, all the children having married and settled near their old home. William Henry Benbow was married to Harriett A. Rice, now de- ceased, leaving an only daughter, Fay .Sarah Harriett Benbow. Horatio Frederick Ben- bow was married to Emma Sowden. to whom was born one son. John (ilenn Ben- bow. Henrietta Sarah Benbow was united in marriage to John Benjamin Williams; they have two daughters, Sarah Henrietta and Villa Williams. Edgar Charles Ben- bow w.'is united in marriage to Edith Minnie Heitz: thc\- have been blessed with two daughters. Edith Stella and Hazel Florence, and one son. Earl William Benbow. Al- fred James Benbow was married to Emaline Okell. they have three daughters, Margaret Helen. Martha Marie and Esther Drake, and one son. Alfred Lu.sk Benbow. John Lin- coln Benbow was married to Happy Melissa Plumer. Albert Richard Benbow was mar- ried to Freda Lazetta Salmon, they have one daughter, Charlotte Ruth Benbow. The modier is still the center of this large family circle and looks back with great ])leasure upon the many rugged hardships oxercome and diflicuJtics surmounted dur- ing her actixe and streiuhius life in caring for and watching over the interests and wel- fare of her family and still takes a keen in- terest in everything that is going on in the busv world. H. C. LANDES. H. C. Landes, who, since 185 1, has re- sided in Keokuk and is now filling the posi- tion of justice of the peace, was liorn in (Jircle\ille. Pickaway county. Ohio, January 7. 1832. The Landes family is descended from Pennsylvania German ancesti-y, and the parents of our subject were natives of the Keystone state. The father, Joseph Landes. served in the War of 18 12. and died in the year 1864, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Eve Weaver, passed away in January,. 1877, in Montgomery county. Iowa. H. C. Landes acquired a public-school education and came to Iowa in 1851, when but nineteen years of age. He has resided in Keokuk continuously since the 20th of December, of that year. He is a baker by trade and in the early period of his residence in Keokuk he worked for U. Raplee. in whose employ he remained until 1854. In December, 1854, he was a clerk in the post- office, under Colonel Patterson; in 1856 he left the employ of the postoffice and entered 324 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW into partnership with James F. Dougherty in the baking business one year. He was also for several years foreman for Patterson & Timberton Pork House. In the spring of i860, while being employed in a mill he suffered an accident, having his ankle crushed and this defeated his desire to be- come a soldier at the 'time of the Civil War. He, however, was a sutler with the Twenty- fifth Missouri Infantry, which was after- ward consolidated with BisselFs Engineer- ing Corps. He was stationed at Johnsonville, the terminus of the Nashville & Johnson Railroad during the construction of that line. Returning to Keokuk in 1865, he soon afterward went to Charleston, where he conducted a restaurant for a year and then again came to this city, in 1866. In 1870 he accepted a position on the police force as turnkey. In 1874 he was elected justice of the peace, but resigned that position the fol- lowing year, and again became a member of the police force, acting in that capacity until 1884. He afterward conducted the Fulton market in connection with his son for three or four years, and on the expiration of that period, turned his attention to market gar- dening, which he followed until 1901, within the city limits. He afterward purchased a restaurant, which he conducted until Jan- uary, 1903, when he qualified again as justice of the peace, and is now acting in that capacity. Mr. Landes is a Republican in politics, and has always been deeply interested in the success and growth of his party. All mat- ters of public moment have elicited his at- tention, and along many lines he has -been active in support of measures for the general good. He served as an independent fireman in early life, and was the last president of the Young American Fire Company, which was organized in 1856, and disbanded in 1876, when the paid department was in- stituted. In 1878, while he was a member of the police force, he was one of the prin- cipal promoters of the movement, whereby the police held Sunday afternoon ser\-ices with Rev. John Burgess, as pastor. The serv- ices continued for one hour and none but men were admitted. It was held in the council chamber and this custom was kept up for about three years. A choir was organized, of which Mr. Landes became a member. They paid John Wyckoff, the leading singer, five dollars for his Sunday services and paid the preacher whatever remained from the collection above incidental expenses. On the 29th of April, 1854, Mr. Landes was married at Francisville, Missouri, to ]\Iiss Mary Louise Rogers, of Keokuk. She was bora in Clinton county, Ohio, and with her father came to Iowa in 1846. They have one child, William H., of Chicago, and he has one daughter, Mamie Edna, who is now the wife of John W. Raymond, of Burling- ton, Iowa, by whom she has twins, Clarence and Bernie. The Landes home is in Belk- nap boulevard, in the fifth ward, of Keo- kuk. !Mr. Landes was reared in the Luth- eran church, but now attends the Unitarian services, while his wife is a member of the Alethodist Episcopal church. For more than a half centur}' a resident of Keokuk he witnessed much of its growth, progress and improvement and has taken great in- terest in what has l)een done, having always had firm faith in its future. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 325 ARCHIE VERMAZEN. Archie Vermazen, who, starting out in life for himself at a very early age and with a brave spirit and strong determination, meeting the difficulties and obstacles that lay in his path, has worked his way upward to success, and is now classed with the lead- ing agriculturists of Lee county. The ex- periences of pioneer life in the Wild West ha\e been his, and for many years his por- tion was that of unremitting toil, but his persistency of purpose and capable manage- ment have made him today one of the pros- perous agriculturists of southeastern Iowa. He was born in Holland, in the province of Gilderland, January 25, 1844, his parents being Archie and Augusta (Von Hafton) Vermazen. His maternal ancestors were connected with the nobility of that country. His father, of Huguenot extraction, was an active business man of his native province. where he conducted a bakery and also dealt in grain. In 1857 he came to the United States with his familv including his wife and nine children. That the means of travel in those days bore little resemblance to the transportation methods of the jiresent is in- dicated by the fact tiiat fifty-two days were concerned in making the trip from Havre, France, to New Orleans. He came up the river to Keokuk, arriving in April, 1857, and in that city the father established his home. r>eing at that time well advanced in years, he did not enter active business there, but sul)sequently remo\ed to a farm and died in Charleston township, in December, 1875. His wife survived him until 1900, passing away at the advanced age of eighty- nine years. Archie \'ermazcn was. with one excep- tion, the youngest in a large family. He acquired good educational privileges in Hoi- land, attending school without vacation until coming to Iowa. Here he also continued his studies and gained a good command of the English language. .Not long after ar- riving at Keokuk he found employment with a farmer in Clark county, ^lissouri, receiv- ing for his services but seven dollars per month. Later he was paid eight dollars per month, and did practically a man's work. He managed to save something from his meager wages, and he continued employment as a farm hand until 1S59. \vhen he accepted a position in a bakery in Keokuk, and later was in the office of Dr, Sanford, of that cit}', until about 1861. In the fall of that year he enlisted in the Second Iowa Infantry, but his parents not giving their consent he could not be sworn in. A veiy dissimiliar ex- perience to anything that he had previously known came to him, however, in the spring of 1862, when he joined an expedition that left Summitville for eastern Oregon. He drove an ox team on that long journey over the plains and the mountains, reachino^ his destination in September. About that time many emigrants were killed, but the party with which [Mr. Vermazen traveled escaped without loss of life. During the fall and winter of 1862 he was on a ranch in eastern Oregon, and in the spring of 1863 went to the mines in idrdio, which li;i(I Init recently been discovered. There he spent two years in mining, sleeping in a stockade over night on account of the hostility of the Indians. The difficult experiences of frontier life in these mining camps is to him not a matter of history, but a matter of personal ex- 326 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW perience. He was successful, however, and returned from the mines to eastern Oregon, where he first located. There he conducted a trading- post and stage station on the edge of the Umatilla Indian reservation, under the name of Swift & A'ermazen. Mr. \'er- mazen, however, having exclusive manage- ment of the business, which he successfully conducted for four years. \\'hile there he was elected sheriff of Umatilla county, but his business being worth much more to him than the office he succeeded in getting out of it on account of not being of age. This was during the exciting period in the formation of the great northwestern country, when there was a large lawless element attracted thither Ijy the hope of being able to prey upon the fortunate miners and business men. Mr. Vermazen took a firm stand in favor of law and order, and in connection with other citizens of worth, aided largely in promoting the material unbuilding of the district and in upholding its moral, legal and political status. Desiring" to return Imme in 1868. and knowing it unsafe to cross the plains, he went down the Columbia river to Portland, thence to San Francisco and from that port sailed to New York by way of the Nicarauga route, and returned fnmi the eastern me- tropolis to Lee county. In the spring of 1868, however, he again left home and made a settlement in Dakota, but that was the year of the great grasshopper scourge there, and he abandoned his business inter- ests in the North and returned to Lee county, determined to make it his perma- nent abode. Here he has since lived, and his years have brought him prosperity be- cause of his business adaptability and the ex- cellent use he has made of opportunity. He first purchased a farm in Charleston town- ship, on which he lived for five years and tlien turned his attention to the conduct of a general store in the village of Charles- ton, which he successfully conducted, build- ing up an extensive trade from a small be- ginning. He also added agricultural imple- ments to his stock of goods and erected a store building there 22x100 feet, all of which was devoted to the conduct of his en- terprise. For twenty-six years he repre- sented the mercantile interests of Charles- ton and gained a wide and favorable ac- quaintance throughout the county as a mer- chant of progressive spirit and known re- liability. In the meantime he began dealing in lands and carried on quite an extensive real estate business. He also built a good home in the village and there lived until his retirement from commercial circles, when he removed to his farm, comprising 556 acres of land adjoining Charleston. This he now manages, the farm being devoted to stockraising purposes. As in his other busi- ness ventures he displays keen discernment, unfaltering perseverance and great diligence, and these qualities have been the essentia! factors in bringing him the splendid success which he enjoys. In his political views Mr. Vermazen has always been a Democrat and has taken an active and helpful interest in political and other public aft'airs in his township and county. He was first elected justice of the peace while still upon the farm and held that office until he declined further election for the ofiice, his long retention therein in- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 3-'7 dicating the fact that his decisions were al- ways characterized by strict impartiality. He has served as township clerk and town- ship assessor for some time, and as delegate has attended various county, congressional and state conxentions. Before his term of assessor expired he was elected county supervisor and held the office for six years, serving as chairman of the board during the greater part of that time, and in the period of his incumbency a large number of sub- stantial improvements were made. He was postmaster under President Cleveland's ad- ministration during both his first and second terms, and received credit for his efficient service. His fraternal relations connect him with Joppa Lodge, No. 136, Free and Accepted Masons, of Montrose; Potowonok Chapter, Xo. 28. Roya! Arch Masons, of Fort Madison, and Charleston Lodge, No. 89, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has filled every office, and for fifteen years was treasurer. On the 31st of December, 1868, Mr. Vermazen was married to Miss Emma Sapp, of Charleston, a daughter of John ^\^ Sapp, who at one time lived in Kentucky, after- ward in Ohio, and thence came to Iowa. They have two living children : James H. and John A. The former is now engaged with his father in the stock business, and is also a member of the firm of Vermazen Brothers, who succeeded their father in the mercantile business. He was married to Miss Mae Griswold, of Jefferson township, and they have three children : Hazel I\Lar- ian, Helen Marr and Lloyd Griswold. John A. Vermazen, who is manager of the mer- cantile establishment of Vermazen Brothers, wedded Grace Griswold, of Jefferson town- ship, and they have two children : Mildred Bessie and Archie James. Mrs. Vermazen is a member of the Baptist church, and Mr. Vermazen attends the services and con- tributes generously to that church, although he was reared in the Presbyterian faith. He has traveled extensively in this country and also in Europe, for he spent the summer of 1897 visiting the home of his boyhood and other countries and places of interest. While there are many self-made men in .America the history of such a one never fails to prove of interest and often furnishes an in- centive for renewed effort on the part of others. E\-er}- individual feels a delight in victory, and when the conquest is over un- favorable conditions and the competitions of the business life the result is certainly most creditable. Mr. Vermazen, starting out in an independent business career at an early age, has proven in his life record that pros- perity and an honorable name may be won simultaneouslv. WALKER WILSON. \\'alker Wilson, a resident of the town- ship of Montrose, Lee county, Iowa, for more than forty years, donned the Union blue almost immediately on the outbreak of the Civil War, and was long a gallant sol- dier at the front, ever bearing himself brave- ly, and writing a record of which his many friends are justly proud. A generous gov- ernment well remembers his sickness and privation, and his name is on the roll of 328 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW those it loves and honors, ever ministering to their needs with a hberal hand. Mr. Wilson was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1835, a son of John and Rebecca (Walker) Wilson, both natives of that state. Soon after his birth his parents removed to Athens, Tennessee, where they maintained a home some years, after which they moved to Lowell, Iowa. In 1844 they came to Lee county, where their remaining years were spent. Walker Wilson secured his schooling in the log structures then the common type of the educational temple in Tennessee and Iowa, and early took charge of the parental homestead. On the formation of the First Iowa Cavalry he became a member of Com- pany A, June 13, 1861, and participated in the long and honorable career which was had by the members of that gallant organiza- tion, a record that was a credit to the state and an inspiration to all who loved the starry banner they so gallantly followed. The cap- tain of the company in which he went out to the front was a Mr. Torrence, who after- ward became a colonel. Many of the other officers rose to high command, the entire body of troops being noted alike for its brav- ery on the field, general efficiency in all the details of war, and self-reliant action in the face of danger and surprise. It was or- ganized at Keokuk as an independent com- mand, and went into service with its own horses, arms and general equipment. Mr. Wilson was in the regiment for three years and four months, and during that time did duty in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and sev- eral other states, participated in a number of severe engagements, mainly at Prairie Grove, Little Rock and Camden. Much of the time the regiment was engaged in fight- ing guerrillas, principally those under Price and Ouantrell. WHiile in the service he con- tracted rheumatism, chronic diarrhea and hemorrhoids, and on account of their after effects, is the recipient of a handsome pen- sion from the government. After returning to the pursuits of peace- ful life Mr. Wilson was engaged in cooking on the steamboats for some twenty years, being employed both on government boats and the Northern Line steamers. At differ- net times he was also employed in this ca- pacity on rafters, and everj-where was re- garded as an efficient and reliable man. For the past seven years he has been incapaci- tated for any kind of active work. He is a cheerful and genial character, and has many friends in the community, with whom he loves to recount his old-time experiences and memories. The nearest he came to being wounded during the Civil War, was when his horse was struck on the neck by a spent Minie ball, that glanced from the brass pommel on his saddle, and ranging upward, gave him a close call for time and eternity. Mr. Wilson is a member of Tip Best Post, No. 75, Grand Army of the Republic, and is now holding the position of chaplain in that organization. Once when the State Encampment was held at Cedar, he was ap- pointed commander. In politics he is a Re- publican. Mr. Wilson was married in 1856, at Sand Prairie, Lee county, to Miss Mary Jane Douglass, who died in 1858, leaving one child, James, who is now a resident of Fort Madison. Her remains were interred on Sand Prairie. In his youthful days, Mr. Wilson heard LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 3^9 Joe Smitli, "the prophet," preach in Nauvno Temple many times during- tlie period that the Mormons lield sway in that region, and he well remembers the destruction of the Temple In- fire. He knew many of the re- puted bandits that flourished along the river in the early days, among them being Hodges, Barney, and perhaps eight or ten more. They li\-ed in cabins about eighty rods from his early home, and there were quiet enough. \\'hen the_\- finally left the neightorhood young \\'ils(-in and his chums thought they might have left something, perhaps some coin in their cabins, thoroughly overhauled the buildings, but only seventy-five cents re- warded their labors. He remembers when the Mormons were driven out of Nauvoo, and the subsequent arrival of the Icarian fraternity from France: and it is his opinion that many of the crimes and depredations charged to the Mormons were in reality wrought by the bandits that then enjoyed such imniunify on the river. He saw the hanging of the two Hodges at Burlington in 1S48. vi'ho had been condemned for mur- der at Da\-enport. At an early day he was a member of the Anti-Horse Thief Associa- tion, and was a very active defender of law and order. Mr. W^ilson has a good standing in the community for his manifest honor and genuine integrity. FRANK COYNE. One of the prominent representatives of practical agriculture in Lee county, is Frank Coyne, a resident of Jefferson township. where he has a beautiful home and a well- impnned farm of 320 acres. Mr. Coyne traces his ancestry to Ireland, his paternal grandfather having been a native of that country, but his own place of birth is Spring- field, Missouri, and the date November 6, 1854. He is the son of William and Lavina (Oberly) Coyne. The father was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and there grew to manhood, acquiring meantime the trade of plastering. Hearing of the superior op- portunities to be found in the great West, and wishing to avail himself of its advan- tages, he came to Iowa some time between 1840 and 1850, locating at F"ort Madison, Lee county, where he successfullv followed his trade, and later met and wedded Miss Oberly, who \\-as also a native of Pennsyl- vania. She came with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Oberly, to Fort Madison in 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Coyne removed after a time to Springfield, Missouri, where they continued to reside until the father of our subject was appointed, under the administra- tion of President Buchanan, to a position in the ofl^ce of the auditor of the postal de- partment at Washington. The family then returned to Lee county, locating upon the farm now owned by Mr. Coyne. .\i the beginning of the Civil War the father be- came a member of the Confederate Army, but at its close returned to a position in Washington, which he held until 1870, when he came to live with his family in Jefferson township. His death occurred here in 1875. Tlie mother still survives, and is living with her son. Frank Coyne, the subject of this review, secured a good education in the public schools, and enjoyed the additional advan- 330 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW tage of learning the work of tlie farm by practical experience with its details. \Vhen the farm on which he resides was acquired by his mother in 1870, he assumed sole charge of its management and operation, and in 1900 he himself purchased it. Tliis he was enabled to do by the success wliich had come to him as a result of his energy, care and foresight in the conduct of the business. All the improvements have been made under his supervision, and the farm is one of the finest and best equipped in this portion of the county. Here Mr. Coyne conflucts general farming and stockraising and is also somewhat interested in buying and shipping grain and live stock. On Jan- uary 25, 1877, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Cale, of Jefferson township, daughter of the late Joseph Cale. who died in 1904. They have two daughters and ' four sons, these being Mabel, William, How- ard. Nellie F., Frank, Jr.. and Harr\-. In his political faith Mr. Coyne is a firm believer in the declared principles of Democracy, and has served his party as a delegate in various con^•entions. but has never aspired for public ofifice. He feels a deep interest in the cause of education, tak- ing an active part in the betterment of the pulj'ic schools, and has been a director of Liberty district, Xo. 4, for a period of twenty-five years. He was reared in the Episcopal church, and still holds member- ship in that body at Montrose. He is en- terprising, public spirited and progressive, and his lovaltv to his convictions and abso- lute integrity in his dealings have inspired respect for his character on the part of all with whom he comes in contact. FRANK ROSS WATERS. Frank Ross Waters, who is engaged in the real estate business, in Keokuk, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 10, 1854, his parents being Henry and Sarah (Pollock) A\'aters. The father was a con- tractor and on coming to the West settled in Keokuk, where he resided for mau}^ years, his death occurring in 1901. His wife had previously passed away. Frank Ross Waters spent the days of his boyhood under the parental roof, pursued his education in the public schools of Phila- delphia and learned the carpenter's trade in that city. He went to Kansas in the spring of 1869, when fifteen years of age, settling in Osborn county, where he secured a claim, making his home thereon until 1872. He owned a quarter section of land and in ad- dition to his agricultural pursuits followed carpentering. In 1872, however, he removed to Keokuk, where he continued as a jour- neyman carpenter until 1876, when he re- turned to his native city, there residing until 1880, when once more he established his home in Keokuk. Here he was employed as a bench worker in the coach building de- partment of the shops of the St. Louis, Keo- kuk & Northwestem Railroad, occupying that position continuously until 1889, w'hen he met with an accident which has disabled him from active work as a carpenter since that time. He fell from a scaflFold on a building about forty-five feet and his ribs were broken. He was in St. Louis at the time, having gone there for business pur- poses, and for fourteen months he was con- fined to his home. Being unable to resume LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 331 work at his trade, he spent li\e or six years upon the road as representative for the Tay- lor Manufacturings Company, of St. Louis, and for the Horn \'inegar Company, at Keokuk. He was also for two years travel- ing" solicitor fur the Constitution-Democrat, of Keokuk, ami was also solicitor of Gates City for two years, while in 1899, he turned his attention to the real estate business, in which he is now engaged. He handles both farm and city property and has secured a good clientage, negotiating many important real estate transfers, which have not only added to his individual income, hut have also teen a factor in the improvement of the city. In April, 1878, when in Philadelphia, Mr. Waters was married to Miss M. A. Weaver, and their children are Harry, who married Miss Calista A. Boatman, and is now foreman in a laundn.' ; Clara, who is serving as forelad\- in a laundrv' : Edward, who is cutter in the Ir\in-Philips Co., of Keokuk; Anna, at home; Maggie, George, Nellie, Afary and Emma, in school. Mr. Waters is a prominent representative of the Modern Woodmen of America, lie has served for seven years as clerk of Camp No. 622, of Keokuk, and attended the clerks' meeting, in Indianapolis, in 1903. He is likewise a Mason, belonging to Eagle Lodge, No. 12, Free and Accepte2,2 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW of many friends.- In their family were ten cliildren, of whom eight are now hving. but Freeman and William have passed away. The others are George, who is pilot on the go\-ernment boat "Lucia" and makes his home at Keokuk; Clara Belle, the wife of John Merrick, who is employed in the saw- mill of the Tabor Lumber Company, at Keo- kuk: Ella, the wife of Emery Brain, who for twenty-four years was a bugler with the L^nited States Regulars, now retired on a pension, living in Wichita, Kansas ; Charles L., who is now assistant storekeeper for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, at St. Joseph, Missouri, and who for four years was alderman of Keokuk ; Harry, a twin brother of Charlie, who is engaged in business in Keokuk as a niemter of the firm of Harrison & Dietz ; Emma, the wife of George Heartlyne, who is connected with the r.ailroad service in the .State of Washington ; and James, a teamster of Keokuk. Frank Dietz acquired his education in the public schools of Keokuk, and after put- ting aside his text-books he secured em- ployment in a sawmill, where he remained for fifteen years. On the expiration of that period he was appoiiTted to a position on the police force in 1899, serving undei Mayors Dougherty and Craig, as captain of a night force. For several years he has worked at the carpenter's trade. His polit- ical allegiance is given the Democracy and he takes an active part in conventions, put- ting fortli e\'ery effurt in his power U\ pro- mote the growth and insure the success of the party. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, with which he has been identified for sixteen years and for four years he has been connected with the Mod- ern Woodmen of America. On the nth of May, 1880. Mr. Dietz was married to Miss Sarah Hamilton, of Keokuk, who was born in Lee county, but was reared in Lewis county, Iowa, by her grandmother, her mother, Mrs. Hamilton, having died during her infancy. Her father is now in the Soldiers' Home in Marshall- town, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Dietz have an adopted daughter, Elouise, who was born January 15, 1897. Their home is at the cor- ner of C and Estes streets in West Keokuk, and was erected in 1884. FREDERICK B. KREHBIEL Frederick B. Krehbiel, one of the re- spected and well-known citizens of Fort Madisnn. where he is leading a life of re- tirement at his pleasant home, 1401 Sixth street, is one of Lee county's native sons, having been bom at West Point, January 4, 185 1. There he acted as assistant to his father in the farm work and applied him- self to acquiring an education in the public schools until his nineteenth year, when he decided to liegin his independent career. Go- ing to the village of Denmark, this county, he learned the trade of blacksmithing, which he followed at that place for twenty-eight years, achieving, by his energy, honesty and devotion to his work, an important financial success. After learning the trade he bought the shop of his employer. On terminating LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 333 his business at Denmark in March, 1896, he purchased a farm of 378 acres in Pleasant Ridge township. The land at that time was only partially improved, but Mr. Krehbiel has since placed the entire tract under culti- vation, and also erected some of the present buildings. Here he remained for a period of eight years, engaged in general farming and the raising of high-grade stock, in which he met with a considerable degree of suc- cess. In 1903, having decided to retire from active life, he resigned the management (^f the farm to his son, and removed with his family to Fort Madison, where he purchased the present home and has since resided. In his religious relations Mr. Krehbie! is a member of the Mennonite church of Lee county, and politically, he is a lifelong Republican. He has not, howe\'er, pos- sessed time or inclination to engage actively in partisan politics, or to do more than cast his ballot in favor of honest government. Mr. Krehbiel is a son of John Charles and Katherine (Raber) Krehbiel. His father was bom in Rheinpfalz, Bavaria, Ger- man}-, June 9, 181 1. At the age of fifteen he learned the trade of a miller, and con- tinued in that occupation in his native land until 1832, when he emigrated to the L'nited States and followed it for one year in But- ler county, Ohio. He then returned to (ler- many and on April 12, 1837, was married to Miss Annie Wohlgemoth, who was also a native of Rheinpfalz, the date of her birth having been March, i8ri. On the dav of their marriage they sailed for .\merica. They made their home in Butler county un- til the autumn of 1839, when they decided to seek the greater opportunities of the West and became pioneers of Lee county, Iowa, erecting their cabin of logs at W'est Point. .\t that place the wife died the following year, leaving two children : John J., now a resident of Newton, Kansas, who was born in Ohio, May 3. 1838, and Hannah M., Iiorn in Lee county, November 26, 1839, now the widow of Daniel Ilertzler, late of Mount Rich, Kansas. On July 31, 184^), Mr. Krehbiel's father was remarried, his second wife being Kath- erine, daughter of Christian Raber, an early settler of the county. She was born in Baden, Germany, April 8, 1826. In the autumn of 1849 John Charles Krehbiel was ordained pastor of the Mennonite church, a position he retained until the time of his death. In 1857 lie removed to the village of West Point, where he purchased a half interest in the sawmill known as the Kreh- biel & Risser mill. Of his second marriage were born ten children, as follows : .\nnie M., wife of Edward Brown, of Denmark, Lee county; Christian W., deceased; Fred- erick B., the subject of this review; Katherine B., deceased; Elizabeth, wife of John Trowbridge, of Denmark ; Daniel S. ; Sarah M., deceased; Sarah R., wife of Lewis Bretz, of Deer Creek, Oklahoma; Charles W., a resident of McPherson Cen- ter, Kansas, and Henry IL, of Lingborg, Kansas. The father of the family died at West Point, February 26, 1886, at the age of seventy-five years. He was successful in business; was very public spirited, and was generally respected. He was elected to a number of township and county offices and performed their duties with ethciency and honor. He was buried at West Point. Mrs. 334 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Krelibiel, mother of our subject, died when Mr. Krehbiel was ninteen years of age. She died at the age of forty7foiir, and is also buried at West Point. Mr. Krehbiel was united in marriage at West Point, this county, to Miss Lena Linhard, who was born in Franklin township, the daughter of George and Louisa (Haessig) Linhard. Her father was born in French Alsace, in 1823, and emigrated to the L'nited States when t\vent\'-eight years of age. He first located in Xew York state, where he remained four j-ears, coming to Franklin township, Lee county, in 1856. There he purchased land and engaged in farming for a number of years, but a few years before his death he sold the farm and removed to Missouri, near Kirksville, where his death occurred, Feb- ruary 27, 1899, '" '^'^^ seventy-fifth year of his age. His widow is still living, at the age of seventy years, and resides with !\Ir. Krehbiel. She was tlie mother of eight children, as follows : Lena. Mary, who died in 1886; George, who resides at Lyons, New York; Phillip, a resident of Adair county, Missouri; Emma, wife of Dr. D. X. Coon, of Fort Madison; Lula, wife of O. M. Hutchinson, of Adair county, Missouri; William, of Adair county, and Ella, wife of Russell Bartlett, of Adair onmty. To Mr. and Mrs. Krehbiel ha\e been born three children, all of whom are na- tives of Denmark, Lee county. They are as follows: George J., bom May 14, 1877, resides on his father's farm, in Pleasant Ridge township, and on February 2, 1903, he married Miss Mayme Figgen, a daughter of Lawrence Figgen, late of Fort Madison. Tliev have one child, Lawrence F., born No- vember 13, 1903. in Pleasant Ridge town- ship. .Mice K., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Krehbiel, was boni April 22, 1882. She is now the wife of John A. Heberer, a farmer, of Washington township. They have one child. Doratha Lee, born August 6, 1904, and .\ddie L., twin sister of Mrs. Heberer, resides with her parents. Air. Krehbiel has been a witness of many improvements in general conditions in Lee countv. has viewed its rise, in fact, from an almost primitive state to the proudest posi- tion in the commonwealth. Moreover, he has borne a worthy part in the general ad- vancement, as his ability has enabled him to do. He is a man of strong character, and has won success by his own efforts, and this achievement has gained for him the respect of all, while his genial disposition has made him manv friends. LINDSEY GREEN PITMAN. Lindsey Green Pitman, the oldest resi- dent of \\'est Point township and a member of one of the oldest pioneer families of Lee countv. Iowa, was born in Laurel count)', Kentucky. December 22. 1822, a son of Lewis and Martha (Green) Pitman. His father, Lewis, was a son of Richard Pitman, will 1 was a pioneer of Kentucky and first set- tled in \\'oodford county, but later removed to Laurel county, where he died. In the fall of 1834 Lewis Pitman left Kentucky with his family, traveling in wagons drawn LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 337 by ox teams, and in t!ic spring of 1835 tiicy arrived in West Point township, tliis county, and settled on the east bank of the creek which flows past the present site of the vil- lage of West Point, taking up their residence on a claim which Lewis Pitman later entered as a "homestead" from the government, the tract consisting of about 160 acres, to which 200 acres were added by purchase later. Here the father of the family continued to reside uinil 1862, when his death occurred, and he was buried in the cemeteiy on the old Pitman homestead farm. He was one of the first representatives of the Methodist faith in this section of the county, and throughout his life was a conscientious worker and very prominent memljer in the church, which he assisted in even- possible way, giving generously of his means and personal efforts. The Pitman family is truly entitled to the name of pioneers, for \\ hen they settled in Iowa there was but one other family in the territory comprising the whole I if the present township of West Point, and they were compelled to forego many of the advantages offered by older communities and to make many sacrifices of comfort, convenience and personal advance- ment. The first wife of Lewis Pitman died in Kentucky, as did also his second companion, tmd it was his third wife who accompanied him to Iowa. By his first marriage he was the father of three sons, Lindsey Green, Granxille and (jrcen, tri all of whom was A'ouchsafed long life, the first death of one of these three occurring as late as Septem- ber 29, 1902, and all were residents of this county. By his second marriage Mr. Pit- man had one child, which, however, died young, and his third wife. Parnielia Love Warren, who died in Lee county in 1875, was the mother of eleven children, of whom four are now living, these being Martha, wife of B. R. Essex, a resident of Cali- fornia: Minerva, wife of A. Knowles, of Iowa; Stephen D., of Van Buren county, Iowa, and Eliza, wife of John Bonnell, of Fort Madison, Iowa. The founder of the family in Lee county was in his political af- filiations a Whig, and was a man of con- siderable natural gifts, being ven,' successful in his business of farming, and being widely known as of an energetic and enterprising disposition. Our subject began his education in his nati\-e State of Kentucky, and concluded his studies in Lee county, being a pupil in the public schools, while at the same time he worked on his father's farm and liecame pro- ficient in agriculture, as is shown by his later success. He remained at home until attain- ing his majority, after which he was em- ployed for a year as a farm laborer, and sub- secjuently worked by the job until the time of his marriage in 185 1 to Miss Rhoda Whiteaker. Mrs. Pitman was born March 21, 1831, in \'ermilion county, Illinois, a daughter of Jdlin and Dorcas (Campbell) Whiteaker, Imth natives of Tennessee, where tluN were married and whence they removed to Illinois. In May, 1834, they located at Augusta, Iowa, building and conducting a store at ihrit ])lace until 1842, when they re- moved to Jefferson county, and later to Fort Madison, Lee county, nmning a store at the latter place on the west side of Pine street, between Front and Second streets, for a 338 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW number of years. Later the_\- went to Mis- soin-i, but at the beginning of the war be- tween the states returned to Fort Madison, the father there retiring from active busi- ness, and making that city his residence until his death, which occurred in 1884, when he was eighty-nine years, four months and twenty-six days old. He was a man of ability, and was widely known. After his marriage Mr. Pitman es- tablished a home upon the farm of 190 acres which he had previously purchased, and here he has ever since resided, and by judicious management has been able to add to the original tract until he now owns 470 acres of high-grade farm lands in an admirable state of intensive cultivation, a fact which unmistakably proclaims the ix)ssession of business ability of no mean order. More- over, all the improvements which now grace this immense farm are of. his own inaugu- ration, as it was entirely without buildings or other improvements when purchased, and the credit is his alone. Among the first white inhabitants of this section, to which he emigrated when the country was yet a desolate and pathless wilderness, he has seen the land emerge from primitive con- ditions to one of the most favored spots on the continent of America, co\'ered with cities and \illages, 'churches and schools, furnish- ing the necessaries and luxuries of life to thousands of residents and pouring forth a steady stream of wealth to sustain the work- ers of many a distant metropolis and foreign land, he has borne a large and important part in bringing about these remarkable changes, this mar\elous and incomparable development, this miracle which has made the barren wilderness to bloom and bring forth fruit abundantly. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Pitman have been born three sons and one daughter, as follows : John Lewis, who died in infancy; Alice, wife of Monri:>e !\larsh, who lives in Pleasant Ridge township, Lee county, and has three children, William, Bertha and Lucia; Asbury Lee. who married Miss Sarah Cloud, and has one daughter, Cora, lives with his par- ents and manages the farm, and George G., will) dieil in infancy. This familv has en- joyed all the advantages of a sound Chris- tian training, for both Mr. and Mrs. Pit- man are consistent adherents of the Metho- dist faith, and are members and supporters of the Pitman Chapel congregation, whose house of worship Mr. Pitman helped to build, and which he has always supported in a lil)eral manner, contributing to the work of the church in all its various branches. To- his duties as a citizen he has been no less faithful and attentive, taking part in the po- litical affairs of county, state and nation as a member of the Republican party, whose principles approximately represent his views of ,\merican governmental science. At the present time Mr. Pitman is not acti\ely engaged in the pursuits which en- grossed his energies during the greater part of his life, having relinquished his regular occupation a number of years ago, and is now living in ease and retirement, as befits one of his years and achievements. Mrs. Pitman is a gracious lady of pleasing pres- ence, and although she suffered an accidental injury some eight years since which renders it impossible for her to move about without the aid of a wheel chair, she has preserved LEE COUNTY, lOlVA. 339 in the face of misfortunes her accustomed clieerfulness of demeanor, and around her centers the affection of young and old. Mr. Pitman is an example of well-preserved physical manhood, and in this connection luay be cited a fact of remarkaljle interest in regard to the Pitman family: Mr. Pit- man's father had eleven children o'f whom the oldest and the youngest died in the fall of 1846, but from that time until September 29. 1902, no deaths occurred among the re- maining nine, and at that time the aggregate of their ages was 657 years, or an average of seventy-three years, there being now but five living, four hax'ing died within two years after the first died in 190J. Mr. Pit- man, himself, has now long past the al- lotted span of three score years and ten, be- ing eighty-six years of age, and the life thus prolonged has been filled with success and honor, while its latter years find him enjoy- ing the respect of all and the friendship of many because of his kindly nature and the sterling manhood of his character. GEORGE A. HART. George A. Hart, who follows the trade of blacksmith and wagonmaker. at Fort Madison, is a native son of Lee county, hav- ing been born in Pleasant Ridge township, March 26. 1843. He is the son of John H. and Phoebe (Thurston) Hart, who were married at East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and removed to Lee county in 1S39, where the father purchased land and engaged in farming until his retirement. At that time they again removed, going to Denmark, this county, and later to Butler, Missouri, and there John H. Hart died in 1870, at the age of fifty-six years. The demise of his wife preceded his, she having passed to the higher life in the year 185 1, at the age of forty. Our subject is one of a family of eight brothers and sisters, as follows: Jane, wife of Robert Henr}-, of Mount Ayr, Iowa; Thomas H.. of Fort Madison; Ray S., of Denmark. Lee county ; George A. ; John T., who died in a military hospital at St. Louis, in 1864 ; Ariadna, wife of T. F. Whitmark, of Lee county; Lorin. deceased; and Lewis, deceased. After the death of his first wife John H. Hart was again married, this time -to Emily Green, who died in 1891, leaving three children : Phoebe L. (Root), now de- ceased; Manley D. : and Jessie, wife of Frank Murphy, of Stronghurst, Illinois. The Hart family originally emigrated to America from Ireland at an early date, and Mr. Hart traces his genealogy through the maternal line of Thurston as far back as 1640. when two brothers of the name settled in America, coming from England. The patriotic record of the Hart family is indeed an inspiring one, and truly extra- ordinary. .After acc|uiring a knowledge of books in the district school, George A. Hart, with four of his brothers, left home at the age of eighteen years to aid his country in the great struggle of the Civil War, and en- listed in company "F," of the First Iowa Cavalry, under Captain James O. Gower, and Colonel Warren. He was assigned to the Seventh Army Corps, and served two 340 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW years, or from August i, 1861, to July I'l, 1863. He was engaged in battles at Black- water and at Silver Creek, as well as numer- ous skirmishes and arduous duty against guerrillas or "bushwackers" in southwesterri Missouri. His service ended at Duval's Bluff, where he was mustered out. After returning from the war, I\Ir. Hart began acquiring the trade of blacksmithing, working as a journeyman vmtil 1868, when he established himself in business at Den- mark. Here he continued for about twenty- five years, with a large measure of success and in 1891 he took up his present location in Fort Madison. On October i, 1867, he was married at Fort Madison to Miss Leo- nora C. Burton, a native of Vermont, and to them were born four children, one of whom, Dorr, is now deceased. The others are: Glenn T. ; George Emmet, student of medi- cine at Keokuk, and assistant to his father during vacations ; and Nellie B., wife of Wil- liam F. Moore, of Des Moines county, Iowa. Mrs. Hart died November i, 1883, at Den- mark, and is there buried. December 28, 1885, Mr. Hart was married to Miss Ellen Young, who was born in Lee county in 1844, and is a daughter of Lyman Young, of New York state. In his political faith, George A. Hart is a stanch and Inynl member of the Re- publican party. Fraternally, he is connected with the Grand Army of the Republic, and is a charter member of Camp No. 460, Mod- ern Woodmen of .\merica, of Denmark. He owns his place of business and family resi- dence at No. 1005 Second street. By a long career of industry, integrity and just and generous dealing Mr. Hart has made his own way successfully, and has earned for himself the respect of a large circle of friends. W. L. RAY. One who has served his nation well, both during the dark days of armed conflict and in times of peace, is W. L. Ray, of Fort Madison. Fie was born in Washington county, Iowa, January 16, 1841, the son of Archibald Ray, of Ohio, and Tabitha (Cus- ter) Ray, also a native of Champaign county. Ohio. The parents were married in Wayne county, Indiana, where the father was a farmer. They are now both deceased. To them were born ten children, but only two survive — W. L., who is the third child, and Mrs. .\lmeda Mason, of ^^'eeping■ Water, Nebraska. Mr. Ray, our subject, was married in 1878, at Farmland, Indiana, to Miss Alary E. Mills, a native of that place and a daugh- ter of Elisha and Barbara (Lever) Mills, both iif Indiana. They removed to Red Oak, Iowa, where they remained for three or four years, at the expiration of which period they removed to Fort Madison. Here Mr. Ray was appointed by Warden George W. Crossley, April 17, 1885, a guard in the Iowa State Penitentiary, a post which he has filled with honor and ability for twenty years. I LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 341 In 1861, when the government at Wash- ington was calling for volunteers to crush out the great rebellion of the Confederate States, Mr. Ray enlisted, on October 2, at Mount Pleasant. Iowa, in Ci)nii)any 1). of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, under Coldiiel Asbury B. Porter. The part wliich he bore in the subsequent struggle was long and arduous. A list of the battles in which he was engaged is given herewith, and it pre- sents a record both remarkable and impres- sive. They are : The battle of White River, Arkansas ; Tallatt's Ferry, Brown's Ford, Mount Olive, Big Creek: Vicksburg", Jack- son. Canton, Brownsville, ^lechanicsburg, Bear Creek, siege of Jackson, Livingston, Big Black Bridge, Baker's Creek, Clinton, Ripley. Brice's Crossroad, Harrisburg, Gun- town. Tallahatchie. Memphis, Independence, Big Blue, Osage Plantation, White's Sta- tion, and a number of skirmishes. At Ray- mond. Mississippi, May 12, 1863. he was wounded, receiving a gimshot wound in the left leg, and twelve days later was taken prisoner while in hospital. As a prisoner he was taken to Parole Camp at Benton Bar- racks. Missouri, and he still treasures among his most cherished possessions his parole of honor, dated May 24. 1863, and signed by Christian Foster, surgeon of the Fifty-eighth Ohio. He rejoined his regiment October 4, 1863, at Vicksburg, and was discharged De- cember 4. 1864, it being then foreseen that the end of the war was near, and that the service of the Western armies would be no longer required. He served three years, two months and three days in the Army of the United States, and during that time he never used a dose of any medicine, and never suf- fered any disability except from the wound before mentioned — a fact which indicates the possession of great physical powers. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ray have been born one son and five daughters, as follows: Lena May, born March 8, 1880; Harry L., born August 31, 1881, married Miss Edith Alvina Little and lives in Fort Madison; Myrtle. b(irn June 26, 1883; Mabel, born February 18, 1885; Effie Belle, born No- vember 6, 1887; and Dora, born March 20, 1895. Mr. Ray, by his honorable course under all the circumstances of life, has won for himself a place of high esteem in the com- munity, and has made friends of all who know him well. JOSEPH TROJA. To record the life and deeds of men who ln\-c borne an honorable share in the up- l)uilding of county, state and nation is the duty and the highest privilege of the his- torian. Josei)h Troja. who for manv vears. Ins been well known in connection with the best interests of his adopted cit}-, was born in Westphalia. Germany, on May 4. 1844, and there grew to manhood. His father be- ing a stock farmer, the young man was en- gaged in that work until twenty-two years of age. when, in company with his brother. Frank Troja, he set out to seek 342 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW his fortune in tlie new world. Embarking on board a sailing vessel at Bremen in the year 1866, he landed in New York, trav- eled thence westward by rail to Rock Island, then by vWer boat to Fort Aladison, where he arrived in the early part of July. For a short time after coming to Amer- ica Mr. Troja was employed in the work of farming, but having secured an education in his native land of Germany, he shortly afterward accepted a position in a hotel, Avhich he continued to fill for about a year and a half. For this service he received but fifteen dollars a month, but at the end of the time, l)y rigid economy, had managed to save a sum of money approximating $600. With this capital he embarked in the grocer\' business, forming a partnership with Adrian Stolwick, and the arrangement continued for two years, at the expiration of which time Mr. Stolwick died, and his interest be- came the property of John Troja, a brother of our subject. Under the firm style of Troja Brothers the business was continued with success and profit for about fifteen years. In 1885 Mr. Troja sold his interest in the business to his brother and partner, and for a time lived retired, but has since been engaged in various enterprises. For about six years he was connected as proprietor with a stone quarry and brickyard in Han- cock county. Illinois, just across the Missis- sippi river from Fort Madison. In a finan- cial wav his ventures ha\e l)rought him ex- cellent returns. On .April 2, 1S72. -Mr. Troja was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Helling, who came to Fort Madison in 1855 f''oni the neighborhood in which the Troja family re- sided in Germany. The ceremony was per- formed by Father Hare, also a former neigh- bor in the Fatherland. Of this union were born twehe children, five of whom grew to matiu"ity. These are : Anna, born June 18, 1S74, wife of William Mansheim, farmer, of Washington township ; John, born June 5, 1879; Louis, born February- 7. i88r ; Rena, bom March 7, 1886; Samuel, born June 25, 1892. William, another son, died in Fort Madison, at the age of twenty-three years. His death was caused by accident, he having fallen from a wagon. During the Spanish-American War he served as a pri- \ate. stationed at Jacksonville, Florida. His demise occurred April 7, 1900. Three brothers and three sisters of Mrs. Troja reside in Lee county, namelv : Bern- ard. Joseph and William, and Theresa, widow of Henry Krotmeyer; Mrs. Henr}- Decker and Mrs. Herman Krieger. After a study of American political prin- ciples Joseph Troja early became a sup- IKirter of the Democratic party, and cast his first vote for Horace Greeley. He is a member of St. Joseph's Catholic church, and contributed to the fund raised for the build- ing of the [jresent structure. To sum up chronologically his connection with the ma- terial interests of Fort Madison, he was for two \ears engaged in business on Front street, the remainder of the time in Second street, and his was the first business house in Second street with the exceptions of a tailoring shop and the Metropolitan Hotel. His career has been long, honorable, success- LEE COUNTY, lOlVA. 343 fill and a credit to the city, and has won him the respect of a large niimher of friends and acqnaintances. He is in tlie best sense a self-made man, and of this he has reason to be proud. EDWIN URFER. One of the rising and better known of the younger farmers of Lee county is Edwin Urfer* who holds the office of assessor of Jefferson townshij). ^Ir. Urfer was bom in Jefferson township. September 22. 1877, the Sim of Christian and Martha (Ezelle) Urfer. The father of our subject is a na- tive of Switzerland, but came to America as a young man. locating in Pennsyh'ania. Desirous of taking advantage of the unex- ampled opportunities offered by the great West, he removed to this section about the year 1845, becoming one of the pioneers, of West Point township, Lee county. There he married Miss Ezelle, a native of this county, and engaged in farming. He shortly purchased a farm in Jefferson town- ship, however, and here he passed the ac- ti\'e j)eri(Kl of his life, and is now li\ing re- tired. To Mr. and Mrs. L'rfer was l)orn one son, the suljject of this review. They were for many years members of the United Brethren church, but latterly Mrs. LTrfer has become connected with the Presbyterian denomination. Edwin Urfer was early inspired with enthusiasm for learning and knowledge, and has enjoyed unusual educational advantages. After completing the work of the public schools he entered John- son's Business College at Fort IMadison in order to become acquainted with commer- cial forms and principles. Later, he pur- sued a course of study at Denmark Academ\. He has since supplemented his early training by keen observation and wide reading, he being the possessor of a large and well-selected library, one of the finest in the county, both along general and special lines. Upon the completion of his schooling he was for a time associated with his father in the work of the farm. With a view, how- e\er, to broadeiu'ng his business experience, he purchased a stock of general merchandise at Veile, this county, where he at once erected a new building and conducted a mer- cantile enterprise. Li addition he handled agricultural implements c.xtensiveh'. and for two years o])erated a well-drilling outfit. He continued the successful conduct of his business at that place until 1903, when he sold it and assumed charge of his father's f.arni. In the meantime he had made out- side investments which have since proved profitable, including a fann of 320 acres in Butler county, Kansas, well-improved, with good buildings and \ery jiroductive. In the work of his father's farm he is meeting with his usual success, applying himself to the business with energy and assiduity and mak- ing a close study of agricultural problems. On J;uuiar_\- 10, 1900, Mr, I'rfer was united in marriage with Mi.ss Caroline Oueisner, daughter of .\ugust Oueisner, of Jefferson township, and of this union have been born one .son and one daughter, Harold and Blanche. 344 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW In his political affiliations Mr. Urfer is a firm and stanch supporter of Democratic principles, and one of the intelligent and active workers in the party ranks. In 1900 he was elected assessor of his township, and having shown himself a capable public servant was re-elected in 1902. The county board of supervisors having issued instruc- tions for the discovery and assessment of property hitherto concealed, Mr. Urfer made considerable effort to carry out their wishes, and during the four years of his incumbency the assessment for Jefferson township was larger than ever before. He is a young man of ability and integrity, and is generally re- spected, and as he is eminently fitted by his social qualities and loyaltj' for winning and ' keeping friends, it seems not too much to predict for him a career of honor, usefulness and success. FRANK J. SCHENK. Frank J. Schenk, now deceased, for many years a resident of Keokuk, displayed in his life record many sterling traits of character. He was born in Baden. Ger- many. March 9, 1827. and acquired a good education in the schools of his native coun- try. He entered upon his business career as an apprentice to the shoemaker's trade, and when he had served his term of indenture began work as a journeyman, being thus employed in the Fatherland until 1850, when, believing that he might have better business opportunities in the new- world, he crossed the Atlantic and established his home in Keokuk, after a brief residence in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was married. He worked faithfully at the bench for many years, or until he was obliged to give up his trade on account of failing eyesight. As his financial resources increased he made judicious investment of his capital, becom- ing the owner of farm and cit)^ property, the latter including several tenement houses. At length he sold this property in order to purchase the Central Dry Goods Store, which had been established by his son, Frank Joseph Schenk. He made this purchase but two years prior to his death and left it to his widow, who is, therefore, closely asso- ciated with commercial interests of Keokuk, this being the largest dry goods emporium of the city. In. the early days, when the canal and locks were being built along the Mississippi river, Mr. Schenk conducted a shop at Sandusky. Throughout his active business career he did repair work, as well as made shoes, and he carried a small "Stock of ready-made shoes. For three years prior to his demise, however, he was ill and un- al)Ie to work. In St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Schenk was married to Miss Louisa- Camuf, who was born in Baden, Germany, and went to St. Louis, ^Missouri, in 1852, when fifteen years of age. There she gave her hand in mar- riage to Mr. Schenk in 1855, and almost im- mediately afterward they came to Keokuk, where she has since lived. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schenk were born eleven children, seven of whom survive, namely : Mary, the wife of Peter Kennedy, of Keokuk; Frank T.. of this citv: George; Albert, who man- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 345 aged the store for about ten years, but went west a year ago for his health : Charles, Catherine and Margaret. Four children, George, Charles, Margaret aird Catherine, are in the store. The business conducted under the name of the Central Dry Goods Store was established by Frank Joseph Schenk; was purchased from him by his par- ents, and is now the property of ^Irs. Schenk, who also owns a half interest in the building. Charles Schenk is acting as manager of the business. After leaving school the sons learned the dry goods trade and the establishment is now the leading house of the kind in Keokuk, having a very large patronage and catering to the best class of trade. Mr. Schenk never engaged in military service, either in his own country or in America, being exempt from anny life in Germany because of deafness. He had a strong attachment for his adopted land and her free institutions and rejoiced in both local and national advancement. He held membershii) in the Catholic church, and when he was called to his final rest in No- vember, 1893, at the age of si.xty-seven years his remains were interred in the Cath- olic cemetery. He never had occasion to re- gret his determination to seek a home in America. Crossing the Atlantic at the age of twenty-seven years, he entered upon his business career here with little capital, but his entire life was characterized by close ap- plication and unfaltering energy. This proved an excellent basis upon which to build success, and while he never became weatlthy gained a cosy little home and com- fortable competence, and left his widow in very pleasant financial circumstances. He never sought to figure in public light, but was content to give his energies to his busi- ness affairs and to the enjoyment of the pleasures of the home, and he derived his greatest happiness in promoting the happi- ness of his wife and children. In his political relations he was a lifelong Democrat. He was a man who always held nut a helping hand to those that were un- fortunate. HENRY VOIQT. Beginning his active career without capital, in a new and foreign land, ignorant of the customs and e\en of the language of the people, and rising by natural talents and Unaided personal effort to a position of prominence and importance — such is tlie historj' of one whose life work it is a pleasure to trace and to record for the inspiration of future gener- ations. Henry Voigt was born in West- phalia, Germany, October 12, 1841, the son of C. H. and Engel (Marten) Voigt, of Prussia, Westphalia, and came alone to the United States in 1858 to enter the grocery business at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, with a brother, ^^'illiam, who was a prior emigrant from Germany and still lives in Pittsburg. Mr. Voigt had received a good education in his native land, but in order to acquire .\merican methods attended a night school during the first year of his residence in this country, clerking in the grocery store in 346 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW davtime. He alsn attended lousiness college. In this way he made rapid progress, and after four years spent with his brother he was able to accept a position as bookkeeper in the banking house of Ira B. McVeagh & Conipanv, with \\'liom he continued for ten years. In 1873 he organized, at Pitt.sburg. the firm of \^oigt. Ward & Company and the Independent Glass Company, of which he was partial owner. Lal)or troubles, how- c\er. marred the success of the' enterprise, which was operated on a grand scale, ha\'ing a pay roll of Si, 800 per month. Before terminating his residence in Pitts- burg Mr. Voigt rose to a prominent position in society and politics, as well as in business, his name being recorded in the Blue Book of Pittsburg for the year .1880, and he hav- ing served for three years as treasurer of the South Side. He was also urged by his friend's to. accept nomination for the state legislature, but refused for business reasons. Mr. Voigt was married in Pittsburg in 1869 to Miss Sophia Schultz. who was a native of Germany. She died in 1886, at Pittsburg, leaving five sons and one daugh- ter. The latter. Bertha, is now deceased, she ha\ing died at the age of twenty-one years, fmn- nidutlis after her marriage to William Englert. who also died three months later. The sons are: Otto, of Pitts- burg; Harry, of ('leveland, Ohio: Arthur, of Pittsburg; Arno. of Altoona, Pennsyl- x'ania, and Ralph, of Fort Madison. The residence of Mr. Voigt in Fort Madison dates from 1894, when he came to this city at the solicitation of a sister, Mrs. Spreen. Having been engaged in active Imsiness ever since lea\-ing his father's farm at the age of sixteen years, he soon became dissatisfied with passing his days in idleness, and in order to supply employment for liis otherwise unoccupied time he established a seed, grain and flour business under the name of the Fort Madison Feed Store, Voigt's Sons, proprietors. In this enter- prise he is financially interested, in associ- ation with three of his sons, namely. Otto. Arno and Ralph. Mr. Voigt makes his home with his sis- ter. Mrs. Sophia Spreen, widow of Henry C. Spreen, a former soldier and a pioneer of Fort Madison. He also has another sister living, Mrs. Dora Spreen, of Pittslnirg. In iiis religious affiliation he is a member of the Evangelical church, and politically he is a firm adherent of the principles advocated by the Republican jiarty. He is a man of strong character and broad ideas, and his energ}-, uprightness and genial disposition have won him admirers and friends. JAMES McQUADE. James McOuade, of Keokuk, was born in Scotland in 1835. His parents never left their native land and in fact were never more than ten miles away from their place of birth, Wigtown. Tlieir son. John Mc- Ouade, has become wealthy through the con- duct of a floral business in New Jersey. The youngest son of the family is still living in LEE COUNTY, IGIVA. 347 Scotland. James McQuade spent the first sixteen years of his Hfe on the family home and during that period attended the public schools, acquiring a good common-school education. He then bade adieu to friends and native land and started for America, taking passage on the "Queen of the West,"' a s.'iiling vessel, which weighed anchor in the harlior of Liverpool and after nineteen days spent upon the Atlantic reached the harbor of Xew York on the lyth of March, 1851. The next morning he left for Xew- hurg, Xew York, where he had acquaint- ances, twenty-five of his fonner school- mates lieing in that locality. The succeed- ing uKirning he secured a job at shoveling snow from the sidewalks and the money paid him being so large in comparison with what he would have received in his own country he thought himself rich. For five years he remained at Xewliurg and worked for one year on the Hudson river boat, "Co- lumbia." as a hand and after that as mate. Attracted by the opportunities of the West, however, he started for Keokuk and on the 3d of March. 1857. reached his destination. Here he obtained employment in the ma- chine sho]) of the Rock Island Railroad Company and in 1858 he went upon the road as foreman. Soon afterward he was promoted U> the ])osition of engineer, in which capacity he served for three years and then returned to the shops, working as a machinist for twelve years. During the period of the Civil War he was an engineer dispatcher for the Keokuk-Des Moines Val- ley Railroad, now a part of the Rock Island system. He left the road while receiving a salary of one hundred dollars per month at the time the line was purchased by the Rock Island Company. He then bought ten acres of land in the X'^assau addition to Keo- kuk and has recently refused $5,000 for this propert}-. His time is devoted to the raising of small fruits and he has a good business, finding a ready sale mi the market for his products because of their excellence in size and fla\-or. Mr. McOuade was married in X'ewburg, Xew York, in 1855, to Miss Louise Palmer. who was liorn in Dutchess comity, that state, and died in Keokuk in August, 1894, her remains being interred in Oakland ceme- tery. They had five sf)ns and a daughter : John, a resident of Tacoma. Washington; Samuel, of Keokuk; Alice, who died at the age of sixteen years ; Jane, who is living in Tacoma ; Charles and Robert, both of Keo- kuk. The sons residing in Tacoma are longshoremen and are very successful there. Both Samuel and Charles are with the Ta- bor Company as engineers and Robert is at home. At the time of the Civil \\'ar My. Mc- Ouade enlisted as a member of the Ht^me Guard and participated in the battle of Ath- ens, ^Missouri. This occurred because of the del.'iy (if the trains occasioned by Confeder- ate troops. A train was then made up in Keukuk and carried the Ihinie Cuard to Athens, where an engagement occurred, the Home Guard winning the victory. Mr. Mc- Quade acted as engineer of that train. Fra- ternally he is a member of the Eagle Lodge, Xo. 12. Free and Accepted Masons, with which he has been identified for over forty years and in his life he has exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft. He served 348 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW both as junior and senior warden in early days. He was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church, but is not a member of any denomination. As he has saved from his wages he has made judicious in\estment of his earning in property and he now has real estate on Fifth street and also a store- room occupied by the Cereal Company, of Keokuk. Coming to the United States empty-handed he has gradually advanced in the business world and all that he has ac- quired came to him as the result of earnest, persistent effort. WILLIAM HARMON. One of tlie residents of Keokuk whose reminiscences are most valuable in a work dealing with tlie iiistorical development of Lee county is William Harmon, who was torn in Harrison county. Indiana, May 15, 1830. The family is remotely of German origin, l)ut the first member of whom there is accurate record is Abraham Harmon, who came from Tennessee in the pioneer days to Indiana, where he was manager of a gristmill owned Iw General William Henry Harrison. It is still remembered that his instructions were to "take toll from the rich and give it to the poor," thus leaving no profit for the owner. William Harmon's father was John Har- mon, who was born at Jonesboro, Ten- nessee, May 30, 1807, and died July 13, 1893. He was reared in Harrison county, Indiana, in territorial times, and remem- bered the massacre of nine families in his neighborhood by the Indians. In 1829 he married Miss Stacey Witt, who became the mother of our subject. Siie died in the fall of 1839, and he remarried, his second wife being Miss Butler, whose death occurred in Keokuk. He came west in 1841, locating in Keokuk, where he took up land on the half-breed tract. Indians still occupied the \icinity and the settlement consisted of one frame liouse and three log houses. His ex- perience was wide. Previous to the Civil War he served as a soldier twelve years under the old military law of South Caro- lina, and when General Jackson called out the troops to combat threatened secession in that state he took the field with his regi- ment. In Keokuk he was a member of the "Gray Beards," or Thirty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, assigned to post duty, whicli was very severe service. Two of his sons gave their lives to the Union cause, and are buried near the battlefield of Shiloh. In 1836 he, with his father-in-law, traveled from Indiana to Illinois by three-horse wagon, camping on the way. It was a large party, and the men of the party walked the whole way, taking turns, however, at riding one of the horses and driving. Although tlien but six years of age, our subject re- members the journey distinctly. On account of his wife's ill health John Harmon built a flatboat, and took his fam- ily for a trip down the Mississippi river. She failed to improve, however, and died six miles below Alton, Illinois, in the Amer- ican bottoms. He then revisited Indiana for a year, after which he returned to Keo- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 349 kuk, and w ith the exception of two or tln"ee 3'ears' residence in Clark county, Missouri, here passed the remainder of his hfe. He voted for Andrew Jackson for President of the United States, but was in pohtics a \\ hig and Republican. He was the oldest meni- ber of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Keokuk. He is buried in Prouty Mounil cemetery. When \\ illiam Harmon came to Keo- kuk, Lee county was a wilderness. For the first year he lived in a primitive "shanty." having the bare earth for a floor. The family cleared away the forest from a tract of land and for a while did some farming. In 1845 they removed to what is called Prouty's Mound on the banks of the Des Moines river, where for four years they conducted a ferry. The territorial govern- ment required no license for ferrvmen. Ijut on the formation of a state government a law was passed providing for license for- malities, and the privilege which the Har- mons enjoyed was secured by a politician, thus (Iepri\-ing them of that source of in- come. Mr. Harmon as a boy conceived an in- terest in the statement frecjuently made that the American Indians in burying their de- ceased warriors and chiefs followed the cus- tom of burying with them their arms and other valuable possessions. To test its truth he, with others, examined many Indian graves, and he asserts that the theory is evidently without foundation, as no arms or implements of any kind were ever found. He has also closely observed the floods of the Mississippi river, and is convinced, though alone in his contention, that the fa- mous "tlood of fifty -one" has not since been equaletl. Throughout the three weeks of its duration he was engaged in rescue work at Alexandria. He and his father owned a boat, and with this they saved a great deal of \aluable jjroperty, often entering houses in which water stood shoulder-high, and diving to recover household goods. July 30, 185 1, Mr. Harmon was united in marriage to Miss Sarah R. W'ickham, daughter of Slattriel W'ickham. She was born near Zanesville, Ohio, March 7, 1832.- They are the parents of the follow'ing sons and daughters : Mary Ellen, torn April 22, 1852, died January 22, 1854; Stacey Drusella, born January 31, 1854, died ]\Iarch 16, 1854; Nancy Ann, Ijorn Septem- ber 6, 1855, died April 9, 1886; John Wil- liam, born September 23, 1857, and Charles, liorn March 9, 1861. Both sons live in Keo- kuk, occupying homes in the immediate vi- cinity of the father's residence at 1820 Oak street. With his father and brother-iu-Iaw Mr. Harmon early purchased a ninety-acre tract of land on the Des Moines river in order to seciu'e the timber, and later it was cleared and cultivated. He sold his share in 1855. On March i, 1862. leaving .1 wife and three small children to answer the call of patriotism, Mr. Harmon enlisted in Com- pany E, Seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under Captain (afterward Colonel) Parrott, and went into camp at Camp Lincoln, Pitts- burg Landing. Thence proceeding to Cor- inth, he arri\-ed there three days after the battle, and at this place he first saw active service, taking part in skirmishes. His health failed, and for three weeks he was 350 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW in Monterey Field Hospital, and later in Ouincy Hospital. On recovery from his ill- ness he was placed upon detached service, in which he continued for about eighteen months, first coming to Keokuk to join a body of loo men detailed to guard the city. For a time he was acting sergeant, and fre- quently took out squads of soldiers at night to guard the fords of the Des ^loines river, as Keokuk was menaced by Rebel guerrillas antl Southern svmpathizers. This service ended, he rejoined the active forces in the field, and followed General Shemian in his famous march to the sea. He \\as honorably discharged March 6, 1865. at Goodwin's ]\Iill. South Carolina. Imt continued with the army for a period of twenty -five days thereafter. Although gifted with a fine physical constitution, Mr. Harmon still suf- fers from the hardships of his army ex- perience. After the war he was variously employed for rather more than a year. He ran a dray in Keokuk for four years, having a ten-year contract to do hauling for a foundr}-. The company for which he worked suffered financial failure, but a new company was organized, and he secured another contract for five years. Mr. Harmon nwns a pleasant home in town and seventy or eighty acres of island land in the Des Moines river — land formerly owned by his father. He has retired from active pursuits. Although self-educated, ne\er having received any schooling, he gives much time to reading, and is thor- oughly informed on current topics and events. In his religious connection he is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church, as is also Mrs. Harmon, and has been an actixe worker since ante-bellum days. He has acted as class leader and steward, and having in a marked degree the gift of language, formerly was a very suc- cessful exhorter. His sons and their wives are also members of the church. He is a member of Belknap Post of the. Grand Army of the Republic. Politically he has always been a loyal and consistent Republican since the organization of that party. His first vote was cast for the Whig candidate for President, ^^^illiam Harmon has many friends in Keokuk, and no man is more re- spected for his earnest Christian character and his unwavering fidelity to the right as he sees it. Mr. Harmon died suddenly while in his fields gathering corn, on Friday afternoon, November 1 1, 1904. At the time of his death he was Keokuk's oldest resident in point of continuous residence. WILLIAM SHEPHERD. W'illiruu Shepherd, one of the widely- known and influential citizens of Van Buren township. Lee county, Iowa, where he owns and operates a fertile farm of 280 acres, was born December 17, 1S4J, at Lowhesket, Northumberland. England, the son of Wil- liam and Mary (Turner) Shepherd, and when only seven years of age came with his parents to the United States, and proceeding directlv to Iowa, located in the Citv of Keo- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 351 kuk. Tliere the father, wlio was orig-inally a farmer, worked l)y tlie clay for a number of years as a well and cistern digger, but in 1864 removed to Van Buren township, where he purchased 160 acres of land, upon which he erected a house, made improve- ments and established a home for himself and family, while he also bought additonal land, so that at the time of his death, which occurred in the eighty-fifth year of his age, he owned a farm tif 240 acres. He was a man of business ability and very popular among his neighbors, being several times elected on the Democratic ticket to the office of road supervisor, hi which he performed valuable ser\ice; and in his religious connection he was a member of the Episcopal church, as was also his wife, whose death occurred two years after his own at about the same age. They were the parents of seven sons and daughters, of whom our subject is the only one now living. Mr. Shepherd received his education in the public schools of Lee county, and dur- ing his boyhood assisted in the work of the home farm, while at a later period he was for several years employed in packing houses at Keokuk and Des Aloines, but in 1865 he took up farming as an occupation, since which time he has operated the farm for- merly owned b\- his father. Here he is engaged in general farming and more es- pecialh- in stockraising, giving particular at- tention to Shorthorn cattle, Poland-China hogs and I'rench coach horses, with which he has had remarkable success, one of his horses in particular taking first prize two years ago at the Lee county fair. His farm is excellently ni;iintained in every respect, ami all the improvements have been installed liy himself, including good, substantial barns and a i)leasant and commodious dwelling house. Besides attending with ability and careful consideration to the business of his farm, Air. Sheplierd finds time to study pub- lic (juestions, taking an acti\'e ])art in politics as a member of the Democratic party, and for the past five or si.x years has served his community with imjjartiality and strict fair- ness as justice of the peace. In his younger days he, for nineteen successive years, held the highest office in the gift of his township, that of trustee, and today he enjoys the re- spect and confidence of his fellow citizens to a still greater degree than when he held that important position. On February 15, 1865, Mr. Shepherd was united in marriage to Miss Mary Slaughter, who was born in Alsace, France, and with her parents came to the L'nited States when three years of age, first locating in the State of Kentucky and later removing to Keokuk, Iowa, where the father died at the age of fifty-one years and the mother when seventy-se\en years of age and were both buried there. Mrs. Shepherd is the daughter of .intone and Catherine (Roth) Slaughter, both of whom were born in h'rance and were, like herself, members of the Catholic church. To Mr. and Mrs, Shepherd have been born se\'en children, as follows: Harr\-, who is a farmer of Van Buren township ; James, who is an engineer and resides in Montana; Ella, a teacher in the schools of Van Buren township, resides with her parents; Mamie, wife of Thomas Haves, of Charleston township, has three children, James, Cecelia and .\gnes; Ger- 352 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW trude, who is the wife of William Case, of Muscatine, Iowa, has one child, Loraine; Andrew, who resides at home, and one child who died in infancy. As an early resident of Iowa, Mr. Shep- herd has been an interested witness of nearly all the vast and wonderful improvements which have marked the progress of Lee county from a rude and inhospitable region to its present proud position as one of the richest farming communities of the Mis- sissippi valley, and in this great development he has borne a goodly share, as he still con- tinues to do. For this and for the honorable course he has pursued in all his dealings with his fellowmen he has the respect of all who know him, and is widely known throughout Lee county as a man of marked talent for business and agricultural pursuits on a large scale and as one who has suc- ceeded by his own efforts and ability. JONATHAN MERRICK. Jonathan IMerrick. who for o\-er thirty- four years has been connected with the Tabor Lumber Compan)% was liorn in Washington county, Ohio, July ii, 1846. His paternal grandfather was a native of New Jersey, and on his removal to the ^^'est purchased a farm in Monroe county, Iowa, where he spent his remaining days, dying at the advanced age of ninety-three years. His son, Seth Merrick, was born in New Jersey and after removine to Ohio was married there to Miss Margaret McMeckin, a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Seth Merrick became a mate on an Ohio river steamer, fol- lowing that pursuit in early life. In 1858 he removed with his family, then numbering his wife and six children, to Iowa, settling in Lee county, and his remaining days were devoted to agricultural pursuits. He died upon a farm in Des Moines valley, January I, 1902, while his wife passed away on the 8th of December, 1880. Their children were as follows: ]Mar\' C, the wife of James Rigney, a farmer of Lee county ; Har- riet Emily, the wife of Eli Jaquin, a resident farmer of Lee county : Jonathan, of this re- view : Harvey, of Macoupin county, Illinois; Jared, of Keokuk, and Rebecca Jane, de- ceased. Jonathan ^Merrick was a lad of twelve years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Iowa. His education began in the public schools of Ohio, was con- tinued in the public schools of this state, and he assisted in the development of the home farm until 1866, when he started out in life on his own account, entering the employ of the Tabor Lumber Company, in the sawmill. He has remained in this position almost con- tinuoush' since, and has been log weighman for abmit twenty-se\'en years. For an in- terval of three or ionr years, however, he was away from the mill and devoted his energies to farming, but at the end of that time he returned to the mill. His faith- fulness to duty is well indicated by his long continued service, and his trustworthiness stands as an unquestioned fact in his life record. On the _'4th of March, 1875, Mr. Mer- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 353 rick was married in Keokuk. Iowa, to Miss Clara Belle Dietz, who was born in this city, September 3, 1854, a daughter of Ed- ward and Martha (Gray) Dietz. Tier father was born in New Albany, Indiana, January 25, \S23. and his wife, a native of Lexing- ton, Kentucky, was Ix^rn December 29, 1829. They were married in Keokuk, June 16, 1849, ^"fl became the parents of ten children. Further mention of their history is made in connection with the sketch of Frank Dietz on another page of this work. I'nto Mr. and Mrs. Merrick were born five children: Maggie Belle, born February i. 1876, is the wife of A. J. Patterson, a rail- way clerk, at Keokuk; Harry Lewis, born August 15, 1880, is a farmer; Grace May, born September 26, 1892; Edward Seth, Iwrn May 5, 1886, and Edith V., born May 23. 1891, are all at home. Mr. Merrick purchased six and two- thirds acres of land in the Nassau addition in 1898, and in 1900 built thereon his pres- ent home. This was the old family home- stead and the purchase price was $4,000. He has planted the place to small fruit, and it is now a very attracti\e and comfortable home. Mr. Merrick is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; has filled all of the offices in the suliordinate lodge and is now a Past Noble Grand. Fie belongs to the Second Presbyterian church, in which he is serving as an elder, and in politics he is a Republican, but though urged many times to accept the position of alder- man he has always refused, having no polit- ical aspiration, although he is deeply inter- ested in the welfare of his party and of the general community ;it large. WILLIAM L. BARRETT. No man is more intimately and vitally connected with true progress than he to whom is intrusted the training of the com- ing generation. In his hands largely rests the future destinies of the state and nation. It is fitting, therefore, that to such service every community should assign its best tal- ents — that at the head of the schools should be placed those characters which are capable of the highest and most intelligent devo- tion to the general welfare. William L. Barrett, principal of the Fort Madison high school, has consecrated his life to the im- portant work of education, and for that rea- son, and by reason of the zeal and ability displayed in his chosen field, he is here en- titled to extended mention. Mr. Barrett was born at Nevada. Stoiy county, Iowa, DecenilTcr 2j. 1870, the son of John T. and Margaret (Seabalt) Barrett. John T. Barrett was born at Russellville, Ohio. July 5. 1842. and died at Kellerton, Iowa. September 4. 1900. The date, of his marriage to Margaret Seabalt was March 18, 1869. She died October 30, 1874. She is survived by two sons, the younger being J. C. Barrett, who is also a resident of Fort Madison, and is a guard at the state peni- tentiary. The father was remarried Septem- ber 14. 1876, to Miss Margaret Silvers, and of this union have been born six children. Mrs. Margaret Barrett is at the ])reseut time a resident of Kellerton. Iowa. W. L. Barrett, the subject of this sketch, l)egan his education in a district school, but his enthusiasm fi>r further intellectual ad- vancement led him to enter Drake L'niver- 354 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW silv. at Des Moines, at wliicli institution he matriculated in 1888, and was graduated with degree of B. D. S. C. in 1895, after having completed two separate courses of study, the scientific and the didactic. His professional activities since that time have Ijeen continuous and nf broad scope. He has taught physics and algebra in the Polk County Institute ; reading and history in the Ringgold Count}- Institute : histor\-, civics and econcjmics in Henry county; and read- ing, history, grammar and physiology in Lee county. He first began teaching in the niral schools of Ringgold county, came to Primrose, Lee county, in 1893, as principal of the graded school, became principal of a graded school at Birmingham, Van Buren county, in 1896. and came to Fprt Madison as principal of the high school in 1899. August II, 1902, at Des Moines, Iowa, ]\Tr. Barrett was united in marriage with Miss Bertha E. Lightfoot, daughter of Amos Lee and Ella (Grommon) Lightfoot, of Fort Madison. Mr. and Mrs. Lightfoot were the parents of six children, five of whom sur- vive, as follows : Charles A. and William T., of Chicago; Edwin Lee and Benjamin H., of Fort Madison ; and Mrs. Barrett, who w^as born in Delaware county, February 27, 1876, and at the time of her marriage -was a teacher in the eighth grade of the Fort Madison schools. She is a graduate of Fort Madison high school, and has attended the State Xormal School at Cedar Falls, the Ep- worth Seminary at Epwortb, Iowa, and Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant. For four years she was a teacher in rural schools, and for two years taught sixth, sev- enth and eighth grades in the Fort Madison schools. Mr. Barrett is descended of ' Revolution- ary ancestry through the maternal line and the family name of Silvers. The Barrett family was originally Irish, the founders of the American branch having been three brothers who emigrated from Ireland to- gether. The line of descent has been traced in imbroken succession to them. Mr. and ]\Irs. Barrett are members of the Christian church, and Mr. Barrett is 3- member and very active worker in the Young Men's Christian Association, being one of the directors of the organization. Strong in his individuality and earnest of purpose, he is peculiarly adapted to work of this na- ture, and his sterling character and talent for leadership are qualities that seem des- tined to carry^ him to distinction, and per- haps to eminence, in the field of education. ROBERT LANQE. One of the most progressive fanners and influential citizens of Green Bay town- shi]i is Robert Lange, who is a representative of a well-known pioneer famil\'. Mr. Lange himself is a native son of the township, but his father and mother were of German birth, lioth ha\ing been born in Prussia. His nataf day was October 4, 1854, and he is the son (if Harmdu and Christina (Batthalt) Lange, who, in order to profit by the superior re- sources and environment of the New World, emigrated from their native land and settled in Green Bay township, Lee county, in 1852. Here the mother still lives, at the age of LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 355 eiglity-three years, and here tlie fatlicr spent the remainder of liis life. He was enter- prisnis;-. progressive and successful, and was iiighly esteemed for the substantial virtues of his character by all who knew him. Roliert Lange secured his education in tlie public schools of his towTiship, and as a boy and young man learned farming un- der the direction of his father. On Septem- ber 25, 18S9. he was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Miller, who was born at Ijur- lington. Iowa. He then rented a farm on what is known as "the bluff." in this town- ship, successfully cultivating it for a period of eight years, at the end of which he pur- chased his present farm of 155 acres, and has since resided here. This farm consists of rich bottom lands, and is in a high state of ailtivation and thoroughly well developed. It has undergone man\- improvements since ]iassing to the ownership of Mr. I.ange. The house, which is ver\- commodious, has been remodeled, and new barns and other build- ings have been erected to accommodate the products of the fertile soil, and all the equip- ment is modern throughout. To !Mr. and Mrs. Lange have been born nine children, one of whom died in infancy. Those Hving are: Carl A. R.. Harry F. H., Caroline C. L.. RolDcrt P. E., Herbert J. A., Edna M. A.. Nelson L. A., and Arthur P. F. Mr. Lange enjoys a gratifying measure of popularity and public favor. He has held the office of road supcr\isor. and in igoi was elected tiustee of (ireen Bay township. an office in which his business ability proved valuable to his constituents. Fraternally, he is a member of Independent Order of Odd Fellf>ws. of \\'e\er. After a careful stiulv of questions of government and jiolitics he early decided to support the Democratic [)arty. as nKJSt nearly embodying his ideal of .\merican principles of liberty and justice, and to this allegiance lie has ever since been unwaveringly loyal, his work in the ranks lieing recognized as of much benefit to the local organization. As one enjoying a high reputation. for honor, integrit}' and complete grasp of ])ractical questions, his service and inlluence ha\'e been particularly \aluable. WASHINGTON NEWBERRY. Washington X^ewljerr\-. a noted resident of Des Moines township, Lee county, where he has long followed the occupation of farnv ing with much success, was born in the same township where he still maintains his home, August 13, 184S, a son of James W. and b^dith A. ( Renedict ) Xewlierrv. The New- berry family is identified with the foundingf of the tiiwnship. and from tlie beginning has taken a prominent part in its affairs. It has contributed ;i number of ])romincnt and in- fluential characters to the citizensbi]) of Lee county, and its name has always been high. Washington Newberry has worthily sus- tained that name, and lived an upright and honorable life. The subject of this sketch was given a common-school education, bevond which very few young people went at that time, and re- mained at home until he reached the age of t\\ent_\--t\vo years. .\t that age be took 356 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW charge of his father's farm in Scotland county, Missouri, which he partly fenced. There he broke seventy acres of raw prairie, and was there for about three years, when he returned to Des Moines township. Here he married, and settled on his present farm property, consisting of eighty acres, the southeast quarter of section 8, and also twenty acres of timber in the west part of the township. He is a general farmer, but gives his attention mainly to stockraising, in which he has met with very satisfactory results. Mr. Newberry was married December 24, 187^, to Miss Ella F. Washburn. She was born November 7, 1854, in Des Moines township, a daughter of Stephen S. and Me- lissa H. (Sprott) Washburn. Her father was born in Leeds county, Canada, and came into Iowa Territory in time to be classed as one of the very early pioneers of Lee county. Melissa H. Sprott was a daughter of Jaiiies and Annie Sprott, who came from Pennsyl- vania and settled near Keokuk in 1845. Her father bought land and became prominent and influential. He was called "Colonel Si)r(itt." and was a member of the legisla- ture at one time. Mrs. Newberry remem- bers him as coming in a buggy and a "stove- pijie bat" when she was a little girl. He came to their house in a buggy, a thing then very seldom seen ; and wearing a "plug hat," another rarity. He brought blooded sheep into Lee county, and did much to improve the general stock level at that time. The family came from Pennsylvania by the river route. Mr. and Mrs. Newberry have two sons : Arthur Devere, who graduated from the Keokuk College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1898, and is novy practicing his profes- sion in Kingston, Iowa. He is a man of imposing physique, stands six feet and two inches in his stocking feet, and weighs 325 pounds. His appearance is fine, he makes a good impression, and is commanding a large practice. Their other son, Van Wer- den Clark, is station agent of the Santa Fe Railroad at Argyle, Iowa. He married Miss Jessie Marshall, a daughter of John Marshall, of Fort Madison, who was an early settler in that city. To this union has come one child, Lloyd Devere, who was born August 31, 1904. Mr. Newberry is a man of fine stand- ing, irreproachable character and personal popularity. He is quiet in his ways, re- liable in all his transactions, and is known as a good citizen. JOSEPH E. NEWTON. A prominent and ]irosperous citizen, a natix'e son of Lee county, and at the same time one who lias witnessed the growth of the State of Iowa from a wild and s])arsely inhaljited region to its present magnificent proportions, is Joseph E. Newton, of Pleas- ant Ridge township. ]\Ir. Newton was born August 13, 1842, on the farm on which he now resides, and is the son of Orson New- ton, of Vermont, and Harriet (Bullard) Newton, of Massachusetts, who celebrated their marriage in this township. Orson LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 357 Newtdii came to Lee county in 1836, and staked off a claim of 160 acres of wild land, which he later entered as a "homestead," and continued to occupy for the remainder of his life, clearing the land, adding improve- ments, and working his way upward in the world until he, together with his son, our subject, at one time owned 750 acres of fine agricultural lands, most of this being located in Adams county, Iowa. When he emigrat- ed from his natixx state, in 1836. and set- tled in Pleasant Ridge township, his entire possessions consisted of fifty cents in cash and an ax. but with dauntless energ}- and iron will he set out with this small capital to win for himself a recognized place among his fellowmcn, .nnd in this he fully suc- ceeded, achieving a position of prominence and influence and being many times hon- ored by calls to serve the public in responsi- ble capacities, among these being the office of trustee of his township. In ixilitics he was a \\'hig and later a Republican, and was prominent in both parties, while in his reli- gious connection, to which he was ever faith- ful, he held membership, in the Congrega- tional church of Denmark, and he took a special interest in the public schools of his community, which were largely under his care and direction during the greater part of his life. The comforts of life he ])rovided for his family without stint, as far as lay within his power, and the residence building now occupied by his son was erected by him in 1850, although since enlarged and re- modeled along modern lines. He died in July, 1894, at an age of more than eighty- two years, and his wife was laid by his side in the Denmark cemetery three years later at the age of seventy-seven. Mr. Xewton paid $1.25 jier acre for 160 acres in 1836, borrowing money for which he had to pay 25 i)er cent. One-half of it was timber land. _K>seph E. Newton, who is at the present time the only surviving member of his fath- er's family of three sons and two daughters, received in his early youth a good common school education, which he has • since en- larged by extensive reading, and at the same time he was thoroughly trained in the prin- ciples and practice of agriculture, acquiring knowledge and proficiency by personal ex- perience, so that while yet a young man he became, like his father, a successful far- mer, and to this occupation he has devoted his entire life, pursuing it as a trade and as a business. He now owns 290 acres of most productive farming land, which is operated under his direction, and this yields him a large annual return, and among the improve- ments installed by him is a substantial barn, just erected, which is forty by fifty feet in dimensions, while all the buildings are taste- fully painted and in an excellent state of repair. He has all his life been a resident of the farm which he now occupies, and, taking a natural pride in maintaining it in the most perfect condition, has given quite a little attention to its external appearance, his house, especially, being surrounded by beautiful and attractive grounds. \\'hcn .Mr. X'ewton was ten years of age, his lather one day brought in a large hollow log to place in the tiro-place, and in the log- was a large blacksnake which the father killcvl with an old-f.-ishioned shovel ten feet long. In 1869 Mr. Newton was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Anderson, who was born 358 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW in tlie City of New Yorl<. a daughter of Julm and Sarah Anderson, natives of Scotland. Mrs. Newton came to Biudington, Iowa, in 1863, Init her parents remained in New Yori<. and never removed to the West. She is a pleasant lady of fine Christian character, and is a faithful member of the Baptist churh at Burlington. Iowa. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Newton have Ijeen born one daughter, Hattie. and one son, Joseph Orson, \\ho both remain members of the parental house- hold. • Wiiile Mr. Newton has always been a practical farmer, he has also made a study of the subject on its theoretical side, and has been three times elected general superin- tendent of the West Point Agricultural So- ciety, and has been a director of the society since its formation, an office which he still holds. On the other hand he has not taken a narrow or contracted view of life, and while giving due weight to his own special calling, he has always manifested a willing- ness to perform the duties which devolve upon him as a citizen, and is widely known as one of the leading Republicans of Lee county, ha\ing been an active and helpful worker in that party for many years, as in his o])ini()n the ijest way of jiromoting the cause of good government. He has never activelv sought pulilic office, but has rei)re- sented his community a number of times in county conventions, and for a period of four years had the supreme direction of the Re- publican partv"s organization in this section as chairman of its townslfip committee, a capacity in which he performed much ^alu- able service and displayed executive ability of a high order of efficiency. Indeed, it may be said of him that in every relation of life in which he has been called upon to play an important part, he has proved himself equal to the occasion, and that while as a public character the pages of his record are fair, stainless and inspiring, the history of his pri\-ate relations with men is one of un- failing honor, uprightness and strictest recti- tude — an ideal mode of life which has made him rich in the friendship of many and the respect of all. RICHARD VANOSDOLL. Prior to the great Civil War, which claimed the sacifice of his life, the subject of this review. Richard Vanosdoll. was a well- known agriculturist of Montrose township, Lee county. Iowa, where he owned a small farm. He was born March _m. 1823. in Pennsylvania, of which state his parents were also' natives, and was undoubtedly of Dutch lineage, a descendant of those early settlers from Holland, to which the great commonwealth owes so much of its wealth and s])lendid material prosperity. He early emigrated to the West, in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the rich country, which was then almost un- occupied, becoming a pioneer of Lee county. Iowa, and on October 10, 1850, he was united in marriage, the exact location lieing four miles north of Montrose, to Miss Emily Wilson, Rev. David Crawford, of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, performing the cere- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 359 mony. To Mr. ami Mrs. Vanosdoll were born three .sons and two (laug"l:ters, as fol- knv.s : John L.. of Montrose; William Henry, who died in chiklliood, Juh- 24, 1853; Clara B.. wife of Charles .\llen. of Montrose: Charles, and Sophia R.. who died January 5, 1894. at the age of thirty-one years. At the opening of the Civil War .Mr. Vanosdoll believed it was his duty to join the forces whieli were to fight the battles of his country, and enlisted in Company A, Thirteenth Regiment Iowa \'olunteer In- fantrA'. as a pri\-ate soldier. While in the field he was seized with the dread disease known as chronic diarrhcta, and was as- signed to the hospital at Keokuk. Iiut while on his way to that place he died, April 26, 1863, and was l)uried at ^lilliken's Bend, Arkansas, where his remains rest. He was a man of mijch force of character, and was esteemed by all who knew him for his gen- erous and genial disposition, and was uni- versal!)' respected for the uprightness and strict integrity that characterized him in all his dealings. The death of her husband left to Mrs. Vanosdoll the sole care and support of four small children, and although the responsibil- ity was in no sense a light one, she accepted her trust in a spirit of true Christian forti- tude, and performed lier new duties with energy and determination. Selling the farm home she removed to the village of Mont- rose, where she gave her children the Ijest of home training and the inestimable ad- vantage of a good education, thus fitting them to cope with the problems of life in what.soever sphere they might find them- selves called upon to labor, and in this vil- lage she still resides. She was liorn in IV'inisyhania, l'\-bruary 7, 1834, the daugh- ter of John and Rebecca ( Walker ) Wilson, and with her parents first removed to Ten- nessee, coming to Lee county when about eleven or l\yel\e years of age. Here her lather bought l;nul and farmed in Montrose townshi]), and he died on the home farm, February 28, 1849, while the mother died in the village of Montrose. Two. brothers of ]\Irs. Vanosdoll were soldiers of the Ci\'il War, the.se being Walker and Harry W^il- snn. now of !\bintrose. She is a devout and faithful wurker in the .Methodist E])is- copal church. t(^ whose support she gen- erously contributes, and is a charter member of the Montrose Lodge, Daughters of Re- bekah, and also a chater member of the Woman's Relief Corps, in the history of \\Ii(_ise work in this coniniunity she holds an honored place. She receives a widow's pension from the United States government, and owns a comfortable home in Montrose, where she spends her declining days in com- ])arative ease, and although she has accom- plished more than the her share of artluous and useful work during a long life, she is surprisingly well preserved for one of her vears. EUGENE Q. BULLARD. .An enterprising business man of Fort Madison is Eugene G. BuUard, proprietor of the Gen City Livery. A native son of Lee county, he was born in Jefferson town- shij). three miles west of this city, July 24, 360 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 1863, the son of James Bullard, Sr., now deceased. James Bullard, Sr., was the son of Theophilus Bullard. of Virginia parent- age, and was born in Jacksonville, Morgan county, Illinois, May 22, 1825. He traced his genealogy through various, families of England, Ireland and Germany, who com- bined to produce a race having many ad- miraljle traits of character. Two of his grandfathers, by name James Bullard and Thomas Armstrong, were soldiers of the War of 1 8 12. The former, at the close of the war, settled on a farm in Brown county, Illinois, where he spent the remainder of his life. Thomas Armstrong was a master me- chanic, and erected many iron furnaces and forges near the place of his residence in Ten- nessee. Theophilus Bullard, father of James Bullard, Sr., was a millright, and built his first mill in Morgan county, Illinois, on the Mor\ester creek in 1S24, supposed to have been one of the first mills in Illinois. He was a volunteer soldier in the Black Hawk War, serving all through the Indian troubles, and at the end of the war removed with his family to Burlington, Iowa, arriv- ing March 12, 1834. He acquired five farms in the Black Hawk Purchase, and was the first justice of the peace in that section, wiiile Iowa was yet a territory, holding the office twenty-five years. He also made the first local survey in this part of the country. The date of his birth was March 17, 179S. He married, at Nashville. Tennessee. Lucy Armstrong, who was of Virginia birth and [larentage. James Bullard, Sr., was the second child of the family. He was educated in the pub- lic schools, and remained at home until his marriage, in Jefiferson township, of which, in passing, his father was one of the organ- izers. He married Miss Sarah A. Wallace, who was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. June i, 1834, and came to Iowa with her parents when a young woman. Of this union were born seven children, only two of whom survive, these being Robert Rolio, a farmer, of Green Bay township, and Eugene G., the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Sarah A. Bullard, the wife and mother, died June 25, 1884. She was a consistent and faithful member of the Baptist church. Mr. Bullard was a success- ful farmer and stock breeder, and lived in a beautiful home, located on a 300-acre farm of fertile jMississippi bottom lands. He was universally respected, and had many friends. In politics he was a stanch Dem- ocrat. Eugene G. Bullard : The subject of this review was reared on a farm, and received his education in the public schools. Not content, however, with the learning thus gained he resolved to pursue a course of practical investigation into modern business methods, and with this object in view at- tended Johnson's Business College, at Fort Madison — with what success his subsequent career has amply shown. For a number of years he was associated with his father in the livery business in this city. On his father's death, in February, 1896, however, he assumed sole charge of the enterprise, and has continued in this capacity ever since, with the exception of two years spent in farming. He is the proprietor of the build- ing and equipment, valued at $9,000. He also owns the old home farm of 160 acres in Jefiferson township, which he rents, and LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 361 is interested in the New York Gray Silver Mine, in Park county, Colorado, and in the Comstock, Le Roy, Big Chief and Cody mines, in Lake county, Colorado. On Januan,- 25, 1893, Mr. BuUard was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. Fin- nerty, and they occupy a pleasant home at Xo. 403 Second street. Unto them have heen l)orn two sons and two daughters, as follows: \^elma E., horn February 4, 1894; James Everett, born September 16, 1895; Patrick Le Roy, horn May 3, 1897; and Naomi Jane, bom August 9, 1902. Mrs. Bullard is a native of Jefferson town- ship, the date of her birth being January 21, 1 87 1, and she is the daughter of Peter Fin- nerty, a native of Galway, Ireland, and Jane (Shay) Finnerty, born in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Finnerty died in June, 1887, at the age of forty-eight years, and Mrs. Fin- nerty has since remarried, being now the wife of a Mr. Newberry, and residing at Ouincy, Illinois. Mrs. Bullard has two sis- ters, Anna L., wife of Theophilus Bullard, and Cecilia J., wife of Dr. Wahrer. She is a member of St. Joseph's Catholic church and of the Ladies' Auxiliary-. In his political faith and activities Mr. Bullard is a Democrat, and fraternally he sustains membership relations with the order of Knights of Pythias and with Clay- l)oole Lodge, No. 13, Free and .Vccepted Masons ; also being in the Masonic order, a Knights Templar. He has many friends, and is a man of marked exccuti\'e ability, progressive and enterprising. It is .safe to predict, in the light of his past achievement, that for him the future holds much success and honor. GEORGE W. TUCKER. One who for many years has been iden- tified very prominently with the agricultural interests and the public life of Lee county is George W. Tucker, the subject of this re\-iew. lie was bom in Dearborn county, Indiana, June 13, 1855, and is the son of John W. and Sarah (Spicknell) Tucker, who were married at Lawrenceburg, In- diana, and came to Lee county in 1857, pur- chasing land in Green Bay township, where they continued to reside until the father's death, June 29, 1893. Sarah Tucker sur- vived her husband a number of years, her demise occurring in March, 1903. Mr. Tucker is one of a familv of five brothers and three sisters, as follows ; Richanl, who has his home in the State of Kansas; George W ., Charles C, of Green Bay township, Lee county; William H., an engineer, of Hannibal, Missouri ; Nettie, now deceased, who was the wife of Scott Littell; Kate, wife of James Scott, of Bur- lington ; Emma, widow of Lee Cadwallader, a former teacher in the high school of Fort Madison, and Frank, a farmer, of Green Bay township. George W. Tucker received a good com- mon-school education, but in order to further prepare himself for the successful business career which has since been his, he entered Pearson's Business College, at Fort Madison, and pursued a course of com- mercial study. In 1876 he began farming, believing that in this field of endeavor He rich rewards for those who conduct their efforts with energy, care and the scientific application of business principles. His ex- 362 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW pectations have been fully justified, in his own case, at least, by the e\ent, as his vig- orous prosecution of the enterprise has brought him much material prosperity. Mr. Tucker is well known and liked throughout Lee county, and this popularity caused him, in 1897, to be elected to the office of sheriff, in which he continued suc- cessfully for four years. He also acted as deputy sheriff for a period of two years, and has held most of the of^ces of his town- ship. On his election he removed to Fort Madison, where he has since resided, hav- ing purchased a home at 411 Second street. He still retains, however, his agricultural interests in Green Bay township, where he owns 500 acres of land, which he rents. In addition he holds title to some valuable property in the City of Fort Madison. At Burlington, Iowa, June 13, 1876, Mr. Tucker was united in marriage with Miss Clara Miner, a lady of Germ;m ex- traction, who was born May 12, 1855, in Des Moines covmty, this state. Unto them have been born six children, as follows : Etta ]May, wife of Herman Lange. of Green Bay township: Charles C, of Fort Madison, who married Miss Elsie Badley; Susie, wife of Charles S. Tucker, an engineer, of Blackwell, Oklahoma: John W., of Fort Madison, who married Miss Josephine Schlemer: Nathan J., and Frankie Kate. John W. and Charles C. are engaged in the hardware and implement business in this city, and are meeting with gratifying success. Mr. Tucker is now living retired from active business life enjoying the well-earned fruits of his labors. He still maintains, howe\er, active connection with the various social and fraternal bodies in which he holds membership, and is a valued factor in their affairs. These are : The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, and the Forresters. In politics he has al- ways given hearty and loyal support to the Democratic party, believing that its prin- ciples are best calculated to secure the gen- eral welfare in harmonv with the spirit of American institutions. Personally he is of a genial and generous disposition, and these characteristics, together with his uprightness and justice in all his dealings, have made for him many friends. BENDIX REIMERS. One citizen of Keokuk, who is especially entitled to mention in any work which claims to comprise those who have rendered valu- able service to city, state or nation, is Ben- dix Reimers, the subject of this sketch. He was born July 10, 1826. in Holstein, Ger- man}-, and is the son of Marx and Margu- rita Reimers, who both died in Holstein. There was a family of seven children, but only one other of these came to America, This was George, who was for some time in the grocery business in Keokuk, but is now deceased. Mr. Reimers early exhibited a spirit of patriotism, and for three years took part in LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 363 the war of his native land against tlie Danes as an artillenman. operating in Jutland and Schleswig. Much of this fighting was of the most severe character, it heing related that on one occasion Mr. Reimers's liattery was engaged in continuims action for two days and nights. Six }ears after the conclusion of his military service the longing to try his fortunes in the new world led him to em- bark for America. Landing in New York in 1857. he came direct to Jackson town- ship, Lee county, Iowa, where he located, six miles from Keokuk, and pursued the business of farming for five years. Then came the call of liis adopted coun- try for defenders against rebellion and trea- son, and Mr. Reimers, a second time in- trusting him.self to the fortunes of war, en- listed, August, 1862. in the Nineteenth Iowa Infantr\', Company A, under Colonel Bruce, and went into camp at St. Louis. Among the more important engagements and campaigns in which he took part were the siege of Vicksburg, the battles at Mobile, Prairie Ciro\e or Fayettc\ille. Arkansas, Van Buren and Sterling plantation. .\t the lat- ter ])lace he was captured by the enemy and was taken as a prisoner to Tyler, Texas, where he remained for six months, suffering great hardships, from the effects of which his constitution has never fully recovered. The regular ration of the Union prisoners was but a pint of corn meal per day, and they were utterly without shelter from weather and storm until, after much labor, they were able to build a few miserable huts of brush and bark. At length the prisoners were taken to Shreveport, I^ouisiana, on their way to some other point to be ex- changed, hut the execution of this ])lan was slow, and Private Reimers, with two others, escajx^d from custody at that place, and started, during a heavy rainstorm to work their way back to the Union lines. Relying on a i)ocket compass for guidance, they trav- eled through the swamps for several nights and days, often compelled by the presence of Confederate pickets to go into hiding and to deny themselves food and drink, and often losing their way. Finally, however, by rep- resenting themselves to be Texas troopers, they secured food at a plantation and learned the location of the Rebel troops. Thus en- abled to avoid danger, they came up with a colored regiment of Union cavalry, which they accompanied on an expedition up the Red river, and Mr. Reimers rejoined his reg- iment at Brownsville. Texas. By this ex- ploit he saved himself many weary weeks of captivity, as his comrades at Shreveport were not released until four months later. .\fter a short stay at New Orleans he ac- companied his regiment to Mobile, where he was located until the end of the war. In all his experience of war, Mr. Reimers was never wounded, and received but one assignment to hospital, which occurred at Springfield, Missouri, lasting one week. He was mustered out of his countrv's .service July 10, T864, at Mobile, Alabama, and re- ceived his discharge at Davenport, Iowa. He then returned to Lee county, and worked by the month until he had acamiulated the sum of $1,500. when he purchased a farm of forty acres, near Keokuk, where he resided for about ten years, at the end of which time he removed to this citv. It was dur- ing this time that he was united in marriage 364 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW to Mrs. Anna Schilling, and to them ha\e been born five sons and daugnters, as fol- lows : Marx, who is a letter carrier in Keo- kuk ; Mary ; William, who is employed in a meat market in this city; Bendix, em- ployed in a shoe factory; Anna and Eva. The children of Mrs. Reimers's first mar- riage are Louise, who lixes at home, and Bertha, living in Misosuri. Mr. Reimers holds membership in Tor- rence Post of the Grand Army of the Re- public, and was connected with the Grange when it was in existence at this place. He is a member of the Lutheran church, and in politics has given his support to the Repub- lican party ever since coming to America. He is a self-made man. and what he has of worldly goods has been acquired by his own efforts and ability. For this he deserves the highest credit. HENRY GEORGE HAESSIG. Henry- G. Haessig, the well-known cigar manufacturer, of Fort Madison, Iowa, is a native son of Lee county, having been born in this city December 16, 1866. His father, George Haessig, was born in Germany, and came at an early date to Fort Madison, where he was a contractor and builder, and attained a degree of prominence in the city's affairs. In politics he was affiliated with the Democratic party, and for two terms rep- resented the tliird ward in the city council. He was a member of the Lutheran church. The mother was Christiana (Rhode) Haes- .'^ig. Both parents are now deceased. Unto them were bom, besides the subject of this sketch, seven sons and one daughter, as fol- lows : George G., Charles, \\'illiam, Ed- ward, who died September 6, 1904; Albert, Otto, Oscar, and Amelia. Henry G. Haessig was educated in the public schools of Fort Madison, and in 188 1 entered the cigar factory of L. B. Reader, in whose employ he continued for sixteen years, or until 1897, when he l>ought the cigar manufacturing business of Charles Jones, and has since conducted the enter- prise independently. In this venture he has met with very gratifying success. August 13, 1889, Mr. Haessig was mar- ried to Miss Pauline A. Meyers, of Fort Madison, and of this union has been born one child, a daughter, Margaret, her natal day being December 30, 1895 ; two daugh- ters died, Marie and Catherine. In fraternal affairs Mr. Haessig has taken an acti\-e part, being a member of Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Fort Madison Commercial Club, and of the local Cigar Makers' Union. Of this lat- ter body he was one of the organizers, and for eight years was its treasurer. In poli- tics he has always given his support to the DenK)cratic party, and for one term ser\-ed his township as its clerk. He was one of the organizers of Company F, of the Iowa National Guard, in 1887, and was at that time appointed a corporal, later attained the rank of sergeant, and at the time of his resignation in 1894, was captain of the com- pany. The factory, where nine workmen are LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 365 continuously employed, is located at 835 Second street, and the pleasant and commo- dious home of the family is at 1034 Second street. Mr. Haessig is one of the most active younger business men of the city, taking a leading part in all progressive movements, and while these qualities are bringing him personal success and adding to his popularity in a marked degree, they are at the same time a powerful factor in building up the material prosperity of the community. Mrs. Haessig was born in Fort Madison August 3. 1867, a daughter of John B. and Catherine E. (Pliesser) Meyers. Both were born in Germany and as young people came to Fort Madison, where they were married and here resided till their deaths. For many years their home was at 1034 Second street, which, was erected hy tliem in 1867. Mr. Meyers died July 21, i8'85, and Mrs. Meyers passed to her rest July i. 1889. They were members of St. Man,''s Catholic church. They were the parents of six children of whom only Mrs. Haessig and Louis B. Mevers now survive. THOMAS H. DONNELL. Tlmnias 11. DDnnell, a well-known farmer of Charleston town--hip, was born on the farm on which he now resides, the date being September 15, 1861. He is the son of William .\. Donnell, a native of North Carolina, and Celestia (Hamilton) Dunnell, wIk; was born in New York. As a lx)y Wil- liam .\. Donnell, father of our subject, re- moved with his parents to Illinois, and in 1838 he came to Iowa, and entered 160 acres of government land. This tract he increased bv means of further purchases, becoming one of the most extensive landholders of this section of Lee county. Among his holdings was the site of the present village of Don- nellson, whicli he himself platted in 1871. In the business of farming he was eminently successful. His political affiliation was with the Republican party, and he was verv' pop- ular throughout the county, being for a num- ber of years county supervisor, and holding the office of trustee and other minor posi- tions. He took a great and intelligent in- terest in public affairs, and was esteemed for his ability and integrity. He was. a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. Mr. and Mrs. Donnell were the parents of four sons and four daughters, as follows: Jane, deceased; Laura, deceased; George, now a resident of Melbourne, Iowa; Philo, deceased; Ida, wife of William Ben- jamin, of Donnellson; John, of Mount Pu- la.ski, Illinois; Thomas H., our subject, and one child who died in infancy. Thomas H. Donnell received his educa- tion in the public schools of his district, and while growing to years of maturity learned the work of the farm by actual experience of its duties. He has always resided on the farm on which he was born, and in 1890 he became its owner. 1 lore he conducts general agricultural operations and makes a specialty of stockraising, giving particular attention to Shorthorn cattle and Shropshire sheep. Keeping onl_\- small herds, he strives for 366 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW high quality, and has received various pre- miums for his exhibits at county fairs. The farm consists of i6o acres of fertile lands. In 1881 Mr. Donnell was united in mar- riage to Miss Emma Spilkey, who was born ill Illinois, and to them have been born two daughters, Ethel and Orion. The family occupies a very pleasant home, in which they are surrounded by the material comforts and many of tlie lu.xuries, and it is a center of hospitality for many friends. Mr. Donnell is a firm believer in Republican principles and a stanch supporter of that party's poli- cies and chosen leaders, but has never cared for public office, though he enjoys wide pop- ularity. By choice he devotes nearly all his time to agricultural pursuits. He has, how- ever, served a number of terms as super- visor, and has been elected whenever nom- inated. He holds membership in the Mod- ern Woodmen of America at Donnellson, and has borne a prominent part in the af- fairs of that order. He is a man of much business ability, and by the exercise of his natural talents has achieved success and at- tained to an important station in the com- munitv in which he lives. GEORGE W. JUDY. One of the leading farmers of Jefiferson township and one known thrdughout the county for his ability, social qualities and sterling character is George \V. Judy, the subject of this sketch. He was born in West Point townshi]), this county. May 27, 1851, the son of Henry and Elizabeth Em- mett) Judy. The father, who has the dis- tinction of being the oldest living pioneer of Lee county, still li\-es on the original farm that he purchased from the government in 1834. He was born in Ohio, and as a young man came to the West, locating at Fort Mad- ison when there were only four families at that place. When the government holdings of land were thrown open to settlement he purchased the first tract of 160 acres at $1.25 an acre. This he improved and from time to time added other purchases until he now owns a half section of land. He underwent all the hardships incident to pioneer life, and is entitled to much credit for the part he has played in the development of natural resources in Lee county. As illustrating the lack of adequate transportation and the re- moteness of market facilities in the earlier days, he recalls that he has hauled dressed pork to Keokuk by wagon and that he re- ceived for his load only $1.25 per hundred- weight. Indians occupied the countr}' in places at that time, and he remembers having frequently seen the celebrated chief Black Hawk. He married Miss Harriet Cooney, daughter of Dr. Cooney, a pioneer physician and owner of a ranch near Franklin. His second wife was Elizal^eth Emmett, daugh- ter of George Emmett, of \\'est Point town- ship. In politics he has been a Republican since the formation of that party. He has lived continuously in Lee county longer than anv other person now living, although Captain Washington Galland was here for some time before him. .\t present he re- sides on the home farm, and is in his eighty- eighth year. George ^^^ Judy rcceixed during his boy- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 367 hooil and youtli a good practical education througii the medium of the public schools, and learned the lessons of faithful applica- tion to duty in the work of his father's farm, in which he continued until attaining his ma- jority. He then rented land, and began farming on his own account. In this ven- ture he was so successful that in 1876 he was able to buy a farm near \^eile, in Jef- ferson township. This he occupied for twenty years, making important improve- ments, and in 1896, desiring to extend his operations, he purchased his present hold- ings of 160 acres. Here he engages in gen- eral farming and in stockraising, special- izing somewhat, however, in the raising of sweet potatoes and melons, and has attained a very substantial measure of financial suc- cess. He has made improvements in the condition of the farm since purchasing, hav- ing planted a large orchard of carefully se- lected fruits, modernized the house and erected a large barn for storage purposes. On March 14, 1872, Mr. Judy was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda Ann Hart, daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Dukes) Hart. Mr. Hart is a native of New York, but as a child removed with his parents to Penn- sylvania, and later in life he settled in Jef- ferson township, where Airs. Judy was born. To Mr. and Mrs. Judy have lieen born nine sons and daughters, as follows : ( ieorge Thomas, who is in the ex])ress business in St. Louis, Missouri; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Charles .\rthur, of Plymouth, Illinois, has two children, Helen and George; Cora A., wife of \\'^illiam P>rown, of Montrose town- ship, has one child, Raymond L. ; Laura. wife of Victor Griswold, living near Harri- son, Arkansas, has one child, Lloyd; Frank, a farmer, of Jefferson township; Joseph, John Logan, Charles G. and Roy Allen, who are at home. Mr. Judy is a lifelong Republican, and has ser\ed that party frequently as delegate to important conventions. For some years he has also acted as chairman of its township committee, hut has never lieen himself an aspirant for public office. He was formerly connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but has allowed his member- ship to lapse. He attends and supports the Presljyterian church, of which Mrs. Judy is a member. He is enterprising, public spir- ited and a believer in progress, and his in- fluence and activities have been valuable to the community in which he lives. Gifted with a capacity for friendship and a jilcas- ing personality, devoted to strict integrity and eminently just in all his dealings, he has won for himself the general respect and made man\' friends who prize his kindly re- gard. JOHN W. TUCKER. Although but a recent addition to the business and conimercial forces of b'ort Madison, John W, Tucker is i)roving him- self a factor to be reckoned with in fore- casting the future prosperity of the city. Mr. Tucker was liorn in Green Bay town- shi]), [,ec county, (Vtober _m. 1878, the son 368 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW of George W. Tucker, of this city. He was educated in the common schools of his town- ship, and also attended Johnson's Business College, at Fort Madison. During the in- cumbency of his father, George \^^ Tucker, as sheriff of Lee county, John \\ . Tucker served two years as turnkey and two years as deputy sheriff, and later served a further two }ears as deputy sheriff under Sheriff John AI. Kenney. In 1904 he, with his brother, Charles C. Tucker, purchased a half interest in a vehicle and implement business which had been established in Fort Aladison the previous year, and in this connection he still con- tinues. The style of the firm is now Tucker Brothers. On October 10, 1900, Mr. Tucker was united in marriage with Miss Josephine E. Schlemer. and they have their home at No. 205 Second street. Mrs. Tucker is a native of Fort Madison, the date of her birth be- ing April 5, 1882, and is the daughter of Henrv' and Mary (Kern) Schlemer. The mother died November 22, 1902, and is buried in Fort Madison. Henn* Schlemer, father of Mrs. Tucker, is an attorney of this city. Three sisters, Elizabeth, Minnie and Carolyn, remain at lionie. Mr. Tucker is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he lias occupied offices of honor, having passed all of its chairs, and is in his political views and associations, a Democrat. He is a young man of promise, and is rapidly acquir- ing that reputation which rewards energ}', integrity and alertness to the demands of the times. CHARLES DOERR. A prominent representative of that val- uable class of citizens known as Ger- man-American is Hon. Charles Doerr, of Fort Madison. Mr. Doerr was born in the duchy of Nassau, Germany, January 13, 183 1, and there received the thorough training that fitted him for his later successes in business and public life. Enthusiasm for knowledge and learn- ing carried him through the public and high schools with credit, and gave him an educa- tion well-grounded and fully rounded, and as a provision against unforeseen circum- stances he learned the trade of stonemason. He is the son of Philip and Katherine (Tresbach) Doerr, the father being also a stone worker — a master mason. The family came to America in March, 1851. stopping in New York, and in the autumn of that year removed to Vermont, where father and son plied their trade. At Shaftsbury, that state, occurred the death of Katherine Doerr, mother of our subject, in 1852, and she is there buried. She is survived by one son and one daughter, the latter being Jeannette, who was married to John Koehler, and after his death Ijecame the wife of George .\nthes, liut is again a widow. She resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Coming to Fort Madison in 1855, Charles Doerr, in partnership with his fatiier. began the liusiness of building rail- road bridges, whic4i they carried on extens- i\ely antl with success for two years. Then in March, 1857, he forsook the hammer for the pen, and became a copyist, doing this ^^^^^^^r_ '^' 91 ■ ^^w«iii^ ^1 L ^1 H ^^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^1 hiiHiH ^^■\!4^< ^ . ' ^H ^B P ^1 CHAkLKS G. OOEKK LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 371 Avork at tlie court house until i860, when he was appointed deputy county clerk. Two years later, in recognition of his talents, in- tegrity and ability, he was elected by the Democratic party as county clerk of Lee county, and in 1864 was re-elected to the same office, Init was "counted out" by a technicality. In June. 1866, he was reap- pointed county clerk, and this was followed, in the fall of the same year, Ijy another re- election to the office, and this, in turn, Ijy a repetition of the honor in 1868. On the ex- piration of his term as county clerk he pur- chased, in 1871, a ferry line across the Mis- sissippi river, which he operated for six years, when he sokl it and entered the real estate business, in which he still continues. He was not permitted, however, to remain in political retirement, and in 1884 was called to represent Lee county in the legisla- ture, serving through the Twentieth General Assembly of Iowa with distinction. Further lionors awaited him, and in 1885 he was ap- pointed by President Cleveland postmaster of Fort ^Ladison. His other public trusts include the office of justice of the peace, to which he was elected in 1895, and which he still holds, and his membership in the school board for a period of twelve years. In addition he is probably tiie oldest notary public in the State of 'Iowa, having acted in this capacity continuously since 1858. Mr. Doerr was married at Fort Madison on .\ugust 20, 1857, to Miss Katherine Magerkurth, who was born at Kindenheim, Rhenish Bavaria. April 30, 1837. She came to America when thirteen years of age. L^nto them were born nine children, as fol- lows : Emma, who died at the ixirc of three and one-half years; Charles P., manager and \ ice-president of an electric lighting com- pany of Aguascalientes, Mexico; Jeanette, familiarly known in the family as Nettie, who is at home; Edward, who was a min- ing engineer in the City of Mexico, and died October 4, 1904, at San Antonio, Texas, while on his way home from Mexico; Philip O., who died March 24. 1900, at thirty-two years of age, and who was a contractor for freight transportation in Mexico; Albert, a mining engineer at Asientos, Mexico, hav- ing spent four years in the school of mining at Freiberg, Germany ; Kuno, with the American Smelting and Refining Company, of Aguascalientes, Mexico; Elsie D., wife of Dr. C. L. Bennet, of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and Katherine, who is at home. The wife and mother died December 2. 1899, and is interred in the city cemetery of Fort Madison. The death of Mr. Doerr's father occurred February 21, 1899, he pass- ing away at the age of ninety-one years and six months. Mr. Doerr, in his fraternal relations, is a member of the Blue Lodge, the Chapter, the Commandery and the Mystic Shrine of the Masonic order, and has been an Odd Fellow since May 6, 1854. In his religious faith lie is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, ^^'ith the development and progress of Furt Madison his pul)lic spirit has placed him in intimate connection throughout the greater part of his life. He has erected a number of residence buildings in the city, and also was the builder of Con- cordia Hall, for thirty years the principal opera house. He has owned considerable property hero, but recently disposed of the Zl'-i BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW major portion. He has still, however, a number of investments in Mexico. The hfe of Hon. Charles Doerr is one more illustra- tion of the truth that "America means op- portunity," and that the best prizes of for- tune are for those who strive conscientiously, uprightly and with fixity of purpose. JOHN BENNETT. John Bennett is an honored veteran of the Civil War who, for fifteen years, has been unable to engage in work on account of ill health, brought on by his army serv- ice. He was born in Clark county, Indiana, May 2, 1844, a son of James A. and Sarah \. (Howard) Bennett. The father was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and is still living at the advanced age of eighty years, but the mother died in 1900. Both lived with their son, John. Their children were as follows: Missouri, the wife of Dr. A. Rogers, of Kansas City, Kansas; John, of this review; Lizzie A., who became the wife of Robert A. Junk, and died in 1902, and George B., who was drowned while swimming in the Mississippi river, in 1892. John Bennett was a lad of ten summers when his parents removed from Indiana to the \icinity of Augusta, Illinois, and there he was reared upon a farm, until 1856, when the family home was established in the vicinity of Bentley, Illinois. There John Bennett assisted in the cultivation of his father's farm until the spring of 1861, when he enlisted as a member of Company F, Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry, and he was afterward transferred to the United States navy on the steamship "Silver Lake," ply- ing on the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee ri\-ers and took part in several naval en- gagements on the first named. He was wounded in the head by a gunshot at the battle of Shiloh, and also wounded in the right hand. He took part in many of the engagements along the Tennessee, was also at Vicksburg, Mississippi, the main duty be- ing to guard the river. \\'hen his three years' term had expired Mr. Bennett re-en- listed in 1864, becoming a member of Com- pany I, One Hundred and Forty-fifth In- diana Infantry, with which he served in the Army of the Tennessee until the close of the war. He was with Shermaii in the At- lanta campaign, participated in the battle of Chattanooga, and was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, after which he re- turned to Augusta, Illinois, with an honor- able militan- record, for he had been a brave and fearless soldier. The same year Mr. Bennett came to Keokuk, where he conducted a grocery store for about three years. He afterward worketl in an e.gg and butter house for a time, but was at length obliged to abandon his position on account of ill health, and for the past fifteen years has been connected with no business enterprise. He draws a pension of thirty dollars per month. ]\Ir. Bennett is a member of Torrence Post, No. 2, Grand Army of the Republic, and belongs to the Baptist church, with which he has been identified for thirty-five years. In his political views he is a Repub- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 373 lican. He owns a home at No. 1526 Car- roll street, and has been a resident of Keo- kuk almost forty years. He has ever been interested in public progress as well as local advancement and througlnuit his entire life has manifested the same spirit of loyalty and patriotism which he disjilaxed on Southern battlefielils. WILLIAM MULLIKIN. Men of marked ability, forceful charac- ter and upright purpose leave their impress upon the world written in such indelible characters that time is powerless to obliter- ate their memory, or sweep it from the minds of men. The force of their example spurs others to emulation, and what they have accomplished is an inspiration to those who come after them, while their sterling virtues live on forever in the hearts of those who have known and loved them, and is cherished in the annals of the community in which they lived and labored as faithful citizens. William Mullikin. who was for a long- term of years one of the leading landowners and representative agriculturists of Lee county, was a native of Indiana, the date of his birth being July 5, 1843, and by the death of li in Washington and Madison townships, all of which he rents. 392 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW He also owns residence property on Fifth street. Fort Madison, and a commodious business structure, two and one-half stories in height, on Second street. At 826 Sec- ond street he built in 1899, furnishing the plans himself, a magnificent home costing in the neighljorhood of $7,000. As a token of the high esteem in which he is held by his many friends Mr. Rump was elected in the year 1870 to the office of city treasurer of Fort Madison, and was fiye times re-elected. He has also held the office of director of the public schools, as well as many similar positions of trust and honor. In politics Mr. Rump has always been a member of the Democratic part}', lielieving its principles to be for the greatest good of state and nation. He holds his church mem- bership in St. Joseph's church. On May 13, 186 1, was solemnized by Rev. Father Haetenberger, at Fort Madison, the marriage of George Rump and Miss Mary Engelkur. The date of Mrs. Rump's birth was January 6, 1845, and the place St. Louis, Missouri. To them have been born eight children, all of whom are living. Of there, George H., the eldest, born Jan- uary 25, 1865, married Miss Lena Schneider, and they live in Fort Madison, where he is in the flour and feed business: Henry W., l)orn January 16, 1868, married Katherine Hesse, and is a member of the Fort Madison firm of Rump & Seamers. grocers : John^H., born December 3, 1869, conducts an ice busi- ness in Fort Madison; Louis IL, born De- cember 4. 187T, and W^illiam F., born Jan- uary 10, 1874, are partners in the local gro- cery firm of Ellis, Rump & Company: Ella was bom February 17, 1876: Clara, October 30, 1878, and Minnie June 18. 1882. Sons and flaughters all acquired their education in St. Joseph's school, and in addition the sons received preparation for the active part w hich the}- have since taken in the city's af- fairs at Johnson's Business College. George Rump has borne no inconsider- able part in the upbuilding of Fort Madi- son. Tw(,i large two-story brick business blocks were erected by him in 1871 at 715- 717 Second street, and. in 1888 another was added, being No. 719. In the execution of these enterprises he has gained for himself worldly goods and reputation, and has dem- onstrated anew the truth that most benefits himself who benefits others as well. THOMAS COLLIER. One of the leading and best known rail- road men of Keokuk is Thomas Collier, now retired and living at his pleasant home at 916 Grand avenue. He was torn March 28, 1841, at Lowell, Massachusetts, and there received his education in the public schools. When fifteen years of age he was appren- ticed in the luachinist's trade at Taunton, that state, but the shops being closed on, ac- count of the financial panic of 1857, he de- cided to avail himself of the opportunities of the West, and at the early age of sixteen he came to Peoria, Illinois, and secured a posi- tion as fireman on the Toledo, Peoria & W'estern Railroad. When but nineteen years of age he was promoted to the position of engineer, which he filled with credit to him- self and to the satisfaction of the company LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 393 until 1868, when he went to New Orleans. There he had charge of a train on the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Rail- road, known as the "Jackson route." In 1876 he re-entered the employ of the To- ledo, Peoria & Western Railroad Company as an engineer, in which he continued for a j>eriod of four years. Mr. Collier came to Keokuk in 1880, at which time he entered the service of the Missouri. Iowa & Nebraska Railroad Com- pany, now known as the Keokuk & Western. Here he rounded out his railroad career, con- tinuing until December, 1903, when he was compelled on account nf an attack of ner- vous prostration, to relinquish the work. His life as an engineer extended over more than forty years, twenty of which were spent in the passenger service, and while his experi- ence included a number of wrecks, he never sustained a personal injury in an accident. At New Orleans he was married in 1870 to Miss Margaret Hannon, who died the fol- lowing year, leaving one daughter, who is a trained nurse and resides at Hammond, Michigan. At Peoria in 1876, he wedded Aliss Hettie Teal, and unto them have been born eight sons and daughters, seven of. whom sur\'ive, as follows : Harry, who is connecte'. Mr. Collier is of English ancestry, his parents having come to America from Man- chester, England, where the father was a cotton worker. He followed the same occupa- tion in Lowell. Massachusetts. His death occurred at Fall River, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Collier and family have occupied their present home for about fifteen years. The sitnation is one of great beautv. over- looking the Mississippi river. They are members of the LTnited Presbyterian church at Keokuk, in which Mr. Collier has acted as trustee for many years. In his political faith he is a Republican, and takes an abid- ing interest in public c|uestions. Fraternally, he is a member of the Brotherhood of Lo- comoti\e Engineers, having, for a long term of years, been an officer in the Keokuk Lodge of that order. He is widely known in railroad circles, and has many friends iu Keokuk, who respect him for the upright and honorable course in life and for his force of character. ATSTIN N. WRIGHT. .\ustin N. Wright, who is one of the oldest residents of Lee county, who was born within its limits, is a man well-deserv- ing of a place in the ])ages of this work, both because of his successful career and because, as one of those who in the nation's time of need went unselfishly to her defense, he has fulfilled the highest duty of a citizen. Mr. Wright was born near Sandusky, I.^e county, I\Iay 13, 1838, the .son of James and Mary (Chenoweth) Wright, both of Indiana. His parents were married in Indiana, came to Lee county in 1837, and bought land in 394 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW what was known as "the half-breed tract." John Wright, the grandfather, also came at the same time, together with his six sons and two daughters, and bought land in the same tract. Mr. Wright obtained his first knowledge of books in the public schools of his district, acquiring a ver\' good education. Not less valuable were tlie lessons learned in the work of the farm, which called for hard and faithful application to duty, as well as the exercise of judgment, foresight and business ability. On his father's farm it was that those qualities were formed which were to make him successful in after life, and there he grew to manhood, remaining until Jan- uary, 1864, when he enlisted for the service of his country in Company B, of the Twen- t}--third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under Captain W^alker and Colonel Glasgow. His period of service covered approximately nineteen months, and while ]\Ir. Wright's regiment constituted part of the Western Army and took part in no celebrated cam- paigns, the spectacular scenes of the combat having by that time shifted to the East, he was called upon to perform much hard and important service. The regiment did dutv along the Red river in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, and at Mobile, Alabama, played a prominent part in the capture of Spanish Fort. On March i, 1S68, Mr. Wright was united in marriage with Miss Melissa Col- vin, and they have one son and five daugh- ters, as follows: Hattie, a dressmaker; Kathryn, who is a clerk; Minnie, a teacher; Effie, Who is employed as a milliner; and Ernest and Blanche, who are still pursuing their education in the schools of Keokuk. Mrs. Colvin is the daughter of William and Catherine ( Vanosdall) Colvin, of Kentucky. Her parents were married in their native State of Kentucky, and came to Iowa in 1854, purchasing land near Sandusky, Lee county, where they still live. She has one brother. G. H. Colvin, a farmer near West Point, and three sisters, Amanda, wife of John Boyd, of near Montrose; Sarah, wife of Frank Davis, of Montrose township ; and Nancy, wife of Robert Grimes, also of Montrose township, Lee county. Mr. Wright conducted farming opera- tions on his father's land until 1879, when he bought a farm of his own. Later he sold this, however, and resumed charge of the old home farm, which he continued till the time of his father's death. He then sold his •inherited interest, and removed in 1895, to Keokuk, where he purchased residence prop- erty at No. 1228 High street and has since lived. Of his father's family three brothers and one sister surA-ive, the others being John T., of California; Samuel B., of Keokuk; .•nul Isabella, wife of F. J. ^^^alker, of Keo- kuk. Mr. Wright holds membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, an honor which can not be too highly esteemed. He is a man of much force of character, and enjoys the respect and friendship of those who know him well. JOSEPH A. NUNN. The family name of Nunn is old in Fort Madison, and is indelibly associated with much that is interesting and significant in LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 395 her history. Joseph A. Niinn, the subject of this review, was torn in Mation county, In- diana, March 12, 1841. and is the son of John A. and Charity (Edgell) Nunn, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Iiuhana. John and Charity Nunn were the parents of six children, of whom Joseph A. is the only sur\ivor. Their marriaije took place in Indiana. The family removed to Missouri in 1842, and at Sweet Home, Clark county, that state, the father taught school until the spring of the following year, when they came to Des Moines township, Lee county, where a farm was purchased and cultivated for eight years. Selling the farm in 1851, John A. Nunn removed to Alontrose to engage in the mer- cantile business. Appointed deputy county clerk in 1855, he again changed his location, this time to Fort Madison, where he served as deputy county clerk, deputy sherifif, and when the law establishing the office of super- intendent of schools became effective he was elected as the first superintendent of Lee county. He was an educated man. well-fitted for the duties of his position. In addition he was known as an expert penman, having taught penmanship, as well as one term of school, in Indianapolis. At one time he was engaged in mercantile business in Fort Madison, and served a number of terms as mayor and treasurer of the city. Religiously he was a very active member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, in which he held of- fices of trust, and to him usually fell the duty of entertaining visiting celebrities, in- cluding Henry Clay Dean, Dr. Thomas, I. P. Teeter, and Frank Evans. He was widely known and universally popular. He was 24 twice remarried after the death of his wife, first to Mrs. Harshey and again to Mrs. Preston. His death occurred in Fort Madison. Joseph A. Nunn, our subject, began his business career as clerk in a store, after leav- ing the farm, and conducted a grain busi- ness in Fort Madison from 1865 to 1867. He then engaged successfully in real estate business for a time, also acting as special traveling adjuster for a number of insurance companies. In 1876 he was appointed dep- uty to Sherifif Higgins, of Keokuk, and also acted as deputy during his father's incum- bency of the office of sherifif. Then in 1880, in recognition of his high personal charac- ter and his valuable services as an officer of the law. he was elected sherifif of Lee county, which office he held for a period of four years. At the expiration of this term he purchased a farm in Washington township, where he resided for three years, but con- tinued traveling, however, in the interest of insurance. In 1888 he returned to Fort Madison, and has made his home in this city continuously since. One of the great diffi- culties Mr. Nunn has had to overcome in making his own way in the world is ill health, and few would have succeeded in spite of this handicap as thoroughly as he has done. For six }ears he was compelled to retire altogether from active business, but in 1902 was again alile to resume the care of his realty and insurance interests. At Fort Madison April 18, 1866, Mr. Numi was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth McCalmont Espy, of I'>anklin, Pennsylvania. She was born February 22, 1841, and her lamented death occurred April 396 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 26, 1903. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Nunn were born ten children, all of whom are living. They are: John Espy, who is associated with his father in the insurance business and is also assistant county surveyor; Ralph A., who is engaged in insurance work in St. Louis : Mary Luella, a music teacher; Emma Josephine is the wife of Edward Whitcomb, of Fort Madison, and they have four chil- dren, Ruth, Fay, Jessie. Luella; Thomas Emmet, who married Lena Inkman, of Fort Madison, and has one child, Ruth Eliza- beth, wife of Breton L. Safer, of Heniy county, a farmer, is the mother of two chil- dren, Helen Marie and Joseph Murace; Charity Edgell, wife of Ralph K. Davis, druggist, of St. Louis; Joseph A., of Fort Madison; Louise, of St. Louis; and Louis B., of Fort Madison. Mr. Nunn is, in his fraternal relations, a member of Claypoole Lodge, No. 13. Free and Accepted Masons, of Damascus Com- mandery, Knights Templar, of Keokuk, and is a charter member of Gem City Lodge of Knights of Pythias. In his political life he has always been a loyal supporter of the Democratic party and a firm believer in its basic principles. The family are members of St. Joseph's Catholic church, as was also the deceased 'wife and mother. The residence is at 1033 Sixth street. The ambition of Mr. Nunn's earlier years was to become a member of the profession of law, and at one time he pursued a course of study which prepared him for entrance into the law school of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, but the failure of his health prevented consummation of the project. He has gone forward, however. v.ith determination to win over all obstacles, and his life has been highly successful in the best senses of the word. He has a large circle of friends who respect him for his energy, loyalty and upright character and admire him for his talents and achievements. CHARLES N. RABER. Charles N. Raber, who is now residing on his pleasantly situated farm of 100 acres on section 17, Jackson township, was born November 24, 1857, at Warsaw, Illinois, and is the son of Christian Raber, a native of Baden, Germany, who came with his parents to the United States when five or six years of age and settled in Ohio, where the grand- father, who was a farmer and distiller, spent the remainder of his life. Christian Raber, father of our subject, early came westward to Iowa, and here he learned the trade of coopering and after his marriage removed to Warsaw, Illinois, where Charles N. Raber was born, and where he remained until our sul)ject was about twelve years of age, when he returned to Iowa and for three years managed what is now the White Oak vine- yard. This was a very large and important enterprise, and included the making of wine, the vintage of the year 1871 being 71,000 gallons. On relinquishing this employment Mr. Raber's father removed to the Sanford farm north of Hamilton. Illinois, and two years later to the small farm on which he now resides, the location being on the Hilton LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 397 road near Keokuk. He is now in the sixty- ninth year of his age. While at his father's liome last referred to, Mr. Raber was employed in connection with a dairw driving a wagon for ^Ir. In- gersoll and ^Ir. S. Putnam, and on their removal to California lie bought the busi- ness, which he conducted for eight years, hut at the end of that time, finding the enter- prise unprofitable, was obliged to discontinue it, and for a time rented land and engaged in farming. Later, on the return of his fath- er-in-l.'iw. Mr. Putman, from Calif(imia, he again worked for him in the dairy business initil February, 1899, when he purchased of Frank Harshman the farm on which he now resides, and here he has since made his home continuously, conducting farming operations to some extent, but on account of ill health sub-renting a portion of his land. On February 15, 1883, Mr. Raber was united in marriage to Miss Edith Putnam, and to them have been born six children, of whom two died in infancy, and those living are Arthur, employed in a packing house at Omaha. Nebraska; and three daughters, Elcy, Ethel, and Mary, who are members of their father's household. Mrs. Raber and the two oldest daughters are members of the Sugar Creek Christian church, while Mr. Raber is devoted to the cause of right and justice in all their aspects, and has always been a believer in the duty of the citizen to make a study of questions affecting the pub- lic and to assist, with whatever ability he may possess, in their solution. He has never aspired to the holding of public office, al- though at the solicitation of friends he has for two terms faithfully discharged the duties of road supervisor, but in order to perform his part in local government he has been \'ery active in the work of the Republican party, and at the present time holds the im- portant office of chairman of its township committee. He is well known throughout this section, and is esteemed by all who know him for his thoroughly conscientious atti- tude in all the affairs of life, especially in matters touching the welfare of others. FREDERICK SCHWITE. .\ prominent retired representative of the building interests of Keokuk is Frederick Schwite. Mr. Schwite received a good com- mon-school education in his native land, having been born in Germany. The date of his birth was Januan,- 30, 1833, and in 1854 he set out for America, resolved to try his fortune in the New World. He made the trip in a sailing vessel, embarking at Bremen and arriving at New Orleans after a voyage of nine weeks' duration. In the winter of that year he came north by boat on the Mississippi river, and arrived at Keo- kuk March i, i<855. Here he worked at liis trade as a stonemason, which lie had learned in Germany, until he became some- what acquainted with local conditions, when he began contracting for stone work. Among the ])rincipal structures erected by Mr. Schwite are the church edifice of B'Nai Israel, the Ayers building, the Pond Cold- Storage building, a inimber of other busi- 398 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ness houses and many residence buildings. Although successful in his undertakings from the first, when the Civil War began Mr. Schwite abandoned his growing busi- ness, and volunteered for the sei-vice of his adopted country. Enlisting at Keokuk un- der Captain Rice, he was drilled here Ijy Colonel Juliet, a French officer, after which he proceeded to St. Louis, where on May i, 1 86 1. he entered Company H, Fifteenth Mis- souri Infantry, and served with the Army of the Cumberland for the long period of three years and three months. Among the more noted battles in which he was engaged were those at Pea Ridge, Corinth, Mill Creek, Kentucky; Murphreesboro, Chatta- nooga, Resaca and Atlanta. During the greater part of the year 1863 he was ren- dered unfit for duty by illness, having con- tracted malaria. For about two months he was an inmate of the general field hospital at Stevenson, Alabama, and was also for a time in Louisville, Nashville and Jefferson Barracks hospitals. His term of enlistment expired while he was at Atlanta, and be- ing still incapacitated by illness, he was hon- orably discharged. At Big Shanty, Georgia, while doing guard duty at night he had the misfortune to fall into a ditch, not being able to see his way in the darkness, and sus- tained injuries from which he has never recovered. For this cause and in recognition of his faithful services, he receives from the United States government a monthly pen- sion of seventeen dollars. On leaving the amiy Mr. Schwite re- turned to Keokuk, and resumed building and contracting. Tliis calling he pursued with much success until 1900, when on« account of the increasing weight of years he decided to retire from active business life. Since that time he has been living in well-earned ease at the home which he has built at 1422 Morgan street. At Keokuk in 1857, Mr. Schwite mar- ried Miss Minnie Mishol, who, like him- self, was of German birth. She is now de- ceased, her death having occurred in 1903, and is buried in the Catholic cemetery of Keokuk. To Mr. and Mrs. Schwite were born five sons and three daughters, as fol- lows : Charles, Frederick, William, Ed- ward, Harry, now deceased; Sarah, Nellie and Kate, who is the wife of William Carr- lin. of Keokuk. The family are members of Saint Francis de Sales congregation of the Catholic church. The parents of Mr. Schwite are both deceased, their demise having occurred in Germany. The father was a contractor and builder. One brother. Charles, is a resident of Keokuk, where he follows the trade of stonemason. Mr. Schwite is a member of Torrence Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Keo- kuk. He has many friends, and is popular for his upright and honorable career and for the generosity and friendliness of his nature. W. E. HARRISON. W. E. Harrison, whose intense and well- directed activity has been one of the force- ful factors in the industrial life of Fort Mad- ison, i? the president of the Fort Madison Chair Compau}-, manager of its works. He LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 399 was one of the original private firm of fonr members out of whicli grew tlie present or- ganizations. This original firm was composed of Captain J. T. Soule. Dr. J. A. Smith, W. H. Kretsinger and Mr. Harrison, and was in the business of manufacturing fariiiing tools. emplo\ing convict labor. It dated from as far back as 1867. In 1876 was ef- fected the incorporation of the Fort Aladi- son Chair Company, and since that date the two Ijranches of the Inisiness have been con- ducted under separate managements. The volume of business conducted by the original concern was quite large, as it employed all the con\ icts in the Fort Madison prison. In the reorganization of 1876 only Mr. Harri- son and Dr. Smith became interested in the chair company, Mr. Kretsinger taking the tool manufacturing business. The present stockholders are W. E. Harrison, James C. Brewster, the estate of Joseph A. Smith, J. H. Kinsley and H. P. Gibbs. W. E. Harrison was born at Rodney, Mississippi, November 22, 1846, and is the son of E. H. Harrison, a native of New Jersey, who came to Keokuk in iS_;(), and was engaged in business there as a banker and as a wholesale merciiant until his death in 1877. The mother was Marie E. (Lewis) Harrison. She was born in Loudoun countv, A'irginia, and the date of her death was July. 1894. There were three children — W. E. Harrison, Mrs. J. L. Rfiot, of Keokuk, and L. R. Harrison, of New York city. Mr. Harrison received his education in a private classical school at Keokuk, and in the State University at Iowa City. May 2, 1877, he was united in marriage at Fort Madi.son, to Miss Elizabeth Hamilton, who was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Au- gust 4, 1854. JJnto them has been born one child, a daughter, Helen Hamilton Harri- son, the date of her birth h^mg February 8, 1878. Her education has been conducted at Rockford. Illinois and at Chicago, she be- ing a gxaduate of Chicago Musical College. Miss Harrison has unusual talent as a violin- ist, and her ability in this direction has been favorably remarked upon by eminent critics. The family home is at 313 Elm street. Mr. Harrison was reared- in the L^nitarian faith. In politics he is a consistent Repub- lican, giving his support to that party in all issues of importance. He comes of old and patriotic ancestry. The founder of the family in America was Richard Harrison, Sr., who was one of the founders of Brad- ford, Connecticut, in 1644. and his son, Richard. Jr., was one of the founders of Newark, New Jersey. Our subject takes a just pride in the fact that he is a descendant of Lynn Gardner, who commanded the first fort erected on the New England coast. Fort Saybrook. His grandfatiier, Ste])lien Harri- son, was one of the heroes of our earl\' na- tional life, having been a soldier of the Rev- olutionary War. W. E. Harrison is a stockholder in the i.ee County Savings Bank, but otherwise he ha>; few interests at jiresenl outside his nv.n- ufacturing business, although in the p'lsi he has been connected with other manufactur- ing interests, and it is almo.st" entirely due to his untiring care and watchfulness that the chrn'r company owes it.*; present proportions. One innidred and fifty men are constantly em]3lf)yed, comjjrising both free and convict labor, with an output of about forty dozen 400 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW chairs per day, or an aggregate business of about $100,000 per annum.^ In terms of carload lots the product of the factory is approximately 150 cars per annum. The company has resident agents in California, commission agents in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois, and salaried salesmen in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas. While acquiring for himself material wealth Mr. Harrison has, in fostering this important industry, done much for Fort Madison, and richly deserves the reputation for ability and strict upright- ness, as well as the wide popularity, which he enjoys. JAY W. FAULKNER. Especial honor belongs to those who in time of war served the nation's need and in days of peace have contributed by strength of arm and toil of brain to the building up of her prosperity and her proud position among the empires and peoples of the earth. Along these lines runs the life histor\' of the subject of this review. Jay W. Faulk- ner was born April 3, 1846, at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and there passed his boyhood days and secured his schooling. He is the son of George and Eliza (Blake) Faulkner. The father, a carpenter and joiner, was born at Rochester, New York, and died at Hamil- ton, Indiana, about the year 1855. The mother was bom at Canandaigtia, New York, and died in 1894 at Goodland, In- diana. Unto them were born six children, of whom two survive, these being our sub- ject and John Faulkner, of Michigan, a master mechanic in the employ of the Chi- cago & Lake Huron Railway Company. Two of the brothers lost their lives in war, Henry being killed at Chickamauga, and James, who was a member of the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, dying at Fort Henry, Ten- nessee. At the age of twenty years, ^Ir. Faulk- ner entered the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railwaj' shops for the purpose of learning the trade of machinist ; but this work not proving suited to his tastes, he abandoned it, and became a locomotive fire- man for the same company, itmning be- tween Fort Wayne and Valparaiso. In this capacity he continued for five years, at the end of which time he was promoted to the position of engineer. In 1879 he severed this connection, and engaged with the Santa Fe system as engineer of construction work out of Trinidad, Colorado. After assist- ing in the construction of 350 miles of track from Trinidad to El Paso, Texas, and Dem- ing. New Mexico, he was assigned to duty as a passenger engineer between Mattoon and Wallace, was later transferred to the To- peka-Xickerson run, and in February. 1887, was sent to the eastern division of the sys- tem at Streator, Illinois. Here he did con- struction work until the road was completed to Chicago, when he took the first passenger train over the division — from Fort Madison to Chicago — on January i, 1888, and this has been the scene of his labors ever since, he having charge of train No. 7, the Fast Mail, and X^o. 8, the California and Te.xas Express. In his railroading experiences Mr. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 401 Foulkner lias met with mishaps, as is tlie fate of all men of his calling-, but no shadow of blame has ever attached to him because of accident. On March 18, 1888, while run- nins^' train No. 7 out of Chicago, he was shot in the right hand by bandits in an ef- fort to rob his train. In consequence of this encounter it became necessary to amputate two fingers of one of his hands, but he brought the train into Fort Madison on time, and in a personal letter from Superintendent Nixon received thirty days' credit of salan,- for his heroic action. He acted as engineer for the train conveying President Roose- velt from Chicago to Peoria, and for the character of his services received a letter of commendation from Trainmaster C. L. Short. He also possesses a commendatory letter from Superintendent Nixon for his successful and rapid run of a train bearing the President and board of directors from Chicago to Shopton, Iowa. December 8. 1897. This letter speaks especially of his effective handling of the air brakes. At the beginning of the Civil War, Jay W. Faulkner, then a mere boy, enlisted at Fort Wayne, September 23, 1862, under Captain Hoy and Colonel Zollinger, and was assigned to the l*"irst Ilrigade, Second Divi- sii)n. of the TwcntN-third Army Corjjs, un- der the command of General Schofield. He look part in ten general engagements, besides skirmishes. On December 15, 1864, he was wounded by a gunshot, having his right hand crippled, and was discharged on ac- count of the resulting disability May 8, 1865, returning home in September. In addition to having real estate inter- ests in Indiana, Mr. Faulkner owns a farm of 160 acres in Slnwnec cnunty, Kansas, and is a stockholder in the Ideal Farm Im- plement Company, manufacturers, at Knowl- ton, Iowa. This company manufactures the Climax Corn Cutter and Shocker, a com- bination hay rake and loader, and the Eureka Kaffir Corn and Sorghum header, and Mr. Faulkner is the inventor of these machines, having worked out his plans, made tests in the fields, secured the patents and organized the company with a capitalization of $50,- 000 while at the same time making his reg- ular runs as a passenger engineer. Mr. Faulkner is a member of the Broth- erhood of Trainmen, and has similar rela- tions with the Improved Order of Red Men. In politics he is a Republican, having been a member of that party all his life. Indeed, his first vote, at or near Decatur, Alabama, when he was a member of the Union army, was cast for Abraham Lincoln before he at- tained his majority. He was, in fact, but eighteen years of age. This early loyalty to principles in which he believed has been characteristic of him in all the relations of life. His ability and talents have brought him success, and his just and genial disposi- tion have brought him friends and a wide circle of acquaintance and popularity. He is a citizen of whom Fort Madison may well he jiroud. JOHN LHISY. John Lcisy, the Kec^kuk representative of the Leisy Brewing Company, of Peoria, Illinois, of which lie is a partner, was born in this city, March 17. iS()_'. his parents be- 402 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ing John and Cliristina fShowalter) Leisy. The father was l)orn in Germany, July 4, 1835. and came to America in the year 1856, settHng at Franklin Prairie. Lee county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming for one or two years. He then remo\'ed to Keokuk and forming a partnership, estah- lished a hrewery conducted under the name of Baehr & Leisy Brothers, his brother Isaac lieing also interested in the business. There were several brothers of the family who came to the United States, most of them after John Leisy's arrival, namely : Abraham. Jacob, August. Isaac, Rudolph and Henry. Isaac Leisy afterward became the proprietor of an extensive brewery in Cleveland, Ohio, while Abraham and Jacob became residents of Lee county, Iowa, and Abraham is yet living near Do\'er. this state. Rudolph, Heiu'y and August Leisy went to Nebraska and were stock dealers and bank- ers, of Wisner. LTnto John and Christina (Showalter) Leisy were born four sons and a daughter : Gustav, Edward. John, Lena, wife of Jacob Schwellbacher, of Peoria. The father. John Lei.sy, Sr., died in 1873, and following his demise his brother, Randolph, managed the business in Keokuk. Gusta\', Edward and John Leisy, of this review, entered the brewery as soon as old enough, learned the business in every detail, and as soon as al)le took charge of the plant, which they con- ductcil with success until the Prohibition law went into effect, \\hen the brewery was closed down. The brDthers went to Peoria, Illinois, in June, 1884, and there established a large brewing plant untler the name of the Leisy Brewing Company, and since the 4th of July of that year John Leisy has had charge of the distributing depot at Keokuk. He is a partner with his brothers in the business, which has become a profitable en- terprise, with a large annual output and profitable sales. Mr. Leisy was married October 8, 190 1, to Margaret Weisemann, a daughter of Charles and Anna Weisemann. JACOB C. McCABE. Jacob McCabe. a scion of old and hon- ored pioneer stock of Iowa, and now a lead- ing resident of W^est Point township, Lee county, was born September 13, 1836, in Preble county, Ohio, and is the grandson of \\'arren McCabe, of Sussex county, Dela- ware, who was one of the pioneers of Preble county and successfully conducted a farm there at an early day, his death occurring in the seventy-fifth year of his age. The father of Mr. McCabe was Arthur McCabe, who was born in Sussex county. Delaware, August 18, 1810, and when fifteen years of age removed with his parents to Eaton, Preble county, Ohio, remaining at the paren- tal home until twenty-one vears of age, when he went to Lebanon, Ohio, where he engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills and in October. 1835. married Miss Susan Christ, daughter of Jacob Christ, of Stanton, Au- gusta county. Ohio. The mother of our LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 405 subject was born July 16, 1817, and removed with her mother, whose maiden name was Mowery, to Preble county, where she was married to ]\Ir. McCabe. They soon after their marriage purchased a small farm near Eaton, on which they resided until the au- tumn of 1836, when, deciding to imitate the example of their forefathers, they came westward to cast their fortunes in new and imdeveloped territory, settling in W^est Point township, Lee county, Iowa, and here Mr. McCabe passed the remainder of his life as a hard-working farmer, in which vocation he was ver\- successful, and accumulated 400 acres of very fine agriailtural lands. He and his wife were connected with the Meth- odist Episcopal denomination, being mem- bers of the Pitman Chapel congregation, of which he was one of the trustees, and whose present place of worship he helped to build. Both lie buried in the cemetery of the chapel, and their memory is yet recalled by the sur- vivors of the generation that followed them, for they were famous for their open-handed hospitalit}-, their generous support of all good causes and their lofty Christian char- acter. Jacob C. McCabe gained his early knowl- edge of books in the public schools of West Point township, an education which he has since very materially increased by extensive reading and oliservation .and while still quite young l)egan to assist his father in the w^ork of the farm, which was in those days a far more difficult and arduous occujiation than at the present time, for the task which is now easily performed in a few hours by highly perfected machinery, then recpiired long days of laborous toil ; the mower, binder, thresher and hay-loader, as well as many other modern conveniences, were uninvented, and the sickle, the scythe, the cradle, the flail and the walking plow were the main implements of husbandry. And in this hard school Mr. McCabe learned the lessons which fitted him for his later success in life, con- tinuing to employ himself on his father's farm until his twenty-third year, when he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Edwards, a native of Ohio and daughter of Joseph Edwards. Mr. Edwards was l)orn in the State of New York, and early re- moved to the vicinity of Lebanon, Warren county, Ohio, where his boyhood was passed, and where he married Miss Huldah Marie Hathaway on November 4, 1823, and they continued to reside in Ohio until 1854, when thev removed to Iowa, locating in West P(Mnt township. Here tliey made their home until 1S75, ^™^ then retired from ac- tive life and removed to Fort Madison, where he spent the remaining years of his life. Mr. Edwards attained the advanced age of seventy-three years and three months. Mrs. Edwards was a native of New Jersey, the date of her birth being January 2, 1802, and died in Missouri at the home of her granddaughter. To Mr. and Mrs. McCalje have been born one son and two daughters, as follows : Theodora, who died at the age of six years ; Arthur, who resides upon his father's farm, of which he has the management, married J.: liulda. wife of Hervey Hazen, son of Hon. J. B. Hazen, ex-repre- sentative of Lee county, resides in Pleasant Ridge tnwnship. Lee county, and has three children. Artlnu-. Ruby Pearl, 4o6 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW and Harry. After his marriage Mr. McCabe purchased a small farm of eighty acres, and by industry, care, frugality and keen busi- ness foresight and the exercise of sound practical judgment has added to the original purchase until he now owns 267 acres com- prising some of the finest farm land in Lee county, and while th^re were almost no buildings on the land when he became its proprietor, he has erected a large and sub- stantial dwelling house, commodious barns, and other buildings, and has introduced modern improvements in every branch of the business. The land is now devoted to general farnring and stock raising, and is in charge of Mr. McCabe's son, to whom it is rented, while he himself lives retired from active life in the enjoyment of social inter- course with friends and neighbors. He con- tinues to take a deep interest in public af- fairs, and while he has never cared to hold public office, he has given much attention to political questions, being active in the work of the Republican party. He has also dis- played constant readiness throughout his long and useful life to aid all charitable and philanthropic movements, and in fact has contributed generously of his means and personal services to every project calailated to adx'ance the moral and spiritual condition of mankind, and he and Mrs. McCabe are faithful members of Pitman Chapel congre- gation of the Methodist church, of which he is a trustee, while both are widely known in Lee county as people of the most exem- plar}- Christian character, and have a host of friends who hold them in respect and affection. WILLIAM SCOTT HAMILTON. In all the various activities of modern life no function is more important to society than that performed by the man who holds and directs the threads of the complicated relations which bind its members one to an- other — in a word, who studies and interprets its laws. For those who elect to serve their fellowmen in this capacity, bright rewards are waiting. This truth is finely and ade- quately exemplified in the life and career of one of the native sons of Lee county. Mr. Hamilton was born on a farm near Fort Madison, this county, his natal day be- ing February 2, 1857, and is the son of John Scott and Sarah (Miller) Hamilton, who were pioneers and people of prominence and standing in the community. The father was a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and it was in that city that he received his edu- cation, and later took up the study of law and was admitted to practice in the courts. Although a man of great intellectual gifts, he was willing to renounce the prospect of honors which he knew awaited him, in the cause of patriotism, and at the beginning of the Me.xican War he tendered his services to the nation. At the close of the conflict he married Miss Sarah Miller, and continued to reside in Pittsburg until 185 1, when they removed to this county. Here he was one of the leading practitioners of Fort Madi- son and a prominent member of the Demo- cratic party of his state, having been a mem- ber of the state legislature at the time of his deatii. His death, the circumstances of which were directly connected with his public LEE COUNTY, lOlVA. 407 activities, was the result of an accident, and was caused by the explosion of a cannon used in celebrating the election of President Buchanan, who was a personal friend of Mr. Hamilton's. The death of Sarah Mil- ler Hamilton occurred in 1903. Both were members of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Hamilton was of the Scotch-Irish stock which has given to our nation so many of its most highly useful and distinguished men. William Scott Hamilton received his preliminary education in the public schools of Fort Madison, and later continued his training at Knox College and at Amherst College, having been graduated from the lat- ter institution with the class of '76. During his college life he was prominent in athletics, especially in gymnasium work, and took part in one of the first regattas, that of 1874, the event having been inaugurated only in 1872. His fraternity membership is in the Society of Delta Kappa Epsilon, and also Phi Delta Theta, being one of the few men in the country who is a member of two Greek letter societies. During the year fol- lowing his graduation from college he acted as principal of the high school of Fort Mad- ' ison, and the two succeeding years were spent in European travel. On his return to America he began the study of law with John Scott Ferguson, a prominent attorney of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and was there admitted to the bar in 1880. In 1883 he located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and during the fifteen years of his residence at that place succeeded, by virtue of strict attention to his chosen work and by the exercise of nat- ural talents of an unusual order, in secur- ing one of the largest and most profitable clienteles in the city. It was in 1898 that he returned to l'"iirt Madison, the home of his youth, and here he immediately assumed ;m extensi\e practice. His brother, J. D. M. Hamilton, Iia\ing received ajjpointment to the position of claims attorney for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, Mr. Hamilton formed a partner- ship with him, and this connection was main- tained until the removal of the former to Topeka, Kansas. .^fter the dissolution of the partnership with his brother, Mr. Hamilton continued his work alone in Fort Madison, with his usual success. He is at the present time at- torney for the .\tchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, and, exclusive of the duties of his official position, the volume of his legal business is among the largest in the county. The enviable nature of his standing here is reflected in the fact that he is pres- ident of the Fort Madison Bar Association. Since returning to Lee county he has con- fined his activities to strictly professional lines, but while a resident of Lincoln he sus- tained quite a marked degree of prominence in the politics of the city, acting with the Re])ublican party, ser\-ing his ward as its representative in the city council and being elected to the office of city attorney. As chairman of the Republican congressional and county central committees he was, of necessity and by force of his decided opin- ions in matters of politics, largely instrumen- tal in shaping and determining the policy of the party in that section. i'raternnlly Mr. Hamiltun became a member of the Masonic order in Lodge No. 4o8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 54. at Linc(iln, Nebraska, and now holds his membership in Claypoole Lodge of the order at Fort Madison. At Lincohi he was also a member of the Knights of Pythias, was Chancellor Commander of his lodge, and Grand Chancellor of the State of Nebraska. Jn February, 1878, Mr. Hamilton was united in marriage with Miss Belle V. Casey, daughter of the late Judge J. M. Casey, a sketch of whose life and genealogy appears on another page. To them have been born three sons and two daughters, as follows : Ruth, wife of li. D. E\'eringham. of Fort Madison ; J. M. Casey, now a member of the Iowa State University; John Scott, who is a graduate of Fort Madison high school ; Sabert, now in high school ; and Sarah. The family occupies a beautiful home on Sixth street. Our subject is an attendant and sup- porter of the Baptist church, of which Mrs. Hamilton is a member. William Scott Hamilton is a broad- minded man, honorable and honored, and in every relation of life, political, social and professional, merits the high regard which he uniformly receives, and is thoroughly de- serving of that success which has always attended his efiforts. ROBERT H. HART. Robert H. Flart. overseer of the poor farm of Lee county, Iowa, was born in 1865, near the I'ity of Springfield, Sanga- mon countv, Illinois, and when thirteen years of age came with his parents to Lee county, where he receix-ed his education in the common schools, and grew to manhood in the practice of industrj' and devotion to the task at hand. He is the son of Samuel and Penina J. ( Neece) Hart, both natives of Sangamon county, and they made their home in Keokuk with the father, who was a school teacher, until his death, in 1885. The mother, who is still living, is now a resident of Hamilton, Illinois, and has been remarried, her second husband being C. \V. Self. The family was composed of five chil- ilren. of whom three are now living, the two besides our subject being Curtis M.. of Sum- mitville, Iowa, and Otis, of Hamilton, Illinois. INIr. Hart was employed as a laborer all his active life until being appointed to his present important position, and since the age of seventeen has been engaged in the work of the poor farm in various capacities, with the exception of two or three years spent in other work. For a time he lived in Keokuk, where he was foreman of the Rees-Sansone Bag Factory, in which posi- tion he achieved considerable success anrl demontrated himself to be the possessor of unusual exccuti\e ability and talent for the management of large afifairs. His connec- tion with the Lee county jjoor farm dates from 1883. when he entered its service as a farm hand under the admiiu'stration of Overseer .\\-is Miles, and later he became an attendant in the insane v.-ard, while for two years he acted as cook. On April i, 1904, he was api)ointed to the office of over- seer on the retirement of Frederick Korsch- gen, who had filled the position for the LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 409 previous eighteen years, atul who recom- mended the appointment of Mr. Hart as be- ing eminently fitted for the many arduous and complex duties invohed in the manage- ment of this great institution, and as merit- ing promotion by reason of his long, faith- ful and highly efficient service in other capacities. On January 28, 1886, Mr. Hart was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Isabel Laurinson, who was born in Lee county, the daughter of William and Melissa ( Phil- lips) Laurinson, the former of whom, her father having died when she was five years of age, ami the mother ha\-ing since twice remarried, first to H. H. Thompson, and subsequent to his death to J. \V. Wiley, with whom she now resides, in Oregon. To Mr. and Mrs. Hart have been born two children, a son, Sherman E., and a tlaughter. Hazel H. Mr. Hart is a very prominent member of the Democratic party in Lee county, and a loyal supporter of its chosen leaders and zealous worker in its ranks, having served as delegate to county and state conventions for the past ten years, and having, while a resident of Montrose townshij), acted for three years as chairman of the township committee, performing in this capacity much valuable work for bis party. Fraternally he has extensive connections, being a Master Mason of Lodge, No. 136, of Montrose, a member of Keokuk Lodge, No. 13, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Camp, No. 4594, Modern Woodmen of America, of Summitville, of which he is Cam]) Banker: and of the Keokuk Lodge of the Knights and Ladies of Security. In the insane ward of the Lee county poor farm under Mr. 1 i;irt's charge are three male and sixteen female patients, while for the remainder of the institution the propor- tions are thirty-eight and twenty-three, male and female resiiectively, a total of eighty in- mates. The farm, which contains 250 acres, has been substantially improved l)ruary 7, 1853; Calvin Elmer .\niold, Sei)tember 28, 1855; Mary Alice, January 16, 1861 ; William .\ndre\v, August 22. 1862; Emma Louise, August 20, 1864: Sarah Ida, March 3. 1867, and Granville Lewis, Feliruary 19, uS73- Mrs. J. X. Wilson was born in Knox county, Missouri, June 9, 1864. The father was born in Morgan county. Illinoi.s (being the first wiiite child born in that count}-, fif- teen miles from Jacksonville), May 8, 18 19. He died December 7, 1889. The mother was born August 17, 1826, and died April 24, 1867. To this cou])le were born «;ix children : Sarah Jane, Margaret .\rsen- eth, Harold Byers, Armina Drusella, Esther Susanna and John Nathan, Mrs, Wilson was lirst married and became the mother of two children; Laura Isabelle, who is now Mrs. Amber Smith, was born July 12, 1886, and Alonzo Abner, born November 17, 1888, died April 30, 1889, Hugh Wilson, grauflfather of this sub- ject, was a native of Kentucky, and mar- ried Susanna Skyles Schuyler, .and their children are as follows: Salley, born No- vember 7, 1801; Elizabeth, born April 11, 1804; John, born November 2, 1806; George, born July 22, 1809; William, l)orn August 17, 181 1 : Thomas, born April 15, 18 14: James, born September 4, 181 6, and Polly, born about 181 8, WILLIAM A. ROSS. That America, and especially that por- tion of it known as the West, is synonymous with opporttmity, finds once more an illus- tration in the career of William A. Ross, who is at the present time occupying the position of county recorder of Lee county, Iowa, with offices at Fort Madison. Coming to the L^nited States from a foreign land, without financial resources and deprived from the first of all possibility of aid or en- couragement from faniily or kindred, he has by care, industry, energy and strict in- tegrity and ujirightness in all relations of life achic\cd fi^r himself an honorable place in the community of which lie is a valuable and \-,-dued niember. Mr. Ross was bom in County .\ntrim. Ireland, his natal day 4i8 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW being October 4, 1843, 'i"d is the son of John and Ehzabeth Ross, who, with their son and one daughter, sailed from Belfast. Ireland, March 2, 1853, and after a voyage of eight weeks landed at New Orleans, May 2. In the latter city all the members of the family were overtaken by that dread scourge of tropical and semi-tropical climates known as yellow fever, and in the autumn of that year Mr. Ross found himself bereaved of father, mother and sister, he himself being the only .survivor of that fatal visitation. Reduced by this terrible calamity to the necessity of self-support at the age of only ten years, the native strength and resolute quality of his character were his only cap- ital. Accepting, however, the lessons of ad- versity, he struck out boldly for more dis- tant regions, determined to make misfortune the means of a more perfect development of his natural powers. Recovering from his illness he came up the Mississippi river to St. Louis, and later to Keokuk, where he ap- prenticed himself to a farmer, that being the occupation pursued by his father. The gen- tleman with whom he formed this connec- tion was Mr. N. McCullough, of Franklin, Lee county, with whom he contihued for a period of ten years and thirty-three days, at tlie end of which time he again sought new fields of labor, locating thirty-six miles west of the City of Des Moines, where he took employment as a farm hand and continued to devote his energies to farm work until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898. At the beginning of that now his- torical conflict Mr. Ross, barkening to the call of duty and patriotism, volunteered as a nurse for the army service, and being im- mune to the attacks of yellow fever, the di- sease from which the American forces suf- fered most, was able to perform much needed and highly valuable service, visiting for the purpose the islands of Cuba and Key West. He is a member of the Red Cross Society, the only member of that honored and world-famed organization in Lee county. In 1899 Mr. Ross returned from the sanguinary scenes of war and once more resumed his residence in Franklin township. It was in the following year that he became assistant postmaster at LaCrew. and in 1902 he received the appointment as post- master, a position for which he proved him- self eminently fitted, discharging its many duties to his own great credit and the thor- ough satisfaction of the public. Mr. Ross also added to his other activities the func- tions of a notar}- pul)lic. He owns the busi- ness block at LaCrew in which the post- office is located, and is otherwise identified in a substantial manner with the material in- terests of that community. Possessing a ]i\ely interest in all matters of vital impor- tance to the public, he is well informed as to current topics and modern tendencies, and appreciates the value of ethical ideals in all relations of life, knowing that the moral in- terests of humanitv are in no degree less im- portant than the material and visible. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he has long been a faithful and as- siduous worker, and has held the office of trustee. In 1863 Mr. Ross was united in mar- riage to Miss Carrie .\. McMillan, and to them have been born six sons and one LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 419 daugliter, as follows : Albert Lee, George F., Edwin C, Jesse A., Mary M., William G., and LeRoy. Politically Mr. Ross gives his allegiance to the Republican party, is an active and efficient worker in its ranks, and as a result of the high honor and esteem in \\ hich he is held by his party, he was elected in 1904 to the office of county recorder of Lee county, a position for which he is fitted by the facts of his character and experience. Having carried the greater luunber of his enterprises to their desired terminations, en- joying the general respect and the friend- ship of many of Lee county's best people, and having, above all, developed his natural powers along lines best fitted to benefit both himself and others with whom he comes in contact, his may be called a successful life in all the best senses of the word. A self- made man, the architect of his own fortunes, he is a typical example of a strong person- ality developed in the free sunshine of Amer- ican institutions. THOMAS S. PAGETT. An ideal type of success is exemplified in the career of Thomas S. Pagett, who is now retired from active pursuits, but was form- erly a prominent representative of Keokuk's business and commercial life, and by his energy and aggresive, enterprising s])irit, contributed much to the upbuilding of the community in which he resides. Mr. Pagett was born December 25, 1823, in Warren county, Ohio, and is the only living repre- sentative of his family. Born and reared on a farm in an undeveloped country, he re- ceived only the limited educational advan- tages afiforded by the rural schools of that day, but he possessed a self-reliant disposi- tion, and at the age of twenty-one years we find him leaving the parental roof and se- curing employment in the Cit}' of Cincin- nati, making his own way in the world un- assisted. Here he worked at ihe trade of coopering, having mastered that vocation in his boyhood. On P'ebruary 6, 1844, Mr. Pagett wed- ded Miss Elizabeth Cox, who was born in Warren county, Ohio, September 2, 1826, and in 1849 ^'^^y removed to Mount Holly, Ohio. Li Alount Holly Mr. Pagett success- fully conducted a cooperage business until 1855, when he came A\est and located at Keokuk, making the latter part of the trip on the river by way of St. Louis. Here he was employed for the first year by Connoble & Smith, wholesale grocers, after which for a period of two or three years he conducted a cooperage shop for Albers & Austin, and then, in partnership with George Holt, he established the New York Grocery Store. .After two years he sold his interest to Mr. Flolt, and began a cooperage business on what was then justly considered a large scale, employing six workmen continuously. The work was all done by hand, and the material was secured from the neighboring forests. Mr. Pagetl's shop was an institu- tion of importance among the early indus- tries of Keokuk, he supplying barrels to the l)ork-packing houses of the city, and he con- tinued its operation for over twenty-one 420 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW years. The shop is still standing, a monu- ment to the success of its founder. In 1874 Mr. Pagett "went into the pork business on Main street for one season, and during this time handled one thousand head of hogs. He shortly went into partnership with Mr. Keiser, they buying and curing hams and shoulders. They continued in business together for four years, at the end of which time they suffered the loss of their stock by fire — a loss amounting to about $12,000. Later Mr. Pagett purchased stock in a can- ning factor}^ and for a number of years acted as overseer in the department of peel- ing and packing. Some five of six years ago he sold his interest in the company, and since that time has been living in retirement, enjoying the well-earned fruits of a life of honorable and useful activity combined with sound liusiness judgment and foresight. To Mr. and Mrs. Pagett has been born only one child, who died in infancy, at Mount Holly, Ohio. To three nephews, liowever, they have given a home, rearing and educating them as their own children. These are William, of Tacoma. \\^ashing- ton ; Harry, who is employed in Keokuk with the commercial agency of Dunn & Company, and Wilfred, who is at the pres- ent time in the .South. As a result of a fall last winter Mr. Pagett sustained a painful injury, the bone of the leg being l)roken ; and in consequence he has since that time been confined rather closely to his house. He is a member of the Westminster Presbyterian church, and in his political affiliation he holds with the Re- publican party, believing the principles ad- vocated b_\- that organization eminently suited to the maintenance of the general wel- fare. His long and honorable career in Keo- kuk has won for Mr. Pagett many admirers, and his personal qualities of tact, geniality and strict uprightness and integrity in all his transactions have brought him a host of friends. He still takes a lively interest in the well-being of his adopted city, and in return no one is held in more fitting honor by its citizens than he. ELI R. OILAR. Eli R. Oilar, who is now living in re- tirement on his farm on section 28, Jackson township, is well known in Keokuk and vicinity, and has many friends throughout Lee county, whose esteem he has won by his record as a citizen and a man, for he is one of those who, in the dark hour before the dawn of perfect civil liberty on the Amer- ican continent, risked their lives and their all on the field of battle in the cause of lib- erty and national union. He is a native son (if Iowa, and was born in Muscatine county, April 24, 1842, the son of .Vndrew and Char- lotte (\\'arnick'l Oilar, and his father, who was a farmer, was a native of Incliana, where he was born in 1796. He served through the War of 181 2, came to Lee county in 1844, and purchased land in Jackson town- ship, where his death occurred in 1854. Thus he was one of the earlier pioneers of Lee county and the West, one of that rugged and forceful class of men who developed the LEE COUNTY. IOWA. 421 land ami sowed tlie seeds of our present civ- ilization. His wife, who was a native of Greenbriar connty. Virginia, died in 1882, at the home of her son, our subject, at the age of eighty-two years. She was the mother of nine children, of whom four still sur\ive. as follows: Andrew, Frances. Batheba and Eli R.. the subject of this sketch. Mr. Oilar obtained his education in a public schools conducted in a log school building, a structure typical of the times. and in subscription schools which were held at the homes of the various pioneers of the neighborhood, and in this manner he ac- quired a knowledge of "the three R's," and at the same time, however, a taste for read- ing, which enabled him in after life to en- large upon his early training. As a boy and young man he also applied himself diligently to the work of the farm, a task which, under pioneer conditions, was potent in develop- ing the manly qualities of enterprise, per- severance and self-reliance in a high degree. At length, Ivovvever, his countn,''s call summoned him from peaceful pursuits, and in 1862 he enlisted in the First Iowa Cav- alry p.egiment under Captain McQueen and Colonel Thompson, in which regiment he re-enlisted in 1864 and served until I'eb- ruary, uSAG, Ijeing mustered out of the serv- ice at Austin, Te.xas, and receiving honor- able discharge at Davenport, Iowa, after a long and perilous military career. With the exception nf the battle of Prairie drove, Missouri, which was a severely contested engagement, his duties were largely those of a scout, and in this capacity he met with many hard.ships and dangers in the states of Missouri, .\rkansas, Mississippi, Ten- nessee, Louisiana and Texas. As an instance of the deprivations of a soldier's life, it is mentioned that while in camp near Camden a scarcity of provisions was met by issuing to each soldier a single ear of Indian com. from which be was under the necessity of making both sup])er and breakfast. This they ground, mixed with water and baked into what is known as "Johnny cakes," and in default of something better were fain to relish it heartily. During the cciurse of the war he lost four mounts in battle, three horses being shot under him in one day at Brazos river, while he himself escaped unhurt. But while ne\er sustaining a wound he was seized with an attack of smallpox during the summer of 1864, and in consequence was for a long time immured within the cheerless walls of a military hos- pital at Mem|)bis. Tennessee, an experience which was in all probability more trying than all the pri\ations and dangers of the camp and battlefield combined. At the close of the war Mr. Oilar re- turned to the work of his mother's farm, and in the following year, 1867. he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah O'Blen- ness, who was born in Ohio, January 2, 1850. To Mr. and Mrs. Oilar have been liorn one son and five daughters, as follows: Marietta, the wife of Albert Lingle, con- nected with the work of the Wabash Rail- road Company, at Kansas City, Alissouri ; Lucretia, wife of Thomas Lee, a farmer, has three children, Goldie, Vera and Wilma ; Fred, married Miss Tillie Raber, of Keo- kuk, and .\bba, married I'rank Bugh, who is employed in the works of the Illinois Central 422 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEIV Railroad Company, in East St. Louis, Il- linois; Irene, wife of Walter Adams, a farmer, of Jackson township, Lee county, Iowa, and Gertrude, who lives at home. In 1868, the year following his marriage. Mr. Oilar purchased a farm of forty-four acres in the Hogthief creek bottoms, part of a tract formerly known as Gardendale. and designed to form a suburb of the City of Keokuk, and here he has resided con- tinuously since. For a number of years he was engaged in the dairy business, nnming two wagons, which supplied milk to custom- ers in Keokuk, and he has, of course, given some attention to farming, but in recent years has been del)arred from active business by physical disabilities originally incurred in war, and now sub-lets his land to neighbor- ing farmers. From a grateful country he receives a pension of twenty -five dollars a month, and taking this in connection with his other sources of income, he finds him- self comfortably well-to-do, and looks back over the years of his life well spent with the equanimity which comes of duty done and the good will of friends who approve his course. Politically Mr. Oilar afifiliates with the Republican party as most nearly representative of his ideas of governmental science, and in his fraternal relations he is an iKinored member of Belknap Post, of the Grand Army of the Republic, and of the American Benevolent Association. He has never cared for personal distinction in any form, and in consequence does not seek public ofifice, but realizing the responsibilities which attach to citizenship, he has for a number of terms accepted the position of director of the puljlic schools, which he now holds, and in this capacity his services have been eminently satisfactory to all concerned. Indeed, the record of his life is one of un- interrupted success, and this, together with the respect which belongs to a strong and upright character, entitle him to a place of hontir among this roll of Lee county's dis- tinguished sons. HENRY RINGS. One of the more prominent younger farmers of Lee county who have won recog- nition by the exercise of energy, business acumen and force of character is Henry Rings, trustee of Franklin township. Mr. Rings is a native son of his township, having been born here April 17, 1761, the son of Daniel Rings. He received a common- school education in both the German and English languages, and has since done much to broaden his knowledge by a study of sub- jects of public and general interest as well as by contact with the world of actual af- fairs. His boyhood, youth and early man- liood were jiassed in the usual manner of those who are trained in the life of the farm, assisting in his father's work and acquiring the lessons of experience without which the knowledge of books is of little value. In 1882 Mr. Rings was united in mar- riage to Miss Anna Handrich, a native of Franklin township, Lee county, and daugh- ter of Jacob Handrich, a sketch of whose life appears on another page of this volume. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 425 Immediately after Iiis marriage he estab- lished himself upon the farm wliich lie now occupies, renting and farming it success- fully for seven years. He then purchased a farm of sixty acres on section 16, this township. At the end of three years, how- ever, he sold that farm and returned to his present location, purchasing the farm, which consists of 197K' acres of fine land. Here he has made many improvements, and conducts a general farming business, and by close study of the markets and careful at- tention to detail in the management of his operations has been successful to a very gratifying degree. Mr. and Mrs. Rings are the parents of eight children, the eldest of whom, .\lma, is the wife of Herbert W'ilhelm, and resides upon a farm in the western part of Franklin township. .\11 the others remain at h(imc, and are as follows: Rosa, .\rthur, Herbert, Harry, Seymour, Clyde and Ermine. One child died in infancy. The family are mem- bers of the Mennonite church. In his political allegiance Mr. Rings has always been an admirer and supporter of Democratic prin- ciples, and has lieen active in promoting the supremacy of that party. He is inter- ested in public affairs, and has often been honored by election to office at the hands of bis neighbors, friends and acc|uaintrinces. l'"or a numl)er of terms he served as director of the public .schools, and in the autumn of 1903 he was elected for a term of three years to the highest office within the gift of the township, that of trustee. This posi- tion, which is one re(|uiring business quali- fications'of a high order, he has so far filled to his own credit and the satisfaction of his constituents, antl doubtless the bestowal of further honors will rewanl his al)le and con- scientious service. He is a young man of progressive tendencies, and enjoys a reputa- tion for integrity and the strictest upright- ness in all his dealings, while his genial good nature has made him popular. He has many friends. FRANKLIN R. SEITZ. Franklin R. Seitz, now deceased, was one of the honored pioneer settlers of Frank- lin county, arriving here at an early day, when the district was largely unimproved. In fact it was considered a far western re- gion, and the greater part of the land was still in its primiti\e condition. The forests stood in their primeval strength, many of the streams were unbridged, and the land was uncultivated. Mr. Seitz joined the earlv settlers in laying the foundation of the ]M-esent prosperity and progress of the country, and well does his name deserve to be inscribed vipon the pages of the history of this portion of Iowa. He was born March 2, 183 1, in Lan- caster county. Pennsylvania, and there spent the days of his childhood antl youth. There also, being of an energetic and ambitious turn of mintl. he set himself to learn a trade, that of ship carpentering, in which be at- tained a high degree of ])roficiency. After coming to Keokuk he continued his work as a carpenter, in which he was \Q\y successful, and thus very materially contributed to the 424 BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW advancement and upbuilding of the com- munity in which he hved. In Jackson township, Lee count j', No- vember 13, 1855, Mr. Seitz was united in marriage with Miss Anna M. Pore, the ceremony lieing performed by Rev. W. Y. Cowles. Mrs. Seitz was born June 14, 1836, the daughter of John and Juha (Gur- gas) Pore, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was a farmer and was of Ger- man e.Ktraction. Unto ^Ir. and Mrs. Seitz were born tliree children, as follows : John Gorgas, born July 29, 1856, follows his father's trade of carpentering; Ada Jane. bom August 31, 1859, died September 11, 1883, aged twenty-four years and eleven days; Franklin R., born ^larch 13, 1868, is a carpenter, residing at Davenport, Iowa. He married Margaret Davis, and they have two children, Harry and Mamie. Mr. Seitz was a public-spirited man. and had a high sense of duty and patriotism. .\t the beginning of the Civil War he com- mended his family and material interests to the care of Providence, and went to join the L'nion armv in its heroic straggle for the saving of the nation. He enlisted in Company A, of the Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. William Wilson, and for three years served his countrv- as a soldier, undergoing all the hardships and privations of camp and field life, and par- ticipating in important battles. It was dur- ing his term of military service that he con- tracted the dread disease known as chronic diarrhcea, which made him an invalid for the remainder of his life and resulted in his death four vears after the close of the war. The date of his demise was June 30, 1869, he ijeing then thirty-eight years, three months and twenty-eight days of age. He passed away in the very prime of life, and his loss was keenly felt by all who knew him. He was a member of the Baptist church, as is also his widow, and in matters of politics he acted with the Republican party. The death of Mr. Seitz occurred in Jack- son township on a farm which he purchased at the close of the war. By his death the care and responsibility of rearing and edu- cating the family of three children fell to the widow. The farm was operated under her supervision, and she continued to reside there until about 1890, when the family hav- ing attained to years of maturity, she re- moved to Keokuk. Here she owns a pleas- ant home, at 1407 Fulton street, as well as residence property on Blondeau street. Through the efforts of friends she has se- cured from the government a pension of twelve dollars a month, with an initial pay- ment of ,$900. Two brothers of Mrs. Seitz were also soldiers of the Civil War, these being Samuel and William Pore, both mem- bers of the First Iowa Cavalry. Samuel is a resident of Rothville, Missouri, and Wil- liam, of Denver. Colorado. Mr. Seitz, the subject of this sketch, was a man of the purest and most admirable pri- \ate character, honest, honorable and gen- erous always, and in Itis public relations the fact that he sacrificed himself for his country in her hmir of distress speaks more loudly than an}- words could do. "fur greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 425 WILLIAM C. POTTS. One who has achieved success entirely by his own efforts and reared for liimsclf a noble edifice of reputation is the subject of tliis review. Mr. Potts was born in Mon- nioutli county. New Jersey, near the scene of the famous Imttle of Monmouth. June 21, 1835. and is the son of Ricliard and .\nn (Borden) Potts, both of whom were born in Xew Jersey. The grandfather was Thomas Potts, also of Xew Jersey. Richard Potts was a tanner and farmer. He died on a farm in New Jersey in 1853, and the mother at the same place in 1863. William C. Potts received his education in the common schools of his native place, and there began life as a farmer, at which occupation he continued until 1858. At that time he decided to seek larger oppor- tunities in the new cnuntrv which was then known as "the West," and went to Peoria county, Illinois, where he rented land and continued farming for ten years. Again removing to new fields uf labor in 1868, he came to Fort Madison, where he took a posi- tion with the Potowonok Milling Company. By this firm he was employed for fifteen years at various places as bookkeeper, ship- ping clerk and weighmastcr, and on termi- nating the connection he engaged indei)end- ently in the insurance business for three years. In 1895 he became bookkeeper and collector for the Fort Madison Water Com- pany. In 1863 took place the marriage of Mr. Potts to Miss Fanny Tebow, at Princeville, Illinois. She died in 1865, leaving one child, Anna, who was born December 23, 1865, and is now the wife of W^ A. Cald- well, of Wood River, Nebraska. Mr. Potts has since remarried. At Fort Madison, in 1867, he was united in bonds of matrimony with Miss Fanny Toors, who was born in Lee county, September 17, 1846, and died .\])ril 29, 1896. Four children survive her. as follows : Caroline F.. born .\pril 6, 1873. is a trained nurse, and is located at Ouincy, Illinois: Emma G., born February 14, 1876, is a clerk at the office of J. P. Cruikshank: Richard, born Jaiuiary 28, 1879, holds a position with the painting force of the Santa Fe Railway system, and Isla Pearl, born November 20, 1884, is still at home. Mrs. .J^-rances (Hardin) Toors, mother of the deceased Mrs. Potts, makes her home with Mr. Potts, spending the win- ters with her son, Taylor Toors, of Little Rock, Arkansas. She was born at Brighton, England, in 1820. and came to Lee county in 1841 with her husband, John W. Toors. He was born on Long Island, was reared in Cincinnati, and died during the progress of the Civil W^ar. He was of Dutch an- cestry. They were the parents of two sons and one daughter besides Mrs. Potts. These are: R. L. Toors. died in May. 1904. in Mexico; Taylor Toors, of Little Rock, Ar- kansas, ;uid Miss Mary Toors, for the past thirty-five years teacher in the public schools of Lee county. Religiously ATr. Potts is a member of the Presbyterian church, of which he has served as trustee, and in :i fraternal way he is in similar relations with the Order of the Knights of Pythias. In politics he early be- came convinced of the superiority of the •principles advocated by the Republican 426 BIOGRAPHICAL REIAEIV party, and his first vote was cast for John C. Fremont, first RepubUcan candidate for the office of President of the United States. Since that time he has voted for every Re- pubHcan presidential candidate. He has never sought public office, but has allowed his friends to use his name as candidate for alderman and for assessor. The Republican party being in the minority, however, no chance of election was possible. Mr. Potts has a couimodious home at 915 Fifth street. The welfare of his family has ever been his first care, and all his chil- dren have received excellent educations in the Fort IMadison high school. His ability and social qualities have made him many friends, and his reputation is of the kind that might be envied by the most highly honored. MORRICE E. WAITE. One of the oldest locomotive engineers ■of the Santa Fe system is Morrice E. Waite, who resides at No. 2522 Webster street, Fort Madison, Iowa. Mr. Waite is a native ■of Spencer, W^ircester county, Massachu- setts, where he was born May 15, 1847, and received his early education in the public schools. He assisted in the work of the home farm until twenty years of age, when he decided to begin his independent career and win his way in the world by his own efforts. Learning of the rewards awaiting industi-}- and ability in the great West, he •came as far as Aurora, Illinois, in 1868, and- began work as a fireman for the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad. After three years and four months' faithful and efficient serA-ice he was promoted, in October, 187 1, to the position of engineer, and continued \\ith the company in that capacity until Janu- ary 7, 1887. He then entered the employ of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, with headquarters at Fort Madison, and in this city he has since resided, having erected a ye\y pleasant dwelling about five years after his removal here. He is in the passenger branch of the company's service, and his route is between Fort Madison and Kansas City. Mr. Waite, in his fraternal relations, is a meml)er of the Masonic order, his local connection being with Stella Lodge. No. 440, of Fort Madison, and also of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Division 391. of Fort Madison. In matters of politics he is a believer in the principles of the Republican party and a loyal sup- porter of its standard bearers, especially when important issues are at stake. He is a member of the Christian Science church, and actively connected with its work, the meetings of the society being held at his home. Morris E. Waite is the son of Josiah and Emmeline (Farnam) Waite. His father, who was a currier by trade, was born at Millsbury, Massachusetts, where he lived for many years. He was also engaged in the pursuit of his calling for a number of years at Northbridge. He came to Fort ]\Iadison in 1890, and here his death oc- curred in 1892 at the home of his son in the seventy-third year of his age. He was a LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 427 man of business ability, and achieved con- sideralile material success. Mr. Waite's mother thed in Florida in 1881, at the age of fifty-three years. She was a native of New York state. Mr. Waite is the second of a family of five brothers, the others being Charles, who lost his life in the Battle of the Wilderness ; Jonas, of Charlton, Massachu- setts, who was for many years station agent for the Boston & Albany Railway Company, but is now retired from active pursuits; Jerr>' \V., who is engaged in orange culture at Lemon Grove, California, and Fred D., who resides at Palmetto, Florida, and is su- perintendent of an orange grove at that place. All were born in Massachusetts. On April 24, 1871, Mr. Waite was mar- ried to Miss Sarah J. \^'illis, and to them have been born five children, only one of whom, Carrie, is living. .She was born at Galesburg, Illinois, and was educated at Fort Madison. The deceased were : Charles, bom at ^lendota, died at the age of six years ; Kittie, born at Aurora, died in in- fancy; Freddie, born at Galesburg. Illinois, died at three years of age, and Ella, also born at Galesburg, died at the age of five. Mrs. Waite is a faithful member of the Christian Science church and a woman of deep re- ligious nature. She was born in Racine county, Wisconsin, the daughter of Joseph W. Willis. Mr. Willis was born in Cayuga county, New York, December 15, 1825, and at the age of two years removed with his parents to Yates county, New York, where he lived until 1846. He then came west, locating at the town of Raymond, Racine county, Wisconsin, where he engaged in farming. In 1862 he enlisted in Company H of the Twenty-second Wisconsin Volun- teer Infantry, and served his country throughout the remainder of the war, being discharged June 28, 1865, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was assigned to detached service for the greater part of the time, but accompanied General Sherman on his famous march to the sea. On March 25, 1863, he was taken prisoner by the enemy at Brantvvood, Tennessee, eight miles from Nash\-ille. and conveyed to Libby prison, but was released through an exchange of prison- ers which took place the following day. During die time of his military service Mr. Willis's eyesight began to fail, and has since deteriorated steadily until he now suffers from total blindness. After the close of the war he engaged in the ice business at .\urora, Illinois, continuing in that occupa- tion for twenty-four years. On sustaining the loss of his sight he retired from active participation in affairs, and since 1900 has resided with his son-in-law, Mr. Waite. He is a member of Grand Army Post No. 20, fit Aurora, Illinois, and his religious af- filiation is with the Christian Science church. He was married to Miss Mary B. Cole, who was born in London, England, and came to America when fourteen years of age. She died July 30, 1861, and is buried at Racine, Wisconsin. To them were born seven chil- dren, as follows: Sarah J., wife of our sub- ject; Martha, who died at four years of age; Eveline H., who died in infancy — at the age of six months ; William C. ; James H., of Mnlinc, Illinois; Mary E., of Missouri, and Edward, who died in infancy. Mr. Willis was remarried, the second time to Kate Fitch, who was born in Delaware county, New York. She died May 21, 1900, at Aurora, Illinois, and is buried at that place. 428 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW MATTHIAS QARMO. Matthias Garmo, of Garmo & Company, of Keokuk, is of distinguished Revolution- ary ancestry, his grandfather having been a French officer who accompanied General La Fayette to .-Vmerica and served under him in the War of" American Independence, later deciding to become a citizen of the country which he had helped to free from British domination, and settled in New Jer- sey. There his son, the father of our sub- ject, was born, and he in his turn took part in the second War of American Independ- ence, serving as a cavalry-man in the War of 1812 and sustaining a sabre wound which afterward caused his death. He was a man of powerful and muscular frame, and in his earlier life followed the trade of a bloomer or forgeman, but during the larger fraction of his life was a commission merchant at Hackensack and at Paterson. New Jersey. He was thoroughly American in all of his sympathies, and procured an act of the New Jersey legislature changing his name, which was originally De Garmo. to its present form, thereby following the example of the descendants of General La Fayette and elim- inating the evidence of his aristocratic descent. Matthias Garmo was born in Sussex county. New Jersey, in the year 1836, and there recei\-ed his education in the public schools. Orphaned, however, by the death of his mother when he was but fifteen years of age aTxl the death of his father two years later, he resolved to begin the active work of life, and became an apprentice to J. W. In- glis, a carpenter and joiner, of Paterson, New Jersey, and later accepted employment with the York & Erie Railway Company as a millwright at Jersey City, New Jersey. In this latter line of effort he was signally successful, and was able to command a salary of two hundred dollars a month, but finding that the position did not offer as much opportunity for individual initiative and independent enterprise as he desired, he resigned, and in 1864 came to tr\' his fortune in the West, locating at Burlington, Iowa, where for three years he conducted a planing mill business in partnership with C. S. Quick. At the expiration of that period he accepted the position of manager of a planing mill and sash, door and furniture factory for iVlcGavic Brothers & Davis, of Keokuk, in which he continued for five years, and then the firm of Garmo & Hume was formed and conducted the same line of business until the latter part of the year 1888, after which Mr. Garmo was connected with the firm of Henderson Brothers for three years. In 1891 he re-established him- self in the planing business in pnrtnership with B. C. Taber, the firm style being Garmo & Company, and this business has been continued very successfully ever since, the mill operating throughout the entire years and furnishing employment to an average of fifteen men. To this work Mr. Garmo gives his exclusive attention, al- though he has other interests, among these being his membership in a local company owning a lead and zinc mine with very promising prospects in the wonderful metal producing region of Jasper county, Mis- souri. At Paterson, New Jersey, in 1862, Mr. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 429 (larnio was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Smith, a native of tliat state and of old Holland ancestry, the daughter of a family of farmers. To Mr. and Mrs. Garmo have been born two daughters, of whom one, Fannie, survixes, and is the wife of W. H. Palmer, of Keokuk, they, having one child, (ireta, twelve years of age. The other daughter, Lillian, was the wife of John Dollerv, and they are both now tleceased, leaving one son, Clyde, who has been reared as a member of Mr. Garmo's family, and is now in his seventeenth year. The family home is a commodious residence at No. 418 South Eighth street, erected by Mr. Garmo in 1878. Our subject has always been in sym- pathy with any movement designed to ad- vance the moral and ethical interests of so- ciety, and never fails to encourage such as are worthy by all means in his power. He was formerly a member of the IMethodist Episcopal church, and although he has since allowed his connection to lapse, he still con- tributes to its support, as he does als(5 for the varifius other denominations. In like manner his public spirit has led him to assume an ac- tive part in political affairs, and he was one of the leading organizers of the gold wing of the Democratic party in Keokuk in the celebrated presidential campaign of 1896, though he is now a supporter of President Roosevelt, considering that the true prin- ciples of good government are in a large measure represented by that distinguished president. He is also very prominent in the fraternal world of Iowa, being a charter member of Keokuk Lodge of the Knights of Honor, having held all its official posi- 26 tions, and for the last nine years been Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, an office which he now holds and in which his able financial administration has made him many admirers in this and other states. In fact his life has lieen a success in almost all its phases without an exception, and while his business ability has enabled him to win for himself a substantial reward for his labors and has brought him a very comfortable competency, the useful enter- prise which he has established in Keokuk has l)cen a factor in the development of the city, and for this he is entitled to credit. A self- made mrm, working his way upward from humble circumstances to his present en- viable position, the keynote of his career may be summed up in one word* integrity, a trait of character which has won him the general respect and made his name synonymous with sound and irreproachable business methods wherever he is known. BENJAMIN F. MclNTYRE. Benjamin F. Mclntyre, who having reached the age of seventy-.seven years, has now practically retired from active Inisiness life and is enjoying a well-earned and richly merited rest, was b(M-n in Adams county, Ohio, on the 15th of September, 1827. His father, William Mclntyre, was also a native of the Buckeye state, but the paternal grand- father came from the north of Ireland. The mother bore the maiden name of Ellen 430 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Montgomery, who was torn in Kentucky, while her people were of Scotch hneage, so that Mr. Mclntyre is of Scotch-Irish de- scent. The father died when the son was but five years of age and the mother, remaining true to his memory, never married again, but passed away in Keokuk in 1835, ^^ the age of seventy-five, a short time after com- ing from lier Ohio home to this city. Benja- min F. !\lclntyre was the youngest in a family of nine children and the only one now living, although all reached advanced years. He had one brother, William New- ton Mclntyre, who ser\-ed as a soldier in the Civil War as a member 61 an Illinois Regi- ment, and died in Hancock county. Illinois, in 1899. The common school afforded Benjamin F. Mclntyre his educational privileges and he was reared in Ohio. After putting aside his text-books he learned the carpenter's trade, and at about the age of twenty-two years went to Kentucky, working for se\'en years in Maysville, Mason county. He ar- rived in Keokuk in 1854, and for many years continued an active representative of liuilding interests here and to a limited ex- tent he yet engages in the use of tools, al- though he has in recent }-ears lived prac- tically retired. He worked on the govern- ment canal at Keokuk and on the govern- ment arsenal at Da\'enport. His business interests, however, were interrupted by military service, for in September, 1862, in response to his country's call for aid he joined the Union Army at Keokuk as a member of Company A, Nineteenth Iowa Infantry, under Capt. Jolin Bruce and Colonel Crabb. The regiment was with the Armv of the Frontier during the first six months of his services, and was afterward in the seige of Vicksburg, and at Yazoo City was ordered to join the Gulf Depart- ment, on the Rio Grande, in Texas, under General Herron. and was held in readiness for any emergency. With his command Mr. Mclntyre participated in the engage- ments at Prairie Grove, Arkansas, the seige of Vicksburg and the seige and capture of Yazoo, Mississippi. For about nine months he was encamped in Te.xas. In the latter part of the war he participated in the en- gagements at Fort Morgan, Alabama, and the seige antl capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley. The latter fort was captured on the night that President Lincoln was as- sassinated, and the news reached the army the following morning. The regiment wxnt into camp at Mobile, Alabama, and soon afterward Mr. ^Iclntyre. having been mus- tered out under General .\. J. Smith, re- turned to Davenport and was honorably dis- charged. He enlisted as first orderly ser- geant, and six months later was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and w-hen three months had passed was commissioned first lieutenant. While at New Orleans he was granted a lea\'e of absence and returned home, where he suffered greatly from a severe attack of malaria. So ill was he that his leave of absence was twice extended, and he remained at home for sixt}' days, after which he rejoined his command at Browns- ville, Texas. In addition to the engage- ments mentioned the regiment participated in several skirmishes, including one at Pen- sacola. Florida. They marched long dis- tances through the South and experienced LEE COUNTY, WW. I. 431 the usual liardships tliat fall to the lot of a soldier, hut Mr. Mclnlyre was ever true and loyal to his duty and never faltered in performance of any task assignied him in his effort to preserve the Union. Returning to the North ]\Ir. Mclntyre resumed work at carpentering and made that his life occupation, being connected with building operations in Keokuk through long years, and evidences of his handiwork are yet seen in many of the substantial structures of the city. He is a member of the Grand Anny of the Republic, and for fifty years has been a representative of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has held all of the positions in the subordinate lodge ; has attended the Grand Lodge on several oc- casions, and on the 23d of Februar}', 1903, he received the gold jewel from Keokuk Lodge. Xo. 13, in honor of his completed half century of memlier.ship and active work. Only eight such jewels are found in the State of Lowa. The No. 50 upon the medal is set with twenty diamonds. He was re- presentative to the Grand Lodge at Clinton, and also attended the (irand Lodges at Davenport, Keokuk and Rock Island. He has likewise been a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity', and his life accords with the beneficient spirit of these various fraternal organizations. He voted for the first Republican nominee. John C. Fremont, and has never faltered in his allegiance to the party and its principles, but has through- out the years continued to give it stalwart support. On the 30th of September, 1850, Mr. Mclntyre was married in Maysville, Ken- tucky, to Miss Emeline M. Williams, who died March 6, 1890. after a ha[)py married life of almost forty years, her remains be- ing interred in Oakland cemetery. They were the parents of four children, of whom three are li\ing: I^Iary. the wife of A. J. Jenkins, of Keokuk ; Harry, who died at the age of thirty-two years; Emma B.. and Katherine, who has charge of the queens- ware store owned by Duncan & Schell. Mr. Mclntyre resides at Xo. 1013 High street, where he has a pleasant and comfortable home. In his business career he never had special advantages nor was assisted by any fortunate combination of circumstances, but he has worked earnestly year after year, and his unfaltering diligence has been the key- note of his success, so that he is now num- bered among the substantial citizens of his adopted county. At all times his course has been such as to command uniform con- fidence and esteem, and he has gained that warm personal regard which arises from true nol)ility of character and kindliness of spirit. JASPER K. MASON. Jasper K. Mason was born in Kirksvillc, Missouri. September 10. 1840. and died in Keokuk. Iowa. June 17, 1903. He had lived for many years in the latter city and had gained a large circle of friends here. Hav- ing completed his education in the public schools, he was apprenticed to the trades of cigarmaking and coopering, in Warsaw, Il- linois, after which he came to Keokuk, wliere 432 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW he continued to make his home until liis death, with the exception of one year. He had remained here but a brief period, how- ever, when the Civil War was inaugurated, and about a year later on August 14, 1862, when he was twenty-two years of age, he enlisted as a priwate in the Nineteenth Iowa Infantry for three years. He was dis- charged, however, with the rank of sergeant before that time because of disability caused by wounds which he had sustained. His jaw was terribly injured and one of his ribs broken by a spent shell. He was caj)- tured at Morganza Bend, but managed to make his escape on the night of November 14, 1863. Later he was captured and cast into Libby prison, but he managed to es- cape a second time by tunneling under the barricades. His experiences were of a most thrilling character, and he wrote a book con- cerning them, which was published and read with much interest by thousands of veterans. In the anniversary edition of Gate City, in 1902, there was also a long and interesting account of his vicissitudes and hardships while in the army. He served until Jui],e 22, 1865. Mr. Mason returned to the North and resumed business. He was married in War- saw, Illinois, in 1S67, to ]\Iiss Rachel L. Markley, who was born in Arkansas, and in 1865 became a resident of Missouri. She spent a short time in Warsaw, and there formed the acquaintance of Mr. Mason. A year after their marriage they came to Keo- kuk, and he was variously connected with the business interests of the city through the succeeding thirty years. For ten years he conducted a grocery store, enjoying a flourishing trade, in West Keokuk. He was afterward appointed deputy United States oil inspector, in which capacity he served for fourteen years, when he resigned. After retiring from the grocery business he was engaged in the real estate and insurance business for some time. Politically Mr. Mason was a Republican, deeply interested in the growth and success of his party and recognized as one of its leading workers in local ranks. He repre- sented the second ward of the city council in 1879 and 1880, and as a private citizen he contributed to and supported those meas- ures which had for their object the perma- nent good of the city. He capably served for about eight years as a member of the soldier's relief commission for the City of Keokuk, and he was prominent in his fra- ternal relations, being a member of Tor- rence Post, Grand Army of the Republic, for many years, in which he filled nearly all the ofiices and became commander. He be- longed to Eagle Lodge, No. 12, Free and Accepted Masons, the Commantlry and the Mystic Shrine, and also the Eastern Star, and although he affiliated with no religious denomination he was a warm personal friend of Rev. D. R. C. Mcllwin, pastor of St. John's Episcopal church, whom he re- ( [nested to conduct the funeral services when he should be called away. He recognized and appreciated true worth in others, and so Ii\ed as to dc\'eIop a character in keeping with high ideals and honorable, manly principles. Mrs. Mason, who survives her husband, was married when sixteen years of age. Theirs was a close and congenial compan- LEE COUNTY. 10 IV A. 433 ioiiship. causing; his loss to be all the more deei)ly felt. Mrs. Ma.son joined with him the Order of the Eastern Star and served as Worthy Matron. She is also a past presi- dent of tlie Torrence Woman's Relief Corps and has served as Senior \^ice-President of the state organization, while for two years ■-lu' was instituting; and installing officer for the state of the Corps, luir two years she was delegate from the State of Iowa to the National Convention of the Woman's Relief Corps, at Philadelphia and at Washington. She belongs to the Baptist church, and her kindly spirit and ready sympathy ha\e prompted her to take active and helpful part in church and charitable work. She makes her home at Xo. 200 South Eight street, KeokuJ<, and in addition to this properts she owns realt}' in Colorado Springs, Colorado. RHODA WILLIAMS. Rhoda Williams, widow of John M. A\'illiams. has long been a well-kown resi- dent of Jackson township, and is a member of one of the old and representative families of Lee countv. Iler late husband was a na- tive of Indiana, ha\ing been born in that state in 1832, and on coming to Iowa, pur- chased a farm of eighty acres in Lucas county, near Chariton, Init located in Wayne county, where he engaged very successfully in tlie vocation of farming until January 10, 1H63, when he decided to offer himself for the service of his countn' in the Civil War, which was then draining the best blood of the land, and enlisted in the First Battery of the Iowa Ught .\rtillery. .\ssigned to duty as a teamster he was never actively engaged as a combatant in battle, btit for eighteen montiis he i)erformed hard, faithful and often dangerous service, proving himself a \alual)le and efficient member of his corps and winning the esteem of both his c(|uals and superiors in military rank. On returning from the war .Mr. Wil- liams tirst went to Keokuk, where .Mrs. Wil- liams was then making her home with her father, and shortly afterward he sold his lands in Lucas county and purchased a farm of forty acres in Jackson township, Lee county, on which Mrs. Williams still con- tinues to reside, and whence he carried on farming operations. during the remainder of his life. He possessed much ability, had a wide acquaintance, and enjoyed the friend- ship of many who respected him for the sterling qualities of his character — his energy and the strict honor and integrity which marked him in every relation of life. He v.as a member of the Baptist church, and was a true and devout Christian, being faith- ful to his religion until his death, which oc- curred in 1879. He was buried in Hickory drove cemeter\'. A public-spirited citizen, a kind husliand and indulgent father, ever generous, sympathetic and true, his loss w-as in every sense a calamity, and one which no favor of fortune can ever repair. To Mr. and Mrs. Williams were Iiorn t'our daughters and one son, as follows: .\lha. now the wife of John Cruse, of Vin- cennes, Lee county, and have four children, Mabel, Gennetta, Robert and John ; Jame.s. 434 BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW who married Miss Anna Jaquin and resides with INfrs. Williams; Anna, who is the wife of Wilham Colvin, of Mooar, and has four children, Lulu, Georgia, William and Ver- non; Lucretia, who is the wife of Thomas Taylor, of Mooar, and has two daughters, Ruth and Beatrice, and Margaret, wlio is the wife of George Colvin, of Keokuk, and has three children, Wilfred, Inez and Enid. Left by the death of her husband with the sole care of fi\e children, the eldest only seventeen years of age and the youngest five, Mrs. Williams has exhibited much strength of character and Christian forti- tude, meeting and fulfilling her difificult ob- ligations with extraordinar}- ability, and proving herself equal to the unexpected and trying situations arising from her station in life. She is of a highly respected family, and was born in Mercer county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1838, coming to Lee county with her parents in 1852. She is the daughter of James and ^lartha McClearv, who were na- tives of Ireland and celebrated their mar- riage in that country before their emigra- tion to the L'nited States, and both are now deceased. Mrs. Williams is a member of the Christian church, in wliich she is an active and very helpful worker, doing much to advance the cause of religion in her com- munity and setting by her own life an ex- ample of humble Christian piety, faith and charity, and is also a leading worker in the aid society of the church, of which she is ])resi(lent. She has merited the admiration of all, and of her it may be truly said that to few or none in this section has come a greater measure of esteem. PETER S. SCHEFFLER, Sr. One of the most highly successful farm- ers and business men of Lee county and southern Iowa is Peter S. Scheffler, who owns 280 acres of high-grade farming land and forty acres of timbered land in Frank- lin township, where he resides, and in addi- tion a section of valuable land in the State of Texas. Mr. Scheffler was born January 2'ii. 1836. in southern Xew York, a son of Antoin and Man,' Scheffler, both natives of Germany, whence they emigrated to Amer- ica"when young. Soon after Mr. Scheffler's birth his parents decided to remove to the West in order to reap the lienefits of early occupancy of the new countr_\-, and drove over the mountains of Pennsylvania, through Ohio, and penetrating Indiana, set- tled on the banks of the ^^'abash river, re- maining there until 1840, when thev again traveled westward, and came to Lee county. Iowa. Here they first located at St. Paul, Marion township, and remained for two years, at the end of which time they entered a tract of go\ernment land as a "homestead," in West Point township, where they lived the remainder of their lives, working as farmers until the hand of death removed them from the scenes of this world. The father of our subject was widely known as a man of high and forceful character, being still remembered by luany of the older in- habitants. He was a pioneer of his religion as well as of his race, for he was the first to erect the symbol of the Christian faith, the cross, both at St. Paul and at U'est Point. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 435 Mr. Scheffler received in the pioneer comniunity in which his fortunes fell :i very limited educational opportunity, attending a rural school in an old log cabin which was used both as a school building and as a resi- dence for the schoolmaster. But the acquire- ment of other knowledge largely compen- sated for the lack of knowledge of books, for when quite young he learned the trade of coopering, and worked at it during the win- ter months for twelve years, while at the early age of fourteen he was taught to drive an ox team to a plow to break up the soil for planting and to swing the cradle in the har\-est field, and to do other hard work usually assigned in these days to strong men or performed by the aid of modern ma- chinery. He was thus variously employed until he reached his twenty-sixth year, when he was married, in 1862, to Miss Christiana Englenian, who afterward died, leaving six children, as follows: Peter, a resident of Lee county ; Emma, who married Samuel Tackier, and resides at Moline, Illinois ; Wil- liam, Edward, Clara, wife of Mr. \Vm. F. Hutchins, who resides in New York state, and Albert. Mr. Scheffler was subsequently married to Miss Elizabeth Furrer, who is also now deceased, and is survived by one child, Ida, wife of Mr. Albert T. Faith, of Wellington, Kansas, She is buried, as is also the first Mrs. Scheffler, in the Evcrhart cemetery, near the home farm. In 1862, just after his marriage, Mr. Scheffler rented a farm in I'"ranklin town- ship, where he was so successful in farming that in only five years, or in 1867. he was able to buy a farm of 200 acres, being y>art of the large farm be now occupies, and to the original purchase he has since added eighty acres of farm land and forty acres of timbered land of high (|uality and value. When he bought the farm it was in a very dilaiiidated condition and almost entirely without improvements, but by care and good management, combined with energy and en- terprise, he has greatly improved it in all respects, fencing the fields, erecting new buildings and repairing the nld, and bring- ing the land under cultivation according to modern methods, so that at the present time the whole establishment would compare fav- orably with any in .southern Iowa. He coit- ducts general farming on a large scale, and is especially interested in stock feeding, giv- ing particular attention just at the present time to registered Durham and black Polled Angus cattle, for which his farm is widely known. He often feeds as many as 1,000 head of cattle, as well as large numbers of hogs, and at the present is feeding 500 head of hogs, which, in accordance with his usual custom, will be shipped direct to the Chicago market. -For a period of more than twenty years, however, Mr. Scheffler devoted himself mainly to the threshing business, which netted him very handsome profits, and for a time he was associated with his brother in running the mill at Donnellson, Iowa, which was also \'ery successful. In fact e\ery enterprise in which he has engaged has been successful in a high degree, owing to his careful attention to detail and his re- markable business ■iibility, his foresight and (|uickness to see an iip])iirtunit\- and his con- fidence in his own power to carry to a satis- factory' issue any matter to which he applies his talents. He has given his attention prin- cipally to business affairs, and has never 436 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEIV aspired to the tenure of public office, but at tlie same time he never fails to discharge the duties of a citizen, voting for a candidate according to his personal fitness for the posi- tion which he seeks and without regard to partisan bias or affiliation, as he believes it to be in this way that the interests of good government are best advanced. In his re- ligious connection he retains the faith of his forefathers, being a member of St. Mary's Catholic cluirch. nf West Point, and has observed a lifelong fidelity to the teach- ings of his denomination. But the true key to his character lies in the fact that he is a self-made man. that he started in the struggle with the world erpupped only with his own strength and ability, and that he has by his own unaided efforts raised himself to his present honored position in the com- munity. For this he deserves great credit, the more so because his methods have always been marked by the strictest honesty and integrity anfl that he has been fair, upright and impartial in all his dealings, and. indeed, these facts in his career have won for him a high reputation for honor throughout Lee county, and he is universally admired and respected for what he has achieved. HENRY J. DOERINQ. One of the self-made men who have as- sumed substantial and respected pt;sitions in the business and social circles of Fort Madi- son, by reason of their own efforts and mer- its, is Hemy J. Doering. Although he is a young man, he has been engaged in useful activity evere since his boyhood, and it is probably due to this early training in habits of industry, management and economy that he has achieved success. Mr. Doering was born in Germany, February 3, 1867, and is the son of George and Mary (Harold) Doering. The father was born in the German Kingdom of Saxony ; came with his family to America in 1S69. He was by trade a painter and paper- hanger, and during the winter, when it was not possible to follow this occupation, he was engaged as a butcher. Mary Doering, mother of our subject, died in Fort Madison, May 20. 1897, and is buried in the Catholic cemetery. They were the parents of six sons and daughters, all of whom are still Ii\ing. They are: Henry J.. Mrs. ^lary Hunt. Peter. John. Joseph. Valentine, all of [•"ort ]\ladison. 1 lenry J. Doering was educated in the common schools and in Saint Mary's pa- rochial school. As a Ixiy he was his father's assistant in the work of painting and paper- hanging, and when young began his connec- tion with the market business as his father's assistant. Tims. b\' the time he attained to years of maturity he was already schooled in the jjrinciples of business, and was ac- (|uaintcd with all the intricacies of his own individual occupation. At the present time he has a thoroughly modern equipment and market at 1737 Third street, and enjoys a large and growing patronage. He is the owner of his business location and building, valued at $3,000, and in 1888 Iniilt a beauti- HENRY J. noKKING LEE COUNTY. I Oil '.I. 439 fill resilience at 1810 Third street, valued at two thiHisand dollars. Mr. Doerinij's religious connection is with the Sacred Heart church, and he is a meiuber of the German Roman Catholic Benevolent Society, of Saint Mary's : of the Sacred Heart Literary and Benevolent So- ciety, of which he is president, and of the \'oluntcer Fire Company. He is also at the present time- secretary of branch No. 118, of the Roman Catholic Mutual Protective Association. In his political faith he is a firm belie\er in the doctrines advocated bv the Democratic party, and a loyal supporter of its leaders. On July 30, 1889, in St. Mary's church, was celebrated the marriage of Henry J. Doering and Miss Catherine Dettmer. Mrs. Doering is of German parentage, and was born in I'^ort Madison. I'nto them have been born one daughter and three sons, as follows: Eda Margaret, l)orn November 20, 1895; George Philip, Ijorn September 29, 1898; Edmund Henry, born October 2, 1901, and Peter Joseph, bom January 23, T904. Mrs. Doering is the fifth of a f.amily of eight sisters. The others are : Mena, Eda, Bertha, wife of Fred Struck, of Burlington, Iowa; Josephine, Rosa, wife of Edward Kueser, of Burlington; Mary, wife of John Hillesheime, of Fort Madison, Iowa, and Dorothy. Mr. Doering has many friends who wish him well. Steadily working his way upward in spite of manv difliculties, he com- mands the respect of his fellowmen by his honorable course and unfaltering perseverance. FRANK MILLMEYER. l""rank Millme}er, who was one of the early jjioneers of Lee county, and later be- came one of its leading and successful farm- ers, claimed Germany for his native land. ha\-ing been burn in that cmintry in the year 1838, the .son of Frank Millmeyer, Sr., and from Germany he acc(jmpanied his parents to .\merica when only two years of age. On the arri\al of the family in America they came to Iowa and located in Fort Madison, but later remo\-ed to the country, where our subject was reared on a farm and learned by actual experience of its difficult duties all the details of farming, thus fitting himself for his later successes in that line of effort, and acquiring that strength of character w hich made him a man among men. .\pril 14, 1874, Mr. Millmeyer was united in marriage with Miss Catherine Hoenig, who was born in \\'est Point town.ship, Lee county, March 15, 1854, the daughter of Casper and Mary (Wolf) Hoe- nig, and a full account of whose genealogy will be found uu'ler the name of Frank Hoe- nig on aniither page of this work. Mrs, Millmeyer is a member of one of the early pioneer families of this county, her parents having settled in Lee county in the year 1850, and she has a family of nine, ,'is fol- lows : .\nna, who died at the age of twenty- one years; John, Tracy, who is a resident of St. Louis: Mary; Lizzie, wife of .\lbert Bul- lard, of Fort Madison: Catherine. Paulina, Dora. Fred and Clara. The father of the family died N'ovember i, 1888, and the mother January 31, 1889. and it was felt that in their passing the community sus- 440 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW tained a deep and irreparable loss, for by the loftiness and purity of their lives they ex- erted great influence for good. In 1880. six years subsequent to his marriage, Mr. Millmeyer purchased a large farm of 215 acres in Jefferson township, and on this the family has resided con- tinuously since. He managed it with rare discrimination, bringing to bear upon its problems a singularly clear and accur- ate foresight and a sound judgment, while he devoted himself to the work with energ}' and enthusiasm, overlooking no detail and never omitting to improve the slightest opportunity to the best of his abil- ity, thus winning a large success. He gave his attention to general farming and also to some extent to stockraising, and this has been continued by his family. Although a member of the Democratic party, Mr. Alill- meyer never aspired to public office, but contented himself with performing con- scientiously the first and most important duty of a citizen, that of casting his vote in favor of good and honest government after mature reflection upon the issues at stake. His death occurred in a singular manner, he having left home in a boat for the City of Nauvoo. an.d many days later was found drowned, tlie date of his demise being about November 10, 1898, and was buried November 26, 1898, a day on which all those who knew him well experienced a profound sense of loss, for he was one whose long career of worthy endeavor and unfail- ing allegiance to eveiything that was best won the universal respect and endeared him to manv, so that the errief at his death was at once general and sincere. Mrs. Mill- meyer, who is a lady of unusual ability and fine strength of character, continues the management of the farm with success. CASPER SWINDAMAN. One of the highly respected and sub- stantially successful citizens of Lee county is Casper Swindaman, now residing on his farm of 353 acres in Charleston township. He was bom in St. Louis. Missouri. Jan- uary 6, 1849. '"id as a child removed with his parents to LaSalle county, Illinois, where he received a good education in the public schools of that day.' From Peru, Illinois, he removed to Iowa in 1870, and located at Sandusky, where he conducted a butcher shop for the United States government, furnishing the w'orkmen on the Des Moines Rapids canal with their meat supply. In 1877 he removed a third time, renting a part of his present farm, and occupying it for several years. Later he purchased 200 acres, which he has since increased. Here he has erected a large and substantial dwell- ing-house, as well as other necessary build- ings, and has introduced many modern im- provements. All except forty of the 353 acres are under cultivation, and the business consists of stockraising and general farming. ]\lr. Swindaman is in his political ad- herence a member of the Republican organi- zation, as he believes the ascendency of that LEE COUNTY, lOW'.l. 441 party necessary to the continueil prosi)erity and well-being of the nation. He is in- fluential in the ranks of his party, and at the .present time holds the office of trustee of his township, being in iiis second term. He is also public school director, a position which he has held for a number of terms; discharging its duties with that strict fidel- it}' and practical ability which characterizes all his acts. Religiously he is a member of the Catholic church, and in his fraternal re- lations he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1875 Mr. Swindaman was united in marriage to Miss Amanda McCord, a na- tive of Lee county and daughter of Joseph C. McCord, one of the pioneer settlers of Iowa, he having come to Lee county from Ohio at an early date. He is now deceased, his demise having occurred about ten years ago. To Mr. and ]Mrs. Swindaman have been born seven sons and two daughters, all natives of Charleston township, and all educated in the public schools of that town- ship. They are: Lawrence J., Joseph C, who is engaged in railroad work ; William A., Walter, a machinist for the Santa Fe Railroad, and resides at Fort Madison; Charles, Frank, Eddie D., Genevie, wife of Simon Griswold, of Fort Madison, and has one child, (irace: and Katie. Mr. Swindaman is of German descent, being the son of Lawrence and Catherine (Kirn) Swindaman, both natives of Raden. They emigrated to America in 1838, and were married in St. Louis, ^Missouri. The father was a farmer during the latter part of his life. He died at the age of seventy- seven years, at Marysville, Kansas. The mother survi\es at the age of eighty-one, and resides at Marysville. Mr. Swindainan is well known throughout the greater part of the county, and no doubt this modest re- view of his life will be read with interest by his many friends, who respect him for his ability and his upright character and esteem him for his genial and social disposition. CHRISTIAN HARTMANN. In the career of manv a humble emigrant from the Old World who has braved the ocean voyage and the perils of a transfer to an alien people and a strange land, there is material for more tender and touching stories and studies of the heart and life of man than e\er have been i)enned. For the sake of a home and a career the timid ha\e Ijecome bold and the weak strong Fathers and mothers have left a land endeared by generations of melting memories; and with streaming eyes have sought a land of prom- ise that their children' might have room to rise in the world, as the good God had en- dowed them with strength and character. The )-oung have cnme that the nld might die under their own roof; and friends that those thev lo\"ed might have opportunity for free- dom and growth. I'rosaic enough the outer life, ;uid matter of fact enough the daily ca- reer, but the heart glows with its own riches and the inner life has its own illumination. To leave the home land and go among strangers is an act of courage, and may rival 442 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEJV the bravery of the soldier on the field of bat- tle. It requires enterprise to contemplate such an ad\enture, and the men who remove to the New World are very largely men of character and nerve. They come because they crave a larger field and are bound to thrive. Of such is the man whose name introduces this article. He is of an ener- getic, pushing disposition, and in spite of serious reverses has won a very fair meas- ure of prosperity, and though still in the prime of life has had a somewhat varied and extensi\e experience. Christian Hartmann was born in the Kingdom of Baden, Germany. .August 24, 1858, and is the only child of John and Catherine (Mes.smer) Hartmann. He re- ceived his education in the schools of his native community, and after the solid man- ner of his countrymen was trained a baker. When he was nineteen years of age he was called to do military service, and for two years was "with the colors." When re- leased from the army the young soldier pro- ceeded to earn,' out plans he had carefully formed, and became an emigrant to the great republic over the seas. So glowing were the tales of success and so inspiring the op- portunities as described by those who had already made trial of the land and people that he, too, must go. On his arrival in the United States Mr. Hartmann spent about a year in the City of New York, and then re- moved to Chicago, where for thirteen years he was engaged in his work as a liaker. for which, as already noted, he had been thor- oughly trained. After being at work so long a time Mr. Hartmann was prostrated by a serious and prolonged illness. Before he had recov- ered he had lost all his property, and was left where he had begim years before. On the advice of friends he left the big city, and for a time lived in Burlington, Iowa, where he worked at his trade. In the fall of 1896 he became a resident of Fort Madison, and here for some four years he was busily en- gaged as a baker, working on good wages and saving his earnings. On the 21st of November, 1900, he was able to carrv into effect long-cherished schemes of doing business for himself, and started a bakery and lunch room at No. 115 Pine street. He had $500 of his own. and ran into debt $1,100 more. It was taking large chances, but two years later he had paid it all, and owned his stock and outfit without a dollar of debt. He purchased the build- ing in which he was doing business. Novem- ber 21, 1903, and today it is said that his entire fortune amounts to o\er Si 0,000, all of which has grown out of his original in- vestment of $500, with his pluck and energy. He has a large country- trade in lunches, gives employment to two bakers, two boys, and a clerk, and looks forward hopefully to a still more profitable future. THOMAS J. SIMPSON. It is always a pleasure for the historian to trace the record of the militan,- service of the gallant sons of the Union who rallied to the defense of their imperiled LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 443 country in the jjreat davs of 1861 to 1865, and bore amid storms of sliot and sliell the starry banner to an overwlielming victory at the last. Tiiey were true men who left the plow and the shop and the study, to don the soldier blue, and fight and die on the Southern plains for the sjovernment of the people by the people. When, as is the case with Mr. Simpson, his services at the front exhausted his strength and vitality, and left him such a wreck that for twenty }'ears or more he has not been able to do a stroke of work, the sacrifice was complete, and it is a life laid on the altar of duty. Our country has many such, and honors them all with ecjual lo\ e and reverence. Thomas J. Simpson was born October 8, 1 84 1, in Tennessee, and was brought by his parents up the Mississippi river on a steamboat in 1843, landing at Montrose in the month of May. Harmon Simpson, his father, was born in South Carolina, and was married in Ten- nessee to Miss Margaret Trainor, who was l)orn in Warren count)', Kentucky. To this imion were born nine children: Thomas J. was the fourth in order of birth, and four children are now li\ing, including him : Mary, the widow of Xelson Cooper, lives in Montrose; Margaret, wife of James Wright, is a resident of Burlington; John 1). is also a resident of Burlington. Mr. Simi)Son was among the earliest settlers of Montrose township. Two thousand Indians were then camped on ground now owned by Zach.iri.ib Owens. Mr. Simpson was friendly with them, and traded and mingled with them to his own profit and their convenience. He did butchering for the settlers, ran a farm and died January 4, 1861. The malcnial great-grandfather of Thomas J. Simpson, a Mr, Cummins, served in the Revolutionaiy War. The mother of Mr. Simpson died May 19, 1888. After the loss of her husband she never re- married, and both she and her husband were jiuried in the Montrose cemetery. They were members of the church of Latter Day Saints, and both saw the prophet, and his brother, Joseph, and Hiram Smith, after their assassination at Carthage. Thev lived in Nauvoo about two months. They were con\erted by an elder preaching in Ten- nessee, in company with several families. Thomas J. Simpson was a student in a subscription .school before the dav of public instruction. His first work was plowing corn at fifty cents a day. Before the open- ing of the canal at the Des Moines Rapids lie worked as a "rafter of freight." loading and unloading cargnes during the summer season for some ten or eleven years. At the time the Civil War broke out Mr. Simpson was employed as a farm latorer, receiving mmilhly wages. In January, 1862. he enlisted in Comj)any B, Seven- teenth Iowa \'oluntcer Infantry, and served Uncle Sam as a private until September 12, 1862. Capt. William Hpxie was in com- mand I if his company, and Col. J. W. Rankin of the regiment. lie was mustered into service at Keokuk to ser\e three years or during the war. His regiment was as- signed to the Second Brigade, Third Di- vision, the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps, Army of Tennessee. He took part in the seige of Corinth, the battles of luka. Champion Hill, and Chattanooga, and re- cei\ed an honorable discharge at Keokuk, September 12, 1862, on account of disabil- 444 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ity. He re-enlisted February 25, 1864, as a private in Company C, Third Iowa Volun- teer Cavalry, under Captain Wilson and Col. J. W. Noble, and was attached with his regiment to W'inslow's Brigade of Cavalry, a part of flie Army of the West. He par- ticipated in the Guntown expedition and the battle of Cupolo, Mississippi, as well as in many skirmishes of less importance. He was honoralily discharged at Davenport, Io\\-a, in Julv, 1S65. on account of the close of the war. He was in the hospital at Ham- burg for six weeks on account of poisoning, and was brought with others to the Estes House Hospital, at Keokuk, where he was treated for three months and then dis- charged in 1862. During his second en- listment he was under hospital treatment two months at Memphis, and was then trans- ported to the Simpson House Hospital, at Keokuk. . From this institution he was sent to Davenport, where he received his dis- charge as noted above. The sickness from which he suffered and from which he is still troubled, resulted from the poisoning al- ready noted, and assumes a form of epilepsy. On account of this serious disability he is a pensioner of the United States,, and well deserves every cent he receives from the hands of a grateful country. !\Ir. Simpson enlisted in the Regular Army at the close of the war. and was sta- tioned at Fort W'adsworth, Dakota, then on the fru" frontier. The soldiers were verv much occupied for some months in keeping the hostile Indians from predatory ex- cursions into Minnesota. They burnt brick and built houses at the Fort. He was in the Regular .Army for three years, nine months of 'wliich were spent in Galveston, Texas. After the expiration of his military' service Mr. Simpson presently came back to Montrose, and was aigaged for some years in hotel work, also being employed in the sawmill four summers and three winters, then taking up again the hotel work, which he followed for a time. He became dis- abled and for five years was an inmate of the Soldiers's Home, at Marshalltown, Iowa. \\'hen this period had passed he was given a pension, and with the bounty of the government came back to Montrose, where he bought a home, and has since led a quiet life. For twentv years or more he has not beai able to do a stroke of work. He ov.ns a place on First street, which com])rises a half block. He boards with the family that live in the house. He is a mem- ber of T\\) Best Post. Xo. 73. Grand Army of the Republic, where he now holds the position of Officer of the Day. In religious matters he is associated with the Reorgan- ized church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints, which he serves as a deacon of the Montrose branch. In politics he was form- erly a Democrat, but of late years has voted the Republican ticket as the party for a poor and laboring man. Mr. Simpson has been much handi- capped in life by a frail physique, and his poor parentage. He has had to work out from childhood, a fact that interfered with his early schooling. His memories are vivid and interesting. He has recollections of the mob of 300 who came to drive the Mormons out of Nauvoo in 1846, and burning of the Mormon Temple at Nauvoo, in November, 184S, which was attended by some 20,000 LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 445 people. \\"hen the Temple \\as burned the light was so bright at Montrose that one could see to piek a pin from the ground. The Icarians. a communist organization, came from France, and they proposed to restore the Temple as a place of worship, but it was destroyed by a cyclone. The Icarians left, and their place was taken by a Gennan set- tlement. At the present time nearly all the Nauvoo country is' occupied by Germans and their descendants. JOHN HARDWICK. John Ilardwick, who is one of the older residents of Montrose, and a most active and enthusiastic worker in the local organiza- tion of the Grand Army of the Republic, comes of an old Kentucky family long estab- lished in the "dark and bloody hunting ground." His ancestors have left traditions of their experiences in those far-away days when the beautiful and inxiting forests of that region rang with the war cry of the savage, and the wild beast, and the wilder man of the wil- derness made life a perpetual round of dan- gers. Now a land of peace, song and stor\' keep green the memories of the old pioneers who fought their way to the possession of a land fair and fertile after many years of blood and strife. John Hardwick himself knew little of this, as he was removed to the Indiana shore when Init a I)abe, and reared in a more settled community. It is, however, in his blood, and he is proud of what his forefathers did in reclaiming the wilderness and making jiossible the great state. John Hardwick was Ijorn in Kentucky, November 13. 1834, a son of Ivlw.-ird Hard- wick, who was born in Kentucky, and of Mattie Hooker. His parents were married in that state, but early removed to Indiana, where they found a home in L'lark countv, where the father devoted part of his time to farming. Our subject learned the har- ness trade at Lexington, Indiana, at which he worked five years. He served in the Ci\'il \\'ar, and was company saddler while in the army. The mother brought the family to Lee county, Iowa, and settled them on a farm, while the father remained in Indiana. Init after the passing of a year or more re- turned to him. They removed to Lee county in 1851. John Hardwick was married March 4, 1855, to Miss Martha A. Scott, a native of Wheeling. West Virginia, where she was born in 1839. Her parents made the journey liy Ijoat to Lee county in 1847. ^^^'" father, Luke Scott, was born in Maryland, and Rachel Frazier, her mother, was a na- tive of Virginia, where they were married. He was a farmer at this time. Mr. Hardwick was engaged in farming for a time after his marriage, and was then appointed mail carrier from Keokuk to Charleston, Charleston to Bentonport, and Charleston to Franklin, making his trips sometimes on horseback, and sometimes by teams, though hiring much of this work 446 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW done, and taking star route contracts from the government. He and his brother, Mitchell, were engaged on different routes by way of Keokuk, Montrose, Keosauqua and ]\Iuunt Pleasant daily, l)y way of Salem. In 1864 Mr. Hardwick enlisted in Com- pany C, Third Iowa Cavalry, having Wil- liam Wilson for captain and a Mr. Noble for colonel. The field of service for the command was extensive, covering Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri and West Virginia, fighting weeks at a time for day and night. Mr. Hard- wick was company saddler, while in the service. He participated in important en- gagements in Guntown, Salina, and Ripley, Mississippi. Much of their service was on the skirmish line around Memphis. At Guntown the regiment met a severe defeat, and there Mr. Hardwick received a wound that nearly cost him his life, being struck on the head by an exploding shell, a piece of which struck him on the left side and that part of his head is still insensible to feeling. A gunshot grazed his left wrist and right arm, but he had no hospital record. At one time he had the measles and was assigned to the hos- pital, l)ut escaped by eluding the guard, and sought his tent. He was marked on the records as a deserter, but was pardoned by Colonel Noble, and missed no fight in which his command was engaged, though not obliged to bear arms because of his position as company saddler. His service with the company covered about nineteen months in all, at the hardest time of the war. When the strife had ended and the great host dissolved in peace, Mr. Hardwick en- gaged in farming in Pike county, Mis- souri, where he owned a farm on which he spent three years. In 1869 Mr. Hardwick returned to Keokuk, Lee county, and here he remained a year. In 1870 he came to Montrose under engagement with Healy, Felt & White, to take charge of the ex- tensive staljles connected with their saw- mill, and for many years Jie had the care of over thirt)' horses. Since 1882 he has been unable to work, and "has taken life easy," as the saying is. His home is in the village of Montrose, and he has built the most of it himself. Here he owns four lots and is (|uite fore-handed. As already noted, Mr. Hardwick is a devoted member of the Grand Army of the Republic, being sergeant of the Tip Best Post, No. 75, and is a constant attendant at state and county encampments. His wife was a charter member of the Woman's Re- lief Corps, an organization not now in ex- istence. In politics he is a Republican. Edward Hardwick, the father of the subject of this sketch, served in tlie Black Hawk War, and his son, Pliram, served in the Mexican War. This son is now living in Pike county, Missouri, and has attained the age of seventy-six years. Mr. and Mrs. John Hardwick are the parents of five children : William M., general manager of a grocery business, mar- ried IMiss Bertha Jones, of San Francisco, and is the father of one child, Perry E. ; Ida Belle, the wife of Seth A. Beemer, of Aimer, Ontario, and the mother of four children. Ivy B., Emory, Delia and Gile.sbie H. Mr. Beemer is in the employ of a canning com- pany. Perry E., twice married, but has lost LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 447 both wives In- death. He is the father of two chikh-eii. Mamie D. and Ida B., and is now employed in a mill at \"ictoria, Louis- iana, as a sawyer. John E., a resident of Kansas City, is unmarried. Delia May, wife of C. W. Ivendall, of Montrose, a carpenter, and now marshal and street supervisor by appointment. The motherless children of Perry Hardwick are with their grand-par- ents. Mr. and Mrs. John Hardwick. where they ha\-e a pleasant and happy home. The subject of this sketch lived in 1862 and 1863 in Salem, Henrv' county, where he ran a stage route. WHiile there he fed a company of recruits for the Union army three weeks. Both he antl his excellent lady are highly respected by all who know them. They are closely connected with the Meth- odist church, though never formally uniting with it, and are numbered among its most earnest supporters. JACOB YOTTER. Jacob Yotter, who is a ])rominent retired contractor of Fort Madison, deserves a place in this volume of history because of the fact that, starting alone in the world, and working his way without any outside aid and without any 'other capital than his own ability, industry and determined purpose, he has raised himself to a respected place in the community and achieved success of a substantial character. Born in Byrne, Ger- many, October 15, 1835, he came to Amer- 27 ica with his parents when about nine years of age. The voyage was made in a sailing \essel, and occupied forty days. The family first stopped at Keokuk, Lee county, and went thence to Charleston, where tlie father bougth a farm. ]\lr. 'S'otter, the father, died in \\'est Point in 1864, and is buried in the city cemetery at that place, and the mother is buried at Warsaw, Indiana. The early boyhood of Jacob Yotter was ])assed on the farm, and there he grew up in the accpiircnicnt of those habits of thought and action which pro\-ed invaluable to him in his after life. With a view, how- e\er, to broadening his field of activity, he left the farm at the age of fifteen years and began to learn a trade — that of brickmason. At this and similar work he continued to employ himself successfully until about three years ago, when he was obliged bv the du- ties of pul)lic office to devote his time to other affairs in the interest of the city. He first located at West Point, where he lived for three years, working at his trade. In 1888 he came to Fort Madison, where he built a home at 821 Sixth street, and here, for more than sixteen years, he has been in business as a carpenter, and while amas- sing for himself a goodly share of materia! wealth, has erected a large number of public edifices, which add to (he appearance and reputation, and consequently the prosperity, of his adopted city. Specimens of his work are the two church structures of the Metho- dist Episcopal denomination. ,i> well as that of the Engli.sh Lutherans, in Fort Madison, and the convent at Xauvoo, Illinois. He has Iniilt in all about fifteen churches and a num- ber of residences. The volume of his busi- 448 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEIV ness was always so large that he was com- pelled to employ constantly a force of five or six experiencerl workmen. Mr. Yotter was married in September. i860, at West Point, to Miss Anna Carston. Thirty-one years of wedded life were theirs ere her death occurred at Fort Madison in the year 1901. Five children survive her, as follows : Frank, who married Miss Min- nie Robers. of Hannibal. Missouri, and fol- lows his father's trade ; Charles, who mar- ried Miss Gussie Best, and has his home in Indiana ; George, who married Minnie Deloshman, of Fort Madison ; John, located in Minnesota; Sophy, and Rosena, who is employed as a clerk in Eitman's shoe store. One incitlent of our subject's career is worthy of mention as showing his willing- ness to perform any duty which may appeal to him as for the public good. During the Civil War he was sw(irn into the service of the United States at Nash\ille, Tennessee, and was with the Union troops for one year, acting as blacksmith's helper. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in j)olitics gives his support to the Democratic party. Fraternally he is con- nected with the .Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has never sought public of- fice, but during his residence at West Point was called by his fellow citizens to serve them in the office of alderman, and three years ago was appointed b}- the city council of Fort Madison to be street commissioner for this cit}-. which position he still occupies. In 1900 Mr. Yotter met with a most regretable accident in the form of a fall on an ice-covered sidewalk, which caused a sprained wrist, and later resulted in bone cancer which made necessary the amputation of the arm at the elbow. In other respects, however, he is perhaps a better specimen of physical manhood than most others of his age, and the high standard of his character is attested by the fact that of him all good men speak well. It is with pleasure that this sketch of his life is here presented. CHARLES KAMMERER. The Kammerer family has long been represented in the business and social circles of Lee county, by men of solid worth and character, not inclined perhaps to show and display but honest and upright. The name was known here as early as 1847. •I'lfl *'^''"" ing the almost sixty years now intervening it has been kept clean and free from stain. Charles Kammerer was born in Dela- ware, Ohio. February 12, 1846, and is a son of Gotlieb and Dorathea (Conrad) Kam- merer. The father was born in G.ermany, where he was reared in what was once the Kingdom of Wurtemberg. He early emi- grated to this country, and in 1843 made his home in Ohio, then the favored resort of home-seekers from the old world. In 1847 ^■'^ joined the westward-moving throng of pioneer settlers and located himself and his family in Lee county, where he spent the remainder of his days. I'or many years he followed the butcher trade, in which he was cjuite successful, accumulating a very comfortable competence, and commanding LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 449 the confidence and respect of all who knew him. He died December i. 1888, and his widow the following year. Charles Kammerer for a time followed in his father's footsteps and was also a butcher, and for a period of four years was associated in that business with a Mr. Bues- clier. Thinking an out-of-door occupation would be better for him. in company with his brother .\Jbert. he carried on the family homestead for four years, and then with this same brother he went into a InUcIier shop in l^^ort Madison. This was an under- taking which pnned liighlv successful, and tlie two brothers were still together in busi- ness when Charles died. September 10, 1896. Mr. Kammerer was a Democrat, and took a somewhat prominent part in local af- fairs. He lield the ])r>sition i)f trustee of Green Bay townshi]) for two terms, and was looked upon as one of the leading spirits at the various gatherings of the faithful of the party. The subject of this sketch was married February 11, 1879, to Miss Amalie Lach- man. She was born in Erie county. New ^'ork, and is a daughter of Edward and Anna (Bruhne) Lachman. both nati\es of < iormauy. but married in the Citv of New York. Of their four children, Mrs. Kam- merer is tlie eldest. Mr. and Mrs. Kam- merer were the parents of four children who are now living, and une child who died an infant. The t'our living children are as follows: llenr\- G., Xelson C, Lena D. and 1 larry E. -Mrs. Kammerer still survives and is the recipient of tender care and solicitude fnim a wide circle of friends and relatives. She is a lady of more than the usual force of character, and her kindly disposition and ready sympathies make her a strong figure m llie ciimmunUx-. HON. JAMES BL.\KENY PEASE. Of recent years there has arisen a wide- spread discussion concerning the question of what really constitutes success, and while some aspects of the matter seem destined to remain unsettled, all ages and peoples have agreed that there are two modes of action which are entitled to the name "success" be- yond dispute. The first of these is a life of piety and honesty, and the second is a career of distinguished service to the state or na- tion. To both of these the Hon. James Blakeny Pease has conscientious! v and in- telligently de\-oted himself throughout the course of his long and useful life. He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, January 24, 1817, tiie son of Andrew and Mary (Blakeny) Pease. The t'alher was born in Maryland, and as a boy was brought by his father, Nicholas Pease, to Washing- ton county in 1769. Nicholas, the grand- f.ather. was born in Germany; came tn the I'm'ted States when seventeen years of age, and reared a familv in Washington county. There the father nl our subject was often engaged in garrison duty as a protection to his community against the raids of the In- 450 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW dian savages, and at one time took part in a liattle of some importance at Sandusky, Ohio, June 4. 1782. He passed his hfe as a farmer in Washington county. His second wife, who became the mother of Hon. James P. Blakeny Pease, was Mary Blak- eny, daughter of James Blakeny, who was of Irish descent, and who married Ruth Drennan in Ireland, later coming to Amer- ica, and making his home in Washington county. Nicholas Pease was a communicant of the Lutheran church ; Andrew adopted the Presbyterian faith, in which his wife, Mary Blakeny. was reared. James Blakeny Pease was educated in the select and common schools, taking his Latin in the former. He was his father's assistant in the duties of the farm until the death of his parent in 1844, when he mar- ried Miss Elizabeth McCullough. They continued to li\e upon the home farm until 185 1, when they removed to Lee county, Iowa, and settled in Marion township. There the wife died in 1856, leaving five children, of whom three survive, the eldest son, Samuel (j., having died of typhoid fever at Memphis, Tennessee, during the Civil War. Those living are : Frances M., widow of HeiHW V. Evans; Anna B., wife of Leblieus Clark, of Mills county, Iowa, and John McCullough, of Cedar township, Lee count3^ On coming to Iowa Mr. Pease bought a farm of 320 acres, vipon which he lived until 1865, when he sold it, and the following year purchased a fine grain and fruit farm in Van Buren county. In 1859 he married Miss Catherine L. Crawford, who died in 1865. The ensuing fifteen years were de\'oted to agricultural pursuits at the farm in \'an Buren county. In 1880 Mr. Pease purchased a home in Fort Madison, and here he has since continued to reside. He has been engaged in manufacturing to some extent, but has now retired from ac- tive business. In politics Mr. Pease was reared as a Democrat, and has continued throughout his life a firm adherent of the political tenets of Thomas Jefferson. He has served his [larty and his state in prominent and import- ant capacities, and few men are better known in the state of Iowa for zeal and devotion to the public welfare than James B. Pease. Few men have done more effective service in placing the commonwealth in that proud position which she ocaipies today among her sister states. In 1856 he was elected to represent Lee county in the state legislature, and in 1873 was elected from Van Buren county to the state senate on the Anti-Mo- nopoly ticket. While a member of the legis- lature he held the position of chairman of the Committee of Reform Schools, and took a leading part in the regulation and better- ment of those institutions. Another service for which he merits peculiar honor was the ]jart he played in the support of the bill to regulate the exorbitant charges of railroad companies. Since 1880 he has not been especially active in politics, but has, however, served a number of terms as justice of the peace in Fort Madison. October 17, 1867, Mr. Pease married Mrs. Catherine Brownlee, nee Clark. Cath- erine Clark was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, December t6, 1826. She was a daughter of Joseph and Catherine LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 451 ( Andrews) Clark. Her grandfatlKT was Josepli Clark, a pioneer of Washington county, rennsylvania. There tiie father of Mrs. Pease li\e(l and died, he heing a farmer all his life. Mrs. Pease was edu- cated in W'asiiington Seminary, and was first married to Mr. Samuel T. Brownlee, who died in March, 1854, leaving three children: Xelson, who lives upon the old homestead; Adeline, now Mrs. Colin M. Reed, of Washington, Pennsylvania, and Samuel, a farmer of Lee county, Iowa. The\- are memhers of the Preshyterian church, of wiiich our suhject has been an elder for forty-tive _\ears, he having lieen a charter member of Sharon congregation, and being the only one of the eight original members now li\-ing. He organized the congregation in 1851, and helperl to build the church edifice. There he was elected an elder, and has served in the same capacity in i'ort Madison since 1880. Here he as- sisted in the building of the present church. During his earlier years he acted as Sunday- -■cliool superintendent and as teacher in the prison Sunday-school, at this place. In \'an Burcn county Mr. Pease was one of the or- ganizers of the Cirange. At the present time his principal work, outside the home, is the service of the church. To correctly esti- mate the life work of Mr. Pease would be to determine his usefulness in many lines of activity, for business, civil and religious in- terests have all been promoted through his labors, ])rofited by his wise judgment and benefited by his championship. To him justly belongs the distinction of being called one of the most representative men and hon- ored citizens of Fort Madison. W. C. WILLARD. W. C. Willard, a well-known and highly successful farmer of W'ashington township, Lee county, Iowa, is a native son of his township, where he was born April 18, 1859, the son of Sidney R. and Angelina (Rich- ards) U'illard. Mr. Willard received his early education in the district public schools and also attended Denmark .\cademy, mean- while learning thoroughly and in detail the management and work of his father's farm, a branch of his training which was destined to play a large part in the success which he afterward achieved. When twenty-two years of age he removed to the City of Des Moines, where he engaged in the real-estate business for two years, the first year being spent in erecting buildings which were dis- posed of the second year at considerable profit. Thereafter he reni;iined at the \ya- rental home until his twenl\-eighth year, at the same time, however, cultivating his farm, and this has since been the principal business to which he has dexoted his abilities. Mr. Willard has added greatly to his original farm, until now he owns 130 acres in the farm on which he resides and in ad- (litii>n 404 acres on sections u, 13 and 14. a total of 535 acres of extremely high-grade farnn'ng lands which compare favorably for productive quality with any in Lee county or southern Iowa .and constitute him one of the i)rincipal landhoklers of this section. Here he conducts general farming oper- ations on an extensive scale and engages largely in cattleraising and feeding, apply- ing to the care and proniotion of iiis v;ist 452 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW interests tlie latest approved and scientific metliods and manifesting a thoroughly mod- ern spirit tiiat accounts in some measure for the gratifying resuhs which he has been able to obtain. When he purchased the home farm it was unimproved, but he at once erected the necessary buildings, put up fences and made main- other important alterations, to which he has since added very materially in many respects. He re- moved to tlie farm soon after his marriage, and has made this his place of residence continuously since. On September 26, 1888, he was united in marriage to Miss Frankie Shephard, a native of Green Bay townshi]5, Lee county, and daughter of John H. Shephard. Mrs. Willard was educated in Knox College, after which she successfully pursued for a time the profession of teaching, and is a lady of many social graces, enjoy- ing jiopularity among a large circle of friends. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Wil- lard has been graced by the birth of two chil- dren, these being Helen Effie. born April 21. 1892, and Clarence Shephard, born July 16, 1898. Mr. Willard has ever exhibited a praise- worthy devotion to all worthy causes, and • is a generous contributor to the work of the church, being a member of Lost Creek Christian church, as is also Mrs. Willard. In his party affiliations he is a member of the Democratic party, in which he is a prominent and well-known worker, having at one time been elected to the highest office in the gift of his trjwuship, that of trustee, in which his business ability was employed to the benefit of his constituents. In the attainment of his present prosperous estate he has had many obstacles to overcome, and what he has accomplished has been done without assistance, being entirely the result of his own force of character, so that he is fully deserving of that old but expressive title of self-made man. These facts in his career ha\'e made him man)- admirers, while his genial disposition and absolute integrity and fairness in .all his dealings have won for him the general respect and a large num- ber of sincere friends. HENRY CATTERMOLE. Henry Cattermole, whose name holds a prominent place in the early annals of Fort Madison. Iowa, and who has now passed to his reward, was born in London. England. September 10. 1803. a son of William and Susan (Thompson) Catter- mole. His parents reared to maturity a family of eight children, five of whom came to the United States, and all of whom are now dead. At an early age Henry Cattermole learned the butcher trade, which he followed until his coining to the United States in 1825. On arrival on these shores he was for a time engaged in a mercantile enterprise at Rochester, New York. This pro\'ed ur.- successful, largely owing to his C(Mifidence in pretended friends, liy whom he was grossly deceived, if not robbed. In 1830 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where two years later he was married to Miss Eliza- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 453 beth Cattermole, a sister of Arthur C. Cat- temiole. wliose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. She was a lady of many ex- cellent traits, and the union proved in every way a happy one. Mr. Cattermole was here engaged in a mercantile husiness. which proved fairly successful, Init which, how- ever, he disposed of to take up a similar un- dertaking at Appanoose, Illinois, where he remained until 1841. That year marked his location in Fort Madison, Iowa, where he set up a dry goods and pork-packing estah- lishment. This proved largely successful and grew upon his hands troni year to year to such an extent that in 1859 he formed with his brother-in-law. .\rthur C. Catter- mole, the mercantile tirm of H. & A. C. Cattermole, a firm which had an exceed- inglv creditable history, and which con- tinued unbroken until 1871, when the senior member of the firm retired in favor of Arthur C. Cattermole. This was done largely on account of the infirmities of ad- vancing age, though other interests were also intluential in inducing him to retire from the packing house. .\s early as 1856 Mr. Cattermole had demonstrated a financial ability that made its impression on the banking interests of the city and that year he connected himself with the banking house of Knapp & Eaton. In 1858, when that institution gave way to the Fort Madi.son branch of the State Bank of Iowa, and tlie i'ort Madison National Bank was organized, he became one of the original stockholders of the last-named cor- poration, and served as one of its directors imtil January 30, 187J. 'i'hat }ear its char- ter was suspended, and the Hank of Fort Madison was organized under the state law. Mr. Cattermole was one of its original stockholders, and later became its sole pro- prietor. It was very successfully conducted by him until .\pril 6, 1875, when he sold it to Charles Brewster and Joseph .V. Smith. .\fter thus disposing of the Bank of b'ort Madison Mr. Cattermole, in comjjany with others, the following year organized the German-.\merican Bank, with himself as its president, and his cousin and brother-in- law. A. C. Cattermole, as the vice-president, positions they both retained as long as they li\ed. Mr. Cattermole was universally con- ceded to be one of the substantial men of Lee county, and was highly regarded alike for his known integrity, his genial spirit, and his generous heart. In early life he was associated with the Whig party, but on the formation of the Republican party he became one of its zealous and active workers. In his later years, however, he was a Democrat. Ever a firm Ijeliever in the religion of Jesus Christ, Mr. Cattermole lived a life that l)rought no blush of shame to his professed faith. He was an attendant and a liberal su])porter of the Episcoprd church. Upon his death, Mr. Cattermole left in his will the sum of $10,000 for the building of a training school. As the sum was not sufficient to meet the re(|uirements of the be(|uest this section of the will was set aside. and his widow later put u]) a beautiful li- brary Ijuilding, which with its contents and equipment cost $30,000. It was erected in 1893, and is called the "Cattermole Me- morial Librarv." It is a neat ami attractive 454 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW luiilding. and is greatly admired by all who visit the city with an interest in the iiigher things of life. Mrs. Cattermole was much interested in its construction, but was called home before it was finally completed. Her last words were: "I wish that I could see it." It is of brick construction, and stands on Pine street, between Second and Third streets. Air. and Mrs. Cattermole were people of the best character, the kindliest spirit, and ever regarded themselves as accountable to Almighty God for the proper use of the wealth He had put into their liands. EDWARD HILLS BROWN. It was a boast of old that if the moun- tainous states of New England were of lit- tle value when considered from an agricul- tural point of view, they were of great value in raising men. And truly the men that New England has contriliuted to the making of the W^est have been of the large-hearted and the strong-brained order, men of might and men of mind, and who can tell the story of their achievements in these va.st regions taat are Udw great and p(i])ulous states! What would Minneapolis be withmit the State of Maine? Or southeastern Iowa without its splendid draughts of manhood from New^ Hampshire and Vermont? Of a thousand communilies in the West the same thing is true, — the men of thought and action, the strong and forceful pioneers were born and bred in the rough and rocky East. Among them is not to be lightly reck- oned the esteemed and honorable man, Edward Hills Brown, whose name intro- duces this article. Mr. Brown, long a resident of Denmark township, and now living in the village of that name, was born in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, May 9, 1836, a son of William and Lucy (Taylor) Brown, both born and bred in that state. The year of his birth his parents sought a home in Iowa, arriv- ing here October 26, 1836, making the jriur- ney with a two-horse carriage. They were a little over six weeks on the road. Im- mediately on Iiis arrival he entered upon government land and eventually became one of the largest land owners of the county, and at the time of his death, which occurred in January, 1877, being worth over $30,000. In his native state he had been a merchant, but misfortunes had attended him and he had ccnne a poor man to the land of promise. He lived to seventy years of age, and his widow, who survived him many years, was almost ninety when she was called away. He was devoted to farming and the dairy in- terests, and in the early days ran a thresh- ing outfit so that he was familiarly known as "old thre:-her Brown." Coming as he did from the moral heart of the country, it was to be expected that he should take strong ground as a determined opponent of human slavery. This he did, and was for years an earnest and enthusiastic abolition- ist. ' In religion he was a member of the Congregational church. Of the eiHit children born to William LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 455 ami Lucy Brown, four were Ixiys and tour were girls : \\'illiani died at the age of sixty- three; Charles has his home in Alabama; Edward Hills forms the subject of this biography; George, torn in Lee county, is now dead; Eliza is Mrs. Day; Harriet mar- ried Newton Mills and lives at Houston. Texas, where he has a very valuable busi- ness; Lucy lives with her sister; Ellen S. married a Mr. Tibbetts, and has her home in Eldon, Iowa. Edward Hills Brown received his edu- cation largely in the district school, though he was for some time a student in Denmark Academy, an institution quite ni>ted in the early days as a school of high grade, and the finishing "alma mater" of many of the young people, who were afterward to be- come famous in local or general affairs. \\'hile still quite a lad he was acti\-e in help- ing his father bring their prairie farm under cultivation, and make it productive of ease and comfort. .Vfter the fashion of the times he mjirried early, becoming a husband when only about twenty years of age. His wife, Ellen Dudley, was born in New Hampshire and came into Lee county when she was sixteen years of age. To this union were born the following children; Arthur .\.. who lives at Summer, Missouri, and is the father of a family of four children : ("lar- ence, also a resident of Missouri, has a fam- ily of six children; Ettlee married William Taylor, and is now a widow with three chil- dren living; Charles lives in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where he follows the occupation of a well digger, and is the father of five chil- dren. Mrs. Brown died in 1888. and her ashes are interred in the local cemetery. Mr. lirown was married a second time, ]\Irs. .\nn .M,. widow of John M. Deimer, becoming his wife. Mr. Deimer was a l)lacksmith by trade, and was working in the town at the time of his death. To this marriage were I)orn : Louis P., now a resi- dent of Mt. Pleasant, and the father of one child: .\Il)ert John and Cora Elizabeth, who are at home. After his first marriage Mr. lirown rented a farm, which be afterward bought. He sold it in T863, antl with his wife and two children went to Denver, Colorado. In crossing the plains he saw only two small herds of Ijuffaloes, though he was six weeks on the wa}-. He remained in the mountains only one summer, and while there was en- gaged in brickmaking, which proved then more profitable thaa gold digging. When he came back to Lee county, after his wife's death, he bought a place in the \illage and gave up acti\'e farming. In politics he al- ways took a very independent position, and voted for the men he thought most qualified to meet the duties of the positions they sought. In religion he has associated him- self with the .\(lvent body, and early united with the church of that faith at Mt. Pleasant. Mr. Brown was very early an advocate of the dairy interest as a relief for the farm- ers who suffered greatly from the low price of grain, and the excessive cost of transpor- tation. As early as 1856 he ran a cheese factory that required the milk of a hundred cows for its successful operation, and for more than thirty years he was devoted to this progressive enterprise. Though not now in active business he is still prominent 456 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW in all local affairs and his experienve and standing-, together with his well-known probity, give weight to all he says. ROBERT CHESTNUT. Robert Chestnut is the name of a vener- able resident of Lee county, Iowa, whose home is on section ^i- of Green Bay town- ship, where he is now passing the closing years of an unusually protracted and useful life. Far down the hill the shadows fall and stretch away behind, yet his heart still sings of vouth, and the crown of years rests but lightly on him. Though his life is a link to bind us to the remote past, he is still hale and hearty and bears himself with that vigor and buoyancy that mark a peculiar \-itality. His natural force is still unabated, and his mind clear and vigorous; so that conversation with him' is a privilege and an instruction. Such men are rare in any com- munity, and especially so in any region where a single life may unite the wilderness and the pcDpled state, so that always they are reverently regarded by the thoughtful. Mr. Chestnut was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, May 20, 181 1, a son of Andrew and Mary Chestnut. He lived in his native county until the month of March. 1824, when he removed to Burling- ton. Iowa, coming by way of the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers to that city at a time when it consisted of a single frame house and a few shanties. With two other men he went to Augusta, where the three put up a saw and gristmill on the Skunk river. Be- fore coming to this county he had learned the carpenter trade, a business much in de- mand in a new country. After the construc- tion of the mill he put himself up a carpen- ter shop and prepared to follow his trade. A sudden rise in the river swept it away, and Mr. Chestnut was so discouraged at the unexpected reverse that he gave up all thought of immediate resumption of work at his trade, and coming into Green Bay township bought the improvements a settler had made on section 2,-' and when the land came into market he secured it, and be- came the owner of a fine farm of 120 acres. In 1836 he completed the title, and has since made his home here, though for a number of years he worked at his tratle in Augusta. In later years when carpenters became nu- merous and wages fell away to \'en' small figures he gave up the trade and devoted himself entirely to his farming operations which, taken together, have proved highly remuncratixe and satisfactory. The present house which he makes his home was built by Mr. Chestnut in 1850, prior to which a log cabin answered for family shelter. The orchard which has flourished for so many years he brought from Pennsylvania, to which state he had returned for a \'isit in 1830. and carrying back to his pioneer home buth seetls and sprouts, out of which came in time a mag- nificent fruitage that was the delight of the country for miles around. .Xnidug the memories that crowd the mind of Mr. Chestnut are those of Indians in the earlv (ku'S. He has seen at one time LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 457 as many as twenty canoes going up the Skunk river, and, though they were un- (louhtedly friendly, it was a thrilling sight to contemplate them as representatives of a fast-vanishing race. It is possible that they seldom presented themselves to the pioneers in that light. Rather at their best they were a nuisance: and at their worst, "painted and hideous devils, just let loose from hell." Mr. Chestnut has seen and talked with Keokuk and Black Hawk. With the latter he made the journey from St. Louis to Burlington on the steamboat, and Keokuk was the first In- dian he ever saw. When he first came to Lee county game was scarce, as the Indians had driven it away by their close hunting. The skeletons of elks and Iniffaloes were still numerous, and he says he was here a year l)efore he saw a rabl)it. Mr. Chestnut was married in August, 1838, to Miss Mary Haynes, and to their union were born three l)oys and three girls, of whom only two are now living: Na- poleon B., who lives upcMi the farm and is engaged in its cultivation : Llden Lore mar- ried Matilda Farmer, and is a resident of Coloraflo: his wife is now devoting herself to the care of her \enerable father-in-law, whose own wife passed to her final rest in the month of January, igoo. Her ashes re- pose in the Tierney cemetery. Mr. Chest- nut is a Democrat, and is ])ri)U(l nf the fact thai his first presidential \iitc was cast f shirk hard work or avoid his full share 458 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW of the labor to be done. He has been prudent and economical, and while not mis- erly or stingy, he has never shown any dis- position to waste his money in foolish ex- travagance. He has kept his word and his pledge has been like a bond. Kind to the poor, and with an ear always open to the cry of the needy, he has ever been a good neigh- bor, a generous friend and an upright citi- zen. These are the virtues that belong to the Saxon lilood, and these characterize the career of the man whose life deeds and achievements are the subject of this bio- grajjhical history. Julius Richhorn. a prominent farmer and breeder of Percheron horses for twenty- two years, and a respected citizen of West Point township, Lee county, Iowa, has his home on section t2, of that township, was born in this same part of the county wliere he now lives, on section 7, August 28, 185 1, a son of Charles and Barbara (Holzberger) Eichhorn, Ijoth of whom were born in .Sax- ony, Germany, though married in the Ignited States. The father was highly educated in music, and well versed in the classics, lieing far above the common run in the extent and variety of his information, his strength of character and refinement of, soul. He came to this Country in \^'t,^. making the ocean voyage in a sailing vessel, a trip that was slow and dangerous, being more than six months on the water. His feet first pressed American soil in the City of Xew ^'ork, where, however, he did not remain but jour- neyed at once to Saginaw, Michigan, where for two years he was employed in a brewery. For about the same period he lived in Bur- lington, Iowa, after which he piu-chased 150 acres of partly improved land in West Point township, Lee county, and here he spent the balance of his days in its cultivation. He lived to be a \ery old man, and kept his health and strength to the last, the direct cause of his death was the effect of a kick received from a horse when be was over eighty-five years of age. Charles Eichhorn was accompanied in his removal to America by his father and mother, then both advanced in years. They died in Lee county and were buried in the West Point cemeten.'. Charles Eichhorn was a hard-working man, antl passing through the hardships of the early days came out well and strong, and possessing a fine farm. Of a fine character and a social spirit he was popular with his neighbors, and had many friends in the community. Before coming to this country he taught the violin, of which he was a master, and after his arrival in this county was a leader of the band that on many occasions furnished music for Joe Smith and the Mormons. He was well acquainted with Smith, and also with both Black Hawk and Keokuk, cele- brated Indian chiefs. He served in the militia as a private, and assisted in the ex- pulsion of the Mormons from \auvoo and Illinois at the crdl of the go\-ernnient. In the early days he had many exciting ex- periences, and his family still preserve his rifle, his faithful friend in times of trial and danger. In early life he was a Democrat, later he became a Whig, and in the or- ganization of the Republican party, became its ardent supporter. To Charles and Barbara Eichhorn were born the following children: Henry and LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 459 Adolphus, who are dead; Julius is tlie sub- ject of tliis sketch; .\melia, who is dead, and August were twins ; Edward ; Charles, who is dead, and Barbara. Both father and mother are now dead, and the green grass wa\es over their gra\es in the West Point cemetery. ?Ie was over eighty-five, and she also lived to advanced years, when they died. Julius Eichhorn received his education in the local schools, and remained at home until he was o\-er thirty years of age. In 1 88 1 he was married to ^liss Anna Onstott, \\-ho was born upon the place they now oc- cupy as a home, on section u. ^\'est Point township, a daughter of John and Rachel (Bean) Onstott. of whom a sketch may be found on another page of this work, .\fter their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Eichhorn lived for eight years in Pleasant Ridge township, two years in Washington township, and then removed to Missouri, where they re- mained until 1901. That year they returned to West Point township, and settled where we find them today, living on what was the birthplace of Mrs. Eichhorn. Mr. Eichhorn has always owned the different farms on which he has lived, and he still owns the Missouri place, a finely cultivated farm of 240 acres, as he does the farm on which he makes his lnjme, which comjirises 171 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Eichhorn have one child. Ella, who is at home a bright young woman, a charming lielle of the community, and a great comfort to her parents" hearts. The family is associated with the Presbyterian church in Missouri, and in politics he is a Republican. His Missouri place he rents, and his own home farm he devotes to gen- eral agriculture, raising what seems to be in most demand, and always aiming to meet the market. Mrs. Eichhorn has her father living with her. and finds much ])leasure in ministering to his last days. The Eich- horns are good people, honest and substan- tial in ever\- way. and it is a pleasure to the historian to render them this sincere tribute of praise. JOHN ONSTOTT. John Onstott is one of the oldest citizens of Lee county, and was among its \ery early settlers, his residence here dating from 1835. In that time he has seen a revolution wrought in agricultural and industrial con- ditions as great as passing of the world from winter to summer. The old hard condi- tions that made life so dreary have passed away, and men who work have op])ortunity to breathe and enjoy the passing days. With what infinite labor was accomphshed the farm labor of the pioneer days! .\nd how easy the work of the farmer of the present day! A multitude of labor-saving devices and improved machinery are at his com- mand, lie rides where once he walked, and is at ease where once he did the hardest work. It is a new world in which the farmer lives, and "the end is not yet." John Onstott, who has passed through many strange and wonderful experiences in his seventy years in Lee county, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, January 22, 1820, a son of Henry and Rebecca Onstott. 460 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW The father was torn near Pittsburg. Penn- sylvania, and when quite young became a resident of Muskingum county, Ohio, where he spent his Hfe. The Onstott family is of German descent, and shows many of the characteristic traits of its ancestry in its in- dustry, integrity and moral worth. The subject of this writing was the sec- ond member of a family of five children born to his parents, all of whom are now living. His education was mainly secured in his native community, and in May, 1835, when he made his ad\-ent in Lee county, in company with his uncle, he was quite a strong and sturdy lad. The uncle made his home in West Point township, and here Jiihn Onstott attended school, making his home with his uncle until he started out for himself in 1840. He bought grain, and building a flat boat would descend the river with it to New Orleans, where lie would sell both grain and boat. Each trip would call for the building of a new boat. He spent several winters in New Orleans, and saw and learned much in that gay southern metropolis. He was in that city when peace was declared between Mexico and the United States, having with him 100,000 bu.shels of oats and 500 bushels of corn. .\t that time oats were ten cents a bushel and corn fifteen cents in Lee county, so a very handsome profit was his. In 1840 Mr. Onstott purchased the farm on which his son-in-law now resides, and li\c _\ears later he married Miss Rachel Bean, a native of Indi.ina and of English descent. She remained (in the farm as long as her husbantl continued on the river, and though she found it at times lonesome and discouraging she was determined that things should go well at home while he was build- ing the family fortunes in the river trade. In 1852 Mr. Onstott concluded to devote himself exclusively to the farm, which from that time has been his home. In 1850 he built the handsome brick edifice that has been the family home to the present time. His wife died in 1901, and all that is mortal was laid away to rest in Pitman cemetery^, an old burying ground of West Point town- ship. They were both devout members of the Methodist church, and during a long connection with that organization did much to increase its power and usefulness. He has been a Republican since 1855. Prior to that he had been a Democrat, but when the clea\-age of the country came according to the new ideas, he chose to vote with the progressive elements of the country, and voted for General Fremont. Mr. and Mrs. Onstott were the parents of a family of ten children, of whom eight are now living : James, of Des IMoines ; George, in Colorado: William, in Kansas; Samuel, at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa: Jasper L., in Xorwalk. Iowa: .\nna. the wife of Julius Eichhorn, of whom a sketch appears on another page : 'Robert, in Kansas: Mary, the wife of P. R. Bruce, of Palmyra. Iowa. Mr. Onstott began life with no capital but a strong heart, a clear brain and a good bodily endowment. He has been indus- trious, calculating and keenly ali\'e to all the possibilities opening before him, and he has achie\'ed a \ery fair comi)etence. As one of the .self-made men of the passing generation, he ])osscsses the respect of the community in which he lix^es to an uncom- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 461 nion degree, for his manly qualities and uii- right character are not questioned. Some eight years ago he injured his knees, since which he has been an invalid, and is com- pelled to depend uixm crutches for his move- ments about the house. DANIEL F. MILLER, Sr. Daniel F. Miller, Sr., was born in Mary- land in October, 18 14, his parents removing to Ohio while he was still young. His edu- cation was secured principally in the Ohio schools, and at Pittsburg where he attended school when about fifteen years old. For some three years he was a teacher in Alle- ghenv. and for some three years was en- gaged in reading law in the of^ce of an eminent lawyer of that date. In 1839 he removed from Pittsburg to Fort Madison, where he practiced his profession for twenty years, and then made Keokuk the scene of his professional activities. In 1843 he was elected to the General Assembly and in 185 1 was elected as a member of the national house of representatives, in which he served one term as a memljer of congress. At one time he was elected presidential elector, and was also a candidate for juflge of the su- preme court on the Democratic ticket. At one time he was a candidate for the United States Senate anrl was so voted for by the Democrats in the General .Vssembly, but as his party was in the minority was not elected. During his active career Mr. Miller had one of the largest criminal practices in the state, and his success was marked. He married Rebecca Phillips in 1841. in Pitts- burg, and became the father of ten children, of whom only four are now living. The life of Daxid V. Miller was as op- I)ortune as it was al)le. He was I)om into the world at a season befitting a nature that was adventurous, brave, enduring, loving and great-hearted. He was naturally equipped for a life of difficulties. The pio- neer era was comforting to liis sjiirit. and he engaged in it with the enthusiasm of the school boy. I'or half a centurv' he was a commanding figure in Town, and its law- making was largely influenced by him, as well as its law-giving ami its literature and morals. He was also a marked figure in its social life. In all of these he was a strong personality and his work was very strength- ening in its splendid example to all who cherished intelligent ideals. His heart was pure, his mind grand and intent, and his brain a lexicon and a cyclopedia. It was in literature that Mr. Miller manifested the possession of the \'ery highest powers. He was a great lawyer and jurist by profession; and, somewhat of necessity, in his profes- sional work there was a bare hint only of the imaginati\c facult)' that wonlfl have made him famous. .Ml his life he had but tnnched on the field of literature because he held to ideals that could not be cherished in any other manner. One can not go ;uiv\\hcre, ho\\e\'er. in American literature .and find ;i more perfect cxruuple of the exaltation of the Iiunian heart than is afforded by Mr. Miller's plain- 462 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW tive stor}' in verse of "The Indian Girl," "The Wild Rose," the object of the liter- ary passion of his youth, an ideal of natural and womanly loveliness, untouched by art or consciousness, and as pure as a dream of heaven. He was an artist of experience, and came from the puncheon seats of the country district school to give to the world some of the best examples of formative thought then in existence. He knew how to chasten, and how to prune, and how to modulate. He could make a classic with the stroke of a pen. His sentences were like the running water. All the good law libraries have his standard work on rhetoric, and it is a book that is frequently referred to by the courts. Intelligent men everywhere hold but one opinion as to its value. DANIEL F. MILLER, Jr. The legal profession in the City of Keo- kuk, Iowa, has long had a brilliant follow- ing, and some of its more distinguished representatives have won a national reputa- tion. Others, who have not been fortunate enough to attain so wide celebrity, have still been noted for their mastery of the funda- mental principles of their great work, and have been noted for their forensic ability, voluminous learning and analytic powers. The bar at Keokuk is regarded as second to none in the state, and there the gentleman with whose name this article begins occupies no subordinate place. He is prominent in the city as a lawyer who understands the principles of right and justice, and who may be depended upon to apply those principles as a matter of equity and right to the de- tails of common life. Courtly and urbane in his manner, his knowledge of the law is broad and accurate and his personal char- acter high. Daniel F. Aliller, Jr., was torn in Wash- ington township, Lee county, Iowa, May 27, T851, being a son of Daniel F. and Rebecca (Phillips) Aliller, and was taken by his par- ents in 1859 to live in Keokuk, where his earlier education was obtained in the public and private schools of that city. He was a student at a later period of the Christian Brothers' College at St. Louis, and also of the Iowa State University, from the law de- partment of which he graduated in due time. He immediately located at Fort Madison, where he established himself in the practice of his profession. Shortly afterwards, how- ever, he entered into professional associ- ations with AI. B. Davis, under the firm name of Davis & Miller, which became, some years later on the dissolution, the firm of Aliller & Sons, the subject of this sketch moving to Keokuk for the purpose of prac- ticing his profession in that city. Air. Aliller was elected county attorney in 1887, and the firm of Aliller & Sons was dissolved, to be reformed six years later, when Mr. Aliller retired from official posi- tion and resumed his practice. On re- ■ organizing the firm it was called Aliller & Son, and here Air. Aliller continued in his legal work until the death of his father, which occurred at Omaha, in December, i8ij5, whither he had gone to visit his chil- LEE COUNTY, lOlVA. 463 dren. Since that time Mr. Miller has prac- ticed law alone in Keokuk. His practice is a general one, and during his long and con- tinued career he has had a leading part in many of the more noted civil and criminal cases that ha\-e been tried before the courts in this part of the state. Mr. Miller enjoys the possession of a very complete library of legal works,- and his mind is thoroughly informed as to all legal propositions. His judgment com- mands the high esteem of both the bench and the bar, and there are few who can safely undertake to controvert his positions. He is a member of the Lee County Bar As- sociation where, as everywhere else, he is popular and respected. In religion he is a member of the Catholic church, and in poli- tics a Democrat. He is also associated with several fraternal orders of the city, where his genial character and companionable ways commanil a host of warm friends. Daniel F. Miller and Miss Lillie A. Archer were married February 27, 1878. She was born and reared in Keokuk, and is a daughter of Col. S. M. Archer, who com- manded tlie Seventeenth Iowa Infantry dur- ing the Civil War. He lived and died in Keokuk, where he sustained a high reputa- tion as a 1)usiness man. }.Ir. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of four children: Daniel F., who is now connected with the editorial de- partment of die Chicago Tribune; Mary Elizabeth ; .\rcher C, a student in the high school, and Lillian, also a student in the public school. The last three are at home, and all were bom in Keokuk. The son, whose career we ha\e some- what hastily noted in this article, is a worthy successor of his father and walks in 28 the s.ime broad way of professional ability, literary excellence and personal character. A brilliant name suffers no deterioration at his hands. SAMUEL F. RICHARDSON. It is indeed seldom that the pen of the historian is privileged to assume a more agreeable task than is here found in writ- ing the life chronicle of the subject of the present review, an old and highly respected citizen of Green Bay township, Lee county, Iowa, a man who has played a worthy part in the upbuilding of the community of which he is an honored member, and one whose ambitious and enterprising spirit has made him successful in all he has undertaken. Samuel F. Richardson was born February 6, 1833, in Miamitown, Hamilton county, Ohio, the son of David Richardson, the father was born in New Jersey and the mother, whose maiden name was Foster, \vas bom in Maryland. They were mar- ried in Hamilton county, Ohio, near Cin- cinnati, w hence they soon afterward removed to Hancock, Indiana, where they remained until 1846, and then came to Lee county, Iowa, locating upon a farm near Ivanhoe Park at Fort Madison. There David Rich- ardson purchased a farm of 262 acres at ten dollars an acre, and to this farm he devoted the efforts of his remaining years, placing it under cultivation and operating it very successfully. Samuel Richardson, our subject, was the 464 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW fifth of a family of six children, and was a child four years of age when he removed with his parents to Indiana, and but thir- teen years of age when he came with them to Lee county. He received a good com- mon-school education in the public schools, as well as a careful home training, and was reared to the business of farming, early learning its lessons thoroughly by hard prac- tical experience, f()llo\\ing the plow and the harrow and wielding the cradle and flail, tilling the soil, sowing the seed and reap- ing the ripened harvest in its season. Thus engaged in the occiipation which was to be his life work he continued until his twenty-first year, when, in company with a party of eleven others, he set out for the Pacific coast on a trad- ing expedition, taking with him a herd of 250 cattle for sale. Starting April 21. 1854, he traveled overland across the plains, ar- riving, on August 25, at Sacramento river, in California, where he disposed of his herd at a price exactly double the investment, and then made the return journey by ship to Aspinwall, across the Isthmus of Panama ■by rail, then by ship to New York, and thence through the Dominion of Canada by rail to Fort Madison, after having been absent for a year. Following this first independent and highly successful venture, Mr. Richardson worked on his father's farm for a year, at the end of which he bought a farm of 200 acres across the Mississippi river in Illinois, but after three years he sold it and removed to his present farm of 200 acres, which was formerly the property of his father-in-law, and here he has resided ever since. As a result of his intelligent efiforts and direction, the land has been brought under the rule of modem improvements, fine large barns and necessary buildings have been constructed on the farm, and an elegant and com- modious dwelling of brick has been erected, surrounded by beautiful grounds and stately shade trees. He has given much attention to fanning, and for many years has made a specialty of the rearing of thoroughbred Shorthorn cattle and high-grade Clydes- dale and Hambletonian horses, a pursuit wliich has made his stables famous far and near and in which he has done much to increase the reputation and prestige of these valuable breeds of stock in the middle West. On September 21, 1856, Mr. Richard- son was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Hyter, a daughter of Abraham and Nancy A. ( Phares) Hyter, who were natives of Maryland and New Jersey, respectively, but settled in Green Bay township in 1845, and here spent the rest of their lives. Mrs. Richardson, who is the only survivor of a family of eight brothers and sisters, was born in Dearborn county, Indiana. October I, 1833. To Mr. and Mrs. Richardson have been born four sons and five daughters, as follows : Angeline. who died in infancy ; Roscoe A., who is the present manager of his father's farm; William F., who died at the age of ten years ; Clement Clarence, who died when five years of age; Clara, whose death occurred in childhood ; Alice, who mari-ied Charles Willard, of Washington township, Lee county, and has one child. Earl Grover; Ida. deceased wife of Charles Parker, who is survived by a daughter, Lulu : and Caroline, wife of Clyde Sheppard, LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 465 who resides in Green Bav townsliip and has one son, Samuel Clyde. That Samuel Richardson enjoys the re- spect and confidence of his neiglibors and fellow citizens is amply evidenced by the fact that he has, on various occasions, been called upon to serve the public in numerous capacities of honor and trust, among these being the important office of trustee of Green Bay township, in which he gave an eminent!}' business-like and highly satis- factory administration, and he has also at the request of friends acted as director of the public schools, an office in which he was able to render valuable assistance to the cause of education, in which he is a firm believer and to which he has ever given all the encouragement in his power, realizing that the public-school system is the foun- dation stone of our national liberties, and that a wise o\'ersight of the training of youth is the price of our continued greatness as a- people. He has also played an im- portant part in the political life of Lee county, taking part in public activities as a member of the Democratic party, for whose success he has consistently labored through- out his career without hope of reward, and in whose counsels his voice has carried weight and authorit)'. He believes its prin- ciples to be more thoroughly in accord with the fundamental spirit of American insti- tutions than that of any other party, and that he is therefore morally obliged to as- sist in its struggle for supremacy ; and it is conceded that no small . share of the party's success in this section of Iowa is due to his efforts and personal influence. On the other hand, he has not neglected the higher interests of buni,-uiit_\'. any a series of misfortunes he lost his propert}' and came to the I'nited States in 1848. to mend if ])ossib!e his broken re- sources. .\t the time of his settlement in L()uis\ille that same year, he was a man well- ad\anced in \ears. being some forty-eight years old. His energy, industry and thrift carried him through many a difficulty, and at last he did recou]), in a measure at least, his wasted fortunes. Mrs. Eitman's grandfather. Adolph 470 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEW Liidwig Von Gnstorf, was a man of edu- cation, and was employed in the Royal Schools of Prussia as an instructor. Of Mr. Eitman, personally, it mav be said that he was a man of good and clean history, living a life upright and honest, and presenting to the world an example of in- dustr)', integrity and unaffected kindness and human sympathy, good for all to imitate and follow. GEORGE P. JENKINS, M. D. Dr. George F. Jenkins, president and professor of principles and practice of medi- cine, physical diagnosis and clinical medi- cine in the Keokuk Medical College, Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, at Keo- kuk, has been identified with this institution for a quarter of a century. He has won more than local renown because of the suc- cessful results wliich have attended his life work when viewed from the professional standpoint and the medical fraternity as well as the general public accord him high rank as a physician and surgeon. He was born in Clark county, Missouri, in July, 1842, a son of Robert and Elizabeth ( Rambo) Jenkins. The family is of Welsh lineage and the ancestry in America can be traced back to n.-nid Jcnkin.s, the great-great- grandfather i)f Dr. Jenkins, who became a resident of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1700. Through several genera- tions the family was connected with the iron works of Conestoga. Pennsylvania, being among the oldest representatives of that great inm industry of the Keystone state. The mill and plant at Conestoga were in possession of the family for one hundred and thirty-seven years, terminating in 1837- Robert Jenkins, father of Dr. Jenkins, was born near the old ancestral home in Lancaster county and became an emigrant to the West, settling in Clark county, Mis- souri, in 1837. There he made his home for a long period, rearing his family in that county. His wife's ancestors came to the United States with a Swfedish colony about 1665 and were colonial settlers of Chester county, Pennsylvania. Her grandfather, Ezekial Rambo, espoused the cause of lib- erty at the time of the Revolutionary War and did valiant service for the colonists. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins were married in Pennsylvania, but the greater part of their married life was passed in Missouri. They were members of the Presbyterian church and were promoters of the substantial de- velo])ment and progress of their locality. Dr. Jenkins began his education as a student in the public schools of Clark coimtv, Missouri, afterward attended the liigli school nt .Alexandria and then entered the C^immercial College at St. Louis, sub- sequent to which time he entered upon prep- aration for the medical profession in San Francisco, California, in 18(^15. He was a student there in the Toland Aledical Col- lege, now the medical department of the I'niversitv of California and, returning to Missouri, he m:itriculated in the Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, from which he w;is graduated with the class of 1867. LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 473 The honorary degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by Parsons College, at Fairfield, Iowa, in 1884. Dr. Jenkins located for practice in Keo- kuk, entering upon a successful career in this city. Realizing that in the professions as well as in the great industrial and com- mercial departments of acti\-itv, success and advancement are due to close application, thorough preparation and thorough under- standing of the work to be done, Dr. Jenkins has always remained an earnest and con- scientious student of the science of medi- cine, continually broadening his knowledge and also contributing to the sum total of information and experience which have made the labors of the profession partake almost of the nature of the marvelous. From the time of his graduation down to the present (1905) he has continued in the general practice of medicine and surgery in Keokuk and today stands at the head of the medical fraternity in his adopted city, having few peers and no superiors. A valu- able part of his services in behalf of human- ity has been in the line of medical education. In 1879 he was elected to fill the chair of diseases of children in the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons, occupying that position until 1882, when he was made professor of the iirincijjles and ]ir.ictice of medicine and clinical medicine in the same institution. ITe filled the latter chair until 1890, and was also president of the faculty during that period. In the year mentioned he assisted in the or- ganization of the Keokuk Medical College; was elected its ])resident and also chosen for the chair of principles and ])ractice of ■fliagnosis. retainitig that connection with medicine, clinical medicine and physical the school until 1900, when the consolidation \\ itii the College of Physicians and Stu-gepns was consummated under the name 'e\er, Iea\'e him little leisure time. He has carried his investigations far and wide into the realms of scientific knowledge, and has made researches along original lines, wherein experience and deductive thought have Ijrought him knowledge that the profes- sion recognizes as valuable to the great hu- manitarian work that claims the attention of the medical fraternity. ARTHUR HOSMER. .\ history of Lee county, and the City of Keokuk, Iowa, lacking the name of .\rtliur Hosmer, and gi\ing no space to the Hosmcr familv of that citv. would omit LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 475 some of the most important factors in the development of the southeastern part of the state. For Mr. Hosmer is one of the most veneralile of the pioneers of the city who is stiil left to the new century, and others of the family were also engaged in the in- dustries anil enterprises of a very early day at this point. At that time they had won an honored standing, and have maintained a good name and a high character through the inter\-ening years. Arthur Hosmer was horn in Niagara county, X^ew York, February 5, 181 5, and was reared to manhood under the parental roof, securing a good education in the local schools, and assisting his father in the care of the family homestead. \Mien he l)_ecame a young man he taught school for a time, and then removed to Ohio, secured the ap- pointment of general manager in the im- provement of the locks on the Muskingum river, tlien being done under contract, by his uncle, S. R. Hosmer. Arthur Hosmer subsequently became a contractor on the public works o!i the Hocking river, and later still was owner of a large cotton mill at Zanesville. In 1857 ^^^ removed to Keo- kuk, and in the month of November of the year following secured a large interest as a stockholder in the old State Bank of Iowa. He was elected. Sejitemlier 15, 1S64, a di- rector to fill the place made vacant by the death of B. F. Moody. When the bank was changed to l)ecome the State National Bank of Keokuk, May 22. 1865, he was one of its original directors, and in January, 1868, was chosen vice-president. As such he served until April 11, 1877, when on the death of James F. Cox he was called to the presidenc}- of this very important linancial institution, a position he retained until his retirement from active business, March 26, 1889. During this li.>ng and honi.jrahle career Mr. Hosmer won the unreserved confidence of the business men with whom his lot was cast, and was trusted without cjuestion. Though he opened his heart to but few. and they his most intimate friends only, as a financier he was eminently forceful and suc- cessful. His personal characteristics were those of the scholar and the gentleman. He has always harl a pleasure in fine books and in broad reading, showing himself on many an occasion a thorough student and an apt critic. Refined in his tastes, charming in his manners and habits.^ all his life he has commanded the warm friendship and es- teem of the best elements of the community. Mr. Hosmer, in the spring of 1865, made investments outside of his banking interests, the most important lieing the pur- chase of the old sawmill plant which, under his management, became an extensive lum- ber and milling establishment, and was operated by Hosmer-Taber & Company with marked success. Later he retired from the firm, which then became Paul & Taber. and the business has descended through their successors to the ])rcsenl time. Mr. Hos- mer was afterward associated with T. F. Baldwin in the operation of a lumber yard. Mr. Baldwin retired from the business and Mr. Hosmer carried it on alone until he was able to lake in his sons. Lewis and .\rtliur. whom he put in charge until the closing of the establishment in 1881. Mr. Hosmer has. however, always regarded himself as 476 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW a banker, and lias never neglected any de- tail of the work which he felt was his as a trusted leader and representative of the financial interests of the City of Keokuk. Mr. Hosmer died July ii, 1891. His father, Titus Hosmer, was a Revolutionary soldier, a native of Connecticut, though married in New York to Helen Brown, a daughter of the Empire state. Arthur Hosmer was married in Zanes- ville, Ohio, August 18, 1847, to Miss Adeline C. Love, a daughter of John S. and Mary (Vermillion) Love, of Fairfax county, Virginia. Her father was a mail contractor and the proprietor of a plantation on which he maintained many slaves. There Mrs. Hosmer was I orn August 19, 1823. Her family were of Scotch extraction, her grandfather coming from Scotland, where the family had long been known. Her father died when she was young, and her people removed to Ohio about 1831. Thomas Hosmer, the remote American -ancestor of the family, was a son of Stephen and Dorathy Hosmer, of Hawkhurst, County Kent. England, settled at what is now Cambridge, ALassachusetts, as early as 1632, where three years later he was ad- mitted a freeman of the settlement. In June of the year following he removed to Hartford, Connecticut, where his name ap- pears as one of the original .settlers of that community. On the records it appears that sixty acres of land were assigned him Janu- ary 14. If 130- TTis first wife, Frances, died February 5, 1675, and he married for his second, Mrs. Katherine Wilton (a name now spelled \\Mlson), the widow of Lieu- tenant David Wilton, of North Hampshire, and formerly of Windsor. The records of the minister at Windsor at the time is as follows : "May 6, '79 : Goodman Osmer, of Hartford, and the widow Wilton, that had been wife to David Wilton, were to be mar- ried at Hartford." \lr. Hosmer died at Northampton, where he was buried. His tomb l>ears this inscription: "'ihomas Hosmer : Aged 83 years. He Died April 12, 1687." ALBERT LEE CONNABLE. Among the many prominent and suc- cessful men of southeastern Iowa none stood higher for business integrity and per- sonal honor than Albert L. Connable. He \\-as l>orn upon the old homestead of his father and grandfather in Bernardston, ^Massachusetts, .\ugust 10, 181 1. His father was Ezra Connable, born in Ber- nardston, November 12, T779: and his mother before marriage was Abiga! Stevens, born in Warwick, Massachusetts, in 1784. It was an extensive family and the name as found in a book of the genealogy of the family is spelled in tliirty-eight different ways, from "Cannabell" to "Cunnable." The first immigrant of the family was John Cunnabell, who came from London, Eng- land, and located in Boston, Massachusetts, about 1674. Ensign John Cunnaliell was prominent in the War of the Revolution, and in 1779 was chairman of the committee of safety and correspondence, a highly im- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. A77 portant position in tlie Revolutionary War. Other memljers of the family became promi- nent in those stirring and patriotic tlays, and several of the name or Ijlood have gathered varied laurels in the later days of the republic. There is room for mention of only two of these: "George Cunnabell Howard," whose real name was George Howard Cun- nabell, was a poet of some pretentions and a prominent actor. He gained early popu- larity by the unique distinction of bringing out the first dramatizetl representation of Mrs. Stowe's entire work of "L'ncle Ttmi's Cabin." The work was dramatizetl by an- other but Cunnabell was the original "St. Clare," his wife the original "Topsy," and his daughter, Cordelia, the original "Eva." Mary -Vnn Dennison Connable, a sister of A. L. Connable, suljject of this sketch, was a woman of excellent qualities and proved herself a fitting companion for her gifted husband. Rev. Asbury Lowrey, D. D., of Ohio, an eminent minister of the Metho- dist Episcopal church in the eirly days, a member of the Cincinnati conference for forty years, author of "Positive Theology" and "Possibilities of Grace," and editor of a magazine. "Divine Life." in New \ oxV City, after extensive travel in F-urope and the Holy Land. Albert Lee Connable was a sturdy man of business. He left his eastern home in 1831, before he had reached his majority, and spent nearly a year in traveling. In 1832 he reached Eaton, Ohio, where he was afterwards joined by his three sisters, and engaged in the Inisiness of contracting and staging, remaining there until 1843. ''^ that year he removed to Fairfield, Jefferson county, Iowa, where he was married, Oc- tober 9, 1849, to Sarah Hurst Finney, daughter of Louis Hourth l'"iiniey and Annie (Hurst) Finney, luirn in Baltimore, Maryland, November 15, 1822. Her par- ents removed from Baltimore to Columbus, Ohio, thence to Indianapolis, Indiana, and b^'iirtield, Iowa. Mr. Connable removed, in 1848, to Keo- kuk, Lee county, Iowa, where he resided to the time of his death. At FairfieKl he was extensively engaged in farming and wool growing. In 1848-9 he was a contractor on the Keokuk and Des Moines Slack Water Navigation Canal to the amount of $350,000. a very large sum for a contract in tli;it early day in Iowa. He then en- gaged in a wholesale grocery and iron store for ten \ears. Then he engaged extensively in pork and beef packing, which was a prominent industiT in Keokuk at that time, which he continued for seven yeirs. Fn 1873 he retired from active commercial pur- suits, giving his entire time to superintend- ing his numerous farms and Iniildings in and around Keokuk. Mr. Connable had great faith in real estate values. He was one of the incorporators of the Iowa State Insurance Company in 1856 and continued a director in that institution until his death: was a director in the Keokuk Savings liruik from the date of its organiza- tion. December 19, 18(^)7; also a director in the \\'ater Works Company and the Keokuk Water Works Company and the Keokuk Canning Company. Besides his possessions 478 BIOGRAPHICAL REI'IEIV in and around Keokuk he owned about 12,000 acres of land in the northwestern part of Iowa. Mr. Connable served three years in Jef- ferson county and three years in Lee count)' as county supervisor and was a model of- ficial. Having an aversion to holding office, these were the only times he could ever be induced to serve the people in public place. He stood high in the communities where he resided and was at all times regarded as a man of the strictest integrity, an exemplary citizen and a careful and remarkably suc- cessful business man. He was a faithful and consistent member of the Unitarian church. Mrs. Connable died January 21, 1885. She was a good woman and a housewife in the true sense of the term. It has been saiil of her that "nothing ever tempted her from her home. She mingled little in so- ciety, but will long be remembered for her many acts of kindness which were always given in a quiet, unobtrusive way." Mr. Connable went peacefully to his last rest at his home in Keokuk, Apri 15, 1894, regretted and mourned by the entire com- munity. Ezra Connable, the father of the sub- ject of this sketch, had seven children : Caro- line Abby, Albert Lee, Charles Denison, Mary Ann Denison, Elizaljeth Frances, Augusta Sophronia and Samuel Charles. The children of .\lbert Lee Connable, three in number and all li\-ing are as fol- lows : Albert Ezra Connable, born October 16, 1851, married Miss Rose Florida Frank- lin, of Keokuk, is an extensive farmer and resides at H.imilton, Illinois, opposite Keo- kuk. They ha\e three children, all living, as follows: Sadie, who married Ira W. Wills, wholesale grocer, Keokuk; Lucile, w ho married L. C. Judd and they reside in the City of Mexico, and a son, Franklin Con- nal)le, who ]i\es at Houston, Texas. Edwin Hurst Connable, born November 23, 1885; unmarried ; large farmer at Gregory's Land- ing, Clark county. ^lissouri. Howard Lee Connable, born January 14, 1858: married Miss Rose McKenzie. of Keokuk; successful clothing merchant in Keokuk for a number of years and a director in the Keokuk Sav- ings Bank, in which his father served in the same capacity from its organization. They have one little girl, ]\Iadaline. Mr. A. J. Mathias, the present cashier of the Keokuk Savings Bank, who had as close personal and business relations with Mr. Connable as anv man in Keokuk or elsewhere, was asked to give his estimate of him, and without hesitation he said to the writer : "One personal characteristic of Mr. Con- naljle was his modesty. He never was self- assertive, but had firmness to sustain any action he contemplated. He was very cour- teous in manner, at all times civil, rarely displaying temper or giving vent to vexation — was benignant. He was amiable and pleasant always ; was a good conversational- ist upon topics he understood; had a clear vision of the incidents of ever>'day life and calmly pursued the exeu tenor of his way. He was a good judge of human nature and rarely made mistakes in his estimate of men. He had a fine faculty in dealing with peo- ple. He loved justice and tempered his judgment with kindness and mercy." LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 479 GEORGE DEXTER RAND. It \\as written of tlie renowned Atlienian. Aristides, tliat "To be and not to seem, is this man's maxim ; His mind reposes on its proper wisdom, And wants no other praise." These Hnes may be aptly apphed to tiie sul)ject of tiiis brief sketch. And we are told that "a distinguished character of an- tiquity was questioned as to what consti- tuted best means of national defense ; he answered. — men. The interrogatory was repeated again, and even the third time ; and he replied with emphasis, — men." In remembering the career of George D. Rand, these sayings came vividly to mind. "To be and not to seem" appeared to govern his actions by intuition. And if men. in the true sense of the term, constitute the best means of national defense, a country blessed with such sons may have no cause to doubt its high destiny. George De.xter Rand was born at Quincy, Illinois, February 9, 1838, coming from an old and prominent family, .\ttend- ing the home schools in boyhood, at the proper age and advancement he entered Asbury University, Greencastle. Indiana, from which he was graduated with becoming honors. This famous old university was the alma mater of many remarkal)le men, among them Oliver Perry Morton, the emi- nent war governor of Indiana and United States Senator, also a prominent candidate for nomination for the presidency in the national Republican convention in 1876, and others of almost equal fame. Closing his university labors, with com- mendable ambition for success in life, voung Rand entered into a business career and spent his earliest business life in Colorado, then reckoned in the very wild West. The Civil War approached, the bullets of the South were sullenly answered by the bullets of the North. Mr. Rand was appointed as- sistant paymaster in the volunteer navy, a position of high honor and trust for so young a man. In this capacity he served up to June 30, 1864, when he was appointed as- sistant paymaster in the regular navy, his commission being signed by .\braham Lin- coln, President, and Gideon Wells, secretary of the navy, a marked promotion and a dis- tinct endorsement from a high source of the able and honest manner in which he had kei)t his fonner trust. After the close of the Civil War be en- gaged in active business, and in 1880 moved to Keokuk, Iowa, being an active member of the extensive operators, the Carson-Rand Lumber Company. He managed the large business of the Keokuk Ijranch for several years, until the withdrawal of the corpo- ration from this field. Mr. Rand was not a politician. While firm and steadfast in his political convic- tions he envied not the place-hunter and sought no political preferment. His home and ofiRce were 'his abiding places. With a kindly recognition for rich and poor alike, he was genial and companionable. A few chosen friends, however, were more pleas- ing to his naturally reserved temperament than are indiscriminate mingling with the world, and yet he respected and loved the world and enjoyed its enjoyments. He had 48o BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW a big heart — laughed with the world and wept with it. His silent charities and boun- tiful benevolences were countless, and yet they were mostly hidden rather than pa- raded. The poor of Keokuk lost a friend in- deed when suddenly the life of George D. Rand went out. And they quietly yet deeply mourned him. Not many years after his coming to Keokuk he was elected mayor of the city. He did not want the position, but his friends urged and he consented. His administration was wise, conservative and commendable. It was during his official career that Rand Park, named for him, and one of the most beautiful and attracti\e parks in any city the size of Keokuk, was completed. A great fight was made against it, but now the people see the wisdom of Mayor Rand's course and Rand Park is the pride of the city — a noble and undying monument to him and his ad- ministration. He was urged to accept a nomination for re-election but firmly de- clined. During the latter part of his life he had his office at the State Central Savings Bank, of which he was vice-president at the time of his death. He was also a director of the Keokuk National Bank and of the Iowa State Insurance Company, and interested in a number of other corporations and enterprises. For some time he had suffered fnim heart trouble but had continued, except at rare periods, to visit his office daily in at- tendance upon his large business interests. November 12, 1903, he returned from his office about the noon hour and suddenly ex- pired soon after being driven to his home. Mr. Rand was a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and at a stated meeting of the Com- mandery of this organization held January 12, 1904, at Des iMoines, Iowa, resolutions in memoriam were adopted from which the following paragraphs are taken : "Companion Rand lived a sunny life, was pleasant to e\'eryone from the lowest to the highest. It seemed he had no cloudy days. His life all sunshine. He died as he lived. "To the li\'ing one of the family and relati\'es we tender our deepest sympathy and love, and we shall always treasure in our hearts the memory of our departed com- panion." And the people of Keokuk, and of many- other points where he was known, joined in the above sentiment of treasuring in their hearts the memory of George D. Rand. The body was taken to St. Peter's Catholic church, and after a Requiem High Mass, wliicli was remarkable for its beauty and solemnity, his remains were removed to Greencastle, Indiana, where his body was interred with all the honors and love of a host of friends and relatives. While a student at the Asbury University he met IMiss Sara McGaughey, daughter of the Honorable Edward W. McGaughey, of Greencastle, Indiana, and was married to her, his first lo\-e, who survives him. She is an amiable, cultured woman, combining the sturdy, commendable qualities of our foremothers with the sensible acquirements of the twentieth centuiy antl is foremost in all good works in a quiet, unostentatious way. Mr. and Mrs. Rand were born com- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 48 r paiiions as well as husband and wife. So inseparably were the twain linked that death (if her husband must have been a terrible blow. But of Spartan courage, strong and sensible and Christian, instead of pining and complaining in llic world's way. she took her heart-breaking grief to the Great White Throne, and the whisper came, "Peace, be still: He doeth all things well." Mrs. Rand continues to reside at the beautiful Rand home in Keokuk, and is active in pursuit of various .secular and re- ligious duties. She is a prominent mem- ber and president of the Keokuk -Woman's Club, in which her counsel is invariably sought on all questions. Scarcely a benevo- lent, or other enterprise, in which women are engaged, is inaugurated that Mrs. Rand is not consulted, because of her acknowl- edged intelligence, executive ability and wis- dom, her aptness in such matters, her gentle womanly courtesy, and the charitable tend- ency of her very nature. W^ithal, she is a model home woman, warmly and graciously attached to the cares and duties of her house- hold. Her father, Edward W. McGaughey. was the son of Arthur O. McGaughey and Sarah Bell. The father was born March 3. 1788. and came from Johnstown, Pennsyl- vania, to the West when a young man, with a company of "Rangers." presumably a militia company, armed for protection. He married Sarah Bell, about 18 10, at Cory- don. Indiana. The family consisted of six children, William B., Edward W. (father of Mrs. Rand), Thomas D., Mary Jane, John and Harriet. Mary Jane McGaughey was the first white child born in Putnam 29 county, Indiana. Arthur McGaughey was the clerk of the first court held in that county. The first case taken to the supreme court was by him. He held the office of clerk twenty-three or twenty-four years, and lived I in a farm about three miles from Greencastle up to the time of his death. May 2. 1857. His wife was a woman of strong character and keen intellect anti was well known for her independent and fearless frankness and energ}' in the discharge of her duties. Many incidents of interest might be recited of this good mother of the early days, illustrative of these marked traits of her character. She was a stanch member of the Baptist church. Edward W. McGaughe}-. father of Mrs. Rand, was born in Putnam county, Indiana, January 16, T817. He was principally self- educated, as he entered his father's office as deputy clerk at a very early age. He was married to Margaret Matlock. January 18. 1838. at Greencastle and signed his own marriage license, ".Arthur McGaughey, clerk, i)er V.. W. McGaughey, deputy." His father opposed the marriage on account of his youth. In March, 1835, he was ad- mitted to practice law in Putnam county at the age of eighteen. In T842 he made his first race for office, that of state senator, and was elected. He resigned the following year to make his first race for congress, his op- ponent winning on the close margin of three majority. He was elected to the twenty- ninth congress, taking his .seat in 1845, ''"•^ also the thirty-first congress. He was de- feated at the next election. He was nomi- nated by President Taylor, governor of the territory of Minnesota, but he had been a 482 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW strong opponent of the AIe?vican War and the senate failed to confirm his appointment. His rejection caused great excitement and indignation amcjng tliq* Whigs of Indiana. His triunipiis at tiie 1)ar. liis prominent record in pohtics and his firm, consistent character as a citizen, as shown in the news paper files of the day, would form a volume of interest and value, too varied and voluminous, howexer, to have even an out- line in this short sketch. He left his nati\e Indiana home to reside in California, where he died in San Francisco, August 6, 1852, of Panama fever. RICHARD BRYAN BURCHAM WOOD. The Wood family traces its origin to England. From that country came its an- cestors to the L'nited States. The records of the famil\- show that before the Revolu- tionarv Way three brothers of the name came over from (Ireat Britain and the war coming on took active part on the side of the patriots against the mother couwtry. The ancestors of Richard B. B. Wood came as far west as Kentucky and Indiana from Maryland. His grandfather. Seeley Wood, married M.ary Ann Hahn. of Bards- town, Kentucky, a daughter of a pioneer of that locality. They resided in southern In- diana. He was a soldier in the War of 181 2. his wooden canteen, copper kettle, flint-lock musket and other relics of that war remained long in the family. He was killed in his early manhood by the fall of a tree. He left a widow and two small children, Rich- ard, who died l>efore his majority, at Hunts- \ille. .\labama. and Christian Hahn W'ood, father of the subject of this sketch. The widow afterwards married Jacob Woodring, and fi\e boys and one girl were added to the family. Christian Hahn Wood was born January ig, 1819. and was married to Sarah Katharine Slack, November 2^. 1841. She. too. was from a pioneer family of the lo- cality. Her mother, Letitia Bush, was born also in Hardin countv. Kentucky in Indian times, which gave to Kentucky the name of "the dark bloody ground." She married Reuben Slack from another pioneer family. This couple was blessed with two sons and one daug'hter besides Mrs. Wood, mother of. the subject of this sketch, who was the youngest child. Soon after her birth the father died. The widow afterward married Ihomas Cofer, a ]iros])erous planter, her father being an extensi\e farmer and land- owner, besides possessing numerous slaves. B}- this marriage three daughters and two sons were added. Soon after the birth of the last of these children, Mr. C'ifer died. Christian H. and Sarah K. Wood had two children Ixirn to them. Richard B. B. \\'ood. whose birthday was December to. 1842. and Mary Letitia Wood, born Sep- tember 5. 1843. both l)orn at Elizabethtown, Kentucky, the ccjunty seat of Hardin county. The father died Alarch 20, 1846, when only twenty-seven years and a few months old. The family at the time of his death con- tinued to reside at Elizabethtown. Rich'd B. B. Wood, as he signs his LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 483 name, whose l)irth date is given aliove. was delicate in childhood, hnt attended school almost constantly dnring the ten months' school terms of each year. His first two teachers were women : the other two were men. including- George \\. Yeaman. after- wards a nicnilier of congress from a Ken- tucky district and later a minister to one of the South American states by appointment from President Lincoln, and Fayette Hewitt. who was afterwards a prominent officer on the stafif of (len. Albert Pike, of the Con- federate army, and after the close of the war State Auditor of Kentucky. Mr. \\'ood never attended a public school but once and that for a three months" term, taught by Mr. "N'eaman. When about thirteen years of age he rested from school duties by ad- vice of the family physician on account of a partial failure of his eyes by overstudw and with his mother and sister x'isited rela- tives in Iowa for a year, in 1856-7. notably the coldest winter ever experienced in the state. Returning to Kentucky in the latter year, he did not resume his studies, except what he could learn around a countr\- news- pa])er office, acting as carrier for the weekly ]);iper of the town. "The Elizabethtown In- telligencer." the junior editor of the paper being George W. Parker, afterwards a ])roniincnt lawyer and state senator of Il- linois and later president and general man- ager of the Cairo Short-Line Railroad, with residence aufl headquarters at St. Louis. where he now resides in affluent retirement. Mr. Wood took no steady employment on the paper, but did odd jobs and benefited Ijy the exchanges, but was even too small and delicate to aspire to the ])osition of "printer's de\il." On the 17th day of August, 1857, he went into the mercantile establishment of Cunningham & Matthis with an oral agree- ment to remain with the firm for a period of three years. When the three years had ended he resigned his position and in Sep- temlier, i860, entered St. Joseph College, Bardstown, Kentucky, as a student. Up to 1857 all his life his mother and maternal grandmother had resided together, both Ije- ing widows and the grandmother in affluent circumstances. Besides her town residence, she owned considerable landed property and a few family negroes. In that year the grandmother died, when his mother bought a h(^me for herself and children. It was a happy little trio, linked together by the tenderest cords of afifection. The ordeal was trying to separate from those who claim all bis lo\'c, and from whom he had ne\'cr before been separated for scarcely more than a (lay, e\'en though the distance was only about twenty-four miles. The time at college was spent studiously and profital)l\- and pleasantly, too, with a long visit from mother and sister in the meantime.. Bui war clouds gathered. Still they gathered thicker and faster. There were 250 students in the college, with onlv three or foiu' from the Northern states, the re- mainder from Kentucky and the other Southern states and a scattering atteiidance from Mexico, Spain, Cuba and France. The ])olitical kettle boiled and bubbled. In Janu- ary, 1 86 1, he about concluded to return home as it was inevitable that the college must susjiend and the tumult was so great and the times so unsettled that profitable study was impossible. There was a brass 484 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW band serenade at tlie old college a short time before he left when the air resounded, amid the night vigils, with the inspiring strains of "Dixie" and "The Girl I left Be- hind Me," calculated to fire the student-heart and unfit him lor the accurate duties of the study hall an>rn in the State of Xew York. Her luoiher was Miss Lauretta Jane linckner before marriage, member of one of the oldest families in Kentucky. She died when Airs. Wood was onl\- a few months old. Alter his marriage he taught a term of three months in a country school near Elizabethtown and afterwards a five months' private school in Elizabethtown. He then entered mercantile pursuits and the spring of 1865 found him at Nashville. Tennessee, as first clerk in the leading restaurant of that city. The Donegana, remaining there three months and was there when Lee sur- rendered and when I^incoln was assassinated. While there he also did occasional news- l)a])er work and was correspondent of the Louisville Democrat. Returning to Eliza- bethtown he engaged in the confectionery and grocery business. He did not like it and sold out. • In 1866. with Capt. Erank 0. Moffitt, a nati\e of Brookx-ille. Indiana, a returned Confederate officer, under the style of Mof- liit \- Wood, they commenced the ])ublica- tion of "The Weekly Banner," being the first ])aper |:)rinted in the town after the War of the Rebellion. Captain Moffitt was elected police judge and soon retired when the lirni was changed to Wood & Culley, the junior member of the firm being Eree- land H. Culley, also a returned Confeder- ate, and a brother of Mrs. Wood, .-\fter a few months this firm sold out, .Mr. Culley purchasing .1 newspaper plant at Eayette, AIississip])i. Afterwards Mr. Wood en- gaged in further local newspaper work and as a newspaper correspondent for the Louis- 486 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW ville Courier and other papers. At the time he received his hcense to practice law in 1868 he was one of tlie editors and pub- Hshers of the "Kentucky Telegraph," at Elizabethtown, hut retired to open a law oiifice. having been elected city attorney for a term of one year, to which position he was re-elected for a second term. At the con- clusion of this term he was elected justice of the peace to fill an unexpired term and als-o appointed examiner for Hardin county, by the judge of the circuit court, continuing in the meantime his law practice. Before these terms expired he engagd as proofreader on the "Louis\-ille Dail_\' Evening Sun," a sprightly paper started after the war by Will S. Hays, the song- writer, and Charles D. Kirk, a returned Con- federate and noted war correspondent, under the nun dc plume of "Se De Kay." The latter had died and Ha_vs had retired before Mr. Wood went to "The Sun." In a few months he was promoted to chief editor, and the editor-in-chief resigning soon after, Mr. Woiid, wild liad the esteem and confidence of the management, was left in full charge of the editorial department. Tn 1S72 he returned to Elizabethtown. and shortly afterwards engaged in job printing and conducted a campaign daily, which did effective work as shown by the election returns. March J5, 1S73, his onh- sister, Mrs. Mary Letitia Ouiggins, died, leax'ing one small son, John Wood Ouiggins, still a resident of Kentucky. This sad happening in the family was the cause of his coming to Iowa, where the only sister of his mother resided. He always claims that he did not come west to gro\v uj) with the countrv, as Horace (ireeley advised, or to tetter his condition, which he didn't, but for the sake of the health and happiness of a mother much grieved o\er the loss of her only daughter. He still has the fondest memory of old Kentucky and her people. Bloomfield. Da\'is county, was the first point at which he located in Iowa, arriving there October 26, 1874, and ex])ected to re- sume the ])ractice of law there, but a news- ])aper opening seemeil to present itself at Drakeville, in the same county, and there he made the \enture with a small weeklv paper. "Tlie Drakex'ille Sun." Mr. Wood said afterward that he got a great deal more fun than money out nf his first newspaper ven- ture in Iowa, and that "the Drakeville people expectefl a man to run a paper on wind and furnish the wiml himself." The tuwn was too small e\-en in the i)rogressi\e West fur a newspaper, and after a year's time, in which he sjient more money than he received from his business, he returned to Bloomfield. Here he entered the "Bloomfield Democrat " office, his name appearing as editor during the campaign in which the projirietor, T. O. Walker, was a candidate, heading the Dem- ocratic state ticket for secretary of state. Ca])l. J. .\. T. Hull, the present prominent Iowa congressman, was editor of the Bloom- field Rc])ul)lican, and also a candidate for secretar\- of state on the Republican ticket. During these davs. ton. Will \'an r.enthusen. who became i)riiminent as a managing editor both in Chicago and Xew York, and whose death occurred onlv a short time ago in the latter city, was the youtliful junior editor and i)ublisher nf the "Bloomfield Common- LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 487 wealth. " and tlie acknowledged wag of the press gang. Afterwards, although not an Odd I'ellow. he was engaged as editorial writer on "The Odd Fellows' Banner." a thriving weekly printed at Bloomheld. which he accompanied in Novemher, i^yj. to Cedar l-Japids. Iowa, to which point the paper was renioxed, l)ul returned in about four weeks and again engaged on "The Democrat." The last of Xovemher. 1878. he answered per- sonalh' a telegram from "The Daily Consti- tution," (]f Keokuk, which paper was seek- ing a successor to Thomas W. Eichelberger. who had tendered his resignation There were several applicants on the ground and elsewhere, and after a few days' quiet con- test Mr. Woods was selected to succeed Mr. luchelberger as city editor and paragrapher. the j)aragrahing Ijeing the manufacture of funnygraphs for tlie daily, enough in the si.\ (lavs to make a long column or more for tlie weekly, a very popular feature at the time. He remained with "The Constitutiii)n" about a year. After a .short time, with compara- tively no capital, he started "The Daily I'Aening Democrat. " l>tU the ])ress contract- ing tt) do the printing broke down completely in a verv short time and the \enture had to be al)andoned for the lack of funds to re- ■jilace the press, and in the face of the most pn imising prospects. I le worked on the various i)ai)ers in Keo- kuk, .sometimes regularly and at other times as a sub-writer and as a special correspond- ent. He was wi>rking on the "(iate City" as night editor when J. C. Thompson and P. R. Xelson concei\ed the idea of commencing the publication of "Tlie Daily Democrat." Mr. \\'oi)(l 1i:m1 under adxiscment the ac- ceiitance of a prrn in ( iermanv and came to the L'nited States in the same vessel in which .Mr. Smith made the voyage, locating with her ])arents in llarri.son township. Lee county, her father being a farmer. Iloth her parents are now deceased, and are l)uried in Harrison township. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith ha\e been born two sons and five daughters. as follows: Ida. who is the wife of Prof. L. .\ntrim. of .Mount Pleasant, owner of .Mount Pleasant .\cademy. and a professor in the institution, has two children. Etta May .and Florence: .\melia. who is the wife of iMlward Jack, a railroad man, of Farming- ton. Towa ; Sophia, who resides with her ]),arents: William, an employe of the tele- phone company at Primrose; Charles, who is in the electric light business at Centerville. Towa ; Emma and Elda, who reside with 494 BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEW their ])arents. All tlie children were horn at Primrose, and there received excellent educational advantages, while Charles and Emma also attended Mount Pleasant academy. J. Q. HURLEY. J. G. Hurley, one of the old and vener- able residents of Montrose township, Lee county, whose years bvit emphasize the re- gard his intellectual acquirements and moral standing comniand. has had a long and use- ful career, in which his best faculties and strongest powers ha\e been freelv placed at the service of the public. As a man of thor- ough education and deep training he has ever regarded his best as a gift to l)e used for the public benefit, and felt that the high- est privilege of knowledge is to communicate it in turn to darkened minds. It is the glory of light to give light, and the right of the intellectual to stir up in ignorant minds a thirst for knowledge. So Mr. Hurley has always lived and worked. Born and bred a farmer, he has been a teacher of marked ability and wide inHuence; and while he has cultivated the soil he has also culti\ated the youthful mind, and commanded the respect and confidence of every element in the com munily at all interested in the improxement of the youtli. Mr. Hurley came to Montrose township. .\pril 2. r88j. from Pike county, Illinois. where he had li\ed since 1846. He was born near Knox\ille. Tennessee. ^lay 3. 183 1, and early removed to Illinois. In the spring of 1870 he went to California, and made an extensive visit with a brother who had already settled in that country. For some two years on his return he was en- gaged in farming and in teaching in Bureau county, Illinois, after which he returned to Pike county, wdiere he continued teaching. He has taught extensively, but was reared a farmer, and has farmed in Lee county since 1882. Mr. Hurley has taught in Montrose, and at one time was principal of the Montro.se village schools. He has also taught several terms in the district schools of that town- ship. Mr. Hurley's educational acquirements are of a very high character, and his stand- ing among teachers is fine. He began his studying in the ])ul)lic school, and completed his schooling in Asbury University at Green- castle. Indiana. He has taught in town and countrv work, and has evervwhere acquitted himself creditably. From S. M. Etter he holds a state certificate, issued September i, 1877. at Springfield, Illinois. He has done good work in county institutes in Illinois. A recommendation issued to him from the superintendent of Pike county schools, in which it is stated that "Sir. Hurley is though to be the best mathematician in the state. Prof. Hippen. at that time the teacher of Latin and Greek, declares Mr. Hurley to be a better Engli.sh scholar than himself. .Mr. Hurley takes special delight in mathematics and English grammar. Mr. Hurley is a son of Jonathan Hurley, who was born in Delaware in 1782, and was reared bv Nathaniel Carolton. He lived to LEE COUNTY, IOWA. 495 1)e ninety-six years old, dying April 25. 1878. The nidtiier of Mr. Hurley was Re- becca Hicks, distantly related to Governor Hicks, of Marjdantl. She was born in Maryland, June 26. 1788, and died in Pike county, Illinois, December 14, i85[. Her people owned slaves in Xorth Carolina at an early day, and her paternal grandfather was widely noted for his broad and liberal schol- arship. Jonathan Hurley was drafted two or three times during the W ar of 1812, but escaped the perils of war. J. G. Hurley was married July 31. 1862. in Mdntrose township, Lee county, to Miss Lvdia J. Bovd. who was born in Ohio, and came to this state when she was but twelve vears old. At the present writing she is still li\ing. To her marriage with Mr. Hur- ley were torn five children : W. C. ; Frank A. ; Lulu B. ; Ruth M., who is now a teacher in the Montrose high school, and \ettie (i. Three children are dead : J. (i., who died at the age of eight years, in 1871 ; J. B., who died in 1866, was eleven months of age, and Katie, who died in 1883, was but fifteen months old. Xone of the children are mar- ried. At one time Mr. Hiudey was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows as well as the Independent Ortler of GckkI Templars, but is not now connected with either society. He is an active member of the Methodist church, and is devoted to its welfare. In ])olitics Mr. Hurley is a Bryan Democrat, though he was a Republican until the passing of the Credit Strengthening .\ct of 1869. In Bureau county, Illinois, he was elected tax collector on the People's ticket. In 1896 he was appointed township commis- sioner of Montrose bv the Democrats. .Mr. 1 lurley owns a splendid estate of 120 acres, on which he is engaged in both gen- eral farming and truck and fruit culture. He has many acres devoted to strawberries, po- tatoes and tomatoes. Of the last he had over seven hundred bushels the last summer. He is an intellectual, thoughtful and successful farmer. ;nid has met with a large success. .\hvays a hard-working and industrious man. he is reaping the rich reward that at- tends industry, integritv and maidiness. HARRISON F. MILLER. One of the early .settlers and well-known citizens of Harrison townsiiip. Lee county. Iowa, where he now resides on his farm of 120 acres, in section 18, is Harrison F, Mil- ler, who was born on November 3, 1830, in Hardy county, We.st A'irginia, and there he received his education in the common schools and learned the work of agriculture by as- sisting on his father's farm. I1-, .\pril, 1856. however, he removed to Muskingum county, Ohio, where for ten years he engaged in farming, and at the end of that i)eriod he again removed westward, locating in Clark county, Illinois. After farming at that place for six years, during which he achieved con- sideral)le success, he came to Iowa in 1871. renting land for a time in Harrison town- shi]). and later he purcha.sed a fine and pro- ductive farm of 120 acres. On this farm lie has made nearly all the improvements and established a comfortable and pleasant home for himself and family, and here he has re- 496 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW sided continuousl)- ever .since, engaging in general farming and to some extent in stockraising, with signal success. Mr. Miller is a member of a family com- prising seven children, of whom only three are now living, and is the son of Corbin and Amanda Frank Miller, both of whom were natives of West Virginia, and resided in that state until removing to Ohio in 1856, whence he later came to Iowa and farmed for a short time, or until his death, which occurred in the eighty-second year of his age on the farm now occupied by his son, our subject, and he is here buried, while his wife, whose death preceded his own l)y several years, is buried in Illinois. In 1855 Mr. Miller was united in mar- riage with Miss Catherine Miller, daughter of Aquilla B. and Rebecca (Fravel) ^Miller, who were born in West \^irginia and re- mi.i\'ed aljout the year 1836 to Clark county. Illinois, where the father continued his oc- cupation of farming, and where they both passed the remainder of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been bom two children, a son and a daughter. Florence, the elder, who was born in West Virginia, is now a resident of Missouri, and the wife of Mills Coleman, a very prosperous and enterprising citizen of that state. Corbin B.. who is a farmer by occupation, owns a farm of too acres in Harrison township, on which he resides, and is very successful in the conduct of his affairs. He married Miss Clara (irimni and to them ha\'e been born three daughters and one son, all natives of Harrison township. These are Bertha. Ethel, Stella and Elmer, the latter of whom died at the age of five years. .\lthough Mr. Miller's father was a member of the Democratic party, he is him- self a staunch Republican, believing thor- oughly in the applicability of that party's ])rinciples to modern conditions, and while he has never sought public of^ce for him- self, he has rendered valuable service to the local branch of his party, always evincing a strong interest in public affairs, and being a consistent ad\'ocate of all worthy movements ha\ing for their object the promotion of the community's intere.sts. As a farmer he has been highly successful by reason of his business ability and his attitude of readiness toward opportunities, coupled with a sane, sound judgment and keen foresight that ha\e enal)led him to cany his ventures to the desired issue: and as a man and a citi- zen he enjoys the general respect because of his honorable and upright methods in all matters in which he comes into contact with his fellowmen. ISAIAH McKEEHAN. One of the early settlers of Lee county and now among the most influential and su1)stantial citizens of Harrison township. is Isaiah McKeehan. who has been an in- teresting witness of the development of this section of the state from a condition approxi- mating that of a wilderness and has borne his part in advancing the material and moral interests of the community. He owns a farm of eighty acres besides another tract LEE COUNTY, lOiV.I. 497 of 1 20 acres. Mr. McKeehan was born in tlic City of Lafayette, Indiana, on April 10. 1838, and when onl\- two years of age re- moved with his parents to Iowa, making the entire journe)' by wagon and ox teams. The father purchased land in Harrison township, making for himself and family a hcjme in that new and wild region, and here our sub- ject received his education and assisted in the hard work of the home farm. Mr. McKeehan is the son of Benjamin and Minnie (Hawk) McKeehan. The father was bom in Kentucky, and came to Indi- ^ ana when a young man. He engaged in 'o farming all his life, and when he came to Harri.son township purchased eighty acres of land which he cultisated until his death, adding to the original purchase, however, •antil he owned 240 acres, all of which he placed under cultivation. His was a pro- gressive disposition, and he a\-ailed himself of all modern improvements in the accom- plishment of his work. His death occurred in 1891, when he had attained the age of eighty-five years! In politics he was a mein- lier of the Democracy, and was elected to various township ofifices. The mother's de- mise occurred some years before that of her husband. Both are buried in Harrison town- ship. They were the parents of nine chil- dren, only two of whom are now living, the other being Mrs. GeOrge Smith, of I'ort Madison. Our subject remained a member of his father's family, assisting in the work of the farm, until his twenty-fifth year, when he purchased his present farm in section 16. The land was at that time wild and un- reclaimed, but has been transformed by Mr. .McKeeh.'ui's energy and industry into a mar\el of fertility and productiveness, ex- cellent buildings ha\e been erected, and mod- ern improvements now take the place of the crude implements and equipment known to agriculture when the country was new. Here the proprietor conducts general farm- ing a^ul stockraising. and has met with nuich success to reward his industry and exercise of keen foresight and discernment. In 1861 Mr. McKeehan was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Meyers, who was born in Ohio and came to Iowa with her parents in 1852. locating at Primrose, Har- rison township, Lee county. Her father was Fred Meyers, who was a blacksmith and followed his trade at Primrose imtil his death, which occurred when he was eighty- four years of age. The mother died at the age of eighty years. To Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Keehan have been born se\-en children, as follow s : John, residing on a farm of eighty acres in Harrison township, married Miss Rebecca Alexander and has three children. Bertha, Ray, IMary ; Laura, now deceased, was the wife of Frank Saunders, and is sur- \i\ed by three children, Bert, Glenn, May; Ida. wife of William Hanson, a machinist and pattern maker in the Santa Ve Railroad sliops at Fort Madison; Nellie, who is at home with her parents; James, residing on the former home of his grandfather, mar- ried Miss Nannie Methews, and has one chilli. Viola; Rose resides in Montana, and Clyda, the youngest of the family, is also making her home in Montana. The children were all boin and educated in Harrison township. Mr. McKeehan has been until recently 498 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEW a member of the Democratic party, but has transferred liis support to the People's party. He takes a deep interest in matters and ques- tions of public policy, but de\otes his time exclusively to business pursuits, and does not aspire to pulilic office. Ijeing content to cast his vote in favor of honest government. FRANK OERTEL. Frank Oertel. who was born in Keokuk. Iowa. November 28. 1862, has taken a posi- tion in the business world of southeastern Iowa, which can only be secured 1)y genuine worth and real manhood. The confidence of the community is not easily won, nor is it long retained Ijy sham and pretense. In- tegrity of the life must go with the appear- ance of honesty, or the fraud is soon ex- posed. A man whose "word is as good as liis bond." and in wliose "hands mav be left uncounted gold," is a treasure in any com- munity, and when discovered and identified beyond dispute, is trusted and honored without measure. 'Hie man whose name introduces this article is widely known as that kind of a man. wliose word may be trusted and state- ment accepted in any case. His reputation is high, and what he says is regarded as set- tling any dispute. Simple and moflest in his ways, unpretending in his disposition, and thoroughly reliable and trustworthy in his character, he is regarded as one of the leading business men in the City of Keo- kuk, and as he is still in the prime of life, what he has accomplished is but the fore- runner of what he will do if health and strength are spared him. Frank Oertel is a son of John Oertel, who was Ijorn in (jeriuany. wliere lie mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Center. They came to this country at an early day, and established a milk dairy and general farm near Keokuk years ago. He died August 30, 1890, and his widow, who has attained the age of seventy-eight years, is still living. The sub- ject of this sketch attended the local schools where he secured his education, and when quite young assisted his father in his farm- ing operations. In company with his l^rothers he carried on the homestead farm for two years after his father's death ; and then in company with them was engaged from 1882 to 1890 in a very extensive meat business. Tiie last-named year he bought out the interest of his brothers in the busi- ness, and from that date has conducted it alone. Mr. Oertel has met with marked suc- cess, and employs advanced methods in his work. P'or twenty-two years he has now been in business, and in that time has greatly prospered, not only estaljlishing a large and growing industrial enterprise, but winning for himself an en\iable name and standing where he has been so long and favorably known. He buys live stock, which he kills and dresses himself, so that his patrons are always sure of receiving the best the market affords, good sound meats, and sold at a reasonal)]e jirice. Mr. Oertel also retails ice, and in this line has secured a good patronage for himself. Flis home is at No. 1724 John- son street, where his father lived before him. I.EE COUNTY, I Oil. I. 499 Mr. Oertel and Miss Emily Hessl)acker were married in March, 1885. Tiieir only cliild. I-'rank. who was born December 9. 1S87, has been bUnd from his birtli. For tlie past nine years lie has been in the slate school for the lilind at X'inton, where he is still engaged in studying and preparing him- self in music and piano tuning to make his own way in the world, if fate should so demand. Mr. Oertel has had three brothers and one sister. — John. Fred. William and Liz- zie, who is the wife of Sigmund Hamilton, and lives in Illinois. Politically he is a Re- publican. In business matters Mr. Oertel has been greatly prospered. He owns sixty feet front at Xo. 1328 Alain street, where his business establishment is located, with fi>ur large rooms for business operations and slaughter house, stable and ice house in the rear, which he built in 1894. He does a very considerable business in wholesaling to smaller dealers, and his retail store was not opened for se\'eral years after he be- gan operations. Mr. Oertel is a daughter of Cornelius Hessbacher, who was torn in Switzerland, but who came to the United States in early life, and locating in Cincinnati, Ohio, where •he married his third wife. Rosina Stroble. a native of Baden. Germany, and removed to Keokuk over .fifty years ago. He was a machinist, and for many years before his death in that cit\-, in iSr)^, he was an in- valid. Before her death she married for a second time, becoming the wife of John Marks. She passed to her final rest June 30, 1900. and Mr. Marks, .\])ril 16, 1892. Mrs. Oertel has one sister, Matilda, the wife )f Ivlwaid Etle, of Keokuk. She is a con- (ril)utor 1(1 the (ierman Lutheran church, in which her son was christened, though l)orn a Cathcilic. She takes much interest in the business affairs of the family, and is book- keei)er at the store. I'or six years she and her husband have worked \ery close to- gether, and they have built a business that rests on a very solid foundation, of which they may be justlv proud. FRANK E. STANNUS. b'rank E. Stannus, who was born in Keo- kuk. Lnva. January 24. 1858, a son of John !^tannus, worthily sustains a name to which his father gave standing for many years in the earlier history of southeastern Iowa. The father was at one time a wholesale dealer in groceries, and was also largely en- gaged in pork packing. During the Civil War he held a position in the custom house and had charge of all the ammunition pass- ing through this port for the government. During the palmy [)eriod of Keokuk he was one of the leading men of the place, and at one time became veiy wealthy. The for- tunes of the stock market, however, proved adverse to him. as tbev did to others, and he lost, it is said, as much as $iOO.OOO. In 1876 he went to the Black Hills. lio])ing to recover his wasted resources in lumbering and mining but with small results. During the war be made up a solunteer S(|uad and serxed in the "battle of .\thens." In ;oo BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW politics he was a Republican, and was ap- pointed surveyor of customs by President Lincoln. This office was lately held by Sam Clark, but has now been removed to St. Louis. John Stannus was born in Wheeling. \\'est Virginia, and was the son of par- ents who came from Ireland when theA were young. He came to Keokuk in 1843. and became a carpenter and contractor, and as he was energetic and aggressive he pushed business, making money rapidly. He was a sportsman of much enthusiasm, a rifle shot of marked excellence and bore the nicknames of "Audubon" and "Iron- clad." He shot game, but would never sell it, preferring to give it to his friends, and had contempt for those who sold game, call- ing them "pot-hunters." On one occasion he crossed the IVIississippi for a wager of fifty dollars, that he would not get his feet wet. The river was very low, and he actu- ally did cross as he wagered he would at Price's creek. He died at Central City, in the Black Hills, in 1895, and his remains now rest in Oakland cemeter}'. His wife, the nTother of Frank E. Stannus, was Mar- tha Hamilton, who was born and reared in Keokuk. The subject of this article, Frank E. Stannus, remained at Keokuk under the pa- rental roof, where he attended the public schools, and studied out a career for him- self, until he reached the age of fifteen years, when he started out in a wholesale and retail business in which he was en- gaged for twenty-two years. In October. 1873, he began a retail oil business, and in 1895 gave it up. after having reaped verj' substantial results. After several years he estaljlished "The Economy Rug Works," in 1900; and four years later purchased a similar plant at Ouincy. Illinois. His in- vestments in real estate are now three dwel- lings and a business house on Main street. Mr. Stannus takes much interest in fra- ternal matters, and is a trustee in Keokuk Lodge, No. 13, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and for twelve years has been a member of the building committee of the Modern W^oodmen of America. For two years he held the office of alderman from the Third ward, and in the council was chairman of the street committee one year, and of sidewalks two years. For five years he represented the central committee in city and county in the Republican organization. Mr. Stannus was married to Miss Lizzie Ycunig. of \\'arsa\v, Illinois, in 1881. Of the four children born to their union, two are living: Edward F. is practicing dentistry and taking a medical course in a school at Ouincy; Etta C. is a child at home. John Young, the father of Mrs. Stannus, is a retired business man of Warsaw. Her mother is dead. Mr. Stannus is the third member of a family of six living children, who were l)orn to his parents: W^illiam J., a ranch- owner in South Dakota: John J., a resident of Central City, South Dakota: Albert L., a resilient of Spearfish, South Dakota; Mrs. Milton C. Brenn, of Spearfish, South Dakota, and Mrs. A. R. Clemmons, also of Spearfish, South Dakota. As will be noted from this outline the LEE COUNTY, 10 IV A. 501 I family have long taken a prominent part in the upbuilding; and development of the country wherever they may be found. The grandfather and the father have proved themselves wide-awake and public spirited, antl the new generation, whether in Dakota, or Chicago, or elsewhere, shows the same m()\ing. and is progressive and earnest. I FRANK M. FULLER, M. D. Dr. Frank AI. Fuller, a practicing physi- cian of Keokuk, was born in the city which is yet his home on the 29th of September, 1867. Flis father was Dr. E. E. Fuller, a l)hysician and druggist who died in the year 1897, ^"f' '^'s mother, who still survives, is now living in Quincy. In their family were fi\e children: Charles M., who is now fore- man with the Baker Medicine Company, of Keokuk: Mrs. E. F. Keith, of San Fran- cisco; David (j., of Chicago; Mrs. J. L. Tapp, of Quincy, Illinois, and Frank M. Dr. I'uller, nf this re\iew, comes of a line of physicians the profession being rep- resented in each generation from 1737 down to the present time. He pursued his early education in the public schools, passed through successive grades until he had com- pleted the high-school course and sub- sequently entered Parson's College at Fair- field, Iowa, in which he was graduated on the completion of the classical course in 1888, the degree of Bachelor of Arts being then conferred upon him. in i8(;i he re- ceived the Master of Arts degree frorfi the same institution. He entered upon his busi- ness career in connection with his father and was associated with him in ilie conduct of a drug store for seven years. When deter- mining to engage in the practice of medi- cine he entered as a student the Keokuk Medical College and therein completed the regular course by graduation with the class of 1897.' He then practiced until the fall of 1897, \vhen he accepted the chair of chem- istry in the Keokuk Medical College. Later he went aliroad and pursued a post-gradu- ate course in the Metropolitan School of Aledicine in London. LTpon his return he resumed the practice of medicine and also his college work, in which he actively con- tinued until 190 1, when he again crossed the .\tlantic and this time inu'sued a course in the Cniversitv of X'ienna and in the Vienna Polyclinic. He has been very suc- cessful in his practice, owing to his careful and comprehensive preparation and his de- \-otion to the duties of the profession. He has a large ])rivate practice and in addition has long l)een connected with educational work in the Keokuk Medical College. At the ])resent writing he occupies the chair of diseases of children in the nurses' school and of clinical diseases of children in the hospital in connection with the college. He belongs to the American Medical Associ- ation, the Iowa State Medical Society, the Tri-state Medical Society, the Southeastern Iowa Medical Society, the Des Moines Val- ley Medical Society and the Lee County 502 BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEW Medical Society, the latter society of which he is the president. In 1897 Dr. Fuller was married to Miss Anna Ballinger. who was born in Keokuk and they have one child, Madison Ballinger, born August 17. 1903. Fraternally Dr. Ful- ler is connected with the Masonic Lodge and with the Ancient Order of United Work- men. He is a Republican in his political views and has been somewhat prominent locally in the ranks of his party. He served as alderman from the Fifth ward for four years, has been president of the board of health for four years and city physician for two years. He was also a director in the Keokuk public library and manifests an active and helpful interest in whatever per- tains to the welfare and progress of his na- tive city. He resides at No. 524 North Third street, where he has a pleasant and attractive home and his genial, social na- ture has gained him warm friendship, while his professional skill and ability have placed liiiu in the front ranks among the repre- sentatives of the medical fraternity in his native countv. i:Nri:)j]x. Alleles. Rev. Melvin S 262 Adams. Allen T 48 Anderson, James H 84 Anschutz, F. W 161 Atlee, John C 13 Atlee, Samuel 11 Baker, Eugene S 187 Ballinger, Frank M 127 Barrett, William L 353 Beall, Joshua 106 Beubow, Sarah M 322 Bennett, John 372 Berryhill, Lewis A 270 Blackinton. Noble 255 Blackinton, William N 257 Brewster. Charles 224 Brewster. James C 52 Brodt. August 96 Brown. Edward H 454 Buck, Edward M., M. D 144 Bullard. Eugene G 359 Bullard, Robert R 136 Burgess. Rev. John 258 Butz. Charles A 382 Case. Thomas J 247 Casey. Hon. Joseph M 31 Casey. Joseph M., M. D 17 Casey. Saberl M 25 Cattermole, Arthur C 152 Cattermole, Henry 452 Chenoweth. Joseph H. D 103 Chestnut, Robert 456 Cobb. Edgar C 387 Collier. Thomas 392 Colvin. William 375 Conaro, James 225 Conlee, IjCwIs 219 Conlee. William M 176 Connable. Albert L 476 Coon, D. Nelson, M. D 198 Cosgrove, John 282 Coulter. J. H., M.y 310 Courtright. John C 78 Coyne. Frank 329 Craig, Hon. John E 41 Craig, Hugh H 147 Craig, John H 465 Craig, Theodore A 315 Creps, Reuben 169 Daniels, John C 119 Davis, Byron C 317 Day. John I 245 Denmire. Lawrence E 80 DcRosear. John 193 Dewey, Howard M 301 Dieman. Henry H 128 Dietz, Frank 331 Dimond, Hon. Andrew J. . . . 35 Dimond. John R 62 Doering. Henry J 436 Doern. W. G.. M. D 231 Doerr. Charles 368 Donnell. Thomas H 365 Dooley. William M 180 Downs. John. M. D 130 Eichl)orn, Julius 457 Eidson. Andrew J., M. D 138 Eitman, William 468 Enslow. Elias H 379 Eppers, Henry P 81 Faulkner, Jay W 400 Ferguson, John S 253 Fiedler. Dr. Edward C 265 Finch. Hon. Charles H 71 Finerty, Patrick H 195 Forder. Joseph E 264 Foulkes, Albert E 274 Fuller. Frank M., M, D 501 Fulton, Harry 123 Fulton. William 140 Galland. Capt. Washington. 232 Gardner, James M 73 Gardner, Roljert A 91 Garmo, Matthias 428 Gerboth, Henry C 181 Gregory, Joseph 294 Haessig, Henry G 364 Hagan, Charles J., M. D 83 Hagerman, Benjamin F. . . . 197 Haisch, Jacob 240 Hamilton, William S 406 Hancock, Rev. Charles, M. D. 414 Handrich. Jacob 120 Harmon. William 348 Harrison. W. E 398 Hart. George A 339 Hart, Robert H 408 Hartmann, Christian 441 Hardwick. John 445 llechler, Ixjuis A 229 Helling, Henry 93 Henneniann. Charles H 178 Hopkirk, William H 319 Hosmer, Arthur 474 Hott, Peter 227 Houghton, David 291 Houston, Asa T 145 Hurley, J. G 494 Jacoby. Rev. William 45 Jenkins. George F.. M. D... 470 Jewell. Benjamin B 289 .lohnsou. Thomas H 206 Johnstone. Hon. Edward.... 14 Jones. Frank H 316 Jordan. Hon. James A 36 Judy. George \V 366 Kamraerer, Charles 448 Kennedy, Hon. C. A 23 Kennedy, Thomas 409 Kerr, Robert 185 Koltenstette. Stephen H 313 Krehbiel. Rudolph H 77 INDEX. Krehbiel, Valentine J 164 Kreikenbaum. Frederick.... 117 Lachniann, John 38 Landes, H. C 323 Lange, Robert 354 Leisy, John 401 Lupton, Joseph A 385 Lynn, .Edward C 47 Marshall, Sabert T 174 Martin. Charles 108 Mason, Jasper K 431 Matless, Leonard 115 Matteson, Eugene L 208 Maxwell, James 95 Maxwell, Thomas J., M. D . . 60 McCabe, Jacob C 402 McElroy, David W 214 Mclntyre, Benjamin F 429 McKeehan, Isaiah 496 McKenzie. Nicholas 260 McQuade, James 346 Meigs. Montgomery 305 Menz, John 67 Merrick, Jonathan 352 Miller, Calvin T 242 Miller, Jr., Daniel F 462 Miller, Sr., Daniel F 461 Miller, Harrison F 495 Millmeyer, Frank 439 Morris. Alvin C 160 Morrison, Dennis A 50 Mullikin, William 373 Murphy, Martin 246 Newberry, Abraham B 249 Newberry Family, The 299 Newberry, Washington 355 Newberry, Winfield W 252 ^Newlon. William H., M. D.. 211 Newton, Joseph E 356 Nunn, Joseph A 394 Oertel, Frank 498 Off, Charles 190 Ohning, Fred H 230 Oilar, Eli R 420 Oldenburg, William 209 Onstott, John 459 Overton, Elias 279 Overton, Marion T 280 Pagett, Thomas S 419 Patterson, Col. William 489 Patterson, William D 381 Pease, Hon. James B 449 RD-7 ' Pennartz, Elizabeth 321 Philpott, John W., M. D 53 Phinney, L. H 218 Pitman. Lindsey G 334 Poole, Benton 277 Poole, Joseph P 250 Potts, William C 425 Quicksell, James W 100 Raber, Charles N 396 Rand, George D 479 Ranson, George 72 Ray, Wiley B 377 Ray, W. L 340 Rebo, Mrs. Grace 191 Reigle, Martin F 284 Reimers, Bendix 362 Rice, Jonas 39 Richardson, Samuel F 463 Rings, Henry 422 Risser, Jacob M 172 Robbins, Charles C 276 Roberts, France C, M. D... 113 Roberts, Nelson C 142 Rogers, Arthur 137 Rogers, George E 171 Rogers, Milward H 55 Ross, William A 417 Rump. George 390 Ruth, Charles E.. M. D 75 Sawyer, Hazen 1 134 Sawyer, Horace 266 Scheffler, Sr.. Peter S 434 Schenk, Frank J 344 Scherfe. Augustus 158 Scherfe, William A 165 Schmidt, Henry 112 Schneider. William 188 Schultz, Charles 192 Schwite, Frederick 397 Scott, John C 243 Seitz, Franklin R 423 Sheperd, William 350 Simpson. Thomas J 442 Sims, Ira S 110 Skinner, William 411 Skyles. Harvey A 413 Smith, Christian 492 Smith, Frederick W 296 Smith, George W 168 Smith, Lawrence 87 Smith, Richard E 216 Smutz, John H 92 Smyth. George W 148 Snyder, Theodore B 88 St. Joseph's Catholic Church 203 St. Mary's Catholic Church. 43 Stannus, Frank E 499 Stewart, George B 239 Stewart, Rev. George D 18 Stoner, Reuben C 122 Swindaman, Casper 440 Tegler. Rev. John 287 Thompson, Sarah J., M. D.. 183 Timpe, William R 28 Townsend, Edgar K 101 Tracy, Oscar O 311 Traverse, Isaac W., M. D... 163 Trevitt, Ethan L 105 Troja, Frank 170 Troja, Joseph 341 Trump, Christian 300 Tucker, Charles C 376 Tucker, Charles Clinton 384 Tucker. George W 361 Tucker, John W 367 Underwood, John B 89 Urfer, Edwin 343 Vanosdoll, J. L 251 Vanosdoll, Richard 358 Vermazen. Achie 325 Voigt, Henry 345 Wahrer, C. F., M. D 308 AVaite, Morrice E 426 Walker, Oliver D., M. D 154 Wallace, John 222 Walter, Lewis 68 Waters, Frank R 330 Wende, Henry 202 Wilkinson, Andrew J 56 Willard, W. C 451 Williams, Rhoda 433 Wilson, Capt. William 220 Wilson, George 293 Wilson. James X 416 Wilson, Thomas V '. . 273 Wilson, Walker 327 Wood, Richard B. B 482 Worley, Sylvester T 285 Wright, Austin N 393 Wyatt. William H 156 Yotter, Jacob 447 Young, Hon. David A 388 Zaiser, Rev. Arthur J 204 f,.\,o ' ^■''o.'^^^V'' "V^^-v '''°'^<'^^\/ "V^^-v ''''''■-*' v.--A:^^"v^o-'?^*^y°.^-x ".r ^1' 4'./ .1 \ 4, « • , ^ ■> U ^ ./, 'ill" OP ^ , , . 'v. ' D N " "= 1 0^ . " •O//^.