Linn County Biographies
1878 County History Biographies
Orlando C. Alspaugh Chief clerk of the Railway Mail service for the Oklahoma district of the Eleventh Division is Orlando C. Alspaugh, who was promoted to this office in October, 1902, and has since had his headquarters and residence in Oklahoma City, where he is a well known and public spirited citizen. His jurisdiction embraces practically all the R. P. O. routes in Oklahoma, extending from Newton, Kansas, Monett, Missouri, and Fort Smith. Arkansas, west and south into Texas, with about one hundred and twenty-five clerks under his supervision. Mr. Alspaugh's district is one of the most efficiently conducted in the entire Railway Mail Service, and has a high standing in the department. Indefatigable in his efforts to improve the service, and popular with his subordinates and with the public, he is in a position to be of substantial benefit to the general business interests of the state. Mr. Alspaugh -has been connected with the postal department during the greater part of his active career, and in this service has known Oklahoma since it was opened to settlement. Born at Lafayette, Linn county, Iowa, in 1858, where his parents were pioneer settlers, he received most of his schooling at Normal, in McLean county, Illinois, where his parents located in 1869. Owing to the death of his father he was early thrown upon his own resources, and at the age of fourteen came to Kansas in company with an older brother, L. P. Locating in Marion county in 1872, the brothers began farming, but their experience in that line almost proved disastrous owing to the grasshopper plague and continued droughts. During his residence in Marion County, Mr. Alspaugh became postmaster at the town of Bethel, in the northeast part of the county, and has since been identified with this department of the federal service. In 1889, having passed the necessary examinations, he was appointed to a position in the Railway Mail Service, his run being the Newton and Galveston R. P. O. For nearly thirteen years his run was on the Santa Fe south from Newton through Oklahoma to Texas, his first work being shortly after the opening of Oklahoma in 1889. Through the different grades he was promoted into the position he now occupies. Previous to that time his residence was at Newton, Kansas. Mr. Alspaugh was married in Marion County to Miss Minnie R. Evans, who was a native of Philadelphia. They have four children, Grace, William E., Frank and Helen. [Submitted by Dale Donlon]
Arthur Tappan Averill In the passing of Arthur Tappan Averill, Cedar Rapids suffered the loss of one of its most prominent and representative citizens - a man whose work was of vital significance in the commercial and financial history of the city. While his business enterprise carried him into other fields beyond the boundaries of the state, his interest always centered in this city and Cedar Rapids ever benefited by the prosperity which he attained elsewhere. He was born at Highgate Springs, Franklin county, Vermont, September 14, 1843, and possessed many of the sterling characteristics attributed to the New England people. He traced his ancestry back to Captain John Averill who was commissioned under the crown of Great Britain and settled first in Northfield, Massachusetts, but in 1752 removed to township number 1, Vermont. The next in descent was John Averill, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, whose son. John Averill, was born in Westminster, Vermont, in 1777, and removed to Highgate Springs, that state, in 1812. He was a member of the Society of Friends and took a very active and prominent part in public affairs, being elected three times to the state legislature. The latter's son, .Mark R. Averill, was the father of our subject. He was born in Highgate Springs, Vermont, in 1811. Theodore Roosevelt has said: "A man of eastern birth, reared and trained in western environment becomes the strongest factor in American citizenship." Such was the record of Arthur Tappan Averill, who when a youth of nine years, accompanied his parents as they left their New England home and journeyed westward to become residents of Lee county, Illinois. In 1854 they removed to Whiteside county of the same state and there Arthur T. Averill was reared to manhood, attending school at Geneseo with John T. Hamilton, with whom he afterward engaged in business. He arrived in Cedar Rapids in March, 1865,- a young man of twenty-one years - and here became assistant to the local agent of C. H. & L. J. McCormick. Later he became agent for the McCormick interests at this point and further promotion brought him to the position of superintendent of agents for the firm in 1869, in which connection he had entire supervision of the Iowa business. While thus engaged he induced his former schoolmate, John T. Hamilton, to come to Cedar Rapids as his associate in business and in 1869 the firm of Averill & Hamilton was organized for the purpose of dealing in agricultural implements, seeds, coal and kindred lines. The new enterprise prospered from the beginning and the partnership was profitably maintained for five years. The firm then became Averill & Amidon and so continued for two years, when Mr. Amidon disposed of his interests, Mr. Averill remaining as sole proprietor through the succeeding two years. Energetic and enterprising, he extended his efforts into other fields, purchasing a controlling interest in the Cedar Rapids Gas Light Company in 1875, in which year he was chosen president and so continued to the time of his demise. Mr. Averill took a personal pride and interest in the gas plant and though he had many opportunities to dispose of it, refused all offers. Moreover, he figured prominently in financial circles, serving for twenty years as the president of the Cedar Rapids National Bank, in which connection he instituted a progressive system that was, however, tempered by a safe conservatism, making the bank one of the strongest financial concerns of the state. The years brought him wealth and the extension of his activities into other fields made him well known as an investor in business and real-estate interests of Cedar Rapids and also as an investor in business projects in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Kentucky. He was likewise the proprietor of the Vincennes hotel, one of the leading family hotels of Chicago, financed the building of the Montrose hotel of Cedar Rapids and also the Welch-Cook building. It was a notable instance of his public spirit that his prosperitygained elsewhere was largely used for the benefit of his home town. On the 22d of October, 1867, Mr. Averill was united in marriage to Miss Allie R. Doolittle, of this city, and unto them were born three children, Glenn M., Jessie and Arthur, but the last named died in infancy. The death of Mr. Averill occurred February 14, 1910, and while he was a prominent figure in business circles and in public affairs, his loss was nowhere more keenly and poignantly felt than at his own fireside, for he was a devoted husband and father whose first consideration was ever his family. His activity in business circles was ever of the utmost benefit to Cedar Rapids and no man took a keener interest in such projects as were a matter of civic virtue and civic pride. He never sought public office but wielded an influence that was all the more potent from the fact that it was moral rather than political. His opinions came to be recognized as so sound and his views so correct as to make his support of any measure an influencing factor that drew to it the further support of his fellow townsmen. Throughout the long period of his residence in Cedar Rapids he enjoyed in the fullest measure the confidence and high regard of his colleagues and contemporaries. [History of Linn County, Volume 2, 1911, transcribed by C. Danielson]
H. C. Benham H. C. Benham, lumber merchant; pres. Big Horn Lumber Co.; (Prog.); b. Feb. 2, 1862, Linn county, Iowa; s. of J. L. and Margaret (Boyce) Benham; edu. Pub. schls. Linn county; grad. Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Business college, 1889; engaged in lumber business in Deadwood, S. D. 1890-1900; located in Sheridan, Wyo., 1900, and organized and has been president and general manager of The Big Horn Lumber Co., since; director and v-pres. Sheridan County Bldg. & Loan Assn., since organization, 1912; director and pres. Sheridan Business Men's Club, 1914; director and v-pres. Sheridan Commercial Club, 1912-13; first president Denver-National Parks Highway Assn., 1913; pres. Sheridan Good Roads Club, 1913-14; mem. Masons, York rite; Past High Priest R. A. Masons. Address: Sheridan, Wyoming. [Men of Wyoming, By C. S. Peterson, Publ 1915, Transcribed by Richard Ramos]
Mrs. W. E. Blake Susan Elizabeth Safely Blake, wife of the widely known attorney, W. E. Blake, was born in Waterford, N.Y., April 23, 1845. Her father was Thomas Safley, and her mother, Henrietta Fenwick, who died, when her daughter was only six years old. In 1853 her father with his family came to Linn county, Iowa. All three of Mrs. Blake's brothers served in the Civil War. Dr. A. F. Safley enlisted in New York, Alexander F. Safley in a Colorado Regiment and won from the Indians the name "Brave White Chief" because of his bravery. Maj. John J. Safley enlisted in the 13th regiment at Davenport which was a part of the Iowa Crocker Brigade. She was married to W. E. Blake, Nov. 4, 1903. He has practiced law in Burlington since 1869. He has been an elder in the First Presbyterian church for over forty years and was superintendent of the Sunday school for twenty-five years. He was a member of the Board of Education for twelve years, being president for eleven years. Mrs. Blake belongs to most of the clubs and associations in Burlington which are worth while, among them the Musical Club, the King's Daughters, the Y. W. C. A., the Visiting Nurse Association, the Red Cross society, the Humane Society, the Hospital Aid and her church organizations. To all these she gives very helpful support. She has lived in Burlington for forty-one years and through all that time has had a part in the best life of the city. She has seen the city grow and improve in these years until it seems transformed, very few of the old land marks being left. [The Blue book of Iowa Women, by Winona Evans Reeves, Publ. 1914, Transcribed by Rhonda Hill]
George Cone Interview with George Cone, bailiff in the lower court room. He was a member of the Marion city council in 1876. He is a charter member of the Marion Methodist church. The early history of this part of Iowa is well told by George Cone, who was born April 12, 1839, his parents having immigrated westward two years previous. They left Connecticut early in 1837, and settled in Ohio for a short time, coming to Iowa in 1838. They purchased four hundred acres of farm land from the government, at a cost of $1.25 an acre, the tract being in Bertram Township. A log cabin was built at an edge of the big farm, and it was considered by the few neighbors of the time to be a palace in the wilderness. Notwithstanding all these complimentary remarks, the chinks between the logs were not filled in, Mr. Cone says. The modern conveniences of the place were complete with a real window cash, with six lights of eight by ten inch glass, however, which the father of the bailiff brought from Illinois. In building the cabin at the edge of the farm, Mr. Cone continued, his father built it across the Township border, so that the third child in the family was born in Marion Township. To prevent any such further confusion in the real home of the family, the cabin was soon moved a few feet and brought entirely in Bertram Township. Mr. Cone was the first white male born in Linn County. A Dr. Tryan was the first physician in the county and a Dr. Bardwell was the second, he says. During his early childhood, Mr. Cone remembers that it was not out of the ordinary to awake in the morning and find that one or two Indians had come in the house during the night, and were found sleeping in front of the fireplace at daylight. As a baby he was carried throughout the vicinity by Indians, his parents told him, he being regarded as a great curiosity. "The Indians were good to the settlers," Said Mr. Cone, "and we did not lock our doors when we were away from home. We never knew the Indians to steal. We often gave them a peck of potatoes and later were greeted by one coming to our cabin with a quarter of venison. I remember wild turkeys and deer coming in around our barn yard and entering the pen with the hogs. At many times when my mother was ill, an Indian squaw would come and be my nurse. We were never afraid of the Indians." When he was eight years of age, Mr. Cone shot and killed his first prairie chicken. "I was so excited," he said, "that I threw my shot gun away in the snow. Picked up the chicken, and ran home with it to my mother." One day when his parents had gone to town and left the children alone in the home, Mr. Cone recollects that a pack of wolves surrounded the cabin, putting their paws to the sill of the windows and showing their teeth. Byron, the eldest son, who was fourteen at the time, took a shot gun down from above the fire place, ready to protect the children if the wolves succeeded in breaking the window with their paws. An uncle, who lived about a half mile away, heard the wolves, came down with a dog pack, drove the wolves away and stayed with the children until the parents returned. When he was about nine years of age, word came that the Indians were killing people in Bertram Township and that the Cone family must move. Mr. Cone's father did not believe the story, but decided that his family should go with the settlers who were leaving the vicinity. The women rode in wagons and the men walked along side. George trudged along beside the wagon in which his mother rode, the cortege going east of Marion near what is now known as the John Oxley farm. Here they formed a circle putting the wagons containing the women and children in the center. A stockade was formed and they awaited an attack. The attack did not materialize and the family learned later that it had originated from a new man in the community seeing a group of Indians together and becoming frightened at them. The settler ran and the Indians after him-but they merely intended to tell him that they were not going to harm him. As they ran past the home of Dr. Tryan, the doctor's mother became frightened and came out in front, armed with a scythe to protect herself from the band. The family moved to Marion, and then to another farm, when Mr. Cone was 12 years of age and came to Marion again when he was 15. He has lived here continuously sixty-five years, since that time. In keeping with present activity concerning it, Mr. Cone recalled that the county court house was formerly in an old store corner, where the Bidwell house now stands. [Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, March 1, 1919, submitted by Ken Wright]
Judge George Greene In the practice of law, in financial circles and in railroad building Judge Greene attained such success and prominence that his activities in any one of those fields would alone entitle him to representation among the men whose life work has conferred honor and dignity upon the history of Linn county. Moreover, his name is inseparably interwoven with the annals of Cedar Rapids in that he was one of the founders of the city and remained thereafter until his death one of the most helpful factors in its progress and improvement. George Greene was born in Alton, Staffordshire, England, a son of Robert and Sefer (Woodward) Greene, who were also natives of Staffordshire, and a brother of William and Joseph Greene, who, like Judge Greene, gave liberally of time, thought and energy to the work of up-building in the west. The parents came to the United States when their son George was only two years of age, and it was in Buffalo, New York, that the other sons were born and there the father died in 1825. After his demise the mother returned to England in the hope of obtaining possession of some property which was rightfully hers, but failed in this and passed away at her old home in 1827. She had left her children in Buffalo when she returned to England and George Greene was thus left an orphan at the age of ten years. During the ensuing four years he managed not only to support himself but also provide for his younger brothers. Then he, too, went to England hoping that he might recover the property which his mother had failed to secure. He worked his passage and had to provide for his own support by securing employment, when in his native land. He, too, failed in this mission and then he worked his passage back to America, saddened but not discouraged by his failure. He resolved that industry and economy should accomplish what he had failed to secure through inheritance and, realizing the value of education, he most carefully saved his earnings in order that he might further attend school. In this way he managed to supplement his early advantage by a year's study in the Carysville Collegiate Seminary, a year in the Aurora Seminary and two years at French's Collegiate Institute in Geneva, New York. During that period lie taught school and did such other work as he could find to do. He next took up the study of law hoping to make its practice a life profession. His reading was directed by the Hon. George P. Baker of Buffalo and he met his expenses during that period by assisting in the office and acting as bookkeeper for Dr. Chapin, with whom he made his home. The year 1838 witnessed the arrival of Judge Greene in Iowa. He proceeded to Davenport, where he entered the employ of David J. Owen, who was making a geological survey of the state, and six months were devoted by Mr. Greene to surveying. This brought him a broad knowledge of the country and at the same time he was paid a liberal salary, from which he saved a considerable sum. He then made his way to Ivanhoe, Linn county, where he continued his law studies while teaching school, and in 1840 he was admitted to the bar at Iowa City. Choosing Marion as his place of location, he entered upon active practice there and the following year was chosen a member of the territorial legislature. In 1845 he engaged in law practice and in journalism in Dubuque, having purchased the Miners Express, which he published for several years. There he entered into partnership with J. J. Dyer, who was soon afterward appointed judge of the United States district court. In his law practice Mr. Greene made steady progress, giving proof of his ability to handle the complex and intricate problems of the law in his successful conduct of litigation before the courts. His reputation was such that in 1847 he was appointed one of the supreme judges of the state to fill a vacancy and the following year was regularly elected. He sat upon the bench for eight years and proved himself the peer of the ablest jurists of the west at an early day. He also compiled Greene's Reports, which were published in four volumes. Throughout his life he remained a learned and discriminating lawyer and in his practice ranked with the eminent members of the Iowa bar. He did not confine his attention alone to his work as counselor and advocate, however, but in other fields did service of far-reaching benefit and value. He became one of the founders of Cedar Rapids, joining in 1849 with others who owned the site in surveying and laying out the original town. He never ceased to feel the keenest interest in its up-building and progress and put forth earnest and effective effort in its behalf. He took up his abode in this city in 1851 and remained here continuously until his death save for a brief period. Judge Greene contributed to the material development of the city in financial circles, becoming associated with John Weare, D. O. Pinch, W. H. Merritt and others in the banking business and when the financial panic of 1857 came on he was actively connected with the management of nine banks in different localities. He was largely interested in real estate in most of the counties and in nearly every large town of Iowa, and his initiative spirit enabled him to institute and successfully control such enterprises. In 1859 Judge Greene formed a law partnership with Cyrus Bently, of Chicago, which continued for five years and during most of that time he lived in that city. He made his home in the winter of 1863-4 at McGregor, Iowa, while he and his brothers were building the McGregor Western Railroad to Conover. At the same time and for several years thereafter he was a factor in the building of the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad and thus became actively associated with the field of labor which is one of the most important sources of the up-building of any section of the country. On his return to Cedar Rapids Judge Greene resumed the practice of law in partnership with Judge Dudley and his son-in-law, A. S. Belt, and the firm became solicitors for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. Continuing in active connection with railroad building and operation, Judge Greene was chosen to the presidency of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad and took active part in the building of that line, which was afterward operated under the name of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad. He constructed several other smaller railroads and was most prominent in the building of railway lines in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas. He also took active part in the material development of Cedar Rapids through the erection of many buildings here and through the financial support which he gave to the Cedar Rapids & Marion Railway. Hardly an enterprise of any importance was instituted in Cedar Rapids in which he was not financially associated or had voice in its management. He always looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities of the future and labored for coming years as well as for the present. Judge Greene was married twice. On the 30th of May, 1838, he wedded Miss Harriet Merritt, a daughter of Jesse and Harriet (Hilton) Merritt, of Buffalo, New York. They became parents of four children: George W., who was born April 4, 1839, and died in Ivanhoe, Iowa, March 13, 1840; Susan H., who was born March 3, 1841, in Marion, and was married November 26, 1862, to Algernon S. Belt, an attorney of the Cedar Rapids bar, and is now residing in San Francisco, California, her husband having died in 1878; Mary Ely, who was born in Dubuque, June 7, 1843, and died July 28, 1844; and Edward Merritt, who was born March 29, 1845, in Dubuque, and married Emma Eberhart. He was at one time engaged in the lumber business in Cedar Rapids, and died in Chicago The mother passed away in Dubuque, April 25, 1850, and on the 21st of January, 1855, Judge Greene married Miss Frances R. Graves, whose parents were Calvin and Fanny (Carlisle) Graves, of Cooperstown, New York. Six sons and two daughters were born to that union: Calvin G., born February 18, 1856, is now engaged in the real-estate business in Cedar Rapids; Fanny C, born January 19, 1858, died in October, 1859; George, born December 28, 1859, was married September 1, 1886, to Charlotte Winton, and resides at Brookline, Massachusetts; William J., born November 28, 1861, married October 7, 1896, to Mae Huldah Whittam, and is construction engineer of the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway and Light Company; Elizabeth, born August 13, 1864, was married to Nicholas Williams McIvor, and is now a resident of Yokahama, Japan, where her husband (formerly United States consul general) is now engaged in the practice of law; Robert C, born December 22, 1867, died June 19, 1885; Francis, born May 14, 1870, is a mechanical engineer and now resides in Madison, Wisconsin; Woodward K., born August 2, 1873, married Ellen Belle Safely, May 29, 1899, and is a special agent of the National Biscuit Company, residing in Chicago. While Judge Greene was an eminent lawyer and a successful business man he was not unmindful of his obligations of citizenship and, on the contrary, took active and helpful interest in those things which tended to promote the intellectual and moral progress of the community. He was one of the founders and a warden of Grace Episcopal church and one of the most loyal promoters of Coe Collegiate Institute, which has since become Coe College, serving for many years as president of its board of trustees. His life record is a splendid illustration of the power and force of character and ability when the individual is deprived of the advantages which come through wealth and advantageous early environment. Strong and resourceful and possessed of discriminating judgment, Judge Greene seemed to know when and where and how to put forth his efforts to obtain the best results. Gifted by nature with strong intellectuality, he so used his natural gifts that they grew and developed with the passing years. He stood for that which is highest and best for the individual and for the community and his labors were ever far-reaching and beneficial in their effects. He stands today not only among the promoters and up-builders of Cedar Rapids but is numbered among those to whom the middle west is much indebted because his business activities were largely of a character that contributed to the progress of this section of the country. He was laid to rest with Masonic honors following his demise, which occurred at his home in Cedar Rapids, June 23, 1880. [History of Linn County, Iowa, Volume 2, 1911, transcribed by C. Danielson]
Otis R. Hale Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1873, Mr. Hale is a son of Flag Capt. Hiel Hale, a native of Columbiana county, Ohio. The family has long been represented in America, and the great-great-grandfather served his country with courage and distinction in the Revolutionary war. The grandfather, Nathan S., who subsequently died in Arizona, was a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, and was an industrious tiller of the soil during the greater part of his life. Captain Hale was a prominent man in whatever locality he chanced to live, and after removing to Arizona was a participator in the most substantial effort for the territory's growth. In Ohio he conducted large farming interests, but changed his residence to Iowa in 1850. During the first three months of the Civil war he served in the First Iowa Infantry, and was after that captain of Company D, Twelfth Iowa Infantry. Upon being captured at Pittsburg he suffered the confinement and horrors of Libby prison for eight months, and was paroled in 1864. The local political affairs of his locality in Iowa were materially advanced by his services in several important offices, among which was the position of sheriff of Linn county, which he held for two terms. For six years he was city marshal of Cedar Rapids, and for five years was the deputy warden of the Iowa state penitentiary at Fort Madison. From the latter position he was forced to resign because of ill health, and in search of a change of climate and occupation he came to Arizona in 1882. At the present time he is engaged in mining, and resides in the old and historically interesting town of Tucson. His ability was recognized by his fellow townsmen, who elected him to the nineteenth general assembly, during the sessions of which he served on several important committees, and ably represented the interests of Yuma county. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. The mother of O. R. Hale was formerly Sarah M. Dawley, who was born in Indiana, and subsequently removed with her parents to Iowa. She is the mother of two children, of whom O. R. is the younger. Albert Hale is a locomotive engineer with the Southern Pacific Railroad. The youth of O. R. Hale was an industrious one, and at a very early age he faced the problem of self-support. When but nine years of age he moved with his father to Tucson, and at the age of fourteen his education in the public schools was interrupted by his apprenticeship in the machine shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Following the four years spent in the shops, he worked as a machinist" in different eastern cities for a couple of years, and upon returning was with the same railroad company until his resignation in 1899. At this time he built a machine shop on Tenth street, Tucson, and, in partnership with Mr. Myrick, conducted a well-drilling and general machine plant under the firm name of Myrick & Hale. The firm are among the large business concerns in the city, and are experts in their particular line, and particularly "efficient deep well drillers. So large is the demand for their services that they keep two drills in operation the greater part of the time. In 1898 Mr. Hale was nominated on the Republican ticket for the legislature, and elected by a good majority. He served on the judiciary committee and was chairman of the library committee, and of several others of equal importance. He was instrumental in securing the passage of the bill providing the appropriation for the University of Arizona, the money to be paid in regular yearly installments, and to be used in maintaining the highest possible management of the institution. He has served also as a member of the territorial central committee. Fraternally he is associated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and belongs to the club maintained by the order. He is a member of The International Association of Machinists. [Source: Portrait and biographical record of Arizona. Commemorating the achievements of citizens who have contributed to the progress of Arizona and the development of its resources (1901);
transcribed and submitted by Bill and Barbara Ziegenmeyer]
William J. Henderson William J. Henderson, well known as a successful agriculturist and stockman of Linn county, owns and operates a valuable farm of four hundred and forty acres in Jackson township. His birth occurred in that township on the 13th of February, 1868, his parents being Peter G. and Jane (Arabell) Henderson. A sketch of the father appears on another page of this work. William J. Henderson attended the common schools in the acquirement of an education and remained at home until he had attained the age of twenty-one years, when he was married. During the following ten years he resided on what is now known as the Charlie Carl farm and on the expiration of that period purchased two hundred and forty acres of his present place in Jackson township. He has made his home thereon continuously since and has extended the boundaries of the farm by additional purchase until it now comprises four hundred and forty acres. In connection with the tilling of the soil he makes a specialty of breeding and raising Englishshire horses and thoroughbred red polled cattle and this branch of his business has proved a gratifying source of remuneration to him. His live-stock interests have brought him an extensive acquaintance in Linn and adjoining counties and he is widely recognized as a prosperous, progressive and enterprising citizen. He is a stockholder in the State Bank of Central City. On the 19th of March, 1889, Mr. Henderson was united in marriage to Miss Lottie Freeman, of this county, her father being Hull Freeman, now deceased. Unto them have been born eight children, seven of whom still survive, namely: Vera B., Lonie A., Lawrence D., John C, Carl P., Ada L. and Floyd C, all at home. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Henderson has supported the men and measures of the republican party, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. That many of his staunchest friends are numbered among those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time is an indication that his has been an honorable, upright life and one worthy of the esteem in which he is uniformly held. [History of Linn County, Iowa, Volume 2, 1911, transcribed by C. Danielson]
Daniel R. Kinley Daniel R. Kinley has through much of his life been in public office and has to his credit four years of valorous service in the Civil war; six years in the office of sheriff of Linn county; four years as deputy sheriff; and is now justice of the peace in Marion. His record is one that has ever been characterized by the utmost fidelity to duty and to a high standard of official service. He was born on the 26th of January, 1842, near Richmond, Indiana, and is a son of Fred and Margaret (Reynolds) Kinley. The father was born in that locality and built one of the first mills in that part of the country. He was the son of Isaac Kinley, who removed from the south to Indiana and became one of the first settlers in the vicinity of Richmond. Again the Kinley family were identified with pioneer interests following their removal to Mount Vernon, Iowa, where they arrived on the 10th of September, 1846, after driving across the country from their old home. Here Fred Kinley purchased land and devoted his remaining days to general agricultural pursuits. His father was killed by the kick of a horse in 1858. At the time of the Civil war Fred Kinley responded to the country's call for troops and laid down his life on the altar of his country, being wounded at the battle of Missionary Ridge. In his family were two sons and three daughters, namely: Daniel R., of this review; Oliver C, who is living at the National Home of Tennessee; Mattie L., the widow of A. M. Hinsdale and a resident of Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Fredericka Wadleigh, who lives with her mother in Denver; and Mrs. Louie Ford, a resident of Chicago. Daniel R. Kinley was reared on the home farm, his early experiences being those which usually fall to the lot of the farm lad. He was only four years of age when the family came to Iowa. He was educated in Knightstown, Indiana, and at an early age became a fireman on an engine. Aroused by the attempt of the south to overthrow the Union, he enlisted in 1861 as a member of Company A, Sixth Infantry, under Colonel McDowell, and served for four years, meeting all of the hardships and incidents which are features in a soldier's life. He participated in the battles of Corinth, Memphis, Vicksburg, Black River, Jackson, Missionary Ridge and Atlanta, and ever proved a faithful and loyal soldier. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant and at the close of the war was honorably discharged. When the country no longer needed his aid Mr. Kinley returned to Linn county and purchased a tract of land in the vicinity of Marion, after which he gave his attention to farming for a number of years. Later he was called to various political offices and at length was elected sheriff of the county in 1890, being the only republican elected to office in Linn county that year. He ran far ahead of his ticket and received a majority of forty-eight votes. At the following election he received public endorsement of his capable service by being re-elected with a majority of several hundred votes, and at his third election to the office he received a still larger majority. He discharged his duties without fear or favor and his name became a menace to evil-doers and brought a feeling of protection to those who obeyed the laws. He retired from the office as he had entered it - with the confidence and good will of the general public He is now serving as justice of the peace and his decisions are ever fair and impartial. On the 5th of December, 1865, Mr. Kinley was married to Miss Lydia Gibson, who passed away August 22, 1909. They had an adopted daughter who has also passed away. Mrs. Kinley was a daughter of William B. and Martha (Willard) Gibson. Fraternally Mr. Kinley is a prominent Mason, having taken many degrees in the order, and is a member of the Mystic Shrine. He organized the Robert Mitchell Grand Army Post and has ever been a faithful representative of that organization. He belongs to the Presbyterian church and a well spent life has gained him the high regard of all who know him throughout this county. [History of Linn County, Iowa, Volume 2, 1911, transcribed by C. Danielson]
Mrs. Alice Scoville Miller "These are her fruits, kindness and gentleness
And gratefully we take them at her hands;
Patience she has and pity for distress,
And love that understands." Alice Scoville Miller was born at Coleta, Ill., the daughter of Ira Scoville, a native of Erie, Pa., and J. Bushnell, who was born at Hillsdale, N. Y. When a child her parents came to Vinton, later moving to Grundy Center and in 1898 moved to Cedar Rapids, which is still her home. She was graduated from the Vinton high school and from Tilford Academy. She also attended Cornell College, and later took a course in a business college. On Sept. 30, 1903, she was married to Harry Miller, who is a successful real estate dealer in Cedar Rapids. His parents, Leslie Miller and Caroline McKee Miller, were pioneers and prominent citizens of Vinton, Iowa. Mrs. Miller is a member of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church. She is a member of Malta chapter O. E. S. She is a member of the P. E. O. sisterhood and is one of the prominent P. E. O's. of the Iowa Grand Chapter, having served as second vice-president 1908-'09, as recording secretary 1909-'11, first vice-president 1911-'12, and as state president 1912-'13. She is now a member of the Board of Trustees governing the P. E. O. Record, which is the official magazine of the sisterhood. The Board of Trustees are by appointment of the Supreme Chapter. In whatsoever capacity Mrs. Miller has served, she has been efficient and gracious and has merited all the honors which she has received. She has many times appeared on the program of the state and national conventions. She is a very attractive woman, one of great kindness of heart, and gentleness of spirit and yet a woman, of strong character.[Notes in margins: "Moved to G. C. in '94. Joined in 1896 (Aunt Hattie says)" and "Chapter FC, Long Beach, Calif."] [The Blue book of Iowa Women, by Winona Evans Reeves, Publ. 1914, Transcribed by Dana Kraft]
Mrs. Benjamin F. Shambaugh Bertha M. Horack Shambaugh was born in Cedar Rapids, Feby. 12, 1871, Her father was Frank J, Horack and her mother Katharine Mosnat, of whom her daughter says: "Anything that I have done in the past and all I hope to do in the future is due to her inspiring guidance." Mrs. Shambaugh was educated in the State University of Iowa, having been graduated in 1893. She is a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She was married in Iowa City, Aug. 11, 1897, to Prof. Benjamin F. Shambaugh, head of the department of Political Science in the State University of Iowa and Superintendent of the State Historical Society of Iowa. She is a member of the First Unitarian Church, of Iowa City, secretary of the board of trustees and superintendent of the Sunday School. She is a member of the N. K. Club, one of the oldest literary clubs of the city and the first to join Iowa State Federation. She is a member of the Iowa Press and Authors' Club and has served it as vice-president. She is a member of the committee on education, I. F. W. C. For three years she was head of the department of Biology of the Iowa City high school. She is an author of marked ability and wide reputation. She is the author of "Amana; The Community of True Inspiration," published by the State Historical Society of Iowa, which gives a picture, historically true, of that unique settlement in Iowa. She has written many stories and nature sketches for magazines which she herself has illustrated. She has contributed to the Midland Monthly, The World Today, Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Our Animal Friends, The Churchman, The Interior, The Outlook, Youth's Companion. [The Blue book of Iowa Women, by Winona Evans Reeves, Publ. 1914, Transcribed by Dana Kraft]
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