| History and Genealogy | |
Washington County, Iowa BiographiesMarsh W. Bailey While Marsh W. Bailey is primarily a lawyer - and by the consensus of public opinion a most able one - he is also recognized as one of the prominent republican leaders of southeastern Iowa and has left and is leaving the impress of his individuality upon the political history of this section of the state. He was born in Richmond, Iowa, March 9, 1870, and represents one of the old families of Washington county. The Baileys are of Scotch-Irish lineage. Abraham Bailey, the grandfather of Marsh W. Bailey, was a native of Ohio and a farmer by occupation. He wedded Miss Mary Kirkpatrick and in an early day they came to Iowa, where Mr. Bailey entered two hundred acres of government land adjoining the village of Richmond. He was then identified with agricultural interests until his death, which occurred just prior to the Civil war. His widow survived him until about 1868. They reared a large family including James Bailey who was born on the land his father had entered from the government, the place of his nativity being in English River township, Washington county. There he was reared to manhood on a farm and the occupation with which he became familiar during his boyhood he determined to make his life work. At different times he has bought and sold a number of farms in this county and for sometime was actively engaged in the work of the fields, but for the past twenty years has been a resident of Washington. At the time of the Civil war he espoused the Union cause, enlisting in the Thirteenth Iowa Regiment, while later he became a member of Company D, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, serving for nearly four years in all. He was a non-commissioned officer, holding the rank of sergeant. He participated in the siege of Vicksburg, in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Resaca and the Atlantic campaign, including the siege and capture of Atlanta. He also went with Sherman on the march to the sea and when the victorious northern troops marched through the streets of Washington in the grand review he was of the number, thus taking part in the closing pageant of the war. When hostilities were over he returned to his home in Washington county, Iowa, and again engaged in farming in English River township, being identified with agricultural pursuits in that and Jackson townships until he established his home in the city of Washington. James Bailey was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Marsh, a daughter of Adam Marsh, who was a native of Pennsylvania and of German descent. He, too, followed the occupation of farming as a life work. He married a Miss Austin and they established their home in Washington county among the early settlers. Both passed away in Jackson township when well advanced in years, having reared a family of four sons and two daughters: William E.; James K.; Charles H.; Hannibal H.; Margaret, now Mrs. Bailey; and Victoria, who became the wife of Marion O'Laughlin. Unto Mr. and Mrs. James Bailey have been born two daughters: May, who died in infancy; and Ida M. Marsh W. Bailey, the only son and the eldest of the family, was born on the same farm on which his father was born. He was reared upon the farm and attended the country schools at Pilotsburg, after which he continued his studies in Iowa City Academy, and later, at the Washington Academy, from which he was graduated with honors on the completion of the classical course in 1890. While in the academy he was a member of the Aurora Literary Society, and in connection with Charles W. McCleary, who has since died as a missionary in Africa, edited and published the Acamedian, a monthly literary magazine. He next entered the State University of Iowa at Iowa City and was graduated from the College of Liberal Arts in 1893. While a student in the university he was a member of the well known Zetagathian Literary Society, as well as one of the charter members of the McClain Chapter of the Phi Delta Phi fraternity. He was literary editor of the Hawkeye, the junior annual of the class of '93; and managing editor of the S. U. I. Quill, the literary magazine of the university. He also pursued the law course there and spent a year in the law libraries and courts of Des Moines. Well qualified for the practice of his profession he opened an office in Washington in the winter of 1894-5 and has for fifteen years been continuously engaged in practice, meeting with gratifying and well earned success. The liberal clientage accorded him is indicative of his ability which has placed him in the rank of the foremost lawyers of this part of the state. He is strong and forceful in argument, clear and logical in his deductions and presents His cause cogently and convincingly. Mr. Bailey has filled the office of city attorney of Washington for three terms and was county attorney for two terms. He was elected on the republican ticket, having been a stanch supporter of the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. While still in the university he was a member of the American Republican College League which had for its object the overcoming of the free-trade teachings then so strong in so many colleges and universities. During the Harrison campaign he was vice president of the National League and had charge of its western headquarters, while the succeeding year he presided over the national convention at Louisville, Kentucky. He has been a delegate to the conventions of the party from township to national and has presided over all except the state and national. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Iowa League of the Republican Clubs and acted as its secretary for a time. He was ward committeeman for years, was chairman of the county central committee and was a member of the sixth judicial district committee, while later he became congressional committeeman from this county. In 1904 he was a delegate to the republican national convention which nominated Theodore Roosevelt, and as a presidential elector from the first district of Iowa in 1908 he cast his ballot for William H. Taft. Perhaps no man in the district of his age has done more for the success of the republican party than Mr. Bailey and he has made many effective campaign addresses, presenting his arguments clearly and forcibly while the logic of his utterances appeals strongly to the thinking public. On the 10th of April, 1900, Mr. Bailey was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Brown, a daughter of Henry A. and Anna (Barhydt) Brown. Mrs. Bailey was born in Burlington, this state, her parents coming from New York to Iowa and settling in that city in the '50s. Her paternal grandfather was a native of New York, where his wife, who bore the maiden name of Eunice Abel, was also born. They became residents of Burlington, where both passed away in advanced years. Their only son was Henry A. Brown who, following his removal to Burlington, became a manufacturer of and dealer in shoes. He is still connected with the shoe trade in Burlington and is regarded as one of the valued and representative business men of that city. He married Miss Anna Barhydt, also a native of New York, as were her parents. Her father was of Holland-Dutch descent. She was a sister of Theodore Wells Barhydt and traced her lineage back to the first Dutch schoolmaster of New Amsterdam. There were two daughters and a son in the family: Eleanor, the wife of A. F. Holmes, of Chicago: Mary E., now Mrs. Bailey; and Theodore Wells, who has just attained his majority. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have been born four children: Eleanor Louise, Henry Brown, Theodore Barhydt and Josephine Marsh. Mrs. Bailey is a member of the Presbyterian church and presides with gracious hospitality over her pleasant home. Mr. Bailey is very strongly attached to his profession; and few lawyers hew closer to the line of its ideals and ethics. He is a member of the Washington County, Iowa, and American Bar Associations, being a member of the executive committee of the Iowa association. Progressive by impulse, yet conservative in advice and action, he has the trait of judicial temperament very highly developed. Few men can disarm their prejudices and weigh matters at arm's length without bias; but the lawyers recognize a marked ability in Mr. Bailey to do that very thing. In 1906 the Washington bar made him their candidate for judge of the district. He seemed to be the favorite candidate of the profession throughout the district, but political considerations gave the prize to another. But whether it is along the line of judicial career his ability is sure to lead him along paths of the public service quite as much of the time as he will consent to take away from his profession. Alert, enterprising and energetic he keeps abreast with the best thinking men of the age and with the movements of the times which are of vital importance to state and nation and his worth to the community is widely acknowledged. [History of Washington County, Iowa, From the 1st White Settlements to 1908 By Howard A. Burrell, Vol II, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company 1909] C. Dana Carter, M.D. C. Dana Carter, M. D., physician and surgeon; (Rep.) b. May 24, 1874, Washington, Iowa; s. of John W. and Allie (Perkins) Carter; educ. pub. schls. Freeport, Ills., and pub. and H. S., Eugene, Oregon; grad. (M. D.) Missouri Medical college, St. Louis, 1895; post graduate Chicago Polyclinic, 1901; post graduate N.Y 1908-9; New York Post Graduate School, 1912; res. in Iowa until 1883; in Freeport, Ills., 1883-9; in Eugene, Oregon, 1890-1; in Tacoma, Wash., 1891-2; located in Kalama, Wash., in practice of medicine, 1895-96; located in Basin, Wyoming, 1896, and practiced medicine there continuously until July, 1912, when he removed to Thermopolis, where he is now in active practice; was the first physician in the Big Horn Basin; makes a specialty of surgery; established the first hospital in the Big Horn county, Wyoming, 1898-1911; v-pres. The Big Horn County Bank, 1912-13; mem Masons, Knight Templar; Elks (Sheridan Lodge No. 520). Address: Thermopolis, Wyo. [Men of Wyoming, By C. S. Peterson, Publ 1915. Transcribed by Anna Parks] Mrs. A. R. Dewey Sarah Rousseau Dewey belongs to one of the honored pioneer families of this state. Her father, Dr. W. H. Rousseau, came to Washington, Ia., in 1844, and for many years successfully practiced his profession there. Her mother, Electa Atwood, died at the early age of thirty-four years. Sarah Rousseau was married May 20, 1873, to Almon Ralph Dewey, a young attorney, who made rapid strides in his profession. For twelve years he served as district judge and by his just and impartial decisions, and by his knowledge of law won the respect and approval of the bar and the confidence of the public. He was a man of high rank in the Masonic order and was honored with many state offices. He died April 15, 1905, at the age of 60 years. Two children were born to Judge and Mrs. Dewey, Mrs. Mable Dewey Brookling, of Pueblo, Colo., who is a singer of remarkable talent, and Charles Almon Dewey, a successful attorney, who is serving his third term as attorney of Washington county. He was married Sept. 1, 1911, to Miss Jessie Laffer. Mrs. Dewey is a devoted member of the M. E. church and teaches a class of fifty members in the Sunday school. She is a member of the P. E. O. sisterhood and has served in its highest office, that of president of the Supreme Chapter. She was chairman of the committee which compiled the History of the P. E. O. sisterhood. For eight consecutive years she has been president of the Nineteenth Century Club and is a member of the Wednesday Reading Club. She is interested in civic affairs having been a director of the Washington Chautauqua and is president of the Rest Room Association. She is a widely read woman and a woman of charming personality. [The Blue book of Iowa Women, by Winona Evans Reeves, Publ. 1914, Transcribed by Renee Capitanio] Mrs. Kate Tupper Galpin Galpin, Mrs. Kate Tupper, educator, born in Brighton, Iowa, 3rd August, 1855. She is a sister of Mrs. Wilkes and Miss Tupper, whose lives are found elsewhere in this book. She lived during her girlhood on a farm near Brighton. As a child she was very frail, but the free and active life of her country home gave her robust health. Her first teacher was her mother, who taught school while her father was in the war. Her mother would go to school on horseback, with Kate behind her and a baby sister in her lap. Later she attended the village school until she was fifteen, when she was sent to the Iowa Agricultural College in Ames, where she was graduated in 1874. The vacations of the college were in the winter, and in the vacation following her sophomore year she had her first experience in teaching, in a district school three miles out of Des Moines, Iowa, where the family was then living. The next winter, when seventeen years of age, she was an assistant in a Baptist college in Des Moines, her earnings enabling her to pay most of her college expenses. As a student her especial delight was in oratory. In an oratorical contest, during her senior year, she was successful over a number of young men who have since become well-known lawyers of the State, and in the intercollegiate contest which followed she received second honor among the representatives of all the colleges of the State. She has very marked dramatic ability, but this has been chiefly used by her in drilling students for the presentation of dramas. Her first schools after graduating were in Iowa. From 1875 to 1879 she taught in the Marshalltown, Iowa, high school, having held responsible positions in summer institutes in many parts of the State. In 1878 she taught an ungraded school in the little village of Beloit, Iowa, in order to be near her parents, who were living on a homestead in Dakota, and to have with her in the school her younger brother and sister. Later she taught for four years as principal of the academic department of the Wisconsin Normal School in Whitewater. During the following three years she held positions in the high school of Portland, Ore. Next she was called to the professorship of pedagogics in the State University of Nevada, with salary and authority the same as the men of the faculty. In 1890 she resigned her professorship in the university and received a call to the presidency of a prominent normal school, which she refused. That summer she became the wife of Cromwell Galpin, of Los Angeles, Cal., consummating a somewhat romantic attachment of her college life. Since then she has rested from her profession, but has taught special classes in oratory in the University of Los Angeles. All the ambition, energy and ingenuity that made her so distinguished as a teacher are now expended with equal success in the management of her housekeeping and the care of her husband's children. She has one child, a daughter. [American Women by Frances Elizabeth Willard, Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, Vol. 1, 1897] George A. Harbaugh That the sterling and popular citizen whose name introduces this paragraph is distinctively one of the representative and influential business men of the thriving little City of Alva, county seat of Woods County, needs no further voucher than the statement that he is here president of the Central State Bank and also of the Alva Roller Mills, which represent two of the most important business enterprises in Woods County. Mr. Harbaugh was born on the homestead farm of his father in Washington County, Iowa, and the date of his nativity, August 27, 1870, shows that his parents were numbered among the pioneers of that section of the Hawkeye State. He is a son of Eli and Catherine (Engle) Harbaugh, both natives of Ohio, where the former was born in 1825 and the latter in 1827; both were reared and educated in the old Buckeye State and there their marriage was solemnized in the year 1848. The parents of Mr. Harbaugh were early settlers in Washington County, Iowa, where they established their home in 1850, when that section was on the very frontier of civilization, and where the death of the devoted wife and mother occurred in 1872. In his native state Eli Harbaugh learned in his youth the trade of cabinetmaker, and after his removal to Iowa, within about two years after his marriage, he there found demand for his services as a skilled artisan at his trade, the while he was giving close attention to the reclamation of his frontier farm. In 1884 he removed to Barber County, Kansas, where he purchased a farm and here he continued his residence until his death, in 1907, at the venerable age of eighty-two years. George A. Harbaugh acquired his rudimentary education in the schools of his native county and was a lad of about fourteen years at the time of the family removal to Barber County, Kansas, where he was reared to adult age on the homestead farm and continued his studies in the public schools. He was associated with his father in the work and management of the home farm until 1893, when he became one of the many ambitious young men who participated in the "run" into the newly opened Cherokee Strip or Outlet of Oklahoma Territory. He entered claim to a tract of Government land seven miles distant from the present City of Alva and thus gained the distinction of becoming one of the pioneer settlers of Woods County. He vigorously instituted the improvement of his embryonic farm, to which he eventually perfected his title and upon which he continued his residence five years, in the meanwhile acquiring an entire section of adjacent land and developing one of the extensive stock ranches of the county. He thus aided materially in the initial stages of civic and industrial progress in Woods County, and his energy and circumspection enabled him to achieve definite success and prosperity through his association with the agricultural and live stock industries in the county to which he has continued to pay unswerving loyalty. In 1898 Mr. Harbaugh removed from his ranch to Alva, where he engaged in the live stock and grain business and became one of the leading representatives of this line of enterprise in this section of the territory. He was a staunch supporter of movements advanced to obtain statehood for the territory and in the meanwhile gained precedence as a steadfast and influential business man and public spirited citizen. In 1900, the year prior to the admission of Oklahoma to the Union, Mr. Harbaugh purchased the controlling interest in the Alva Rolling Mills, of which, as president of the company, he has since maintained the active management. In 1914 this corporation purchased and shipped 3,500,000 bushels of wheat, the enormous shipments having been handled from its chain of thirty elevators, at eligible points in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The Alva Roller Mills are essentially modern in equipment and facilities, the products find a wide demand and are known for superiority, and the business, as conjoined with the extensive grain trade controlled by the operating company, represents one of the most important industrial enterprises of Northern Oklahoma. In 1913 Mr. Harbaugh became associated with Henry E. Noble and others in the organization of the Central State Bank of Alva, of which he has since been president and of which Mr. Noble is cashier, individual mention of the latter executive being made on other pages of this volume. In politics Mr. Harbaugh is aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the democratic party, but he is essentially a business man and has manifested no predilection for the honors or emoluments of political office. He is still the owner of one of the large and valuable estates in Woods County and is one of the substantial capitalists of the state to which he came as a young man of worthy and ambitious purpose. He is affiliated with Alva Lodge, No. 1184, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and it may consistently be said that in his home county his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. At Alva, on the 1st of November, 1899, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Harbaugh to Miss Mary Devin, who was born at Princeton, Gibson County, Indiana, in which state were also born her parents, Alexander N. and Melissa Devin. Mr. and Mrs. Harbaugh have three children, whose names and respective dates of birth are here noted: Paul A., September 7, 1901; Melissa Kathryn, October 8, 1905; and Helen E., February 2, 1912. [Source: A Standard History of Oklahoma Volume 4 By Joseph Bradfield Thoburn Frank Knox For nearly thirty years Frank Knox occupied a foremost position in the business and financial circles of Salt Lake and during that period there were few if any men whose life records were so inseparably interwoven with the history of banking in the city and state. The activities and influence of Mr. Knox, however, were not confined to the state of Utah but were felt throughout the intermountain country and represented a most substantial contribution to the commercial development and progress of the district. Frank Knox was descended from English and Scotch ancestry, and both of his grandfathers in the maternal and paternal lines saw service in the Revolutionary war and the War of 1812 and won distinction for bravery and gallantry. Mr. Knox of this review was born on a farm near Washington, Iowa, March 25, 1857, a son of William and Elizabeth (Short) Knox. He acquired his early education in the district schools and later for two years attended the Washington Academy in his native town. At the age of sixteen he entered the employ of the First National Bank in Washington as a messenger and a few years later, in 1878, was promoted to the position of bookkeeper. The alertness and capability of the young man attracted the attention of John Bryson, of Chicago, who was a director of the Iowa bank and who had large lumber holdings in Kansas. He offered Mr. Knox the superintendency of his lumber interests there with a handsome salary attached. Mr. Knox accepted and later purchased an interest in the business, which he held until 1882, when the firm sold their Kansas yards. Mr. Knox was then offered the position of assistant cashier in the First National Bank of Washington, Iowa, and after serving for a brief period in that capacity was appointed cashier. In 1885 he resigned to go to Osborne, Kansas, to organize the First National Bank of that place, becoming its manager and cashier, in which dual capacity he served until 1889, when he sold his interest in the business and removed to Salt Lake City. While at Osborne he became one of the organizers of the National Bank of Commerce at Kansas City and also assisted in organizing two state banks in Kansas, of which he became president and chief owner. In May, 1890, he organized the National Bank of the Republic of Salt Lake City and remained its president until his death. This institution largely through his keen foresight and remarkable banking ability became one of the most powerful financial institutions of the west and was closely identified with the growth and prosperity of some of Utah's leading commercial enterprises by reason of the financial support given thereto. The bank carries the largest deposits of any national bank in Utah. Mr. Knox was soon accorded rank among the leading bankers and financiers of America, being known for his safe conservatism as well as his progressiveness. His death caused deep sorrow among the bankers and many business men who recognized his force and judgment and the influence which he had exerted in promoting the business development of his section. He was a member of the executive council of the American Bankers Association and was vice president for Utah at the time of his demise, while for two years he served as the president of the Utah Bankers Association. He was the resident vice president of the American Surety Company of New York and when the federal building was erected Mr. Knox was made disbursing agent by the secretary of the United States treasury and the bank was designated as a government depository. Mr. Knox was also closely connected with considerable mining development in Utah and Nevada and was a director of the Pittsburgh Silver Peak Mining Company. He was also the owner of a large ranch at Moapa, Nevada, but his health caused him to practically abandon active work nearly a year prior to his death and he spent several months in California in a vain endeavor to regain his strength. In politics Mr. Knox was a republican but never held political office, although in 1903 he was his party's candidate for mayor of Salt Lake City. At Red Oak, Iowa, in 1882, Mr. Knox was married to Miss Julia May Granby, a daughter of George Granby, of Morris, Illinois. They became the parents of two sons and a daughter: De Witt, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work; Frances M., of Salt Lake; and George G., who is assistant cashier of the National Bank of the Republic at Salt Lake. The last named was appointed to the second officers' training school at the Presidio in California and was graduated with a first lieutenant's commission. Soon thereafter he went overseas, where he won a captaincy and served with the Sixty-sixth Field Artillery Brigade. Captain Knox saw fifteen months of overseas service and participated in four of the major engagements with the American forces, namely: the Champagne-Marne defense of Chateau Thierry fame, the Aisne-Marne offensive, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. Mr. Knox passed away at Salt Lake City, September 25, 1915, and is survived by a widow and three children. He was a member of the Alta, Country and Commercial Clubs but was essentially a home man, devoted to the welfare of his family. The Salt Lake Herald-Republican in an editorial at the time of his death said: "Salt Lake loses by the death of Frank Knox, an aggressive financier, whose acquisitive talents were not used solely for his own benefit. The community owes much to him and not a few of its leading citizens are mourning the passing of a friend who proved a friend indeed. His financial ability and his money, too, were at the service of the deserving, whether the enterprise was for individual profit or for the community welfare. Many of Salt Lake's most successful business men date a useful career from the day the president of the National Bank of the Republic gave substantial evidence of his confidence in them by encouraging their initial enterprises with financial support. He was the familiar counselor and supporter of the young men whose ambitions for a commercial career were circumscribed by lack of funds. Their honesty and energy were sufficient collateral security for assistance from Frank Knox when he knew their plans. He loaned money on personality and he was wont to remark that he found it good banking. Mr. Knox's life story for a quarter of a century is the history of Salt Lake's progress during the unfolding years. Banking was his business and to banking he was exclusively faithful, but as his means grew he used them for the industrial advancement of the city and state as well as hisprivate profit. He was one of those to whom promoters of commercial enterprises went for advice and for help as the adventurer in any field seeks an expert for counsel. He so successfully tempered the practical conservatism of the banker with the eager imagination of the industrial pioneer that his estimate of the probable success of an undertaking left little to be said. No city can hope for industrial greatness without citizens of the perceptions and the broad optimism that characterized Mr. Knox. Salt Lake has had many such, but to few need it give more credit for its advancement than this capable financier, who so long efficiently managed the operations of the National Bank of the Republic, and there are not many it could so illy spare." [Source: Utah since Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ. 1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.] Alexander R. Miller Alexander R. Miller, who according to the consensus of public opinion has measured up to the full standard of manhood in all of life's relations, is now editor of the Washington Democrat. He is well known in this part of the state where he has spent his entire life, being numbered among the native sons of Washington county, his birth having occurred in Marion township, February 6, 1865. His parents. Peter P. and Barbara (Sommer) Miller, were both natives of Holmes county, Ohio, where they were reared. The former was a son of Moses P. Miller who was born in Pennsylvania. He became a farmer and was also prominent in the Mennonite church, becoming one of its clergymen and also a bishop of that denomination. He gave his services to the cause of Christianity without pay, and rode horseback over Indiana, organizing many churches. Who can measure the influence of such a life, characterized by self-sacrifice and by the utmost devotion to the work of promoting the moral and religious progress of the race? He died in Holmes county, Ohio, at the age of seventy-five years, while his wife. Mrs. Catharine (Miller) Miller, was about seventy years of age at the time of her demise. They were the parents of seven children who reached years of maturity: Sarah, who died unmarried; Jonathan; Maria, who died single; John; Mrs. Catharine Kauffman; Moses, living in Tuscarawas county, Ohio; and Peter P. The last named, the father of our subject, was reared on the home farm in his native county until fifteen years of age, when he became a stock drover and was thus employed for ten or twelve years. He came west with a partner, Philip Yoder, with five thousand head of sheep and located in Marion township, Washington county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming in 1863. He was married in this county in January of that year, the lady of his choice being Miss Barbara Sommer, a daughter of Joseph Sommer, who was a native of Pennsylvania and one of the early settlers of Holmes county, Ohio, where he accumulated considerable property. He came to Iowa with his family in 1853, driving across the country to Van Buren county, and located soon afterward in Washington county, his home being a refuge in pioneer times for all new-comers. He, too. was a Mennonite and was one of the founders of a church of that denomination in this county. He lived an active, useful and honorable life and was called to his reward in 1888 at the age of eighty years. His wife, Mrs. Martha (Miller) Sommer, died in 1875 at the age of sixty-five years. They had a large family, namely: Catharine, the wife of Daniel Winter; Susan, the wife of Samuel Hagie; Lydia, who wedded Rev. Benjamin Eicher; Eve, the wife of Peter Goldsmith; Barbara, the wife of Peter P. Miller; Lucinda, who married John A. Rumble; Henry, residing at Wheatland, Wyoming; and Martha, the wife of G. W. Neff, of Wayland, Iowa. As stated, Mr. and Mrs. Peter P. Miller were married in January, 1863, and at that time Mr. Miller purchased a small tract of land of twelve acres whereon he resided for five years, during which time he engaged in teaming and in gardening. Later he rented land for some years and eventually became the owner of one hundred and fifty-five acres, his industry and economy bringing him to a position of comfort. He died February 5, 1899, at the age of sixty years, while his wife survived until March 7, 1905, and passed away at the age of sixty-three years. Both were members of the Mennonite church and were laid to rest in Eicher cemetery in Marion township. Their family numbered five sons and two daughters: Alexander R., of this review; Caroline, who died at the age of forty years; Agnes; Joseph, of Wayland, Iowa; Stanley, editor of the Free Press, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa; John M., deceased; and Charles R., of Wayland, Iowa. In taking up the personal history of Alexander R. Miller we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely known in Washington county, having spent his entire life within its borders. He was reared on the home farm, pursued his early education in the district schools and later attended the Eastern Iowa Normal School, at Columbus Junction, and the Washington Academy. He lived at home until twenty-five years of age, giving his attention to the work of the farm and also to school teaching, which profession he followed for ten years in the district and village schools always in Washington county. He then read law with Dewey & Eicher, well known attorneys of Washington, and was admitted to the bar in 1892, but he did not follow the profession, and in 1893 became connected with journalism, purchasing a half interest from George G. Rodman in the Washington Democrat, thus becoming a partner of William N. Hood, with whom he was thus associated for five years. Mr. Hood was killed by the cars September 14, 1898, and that year Mr. Miller by purchase acquired the entire plant and has since conducted the paper alone. The Democrat was established in 1878 and its name indicates its political complexion. Mr. Miller has a fine plant, most modern in all of its equipment, and in addition to the publication of his paper, which is an attractive sheet and has a large circulation, he also conducts an extensive job-printing business. On the 28th of May, 1895, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Miller to Miss Ola Babcock, a daughter of Nathan L. and Ophelia (Smith) Babcock. Mrs. Miller was born in this county while her father was a native of New York and her mother of Ohio. The former was a son of Stanton Babcock, a native of New York, and one of the honored pioneer residents of Washington county, Iowa. He married Thurza Babcock, whose surname was therefore not changed at the time of her marriage. Both lived to an advanced age and their remains were interred in a cemetery of this county when they were called to their final rest. They had three children who reached mature years. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Miller was a farmer by occupation. He married a Miss Rogers and they were early residents of Iowa where Mrs. Smith died at the age of thirty-three years, her grave being made in Richmond. Mr. Smith afterward married again and died at an advanced age. By his first wife he had five daughters: Harriet, the wife of Adam Page; Ophelia, the wife of N. L. Babcock; Cora, the wife of Nial Van Sickle; Emma, the wife of Anthony Van Sickle of Washington; and Mrs. Elizabeth Canier, a widow. Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Babcock became residents of Washington county at an early day and the father engaged in farming here. Espousing the cause of the Union at the time of the Civil war, he did active duty for two years in the Nineteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. For the past thirty years he and his wife have lived in Washington where he has been engaged in dealing in live stock. They were the parents of seven children, but only three are now living, Ola, John and Josephine. Of these the first named became Mrs. Miller, and by her marriage three children have been born, Joseph, Ophelia and Barbara, but the first named died in infancy. In his fraternal relations Mr. Miller is a Mason, prominent in the order as a member of Washington Lodge, No. 26, A. F. & A. M.; Cyrus Chapter No. 13, R. A. M.; and Bethlehem Commandery, No. 45, K. T. He is also affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and his wife is a member of the Methodist church. His political allegiance is given to the democracy and that he is one of the prominent workers and foremost representatives of the party in this section of the state is indicated in the fact that he is now serving as a member of the state central committee from the first district. He also uses the columns of his paper to further the political interests in which he believes but is not bitterly aggressive in his attacks upon those holding opposing views. In fact his salient qualities are those which characterize progressive and honorable American manhood and throughout the state wherever known, he is regarded as a dynamic force in furthering the best interests of his native county. [History of Washington County, Iowa, From the 1st White Settlements to 1908 By Howard A. Burrell, Vol II, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company 1909, submitted by Dawn Minard] Mrs. Ola Babcock Miller Among the Iowa women who have that peculiar quality which for want of a better name we call “charm,” is Mrs. Ola Babcock Miller of Washington. She is a public speaker of ability and writes with a delightful style. She is the daughter of Nathan Lee Babcock and Ophelia Smith, who were Iowa pioneers. She was born March 1, 1871. She was graduated from the Washington Academy in the classical course in 1890. She later attended the Iowa Wesleyan College. On May 28, 1895, she was married to Alex. Miller, who is editor of the Washington Democrat, a paper widely read in this state. Mr. Miller has a peculiar style, unlike any one else and makes one interested in reading the everyday news about people whom you have never seen or heard of before. He is the son of Peter and Barbara Somner Miller. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Somner, was a pioneer—a minister in the Mennonite church. The barn on the old farm which was used as a recruiting station during the Civil War still stands. Mrs. Miller is a member of the M. E. church. She is a charter member of the 19th Century Club, organized in 1894. She is a D. A. R., joining on the service of Samuel Rogers. She has served the I. F. W. C., on the Child Labor Com., and the Civil Service Reform Com. For many years she has been a member of the P. E. O. sisterhood and has served the Iowa Grand Chapter as secretary, vice-president and president. She was one of the most popular and efficient presidents the Iowa Grand Chapter has had. She is the mother of three children—Ophelia Smith Miller, Barbara Somner Miller and Joseph Somner Miller, who died in infancy. [The Blue book of Iowa Women, by Winona Evans Reeves, Publ. 1914, Transcribed by Dana Kraft] Miss Cora Ellen Porter Miss Cora E. Porter, county superintendent of schools and prominent Iowa teacher, was born in Washington, Iowa, the youngest of a family of six children, daughter of Charles Robert Porter and Ellen Keating. Her father was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, and her mother in County Down, Ireland. They were married in Washington, Dec, 6, 1854. Miss Porter was educated in the public schools and in the University of Colorado. She began teaching in the district schools, then in the Washington grammar school, and then to the position of teacher of mathematics in the Washington high school. In 1902 she resigned her position and spent a year in Colorado. Upon her return to Iowa she was elected superintendent of schools of Washington county, which office she held for five years. During that time she raised the standard of requirement for teachers and also secured better salaries for the teachers in that county. She published a Journal for the teachers and school officers of the county, which was an innovation very much appreciated. She realized that a public office is a public trust and all her duties were performed in adherence to that truth. She was held in highest esteem by the teachers, and at the first teachers’ conference she was presented with a handsome diamond ring as a token of their appreciation of her work. In 1909 she accepted the position as teacher of mathematics in the Fairfield high school, which position she still holds. She is a member of the Presbyterian church, of the Fortnightly Club of Washington, the P. E. O. sisterhood, the Iowa State Teachers’ Association and of the South Eastern Iowa Teachers’ Association. She has often appeared on their programs. [The Blue book of Iowa Women, by Winona Evans Reeves, Publ. 1914, Transcribed by Dana Kraft] Harry A. Stormfeltz STORMFELTZ, Harry A., real estate; born, Washington, Ia., Apr. 2, 1872; son of Henry and Flora Sarah (Cunningham) Stormfeltz; educated in public schools of Trenton and Princeton, Mo.; unmarried. Began active career in country printing office, Princeton, and later clerked one year in general merchandise store; was with his father in lumber business at Mr. Ayr., Ia., 1893-94, and with brother-in-law in general merchandise business, 1895-97; manufactured cigars at Mt. Ayr, 1898-1900; was next in real estate business for a short time in Chicago and was with real estate firm of Frisbie & Co., Cleveland, O., 1900-03; came to Detroit and was connected with W.W. Hannan until 1904, when the Gerard, Stromfeltz, Loveley Co., Buffalo, New York and Detroit, was organized, of which he is treasurer. Member Detroit Real Estate Board. Republican. Methodist. Member Masonic order, Knights of Pythias. Recreations: Outdoor sports. Office: 76-78 Griswold St. Residence: 210 Lafayette Av. [The Book of Detroiters by Albert Nelson Marquis 1908, submitted by Christine Walters] Robert S. Whetstine In a work of the defined province of the history of Latah county there should be accorded consideration to the gentleman whose name is at the head of this article, and it is with pleasure that we are enabled to grant this epitome of his career. Robert S. was born in Washington county, Iowa, on February 16, 1858, being the son of John and Mary J. (Norman) Whetstine. The father was a farmer and dwells at the old home place. Our subject received a good education in the district schools and remained with his father in the farm work until eighteen years had elapsed, and then he started in life for himself. He first came to Oregon, where he remained for four years, visiting different portions of the state, then in 1880 he came to the region now embraced in Latah county. He settled north from Troy and engaged in saw milling for six years, and most of the early houses built here were from the output of this mill. In 1888 he sold out his plant and bought the farm where he now resides, three miles northwest from Kendrick, where he owns one hundred and twenty acres. He does a general farming business and raises considerable fruit, having six acres devoted to orchards. The marriage of Mr. Whetstine and Miss Jennie, daughter of George and Mary J. (Mooney) Price, was solemnized on December 20, 1887, at Moscow. Mr. and Mrs. Whetstine are upright and capable people, well liked in the community and are leaders in substantial qualities and virtues, while they are ever on the side of progression in the affairs of the county and those things which will benefit the people. [An Illustrated History Of North Idaho Embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai, Shoshone Counties, State Of Idaho, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903, submitted by Barb Z.] George E. Young This well known business man whose activities have placed him in a leading position in the business world of Latah county, is a man of excellent ability and in his chosen line of lumber merchant and general transfer business in Kendrick, he has made a good success. George E. was born in Washington county, Iowa, on February 21, 1863, being the son of James N. and Martha J. (Cones) Young. The father was a leading man in his home place, being a representative to the state legislature from his county. He owned a large tract of land, but later sold it and went to Howard county, Kansas, where also he was called upon to represent his county in the state legislature, being elected on the Republican ticket. He was also county superintendent of schools for his county for a series of years, having then removed to Elk county. In Elk county he finally resided and there in 1897 he was summoned to the world beyond, the wife following in about one week. Our subject received his education in Elk county and remained with his father until he had attained his eighteenth year. His first venture was in farming and that he followed until he came to Latah county, the date of his migration being 1893. He also was numbered with the agriculturists here for a time, then devoted a year to carrying mail from Southwick to Kendrick, then prospected, labored in a warehouse, and then clerked in a store until he determined to start a business for himself, this being in 1896. He opened a dray and transfer business in a small way soon increased, added the sale of lumber and building material, lime and coal, and now he handles the representative business in his line in the town. In laying for this year's trade already nearly half a million feet of lumber. Mr. Young has a fine residence, which he erected, also a good farm of one-half section of land, part in Latah county and part in Nez Perces county. Fraternally, Mr. Young is affiliated with the I. O. O. F., Nez Perces Lodge, No. 37, at Kendrick. He was married in Elk county, Kansas, on February 28, 1889, Miss Annetta VanBuskirk becoming his bride at that time. The father of Mrs. Young is a carpenter and her mother is a native of Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Young has an adopted child, Grace Gaynell Young. Mr. Young has won for himself a success here that demonstrates his ability and keen discrimination and good practical judgment, and he stands in favor with all who know him. [An Illustrated History Of North Idaho Embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai, Shoshone Counties, State Of Idaho, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903, submitted by Barb Z.] | ||
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