USA > Iowa > Crawford County > History of Crawford County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 1
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IVO Crawford Co. Meyers
Crontaras
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY IOWA
A RECORD OF SETTLEMENT, ORGANIZATION, PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT
Local history is the ultimate substance of national history -WILSON
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO: THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING CO. 1911
CHM
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 536367 ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS. R 1912 L
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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BIOGRAPHICAL
CHARLES L. VOSS.
Among the younger generation of those who came to Crawford after the pioneer period but who have contributed largely to its recent growth and pros- perity there is none who stands nearer to the hearts of the people than C. L. Voss. Still in his prime, with every faculty alert, with keen appreciation of the refinements of life, with a character grounded in integrity and with a heart that responds promptly and cheerfully to the obligations of man's brotherhood, it is a pleasure to include this brief sketch in a history of Crawford county. Croesus admonishes, "Call no man happy until you know the manner of his death," but judged by any less austere standard, Mr. Voss seems to have well laid the foundation for a successful, happy and helpful career.
Though occupying for many years the responsible position of cashier of the Bank of Denison, he is best known throughout western Iowa as a daring and highly successful buyer and seller of real estate. His holdings are large and are scattered throughout all this portion of the state. He is almost as much a business man of Sioux City as of Denison, and we are to be congratulated that he has thus far refused the very tempting offers made him to engage in business in larger cities. Mr. Voss presents the rare combination of a man who not only knows how to make money but how to spend it. To spend it for himself with- out ostentation, for travel, for art, for good literature and for all the refine- ments of a good home. To spend it for others with a glad willingness that is the best index of a generous nature.
Mr. Voss is a sincere and genuine Christian, one of the most helpful and liberal members of the Methodist church of Denison. In politics he is a repub- lican of the stalwart school and he has taken an active, though thoroughly un- selfish part in the councils of his party. As president of the Denison Commer- cial Club he has inspired that organization with much of his own enthusiasm and thoroughness and has launched it upon what promises to be the most suc- cessful year of its history. His education has been a continuing process for he is a lover of good books and a thoughtful student of men and events.
In his home life he has been exceedingly fortunate. On October 2, 1895, he was married to Miss Gertrude Gulick, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Gulick, of this city, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. Mrs. Voss is a Deni- son girl, educated in our schools and in Cornell College at Mount Vernon, Iowa. She is one of the most representative and best beloved of Denison's young matrons. She takes an active and helpful part in all the work of club life and social life and church life, but she combines with all of these activities a wifely and motherly devotion which make her home all that it should be, a delightful center for her loved ones and her friends. They have one son, Eugene Loyal, who is at once the pride and the hope of the home.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Voss was born in Freeport, October 19, 1867, one of the eight children of Henry and Catharine (Maurer) Voss. The family name is indicative of the German origin, and while comparatively little is known con- cerning the ancestral record, the paternal grandfather lived and died in Ger- many. His son, Henry Voss, was born in Holstein, Germany, and in his native land engaged in merchandising. When a young man, however, he came to America and traveled into the interior of the country as far as Freeport, Illi- nois. In 1861, following the outbreak of the Civil war, he espoused the Union cause and served for three years and nine months, being promoted to official rank. He was wounded at Raleigh and at the close of a long and valorous serv- ice received an honorable discharge. After the war he returned to Freeport, where he engaged in merchandising. He married Catharine Maurer, who was born in Alsace, Germany, and was a daughter of Daniel and Catharine Maurer, who, emigrating to the new world, settled in Freeport, Illinois, where they lived for many years, the father passing away at the age of eighty-two and the mother when seventy years of age. Their family numbered a son and three daughters : Catharine, Jacob, Lucy and Carolina. Of these the first named became the wife of Henry Voss and is now living in Freeport, Illinois, at the age of sixty- eight years. Mr. Voss, however, passed away in January, 1908, at the age of seventy-one years. Both were members of the Lutheran church. In their family were three sons and five daughters: Charles L .; Lucy, a resident of Freeport, Illinois : Josephine, the wife of Frank Miller, of Norway, Iowa ; Emma, Matilda, Jacob, Kathryn and Daniel, all of Freeport.
Charles L. Voss was only a year old when brought to Iowa by his parents, who settled at Cedar Rapids but later removed to Blairstown, from which point they afterward returned to Freeport. He grew to manhood at Blairstown and attended the public schools there. He also was a student of the school at Blairs- town and subsequently attended Coe College at Cedar Rapids. His initial busi- ness training came to him in a clerical position in a bank but after a short time he was made bill clerk by Shaver & Dows, at Cedar Rapids. Later he was con- nected with the bank of G. F. Van Vechten, of Cedar Rapids, and subsequently returned to Blairstown and was in the Benton County State Bank for several years. In 1889 he removed to Denison and was abstractor and bookkeeper for the Bank of Denison until 1896, when he was promoted to the position of cash- ier, in which capacity he is still serving.
Mr. Voss is a member of several fraternal organizations. He has attained high rank in Masonry, belonging to Sylvan Lodge, No. 507, A. F. & A. M .; Ark Chapter. No. 89. R. A. M. : Mount Zion Commandery. K. T .; Des Moines Consistory. A. A. S. R .; and Abu Bekr Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Shrine. He also holds membership in Dowdall Lodge, No. 90, K. P., and with the Modern Woodmen of America. Both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star. In all the relations of life he has proven himself a man of gen- uine worth and straightforward purposes and his progress in business has been the direct result of energy, intelligently directed.
A. C. WEEKS.
A. C. Weeks, serving as city marshal of Denison, was born in Cedar county, Iowa, on the 12th of April, 1852, his parents being L. A. and Elizabeth (Rigby) Weeks, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively. The mother passed away in Cedar county on the 13th of April, 1861, and the father, who was married a second time, removed to Kansas in 1872, his demise occurring in the Sunflower state in 1897. By his first wife L. A. Weeks had four chil- dren, as follows: A. C., of this review; Leroy T., who is a resident of Sabula, Iowa; Alice M., the wife of S. E. Day, of Sabula, Iowa ; and O. W., who makes his home in Vancouver, Washington. Unto Mr. Weeks and his second wife were born two children, namely: Clifford, a resident of Kansas; and Sylvia, the wife of Zene Smith, of Salem, Oregon.
A. C. Weeks acquired his education in the common schools and when a youth of sixteen began working as a farm hand in his native county, being thus employed until 1872. He then followed the range for a short time and after returning to Cedar county operated a rented farm until 1879. In that year he came to Crawford county, locating at Denison, where he was success- fully engaged in the dray business for about fourteen years. In 1894 he was elected city marshal, holding the office for two years. In 1907 he was again made city marshal, his re-election being an indication of the confidence of the public in him and a recognition of his ability. He has served in that position continuously since, ably discharging the important duties devolving upon him. His home, which he owns, is a commodious and attractive residence at No. 214 Washington avenue.
On the 13th of April, 1875, Mr. Weeks was united in marriage to Miss Elmira Elizabeth Kalb, whose birth occurred in Cedar county in 1853, her pa- rents being George and Dorcas Kalb, both natives of Ohio. They took up their abode in Cedar county, Iowa, in 1853, while the year 1879 witnessed their ar- rival in Crawford county. Mr. Kalb now makes his home in Oklahoma but his wife was called to her final rest in 1900. They had a family of nine children. Unto our subject and his wife have been born four children, the record of whom is as follows. Hattie A., whose birth occurred in Linn county, Iowa, on the 3Ist of August, 1876, is the wife of Ray D. Garrison, of Grand Junction, Colo- rado. G. D., who was born in Cedar county, Iowa, on the 17th of November, 1878, is now a contractor of Springfield, Missouri. Jessie, whose natal day was April 13. 1882, is the wife of Francis J. Gable, who is now engaged in business at Lincoln, Nebraska. Lucas A., is a civil engineer of Monett, Missouri.
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Weeks has sup- ported the men and measures of the republican party, being convinced that its principles are most conducive to good government. From 1902 until 1904 he served as a street commissioner. Both he and his wife are devoted and con- sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Weeks also belongs to the Sons of Veterans and to the Red Men. Those who know them enter- tain for them high regard in recognition of their many good traits of character and their loyalty to principles that are most commendable.
P. E. C. LALLY.
The life record of P. E. C. Lally is an excellent illustration of what may be accomplished when ambition and determination point the way. He has never feared to venture where favoring opportunity has led the way nor has he failed to use any means whereby he might develop and strengthen his native powers and talents. In this way he has become well qualified as a lawyer and today occupies a prominent position at the Crawford county bar.
He was born in County Mayo, Ireland, June 8. 1856. The genealogy of the Lally family can be traced for five hundred years in Ireland. John Lally, the paternal grandfather, a native of that country, devoted his life to farming but died at an early age, his death resulting from an accident. He had wedded Mary Hester and they had become the parents of nine children, six sons and three daughters, Peter, Thaddeus, John, Patrick, Thomas, Frank, Mary, Ellen and Kitty. All of these children with the exception of Peter, Thaddeus and Thomas came early to America and settled in different parts of the country. One of the sons, John, was killed by a rebel sympathizer at Covington, Kentucky, at the outbreak of the Civil war.
Peter Lally, a member of this family and the father of P. E. C. Lally, was born in Ireland and devoted his life to general farming. He was married in his native country to Nancy Corcoran, whose parents were farming people of County Mayo, Ireland. Mrs. Lally died on the Emerald isle in 1876, when about sixty years of age, and in 1881 Peter Lally crossed the Atlantic to America and made his home with his son Patrick in Vail and later in Denison, Iowa. His death occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-nine years. Both he and his wife were members of the Catholic church. Their family numbered four sons and two daughters: John, who died in Chicago; Sarah, the wife of Henry O'Neill, of County Mayo, Ireland; Michael, a resident of Man- chester, England, who was superintendent of the street car system there for twenty years; Patrick E. C., of this review; Frank, who died in New York city ; and Mary, who died in infancy.
P. E. C. Lally spent his youthful days upon his father's farm in County Mayo, Ireland, to the age of eighteen years and during that period attended the country schools in the acquirement of his education. He afterward began clerking in Westport, Ireland, and later in Newport. In 1874 he sailed for America, attracted by the tales which he heard concerning opportunities here
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
offered. He did not bring with him any false ideas, however, that wealth should be had for the asking but realized that diligence and determination are the forces which will swing open the portals of success. For a short time he lived in Chicago and then removed to De Kalb county, Illinois, after which he worked upon a farm and engaged in teaching school. In 1877 he came to Iowa, settling in Greene county, where he was employed at farm labor and on the railroad. He also taught school and with ambition to direct his efforts into professional channels took up the study of law under the direction of Hon. J. J. Russell, who directed his reading until his admission to the bar in 1880. He then located for practice in Vail, where he remained until his removal to Deni- son in 1887. Here he practiced alone until 1889, when he formed a partnership with Judge Conner, and since that time they have been associates in law practice under the style of Conner & Lally. This is one of the strongest law firms of the city and its position is indicated in the liberal clientage accorded them. Mr. Lally has proved himself a strong and able advocate and safe counselor. He prepares his cases with diligence and care, and in the presentation of his arguments his deductions follow with logical sequence.
On the Ist of September, 1880, Mr. Lally was united in marriage to Miss Kittie Hughes, a daughter of Frank and Margaret (McGrath) Mungon Hughes, of Greene county, Iowa. This marriage has been blessed with eleven children. Margaret E., the eldest, is the wife of Clem M. Mahan, residing on a ranch near Kansas City, Missouri, and they have two children, Catherine Claudine and Addis Clement. Thomas A. E. is practicing law in Spokane, Washington, as a member of the firm of Cannon, Ferris, Swan & Lally. Frank H. is now a senior in the Creighton Medical School. Genevieve A. is the wife of Dr. P. J. Brannan, of Denison, and has two children, Joseph Lally and Robert King Brannan. Beatrice is a graduate of the musical department of Drake Univer- sity and of the musical department of Denison College. Blanid Marie and Inez Clare are pursuing a classical course in Mount St. Joseph College at Dubuque and both are graduates of the Denison high school. Rachel, Mary Alexes, O'Connell Lincoln and Patricia Katharine are all at home. The eldest son is a graduate of Denison College, of the University of Notre Dame and of the law department of Harvard University.
Mr. and Mrs. Lally hold membership in the Catholic church, in the faith of which they are rearing their family. Mr. Lally is a fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus, and his son Thomas is a member of the same order, and both are members of the Catholic Who's Who in America. Mr. Lally like- wise belongs to the American-Irish Historical Society. He occupies an emi- nent position as a representative of the Crawford county bar, is an eloquent pleader and strong in argument. His friends at different times have strongly urged him to become a candidate for district judge, but he has always refused. His political allegiance was originally given to the democratic party, and upon its ticket he was elected county attorney, filling the office for two terms. He is now an advocate of republican principles, however, and he stands at all times a firm supporter of his honest convictions. He belongs to the library board and is ever a recognized supporter of measures and movements for the general good. He is an influential member of the Knights of Columbus and a popular speaker
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
at their gatherings. His social qualities, his keen intellect and his genuine worth make him a favorite wherever he is known, and he has long since established himself as a representative and valued citizen of Denison, seeking at all times the public good rather than personal advancement.
JOHN PETT.
Conspicuous among the early residents of Union township, Crawford county, where he has attained a position of prominence and affluence, is John Pett, whose birth occurred September 27, 1824, at Eddington, Warwickshire, near Stratford- on-Avon, England, the birthplace of the immortal Shakespeare. His parents were William and Hannah (Gascoyne) Pett, the former of whom was born in Seven Oaks, County Kent, situated a few miles from London, and there he followed the vocation of a nurseryman. The mother was born in Warwick. They were the parents of five children, of whom but two survive: John, of this review ; and Thomas, who is a contractor and resides in England. The parents never left the old country but spent their entire lives there, the father dying in 1838 and the mother passing away in February, 1865.
John Pett was educated in the Wiltshire and Dorchester schools, which he attended until twelve years of age, at which time his father died and he began the struggle for existence on his own account. His first position was in a dry- goods store, where he served an apprenticeship of four years, but being dissat- isfied with that kind of work he gave it up and was on the police force for two years. He then learned the carpenter trade, which he followed until his de- parture from England in 1851. On March 4 of that year he sailed from Liver- pool and on May 2 landed at New Orleans, whence he went to St. Louis and there worked at his trade for awhile but as cholera was raging in the city at that time he concluded to leave and proceeded to Muscatine, Iowa. After spending one summer in that city he returned to St. Louis and followed his trade for the succeeding two years. He next went to Utah and from there to Nevada, where he remained working at his trade for twelve years, at the end of which time he removed to Shelby county, Iowa, and in 1864 came to Union township, Crawford county, where he rented a farm for two years and then bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 26, only eighteen acres of which were broken. However, he continued to gradually improve the rest of the land and, as his financial circumstances would allow, added to his holdings until they now amount to two hundred and forty-five acres, which he utilizes for general farming and the raising of graded stock. His first venture in the latter industry was with hogs, which he sold in Council Bluffs, Iowa, then the nearest market. During his spare time he worked at his trade and helped to construct the first store of H. C. Laub, for whom he clerked at odd times. He saw the ground broken for the first railroad into Denison and has been an eye witness to almost all the improvements that have been made in Crawford county during the past forty-seven years.
John Pet
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Mr. Pett was married in Birmingham, England, in 1846, to Miss Mary Anne Ingraham, of Oxfordshire, England, and they became the parents of eleven children, of whom ten survive: Mary Anne, who is the wife of Fred M. Shaw and lives in Osborn county, Kansas; William, who resides in Shelby county, Iowa; Oliver J., at home; John M., of Union township, Crawford county ; Jane, deceased; Samuel R. and Fanny L., at home; Ellen N., who be- came the wife of David P. Young and lives in Johnson county, Missouri ; George A., of Dunlap, Iowa; Fred A., at home; and Serena, who married George H. Young and makes her home in Houghton, South Dakota. Mrs. Pett died in this county, July 11, 1892, but was buried in Galland Grove, Shelby county.
In politics Mr. Pett is a stanch democrat and has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his party as well as the public affairs of his com- munity. He held the office of assessor for one term, has been township trustee for twenty years and for a number of years has held a position on the school board. While his family on the other side of the water hold membership in the Church of England, his religious views coincide with those of the Latter Day Saints and he has been an elder in this church since 1863. His family are also members of the same congregation. Having passed the eighty-seventh milestone on his life's journey, he looks back upon a record of industry and usefulness, of years well spent in fulfilling every duty to his family and to his fellowmen, and he is today enjoying the peace and contentment of an honored old age in the midst of his family and among his many friends, who accord him their highest esteem.
LOREN CORNWELL.
The financial interests of Denison and this part of the state find a worthy representative in Loren Cornwell, president of the Crawford County State Bank. In the management of this institution he displays sound judgment and enterprising spirit and in the control of other business interests he also has proven his ability and progressiveness.
He was born in Fulton county, New York, February 10, 1838, and has therefore passed the seventy-third milestone on life's journey. His parents were Timothy and Elizabeth (Kenyon) Cornwell, natives of Connecticut and Rhode Island respectively. The father was a son of Ashbel Cornwell, who was born in the Charter Oak state and followed the occupation of farming. He lived at that period when an old time courtesy prevailed and when men bore the picturesque dress of velvet coat, knee breeches, silk stockings and buckled shoes. When the call to arms sounded and America attempted to throw off the British oppression, he became a soldier of the Revolutionary war, partici- pating in the battle of Bunker Hill, and aided in the attainment of liberty. Both he and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Gaylord, lived to very old age and reared a family of six children, including Enoch, Ashbel, Titus, Timothy, a daughter and another child who died in infancy. The mater- nal grandfather of Loren Cornwell was Barnabas Kenyon, who was born in
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Rhode Island and also made farming his life work. He married a Miss Clark and both reached old age. Their family numbered two sons and two daugh- ters, Asa, Randall, Elizabeth and Susan.
Timothy Cornwell, father of Loren Cornwell, engaged in tanning through- out his entire life, having a tannery at Broad Albin, in Fulton county, New York, where he died in 1871 at the age of eighty years. His wife survived him and passed away in 1877 at the age of eighty-three years. They were both earnest, Christian people, holding membership in the Presbyterian church. Their family numbered three sons and two daughters, of whom two lived to maturity, Ashbel, who died in 1888, and Loren. The others, Richard, Sarah and Lucy, died in childhood.
Loren Cornwell was reared to manhood in Fulton county, New York, and through the period of his youth worked in his father's tannery and also attended the village school. After completing his education, his entire time was given to assisting his father until he attained the age of twenty years, when in 1858, with his brother Ashbel, he came west to Iowa, settling in Butler county. His brother engaged in the hotel business, while Loren Cornwell turned his attention to mer- chandising. Ten years later, in 1868, they came to Denison and built a flour- ing mill on the Boyer river about a mile and a half southwest of the town, operating it for five years. On the expiration of that period Loren Cornwell was elected county treasurer and took up his abode in Denison, occupying the office through reelection for ten consecutive years, his record being one of which he has every reason to be proud. He discharged his duties with promptness, fidelity and capability, and his fellow townsmen gave indication of their faith and confidence in him by reelecting him. After his retirement from office he divided his time between farming and banking. He was associated with Leslie M. Shaw, J. P. Conner and J. P. Miller in organizing the Crawford County State Bank in May, 1884, with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, which has since been raised to one hundred thousand dollars. In 1886 Mr. Cornwell was chosen president of the bank and has since been at the head of this institu- tion which is conducted along safe and conservative lines, commending it to the confidence and support of the public. In addition to banking he improved six or seven hundred acres of land which he has since sold. In this way, however, he contributed largely to the agricultural development of the county. In 1880 he built a beautiful residence in Denison which he occupies through the greater part of the year, although spending the winter months in California.
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