USA > Iowa > Mills County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 34
USA > Iowa > Fremont County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 34
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When the stars and stripes floated over the defunct capital of the southern Confed- eracy, and the men of both the north and south returned to their homes to take up the pursuits of civil life, Mr. Genung made his way to Illinois, and there, soon after- ward, was united in marriage to Miss Clara E. Prouden, a native of Illinois and a rela- tive of President William McKinley. She died in Dakota only a few months later. About the time of his marriage Mr. Genung became interested in land speculation and railroad work in connection with the Union Pacific railroad. Traveling through Ne-
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braska, he recognized the splendid opportu- the 1st of July, 1900, he removed to the nities offered for making money. A clear county seat. Glenwood, and is there coll- trolling an extensive and important client- age. His success in the profession affords the best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a strong advocate before the jury and concise in his appeals to the court. Ilis pleas have been characterized by a terse and decisive logic and a lucid presenta- tion rather than by flights of oratory, and his power is the greater before court of jury from the fact that it is recognized that his aim is ever to secure justice and not to en- shroud the cause in a sentimental garb or illusion which will thwart the principles of right and equity involved. brain, shrewd business tact and an honora- ble business insight enabled him to place his capital in judicious investments which brought to him a good financial return. He traveled not only to the end of the railroad, but even beyond the line into Colorado, and obtained a contract for supplying ties. He was associated with a partner on an equal basis to furnish ties for the construction of the original Colorado Central Railroad. In 1869 he left that state and came to Towa. arriving in Mills county on the 23d of June. 1870. Here he located near White Cloud, and subsequently removed to the vicinity of Hastings.
Although he carried on business along various lines, it was his desire to engage in the practice of law. He was never a student in a public or private law school. but mastered the principles of jurisprudence unaided. Ile would often ride horseback to the county seat to borrow law books, which he read and mentally digested, thus gaining a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the profession. His army wounds forbade him to engage in hard work, and it was therefore fortunate that he desired to take up the legal practice. He was admitted to the bar in the year 1875. and for twenty-four years he was a leading, prominent and successful lawyer of Hast- ings. His counsel was sought by young and old, rich and poor, and his standing as an adviser was very high. He carefully weighed all the points presented to him. and his opinions were sound and unbiased. Never has he undertaken the conduct of a case simply to secure the fee, but because he had faith in the justice of the suit. About
While in Hastings Mr. Genung became recognized as a leader in the Democratic ranks. Ilis fitness for leadership has been demonstrated on many occasions, and it was this which led to his election to the position of mayor of the city on the independent ticket. In this county, which is usually strongly Republican, he was twice elected county attorney, and served for four years. He was also the attorney for the board of supervisors. He has never been a dictator, but his capable management of campaign work and his practical methods commend him to those who are endeavoring to secure party success. For nearly a quarter of a century he has stood as one of the most prominent and influential men in Demo- cratic circles of Mills county. He has been a delegate at large to various conventions, and was an alternate to the national Demo- cratic convention held at Kansas City in 1900. When Bryan and Stephenson were nominated.
Mr. Genung was the second time mar- ried. in 1872, Miss Julia AAnderson becoming
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his wife. Seven children have been born: unto them: Clinton, the eldest, is a repre- sentative citizen of Mills county. He served for four years as postmaster at Hastings, under President Cleveland, and resigned that office in order to become the deputy county treasurer in 1897-8. Bert is mar- ried and manages the old home farm. Clar- ence also aids in the operation of the home farm. Clyde is a student in a law school. Norman, Ethel and Georgia are all at home. The children are well known for their strong mentality, which has been developed through good educational privileges; and in social circles, where intelligence, culture and character are received as passports into good society, they hold an enviable position. The family belong to the Methodist Epis- copal church, and Mr. Genung is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Hastings. Well does he deserve his place as a leading resident of Mills county. He holds distinctive precedence as an eminent lawyer, as a valiant and patriotic soldier, and as a man of affairs who has wielded a wide influence. A strong mentality, an in- vincible courage, a most determined indi- viduality have so entered into his make-up as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of opinion.
REV. JONATHAN S. ZUCK.
Rev. Jonathan S. Zuck, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and the pro- prietor of Pleasant View Farm and Fruit Land in Madison township, Fremont county, is widely and favorably known in south- western lowa and northwestern Missouri. He was born in Carroll county, Missouri. January 19, 1852, and is of German lineage,
his paternal grandfather, Christian Zuck, having been a native of Germany. Having crossed the Atlantic to America, he took up his abode in Erie county, Pennsylvania, and in 1831 he removed with his wife and children to Washtenaw county, Michigan, then a wild and unsettled region.
Washington Lafayette Zuck, the father of our subject, was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1826, but was reared in Michigan, amid the wild scenes of frontier life, for he was but five years of age when the family went to that state. His youth was passed on the home farm there until 1846, when he went to Carroll county, Mis- souri, and in 1851 he became a resident of Atchison county, that state, being one of the first settlers of Buchanan township. He was actively identified with the work of de- velopment and progress and was classed among those whose efforts laid the founda- tion of the present prosperity and advance+ ment of the county. Upon the farm which he developed and made his home he remained until within a short time prior to his death. His last days, however, were spent in Ham- burg, where he died in 1898, at the age of seventy-five years. He was first married in 1848 to Miss Abigail Wolsey, a daughter of Zephaniah Wolsey, of Tennessee. Her death occurred in 1874. By that marriage there were twelve children, ten of whom are now living, namely: Albert; Jonathan S., of this review; James, Fannie, Susan, Abigail, Lewis, Charles, Oliver and James. George W. and an infant unnamed are de- ceased. After the death of his first wife the father was again married, in 1876, his second union being with Mrs. Eleanor Jane Brown, by whom he had seven children : Mary, Eri, Arthur, Lincoln, Della, Neville
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and Emma. Washington Lafayette Zuck was a prominent and progressive farmer and stock-raiser and acquired an estate of seventeen hundred acres of farm land, to- gether with other property. He and his wife held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and his life was at all times honorable and upright, manifesting qualities worthy of emulation.
Rev. Jonathan S. Zuck was reared on the old homestead farm in AAtchison county, and practical experience soon made him fa- miliar with the work of field and meadow. He attended the public schools and has ever been a student. Possessing an observing eve and a retentive memory, he has added greatly to his knowledge, which has also been supplemented by extensive reading and study. Much time has been given to the study of the Bible and few men have a more extensive knowledge of the good book. He was married at the age of twenty-one to Miss Ada Egbert, a representative of a good family, and to him she has been a faithful wife. She was born in Atchison county, Missouri, and was there reared and educat- ed. Her father, William Egbert, was a na- tive of Kentucky, but was married in Mis- souri to Elizabeth Lemon, whose birth oc- curred in Sumner county, Tennessee, whence her people removed to Adams county, Illi- nois. In 1854 William Egbert removed with his wife and children to Atchison coun- ty, where he spent his remaining days, dy+ ing at the ripe old age of eighty-four years. Farming was his life occupation and through that channel he provided for his family. In political affiliations he was a Republican, and was a member of the Christian church. His widow is now living with her daughter. Mrs. Zuck, at the age of eighty-three years.
She has three children yet living, namely : Christopher, Samuel and Ada, while one son. William, died at the age of thirty years.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Zuck resided on a farm of one hundred and seven acres in Atchison county. Missouri, but in 1891 sold that property and purchased the Pleasant View Farm .- one of the best in Madison township, Fremont county. It had been well improved by John Burkheimer and is a tract of two hundred and ninety acres, whereon is an attractive residence surrounded by pines, evergreen and forest trees and flowering shrubs. Through the vista of the trees the house is seen, forming an attractive feature of the landscape. It stands on an eminence which commands a splendid view of the surrounding country for miles. An orchard contains twenty va- rieties of the best winter fruits, and all kinds of small fruits are also raised. Barns and sheds afford ample shelter for grain and stock: feed lots, pastures, meadows and richly cultivated fiells are features of this farm, which in its neat and thrifty appear- ance indicates the careful supervision of the owner.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Zuck has been blessed with seven children, namely : William Ernest, who married 'Nellie Brown and resides near his father's home: Harry L., a student in Indianola College, of Iowa; Lyman L., Mabel E., Luke Talmage. Nel- lie and Bessie .A., who are still under the pa- rental roof.
In politics Mr. Zuck was formerly a Re- publican, but now is a stanch Prohibitionist, giving his earnest support to the principles of that party. For two years he served as a justice of the peace. Since 1872 he has been a local minister in the Methodist Epis-
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copal church and is most zealous in the work of the church and Sunday-school. He does everything in his power to promote the cause of religion. temperance and good inorals, teaching both by precept and exam- ple. His home is celebrated for its hospi- tality and he is recognized as a man of broad humanitarian spirit. faithful in friend- ship and loyal to every duty in all the rela- tions of life.
FRANCIS M. POWELL, M. D.
The exemplification of the text, "Inas- much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me," is certainly found in the life record of Dr. F. M. Powell, the superin- tendent of the State Institution for Feeble Minded, at Glenwood. The misanthrope to-day has no place in the world. Never before in the history of the race has man had such a just appreciation of the ethical relations,-of his duty to his fellow man. -and his value in the world is reckoned not by what he has accomplished, but by what he has done for others. The far- reaching influence of the labors of Dr. Powell is incalculable, but hundreds of homes hold him in grateful remembrance for what he has done for their unfortunate little ones. A man of broad humanitarian spirit and wide sympathy. he devotes his life to the benefit and assistance of some of the world's unfortunate children, and has built up an institution at Glenwood which is indeed a credit to the state and its people.
The Doctor was born in Ohio, in 1848, a son of William Powell, a native of Vir- ginia, whose parents were James and Ellen Powell, who were of Welsh descent.
Throughout his life William Powell car- ried on agricultural pursuits, but also de- voted his time to the intellectual and moral improvement of the race, following school- teaching through a considerable period, while for fifteen years he preached the "glad tidings of great joy" as a. minister of the Christian church. He died in Virginia, at the ripe old age of seventy-six years. His wife, Mrs. Melissa Powell, was born in Ohio, and died in Wisconsin when about forty-eight years of age. She became the mother of six children, the Doctor and his sister, Mrs. Ida M. Ward, of San Francis- co, being now the only surviving members of the family.
The Doctor spent the first ten or twelve years of his life under the parental roof and then went to Wisconsin, where he be- gan earning his own livelihood. He was employed as a farm hand, in a store, and afterward in a printing office, and at the age of seventeen engaged in teaching in an old log school-house in Vernon county, Wis- consin, where many of his scholars were older than he. At the age of nineteen he began the study of medicine, which he con- tinued, as opportunity offered, for several years, throughout that period. being asso- ciated with a young medical practitioner. Ile also taught at intervals for ten years, and thus provided for his support while continuing his professional studies. Enter- ing the Starling College of Medicine, at Columbus, Ohio, he was graduated with the class of 1875. and immediately afterward entered upon the practical work of his pro- fession at Hastings, Iowa, to which he has since devoted his energies.
In September. 1873. Dr. Powell was united in marriage with Miss Louise M.
Louise M. Powell
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Newton, a native of Ohio, and unto them have been born five children, four of whom are yet living: Ida M., now the wife of E. E. Black, by whom she has one daugh - ter : Velura M., who is now a student in the medical department of the Michigan State . University, at Ann Arbor: O. W., who is engaged in the lumber business in the state of Washington: and Fred M., now a prac- tical engineer.
After his graduation Dr. Powell came to Mills county, lowa, where he has since remained. His marked skill in the line of his chosen profession soon won him recog- nition in a constantly increasing patronage, and in 1882 his ability secured for him the appointment to the position of superintend- ent of the State Institution for Feeble Minded Children, at Glenwood, a position which he has retained since that time. There are now nearly one thousand inmates in the institution. The almost phenomenal devel- opment of the school is due almost entirely to Dr. Powell and his excellent wife, who has indeed been a helpmeet to him in his work. Everything about the place is char- acterized by order, neatness and cleanliness. Amusements and recreations of various kinds contribute to the happiness of the children, while the utmost attention is given to sanitary and healthful regulations. The institution and its work is certainly most praiseworthy, its value incalculable and its influence far reaching. The Doctor's strong- ly sympathetic nature, kindly and genial manner, combined with his excellent busi- ness ability and executive force, well qualify him for the position in which he has been the incumbent for almost two decades, and the citizens of the state have every reason to feel grateful to him for what he has ac-
complished in behalf of one class of its un- fortunate citizens.
In his political views the Doctor is a stalwart Republican, Having unswervingly supported that party since casting his first presidential vote for General U. S. Grant, in 18-2. His wife holds membership in the Christian church in Glenwood, and he is a member of the Masonic lodge of Glen- Word, and of Kanhoe Commandery. K. T. of Council Bluffs. He also belongs to the State Medical Society and to the National Organization of Organized Charities. He is also active and prominent in horticultural circles, was president of the State Horti- cultural Society for two consecutive terms, and his knowledge of that great branch of science is comprehensive, accurate and prac- tical. Still an active factor in the world's great work, he is in touch with the great universal movement of progress and help- inless, which is one of the signs of the times and indicates the onward march of truth and the right.
WILLIAM R. WALL. M. D.
Many years have passed since Dr. William R. Wall arrived in Iowa, and he is justly numbered among her honored pioneers and representative citizens. He has been prominently identified with her business interests as a member of the med- ical profession. His is an honorable record of a conscientious man, who by his upright life has won the confidence of all with whom he has come in contact. He has rounded the psalmist's span of three score years and ten, and, though the passing of years has whitened his hair, he has the vigor of a much younger man, and in spirit
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and enterprise seems yet in his prime. Old age is not necessarily a synonym of weak- ness or inactivity, and it need not suggest, as a matter of course, want of occupation, of helplesness. There is an old age that is a benediction to all that comes in contact with it, that gives out richness from its stores of learning and experience and grows stronger intellectually and morally as the years pass. Such is the life of Dr. Wall, an encouragement to his associates and an example worthy of emulation to the young.
Dr. Wall was born February 28, 1826. in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is a son of William and Jane ( Wolfe) Wall. the lat- ter a niece of General Wolfe, who fell at Quebec in the French and Indian war. Her father was a second cousin of George Washington and was a man of brave mili- tary spirit, who, when the country became involved in war with England, aided the colonists in their struggle for independ- ence. He joined the American army, and the sword which he carried throughout the period of hostilities is now in the posses- sion of Dr. Wall, of this review, and was carried by him in the Civil war. The fam- ily has always been noted for its military spirit. Through every war in which the country has been engaged it has furnished many representatives, who by their valor and loyalty have upheld the flag of the nation, battling earnestly for its principles and its rights. The grandfather was one of two brothers who settled in New York at a very early day. The maternal grand- father of the Doctor emigrated from Lon- don to South Carolina and then to Ten- nessee, and was there extensively engaged in mining, in which pursuit hie attained wealth, becoming one of the leading and
substantial citizens of his adopted state. William Wall, the father of our subject, resided for many years in Tennessee, his death occurring in Knoxville when he was thirty-five years of age. His widow passed away in Palestine, Indiana, at the age of eighty-four.
Dr. Wall, whose name introduces this sketch, was reared in the Hoosier state, and pursued his education in Indianapolis, where he was a classmate of General Lew Wallace and a son of Governor Noble. He was a young man of twenty-one years when he first became connected with mili- tary affairs. With the blood of Revolution- ary ancestors in his composition, his patri+ otic spirit was aroused at the trouble be- tween the United States and Mexico, and on the 12th of April, 1847, he enlisted for service in the Mexican war under Lieu- tenant Snyder. For two years he remained in the army and was then mustered out at Covington, Kentucky, in 1849. Again he served his country when the sectional dif- ferences between the north and the south involved the nation in civil war. Believ- ing firmly in the cause of the Union, he resolved to aid in establishing the suprem- acy of the government at Washington, and therefore "donned the blue," enlisting April 17, 1861, as a member of the Eighth In- diana Infantry, with which he went to the front as a private. There his fidelity to duty, his meritorious service and the read- iness with which he mastered military tactics and discipline caused his promotion. He served three months and then went home and helped to organize, in 1862, six cavalry regiments. First he was a captain, then a major and lieutenant colonel, and at Nashville, Tennessee, he finally was bre-
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vetted a brigadier general. He commanded the Ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, at Nashville, Franklin, and then brought the regiment home, and was with it mustered out at Indianapolis, at the close of the war. The Doctor is a natural sol- dier and commander, and it is said that when the Spanish-American war broke out he was as eager to go to the front as any of the young men. He possesses that qual- ity of mind so necessary to a soldier of grasping a situation at a glance and decid- ing at once and correctly what to do.
Dr. Wall prepared for practice as a member of the medical fraternity in Chica- go and Cincinnati, and for thirty years he has resided in Mills county, lowa. Although he is now seventy-four years of age, he is still an active representative of the profes- sion and has attained a wide fame as a spe- cialist in the treatment of cancers. As his financial resources have increased he has made judicious investments in real estate and is to-day the owner of three hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, which brings to him an excellent income. He votes the Republican ticket, having been a stal- wart advocate of the party since its organi- zation. He is in hearty sympathy with its principles of protection to American indus- tries, of a gold standard and expansion, believing that the stars and stripes wher- ever they have been planted should be up- held. He is a man of kindly nature, of gen- crous impulses, liberal in his dealings, and at all times honorable in every relation of life. Much might be said in terms of lauda- tion, but to those who know Dr. Wall it is unnecessary. He is a man of broad general information and ripe scholarship, who has labored earnestly in the paths of his profes-
sion; and, whether his work has resulted in pecuniary benefit or not, no trust reposed in him has ever been slighted. A rije oki age, crowned with the efforts of his former toil and honored with the esteem of his fel- low men,-this in brief is the record of William R. Wall.
December 10, 1849, he married Miss Elvira Scott. His second wife was a Miss Allis, and his present wife was Louisa Lacey.
WILLIAM H. NORCUTT.
Among the practitioners at the bar of Fremont county is William H. Norcutt, of Sidney, who is now serving as the county attorney and is well qualified for the im- portant duties which devolve upon him. Hle is numbered among lowa's native sons, his birth having occurred in Grinnell, Powe- shiek county, on the 2d of October, 1866. Ilis father, A. Il. Norcutt, was a native of Massachusetts and a graduate of Yale Col- lege. Ile became a successful teacher, fol- lowing that profession for years, and in the war of the Rebellion served as a soldier. His father was also a soldier, in the linois Gray Beard Regiment. He was a native of Massachusetts, representing one of the old and honored New England families, of Scotch lineage, and died at the age of ser- enty-eight years; and his wife passed away at the age of ninety-one years, while the maternal grandfather of our subject reached the advanced age of ninety-seven, and his wife was called to her final rest at the age of sixty-eight. A. 11. Norcutt was reared in the east, but in ante-bellum days they removed westward to Hlinois, and when the country became involved in hostilities over
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the question of secession he joined the Twelfth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, loyally defending the Union on the battle- fields of the south. When the supremacy of the northern arms was established he returned to his home in the Prairie state, and afterward removed to Towa, settling near Grinnell. Subsequently he became a resident of Adams county, Iowa, where he is now living at the ripe old age of seventy years. He married Lucy A. Boils, who was born in Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of ten children, of whom nine are yet living, namely: Henry H .: M. F .; R. C .: Mrs. Henrietta Wright: William H .; S. B. : Mrs. Lucinda Strain ; D. M. ; Quincy, who died in childhood : and Mary, a popular and successful teacher of Adams county, Towa. The father of these children was a stalwart supporter of the Republican party for a number of years, but in 1876 voted for Peter Cooper and has since been a third- party man. He and his wife hold member- ship in the Methodist Episcopal church and his sterling worth and high moral character have gained him the regard and confidence of all those with whom he is associated.
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