USA > Iowa > Monroe County > Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa > Part 28
USA > Iowa > Appanoose County > Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa > Part 28
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
418
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
JOHN CRATON McDONALD.
One of the most successful, enterprising and progressive business men of Cincinnati is John Craton McDonald. With him success in life has been reached by his sterling qualities of mind and heart, his manly principles, by unfaltering determination, by unflagging industry and by a diligence that has enabled him to persist in a course which he has marked out. We read of the lives of the heroes of the past, and they not only prove of historical interest, but serve to inspire and encourage 11s. Yet we need not go to former ages for examples well worthy of emulation. The men of prominence today equal in exemplary traits of character those who have passed away, and the life record of Mr. McDonald is one which proves what may be accomplished with indi- vidual effort when guided by sound judgment and correct business prin- ciples.
Mr. McDonald was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1845, and is a son of Daniel and Mary (Stewart) McDonald. The father was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, on the 10th of March, 1814, and was a son of John and Mary ( Uber) McDonald. The grandfather of our subject was a native of Westmoreland county, Penn- sylvania, and when a young man removed to Mercer county, that state, where he spent his remaining days, dying at the age of sixty years. He served as a soldier in the war of 1812, against the Indians in Ohio. His father was William McDonald, who emigrated from Scotland and settled in Pennsylvania. He had but two children, John and Susan. John McDonald was united in marriage to Mary Uber, who was a na- tive of Pennsylvania and was descended from an old Hessian family that settled in the Keystone state soon after the Revolutionary war. Among their children was Daniel McDonald, the father of our sub-
JOHN C. MCDONALD
421
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
ject, who was reared in the state of his nativity and after arriving at years of maturity wedded Mary Stewart, who was born September 15, 1816, in county Londonderry, Ireland, and was a daughter of Craton and Nancy ( Sloan) Stewart. Her father was a son of Sir John Stew- art, whose father was a son of Walter Stewart and a cousin of King Charles the Second, and removed from England to county Antrim, Ireland, in 1648. In the year 1816 Craton Stewart emigrated to the United States and settled in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. There he spent his remaining days and it was in that county that the parents of our subject married on the 25th of November, 1841. They took up their abode in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and there lived until April, 1852, during which time six children were born to them. With their family they then removed westward, locating in Lee county, Iowa, and in March, 1854, came to Appanoose county, Iowa, settling in Cin- cinnati, where they resided until called to their final rest. The father was a well-to-do farmer, carrying on his work along progressive lines and thereby securing a good competence. In politics he was first a Whig and then a Free Soiler. Later he advocated the cause of the Abolition party and when the Republican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks and became one of its stalwart advocates. Both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church in early life, but afterward became identified with the Congregational church. Eight children were born to them, of whom one died in infancy, while seven reached years of maturity, namely: Mrs. Nancy Sloan Baker, who died May 12, 1894; Mrs. Mary Lucetta Root, of Centerville, Iowa; John C., of this review; Albert Clark, of Cincinnati, Iowa; Mrs. Eliza Josephine McCann, who died November 26, 1900; Mrs. Harriet Beecher David, of Cincinnati,
422
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
and Wilber Sumner, who is associated with his brother, John C., in business. The mother of these children passed away on the 18th of May, 1878, and on the 19th of April. 1895, the father was called to his final rest.
John Craton McDonald was born and reared upon the farm and was seven years of age when brought to Iowa. When a youth of nine years he became a resident of Appanoose county, where his home has since been. He acquired a common school education and assisted in the task of improving his father's farm. In April, 1863, feeling that the country needed his services, he joined the Union army, enlisting as a private of Company E, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, for a term of three years. He served against the Indians on the plains and was honorably discharged on the 17th of May, 1866, with the rank of sergeant major
of his regiment. He is now a member of Henry Jaquiss Post No. 325, G. A. R., and thus maintains pleasant relationship with his old army comrades and has spent many a social hour with them recalling scenes which occurred upon the tented fields or in the midst of battle.
Upon his return from the war Mr. McDonald resumed farming and was thus engaged in connection with his father until 1870. In that year he was married and began life as a farmer upon his own ac- count, continuing the cultivation of the soil for about ten years. In 1880 he embarked in the furniture and undertaking business in connec- tion with his brother, A. C. McDonald, and in 1882 they also added a lumberyard to their enterprise. In the same year the father became a partner, but in 1885 our subject purchased both his father's and his brother's interest and continued alone in business until 1888. In that year his brother, Wilber S., became his partner, and the business has since been carried on under the firm name of J. C. McDonald & Brother.
423
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
They have enjoyed a liberal and growing patronage as furniture and lumber merchants, their sales being quite extensive. On the Ist of April, 1889, they also widened the scope of their labor by entering the banking business under the firm name of J. C. McDonald & Brother, bankers. In 1898 they established the Citizens' Bank, the subject of this review acting as president, while Wilber S. McDonald is filling the position of cashier. Our subject also has some farming interests, and the various branches of his business are returning to him excellent profits.
In 1870 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. McDonald and Miss Mary Boyles, a daughter of John P. Boyles. She was born in Belmont county, Ohio, September 22, 1846, and died March 30, 1895, leaving one child, while five children born to them had passed to the home be- yond. The one that was living at the death of the mother was Cath- erine, and she subsequently died at the age of twenty-five years. In 1896 Mr. McDonald was again married, his second union being with Miss Alice Reed, of Jackson, Michigan. In 1890 he erected a large and handsome modern frame residence in Cincinnati. It is one of the most tasteful homes in this part of the state and would be a credit to a city of much greater size than the one in which Mr. McDonald makes his home. In his political views he is a Republican and fraternally is a Master Mason and an Odd Fellow, having taken all three of the degrees in the latter organization. He likewise belongs to the Congregational church. His unswerving purpose, his unquestioned fidelity, his un- faltering honesty and his unchanging will have commanded the highest respect of all. He has been a leader in the cause of liberty, freedom and progress, and his hearty co-operation has ever been given to that which tends to elevate mankind.
28
424
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
JOHN M. STURDIVANT, M. D.
John M. Sturdivant, M. D., who is engaged successfully in the practice of medicine and surgery in Cincinnati, receives a liberal patron- age, which is the public tribute to his skill and ability. He also has the en- dorsement of his professional friends and commands respect and confi- dence wherever he goes. He was born in the town which is still his home, his natal day being January 14, 1866. His father, the late Dr. John M. Sturdivant, Sr., is represented on another page of this vol- ume. The son remained a resident of Cincinnati until he was sixteen years of age, when his parents removed to Centerville, Iowa, and in the schools of the two towns he was educated, acquiring a good literary knowledge to serve as a foundation upon which to rear the superstruc- ture of professional learning. He took up the study of medicine in his father's office and remained under his instruction for two years. On the expiration of that period he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk. Iowa, and was graduated in that institution in March, 1887. He then located in Earlton, Kansas, where he practiced until June, 1890, when he returned to Centerville. At that time he be- came associated with his father, with whom he remained until the lat- ter's death. He continued in practice in Centerville, however, until 1892, when he came to Cincinnati. This has since been his home, and he has enjoyed a large and growing practice, which has made constant demands upon his time, energies and attention. He is continually broadening his knowledge through reading and research and has also gained new ideas through the interchange of thought by his membership in the Putnam County ( Missouri) Medical Society and of the North- eastern Missouri Medical Society.
In 1889 Dr. Sturdivant was united in marriage to Miss Allie Can-
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. 425
non, of Kansas, and they now have two sons, John M. and Byron Earl. Their home is celebrated for its gracious and pleasing hospitality, which is much enjoyed by their many friends. The Doctor is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and is a prominent Mason, having attained to the Knight Templar degree in that order. Entering a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit and upon broad learning, he has gained a position of considerable distinction and well deserves mention among the representative citizens of his part of the state.
WILBER S. McDONALD.
One of the leading and representative business men of Cincinnati is Wilber S. McDonald, a member of the firm of J. C. McDonald & Company, dealers in furniture and lumber. They are also bankers, and the subject of this review is acting as cashier of the Citizens' Bank, the success of this institution being largely due to his efforts and capability. He was born in Cincinnati on the 29th of April, 1856, and is a son of Daniel and Mary (Stewart) McDonald, who are mentioned in connec- tion with the sketch of J. C. McDonald on another page of this work. He was reared upon a farm and the educational advantages afforded him were those provided by the common schools. He remained upon the old homestead until twenty-five years of age. In 1884 he went to Green City, Missouri, being preceded to that place only by the station agent. He built the first house and became the first merchant there and also the first real estate dealer, and in his business operations he prospered, his sales of lands and of goods bringing to him a good financial return. Mr. McDonald remained there until 1886, when he went to Greencastle, Missouri, where he resided for two years, and acted as foreman of a
426
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
large hoop and railroad tie company. In 1888, however, he returned to Cincinnati, and since that time has been associated with his brother in business as a banker, lumberman and furniture dealer. As cashier of the Citizens' Bank he has thoroughly mastered the business in all its de- partments. He has become a popular official because of his obliging manner and unfailing courtesy, combined with excellent business ability and executive force.
In 1882 Mr. McDonald was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Phillips, of Sullivan county, Missouri, and they now have four children : George S .. Wendall Phillips, M. John, and Cora Marie. The parents hold membership in the Congregational church and have a nice home in Cincinnati. Mr. McDonald is a Republican and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, and is thus enabled to support his position by intel- ligent argument. Prominent as a Knight Templar Mason, in his life he exemplifies the benevolent and helpful spirit of the craft. Through his own exertions he has attained an honorable and marked prestige among the representative business men of his native town, and with equal consistency it may be said that he is the architect of his own for- tunes and one whose success amply justifies the application of the some- what hackneyed but most expressive title, "a self-made man."
WILLIAM H. STEVENSON, M. D.
The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, who has attained wealth by honorable busi- ness methods, acquired a high reputation in his chosen calling by merit, and whose social prominence is not less the result of an irreproachable life than of recognized natural gifts. Mr. Stevenson is one who in the
427
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. £
practice of medicine has gained enviable distinction, being today recog- nized as one of the leading members of his profession in this part of Appanoose county. He is now living in Cincinnati, where for almost twenty years he has made his home, and in addition to the care which he gives to a large general practice he is also conducting a drug store which hie established about eleven years ago.
The Doctor was born in the town of Castine, Darke county, Ohio, on the 13th of November, 1851, and is a son of Parkhill John and Mary (Gunder) Stevenson. The father was born in Fayette county, Penn- sylvaia, and was a son of Henry Stevenson, who was likewise a native of the Keystone state and was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Leaving Pennsylvania, Henry Stevenson removed to Darke county, Ohio, and thence to lowa, first settling in Wapello county. About 1856 he came to Appanoose county, taking up his abode in Franklin township, where he lived for many years, making farming his occupation, and died when about eighty-seven years of age. The Doctor's father was married in Ohio, having accompanied his parents to that state in his youth. He wedded Miss Mary Gunder, who was born, in Darke county, and was a daughter of William Henry Gunder, of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. At an early epoch in the development of Darke county he had located there and made his home in that community throughout his remaining days. It was in 1868 that the Doctor's parents removed from Ohio to Appanoose county, Iowa, settling in Franklin township, and four years later they took up their abode in Cincinnati, where the father is now liv- ing at the advanced age of seventy-seven years, while the mother has reached the psalmist's span of three-score years and ten. Parkhill Stevenson is a shoemaker by trade and throughout his entire business career has carried on his work along that line. A man of sterling
428 BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
worth, he has always been honorable and straightforward in business and has commanded the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been associated. In the family were six children, one of whom is deceased.
Dr. Stevenson, the eldest child, spent the first seventeen years of his life in the state of his nativity and then accompanied his parents to Iowa. He, too, laid the foundation of his education in the public schools of Darke county, Ohio, and after his removal westward became a stu- dent in Christian College at Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he gained a liberal literary education, and when nineteen years of age he began teaching school and followed that profession successfully for some time, alternat- ing his work as an educator with periods of study through several years. In the meantime he took up the study of medicine under the direction of Dr. John M. Sturdivant of Cincinnati, Iowa, and after reading with him for a time entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chi- cago. In 1884 he entered upon the practice of medicine in this city, where he has since been located and where he has enjoyed a constantly growing patronage. About eleven years ago he also established a drug store, which he has since conducted in connection with his medical prac- tice.
In 1875 the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Matilda White, a native of Wapello county, Iowa, and to them have been born three children, but Frank, the eldest, is now deceased. The others are Lil- lian L. and Arthur P., who are still with their parents. In his social relations the Doctor is a Master Mason and is also connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His time and energies are largely devoted to his practice, although in matters of citizenship he is pro- gressive and public spirited. Greater than in almost any other line of
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. 3 429
work is the responsibility that rests upon the physician. The issues of life and death are in his hands. A false prescription, an unskilled op- eration may take from man that which he prizes above all else, life. The physician's power must be his own. Not by purchase, by gift or by influence can he gain it. He must commence from the beginning, learn the rudiments of medicine and surgery and continually add to his knowledge by close study and earnest application and gain his reputation by merit. If he can reach prominence it must come as a result of skill, knowledge and ability, and these qualifications are possessed in a large degree by Dr. Stevenson, who occupies a most enviable position in the ranks of his chosen profession.
SOLOMON HOLBROOK.
The gentleman above named is one of the oldest residents in the state. When he came here Iowa was still a territory, its admission to the Union not occurring until six years after Mr. Holbrook's arrival. When he first trod the elastic prairie sod of Iowa in 1840 there were only a little over forty-three thousand people in the territory, whereas there are now several million in the state. In addition to being a pioneer of pioneers, Mr. Holbrook has another claim to distinction. He was one of the four men who founded and laid out the town of Cin- cinnati and is the only survivor of the quartette. This occurred nearly fifty years ago, and altogether it will be seen that Mr. Holbrook is a very interesting man to know, if one would hear good stories and gain information about the times of long ago, when the now mighty western commonwealths were still in their swaddling clothes. He has lived through the most interesting period of American history, and his career
430 BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
was coincident with many of the most dramatic and epoch-making events in the United States. As he is one of a class especially deserving of honor, but of whom few now remain, it is peculiarly appropriate that something should be said of his origin and career in a book devoted to the representative men of Appanoose county.
The family was long identified with Connecticut, and there Elias and Eliza (Reed) Holbrook were born. They came to Iowa in 1839. where they spent the remaining days of their lives until called to rest many years ago. They were typical natives of this famous New Eng- land state, of quiet, industrious habits, strictly moral and devoted mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and regardful of every duty in all the relations of life. The wife died in 1857, and the husband sur- vived her only a few years, his death occurring at the beginning of the Civil war, when he was eighty-one years old. The children of this east- ern couple consisted of two sons: Luther R., now deceased, and Solo- mon Holbrook. The latter was born at Tolland, Connecticut, June 8. 1822, and he remained at home until the completion of his eighteenth year. Yankee boys, however, are apt to think their home a cage and early become restless with desire to try their fortunes in "the wide, wide world." In this spirit, like so many other "down easterners" before and since, young Holbrook left the parental roof in 1840 and started on the then long journey to the territory of Iowa. He first settled in Lee county, where he followed farming and stock-raising, but five years later removed to Appanoose county and located in Pleasant township. In 1853, together with his brother, Luther R. Holbrook, and Daniel and John McDonald, he assisted in laying out the town of Cincinnati, which at its birth contained a schoolhouse, postoffice and blacksmith shop as its only stock of municipal buildings. All the original founders, save
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. 431
Mr. Holbrook, have long since passed to their reward, and peculiar in- terest attaches to him as the sole survivor of that pioneer period.
In 1845 Mr. Holbrook was united in marriage with Mary Ann Welsh, and all their seven children are living except John R., the eldest son, who died in Andersonville prison during the Civil war. The other six are Oliver K., Ida May, Ellis R., Perry S., William and Florence J. Mr. Holbrook's political affiliations were always strongly anti-slavery, and his feelings on this subject made him cast his first presidential vote for John P. Hale, who ran on what was called the Free Soil ticket in 1852 with George W. Julian of Indiana. This movement was really the precursor of the Republican party, and after it was organized Mr. Holbrook became and has remained one of its steadfast advocates. His only fraternal connections are with the Masons, of which ancient and honorable order he has long been an esteemed member.
HENRY HAMMOND BAKER.
One can hardly pass the blacksmith shop in Cincinnati, Iowa, with- out involuntarily recalling Longfellow's poetic tribute to the "Village Blacksmith," and the robust genius who presided over its busy bellows. As the poem indicates, there is something about an establishment of this kind that suggests health and strength and honesty. The occupation itself is very health-giving, the charcoal business being regarded as a specific for lung disorders, and the whole atmosphere of the place is calculated to inspire kindly and friendly feelings. The blacksmith is the farthest possible removed from feebleness or debilitation of any kind, and is usually an optimist by nature, the very sight of whom is sure to drive away the worst case of "blues." The little shop at Cincinnati
432
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
which suggested these reflections was built by Mr. Baker nearly fifty years ago, and is now the oldest structure in the town. It was in fact the pioneer of its kind, being made of hewn lumber taken from the banks of Shoal creek, and its puffing bellows and musical anvil were the first sounds of that kind to awaken the echoes around this new-born Iowa village. Having said so much about his shop it will now be in order to tell something of the man who built it and has conducted it so long, and such particulars as could be obtained will be found herein set forth.
In the early part of the nineteenth century there lived in Allegany county, Maryland, a worthy couple whose names were Henry Penning- ton and Catherina ( Hammond) Baker. Henry was a carpenter by trade, but found it no easy task to provide hy the proceeds from his trade for the large and constantly increasing family which relied upon him for support. He was a man of exemplary habits and tireless industry, but times were rather hard in Maryland in those days and eventually the Bakers decided to seek a better field in the distant west. They went as far as Ohio, where they resided a number of years, and in 1853 re- moved to Appanoose county, Iowa, where a settlement was made on a farm two miles from the site of the present town of Cincinnati. But the father did not live long to enjoy his new home surroundings, as his death occurred in November, 1855, two years after his arrival in the state, and in the fifty-fourth year of his age. Of his twelve children those living are Henry H., Taylor and Eliza, and those deceased are Perry D., John K., Jacob, Catheryn, Hiram, Susan, Mary Ann, Marvin T., and Oliver T.
Henry Hammond Baker, the second in age of this family, was born in Allegany county, Maryland, AAugust 5. 1830, and was a mere
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. 433
lad when his parents located at Millwood, Ohio. He grew up in this town and in Newcastle, but educational facilities were poor at that time and he received but a scant amount of the kind of learning to be obtained from books. When old enough he learned the blacksmith's trade, and for three years worked in a shop at Columbus. In 1853 he accompanied his father to Appanoose county, Iowa, and located in Pleasant township, a little east of where Cincinnati now stands. He opened a shop shortly after his arrival, but as soon as the village was founded he moved to that point and put up the building alluded to in the remarks introducing this memoir. As therein stated, it was the first blacksmith shop at Cincinnati, and any one curious in examining ancient landmarks will find this interesting relic of the past still standing in the rear of the McDonald Bank. He will also become acquainted with the worthy proprietor, who, thoughi now past seventy-two years of age, still conducts business as of old, and is yet able to shoe a horse or mend a tool with the best of them.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.