Biographical history of Page County, Iowa, containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Harrison, with accompanying biographies of each; a condensed history of Iowa, with portraits and biographies of the governors of the state; engravings of prominent citizens of Page County, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families; and a concise history of the county, the cities, and the townships, Part 65

Author: Lewis and Dunbar, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis & Dunbar
Number of Pages: 946

USA > Iowa > Page County > Biographical history of Page County, Iowa, containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Harrison, with accompanying biographies of each; a condensed history of Iowa, with portraits and biographies of the governors of the state; engravings of prominent citizens of Page County, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families; and a concise history of the county, the cities, and the townships > Part 65

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).

Politically Mr. Hawley is identified witlı the Republican party. He has served ten or twelve years as Justice of the Peace, and has been a member of the school board. He has

always interested himself in educational affairs and done what he could to elevate the public school standard in his township. He is an honored member of State Line Lodge, No. 429, I. O. O. F., and has passed all the chairs of the order; he is also a member of the En- campment, and has represeuted his district at the Grand Lodge on two different occasions; he was made an Odd-Fellow at College Springs, Iowa, in 1872. He is a member of Rising Star Lodge, No. 180, A. O. U. W., at Blanchard.

Mr. Hawley was united in marriage at Rock- port, Missouri, August 6, 1869, to Miss Sa- rah Wetmore. She is a native of Knox Coun- ty, Illinois, and was educated at Galesburg, Illinois. Prior to her marriage she was en- gaged in the profession of teaching. Four children have been born of this union: Min- nie M., deceased, Elihu Yale, Mae C. and Vela.

Mr. Hawley is one of the best business men in Page County, and is looked upon with mnuch favor on account of his square dealing and strict integrity of character.

HOMAS F. FLOWERS was born in Harrison County, Virginia, September 14, 1823, and is a son of William and Maria (Bigler) Flowers, also natives of Har- rison County. His grandfather, Lambert Flowers, was reared in Maryland, and was married to Rachel McCoy, a native of Penn- sylvania; he emigrated to Harrison County at a very early day, when Indians were almost his only neighbors.

In 1834 William Flowers and family re- moved to Fulton County, Illinois, before the land came into tlie market. He died in Prairie City, Illinois, in 1881, aged eighty- two years; his wife died a short time before,

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

aged seventy-six years. They had a family of nine children, of whom four are now liv- ing: Thomas F., William B., Jacob N. and Mary J.

Thomas F. Flowers and Miss Belle Reed ware united in marriage October 16, 1844. The ancestry of Mrs. Flowers discloses some interesting facts. Her parents were James and Elizabeth (Beer) Reed, who settled in Illinois in 1839, coming from Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, where she had been born March 24, 1829. Her grandfather, Robert M. Beer, had served seven years in the war of the Revolution, receiving many scars to tell of the struggle. He was married to Nancy N. Queen, at Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania, July 4, 1776, Independence day. In later life he made his home with his son, and died at the ripe old age of ninety-four years. Mrs. Flowers' father was twice married and reared a family of eight children by each wife; her mother was the second wife.

After his marriage Mr. Flowers and wife settled in Fulton County ; having farmed three years in Fulton County, they moved to Mc- Donough County, four miles west of Bush- nell, lived on a farm three years, and then lo- cated at Prairie City and he followed his trade for twenty years. He is a natural mechanic, and became an expert workman. In 1875 he decided to come to Iowa, and in that year located in Mills County, where, in addition to his farming, he worked at his trade until coming to Shenandoah in 1886. He has a fine tract of five acres adjoining the college campus, and has erected three houses, which are arranged for the accommodation of college students.

Mr. and Mrs. Flowers have not been blessed with children of their own, but have one daughter by adoption, who enjoys their love as fully as if she were their own. Hattie Reed, daugliter of Robert Reed, a brother of

Mrs. Flowers, became a member of the Flowers family when but four years of age, and her parents having other children allowed her to remain with her aunt and uncle. She has been given a thorough education at Prairie City, Illinois, and after leaving school she began teaching, of which she made a decided success. She was born August 7, 1851, and was married July 4, 1879, at Council Bluffs, to Joseph R. Young. Four children have been born of this union: Josephine, Thomas Franklin, Robert M. and Willie H.

Mr. and Mrs. Flowers for nearly half a century have trod life's pathway together. In politics they are Democratic, and take pleas- ure in the liberal doctrines of that party. Mrs. Flowers is connected with the Presbyte- rian Church.

RANK S. BURKHARD, Shenandoalı's popular ice man, was born in Buffalo, New York, February 28, 1850, and is a son of John and Catherine (Riddle) Burk- hard, natives of Germany. Joseph Burkhard, grandfather of Frank S., settled at Buffalo im- mediately`after the war of 1812, before the city had recovered from its effects. John Burkhard was a millwright by trade, and assisted in the erection of some of the largest mills in Buffalo. His death occurred in 1860; his widow survived him ten years. They had but two children, John B. and Frank S. Our subject learned the turner's trade and worked at it for seven years. He then re- moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where his brother John was at the time. As there was a brisk demand for carpenters he engaged in building, and finding it remunerative he followed the trade for nearly seven years. He decided to seek a home in some inland town, and his attention was attracted to Shenandoah, where

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

he located in May, 1874. At that time there was much building being done, and he at once found employment at his trade; for two years and a half he was the principal contractor, einploying from sixteen to twenty workmen, and erecting nearly all the large buildings in the town and surrounding country that date from that period.

In 1876, the competition having reduced profits to a minimum, Mr. Burkhard aban- doned the business of contracting and opened a restaurant. Hle also engaged in the ice trade, and the demands of this business in- creased to such an extent that he sold his" restaurant in 1881, since when he has devoted his energies to supplying the people of Shen- andoah with a superior quality of nature's crystal. His enterprise and persistency have been well displayed in his efforts to make a success of this undertaking. After many hin- drances and drawbacks, and the expenditure of large sums of money, he has accomplished his end. He has built a reservoir which is supplied with pure water fromn a well, and which has a capacity of 1,000,000 gallons. He lias a store-house with a capacity of 900 tons. The first packing-house he owned was on the banks of the Nishna, and it was de- stroyed by lightning and tornadoes. Shen- andoah is to be congratulated that one of her citizens was possessed with the vigor and enthusiasm to carry this stupendous enter- prise to a happy consommation. This was in November, 1883. Since that time he has introduced a number of German carp into his reservoir, which is now peopled with thou- sands of those beautiful specimens.

Mr. Burkhard is also engaged in the manu- facture of the celebrated Portland pave- ment, which has no equal for smoothness and evenness of surface and durability. No man in Shenandoah has overcome greater obstacles or has followed the even tenor of

his way with more tenacity of purpose, and no man is more worthy of congratulation upon his success than Mr. Burkhard.

November 22, 1870, lie was united in marriage to Miss Genevieve A. Pischki, who was born in Prussia January 3, 1850. Her parents, Albert and Victoria Pischki. still reside in " Fatherland." At the age of seven - teen years she accompanied her father on a visit to America, when she became acquainted with her husband at Buffalo. They have a family of six children: John Sylvester, Charles Frank, Albert George, Frances Vic- toria, Mary Genevieve and Agnes Catherine.

John S. is a telegraph operator in the em- ploy of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway, and holds a responsible position. The family are devout members of the Roman Catholic Church.

Politically Mr. Burkhard is a Democrat, casting his first vote for Horace Greeley. He has served three years on the Board of Edu- cation, and is considered one of its ablest members. In 1886 he was appointed town assessor, and has been twice re-elected, being the present incumbent of the office.

C. BEDISON, the gentlemanly and popular agent of the Wabash Rail- way at Shenandoah, has risen steadi- ly from the position of office boy at eighteen years of age in the superintendent's office at Maryville, Missonri, nntil no agent of the entire system enjoys the confidence of his superiors to a greater degree. After serving in the inferior capacity of office boy, doing errands of all kinds for three months, he was made a clerk in the same office. In Feb- ruary, 1880, he was promoted to the position of agent at Solomon, where he remained until being promoted to his present position,

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

where he succeeds his father. In addition to the duties pertaining to the office he is the agent of the Pacific Express Company at Shenandoah.

Mr. Bedison is one of the Wabash Rail- way's most trusted and faithful employés. His merit is recognized by his employers and they have frequently offered lim better situa- tions, but he is well pleased with Shenandoah and her people, and having a home in their midst he hesitates to withdraw himself and family from such agreeable surroundings.

H. C. Bedison was born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, March 16, 1861, and is a son of W. L. and Hannah (Lessig) Bedison, na- tives of Pennsylvania. His father was a canal boatman plying between Rochester, Pennsylvania, and Youngstown, Ohio. When a inere boy H. C. would travel with his father, and much of his time until his thirteenth year was passed on the boat. In 1873 the family removed to Steelville, Missouri, where the father had been appointed auditor for the St. L., S. & L. R. Railway. There they re- inained until 1879, when he took a similar position upon this division of the Wabash Railway, with headquarters at Maryville, Missouri, and where, as has been stated, young Bedison began his railway career. In 1881 his father was made agent at Shenan- doah, and when in 1882 he left the situation he was made auditor for the division, with headquarters at Council Bluffs, in which ca- pacity he is still retained.

During the eleven years that H. C. Bedi- son has been in the employ of the Wabash Railway he has not been off duty a single week at any one time, but has always been found on the pay-roll. He has become in- terested in other business matters, being a stockholder in the Shenandoah National Bank and a director of both building and loan as- sociations of the place.

He was married July 16, 1882, to Miss Flora Hammack, daughter of Callaway and T. A. Hammack of Mills County. Mrs. Bedison was born at Newton, Iowa, July 31, 1865. They are the parents of two children: Clyde T., aged six years, and Harold C., aged one year.

Politically Mr. Bedison is identified with the Republican party.

OSEPH VAN BUSKIRK, proprietor of the Shenandoah Roller Mills, was born in Marshall County, Illinois, January 2, 1844. His parents, Joseph and Rebecca (Boys) Van Buskirk, were both natives of the " Keystone" State, where they were reared and married; they came to Illinois about 1833. Seven children were born to them, four of whom are living: William, James, Sarah and Joseph.

Joe, as he is familiarly known, made his home in Marshall and Woodford counties, Illinois, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1869, when he came to Ham- burg, Fremont County, Iowa. There he em- barked in the live-stock trade for three years; he then settled on a tract of land in Fremont County and began improving a new farm. His strict attention to his duties was re- warded with more than the usual degree of success, and he continued to conduct the in- dustry until 1883, when he decided to leave the farm and remove to Shenandoah. A part- nership was soon formed with C. D. Lester, the oldest and most extensive live-stock slipper in this vicinity. They carried on an important business for two years, shipping the bulk of the stock from this community. Mr. Lester was a man of broad and liberal views, and this partnership is looked back upon by Mr. Van Buskirk as one of the

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

pleasantest experiences of his life. A strong attachment grew up between the two inen, to be broken by the premature death of Mr. Lester, than whom no man had more or warmer friends. After a period of two years the partnership was dissolved and was about to be renewed when Mr. Lester was called to his rest.

Mr. Van Buskirk continued the stock trade, forming a partnership with W. A. White. The Shenandoah Mill was erected in 1879 by Burr & Randolph; it was a small affair and was enlarged and improved by Mr. Burr in 1883, when the patent roller process was sub- stituted. In the year 1886 it passed into the hands of a mill company of which Mr. Van Buskirk was a member; the following year it was greatly improved, about $2,500 being expended upon it; it was made a full roller mill with a daily capacity of seventy- five barrels. The present commodious eleva- tor was built in connection, having a storage capacity of 20,000 bushels. A. A. Ong is the efficient iniller, and he takes the second place to none in the manufacture of the finest grades of flour. The well-known brands, " High Patent," " Blue Ribbon," " Roller King" and " White Rose " are the product of this mill. The stock in the company was soon bought by Mr. Van Buskirk and Colonel George H. Castle, who continued as partner until 1888; then Colonel Castle retired and Mr. Van Buskirk became sole owner. In addition to his mill interests he buys large quantities of grain, and he also handles coal. He continued in the stock trade until quite recently, when he severed his connection with Mr. Rockafield.

In all the multiplicity of business interests Mr. Van Buskirk has fonnd time to gratify his taste for fine-bred horses. He is the owner of " Colonel Hepburn," one of the most celebrated thoroughbred animals in the

State; he also owns " Eulalie," a thorough- bred mare in which he takes great pride.

Mr. Van Buskirk was united in marriage November 4, 1867, to Miss Mattie Fulton, a native of Wells County, Indiana. Their family consists of Dell, George, Clarence, Jodie and Frank. The eldest of these is the efficient book-keeper in the Shenandoah Na- tional Bank, and George is the book-keeper in his father's office. Both are young men of promise, and each has taken a business course at the Western Normal College.

Mrs. Van Buskirk is a member of the Con- gregational Church. Mr. Van Buskirk is identified with the Masonic and Knights of Pythias fraternities. Politically he affiliates with the Democratic party.

He has been prominent in the npbuilding of Shenandoah, and his influence and good judgment have been felt on every hand; re- tiring and unpretentious in manner, he has won a wide circle of warm friends, and he is looked upon as one of the liberal and public spirited inen of the county.

ILLIAM H. WRIGHT, the genial host of the favorite resort of the traveling public, the Hotel Delmoni- co, is well qualified to care for his guests, and the extended popularity of this hostelry strengthens the assertion that Mr. Wright is one of Iowa's best entertainers. He has a keen appreciation of the wants of the traveling inan and caters to them agreeably and so as to make each guest feel that he is welcome; there is a home influence pervading tlie Del- monico that is difficult to resist, and guests are loth to leave its warmth and cheer for less inviting retreats. The Delmonico tables groan under the good things prepared under the direction of an expert chef-de-cuisine,

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

and from the delicious soups through the en- tire menn there are found such palatable dishes as are met with only in first-class ho- tels. The thirty-one rooms of the Delmonico are newly and nicely furnished, each bed be- ing provided with woven-wire bed-springs, where the weary salesman may repose in the enjoyment of innocent dreams peculiar to the profession.

Mr. Wright has had several years' experi- ence in Iowa hotels, and no landlord better understands the wants of his guests. For two years he conducted the Park House, coming to the Delmonico in August, 1889, and under his supervision it has become the favorite hotel of that place.

William H. Wright was born at Clifton Springs near Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, June 9, 1852. His parents were John and Eliza S. Wright, natives of New York and Connecticut respectively.

He was married October 22, 1875, to Miss Inez M. Sweet, who was born in the State of New York. They are the parents of two daughters, Luella, aged thirteen years, and Gertie May, aged eleven years.

Mr. Wright is a member of the Masonic fraternity and also of the Knights of Pythias. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party.

D MOORE, proprietor of Moore's Liv- ery, Feed and Sale Stables, Shenandoah, opened his present business March 1, 1888. He has a choice location adjacent to Hotel Delmonico and near the city depot. He keeps ten head of excellent driving horses, and first-class buggies and carriages, giving prompt and careful attention to all calls.

This enterprising and popular liveryman was born in Kendall County, Illinois, April

10, 1834. At that time the frontier home was in the midst of a howling wilderness where to-day stands the progressive town of Newark.

Norman C. Moore, thesire of our sn bject, had emigrated from New York two years before Ed's birth; he was of German ancestry, and his wife, whose maiden name was Maria Tru- man, was of English origin. In 1840 the family decided to move farther West and came to Iowa, settling in Fairfield; there they remained but two years, and then re- turned to Kendall County, Illinois, where they succeeded in purchasing their old home farm. There the father was called from earth in 1844.

When Ed was fifteen years old they removed to Putnam County, Illinois, and there the mother died in 1862. Angust 6, 1862, Mr. Moore enlisted, at La Salle, Illinois, in Com- pany H, 104th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. His command was attached to the Army of the Cumberland, and he fought in the ranks through all the fearful battles of that cam- paign. He received a gun-shot wound in liis left hip at Kenesaw Mountain that dis- abled him for active service for a time.

In one of the hardest fought struggles when the cannoneers of Captain Bridges' bat- tery were killed, Moore with a few others from his command were detailed as artillery- inen, in which capacity they acted for a few weeks. With this exception he was constantly in the ranks. After the declaration of peace Mr. Moore settled in Corning, Adams Coun- ty, Iowa, and resided there abont seven years, engaged in farming; he then embarked in the livery business at Gravity, Taylor County, Iowa. He was quite successful in this enterprise conducting it for four years; lie then lived at Hamburg for two years and from that point he removed to Shenandoah.

Mr. Moore was married in La Salle, Illi-

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

nois, to Miss Maria McGrath, who bore him five children: John Murray, Charles, Cora- belle, Bert and Eliza. A few years since he and his wife were separated by divorce, and August 1, 1887, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Richey, a native of Warren County, Illinois, and a daughter of Stephen Richey, a pioneer of Ringgold County, Iowa.

Mr. Moore is a highly respected member of the I. O. O. F. and the G. A. R. Politi- cally he affiliates with the Democratic party, but exercises his judgment in casting his ballot, supporting the man rather than the party.

RS. IDA LILLIAN BURKES, pro- prietorof the Ladies' Exchange, Shen- andoah, is an artist in her line of work whose taste and skill have inet with remark- able favor. For ten years she has been estab- lished at Shenandoah as a dressmaker and milliner, having learned the art at Hopkins, Missouri, under skilled instruction. But this restricted line of work did not prove just to her liking; during the past year she has somewhat abandoned the dressmaking department and has given her natural capaci- ties opportunity to follow their inclinations. She carries a stock of about $1,000 invested in millinery, fancy goods, and notions, in- cluding all desirable material for every kind of embroidery. It is a choice selection and is an advantage to the ladies of Shenandoah. However, it comprises but a small portion of Mrs. Burkes business, the principal part be- ing the production in most delicate design all kinds of embroidery and fancy articles in Kensington, plush and ribbon work by her own deft fingers. She was a wonderful faculty in this direction, and her goods exhibited at fairs never fail to carry off the highest honors

and medals, even when competition has been strongest.

It need not be supposed that Mrs. Burkes' skill is the spontaneous outburst of unculti- vated talent; like every artist, no matter what natural talent may have existed, suc- cess has only come after years of toil and study. She spent years in developing natural ability and has taken courses of instruction under the most skilled artists of Chicago and other places. She has given attention to drawing and painting, and has devoted two years to the study in the art department of the Western Normal College, at Shenandoah and Moberly, Missouri. Her productions in crayon, India ink, and water colors show tal- ent and skill beyond the ordinary. Demands having been made up on her for instruction she has accepted a few pupils, and her ability as a teacher is shown in the rapid advancement of her students.

Ida Lillian McRoberts was born near Ce- dar Rapids, Iowa, Jannary 4, 1859, and is the daughter of George M. and Lucretia M. (Taylor) McRoberts. When she was about, ten years of age she removed with her family to Taylor County, where she grew to woman- hood and made the acquaintance of her hus- band, James Burkes, to whom she was mar- ried at Clarinda, Iowa, November 4, 1878. Mr. Burkes was born in Schuyler County, Missouri, April 8, 1857, but was reared in Appanoose County, Iowa. He became a machinist, learning the trade at Marengo, Iowa, and for a mimber of years has been traveling, repairing and tuning pianos and organs, and attending to all the more delicate repairs of sewing-machines. He was a sales- man for some years for the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and is thoroughly famil- iar with the internal mechanism of all such inachines.

Mr. and Mrs. Bnrkes have a desirable

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home on Sheridan Avenne, to which Mrs. Burkes has contributed no sinall part. They have one son by adoption, Leo, a bright child of seven years whom they have cared for six years. .

Mrs. Burkes is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is always active in every enterprise within the church.

F. KING .- For fifteen years the carriage manufactory has been one of Shenan- doah's most valued institutions, and has afforded employment to ten or fifteen men, until the past two or three years. The works were established by George A. Quinby and Lewis Wilford, who conducted the busi ness for seven years, since when Mr. Qninby has carried on the enterprise until December 20, 1889. At that time the entire institution passed into the hands of him whose name heads this brief biography.

The works cover two lots and occupy two buildings, one being devoted to wood-work and painting and the other to the blacksmith shops and trimming. An engine in an adja- cent building furnishes the necessary power. Thus every facility is offered for the produc- tion of all kinds of carriages, buggies, carts, and wagons, and all manner of repairing. Skilled workmen are constantly employed, so that upon short notice orders for anything in this line can be filled. Mr. King has $4,000 invested in the business, and every indication is that business will prove satisfactory and remunerative. In addition to his other busi- ness he is the representative of the " Esterly " grain-binder, and keeps a stock constantly on hand.

J. F. King was born in the " Keystone " State, in Lancaster County, April 27, 1849. His parents, Jacob and Martha King, were

also natives of Pennsylvania. When he was six years of age they removed to Illinois, settling in Henderson County, where he grew to manhood, having passed through all the experiences incident to farm life. At an early age he learned the carpenter's trade, and being naturally of a mechanical mind he soon mastered the art, which he followed for a few years. Desiring to secure a farm he engaged in agricultural pursuits in Illinois until 1881, when he came to Iowa, settling on a beautiful tract of land in Morton Township, Page County. He improved one of the most desirable farms in his vicinity and continued to reside there until recently, when he came to Shenandoah to engage in a more congenial occupation. He has secured a pleasant resi- dence one block from the park, and surround- ed by his family he enjoys inany of the com- forts and pleasures of life.

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Author: Lewis and Dunbar, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis & Dunbar Number of Pages: 946

Author: Lewis and Dunbar, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis & Dunbar
Number of Pages: 946