USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > Biographical history of Pottawattamie County, Iowa > Part 44
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 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85
Being a zealous Democrat, he has taken an intelligent part in the public welfare. In 1888-'89 he was a member of the city coun- cil. He is a member of lodge No. 49, I. O. O. F., and is one of the best citizens of the place. He was married in October, 1881, to Miss Cora I., daughter of Charles E. and E M. Haggerty, and born in Council Bluff's in 1860. They have one child, Bessie.
-
APTAN MILTON B. FRISBIE, one of the prominent farmers of Potta- wattamie County, was born on a farm in Madison County, New York, September 16, 1831, the sen of Seth B. Frisbie, who was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, and was of English descent. Three brothers of that name came from England, and the family gradually spread over the country and became pioneers in New York and Illinois. Joseph Frisbie, the grandfather of our subject, moved from Litchfield to Vernon. Oneida County, New York, in 1820, by wagon, and settled on a farm. Stephen Wade and family, old settlers of Connecticut, and of English de- scent, came at the same time. Joseph Fris- bie was an old man of seventy years when he moved from Connecticut to New York State with his family, then consisting of grown men and women with their families. He was married in Connecticut a second time when over seventy years of age to a Miss Mott, a
relative of the famous Dr. Valentine Mott, of New York city. Joseph Frisbie was the father of six children, three by his former marriage: Eli, Pardon, Medad; and three by his second wife: T. Goodwin, Joseph and Seth B.
Seth B. Frisbie, the youngest son of the above and the father of our subject, was born in Litchfield, Connectient, Angust 8, 1807, when his father was seventy-five years of age and his mother twenty-five, a difference of fifty years in their ages. He was married in Vernon, Oneida County, New York, to Eliza- beth Wade, and they were the parents of four children: Milton E., Hiram C., Seth B. and Helen E. Mrs. Frisbie was the daughter of Stephen and Louisa (Hill) Wade, and they were the parents of five children: Elizabeth, Schuyler, Tracy, Franklin and Virgil B. Mr. Wade was a substantial farmer, and a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a deacon for many years. He died about ten years after coming to New York. The eminent Ben Wade, of Ohio, was a descendant of the same stock, and it is related that Schuyler Wade, an unele of Captain Frisbie. was fined fifty cents for laughing in church, and fifty cents for walking in the highway before sunset on Sunday. Seth B. Frisbie was a boy of fourteen or fifteen years when he came with his father to New York State. le learned farming in early life, and after marriage lived in Oneida and Madison conn- ties. In 1837 he moved to Wood County, Ohio, which was then a wilderness covered with dense timber, and where he bought 240 acres of land, built a løg honse and cut out his farm. During the first year the only meat they conld get was venison, with which the country abounded. In this wilderness Mr. Frisbie made his home, but the severe labor of subduing the wilderness proved too much for him, and after seven years' struggle
405
OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
he died, June 8, 1842, at the early age of thirty-five years. Both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian Church. Politi- cally he was an old-time Whig, and took an active part in the famous "Log Cabin and Hard Cider " campaign, which resulted in the election of the elder Harrison. There was an intense excitement in Perrysburg, the county seat, and each township contributed logs with which to build a log cabin for headquarters, with a coon-skin nailed to the door. A barrel of cider was on the top, and the war cry "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" has descended to this day. The election raised the price of coon-skins to $1 each, and one old bachelor of the township collected seventy-two of them, and was the richest man in cash in the township. From such rugged seenes as these sprang the descendants of our pioneer ancestors, who bravely entered the wilderness and made possible the pleasant homes of the present day. Mr. Frisbie was a man of great energy of character and a practical business man. He built the first steam flonring-mill in Wood County, and had he lived would have left the impress of his life well marked in that country.
Captain Milton B. Frisbie, our subject, received a very limited education, as he was but six years of age when his father moved into the wilderness of Ohio, and the schools of that State then were few and far between, and the seliool-houses were built of rude logs, had puncheon floors, and rough benches of slabs for seats. The Captain Well remembers the trip through the woods to Ohio by team. His father died when he was but ten years of age, and after three years his mother returned to New York State with her children. She was again mar- ried, and after four years moved to Cayuga County, and here our subject lived until May, 1872. When Abraham Lincoln inade
his first eall for 300,000 men, Captain Fris- bie promptly responded, and September 23, 1861, enlisted in Company G, Seventy-fifth New York Volunteer Infantry, for three three years or during the war. He served as a private for thirteen months, and for soldierly conduct and gallant bravery was promoted to Captain of Company II, Third Louisiana Infantry, and served in that eapae- ity until the expiration of his term of serv- ice. He was in the siege of Port Hudson, Red River campaign, the capture of New Orleans, and many minor battles and skir- mishes. He was first under fire at Labadie- ville, Louisiana, under General Butler and Brigade Commander Weitzel. In the last year of liis service he was disabled by sick- ness, but continued to serve until about one month before his time expired, when he came home in a disabled condition.
After his return from the war he continued farming in Cayuga County, New York, where he remained until 1872, when he moved with his family to Pottawattamie County. He had bought 240 acres of wild land here in 1871, and hke many of our brave soldiers became an Iowa pioneer. When he came to Layton Township it was a new country, and Walnut had but eleven houses, the country being a wild prairie.
By dint of hard work and energy Captain Frisbie has converted his land into a fine farm, on which he has made many improve- inents, beautiful groves and many fine shade trees. Politically he is a strict Republican, voting as he shot. Ile is a inan of high char- acter, and an honorable citizen. He has served as Justice of the Peace, and has also been School Director. He is now the presi- dent of the School Board. He was the second Postmaster at Walnut, and has also served as Township Trustee, Supervisor, etc. Socially he is a Mason, being a member of blue
406
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
lodge No. 492, at Marne, Cass County, Iowa. Hle is a member of John A. Dix Post, G. A.R., No. 408, and was commander three terms from its organization. Captain Frisbie is a well preserved man of fifty-nine years, stand- ing five feet ten in height, and weighing 200 pounds. He is a clear thinker and a good talker, expressing himself in good, concise language.
He was married in the year 1856 to Lucy Knapp, a daughter of Ezra A. and Sophronia (Waters) Knapp, and they have seven chil- dren, viz .: Milton B., who died in infancy ; George E., who died at the age of ten years; Reuben F., a teacher; Helen E., Emeline, a teacher; Milton B. and George E. Ezra A. Knapp, the father of Mrs. Frisbie, descends from a family of Saxony, Germany, who, in 1540, emigrated to Sussex County, England, and in 1630 William Nichols Knapp and Roger Knapp emigrated to America; the former was born in Sussex County, England, in 1570, and settled in Watertown, Massa- chusetts, in 1630, and was one of the founders of that town; the latter was born in England, and settled in New Haven, afterward Fair- field, Connecticut. He was the progenitor of Mrs. Frisbie's family. In his will he mentions " wife Elizabeth and children: Jonathan, Josiah, Roger, Lydia, John N., Eliza and Mary," all of whom were settlers in Fairfield, Connecticut, where the great- grandfather, grandfather and father of Mrs. Frisbie were born. Oliver Knapp, the grand- father of Mrs. Frisbie, was a farmer, and emigrated to New York in 1810, settling in Oneida, New York, where he lived until his death. They were the parents of Amasa, Seymour, Thomas, Ezra A., Eliard and Eliza. Ezra A. Knapp, the father of Mrs. Frisbie, was born in Connecticut in 1798, and came with his father to New York State, where he was married to Sophronia Waters, and they
were the parents of six children: Edwin A., Jairus S., Leonard, Emeline, Lucy, and one deceased in infancy. The eldest, Ezra A. Knapp, was a substantial farmer, of Oneida, New York. He died at the age of forty-three years. He was a member of the Baptist Church, and an old-time Whig politically.
R. EDMUND I. WOODBURY, of Council Bluffs. is one of the leading dentists of Western Iowa, and an early settler of this city, where he located and be- gan the practice of his profession July 1, 1858. He was born in the town of Bolton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, March 7, 1830. He descended from an early and well- known New England family. The subject of this sketeh was born in the same place as were his father and grandfather. both of whom were named Israel Woodbury. Both the grandfather and great-grandfather were soldiers in the American army in the war of the Revolution. The family is of English origin. Dr. Woodbury's mother was Mrs. Olive Snow before her marriage to his father; her maiden name was Olive Berry. She was born in the town of Brewster, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. The father of our subject was twice married, and was the father of fifteen children, ten of whom, including the Doctor, were by the second marriage. The parents continued to live at the old home until death. Israel Woodbury, the father, was a mason and contractor.
Dr. Woodbury was reared in his native town, where he received a good English edn- cation. In 1852, having completed the study of dentistry in Worcester, Massachusetts, he went to Yellow Springs, Ohio, and engaged in the practice of his profession, remaining there nearly xix years. when he came to
407
OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
Council Bluffs. Then he soon established a good business, and his professional career has been a successful one, and he is numbered among the enterprising citizens of Council Bluffs. In 1890 he erected a fine brown stone block on Pearl street, a part of which comprises the dental rooms of Woodbury & Sons. He has a fine residence on the corner of Bluff and Story streets.
In 1854 Dr. Woodbury was married to Elizabeth Whitney, daughter of Nathan Whitney. Mrs. Woodbury also belongs to an early Massachusetts family. They have had six children. The oldest, Edmund N., died at the age of seven years; Herbert A., the second, is a graduate of the Boston Med- ical College in the elass of 1880. The third son and fourth child is Charles E., also a graduate of the same dental school in 1887. These sons are now associated with their father in business. The eldest daughter and third child is Olive L., wife of Rev. T. B. Greenlee, of IIillsboro, . Illinois. At the present time, January 1, 1891, Cora L., the fifth child, is at home; Ernest I., the youngest, is at the State University, Iowa City.
ON. J. E. F. McGEE, Judge of the Su- perior Court of Council Bluffs, was born in Fedeman, West Virginia, De- cember 23, 1861, the son of Manasseh and Mary A. (Fleming) McGee, who were both natives of and were married in Pennsylvania. Shortly after marriage they located in Coun- eil Bluffs, where the father became interested in real estate, but soon returned to the East and located in Grafton, West Virginia. He died in 1864, leaving a widow and three children, namely: H. G. MeGee, one of the most prominent real-estate dealers and busi- ness men in Council Bluffs; Anna M., now 3L
Mrs. W. S. Cooper, who is also a prominent real-estate, loan and insurance agent at Coun- cil Bluffs, and J. E. F. MeGee, our subjeet. About 1874 Mrs. McGee and her three chil- dren returned to this city, where she now re- sides with her son in Morning Side.
Judge McGee received his education in the public schools of Emsworth, Pennsylva- nia, Council Bluffs, and at the Cornell Col- lege at Mt. Vernon, lowa. He studied law first with Hon. Leonard Everett, now pres- ident of the City Council of Council Bluffs, and concluded his studies with Colonel Dailey. It is perhaps somewhat notable in this connection the number of the present members of the Pottawattamie County bar who have been trained under Colonel Dailey's guidance. Among such are Mr. Finley Burke, of Burke, Hewett & Casaday ; Walter 1. Smith, now judge of the District Court; the subject of this sketch, Judge McGee; and Mr. Em- met Tinley, one of the most brilliant of the younger members of the bar. Judge McGee was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1886, npon examination by the Supreme Court of the State, and immediately afterward entered into practice Having exhausted what means he had received from his father's estate in obtaining his education, he was compelled to borrow sufficient money with which to open an office. In the spring of 1887 there was a wonderful advance in real-estate valnes in Council Bluffs. Earlier than most men, Mr. McGee saw the advance coming, and by taking advantage of it made considerable money. Shortly after he began the prac- tice of law, he became associated with Mr. Walter I. Smith, which association was continued until the election of Mr. McGee as Judge of the Superior Court, which oc- curred in March, 1890, for a term of four years. In a hotly contested election, Judge McGee was elected over the then incumbent
408
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
of the office by between 700 and 800 majority. In the fall of 1890 Walter I. Smith was elected Judge of the District Court, and it is somewhat remarkable that these two gen- tlemen were called from the same office to the bench in the same year.
Judge McGee is one of the youngest men on the bench in Iowa, being now bnt twenty- nine years of age. His record, however, has given the most complete satisfaction. He is a man of learning, industry, and above all of a high standard of integrity, but even these would not be sufficient to make of him the successful judge and man of busniess that he is. He is a man of fine and well ronnded natural ability, and one who can readily grasp and master legal distinctions. He is at once a genial and pleasant gentleman, and a firm and dignified judge. He is an active mem- ber of the Council Bluffs Board of Trade, is foremost in every publie enterprise, and has, in the few years he has been engaged in act. ive life by his industry and ability, accumu- lated a large amount of valnable property.
SAIAHI F. BAIR, one of the old soldier farmers of Valley Township, who, when our great civil war broke out, volunteered in defense of the Union, and enlisted August 22, 1862, in Company K, Twenty-second Regi- ment Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served three years and was honorably discharged at Savannah, Georgia. He was in the battles of Fort Gibson, Champion Hill, Black River, siege of Vicksburg, and the Red River cam- paign. After this the regiment was trans- ferred to the Nineteenth Army Corps, and sent to the East, joining the great Army of the Potomae. He was under Sheridan at Win- chester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek; the latter Mr. Bair describes as the hardest battle
in which he participated. Hle was also in several skirmishes, after which he went to Moorhead, North Carolina; was there ordered to Augusta, Georgia, and was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia. From there he re- turned to Davenport, Iowa, where he was paid in full and returned home.
Mr. Bair was born in the village of Will- wood, Knox County, Ohio, September 21, 1843 the son of David Bair, who was a blacksmith by trade. He was born in Penn- sylvania, and was the son of Christian Bair, who served in the war of 1812, and also in several skirmishes. His father, the great- grandfather of our subject, served in the Revolutionary war, and was a native of Ger- many. He emigrated from Pennsylvania to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in an early day, and built his log cabin in the woods. lle was the father of four children: Michael. Jacob, David and Sarah. Christian Bair died in Indiana, at the age of eighty-three years; he was a member of the Dunkard Church, was a prominent farmer, and a man of integrity and honesty. David Bair, the father of our subject, was born on a farm in Pennsylvania, and was but a small boy of between three and four years when his father came to Ohio. He learned his trade in that State, and when a young man of twenty-one years, was married, in Indiana, to Rhoda Bybee, a daughter of John and Luceane (Lane) Bybee. They were the parents of seven children: John, Robert, Byron, Eliza- beth, Lucinda, Rhoda and Ann. The father emigrated to Utah Territory, and was one of the pioneers. He died in 1866. Mr. and Mrs. David Bair were the parents of nine children, viz .: Uriah, Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Isaiah, Byron. David, John Charles, Harvey and Sarah. After marriage Mr. Bair settled in Millwood, Knox County, Ohio, where he worked at his trade until 1854,
409
OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
when he emigrated with his family to Green Township, Iowa County. He improved a farm in that county, and lived there nntil 1882, when he removed to Iowa City, where he is still living, at an advanced age. Relig- iously he is a member of the Methodist Church, of which he is a trustee, and socially he is a Mason, being a member of the blue lodge. He has always lived an honorable and upright life, and is respected by all who know him.
From such old Revolutionary and pioneer stock, and from men who fonght for inde- pendence and again to establish it, and who assisted in settling up the nntracked forests and wild prairies, descends our soldier citizen. After his return from the war Mr. Bair set- tled in Johnson County ou a farm until 1877, when he came to Valley Township and settled on his present farm of 120 acres. Politically he is a Republican, socially a Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge, and religionsly a member of the Methodist Church, of which he is a trustee. He has been an Assessor of his county, and stands deservedly high as an honorable citizen, whose word is as good as his hond. He is a self-made man, having accumulated his property by his own industry and energy. He is a commander of the William Layton Post, No. 358, of Oakland, Iowa.
He was married in Johnson County, Iowa, to Alminra E. Popham, the daughter of Richard and Lucy (Barnes) Popham, who were of English descent, and first settled in New England. Richard Popham was born in Knox County, Ohio, and was the son of Frank Popham, who was one of the early pioneer merchants and financiers of that State. Richard and Lucy Popham were married in Kosciusko County, Indiana, and had one child, Ahninra E. Popham. They lived in that State until 1860, when they came to
Iowa, settling on a farm in Johnson County. In 1880 they removed to Hancock, Iowa, where the wife died in 1887. Mr. Popham is now living with his daughter and son-in- law. To Mr. and Mrs. Bair have been born five children, viz .: Louisa, who is the wife of Robert Martin; Charles is attending school at Iowa City; Clinton, Iloward and Arza.
RCHIBALD GLYNN, who resides on section 27, Silver Creek Township, is one of the enterprising and prominent citizens of Pottawattamie County. He has made this place his home since 1881. A brief sketch of his life is as follows:
Mr. Glynn was born in County Carlow, Ireland, September 20, 1853, son of Walter and Frances (Alger) Glynn. The mother died in 1879 and the father in 1880. Archi- bald was reared on a farm and received his education in the Protestant schools and at the National Catholic School. His parents were members of the Church of England. To them were born eleven children, eight sons and three daughters. One of the latter died at the age of two years and one of the sons is also deceased. At this writing the other nine are living.
Archibald Glyun remained in the Emerald Isle until 1876, when he sailed from Queens- town to Philadelphia, arriving there at the time of the Centennial Exposition. He came to Mills County, Iowa, where he had an elder brother. He made his home in that county until 1881, when he came to Pottawattamie County and bought his present farm of 160 acres. At the time of purchase it was all wild land. He has since improved it and made a good home. He has a comfortable frame house, one and a half stories, with a veranda on one side. The main part of the
410
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
house is 14 x 26 feet, with an L, 20 x 20 feet. It is beautifully sitnated among shade and ornamental trees. Mr. Glynn is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and every thing about his premises- the stables, yards, feed-lots, and modern wind-pumps- all show thrift and prosperity.
Angust 23, 1877, Mr. Glynn was married to Marcia King, daughter of Lewis and Bessie (West) King, both natives of New York State. The mother was born near Lake Erie, and still resides in Mills County, Iowa, to which place she and her husband removed at an early period in the history of that county. The father died there. Mrs. Glynn was reared and educated in Mills County. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Glynn. Their names are : Frances, Bertha Rosa, Lottie May and Alfred Ed. In his political views Mr. Glyun is independent. He is a member of the Chureli of England, and Mrs. Glynn is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Lone Star. Her parents were Congregationalists.
ILLIAM S. WELLS, of Hardin Township, seetion 29, came to this county in the spring of 1873, where he has since resided. He was born in Brown County, Ohio, April 16, 1837, the son of John Wells, who was born in New Jersey, October 14, 1810. the son of Isaiah Wells, who was born in Wales. Our subject's mother's name before marriage was Phoebe Soper, and she was born in New Jersey, the daughter of one of the first settlers in that State. John Wells lived in New Jersey seven or eight years, and then his parents moved to Ohio, settling in Clermont County, May 28, 1817, being the first settlers in that portion of the State. His father died there
at the age of sixty-five or seventy years, and his mother at the age of seventy-five or eighty. He was married in Brown County, when twenty-one years of age, to Miss Rachel B. Long, who was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Iker) Long, the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of Pennsylvania, of Duteli ancestry. John Wells reared seven children, having lost one by death, viz .: Thomas, who lives in Illinois, near Vandalia; he served in the Forty-eighth Ohio Infantry; Samuel, who resides in Marion County, Iowa; William S., of Pottawattamie County; Erasmus D., of Madison County, Nebraska, who served in the Third Iowa Infantry; John F., of the same place, who served in the Fifteenth Iowa In- fantry; Francis Lewis, of Madison County, Nebraska, and David, of Sacramento Valley, California. Mrs. Rachel Long Wells died in 1881, having lived with her husband for fifty years and one month. John Wells is a man eighty years of age, and well preserved.
Politically he was formerly a Whig, but is now a Republican. He has been a member of the Methodist Church for fitty years, and a class-leader in the same for many years.
William S. Wells, our subjeet, was reared in Ohio, and when nineteen years of age his family moved to Marion County, Iowa, in 1855. He afterward returned to Ohio, where he enlisted in the army, in August, 1864, in the Forty-eighth Ohio Volunteers. He served one year, and was in the battle of Fort Blakely. He was honorably discharged and returned to Ohio, and afterward moved to Marion County, Iowa, where he lived until 1873, when he came to Pottawattamie Conn- ty, Kane Township, now Hardin Township. He bought the land where he now lives, con- sisting of 120 aeres, which he has since im- proved. He was married May 11, 1864, to Miss Mary L. Thompson, who was born in
411
OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
Clermont County, Ohio, the daughter of Alexander and Nancy (Wood) Thompson, the former was born in Virginia, of German ancestry, and the latter was born in Cler- mont County, Ohio, whose ancestors were from the Carolinas. Mr. and Mrs. Wells have two children: Harry T. and Nannie A. Mr. Wells is a Republican politically, and is a member of G. A. R., of Bradford Post. He is a man yet in the prime of life, frank and cordial in his manner, and honorable in all his dealings, and is one of Hardin Township's representative citizens.
-
Fog to
OIIN HENRY WESTCOTT, of Council Bluffs, traces his lineage back to the early settlement of Rhode Island, thus: The title to Providence Plantations (Rhode Island) from the Indians, made in 1637, was vested in Roger Williams alone.
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.