Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West, together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa; Volume II, Part 119

Author: Brigham, Johnson, 1846-1936; Clarke (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1464

USA > Iowa > Polk County > Des Moines > Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West, together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa; Volume II > Part 119

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of all the details of good hotel keeping and neglects nothing that can add to the comfort of his guests. He is also a director of the Century Savings Bank of Des. Moines. Though most of his time is spent in Des Moines, he has retained his residence in Grinnell for the past forty-one years.

In 1869 Mr. Christian was united in marriage to Miss Maggie Rowse, a. daughter of J. B. Rowse, of Davenport, Iowa. Unto them were born six chil- dren, four of whom are still living, namely: George H., the manager of the Oxford Hotel at Des Moines; Jessie I., who is studying vocal music in Paris; Alma, who is still under the parental roof; and Margaret, who is a high school teacher in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In politics Mr. Christian is a stanch republican, loyally supporting the men and measures of that party. He is a member of the Grant Club and the Franklin Club of Grinnell and is likewise a worthy exemplar of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the commandery and the shrine. His good qualities, and they are many, have strongly endeared him to those with whom he has been associated and wherever he is known he is popular with a large circle of friends.

ARCHIE FRICK.

Archie Frick, who has been prominently identified with the agricultural inter- ests of Union township for a period of more than thirty years, was born on the 7th of September, 1860, in Rock Island county, Illinois. He is a son of Michael and Matilda (Benson) Frick, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Sweden. Michael Frick was but one year of age when the family removed to Illinois, where he grew to manhood and was married. He died shortly after passing the twenty-seventh anniversary of his birth, leaving a young wife and three children. Alice, the eldest child, married F. A. Anderson, of Moline, Illi- nois, in which city they continued to reside, and she has become the mother of three children. Walter Frick, the second in the family, married Miss Ellen Peterson, of Henry county, Illinois, and they have six children and live in Union township, this county. Mrs. Frick, some time after the death of her first husband, married John Thompson but in 1869 she passed away.

Archie Frick was educated in the public schools of Illinois and in 1878 he came to Iowa with his uncle Isaac Benson, with whom he made his home until he had attained his majority, at which time he formed a partnership with his brother Walter and they farmed as renters. In 1885 they had acquired the necessary capital to enable them to become property owners, so they purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land which is now included in our subject's homestead. They added to their tract later so that at the dissolution of the partnership in the spring of 1889 they each had one hundred and sixty acres. Mr. Frick engages in general farming and stock-raising and has met with most gratifying success in his undertakings. He has always most persistently and perseveringly pursued the course determined upon in his youth and in conse- quence is today known as one of the affluent citizens of his township. He is a man of progressive ideas and methods, always ready to adopt any system which seems practical. His farm is thoroughly modern in all of its appointments and improvements ; his land is tiled and substantially fenced ; while the residence and outbuildings are well constructed and kept in repair. His is one of the best pieces of farming land in that section of the county and at the present time consists of five hundred and twenty acres on sections 12 and I, Union township, and he and his brother also jointly own a section in Wyoming.

Mr. Frick was united in marriage to Miss Clara Benson, a daughter of N. P. and Christina (Peterson) Benson, in the spring of 1887. Her parents were natives of Sweden, emigrating to the United States in their youth, and after

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their marriage they lived on a farm in Illinois until Mr. Benson's death on the 9th of November, 1903, at the age of fifty-nine years. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in Company H, Nineteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry in 1861, and serving until the close of hostilities. He was at the front in many important battles and was for a short time in Andersonville prison but was released on exchange. Mr. Benson was a member of the R. H. Graham Post, No. 312, G. A. R., Moline, Illinois, nearly every member of which organization was present at his funeral services, and he was laid to rest in Hartsell cemetery, Moline. Mrs. Benson is living at the age of sixty-three and still makes her home in Moline. Mrs. Frick is the eldest in a family of eight children, her birth occur- ring on the 20th of October, 1856, and by her marriage became the mother of five children, as follows: Junetta, at home; Lyman, who married Cassie Bur- key and is living in this county ; Roy and May, at home; and the fifth who died in infancy.

The family attend the services of the Methodist church of Sheldahl, of which denomination Mrs. Frick is a member. Mr. Frick's political affiliation is with the republican party, as he considers that its policy of the centralization of power and the protection of home industries is best adapted to subserve the interests of the majority. He has always zealously participated in educational matters, at all times endeavoring to promote the adoption of such measures as he felt assured would improve the standard of the schools. He is secretary of the school board and has been for sixteen years, and is also one of the township trustees. Mr. Frick is one of the public-spirited citizens of his community, contributing his support to every movement which bespeaks advancement, and as such is highly esteemed and regarded.

ALEXANDER LEDERER.

The life of Alexander Lederer, who was for many years actively engaged in business in Des Moines, presented a striking example of large success in mercan- tile affairs attained through habits of industry and application and controlled by principles of rectitude and honor. He was a native of Carlsbad, Bohemia, born August 12, 1832, a son of Joachim and Leo (Myers) Lederer. He received a good education in his native land and came to America after reaching manhood, making his home for eleven years at Davenport, Iowa. His only capital at the beginning of his career in the new world consisted of his integrity and energy and a keen business judgment, which he developed to an unusual degree in the course of his contact with his fellowmen. He engaged successfully in the cloth- ing business in his own name during the period of the Civil war, when times in the north were good and money plentiful, attaining marked financial success.

In 1865, believing that wider opportunities were presented at the capital of the state, he removed to Des Moines and entered into partnership with Moses Strauss in the retail clothing business. Ten years later they sold out and em- barked in the retail and later the wholesale millinery business, under the firm name of Lederer & Strauss, subsequently admitting to the firm Max Schloss and Morris Samish. Mr. Lederer devoted his attention very closely to business and financial affairs, and the house gained a position as one of the most substantial and flourishing concerns of the kind in the west. For many years he was vice president of the Citizens Bank and was also a director of the State Savings Bank.

On the 28th of February, 1868, Mr. Lederer was united in marriage to Miss. Emma Samish, a daughter of L. Samish. She proved to him a loving and faith- ful companion. He was affiliated with Jonathan Lodge, I. O. O. F., and was a sincere upholder of the fraternal principles of that organization. He was the first man to become interested in the founding of a synagogue in Des Moines.

ALEXANDER LEDERER

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In fact the congregation was organized in his home and he was elected its presi- dent, serving as such for many years. He was perhaps the most unostentatious giver to charity in the city, for his gifts were many and few besides the recipient knew of them. He made a study of social questions and took an active interest in many enterprises of a charitable nature. He also did much for the improve- ment of the city. This worthy citizen and lover of his fellowmen passed from earthly scenes January 19, 1898, and the announcement of his death was greeted with general expressions of regret. He was held by his associates and friends in highest regard and to his family he was, indeed, a true husband and father, never considering any inconvenience or sacrifice too great if it added to their hap- piness. Mrs. Lederer is an esteemed lady and is deeply interested in assisting those less fortunate than herself.

CONRAD HUG.

Among the public-spirited and enterprising citizens of Madison township must be numbered Conrad Hug, who is living on a farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres on sections 25 and 35. He was born in Switzerland on the Ioth of August, 1844, and is a son of Adam and Elizabeth Hug, who were also natives of that country, where they spent their entire lives and were laid to rest. There were but two children in the family, the daughter, Mary, has never married and makes her home in the country of her nativity.

Conrad Hug was educated in the common schools of his native land, of which he remained a subject until his twenty-eighth year. He then decided that the opportunities afforded ambitious young men in the newer and larger republic of America were greater and more readily procured than in his fatherland, and he emigrated to the United States. Upon his arrival in this country he went directly to Chicago, where he remained four months, and then located in Polk county, Iowa. He is a wagon-maker by trade and obtained a position in a shop in Polk City, which he retained four years, and then he opened an establishment of his own, with which he was identified until 1886. At that time he embarked in the business of manufacturing tile and in 1888 was appointed assignee of the plant, which under his capable management was soon able to resume regular operations. He bought one-half interest in it but at the present time it is closed down. In 1909 he purchased the property where he now lives and moved upon it in the spring of 1910. . Here he engages in general farming and stock-raising, in both of which he is meeting with success. Mr. Hug is a man possessed of more than average business acumen, as in addition to his homestead and interest in the tile business he has another tract of one hundred and ninety-five acres in this county. He possesses all the thrift, persistence and diligence which charac- terize the Swiss people, as well as the patience and cheerful acceptance of small returns, which to optimistic natures are the heralds of success.

Mr. Hug completed his arrangements for a home of his own by his marriage, in 1877, to Miss Catherine Ritter, a daughter of Conrad and Margaret (Ritter) Ritter, also natives of Switzerland, in which country they spent their entire lives. Mrs. Hug is the younger of the two children born to her parents, her natal day being the IIth of April, 1855. Her brother, Conrad, who is married and has a family, has always remained in the land of his birth. To Mr. and Mrs. Hug have been born six children, as follows: Elizabeth, the eldest, married C. V. Ryan, of this county, and they have one child and reside in Ankeny, this state. John, who married Louisa Mossman, is living in Cerro Gordo county. Lena, Ritta, Fritz and Harry are all single and live at home.

The family attend the services of the Congregational church in Polk City, of which denomination Mr. and Mrs. Hug are members, while fraternally he is

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affiliated with the Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. Ever since becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States he has given his political support to the republican party, because its basic principles most nearly conform to his idea of a government adapted to meet the needs of the majority. He has always stood high in the regard of his fellow citizens, who elected him to all of the township offices, the responsibilities of which he faithfully and capably discharged. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hug are well regarded in the community where they are living and have been accorded the hospitality of the best homes during the period of their residence here.

NATHANIEL MCCLURE STARK.

Among the prominent contractors of Des Moines should be named Nathaniel McClure Stark, senior member of the firm of N. M. Stark & Company, which has been in existence for seventeen years and is widely known in Iowa. Mr. Stark was born at Indianola, Warren county, Iowa, May 18, 1863, a son of Jacob and Luthere (McClure) Stark, the latter of whom was born near Crittenden, in Boone county, Kentucky. His father was born November 9, 1830, at Geneva, New York, the son of Alexander and Hester (Fitzwatter) Stark. Removing to Ohio, the family located on a farm in Clermont county, which now forms the present site of Batavia, the county seat of that county. The father of our sub- ject became a pioneer of Iowa, traveling west by water and arriving about 1852. He engaged in the hardware business at Indianola and in 1865 took up his resi- dence in Des Moines, where he continued to reside during the remainder of his life. He died October 22, 1884, and the mother, who was born October 9, 1838, passed away July 9, 1906.

Nathaniel M. Stark arrived in Des Moines with his parents during his infancy and received his early education in the public schools of this city. Later he entered the engineering department of the State Agricultural College at Ames and having completed the course at that institution served for six months with an engineering party on the Elkhorn Railroad, now a part of the Northwestern Railway system. About 1888 he became agent for the King Bridge Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, and gained a practical knowledge of bridge construction that has been of great benefit to him in his business. In 1894 he was associated with Lynn J. Tuttle, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work, in the organi- zation of the firm of N. M. Stark & Company, builders of reinforced concrete bridges and also consulting engineers. He was consulting engineer on the viaduct erected by the city of Fort Dodge at a cost of over one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars and is especially proud of the concrete bridge which crosses Squaw creek at Ames, connecting the town with the college. He was the designer and builder of this structure, which is one of the most beautiful and substantial of the kind in the state and will long stand as a monument to his ability.

In 1890 Mr. Stark was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Sharp Givin, a daughter of John and Margaret (McDermott) Givin. Mr. Givin was one of the pioneer railroad builders and operators of Iowa and built the Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad, now a part of the Rock Island system, afterward serving as general superintendent of that line. He was from the north of Ireland, being born in sight of the Giants Causeway and Mrs. Givin was a native of Philadelphia. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stark: John Jacob, who is now an engineer on an irrigation project at Walla Walla, Washington; and Margaret, who is attending school. Mrs. Stark and her sister, Mrs. L. J. Tuttle lost their lives in the great fire that destroyed the Iroquois theater in December, 1903. They were in the city with their husbands at the time and patrons of the ill-fated theater.

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Mr. Stark learned his business thoroughly and has attained a high standing as one of the competent and trustworthy bridge builders of the west. He is a man of strong determination, clear business judgment and unimpeachable in- tegrity. Genial and pleasing in manner, he is greatly esteemed by his associates and all with whom he comes into contact. Politically he gives his support to the republican party and religiously he is identified with the Congregational church, while his wife was a member of the Episcopal chruch. He is prominent in fraternal circles, being a Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner, and also a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.

ZENAS C. THORNBURG.

For seventeen years Zenas C. Thornburg has been prominently connected with educational affairs in Des Moines, the long period of his service testifying as to the capable and satisfactory discharge of his duties. Redfield, Iowa, was the place of his birth, his natal day being the 14th of July, 1872, and his parents T. A. and Jennie (Vestal) Thornburg, both of whom are still living. The paternal grandfather, William Thornburg, came from Indiana to Dallas county, Iowa, in 1856. There were few railroads in Iowa at that time, none in the immediate vicinity of his farm, and as a result it was necessary to ride many miles to market his grain and secure household necessities. He was born in Indiana in 1804 and passed away in Iowa in 1876, always having been engaged in agricultural pur- suits. For his wife he chose Miss Katherine Kerm, whose birth occurred in Indiana in 1809, in which state she was also married. She came to Iowa with her husband and children and ever afterward continued to reside here, having attained the venerable age of seventy-six years at the time of her demise in 1885.

T. A. Thornburg was born in Indiana in 1847, being but a lad of nine years when his parents located in Dallas county. He has always engaged in farming and continues to reside upon his homestead which is within three miles of where his father settled fifty-six years ago. Being quite young at the time of the Civil war he did not enlist in the government service until near its close and did not par- ticipate in any notable battles. He was mustered out in Tennessee. He has always been one of the prominent and public-spirited men of his section and has twice represented his county in the state legislature. His wife was born in 1849 and is a daughter of S. H. and Alice (Chambers) Vestal, natives of North Caro- lina, her mother having been born in 1824 and her father in 1827. They also came to Iowa during pioneer days, locating in Dallas county, where Mr. Vestal engaged in farming, and also held the office of postmaster for several years. In his family were twelve children, several of whom went to the front in the Union cause, two of these never returning.

Being reared upon a farm Zenas C. Thornburg acquired his elementary educa- tion in the district schools, following which he attended the Guthrie county high school at Panora and later graduated from Highland Park College, afterwards pursuing a law course at Drake University. In 1893 he accepted his first position, which was that of superintendent of the Oak Park school. From there he went to the Capital Park school, of which he was also superintendent for three years. Having given practical demonstration of his ability as an educator he was the successful candidate for the office of county superintendent, the responsibilities of which position he discharged for five years. He was a member of the faculty at Highland Park College for two years and is now supervisor of grades of the Des Moines public schools, having served in this capacity for three years. He is a member of the board of directors of the Iowa Investment Company.

On the 30th of September, 1903, Mr. Thornburg was united in marriage to Miss Laura Loehle, a daughter of Ferdinand and Rosa Loehle. Her father, who

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is a German Evangelical minister, being identified with a church of that denomi- nation in Des Moines until his retirement, was a native of Germany, from which country he emigrated to the United States about the beginning of the Civil war. He enlisted in Company G. Forty-sixth Illinois Volunteers, and went to the front. participating in the campaign of Richmond, the siege of Vicksburg and battle of Gettysburg, he was fortunate enough not to be wounded and was mustered out with the rank of sergeant. He was married in Hardin county, Iowa. One child has been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Thornburg, Lois Louise, whose birth occurred on the 24th of May, 1909. They affiliate with the Methodist Episcopal church, while fraternally Mr. Thornburg is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Masonic order, and the U. S. Grant Camp of Modern Woodmen of America. He also belongs to the Grant and Grand View Golf Clubs and is a member of the board of Highland Park College and of the Methodist Hospital, while he a director of the Des Moines Citizens Association and until recently a member of the state board of educational examiners, having resigned before the expiration of his term. His political affiliation has always been with the republican party, his views coinciding with the progressive faction of that body, but although he takes an interest in all civic affairs his time is too much occupied with his school work for him to take a prominent part in governmental matters.

EDWARD FREDERICK.

Edward Frederick, who for more than twenty years has been identified with the agricultural development of Elkhart township, was born in Australia on the 19th of July 1857, a son of William and Johanna (Lenora) Frederick, natives of Germany, living near Bayern. The father emigrated to the United States at the age of fourteen years, but after remaining here a short time he returned to Germany. Later he went to Australia, where he engaged in farming until 1864, when he again came to this country, locating in Boone, Iowa. At the expiration of a year he went to Fort Dodge and bought three hundred and twenty acres of land, which he cultivated for one year. Disposing of his farm he next engaged in railroading for two years, following which he freighted goods across the country for a similar period. He then went to Arkansas and afterward to Minnesota, whence he returned to Fort Dodge, Iowa, continuing to reside there until his demise in 1890. The mother of our subject passed away in Australia in 1862.

The education of Edward Frederick, who was seven years old when he came to America, began in the schools of Australia and was completed in those of Iowa. He began his career as a wage earner at the age of eighteen years. when he came to Polk county, where he worked for four years as a farm hand. Returning to Fort Dodge he engaged in business with his brother and father. In 1879 he again came to this county and for seven years thereafter he farmed as a renter. At the expiration of that period he went to Des Moines and worked for the city for two years. He subsequently came to Elkhart township and bought one hundred and seventy-two and a half acres of land, which he began improving. He met with such success in this undertaking that he was later able to add two hundred and ten acres to his holdings, all of which he now has under cultivation. Although engaged in general farming, he also raises stock and always keeps thirteen horses and twenty head of cattle while he raises about seventy-five head of hogs annually.

On the 12th of May, 1889, Mr. Frederick was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Endres, a native of Bayern, Germany, and. a daughter of Adam and Barbara (Opel) Endres. Her parents never came to the United States, always having made their home in Germany, where the father engaged in farming until

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his demise in September, 1901. The mother, who still survives, is now seventy- three years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. Frederick have been born nine children, as follows: Carrie, Edna, John M., Henrietta, Harold, William, Bertha, Cecil and Martha Lenora, who died in infancy.

They all affiliate with the United Brethren church and Mr. Frederick gives his political support to the republican party. A man whose business transac- tions have always been upright and honorable, he has through his own industry, perseverance and integrity merited the success which he is now enjoying.

WALLACE RUTHERFORD LANE.

Wallace Rutherford Lane, of the Chicago bar, is well known in Des Moines and throughout Iowa as a distinguished representative of the legal profession, having for a number of years been engaged in practice in the capital city, but since January, 1910, he has made his home in Chicago. He was born August 12, 1876, at Whately, Massachusetts, and is a direct descendant of early families of that state. His great-grandfather in the maternal line was an officer of the American army in the Revolutionary war. His father, the Rev. John W. Lane, was born in New Market, New Hampshire, was graduated at Amherst College and Andover Theological Seminary and afterward devoted his energies to edu- cational interests and the work of the ministry, serving as professor of English at the Massachusetts Agricultural College for a number of years. He was a man of great energy, as at eighty-three years of age he was still occupying a pulpit and preaching each Sunday. For many years he was a trustee of Hop- kins Academy and has been prominently connected with numerous public affairs of importance. He wedded Mary H. Lane, who was born in Townsend, Massa- chusetts. and was a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she later engaged in teaching.

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Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West, together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa; Volume II, Part 119

Author: Brigham, Johnson, 1846-1936; Clarke (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Brigham, Johnson, 1846-1936; Clarke (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1464