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 13

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 13

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He was born in Des Moines December 10, 1881, a son of Justus B. and Hannah (Beaver) Vorse, the former of whom was also born at Des Moines January 16, 1851, and the latter in Licking county, Ohio. The father was well known for many years in this city as a manufacturer of implements and vehicles, acquiring a high standing, not only in his business but as an upright citizen. He departed this life in 1902. The grandfather was a prominent physi- cian of Des Moines. He died in 1851. His widow survived him until 1911. when she passed away at the advanced age of ninety-two years. She was one of the pioneers of Iowa, and when in a reminiscent mood was wont to regale her friends with many interesting incidents of the early days when Indians roamed through the region now occupied by beautiful homes and thriving communities.

Blanchard Beaver Vorse grew up under the kindly influence of a peaceful home, where he received many lessons which have been of incalculable value to him in later years. He was educated in the public schools, graduating from the West high school in 1900, having taken a course in modern languages. He began his active career under his father and was placed in charge of the repair department of the shop, but after a short time he arrived at the con- clusion that his destiny lay in other lines and accordingly he became connected with the Citizens National Bank, continuing in this connection for one and one-half years.

His father's death, however, interfered with his plans and he was obliged to give up the banking business in order to settle up the family estate. Having accomplished this work, he returned to the Citizens National Bank, continuing

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until the spring of 1907, when he accepted a position as bookkeeper with the Century Savings Bank. Having demonstrated his ability, he was promoted to the position of cashier, which he now fills. The possessor of a genial manner and a pleasing personality, he has made many friends and has assisted materially in increasing the patronage of the institution. He is fond of society, and fra- ternally is identified with Capital Lodge, No. 110, A. F. & A. M., and Banner Lodge, Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He makes his home with his mother.

HON. WILLIAM B. MARTIN.

Not seeking honor but simply endeavoring to do his duty, honors have yet been multiplied to Hon. William B. Martin, and prosperity has followed all his undertakings. He has at times aided in shaping the legislation of the state and controlling its executive interests, and in the field of private business affairs he has become known as a strong personality in banking and real-estate operations and in agricultural life. He was born in Rochester, Windsor county, Vermont, March 17, 1846, a son of Loman and Amanda B. (Gibson) Martin, the former of Scotch and the latter of English descent. On the ancestral record appears the names of those who served in the Revolutionary war.

As a pupil in the common schools of Rochester, Vermont, William B. Mar- tin began his education and later attended the Orange county grammar school at Randolph Center, Vermont, subsequently known as the State Normal School. In early life he devoted his attention to teaching and farming. He began teach- ing in the district schools of Vermont the winter after he was eighteen years of age and followed the profession for three winter seasons in the Green Mountain state, while during the fall and spring terms he attended school. At length he started westward, arriving at Geneseo, Illinois, on the day that he was twenty- one years of age. He followed farming and teaching in that locality for two years and in April, 1869, arrived in Adair county, Iowa. He has since been interested in farming and stock-raising, which have constituted an important source of income for him. As the years have passed on he has extended his efforts into other business lines, becoming president of the Iowa Trust & Sav- ings Bank, also president of the Inter State Realty Company and connected with other real-estate interests. Thus his business affairs have constantly broad- ened until their scope and importance make him a prominent factor in financial and business circles in Des Moines and central Iowa.

Appreciative of his worth and ability, his fellow townsmen have from time to time elected him to office. He had been a resident of Adair county for only two years, when, in 1871, he was elected township clerk. In 1873 he was chosen to the office of county auditor, which position he filled for four years. Again he was called from the retirement of private life to official service, when in 1891 he was elected mayor of the town of Greenfield and served as the chief executive there for three years. Still higher official honors awaited him, how- ever, for in 1894 he was the candidate of the republican party for representative of Adair county in the state legislature. The election showed that he was the popular choice for the office and he represented his district during the twenty- fifth and twenty-sixth general assemblies and the twenty-sixth extra session, in which the laws were all codified. He served on a number of important com- mittees and was chairman of the special committee that prepared and submitted the bill that was afterward passed and was known as the Martin Mulct Law, governing the sale of intoxicating liquors by saloons. When he had proven his worth in local and district offices, Iowa called him to public service in his elec- tion as secretary of state, which office he filled from 1901 until 1906, inclusive. his three terms in succession evidencing the confidence reposed in him and the

W. B. MARTIN

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recognition of able and faithful service during his first term. He is now a prominent figure in financial circles as president of the Iowa Trust & Savings Bank ..

On the 13th of September, 1891, in Menlo, Iowa, Mr. Martin was married to Miss Lucy E. Derby, the only child of Ira and Clarissa Derby. Six children have been born of this marriage: Clara A., now the wife of John N. Langfitt; Clyde B., who died in infancy ; W. B., who married Bertha Morrison; Fred D., who married Maud Burget; Olive G., who wedded Edna Goodrell ; and Carleton E. Martin.

In Masonic circles Hon. William B. Martin has attained high rank, holding membership in the blue lodge, chapter, commandery and the Mystic Shrine. He is an officer in the Presbyterian church of Des Moines and an active member of the Grant Club, a leading political and social organization of Des Moines, which has had important bearing upon the political history of the city, introduc- ing many reforms and improvements. He is a man of forceful ability, who has wielded a wide influence and left his impress for good upon the public life of the state.

LEWIS F. LASH.

Although Scott county, Iowa, numbers Lewis F. Lash among her native sons, almost his entire life has been spent within the borders of Polk county, where for many years he has been successfully engaged in the operation of the old homestead farm. He was born in Davenport on the 24th of February, 1865, a son of Lewis and Dora (Hyden) Lash, natives of Germany. The parents came to America in 1858, locating at Davenport, where the father was employed in a warehouse for ten years. He then removed with his family to Des Moines, where he remained two and a half years, when he purchased eighty acres of land in Bloomfield township, upon which he took up his abode, and to the im- provement and development of which he at once turned his attention. He cleared the land, broke the sod and soon had his fields under a good state of cultivation, engaging in general farming on that place until 1907, when he sold it to his son, Lewis F. Lash, and retired from active business life. He con- tinued, however, to make his home with our subject until about three years ago, when he took up his residence in Commerce, Iowa, where he is now living, having reached the age of eighty-two years. His wife also survives and she, too, is in her eighty-second year.

Lewis F. Lash was a little lad of about five years of age when the family home was established in Polk county, and it was therefore in the district schools of Bloomfield township that he acquired his education. The wholesome life of the country, too, was conducive to healthy physical growth and when not en- gaged with his studies he assisted his father in the work of the farm, early becoming familiar with the duties that fall to the lot of the country lad. He continued to live with his parents until the father's retirement from active life and subsequent removal from the farm, after which he carried on its operation as a renter, remaining in that capacity for about seventeen years, when he pur- chased the place and is now directing his efforts toward its further development. Its highly improved condition today is largely the result of his labors, for he is progressive in his ideas, has employed practical methods, and has at all times been actuated by a spirit of enterprise and determination. He owns five head of horses and also keeps upon his place a fine herd of twenty cattle.

In September, 1895, Mr. Lash was united in marriage to Miss Lottie Sholz, a daughter of Fred and Lena Sholz, natives of Germany. The mother passed away in that country in 1878, but the father is yet living in the fatherland, Vol. II-6

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where his entire life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lash were born six children; Karl F., who was born September 22, 1896, and whose death occurred December 9, 1910; Gertrude, aged thirteen years; Bernice L., aged nine years ; Herman L., aged seven years ; Ernest E., aged five years ; and Louise, two years of age.

The parents hold membership in the German Lutheran church, in the work of which they are greatly interested, while fraternally Mr. Lash belongs to the Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a stalwart republi- can in politics, deeming that the principles of that party are most conducive to good government. On that ticket he was elected to the office of trustee of Bloomfield township, which position he has filled for two years, while for nine years he has acted as school director and for seventeen years as secretary of the school board. The cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart champion who strongly advocates progress along intellectual lines, and in fact he sup- ports all measures which have for their object progression along the lines which bear upon the political, material and moral life of the community as well as the ideals which govern his public and private relations speaking for hon- orable and desirable citizenship.

IVER G. NEWLEN.

The man who improves his opportunities generally succeeds in securing a competence and also gains the respect of those who know him. Iver G. Newlen, a successful undertaker of Des Moines, is an illustration of this statement, and although engaged only nine years in the business, he is one of the most popular undertakers of the city. He is a native of Des Moines, and was born October II, 1876. The father, Gus Newlen, was born in Sweden and came to Des Moines in 1864. He was a cabinet-maker and opened one of the first furniture stores in the city. At that time cabinet-makers also made coffins. He engaged in undertaking in connection with the furniture business. He departed this life in 1901, at the age of sixty years. The beloved wife and mother was called away in 1877.

Iver G. Newlen received his preliminary education in the public schools and graduated from the Old East high school, evincing an interest in his studies which gave bright promise for his future. Having decided to devote his at- tention to the undertaking business he became a student of the Chicago College of Embalming, from which he was graduated with high honors in his class. Returning to Des Moines he established himself in his present business in East Des Moines in 1902, and from the very beginning has been more than usually successful. In February, 1910, he opened another office on the west side and has discovered no reason to regret doing so, as he has secured a lucrative and steadily increasing patronage. With one exception he has been longer in busi- ness in this line than any person in Des Moines. He is a man of pleasing ad- dress and is thoroughly qualified by education and experience for a vocation to which he devotes his best thought and energy.

At Des Moines on the 10th of October, 1899, Mr. Newlen was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Jackson, daughter of Henry and Elizabetlı (King) Jackson. The King family was one of the early pioneer families of this sec- tion, the father, Henry Jackson, also being an old resident of Polk county. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Newlen: Marie Elizabeth, and Frances Irene.

Mr. Newlen, ever since arriving at the age of manhood, has been a supporter of the principles of the republican party, and gives his earnest allegiance to its candidates. In November, 1906, he was elected to the office of coroner of the

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county and discharged its responsibilities with such approval that he was re- elected in November, 1909, and is now serving a second term. He is well known socially, and is a valued member of the Elks, Odd Fellows and other fraternal societies. He has many friends in fraternal organizations but his acquaintance is by no means limited to secret orders, as he is one of the best known men in the county. By his energy, geniality and personal worth he has fairly earned the esteem and confidence in which he is held, his influence having always been exerted in behalf of the best interests of the community.

JOHN A. GARVER, SR.

Several lines of business have felt the stimulus of the cooperation and sound judgment of John A. Garver, Sr., and have become vital and substantial elements in the material upbuilding of the localities in which they are conducted. There is in the life history of Mr. Garver much that can be set down with profit, for his record is an illustration of the power and force of industry, determina -. tion and integrity as factors in the attainment of success. He was but sixteen years of age when he left home to start out in life for himself. His birth had occurred in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on the IIth of February, 1832, his parents being Martin and Susan (Shafer) Garver, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. He is descended in the paternal line from Swiss ancestry. His great-grandfather came from Switzerland to America in 1730 and settled in Maryland, while branches of the family were afterward established in western Pennsylvania. The maternal grandfather came from Germany and settled in eastern Pennsylvania.

Martin Garver was a farmer by occupation and his son John A. Garver, Sr., early became familiar with the work of the fields from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn. His educational oppor- tunities were only such as could be obtained in a log schoolhouse of his native county and, ambitious for broader opportunities than the farm offered, he left home at the age of sixteen years and entered upon an apprenticeship at the tinner's trade. He gained comprehensive and practical knowledge of the busi- ness and then opened a little tin shop in the village of Ragersville, Ohio, on the 18th of April, 1851. His ambition was not satisfied with conditions there and in 1852 he left that town for Bryan, Williams county, Ohio, where he again opened a tin shop and extended the scope of his business by adding a stock of stoves and shelf and heavy hardware. Here he found more favorable conditions and for twenty-nine years he continued business at that point, his trade in- creasing as the years passed on. With him, however, as with all men who make their mark in the business world, ambition was not yet satisfied and he sought broader scope for his industry and enterprise in Des Moines, coming to this city in 1881.

Here Mr. Garver established his present hardware business, now conducted under the name of the Garver Hardware Company, of which he is the pres- ident. The location is at. Nos. 707 to 711 Locust street and the establishment is one of the largest in the county. The house soon gained a reputation for reliability, a large stock was always maintained, and gradually the trade ex- tended until the success of the company is today most substantial and gratify- ing. Into other fields Mr. Garver has also extended his efforts, becoming one of the principal promoters of the first sewer pipe manufactory in the state of Iowa, which has grown with the growth of the commonwealth and is today one of the largest concerns of the kind in the state. He also became one of the organizers of the Peoples Savings Bank, of which he remained a director for eighteen years. It is characteristic of Mr. Garver that he accomplishes what

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he undertakes and, moreover, in his business career he has looked beyond the exigences of the moment to the possibilities of the future.

On the 20th of September, 1853, Mr. Garver was married, in Defiance, Ohio, to Miss Helen A. Fay, a native of New York. Six children were born to them: Ella, the wife of C. W. Pitcairn; Emma, the wife of Charles T. Sperry; Warren F., who was associated with his father in business until his death in 1900; Laura G., the wife of George G. Wright; John A., Jr .; and one child who died in infancy. John A. Jr., was born May 21, 1869, in Bryan, Ohio, and is now a partner in the hardware business. He married Ida Gwynn, a native of Kentucky.

In politics Mr. Garver is a progressive republican, but not an insurgent. He believes in the same steady advancement in affairs relating to city, state and nation that should ever be found in business life and his influence is on the side of progress and improvement. He has never sought to figure prominently in public life aside from his commercial relations, and yet he has always felt a hearty concern for the public welfare and has been helpful in bringing about the purifying and wholesome reforms which have been gradually growing in the political, municipal and social life of the city. It is true that his chief life work has been that of a successful merchant and manufacturer, but the range of his activities and the scope of his influence have reached far beyond this special field.

DAVID BLUE MURROW.»

David Blue Murrow, deceased, was justly numbered among the leading farm- ers and business men of Polk county. He was the owner of three beautiful farms and was financially interested in other lines, showing a sound judgment in his investments, which resulted in gratifying returns. Although nearly four score years of age at his death, April 27, 1911, he was still in active possession of his faculties and had not transferred the cares of business to younger shoulders.

He was born in Parke county, Indiana, March 5, 1832, a son of Charles and Amy (Blue) Murrow, both of whom were natives of Virginia. The father came to Iowa in November, 1842, and for one year rented a farm in Henry county. He then removed to Jefferson county, where he continued for two years, at the end of which time he entered one hundred and sixty acres in Walnut township, Polk county, which he cleared and improved, making it one of the valuable properties of the township. After about twenty years he sold out to his son David B. and took up his home with another son, J. S. Murrow, in Camp town- ship, with whom he continued to live during the remainder of his life, passing away in 1880. The wife and mother departed five years previously.

David B. Murrow came to this state with his parents at ten years of age, and as he grew to manhood became thoroughly acquainted with the various de- tails of agriculture and stock-raising. He attended the district schools in In- diana and was a pupil one winter in the district school after coming to Polk county. At the age of twenty-two years he rented twenty acres of land in East Des Moines and began farming on his own account. After an experience of one year he entered one hundred and sixty acres in the western part of the county, in Walnut township, under conditions which required him to pay forty per cent interest. However, he set vigorously to work clearing away the trees and build- ing a house and stable, and after five years sold eighty acres at five dollars per acre, later disposing of the remainder for nine hundred dollars, which was considered a high price at that time. Having now fairly launched upon his busi- ness career, he went to Kansas and entered three hundred and twenty acres of

DAVID B. MURROW

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government land, which he cultivated for six years, until the death of his wife, when he sold out and returned to Polk county.

Soon after his arrival he bought two hundred and forty acres of his father in Walnut township at twenty dollars per acre, and made his home upon this farm until 1889, when he moved to Des Moines, erecting a handsome residence at No. 1065 Twenty-second street, where he made his home until his death. He was unusually successful in business affairs and was the owner of ten acres in the town of Valley Junction; three hundred and thirty-four acres of well improved land in Walnut township; and one hundred and eighty-one and three quarter acres near Grimes, Iowa. He was also a stockholder of the Des Moines City Railway and was one of the original stockholders of the Iowa Nat- ional Bank.

In January, 1865, Mr. Murrow was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Nogle, a daughter of David and Mary Nogle, both of whom were natives of Ohio. Her father removed from the Buckeye state to Indiana, where he lived for about twenty years, when he took up his residence in Kansas, where he continued until his death, which occurred in 1895. Her mother passed away in 1900. Five chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Murrow, namely : Charles H., now a resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who for eight years served as treasurer of Polk county, also filling the position of deputy sheriff for two terms; David Grant, who died at the age of twenty-two years; Mrs. Nellie Maude McCurnin; Mrs. Myrtle E. Henry ; and Mrs. Cora Amy Bishard, all of whom are living in Des Moines. The mother of these children died in Des Moines, February 7, 1890, from the effects of injuries received by horses running away. She was confined to her bed for three months before her death. She was a woman of many estimable qualities and was greatly esteemed by all who knew her.

Mr. Murrow became a member of the Masonic Order, August 17, 1860, and was a stanch believer in its principles of brotherhood. Politically, he was an earnest supporter of the republican party, and religiously affiliated with the Chris- tian church. By a life of industry and unswerving integrity, he gained the good- will of a host of people in Polk county, who were happy to know him as a friend and as a public-spirited citizen, ever willing to lend his aid to those in need of à sustaining hand. At his death he left considerable to charity, including the old home farm, valued at about fifty thousand dollars, to the Home for the Aged in Des Moines.

HIRAM Y. SMITH.

It is not exclusively to citizens born in other localities that Des Moines owes its high standing as a beautiful and growing metropolis. Native sons of Des Moines have contributed a fair share toward the advancement of the city and in the list of those who are ably assisting in the work should be named Hiram Y. Smith, representative of a family well known in Polk county for more than half a century. He was born in Des Moines April 24, 1886, the son of Hiram Y. and Susan (Smiley) Smith, the latter of whom was born in Miami county, Ohio, in 1843. There were five children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Hugh L., who died September 4, 1909; Gertrude, the widow of T. E. Hurley; Marjorie, the wife of F. B. Gleason, of Berkeley, Cal- ifornia ; Alma N., at home; and Hiram Y. Jr., the subject of this review.

Hiram Y. Smith, Sr., was born in Piqua, Miami county, Ohio, March 22, 1843, and died at Des Moines November 4, 1894, having arrived at the age of fifty-one years. He came with his parents to Rock Island, Illinois, in 1853. Here the family remained until October of the following year when they located at Fort Des Moines. The father built a comfortable frame residence

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on a lot which he purchased quite outside the limits of the population, but now the northwest corner of Eighth and Walnut streets. Here he established his home, the son Hiram attending the public school in the neighborhood until eighteen years of age, when he taught school for one winter at the Guye school- house, five miles north of Winterset. In 1861 there was great excitement along the northern border of the state on account of marauding Indian bands, and Hiram Y. Smith, being then eighteen years of age, became a member of a company of cavalry recruited in Des Moines as home guards under command of Judge John Mitchell, this company serving on scouting duty at the lakes and along the Little Sioux river until September, when the Indian scare abated and the company was disbanded.

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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 13

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