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 145

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 145

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On the 30th of September, 1906, Mr. Herring wedded Miss Mary H. Bar- nett, a daughter of William and Rose Ann Barnett, natives of Indiana. Her father came to Iowa with his parents in 1855 and located in Guthrie county, re- maining a member of the paternal household until he was twenty-one years of age, when he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-ninth Iowa Volunteers, and went to the front. He was in the service for three years, during which time he was very seriously injured by having a team run away with him, sustaining the loss of one eye. When peace was restored he returned to Iowa and lived in Dallas county for thirty-two years, and then came to Polk county, buying one hundred and four acres of land in Walnut township, where he has ever since continued to reside. Both Mr. and Mrs. Barnett are living and enjoy exceptionally good health for people of their age. One child has come to brighten the home of Mr. and Mrs. Herring, Mary Frances, who has reached the age of three years. They have also adopted a child William C. who is nine years of age.

In his religious faith Mr. Herring is a Quaker, while in matters politic he affiliates with the republican party. Although he never actively participates in local governmental matters he has served as treasurer of the board of school directors for fifteen years. He is a most capable agriculturist and is meeting with success in his vocation, now owning in addition to his fine farm, a nice residence property in Cloverhill adjoining Valley Junction.

CHRISTIAN H. GROSS.

The magnitude of the responsibilities of the Soldiers' Relief Commission and the extent of its highly commendable work is seldom brought before the public. The innumerable works of charity and relief rendered those heroes who offered their lives for the furtherance of a noble cause and in the autumn of their lives need assistance, are due not only to the maintenance of the commis- sion but to the feeling of brotherhood as well of the noble men who have this work in charge. As secretary of this commission much of the honor falls upon Christian H. Gross.

Mr. Gross was born in Miehlen, Nassau, Germany, of a family highly re- spected in that community. His birth occurred on the 9th of February, 1841. When a lad of three years his parents emigrated to America, coming direct to Burlington, Iowa, the date of their arrival being October 5, 1844. Before de- ciding upon a permanent location they lived for a short time in the towns of Ottumwa, Tools Point, Bennington and Pella. Mr. Gross, upon locating in Pella with his parents, associated himself with the Pella Gazette, a democratic weekly, in which position he was serving when James Buchanan was elected president. He later worked as cabin boy on a steamer running from Burling- ton, Iowa, to New Orleans. Having had previous experience at the blacksmith trade with his father, in 1861 he returned to that work in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. In 1863, when the Ninth Iowa Cavalry was organized, he enlisted as black- smith of Company D, being mustered in on the 19th of September and serv- ing until the regiment was mustered out, reaching home on the 19th of March, 1866. He remained in Germanville, Iowa, until the spring of 1869, when he moved to Polk county, settling near where the town of Ankeny has since been built and there engaging in farming. He remained a resident of Crocker town- ship for thirty years and during this time held many positions of trust, serving

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for over eighteen years as trustee, while for sixteen years he acted as secre- tary of the school board.

In 1899 he retired from the farm and moved to Des Moines. After living here a few years he formed a partnership with J. D. McGarraugh, engaging in the hardware business, which they conducted successfully for several years. They sold out and Mr. Gross again severed all business relations when he was elected director on the east side school board, serving on the same until the Des Moines schools were consolidated. At that time he was elected a member of the Polk County Soldiers' Relief Commission, in which capacity he served until 1909, when he was elected secretary of the commission. His services have proven most satisfactory in the office he still holds.

On the 19th of April, 1866, Mr. Gross was united in marriage to Miss Emma Hirshberger. They became the parents of eleven children, eight of whom are still living, four sons and four daughters. All are married except the youngest son and daughter, who still reside under the parental roof.

Mr. Gross cast his first presidential ballot for Abraham Lincoln while in the service of his country and has supported the men and measures of the republi- can party to the present time. He has been identified with the Methodist de- nomination for over forty years and at present is a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal church of East Des Moines. He also belongs to Kins- man Post, No. 7, G. A. R., Department of Iowa, and is a past post commander.

WILLIAM B. SMITH.

Among the native sons of Polk county who have become successful agricul- turists is William B. Smith, who was born in Bloomfield township on the 3d of August, 1874. He is a son of John and Emily (Saylor) Smith, the father a native of Ohio and the mother of Indiana. The parents came to Iowa and lo- cated in Des Moines in 1848, where the father worked at the carpenter's trade for many years, and then settled upon thirty-five acres of land in Bloomfield township, which he cultivated until he retired. The latter years of his life were spent in Des Moines, in which city he passed away in 1908, having survived Mrs. Smith nine years, her demise occurring in 1899.

William B. Smith has spent practically his entire life in the township where he is now residing. Although he is a young man he is yet old enough to have watched the remarkable agricultural development of Polk county, which has been most rapid during the past twenty years. He obtained his education in the district schools, the brief sessions of which gave him an abundance of time to assist in the cultivation of the home farm. He remained a member of the paren- tal household until he was twenty-two years of age, at which time he and a brother-in-law rented land and began farming for themselves. In addition to the cultivation of the land they did their own housework and such other tasks as usually devolve upon the women living upon a farm. For seven years Mr. Smith operated leased land, during which time he met with such returns from his labor as enabled him to save the required capital to become a property owner. His first investment was a one hundred and twenty acre tract forming a part of his present holdings, to which he later added another forty-six acres. During the eight years of his occupancy Mr. Smith has wrought many noticeable im- provements and is planning to add others, all of which will greatly increase the value of his property. He engages in general farming but devotes much time and attention to the breeding and raising of stock, keeping ten head of horses and twenty head of cattle, while he markets about seventy hogs every year.

Mr. Smith completed his arrangements for a home by his marriage August 19, 1897, to Miss Lucinda Geil, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Graham) Geil,

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natives of Ohio but for more than fifty years residents of Bloomfield township. Seven children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith but the eldest, Joseph Corwin, passed away June 22, 1900. Those living are: Cecil Blanche, eleven years of age; William Merwin, who is nine; Willard Lynne and Wilma Louise, twins, now six years of age; Leslie Graham, who is five; and Russell Saylor, three.

In their religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Smith conform to the teachings of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, while Mr. Smith's fraternal relations are confined to membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. While he is not actively interested in political matters he gives his allegiance to the republican party, its policy in his estima- tion being best adapted to serve the vital interests of the general public.

CHARLES C. SHOPE, M. D.

There is no profession or business which requires more constant and con- scientious study than that of medicine. Particularly is this true at present when competition is so keen and science making such rapid strides. To the realiza- tion of this fact can doubtless be attributed much of the success of Dr. Charles C. Shope, one of the well known practitioners of East Des Moines. One of Iowa's native sons, his birth occurred in Iowa Center, Story county, on the 15th of October, 1866, his parents being George W. and Ellen Lucenia (Sessions) Shope, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Barnesville, Ver- mont. George W. Shope came to Iowa from the Keystone state in 1860, locat- ing in Story county, where he engaged in farming and followed his trade, which was that of a cabinet-maker, for eight years. Coming to Polk county in 1868, he settled in East Des Moines, where he accepted a position as foreman with the Iowa School Furniture Company, continuing to be identified with that firm until they went out of business. Following that he opened a grocery store, which was one of the first established on the east side. Being elected to the office of city treasurer in 1883, he withdrew from commercial pursuits, and following the expiration of his term of office in 1887 he engaged in the real-estate busi- ness, in which he has ever since continued. He has always been an ardent republican and is a highly respected and influential citizen, having contributed much during the forty-two years of his residence in East Des Moines toward the development of the various local enterprises. His wife passed away on the 22d of February, 1910.

Being but a child of two years when his parents located in Des Moines, Dr. Shope has passed almost his entire life in the city where he now resides and is widely known. After leaving the high school he took a commercial course in the Iowa Business College, but having decided to study medicine he subsequently matriculated at Drake University, being awarded his degree with the class of 1894. Being most ambitious and desiring a broader knowledge of medicine and a better understanding of some forms of surgery he later took post-graduate work under the most eminent members of the profession in both New York and Chicago. After the completion of his course he opened an office in East Des Moines, where he has practiced continuously since. A pleasing personality together with a conscientious and painstaking effort to alleviate suffering must ever win for a physician a strong following, but when these qualities are sup- ported by skill and a comprehensive understanding of the science he represents his success is assured.

Dr. Shope was united in marriage on the 12th of June, 1900, to Miss Mary Hast, a daughter of Louis Hast, one of the old and highly respected citizens of

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East Des Moines. Three children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Shope : Richard, Ellen and Raymond.

Fraternally Dr. Shope affiliates with Home Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Capi- tal Lodge, I. O. O. F., while he keeps in touch with the members of his profes- sion through the medium of the Polk County Medical Society, the State Medical Society and the National Medical Association. That he is a physician of recog- nized merit is attested by the fact that from 1900 to 1901 he served as county physician, and on the Ist of January, 1910, he was again made the incumbent of that office, with which he continues to be identified.

ELIAS HEMMINGSON.

Elias Hemmingson, an industrious and successful farmer and stock-raiser, is® numbered among Polk county's native sons, his birth occurring in Lincoln town- ship on the Ist of May, 1872. His parents were John and Elizabeth (Houge) Hemmingson, both natives of Skaanevig, Norway, where they were reared and married. They came to America in the '50s, locating in Polk county, Iowa, and the father purchased a farm of sixty acres in Lincoln township, to the develop- ment of which he at once bent his energies. Later he purchased another tract of eighty-five acres, adjoining his home place. On that farm he spent the re- mainder of his days, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and he passed away on the 17th of May, 1889. His wife still survives and at the age of seventy-eight years makes her home in Sioux county, Iowa.

On the old homestead in Polk county Elias Hemmingson was reared to man- hood, and in the district schools he acquired his education. He early became familiar with the best methods of carrying on the farm work and remained with his parents until he attained man's estate, when he began an independent career by working as a farm hand by the month. He was thus engaged for two years, after which he began farming on his own account on a rented farm, which he operated for eight years. He then purchased his present place of one hundred and twenty acres in Elkhart township, which he has greatly improved and to the development of which he has since given his attention. He has labored in- dustriously to bring it under a high state of cultivation and in its neat appearance the place gives indication of his careful supervision, his practical methods and his progressive spirit. In his barns and pastures are found good grades of stock, for he raises about sixty head of hogs annually and has on hand fifteen head of cattle and seven horses.

On the 23d of March, 1899, Mr. Hemmingson was married to Miss Helen Lande, who is a daughter of Thor and Sarah (Sydnes) Lande, natives of Fjeld- berg, Sydnes, Norway, who came to the United States at an early day. Mr. Lande located in Illinois and at the time of the Civil war he enlisted for service in Company E, Ninety-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, remaining at the front through the entire period of hostilities. After the war was over he came to Polk county and was married. He purchased a farm in Elkhart township, which he improved and operated for several years, or until his retirement from active life in 1902, when he removed to Huxley, Iowa, where he now resides in the enjoyment of well earned rest. His wife died May 6, 1911. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hemmingson has been born one daughter, Elizabeth K., aged eleven years, who is the light and life of the home.

The family are members of the Lutheran church and are well known throughout the community in which they reside, commanding the respect and regard of all of their neighbors. In politics Mr. Hemmingson is a republican and is now serving as assessor of Elkhart township. He has also acted as school director of this township for several years, and the cause of education finds in

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him a stalwart champion. In all of his relations he has been true to high and honorable principles and has never faltered in a choice between right and wrong but has always endeavored to follow a course that his judgment and his con- science have sanctioned. His life has therefore been well spent and the success which he is today enjoying is well merited.

THOMAS ARISS.

For fifty-two years Thomas Ariss has been connected with the shoe manu- facturing business save for one or two brief intervals. At one time he was part owner in the business that is now conducted under the name of the Carl Kahler Shoe Company and is still associated with that house. He was born in Wellington county, Canada, June 23, 1842, a son of Benjamin and Sarah Ariss, who came from England about 1810 and settled in Wellington county. The father, who was an agriculturist, gave his life to the work of the fields until his labors were ended in death in 1848. His mother continued a resident of Wellington county until called to her final rest at the advanced age of ninety- two years.

Thomas Ariss was educated in the country schools and remained upon the home farm until seventeen years of age, when he began learning the shoemaker's trade, which he followed in his native county for three years. At the age of twenty he crossed the border into the United States and settled at Des Moines, Iowa, where he has now resided continuously since 1863, save for a period of about three and a half years spent in Victoria, British Columbia. After coming to this city he worked for Foster & Towns in the shoe business and later, after spending a year in Canada, he returned to this city and for six months, in 1865, was with C. Corning. He next entered the employ of Merrill & Keeny, cabinet- makers, with whom he continued for three and a half years, and subsequently was with the Heath Planing Mill for a short time. Later he entered the service of Charles L. Kahler, with whom he formed a partnership three years later, the business being conducted under this company relationship until the death of Mr. Kahler in 1897. He then sold his interest in the business to Carl Kahler, a son of his former partner, and accepted a position in the store, where he has since remained. He has thus been engaged in the shoe business for fifty-two years of his life with the exception of two or three short periods.

Mr. Ariss has been married twice. In 1870 he wedded Miss Lottie Case, who died eighteen months later. In 1881 he was again married, his second union being with Miss M. A. Bryan, a daughter of Mrs. Catharine Bryan, of Warren county, Iowa, who came to this state in 1849 and was here identified with agricultural pursuits. Mr. Ariss is a member of Capital Lodge, No. IIO, A. F. & A. M., and also of the Odd Fellows society. He is one of Des Moines' early settlers and is a gentleman of the old school, affable and courteous and sixty-nine years young.

E. C. STANLEY, M. D.

Most fortunate is he who, in the choice of a vocation, decides upon one to which he is naturally adapted. That Dr. Stanley should be classed among such is indicated by his success as a medical practitioner. He was born in Missouri on the 21st of March, 1874, a son of D. T. and Mary (Bristow) Stanley, the mother also a native of Missouri. The father, who was at one time quite a prominent educator, went to Oregon. in 1872 and founded the

THOMAS ARISS

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State Normal School, of which he was president. He was unusually successful in his profession but withdrew from it some years ago to engage in mercantile pursuits, with which he continues to be identified in Missouri.

Dr. Stanley obtained his preliminary education in the common schools and was graduated from the high school of San Francisco. Following this he was sent to the Young Men's College of New York city, by which institution he was awarded a degree in 1896. Returning to the west, he matriculated in the medical department of Drake University, where he remained four years. Later de- siring a broader and more comprehensive knowledge of both medicine and sur- gery, he pursued a post-graduate course at the Chicago Polyclinic for two years. Feeling, at the expiration of that period, that he possessed a sufficient under- standing of both the theory and practice of his chosen profession to establish an office he went to Hardin county, Iowa, where he remained for two years. He removed to Marshall county in 1908, where he received the appointment of county physician, which office he continued to fill until he came to Des Moines in 1909. Since locating here he has rapidly won recognition as a practitioner of ability and more than usual skill. His excellent and thorough preparation to- gether with his keen powers of deduction have united in making him a diag- nostician of more than average efficiency, while his acute sense of touch, steady nerve and dexterous hand promise much for his future in the field of surgery.

In March, 1903, Dr. Stanley married Miss Mattie Hitchcock, a native of Illinois, and to them has been born one son : Martin Mapes, whose birth occurred on the 17th of January, 1905.

Dr. Stanley keeps up his relations with the members of his profession through the medium of the county, state and national medical associations. During the brief period of his residence in Des Moines he has won the friendship of some of the most substantial citizens, who regard his future to be most promising.

TRUMAN JONES.

Among those who have largely contributed to the agricultural development of Polk county must be included Truman Jones, who owns and operates an ex- cellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Bloomfield township. A native of Indiana, his birth occurred in Washington county on the 3Ist of March, 1855, his parents being Benjamin T. and Lucinda (Hagan) Jones, natives of Maryland and Kentucky respectively. The family came to Iowa in September, 1856, locat- ing in Des Moines, where the father followed his trade, which was that of cooper, until the breaking out of the Civil war. Following this he was appointed deputy provost marshal, the duties of which position he discharged until 1867, when he came to Bloomfield township, having previously bought a farm of eighty acres, which he began to cultivate. Here he continued to reside until he passed away in 1893, having survived his wife thirteen years, her demise occurring in 1880.

The boyhood and youth of Truman Jones were spent in the unvaried routine which characterizes life in the rural districts. He attended the district schools of Bloomfield township, where he acquired his preliminary education, which was later supplemented by a course at the Baptist College, now known as the Des Moines College. Returning home, he assisted his father in the cultivation of the farm until he was twenty-three years of age, at which time he began farming for himself by renting eighty acres of land, which he cultivated for one year, and then leased a larger place. For nine years he farmed as a renter then bought eighty acres in Bloomfield township, which he cultivated for fifteen years and during that period he effected many improvements, greatly adding thereby to the value of the property. He then sold the place and bought his present farm, which

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at the time was badly run down, having been neglected for many years. Prac- tically all of the improvements now upon the land have been added by Mr. Jones, who has erected new buildings, constructed substantial fences and brought the fields to a high state of cultivation. He is devoting the greater part of his time and energies to the development of his dairy. He keeps thirty-two head of cattle and sixteen head of horses, all of which are of a good breed and are well cared for.

Mr. Jones married Miss Linnie E. Filson, a daughter of Laurence T. and Martha J. (Buzick) Filson, the father a native of Kentucky and the mother of Ohio. The family came to Iowa in 1849, locating in Polk county, where the father worked at the carpenter's trade, which in winter was superseded by trap- ping. He followed his trade in Polk county for twelve years, during which time he assisted in the construction of the first frame house in Des Moines. At the expiration of that time he removed to a farm he had bought in Saylor township but after cultivating it for two years he again returned to Des Moines and re- sumed carpentering. In 1864 he purchased a quarter section in Bloomfield township, upon which he continued to reside until his demise on the 6th of April, 1897. He went to the front during the Mexican war and sustained wounds from which he never fully recovered, suffering from them at times during the remain- der of his life. During his early manhood Mr. Filson made the trip across the plains to Oregon but the country at that period was not sufficiently attractive for him to become a permanent settler. Mrs. Filson survived her husband three years, passing away on the 30th of June, 1900. Seven children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Jones : Benjamin, living at home; Milton J., also at home; Mabel, who married Charles Rummans and lives in Des Moines; Bruce E., who is mar- ried and resides in Warren county; and Laura M., Beulah B. and Orville E., all of whom are at home.

The family affiliate with the Christian church and fraternally Mr. Jones is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. In matters politic his views conform to those of the republican party, for whose candidates he always casts his ballot. At all times helpfully active in local affairs of a governmental nature he has served as assessor in his township as well as school director and for one year was deputy sheriff. Mr. Jones has met with reasonable success in his var- ious undertakings and in addition to his farm owns forty acres of the old home- stead, which is just without the corporate limits of Des Moines, and a residence lot in the city.

GEORGE WAMBACH.

George Wambach, a son of G. and Louisa (Kocher) Wambach, was born April 13, 1853, at Niederbroom, Alsace, which was then a province of France, but in 1871, following the Franco-Prussian war, was ceded to Germany. When his native province was annexed to Germany, George IWambach was a young man, not yet old enough for military service and was therefore granted the right to adopt citizenship in any country that he might choose. To remain in Alsace meant to become a German subject and render him liable for military duty. Hav- ing dislike for army service he left that country and came to the United States in 1872, settling in Buffalo, New York. There he engaged in merchandising and all his leisure time was devoted to reading and study, thus largely supplementing his early education, which had been acquired in the schools of France. As his knowledge broadened there awakened in him a desire to study law, to which task he devoted himself for some years thereafter.

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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 145

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