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 150

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 150

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Mr. Kirk has ever manifested a citizen's interest in public affairs and was for eight years treasurer of the Associated Charities, which trust he resigned in 1909. He has always affiliated with the republican party, believing that its principles contain the best elements of good government, but has never sought office as a reward for party fealty. He is, however, an ardent supporter of republican policies and republican presidents and is a member of the Grant Club. He also belongs to Crocker Post, No. 12, Grand Army of the Republic.

In 1869 Mr. Kirk visited his old home, and on the 29th of July of that year, he was united in marriage to Etta S. Miller, a daughter of Joseph C. and Re- becca Miller. Her father was a resident of southern Chester county, Pennsyl- vania, near the Mason and Dixon line, and was one of the first victims of the slavery agitation that existed along the border preceding the war. He was as- sassinated in 1851, near Baltimore, Maryland, while trying to recover a free negro girl who had been kidnapped from his home by the slave traders of those days.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kirk six children were born, three of whom died in in- fancy. Those surviving are: Clyde, who was born October 31, 1872; and married to Lillian Pegg, of Columbus, Ohio; Nettie R., born May 19, 1874; and Frank C., born October 27, 1876. The two latter are single and reside at the parental home, all being residents of Des Moines. The elder son is engaged

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in the practice of law here and the younger is a clerk in the offices of The Equitable Life. The family residence is located at 923 Sixth avenue, while a summer cottage is maintained at Lake Okoboji in the northern part of the state.

REV. MATTHEW GLEESON.

It was in the beautiful County Tipperary, Ireland, on the 21st of June, 1869, that Father Matthew Gleeson was born. His parents, John and Sarah (Sheehy) Gleeson, were both natives of the Emerald isle and there they spent their entire lives and were laid to rest. The father cultivated the soil and it was on the farm where they had lived for so many years and where Matthew was born, that the mother passed away in 1895. The father survived her four years and died in 1899.

The boyhood and youth of Father Gleeson were very largely spent on the home farm in Tipperary, but when he had reached the age of fifteen years it was decided to fit him for the service of the church, and, with that idea in view. he was sent away to school to prepare for his ecclesiastical course. Eight years were spent under the direction of the Brothers in secular and religious study, preparatory to his assuming the responsibilities of his sacred vocation. He was ordained in Dublin, Ireland, at the age of twenty-four years and very soon decided to come to the United States to follow his calling.

On the 21st of August, 1893, he left the land of his nativity and coming to Davenport, Iowa, he was appointed by Bishop Cosgrove, to assist in the parish of Father Kereckzel at Ottumwa, Iowa. At the end of one year's service he was assigned to a parish in Audubon, this state, the duties of which he discharged for five years. In 1899 he was transferred to the parish of Sacred Heart church in Valley Junction and for eleven years now he has had charge of the spiritual needs of this people. That he is beloved and highly regarded, not only by the communicants of his church but the community at large, is indicated by his long pastorate. Father Gleeson is identified with the social organ- izations of his church through his membership in the Knights of Columbus at Des Moines.

JONAS A. BACKMAN.

Coming to America from Europe in his boyhood, Jonas A. Backman, of Des Moines, has demonstrated in his career that the opportunities for advancement under the stars and stripes are practically unlimited to the aspirant who is en- dowed with the qualities of courage, zeal and perseverance. Mr. Backman has attained high standing in business circles and also in public office, exercising a sound judgment and a progressiveness which redound very greatly to his credit.

He was born in Sweden, January II, 1862, a son of John and Martha Back- man. The father was born March 17, 1825, and the mother May 22, 1832. John Backman grew to manhood in his native land and was forty-two years of age when he came to America with his family, selecting Des Moines as his home. He was an industrious man, who appreciated the advantages which he found in the new world, and he set to work with an earnest will to build up a per- manent home. For thirty years he was connected with the Gilcrest Lumber Company of this city, being one of the most faithful employes of that concern. He died in April, 1895. The mother of our subject is still living and makes her home in Des Moines.

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Jonas A. Backman arrived in Des Moines when five years of age and has ever since lived in this city. He secured the advantages of the public schools and after laying his books aside began learning the sheet metal business and for twelve years was identified with the Keith Furnace Company. After severing his connection with this company he entered the employ of S. Green, with whom he continued for six years. In 1895, believing that the time had come to start independently, he began business on his own account, his patronage increasing from year to year until at the present time he employs fifteen to eighteen men at his plant and is at the head of one of the prosperous and growing manufacturing establishments of the city. He has other interests, being identified with the new Coliseum and the Red Oak Interurban Railroad Company, also a holder of substantial real-estate investments in Des Moines. He has shown good judg- ment in his business affairs and has acquired a position of comparative financial independence.

On the 5th of August, 1885, Mr. Backman was united in marriage to Miss Lillie Linquist, of Ottumwa, Iowa, and three children have blessed this union: Florence, now Mrs. Irvin Dockstader, of Des Moines; W. R., who was graduated from the Des Moines high school and is now associated with his father in bus- iness; and Lorraine, a graduate of the Latin and musical courses of the high school. Even since assuming the responsibilities of citizenship Mr. Backman has been an earnest supporter of the republican party and in recognition of his services and also of his personal worth he was elected in 1906 as member of the county board of supervisors. This office he filled with superior ability and he was, therefore, renominated for a second term, beginning 1910. He is a member and on the finance committee of the East Side Commercial League. He is an earnest believer in the Christian religion and attends, and is a liberal supporter of the Lutheran church. The Lutheran church was founded and organized in his father's home here in 1868. Fraternally he is identified with East Side Lodge, No. 68, K. P., and Evening Star Camp, No. 3334, M. W. A. He is a man of genial and attractive characteristics and has many friends and acquaint- ances, among them being some of the most esteemed people of the city. By self-respect, adherence to what he believed to be his duty and a life of in- . dustry and integrity he has gained an enviable position in the community. His chief recreation is fishing and he takes two vacations annually to indulge in this pastime.

WILBUR S. CONKLING, M. D.

Dr. Wilbur S. Conkling, who has been engaged in practice at Des Moines for eleven years past and is one of the popular and successful physicians and surgeons of the city, was born in Henry county, Iowa, September 17, 1873, a son of William W. and Mary Frances (Bonnifield) Conkling. The father was born in Rush county, Indiana, June 15, 1838. He came to Iowa in 1854 and engaged in farming. In 1891 he located in Des Moines, continuing in this city until his death. The mother was a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, and was a daughter of Arnold Bonnifield, who was born in the same county, August 22, 1806, being the first white child born in that county. He died at Knoxville, Marion county, Iowa, in 1876. The mother of our subject passed away at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, December 9, 1883. James Conkling, the grandfather on the paternal side, was born in Pennsylvania, April 13, 1810, and removed to Gray county, Kansas, where he died January 15, 1888. It is believed that John Conkling was the first member of the family to arrive in America. He was a native of Nottinghamshire, England, and the records of St. Patrick's parish church of that county show that he was married to Elizabeth Alseabrook, Jan-

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uary 24, 1625. They had two sons, John and Austin. Mr. Conkling left Eng- land with his family in 1635 and landed at Boston, Massachusetts. He settled at Salem, where he engaged in the manufacture of glass, and it is claimed that he was the pioneer glass manufacturer of New England. The ancestors of the Conkling family on the maternal side also came from England.

Wilbur S. Conkling attended the public schools of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and later became a student at Howes Academy and the Iowa Wesleyan Uni- versity. He took a business course at Highland Park College, Des Moines, in 1891-2, and 1893 entered Drake University, graduating in pharmacy in 1895 and in medicine in 1897.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American war Dr. Conkling was a private in Company H, Third Regiment of Iowa National Guards. He was transferred to the hospital corps and appointed hospital steward April 8, 1898, being pro- moted to the rank of first lieutenant and first assistant surgeon February 27, 1899. He served with the regiment for a year in the Philippine islands, during all of which time he was upon active duty, and was mustered out with his regiment at San Francisco, California. He is still active in military affairs, at the present time holding a commission as major of the medical corps, Iowa National Guards. After leaving the army he went to Philadelphia and New York and spent three months in post-graduate work in the leading hospitals of those cities. Returning to Des Moines, he began practice February I, 1900, in East Des Moines, his office being located in suite 412-416, Bank building. He is a general practitioner and is well known in the city and county, having served as county physician of Polk county for seven years, from 1901.

On the 14th of August, 1901, Dr. Conkling was married at Eldora, Col- orado, to Miss Nellie Ellis, a daughter of L. G. Ellis, who was one of the early settlers of Polk county, Iowa. Two sons have blessed this union : Ellis W., who was born March 7, 1904; and Wilbur Scott, Jr., born June 21, 1908. Dr. Conk- ling has in his practice been wide-awake and progressive and is accorded a lib- eral share of patronage. He learned many valuable lessons in the course of his military experience that have greatly assisted him, and the spirit of devotion to duty and the faithful discharge of responsibilities which he then displayed is one of his prominent characteristics. He keeps well informed as to advance- ments in medicine and surgery, is recognized as a highly skillful physician and surgeon whose field of usefulness as the years pass will be limited only by his physical capability in meeting the demands. He has for the past eight years been a member of the faculty of the medical department of Drake University, at the present being assistant professor of surgery. In politics he adheres to the republican party and socially he is a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner, also holding membership in the Knights of Pythias, the Elks, the Modern Wood- men of America, the Yeomen of America, the East Side Golf Club and the Des Moines Club.

ANDREW M. KOPF.

The substantial success which has come to Andrew M. Kopf as a result of a life of well directed industry and earnest endeavor, has its visible evidence in extensive real-estate holdings in Polk county. He is numbered among the large landowners of this section and his activity in business lines has given him prominence among the prosperous and representative citizens of this his native county. He was born in Washington township on the 26th of March, 1871, a son of John G. and Margaret (Little) Kopf, natives of Germany and Ohio respectively. The father sought the opportunities of the new world in early

MR. AND MRS. ANDREW M. KOPF

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manhood, coming to the United States in 1852 when nineteen years of age. He first located in Geneva, Illinois, where he was variously employed for two years, after which he located in Jasper county, Iowa, in 1854. In 1859 he went to California and there gave his attention to prospecting for a time, later becoming interested in one of the gold mines. Preferring an agricultural life, however, he returned to the middle west, and in Washington township, Polk county, Iowa, purchased a tract of eighty acres in 1865. He was engaged in its operation for about ten years, after which he sold it and purchased one hundred and sixty acres near Farrar, this county. That remained his home until 1896, in which year he retired from active life and took up his home in Maxwell, where he continued to reside. He has now reached his seventy-ninth year and is enjoying in well earned rest the comfortable competency accumulated during many years of toil. His wife passed away in January, 1874.

The youthful days of Andrew M. Kopf were spent on the home farm, where he received thorough training in the work of the fields, while his oppor- tunities for obtaining mental discipline were limited to the district schools of Polk county. However, he early learned lessons concerning industry, persever- ance and integrity, and these have constituted important features in his success as the years have gone by. He remained with his parents until the time of his marriage, when his father retired from agricultural pursuits and for three years he was associated with his brother George in the operation of the old home- stead farm. Subsequently this partnership was dissolved, at which time Andrew M. Kopf began farming independently, purchasing a quarter of a section of land in Washington township, to the development and cultivation of which he has since given his attention. He has never feared hard work but on the contrary his life has been preeminently a busy one, for as the years passed he acquired another tract of land, consisting of two hundred and eighty acres, a portion of which lies in Jasper county, and in addition to this and his home place he also operates a quarter section of land belonging to his father's estate. Likewise he gives considerable attention to his extensive live-stock interests, for he owns about thirty head of horses and raises, buys and feeds on an average of from one to three hundred head of cattle and three hundred head of hogs. This branch of his business has proven a paying proposition, for he receives good prices for his stock, owing to their high quality. His real-estate holdings include sixty town lots in Farrar, Iowa, from which he derives a substantial annual income, and, putting forth his efforts into other avenues of industry, he is acting as agent for the Farmers Mutual Fire & Lighting Company of Polk County, the Town Mutual Company, the Retail Merchants Association of Des Moines and the Iowa Mutual Tornado Association, connections which make con- stant demand upon his time and attention and show something of the extent of his interests.

Mr. Kopf was married, on the 2d of July, 1896, to Miss Lizzie A. Norton, a daughter of Bela A. and Catherine (Hutson) Norton, natives of New York and Indiana respectively. At the age of sixteen years her father enlisted for service in the Civil war, being mustered into Company A, Twelfth Regiment of Michigan Infantry, as a private, on the 27th of Jan- uary, 1862, at Niles, Michigan. He served with his command until the war closed, and in the meantime was wounded in the left thigh at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862, being confined in the hospital at St. Louis for five weeks. After being mustered out of the army he came to Polk county, Iowa, locating in Washington township, where he took up farming, in which he continued until a few years ago, when he retired from active work and is now living retired, making his home with his daughter, Mrs. H. W. Martin, of Wash- ington township. His wife passed away in June, 1898. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kopf were born five children, as follows: Howard E., who was born November 21, 1897; Ivan C., born March 12, 1899; Mary C., born April 22, 1908; John,

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who passed away in infancy; and Harold, whose death occurred in December, 1904.

Mr. Kopf and his family hold membership in the Methodist Protestant church, while fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Court of Honor. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise he has given stalwart support to the republican party and has served as justice of the peace of Washington township for some time. He is also a school director, having served in that capacity for years, and at one time was his party's nominee for county supervisor, being defeated by only a very small majority. He served as a member of the executive com- mittee of the republican county central committee. He is one of the most active, enterprising and energetic residents of his section of the county, and that he is a man of determination and force of character is indicated by his successful business career. What he undertakes he brings to successful accom- plishment and by the consensus of public opinion he is accorded a prominent place among the influential and affluent citizens of his locality.

BENJAMIN O. HANGER.

Among the citizens of Des Moines who donned the blue and went to the front in those perilous days of the '60s was Benjamin O. Hanger, whose ex- periences during the four active years of his service form an interesting account of the war. His ancestors were Virginians, living in Staunton, Augusta county. Mr. Hanger is a native of Ohio, his birth occurring in Knox county on the 25th of November, 1844. Although of southern extraction on the paternal side. Mr. Hanger imbibed his abolition spirit from his grandfather Hanger, one of those rare characters whose powers of prescience early convinced him what the out- come of slavery must be. Freeing his blacks in Virginia and disposing of his interests, he removed to Knox county, Ohio, bringing with him, however, one family of former slaves to assist him in operating his farm.

Wright B. Hanger, the father of B. O. Hanger, emigrated to Illinois in 1852, first settling in McLean county, near Stouts Grove, and later removing to Pekin, Tazewell county, where his demise occurred on the 24th of November, 1860. The family came to Polk county, Iowa, in February, 1861.

The boyhood and youth of Benjamin O. Hanger were spent in the paternal home and his education was acquired in the common schools. The Civil war broke out shortly after his arrival in Polk county and he enlisted as a drummer boy in Company D, Tenth Iowa Infantry, which rendezvoused at Camp Fre- mont, Iowa City, Iowa. The regiment was mustered into the United States service on the Ist of August, 1861, at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri, re- ceiving arms, uniforms and camp equipage, and was ordered to Cape Girardeau. The first expedition was from here to Bloomfield, Missouri, and dispersed a rebel force under General Jeff Thompson. On the 12th of November the regi- ment was ordered to Birdpoint, Missouri, and went into winter quarters. On November 14th Mr. Hanger was sent to Mound City General Hospital, having contracted the measles, which were followed by typhoid fever. On the 15th of February he returned to his regiment for duty, joining his companions at the same place where he had left them three months before. He participated in the siege of New Madrid under General Pope, through whose brilliant maneuvering Island No. 10 was captured with more than five thousand prisoners and all their armaments. The regiment embarked on a transport and went down the Mississippi to a point near Fort Wright, disembarked and in less than an hour was ordered aboard to reinforce the Army of the Tennessee and returned up the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers to become part of the investing force

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against Corinth. Mr. Hanger participated in several notable battles. On the 19th of September, 1862, he took part in the engagement at Iuka, where he lay on the battlefield all night and heard the rebels giving orders, working and driv- ing their teams. It was supposed that they were preparing for the attack in the early morning, but General Rosecrans came up from their front and reported they were evacuating. Soon after daylight the army started in pursuit. A loaf of bread was cut into four slices and issued to a file of men as they passed for their rations. They had a skirmish with the enemy's rear guard just before sunset and then returned toward Corinth, marching until late in the night. They marched and camped alternately for about ten days and on the 2d of October camped near Corinth. Taps had been sounded, the lights were out and the soldiers were sleeping when an orderly rode up and inquired where the colonel was. After informing him Mr. Hanger said: "I bet that is march- ing orders ;" and in a few minutes the order came to beat the long roll. The line was formed in the dark and the march commenced through the woods, brush and briar until at last, late in the night, they reached the road leading into Corinth. As the day dawned they marched through the streets to a position north of the town and stacked arms but had not broken ranks when two cannon shots were heard to the west and General Sullivan rode up and saluted the major, saying: "The ball is open." Companies A and B were deployed as skirmishers and the search for Johnnies commenced. The battle raged for two days (October 3d and 4th, 1862,) and resulted in a victory for the Union army. An incident of the battle is described by Mr. Hanger as follows: "On the afternoon of the 3d we were ordered forward to a position along the Mobile & Ohio Railroad and met a terrific fire from the rebel batteries under cover in the thick woods. We lay flat to the ground as the only means of safety. An orderly rode up and was told that if he did not dismount he would be killed. He did so and sat down under his horse's neck, holding the reins in his hand. A cannon ball struck the horse about the middle and cut him almost in two. He fell forward upon his rider, the man's head and shoulders entering the horse's body. When we succeeded in releasing him, he was an awful sight and almost suffocated We soon had orders to retreat, which we did under a fire of shot and shell until we reached a point of safety."

Mr. Hanger was with General Grant's expedition down the Mississippi Cen- tral Railroad, through Holly Springs and Davis Mills, to reach a position in the rear of Vicksburg. Confederate General Van Doran's cavalry raided Holly Springs, capturing the supplies of the army. He accompanied the relief train to Memphis for supplies, for the retreating army, with his regiment, was on the expedition down the Yazoo Pass over two hundred miles, and returned on board Mississippi transports. A place was selected where the bank or levee was broken and, loaded with troops, the transports ran over the banks in a swift current through the woods over the tops of trees into Moon lake and then into a creek called the pass until they reached the Yazoo river, Vicksburg being the objective point. After the running of the batteries at Vicksburg, Mr. Hanger was with General Grant and participated in the engagements of Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion's Hill and the charge upon the fortifications at Vicksburg. As they approached Jackson in line of battle the enemy shelled them. At the same time there was a thunder storm and it was hard to distinguish between the flashes of lightning and thunder and the bursting and report of the shells.

The morning after crossing the river near Port Gibson, at General Grant's headquarters, Mr. Hanger met O. C. Sabin, General Grant's spy, formerly a schoolmate in Illinois, who was dressed in citizen's clothes. While our subject was in conversation with him, General Grant observed them and asked Mr. Hanger where and how he had become acquainted with Sabin and numerous other questions. Then he sent his orderly to the Fifth Iowa to procure a mule

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for Sabin. On the approach to Port Gibson, when the firing had commenced, General Grant and his staff passed. By the side of Grant was Sabin riding on the mule and as he passed Mr. Hanger he called out: "Look out, or you will get shot." He had made his escape from Vicksburg the night previous. Mr. Hanger contributes the following: "The water was quite low in the Mississippi river when we left Vicksburg on our way to Helena, Arkansas. Frequent sound- ings were taken to ascertain the depth of the water. One night I was sleeping near the pilot house on the upper deck with my bunk mate, Mr. Holcomb. The bow struck a sand bar with quite a jar, and Holcomb threw off the blanket which covered us. The action awoke me and I opened my eyes just in time to see him going over the wheelhouse. I gave the alarm: 'Man overboard !' They lowered the yawl and went in search of him, the water being about twenty feet deep. Mr. Holcomb swam around to the rudder, crawled up to the guard rail and climbed on to the lower deck-safe. He dreamed the boat was blown up and did not awake until he struck the water after jumping from the wheel- house. He thought he came down from the explosion into the river."

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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 150

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