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 63

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 63

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In 1898 Mr. Macrees was united in marriage to Miss Lilly Ulman, a daughter of Frank and Mary Ulman, who were natives of Germany and came to America at an early day, locating in Des Moines, Iowa. Frank Ulman, who worked as a coal miner for many years, passed away in Des Moines, where his widow still resides.

Politically Mr. Macrees is a stanch republican, while in religious faith both he and his wife are Catholics. His fraternal relations are with the Modern Woodmen of America. His residence is at No. 419 Ninth street. The hope that led him to leave his native land and seek a home in America has been more than realized. He found the opportunities he sought-which, by the way, are always open to every ambitious, energetic man-and making the best of these he has steadily'worked his way up the ladder of success.

CARLTON B. PRAY.

For a period of more than twenty-five years the Pray family have been prominently identified with the insurance interests of Des Moines, the connec- tion being continued through Carlton B. Pray, the treasurer of the Royal Union Mutual Life. A native of Iowa his birth occurred in Webster City on the

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16th of May, 1870, his parents being Gilbert B. and Marie B. Pray. The father, who was born in Michigan City, Indiana, came to Iowa with his parents in the pioneer days, from which time until his demise on the 28th of February, 1909, his interests were always centered in the Hawkeye state. Mr. Pray, who had served in the Civil war, was a lawyer, a state official and a business man at various times in his career and most capably discharged the responsibilities of each of these vocations.

The early years of Carlton B. Pray were spent amid the refining influences of a comfortable and cultured home, his education being obtained in the com- mon schools of his native town. Upon graduating from the local high school he entered the employ of a lumber company, with which he continued to be identified for three years. During that period he acquired quite a comprehen- sive understanding of practical business methods and in 1891 accepted a posi- tion in the purchasing department of the Chicago & North Western Railroad Company, remaining there for seven years. At the expiration of that period, acting upon the advice of his father he identified himself with the Royal Union Mutual Life Insurance Company of Des Moines. After spending nine years in the various departments of this company, through which means he thoroughly familiarized himself with every detail of the business, he was appointed treas- urer. In addition to his official capacity in the executive department of the company he is also one of the directors, as well as a director of the Corn Ex- change Savings Bank of Elkhart, Iowa.

At Lake City, Iowa, on the 12th of June, 1901, Mr. Pray was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. McPherson, a daughter of Alexander McPherson, a native of Scotland. One child has been born of this union, a son, Richard M. Mr. and Mrs. Pray affiliate with the Presbyterian church, while fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias and the Hyperion Field and Motor Club.

His political support Mr. Pray always accords the republican party. How- ever, as he does not aspire to public honors or the emoluments of office he does not actively participate in civic affairs of a governmental nature further than the casting of his ballot. During the period of his residence here he has come to be regarded as a capable and trustworthy business man and is esteemed by all who meet or come in contact with him in any capacity.

HUGH GILMER WELPTON, M. D.

Dr. Hugh Gilmer Welpton, the oldest son of James S. and Henrietta Welp- ton, was born in Salem, Iowa, September 5, 1870. The ancestral line on his father's side can be traced back to England, whence representatives of that name came to America during the period of the Revolutionary war and settled in New York. His mother is of Irish lineage, her people having come from Belfast, Ireland. They first settled in Virginia and later the family became represented in Kentucky. On both sides his ancestry fought for national liberty in the Revolutionary war. His maternal grandfather, Dr. Campbell Gilmer, was one of the pioneer physicians of this state, settling near Fort Madison, Iowa, in 1832. Dr. Gilmer had served under his cousin, General Taylor, in the War of 1812 and later in the Mexican war. The doctor's father, James S. Welpton, was born in Indiana and became a resident of Iowa in 1845. He was a lawyer by profession, but in his later years followed agricultural pursuits. In 1869 he mar- ried Henrietta Gilmer. The death of James S. Welpton occurred April 17, 1905. but his widow is still living and makes her home in Denver, Colorado.

After leaving the public schools, H. G. Welpton's preparatory education was acquired at Whittier Academy and his college course was taken at Drake Uni-

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versity. Taking the medical course at Drake University, too, he was graduated there with the degree of M. D. in the class of 1897, after which he pursued post- graduate courses in hospitals and dispensaries of Chicago and New York. After leaving New York he engaged in medical work under the F. C. M. S. in China for two years. On returning to America in 1900 he again pursued post-graduate studies for one year, after which he located in Des Moines for the practice of his profession. Since then he has taken special courses of surgical pathology in Harvard University and in Europe. He is a member of the Polk County Medical Society, the lowa State Medical Society, the American Medical Asso- ciation and the Des Moines Pathological Society.

On the 12th of November, 1903, in Des Moines, Iowa, Dr. Welpton was married to Miss Bonnie Jewett, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Jewett, early residents of this city. Dr. Welpton's life measures up in all respects to a high standard of manhood and citizenship and his record reflects credit upon the city of his birth and the city of his adoption.

N. J. MILLER.

Among the public officials of Des Moines there is no record of more faithful and conscientious service than that of N. J. Miller, who for twenty-two years filled the position of superintendent of mails. A man of sterling character, unquestionable integrity proven by years of faithful service in a most important government position, easy of approach, kindly but dignified in appearance, determined in all his undertakings, a true husband and a kind father, such was the life of N. J. Miller.

He was born in Connersville, Indiana, June 13, 1839. His father, James Miller, a native of Kentucky, was a resident of Indiana for about forty years and in 1856 removed to Des Moines, becoming one of the pioneer grain dealers of this city, where he remained for about a half century, his death occurring on the Ist of January, 1901, when he was eighty-six years of age. He mar- ried Jane Lower, who was born in Indiana and has also passed away. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, while his wife was of German and English lineage, her father having been born in Germany, while her mother's birthplace was in England.

N. J. Miller, their only child, began his education in the public schools of Connersville, and later attended Whitewater College at Centerville, Indiana, pur- suing his education until seventeen years of age. He arrived in Des Moines on the 20th of February, 1856, and his first position here was that of clerk for Dr. H. H. Saylor, who was then located at First and Grand streets in East Des Moines. After a short period with Dr. Saylor, Mr. Miller embarked in business on his own account, purchasing a tract of timber land at East Twelfth and Grand streets, covering about fourteen acres. This he had cleared and sold the lumber at a good figure, netting him a handsome profit. It was his initial step in the lumber trade, in which he continued for about two years. He next turned his attention to farming, purchasing a sixty acre farm near Saylorville. He carried on general farming for six years, after which he took up the live- stock business, buying and shipping live stock until 1870. He then entered the grain trade, buying and selling grain at Des Moines and also shipping to other markets. This undertaking occupied his attention until 1874. On the 17th of April of that year he was appointed railway mail clerk by John A. Kasson and continued in the service for fifteen years with the exception of a brief interval of two years while an invalid, his condition resulting from a railroad accident in which many persons lost their lives and in which Mr. Miller sustained severe injuries, causing him untold suffering. On the 29th of April, 1889, he received

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appointment to his final position, that of superintendent of mails and, serving in this capacity until his death, June 6, 19II, proved a most capable official and faithful officer.

Mr. Miller was married twice. On the 3Ist of October, 1858, he wedded Miss Vina Swofford, a native of Milton, Indiana, and a daughter of J. N. Swofford. Her death occurred November 15, 1865. On the 14th of October, 1866, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Mrs. Florence Chapman, a native of Indianola, Iowa, and a daughter of the Rev. Hiram Taylor. Three children were born of this marriage. Kasson, born in Des Moines, March 23, 1868, is a postal clerk of the Rock Island Railroad. He married Miss Sylvia Penn, a native of Iowa, and has one son, Clarkson Miller, now a student of the Iowa State University at Iowa City. Bert, the second son of the family, was born in Des Moines in 1870 and died in 1879. Frank A. Miller, the third son, born July I, 1873, in Des Moines, died at Little Rock, Arkansas, February 18, 1903, leav- ing a widow, who in her maidenhood was Miss Daisy Robinson, of Des Moines. The mother of these children, who died August 18, 1906, was a lady of rare at- tainment, very prominent in the state.

In his political views Mr. Miller was always a republican since age con- ferred upon him the right of franchise but in late years took no active part in politics. Fraternally he was connected with the Knights.of Pythias and with the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Methodist Episcopal church found him a devoted member. Loyalty to duty was forever one of his marked characteristics and it gained for him the confidence and good-will of all. His memory will live long in the hearts of all who knew him, particularly among those connected with the postoffice department and mail service, his official record being a most creditable one.

GILBERT BALDWIN PRAY.

Death often removes from our midst those whom we can illy afford to lose, and the best evidence of the worth and character of a man is found in the regret felt by his friends when he is called from this life. Friendship and cherished memories are a monument more enduring than that of stone. The name of Gilbert Baldwin Pray is engraved on the hearts of all with whom he came in contact. He was born in Michigan City, Indiana, April 7, 1847, a son of William S. Pray, numbered for many years among the distinguished citizens of Iowa. The son acquired his education in the common schools and the academy at Davenport, and after studying law was admitted to the bar in 1868. He practiced his profession for a number of years and eventually turned his attention to journalism, serving as editor of Webster City Argos from 1880 until 1882. His identification with the Royal Union Mutual Life Insurance Company-and it is perhaps in this connection that he became most widely known-began with its organization in 1886, when he was made its treasurer, serving as such until the time of his demise. When he passed away a memorial was prepared by the company which contained the following: "He was an early policyholder and always took pride in the fact that his first policy was numbered 26. He was instrumental in moving the Company from Marshall- town to Des Moines in 1886, and was elected as a director and its treasurer in September, 1886, succeeding E. L. Lyon. As an officer of the company he en- tertained a pride equal to his position and an interest in the company's success intense and absorbing, with a fidelity and faithfulness such as his strong will and his most generous impulses made him a champion bold and defiant in whatever he engaged. He lived to see a great, strong, powerful company erected

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on a firm and solid foundation and gave of whatever he had to give in the full faith of the final consummation of his early cherished hopes."

Mr. Pray was one of the youngest enlisted men in the Union army. He was deeply aroused by the progress of the war and at the age of eighteen enlisted in 1864 as a member of Company F, Sixteenth Iowa Infantry. He participated in the battle of Nashville and other engagements, and was with Sherman on the march to the sea. It was subsequent to this time that he took up the study of law and entered upon the business interests which claimed his atten- tion until his life's labors were ended. Not only did he serve as treasurer and director of the Royal Union Mutual Life Insurance Company but also a di- rector of the Marquardt Savings Bank and a stockholder in several other banks. He served for years on the examining committee of the Marquardt school board and was also connected with the state library. Other official service was equally well performed. He acted as clerk of the supreme court of Iowa from 1882 until 1895 and in 1897 he was appointed surveyor general of Alaska by Presi- dent Mckinley, but declined the honor. Later he accepted appointment to the position of special agent in the United States Indian service and continued in that position for four years. His political support was always given to the republican party and he was for many years chairman and treasurer of the republican state central committee. He became widely known not only in banking and insurance circles but also in connection with political affairs and he had a most extensive acquaintance not only throughout this state but also among prominent men of the west.

On the 4th of October, 1868, in Webster City, Iowa, Mr. Pray was united in marriage to Miss Marie R. Beauchaine, a daughter of Augustine Beauchaine, a native of France. Their four children are: Carlton B., who married Mary A. McPherson ; Harry B., who wedded Margaret Henneberry; Gilbert L., who married Francis Mosley; and Caro L., who became the wife of Albert G. Wambach.

Mr. Pray was affiliated with the Congregational church and held member- ship in the Grant Club, the Masonic fraternity and in Winfield Scott Post, No. 66, G. A. R., of which he was the first adjutant. Death claimed him on the 28th of February, 1908, and he was laid to rest in the family burial lot in Webster City, Iowa. In every relation of life he commanded the respect and regard of his fellowmen. His splendid physical manhood was the index of his character. Fidelity to duty was one of his strongest characteristics, mani- fest in political service, in business relations and in social ties. To him it was a joy to aid his fellowmen and to prove his friendship by active service.

JOHN H. BECK.

One of the enterprising agriculturists of Polk county is John H. Beck, who owns an excellent farm of four hundred and forty acres in Jefferson township. He was born in the township where he now resides March 23, 1854, and is a son of Josiah C. and Cynthia A. (McDowell) Beck, natives of Montgomery county, Indiana. The parents came to Iowa in 1853, settling upon one hun- dred and sixty acres of government land in Jefferson township, Polk county, which Mr. Beck immediately began cultivating and improving. Later he bought a piece of timber land, which he also placed under cultivation as he cleared it, continuing to operate his homestead until his demise in November, 1896, at the age of seventy-one years. He had survived his wife nine years, her death occurring on the 28th of November, 1887. when she was fifty-five years of age.

The boyhood and youth of John H. Beck were spent on the farm where he was born, his education being acquired in the district schools of Jefferson town-

JOHN H. BECK

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ship. When he felt competent to assume the heavier responsibilities of life he laid aside his school books and gave his entire time and attention to assist- ing his father in the cultivation of the farm. He remained a member of the parental household until he was twenty-two years of age, when he went to the Sacramento valley in California, where he remained for four years, during which time he worked by the month as a farm hand. On the expiration of that period, in the fall of 1880, he returned to Polk county and bought forty acres of land in Jefferson township which he cultivated for a year. Disposing of his farm at the end of that time he purchased sixty acres elsewhere in the same

township. Perservering and energetic, Mr. Beck has met with success in his agricultural pursuits and has added to his original tract from time to time as he was able until he now owns four hundred and forty acres. He has always devoted a large portion of his time and attention to the breeding and raising of stock and keeps about twelve horses and mules and a hundred head of cattle, besides raising annually about three hundred hogs.

In January, 1884, Mr. Beck married Miss Sarah Hunt, a daughter of Samuel and Susan (Murray) Hunt, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Indiana. Mr. Hunt came to Iowa and located in Polk county in 1851, enter- ing government land, which he improved and operated until 1885, when he traded it for a farm in the vicinity of Polk City, in the cultivation of which he engaged until his demise in March, 1895, at the age of seventy years. Mrs. Hunt survived until August, 1907. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Beck have been born the following children: Egbert C., who was born January 17, 1887, and is a farmer in Jefferson township; and Claud A., born September 22, 1889, and August, born August 13, 1896, both of whom are living at home.

The religious views of the family coincide with those of the Congregational denomination and they affiliate with the church at Andrews. Mr. Beck also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being identified with Des Moines Lodge, No. 25. He votes with the democratic party and has served as trustee and justice of the peace in his township, while he was treasurer of the school board for twenty-four years. Many and marvelous are the changes which have taken place in Polk county since his father settled upon the old homestead, which by the way was the scene of Polk county's first murder. A man who was camping there with his wife killed her by cutting her throat. Mr. Beck is well known and highly regarded in the township where he has lived the greater portion of his life, having retained as friends many of the comrades of his boyhood, which fact is a high tribute to the character of any man.

JAMES WILLIAM OSBORN, M. D.

While known as a general practioner Dr. James William Osborn is doing much surgical work and his ability is attested by the liberal patronage accorded him. He was born in Butler county, Ohio, December 12, 1863, and was reared upon a farm, his father, William Allen Osborn, devoting his life to general agricultural pursuits. The family is of Irish lineage and was founded in America by the great-great-grandfather of Dr. Osborn, who came from Ireland about 1750. His grandfather removed from New Jersey to Ohio about 1818. In the year 1867 William A. Osborn removed with the family to Des Moines and soon afterward began farming in Camp township, Polk county, where he . lived for a number of years. His death occurred, however, in Louisiana, on the 10th of July, 1907. He is still survived by his widow, who bore the maiden name of Ruth Billingsley and is a native of Ohio. Her ancestors came to the new world with Lord Baltimore, settling in Maryland, whence representatives of the name went to the Buckeye state. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. William

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A. Osborn were but two children, of whom Cyrus B. Osborn is a resident of Runnells, Iowa.

The other son, Dr. James W. Osborn, was a pupil in the country schools of Camp township and afterward took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for five years in Polk county. He then entered the medical depart- ment of Drake University in 1886, there pursuing his studies until 1887. In the fall of the latter year he matriculated in the Iowa Eclectic Medical College and was graduated with the class of 1888. Immediately afterward he located for practice in McCallsburg, Story county, Iowa, where he remained for three and a half years. He then removed to Dyersville, in Dubuque county, where he followed his profession until January, 1903, when he came to Des Moines. Here he has continued in practice to the present time and has done much surgical work. During 1899, and again in 1901, he took a post-graduate course in the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is now sur- geon to the Iowa Childrens Home and physician to the Methodist Hospital. He holds membership with the Polk County Medical Society, of which he was secretary two years-1909-10-and with the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

On the 16th of October, 1888, Dr. Osborn was married in Stanton county, Kansas, to Miss Anna Kreigh, a daughter of Luther Kreigh, a native of Davis county, Iowa. They have three children: William L., who was born in Story county, December 27, 1889; Boyd V., who was born in Story county, June 1, 1891 ; and Proctor K., who was born in Dubuque county, Iowa, May 26, 1893.

The family attend the Trinity Methodist Episcopal church, of which Dr. Osborn is a member. He also belongs to Grant Club and to Capital Lodge. No. 110, M. W. A. He is in sympathy with the movement of the progressive wing of the republican party, but of late years has not taken an active part in politics, owing to the increasing demands of his profession upon his time and energies. Few men conform their practice so closely to a high standard of professional ethics and there are few who enjoy in greater degree the con- fidence and respect of fellow practitioners as well as of the general public.

LEWIS E. BOLTON.

For more than half a century a resident of Des Moines, and during the greater part of that time connected with its mercantile interests, Lewis E. Bolton gained a standing in the esteem of the community which few of his contemporaries have ever attained. A patriotic citizen and a loyal friend, he possessed those qualities that attracted others, and he left the impress of his individuality upon many with whom he came in contact.

He was born at Connersville, Fayette county, Indiana, July 22, 1844, a son of Evan and Phoebe (Hanna) Bolton. The father, who was a native of Kentucky, came to Des Moines before the Civil war and engaged in the lumber business until his death, which occurred in 1873. There were four sons in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, namely : Leander, Homer, Lewis and Lavan. The father insisted that each of his sons should learn a trade in order that he might be able to take care of himself in case of emergency. Leander became connected with the hardware business; Homer became a banker; Lewis E. learned the printer's trade; and Lavan, the youngest member of the family. became a bookbinder and at the time of his death, in 1871, was foreman of the large bookbindery of Mills & Company, of Des Moines. Of the original family Homer is the only one now living. The three older brothers all served in a hundred day regiment which was recruited toward the close of the Civil war.

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Prior to coming to Des Moines Lewis E. Bolton was in charge of the job department of the Omaha Herald for about three years. He worked in the celebrated Morris office in Cincinnati, recognized as one of the most artistic printing establishments of the time, and subsequently was employed by R. P. Studley & Company of St. Louis, one of the largest job concerns of the city. which printed the laws of the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes of Indians and the statutes of New Mexico, each in a different language. Mr. Bolton proved himself to be unusually competent as a printer, and could have been a leader in that line had he not been attracted in other directions. In 1873, he asso- ciated with his brother, Leander, in the hardware business, continuing with him until 1892, when the firm was dissolved, and he established a store, which he conducted in his own name. He gained recognition as ore of the stanch and progressive business men of the city.

In 1871 Mr. Bolton was united in marriage at Whitehall, Illinois, to Miss Kate King. One son, L. K. Bolton, now living in Des Moines, was born to this union. Mr. Bolton was called away October 21, 1910. His remains were deposited by loving hands in Woodland cemetery, beside those of his father, mother, and two brothers, and the large concourse present at the funeral gave testamentary evidence of the high regard in which he was held. He will be remembered as a man of cultivated and refined tastes, a generous contributor to all worthy causes, and one, who although for many years in the midst of the strife of business, was never known to take undue advantage of the neces- sities of others.

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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 63

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