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 7

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 7

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It was in Detroit, on the 19th of July, 1905, that Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Lillie Grace Pope, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Pope, natives of New York. Her mother passed away about twenty years ago and the father died in February, 1911. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have a little daughter, Dorothy, who was born in Des Moines, August 19, 1907. Politically Mr. Wilson is a republican and fraternally a Mason. In Des Moines he holds mem- bership with the Grant Club, the Hyperion Club, the Grand View Golf Club and the Ad Men's Club. As secretary of the greater Des Moines committee he was one of the prime factors in the city's recent rapid and substantial develop- ment and has done much for its commercial and industrial welfare. With keen mentality and marked capability and with an enthusiastic interest in his work he accomplishes what he undertakes, whether in the field of individual effort or in arousing public sentiment to public needs and the possibility for the promo- tion of municipal interests.

JOHN RUSSELL BARCROFT.

The record of John Russell Barcroft constitutes a creditable chapter in the judicial history of Des Moines. It has been said of him: "He stood in the front of the bar for acuteness and strength of intellect, for keen analysis, for incor- ruptible honesty and individual worth." The qualities which he manifested at all times commanded for him the respect not only of the profession but of the entire public. His record deserves a place upon the pages of Polk county's history.

JOHN R. BARCROFT

CITY OF DES MOINES AND POLK COUNTY

Mr. Barcroft was born May 13, 1824, at Cadiz, Ohio. His father, who served as a soldier in the war of 1812, was connected with the celebrated Lee family of Virginia. After attending the common schools John Russell Barcroft began teaching at the age of fourteen and utilized the hours which are usually termed leisure for the study of law in the office and under the direction of John A. Bingham. He also attended the Ohio University at Athens in further prepara- tion for the bar, to which he secured admission at Marietta, Ohio, on the 26th of March, 1847. He then moved to Millersburg, Ohio, where he located for practice, following the profession until 1864, when he went to Oskaloosa, Iowa. The next year he became a resident of Des Moines, where he spent his remain- ing days as an active member of the legal fraternity. He won almost immediate recognition as a strong and able lawyer and was at different times associated with Polk & Hubbell, C. H. Gatch, Josiah Given and James M. McCaughan. After the death of Mr. McCaughan, in June, 1900, Mr. Barcroft continued alone in practice until his death on the 20th of January, 1901.

Mr. Barcroft's marriage had been celebrated almost a half century before. On the 4th of June, 1852, he wedded Miss Susan F. Ankeny, a lady of rare at- tainments and a representative of one of the most prominent of Des Moines' families. Mrs. Barcroft and four children, Mrs. George E. King, Mrs. Hattie L. McCaughan, Russell A. Barcroft and Joseph K. Barcroft, all of Des Moines, survive the husband and father.'

At the time of his death Mr. Barcroft was the oldest practicing lawyer of Polk county, where he had been a notable figure for a third of a century. A contemporary biographer has said: "He was a lawyer of the old school, of courteous manners, of kindly disposition and of high intellectual attainments. He retained through all the years the respect and admiration of those who knew him. He was engaged in many important causes, was a keen debater and delighted in the argument of abstract legal propositions. To him the legal pro- fession was an arena for usefulness and he used it to promote the rights of man and universal justice. He won the higher success that comes to those who live above the clamor of passion and the demands of Mammon. He was not a mem- ber of any church or secret order and did not largely engage in politcs, except as a citizen discharging his duty towards the public. The soul of honor, alive to every obligation of citizenship, he discharged the duties of life and his pro- fession fearlessly and with strictest integrity."

WALTER T. McNERNEY.

The success of sons of Erin in America redounds in the highest degree to their credit and has demonstrated that nowhere else in the world may ambitious young men find such opportunities for advancement as are presented in the re- public. The career of Walter T. McNerney, assistant secretary of the Brown- Camp Hardware Company of Des Moines, is an evidence of the truth of the above statement. He was born in the city of Dublin, October 27, 1878, a son of Joshua and Sarah (Jackson) McNerney. The father was born in 1836 and was a stock broker.

Walter T. McNerney was educated at Dublin, completing his school training at St. Mary's College. After leaving college he turned his attention to archi- tecture, which he studied for two years, at the end of which time he decided that America presented more favorable opportunities than he could expect to find in his native country. Accordingly, in 1899, he crossed the ocean, coming west to St. Joseph, Missouri, where for three years he was identified with the Wyeth Hardware Company. Being attracted to Des Moines, he entered the employ of the Brown-Hurley Hardware Company August 15, 1902. Beginning as

CITY OF DES MOINES AND POLK COUNTY

stock clerk, he has advanced through various departments until he is at the pres- ent time assistant secretary of the company and buyer.

On the 20th of October, 1902, he was united in marriage to Julia V. Kender- dine, whose father was major of the Seventeenth Iowa Volunteers at the time of the Civil war. He served through the entire rebellion, being the only one of the original officers of the regiment surviving at the time the organization was mustered out of service. To Mr. and Mrs. McNerney one child, Jack, has been born. He is now four years old. Mr. and Mrs. McNerney are active factors in the social life of the city, he being a member of the Grant Club and of the Waveland Golf Club. Politically he gives his allegiance to the republican party and his religious faith is indicated by membership in the Episcopal church. A representative of the younger element of business men, he is active, energetic and thoroughly wide awake. Judged by what he has already accomplished in the land of his adoption, his friends prophesy for him a brilliant future.

JOHN FISHER.

During the course of a long career John Fisher, for more than sixty years a resident of Iowa, has witnessed many remarkable changes in the west. His mind carries him back to the pioneer times before the Civil war and the great excitement that followed the discovery of gold at Pikes Peak. Later he noted the incoming of settlers from other states and from Europe and the transformation that has made Iowa one of the richest commonwealths of the Union. For seven years past he has lived in Valley Junction and, although he has now reached the age of seventy-six years, he takes an active interest in business affairs. He is a native of Indiana and was born January 7, 1835, the son of Nathan and Nancy (Kilbourn) Fisher, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter in Kentucky. The father came to Iowa in 1849 and located on a farm at Oskaloosa. He died in 1850, the mother having been called away in Indiana in 1838.

John Fisher received his early education in the district schools and re- mained with his father until the death of the latter, the son being then only fifteen years of age. He began his active career as a teamster, continuing until 1857, when he entered the mercantile business in Jasper county, Iowa. In about a year, however, this venture proved disastrous and, being attracted by the gold excitement, he crossed the plains to the Rocky Mountains and worked in a sawmill and also in the mines. However, he did not take kindly to gold mining as an occupation and he returned to Iowa after an absence of about a year and engaged in teaming in Polk county for four years. He then bought a farm of two hundred and thirty acres, which he began industriously to clear and improve. He also engaged in the grain business, continuing in both occu- pations until 1894, when he was elected county supervisor and moved to Valley Junction, where he has since made his home in a beautiful residence at No. 250 Seventh street. For six years he served faithfully in the office of supervisor and he has also served as justice of the peace for ten years and as trustee of the township. At the present time he is secretary of the New Valley Junction Water & Light Company. A man of resourceful business ability, he has found in the course of his active career ample room for the exercise of his talents, which have brought him well merited rewards.

On the 19th day of October, 1856, Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Parker, a daughter of Pleasant and Sarah (Lang) Parker, both of whom were natives of Virginia. The father came to Iowa in 1846 and en- gaged in farming near Oskaloosa. He died in 1897, his wife having passed away seven years earlier. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fisher,

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namely : Dora, who is the wife of George Clegg and lives on her father's farm ; Ida, the wife of Elias Dressler and who lives in Des Moines; Albert B. and Elmer B., twins, the latter of whom is living at Tipton, Oklahoma. Albert B. was killed by a fall from a ladder in 1909.

Mr. Fisher and his wife have traveled life's journey together for fifty-five years and have many friends in Polk county who have been attracted by their genial and unselfish qualities. They are both stanch supporters of the Meth- odist church. He gives his support to the democratic party and fraternally is identified with the Odd Fellows, with whose teachings of brotherhood he is in complete sympathy. Having been governed through life by principles of honor and justice he is greatly respected wherever his name is known.

WILLIAM DONALD EVANS.

Although one of the younger representatives of the Des Moines bar, com- parative youth does not seem to prove an obstacle to progress in the career of William Donald Evans, who since February, 1909, has practiced as a member of the firm of Carr, Carr & Evans in Des Moines. Fully recognizing the fact that advancement in the law depends upon individual merit and ability, he is applying himself closely to the duties that devolve upon him in his professional connection and his thorough preparation of his cases, combined with strong and incisive argument in the presentation of his causes have given him place among the stronger representatives of the younger element of the Des Moines bar.

William D. Evans was born in Hampton, Iowa, July 2, 1882, his parents being Judge William D. and Julia (Stark) Evans, the former a distinguished member of the Iowa supreme court. Liberal educational advantages were ac- corded the son and after attending the Iowa College at Grinnell, from which he was graduated in 1903, he entered Drake University and completed the course of the college of law in 1907. In the meantime he engaged in teaching in the East High School in Des Moines but regarded this merely as an initial step to other professional labor. He began the practice of law in Hampton, Iowa, in July, 1907, and came to Des Moines in November, 1908. In the following February he was admitted to the firm of Carr, Carr & Evans and has since practiced in this connection. The firm has an extensive clientage, being connected with much of the important litigation that appears in the courts of Des Moines.

Mr. Evans was married in the capital city, October 24, 1907, to Miss Edna L. Hooley, a daughter of J. L. and Charlotte L. Hooley, of Milwaukee, Wis- consin. Mr. Evans votes with the republican party but is not an active worker in its ranks. He holds membership with the Knights of Pythias, with the Hyperion Field Club and the Grant Club and his social qualities make him popular in the different organizations with which he is connected.

ERNEST SARGENT OLMSTED.

The story of a successful life is always inspiring, for a successful career involves the meeting and conquest of difficulties, and it is this conquest which strengthens the judgment, develops the character and prepares the way as the years pass for larger responsibilities. It was through years of unfaltering in- dustry, of close application and of earnest endeavor that Ernest Sargent Olm- sted was able to forge his way upward from a humble capacity to the position

CITY OF DES MOINES AND POLK COUNTY

of superintendent of one of the extensive and important enterprises of Des Moines. He also has a most interesting and honorable military record, having served his country in various capacities for a number of years, and in that direc- tion he added new laurels to a name which already stood for excellent achieve- ment in the military field.

Mr. Olmsted was born in Fort Douglas, Utah, on the 30th of November, 1873, and is a son of Major Jerauld A. and Abbie (Bailey) Olmsted, natives of New York and Vermont respectively. The father, who was born in Wyoming county on the 28th of July, 1846, is a son of Hamden and Fanny (Sprague) Olmsted, natives of the Empire state. He acquired his preliminary education in the dis- trict schools of New York and later attended the Wyoming Academy. Upon his completion of the course at that institution he entered West Point Military Academy in 1866 and was graduated therefrom in 1870, at which time he was assigned to the Fourth United States Cavalry, stationed in Texas.

In the fall of that year he was ordered to the field and for three years was engaged in Indian warfare, being on duty during both winter and summer months. During this service he froze both feet. He was next transferred to the Thirteenth Infantry, then stationed in Wyoming, and in 1874 he was ordered from that place to New Orleans on reconstruction duty, remaining in the latter city for six years, or until the year 1880. During that period he served as regi- mental quartermaster and a part of the time as depot quartermaster in the city of New Orleans. In June, 1880, the regiment was ordered to New Mexico and there Mr. Olmsted was appointed a member of the staff of the general in command with the rank of inspecting officer. A few months later he was trans- ferred to the Ninth Cavalry, which was then stationed at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, and was immediately sent into the field to quell the Indians, who at that time were giving considerable trouble. A few months later he went with his regiment to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he remained three years. He was there made regimental quartermaster of his regiment which, at the end of the three years, was assigned to Fort McKinney, Wyoming, where one year was spent. They were next ordered to Fort Duchesne, Utah, and they were there stationed until 1886, when they returned to Wyoming, taking up quarters at Fort Wash- akie. Three years later they went to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, and in the fol- lowing year-1892-Mr. Olmsted was ordered to New York city on recruiting service, where he remained until 1894. He then returned to Fort Robinson and later went to Pine Ridge agency, South Dakota, where he was made inspector of Indian supplies. He occupied this position for two years, after which he was ordered to Iowa to serve on duty with the National Guard.

In 1898 he was appointed mustering in and mustering out officer at Des Moines during the time of the Spanish-American war. He was put on the re- tired list October 16, 1898, and in the following year became inspector general of Iowa. In 1900 he was placed on duty at the State Normal School at Cedar Falls, Iowa, in charge of the military department, and three years later was ordered back to duty with the National Guard. He has since been stationed in Des Moines, making his home at 2809 Rutland avenue, where his wife is also still living and enjoying excellent health. For more than forty years his life was the life of the military post and during that period he served in various capacities in twenty-two different states. Such in brief is the record of one whose entire life has been given to the service of his country, responding readily to every call to duty and serving loyally and fearlessly in every instance-a record which does him much credit and of which his country may well be proud.

The career of Ernest Sargent Olmsted, who has proven himself a worthy son of an honored father, has been equally active and interesting. In early child- hood he attended the kindergarten at New Orleans, while his father was sta- tioned in that city, and later he became a pupil in the public schools of San Francisco, California, and completed his preliminary study by graduation from

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the high school of Des Moines. Attracted toward military life, he became an applicant for West Point and in 1891 was appointed alternate, with Major Charles Saltzman of Des Moines, as principal candidate. Both successfully passed the required entrance examination, but as there was no opening at West Point at that time Mr. Olmsted went immediately to Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, and remained a student in that institution until twenty-one years of age. Then, on the 30th of July, 1895, he enlisted as a soldier in the Second United States Cavalry, Troop E, and in January of the following year became lance corporal, and from time to time other promotions came to him. On the 28th of March, 1896, he was appointed corporal and on the 12th of December of the same year the rank of sergeant was bestowed upon him. During his service he qualified as marksman in 1896 and as sharpshooter in 1897, and throughout this period was stationed in the following states: Nebraska; Arizona; New Mexico .; Chickamauga Park, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; and Savannah, Georgia. On the 5th of May, 1898, he was discharged, with a record of excellent char- acter, on the request of Governor Leslie M. Shaw in order that, on the 14th of that month, he might be mustered into the Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry with the rank of battalion adjutant. In this capacity he served with his regiment throughout the Spanish-American war, and then, at the close of hostilities, on account of his wife's health, he resigned from military circles after a most creditable and valuable service.

On his return to civil life Mr. Olmsted took up his residence in Des Moines and entered the business circles of this city in connection with the Chicago & Great Western Railroad Company in January, 1899. His first position was that of collector, but, being actuated by a spirit of ambition and enterprise that would not allow him to remain at the bottom of the ladder, he applied himself with such determination and performed his duties with such efficiency and satisfaction that within two years he had passed through several of the minor offices and by continued promotions eventually became assistant agent at Waterloo, Iowa. He remained in that capacity for nine months, at the end of which time, being urged by his friends to leave the railroad business, he severed his connection with the Chicago & Great Western and accepted a position as manager of a large coal jobbing company, with headquarters in Des Moines. He occupied that position for about a year, and then became identified with the Merchants Transfer & Storage Company, of this city, who had been seeking his services for more than two years. His first position with that concern was that of manager of one of their large warehouses, in which capacity he served for about a year, when he was made assistant credit manager and thus served for about three years, at the end of which time the business was incorporated and its capital increased from ten thousand to thirty thousand dollars. At that time Mr. Olmsted became a stockholder in the company and was appointed to a position in the president's office. On the Ist of October, 1910, the Merchants Transfer & Storage Com- pany and the Des Moines Transfer Company were consolidated, with an in- creased capitalization of fifty thousand dollars, and Mr. Olmsted became super- intendent of the entire business, including the warehouse as well as the operative departments, and which position he is today occupying. Such a record tells its own story of indefatigable energy and determination, of untiring effort and faith- fulness to duty, of a trust reposed and a faith unbroken. Each change in his position has marked an upward step in an orderly progression which has brought him from a humble position to one of importance in business circles, and to- day the city of Des Moines numbers him among its most progressive and sub- stantial business men.

It was on the 23d of June, 1898, that Mr. Olmsted was united in marriage to Miss Alice Lockwood, of Newark, New Jersey, a daughter of George and Alida Lockwood, natives of New York and Germany respectively. Her father, who was a mining expert, to which business he devoted his entire life, was a

CITY OF DES MOINES AND POLK COUNTY

graduate of the School of Mines at Freiburg, Germany, and for a time had charge of the largest smelter at Salt Lake City. Later he went to Leadville, Colorado, where he accepted a position as manager of Silver Wave mine, and subsequently went to South America to inspect some mines there. While in that country he contracted fever which caused his death on the Ist of March, 1883. His wife survived until the 23d of March, 1898. With the passing of the years the home of Mr. and Mrs. Olmsted was blessed with four children, as follows : Jerauld Lockwood, born February 17, 1900; George Hamden, born March 18, 1901; Jennie Alida, born December 7, 1902; and Frederick Linton, born Au- gust 5, 1905.

Mr. Olmsted's political views are indicated by the fact that for a time he served as secretary of the Grant Club, but was compelled to resign this position on account of the heavy demands made upon his time by business affairs. He also for a time filled the office of secretary of the Manufacturers and Imple- ment Dealers Association, of which organization he is now the president-a fact which clearly indicates the position he occupies in the business circles of Des Moines. He is a member of the Spanish-American War Veterans, and is now senior vice commander of Lawton Camp, No. 2. His religious faith is that of the Universalist church while his wife holds membership in the Epis- copal church. Their home is a beautiful residence at 2801 Rutland avenue, Des Moines, which is the property of Mr. Olmsted, and they also have a de- lightful summer home at Clear Lake, Iowa. The record of Mr. Olmsted is one of interest as showing what may be accomplished by one who has not hesitated to venture where favoring opportunity leads, and who by the wise utilization of natural talents has progressed far on the highway to success. He has won his prosperity, however, along legitimate lines of business and his course is another illustration of the fact that success and an honored name may be won simul- taneously.

GARDNER APPLETON HUNTOON, M. D.

Success has attended Dr. Gardner Appleton Huntoon from the very begin- ning of his professional career, and today he is one of the highly honored physi- cians of Des Moines. This position he has gained by earnest and conscientious effort and the exercise of abilities of a high order that have won him the con- fidence of the community and of his brother practitioners. Born at Atlantic, Cass county, Iowa, October 6, 1874, he is a son of Herman M. and Harriet (Copeland) Huntoon, the latter of whom was born at Acworth, New Hamp- shire, March 23, 1855. The father was a native of Unity, New Hampshire, and was born February 21, 1852. He is at this time superintendent of the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company in this state. One of the ancestors of the family married a granddaughter of John and Priscilla Alden. Six children constituted the family of Mr. and Mrs. Huntoon, five of whom are now living: Gardner Appleton, the subject of this review; Gertrude, now the wife of Dr. Leslie M. Nourse, of Des Moines; Edna, of Denver, Colorado; Harold, and Raymond.

Having received his early education in the public schools of Des Moines, Gardner Appleton Huntoon entered the East high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1892. As he had decided upon a professional career he matriculated in the State University at Iowa City and was graduated from the College of Homeopathic Medicine with the degree of M. D. in 1896. After leaving college he at once began the practice of his profession at University place, where he has since continued, enjoying a large and increasing patronage as the years have advanced. He is a constant student and keeps well abreast of the latest discoveries in a profession that has witnessed great changes during the last quarter of a century. Always an active worker in whatever he under-

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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 7

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