USA > Iowa > Black Hawk County > History of Black Hawk County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 30
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In his political views W. O. Foster is a republican and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day and is ever ready to support his position by intelligent argument. He is a Mason, holding membership in the lodge, to the teachings of which he is loyal, recognizing the value of its beneficent purposes.
J. B. HIGHLAND.
The industrial activity of Waterloo finds a well known and worthy repre- sentative in J. B. Highland, who is superintendent of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company and as such is active in directing one of the important indus- trial enterprises of the city. He has made for himself a creditable name and place during the twelve years of his residence in Waterloo. He is an Iowan by birth, training and preference, for he was born in Marion county in 1881 and
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remained there through the period of his boyhood and youth, acquiring his edu- cation in the public schools. On attaining man's estate he left his native county and made his way to Waterloo, where he entered the employ of the old Hackett & Daily Creamery Supply Company, remaining with them and their successors, the Iowa Dairy Separator Company, for six years. Subsequently he was with the Peerless Cream Separator Company for two years. He was also for two years again with the Iowa Dairy Separator Company and in May, 1910, he entered the service of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, of which he was made shop foreman, continuing in that capacity until September, 1912, when he was advanced to the position of superintendent of the plant, in which connec- tion he is now giving his attention to the management of the plant and those who work therein. His practical experience and broad knowledge well qualify him to carry on the work which is intrusted to him.
In 1904 Mr. Highland married Miss Rosa L. Albert, of Waterloo, and they have become the parents of three children, Wilson, Paul and Lillian. Mrs. Highland is a granddaughter of Jacob W. Leeper, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Black Hawk county, arriving here about 1850. Mr. Highland is a member of the Walnut Street Baptist church and his has been a well spent, active and useful life, bringing to him a measure of success that is gratifying for one of his years.
F. A. CARSON.
F. A. Carson is superintendent of the Prudential Insurance Company for Waterloo and this district and has his offices in the First National Bank building. He is a native of Hamilton county, Indiana, and a son of D. A. Carson, well known as one of the oldtime contractors and house builders of Noblesville, Indiana, where he has conducted business for thirty years. His wife is also living. In their family were two children, the daughter, Anna, being now the wife of George Gibble, who resides on a farm near Noblesville, Indiana. No deaths have occurred in the family since F. A. Carson was born.
The last named is indebted to the public-school system of his native state for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. In early life he learned the car- penter's trade with his father, who was a skilled workman and carefully and wisely directed the labors of the son. During the winter months when building operations were suspended he worked as a clerk in the stores and thus continued until April, 1902, when he became agent for the Prudential Insurance Company at Noblesville, Indiana. He had control of a municipal township surrounding the city and after eighteen months he was promoted to the position of assistant superintendent. In 1909 he was chosen as superintendent of the Waterloo dis- trict, which includes the northern and eastern sections of Iowa. He opened up this territory for the company, being its first representative in this part of the state, and here he has since continued. He has one of the three district offices in the state. The average business deposits of this office are about thirteen thousand dollars per month, or about one hundred and fifty-six thousand dollars annually. Mr. Carson has been located in Waterloo for six years and under his
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supervision this district has become one of the leading districts in proportional results in the United States and Canada. Mr. Carson devotes his undivided attention to the interests of the Prudential Insurance Company, which handles only life insurance.
In 1890 occurred the marriage of Mr. Carson and Miss Armilda E. Harrison, a daughter of Nelson Harrison, of Noblesville, Indiana, who is a retired farmer. In his family were five daughters and two sons, all of whom are yet living. Mr. and Mrs. Carson have become the parents of two children: Myrlea A., born in 1908; and Wilbur A., in December, 1909. The family adheres to the faith of the United Presbyterian church and Mr. Carson holds membership with the Knights of Pythias of Waterloo and the Red Men and Haymakers of Noblesville, Indiana. He has made steady progress since starting out in the business world on his own account, his ability, energy and determination having led him into important relations.
PETER W. KNIPP. 1
Peter W. Knipp, a representative and successful agriculturist of Cedar town- ship, owns one hundred and eighty-two acres of land on section 34 in associa- tion with his father, the property being known as the Miller Creek Stock Farm. His birth occurred in Neunkirchen, Germany, on the 9th of September, 1872, his parents being William and Anna M. (Schmitz) Knipp, who are also natives of that place. The father, who followed farming in Germany, brought his family to the United States and in 1881 located in Peru, Illinois. A short time later he came to Black Hawk county, Iowa, cultivating rented land in Cedar township for one year, on the expiration of which period he purchased a house and lot in Washburn and there made his home until 1889. In that year the family removed to Arkansas but after a brief period went to Troy Grove, Illinois, and remained in that state for a time. Subsequently they returned to Washburn, Iowa, where William Knipp erected a residence and worked on the section for the old Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad, now belonging to the Rock Island Railway Company. At the end of fifteen years he severed his connection with the corporation and rented a farm in Poyner township, Black Hawk county, operating the place for four years. On the expiration of that period, in asso- ciation with his son Peter, he purchased their present farm of one hundred and eighty-two acres on section 34, Cedar township, which they improved and in the operation of which they have been busily engaged to the present time. Wil- liam Knipp is now seventy-three years of age, while his wife has reached the age of seventy-one, and both are well known and highly esteemed throughout the community as people of genuine personal worth and upright, honorable lives.
Peter W. Knipp was a lad of eight years when he accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world and his education, begun in the schools of Germany, was continued in this county. Subsequently he worked with his father on the railroad for five years, and the interests of father and son have always been identical. Peter W. Knipp purchased his present farm in connec- tion with his father, though the property is in his own name. It has been known
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as the Barnes Lake Poultry Farm but is now styled the Miller Creek Stock Farm. Mr. Knipp makes a specialty of thoroughbred Guernsey cattle, Duroc Jersey hogs and Rhode Island Red chickens and in his undertakings as an agri- culturist has won a most gratifying and well merited measure of prosperity. He has taken particular interest in the growing of alfalfa. He is a stockholder in the Gilbertville Dairy Association, operating a creamery at Gilbertville, and was one of its directors several years.
On the 22d of May, 1900, Mr. Knipp was united in marriage to Miss Cather- ine Amfahr, a daughter of William and Anna (Reuter) Amfahr, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of Germany. William Amfahr took up his abode among the pioneer settlers of Eagle township, Black Hawk county, Iowa, and there carried on farming continuously and successfully until the time of his retirement in September, 1913. He is now living retired in Jesup, Iowa, at the age of fifty-seven years, but his wife passed away December 2, 1910. To Mr. and Mrs. Knipp have been born five children, namely: William : Annie; Regina and Christina, twins; and Lawrence.
In his political views Mr. Knipp is a stanch democrat and at the present time holds the office of justice of the peace in Cedar township, having made a most commendable record in that capacity during the past four years. He has also served as school director, and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He belongs to the Catholic Order of Foresters and is a devout com- municant of the Catholic church. Mr. Knipp has been carried forward into important relations with agricultural interests of his locality, and his personal characteristics have gained him the lasting regard of those with whom he has come in contact.
CLAUDE O. FIKE.
Claude O. Fike is engaged in the general real-estate business, handling city property in Waterloo and farm lands in various sections of this country and in Canada. He has secured a good clientage and the substantial and continued growth of his business is indicative of the enterprising methods which he fol- lows. He was born in Black Hawk county, near Waterloo, June 30, 1890, a son of Emanuel and Ella (Hill) Fike, who are also natives of this county and repre- sentatives of carly pioneer families. The father made farming his life work and continued to engage actively in that pursuit until 1913, when he removed to Waterloo, where he is now living practically retired, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. To him and his wife were born five children but they lost their eldest in infancy. The others are: Nira, the wife of George Benedict, a farmer residing south of Waterloo; Claude O., of this review : Ethel, the wife of Clarence Benedict, who is engaged in the vulcanizing business in Waterloo ; and Gladys, at home.
Reared upon the old homestead farm, Claude O. Fike divided his time be- tween the work of the fields and attendance at the country schools. He con- tinued to assist his father until nineteen years of age, after which he spent a year in travel in the western states. At the age of twenty-one he began farming
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on his own account in Black Hawk county and devoted the succeeding two years to that pursuit, at the end of which time he became a member of the firm of Marshall & Fike, now engaged in the general real-estate business in Waterloo. They handle their own property and also real estate belonging to others and operate in Iowa and other western states and in Canada. They sell both farm lands and city property and have negotiated a number of important realty trans- fers in Waterloo. Mr. Fike has made a close study of the business and is well acquainted with the property upon the market. He has been able to assist many clients in making judicious investments and profitable sales and his own success has accrued therefrom.
On the Ist of January, 1911, Mr. Fike was united in marriage to Miss Eliza- beth Marshall, a native of Waterloo and a daughter of George and Effie (Mc- Dowell) Marshall, both of whom were born in Waterloo, in which city the father engaged for many years in the grocery business. He also spent a num- ber of years as a traveling salesman and in early life he devoted his attention to farming. In 1912 he turned his attention to the real-estate business and in 1913 was joined by Mr. Fike in the present partnership, under the firm style of Marshall & Fike. To Mr. and Mrs. Fike has been born a daughter, Elinore Denile, whosc birth occurred January 20. 1912. The parents are well known in Waterloo, having practically spent their entire lives in Black Hawk county, and the hospitality of many of the best homes of the city is freely accorded them. Mr. Fike gives his political allegiance to the republican party but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, as he has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, and what he has undertaken has brought to him a substantial measure of success.
W. H. BURK.
W. H. Burk is the auditor and treasurer of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railroad. He came to this city in January, 1910, to enter upon his present connection and his service has been highly satisfactory to those whom he represents. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in November, 1873, and was educated in the schools there.
Mr. Burk entered the employ of the St. Paul & Duluth Railroad Company, now a part of the Northern Pacific system, and was with that road for three years. For a time he was assistant cashier of the freight department. After- ward he was appointed agent of the Canada Atlantic Railway and still later was made northwestern agent of the Canada Atlantic Transit Company, with which he remained for eight years, during which period he worked his way upward to a position of importance and responsibility. He afterward became commercial agent for the Chicago Great Western Railway and was located at Minneapolis for five months, at the end of which time he was sent to Boston, Massachusetts, acting as New England agent for the road and continuing at that point for a year and a half. He was next sent to New York city as gen- eral eastern agent, which position he resigned to become the auditor and treas- urer of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railroad. Each change that he
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has made has been one of advancement. He is president of the Cedar Valley Construction Company and is a director of the Iowa Real Estate & Investment Company in addition to his connection with railway interests.
In September, 1908, Mr. Burk was married to Miss Zathoe Cass, a daughter of L. S. Cass, president of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railroad Com- pany. They have become the parents of three children, Louis Stephen Cass, Richard Jamar and Elizabeth Mary.
Mr. Burk and his family are members of the Sacred Heart church and he holds membership with the Knights of Columbus and with the Catholic Club of New York. He is also a member of the New York Athletic Club, while in Waterloo he is a member of the Commercial Club and Board of Trade, and also of the Town Criers Club. Much of his life has been spent in the middle west and he is imbued with the spirit of enterprise and progress which has led to the rapid development and upbuilding of this section of the country.
LOUIS E. RICE.
Louis E. Rice is the president of the Rice & Dayton Manufacturing Com- pany, Incorporated, of Cedar Falls, and as such occupies a leading position in business circles of the town. He was born in Independence, Iowa, on the 3d of April, 1875, a son of Henry P. and Lavina E. (Grout) Rice. The father was a native of the state of New York and was but seven years of age when he came to Iowa with his father, Henry Rice, Sr., who located on a farm in Black Hawk county which he entered from the government. This was in the year 1852. He at once began to break the sod and turn the furrows in the development of the fields and in time made his one of the valuable farms of the district. The town of Raymond is now situated thereon. Henry P. Rice, Jr., was reared upon that place and at the outbreak of the Civil war enlisted for active service with the Union army, with which he remained until the close of hostilities. He then returned home and soon afterward was married in Independence. Through the succeeding fifteen years he lived upon a farm near Independence and in 1891 he returned to Black Hawk county, purchasing a tract of land in Union township, seven miles northwest of Cedar Falls, where he still resides, being numbered among the well-to-do and highly respected farmers of that locality.
In the acquirement of his education Louis E. Rice attended both the district schools and the city schools of Independence and when about sixteen years of age he entered upon an apprenticeship at the gunsmith's trade. In 1891 he came to Cedar Falls and opened a small shop for the sale of bicycles and general repair work, his tools consisting of little more than a screwdriver and a monkey wrench. He developed this small business up to a point where he had one of the finest sporting goods stores in this section of the state. About 1905 G. R. Dayton was admitted to a partnership under the firm name of Rice & Dayton. They continued the business until 1908 and then sold their stock of sporting goods in order to engage in the manufacture of vulcanizers and other auto specialties. Again they started out on a small scale but their business developed rapidly and they gradually drifted into the wholesale field, handling automobile
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supplies, tools and electrical specialties. In January, 1911, the company was incorporated under the laws of Iowa and immediately following their incorpora- tion they began the erection of their modern business building, which is sixty- four by one hundred feet. They occupy two floors of this building and have a welding department in a separate building. The plant is adequate to supply and equip any garage with a complete workshop and outfit. Their business has be- come one of the most important industrial plants of Black Hawk county.
In 1900 Mr. Rice was united in marriage to Miss Mary Waugh, of Cedar Falls. They are members of the Presbyterian church and are highly esteemed wherever known. Mr. Rice deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. He has embraced opportunities which others have passed heedlessly by and as the years have gone on he has made a creditable record, not only on account of his success but also owing to the straightforward business policy lie has ever followed.
RICHARD LEE.
Richard Lee, optometrist and jeweler of Waterloo, has ever held to high business standards and each forward step in his career has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. He was born in Davis county, Iowa, in 1862, a son of Joseph K. and Sarah Lee, who about 1865 left Davis county and went to Des Moines, Iowa, where the father conducted what was known as the old Skinner Plow & Implement Factory for a number of years. At the end of that period he purchased a farm near the city of Des Moines and continued its cultivation until his retirement from active business. At length, having acquired a handsome competence as a result of his industry, determination and capable management, he retired from active business and took up his abode in Madrid, where both he and his wife spent their remaining days, the father passing away at the age of eighty-six years and the mother at the age of eighty. In their family were fourteen children, of whom four have passed away.
Richard Lee acquired his education largely in the schools of Polk county, Iowa, and later pursued a special course in business college and afterward at- tended an optical college in Chicago, from which he was graduated in the class of 1897. He remained at home until sixteen years of age, after which he earned his own living and also paid his way through school. About the time he attained his majority he took up watchmaking and engraving with E. C. Pike, of Boone, Iowa. This was his first experience in connection with the jeweler's trade. After a short time he embarked in business on his own account at Madrid, Iowa, where he remained for two years. He next removed to Sioux City, where he conducted a watchmaking and general repair work business for two years. At the end of that time he went to Grafton, North Dakota, and afterward estab- lished his home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he made a specialty of optical work, receiving a large patronage from the residents of Sioux Falls and the surrounding country. After five years he removed to Sioux City, Iowa, and for a brief period was connected with the C. N. Clark Jewelry Company. Still later he conducted an optical business on his own account in Sioux City,
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drawing his trade from a wide territory, and in 1896 he came to Waterloo, opening a store on Fourth street. There he remained until 1911, when he re- moved to Fifth street, opening the first jewelry store on that thoroughfare.
Mr. Lee conducts a general jewelry business, doing manufacturing and repair work and carrying one of the most complete stocks of jewelry handled in this city, including diamonds, watches, jewelry of all kinds, cut glass and optical goods. His establishment is most attractive by reason of the large stock and its tasteful arrangement. Every effort is put forth to please customers and the business methods of the house are such as will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny. Mr. Lee also does a wholesale business in selling material to other jewelers of Waterloo and throughout the state. He is likewise an expert en- graver. His business enterprise has prompted his connection with other interests and he is now a stockholder in the Phillesola banana plantation of Mexico and has stock in the Waverly Brewery. He also owns mining stock in two copper mines in Montana and Idaho. His investments have been judiciously made and success in considerable measure has attended his efforts.
In 1887 Mr. Lee was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Page, a native of Canada but born of English parentage. Her father, mother and other relatives still live at St. Thomas, Canada, and in that section of the country. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have become parents of a son, Faye Cecil, who was born in 1892. He attended the high school at Waterloo, is a graduate of the Waterloo College of Commerce of the class of 1910 and is now following his father's line of business. He has made a study of optometry as a profession and has gained notable skill in optical work. He married Miss Frances Rittler, a native of Iowa and a daughter of H. W. and Lettie Rittler. They were married in 1912 and now reside at Faith, South Dakota.
Mr. Lee is a very prominent Mason. He has become a Knight Templar of the York Rite and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise connected with the Knights of Pythias and with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. The record which the American citizen holds in highest honor is that of a self- made man. Such is the life history of Richard Lee, who at the age of sixteen years started out upon his own account and has advanced steadily step by step, his determination and even paced energy carrying him into important relations. He has never overestimated his own capacities and powers nor overvalued his opportunities ; on the contrary his judgment is sound and through well formu- lated plans carried carefully forward to successful completion he has gained for himself the prominent position which he now occupies as a business man of Waterloo.
H. W. FLINT.
H. W. Flint is a leading commercial and portrait photographer of Waterloo. He has mastered all of the intricacies of the art and the excellence of his work insures to him a liberal patronage. He was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, on the 4th of April, 1879, a son of William and Rose (Clift) Flint, both of whom were natives of England, in which country they were reared. It was
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after they crossed the Atlantic to Canada, however, that they were married, the wedding being celebrated in Chatham. There the father engaged in the tailor- ing business until 1888, when he crossed the border into the United States and made his way to Eagle Grove, Iowa. Subsequently he removed to Ames, where he now resides, and he is still actively engaged in the tailoring business, to which he has devoted his entire life.
H. W. Flint spent the first nine years of his life in his native country and then accompanied his parents to this state. His education was largely acquired in the Des Moines and Eagle Grove public schools and in Bowen's Business College of Des Moines. Following the completion of his course he took up the study of photography in the gallery of Tom James, of Des Moines, with whom he remained for three years, becoming familiar with all the mechanical processes connected with the business and largely developing his artistic skill and dis- crimination. He next entered the gallery of T. W. Townsend of Iowa City, with whom he also continued for three years, and in 1902 he came to Waterloo, where he opened a studio in the old Phelps building. In 1908 he removed to the Bunt building at the corner of West Park avenue and Commercial street, where he now occupies a commodious and pleasant suite of rooms. His studio is splendidly equipped in every particular and he has always kept in touch with the most advanced scientific methods and processes of photography and at the same time he is a close student of those artistic phases of the business which find expression in effects of pose, light and shade. His work is indeed artistic and his business is growing year by year.
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