USA > Iowa > Black Hawk County > History of Black Hawk County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 52
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In 1890 Mr. Arey was made professor of natural science at the Iowa State Teachers College and is now the head of that department. He understands well the needs of the students, most of whom are to become teachers themselves, and plans his courses with the aim of best preparing them for their work. He presents his subject in such a way that he not only enables his students to acquire a
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thorough knowledge concerning the phases of science touched upon, but he also makes it possible for them to use their knowledge efficiently in their future work as instructors.
Professor Arey is prominent in educational circles throughout Iowa and has been secretary of the state educational council for twenty-five years. In 1893 he was a member of the University of Iowa expedition to the Bahamas and Cuba and has served as special assistant in the Iowa geological survey. He is a life mem- ber of the state horticultural society, belongs to the state park and forestry asso- ciation and the National Science Association. His high scholarship in his student days won him election to Phi Beta Kappa, and his keen mind and scientific spirit have enabled him to accomplish much in the educational world.
Professor Arey was married on the 16th of May, 1869, at Hampden, Maine, to Miss Louise H. Smith. His political belief is that of the republican party and he has taken considerable interest in local government and since 1899 has served as a member of the city council, with the exception of one year. He is a member of the Iowa Academy of Science and in 1905 he was its president. His religious adherence is given to the Methodist church and he takes an active part in its work. In 1862 and 1863 he was a member of the Twenty-second Regiment of Maine Volunteers and rose from the rank of private to that of corporal. He has never ceased to feel a deep interest in the Civil war period and as a member of the Grand Army of the Republic enjoys keeping up the associations of those days. As a teacher of teachers his influence is of a nature that cannot be calculated, but it is far-reaching and effective and he has contributed in a large measure to the development of intellectual and moral life of his adopted state.
CHARLES FAY.
Charles Fay is a well known real estate dealer of Waterloo, largely specializ- ing in handling farm lands of this county and of Iowa. He is a native son of Minnesota, born in 1862, his parents being Randall and Lois (Scott) Fay, who in the year 1865 came with their family to Iowa, settling in Hamilton county among the pioneers. The father homesteaded his first land at a time when his nearest neighbor was five miles distant and he thus became actively identi- fied with the early development and upbuilding of the county. As his financial resources increased he afterward purchased other land until he was the owner of a fine farm which he developed and improved, making it a valuable property. He died in the year 1891 and for eleven years was survived by his wife, who passed away in 1902. In their family were three children: Anna, who is the wife of D. E. Hurd, who resides at Collegeport, Texas, and is a landholder of North Dakota; Oscar D., now living in Missouri ; and Charles, of this review.
The last named acquired his education in the country schools of Hamilton county, this state, to which his parents removed with their family when he was but three years of age. Through the vacation periods he worked in the fields and thus assisted his father until twenty-one years of age, when he went to South Dakota and homesteaded land in Miner county. There he lived for four years, at the end of which time he sold out and removed to Dickinson
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county, Iowa. There he purchased land and carried on general agricultural pursuits for five years. In the meantime he bought three other quarter sections, for which he paid from six to ten dollars per acre, and a few years later, at intervals, he sold his land for an average of forty dollars per acre. As time passed he made more of a specialty of real estate than farming and in 1901. he came to Waterloo, where he opened a real estate office, since which time he has given his attention to handling farm lands in Iowa. He buys and sells much property in this county and at all times has a large number of farms for disposal to satisfy his possible customers. He principally handles land of his own, conducting but few property transfers on the commission basis. He is today one of the foremost real estate men of Waterloo and has always con- centrated his energies upon the management of property in this state. Hle owns a flat building in Waterloo at the corner of Fremont and Vine streets and has several vacant lots.
In 1886 Mr. Fay was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Taylor, who was born in Hardin county, Iowa, a daughter of Mahlon and Elizabeth (Leply) Taylor, who were early settlers of Hardin county, arriving there in 1851. The father is still living there at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, while the mother passed away in 1902. In their family were five children: Joseph, a resident of Hardin county ; Ludema, the wife of Adelbert Dyke, of Estherville, Iowa; Alice, the wife of Harvey Williams, of Eldora, Iowa; Mrs. Fay; and Mrs. Mark West, of Mason City, Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Fay have been born two children: Ethel, now the wife of J. M. Davis, who is with the Inter- national Harvester Company at Mason City, Iowa; and Berta, the wife of James Zeeryp, who is with the Otis Elevator Company in New York city.
Mr. Fay belongs to the Knights of Pythias and his wife holds member- ship with the Pythian Sisters. While he usually votes with the republican party, he is liberal in his views and casts his ballot according to the dictates of his judgment regarding the needs of the situation. He and his family are of the Universalist faith. Mr. Fay has practically spent his entire life in this state and there are few better qualified to speak concerning farm properties in Iowa, for he has studied the situation thoroughly, knows the value of the soil in different sections of the state and is thus able to advise his clients and assist them in making judicious investments.
PROFESSOR BRUCE FRANCIS.
Professor Bruce Francis, the efficient superintendent of the Cedar Falls city schools, well known as one of the ablest educators of this section of the state, was born in Madison county, Jowa, February 20, 1865, a son of Washington and Catherine (Newman) Francis, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. They came to Iowa prior to their marriage, the mother making the journey to this state with her parents in her girlhood, while the father came as a young man with two of his brothers. They took up government land in Madi- son county, near Earlham, and a part of the town of Earlham has been built upon a portion of the land which the brothers entered. The parents of Professor Vol. II-26
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Francis are still living, spending the winter seasons in California, while the remainder of their time is divided among their children.
Professor Francis was educated in the public schools and in the State Teach- ers' College of Cedar Falls, from which he was graduated in 1891 with the degree of Master of Didactics. He afterward entered the State University at Iowa City and completed his course there by graduation in 1896, at which time the Ph. B. degree was conferred upon him. Subsequently he took up post-graduate work in the University of Chicago, where he studied in the summers of 1913 and 1914. On completing his course in the State Teachers' College in 1891 he turned his attention to the profession of teaching, becoming principal of the schools of Dexter, Iowa, and subsequently he was called to the superintendency of the schools at Montezuma. For seven years he acted as superintendent of schools at Williamsburg, Iowa, and then went to Mount Pleasant, where he remained as the efficient and popular superintendent for three years. . At the end of that time he was called to become superintendent of the public schools of Washing- ton, Iowa, and a year later, or in 1909, he was offered the superintendency of the schools of Cedar Falls, where he has since remained. His work has been highly satisfactory and he occupies an enviable position among the able edu- cators representing the public-school system of the state.
In 1892 Professor Francis was united in marriage to Miss Ella Flater, of Bennett, Cedar county, Iowa, who is a graduate of the Iowa State Teachers' College of the class of 1892. To them have been born five children, as follows : Dorothy, who is the wife of Owen Parsons and resides in Montana ; Helen and Harold, both attending the Iowa State Teachers' College ; Catherine, a high-school student ; and Donald, who is in the eighth grade. The three older children are graduates of the Cedar Falls high school.
Professor Francis is a member of the State Teachers' Association and he assists the State Teachers' College in its summer training work, having been made a member of the faculty. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, Professor Francis serving on the official board. His aid and influence are ever given on the side of progress, advancement and improvement and association with him means expansion and elevation. He has been a close student of the great sociologi- cal, political and economic problems of the day and in his professional career he has ever endeavored to make his work a factor in the thorough training of the young in preparation for life's responsibilities and duties.
JOHN H. HOGAN.
John H. Hogan is a resident farmer of Fox township, where an excellent property of two hundred and forty acres pays tribute to his care and cultiva- tion. He makes stock raising one of the principal features of his business and has become widely known in this connection. He was born in Winnebago county, Illinois, in 1864, a son of John and Ann (Mullin) Hogan, both of whom were natives of County Tipperary, Ireland, the former born in 1829 and
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the latter in 1826. The father died in 1913, but the mother is still living on the old homestead in Lester township, this county.
In Ireland John Hogan was a jobber or dealer in cattle, taking cattle front one fair to another and making his sales on those ocasions. In 1852 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and made his way direct to Illinois, where he followed farming until 1865. He then came to Iowa and established his home in Lester township, Black Hawk county. He found an undeveloped and unimproved district. The conditions of pioneer life here existed and the work of progress and improvement seemed scarcely begun. There were only two stores in Waterloo and only here and there over the county was a settler who with courageous spirit was meeting the hardships of frontier life in order to secure a home. John Hogan broke the sod with an ox team and as the years passed on continued his farm work, sharing in all the privations of pioneer life but overcoming difficulties and obstacles as the years passed on until at the time of his death he was numbered among the men of affluence in the county, owning and cultivating four hundred acres of land. He assisted in building the first church in Barclay township and was interested in the development and upbuilding of the county along many lines. His religious faith was that of the Catholic church and his political belief was that of the democratic party.
John H. Hogan was the third in order of birth in a family of seven children. He was reared amid pioneer conditions, being but a year old when brought to lowa. He conned his lessons while sitting on the bench in a granary which was used as a schoolhouse and later he continued his education in the first schoolhouse built in the township. He walked four miles in order to attend school. He was, however, ambitious to advance along intellectual lines and made good use of his time and opportunities. Through the summer months he worked in the fields, assisting his father in the development and cultivation of the old home farm, so that he was well qualified to carry on work along that line when he started out in business on his own account. When nineteen years of age he began working as a farm hand and was thus employed to the age of twenty-five years. He then married and settled upon a rented farm, culti- vating leased land for ten years. In 1899 he removed to Fox township and is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of rich and arable land which returns to him a gratifying annual income derived from the sale of the large crops which he gathers yearly. His home is an attractive residence. There is a good barn thirty-six by eighty feet, and all of the other modern equipments and accessories of the model farm of the twentieth century. He makes stock raising an important feature of his business and keeps on hand a good herd of Hereford cattle and also many head of Duroc-Jersey hogs, feeding and shipping stock. He also raises Percheron horses and is regarded as one of the leading stockmen of his township.
In 1889 Mr. Hogan was united in marriage to Miss Susan Gibbons, a native of Black Hawk county, Iowa, and a daughter of James and Anna (Wade) Gibbons. A sketch of the father, a retired agriculturist residing in Jesup, appears on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Hogan are the parents of eight children, as follows: Leo, who is still on the home farm; Minnie, a graduate of the Waterloo Business College, who is the wife of George Gragy, interested in the Model Laundry of Waterloo, by whom she has one child, Lloyd; Bertha,
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who is employed in Dr. Truatt's office in Waterloo; and Ray, Alice, Hattie, John, Jr., and Josephine, all at home.
The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and Mr. Hogan contributes generously to its support. His political views are in accord with the principles of the democratic party and in 1914 he was elected a town- ship trustee. He has also held other local offices. He is a very popular man, having social qualities which have won for him high regard and the enduring friendship of many with whom he has been brought in contact. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for as the years have passed his business affairs have been most carefully and systematically conducted and he is today the owner of one of the fine farms of the county.
PHILIP PINT.
Philip Pint is a resident farmer of Poyner township, owning and culti- vating a good tract of land on section 26, not far from Gilbertville. He is a native son of Black Hawk county, his birth having occurred in Fox township in 1872, his parents being Leonard and Mary (Gilley) Pint. The father was born in Germany, in 1837, and the mother was born in Luxemburg. Leonard Pint was a farm hand in his native country and, thinking to enjoy better busi- ness opportunities in the new world, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States about 1862. He did not tarry on the eastern coast, but made his way at once into the interior of the country. For a short period he resided in Illinois and then came to Black Hawk county. He went to California, but after a little time returned to the middle west and in this county was married and began farming. He established his home in Poyner township and was the owner of three hundred and fifteen acres of land, which was in his possession for a third of a century. In connection with general farming he carried on stock- raising and both branches of his business were attended with prosperity. About fourteen years prior to his death he removed to Gilbertville, where he lived retired until called to his final rest in the year 1913. His religious faith was that of the Catholic church and his political belief that of the democratic party. He was one of the foremost citizens of his township and exerted a strongly felt and beneficial influence on public thought and action. His widow survives and is now living with her son Philip.
In a family of eight children, Philip Pint was the fourth in order of birth. He attended the district schools, for there was no parochial school in Gilbert- ville during his boyhood. He assisted his father in the work of the home farm and remained under the parental roof until twenty-four years of age. He then began teaming in Gilbertville, following that pursuit for a year, at the end of which time he was married and took up the occupation of farming in Fox town- ship. A year later he purchased one hundred and fifty acres of land in Spring Creek township and cultivated that place for two years. He then established a general mercantile store in Gilbertville, but his establishment was destroyed by fire and he did not again engage in merchandising in this county. He removed instead to Sumner, Bremer county, Iowa, where he conducted a saloon for seven
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years and at the expiration of that period he resumed farming near Jesup, Iowa. For the past six years he has lived on the old homestead, where he carries on general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. His place is well developed and improved and its neat and thrifty appearance indicates the careful and practical supervision of the owner. He is likewise a stockholder in the creamery com- pany but devotes the most of his attention to the farm and its further im- provement.
In 1897 Mr. Pint was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Neises, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Frank and Margaret (Krink) Neises, both of whom were natives of Germany, born near Ketch. The father is still living in this county at the age of seventy-five years. He came to the United States when about twenty-eight years of age and established his home in Illinois, where he worked in a stone quarry but later turned his attention to farming. About thirty-four years ago he came to Black Hawk county and during his residence here has always been a landowner. He is recognized as one of the stalwart and substantial citizens of the district. Mr. and Mrs. Pint have four children, namely : Edela, Pearl, Magdaline and Gerald. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and Mr. Pint holds membership with the Catholic Order of Foresters. Much of his life has been spent in this county and he has worked persistently and energetically to attain the success which is now his.
MATHIAS DEMUTH.
Mathias Demuth is a representative farmer of Fox township and one of the present county supervisors, representing Poyner, Fox and Barclay townships on the county board. He was born in Will county, Illinois, in 1865. He is a son of John and Mary (Schmars) Demuth, both of whom were natives of Germany, the former born in 1836 and the latter in 1848. When twenty-five years of age John Demuth came to the United States. He had been reared to the occupation of farming during the period of his youth, spent in Luxem- burg, and he again followed agricultural pursuits after coming to the new world. He did not tarry on the Atlantic coast, but made his way at once to Joliet, Illinois, and spent his remaining days in Will county. He owned lands there and also bought land in Iowa, but never removed to this state. He was very retiring in disposition, quiet and unassuming, but his genuine worth was recog- nized by those with whom he came in contact.
Mathias Demuth attended the country schools of Will county and through the period of boyhood and youth lived with his parents upon the home farm, giving his father the benefit of his services until he reached the age of twenty- two. He then came to Black Hawk county and here began farming, first in the employ of others and later as a renter, while today he is the owner of a valuable property of two hundred and forty acres upon which good improve- ments have been made. He has devoted his entire life to farming, save for one year when he was employed in the general store of H. E. Nemmers at Gilbertville. Owing to the death of his wife he retired from farm life in 1908, but in 1913 resumed the active work of the fields, and now devotes all
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of his time to his farm. Indolence and idleness have ever been utterly foreign to his nature and he could not content himself without some occupation. For five years he was a director of the Black Hawk County Mutual Insurance Com- pany, but is not connected with that organization at the present time.
Mr. Demuth was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Heinen, a native of this county and a daughter of Valentine and Anna (Marx) Heinen, both of whom were natives of Germany, born near Trier. After their marriage they came to the United States and made their way westward to Black Hawk county, where they took up their abode in the early '6os. The father was a sub- stantial man of affairs and became the owner of large property holdings in Spring Creek township. His religious belief was that of the Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Demuth had five children: Ida. John V., Frank L., Margaret and William, all at home.
The family also adhere to the Catholic faith and Mr. Demuth gives his political allegiance to the democratic party, in the ranks of which he is an active, earnest worker. He has held all of the township offices and for two termis has served as county supervisor, representing Poyner, Fox and Barclay townships. His record in office is highly commendable, as it indicates his fidelity to the interests intrusted to his care and his devotion to the public welfare. The greater part of his life has been spent in Black Hawk county and his fellow townsmen recognize in him a self-made man who has worked his way steadily upward through persistency of purpose and intelligently directed effort.
F. E. DE MOTT.
F. E. De Mott is president of the Waterloo Chemical Works, owning and operating four plants, one located at Freeport, Illinois, another at Sioux City, Iowa, a third at Cedar Falls, Iowa, and the fourth at Waterloo. The business was organized in 1907 and has enjoyed continuous growth since that time, the success of the enterprise being attributable in large measure to Mr. De Mott, who remains at the head of the business. Each step in his business career has been a forward one, bringing him a broader outlook and wider oppor- tunities. He has the ability to correctly judge of his own capacities and powers and of those things which go to make up life's contacts and experiences, and he ranks today among the representative and honored business men of Black Hawk county. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1877, and is a son of Adelbert and Annie (Hubbell) De Mott, the latter a sister of Joseph Hubbell, who was elected a member of the lower house of the state legislature and served in that capacity until his death, which occurred in 1904. He was connected with much constructive legislation and left the impress of his individuality upon the laws enacted during the period of his association with the assembly.
F. E. De Mott was but a young lad when brought by hs parents to Iowa. He acquired his education in the State Normal College and afterward took up the profession of teaching, which he followed at Metz, Indiana. He received his professional training in the Angola College at Angola, Indiana, and in the Toledo Medical College. He afterward went upon the road, traveling for a
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New York chemical house and also for the Clinton Drug Company of Clinton, Iowa. He then came to Waterloo and was instrumental in establishing the present business which is conducted under the name of the Waterloo Chemical Works. The company was organized in 1907 and the original plant was at Waterloo. Since that time the business has constantly and steadily increased and they now have four plants, the others being located at Freeport, Illinois, and at Sioux City and Cedar Falls, Iowa. They are engaged in the manu- facture of heavy chemicals from crude petroleum and oils. They manufacture all the by products and their output finds a ready and profitable sale. They have learned in manufacture to produce maximum result at a minimum expendi- ture of time, labor and material, which is the secret of all success in business. The company is capitalized for fifty thousand dollars, in addition to which there is an emergency reserve. The present officers of the company are: F. E. De Mott, president; James Rickert, secretary and treasurer; John P. Miller, vice president ; M. J. Brown, director; and C. J. Miller, also a director. All of these gentlemen are residents of Waterloo save the last named, who lives in Jesup, Iowa. From the beginning the new enterprise has grown and developed and is today one of the important productive industries of Waterloo.
Mr. De Mott is also one of the directors of the Commercial Club and Board of Trade of Waterloo, an organization which is seeking to further the business development of the city. He is a stockholder in the Security Savings Bank of Waterloo and owns considerable real estate in Cedar Falls, including both busi- ness and residence property. Mr. De Mott is well known in business circles in various sections of the state and was very active in effecting the organization of the Iowa State Manufacturers' Association. He was also one of the organ- izers of the Credit Men's Association of Waterloo, and in these connections he does all in his power to better business conditions and extend the trade connections of the city. His political allegiance is given the republican party, but while he is active in its support, he does not seek or desire public office, leaving that to others. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and has passed through all of the chairs in the different branches of Masonry. He is likewise connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Public-spirited, he does everything in his power to further Waterloo's welfare and he has been a close student of many yital civic problems and situations. He was one of the active organizers of Waterloo's municipal bath house and to the project was a liberal donator. He has been equally generous to other public activities and measures and his worth as a citizen is widely acknowledged.
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