USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92
1
K.P. Crawford
99
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
to attend Western College at Western, Iowa, and in that institution completed his literary course. His professional education was acquired in the medical depart- ment of the Iowa State University, from which he was graduated in 1883 on the completion of a four years' course with the valedictory honors of his class. Dur- ing the two vacations he had acted as house physician at Mercy Hospital in Daven- port and thus to his theoretical training added the broad and invaluable experience of hospital practice. The late Dr. W. F. Peck was his preceptor and professor in surgery and, no doubt, he inspired Dr. Crawford with his preference for surgical work as the latter always had the greatest admiration for his teacher, who was a noted surgeon. He took a post-graduate course at Bellevue Hospital College, New York city.
Opening an office in Davenport in 1883, Dr. Crawford steadily advanced in his chosen field, winning high professional honors that made him regarded as one of the eminent physicians and surgeons of Davenport up to the time of his death. He never ceased to be a student of his profession but throughout his life read broadly and with thoughtful consideration carried his researches into the realms of scien- tific knowledge, doing everything in his power to promote his own efficiency and add to that general knowledge of medicine and surgery which constitutes a source of public health. He stood high in the ranks of his profession, not only in this city but in the state, and was not unknown beyond the borders of Iowa. He held membership in the American Medical Association and frequently attended its meetings. He was also seen in the meetings of the Iowa State Medical Society, the Iowa and Illinois District Medical Association and the Scott County Medical Society. He was a frequent contributor to medical literature and one of his last public appearances was for the presentation of a paper which he had prepared on surgery before the Iowa State Medical Society, at Des Moines. The addresses which he delivered in such meetings were frequently published in the leading medi- cal journals, for they were carefully prepared and presented not only the results of his own experience but also of his wide research. He served as a member of the staff of both Mercy and St. Luke's Hospitals and was one of the most active promoters of the interest of those two institutions. His large surgical practice took him to the hospitals almost daily and his skill and ability were of such high order that his death came as a distinct loss to both. He acted as district surgeon for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad and took a prominent part in arranging for the meeting of the Iowa State Medical Society, which was held in Davenport about two years before his death-an important meeting still pleas- antly remembered by the physicians of this vicinity who shared with him in the honors and responsibilities of being the entertainers on that occasion. The Illi- nois Society met in Rock Island at the same time and joint gatherings were fea- tures of their meetings. As his health began to fail Dr. Crawford gradually with- drew from his professional service, for he realized the advance that was being made by the disease which eventually terminated his life.
In no other environment did Dr. Crawford find the happiness and contentment which came to him in his own home, for he was a man of domestic tastes and his greatest joy was in the companionship of his wife and children. On the 14th of October, 1885, he married Miss 'A'nna Williams, a daughter of A. F. Williams, who at one time was a member of the Seig Iron Company and prominent in the busi-
100
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
ness circles of Davenport. He died many years ago but is still survived by his widow, who spends the summer seasons in Davenport and the winter months in California, where she has a daughter living. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Crawford were born five children, Frances Louise, Genevieve, Helen, Dorothy and Margaret, the last two being twins.
Dr. Crawford held membership in the Calvary Baptist church, in which he was an active and loyal worker, being a trustee of the church and superintendent of the Sunday school for many years. He was also one of the charter members of the San Grail Club and belonged to the Masonic fraternity. He was interested in all those movements which had for their object the betterment of mankind and he was also a stalwart champion of projects for the public good, rejoicing in the growth, advancement and welfare of his city. He was so widely known and such was the hold which he had upon the affection of his fellow townsmen that his death, which occurred in 1907, brought a sense of personal bereavement to the large majority of Davenport's citizens. On the Sunday following his demise, in place of the regular lesson in the Sunday school of the Calvary Baptist church, there was held a memorial service in his honor, in which many who had known him long and well testified to his goodness of heart and the honor of his life, which in all of its phases was of such high character as to constitute an example that is well worthy of emulation.
WILLIAM H. GEHRMANN.
William H. Gehrmann, starting in business life in America at a salary of eight dollars per month, is today the vice president and general manager of the Kohrs Packing Company of Davenport, in which connection he is active in the control of one of the leading enterprises of the city. His business affairs have been so carefully managed that success has placed him in a prominent position among Davenport's representative men. He was born in Uetersen, Germany, March 15, 1858, and is a son of Dietrich and Anna (Dieckman) Gehrmann, also natives of Germany. The father was a manufacturer of chicory, a root treated and used as a substitute for coffee. He was quite a prominent citizen of his native coun- try, in which both he and his wife spent their entire lives.
William H. Gehrmann was educated in the private schools of his native town and afterward learned bookkeeping, which he followed for two years. In 1875, when a youth of seventeen years, he sailed for America, making the voyage alone as a passenger on the steamship Schiller. This was the last complete trip which she made, as she was lost at sea on her return trip, being wrecked on the Needles off the English coast. Mr. Gehrmann landed at New York city and soon afterward started for the middle west, going to St. Louis, Missouri, where he secured a place in a grocery store at a salary of eight dollars per month. He afterward was employed in a wholesale grocery house of that city, with which he was connected until 1879, when he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and entered the training school of the Turners Academy for the training of teachers of gymnastics. Following his graduation in 1880 he returned to St. Louis and ac-
101
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
cepted a position as teacher in the gymnasium of the Toensfeldt Institute and St. Louis Turn Verein. There he continued until the spring of 1887, when he went to Walkerville, Montana, and with the capital he had saved from his earn- ings engaged in the butchering business on his own account. In this undertaking he prospered but in 1895 he sought a broader field of labor in Anaconda, Mon- tana, where he organized the Montana Meat Company in connection with Mar- cus Daly and Conrad Kohrs. In 1898, however, he sold out his interest to his partners and came to Davenport, where he assumed the management of the in- terests of the Kohrs Packing Company, which had been established in 1874 by Henry Kohrs. He is now the vice president and general manager of what is today one of the extensive business concerns of the city, employing about one hundred people. The output of the market is known throughout Iowa, Illinois and Missouri and all points in the south. They do their own killing, dressing and packing and the establishment is under government inspection. Everything is conducted with the strictest regard to sanitation and the excellence of the prod- ucts insures a continuance of a liberal and growing patronage.
On the 7th of September, 1887, Mr. Gehrmann was united in marriage to Miss Helen Kohrs, a daughter of Henry Kohrs, and they have two sons, Wil- liam C. and Harry John. Fraternally Mr. Gehrmann is connected with the Elks and the Masons and is prominent as a club man in this city. He has taken an active interest in all public affairs as one of the leading representatives of trade interests in Davenport. He also figures in financial circles as a director of the Iowa National Bank. He is prominent among the German-American citizens here as the president of the Davenport Turner Society and is interested in the educational progress of the city, doing effective work in behalf of the public schools as a member of the board of education since 1901. His record has been characterized by continuous progress along every line to which he has directed his activity and most of all he is known as a representative and prominent busi- ness man who accomplishes what he undertakes by reason of well formulated plans and close and unremitting application.
JAMES FRANCIS PHELPS.
The history of Davenport and its leading citizens contains no name which awakens a feeling of more sincere respect and honest regard than that of James Francis Phelps, who, in the years of his connection with the city, came to be recognized as an influential factor in business circles and also as one whose ef- forts in other directions were of far-reaching and beneficial import. He was born October 6, 1821, at Schroon, New York. The public school system of that state afforded him his educational privileges and his experiences in youth were those of agricultural life, for he remained upon his father's farm until thirty years of age. Thinking to find broader opportunities in different busi- ness lines, he then removed to West Troy and engaged in the lumber business. From that time until his death he was identified with the lumber trade save for a brief period. He continued to make his home in the Empire state until 1876,
102
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
when he removed to Middlebury, Vermont, settling on a farm with the hope that the experiences of outdoor life might prove beneficial to his health, which had become impaired. The year 1885 witnessed his arrival in Davenport, where he retained his residence until his demise. Since first embarking in the lumber business he retained his interest in the business and became a prominent repre- sentative of the lumber trade in this section of the country. He was a leading stockholder in the Lindsey & Phelps Lumber Company and also in the Cloquet Lumber Company of Cloquet, Minnesota. In business affairs his judgment was sound, his sagacity keen and his enterprise unfailing, and in the years of an active career he won substantial success, his record being that of a man whose course in business affairs measured up at all times to the full standard of honor- able, upright manhood.
At Schroon, New York, in 1848, Mr. Phelps was united in marriage to Miss Lucina Tyrrell, and unto them was born a son, A. T. Phelphs, who is now cashier of the National Bank of Watervliet, New York. The wife and mother died April 5, 1853, and on the 20th of December, 1854, Mr. Phelps married Miss Jeanette Finch.
Mr. Phelps attended and supported the Methodist church. He was a man of high ideals, progressive in citizenship and ready at all times to give loyal support to those projects and movements which are intended for the better- ment of the community. He traveled extensively, finding great pleasure in vis- iting points of scenic and historic interest, especially in his own country. His attachment for America was one of the deep-rooted interests of his life, his love of country being the expression of an unfaltering patriotism. He continued his residence in Davenport until his death, which occurred April 3, 1906, and was the occasion of deep regret to many who knew and honored him. The physical and moral life were intensely vital in him and the ringing response which his character gave to every test made him a man honored and respected wherever known and most of all where best known. While he won for himself a substan- tial and creditable position in business circles, he also applied his knowledge and working powers to wider and more impersonal interests in which the general public was largely the beneficiary.
RUDOLPH LANGE.
There are few men who pass from this life that leave behind them among their friends a sense of such uniform sorrow as did Rudolph Lange when he was called to the home beyond. He had for many years been a resident of Dav- enport and his good qualities had endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. He was born in Kassel, Germany, March 7, 1832, and acquired his education in that country, where the period of his minority was spent. He was a young man of twenty-two years when in 1854 he bade adieu to the father- land and sailed for the United States, landing at New York, where he remained for a brief period. He then started westward, going first to Pittsburg, where he continued for a time, and later proceeding to Fort Madison, Iowa. Soon after-
Lange
105
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
ward he removed to the vicinity of Burlington and while there residing was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Schlapp, thus laying the foundation for a happy home life. While there residing he established and conducted a grocery store until the latter part of the '6os, when he removed to St. Louis, where he remained until 1870. In the latter year he came to Davenport and soon acquired the interests of Henry Knoepper and George H. Schlapp in the Arsenal Brew- ery in East Davenport. About 1872 the firm of Koehler & Lange was formed and the operation of this brewery was continued by the firm until they sold out in 1896 to the Davenport Malting Company. The business was carefully con- ducted along systematic lines and the enterprise, diligence and close applica- tion of Mr. Lange contributed in large measure to their success.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lange were born three children: Emil, who is now liv- ing in Los Angeles, California; Adelia, the wife of Dr. H. Pape; and Ella, at home. Mr. Lange erected a fine residence on Fulton avenue, which is occupied his his widow and daughter, and he delighted to dispense its hospitality to his many friends. He was quiet and unostentatious in manner, but those who came within the circle of his friendship found him a genial, courteous and considerate gentleman, while in his own home he exemplified the spirit of an ideal husband and father. He held membership in Damon Lodge, No. 10, K. P., and also in the East Davenport Turner Society. He never courted favor and probably never weighed a single act of his life in the scale of public policy but he had high standing among the business men of the city, and at his death which occurred December 18, 1897, left no enemies. His political allegiance was given to the democracy and he was a public-spirited man in that he endorsed and supported all measures and movements for the general good.
CHARLES N. VOSS.
Germany has furnished her full quota to the citizenship of Davenport, and prominent among those who claim the fatherland as the place of their nativity is Charles N. Voss, who with German intelligence and pertinacity has con- ducted his business affairs to successful completion, rising from a comparatively humble place to the presidency of the German Savings Bank. He was born in Neustadt, Holstein, Germany, on the 13th of October, 1847, and pursued his education in the public and private schools of his native town. He made his initial step in the business world in connection with the dry-goods trade, in which he continued until coming to America in 1867. Landing at New York city, he made his way to Petersburg, Illinois, where he was employed as clerk in a store until 1869, when he came to Davenport and again secured a position as salesman, entering the service of Kehoe & Carhart, one of the leading dry- goods firms in this city, with which he continued until they retired from business about 1873. The following year he engaged as teller in the Davenport Sav- ings Bank, there remaining until 1880, when he went to Avoca, Iowa, where he followed the milling business. for a few years. In 1883 he assisted in the organization of the Avoca Bank, which succeeded to the banking business of
106
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
J. W. and E. W. Davis, and in this institution Mr. Voss accepted the position of cashier, so continuing until 1891.
Returning to Davenport in that year, Mr. Voss accepted the cashiership of the Iowa National Bank, with which he continued until the Ist of January, 1893, when he became cashier of the German Savings Bank. In 1906, when the Citi- zens National Bank was consolidated with the German Savings Bank, he was elected to the presidency and still remains as the chief executive officer of what is today recognized as one of the strongest and most important financial con- cerns of the city. He is also the president of the German Trust Company, which was promoted and conducted by the stockholders of the German Savings Bank. He is likewise financially interested in various other business enterprises and concerns, which profit by his knowledge and keen discernment, for his judg- men is always sound and his business methods progressive. He is today ac- counted one of the foremost representatives of banking circles in Iowa.
In 1873 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Voss and Miss Louise Hoerring, a native of Davenport. They have four children: Hertha L., instructor of foreign languages in the State University of Iowa; Otto R., a practicing physi- cian of Walnut, Iowa; Agneta, the wife of Arnold L. Peterson; and Carl H., a graduate of St. John's Military Academy, The family are prominent socially and Mr. Voss is known as one of Davenport's leading citizens, his opinions carry- ing weight in various councils relative to municipal interests and business devel- opment.
FRED VOLLMER.
During thirteen years' connection with the bar of Davenport, Fred Vollmer has made steady progress, recognizing the fact that in law advancement must depend upon individual effort and merit. He was born in this city, December 12, 1874. His father, Henry Vollmer, was a native of Bremen, Germany, and came to the United States in 1853, when three years of age, his parents crossing the Atlantic to America and settling in Davenport. After attaining to years of maturity, Henry Vollmer became a prominent citizen, both in his commercial connections and in his association with public affairs. For many years he con- ducted a printing business and the enterprise was one of large and profitable proportions. As a citizen he took active and helpful interest in various measures for the public good and for four years served as county recorder. He married Dora Plambeck and continued a resident of Davenport from 1853 until 1890, when he was called to his final rest.
Reared in the city of his nativity, Fred Vollmer at the usual age began his education in the public schools and passed through consecutive grades until he was qualified to enter the Iowa State University. It was in that institution that he prepared for a professional career, being graduated from the law department with the class of 1896. He was then admitted to practice and opened an office in Davenport, where he has since remained. He has always engaged in the general practice of law, keeping well informed on various branches of juris-
107
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
prudence and his continued research and investigation along professional lines has given him rank among the more able and successful lawyers of the city.
Mr. Vollmer is also active in politics as a supporter of the democratic party and his labors have been an effective force in promoting its success. In 1908 he was elected county attorney, which position he is still filling and neither fear nor favor can swerve him in the faithful performance of his duties. His social relations are with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and outside of fraternal organizations he has many warm friends, having always resided in the city where he yet makes his home.
CORNELIUS H. MURPHY.
Cornelius H. Murphy, self-educated and self-made, is now a leading lawyer of the Davenport bar, having a large and representative clientage. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on the 15th of March, 1857. His father, Dennis Murphy, a native of County Cork, Ireland, came to the United States in 1848 and for some years was in the employ of Cornelius Vanderbilt. He afterward removed to Wilmington, Delaware, and in 1867 came to Iowa, settling in Dewitt, Clinton county, where he established a grocery store, which he conducted with continuous success for many years. He remained a resident of that city until his death in 1907. He had for about eighteen years survived his wife, who bore the maiden name of Ellen Harkin and was a native of County Donegal, Ireland.
Cornelius H. Murphy was a youth of ten years when he accompanied his parents on their westward removal to Dewitt, Iowa, where in the public schools he continued his education until he began preparation for the practice of law as a student in the State University, from which he was graduated in the law class of 1889. He had to work his own way through school, employment on the rail- road giving him funds which enabled him to pursue his education. Laudable ambition, however, prompted him to qualify for a professional career, while de- termination and energy enabled him to set at naught the difficulties and obstacles which barred his path. Following his graduation he entered the office of P. B. Wolfe, at Dewitt, where he remained for a year, after which he spent two years in law practice on the Pacific coast.
On the expiration of that period Mr. Murphy came to Davenport, where he has since been located, and his success at the bar is the best evidence of his ability. He prepares his cases with great thoroughness and care, is strong in argument and logical in his deductions and as the years have passed he has en- joyed a continually growing practice that has connected him with much of the important litigation tried in the courts of the district. He also figures promi- nently in republican circles, has served as a member of the central committees of the party and his opinions carry weight in its councils. For four years he filled the office of assistant county attorney. but has no desire for political preferment outside the strict path of his profession. He is, however, deeply interested in the political questions of the day and is thoroughly grounded in the principles that divide the two great parties.
108
HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
On the 24th of May, 1893, Mr. Murphy was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Webster, a native of Muscatine, Iowa, and a daughter of W. W. and Eliza J. Webster. They are well known in the social circles of the city and Mr. Murphy is a prominent Mason, belonging to Trinity Lodge, A. F. & A. M., while in Zarepath Consistory he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He is now senior warden of the eighteenth degree and he also belongs to Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise a past chancellor of Damon Lodge, No. 10, K. P., is a member of the Pythian grand lodge and is serving on the judiciary and other important committees. He is also a stalwart champion of the temperance cause and his influence is ever found on the side of right and progress, reform and advancement. During the years of his residence in Daven- port he has made many friends and is one of the popular as well as one of the leading members of the bar.
LEVI RICHARD BANNISTER.
The birth of Levi Richard Bannister occurred in Blair, Nebraska, September 2, 1870, his parents being Chester and Johanna Bannister, who were married in Illinois, the native state of the mother, but went to Nebraska to live, being among the pioneer settlers in that state. He was the youngest of their nine children, his brothers and sisters being: Miles, deceased; Cal, living in Nebraska; William, a resident of Kansas; Marion, in Nebraska; La Fayette, deceased; Julia, living in Omaha; Mary, in Black Hills; and Bell, in Nebraska.
At the age of sixteen years Mr. Bannister began to look about him for a' means of livelihood. He went to Kansas but remained in the Jayhawker state for only a short time and then returned to Nebraska. Three years later he re- moved to Scott county, Iowa, where he has ever since resided and where he speedily established a home for himself. Upon his arrival in Iowa he worked as a farm hand until his marriage in 1900, when he located on the farm where he now resides. It belongs to his wife and is a tract of one hundred and twenty acres on section 32, Hickory Grove township. It is a valuable property, being fertile and well improved. Aside from his general farming Mr. Bannister has had great success as a breeder of Scotch shorthorn cattle, and he is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company of Walcott.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.