USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II > Part 17
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Mr. Steward gives his political allegiance to the republican party and during almost the entire period of his residence in Allens Grove township he served as either road supervisor or school director, discharging his official duties in a prompt and capable manner. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congregational church, in which he is serving as a deacon. He joined the
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Ancient Order of United Workmen at Dixon in 1873, now belongs to lodge No. 321 at Davenport and has held all the offices. He has now passed the eighty- second milestone on life's journey, and for more than a half century has made his home within the borders of Scott county. Coming to America in early man- hood empty handed and unknown, he faced conditions which would dishearten many a man of less resolute and determined spirit. However, he possessed heroic qualities in his determination to win success and as the years have gone by he has not only carved out a comfortable fortune for himself, but has also made an honored name, his record winning for him the confidence, good will and admiration of those who know him.
WILLIAM THEOPHILUS.
William Theophilus, counselor at law of Davenport, was born at Troedyrhiw, in the parish of Llansadwrn, Carmarthenshire, Wales, August 6, 1858, and is a son of Daniel and Margaret Theophilus. His maternal grandmother was a Wil- liams, born in the same village as Roger Williams, the American champion of religious liberty, and came of the same ancestry.
William Theophilus began his education in the schools of his native land, but in his youthful days left the little rock-ribbed country of Wales and came to the new world with his parents in 1868. The family home was established on a farm near Lime Spring, in Howard county, Iowa, and there he resumed his inter- rupted education. For twenty years he resided there, his time being given to study and teaching, following the latter profession for a number of terms. He received little assistance but laudable ambition prompted him to put forth his efforts along lines demanding intellectual strength and activity, and the wise use of his opportunities has brought him to the creditable position which he now occupied as one of the leading counselors at law at the Davenport bar. After teaching for some time in his early manhood, he was elected clerk of the courts of Howard county in 1882 and was reelected in 1884, serving until January, 1887. During that period he devoted the hours which are usually termed leisure to the study of law, becoming versed in its principles and practice. Through these years his work and worth were leaving their impress upon the public notice and his fellow townsmen manifested appreciation of his value as a citizen in electing him to the state legislature in 1887, so that he served in the twenty-second gen- eral assembly. The previous year he had been the democratic candidate for clerk of the supreme court and, although defeated, ran considerably ahead of his ticket. After serving for about a term in the legislature, he resigned in 1889 and removed to Arkansas City, Kansas, where he entered upon the practice of law, being there admitted to the bar. He remained an active member of the profession in that place for nearly five years and there became acquainted with George W. Scott-the beginning of a friendship which has outlasted all changes since. He was elected city attorney of Arkansas City at the time when im- portant litigation was pending concerning the issuance of city bonds for water- works and railways. These cases were tried in the federal courts and in their
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conduct he established a reputation for energy, skill and knowledge of the law, which the intervening years have but solidified.
Mr. Theophilus became a resident of Davenport in May, 1894, and was here joined the following year by Mr. Scott, at which time the firm of Scott & The- ophilus was formed, the association being maintained until Mr. Scott's election to the office of city attorney in 1898. Mr. Theophilus, also taking prominent part in political work, was elected to the Iowa legislature in 1899 and during his term of office gave careful consideration to the questions which came up for settle- ment in the twenty-eighth general assembly and stanchly advocated those which he believed to be for the benefit of the commonwealth. Retiring from his posi- tion of legislator, he resumed the active practice of law, remaining alone until 1905, when he entered into partnership with George W. Scott and Benjamin I. Salinger, under the firm style of Salinger, Scott & Theophilus. Since May, 1909, he has been practicing alone. One of the local newspapers has said of him: "Mr. Theophilus is by nature thoughtful, methodical, exact and technical, a con- struer of the law and a constructive attorney, loving rather the advisory and counseling work of the office, land title, estates and corporation law than the court procedure. He is the counselor of many prominent business men and cor- porations and has made for himself an enviable position at the Davenport bar."
In 1888 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Theophilus and Miss Minnie Agnes Thompson, of Le Roy, Minnesota. Their social acquaintance is large and embraces many of the most prominent people of the state. Mr. Theophilus finds his chief recreation in the meetings of the Davenport Whist Club and also be- longs to the Outing and Commercial Clubs. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons, the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. His standing in the profes- sion is indicated by the fact that he has been honored with the presidency of the Scott County Bar Association, being its chief official at the present time. As a lawyer he perhaps possesses none of those dazzling meteoric qualities which have often riveted the attention of the public for a moment, but there is in his work a substantiality which produces continuity of success and awakens attention by its quiet forcefulness.
M. F. ROHLFF.
M. Frederick Rohlff, who has lived retired in Davenport since 1904, was for many years numbered among the active and successful agriculturists of Scott county and is still the owner of two hundred and ninety acres of valuable land in Sheridan township as well as a tract of three hundred and twenty acres in Lyon county, this state. He is one of the worthy pioneer settlers of this county, having continuously made his home here since 1855, and is now the president of the German Pioneers Society. His birth occurred in Holstein, Germany, on the Ist of September, 1829, his parents being Asmus and Anna (Litchie) Rohlff, who spent their entire lives in the fatherland. Their children were six in num- ber, namely : Christ and Henry, both of whom passed away in Germany; M. F., of this review ; John, whose demise also occurred in Germany; Asmus, who died
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in this country ; and James, who was called to his final rest while still a resident of the fatherland.
M. F. Rohlff attended the schools of his native land in pursuit of an educa- tion. From 1848 until 1850 he participated in the Schleswig-Holstein wars, hold- ing the rank of sergeant. In 1855, when a young man of twenty-six years, he determined to establish his home in the United States and set sail for the new world, eventually landing at New York. Thence he made his way direct to Davenport, Iowa, and here secured employment as a farm laborer, being thus engaged for about a year. On the expiration of that period in 1857, he was married and began the operation of a rented tract of land, giving his attention to its cultivation for two years. At the end of that time he purchased eighty acres of partly improved land in Sheridan township and took up his abode in a small house which stood upon the place. As time passed by he brought the property under a high state of cultivation and improvement and also replaced the original dwelling by a commodious and substantial residence. He likewise added to his landed holdings as his financial resources increased and successfully carried on his agricultural interests until 1904, when he put aside the active work of the fields and bought property in Davenport, where he has since lived retired. He now leases his fine farm of two hundred and ninety acres in Sheridan township, and is also the owner of a half section of land in Lyon county. While living in Sheridan township he acted as agent for the German Fire Insurance Company for about twenty-five years.
On the 12th of April, 1857, Mr. Rohlff was united in marriage to Miss Ber- tha Schneckloth, who was about ten years old when she came from Germany to this country with her parents, Hans and Celia Schneckloth, who located upon the farm in Sheridan township which later became the homestead place of our subject. Hans Schneckloth lived thereon until called to his final rest at the age of ninety-three years, and his wife was eighty-two years old when she passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Rohlff have become the parents of eight children, the record of whom is as follows: Anna, the eldest, is now the wife of William Halle, of Davenport, and has four children : Julius, Ida, Hattie and Norma. Lena, the wife of Louis Harmon, of Lyon county, Iowa, is now the mother of four chil- dren : Clara, Grover, Ella and Harvey. John, who is a resident of Lyon county, wedded Miss Dora Heintz, by whom he has five children : Minnie, Richard, Edna, Dora and Alma. Clara Rohlff, the next in order of birth, is at home. Hu- ger married Miss Clara Palmer and has two children, Arnold and Linda. Richer lives in Lyon county. Alfred is still under the parental roof. Herman who is engaged in the hardware business with his brother Huger, wedded Miss Clara Willie and has two children, Wilbur and Bernice. In 1907, at the Turner Hall in Davenport, Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Rohlff and Mr. and Mrs. Claus Schneckloth celebrated their golden wedding and on this happy occasion were gathered together all of their children and grandchildren as well as many promi- nent German-American residents of Scott county. After the supper had been served a dance was held and the occasion proved a very merry one.
Mr. Rohlff exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and has ably served his fellow townsmen in the capacity of road supervisor. He is a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Society of Scott
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county. Except for the aid of his estimable wife, he owes his present splendid prosperity entirely to his untiring perseverance and excellent business manage- ment, for when he came to the United States he was empty-handed and has since achieved the success which entitles him to a prominent place in the history of the representative and enterprising residents of this county.
MAJOR MORTON L. MARKS.
Major Morton L. Marks, whose title is indicative of faithful and long con- tinued service in the Union army during the Civil war, has for more than four decades been a representative of commercial life in Davenport. A progressive spirit has always been tempered by a safe conservatism, and evenly balanced judgment has constituted the forceful element in the success which has made him one of the leading wholesale merchants of the city. He was born on a farm in New York, his parents being Enoch and Margaret (Welton) Marks. His ancestral history is one of early connection with the settlement of Connec- ticut. It was in that state that his grandfather followed farming in the vicinity of Burlington. Enoch Marks was born in Connecticut in 1803, was reared to agricultural pursuits and subsequently removed to New York, where he carried on farming, while later he engaged in the real-estate business in Chicago, making his home in the suburb of Oak Park. While there he made some very profitable investments in real estate. He afterward came to Davenport, where he lived retired, passing away in this city at the venerable age of eighty-three years.
Major Marks was a little lad of four years when the family removed to Cam- illus, New York, and his early education, which was there acquired, was com- pleted in the high school at Syracuse, New York. He afterward came to the middle west and lived with a brother on a farm near La Salle, Illinois. He after- ward engaged in teaching school for about three years in Mount Carmel, after which he took up the study of law, devoting about a year to his reading. The outbreak of the Civil war however, caused him to put aside all business and personal interests that he might defend the Union cause and, enlisting in the One Hundred and Twenty-second New York Volunteer Infantry as a private, he went to the front. He was chosen by his company for the position of first lieutenant and was afterward promoted to the captaincy of Company B. Later he was transferred to Company H as its captain and he now has his three com- missions. At the close of the war he was brevetted major in honor of his gal- lant and meritorious service. During most of the time he was on active duty with the Army of the Potomac and served with distinction, participating in various important battles, including the engagements at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. In the winter of 1863-4 he was in Sandusky, Ohio, where his regiment guarded rebel prisoners. While there he became ill but as soon as possible again went south, rejoining his regiment just after the Battle of the Wilderness. He then participated in the engagements at Culpeper Court House, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. When General Early was making his dash through the Shenandoah valley, Major Marks' regiment was sent back and met the enemy
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at Fort Steven, repulsing the Confederate forces. They then proceeded south- ward as far as Harper's Ferry and took part in the battle of Winchester. Major Marks was in command of his company at that battle and during a charge was wounded and was in the hospital for about thirty days. On the expiration of that period he rejoined his regiment, which took part in the fight at Cedar Creek and later returned to Washington, where the winter was spent. Later Major Marks joined the Army of the Potomac, with which he remained until the close of the war. His regiment then went to Danville, Kentucky, where he served as provost marshal. Subsequently he returned to Washington, where he was hon- orably discharged. He has always maintained pleasant relations with his com- rades who wore the blue through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic and in the Loyal Legion and he has served as quartermaster commander of the post in this city.
Removing to Davenport, Major Marks bought out the senior partner in Al- bert & Van Patten's Grocery Company in the year 1867. He organized the pres- ent wholesale grocery company in 1903, became its president and in its manage- ment has met with excellent success, extending its trade interests to embrace a wide territory. Its sales annually reach a large figure and the policy of the house is such as to commend it to the confidence and support of all.
On the 20th of January, 1869, Major Marks was united in marriage to Miss Helen Sanders, of Yonkers, New York, a daughter of Joseph P. Sanders, who was one of the distinguished members of the Odd Fellows society in the east, attending all the annual meetings for fifty consecutive years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elvira Ferguson, is still living in New York, at the age of eighty-eight years. Unto Major and Mrs. Marks were born four children : Margaret and James, now deceased; Lewis M., who married Georgia White and has three children, Margaret, Morton and George; and Charles R., of the Se- curity Fire Insurance Company of Davenport, who married Lola Fisher.
Since coming to Davenport in 1867, Mr. Marks has been closely identified with the business interests of the city and in public affairs has wielded a wide influence, his support always being cast on the side of progress, reform and improvement. He is not only most practical in private business interests 'but in all of his relations to the public and has therefore done good service for the upbuilding and progress of the city. Honored and respected by all, there is no man who occupies a more enviable position in commercial and financial circles in Davenport than Major Morton L. Marks.
ADOLPH W. HOLLAND.
Adolph W. Holland, a retired agriculturist of Davenport, where he has made his home for the past seven years, is still the owner of a well-improved and valuable farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres in Winfield township and also has ten acres of land in Allens Grove township, as well as some town property. His birth occurred in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, on the 28th of August, 1842, his parents being Adolph and Carolina Holland. The father was a furniture maker
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in that country . Having determined to bring his family to the new world, he took passage on a vessel at Hamburg, which reached New York on the 3d of August, 1851, after an ocean voyage of seven weeks. It was on the 20th of that month that he arrived in Scott county, Iowa, and here he purchased and located upon a partly improved farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres in Winfield town- ship, being actively engaged in its further cultivation and development until the time of his retirement in 1882. His remaining days were spent in Davenport, where he passed away on the 29th of October, 1888, when seventy-eight years of age. His wife, whose birth occurred in 1818, was called to her final rest in 1874. Unto this worthy couple were born two children, namely: Henry, who passed away in 1903; and Adolph W., of this review.
The last named attended the schools of his native land until nine years of age and after coming to this country continued his studies in Scott county for a year and a half. After putting aside his text-books he turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits and the work of the fields claimed his attention throughout his entire business career. Subsequent to his marriage he rented his father's place in Winfield township, and, inheriting the property at the time of his father's death, there carried on his farming interests continuously and successfully until 1903, when he retired and took up his abode in Davenport. As the years passed he placed many substantial improvements on the farm and it is now a highly developed and valuable property, comprising one hundred and fifty-five acres of land in Winfield township. His is likewise the owner of a tract of ten acres in Allens Grove township and also has some town property. Through the careful conduct of his agricultural interests he won the competence that now enables him to live retired and he has long been numbered among the substantial, respected and representa- tive citizens of this county.
On the 25th of February, 1868, Mr. Holland was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Helkenn, who was born in Holstein, Germany, on the 6th of September, 1849, her parents being Henry and Magdalene (Rush) Helkenn. The father, who served in the Schleswig-Holstein wars from 1848 until 1850, brought his family to the United States in 1858 and at once came to Scott county, Iowa. Two years later he purchased a farm of two hundred acres in Sheridan township and forty acres of timber land in Winfield township and throughout the remainder of his life de- voted his energies to agricultural pursuits. His demise occurred on the 9th of September, 1909, when he had attained the venerable age of eighty-eight years and ten days. His wife, who was a sister of Lieutenant Governor Rush of Iowa, passed away in 1892 when sixty-eight years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Holland are the parents of twelve children.
Carolina, who gave her hand in marriage to Henry Rheimers, of Long Grove, is now the mother of eight children, namely : Effie, Louisa, Rudolph, Rosie, Henry, Laura, Adolph and Harry. Ella, residing in Davenport, is the wife of Henry Reichter, by whom she has four children, as follows: Rosie, who is the wife of Oliver Sampson and has one child, William; Margaret; Henry; and Adolph. Adolph, who wedded Miss Clara Nutting, makes his home in Davenport, Iowa. Amelia is the wife of Claus Hanson, of Long Grove, and has four chil- dren : Adolph, Edna, Nonie and Lester. Laura, who is the wife of Henry F. Dorman, of Big Rock, Scott county, likewise has four children, as follows:
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Emma, Martha, Albert and Charley. Augusta, the wife of Fritz Hanson, re- sides in Winfield township. Emma is the wife of John Erps, with whom she lives on her father's farm in Winfield township. Frank W., Louis F., Nettie M., Lillie J. and Martha M. Holland are all still under the parental roof. All of these children have been provided with good educational advantages. Mrs. Holland has an interesting photograph showing five generations of her father's family.
Mr. Holland is independent in his political views and has served as the effi- cient incumbent in various positions of public trust and responsibility. He held most of the township offices and did much to advance the cause of education during his thirty-three years' service as a school director. He likewise acted as treasurer of the school board and also capably discharged the duties devolving upon him as justice of the peace and township clerk. His religious faith is indi- cated by his membership in the Lutheran church, with which his wife is also affiliated. Fraternally he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Work- men, being receiver of the local lodge. He is likewise a prominent member of the German Pioneers association. He has now made his home in Scott county for more than fifty-eight years and has gained an extensive circle of friends within its borders, his genuine personal worth commending him to the confi- dence and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.
ISAAC PETERSBERGER.
Isaac Petersberger, forceful and resourceful, his broad general education as well as his comprehensive knowledge of the law enabling him to stand in the fore- most ranks of the legal profession in Davenport, was born in Dixon, Illinois, June 28, 1874. His father, Emanuel Petersberger, was a native of Germany and on coming to the United States in 1852 took up his abode in Dixon, where he continued his residence to the time of his death in 1890. He there engaged in merchandising and was recognized as one of the leading representatives of com- mercial interests in that city, winning substantial success in his undertaking. He married Bertha Ochs, a native of Germany, who came to Davenport in her girl- hood days with her father, John Ochs, who was one of this city's oldest and most respected citizens.
Isaac Petersberger attended the public schools of Dixon until fifteen years of age, when he came to Davenport with his widowed mother, continuing his studies in this city. Later he entered the University of Iowa, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1897, completing both the collegiate and law courses in four years.
Having determined upon the practice of law as his life work, in 1897 he opened an office in Davenport, where he has since remained, achieving an en- viable success as a representative of the bar. His practice is of an extensive and important character. He is notable among lawyers for the wide research and provident care with which he prepares his cases. At no time has his reading ever been confined to the limitation of the questions at issue. It has gone beyond
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and compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected but for the unexpected, which happens in the courts quite as frequently as out of them. His legal learning, his analytical mind and the readiness with which he grasps the points in an argument all combine to make him one of the strong ad- vocates before the bar and he is also regarded as a most safe counselor.
In 1899 Mr. Petersberger was married to Miss Hattie Goldstein, of Milford, Illinois, and they have two children, Richard and Louise. Mr. Petersberger be- longs to the Masonic fraternity, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and to other fraternal and social organizations. He has the warm regard of fel- low practitioners and the friendship of many whom he meets in social relations, for his salient qualities as a man and citizen are those which in every land and clime win respect and honor.
SEVERIN MILLER.
The life record of Severin Miller seems in harmony with nature's laws, for nature evidently intended that the evening of life should be quietly and restfully spent following years of well directed activity. Earnest, indefatigable labor, intel- ligently directed through many years, will always in the end win success and it has been by this means that Severin Miller acquired the competence that now enables him at the age of eighty-six years to live retired. He was born in Prussia, Ger- many, October 17, 1824, and is a son of Bartholomew and Anna Marie Miller, both of whom died in that country. Severin Miller attended school there and learned the machinist's trade under the direction of his father. He was a young man of twenty-two years when in 1846 he came to the United States, landing at New York after a long and tedious voyage of three months on a sailing vessel. He went to Philadelphia, where he secured employment at his trade and subsequently removed westward to St. Louis, where he entered the service of Beard & Brother, safe man- ufacturers, as a machinist. He was thus employed until about 1850, when he came to Davenport but after a brief period he returned to St. Louis, where he resided until 1857. In that year he again came to Davenport and built a shop and dwelling house on a lot at the corner of Gaines and Second streets, which he had purchased in 1852. There he started in business for himself, giving his attention mostly to repair work, doing much work on threshing machines and other farm machinery. He afterward admitted Charles Schaeffer to a partnership but after a short time they dissolved partnership and Mr. Miller continued the business alone until 1875, when he sold out and retired. In the meantime, however, he had ex- tended the scope of his activities to include the manufacture of pumps and had also carried on a foundry business. He wisely used the opportunities that were pre- sented and by his close attention to his business and his honorable methods secured a large trade.
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