USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II > Part 18
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On the 24th of June, 1862, Mr. Miller was married in Davenport to Miss Chris- tina Baussmann, who was born in Hessen, Germany, in 1835, and died in 1872, leav- ing four children : Cornelia, now the wife of Dr. E. M. Singleton, of Marshalltown, Iowa, by whom she has one daughter, Miriam; Severin, a resident of San Fran-
Severin. Hiller ,
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cisco; and Julia and Helen, at home. Mr. Miller erected his present residence during war times and has occupied it for more than forty years. It is one of the old landmarks of his section of the city and has ever been a hospitable home, open for the reception of the many friends of the family.
ARTHUR GLADSTONE BUSH.
Arthur Gladstone Bush, a member of the law firm of Ely & Bush, has through his varied activities become recognized as one of the leading and influential citi- zens of Davenport. He was born in Concord, now Garner, Hancock county, Iowa, December 21, 1870. His father, Henry H. Bush, was a native of Randolph, Cattaraugus county, New York, born July 2, 1837. He removed to Galva, Illi- nois, just prior to the Civil war and after the outbreak of hostilities was mustered in as captain of Company D of the Seventeenth Illinois Infantry, with which he served for three years, taking an active part in the conflict. At the siege of Vicksburg he was detailed in charge of the Pioneer Corps and at Fort Donelson, in the absence of the colonel, he commanded the regiment with credit and ability. He participated in a number of the hotly contested engagements and never fal- tered in the performance of any duty, his own valor and loyalty inspiring those who served under him. He was mustered out with the rank of captain and with a most creditable military record returned home. Later he studied law in Galva under the direction of A. H. Veeder, an attorney of that city, after which he removed to Concord, Iowa, where he commenced practice in 1869. Until a short time prior to his death he followed his profession and his knowledge of the law and careful preparation of his cases gained him a skill that led to his connection with much of the important litigation tried in the district. During his later years he owned and published the Hancock Signal, which paper he purchased from Senator Hayward. Prominent in the political circles of the state, he represented Hancock county in the general assembly, also filled the offices of referee in bankruptcy, postmaster and mayor of Concord. He was likewise a member of the county board of supervisors and his efforts did much to hold the county seat at Concord, now Garner. Over the record of his official career there fell no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, for in all of his public service he was actuated by a spirit of devotion to the general good that was manifest in many tangible ways. Preeminently a man of affairs, he wielded a wide influence in thought and action. He was a man of strong character and ability and a natural leader, and he devoted his efforts untiringly for the benefit of his town and com- munity. He died September 15, 1895, respected and honored by all who knew him. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Minerva Wright, was a native of Illinois.
Arthur Gladstone Bush pursued his education in the public schools of Garner until he completed the high-school course. He then engaged in teaching for a year in Hancock county and at the same time studied shorthand and qualified for the position of a court reporter. For five years he acted as district court reporter and during that time became interested in and took up the study of law.
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He afterward attended the State University of Iowa and pursued special work in the Garner Academy. He was graduated from the law department of the former institution in 1895 and, coming to Davenport, formed a partnership with N. D. Ely, who had been his classmate in the university. The court records show that he has had a liberal share of the legal business of the city and that he has been successful in its conduct, winning many verdicts favorable to his clients, to whom his devotion is proverbial. He is a loyal republican but no office seeker. preferring to give his time and energies to his law practice and as a consequence the firm of Ely & Bush is prosperous, with a business that is extensive and of a distinctively representative character. In addition he is a director and secre- tary of the Iowa & Eastern Colorado Land Company and is likewise interested in a number of financial enterprises.
In August, 1894, Mr. Bush was united in marriage to Miss Eunice Curtis, a native of Clayton county. Her grandfather, T. P. Olmstead, was one of the oldest settlers of the county, arriving there in the early '30s. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bush have been born two sons, Arthur Curtis and Hollis H. Mr. Bush is a Mason, holding membership in the lodge, chapter and commandery and the Shrine, and in the commandery he is filling the office of generalissimo. He likewise be- longs to Prosperity Lodge, No. 704, I. O. O. F., and is a United States commis- sioner. He is a director of the Young Men's Christian Association of the Ed- wards Congregational church and a teacher of the Bible class. His interests, therefore, are not confined to the material things but have to do with the moral progress of the community, and his own life is an exemplification of his belief that the thing most worth while is character development. Although compara- tively young, he is recognized as a man of mark in Davenport, his ability and well developed powers carrying him into important relations.
JOHN DANIELS.
John Daniels was for many years identified with the agricultural interests of Scott county but for the past year he has lived retired in a beautiful home in Davenport. Throughout his career of continued and far-reaching usefulness his duties have been performed with the greatest care, and business interests have been so managed as to win him the confidence of the public and the prosperity which should always attend honorable effort. Mr. Daniels is a native of Eng- land, his birth having occurred in Gloucestershire, on the 18th of April, 1845. His parents, Walter and Elizabeth (Baker) Daniels, were farming people of that country and lived and died there, the father passing away in 1891, when seventy-five years of age, and the mother in 1895, at the same age.
John Daniels remained in his native country during the period of his boy- hood and youth, assisting his father in the operation of the home farm and in carrying on a butcher shop, which the latter conducted. When twenty-one years old, foreseeing no future in the land of his nativity and having heard and read a great deal about the freedom and the opportunity for advancement in this country, he decided to leave home. Setting sail for the United States, it was in
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March, 1866, that he landed in New York city, whence he made his way to Dav- enport, where lived an uncle, James Baker, who was one of the early settlers of this section of the state. Mr. Daniels worked for him during the succeeding sum- mer and later was employed by others at truck gardening until 1870, when he was married and he then rented a tract of land which he cultivated for six years. He was largely engaged in raising sugar cane and also engaged in the dairy business .. In the fall of 1875, having saved a sum of money that justified the purchase of land, he became owner of twenty acres, which at that time was in Davenport township but is now included in the city limits and is known as the West Home addition to the city. This tract was only slightly improved, but Mr. Daniels built a small house containing two rooms, and in this little dwelling he and his family took up their abode. After four years he added to the house and in later years replaced his first dwelling with a more pretentious and modern structure. He was engaged in farming that land until 1883, when he purchased the place known as the Hunter farm, located a mile and a half from the city limits, in Davenport township, this tract comprising eighty acres. Mr. Daniels then took up his abode on that farm but after two years returned to his first tract. In August, 1909, he put aside all business cares and removed to the city, where he occupies a nice home. In former years he led a busy, active and use- ful life and his labors, carefully managed, have brought to him a gratifying reward.
It was in 1870 that Mr. Daniels was married to Miss Elizabeth Baker, who was likewise born in Gloucestershire, England, a daughter of Thomas and Anna (Fawkes) Baker. The Baker family came to Davenport about 1856 and it was here that the marriage of the daughter occurred. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Daniels have been born two sons and one daughter, namely: Walter, who resides in Dav- enport and wedded Miss Anna Kelling, by whom he has a son and daughter, Robert and Alice; John, who wedded Miss Sarah Kober and who lives on his father's farm on Harrison street, just outside of the city; and Elizabeth, at home. The parents are communicants of the Episcopal church, in which Mr. Daniels has long served as a vestryman. Coming to America in early manhood, Mr. Daniels made good use of every opportunity that presented for advancement and today he is surrounded by all the comforts that go to make life worth living. The family home at No. 1415 Farnam street is one of hospitality and good cheer and all who enter its doors are given a cordial welcome.
IRA R. TABOR.
Ira R. Tabor, who for eighteen years has been a representative of the Dav- enport bar and now with a large practice is giving proof of his ability in handling the intricate problems of the law, was born'in Jones county, Iowa, September 4, 1864. His father, James Tabor, a native of Indiana, came to Davenport in 1849, arriving in this state only a few years after its admission to the Union. He crossed the river on the ice in company with two brothers and went to Jones county, where he took up government land and there engaged in farming until
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his death on the 7th of April, 1887. In his farming operations he met with suc- cess and became a large landowner, having a section and a half of land. He wisely placed his surplus earnings in the safest of all investments-real estate- and his business enterprise and diligence brought him to a prominent position among the men of affluence of the county. A leading and influential citizen in his community, he held a number of township offices and at all times was loyal to the public trust. He married Miss Margaret Keller, a native of Indiana, in which state the wedding was celebrated. Her birth occurred October 11, 1828, and on the 17th of April, 1899, she passed away.
Ira R. Tabor was the fifth in order of birth in a family of six children. He attended the country schools while spending his youthful days upon the home farm and afterward had the opportunity of continuing his education in the schools of Monmouth, Illinois, and Maquoketa, Iowa. Later he pursued a classical course in the University of Indiana and prepared for a professional career as a law student in the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which in- stitution he was graduated on the 26th of June, 1891. He then came to Daven- port and entered the law office of J. W. Stewart, to whose practice he succeeded upon the death of Mr. Stewart in 1894. He is well versed in the principles of jurisprudence and is always accurate in their application to the points in litiga- tion. The zeal and earnestness with which he controls his law business, the care- ful regard evinced for his clients' interests and his close and discriminating logic in the discussion of a case before court or jury are elements in the success which has attended him from the beginning.
Mr. Tabor is active in public affairs but is not an office seeker, preferring to give his attention to the law and to investments. He is, however, well known in the Masonic fraternity, beloning to Trinity Lodge, No. 208, A. F. & A. M .; Dav- enport Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M .; St. Simon of Cyrene Commandery, No. 9, K. T .; Davenport Consistory, No. 4, S. P. R. S .; and Kaaba Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is likewise affiliated with other societies, whose basic principles are such as win the respect and approval of all who have regard for honorable, up- right manhood.
BENONI S. BALDWIN.
Benoni S. Baldwin, a retired contractor and manufacturer of Davenport, whose persistent labor has constituted for him the key that has unlocked the por- tals of success, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, November 8, 1834, and is a son of Joseph D. and Sarah S. (Shields) Baldwin. The father was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1801 and removed westward to Ohio about 1828, accom- panied by his wife. He settled in Harrison county and there followed the stone- mason's trade, which he had previously learned in the Keystone state. He died in 1876 and his wife, who was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1808, passed away in 1844. She was the mother of four children: Thomas H., now deceased; Benoni S .; George W., who is living in Hopedale, Harrison county, Ohio; and William, a resident of Sheridan, Iowa.
Benom
Mary A Baldum
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Benoni S. Baldwin was a pupil in the district schools of his native county and therein became familiar with those branches of learning which are necessary to advancement in any line of life as well as to business success. He left school early, however, and in 1851, when a youth of sixteen years, left home in order to learn the carpenter's trade. He applied himself diligently to the tasks assigned him and became an expert workman. Thinking to find better business opportuni- ties in the new but rapidly growing and developing west, he came to Iowa in 1856, arriving at Davenport on the 24th of April of that year. He first began to work at his trade in the employ of others but later felt that his experience and skill justified him in engaging in business on his own account and turned his attention to contracting, in which connection he has erected a large number of buildings. He also assisted in building the old Christian chapel in 1889. Further extending the field of his activities, he bought a half interest in the Davenport Ladder Company and acted as superintendent of the plant for about fourteen years, at the end of which time he sold out to W. C. Hayward and since that time has lived retired. The years brought him substantial success as the reward of per- sistent and indefatigable labor and he is now in possession of a comfortable competence.
At the time of the Civil war Mr. Baldwin put aside business and personal considerations in 1864 and enlisted as a member of Company C, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry. His company was detailed for service at Camp Mcclellan on guard duty and there Mr. Baldwin remained until mustered out in 1865. He maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic.
On the 6th of December, 1866, Mr. Baldwin was married to Miss Mary A. Jenkins, who was born in Rockingham township, this county, a daughter of Rich- ard R. and Mary (Blackman) Jenkins. Her parents were early settlers here, coming to this county from Canada in 1842. They were farming people and the father took up raw land which he converted into rich and productive fields. Both he and his wife died in Davenport. In their family were eight children : Hiram H., now living in Nebraska; Mrs. Maria J. Carpenter, who is a widow and lives in South Omaha; Mary A., now Mrs. Baldwin; James, whose home is in South Dakota; George W., of Minneapolis; Frank, who is living in Mil- waukee, Wisconsin; Etta, who is the wife of John A. Wheeler and resides in Davenport; and Annie L., deceased. Sarah Eleanor, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin, died when but seven months old. They are members of the Old Settlers Society of Scott county, composed of people who came here in 1846 or before and have lived here since the admission of the state into the Union. Mr. Baldwin also belongs to the Fremont Club, composed of those who voted for John C. Fremont in 1856. He is now treasurer of that society. He built his present residence about thirty years ago, set out trees and has in other ways adorned the place. He has also built a number of other houses for himself and from his property interests has derived a good income. His has been an active and useful life and his fellow townsmen have naught to say of him except in terms of good will and high regard. Great have been the changes which have occurred during the period of his residence in Iowa. In the decades which have since been added to the centuries he has seen Iowa transformed from a frontier
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state into one of the thickly populated regions of the middle west, leading the entire country in the matter of corn production, in the number and efficiency of its public schools and in other fields of activity of a most creditable nature. Mr. Baldwin has always done his full share of public work as a citizen, giving loyal support to every movement calculated to benefit and upbuild the city and county.
REV. FRANCIS I. MOFFATT.
Rev. Francis I. Moffatt is now living retired in Davenport, but for many, years gave his time to the work of the Presbyterian ministry. He now derives his income from a good farm which he owns in Cedar county. He was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1835, his parents being James and Hannah (Moffat) Moffatt. So far as the ancestry records show, the family originated in Scotland. Both parents died at New Castle, where the father fol- lowed farming as a life work. They were the parents of seven children, but the only one still living is Francis I., of this review. W. J., a twin brother of our subject, was a minister of the gospel and passed away on the 25th of January, 1910. His health became impaired while he was a missionary in Indian Terri- tory and prior to his demise he lived retired at New Castle, Pennsylvania. Hannah K., Sarah J., Mary and Eliza J. are all deceased. Robert T., the youngest, died from the effects of military experience. He was a prisoner at Libby and Ander- sonville for a considerable time during the Civil war and when paroled returned home and died soon afterward.
Rev. Francis I. Moffatt remained a resident of his native town until about eighteen years of age and then entered the Westminster Collegiate Institute at New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, to supplement the education which he had already acquired in the public schools. The year of his matriculation was 1854 and of his graduation, 1857. He there pursued a general course and afterward entered the Western Theological Seminary at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he studied for the ministry, completing a three years' course by graduation in 1860. He was licensed to preach on the 20th of June of that year as a minister of what was then known as the Free Presbyterian church. His first charge was in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, where he remained for about two years. He afterward had charge of different churches in Pennsyl- vania and in 1866 made his way westward to Illinois, where he took charge of the Irish Grove church in Sangamon county near Springfield. In the meantime he had withdrawn from the Free Presbyterian church and entered the regular Presbyterian church on account of its attitude concerning the question of slavery. He remained as pastor of the Irish Grove church for six years, after which he took up his abode at Cornwall, Henry county, Illinois, where he continued in pastoral labors for eleven years. On the expira- tion of that period he became minister of the Red Oak church in Cedar county, Iowa, where he continued. for five years, after which he came to Scott county and took charge of the Summit church in Lincoln township. He lived in the parsonage there for five years, during which time he earnestly and
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zealously pursued his ministerial labors, after which he retired and removed to the town. He continued to supply the church, however, for about a year, or until they could obtain a regular minister. He also acted as supply in the church at Eldridge. Conscientious, earnest and consecrated in all of his labors, his work in behalf of the church was of a beneficial character with far-reaching effects. Logical and entertaining in address, strong and unfaltering in purpose and actuated at all times by a deep love of humanity, he put forth his efforts in pastorate work and as a preacher labored for the benefit of all mankind, nor was he denied the rich harvest nor the aftermath.
Rev. Moffatt was married October 12, 1878, to Miss Elizabeth Orr, a daughter of Mathew and Susanna Orr, of Henry county, Illinois. They have become parents of seven children. William, now living in Oklahoma, married Julia Brown Shillito, and they have one son, Philip J. Florence M. is the wife of William B. Bennett, of Madison, Wisconsin, and they have one child, Florence Louise. John J., now living in Muskogee, Oklahoma, married Hazel Woods and is engaged with his brother William in the real-estate business. Robert T., who married Della Booth, is living on his father's farm. Mary E. and Edwin are at home, and Foster O. died July 31, 1897, at the age of four years. Four. chil- dren of the family were graduated from the Wisconsin University, where they pursued literary and scientific courses. All have been liberally educated and the Moffatt home has ever been one of advanced, intelligent culture, emanating an influence for good that is felt throughout the community. Actuated by the higher purposes of life, Rev. Moffatt has given his attention to a work that has made him a man of far-reaching influence and his precept and example have been factors in promoting righteousness, justice, truth and morality among his fel- lowmen.
WILLIAM G. CABEL.
William G. Cabel, a retired farmer of German birth, now living in Daven- port, still derives a substantial income from valuable farming property com- prising one hundred acres of rich land in Hickory Grove township. The years were fraught with earnest, persistent labor until a recent date, when he put aside the more active duties of the farm and has since given his time to those pursuits and interests which afford him rest, recreation and entertainment. He was born in Holstein, Germany, June 7, 1838, and is, therefore, in the seventy-second year of his age. His parents were Lewis and Lottie Cabel. The former, a farmer of Germany, came to the United States with his family in 1856, landing, however, at .Quebec, Canada, whence he made his way to Davenport. In the vicinity of the city he rented land and continued farming until his death, both he and his wife passing away in 1863. They were the parents of eight children: Henry and Dora, both deceased; William G .; Lottie, who has also passed away; Lewis, of Chicago; August, deceased; Emma, the widow of Fred Sharlow; and Herman, of Davenport.
William G. Cabel attended school in Germany through the period of his boyhood and youth and when eighteen years of age accompanied his parents on
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their emigration to the new world. He has made farming his life work, his time being devoted to the improvement and development of farming land in Scott county until his enlistment for service in the Civil war on the 13th of, September, 1861. He became a member of Company I, Twelfth Missouri Infan- try, at Davenport. He enlisted for three years, joining the regiment at St. Louis, where the troops were encamped for two weeks. They then went to Evansville and later to Sedalia, Missouri, after which they proceeded to Springfield, where two weeks were passed. They next spent two months at Raleigh, Missouri, and in January, 1862, started from Raleigh to Springfield, whence they went to Arkansas, soon afterward participating in the. battle of Pea Ridge. Later Mr. Cabel took part in the engagements at Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post and Vicks- burg. At the last named place he was taken ill, was sent home on a furlough and honorably discharged in January, 1864. Subsequently he engaged in team- ing in Davenport for a short time, after which he began farming on his own account. For about twenty years he cultivated rented land and then purchased a farm of one hundred acres in Hickory Grove township, but never made his home thereon. He has been practical, energetic and determined in all that he has undertaken and his success has resulted from capable and careful management.
On the 2d of December, 1868, William G. Cabel was married to Miss Dorothy Bergerdt, a daughter of Jacob and Christina Bergerdt. Unto them have been born seven children. Augusta is the wife of Charles Detrich, of Liberty town- ship, by whom she has four children; Hugo, John, Raymond and William. Meta is the wife of Theodore Schroder, of Hickory Grove township, and they have five children : Armil, Minnie, Clarence, Adelia and Helmerdt. Laura and Emma are at home. Henry, living in Hickory Grove township, married Freda Whit- mer and they have two children, Elsie and Robert. William resides in Hickory Grove township. Herman is at home.
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