History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Downer, Harry E
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1166

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Two years before leaving the old homestead Edward J. Dougherty was mar- ried to Miss Alice E. Glynn, whose father was a prominent farmer of Long Grove. 'After leaving the old home place Mr. Dougherty and his family resided on a farm in Sheridan township until 1888, when he purchased the old Brownlie farm on Brady street. There he made his home until he removed to this city and took up his residence in the old Dr. J. L. Reed homestead at No. 1504 Main street. He was one of the organizers of the Farmers & Mechanics Savings Bank and at the time of his death was a director and the chairman of the execu- tive committee of the bank. The extent and variety of his business interests and connections made him one of the most prominent residents of Scott county. His labors contributed in large and substantial measure to public progress and improvement and he well deserves mention with those who have been the real upbuilders of this section of the state. He promoted the Davenport and South- ern Railroad and was its first president, continuing in that office until his demise. He promoted and financed the Guaranty Mutual Life Insurance Company, be- coming one of its directors, and was chairman of its executive committee. He

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was also the president of the Scott County Coal Mining Company, the president of Schick's Express & Storage Company, president of the Silvis Coal Mining Company of Carbon Cliff, Illinois, and a director of the Norris Coal Mining Company. As his financial resources increased he made extensive investment in realty and became one of the largest landowners of the county, holding title to twelve hundred and thirty acres in Princeton township, one hundred and sixty- two acres in Butler township, two hundred acres in Sheridan township and one hundred and sixty acres in Lincoln township. He also had extensive holdings in the Dakotas and Nebraska, together with much real estate in Davenport. Whatever he undertook he carried forward to successful completion and his business affairs were ever of a constructive nature, contributing to the general growth and prosperity of the community. He was a man of strong character, of domestic virtues and of moral and religious spirit. He was widely known as an efficient public official, serving for several terms as supervisor during his res- idence in Sheridan township. In religious faith he was a Catholic and gave gen- erously to the support of the church and its charities. He stood as a splendid example of the type of self-made man. Reared in the growing west, he saw and improved the advantages which Iowa afforded her citizens and in the estab- lishment and conduct of important business interests he became recognized as one of the foremost men of Scott county, his labors being of far-reaching and beneficial effect in relation to public welfare and at the same time constituting a source of substantial individual profit.

WILLIAM S. CHENOWETH.

For a period of over forty-one years William S. Chenoweth has been a resi- dent of Davenport and through intelligently directed activity in his chosen field of labor, came to be recognized as one of the most prominent representatives of the Aetna Fire Insurance Company of Connecticut. He is today one of the oldest insurance men in the state, but is now living retired, his success in former years enabling him to enjoy many of the comforts of life without recourse to further labor. He has passed his eighty-fourth milestone on life's journey. During twenty-eight years and a half he averaged twenty-five thousand miles a year on the road for the Aetna Insurance Company.

His birth occurred in New Castle, Pennsylvania, September 26, 1825, his parents being Arthur and Rebecca (Reynolds) Chenoweth. His father was one of the early settlers of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, and named this county before his death, which occurred over eighty-two years ago, and the family has long been represented in that state. He had previously lived near Harper's Ferry, Virginia, when he removed to Pennsylvania.

William S. Chenoweth was educated in the schools of his native city, and in the year 1844 sought the opportunities of the middle west, first establishing his home near La Harpe, Illinois. He afterward lived at different points in that state and was associated with different lines of business until eventually he turned his attention to insurance. He is today one of the oldest insurance men

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in the state of Iowa and one of the best known in the western and southern states. The rebellion destroyed the large insurance business of the Aetna Fire Insurance Company in southern states and nearly forty years ago he was sent by the Aetna Insurance Company to open up the insurance business for this company in the different southern states. It was a hard place to travel then, as the railroads were put in bad condition by the war. He entered this field in a humble way, but gradually advanced as he proved his usefulness and worth in this field. He thoroughly familiarized himself with every phase of the insur- ance business and with firm belief in its value, to the insured as well as the members of the company promoting insurance, he was enabled to build up an extensive clientage and secure a business, the volume of which brought him, in the course of years, to a prominent position among the insurance men of the state, securing for him at the same time a substantial financial reward for his labors.

On the 17th of April, 1851, Mr. Chenoweth was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Webster Painter. Her father, like Mr. Chenoweth's, had come to the middle west in the hope of bettering his fortune. Mr. and Mrs. Chenoweth can both remember spending the day together at her home over seventy-four years ago, when she was five and he was ten years of age. By this marriage there were born four children: Alice, the oldest, is living at home. Mary P. became the wife of J. B. Johnson, who for twenty-eight years was an attorney of Des Moines and is now living in Oklahoma City. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have three children: Arthur, who is married and has a son, Donald; Hazel, the wife of John H. Fowler, by whom she has one son, William H .; and Ernest C., at home. Louise, the third member of the family, died in childhood. Henrietta B., the youngest of the family, is the wife of Oren Bradshaw Waite, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and they have two daughters, Marguerite and Dorothy.

Sixty-three years ago Mr. Chenoweth joined the ranks of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has since maintained active membership in that fraternity, heartily endorsing the beneficent principles which constitute its basic elements. He has always been a generous contributor to the churches and his influence has ever been on the side of justice, truth and right. His political allegiance was given to the whig party in early manhood, and in 1844 he heard Henry Clay make a speech from the steps of the old Planters House in St. Louis. He joined the republican party on its organization and has since been one of its stalwart advocates.

He has lived in the Mississippi valley for fifty-three years, and his life record covers almost eight-five years, so that he has been a witness of many events which to the great majority are matters of history. He can remember the building of the early railroads in this section of the country and of being in Chicago the day the books were opened to sell stock in the first Chicago rail- road (the Chicago & Galena Railroad) and the day when the emigrants to the west traveled in the old moving wagons. Chicago then had fourteen thousand inhabitants. Many of the homes in this section of the country were log cabins and sod houses and there were vast tracts of land yet unclaimed and unculti- vated.

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Mr. Chenoweth has lived to witness the remarkable changes which have occurred and has always maintained a deep interest in the work of progress that has brought Illinois and Iowa to their present advanced position. It is these places that the greater part of his life has been passed in and he has always felt that he made a wise move when he came to this section of the coun- try, rich in its natural resources and affording boundless opportunities to the early settlers as well as to the later day residents. While his able managed in- dividual interests have brought to him success, he has always contributed in no small degree toward promoting general progress through the course of years.

JOSEPH N. GREENE.

There are many admirable traits of character exemplified in the life of Joseph N. Greene, who is now one of the patriarchal citizens of Davenport, having reached the age of eighty-four years. Much of his life was devoted to the art of photography but since 1894 he has lived retired. A native of Pennsylvania, Joseph N. Greene was born in Clearfield county, March 6, 1826, and is a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Liebengood) Greene. The father was a carpenter by trade and during the latter part of his life engaged in boat building on the canal at Blairsville, to which place he removed with his family soon after the birth of his son Joseph. The latter there resided until about 1862 and acquired his edu- cation in the public schools of that town. He now has in his possession a pic- ture of the old log school building which was erected in 1830 and was used as a church and place of public meetings as well as for educational purposes. His father built the first house in Blairsville and the family were closely associated with the development and progress of the town. Both the father and mother died there, the former passing away at the age of fifty years, while the latter, long surviving him, reached the very advanced age of ninety-four years. Her parents were among the first settlers of western Pennsylvania and as pioneer residents aided in planting the seeds of civilization in a virgin soil.

Joseph N. Greene, who was the fourth in a family of nine children, after pursuing his education in the schools of Blairsville, learned the trade of boat making under his father and followed it until after his father's death. He built a boat for himself about 1848 and used it on the canal there. In 1861 he organ- ized a company at Blairsville for service in the Civil war, for his patriotic spirit was aroused by the attempt of the south to overthrow the Union. The organi- zation became known as Company I of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. They enlisted at Blairsville and went into camp at Harrisburg, Penn- sylvania, Mr. Greene being elected captain of the company. They remained in Harrisburg for about four months and then proceeded to Washington, D. C., joining the Army of the Potomac. Mr. Greene was in a number of skirmishes up to the time when he was honorably discharged on account of ill health in 1863.

Returning to Pennsylvania, he established his home in Allegheny, where he turned his attention to photography. In 1865 he removed to Geneseo, Illinois, and conducted a photograph gallery there until 1879, after which he went to

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Morrison and later to Sterling, Illinois, where he remained for two years. On the expiration of that period he came to Davenport and since 1894 has continu- ously lived retired. During his active connection with the photographic art he kept in touch with all the modern processes of taking pictures and, with keen appreciation for the effects of light and shade as well as for pose, he produced excellent work that gained for him a liberal patronage and made his business a profitable venture.

On the 13th of November, 1862, Mr. Greene was married in Davenport to Miss Susan Brown, a daughter of Squire James and Mary (Donley) Brown. Mrs. Greene was born in Pennsylvania and in her infancy was brought to Scott county, Iowa. Her father first came to this county in the fall of 1844 and the mother brought their children the following spring to the new home which he had prepared. Mr. Brown rented a farm on Duck Creek, which he occupied for two years and then purchased an adjoining tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres, where he made his home for some time. Eventually he sold that property, however, and removed nearer Davenport, where he bought another farm, residing thereon until the death of his wife about 1882. He then retired from active life and took up his abode in the city. He was not only a prominent agriculturist but also took an active part in public affairs, serving as justice of the peace of Pleasant Valley township for a long period, during which time his fair and impartial decisions won him high encomiums. He was also school director and held other offices in the township. He gave his political support to the democracy and his allegiance to the Catholic church, in the faith of which he died in 1893 at the age of eighty-six years. His wife had passed away at the age of seventy-four years.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Greene were born eight children: Carrie, who is a Sister of Mercy in the Mercy Convent at St. Louis; Josephine, who is the wife of W. A. Craft, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and has two children, Dora and Gertrude; 'Agnes, Pius and Lourde, all now deceased; Mattie, the wife of James Shelby, of Davenport, and the mother of eight children :- Harold, Hugh, Hildegard, Jerome, Lourde, Barthela, Monica and Regina; Gertrude, the wife of Albert Osterman, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Isaac, at home. Mr. Greene has belonged to a large number of fraternal orders but is not affiliated with any at the present time. He is a prominent member of the Catholic church and his life has been in harmony with the teachings thereof. For eighty-four years he has traveled life's journey, faithfully performing the duties that each day has brought, and his trustworthiness, his energy and his reliability have gained him the high and favorable regard of all with whom he has been associated.

FRANK W. MUNDT.

Frank W. Mundt is numbered among those who in the opening years of the Civil war offered their services to the government and for three years were en- gaged in active military duty. He is now living retired in Davenport and is numbered among the worthy citizens that Germany has furnished to this state.

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His birth occurred in the city of Mecklenburg, October 16, 1834, and his par- ents, who were also natives of that country, spent their entire lives there.

Frank W. Mundt acquired his education in the schools of Germany and was a young man of about twenty years when he made the voyage to the new world, landing at New Orleans. He thence proceeded up the Mississippi river to Dav- enport and, unafraid of hard work, immediately sought employment that would enable him to meet his expenses and make a good start in life. He was em- ployed at different kinds of labor both in town and on the farms. At the time of the Civil war, however, he put aside all business and personal considerations and in September, 1861, at San Francisco, California, enlisted as a member of Com- pany K, Second Cavalry Volunteers. They went across the plains to Salt Lake and were engaged in fighting the Indians most of the time until mustered out at Salt Lake City, October 8, 1864, after which Mr. Mundt returned to Davenport.

It was on the 30th of September, 1868, that Mr. Mundt was united in mar- riage to Miss Anna Pahl, who was born in Holstein, Germany, a daughter of Claus and Marie Pahl. Her parents died in the fatherland and she came alone to the United States in 1866. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mundt have been born ten children : Emma, the wife of John Brooks of Portland, Oregon, by whom she has three children-Dorothy, William and Selma; Anna, the wife of Robert Armil of Davenport, by whom she has seven children-Bessie, Etta, Earl, Ruth, Paul, Robert and Marie; William, of this city, who wedded Nellie I. Oschaugh- nessy, now deceased, by whom he had two children-Julia and Alfred; Louisa, the wife of Louis Eckhardt, sheriff of Scott county, and the mother of two chil- dren-Louisa and Herbert; Selma and Frank, at home; Freda, the wife of Fred Volz of Davenport and the mother of two children-Margaret and Marie; and Paula, Emil and Alfred, all at home.

Mr. Mundt is a member of the Grand Army Post at Davenport and takes pleasure in the camp fires. He is widely known in this city, where he has long made his home and where he stands as an excellent type of the German-Ameri- can citizens who have done so much for Davenport's improvement and up- building.

J. W. BETTENDORF.

As some one has expressed it, "To know Davenport is to know Bettendorf." In other words, the name of Bettendorf is inseparably interwoven with the history of the city, its commercial enterprise and business development, through almost a quarter of a century. The student of biography must inevitably reach the conclu- sion that the mass of men seem content to remain in the position in which they are placed by birth, experience and environment. Laudable ambition, ready adaptability and the capacity for hard work are essential elements of success and in none of these requirements has J. W. Bettendorf been found lacking. It is not a matter of marvel, therefore, that he occupies a prominent position among the real builders of this city and the eminence to which he has attained is due to the fact that he possesses the ability to recognize the opportune moment and to cor-

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rectly appraise the value of a situation and determine its possible outcome. It is these qualities which have led him, in association with his brother, to enter upon the great work of establishing the mammoth enterprise that is now conducted under the name of the Bettendorf 'A'xle Company, and as secretary, treasurer and man- ager of the company he is giving his attention to constructive effort and executive ability along lines that have produced what is uniformly conceded to be the most important industrial concern of this city.

A native of Leavenworth, Kansas, Mr. Bettendorf was born October 10, 1864. His father, M. Bettendorf, a native of Germany, came to America when eighteen years of age, taking up his abode at Mendota, Illinois. He was a school teacher by profession and followed that pursuit in Illinois but subsequent to his removal to Sedalia, Missouri, conducted a grocery business and general store. Later he became a resident of Leavenworth, Kansas, and engaged in clerking for the gov- ernment at Fort Leavenworth. He is now living retired in the town of Bettendorf, a suburb of Davenport and the location of the extensive works which his sons have developed. He married Catharine Reck, also a native of Germany, and they became parents of a daughter and three sons, but only two of the family are now living, the elder brother being W. P. Bettendorf, president of the Bettendorf Axle Company.

J. W. Bettendorf, the third child and second son, was nine years of age when the family left Kansas and became residents of Peru, Illinois, where he remained until he attained his majority. His education was largely acquired in the schools of Peru and when eighteen years of age he secured a situation in the plow works of that place. His initial service was that of a machinist, while later he became foreman of the assembling department. In 1886 he came to Dav- enport, where in connection with his brother he organized the Bettendorf Metal Wheel Company. For two years he worked as a machinist and then became su- perintendent of the plant. In 1890 he went to Springfield, Ohio, as manager of the branch of the business at that place, but in the fall of 1893 returned to Daven- port and in association with W. P. Bettendorf turned his attention to the manu- facture of steel gear wagons. In January, 1895, their interests were incorporated under the name of Bettendorf Axle Company, with J. W. Bettendorf as secretary. Something of the extent and prominence of the business is indicated in a humor- ous reply recently made to a Davenport man in Pittsburg. When asked where he was from and telling the city of his residence the inquirer said, "Oh, yes, Daven- port-that is near Bettendorf, isn't it?" This indicates how widely the town of Bettendorf-and the town is practically the great Bettendorf works-is known. The volume of its business has made the name a familiar one to the iron trade, not only of America but of Europe. J. W. Bettendorf continued to serve as secretary and manager of the company from 1899 until 1906, when he was also elected treasurer.

In 1888 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Bettendorf and Miss Elizabeth Ohl, a daughter of George and Sibilla Ohl. They have two sons, Edwin J. and William E., aged respectively twenty and seven years. Mr. Bettendorf is one of the charter members of the Elks lodge and is prominent in the social life of the city, while in all those things which pertain to the city's substantial growth and progress he is deeply and actively interested. Many measures which are of strictly

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impersonal character have received his endorsement and cooperation and the city has been benefited thereby. In this age of marked industry and activity he has made for himself an honored name but it is not his success alone that entitles him to the high regard of his friends. He has never allowed the accumulation of wealth to affect in any way his manner toward those less fortunate, and entrance to his circle of friends is gained by character worth and not by material posses- sions. His associates know him as a most genial and kindly gentleman and while his business relations have brought him the acquaintance of many men distin- guished in commercial circles, he holds as his most priceless treasure the friendship and respect of his fellow townsmen, among whom he has now resided for almost a quarter of a century.

GEORGE W. VALENTINE.

George W. Valentine, long and favorably known in the business circles of Davenport, where he is conducting an extensive contracting business as a mem- ber of the firm of Garstang & Valentine, bricklayers, was born at Buffalo, New York, July 8, 1834, and is a son of William and Katherine (Mee) Valentine. The father was a bricklayer in the east and the mother died during the residence of the family in that part of the country. The father came to Davenport after the arrival of his son George here and spent his last days in this city.

George W. Valentine pursued his education in the public schools of Buffalo and afterward learned the bricklayer's trade under the direction of his father. Noting the rapid improvement and settlement of the middle west and believing that it would offer a good field of labor for one in his line of work, he came to Davenport alone in 1856, when a young man of but twenty-two years of age. Here he began work at his trade and has since been connected with this line of business. He aided in building the old Methodist church, was employed on the construction of the First National Bank, also of the Burtis Opera House, the Kimball Hotel and a large number of other buildings. About thirty years ago he formed a partnership with Frank Garstang and during this period they have been awarded contracts for the erection of many large and important buildings in the city. They sustain an unassailable reputation because of the excellent workmanship which is done under their supervision and because of their un- faltering fidelity to the terms of a contract. Their patronage is now extensive and the business has long been conducted upon a profitable basis.

On the 4th of June, 1857, Mr. Valentine was united in marriage to Miss Mary Snow, a daughter of William and Louisa (Clark) Snow. She was born in Chautauqua county, New York, and came to Scott county, Iowa, in 1856. For fifty-three years, therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine have traveled life's journey together and as time passed on their marriage was blessed with five children: Leon, who married Anna Russell and has one daughter, Mary; Carrie, the wife of Joseph O. Bradney, of Belmont, New York; Martha, the wife of William Davis, of Livingston, Montana, by whom she has three children-Leon, Marion and Carrie; George, of Evanston, Illinois, who married Lottie Wells and has three children-Wells W., George S. and Mary; and Ella, who died at the age

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of fourteen months. The parents began their domestic life in the same house in which they still reside.

Mr. Valentine and his wife are members of the Unitarian church. In mat- ters of citizenship he has always been interested and his support has been given to those projects and measures which he has deemed of importance and of vital significance to the community. He has ever favored progress and improvement and those qualities have been manifest in his own life. His reliability in business and his fidelity in other relations have won for him a creditable standing in public regard.

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History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Downer, Harry E Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1166

Author: Downer, Harry E
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1166