USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II > Part 42
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448
· HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
John Arp acquired his education in the schools of Germany and was a youth of seventeen years at the time of the emigration. After arriving in Scott county he secured employment as a farm hand and at breaking prairie, so that he soon became familiar with the arduous task of bringing land under cultivation for the first time. In 1862 he began farming on his own account, renting a place in Winfield township from Henry Armil, constituting a part of the farm which is now his property. Later he bought eighty acres of land from Mr. Dow and sub- sequently purchased eighty acres from Mr. Armil, so that his holdings comprise a quarter section, which is a valuable and productive property. He has made all of the extensive improvements upon the place and the farm is lacking in none of the equipments and accessories usually found on a model farm of the twen- tieth century. Year by year he carefully tilled the fields but at a more recent date practically retired from farm work, employing others to till and cultivate the soil and harvest the crops, although he gives general supervision to all the work that is carried on.
On the 2d of May, 1864, Mr. Arp was united in marriage to Miss Sophia D. Vogt, a daughter of Carl W. and Mary Vogt, of Davenport, who came from Germany to Scott county in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Arp have become the parents of four children: Mary, the wife of William Fellener, by whom she has seven children -- Anna, Alice, Nettie, Hattie, Helen, William and Mamie; Wilhelmina, the wife of William Mohr, of Sheridan township, by whom she has four children -Anna, Alfred, Elmer and Wilbert; Anna, the wife of Henry Gertz, of Eld- ridge, by whom she has two sons, Harvey and Darwin; and Johannes, at home, who wedded Rose Bluhm, by whom he has two daughters, Thelma and Corinne.
Mr. and Mrs. Arp hold membership in the Lutheran church and are well known in this community, where he has lived for fifty-five years, while his wife has been a resident of Scott county for forty-six years. His life has been one of untiring diligence, crowned with success and, though his start in life was a humble one, he has come to be recognized as one of the substantial, worthy and respected farmers of Winfield township.
JOHN H. BRUS.
One of the enterprising farmers of Buffalo township is John H. Brus, who was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, and is a son of Rudolph and Adelheid (Bockhorst) Brus. The father was born in Holland, July 19, 1838, and at the age of eight, in 1846, he came with his parents to this country. Like so many of their compatriots the family landed at New Orleans, thence made their way by boat up the Mississippi river to St. Louis, where they disembarked and spent six months, so that it was not until the spring of 1847 that they reached Scott county. Here in Blue Grass township, Theodore Brus, the paternal grandfather, bought a farm, which has remained in the possession of his descendants to the present and is the home of a grandson Theodore and his mother. On that place Rudolph Brus grew to young manhood, witnessing and participating in the de- velopment of the county, which was rapidly progressing during those years.
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
In 1864, in Davenport he wedded Miss Adelheid Bockhorst, who was born in Prussia, Germany, in 1843, and is a daughter of Henry Bockhorst, who had come to this country and taken up his residence in Scott county, Iowa. In 1874 Mr. Brus purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land upon the line between Blue Grass and Hickory Grove townships. That farm remained his home throughout the rest of his life and is now the residence of his widow and their two sons, Frank and Bernard, and their daughter. Rudolph Brus died in 1892, and with his demise, Blue Grass township lost one of its valued citizens and successful agriculturists.
John H. Brus was reared upon the farm his father had bought. He was en- rolled as a pupil in the public schools of his district, although no more time than was necessary was devoted to the preparation of lessons, for there was always labor to be accomplished around the home. He lived with his family, operating the place after the death of his father until 1900, when, having married, he was desirous of establishing a home of his own. Accordingly he went to Hickory Grove township, where he rented property, and then, after two years' experience, came to Buffalo township, where he purchased the fine farm he and his wife own and which has been their home since. He has cultivated the soil with skill and profit and is rapidly rising to a position of importance among the men engaged in a similar occupation.
It was in 1900 that Mr. Brus was united in marriage to Miss Lena Brus, a daughter of Jacob Brus, from whom the young couple acquired their home. They have become the parents of five children, namely: Adeline, Raymond, Velma, Walter and Marie.
Since old enough to exercise the franchise right of an American citizen, Mr. Brus has adhered to the principles of the republican party, and on its ticket was elected to membership on the school board, which he still holds. While he was still a resident of Blue Grass township he was also identified with public interests, for then he served as road supervisor. A member of the Catholic faith, he be- longs to the congregation of St. Joseph's in the city of Davenport. Having ful- filled the public trust imposed upon him with credit to himself and the satisfac- tion of his fellow citizens, Mr. Brus enjoys the respect of those associated with him in occupation, while the success which has come to him has won their admir- ation.
'A'. E. WALSH.
Prominent among the energetic, farsighted and successful business men of Davenport is A. E. Walsh, whose ability has been demonstrated both in connec- tion with the profession of the law and in the establishment and control of im- portant financial interests. He is now best known to the general public as the vice president of the Citizens Trust & Savings Bank. His birth occurred in Clinton, Iowa, January 24, 1874. His father, Anthony Walsh, a native of Ireland, came to the United States in 1852 and settled in Davenport, where for a few years he was connected with the law offices of Judge Grant. He afterward removed to Clinton county, where he engaged in farming for a few years and then took up
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
his abode in the city of Clinton in order to provide his children with better educa- tional facilities. There he turned his attention to merchandising and for many years has been numbered among the progressive and prosperous business men of that place. He married Josephine Carroll, who was born in Ireland and in her girlhood days accompanied her parents when they settled in Le Claire, this county.
Spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, A. E. Walsh was edu- cated in the public schools of Clinton and after completing his more specifically literary course took up the study of law in the University of Iowa, from which he was graduated in the class of 1896. There were six children in the family, all of whom became lawyers. They maintain an office, although they are men of many affairs and do nothing in law practice except corporation work. They are men in whom the initiative spirit is strong, leading to the establishment and oper- ation of successful business ventures, and in 1906 they assisted in organizing the Citizens Trust & Savings Bank, of which E. C. Walsh is the president, A. E. Walsh vice president, W. T. Brownlie cashier and C. J. Calnan assistant cashier.
A. E. Walsh is also prominent in fraternal and club circles. He is lecturer of the Knights of Columbus, treasurer of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and dep- uty high chief ranger of the Foresters. He also belongs to the Commercial Club of Davenport and to the Davenport Outing Club and takes active interest as a cooperant factor in many projects and movements which are instituted for the benefit of the city and the development of its business connections.
STUTELEY P. STACEY.
Stuteley P. Stacey was numbered among the early settlers of Scott county, where he arrived in 1850. Only four years before had the state been admitted to the Union and, while settlements had been made along the Mississippi and in central Iowa, there were still great undeveloped and unimproved districts in western Iowa. Mr. Stacey was born June 19, 1822, at West Point, New York, and pursued his education there, retaining his residence in the east until about twenty-eight years of age, when he came to this county and established his home in Pleasant Valley township. There he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres and brought his fields under a high state of cultivation, carefully carrying on his work as the years passed by. He studied the soil, understood the requirements of different grains and by the careful rota- tion and care of his crops succeeded in gathering good harvests each year. The greater part of his life was given to general farming and upon his original home- stead he resided for thirty-eight years, or until 1888, when he sold the property to Mr. Hess.
While residing upon the farm Mr. Stacey served for a long period as asses- sor of his township. He was also a member of the school board and was inter- ested in all measures and movements for the benefit of the community.
Mr. Stacey was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Van Epps, who came to this county with her father, Charles Van Epps, from Schenectady county, New York,
STUTELEY P. STACEY
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
where she was born. They arrived in 1853 but the father was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, for a year afterward he passed away. His widow, how- ever, survived for many years and was long a resident of Scott county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stacey were born three children, but all died in infancy. Mrs. Stacey has spent the greater part of her life in Scott county and since her hus- band's death has made her home in Davenport. She enjoys a wide acquaintance and has a large circle of warm friends. She has long been an earnest champion of the cause of temperance and is an active worker in the Women's Christian Temperance Union.
Mr. Stacey was a devoted member and loyal supporter of the Methodist church and his life conformed to its teachings. For forty years he was an ex- emplary member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in politics he was a republican from the organization of the party. His life was character- ized by a worthy charity that prompted him ever to extend a helping hand to the poor and needy. He died May 21, 1889, and thus closed a life record that in all of its relations measured up to the full standard of upright, honorable manhood. While he never sought to figure prominently in public affairs, he never neglected the performance of his daily duties, nor was he ever inconsiderate or forgetful of the rights and privileges of others. On the contrary, he was always willing to aid a fellow traveler on life's journey and his life record was crowned with the memory of many good deeds as well as unassailable honor and integrity in business affairs.
JAMES PAUSTIAN.
James Paustian, a successful farmer of Hickory Grove township, is one of its native sons, for here his birth occurred October 25, 1863. His parents, Fred- erick and Christian (Roehs) Paustian, were natives of the fatherland, the former having been born in Holstein, January 14, 1820, the latter in the same province, August 25, 1825. In the place of their birth they were reared to maturity and were there married, coming to this country in 1851 shortly after their union. They settled on a farm in Scott county, Iowa, where Mr. Paustian devoted himself assiduously to tilling the soil, although for the first years, in conjunction with it, he followed his trade as a mason to some extent. As the years passed he became a prosperous man, who enjoyed the respect of his fellow citizens and especially of those pioneers of Scott county who had watched his labors in the early days. He died January 27, 1885, while his wife survived until July 21, 1900. They were both well advanced in age when their lives were ended.
Twelve children were born to them, ten of whom now survive, namely: Caro- line, who is the wife of Martin Greenwood, of Cleona township; Fred, who resides in Minnesota; August, of Hickory Grove township; Emma, the wife of Christ Paustian, of Cleona township; Louis, who resides in Cedar county, Iowa; Sophia, the wife of William Buhmann, of Bryan, Ohio; James, subject of this sketch; Charles, a farmer of Hickory Grove township; Minnie, the wife of Her-
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
man Meinert, of Cleona township; and Bertha, the wife of Henry Paulsen, of Muscatine county, Iowa.
As well as being his birthplace Hickory Grove township has also been the home of James Paustian throughout life. In the district schools here he received his early education and at the same time he was fitted for the responsibilities of life practically through the assistance he rendered his father in the operation of the homestead. Upon the death of the latter, when James Paustian was twenty- one year of age, he and his brother assumed the management of the paternal farm, which they conducted for the next four years. At the expiration of that period, they severed their partnership and James Paustian came to the place on which he now lives. It is a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, the southeast quarter of section 19, Hickory Grove township. Here he pursues general farm- ing, raising a quantity of stock for the market in addition. While these occu- pations demand a great deal of his time and thought, he is also interested as a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator at Walcott and has been able to render effi- cient service to his fellow citizens, for during a period of three years he was school director.
On the 27th of February, 1895, Mr. Paustian was united in marriage to Miss Anna Martens, who was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, September 6, 1874. Upon the 24th of October, 1881, she and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Mar- tens, came to Scott county, which has since been their home. Mr. and Mrs. Paustian have eight children : Minnie C., Sophia M., Bernhard P., Caroline 'A'., Walter E., Harry F., Bertha D. and Edna A.
Mr. Paustian belongs to the lodge of. the Knights of Pythias at Walcott, tak- ing a vital interest in its affairs. The improvements upon his farm and the con- dition of the fields, rather than their extent, evince his skill as a farmer, and he has the respect and good will of those who are associated with him.
W. R. MAINES.
W. R. Maines, for fifteen years a member of the Davenport bar and now serving as justice of the peace, to which position he was elected in 1906, was born in Ashland, Kentucky, May 10, 1874. His father, P. M. Maines, was a native of Pennsylvania and when a young man went to Kentucky, being employed as a steamboat engineer during his residence there. In 1875 he came to Iowa and after one year spent in Clinton removed to Le Claire, Scott county, where he resided for a few years. He then took up his abode in Princeton, this county, later coming to Davenport, where he continued as a steamboat engineer until his death in February, 1909. He was a well known river man, having a wide ac- quaintance from St. Paul to New Orleans, being on the river in the palmy and exciting days of steamboating when the Mississippi was the principal means of travel from north to south and the vessels which plied its waters were well termed floating palaces. He married Nannie E. Gray, a native of Virginia.
Brought to Iowa when but a year old, W. R. Maines largely pursued his edu- cation in the public schools of Princeton and completed his more specifically lit-
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
erary course in Cornell College, at Mount Vernon, Iowa. Wishing to make the practice of law his life work, he began reading in the office of W. M. Chamberlin, and later entered the State University at Iowa City, where he spent one year. In 1895 he was admitted to the bar and immediately afterward opened an office in Davenport, where he has since remained. For five years he engaged in practice with Fred Vollmer, under the firm style of Maines & Vollmer, but since that time has been alone. In 1906 he was elected justice of the peace and now presides in fair and impartial manner over the justice court in addition to attending to the duties of his law practice. Earnest application and unflagging diligence have constituted the basis of his progress and success. He chose as a life work a pro- fession in which advancement depends entirely upon individual effort and, realiz- ing this fact, has labored intelligently and persistently to attain the creditable position which he now occupies as a strong representative of the Davenport bar.
Mr. Maines has always been an active politician but not an office seeker. He belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is a Past Worthy President of the local ærie of Eagles. He is likewise connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Woodmen of the World, the Order of Owls and Knights of the Maccabees. In 1903 he married Louise A. Koch, a native of Rock Island and a daughter of Anthony Koch of that city.
FREDERICK LAMBACH, M. D.
Dr. Frederick Lambach, commissioner of insanity for Scott county and one of the successful and well known members of the medical fraternity of Daven- port, was born in Le Claire, Iowa, April 4, 1866. He represents one of the old pioneer families of this part of the state. His father, Frederick Lambach, was born in Germany and in 1848, when a young man, came to the new world with his sister Elnora. They made their way to Scott county, where their two broth- ers, Christian and Henry, had already preceded them, being located in Le Claire. Two other brothers, Charles and Francis, afterward came and likewise settled in Le Claire, where all engaged in farming. Frederick Lambach, Sr., was an engineer and master builder, as was his father before him, and in fact the family have been connected with building and engineering projects for generations. Frederick Lambach continued to engage in business along that line for a number of years and in 1870 turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits in Frinceton township. He was identified with farming until 1894, when he retired and took up his abode in Davenport, where he passed away in 1895 at the age of seventy-one years. In politics he was a republican but the honors and emolu- ments of office had no attraction for him. Well known, he was also uniformly respected, for his life was the exemplification of those principles and characteris- tics which in every land and clime command regard. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sophia Puls, was a native of Mecklenburg, Germany. Her father, Christian Puls, settled in Blue Grass in 1850, and in this state she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Lambach. Her death occurred in 1900, when she had
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
reached the age of sixty-one years. In the family were four children, Ida, Gus- tav. Frederick and Robert, but the last named died at the age of thirteen years.
To the public school system Dr. Lambach is indebted for his early educational privileges. He attended the country schools of Princeton township and after- ward entered the Davenport high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1884. He had already determined upon the practice of medicine as his life work and in the same year matriculated in the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1887. He then spent one year in St. Mary's Hospital in Philadelphia and the broad and varied experience of hospital prac- tice well qualified him for the onerous duties which devolved upon him when he took up the private practice of medicine in Le Claire. There he remained for nine years and in 1897 came to Davenport, where he has since resided. His ability is evidenced in the liberal patronage accorded him, for he now has a good general practice. He served as county coroner from 1897 until 1908 and was again called to office on the death of the late Dr. Middleton, being appointed as successor in the position of commissioner of insanity. He keeps in touch with the progress of the medical fraternity through his membership in the County, State and National Medical Societies.
In 1888 Dr. Lambach was married to Miss Anna 'Allen, a representative of a leading New Jersey family and of Revolutionary stock. Dr. and Mrs. Lambach have one son, Carl H. Fraternally the Doctor is connected with Trinity Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Davenport Chapter, R. A. M. He is also a popular member of the Shooting Club and other societies and has those traits of character which readily win friends, while his genuine worth enables him to retain the high regard that is at once tendered him. He has worked earnestly to secure the success that is his, becoming worthy of a liberal patronage by comprehensive study and con- scientious performance of every professional duty.
FRITZ BERNICK.
Fritz Bernick is successfully engaged in farming in Buffalo township and is well known as a raiser of Scotch shorthorn cattle, to which line of business he gives much of his time. A farm in Blue Grass township, Scott county, was the place of his nativity, his natal day being December 29, 1857. His father, Moritz Bernick, was born in Germany, November 24, 1818. He was married in that country to Miss Catherine E. Reckler, who was born July 26, 1826, the wedding ceremony being performed in the year 1846. They began their domestic life in the land of their birth and there remained until 1857, when, the father believing he could provide a better living for himself and family in the new world, they set sail for America and upon their arrival here at once made their way to Scott county, Iowa. The father rented land of a Mr. Newcomb in Blue Grass town- ship and continued its operation until 1866, when he purchased a tract of land in Muscatine county, this state, to which he removed. He was very successful in his farming operations and became a prominent and influential citizen of that section of the state. There are four living members of the family, those beside
FRITZ BERNICK
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
our subject being: Moritz, a farmer of Muscatine county; Adolf, who lives in Cedar county, Iowa; and Elizabeth, the wife of Charles Sheelie, a resident of Davenport.
Fritz Bernick was reared on the farm in Blue Grass township to the age of nine years, when he accompanied his parents on their removal to their newly ac- quired tract of land in Muscatine county, and it was in the district schools of the latter place that he acquired his early education, completing his studies in Daven- port in 1871. On putting aside his text-books he returned to the home farm in Muscatine county and for a decade worked for his father. During this time he gained an intimate knowledge of the best methods of farming so that when he started out independently he was well qualified for carrying on a successful business.
In 1881 he established a home of his own by his marriage to Miss Melinda . Harsch, a daughter of Emanuel Harsch, who was born in Wurtemburg, Ger- many, November 7, 1823, and located in Scott county in 1852. He still owns a farm in Buffalo township, which is operated by Mr. Bernick, and he makes his home with his daughter and her husband.
Mr. Bernick prior to his marriage had made arrangements to farm his father-in-law's place and immediately after that important event in his life he took up his abode thereon. He has since purchased land in the same neighbor- hood and altogether has under his supervision two hundred and eighty acres, most of which is under cultivation but a portion of the land is devoted to pastur- age, for he is engaged in breeding and raising Scotch shorthorn cattle, making a specialty of this branch of business. Mr. Bernick also owns a section of land in Kansas, buying this in 1886, and he likewise owns a section in Canada.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bernick has been blessed with five sons and one daughter, namely: Fritz, who is an electrical engineer in the employ of the Ames Electric Company at Ames, Iowa; Emanuel H., who is in Downey, this state; and Benjamin H., Henry H., Charlie and Lulu M., all at home.
Mr. Bernick is a democrat and takes an active interest in public affairs. In 1906 he was elected justice of the peace, while for the past ten years he has served as township trustee and school director. He is also a stockholder in the Blue Grass Savings Bank. His life has been one of continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor, and today he is numbered among the substantial citizens of Scott county. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of his county and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and cooperation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the coun- try or advance its wonderful development.
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