USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II > Part 47
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LOUIS ECKHARDT.
Among the efficient and popular county officials of Scott county is numbered Louis Eckhardt, who since 1906 has ably served in the position of sheriff. He was born in Davenport, Iowa, on the 23d of October, 1867, his parents being Charles and Christine (Greve) Eckhardt, who, though natives of Germany, were mar- ried in Davenport. The father, whose birth occurred in 1821, crossed the At- lantic to the United States in 1848, landing at New Orleans, Louisiana. After residing for a short time at St. Louis, Missouri, he came up the river to Daven- port, Iowa, in 1850. He was a skilled mechanic and carpenter, with which trade he had become familiar in his native land, but after working at that occupation for a number of years he became identified with the lumber industry, acting as salesman for the French & Davis Company during the period of the Civil war. He next turned his attention to the grocery business, while subsequently he entered the service of the Mueller Lumber Company in the capacity of salesman and was thus employed for a number of years or until he passed away on the IIth of October, 1885. His death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret, for he was a well known and highly respected citizen whose upright and honorable life won him the confidence and regard of all with whom he was associated. Unto him and his wife were born nine children, five of whom reached years of maturity.
Louis Eckhardt, who was the eighth in order of birth in his father's family, pursued his education in the public schools until he had attained the age of fourteen years. Having chosen the occupation of a barber as a congenial life work, he then devoted himself to the mastery of that trade and it was by reason of his untiring industry, indefatigable energy and excellent business ability that he eventually became the proprietor of the leading barbering establishment in Davenport. In addition to his interests in this connection he also gave consider- able attention to public affairs and for two terms capably served as alderman of the fourth ward. He resigned that office, however, in order to enter upon the duties of sheriff, to which position he was elected in 1906. A democrat in politics,
LOUIS ECKHARDT
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he is a prominent figure in the local ranks of his party-a fact which was proven by his election to the vice presidency of the Iowa State Sheriff's Association at the state convention of sheriffs.
On the 19th of August, 1896, Mr. Eckhardt was united in marriage to Miss Louise Mundt, a native of Davenport and a daughter of F. W. Mundt. They are now the parents of two children, Louise C. and Herbert W. Fraternally Mr. Eckhardt is identified with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, being past exalted ruler of the last named order. He well deserves the proud American title of a self-made man, for by persever- ance determination and honorable effort he has overthrown the obstacles which barred his path to success and has reached the goal of prosperity, while his genuine worth, broad mind and public spirit have made him a director of pub-" lic thought and action. Both he and his wife have remained residents of Daven- port throughout their entire lives and they well merit the high regard and es- teem which is so uniformly accorded them.
JESSE DODDS.
For the past ten years Jesse Dodds has lived in honorable retirement in a nice home in Davenport, being numbered among the highly respected pioneer set- tlers of Scott county. He is a native of Butler county, Pennsylvania, born August 4, 1834, of the marriage of James and Ellen (Sproll) Dodds. The father was a tanner by trade and also engaged in farming in the Keystone state.
Jesse Dodds acquired his education in the schools of his native state and was reared there to the age of nineteen, when he sought a home farther west. Coming to Scott county in 1855, he engaged in the livery business in Le Claire, while later he went to Pleasant Valley, where he was employed in a flour mill about seven years. He then spent some time at Pikes Peak, Colorado, but on his return to Davenport took up farming, which he followed throughout the remainder of his business career. He eventually became the owner of one hundred acres of land in Pleasant Valley township, situated on the river road about eight miles east of the city. Mr. Dodds devoted much of his land to the raising of onions and this proved a very successful venture. He also raised considerable stock and de- voted some of his time to general farming. About ten years ago he put aside all business cares and purchased residence property in Davenport, to which he re- moved, and he has since made this his home. He still retains possession of his farming property, which he rents.
Mr. Dodds was married on the 31st of December, 1859, to Miss Ruby Black- man, a daughter of Louis and Jane Blackman. She was born No- vember 27, 1839, and died November 10, 1901. She was a most es- timable lady and an active and faithful worker in the work of the Baptist church and Sunday school. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dodds were born seven children, three daughters and four sons, as follows: Jennie, the wife of Al Kramer and the mother of three children; Harry, who wedded Miss Sarah Rackster, by whom he has eight children; Jessie, the wife of F. S. Shutter and
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the mother of three children; Fred, who resides at home; Charles; Hattie, the wife of William Voteman ; and Louis, who has passed away.
A republican in his political belief, Mr. Dodds formerly took an active part in public affairs. While living on the farm he filled various township offices and the cause of education has ever been one of deep interest to him. He was also connected with the postoffice department at Davenport for seven years but is now living free from all business cares with the exception of looking after the rental of his farm. He thoroughly enjoys home life and takes great pleasure in the society of his family and friends. He is always courteous and affable and those who know him personally have for him warm regard. His life is exemplary in all respects and he has ever supported those interests which are calculated to uplift and benefit humanity, while his own high moral worth is deserving of highest commendation.
CAPTAIN E. J. LANCASTER.
Captain E. J. Lancaster is one of the best known river men of the upper Missis- sippi, having sailed as captain on various steamers since 1866. His personal worth and ability in his chosen field of labor has won him high regard and be- cause of his wide acquaintance his history cannot fail to prove of interest to many of the readers of this volume.
He was born in De Kalb county, Illinois, June 23, 1846, a son of Thomas and Cynthia (Smith) Lancaster, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Penn- sylvania. He comes of Scotch, English and of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. In his boyhood days he was brought to Scott county and in the district schools here acquired his education. Living near the river, he has always been interested in marine matters and, after starting in business life, became closely connected with the navigation interests of the upper Mississippi. In the meantime he had done valuable service for his country as a soldier of the Union army in the Civil war. He was but seventeen years of age when, on the 15th of August, 1863, he en- listed as a private of Company C, Eighth Regiment of Iowa Cavalry, with which he served until honorably discharged at Clinton on the Ioth of June, 1865. Be- ing captured while on duty he was incarcerated in the Nashville prison for eight months and was later sent to Andersonville, so that he underwent all of the hard- ships of southern prison life.
After the close of the war Captain Lancaster was mustered out and with a creditable military record returned to his home in Scott county. Here he has since lived. He at once became connected with navigation interests and has sailed continuously since 1866 as captain. He stands today as one of the foremost rep- resentatives of the calling in this county and has a very wide acquaintance not only among river men but also among the business men who have reason to em- ploy shipping facilities in the transportation of the goods which they may handle.
Captain Lancaster was united in marriage to Miss Helen Johnson, a daughter of John and Olive (Abbott) Johnson. Her father died in Le Claire, but her mother is still living and makes her home in that place. Captain
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Lancaster's family numbers eight children: Nora, the wife of John Fedderson, a resident of Le Claire, by whom she has two children, Eli and Fritz Fedderson; Olive Helen, who was born July 21, 1879, and married W. H. Bissick, of St. Louis, Missouri; Alice M., born November 17, 1882 ; Edna, who was born Feb- ruary 15, 1886, and married C. B. Hitchcock, of Boone, Iowa; Harry E., born October 16, 1887; Lee L., December 23, 1891 ; Leona M., August 17, 1894; and Harold, January 4, 1896.
In his political views Captain Lancaster has always been a stalwart republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party which he regards as best calculated to conserve the public welfare. He holds membership in Snow Lodge, No. 44, A. F. & A. M., at Le Claire, with which he has been identified since 1882, and his life exemplifies many of the beneficent principles of the craft. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished in a business way for he started on the river as a hand on the rafts. He is now, however, in his twenty-eighth year as captain of the boat Eclipse, and he enjoys the high esteem of all with whom social or business relations have brought him in contact. In matters of citizenship, while not an office seeker, he is as true and loyal to his country in days of peace as he was when he followed the old flag upon southern battlefields.
DAVID Y. POLLOCK.
David Y. Pollock, a resident of Sheridan township, dates his residence in Scott county from 1866, arriving here when quite small. He was born in Air- drie, Scotland, October 27, 1857, and is a son of James and Helen (Young). Pollock. The father had served as coachman for a banker in Scotland but, believing that he might have better opportunities in the new world, he made arrangements to cross the Atlantic and in 1866 sailed for the new world. He landed first at New York and thence came direct to Scott county, where he purchased eighty acres of improved land in Winfield township. The family home was established thereon and James Pollock continued to reside there until 1883, when he sold that property and purchased the place that is now the home of his son David, it also remaining his home until he was called to his final rest on the 13th of August, 1900, when seventy-two years of age. He had long survived his wife, who passed away in 1872, at the age of forty-nine years. Their family numbered four children : Betsy, of Davenport; Maggie, the wife of Neal McGinnis, of Davenport; Thomas, who is living in Winfield township; and David Y.
The last named began his education in the schools of Scotland, but was quite young when he came with his parents to America, and in the schools of Win- field township continued his studies. The periods of vacation were devoted to the work of the fields and after he had completed his education he gave his undivided time and attention to farm work in connection with his father until the latter's death. Later he engaged in farming for himself, having purchased the old homestead a short time prior to his father's demise. Throughout his life he has engaged in tilling the soil and the neat and thrifty appearance of his
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place indicates his careful supervision and methods. Moreover, he is a stock- holder in the Long Grove Bank, the Eldridge Savings Bank and in the Farmers' Elevator Company of Scott county, and in business matters displays sound judg- ment as manifest in the careful investments that he has made and which have brought to him a substantial return.
On the 29th of November, 1897, Mr. Pollock was married to Miss Mary Brown, a daughter of Charles G. and Harriett E. (Annable) Brown, both of whom are now deceased. Mrs. Pollock was born in Moline, Illinois, and by her marriage has become the mother of four children: James, born September 9, 1898; William, August 13, 1900; Arthur, who was born November 16, 1901, and died December 16, 1906; and one who died in infancy.
Mr. Pollock is a member of Long Grove Lodge, No. 719, I. O. O. F., and the Modern Brotherhood of America, No. 86, of Long Grove, of which he has been president. He likewise belongs to the Christian church of Long Grove and his life has been actuated by high and honorable principles, manifest in all of his relations with his fellowmen as well as in his business associations. He has been a lifelong farmer and is today the owner of one hundred.and twenty acres of rich and productive land, situated about a mile north of Eldridge, in Sheridan township, and a tract of forty-six acres in Winfield township. His place is well supplied with modern improvements and in its further cultivation and development Mr. Pollock is proving himself an enterprising and diligent farmer.
WILLIAM HAMILTON WILSON.
William Hamilton Wilson, engaged in law practice in Davenport since 1871 , and now the senior partner of the firm of Wilson, Grilk & Wilson, is a native of western Pennsylvania. His father, James Wilson, also born in the Keystone state, was of Scotch-Irish descent. He spent his entire life in Pennsylvania, his record covering the years between the 19th of September, 1807, and 1886, in which year he was called to his final rest after long connection with agricultural inter- ests. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Morgan, was born in Pennsylvania, January 2, 1815, and died July 25, 1873.
William H. Wilson pursued his early education in the schools of western Pennsylvania and afterward attended Washington and Jefferson College at Washington, Pennsylvania, from which institution he was graduated in 1869 with the highest scholarship in a class of forty-nine members. He qualified for the bar in Mercer, Pennsylvania, his reading being directed by the Hon. Sam- uel Griffith, and in September, 1871, he was admitted to practice.
Believing that the west offered better opportunities, Mr. Wilson came im- mediately to Davenport, where he has continuously engaged in practice since November, 1871. He was alone until November 1, 1902, when the firm of Wil- son and Grilk was formed and has since existed. In 1905, his son, Charles H., was admitted to a partnership under the firm style of Wilson, Grilk & Wilson. The two younger men are both graduates of Harvard College and of the Harvard Law School. William H. Wilson has from the beginning of his connection with
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the Davenport bar occupied a conspicuous position as one of the legal practi- tioners here and it is said of him that "he has probably saved more money to his clients through wise settlement of cases out of court than he has made for them in litigation." As the years have passed he has studiously and carefully and conscientiously increased the talents that were given him. In his practice he has ever been absolutely fair, has never indulged in artifice or concealment and has never dealt in indirect methods.
Mr. Wilson has found time and his success has given him the means to become interested in other matters aside from the law, and he is now financially connected with several of Davenport's important business enterprises. He has been called to the presidency of the Davenport Loan, Building & Savings Association and is a director and attorney for the Davenport Savings Bank. He is also inter- ested in the E. W. Gates Lumber Company, of Yellow Pine, Alabama.
In 1874 Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Abbie F. Oliver, of Mas- sachusetts, who in her childhood days came to Davenport with her parents, Albourne and Eliza (Willard) Oliver. The two children of this marriage were Amy and Charles H., but the former, born in 1876, died in 1884.
Mr. Wilson is a member of the Presbyterian church and is much interested in all kinds of charitable work and in everything tending to elevate or ameliorate the condition of the masses. He has never found his happiness in self-centered inter- ests but in those broader lines of life which lead to service for others and at the present time he is actively interested and associated with the Peoples Union Mis- sion. The important economic and sociological questions of the present day find in him a close student and that he is a man of high character and genuine worth is indicated in the fact that he is held in the highest esteem wherever known. In connection with his business history the local press has said: "Application and hard work are the secret of the success which William H. Wilson has at- tained and surely if constant attention to business and an earnest endeavor for the best interests of his clients is surety of barristerial triumph he has deserved it, as his fellow members of the bar acknowledge him to have been an indefatigable worker all his life." While he has gained distinction in his chosen profession, however, this is but one phase of his life, for his broad humanitarianism is con- stantly being evidenced in one line of activity or another with the result that many lives are brightened by the sunshine which he sheds around him.
WILLIAM R. WEIR.
Prominent among Davenport's business men is William R. Weir, an in- surance agent, who was born in Monticello, Iowa, February 14, 1870. In the preceding generation his family is of Canadian stock, both his father and mother having been born in Peterboro, Canada, where they were reared and mar- ried. The former was a stone mason and an expert in drilling artesian wells. He came to Iowa in pioneer days and located in Monticello. He died in 1886, but the mother of our subject is still living.
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William R. Weir was educated in the public schools of Monticello and upon looking over the various callings took up the insurance business, for which his soundness of judgment and ability to inspire confidence particularly fits him. In 1892 widening opportunity brought him to Davenport, and here he engaged in the fire insurance business, in which he has acquired a clientele of flattering proportions. He is the Iowa general agent for both the Mary- land Casualty Company and the American Bonding Company. He is also a director of the Union Savings Bank and a leading spirit in the Commercial Club, having served as its president for one year and as director for three. This organization is of a semi-social nature. He has served six years as a member of the board of education and is now its president.
In 1894 Mr. Weir was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Davison, a native of Davenport, her father being Abner Davison, well known in this city. Their home is brightened by the presence of two daughters, Mary D. and Annabel.
That Mr. Weir enjoys unusual popularity among his fellows is no anomaly, since in every relation he is vigorous, whole-souled and magnetic. The con- fidence in which he is held by the large concerns which he represents is mani- fest in the fact that he has been intrusted with the jurisdiction of the entire state of Iowa.
EDWARD ROTH.
Edward Roth, who has known perhaps greater hardships than fall to the average farmer of today, is one of the native agriculturists of Buffalo town- ship, who occupies a position of respect and prominence among his fellowmen. He was borni December 1, 1871, and is a son of Peter Roth, whose birth oc- curred in Baden, Germany, in the year 1829. As his mother died when he was born, Mr. Roth was reared by Mr. and Mrs. Bartberger of Buffalo township. He attended the common schools of his section of the county, and when he had completed the course of study prescribed and was fairly well prepared to meet the practical responsibilities of life, he worked as a farm hand until he at- tained his majority.
Mr. Roth then married and rented a tract of land from his father-in-law. It remained his home for about seven years, when he purchased the place on which he now lives. It embraces one hundred and sixty acres of excellent arable land, well adapted to general farming which Mr. Roth carries on. He has also given considerable attention to raising stock for the market. In addition to his farm in Buffalo township he owns twenty acres in Blue Grass township, and, being a man who is well versed in the methods of tilling the soil to the best advantage and endowed with the ability for hard work, he is achieving an enviable reputa- tion for himself as an agriculturist.
On the 29th of March, 1892, Mr. Roth married Miss Emma Kautz, a daughter of Chris Kautz, and they are now the parents of eight children: Edna, Edith, Florence, Clara, Della, Norma, John and Walter, all of whom are at home. The family are members of the Lutheran church, but at present Mr. Roth does
MR. AND MRS. EDWARD ROTH
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not affiliate with any religious sect. He has joined the ranks of the republicans, feeling after due weight of the principles of various political organizations, that in their platform they embody the best ideas of government. He takes a deep interest in local affairs and has efficiently served as school director and road supervisor, but he has never desired public preferment for its own sake, rather only as it offered opportunity for him to advance the welfare of those who placed confidence in his judgment and integrity of act and purpose.
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J. F. DOW.
The great agricultural resources of Iowa furnish splendid opportunities to those who concentrate their efforts and attention on the cultivation of crops or in handling the products which its fertile fields produce. The state ranks first among the great grain producing sections of the Union and prominent as a representative of the grain trade is J. F. Dow, of Davenport, now secretary and manager of the Davenport Elevator Company.
He was born in Henry county, Illinois, October 17, 1856. His father, Josiah Dow, was a native of New Hampshire, born on the 16th of March, 1828. In his boyhood days he accompanied his parents to Illinois, the family home being established in Bureau county. His father was Tristan C. Dow, who became one of the pioneer settlers of that region. In a few years he removed with his family to Henry county, Illinois, where he followed farming and also engaged in mer- chandising. His son, Josiah Dow, was identified with agricultural interests in Henry county from 1850 until 1872, when he severed his business associations with Illinois and came to Davenport, where he established a grain and milling business, in which he continued throughout the remainder of his life. He de- veloped an enterprise of large and profitable proportions, conducing his interests as senior member of the firm of Dow, Gilman & Hancock. This was the prede- cessor of the Davenport Elevator Company, of which Josiah Dow eventually be- came president, remaining as its chief executive officer until his demise. His ability enabled him to readily solve intricate business problems and to turn threatened failures into success. This was due to his watchfulness of oppor- tunity, his close application and his ready appreciation of a legitimate advantage in the business world. He sustained an unassailable reputation as one of the prominent and leading business men of his adopted city, where his death oc- curred March 9, 1908. His wife. who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Stevens, was a native of New Hampshire. Their family numbered two children, the daughter being Elizabeth, who died at the age of five years.
J. F. Dow was educated in the public schools of Davenport and then entered the grain business in connection with his father, since which time he has been associated with this department of commercial activity. In connection with three other gentlemen he organized the Davenport Elevator Company in July, 1895, and they now have twenty-seven elevators scattered throughout Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. They deal in all kinds of grains and seeds and Mr. Dow is now serving as secretary and manager of the company. His broad experience and
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sound judgment have been one of the important factors in the success of the en- terprise. He is, moreover, a director in the First National Bank and president of the Davenport Savings Bank and is thus well known in the financial circles of the city. He is also an active member of the Commercial Club.
In March, 1878, Mr. Dow was married to Miss Nancy Sears, a daughter of I. H. Sears, president of the Scott County Bank. Their children are five in num- ber, namely: Bert, who is associated with his father in business; John; Worrall; Elizabeth; and Nancy.
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