History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II, Part 61

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

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY

business men of this city is indicated by the fact that he has been elected to the presidency of the Commercial Club.

On the 25th of December, 1904, Mr. Lane was married to Miss Grace Bird- sall, a daughter of Horace Birdsall, a prominent resident of Davenport. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and, prominent in its local ranks, he is now serving as chairman of the county committee. He is recognized as a young man of executive force and in possession of adminis- trative direction he has shown marked enterprise. His mental qualities are of a brilliant character, his enterprise is undaunted, and with high ideals before him he is continuously reaching our for further accomplishment. Like the others of the family he is leaving the impress of his individuality upon the city in no mis- takable manner, his efforts and labors constituting a vital force in the upbuild- ing and improvement of Davenport.

HENRY ROEHS.

Henry Roehs, one of Hickory Grove township's most popular and substan- tial citizens, was born on his present home farm in section 30, November 7, 1865, and its attractions for him have proved sufficiently strong to induce him to spend all his life here. He is the son of Fritz and Dorothea (Ball) Roehs, natives of Holstein, Germany. It was the grandfather, John Roehs, who decided to put to a personal test the much heralded resources of America, and in 1852 he came to this country with his family. He came to Davenport and subsequently bought the farm upon which his grandson now resides and operated it successfully for many years. He was living upon it at the time of his death about twenty years ago at the age of ninety-nine. He had two children: Fritz, the father of our sub- ject ; and Christina, wife of Frederick Paustian. Our subject's parents were reared and married in Germany. The father was only about twenty-two years of age when he came to this country. He at once engaged in farming and prospered beyond his brightest dreams. Possessed of absolutely nothing at first he died the owner of four valuable farms, two in Hickory Grove and two in Cleona· town- ships. His marriage was blessed by the birth of four children: John, of Cleona township; Louis, a resident of Walcott; Mary, the wife of Henry Paustian, of Walcott; and Henry. The father was born August 8, 1830, and died June II, 1895. The mother, who now resides with her son Henry, was born September 25, 1831.

Henry Roehs, who is thoroughly up-to-date in his methods of cultivation, gives his attention to general farming. He believes in the best equipment avail- able and his farm buildings are models of convenience, these having been planned and constructed by his father. He has additional interests, being a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company of Walcott.

In 1888 Mr. Roehs was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Anders, a native of Holstein, the ancestral home of the Roehs, having been born there July 30, 1871. She came to America with her widowed mother when ten years of age.

JOHN ROEHS

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY

The Roehs home is brightened by the presence of eight children as follows : Herman, Lizzie, Clara, Herbert, Hugo, Martha, Evelyn and Clarence. Mr. Roehs unites with his many good gifts of mind and heart a fine, commanding presence which combine to give him a personality not soon to be forgotten by those with whom he comes in contact.

HENRY L. KROEGER.

Henry L. Kroeger, whose well tilled farm in Davenport township is repre- sentative of the best agricultural interests of this section of the county, was born on the farm on which he now lives, February 18, 1864, a son of Claus and Anna (Loge) Kroeger. The former was born in Holstein, Germany, April 14, 1829, his parents being Hans and Lena Kroeger, who spent all their lives in the fatherland. In his youth he served in the German war of 1848-50, for two years, and in 1854 embarked upon his journey to America. Upon his arrival in Scott county, Iowa, Mr. Kroeger secured employement as a farm hand with Mr. Schmidt and continued to work for others until 1860, when he married and went to live upon the place which is now the home of his son and which was then owned by his father-in-law. Upon it he continued to pursue his vocation as a farmer until 1893, when he deemed it wise to retire from active life and accordingly took up his residence in Davenport, where he is still living. He also owned a tract of land in Linn county, Iowa, but has sold it. During his years of activity he served as road supervisor and school director of Daven- port township and was a man well known and widely esteemed among his fellowmen. His wife, who was Miss Anna Loge before her marriage, was born in Germany, March 9, 1839, and came to the United States with her parents, Henry and Anna Loge, in 1847. They landed at New Orleans, ascended the Mississippi river to St. Louis, where they spent six weeks, and later came to Scott county, where they secured farm land from the government.

Henry L. Koeger has spent his whole life upon the farm whose soil he now cultivates. In early years he learned all the secrets of its cultivation, so that he is now one of the most successful agriculturists in his section of the county. He attended the district schools in the vicinity of his home, acquiring a fair English education. He has not made a specialty of any particular line of work, but is engaged in general farming, for which the character of his soil is well adapted. He has made good improvements and his fields present a neat and thrifty appearance.

Mr. Kroeger has been twice married. On the 29th of August, 1885, he wedded Miss Lena Goetsch, who was born April 12, 1864, and through her mar- riage became the mother of two children: Melanie, the widow of Ferd Ahrens; and Selma, who is at home. The wife and mother died August 16, 1891, and December 1, 1892, Mr. Kroeger was joined in wedlock to Miss Lena Rohwer, a daughter of Henry and Kathryn (Brandt) Rohwer. Her father was born in Holstein, Germany, January 19, 1838, his parents being Joseph and Kathryn Rohwer. In 1868, accompanied by his wife and daughter, Mrs. Kroeger, who was

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then two years of age, he sailed for America. The little party landed in New York and then came to Iowa, spending a few years in the city of Davenport. Later they bought eighty acres in Buffalo township, this county, on which they made their home for about seventeen years, at the end of that period removing to Rockingham township, where they are still living. The mother was born in Holstein, Germany, September 1, 1844, and was married to Mr. Rohwer in the old country, April 11, 1866. They had eight children, of whom Lena, now Mrs. Kroeger, is the eldest. She has become the mother of one son, Irwin. Mr. Kroeger is one of those men upon whose upright and industrious life the stability of this nation depends. He has lived quietly, but well, gaining as his reward both material prosperity and the respect of those who have watched his progress.

HANS SCHLICHTING.

A long trip across the ocean, travel by rail to Chicago and thence by wagon at length brought the Schlichting family to Davenport in the spring of 1848. Hans Schlichting was then a little lad of six years. He was born in Schleswig, Ger- many, March II, 1842, a son of Mathias and Marie Schlichting. The father was a farmer in his native land but, believing that he would have better oppor- tunities of providing for his family in the new world, he crossed the Atlantic in 1848 and, as previously stated, arrived in Scott county in the spring of that year. This was still a frontier district, in which much of the land was still unclaimed and uncultivated. The father bought a tract of one hundred acres of prairie land in Blue Grass township and the family took up their abode thereon in a little log house which was standing thereon. Later as his financial resources permitted he bought more land. There were few families in the neighborhood and some Indians were still to be seen. Hardships and trials incident to pioneer life formed a feature of their early experiences here, but as the years passed on Mathias Schlichting prospered in his undertakings and from time to time made judicious investments in property, the value of which increased with the settlement of the county as well as by reason of the cultivation and improvement which he bestowed upon it. In later years he gave to each of his five sons a farm and to his three daughters an equivalent sum in money. He died at the age of sixty-eight years, while his wife reached the age of seventy-two years. In their family were eight children : John, now deceased; Anna, who married Henry Houschild, both now deceased; Cathrina, who married Frederick Frahm, but both have passed away; Christina, the widow of Detlef Houschild; Peter, who is living in Davenport; Thomas, deceased; William, a resident of this city ; and Hans.

The last named, arriving in Scott county at the age of six years, pursued his education in the public schools of Blue Grass township and afterward worked with his father on the farm, breaking prairie with oxen. He lived upon the same farm for forty-seven years and then retired, removing to Davenport. That long period was one of earnest, persistent toil as he diligently cultivated the fields from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late au- tumn. He followed progressive methods in tilling the soil and as the result

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of his care and wise management harvested good crops and in the course of years acquired a competence that now enables him to live comfortably with- out recourse to further labor. He was at one time the owner of five hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, all in Scott county, but he has since sold a por- tion of it and has given the remainder to his children.

Mr. Schlichting was married September 29, 1863, to Miss Mary Holst, a daughter of Jurgen and Magdelina Holst, who were early settlers of this county, taking up their abode in Princeton township when the work of development and improvement had scarcely been begun here. Mrs. Schlichting was born in Hol- stein-Schleswig, Germany, February 27, 1844, and in 1858 was brought to the United States by her parents, who died on their farm in Princeton township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schlichting have been born a daughter and two sons. Matilda became the wife of John Ronnfield and died at the age of thirty-one years, leaving five children : Florence Mary, who became the wife of Henry Hendricks, of this county, and had four children, Esther M., Marie, Louisa and Leona ; Cor- delia C., who married Hugo Harger; Lillian; Rose; and Edna. Fritz E., the second of the family, living in Davenport, married Hannah Umlaud and has two children, Oliver V. and Leroy W. John, also of Davenport, married Augusta Warneboldt and they have one daughter, Carmel M.

The cause of public education has ever found in Mr. Schlichting a warm sup- porter. He has served as school director of Blue Grass township for nine years and was road supervisor for a few years. He has always been an earnest repub- lican, never faltering in his allegiance to the principles of the party, for he be- lieves that it contains for the best elements of good government. His life has been a diligent one and his well spent years have brought him substantial prosperity. while his reliable business methods have gained for him the good will and con- fidence of all.

MRS. ELIZABETH INCZE.

The history of Mrs. Elizabeth Incze, one of Davenport township's well known women, as that of her late husband, Francis Incze, is one of interest. She is a native of Bavaria, Germany, her parents being Johann Philip and Anna (Houck) Loge, both of whom died in their native land. In her early years she and her brother John left the fatherland to try their fortunes in the United States. They landed in New York in 1852 and in a little while went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Elizabeth was married to Francis Incze, who was born in Hungary, March 23, 1828. He was of noble birth and fine education, but his youthful ardor carried him to imprudent lengths at the time of the war between Austria and Hungary in 1848 and he was exiled from his native land with many other revo- lutionists. They wandered through many foreign lands, among them Turkey and Egypt, and finally arrived in England, where the British government fur- nished them free of charge with a ship in which to come to America. Upon landing in the east he was advised to go to Cincinnati, where he learned the trade of wood turning. There he met Mrs. Incze and about four years after

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their marriage they removed to Davenport. Their residence in this city was of twenty years duration, Mr. Incze meantime following his trade. At the end of this time they purchased a thirty-five acre tract of fine land in Davenport town- ship and removed to it to engage in fruit growing. Mr. Incze followed his new vocation until his death, April 1, 1896. Throughout his life he gave his support to the republican party.

Mrs. Incze is the mother of nine children, five of whom are still living, while four are deceased. She is a woman of dauntless nature, whose courage in coming to a new country when a young girl, unaccompanied by natural guardians, has been matched by other deeds in subsequent years. In the rearing of her children and in the management of her affairs since the death of her husband she has exhibited executive ability greater than that usually accredited to her sex.

THOMAS D. STARBUCK, M. D.

One of the prominent and successful physicians of Davenport is Dr. Thomas D. Starbuck, who for the last seven years has ministered to the physical needs of the citizens here. An able practitioner, he enjoys the confidence of those who know him, while he also receives their admiration, for his proficiency in his profession was not attained without numerous hardships and privations. He was born in Winchester, Randolph county, Indiana, January 24, 1872, a son of W. W. and Louisa (Davidson) Starbuck. The father was a native of Vir- ginia, but in 1822, when about nine years of age, removed to Indiana with his parents. He was a farmer by occupation and lived to a good old age. His wife, however, died at an early age, for Dr. Starbuck was only five years old when she passed away. Four sons and two daughters were born to them.

Thomas D. Starbuck, who was the youngest of this family, lived upon the farm in Randolph county, Indiana, until he was about thirteen years of age. He had received a fair common-school education in the institutions of instruction in his vicinity, but it was only enough to give him an incentive for a wider in- tellectual outlook, which he determined to acquire when an opportunity pre- sented itself. In 1886 he left his home and began traveling, coming to Iowa in the course of time. He settled first in Monticello, where he remained one year, and then came to Davenport, where he entered Woods Business College. Upon completing the course of study, he became connected with the St. James Hotel, where he remained from 1891 to 1898. In that time, however, he had taken up the study of medicine, having decided to make its practice his life's work. Finally he was able to enter the State University at Iowa City, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. D., in 1902. Returning to Daven- port, he established himself in practice here, and this city has since been the scene of his professional labors. He is a skilled practitioner, a man thoroughly conversant with all phases of his art and endowed with those attractive qualities of personality which immediately win for him confidence.

In 1902, when he was prepared to start upon his new work, Dr. Starbuck wedded Miss Ludo Bruning, who was born in this city and is a member of one

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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY

of the older families of Scott county. Fraternally Dr. Starbuck is connected with the Knights of Pythias, being a member of the local lodge of the city, at whose meetings he frequently finds respite from the cares of the day. He is also a member of the several organizations whose object is the advancement of the medical profession, for he belongs to the Scott County, the Iowa State and the American Medical Associations. He has made every endeavor to win an honorable reputation and has no reason to doubt but that he has achieved his object. He has been known in his professional capacity to the citizens of Davenport for only seven years, but that period has been sufficient for them to recognize his high character and his ability as a physician.

W. W. LUNGER.

One of the foremost representatives of the legal profession in Davenport is W. W. Lunger, who was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, August 2, 1855. His father, Frederick Lunger, was a native of New Jersey, and during his life was one of the oldest railroad engineers in the country. He was first in the employ of the Pennsylvania Company, controlling the throttle of the Rocket, an engine built in England and shipped to the United States on a sailing vessel. Later he became an engineer on various roads in Kentucky and Mississippi, and while in those localities became acquainted with Henry Clay, Jefferson Davis and other prominent men of the time. Later he went to Indiana, having charge of the first passenger train that ran into Indianapolis. In 1856 he came to Daven- port and, having retired from the railroad business, bought an interest in the Twin City Grist Mill with Adam Green as his partner. The mill burned in 1863 and for the next few years Mr. Lunger returned to his engineering life, holding a position under French & Davis. In 1863 he began farming on a tract in Littles Grove, where his death occurred in 1883, at the age of seventy- four. He had been a stanch republican after the organization of that party ; was temperate in his habits, proving himself in many ways a good citizen and of Scott county and of the republic. His wife, who was Miss Harriett Mc- Cormick, was a native of Cincinnati and died here in 1892, at the age of seventy-three. Ten children had been born to them.

W. W. Lunger, who attended the public schools of Davenport, was reared upon a farm and assisted in its work during his early years. He completed the course in the Davenport high school at the age of eighteen and thereupon en- gaged in teaching in Scott county for a period of six years. In that time he had saved sufficient money to enable him to attend the Columbia Law School, for he had determined to enter the legal profession. There, as a classmate of Theodore Roosevelt, he completed his course. He was graduated in 1882. The next two years were spent at Grand Forks, North Dakota, whence he went to Springfield, Illinois, and there for three years practiced his profession. It was during his sojourn in that city that his abilities came to the notice of the Union Pacific Railroad and he was called by them to go to Omaha. The next fourteen years were spent in their employ, twelve years of that period in con-

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nection with the land department of the railroad. In 1901 he came back to Davenport and, having engaged in practice, the following year was elected to the city council for a term of two years. Although so much of his energy had, of necessity, been devoted to the interests of his employers, he still found time to exert his influence in behalf of those questions which were nearest to his heart. The principal of these was the protection of children from overwork and open vice. His name is linked with the legislature in their behalf in this state and elsewhere, and in the city of Davenport he has been most closely con- nected with the abolition of the slot machines which he rightly regards as but an alluring incitement to later gambling.

On the 5th of June, 1888, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Lunger and Miss Ada M. Crow, who was born in Springfield, Illinois. They have one son, Fred, who was graduated from the high school of Davenport and is now a student at Cornell University, looking forward to a career in the law. Mr. Lunger is a stanch republican in his political sympathies and is active in local affairs, his influence being exerted in behalf of improvement of conditions of living. Fraternally he enjoys pleasant relations with the Masonic bodies.

SAM T. WHITE.

Sam T. White is the president of the White Lily Manufacturing Company and a representative of that class of citizens who find their stimulus for business activity in necessity and competition. Placing his dependence upon his own ef- forts and resources, from the outset of his career he has steadily progressed in the business world along well defined lines of labor until he has reached an im- portant position in commercial circles as the president of the White Lily Manu- facturing Company of Davenport. He was born in Cornwall, England, Feb- ruary 1, 1868. That county was also the birthplace of his father, Samuel White, who came to the United States in the early '40s. He was a miner by occupation, and, attracted by the gold discoveries in California, went to the Pacific coast in 1849. He traveled extensively through the western country, prospecting and mining, and made some money while in that section. In 1866 he returned to his native county of Cornwall, where he wedded Miss Mary Ann Thomas. His death occurred in Cornwall in 1880. His son, Sam T. White, was reared to farm life, having but meager educational privileges, as it was necessary that he early provide for his own support. He was a strong and vigorous boy, however, and when but sixteen years of age he left England with a companion of the same age and sailed for the United States, for the stories which he heard concerning busi- ness conditions in the new world led him to the belief that he would have bet- ter opportunities on the western continent. He settled first at Staatsburg, New York, where he remained for a year and then went to Canada, where he followed farming, ditching and well digging. He also worked in lumber camps and here his extraordinary physique stood him in good stead, enabling him to command high wages because of the strength which he exercised in the performance of his duties. He had no rich friends, was a stranger in a strange land and had to

SAM T. WHITE

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depend upon his own efforts. He succeeded because of his determination and his energy and at all times was watchful of opportunities promising advance- ment. In Canada he became interested in the bicycle business and met with prosperity in that undertaking. In fact throughout his entire life he has car- ried forward to successful completion every business with which he has become associated. In 1891 he removed to Chicago and became connected with several large firms in the bicycle business, including the Stokes Company, the Monarch Manufacturing Company and the Stover Bicycle Manufacturing Company. He afterward went upon the road for the Western Wheel Works, his territory including Davenport, which he made his headquarters. Here he soon gained a wide circle of friends and found this city a con- genial home. He remained with the Western Wheel Works until the formation of the bicycle trust, when he went upon the road, representing a number of Davenport concerns. One of his lines was the Ocean Wave Washer, manufactured by Voss Brothers, and he took control of their output upon a com- mercial basis. In 1902, recognizing the opportunity for the establishment, as he believed, of a successful manufactory in the same line of business, he organ- ized the White Lily Washer Company in connection with B. L. and F. L. Schmidt, and the business was instituted and profitably conducted under the partnership relation until May 22, 1909, when Mr. White bought out his partners' interests and reorganized the enterprise under the name of the White Lily Manufacturing Company. The history of the company has been one of unbroken progress. The business was organized with a capital of fifteen thousand dollars, which has twice been doubled. In the first company Mr. White was secretary and treasurer but was elected to the presidency of the new company, which has long since been placed upon a paying basis and constitutes one of the important productive in- dustries of the city. On the Ist of May, 1907, Mr. White organized the Ideal Lighting Company, of which he is the president. The White Lily Company does business in almost every part of the world, having a large export trade to Aus- tralia and various European countries. It is managed along safe, conservative, and yet progressive lines, the business being carefully systematized so that maxi- mum results are accomplished at the least possible expenditure of time, money and labor, and this is the source of all successful business enterprise.

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History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II, Part 61

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