USA > Iowa > Scott County > Davenport > History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa, Volume II > Part 84
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
5-21; near Sibley, July 7; Camargo's Cross Roads, near Harrisburg, July 13; Tupelo, July 14-15; Oldtown creek, July 15; Smith's expedition to Oxford, Au- gust I-20; and Shoal Creek, Alabama, November 16-20, 1864; Butlers Creek, November 22; Campbellsville and Lynnville, November 24; in front of Colum- bia, November 24-27; Lawrenceburg, November 27; Mount Carmel, Novem- ber, 29; battle of Nashville, December 15-18; pursuit of Hood, December 17- 28; West Harpeth River, December 17; Spring Hill, December 18; Ruther- ford Creek, December 19; Lawrenceburg, December 22; Lynnville and Richland Creek, December 24; Richland Creek and Kings Gap, near Pulaski, December 25; at Huntsville and Florence, Alabama, Eastport, Mississippi, Gravella Springs, Alabama, and Selma, Alabama, until June, 1865.
At the close of his term Mr. Thomas returned to the north, being mustered out at Davenport, in October, 1864. He then took up farming and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Princeton township, which he cultivated for five years. He then sold that property and invested in eighty acres in the same township, making his home thereon until February, 1900, when he retired from active business life and took up his abode in McCausland, where he has since lived, enjoying the fruits of his former toil.
Mr. Thomas was married September 12, 1861, to Miss Jane Hire, a daugh- ter of Daniel and Jane Hire, who were among the first settlers of Scott county, coming to Iowa with their family when Mrs. Thomas was five years of age, her birth having occurred in Indiana, June 3, 1831. Her father made the journey with teams and drove cattle all the way. He had covered wagons and at places forded the streams. On reaching his destination he settled in Princeton town- ship. The land was all prairie, hardly a furrow having been turned or an im- provement made in that section of the county. Mr. Hire built a double log cabin and for a month Madison Pineo occupied a portion of it until his house was finished. Mr. Hire made the first wagon track to Princeton in 1837 and was closely identified with the early substantial development of the county. He made two trips to California with ox-teams and his various experiences made him well acquainted with the conditions, hardships and environment as well as with the pleasures of pioneer life. Both he and his wife died in this county. Their daughter Jane was twice married and by her first union had one son, John S. Underwood, of Princeton township, who married Clara De Boise, and has two children, Altha and George. The former married Edward Hebley, of Butler township, and they have one child, Vesington, so that Mrs. Thomas is a great-grandmother. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have been born three sons. Charles E., of South Dakota, is married and has two children, Julia and Davis. Harry is at home. Jesse R., of Dubuque, is married and has two chil- dren, Gladys and Olla.
Mr. Thomas belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades, taking delight in the camp fires and other meetings which again bring the boys in blue together. He is as true and loyal to his country today as when he followed the old flag on southern battlefields. Mrs. Thomas is with one exception the oldest permanent resident of Scott county, coming here shortly after the arrival of Captain Clarke, of Buffalo. Here she has remained continuously since and she can well remember
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
the time when Indians were frequently seen in the neighborhood and when deer roamed at will over the prairie, which in June was starred with millions of wild flowers and in December was covered with one dazzling and unbroken sheet of ice. She has lived to witness many notable changes as the county has become thickly settled and its lands have been taken up and improved for the purpose of man's support.
L. M. FISHER.
The Fisher family, in both the lineal and collateral branches, is distinctively American in that it has been represented in New England from early colonial days. Among its members were those who valiantly served in the Revolutionary war. Maturin L. Fisher, the father of L. M. Fisher, was a native of Danville, Vermont, and on coming to Iowa in 1849 settled in Clayton county. He had previously, however, been a resident of Worcester, Massachusetts, for a num- ber of years and while there residing occupied the position of postmaster for ten or twelve years. He was a strong man in his connection with public interests and an ardent democrat. Coming to Iowa, he won for himself a place of prominence in the public life of the state and left the impress of his individuality upon its political history. For two sessions he was president of the Iowa senate and in 1857 was superintendent of public instruction. The previous year the state had gone republican but Mr. Fisher was among those who succeeded in reversing the vote in 1857, gaining a decided victory for the democratic forces. He oc- cupied an eminent position among the statesmen of that day and continued an influential factor in public life for many years. On the outbreak of the Civil war he was appointed on the commission to negotiate a war loan and defend bonds of the state. While there were those opposed to him politically, there were none who questioned the patriotism of his motives nor the honesty of his convictions. In early manhood he wedded Caroline Pratt, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, who was born in the same house in which occurred the birth of Bancroft, the historian. She passed away in 1862 and Mr. Fisher, surviving for about seventeen years, died on the 5th of February, 1879.
L. M. Fisher, whose name introduces this record, was a pupil in the Clayton county schools through the period in which he accquainted himself with the fundamental principles of knowledge. He afterward entered the Wisconsin State University, from which he was graduated with honors in 1872. Determining upon the practice of law as a life work, he next entered the law department of the University of Iowa and in 1873 was graduated as valedictorian of his class. Choosing Davenport as the scene of his professional labors, he has continued through thirty-six years as a member of the bar of this city and is recognized as one of the ablest lawyers of Scott county. He is at home in all departments of the law, from the minutiƦ in practice to the greater topics wherein is in- volved the consideration of the ethics and the philosophy of jurisprudence and the higher concerns of public policy. In argument he is felicitous and clear,
L. M. FISHER
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
thoroughly in earnest, full of the vigor of conviction, yet never abusive of his adversaries. His political allegiance has always been given to the democratic party and for years he was an active worker in its ranks, but in the latter period has devoted his time almost exclusively to his practice. He was city attorney from 1885 until 1891 and was nominated by the bar convention for district judge but declined the honor. In 1906 he was named by his party as candidate for judge of the superior court.
On the 17th of October, 1883, Mr. Fisher was married to Miss Laura Provost, a native of Montreal, Canada, and their children are Maturin L., Harriet P. and Laura M. The elder daughter is a graduate of Vassar College, of 1907. The family are prominent socially and Mr. Fisher is a splendid representative of the class of lawyers who, holding to the highest standard of professional ethics, maintain that the counsel should aid the court in the administration of justice and ever avoid leading the court astray in a matter of fact or law. He gives to his client the service of great talent, unwearied industry and com- prehensive learning and is an able, faithful and conscientious minister in the temple of justice.
JURGEN KAHLER.
Jurgen Kahler is numbered among the representative American citizens who claim Germany as the place of their nativity and who in this country sought and found opportunities for advancement in business lines. Born on the is- land of Fehmarn, Schleswig-Holstein, on the IIth of November, 1857, he is a son of Hans J. and Katharine (Mildenstein) Kahler, the former a laborer by occupation. The parents are both now deceased, their entire lives having been spent in the old country. In their family were six children, namely : Henry ; Nicholas, deceased; Mrs. Dorothy Brogen, of Nebraska; Martha, who wedded P. H. Simpson, a resident of Kansas; Jurgen, of this review; and Hans, of Kansas. The entire family with the exception of the parents emigrated to Amer- ica, the eldest son, Henry, being the first to come to the new world. He arrived in the United States in 1866 and came to Iowa, residing in Davenport for some time.
Jurgen Kahler was reared in the place of his nativity, obtained his educa- tion in the common schools near his home and remained a resident of the father- land until after his marriage. In 1883, however, thinking to find in the ad- vantages offered by the new world better opportunity for advancement in busi- ness lines, he left home and country and crossed the Atlantic to America, mak- ing his way at once to Iowa. He was accompanied by his wife and two chil- dren, the family home being first established in Durant. There he worked as a laborer for about six years and then became identified with agricultural pursuits in the capacity of renter, being thus engaged for twelve years. Throughout that period, however, he had been imbued with the desire to some day carry on an independent enterprise in which his efforts might more directly benefit him- self, and so, when he had accumulated sufficient capital to justify such a step,
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
he purchased the farm upon which he now resides, to the development of which he has since directed his energies. He owns the entire southwest quarter of section 19, Cleona township, with the exception of the right of way granted to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company. Through his industry and perseverance it has been brought under a high state of cultivation and under his wise and careful management has become one of the well improved farming properties of the township. Most of the buildings which stand upon the place were erected by him and include an attractive modern residence and substantial and commodious barns and outbuildings, all in excellent condition. He is en- gaged in general farming and stock-raising and both branches of his business are proving gratifying sources of remuneration, for he is up-to-date and pro- gressive in his methods and manifests good business ability and wise judgment in the conduct of his affairs.
In 1881, in Germany, Mr. Kahler was united in marriage to Miss Dorothy Herman, whose birth occurred on the 28th of November, 1855, on the same island upon which her husband was born. She is a daughter of Hans and Louisa (Bockwoldt) Herman, who came to the United States about two or three years after the arrival of our subject. The father has now passed away, while the mother survives and makes her home in Durant. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kahler have been born eleven children, all born in this country with the ex- ception of the two eldest. They are as follows: Katharine, the wife of Wil- liam Kraft, of Cleona township; Matilda, the wife of Peter Ruhser, of Cedar county ; Hans; Nicholas, a resident of Durant; Herman, of Cleona township; Emil, making his home in Nebraska; and Frieda, Fritz, Christina, Alma and Helena, all yet under the parental roof. Politically Mr. Kahler is identified with the republican party, giving stalwart support to the principles of that or- ganization, although the honors and emoluments of public office have never held any attractions for him. Although born across the water and still maintaining a love for the land of his birth, his interests center in the United States and he is thoroughly identified with American life and institutions, Scott county hav- ing no more loyal citizen than this adopted son, who is a credit alike to the land of his nativity and that of his adoption. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek his fortune in the new world, for here, where in- dividual effort is unhampered by caste or class, he has forged his way upward in the business world and is numbered among the substantial and representative agri- culturists of Cleona township.
J. H. C. PETERSEN.
Perhaps no man in Davenport has done more toward advancing the mer- cantile interests of the city than J. H. C. Petersen, who has now retired from active life and lives in the enjoyment of well earned rest at No. 510 West Sixth street. He was born in Germany and as a young man crossed the Atlantic in 1860, determined to prove the truth of the reports which he heard concerning the opportunities of the new world and hoping that he might secure advantages
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
which would lead to substantial progress in business lines. He came direct to Scott county and his limited financial resources made it imperative that he se- cure immediate employment. For a year, therefore, he worked as a farm hand but regarded this only as an initial step to broader and more important labor. In 1862 he turned his attention to merchandising and in that field continued for a long period, his labors being attended with a most gratifying measure of suc- cess. The beginning was a humble one and for a few years he was associated with a partner, to whom he later sold his interest. In the meantime the business had been substantially developed and his experience had brought him valuable knowledge concerning the best methods of conducting mercantile interests. In 1872 he established business independently, being then located at No. 219 Sec- ond street. The growth of his trade enabled him later to include No. 220 Second street as a part of his store and still later he utilized the building at No. 217- 2171/2 Second street. His operations embraced many fields of activity. No po- tential demand of his patrons was unnoticed and while his own enterprise grew in size it was also advancing mercantile progress throughout Davenport. In time it became one of the foremost mercantile establishments of the city and largely set the standard for activity in his especial field. He is recognized as one who has contributed much toward the city's financial prosperity and com- mercial interests and up to the time of his retirement was regarded as one of the most prominent and honored merchants here.
In 1844 Mr. Petersen wedded Miss Johanna Elsbeth Hansen. They became the parents of ten children, five of whom are deceased. The living are : M. D., W. D., Johanna Fridericke Luetje; H. F. and Marie Bush. The mother died in 1892 but the father still survives and is now eighty-nine years of age. He en- joys good health for one of his years and feels that life has given much to him in pleasure and success. When he came to this section of the state Davenport was a small town and he has watched with interest and satisfaction its growth and development and is numbered among those who have contributed to its progress and improvement.
ASMUS WOLF.
Asmus Wolf, a veteran of the Civil war, is a retired agriculturist of Daven- port and still owns three hundred acres of fine farming land in Butler town- ship. His birth occurred in Holstein, Germany, on the 20th of September, 1839, his parents being Andes and Elizabeth Wolf. The father followed farming in that country. Asmus Wolf obtained his education in the schools of his native land and after putting aside his text-books acquainted himself with the butcher- ing business. In 1861, when a young man of twenty-two years, he crossed the ocean to the United States, landing at New York, whence he came direct to Davenport, Iowa.
After working as a farm hand for six months he enlisted for service in the Union army, joining Company B, Sixteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, at Davenport on the 2d of November, 1861. With that regiment he went to St.
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
Louis, where he remained for about a week and subsequently participated in the battle of Shiloh, where he was slightly injured by a ball. The regiment next went to Corinth, Mississippi, where they expected another battle but the rebels had left during the night. They remained in that vicinity about six months, marching to different places, and then took part in the two days' battle at Corinth. Afterward they went to Memphis, Tennessee, and there boarded a steamer for Vicksburg, participating in the engagement at that place. Subsequently Mr. Wolf reenlisted in Company B for three years' service and went to Meridian, Mississippi, where on the 7th of February, 1864, he was taken prisoner while foraging in company with three other men. They were sent to the Cahaba prison in Alabama, where they were incarcerated for two months, on the expiration of which period they were taken to Andersonville and there imprisoned for five months, enduring many and severe hardships. For twenty-three days they were compelled to sleep on the bare ground. From Andersonville they were removed to Charleston, South Carolina, where they were kept in the jail yard and also in a stockade at the fair grounds for a time. They were then sent to Florence, North Carolina, and their lot was no better there than it had been at Anderson- ville, but Mr. Wolf finally escaped the enemy by pretending illness and went back to Charleston, where he took a boat for Baltimore, Maryland. Obtaining a three months' furlough, he returned to Davenport and when his leave of ab- sence had expired rejoined his regiment, but hostilities were brought to a close about that time and he was mustered out on the 19th of July, 1865. His military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud, for he proved a valiant and faithful soldier, never faltering in the performance of any task assigned him.
Soon after returning from the war Mr. Wolf was married and for about a year he worked in the vicinity of Davenport. He then bought eighty acres of land in Butler township, where he made his home for two years, at the end of which time he disposed of the property and purchased another farm of one hundred and forty acres in Butler township, residing thereon from 1871 until 1898. In that year he put aside the active work of the fields and took up his abode in Davenport, where he has since lived retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest. As his financial resources increased he bought more land from time to time and he yet owns three hundred acres in Butler township. His agricultural in- terests were carefully managed and he has long been numbered among the sub- stantial and respected citizens of the county.
Mr. Wolf has been married twice. On the 26th of August, 1865, he wedded Miss Kathrina Buck, a daughter of Jergen and Kathrina Buck. This union was blessed with six children. Alvina, the eldest, married Christ Petersen, of Daven- port, and became the mother of seven children, namely; Lulu; Arthur; Engeba, who is deceased; Walter; Asmus; Viola; and LeRoy. Ferd, who is now de- ceased, wedded Miss Alvina Miller, by whom he had four children: Delma, Ruman, Howard and Lulu. Theresa, who gave her hand in marriage to Herman Carsens, of Davenport, now has seven children, as follows: Willus, Max, Hilda, Ferd, Thekla, Paul and Erma. Amanda, the wife of John Henry, of McCaus- land, Butler township, is also the mother of seven children, namely: Blanche, Alonzo, Ruth, Margaret, John, Benjamin and an infant. Ernest, living at Long
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
Grove, wedded Miss Anna Litsher, by whom he has two children, Inez and Bernard. Thomas is a resident of Butler township. Mrs. Kathrina Wolf, whose birth had occurred in Germany on the 9th of October, 1848, was called to her final rest on the 3d of August, 1898, and lies buried in Butler township. On the 4th of April, 1900, Mr. Wolf was again married, his second union being with Pauline Priest, who was born in 1852. Her parents, Hans H. and Kathrina (Mottis) Priest, came to this country from Germany in 1850 and took up their abode in Pleasant Valley township, Scott county, Iowa, where they built a rock house which is still standing. Hans H. Priest passed away in May, 1882, and his wife died the following August. They became the parents of six children, three of whom passed away in Germany. The others are as follows: Mary, who gave her hand in marriage to Godfrey Henry and is now deceased; Doris, the widow of Asmus Rohlf and Mrs. Wolf. The last named has also been mar- ried twice, her first husband being Herman Rohde, by whom she had four chil- dren : Richard and Herman, both of whom are residents of Davenport; and two who are deceased.
Mr. Wolf gives his political allegiance to the men and measures of the re- publican party. While living in Butler township he served as road supervisor, township trustee and in other positions of public trust. He is a member of the United Veterans Union. Coming to the United States in early manhood, he made good use of the opportunities afforded in a land unhampered by caste or class and in his adopted county has steadily worked his way upward to a posi- tion of prominence. The period of his residence in Scott county now covers almost a half century and the favorable regard entertained for him by his fellow townsmen is proof that his life record has been an honorable one.
ALBERT WERNER.
Albert Werner, the well known and capable postmaster of Walcott, who for many years was closely identified with the business interests of this town, is numbered among the residents of Scott county who claim Germany as the place of their nativity, his birth occuring in Pommern in 1853. His parents were Frederick and Caroline (Malling) Werner, who were also natives of Germany. The father, who was born in Pommern in 1813, was a soldier in the German army prior to his leaving the fatherland, and in 1862 came to America, landing at New York. He arrived here while the country was in the midst of civil war and at once took up the cause of the Union, organizing a company in New York. He went to the front as its captain and did valiant duty until the time of his death, it being supposed he was killed at the battle of Gettysburg.
Reared and educated in his native country, Albert Werner came to America when twenty years of age and made his way direct to Iowa, arriving in Walcott in 1873. For about seventeen years he was here engaged in the blacksmith's trade, at the expiration of which period he became identified with industrial pursuits, dealing in implements of all kinds, buggies and furniture. In addition to this he also conducted a plumbing enterprise and both branches of his busi-
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY
ness proved most profitable. Industry, excellent executive ability and careful management were salient elements in his business career and he won a most gratifying measure of success, his business steadily increasing in volume and im- portance with the passing of the years. In 1891, however, he was appointed post- master of Walcott and he withdrew from business life in order to take up the duties of his new position. He has since remained in that office, proving a most excellent official, his record ever being such as has not only brought honor to himself but has reflected credit upon his constituents. He is known in financial circles as a director in the Walcott Savings Bank and is the owner of a farm in Cleona township and also a quarter section in North Dakota, all of his various interests proving a source of most gratifying remuneration which has placed him among the substantial and prosperous citizens of the community.
It was in 1877 that Mr. Werner was united in marriage to Miss Anna Moeller, a daughter of Gotthard Moeller, a farmer residing in Cleona township. Unto this union have been born two children: Alma, still at home; and Ernest, who married Anna Riessen, of Walcott. Fraternally Mr. Werner is a member of lodge No. 316, K. P., of Walcott, and in politics he is a stalwart republican. Prior to his appointment as postmaster he served as a member of the city council and for two terms was also a school director, the cause of education finding in him a warm champion. Preeminently a public-spirited citizen, although born across the water he is as closely identified with the interests of this country as the native born American, and he is not only a credit to the land of his na- tivity but also to the land of his adoption. In business he combined his sturdy native talents with the more American spirit of progress and the result was a very successful career. In public office he has been true to every trust re- posed in him and efficient, conscientious and faithful in the discharge of his duties, so that he ranks today among Walcott's most representative and valued citizens.
ADOLPH P. ARP.
Adolph P. Arp is well known as a leading stockman and farmer of Lincoln township, being the proprietor of the Lincoln Stock Farm, of two hundred and forty acres, situated on section 2. Here he has engaged in raising some of the finest stock that has been produced in the county and as proof of his business ability and enterprising spirit it has been cited that he has been actively con- nected with the promotion of several commercial interests of importance. He was born on the farm which is yet his home, December 7, 1875, and is a son of Detlef and Bertha (Weise) Arp, both of whom were natives of Schleswig- Holstein, Germany, the father's birth having there occurred January 1, 1831, while his wife was born on the 23d of March, 1838. Detlef Arp acquired his education in the schools of his native country and in his youthful days worked on his father's farm, but the favorable reports which he heard concerning America and its opportunities awakened in him a desire to seek his fortune on this side the Atlantic. Accordingly, when nineteen years of age, he bade adieu to home and friends and sailed for New Orleans, whence he made his way up
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