USA > Iowa > Des Moines County > History of Des Moines County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
C. H. Mohland is indebted to the public school system of his native county for his early education, which was supplemented by
66
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
two years' study in Oskaloosa College. In early life and when yet a minor he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed in the country schools for five years during the winter seasons, while dur- ing the balance of the year he was employed on his father's farm. He regarded this, however, merely as an initial step to further profes- sional labor and with the desire to become a member of the bar entered the law department of the State University at Iowa City, from which he was graduated with the class of 1877. He then returned to Sigourney for practice and remained an active member of the pro- fession there for fourteen years, during which time he was the first county attorney of Keokuk county. Seeking a broader field of labor, he removed to Burlington on the ist of March, 1894, and for twenty years has been a well known representative of the bar of this city, his ability winning for him well deserved recognition and gaining its merited reward in a large and substantial practice. He is well qual- ified to handle important litigated interests, and never fails to gain a thorough preparation, which is the basis of success in the courts.
In 1882 Mr. Mohland was united in marriage to Miss Lettie Merz of Sigourney, and they have two living children, Mrs. Fred S. Holsteen and Carl Mohland. Mr. Mohland belongs to the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Crystal Lake Club and as he is a great lover of outdoor life, much of his leisure time is spent on the grounds and waters of that beautiful pleasure resort. His political allegiance has always been given to the democratic party. He has never sought nor held office, however, outside the strict path of his profession and has always regarded the pursuits of private life as in themselves abundantly worthy of his best efforts, and throughout his connection with the bar his devotion to his clients' interests has been proverbial.
WILLIAM MAGEL.
William Magel is living retired in Burlington, but for a long period was connected with general agricultural pursuits and thereby won the competence that now enables him to rest from further labor. His birth occurred at Rock Springs, in Union township, this county, on the 4th of March, 1842, his parents being Seibert and Mary (Licht) Magel, both of whom were natives of Germany, the former born in 1812 and the latter in 1821. They came to Iowa at the same time-in the year 1835-Mrs. Magel making the trip in company
67
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
with her parents. It was in Des Moines county that she gave her hand in marriage to Seibert Magel and here they spent their remain- ing days, their home being on a farm on Avery Road, west of Burling- ton. A life of intelligently directed industry enabled Mr. Magel to convert a tract of wild land into a highly improved farm. His place comprised one hundred and ninety acres and from it he derived a substantial annual income. His death occurred when he was eighty- five years old, while his wife passed away at the age of seventy-five. They were consistent Christian people, holding membership in the Evangelical church. In their family were ten children who reached maturity: Elizabeth, the deceased wife of William Hillgartner; William; Henry, who is living in Burlington; Charles, a resident of Sidney, Iowa; Conrad, of Twin Falls, Idaho; Mary, the widow of Julius Schafer, of Central avenue, Burlington; Theodore, who was killed by a horse in Fremont county, Iowa; Peter, of Burlington; Maggie, the wife of Henry Steyh, living on Central avenue, Burling- ton ; and Benjamin, also of this city.
William Magel was reared upon the old homestead farm with the usual experiences that fall to the lot of the farm boy. In 1861, how- ever, he left home and crossed the plains with ox teams to Idaho, remaining in the west until the fall of 1864, when he returned. He had devoted his time to gold mining, but only met with fair success. After his return he engaged in farming with his father for a year and then carried on agricultural pursuits on his own account for another year.
On the 23d of March, 1866, Mr. Magel was united in marriage to Miss Isabelle Hilleary, who was born in Union township near Rock Springs in 1846, a daughter of Jackson Hilleary, a pioneer farmer of Des Moines county who came to this state from Virginia. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Magel removed to Flint River town- ship, where he carried on farming until 1901, when he purchased his present home at No. 501 Gunnison street in Burlington and here still resides. His farm comprised ninety-four acres of land, which he sold to his son-in-law.
To Mr. and Mrs. Magel were born six children: Ollie, the wife of Allen Barnette, who is living upon the old homestead; L. B., a resident of Union township; William H., who is located on Garfield avenue in Burlington; Iva, the wife of Louis Schultz, of St. Louis ; Albert E., whose home is a mile north of Burlington; and Nellie, the wife of Arthur Wolhwend, also of Burlington.
Mr. Magel gives his political allegiance to the democratic party, but has never sought nor desired office. His entire life up to the time
68
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
of his retirement was devoted to farming and the careful management which he displayed in his business affairs brought him a substantial measure of success. Year by year he carefully tilled his fields and as time passed he gained a substantial competence from the sale of his harvests. There have been no spectacular phases in his life, but the record has always been an honorable one and thus he enjoys the high regard of those with whom he has been associated.
HERMAN F. MELZIAN.
Herman F. Melzian, a well known druggist of Burlington con- ducting business at No. 1437 Osborn street, corner of Oak, is a native son of this city, his birth having occurred at No. 1511 North Eighth street, October 25, 1875, in the home of his parents, Frederick and Dora (Rieke) Melzian. The father was born at Croja in the kingdom of Hanover, Germany, August 4, 1843, and died December 27, 1907. He came to America in 1866, making his way direct to Burlington, where a few German Baptists had preceded him. It was at their suggestion that he made this city his destination. He was one of the early employes of the E. D. Rand Lumber Company, having secured work in their yards soon after his arrival and remain- ing there until his life's labors were ended. His wife, who was also born in the kingdom of Hanover, died when their son Herman was but two years of age. In the family of Mr. Melzian were nine chil- dren, of whom five still survive. Those of his first marriage are: Minnie, now the wife of H. C. Lohmann, of Burlington; Mary, the wife of Peter Nelson, also of this city; Emma, who became the wife of Herman A. Marquardt, of Bloomington, Illinois, and resided in Burlington until her death, which occurred February 14, 1896, when she was twenty-one years of age; and Herman F., of this review. Several years after the death of his first wife Mr. Melzian wedded Miss Sophia Ficken, who was born in Oldenburg, Germany, in 1843. She was married in 1879, six weeks after reaching Burlington, and she died March 19, 1884, on the forty-first anniversary of her birth. By that marriage there were two children, twins. The son died at birth and the daughter, Clara, is now the wife of Henry G. Goerner, occupying the old family home at No. 1216 Oak street. In 1886 Mr. Melzian wedded Mary Sander, a daughter of the Rev. John Henry Sander, who was a Baptist minister from Germany and be- cause of religious persecution sought a home in the new world. On
69
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
one occasion he was imprisoned in Germany because of his religious belief. After coming to America he was at the head of the Baptist denomination in his section of lowa for many years. He has passed away but has left behind him a memory which is honored and cher- ished by all who knew him. To Mr. Melzian by his third marriage there was born one daughter, Ruth, who is attending the university at Iowa City, where she is specializing in English and German courses, desiring to become an instructor along those lines. Mrs. Melzian, the widow, now resides with her stepdaughter, Mrs. Goer- ner. Frederick Melzian, his wives and children have all been devoted members of the German Baptist church, in the work of which he took a very active part and filled a number of church offices. His was an active, useful life, and he was a law-abiding and public-spirited citizen, greatly respected by all who knew him.
Herman F. Melzian attended the North Oak street school, then under the care of Professor Logan Steece, and afterward was a pupil in the high school. He spent several years as an employe in a drug store and studied pharmacy with the aid of instruction from the National Institute of Chicago. Thus he was able to pass the required examination before the state board of pharmacy, receiving his cer- tificate in May, 1897. For nine years he was a salesman in the drug store of D. D. Robinson of Burlington and for a short period was in a Chicago drug store. He afterward clerked for the Robinson Drug Company of Burlington for eight years, and in May, 1907, he opened his present business at No. 1437 Osborn street, corner of Oak, where he has since been conducting a successful trade. In his store is also located the postal sub-station No. 6, which was estab- lished in December; 1910. In 1913 he handled about ten thousand dollars for the government in the postal business and the amount exceeded that in 1914. The parcel post handled in March, 1914, alone numbered eighteen hundred and thirty-one pieces of mail, weighing over two and a quarter tons.
On the 21st of March, 1901, Mr. Melzian was married to Miss Bianca E. Hubner, who was born in Burlington, March 22, 1875, a daughter of August and Anna (Zurmuehlen) Hubner. Her father was the president of the Dallas Transportation Company, having an office in Burlington and another in Dallas, Illinois. He was born in Breslau, Germany, in 1848, and in the early 'zos arrived in Bur- lington, where he conducted for a time a popular restaurant but for twenty years was at the head of the Dallas Transportation Company. He died October 3, 1907, and his widow, who was born in Burling- ton, January 13, 1854, now resides at No. 1100 Division street. Mr.
70
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
and Mrs. Hubner had eight children and all still survive. Adolph, who possesses much native talent and ability as an artist, is now the owner of a fine photographic studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mrs. Melzian is the second of the family. Gerhardt is a resident of Oregon. Edward makes his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Anna is the wife of Roy L. Tharp, of Burlington. Clara is at home. Bertha is the wife of Robert Burdette Dale, a professor of civil engineering in Ames College. Alma is employed as a stenographer by Albert Philips of the Empire Line Company.
To Mr. and Mrs. Melzian has been born a daughter, Dorothy Anna, who was born in Burlington, March 1, 1903, and attends the Lauman school in which her father was once a pupil, although the name has been changed since that time. Both Mr. and Mrs. Melzian are devoted members of the German Baptist church and for some years prior to her marriage she was church organist, while Mr. Mel- zian was president of the Young People's Society. Mrs. Melzian has always assisted her husband in his business. He purchased from Ferdinand Pietzsch a two-story brick block containing both store and dwelling. For the past four years Mrs. Melzian has conducted the business of the subpostal station as well as acting as bookkeeper for the store. Both are representatives of old and substantial Ger- man families of Burlington and are widely and favorably known in this city. Mr. Melzian has long been recognized as a man of busi- ness enterprise, sagacity and determination, and he deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he started out in life empty- handed and has worked his way upward through capability, deter- mined effort and honorable dealing.
JOHN J. FLEMING.
The name of John J. Fleming is well known in the financial circles of Burlington, especially in connection with activity in the field of banking and the management of estates. His business in- terests, however, have covered a wide range and have established him as one of the leading residents of Des Moines county. He is a man of resolute purpose and keen sagacity, who by his upright and honorable business methods has won the esteem and confidence of his wide circle of acquaintances.
Mr. Fleming comes to Iowa from the south, his birth having occurred in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, March 19, 1851, his parents
JOHN J. FLEMING
73
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
being the late Judge and Mrs. Michael Fleming. The former was a son of John Fleming, who at one time carried on merchandising in Mitchellstown, County Cork, Ireland, and was also a prominent and active figure in political circles there. He was known as a paci- ficator, serving as a lieutenant under the famous Daniel O'Connell, the distinguished political leader of Ireland, during the troublous period of 1798-9, or just prior to the passage of the act of 1800 which took from Ireland her political rights.
The father of the subject of this sketch was born at Mitchells- town, Ireland, in 1823, and came to America in 1841, settling at St. John's, New Brunswick, later removing to Boston and then to New Orleans, where he was married and remained for a number of years, conducting a barrel and stave factory. He removed to Burlington, lowa, in 1858. At different times after coming to Bur- lington he held public office, serving for ten years as police magis- trate and also as justice of the peace. He possessed a studious nature and was a well read man. His political allegiance was given the democratic party, which found in him a stalwart and active advo- cate. He was a loyal member of the Catholic church, to which he gave generously. His principles were further manifest in his advo- cacy and support of the temperance cause. A contemporary biog- rapher has said of him: "He was a man of high principles, con- scientious in purpose, upright in action, and never faltering in the performance of any duty which devolved upon him." In his official service he was a terror to habitual criminals, for they knew that he would not exert clemency when justice demanded punishment. He was serving as magistrate at the time of the great railroad strike, and he did as much as any one man to keep the lawbreakers from interfering with those who worked for the railroad company.
The subject of the sketch, John J. Fleming, was a little lad of about seven years when he accompanied his parents northward to Burlington, where he acquired his preliminary education in the parochial and public schools. After completion of a two years' academic course at Notre Dame University, of Indiana, he started out in the business world as a clerk in the wholesale drygoods house of H. D. Howard & Company, of Burlington. When his employer sold out to L. H. Dalhoff & Company he remained with the firm as bookkeeper until he resigned to enter the office of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad Company as chief clerk and assistant pay- master. He spent two years in that capacity and then became ac- tively identified with financial circles of Burlington as an employe of the National State Bank. Gradually he worked his way upward
74
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
until he became cashier, acting in that capacity for fifteen years of the twenty-seven-year period in which he was in the bank. In 1900 he resigned his position and took charge of the affairs of Mrs. E. D. Rand as her trustee, and likewise assumed the management of the property of Charles W. Rand, of whose will he was made executor. In connection therewith he is engaged in the loan and investment business, retaining his interest in the National State Bank, of which he is one of the directors. He is now vice president of the Bur- lington Savings Bank. He is likewise president of the Burlington Construction Company, engaged in the building of sewers, pave- ments and public and private buildings. In all of his business affairs he readily discriminates between the essential and the non-essential, discarding the latter and utilizing the former to the best possible advantage. He is an excellent judge of human nature, and has thus been able to surround himself with employes capable of doing the service intrusted to them. His business interests are broad and varied and have constituted an important element in the material upbuilding and advancement of the city.
In May, 1884, Mr. Fleming was united in marriage at Parker, Pennsylvania, to Miss Mary Bracken, who was there born on the 13th of February, 1863, a daughter of Patrick and Esther M. Bracken. Her father conducted an extensive business in Pennsyl- vania and Maryland as a contractor, built all of the Western Mary- land Railroad and parts of the line now included in the Pennsyl- vania railroad system. Later he operated extensively in the develop- ment of the oil fields of Pennsylvania, and when he passed away in 1892 he was laid to rest in the Oil City cemetery. He married Miss Esther M. Braden, a representative of one of the old Pennsylvania families and a descendant of ex-Governor Johnson of Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. Fleming have become parents of six children : Esther Marie, Philip Bracken, Agnes, Elizabeth Pollard, Mary Braden and John J. Liberal educational advantages have been ac- corded the children. The two eldest daughters, like the mother, are graduates of Mount Aloysius Academy at Cresson, Pennsylvania. The second daughter, Agnes, later graduated from St. Elizabeth's College, Morristown, New York. The elder son, Philip, is a grad- uate of West Point Military Academy and is at the present writing a first lieutenant in the Engineer Corps of the United States Army. The family are communicants of St. Paul's Catholic church, in which both Mr. and Mrs. Fleming take an active and helpful in- terest.
75
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
Mr. Fleming has always taken a deep and active interest in the things which make for the moral and intellectual betterment of the community in which he lives. He has long been a trustee of the Burlington Free Public Library and is now president of the board of trustees. He is also treasurer of the Visiting Nurse Association and vice chairman of the local branch of the Red Cross. He was for three years state deputy of the Knights of Columbus, of which organization he is still an active and ardent member, having repre- sented Iowa at nearly all of its national conventions for the past ten years. He is also a member of the Burlington Golf Club and the Catholic Club of New York city. His life has been one of intense and well directed activity. While he stands today among the lead- ing business men of the city, his efforts have been of a character which have contributed largely to public progress as well, and at no time has he confined his attention so closely to business as to exclude active participation in those things which result in the intellectual, social and moral progress of the community.
JOSHUA W. HOLIDAY, M. D.
Dr. Joshua W. Holiday, a well known and capable physician of Burlington, has the further distinction of having been the youngest captain in Sherman's army during the Civil war. He is well known in eastern Iowa as an able representative of professional interests, having practiced for eight years in Louisa county before coming to Burlington in the year 1877. He was born in Greene county, Ohio, on the 31st of May, 1846, and is a son of John P. and Frances (Wright) Holiday. The father was a contractor and builder but after coming to Iowa turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing a farm in Jefferson county in 1855. There he established his home and maintained his residence to the time of his death.
His son, Joshua W. Holiday, was sent to the public schools and afterward had the benefit of instruction in Parsons College at Fair- field, Iowa. He was but seventeen years of age when in 1863 he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, with which he was mustered out in 1865 following the close of hostilities. He entered the army as a private and was advanced from one rank to another until he became captain of Company B, Eighth Iowa Cavalry. His promotion was worthily won, and though there were many in his command who were much
76
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
his senior, he had the entire respect and loyalty of his company, who found him not only a good disciplinarian but also a leader who inspired his men by reason of his own valor and fidelity. He saw much active service, participating in the march under Sherman from Atlanta to the sea and in numerous hotly contested battles which led up to the final victory that crowned the Union arms.
When the war was over Dr. Holiday resumed his education, attending school for another year and then, wishing to become a member of the medical profession, he began reading in the office and under the direction of Dr. Mohr at Fairfield and was admitted to practice in 1869. He then opened an office at Morning Sun, Louisa county, where he remained for eight years, coming to Burlington in 1877. Thirty-seven years of connection with the medical profes- sion of this city indicates without further comment that his career has been a successful one. His skill and ability has won him a place in the foremost rank of medical practitioners in Burlington and he has ever kept in touch with the trend of modern thought, employ- ing advanced scientific methods in all of his practice.
On the 23d of June, 1869, Dr. Holiday was united in marriage to Miss Emma Davis, of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, who has passed away. To them were born three children, as follows: John W .; Harry; and Maud, now Mrs. W. L. Cochran. The Doctor later married Miss Martha Gregg of Burlington, and they had two children : Frank; and Sadie, who is still at home. Mrs. Holiday passed away in 1910. Doctor Holiday is well known in Masonic circles as a mem- ber of the lodge and chapter and he gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He has never sought nor desired public office, yet has never been neglectful of the duties of citizenship, and his influence is always on the side of advancement and improvement in community affairs as well as in professional connections.
MRS. CATE GILBERT WELLS.
Mrs. Cate Gilbert Wells is one of Iowa's well known women whose interests and activities are of great breadth as indicated in the number and variety of organizations with which she is connected, organizations which stand for culture along art and literary lines. for patriotic achievement and for civic betterment. She is one of Burlington's native daughters and acquired her primary education in the Gordon school and the Chapman-Benedict School for young
77
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY
women in New York city. She afterward spent nearly two years abroad, gaining that wide knowledge, experience and culture which only travel can bring. She visited various points on the European continent and in the Orient, and while traveling on the Nile she met in the temple of Karnak, Charles W. Wells, to whom she was married on the 7th of June, 1892. Both she and her husband could trace their lineage back to the same source. Her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Stevens Merrill, was in her maidenhood Mehetabel Worthley Wells, through whom the ancestral line of Mrs. Cate Gilbert Wells con- nects with that of her husband in the father of Thomas Wells, of England, who came to America in 1635, a deacon and doctor and member of The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Bos- ton. Samuel Wells, of Plymouth, New Hampshire, served in the Revolutionary war, participating in the battle of White Plains and other engagements. The Wells family has a prominent ecclesiastical branch including various bishops and archbishops, among them being Bishop Hugo de Wells, who draughted the Magna Charta. It was members of this branch of the family who founded the Lincoln and the Wells cathedrals and took a prominent part in the War of the Crusades. William the Conqueror granted the manor of Wells to Baron Ricardus de Welles in 1068.
Charles W. Wells died May 21, 1897, in Phoenix, Arizona, and was survived by his wife and two children, but the daughter, Cath- erine, passed away June 11, 1897, just a few weeks after her father's demise. The son, Gilbert, was born in 1893 and was educated at St. John's Military Academy of Wisconsin and Pomfret School, Pomfret, Connecticut.
Mrs. Wells is serving on the music committee of the National Federation of Women's Clubs and is on three state committees. She is one of the best known club women and social leaders in the middle west. Her home life was such as stimulated her interest in literature and all elevating influences. She is now serving as regent of the Burlington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a position she formerly occupied during several terms. She is, and has been for eighteen years, the president of the Burlington Musical Club, which has grown from a very small organization to one with nearly six hundred members and in the course of its existence has had most of the musical celebrities of the world on its programs. Mrs. Wells was appointed by the mayor of Burlington to represent the city at the National Peace Conference, held in St. Louis, and was ap- pointed by the federation of the state to act as a state delegate to the convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, held in
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.