USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > History of Dubuque County, Iowa; being a general survey of Dubuque County history, including a history of the city of Dubuque and special account of districts throughout the county, from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 85
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own liking," said the Davenport Democrat. "When he believed he was right," said the Waterloo Courier, "no power on earth could move him from the path which he had laid out to follow. He was incorrupt and incorruptible. His dearest enemies will say that of him." "When it was said that 'Murphy will make a fight,' everybody recognized," said the Burlington Hawk-Eye, "that his fight would be for what he thought were right principles and would be strictly honorable." "Few Iowa editors were more widely known than John S. Murphy," said the Davenport Republican. "One of the best men of Iowa, brilliant, forceful and honest," was the estimate of the Burlington Gasette. The Cedar Rapids Gasette compared Mr. Murphy to ex-Gov. John P. Altgeld, of Illinois, as a crusader in the people's cause.
William Jennings Bryan, whom Mr. Murphy supported ardently in 1896 and 1900, said of him: "I greatly regret to learn of the death of John S. Murphy. He was one of the most loyal Demo- crats in the United States. As a citizen, as an editor and as a member of the party he was above reproach and his death is a great loss to us." Senator William B. Allison esteemed him as "always able in the espousal of any cause he championed. Though strong and persuasive in argument, he was courteous and generous to those of opposite views and challenged the respect of those with whom he came in contact. Warm and tender in his friend- ship, his death will be much regretted by those who knew him well." Speaker Henderson was "pained beyond the power of words to express by the news of the death of one of the most brainy, warm-hearted and gifted of our citizens." Mr. J. H. Quick, the author, said that "his work was a daily plea for equality, for the true principles on which republics stand-for the people, their wisdom, their needs, their aspirations. It poured into the current of public opinion a steady stream of sturdy manhood. It made for freedom and it fought strongly against the greatest evil of the world-the sordid triumph of wealth over manhood."
Mr. Murphy never held public office, the sole appointment of a public nature he ever accepted being to membership in the Board of Public Library trustees. He was married in Dubuque in 1870 to Miss Anna White, who, with these sons and daughters, survived him : Mrs. Thomas H. Duffy, Joseph J., Louis, Charles S., William K., Mrs. A. W. Ferring and David Murphy, and by one sister, Mrs. Mary Rank, of Central City, Colorado. His death was due to angina pectoris. His body was buried in Mt. Olivet cemetery.
Louis Murphy succeeded to the vacancy created by the death of his father, John S. Murphy, as editor of the Telegraph-Herald, on April 1, 1902, and is now serving in this capacity. He was born in Dubuque, and save for a brief period has made Dubuque his home all of his life. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the
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Carnegie-Stout Free Public Library. He is affiliated with the Democratic party and resides with his mother at 394 Bluff street.
HON. PHINEAS W. CRAWFORD, who for nearly half a century was identified with the practice of law in Dubuque, was born at Putney. Windham County, Vermont, September 21, 1829, a son of James and Tirzah M. (White) Crawford. The family, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, settled in Vermont during pioneer times and were prominently known in the New England colonies when this country was a dependency of the British crown, and the grand- father of the subject of this sketch was a soldier in the Revolution- ary War and participated in the battles of Bunker Hill and Lexing- ton. Tirzah M. (White) Crawford died in Vermont, but in 1838 James Crawford came to West Dubuque and the greater part of the remainder of his life was passed in the practice of law. For a time he was associated with Timothy Davis, an old time practi- tioner. He died in 1846, and his memory is still green in the recol- lection of the pioneers because of his many sterling qualities of mind and character.
When but nine years old Phineas W. Crawford was brought by his parents to Dubuque, then a small hamlet of a few hundred people, and this city was his home ever afterward. After attend- ing the public schools he entered thie Illinois College at Jackson- ville, and in 1859 was graduated from that institution with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Shortly thereafter he took up the study of law, and from 1862 until his death was actively and suc- cessfully engaged in the general practice of his profession. In public life Mr. Crawford was prominent and ever interested in the growth of Dubuque and Iowa. He was enthusiastic over the public advancement and gave the best years of his life to labor for the benefit of the city and state. As a Republican in politics he was four years City Recorder, fifteen years Alderman from his ward and from 1902 to 1906 served as State Senator from Dubuque County. When war was declared between the North and the South he enlisted for the preservation of the Union in Company A. Third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, was commissioned lieutenant of his com- pany and later promoted to captain. His military career was re- plete with bravery and meritorious conduct. He participated in the battles of Shiloh. Corinth, siege of Vicksburg, the Red River campaign under General Banks and various other engagements and campaigns. In September, 1863, he became captain of a company in the Fourth United States Volunteers and saw service in the Shenandoah Valley as a member of Hancock's corps, later serving as an officer of the guard at the naval arsenal for the District of Columbia at Washington, D. C., at the time of the execution of Mrs. Surrat and Pain and Herrold. Socially he belonged to the Masonic fraternity, in which he attained the Royal Arch degree,
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and for sixty years was a member of Harmony Lodge of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He also was identified with the Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Republic. Novem- ber. 30, 1853, he was united in marriage with Miss Harriet C. Con- nell, who died April 10, 1909, and to them seven children were born, named: Gertrude, died at the age of twenty-eight ; Helen, wife of Arthur McArthur, of Dubuque ; Mrs. Julie Tomlinson, of Seattle ; Mrs. I. C. Chamberlain, of Dubuque : Fred J. ; Mrs. H. E. Erwin, of New Britain, Connecticut ; and Horace G. Mr. Craw- ford, after a long life of usefulness and good deeds, passed away at his home at 154 Walnut street, Dubuque, on December 9, 1910.
JOHN F. BERINGER, proprietor of the well known Monarch Grocery, corner of Eighth and Main streets, Dubuque, has for many years been identified with the retail grocery interests of Dubuque County. He is a native of Wisconsin, his birth occurring at Potosi, November 7, 1864, and the son of Joseph and Amelia Beringer, who came to America from Kolberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, in 1852. They lived in New York City one year and then moved to Chicago, where they remained three years, at the end of which time they went to Galena, Illinois; two years later they moved to Potosi, Wisconsin, but after one year's resi- dence there decided to locate permanently in Dubuque. Mr. Beringer was a machinist and followed that trade in Bavaria and for a number of years in this country. Joseph Beringer died in 1874, aged seventy-four years, but the mother still survives and makes her home with the subject of this sketch. Until twelve years of age John F. Beringer attended the local parochial schools, and upon the death of his father was obliged to go to work. He entered the employ of the John F. Burns Grocery Company and remained with this concern as head clerk for a period of twenty- eight years. He then embarked in the retail grocery business on his own account and by conscientious dealings with the public has won their confidence and at present enjoys an unusually large business. Starting out in a comparatively small way, he has in- creased his stock as occasion warranted and today his establish- ment is one of the largest and best of its kind in the city. He car- ries a high grade stock of goods and therefore commands a large portion of the best trade of the city. Mr. Beringer is a Roman Catholic in religion, being a member of St. Mary's church, and resides at 627 Windsor avenue.
AUGUST HAMMEL is a fitting example of what man can ac- complish in this country under adverse conditions. He was born December 22, 1837, in the Kingdom of Wurttemberg, Germany, and is a son of Johann and Susanna Hammel, who lived and died in the fatherland. He was reared and educated in his native coun-
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try, but in 1853 came to America and for three years lived at Cleveland, Ohio, with a brother. When nineteen years old he came to Dubuque and for a year worked at any honorable employ- ment he could find. In 1857 he began working for the Lynch- Kelley Flour Mill, on Seventh street, and later at the Rockdale Mills, serving as salesman and in various other capacities. When the Government was plunged into war and all patriotic men were urged to come forward and maintain the union of the States, the stirring call of his adopted country met with a responsive answer from young Hammel. In August, 1861, he enlisted in the Fifth Iowa Cavalry and shortly thereafter became a corporal. His first important engagement was at Fort Donelson when he carried dispatches from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson during the engage- ment and where General Grant became famous for his demand upon General Buckner for "immediate and unconditional sur- render." Mr. Hammel served all through the Civil War with great credit. On the 5th of May, 1862, while on a scouting expedi- tion with about 120 men, Major Schaffer commanding, the party was surprised by the enemy under Major-General Cleburne. Mr. Hammel had barely time to mount his horse and in the confusion rider and horse were thrown off a bridge, whereupon he was taken prisoner by a young rebel. An older rebel coming along declared with an oath he would shoot him, but the young soldier forbade him, saying, "I dare you ; he is my prisoner." Young Hammel was taken to Corinth and paroled. Soon afterward he rejoined his regi- ment, but on July 29, 1864, was again taken prisoner in Georgia and was confined in Andersonville prison. He was transferred from one prison to another several times until discharged at Jack- sonville, April 28, 1865. He had been in prison nine months, and when discharged weighed but eighty-five pounds. He was returned to his regiment and honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, June 15, 1865. Returning to Dubuque, he became head miller in the Dubuque City Mills and was so engaged for a period of sixteen years. Having by this time accumulated some means, he purchased a small mill on White street, which he operated a few years, and then returned to the Rockdale Mills, which, under his wise man- agement, became one of the foremost flouring mills in the entire country. A believer in the maxim that "whatever is worth doing is worth doing well," he mastered the intricacies of the business and for a period of nearly a half century has been known as the leading miller of Dubuque and the adjoining country. Mr. Ham- mel is a member of the Lutheran church, a Republican in politics, and past commander of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. March 29, 1866, he married Miss Sarah Woltz and to them six children have been born, as follows: August, who died in infancy : Mathilda, now Mrs. William Wessler, of Dubuque; Sarah, who resides at home; George, a machinist for the Chicago, Mil-
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waukee & St. Paul Railroad: Clara, who died February 9, 1910, aged thirty-two years, as Mrs. Jas. O'Connors ; and August, Jr., a partner with his brother-in-law in the Nesler & Hammel Plumbing Company, of Dubuque. Mrs. Hammel died March 8, 1908, and is at rest in Linwood Cemetery. Mr. Hammel came to America without a dollar to his name and is justly proud of the fact that he has never experienced want except during his military service. He was a member of the old No. I of the Fire Department.
SHUBAEL P. ADAMS was one of the old pioneers and best known men of Dubuque, and was descended from notable ancestry. His great grandfather, John Adams, was born in Crediton, Devonshire, England, in 1685. While a mere lad he was seized and forced to serve as a cabin boy on board a ship of war, but when the ship reached Salem, Massachusetts, he deserted. He was captured but again succeeded in making his escape and became one of the first settlers in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. It was there Shubael P. Adams was born, February 5, 1817. When but two years old his parents removed to Lincoln County, Maine, and at the age of eighteen he went to Waltham, Massachusetts, to learn the ma- chinist's trade. With the exception of about two years spent at school and in the study of medicine, he worked at his trade until 1842, at which time he went to Lowell, Massachusetts, continuing the study of medicine and also working at his trade. He then at- tended medical lectures at Boston and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1845. Soon there- after he turned his attention from the medical profession and began the study of law; he was admitted to the bar in Lowell in 1849. He was a member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1843 and represented Lowell in the legislature in 1845 and again in 1857. The latter year he removed to Dubuque and con- tinued the practice of law until appointed provost-marshal for the Third Congressional District of this State. This position he held till the close of the war. In 1866 he was appointed on a commis- sion to lay out a reservation for a band of Chippewa Indians, 215 miles north of St. Paul. The next year he resumed the practice of law in Dubuque and was recognized as one of the ablest attor- neys before the Dubuque bar. For many years he was attorney for the Chicago, Dubuque & Minnesota, and Chicago, Clinton & Dubuque railroads. He passed away, a man beloved and respected by all who knew him, in 1894. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. D. R. (Taylor) Adams, and seven children, as follows: Charles Sumner, of Volga, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Dodge, of Minneapolis ; Mrs. Kate L. Monger, of Dubuque ; Albert F., of the Smithsonian Insti- tute, Washington, D. C .; John T., President of the Carr, Ryder & Adams' Sash, Door and Blind Manufacturing Company ; Miss Nell B., of Dubuque ; and Mrs. James C. Collier, of Dubuque.
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SAMUEL E. MUNTZ, florist, Dubuque, has for the last eleven years been successfully engaged in business at 2997 Jackson street. He was born at Stonehill, Dubuque County, Iowa, September 17, 1877, the son of William and Mary Muntz, both of whom are of German extraction. The family came originally from the King- dom of Wurttemberg, Germany, but since 1820 have resided in America. William Muntz came from the State of Pennsylvania to Dubuque in 1854 and here for years followed gardening. He is now retired from the active cares of life and with his wife is re- siding in Dubuque, aged sixty-six years. Samuel E. Muntz, the immediate subject of this review, attended the Stonehill public school until fifteen years of age. He immediately entered his father's floral establishment with a view to ultimately taking up that line of business, and carefully mastered the details of success- fully raising and caring for beautiful flowers. Some time later he was for two years engaged in the business on his own account in a suburb of Dubuque, but in 1900 located at his present quar- ters. When he first came here the land was little more than a mud hole, but Mr. Muntz has developed it into one of the finest nursery establishments in the city during his residence. He has a tract 320x180 feet at this place, and also owns considerable real estate in this and other states. He also added another greenhouse, 27 feet wide and 90 feet long, on the same ground. He was married on October 11, 1898, at Stonehill, to Miss Nettie M. Thompson, daughter of J. and Rosa Thompson and granddaughter of John Floyd Thompson, an early settler of Dubuque County who owned the Thompson Mill. To Mr. and Mrs. Muntz three children have been born : Clifford Luverne, born July 5, 1903 ; Roeland Thomp- son, born July 18, 1909, and one who died in infancy.
FRANK P. FUHRMANN, senior member of the well known and long established gentlemen's clothing, furnishing and shoes estab- lishment of Fuhrmann Brothers, located at 905-911 Clay street, Dubuque, is a native of this city and the son of John and Caroline (Hassel ) Fuhrmann. The father was a native of the Province of Alsace, Germany, but in 1850 immigrated to America by way of New Orleans, where for a time he worked on the steamboats plying around that city. At the time of the yellow fever in the Crescent City Mr. Fuhrmann assisted in overcoming the plague and shortly thereafter came to Dubuque. Here he first engaged in the buying and selling of horses, shipping them to St. Paul, and then opened a small clothing store, 22 by 25 feet, on Clay street, which venture proved very successful. This was about 1868. He was later, by reason of the growth of his business, forced to increase his premises to 22 by 60 feet. Under his management the concern continued to grow and prosper. Mr. Fuhrmann died in 1898, aged seventy years, and was followed by his widow in 1905, aged seventy-seven
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years, and both now lie at rest in the family lot in Mount Calvary Cemetery. The mother was a native of Baden, Germany. The birth of Frank P. Fuhrmann occurred on April 4, 1866. He re- ceived his education in the local parochial and Third ward schools, which he left in his thirteenth year to begin work. For three years he secured employment in various factories and in 1882 started with his father as clerk, continuing as such four years. When the elder Fuhrmann desired to retire from active participa- tion in business affairs he reduced his stock and then sold the bal- ance to his two sons. Frank P. and Jacob, for two notes, one paya- ble in two and a half years and the other in five. The brothers had about $350 in cash to start, and with this purchased enough goods to insure them about $1.000 worth of stock. In 1889 Frank P. Fuhrmann bought out his brother's interest in the concern for $1,500 cash and for fifteen years successfully continued the business alone and enlarged the premises to 22 by 100 feet. In 1904 he ad- mitted his brother, Joe, into partnership, and when the mother died they purchased the premises from the heirs and increased their establishment to 52x100 feet, tearing down the old buildings and erecting their present establishment. They are today regarded as one of the largest and best firms in clothing. furnishings and shoes in the city of Dubuque, and the success of the concern is due in no small measure to the efforts and management of Frank P. Fuhr- mann. In 1903 he built his residence at 1257 Jackson street. He is independent in politics and an adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. On October 10, 1894, he was united in marriage with Miss Katherine Schumm, and to them one daughter and three sons have been born, named Katharine Marie, Frederick William, Frank Anton, Carl Gustave, the three sons now attending school in Dubuque. Mrs. Fuhrmann is the daughter of William and Katherine Schumm, pioneer settlers of the county. William Schumm for many years was prominent in local affairs of in- portance and passed away in 1905, aged seventy-six years, and was buried in Linwood Cemetery. His widow still survives and makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrmann.
E. JAMES GREGORY, carpenter contractor at Dubuque, with offices at 1120 Iowa street, has for the past nine years been engaged at his profession in this city. He was born at Webster City, Iowa, October 10, 1872, a son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Sloan) and grand- son of C. R. and Rachel ( Bernett ) Gregory. The grandfather was a native of the State of New York and removed to Ohio, later to Vigo County, Indiana, where he was one of the pioneer settlers. Late in life he and wife, a native of Kentucky, came to Dubuque, Iowa, and here they passed away, he in February, 1850, and she in 1862. Ezra Gregory was born September 23, 1836, in Vigo County, Indiana, and came with his parents to Dubuque County,
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where he obtained a meagre education in the public schools. He was the oldest of four children, and when his father died, at which time he was but fourteen years old, much of the work and responsi- bility of caring for his mother and brothers and sisters fell to his lot. In 1858 he began farming in his own interest and followed that line of endeavor successfully four years. On August 23, 1862, he abandoned the plow for the musket. Prompted by patriotic ini- pulses he responded to President Lincoln's call for volunteers and joined Company H, Twenty-first Iowa Volunteers, under com- mand of Colonel Merrill of Clayton county. His company was ordered to Missouri and there saw six months' service, at the ex- piration of which time they participated in the siege of Vicksburg under General Grant. Aside from the above Mr. Gregory took part in the following battles and campaigns: Hartville, Port Gib- son, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, Spanish Fort, Mobile, and the siege and capture of Fort Blakely. At the conclusion of that memorable struggle he was honorably discharged by the War Department of the United States at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 15, 1865, and was shortly afterwards discharged at Clinton, Iowa. Mr. Gregory immediately returned to his home and resumed farm- ing and followed same until his retirement from the active cares of life. By hard and conscientious work he accumulated a com- petency, and his latter years were spent in the knowledge that he had done his duty by home and country and was entitled to the honor and respect of all men. He passed away on May 16, 1909, and his loss was mourned generally throughout the county. With his passing Dubuque lost one of her best and most deserving cit- izens. To his marriage with Miss Elizabeth Sloan, solemnized in 1858, the following named children were born: William C., Corinne, Luella, Frank, Nellie (deceased ), James, and Florence. Mrs. Gregory is a daughter of James and Rhoda Sloan; the father was the first ferryman in Dubuque. She yet survives her husband and is at present residing at 810 W. Fifth street, Dubuque.
E. James Gregory remained with his parents on the old home place until eighteen years of age, assisting his father with the farm work and attending the district schools. In 1890 he started out in life for himself as an apprentice to the carpenter trade, remaining four years with Mr. Ketsche. For a time thereafter he worked as a journeyman at his trade for Mr. Jordan of Dubuque, and also in St. Joseph, Missouri. He then returned to Dubuque and embarked in carpenter contracting on his own account, and has ever since been actively and successfully engaged in that line of business. He erected the well known Fowler flats, various additions to local public buildings and also many fine residences. Mr. Gregory is a Republican in politics, a Congregationalist in religion and a mem- ber of the Modern Brotherhood of America and the Woodmen of the World. On November 4, 1896, in Dubuque, he was united in
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marriage with Miss Mildred Nuss, daughter of Henry and Marie H. Nuss, and to them one daughter, Gladys, was born in March, 1900. Mrs. Gregory's father was a native of France, who came to America when six years old, served his adopted country during the Civil war, and was a pioneer wagon manufacturer of Cooke, Wisconsin.
JOHN L. KIES is one of the younger generation of the successful business men of Dubuque and a credit to the city. He was born on a farm in Mosalem Township, this county, October 1, 1882, a son of Mathias and Margaret Kies and a grandson of Nicholas Kies. Nicholas Kies was a native of Luxemburg, Germany, and immi- grated with his wife, six sons and one daughter to the United States in 1859. He located on a farm in Mosalem Township, Dubuque County, Iowa, and this property is now owned and operated by his descendants. For many years Mathias Kies owned and conducted the Western Hotel in Dubuque. He died August 29, 1903, when forty-nine years of age. His children were John L., whose name heads this review : Peter, engaged in the marble and granite busi- ness ; Paul, died in 1907; Valentine, a jeweler at Trenton, Wis- consin ; Theodore ; Mathilda ; Florence ; and Margaret, who died in 1906. John L. Kies attended the public and parochial schools of Dubuque when a boy and started out in life for himself as clerk in the drug store of J. W. Wittmer, with whom he continued four years. He then entered the Northwestern School of Pharmacy at Chicago, was graduated therefrom in 1902, and immediately there- after resumed his employment with Mr. Wittmer. From 1903 to 1906 he was in the service of the Torbert Drug Company, but in the latter year embarked in the drug trade upon his own responsi- bility, at which he has been more than ordinarily successful. Mr. Kies has financial interests in other important enterprises in Dubuque. He is a member of the Dubuque Commercial Club, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, several other fraternal organizations, and is independent in his political affiliations. No- vember 16, 1909, he married Miss Elizabeth Gilbert, daughter of Henry and Ellen Gilbert, and they are the parents of one daughter, Margaret E., born September 19, 1910.
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