USA > Iowa > Marion County > History of Marion County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 29
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Burr Phelps was their youngest child and he and three brothers survive. He attended the academy at Knoxville after completing a public-school course and as a youth also farmed and assisted his father in the mill. In 1880 he entered the employ of the Cushing & Squire Company of Knoxville and remained with them until Mr. Cushing went into the wholesale business, becoming a member of the Manning-Cushing Company of Ottumwa, lowa. In 1883 Mr. Phelps became traveling salesman for that concern and so continued until 1888, when he began to represent the J. Miller Shoe Company, of Racine, Wisconsin, manufacturers of boots and shoes, for whom he has traveled ever since. He is an authority upon his line of goods,
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is also an expert salesman and is one of the most valued men in the employ of the company.
Mr. Phelps was married in 1883 to Miss Lola Cunningham, a daughter of A. C. and Martha (Phillips) Cunningham. Her father was a native of Virginia and came to Knoxville in pioncer times, entering land upon the present site of the city. He was one of the first postmasters of Knoxville and in his early life was a physician. For a number of years he was engaged in the coal business and became a well-to-do citizen of the town. He has passed away. To Mr. and Mrs. Phelps were born six children: Dow, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri; Alice, Dean and Helen, all at home; and Phillip and Cam, who died in childhood.
Mr. Phelps has belonged to the Methodist church since 1889 and contributes generously to its support. In his political views he is a republican and is stanch in his support of the principles of that party. Fraternally he belongs to Oriental Lodge, No. 61, A. F. & A. M., of which he has been a member since 1880, and to the Eastern Star. His wife is also a member of the latter organization. Although much of his time is spent upon the road he has always considered Knoxville his home and has given much time and effort to the advancement of its welfare. He was one of the originators of the Knoxville Chautauqua, which was established in 1910, and has had charge of the booking of the program and the making of arrange- ments ever since. The success of the Chautauqua is due more largely to him than to any other one individual in the city and he takes a commendable pride in this achievement. His friends are many and they hold him in warm regard because of his generosity and kindness of heart and also because of his integrity.
REV. SAMUEL HESTWOOD.
One is apt to overemphasize the business development of a com- munity and point with special pride to what has been accomplished in a material way without giving due thought to the great impor- tance and potency of moral progress as a factor in character build- ing, upon which depends all that is commendable and valuable in man's relations with his fellowman. Iowa owes a debt of gratitude to her pioneer ministers who sowed the seeds of moral advancement in this state. Among the number was the Rev. Samuel Hestwood, one of the early preachers of the Methodist church and one whose Vol. 11-19
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life was of strong force in the growth of the church, while his mem- ory remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him.
Rev. Hestwood was born in Delaware county, Ohio, August 16, 1822, and his boyhood and youth were there spent. It was not until after his marriage that he joined the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he became a member in 1848. From that time on his life was consecrated to the cause of Christianity and in 1850 he began preaching. Coming to Iowa, he joined the conference of this state in 1853 and devoted his efforts with untiring zeal to the work of preaching the gospel and promoting the cause of Methodism until after the outbreak of the Civil war. He watched with interest the progress of events in the south and when the country became involved in strife he went to the front as chaplain of the Fortieth Regiment of Iowa Volunteers, with which he remained for a year. Failing health then caused him to return home and he resumed his inter- rupted pastorate at Newton, Iowa. According to the itinerant cus- tom of the Methodist minister, he was located at different times in various places, but everywhere he went proved a power of strength for good and he remained an active worker in the church up to a short time prior to his death. A few years before his death he took up his abode in Knoxville and never did his deep interest in the church and the cause falter. One of the Knoxville papers said of him: "He was a theologian of the self-made type-an earnest, devout preacher of much more than ordinary ability and a most excellent and exemplary Christian gentleman-firm as a rock in his convictions of right, but affable and reasonable in all he said and did."
It was on the 16th of December, 1845, in Delaware county, Ohio, that Mr. Hestwood was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Jones, who was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1824. She was about ten years of age when her parents removed with their family to Ohio and during her maidenhood she became connected with the Presbyterian church. She was a granddaughter of the Rev. John Jones, a Presbyterian minister, who served as a chaplain in the Rev- olutionary war and was also a member of congress. It was in 1847 that Mrs. Hestwood became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and it was not until the following year that her husband united with the church. Removing westward, they settled first in Illinois and afterward came to Iowa. Mrs. Hestwood ever felt the deepest interest in her husband's work as a minister of the church, for she was in full sympathy with him and was also an ardent, aggressive force in evangelistic work and in the upbuilding of the
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church. She was especially helpful in promoting the cause of Meth- odism in Knoxville, where the memory of her work will constantly urge to noble deeds and to the highest attainments of Christian life.
Rev. and Mrs. Hestwood became the parents of seven children, of whom a daughter died in infancy. The eldest son, Virgil E., enlisted when in his teens for service as a member of Company B, Fortieth Iowa Infantry, of which regiment his father was chaplain. He determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work and entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which he was grad- uated, becoming thereafter a successful practitioner. At length his health began to fail and, hoping to be benefited by a change of climate, he went to New Mexico, residing in Raton to the time of his death, which occurred when he was fifty-one years of age. The other members of the Hestwood family are: J. E. Hestwood ; Mrs. T. N. Johnson, of Kansas City, Kansas; Mrs. Emma Amos, of Knox- ville, Iowa; Mrs. C. C. Smead, of Newton, Iowa; and Mrs. Sam Austin, of Eldorado, Kansas.
For almost forty-seven years Rev. Samuel and Mrs. Hestwood traveled life's journey together, in the closest ties of companionship, strong sympathy and enduring love. The later years of their mar- ried life were passed in Knoxville and there the Rev. Hestwood was called to his final rest June 22, 1892, at the age of sixty-nine years, ten months and six days. His wife survived him for seven years and died in Knoxville October 30, 1899.
Rev. Hestwood was a member of John C. Ferguson Post, G. A. R., and Colonel H. J. Budd of that post at the time of the death of Rev. Hestwood paid an eloquent tribute to his memory in the fol- lowing words :
"The highest altitudes of life are reached only by the truly good and the most holy solace which it is possible to find in this world is in the benediction of a splendid life. Each of the ages have had their heroes. Statesmen have made imperishable names, philoso- phers have tamed the elements to become the servants of man, scien- tists have made docile and forceful the hitherto unseen mysteries of earth and sky; but to my mind the men who have given their lives for the intellectual, moral and spiritual good of our world are the highest type of men known to time. The soul of the military chief- tain may be clouded by the black mask of mad ambition; the genius of the artisans in the other fields of life may be inflamed by the ill omened light of greed, or the phantasms of vain glory; but the man who devotes his life and soul to the betterment of his age is next highest in authority to the God who made him. The presence of
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death is always a scene of imposing solemnity. By it we are touched with the uncertainty of life, and with the need of hope and promise. In its mute eloquence we read the story of a life and in its 'marvel of the heroic' we catch the inspiration of the beyond. Better lips than mine will tell you the story of Father Hestwood's life. We who knew him best can never know the many trials and distresses through which he passed, but we can feel and know the sublime good he has done. One of the wealthiest, and among the best men I have ever known, in answer to the question 'What was the best investment you ever made?' said, 'Trying to do as I would be done by.' There is but one better investment than that this side of the stars and that is that of trying to enlighten and redeem a race without hope of adequate present reward. Such a spirit outshines the diadem of human genius. It is the spirit in the presence of which all cavils and contentions scatter in dismay and which lights up even the dark corners of life with the 'light divine.' Such was Father Hestwood's life.
"Thus in the name of John C. Ferguson Post, Grand Army of the Republic, I lay tribute upon the altar of his memory-the tribute of the soldier to the soldier, a tribute, 'mighty only when 'tis felt.' To the aged and disconsolate widow and to the bereaved children all that is tender and constant is given. Thus to Chaplain Hestwood, we return, in part the 'bread cast upon the waters,' by his ministra- tions to the Fortieth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry."
Equally appropriate and eloquent were the expressions of Dr. McDonald, presiding elder of the district, and of Rev. J. W. Hack- ley, who was the pastor of Rev. Hestwood at the time of his demise. With the passing of Rev. Hestwood Iowa lost one who, coming to the state in pioneer times, had taken a most active part in the upbuild- ing of the commonwealth along the line of its moral development and progress, and the impress of his noble life remains today upon the character of those with whom he was associated.
JEDIDIAH TINGLE FRENCH, M. D.
Although Dr. Jedidiah Tingle French passed away in Hutchin- son, Kansas, while on a visit there, the greater part of his active life was passed in this county and he was known as one of the best and most prominent physicians of the early days. The life of the pioneer doctor was by no means an easy one and Dr. French never spared
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himself. His reward was a warm place in the hearts of the people whom he served and the knowledge that he aided in making the conditions of pioneer life endurable. He was the owner of a drug store in Knoxville during his later years.
Dr. French was born on the 23d of April, 1823, at the old home- stead one mile from Lebanon, Ohio. His father was Daniel French, who was born on the 9th of August, 1791, in New Jersey and married Amy Tingle, who was born on the roth of May, 1798, at Lebanon, Ohio. Daniel French was a son of Joseph French, whose birth occurred on Christmas day, 1767, in New Jersey, and who married Miss Anna Robertson, who was born on the 25th of February, 1768. Amy (Tingle) French, the wife of Daniel French, was a daughter of Jedidiah and Elizabeth (Reeder) Tingle, the former born May 8, 1766, in Delaware, and the latter June 4, 1776, in Loudoun county, Virginia. Jedidiah Tingle passed away in Warren county, Ohio. His parents were Jedidiah and Amy (Waite) Tingle, natives respec- tively of England and Delaware. His wife, Elizabeth (Reeder) Tingle, was a daughter of David and Mary (Adams) Reeder, the former of whom was born March 14, 1749, in New Jersey, and was killed by a horse near Lebanon, Ohio. David Reeder was a son of Joseph Recder III, who was born April 24, 1716, at Newtown, Long Island, and who married Susana Gano. Joseph Reeder II was the father of Joseph Reeder III and was in turn a son of Joseph Reeder I, of England. His father was, according to tradition, Wilhelm Leser Reeder of Germany. Eleanor (Leverich) Reeder, the wife of Joseph Reeder II, was a daughter of Caleb and Martha (Lavaine) Leverich, the former of whom was born in 1638 at Duxbury, Massa- chusetts, and died in 1717 at Newtown, Long Island. His father was William Leverich, who graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree at Cambridge University, England, in 1625 and received the Master of Arts degree from that institution in 1629. He emigrated on the ship James to Salem, Massachusetts, October 10, 1633, and died in 1677. Susana Gano, previously mentioned as the wife of Joseph Reeder III, was a daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Britton or Bretin) Gano, residents of Staten Island, New York. Daniel Gano was a son of Stephen and Ann (Walton) Gano, and a grandson of Francis Gano or Ganeaux, as the original spelling was, a Huguenot who came to New Rochelle, New York, in 1686. He was a native of the Isle of Guernsey and lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and three years.
When three months old Dr. French accompanied the family on their removal to Shelby county, Indiana, and settled upon one hun-
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dred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land, the nearest neighbor being eight miles distant. There amid frontier conditions Dr. French grew to manhood. He did all kinds of farm work, cleared timber land, made brick and worked at the stone-mason's trade. His father, who was a master mechanic, gave his son expert instruction in the various lines of work of which it was necessary for the pioneer farmer to know something. The Doctor acquired a limited general education by attending the subscription schools of the period for four weeks to two months each winter. There were no holidays in his early life, as his time was spent in hard work upon the farm when not in school or incapacitated by sickness. At the age of nineteen years and four months he began the study of medicine, thus carrying out a desire that had never left him since his fourteenth year. Without advising with father or mother he consulted Dr. G. C. Paramore at St. Omar, Decatur county, Indiana, and arranged for the use of the Doctor's medical library and for private instruction in medicine. For three months he borrowed books and carried them home, going three miles and back each week to recite his lessons. He then taught school for three months, receiving ten dollars per month and his board, in the meantime continuing his medical study. In April, 1843, when recov- ering from measles his father was stricken with a disease called the black tongue, from which he died. A number of others in that region succumbed to the disease, including an uncle and aunt of the Doctor. The latter himself contracted the malady but recovered and was sub- sequently placed in charge of thirteen patients by Dr. Paramore, and of these twelve recovered. These cases were the first that Dr. French had. In the fall of 1843 he again taught school, receiving two dollars per pupil and "boarded round."
On the 19th of December, 1843, Dr. French married Miss Mary Ann Crisler, and after a week resumed his teaching, but after finish- ing the term he abandoned pedagogical work. He and his wife began housekeeping on a farm of fifty-seven acres which he had purchased. He cleared the standing timber and built a comfortable, though small, residence and there the family resided for five years. He labored unremittingly, making and laying brick in addition to his farm work. On the 5th of May, 1849, the family started for Iowa and on the 28th of that month arrived at Bellefontaine on the Des Moines river. There were three children in the family when the removal was made to this county. Their first residence here was a log cabin near Bellefontaine which Dr. French repaired. He and his entire family were taken sick soon after coming here and they would have actually suffered from want of food if Colonel Doud,
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one of the first settlers of the county, had not visited them and given them provisions. Dr. French never forgot this kindness and was a warm friend of Colonel Doud during the latter's lifetime as well as his family physician. There was a great deal of sickness in the early days and it was no unusual thing for a whole family to be stricken at once. Malarial fever especially was prevalent until January, 1850. While living upon the farm Dr. French cultivated his land, cut wood, split rails and did all manner of work as well as practiced his pro- fession. However, his services as a physician were called for more and more frequently and after two years he was compelled to leave the farm and devote his entire time to his professional duties. He rode over a territory thirty miles in extent east and west and twenty- five miles north and south. In October, 1851, he removed to Ham- ilton, Marion county, and practiced there for six years, having nearly the exclusive practice in that region. His first typhoid cases occurred in 1856 and out of fifty-three patients treated he lost but one, which is a remarkable record, especially when we consider that at that time the profession knew practically nothing of the disease. Some idea of the demands made upon the pioneer physician may be gathered from the fact that he traveled almost continuously for fifty days on horseback, snatching such sleep as he could. There were no buggies then nor were there any good roads or bridges.
On the 21st of June, 1857, Dr. French removed to Knoxville and on the ist of August of that year opened a drug store on the east side of the town square, which he conducted successfully for twenty-seven years and also practiced his profession. In 1860 he discovered a remedy for diphtheria, which was the means of saving many cases that would undoubtedly otherwise have been lost. For over fifty-three years he was in active practice and his record was one of unusual suc- cess. His death occurred in Hutchinson, Kansas, on the 24th of September, 1903, when he was eighty years of age. His demise was much regretted in this county and his memory is still held in honor and esteem.
To Dr. and Mrs. French were born nine children, namely : Eliza- beth D., born November 15, 1844, is now the wife of W. E. Burns, of Denver, Colorado; Caroline A., who died on the 11th of Novem- ber, 1867, was the wife of Lieutenant Melvin Stone of Knoxville; Parthena J. passed away on the 2d of September, 1849, when ten months and sixteen days of age; James Allen, born on the 5th of August, 1851, resides in Knoxville; George A., born on the 3d of July, 1854, passed to his reward on the 28th of July, 1905; William A., born December 16, 1856, died October 16, 1858; Mary Alice,
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whose birth occurred on the 9th of February, 1859, is now the wife of J. S. Bellamy, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work ; Amy May, born August 13, 1861, is now the wife of C. H. Sweetser, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and an infant, born April 16, 1865, died nine days later on the 25th of April.
Mrs. Mary Ann (Crisler) French, the mother of these children, was born on the 22d of January, 1822, in Boone county, Kentucky, and died June 4, 1900, at Knoxville, Iowa. Her father was Lewis Crisler, whose birth occurred June 1, 1773, in Madison county, Vir- ginia, and who on the 18th of August, 1806, was married in Boone county, Kentucky, to Miss Mary Zimmerman. She was born on the 4th of April, 1778, a daughter of Christopher and Mary (Tanner) Zimmerman, whose marriage occurred in Culpeper county, Vir- ginia. Lewis Crisler, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Bellamy, was a son of Leonard and Margaret (Clore) Crisler, the latter a daughter of John and (Cafer) Clore. Leonard Crisler was a son of Fawatt and Rosina (Garr) Crisler, natives of Virginia and Bavaria respectively. His mother was born of the union of Andreas and Eve (Seidelman) Garr, natives of Bavaria, who emi- grated to America in 1732. The parents of Andreas Garr were John and Elizabeth Garr.
ANTONIE J. KUYPER.
Antonie J. Kuyper is a native son of Pella and has throughout the greater part of his life been identified with its interests. He is a stockholder and manager of a plumbing business conducted under name of the Pella Plumbing and Heating Company, and is consid- ered one of the successful men of the city. He was born on the 13th of November, 1862, a son of Hugo and Jacoba ( Betten) Kuyper, both natives of Holland. They emigrated to the United States and made their way to Pella in 1847. The father, who is now living retired, was very prominent in the early history of the city, being mayor for several terms. He is a democrat in his political belief and is also very active in church work. He was a jeweler by trade but for many years was the proprietor of a general store. His wife is a daughter of A. J. Betten, who brought his family to Pella in 1847. Mr. Betten was a preacher in the Reformed church and was also the proprietor of a store in this city.
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Antonie J. Kuyper was reared under the parental roof and given excellent educational advantages. After completing the course in the public schools he attended the Central University of Iowa for some time. He was subsequently associated with his father in the conduct of the general store owned by the latter for a number of years. He afterward kept books for the Pella Manufacturing Com- pany and then went to Orange City, this state, where he was assistant cashier of a bank for some time, and still later engaged in the real- estate business. In 1907 he returned to Pella and devoted his time to the real-estate business for a few years, but then became interested in a plumbing shop, of which he is at present manager, He is a man of good business judgment and of great energy and has the con- tract for a great deal of the plumbing work done in the city. He carries an excellent line of goods and is careful to sce that all plumb- ing installed is properly put in. His business has constantly increased and yields him a good profit annually.
Mr. Kuyper was married in 1886 to Miss Effie Wormhoudt, a daughter of H. and Antje (Overcamp) Wormhoudt, who located in Pella in 1847. Her father was a carpenter by trade, which occupa- tion he followed in early life but later engaged in the lumber business. He passed away in 1907, but his widow still survives. To Mr. and Mrs. Kuyper have been born two children: Hugo, who married Miss Clara Mann and resides at Pella, where he is asso- ciated with his father in business; and Henry, in school. The latter is an enthusiastic baseball player and is catcher for the home team.
Mr. Kuyper usually votes the republican ticket but at the elec- tion of 1912 supported Woodrow Wilson for president. For twenty years he was city clerk of Orange City and the length of his incum- bency in that office is the best proof of the acceptability of his serv- ices. Those who have known him most intimately are his truest friends, as closer acquaintance but reveals more of the integrity and fineness of his character.
RALPH H. PORTER.
Ralph H. Porter has been the proprietor of a large plumbing establishment in Knoxville since 1912 and has done a great deal of work of that character in some of the best houses in the city. He was born in Mahaska county, Iowa, on the 4th of October, 1885, a son of J. H. and Mary M. (Stolzer) Porter, both natives of Ger-
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many, who accompanied their respective parents to this country. They settled in lowa many years ago and were highly esteemed in their locality. The father was a carpenter by trade and was known as an expert workman. He is deceased but his widow survives and lives at Oskaloosa.
Ralph H. Porter attended the public schools and was graduated from the Beacon high school in due time. He subsequently learned the plumbing business and in 1907 opened a shop of his own at Oskaloosa, where he remained for five years but in 1912 sold his interests in that city and came to Knoxville and opened a shop. He employs four men regularly and carries a full line of plumbing goods. He also sells and installs heating plants and all branches of his business have proved remunerative. He is himself an expert workman and insists that all plumbing put in by his men shall be properly installed and as a result the work for which he is respon- sible is invariably well done and gives satisfaction.
On the 11th of October, 1905, Mr. Porter married Miss Bessie Sowden, of Oskaloosa, a daughter of G. H. and M. J. Sowden, the former of whom was for many years a farmer. To Mr. and Mrs. Porter has been born a daughter, Marjorie.
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