USA > Iowa > Muscatine County > History of Muscatine County, Iowa, from the earliest settlements to the present time, Volume II > Part 12
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On the 30th of September, 1896, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Devitt and Elizabeth L. Mackey, a native of this city and a daughter of John and Ellen M. (Murphy) Mackey, both of whom were natives of Ireland and were early settlers of Muscatine, where they spent their remaining days. The father, aroused by a patriotic spirit at the outbreak of the Civil war, joined Company E of the Thirty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry and was on active duty until sent home on account of illness. His death at length was occasioned by disease contracted in the army. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Murphy, both of whom died at Muscatine at an advanced age. John Mackey wedded Ellen M. Murphy, a daugh- ter of Michael and Ellen (Ryan) Murphy. Her father died of cholera on the ocean while coming to America. Mrs. Mackey was one of a family of thirteen children and by her marriage she became the mother of five children : Philip J., Elizabeth L., and Mary F., of Muscatine; Fred C., of Davenport, Iowa; and Joseph, who died at the age of seventeen years.
Mr. and Mrs. Devitt have but one child, Loretta. The parents are members of the Catholic church and Mr. Devitt belongs also to the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Modern Woodmen camp and the Muscatine Launch Club, associations which indicate much of the nature of his interests and the principles which govern his conduct. In politics he is a stalwart democrat, unfaltering in his belief in and support of the principles of the party. He served as city attorney for seven years
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and carefully safeguarded the interests of the municipality through that party. He has been a member of the Iowa State Bar Association for a number of years and for five years has served on its executive committee. He likewise belongs to the American Bar Association and to its local council for Iowa. In community affairs he is deeply interested, is a trustee of the P. M. Musser Public Library and gives his aid and support to all the measures and movements which he deems of value and service in upbuilding the city and county. None question his loyalty to the public welfare. He is a man of progressive spirit and of high principles and his genuine personal worth commends him to the confidence and good will of all with whom he comes in contact.
JAMES W. McELRAVY.
There is no doubt as to the fighting blood which courses through the veins of some men who are born fighters, and either on the field of battle or in the sharply contested struggle for supremacy in the business world they give indisputable evidence of the class to which they belong. They are the natural leaders, and to them the world largely owes its present condition of progress in all depart- ments of life. James W. McElravy, now living retired at West Liberty, is clearly entitled to a place among these men.
He was born in Harrison county, Ohio, December 31, 1836, a son of Daniel and Margaret (McCombs) McElravy. The father, who was a farmer and stock-raiser, was born in 1798 near Belfast, Ireland, and came to the United States in 1816, locating near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He removed to Ohio in 1826, where he lived until his death, which occurred in 1860. The family his- tory has been traced to the Scottish clan McGregor. When this clan was almost exterminated by the English the survivors changed the name McGregor to Mc- Elravy and emigrated to Ireland, from which country descendants of this daunt- less clan have gone forth to all parts of the world. The mother of our subject was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1798, and was married to Mr. MeElravy in the Keystone state. She passed away at West Liberty in 1882. Her ancestors came to this country previous to the Revolutionary war. Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. McElravy, John, Alec, William, Thomas, Robert and Nancy are deceased. Four brothers, Robert, Thomas, Frank and James W., participated in the Civil war. Robert was killed bravely fighting for his country at the battle of Petersburg; Thomas became captain of the Seventy- fourth Ohio Volunteers and was wounded at Atlanta, Georgia; Frank was also wounded at Atlanta and is now in the gold mines at Haynes, Alaska.
James W. McElravy received his early education in the common schools and was attending college at Hopedale, Ohio, at the outbreak of the Civil war. Re- sponding to the call of President Lincoln, he enlisted in Company B, Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, May 13, 1861. At the expiration of his term of enlist- ment he reenlisted March, 1864, and served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Little Rock, Arkansas, in September, 1865. After the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, January 27, 1864, he was commissioned first lieutenant by
J. W. MOELRAVY
THE NEW PUBLIC LIBRAR
AST R. ENOX AND TLJFA FO NOAT ONS.
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recommendation of General Logan, and when he laid his uniform aside he was in command of Company F of the Thirtieth Ohio Volunteers. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Antietam but later in the day overpowered his guards and made his escape. Near the city of Tuscumbia, Alabama, he was again taken prisoner because of his horse falling under him. He was locked in a house nearby and again succeeded in making his escape under somewhat peculiar circum- stances, being released by a girl who pried open a window while the guard was indulging in a drink of whiskey. Mounting a horse which stood outside, the young soldier soon succeeded in reentering the Union lines. At one time, as the officer in charge of a detachment, he was ordered by General Sherman on a foraging expedition, which practically lasted from the time of the battle of At- lanta to the battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, as he foraged all the way through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, being almost every day engaged in skirmishes with the enemy. The foraging order read, "Take liberally from the rich and give to the poor." The day before the battle of Bentonville, Captain McElravy was ordered to take charge of his company and make a forced march of sixty miles, which he did, entering the battle without stopping to rest. During the battle the captain and his men were most of the time obliged to fight knee deep in water. On the second morning after such great exertions, he was put into an ambulance by a surgeon and sent to Goldsboro. He was present at every battle and participated in every movement of his regiment, a statement that can be made of very few soldiers whose period of service extended throughout the entire war. Even after being sent to the hospital he refused to stay there, and, having been given a horse as he was unable to walk, he returned to his com- pany which he commanded until the close of the war. Notwithstanding his frequent contact with the enemy, he was never wounded but once, being knocked down by an exploding shell at the battle of Antietam. A strong and robust man at the time of his enlistment, the terrific strain greatly reduced his strength, and two years after the war he weighed only ninety-six pounds, but his health im- proved by a trip to Colorado in 1867.
His first venture in commercial life was as a hardware merchant at West Liberty. Later lie sold out and spent eighteen months in Missouri, then return- ing to West Liberty, where he engaged for a year in the grocery and grain busi- ness. Being attracted to the newspaper field, he purchased the Enterprise, which he successfully edited for ten years and then sold, reentering mercantile life as a furniture dealer. He also bought the Index and Enterprise and edited them from 1897 to 1902, retiring from active labors in the latter year on account of ill health.
In 1868 Mr. McElravy was united in marriage in Cedar county to Miss Belle Lewis, daughter of Clarke and Rachel (Wright) Lewis, who came to this county in 1846. Six children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. McElravy, four of whom are living: Mrs. H. E. Kelley of Denver, Colorado; Mrs. C. E. Ball, of Salt Lake City, Utah ; Robert C., of Los Angeles, California ; and Henry W., of Denver, Colorado. One died in infancy and Ellenor died in 1901.
Mr. McElravy cast his ballot for John C. Breckenridge in 1860, for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and for Grover Cleveland in 1892. During recent years he has adhered closely to the republican party. Socially, he is connected with the Odd
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Fellows, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, which was organized at Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1865.
In the course of a long and active life Mr. McElravy has demonstrated his worth as a patriotic citizen, a capable business man and a friend to the weak and unfortunate. He passed through many thrilling experiences in his early career, performing his duty as a soldier with the same conscientious devotion that he has shown in later life, and he has acquired a stability of character that is one of the most valuable traits any man can possess. Today no citizen of Muscatine county is more highly respected than the subject of this sketch.
MICHAEL FRANCIS CRONIN.
Michael Francis Cronin, county superintendent of schools of Muscatine county, was born in Parnell, Iowa, May 11, 1887, and is one of the nine children of Cornelius and Ellen (Flanagan) Cronin. The name indicates the Irish an- cestry of the family. The grandfather was born on the Emerald isle and died there when nearly eighty years of age. The maternal grandfather of Professor Cronin was Patrick Flanagan, also a native of Ireland, who on coming to America settled in New Jersey, where he followed general agricultural pursuits. He wedded Mrs. Mary Flanagan, a widow with one son Patrick J. Flanagan, at present residing in Bayonne, New Jersey. Following the Civil war they removed westward, settling in Iowa county, Iowa, where he again took up farm work. They made their home in the vicinity of Parnell until about 1890 and then took up their abode in that town, where Mr. Flanagan lived retired until his death, which occurred when he was about eighty years of age. His widow survived him for some years and passed away in Davenport when about eighty- six years of age. They had a large family, including Ellen, Ann, Sarah, Essie, Kate, Winifred and Elizabeth.
The birth of Cornelius Cronin occurred in County Cork, Ireland, where he remained until nineteen years of age, when he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, settling at Lytle City, Iowa, where he followed railroading for some time. He afterward turned his attention to merchandising, conducting a grocery and feed store, and subsequently went to Parnell, becoming section foreman on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. There he made his home until 1893, when he removed to Conroy, Iowa, where he also acted as section foreman. He next located at Wilton, in Muscatine county, in 1895, and has since made his home in that place. He wedded Ellen Flanagan, a native of New Jersey. They are both members of the Catholic church and in that faith they reared their family of nine children, namely : John and William, deceased; Michael F., May E., Emmet J, Elizabeth M., Winifred, Celeste G., and Mabel C.
Professor Cronin, whose name introduces this record, was a little child of five summers when his parents removed from Parnell to Conroy, and during the period of their residence there he acquired his preliminary education. He was eight years of age when he removed with the family to Wilton, and there he con- tinued his education in the public schools until graduated from the high school
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with the class of 1905. During much of this time he provided for his own sup- port, being employed during vacation periods and also at times in the hours when school was not in session. Following his graduation he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for two and a half years in Wilton and Moscow town- ships. In the summer of 1908 he attended the State University of Iowa, at Iowa City, and about the same time announced himself as a candidate for the nomina- tion for county superintendent of schools. He was nominated over J. P. Reed and in the fall of that year was elected to the office over F. M. Witter. He en- tered upon the duties of the position on the 4th of January, 1909, and has given excellent satisfaction by reason of the capable inanner in which he has discharged his duties. He was reelected for a second term, November 8, 1910, over S. R. McKee of Conesville. He taught school up to the time of taking the office. He is the youngest county superintendent in the state of Iowa, having been but twenty-one years of age when elected. His ideas concerning education are not only progressive but also practical, and he believes in the careful systematization of the work of the schools so that substantial results may be quickly secured.
In his political views Professor Cronin is a democrat. He is deputy grand knight of Laurent Council, Knights of Columbus; and is a member of Eagle Lodge, No. 10, A. O. U. W., and of the Commercial and Muscatine Launch Clubs. He is also second lieutenant of Company C of the Iowa National Guard. He is a popular young man whose cordiality and geniality have won him favor with all with whom he has come in contact, while his ability is manifest in the capable dis- charge of the duties of the office which he is now filling.
WILLIAM E. BLIVEN.
The leaders of the world are comparatively few. The great mass of men are content to remain in the position where environment or ability has placed them without striving to reach a position which gives them a broader outlook and wider opportunities. Occasionally, however, there are found men who forge their way to the front, displaying powers of organization and executive ability which enables them to establish and successfully control important business interests and enter- prises. To this class belongs William E. Bliven, one of the most successful busi- ness men of Muscatine, a partner of the firm of McKee & Bliven, button manu- facturers, whose extensive industrial enterprises furnish employment to between five and six hundred operatives. The business is a monument to the energy, de- termination and carefully formulated plans of the two partners.
Mr. Bliven is a native of Columbus City, Iowa. He was born on the 29th of June, 1860, and is the elder of the two children of Albert L. and Miriam Alberta (Wheelen) Bliven. His sister Anna is now the wife of James S. McKee, of Mus- catine. At an early period in the settlement of the new world the Bliven family was founded in New England. Nathan W. Bliven, the grandfather of William E. Bliven, was born in Connecticut and became one of the pioneer settlers of Co- lumbus City, Iowa. Nathan W. Bliven for many years engaged in business as a lumberman at Boliver, New York. He died when past middle life at Columbus
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City, Iowa, shortly after arriving there. His wife bore the maiden name of Lu- cinda Wheelock, and unto them were born five children, Albert L., Esther, Rosetta, Elizabeth and Iliram W. The mother, after loosing her first husband, became the wife of William Todd, and unto them were born two children, Sophia and James.
Albert L. Bliven was only a boy when he came to Iowa with his parents. His birth had occurred in Boliver, New York, but he was largely reared at Columbus City, Iowa, and after attaining his majority he followed railroading for a time. The latter part of his life was devoted to farming and to stock-raising. About 1870 he removed to Conesville, where he died October 9, 1898, at the age of sixty- eight years. His wife was a native of Ohio and a daughter of James Wheelen, who was born in Philadelphia and was of Irish descent. He was a hatter by trade but later turned his attention to farming, which he followed at Coshocton, Ohio, until called to his final rest when in middle life. He had married Miss Patience Thompson, and they had three children, Martin, Mary and Miriam A. Of these Miriam became the wife of Albert L. Bliven and for about two years she survived her husband, passing away in 1900 when sixty-eight years of age. Both were consistent members of the German Reformed church.
William E. Bliven was reared in Columbus City and in Conesville, Iowa, mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools, after which he attended an academy and the State University of Iowa at Iowa City. Entering business life as a merchant, he was connected with the clothing trade in Musca- tine until 1898, and in the conduct of his store met with substantial success, energy and close application proving the foundation upon which he builded his prosper- ity. He afterward engaged in the banking business at Tacoma, Washington, and previous to that time he had become financially interested in a button manufactur- ing business in Muscatine. In 1906 he returned to this city and in connection with James S. McKee is still carrying on the business under the style of the McKee & Bliven Button Company. The business was established in 1895 on a small scale and its growth is indicated by the fact that they now employ between five and six hundred people, selling their goods throughout the United States. Theirs is a splendidly equipped plant, supplied with the latest improved machinery, and the reliable business methods of the house combined with the attractiveness of the output has brought to them a very extensive and gratifying patronage. Mr. Bliv- en is a man of resourceful business ability and aside from his manufacturing interest in Muscatine is connected with a number of important business under- takings. He is the vice president of the Muscatine State Bank, is president of the Kelso State Bank of Kelso, Washington, and is treasurer of the Willapa Lumber Company of Raymond, Washington. He also owns farm lands in Muscatine county.
In June, 1888, Mr. Bliven was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Canon, a na- tive of Muscatine and a daughter of Joshua and Rhoda (Smalley) Canon, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Bliven are the parents of four children, Miriam, Helen, Albert and Anna.
In his political views Mr. Bliven is a republican but the honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. He and his wife are members of the Con- gregational church and are greatly interested in all that pertains not only to its welfare but to the substantial progress and upbuilding of the community at large.
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His cooperation can always be counted upon when progressive public measures are at stake. Moreover, through his business activity he has contributed in large measure to the substantial upbuilding of the city. His record is such as any man might be proud to possess, for he has never made engagements that he has not kept nor incurred obligations that he has not met. At all times his actions have conformed to a high standard of business ethics and he enjoys the unqualified regard of contemporaries and colleagues.
JAMES McELRAVY.
When the tenor of public peace is undisturbed one does not stop to con- sider that back of this is the eternal, unrelaxing vigilance of men who are con- stantly engaged in the duty of suppressing crime and lawlessness, and that peace, liberty and protection are fruits of a well organized police system. Such, how- ever, is the case, and at the present writing James McElravy is filling the posi- tion of chief of police of Muscatine, his loyalty and capability in office proving of the utmost benefit to the city. He was born in Schuylkill county, Pennsyl- vania, October 8, 1855, a son of James and Jane (McCormick) McElravy, both of whom were natives of Scotland. The father was a coal miner and com- ing to America, settled in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, whence he removed westward to Muscatine, Iowa, about 1859. Ten years later he met death in a mine, being killed by a rock falling upon him. In early manhood he had wedded Jane McCormick, a daughter of John McCormick, who was a native of Scot- land and died there in middle life. The widowed mother afterward came to America with her family of three daughters and two sons, namely: Robert, John, Jane, Esther and Mrs. Wisely. Of the marriage of James McElravy and Jane McCormick there were born six children: James, of this review ; Thomas ; Mary Jane, the wife of H. M. Bell, of Muscatine; Martha, the deceased wife of John Clark; and two who died in childhood. The mother of this family survived her husband for a number of years, passing away in 1883 at the age of sixty-five. In religious faith she was a Presbyterian, devoted to the wel- fare of her church and to her family and ever loyal to her friends.
James McElravy was reared in Muscatine from the age of five years and attended the public schools, pursuing his studies in the old No. 2 school. He afterward followed various occupations, including brick-making and boiler-mak- ing but has been connected with the police force of the city much of the time since 1885. In 1910 he was appointed to the position of chief of police by the city council and is now acceptably filling that office.
On the 15th of September, 1886, Mr. McElravy was married to Miss Minnie Soehren, who was born in Walcott, Scott county, Iowa, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rheimer Soehren, who were natives of Germany and became early resi- dents of Scott county. Her father died a number of years ago, but her mother is still living. In their family were seven children: Susan, the wife of John Ely ; Lizzie, the wife of Mont Kent ; Minnie, now Mrs. McElravy ; Philip, who makes his home in Davenport, Iowa ; Joseph, also of that city; Theressa, the wife
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of John Struve, a resident of Moline, Illinois; and Bettie, the wife of Joseph Meuimmann, of Davenport.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. McElravy has been blessed with four children, as follows; Hazel Emeline, the wife of Paul Fisher, of Muscatine, by whom she has a son, Paul James; Helen Corinne, at home; Marguerite, who died in in- fancy ; and James, who is still in school.
The family residence is at No. 110 Foster street, Mr. McElravy there hav- ing a good home. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he holds membership with the Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of America. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and, keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day, he is able to support his position by intelligent argument. For over a half century he has been a resident of Muscatine, so that he is largely familiar with much of its history and has ever been an interested witness of its growth and development. Few men are more widely known in the city and a genial manner and cordial disposition have made Mr. McElravy popular with an extensive circle of friends.
CHARLES CLARENCE BRAUNWARTH.
A most progressive spirit has characterized the business record of Charles Clarence Braunwarth, a shoe manufacturer of Muscatine. Strong purpose and unfaltering industry are among his chief characteristics and throughout his busi- ness career he has carried forward to successful completion his carefully formu- lated plans. Few men are more widely or more favorably known in this city than Mr. Braunwarth, for he is one of Muscatine county's native sons, his birth having here occurred on the 14th of January, 1861. The family name indicates the Ger- man ancestry. His grandfather, Michael Braunwarth, was born in Germany and followed the occupation of farming in that country until 1855, when he crossed the Atlantic to America, taking up his abode in the home of his son Jacob in Mus- catine. There he died in 1868. His wife bore the maiden name of Johanna Nieb- ling and they had four children, Jacob, Michael, Hauslet and Marguerite.
The eldest son, Jacob Braunwarth, was born at Langenau, Wurtemberg, Ger- many, November 7, 1812, and in the schools of that place acquired his education while spending his youthful days in his parents' home. After extensive travel through European countries, he came to America in the spring of 1849, landing at New Orleans. He had previously learned the shoemaker's trade in Germany and for a decade had traveled over that country and other parts of Europe, where he worked as a journeyman. On coming to the United States he first set foot on American soil in the Crescent city and gradually traveled northward, making his way to St. Louis and then to Vandalia, Illinois, where he remained from 1849 un- til 1855, working at his trade. In the latter year he came to Muscatine and em- barked in business as a shoe merchant. For about forty years he conducted his store, making it one of the leading commercial interests of the city. In 1849 he married Miss Louisa Wagner, also a native of Germany and a daughter of Henry Wagner, who was born in that country and there learned the
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