USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, from the earliest historic times to 1907, Vol. I > Part 55
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After practicing a year or more in his native state, Dr. Ilart moved to Johnston, Rock county, Wisconsin, remaining there until 1853, when he removed to West Union, Fayette county, Iowa. There he built up a large practice and was doing finely when, in 1861, civil war burst upon the land. In September of that year, in response to the country's need, he went to the south as surgeon of the Ninth Iowa Infantry, Hon. William Vandever as colonel. At the end of about a year he was transferred to the Thirty- eighth Iowa Regiment, and continued as its surgeon until the regiment was mustered out after the close of hostilities in the summer of 1865. He did an important work for his country in ministering to the needs of the siek and wounded. At Vicksburg he was placed in charge of the general hospi- tal and devoted himself so untiringly to the work connected therewith that his health became impaired and for three months he was ill. This was the only period when he was off duty during his military service, covering three years and ten months. He went through all the experiences of eamp life for an army surgeon and many a brave soldier has reason to bless his memory for the kindly and timely assistance rendered. He was a man of warm heart, of generous impulses and kindly feelings, and these traits as
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well as his judgment and his conscience prompted him to be very attentive to the sick and wounded.
On the 1st of May, 1845, Dr. Hart was joined in wedlock to Miss Sarah Way, of Bath, New York, and while he was in the army his family resided in Dubuque. When the war was over he rejoined them in that city, where he remained in practice and in prospecting for a short period. In 1868 he settled in Council Bluffs, where he won distinction in his profession. His long experience in the army gave him superior advantages in surgery and though he engaged in general practice, in his later years he made a specialty of surgical work. His skill in this direction was widely recognized and brought him a large patronage. His standing in every respect was excellent. He lived to benefit the well and never neglected the sick.
Of the three children of Dr. and Mrs. Hart, Frank H., who became a banker of Beloit, Kansas, died in 1884. Their daughter, Mrs. Jennie W. Edmundson, founder of the Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital at Coun- cil Bluff's, died in 1890, leaving the only surviving son Ernest E. Ilart, now president of the First National Bank of Council Bluffs. The death of Dr. Hart occurred February 12, 1891, and his widow, Mrs. Sarah H. Hart, passed away April 25, 1906. He preferred to devote his time and energies to his professional duties, yet was never remiss in the duties of citizenship. In early life his political support was given to the whig party and in later years he became a republican, who manifested his political faith at the ballot box but had time to do little more in that direction. After his return from the war he became a member of the Congregational church, served as one of the trustees of the Council Bluffs society and was deeply interested in the progress of the Christian religion. His life in its various phases was actuated by high principles and worthy motives and the community in which he lived was benefitted by his presence.
ALGERNON SIDNEY BONHAM.
Algernon Sidney Bonham was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, February 20, 1816, and during the ninety-one years of an active life has so lived as to win and merit the veneration and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. His father, Amariah Bonham, was born in Canada in 1773 and died from yellow fever on a flat boat en route for New Orleans, July 10, 1820. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Rebecca Wiley, was born in Canada, September 14, 1775, and died November 10, 1858, at Macomb, Illinois. They were married September 10, 1795. They removed to Kentucky, where most of their children were born, and later went to Illinois at an early day, which made them pioneer settlers of Macomb.
Algernon Sidney Bonham was reared under the parental roof and hav- ing arrived at years of maturity, wedded Rachel Hayden, a daughter of Barnabus and Sarah Hayden. the wedding being celebrated in Fleming county, Kentucky. September 17, 1835. Mrs. Bonham was born Novem-
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ber 22, 1815. They lived for some time in Macomb, Illinois, where for many years Mr. Bonham engaged in the nursery and milling business. In 1864 he removed with his family to Council Bluffs, where he established and conducted a nursery business, and he also owned a fine farm in Kane township adjacent to the city, which he managed for about twenty years. During the time he has resided in Council Bluffs and up to a few years ago he also dealt in bee supplies. In all of his business relations he has ever been found upright and honorable, never taking advantage of the necessities of his fellowmen in any trade transaction.
Mr. and Mrs. Bonham have reared a large family. Their eldest son, Barnabus A., was born August 30, 1836, in Fleming county, Kentucky, and was married at Tecumseh, Kansas, October 11, 1865, to Rebecca A. Crom- well, whose birth occurred April 12, 1849. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Union Veterans Legion, being entitled to membership in these orders by reason of the fact that he was a valiant soldier of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry. In politics he is a republican. Unto him and his wife was born a daughter, Carrie, the wife of William Stephen- son of Minneapolis, Minnesota, by whom she has two children, Russell and Shirley. Maud Bonham, the second member of the family of Barnabus Bonham, became the wife of William Jeffries, of Pottawattamie county, and their children are Marguerite, Joseph Sidney, Marie, Gladys, Oscar, Beatrice, Harry, and Rachel, who died in infancy. The third child of Barnabus Bonham is Alice, who is living with her parents. The fourth child was Jessie, a daughter, who died in infancy. Ethel, the next member of the family, became the wife of Arthur Warner, of Council Bluffs, and they have two children, Gertrude and Alice. Oscar, the fifth child of Barnabus Bon- ham, married Hattie Moon and lives in Council Bluffs. Wilbur, the next member of the family, is at home, as is Mary Fay Bonham. Alonzo Mc- Clelland Bonham, the second son of Algernon Sidney Bonham, was born October 17, 1838, married Martha Hamilton and is living in Council Bluffs. He is mentioned on another page of this work. Trinvilla, the next member of the family, born December, 18, 1840, is the wife of O. J. Smith, of this city, and their children are Addie, Marian, Stanton, Frank, Ernest, Grace and Claud. Malville Bonham, born February 14, 1843, and Montaville, born February 27, 1846, both died in infancy. Anna Eliza, born April 8, 1848, became the wife of D. J. Smith, of Council Bluffs, and their children are Minnie, William, Bert and Elmer. John W., born November 18, 1850, lives in Council Bluffs. He married Clara Coacher and their children are Sidney, James, William and Paul. The youngest member of the family of A. S. Bonham is Arabelle, who was born December 11, 1853, and was the wife of Charles Parmalee, of Council Bluffs, by whom she had a daugh- ter, Rachel. Mrs. Parmalee died June 11, 1901.
The death of Mrs. A. S. Bonham occurred November 11, 1902, when she had reached the advanced age of eighty-seven years. She was a devout member of the Christian church and in her life exemplified her religious faith. For sixty-seven years Mr. and Mrs. Bonham had traveled life's jour- ney together when they were separated in death, their mutual love and con-
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fidence increasing as the years passed by, and they faced together the hard- ships and difficulties as well as the pleasures and prosperity of life. Since the death of his wife Mr. Bonham has made his home with his son Barnabus at No. 317 East Pierce street. He, too, is a member of the Christian church - and in politics is an ardent republican. It is given to few men to attain such an age as has been allotted to Mr. Bonham and there are indeed few who have so uniformly commanded the confidence and trust of those with whom they have come in contact. In the evening of life he can look back over the past without regret, resting contentedly in the consciousness of an honorable record, and when he shall be called from this life he will leave to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.
ALONZO M. BONHAM.
Alonzo McClelland Bonham, engaged in the real-estate business ill Council Bluffs, was born in Illinois, October 17, 1838, and is the second child of Algernon Sidney and Rachel (Hayden) Bonham, of whom men- tion is made elsewhere in this volume. The removal of the family to Macomb, Illinois, led him to secure his education in the public schools of that city, supplemented by study in the Abingdon ( Illinois) College. After the out- break of the Civil war he offered his services to the country, enlisting in Company K, Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry, with which he served for three years, proving a brave and valiant soldier. He never faltered in the per- formance of any duty whether on the lonely picket line or on the firing line. In December, 1864, he arrived in Council Bluffs and here engaged in the real-estate business. In 1872 he removed to Paris, Texas, and near that city was engaged in farming for a few years. after which he became a real-estate dealer in Paris. He resided in Texas for twenty years, and on the 2d of May, 1892, returned to Council Bluffs, where he once more opened a real- estate office. He has since conducted business along this line and is thorough- ly informed concerning property values. He has negotiated many important realty transfers and now has a large clientage.
On the 31st of December, 1874, in Paris, Texas, Mr. Bonham was mar- ried to Miss Martha Hamilton, a daughter of J. J. and Nancy Matilda (Moore) Hamilton. The latter is now living in Denison, Texas, but the father, who was a manufacturer of woolen goods in Texas, died May 17, 1900. He was a consistent member of the Christian church, to which Mrs. Hamilton still belongs. Mrs. Bonham was educated in the city schools of Paris, Texas, and holds membership in the church in which she was reared. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bonham have been born the following named: Centennial, born in Paris, Texas. December 16, 1875, and educated in the schools of his native city, was married January 26, 1902, to Maud Shane, who was reared by her aunt, Mrs. Octavia Stephenson, of Council Bluffs, her parents having died when she was quite young. Mr. and Mrs. Bonham now live in Aspen, Colorado. where he is electrician in a large silver mine. He is a member
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of the Knights and Ladies of Security and his wife holds membership in the Presbyterian church. They have one child, Elizabeth Ann, born No- vember 17, 1906. Algernon Jay Bonhamn, born in Paris, Texas, January 6, 1882, was educated in the schools of that city and of Council Bluffs and is now doing business as a decorator at No. 606 South Main street in this city. He lives with his parents and he, too, affiliates with the Knights and Ladies of Security. Clara Arabelle, born in Paris, Texas, November 1, 1888, and educated in Council Bluffs, was married January 12, 1907, to Eugene Snodgrass, of thi- city, who was born July 27, 1886. His parents died when he was quite young and he was reared by his grand- father, W. M. Snodgrass, well known in Council Bluffs. He is now a tele- graph operator here. His wife holds membership in the Christian church.
Mr. Bonham is a member of the Christian church and affiliates with the Knights and Ladics of Security and with the Grand Army of the Re- public, thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old army comrades. In politics he is an ardent republican, unfaltering in his allegiance to the party. He resides at No. 220 Harmony street, and in addition owns a number of valuable properties in Council Bluffs.
GEORGE WISE, SR.
George Wise, Sr., who owns three hundred and sixty acres of valuable farming land in Pottawattamie county and is living retired in Avoca, was born in Germany on the 20th of January, 1837. His parents were Andrew and Margaret Wise, both of whom passed away in the fatherland. They were the parents of four children but George Wise, Sr., is the only one now living.
Mr. Wise of this review received his education in the common schools of Germany and remained in the land of his nativity until he had attained his majority, when he became imbued with the desire to seek his fortune in the new world. Accordingly he crossed the Atlantic in 1858 and first took up his abode in Cincinnati, Ohio, there remaining for two years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Muscatine county, Iowa, and there secured employment as a farm hand. He was thus engaged for eight years and then, with the money which he had saved during this period, he purchased a farm of eighty acres and as he later added eighty acres more, he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land. In 1881, however, Mr. Wise sold his original purchases and came to Pottawattamie county, Iowa, where he bought a farm of two hundred acres. He is now the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of highly improved and arable land in this county, but since 1892 has lived retired in the village of Avoca, his well directed energy and enter- prise in former years having brought him the competence that now enables him to live without recourse to further labor.
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On July 5, 1863, Mr. Wise was joined in wedlock to Miss Elizabeth Meltner, who was born near Zanesville, Ohio, in 1842, a daughter of Michael and Mary Meltner, natives of Germany, who came to this country and located in Ohio in the year 1837. The father's death occurred in Ohio and the mother departed this life while residing near Iowa City. Mrs. Wise was one of a family of five children and acquired her early educa- tion in one of the old log schoolhouses characteristic of the pioneer dis- trict in which she lived. By her marriage she has become the mother of eleven children, namely: Mary, the wife of Joseph Bollage of Woodbury county, Iowa; George, Jr., living in Pottawattamie county; Anna, who makes her home in Omaha, Nebraska; Gertrude, the wife of Patrick Manning, living in Avoca, Iowa; Michael, also residing in this county; Elizabeth, who became the wife of William Flynn and makes her home in Miles City, Montana; Charles, of Pleasant township, Pottawattamie county; Frank, a law student in the college at Des Moines, Iowa, and one of the best short- hand writers of the country; and Edward, who is living on the home farm. Two children of the family have passed away.
Mr. Wise gives his political allegiance to the democracy and has served as road supervisor, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Catholic church, to which his wife also belongs. In the evening of his days he receives the respect and veneration which should ever be ac- corded one who has traveled thus far on life's journey and whose actions have ever been such as to command the respeet and admiration of those with whom he has come in contact both in his business and private life. He possesses many of the most commendable traits of his Teutonic ancestry and he has well merited the success which has come to him in his later years.
JURGEN F. RONN.1.
Jurgen F. Ronna, who came to America from his native land, Ger- many, knowing no language but his native tongue, having no capital save a few dollars, has worked his way steadily upward until today he is one of the substantial residents of Pottawattamie county, being senior partner of the firm of J. F. & Otto Ronna, owners of the German Bank of Walnut. The growth of American cities has been so rapid as to seem almost phenom- enal. There are men living today in this county who can remember western Iowa when it was a wind-swept and trackless prairie. Mr. Ronna's connec- tion with this section of the state dates back to the period when the work of development and progress seemed scarcely begun here. He has been largely instrumental in promoting the growth of the county and especially of the town in which he makes his home.
Mr. Ronna is a native of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, born June 17, 1848, and the son of John and Elsabe (Frahm) Ronna. The father died in Germany in 1873, and the mother. coming to the United States in 1886,
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made her home with her children, who had preceded her to this country. She died in Walnut, January 18, 1897.
Jurgen F. Ronna was reared in the land of his birth and educated in the public schools. He remained a resident of Germany until about twenty years of age, when in the spring of 1868 he sailed for the United States and on his arrival in Iowa, located at Lyons, Clinton county, where he se- cured a position as clerk in a general store. He was thus employed until the spring of 1874, when he came to Pottawattamie county and invested his savings in one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land, constituting the southwest quarter of section 22, Lincoln township. Upon this tract he built a little cabin, fourteen by sixteen feet, and supplied it with furniture of his own manufacture. A year or two later he built a small addition to his original home and there resided for about five years. In 1879 he came to Walnut, where he turned his attention to merchandising, becoming a part- ner of J. B. Johannsen, with whom he was associated until the spring of 1881, when the relation was dissolved, Mr. Ronna purchasing his partner's interest in the business. He then continued alone until November, 1882, when he admitted J. Hector to the partnership that was maintained until May, 1904, when they sold out. In 1891, on the organization of the Ex- change State Bank, Mr. Ronna became one of the stockholders and was made a member of the board of directors. He was identified with that bank until July, 1901, during which time he also held the position of vice presi- dent for several years. At the date indicated he severed his connection with this bank and in November of the same year, he and his son Otto purchased the German Bank of Walnut, conducting a general banking business under the firm name of J. F. & Otto Ronna. In connection therewith they also make loans and are likewise land and insurance agents. This institution, under its present management, is one of the leading financial concerns of the northeastern part of Pottawattamie county. Mr. Ronna is purely a self- made man, for upon his arrival from Germany he was without funds, a stranger in a strange land, unacquainted with the speech and customs of the people. He has eagerly availed himself of every opportunity for advance- ment, and by the judicious use of his time and talents has worked himself steadily upward and is a recognized authority on questions of finance in this section of Iowa.
In early manhood Mr. Ronna was united in marriage to Catharina Dierks and unto them have been born five children, of whom four are yet living: Otto, mentioned on another page of this work; Anna, at home; Julius, a practicing dentist of Pasadena, California; and Leona, at home.
In his political views Mr. Ronna is a stalwart republican, whose interest in the questions and issues of the day is manifest through his wide under- standing thereof. He served for two terms as mayor of the village of Wal- nut and for four years as member of the school board; for the past ten years he has acted as school treasurer and for six years has been a member of the town council. Whether in office or out of it, he is the same patriotic citizen, most loyal to the interests of his adopted land, manifesting the strongest attachment for the stars and stripes.
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He is a member of Morrow lodge, No. 559, A. F. & A. M .; Rabboni chapter, No. 85, R. A. M., of Avoca; Kedron commandery, No. 42, K. T., of Atlantic, lowa; Za-Ga-Zig temple, .1. A. O. N. M. S., of Des Moines; Moriah lodge, No. 327, I. O. O. F., of Walnut; and Walnut lodge, No. 294, A. O. UJ. W. He is likewise a member of the Lutheran church, and his member- ship relations, religious and fraternal, indicate much of the character of the man, and the influences and principles which govern his life. Free from ostentation or display, he is quiek to recognize true worth in another -- and true worth can always gain his friendship. He is himself a man of many friends-one of Walnut's most respected and honored residents, and 'not unknown throughout the county and this section of the state.
SAMUEL A. GREENE.
For a third of a century any reference to a "veteran" referred to a soldier of the Civil war. Then was written a new chapter in American history, and to-day the soldier of the war of 1861-65 inust share honors with he who valiantly upheld American principles and policy in the war with Spain. Cap- tain Samuel A. Greene is well known in this connection and in relation to his military service as a member of the Iowa National Guard. He was born November 22, 1877, at Neola, Iowa, a son of Charles C. and Mary E. (Mus- ser) Greene. The father was formerly a farmer in Pottawattamie county, but is living in Council Bluffs at the present time.
Captain Greene supplemented his early education by study in the high school of Council Bluffs. He was a young man not yet twenty-one years of age, when on the 26th of April, 1898, he offered his services to the govern- ment and enlisted with Company L, Fifty-first Iowa Volunteer Infantry, a regiment that made a most creditable record. The command was ordered to San Francisco and, after being stationed at the presidio there for a short time, was ordered to Manila. He served with his regiment through the en- tire campaign in the Philippines, going from the harbor of the capital to Iloilo and to Cavite, and participating in all the engagements with his com- inand, which did splendid service in the Orient. At length the regiment returned to San Francisco on the 22d of October, 1899, and on the 6th of November, 1899, having been mustered out on the Pacific coast, Captain Greene arrived in Council Bluffs. In 1900 he again enlisted, becoming a member of Company L, Fifty-first Regiment, which was later thrown into the Fifty-fifth upon reorganization. At both enlistments ho joined the ranks as a private, but successive promotions followed. He became corporal. sub- sequently sergeant, afterward first sergeant; in May, 1904, was made second lieutenant : in September, 1905, became first lieutenant, and on the 27th of June, 1906, was commissioned captain. During all this time he has been at home, the regiment having not been called to active field service since the return from the Philippines. Prior to entering the army Captain Greene was con-
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nected with the implement business of Council Bluffs. He is now serving as justice of the peace, to which position he was elected in November, 1906.
On the 20th of February, 1907, Captain Greene was married to Miss Margaret C. Pilling, a daughter of Thomas and Coquella Pilling. Her father was a farmer by occupation and died in 1898, while her mother died during the girlhood of Mrs. Greene. Captain Greene is a democrat in politics, active in support of the party. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a member of the National Society of the Army of the Philippines and was at one time treasurer of the local organization of that order in Council Bluffs. He is a man of fine personal appearance, naturally of soldierly bear- ing, and has made a splendid military record, having the respect of those who served under him and the entire confidence of his superior officers.
GEORGE G. BAIRD.
George G. Baird, filling the office of recorder of Pottawattamie county, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, March 11, 1857. The days of his boyhood and youth were quietly passed. He was a student in the country schools, and on the 21st of December, 1881, he left his native county, removing westward to Council Bluffs, Iowa. In the spring of 1883, how- ever, he went to Hamilton, Missouri, where he established a grocery store, continuing in business there for six months. On the expiration of that period he sold out and bought a farm in Caldwell country, Missouri, which he cultivated for a year. He next disposed of that property and again took up his abode in Hamilton, where he secured employment in a grocery house.
It was while living in Hamilton that Mr. Baird was married on the 11th of April, 1886, to Miss Laura B. Shepard, and they remained residents of Hamilton until the 14th of August, that year, when they came to Goun- cil Bluffs, where Mr. Baird joined his brother, H. A. Baird, in business as a dealer in fruits, tobacco, etc. For nine years he continued in that trade and then disposed of his mercantile interests in order to enter offi- cial service. He was appointed deputy clerk of the district court, filling that position for eight years, and in January, 1903, he received the appoint- ment to the position of deputy recorder of Pottawattamie county, Iowa. He acted in that capacity for one term of two years and in 1905 was elected recorder, being re-elected in 1906, so that he is now serving for his second term. He is one of the leaders of the republican party in the county and has been a delegate to various republican county conventions, while for several years he has been secretary of the Pottawattamie county republican central committee. To the energetic natures and strong mentality of such men as Mr. 'Baird is due the success of an ever increasing prosperity of the party in this section of the state, and in the hands of this class of citizens there is every assurance that the best interests and welfare of the party will be attended to, resulting in a successful culmination of the highest ambi-
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