USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading events in Johnson County, Iowa history, biographical > Part 7
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Hon. John F. Webber, of Ottumwa, state senator from the Thirteenth district of Iowa, a graduate of the S. U. I. and a prominent lawyer, is a brother of Charles Albert Webber. He is accounted one of the influential lawyers of Ottumwa.
Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Webber reside at Ridgeway, Manville Heights, where he has but recently erected a commodious house having all modern conveniences.
WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING FOSTER
William Ellery Channing Foster is the only son of Silas Foster and Anna B. Williams, and was born May 15, 1851, at Iowa City. His father was a native of New Hampshire
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and his mother of Ohio. Silas Foster settled near Iowa City in the forties. Miss Williams, afterwards his wife, also settled in Johnson county, where the couple became acquainted and were married. In 1854, when our subject was three years of age, his mother died. The father survived until 1880, pass- ing away at Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mr. Foster received his education in the public schools of Iowa City. His first business venture for himself was in 1871 at Sigourney, Iowa, when he engaged in the livery business. This enterprise he continued for three years, when he re- turned to Iowa City, taking up the same line of business here. He carried on that business for thirty years, and became one
RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING FOSTER
of the best known men in his line in this part of the state. Upon his retirement from the livery business, he took up transfer and dray work, continuing for about two years, when he engaged in the coal business under the firm name of Foster & Lindsay for about three years. Thereafter he associated himself with Lowe Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of jewelry, as manager. He held this position for three years. He was associated with Otis L. Davis in the manu- facture of pearl buttons under the name of Davis Button Co.
On September 12, 1877, Mr. Foster was married to Miss Laura E. Miller, a native of Johnson county, daughter of
THE NEW YORK PULLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR. LT% X TILD N FOU DATION3
J . J . HOTZ.
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Abraham Miller, a native of Pennsylvania, and a volunteer in Company G of the Twenty-second Iowa during the Civil War. Miss Miller's mother was a native of Ohio. Two girls and one boy were born to Mr. and Mrs. Foster : Maybelle Marcelli ; Charles Clarence, married and living at St. Paul; Florence Irene.
Mr. Foster is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities, a republican in politics, and an attendant at the Presbyterian church.
JACOB J. HOTZ
The national fabric of America is made strong and glori- ous by the warp and woof of the international threads that enter into its weaving. Its textile components have been drawn from every country and every clime, and into its mar- velous hues are limned the sunshine and the shadows of the continents of earth. The master design of the American gar- ment, to the specifications of which every thread and chain, every battledore and shuttlecock conforms, is Liberty - polit- ical, religious, industrial. Under the skies of Freedom the earth's toiling millions have found their industrial ægis, and the inexhaustible fields have beckoned them to action. No stu- dent of history will fail to note the part taken by the children of the nations in the making of America's royal robes of power, peace, progress, and prosperity. In this correlation the sons and daughters of Germany are distinctly prominent; their native worth, virility, and integrity have made them in- valuable material for the loom of democracy. In every fold of the American raiment the enduring strands of Teutonic character are interwoven, giving textual strength and firmness to the whole.
The state of Iowa has afforded an inviting field for German thrift and energy, and here the children of the Fatherland have prospered beyond measure. Under the very eyes of those who could not or would not see the opportunities for progress, the provident, plodding Teuton has risen from pov- erty to wealth. Broad acres and humming industries are his, and the marts of trade are full of his footprints. But better
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than his material successes are the elements of essential good citizenship which dominate his character. He is a depend- able integer in the settlement of delicate questions in states- manship and commerce, and Iowa is today politically and in- dustrially comme il faut because of his leavening presence. Johnson county contains many representatives of this sterling race, as the pages of this history will bear witness. The re- cital of their deeds is so uniformly creditable that it is ap- parently an honor to any citizen to be able to "claim relation- ship" with them.
Jacob J. Hotz, the subject of this sketch, got a good start for success by being born of German parents under the skies
RESIDENCE OF JACOB J. HOTZ
of America, thus combining the advantages of ancestry with the opportunities of freedom. His father, Jacob Hotz, and his mother, Agnes Rosenstein, were born in Germany, the former in February, 1826, and the latter August 4, 1825. They were married in their native country in the spring of 1851, and thereafter emigrated to the new world, living for a time in New York city, where Jacob H. was born July 3, 1853. Two years later, in 1855, they removed to Johnson county, Iowa, where the remainder of their lives was spent. Father Hotz died April 1, 1870, and his wife November 26, 1908. Seven children were born to them, of whom four grew to maturity. Our subject and Mrs. Herman, a widow, both
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residents of Iowa City, and Frank, living in Portland, Oregon, survive. Another son lived to manhood and was an honored citizen of Iowa City, where he died, having held various posi- tions of trust in Johnson county.
Jacob J. Hotz was seventeen years of age when his father died. Having secured a fundamental education in the public schools of Iowa City, and feeling a desire to add to his book knowledge the valuable education of travel and experience he devoted seven years to an itinerary including Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Boston, and New York city., Four years of the seven were devoted to carpentering and contracting in the seven cities last men- tioned, and the concluding three years to newspaper work in Chicago. Mr. Hotz places great value upon the training and knowledge of men and affairs which he obtained during these years spent in the great commercial cities of the nation; they gave him the enlarged vision and the broad understanding of affairs which were a distinct advantage in after years.
On his return to Iowa City, in 1878, he took up the busi- ness of contracting, but in 1882 was persuaded to relinquish his avocation temporarily in order to fill the position of re- corder of Johnson county, to which he had been elected. This office he held four years. At the expiration of his term he again took up the business of contracting, in which he has continued to the present, and which he regards as his life's work. He, however, intermingles in profitable side lines when advisable; for example, the Coralville ice fields, of which he is the owner and active director - a business which reaches an exceedingly strenuous stage in midwinter, at which time extensive storage of ice is made and large shipments are sent to various points.
While a resident of Chicago, in 1875, Mr. Hotz was mar- ried to Miss Dehlia Crawford, who only survived her mar- riage nine years, dying in November, 1884. Four sons were born of this marriage, Charles C., Frank W., Guy J., and J. Walter, all living except the first named. Mr. Hotz married again in November, 1886, his bride being Miss Frances A. Englert, daughter of Louis Englert, of Iowa City. Of this union there were born five sons and one daughter, as follows :
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Louis Lee, born September 12, 1887; John Jacob, born July 3, 1889; Arthur Melville, born May 26, 1893; Henry Joseph, born June 7, 1896; Margaret, born February 18, 1899; and Ralph, born December 23, 1902.
Mr. Hotz is the owner of considerable business property in Iowa City, as well as of "Idlewild Park," a beautiful tract of ten acres near the city. His home at 630 North Dubuque street is one of the finest in the city. Catholics in faith, his family and himself are faithful adherents of St. Mary's church. In politics he is a democrat, and has represented the Second ward in the city council since 1892. He is a mem- ber of the B. P. O. E., and the German Aid Society, F. O. E., and Fraternal Bankers. He is at present chairman of the park commissioners of Iowa City.
Mr. Hotz's strenuous character and grit seem to have de- scended upon his eldest son, Frank, who holds the distin- guished honor of being the only boy from the schools of Iowa City to enlist in the Spanish-American war. At the age of eighteen he was enrolled in Company I, Fifty-first Regulars. The young man endured the dangers, privations, and hard- ships of the soldier's life, emphasizing the courage and stay- ing powers of young America. A noteworthy circumstance connected with his military service was the fact that his class- mates kept his seat in the school room decorated with choice flowers throughout the campaign, and until his return at the conclusion of the war. This was a touching tribute both of respect and admiration, and is an index of the patri- otic ardor of his schoolmates as well as of his place in their affections.
MAHLON K. WOLFE
It was Solomon who said that "A good name is more to be desired than riches." By this measurement the descend- ants of Louis R. Wolfe and Elizabeth Lindsley may be ac- counted wealthy, and these "true riches," added to their pos- sessions of lands and houses and moneys, entitled them to rank among the leading families of Iowa and Johnson county. At four o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, September 16, 1903,
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at Selden, Kansas, Captain Louis R. Wolfe, while driving a team with a load of grain from his farm to the elevator, was seen to suddenly throw up his arms and then slowly sink to the ground at the side of his wagon. When friends reached his side he was dead. Thus, tragically, passed out a pioneer of Johnson county, Iowa, an honored man, of whom Judge M. J. Wade, in a eulogy on his life and usefulness, said: "He never performed a deed that could bring the blush of shame to any citizen of the state." Thursday, May 17, 1906, Eliza- beth Lindsley, the widow of Captain Wolfe, at her home in Oxford, Iowa, died peacefully at the advanced age of eighty- five. The Rev. R. D. Poole, in a tender address at her funeral, said of her: "Her life has been a kind one, more than is
RESIDENCE OF MAHLON K. WOLFE
common, as her many friends can testify. . . She has put in practice those christian virtues we can all well imitate." And the remains of this beloved woman and her honored husband lie side by side in the old Babcock cemetery, Madison town- ship, nigh unto the old farm where in their younger days they began their career as pioneers of Iowa.
These are the parents of Mahlon K. Wolfe, the subject of this sketch, who, with his brother C. D. and his sister, Mrs. William Hardy, survive to perpetuate the name and lineage of an honorable family.
Captain Louis R. Wolfe was the son of honored pioneers of Ohio, and was born in Knox county in that state April 22,
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1825. Early practicing the principle of honoring father and mother, young Wolfe remained at home, where he was a faith- ful worker, until his 25th year. Meantime, April 29, 1846, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Lindsley, a wo- man of superior culture and refinement, who was also a native of Ohio. In 1854 the young couple made the overland trip to Johnson county, Iowa, where they settled in Madison town- ship on a farm, twelve miles northwest of Iowa City. They continued on this farm until 1862, when young Wolfe enlisted in Company E, Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry, expecting to take part in the Civil War. Instead, however, he was re- quested to raise a company of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry for service in the Indian wars in the west. This he did, and was elected captain. He participated in many hard-fought battles with the Indians, and became renowned throughout the west as one of the best shots of his day. It was said of him that he never missed bringing down every buffalo that he "sight- ed." At the close of the war, after having seen three years of service, he returned to his family and resumed the occupa- tion of farming. In 1887 Captain Wolfe sold the old home- stead to his son Mahlon and moved into Oxford township, where he continued to farm actively for a number of years. Deciding to retire from farm life, he moved into the village of Oxford, where he dealt in stock and real estate. Some of his extensive land operations were in Kansas, and it was while on a business trip to Selden, Kansas, looking after his agricultural interests, that his sudden death occurred. Polit- ically, Captain Wolfe was a pronounced democrat of the best type. He was elected to the eighteenth and nineteenth general assemblies of Iowa, 1880-82. For three terms he filled the office of township supervisor, and for two years was a member of the county board of supervisors. He was also a trustee of the precinct. He assisted in the promotion and establish- ment of the Oxford State bank, of which he was a director and a member of the executive committee.
The house of representatives of the state of Iowa, on Feb- ruary 9, 1904, adopted the following resolutions in his memory :
"WHEREAS, The Honorable Louis R. Wolfe, an honorable member of this house in the eighteenth and nineteenth gen- eral assemblies, a gallant soldier of the Civil War, and a
L. R. WOLFE (FATHER OF M. K. WOLFE)
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most highly respected citizen in the county in which he re- sided, passed from his earthly labors on the 16th day of Sep- tember, 1903;
"WHEREAS, The life and character of the deceased were such as to entitle him to the respect and esteem of all who knew him, and his services to the state and nation were of such a character as to command the confidence and gratitude of his fellow citizens;
"RESOLVED, That in the death of this patriotic citizen, sol- dier and legislator, this state has lost an influential and up- right citizen, his family is bereft of a kind and loving father, his friends of an honored and esteemed man;
"RESOLVED, That we extend to his children and to those nearest to him, whose sorrow is so much greater, our sincere sympathy in their sorrow and affliction; and the clerk of this house is hereby instructed to transmit an engrossed copy of these resolutions to the bereaved family and to enter the same upon the Journal of the house.
(Signed) "G. W. Koontz, "C. A. Wise, "E. J. C. Bealer, "Committee.
"Adopted by the House February 9th, 1904.
"C. R. Benedict, "Chief Clerk of House. "Geo. W. Clarke, "Speaker of the House."
The Johnson county democratic convention of 1903, held at Iowa City, also adopted resolutions setting forth their esti- mate of Captain Wolfe's character as a citizen, a partisan, and a public man.
Mahlon K. Wolfe, the subject of this sketch, was born in Ohio January 29, 1848, and removed with the family to John- son county in 1854. He attended the public schools of the county, and on the completion of his school work began work on his father's farm. In 1887 he bought the old homestead from his father and continued to live on and operate the same until 1902, when he retired from active farm work and re- moved to Iowa City, where he now resides (1911).
Mr. Wolfe was married in 1872 to Miss Mary E. Babcock,
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born and raised in Johnson county. Her father was a native of Erie county, Pennsylvania, and came to Johnson county among its very first settlers. Her mother was a native of Indiana, and also came to Johnson county with her parents at an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Babcock were married in John- son county, and lived near Greencastle, in Madison township. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom ten are living at this writing: John, married, engaged in real estate business at Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Mahlon K. Wolfe; Amanda, now Mrs. C. F. Doty, of Oxford, Iowa; Alice, now Mrs. Albert Drake, living in Iowa City; William, farmer, liv- ing in Kansas; Charles W., farmer, living near Walford, Iowa; James, living near Lisbon, Iowa; Daniel, living near Fairfax, Iowa; Ella, now Mrs. Arthur Colony, living near Tiffin, Iowa; Hattie, now Mrs. Charles Falker.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe have seven children, as follows: Or- ville L., farmer, married, and living west of North Liberty, Iowa; Christopher B., farmer, married, and living in Oakland, Iowa; Melvine, married, and living on a farm adjoining North Liberty, Iowa ; R. A. M., living on a big ranch in Simeon coun- ty, Oklahoma, was at one time connected with his grandfather in the banking business at Selden and Goodin, Kansas; Clar- ence, married, and living on the old farm; Edith Pearl, now Mrs. Dr. Albert Brock, living at Grinnell, Iowa; Glea Iona, now Mrs. Dr. E. J. Schultz, residing at Storm Lake.
Mr. Wolfe is the owner of 595 acres of rich land all in one body in Johnson county, 800 acres at Selden, Kansas, and a beautiful residence in Iowa City at 1011 Sheridan avenue. He is a democrat politically, adhering to the faith of his father. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Iowa City.
BERNARD A. WICKHAM
The attractive architecture of Iowa City, residential and business, as well as the general architecture of the state, is greatly indebted to the genius for design and construction of Bernard A. Wickham, of Iowa City, a designing and super- vising architect and builder whose entire life from the age
B. A. WICKHAM
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of ten years has been spent in the University city. Some of the striking residences of the city are the handiwork of Mr. Wickham. Among these we may mention the University pres- ident's house, the finest in the city, F. E. Ayer's residence, F. L. Stevens's residence, Prof. Ford's residence, and the Delta Delta Delta sorority house, besides numerous fine build- ings throughout the county and state. Mr. Wickham's widely known ability has brought him many calls for articles, and as a result he has contributed to several of the leading archi- tectural magazines. He has also, in response to direct de-
RESIDENCE OF BERNARD A. WICKHAM
mands, furnished plans for buildings in many parts of the United States.
Mr. Wickham was born November 26, 1868, at Southamp- ton, England, and came with his parents, George and Sarah (Light) Wickham, to America when two years of age. The family settled at Iowa City in 1870. Besides the subject of this sketch, there are four sons, namely : Charles E., civil en- gineer with the Lackawanna railroad; William G., contractor at Albuquerque, New Mexico; H. F., professor of zoology in
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the State University of Iowa; and E. F., member of the Iowa Glove Company, of Iowa City.
George Wickham was a carpenter, cabinet maker, and stair builder by trade, and worked in his shop practically until the day of his death, five years ago. He was the only stair build- er in Iowa City during the greater part of his residence. Mother Wickham is still living.
Bernard A. attended the public schools of Iowa City and then learned the carpenter trade of his father, working with his tutor for some years. In 1897 he formed a partnership with his brother E. F. and commenced a general contracting business. Two years later he bought the interest of his brother and since then has conducted the business alone. An idea of the growth of the enterprise may be formed from the fact that thirteen years ago Mr. Wickham had three men in his employ; now, during the busy season, he employs about 100 men. From very humble quarters he has come to occupy modern offices in an up-to-date fireproof office building, with all the latest equipment for facilitating work in his line.
On July 13, 1893, Mr. Wickham was married to Miss Emma Weber, a native of Iowa City, whose parents (natives of Ger- many, and now both deceased) came to the city in the early sixties. Three children, Florence, Edna, and Ruth, are the jewels of the home.
Mr. Wickham is a member of the Iowa City Commercial club, Modern Woodmen of America, Camp 189, an enthusiastic member of the Iowa City Automobile club, and an enterpris- ing, hustling business man - a striking type of the progres- sive citizenship which has put Iowa City on the map of pros- perity and proposes to keep her there
MR. AND MRS. JAMES McKRAY
The people in Johnson county of the present day and their posterity owe many debts of gratitude to the early settlers. Few of us at the present time realize the dangers, hardships, and privations incident to a new country, nor do we fully ap- preciate the courage and the self-denial practised by the pio- neer. And in showing our appreciation the least that we, the
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JAMES MCKRAY
MRS. LYDIA MC KRAY
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people of Johnson county, may do is to arrange some authentic record of the lives of the pioneers that it may be handed down to posterity, in memory of which "all hail and farewell to the old times." We will cherish the years that remain as each autumn returns in its beauty. Please heaven, we will all meet again. Let us remember that printer's ink outlasts the granite shafts and tells more than name, date of birth, and date of death.
The men and women who made Johnson county, who shaped events, formulated its government, and forecast its prosperity, deserve a larger remembrance than an unmeaning line cut into the face of a monument. For men's lives, and the deeds they have done, are worthy of comprehensive record. And in writing the history of Johnson county it is a pleasure to the biographer to record the history of those who were factors in the growth and development of this part of the great com- monwealth of Iowa. And in such a record, no residents of the county are more worthy of appropriate mention than Mr. and Mrs. James McKray, who settled on a farm in this county when it was a vast wilderness of forest and prairie. They lived on this same farm for half a century, devoting their lives to the improvement and upbuilding of the community. where, trusting in each other's love and confidence, they reared a respectable and respected family. And in looking into each other's contenance on their golden wedding day. we seem to hear them bespeak: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
James MeKray was born in Meadeville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1817. He was a son of James and Esther (Moore) MeKray. His father was a native of Dela- ware, and his mother of Connecticut. His parents came to Iowa in 1838, and spent some little time in Burlington. Later they settled in Iowa county, where they died, - the father in 1849, and the mother in 1846. James MeKray's parents had a family of 10 children, - Wesley, Thomas, Jane, James, Festus, Henry, Elizabeth, Lester, John, and Mary. Of these Lester and Mary are living.
Mr. MeKray was married in 1844 to Miss Christina Romp, born in Alleghany county, New York, July 31, 1821. Her parents were Christian and Ruth (Mitchell) Ronp. Her
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father was a native of Pennsylvania, born in Northampton county. Her mother was born in New Jersey. Her parents were married in New York, and lived in Alleghany county until Mrs. MeKray was seven years old. They then moved to Pennsylvania, where the family lived until she was 20 years of age. In 1841 the family emigrated to Iowa. This was in the month of December, and the family spent the winter in Burlington. Then, in the spring of 1842, the family came to Johnson county, and settled in what is now called Washing- ton township, where the father took up a claim from the gov- ernment. The parents spent the remainder of their lives upon this homestead. The father died in August, 1848, at the age of 77 years, and the mother in July, 1859, at the age of 77 years. Her parents had four children : Samuel C., Ed- sell, Christiana, and Robert. Mrs. McKray is the only mem- ber of her family now living.
Mr. and Mrs. James McKray, after their marriage on June 23, 1844, settled on a farm in Washington township, and lived on this same farm until 1886. Then they retired from farm life, and moved to Iowa City, at their present home. Their children were all born on the old homestead. They are: Lydia, who is living at home with her parents; J. W., liv- ing in Washington township; Melvin, living in Pottawatamie county ; James, living in Dallas county; Millard Filmore, liv- ing in Madison county; Frank, who died at the age of three years.
Mr. MeKray was an important factor in the early growth of his part of our county, assisting materially in the building of roads, school-houses, etc. He held many local offices in his time, fulfilling the duties of each to the full satisfaction of all. His family attend the Christian church. Mr. MeKray died in May, 1907 ; and, as the lamp of life went out, a divine light spread o'er his countenance - evidence of the life to come, and reward for a life so lived, that we may say: "O Death, where is thy sting?"
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