Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 125

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1360

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ing on its further improvement until the spring of 1875, when his residence was destroyed by fire. This caused him to purchase an im- proved farm of 120 acres adjoining his original eighty acres, but the former eighty-acre tract he exchanged in the spring of 1878 for a stock of general merchandise in De Soto. Remov- ing his family to that place he once more engaged in commercial pursuits and succeeded in building up a good business. In the spring of 1879 he traded this property for his farm and is now living retired, enjoying the rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves.

In 1895 Mr. Barnett was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 24th of April, in the sixtieth year of her life, her birth having occurred September 20, 1835. She was indeed a true helpmeet and companion to her husband, not only car- ing for her home but also aiding and encour- aging him by her sympathy and counsel. It was largely through her efforts that her chil- dren obtained their education, and she did all in her power to promote the interests and se- cure the happiness of her family. She won the love and respect of all with whom she came in contact, and her devout Christian life was one well worthy of emulation. She died in the full triumph of a living faith and went rejoicing home. In the family were six chil- dren, of whom four reached mature years. Rachel Emeline was born December 17, 1856, married Anderson Barnett January 6, 1876; Benjamin Franklin was born February 2, 1859, and married Miss Hunt March 27, 1889, and has two children; Emma Allie, born May 3, 1861, is the wife of L. A. Chestnutwood, by whom she has two children; Harriet Elizabeth, who was born November 6, 1863, and is the wife of J. A. Wright, by whom she has two children; William Cornelius, who was born October 7, 1865, and died March 13, 1869; Ella Dora, who was born January, 1868, and died April 3, 1869.

Since the days of Peter Cooper, Mr. Bar- nett has been a stalwart advocate of the Greenback party, and has served as School

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Director and held other local offices. He is a member of the Iowa Detective Association. His farm comprises 120 acres of highly im- proved land, and after a busy and useful career he is now enjoying an honorable retire- ment from active labor.

J UDGE LLOYD D. BURNS stands out as one of the central figures on the pages of Iowa's history. He was prom- inent in agricultural, political and social life and on the bench won a reputation as a painstaking and conscientious judge that in- sured his long retention in office. At his death the community mourned one of its best citi- zens, for the excellent work which he had done in behalf of the county's best interests is widely recognized.

The Judge was born in Clark county, Ohio, August 8, 1825, and there lived until about fourteen years of age, when he removed with his parents to Elkhart county, Indiana, which was his place of abode until 1840. He was a youth of only fifteen years when he started out in life for himself. He began work on his own responsibility on the 15th of March, and in the succeeding fall he again started west- ward, journeying as far as Vermilion county, Illinois, which was then a frontier settlement. His education was practically acquired through business experience, reading and observation. He possessed an observing eye and retentive inemory and made the most of his opportuni- ties. Ambitious and desirous of acquiring a good competence, he worked earnestly and long to secure a start. For some time he was engaged in the milling business and be- came a practical millwright. t. His father, the proprietor of glass works at Perryopolis, Penn- sylvania, moved thence to Ohio. He was a Major in the war of 1812, was of Scotch de- scent and an influential man. His wife was a near relative of James K. Polk.

As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey Judge Burns chose Miss Minerva J. Adams, the wedding being celebrated Novem-

ber 15, 1846. She was born in Preble county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Harvey and Winnie (Swisher) Adams, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of North Carolina. They were numbered among the pioneer settlers of Iowa, locating in Des Moines in the fall of 1847, when the city consisted of a few cabins, scattered along the river bank. The father died there at the age of fifty-two years, but the mother is still living and makes her home with Mrs. Burns.

June 29, 1847, the Judge and his wife left their Illinois home and started for Iowa, mak- ing the journey in a wagon to Polk county, where they arrived about the middle of May. They settled a short distance east of Des Moines, but in March, 1848, moved still fur- ther west, locating with their family on a claim in Dallas county. This was a wild and uncul- tivated tract of land, but the surroundings were beautiful and the place capable of high culti- vation, making a favorable spot for the estab- lishment of a home. Mr. Burns at once began the erection of a cabin home, cleared a garden patch and making the necessary preparations for the coming winter. It was well that he had time for these labors, for the season which followed was one of the most severe winters that Iowa's citizens have ever experienced. The snows were deep and heavily drifted, and one storm followed another until the roads were impassable. Food and shelter for both man and beast were limited in quantity and many of the pioneers suffered so intensely that with the opening of spring they sought homes in warmer climates. John Sullivan, a neighbor of Mr. Burns, exchanged his claim and cabin for a gun valued at $6; but the Judge was not so easily discouraged. With a determination which was one of his marked characteristics through life, he resolved to remain in his new home, and when the spring flowers were once more blooming on the prairies he plowed and planted his land and in course of time abund- ant harvests were garnered. The family passed through the experiences and hardships of life on the frontier, but as the years passed they

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secured the comforts and conveniences which were found in Eastern homes and their finan- cial resources were increased by the sale of their farm products.

The family of Judge and Mrs. Burns num- bered eleven children, -six sons and five daugh- ters, -namely: Letitia, now Mrs. Henderson, of Des Moines; Alexander, of the same place; Lewis, Robert, Augusta, Adella, Mary, Ada, Lyle, Edwin R. and Ward.

Mr. Burns was honored with several impor- tant positions of public trust, and ever dis- charged his duties with a promptness and fidelity that won him high commendation. In 1851 he was elected County Judge for a term of four years, and so acceptably did he fill the position that he was re-elected in 1855, and again in 1857. In 1861 he was the Demo- cratic candidate for the office of State Senator, and ran far ahead of his ticket, but could not overcome the strong Republican majority, the election going to Colonel James Redfield, his opponent. In 1864 Judge Burns was a dele- gate from the Fifth Congressional District of Iowa to the Chicago Convention. In the fall of 1875 he was elected County Supervisor, and in the autumn of 1878 was again chosen to that position where his loyalty to the best interests of the county was manifest by his hearty sup- port of all measures calculated to prove of pub- lic benefit. In 1876, on the recommendation of many of the first citizens of the county who recognized his fitness for the important posi- tion, he was appointed by the Governor to pre- pare a centennial history of Dallas county, and partly completed this work. He was a man of broad, liberal and brilliant mind, and his un- selfish devotion to the best interests of his , adopted State was widely recognized. He passed away at the old family home, January 15, 1892, and his death was most deeply and sincerely mourned, for he had the respect of both young and old, rich and poor. His family still reside at their pleasant home in Sugar Grove township, and Mrs. Burns is a most estimable lady, possessed of many excellencies of character.

Judge Burns was a deeply and earnestly re- ligious man, a member of the Sugar Grove Christian Church, and deeply interested in church work; was an intelligent, upright, con- sistent Christian. He will be missed at all the meetings of those who have helped to develop Dallas county to what it is. If he had any faults they were incident to our common nat- ure; his many virtues should be remembered and treasured up as a part of the early history of Dallas county, and as an example and in- spiration to the young. Such lives as his are too rare.

S EMUN R. HEWETT, M. D., is one of the leading physicians of Charles City and a surgeon well known throughout the northeastern portion of the State. He is a native of the Knicker- bocker State, his birth having occurred at Wyoming, on the 22d of July, 1839. His parents were Samuel B. and Elmina (Tucker) Hewett, both of whom were natives of New York. Both families descended from English ancestry, and were established in New England in Colonial days. The paternal grandfather, Joseph Hewett, was one of the Revolutionary patriots, serving as a soldier in the American army. The maternal grandfather also fought against British oppression in the war of 1812.

The Doctor's father was born in Genesee county, New York, April 22, 1818. His entire life was devoted to agricultural pursuits, and his last years were passed at Brandon, Wis- consin, where he died May 1, 1893. His wife was born in Madison county New York, No- vember 9, 1819, and survived her husband about one year, her death occurring on the 6th of May, 1894. The Doctor is the eldest of a family of four children, but two are now de- ceased. Dr. Joseph Austin was a graduate of the Chicago Eclectic College, and established a successful practice at Forest City, Iowa, where he died at the age of forty-two years. The third of the family is Chloe Prudentia, now the wife of E. H. Darrow, a farmer re-

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siding at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Spencer died at the age of five years.

When the Doctor was a child of six years he removed with his parents to Wisconsin and there grew to manhood. His childhood days were passed on his father's farm and in attend- ance at the district schools. Though desirous of obtaining a professional education he re- mained at home until his twenty-first year, giving his best efforts to the preparation of a comfortable home for his parents, in subduing the native prairies and forests, and opening up a new farm on the frontier. His literary edu- cation · was obtained in the Baraboo Institute, and at twenty-one he became a student in the office of Dr. B. F. Dodson, of Brandon, Wis- consin. About three years were passed in this preparatory work and in teaching school to obtain the necessary means of support while attending college. In 1863 he was enrolled as a student at Rush Medical College, a well well known and popular institution of Chicago. Three years' study were added to the three spent in preparatory work, and in the spring of 1867 he received his diploma and entered upon the work of his chosen profession at Waupun, Wisconsin. His experience there was probably similar to that of other young physicians in establishing a practice, and though it did not yield a fortune it did serve to familiarize him with the details of successful work in his line.

After two years' practice in Waupun, the Doctor removed to Nora Springs, Iowa, where he established a fine business, and made his home there until 1881, when he came to the county seat, Charles City. Here the Doctor has an excellent practice, including many of his former patrons at Nora Springs. He stands at the head of the medical profession in Floyd county, and is a surgeon of recognized ability, both at home and abroad. For many years he has been local surgeon of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railway. He is also City Physician of Charles City, which position he has held for six years. Dr. Hewett is a close student and spares neither labor nor expense

in keeping pace with the onward march of the profession. His library is stored with the latest professional literature and his office is supplied with the most improved instruments and appliances. Thirty years of successful practice, preceded by six years of judicious preparatory work under the best of instructors, coupled with a retentive memory and adapta- bility to his profession, have rendered Dr. Hewett the leading physician of Charles City. He is prominently identified with the profes- sional societies, being a member of the Austin Flint Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the National Association of Rail- way Surgeons.

The Doctor was married October 30, 1867, at the home of the bride in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the lady of his choice being Miss Alice E. Talcott, a native of Wisconsin. She was educated at Waupun and at Appleton, Wisconsin. They have but one child, Alice Belle, who has been liberally educated, having attended the Charles City high-school and the Cornell College of Mount Vernon, Iowa. She is now the wife of M. T. Billings, a traveling salesman of Charles City, Iowa.

Dr. Hewett is prominently identfiied with the Masonic fraternity, and has taken the Knight Templar and Mystic Shrine degrees. His membership is in St. Charles Lodge, No. 141, F. & A. M .; Almond Chapter, No. 53, R. A. M .; Coeur de Leon Commandery, of Osage, Iowa; and El Kahir Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Cedar Rapids. In politics the Doctor was an uncompromising Republican until 1884, when he supported Cleveland for the presidency, but says, in medical parlance, " One dose was sufficient. " Though possess- ing strong inclinations toward the Republican party, he is not wholly in accord with it on the temperance question in Iowa. A stanch advocate of temperance and sobriety, he sym- pathizes with the people whose property was virtually confiscated by the passage of the pro- hibitory law, and thinks their losses should have been paid for by the State or some other measure of compensation taken. The Doctor

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is a firm believer in Christianity, but is not a member of any church organization. He and his wife are attendants on the services of the Congregational Church, and Mrs. Hewett and her daughter are members. In social circles the family holds a very high rank.

J OHN BRYANT, one of the thrifty farmers and representative citizens of Washington township, Dallas county, Iowa, belongs to that class of people known as self-made men, his comfortable home and nice property being the result of his own honest toil and good management.

Mr. Bryant dates his birth in Parke county, Indiana, May 13, 1833, and is the youngest but one of the eight children composing his fa- ther's family, four of whom are yet living, his two sisters and brother being residents of Kansas. His parents, Josiah and Nancy (Pennington) Bryant, were among the early pioneers of Iowa, having removed from Indi- ana to this State in the year 1852. Josiah Bryant was born in Virginia, early in life went to Tennessee, thence to Indiana and to Iowa. 'He died in the last named State at the age of sixty-eight years; she, at about the age of eighty-two. The paternal grandparents of our subject were James and Anna (Williams) Bry- ant, both of whom died in Tennessee; and his maternal grandparents were Charles and Kate Pennington. The Bryants are of Irish origin, and in the several generations of the family which have been born in America have been found strongly marked many of the sterling characteristics which distinguished their worthy ancestors. Grandfather Bryant was a partici- pant in the American Revolution, and the father of our subject was a soldier in the war of 1812, the latter being the recipient of a land warrant for his war service.

John Bryant was married April 15, 1855, to Chloe Leaming, a native of La Porte county, Indiana, and they are the parents of ten chil- dren, all of whom are living except one; six are married, and the grandchildren now num-

ber eight. Mrs. Bryant is a daughter of Judy and Susanna (Chippey) Leaming; he is a na- tive of Massachusetts and she of Rhode Island. They removed to Iowa as early as 1839, at first made settlement among the Indians of Jefferson county, and about 1848 removed to Dallas county, her father buying a claim here. The closing years of his life were spent in Adel, where he died at the advanced age of eighty- two. Her mother lived to be nearly ninety- three. Their family was composed of thirteen children, Mrs. Bryant being one of the three of that number who are still living.

After his marriage Mr. Bryant and his wife began housekeeping in a little log cabin, 14 X 16 feet, located on a sixty-acre tract of land, where they lived four years, from that place removing to another farm, which continued their abiding place during the next fifteen years. Their next move was to their present location. The passing years have been filled with toil and crowned with a fair degree of success, and to-day Mr. Bryant has a fine farm of 240 acres. Besides this he has bought and sold other lands. His broad acres are devoted to general farm- ing and stock-raising, and the general appear- ance of the premises at once stamps the owner as a thoroughgoing and enterprising farmer.

Mr. Bryant became identified with the Re- publican party at the time of its organization, cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fre- mont, and has ever since affiliated with this party. He has from time to time held various local offices, always rendering valued and ef- fective service in the same. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

EV. CHARLES L. GOULD, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Charles City, Iowa, is a native of Monroe, Green county, Wisconsin, born on the 19th of January, 1858, a son of Rev. Ransom and Olive (Engrem) Gould. On the paternal side he descends from English and Scotch ancestry. Rev. Ransom Gould was born in New York, in 1818, and coming

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to the West in his early life acquired his edu- cation in Mount Morris Seminary, at Mount Morris, Illinois. Determining to devote his life to the work of the ministry, he joined the West Wisconsin Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1848. In 1865, his health failing, he located in Delaware county, where he remained on a farm for seven years. In his early manhood he married Miss En- grem, who was born in Vermont, in 1828, and in 1871 they removed from Delaware county to Mount Vernon, Iowa, in order to avail themselves of the better educational advan- tages which the college provided there, for they wished to give their children every oppor- tunity possible along that line. The father died in Mount Vernon in 1887, and the mother is now living with her daughter at Conrad Grove, Iowa. They had a family of three sons and three daughters: Emma, now the wife of Dr. C. C. Farrington, a practicing physician residing in Marshalltown, Iowa; Jennie, wife of Edwin B. Banister, a hardware merchant of Naperville, Illinois; Olin R., a resident of Charles City, Iowa, and a traveling salesman; Charles L., of this review; Ira E., who is principal of the public schools in Coggon, Iowa; and Edna, wife of E. L. Guild, a banker of Conrad Grove, Iowa.

The Rev. Charles L. Gould acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of Mount Vernon, and pursued a classical course in Cornell College, at which institute he was graduated in the class of 1881. Wishing to devote his life to the good of his fellow men, he entered the work of the church, and for two years served as pastor at Center Point, Iowa. On the expiration of that period he entered the Boston University, completing a course in philosophy and theology, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Returning to Iowa, Mr. Gould resumed his ministerial labors as pastor of the church in La Porte City, where he remained four years. During this time he was married, in 1887, to Miss Laura Monroe, a native of Anamosa, Iowa, and a daughter of Daniel and

Abbie (Gorham) Monroe. Her parents were both natives of New York, where their mar- riage was celebrated in 1855, and the follow- ing year they came to Iowa, being numbered among the early settlers of Anamosa. The father served as a member of the first Board of Supervisors of Jones county, and took a leading part in the development and upbuild- ing of that locality. During the Civil war, he enlisted in the Union army, and became Second Lieutenant of Company E, Thirty-first Iowa Infantry. He died in the service and was buried at Corinth, Mississippi. His widow is still residing in Anamosa, Iowa. She drew the first public money paid in Jones county, it being given her for her services as a school- teacher. The school was held in her own home, for at that time a public school-house had not been erected. Her family consisted of two children, the son being G. H. Monroe, a lumber merchant of Anamosa, Iowa. He mar- ried Miss Mabel Waterbury, of Fayette, Iowa, who was engaged there in teaching music.

The daughter, Mrs. Gould, was educated in her native city, attending the public schools, and the Jones County Academy. For several years she was numbered among the capable teachers of Iowa, and was a successful teacher of primary methods in the county normal in- stitutes.

Mr. and Mrs. Gould resided at La Porte City for some time, and then the former took charge of the church in Nashua, Iowa, where he remained for two years. During the suc- ceeding four years he was located at Tipton, and thence came to Charles City in the fall of 1895. Heis an able minister, a good speaker, effective in his pastoral work, and by example and precept he teaches others the true way of life

Mr. and Mrs. Gould have two daughters, Florence and Olive, aged respectively eight and six years. In politics our subject was until recently a Republican, but now votes indpendently of party ties. He is highly re- garded in the conference, and in his new field of labors has already made many warm friends.

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J OHN H. DRISCOLL, Stuart, Iowa .- Of this gentleman it may be said that he belongs to a family of railroaders, his father and grandfather before him hav- ing spent many years in railroading, and he himself having attained prominence in the same line. He is a locomotive engineer for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and is chairman of the general board of adjust- ment of the the Rock Island system, to which position he was elected in the spring of 1893. During his long experience on the road, which covers a period of nearly thirty years, he has made an extensive acquaintance, and by many will a sketch of his life be read with interest,

John H. Driscoll was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, December 2, 1851, son of John and Ellen (Delaney) Driscoll, natives of Ire- land, who came to America in early life and were married in Springfield. John Driscoll, the grandfather of John H., left the Em- erald Isle in 1883 and came to America, being accompanied hither by his family, and settled in Massachusetts. For about forty years he was in the employ of the Hart- ford & New Hagen Railroad Company, Spring- field being his headquarters. He died there at the advanced age of ninety-five years. He was twice married and had three children by each wife, the father of our subject being the youngest child of the first marriage, and nine years old at the time of their removal to America. As they were poor the youth had to begin work as soon as he was old enough, and for a number of years he was employed in the cotton factories of Massachusetts. He was married in Springfield, and about 1856 moved with his family to Iowa, locating first in Chickasaw county, where he purchased a farm and for two years was engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. Farming, however, was not his "forte." He was sixty miles from mar- ket and he soon became discouraged, and at the end of the second year sold out. Then he moved to Davenport, where he secured a posi- tion as stationary engineer for the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad, now a part of the Rock

Island system, and in this capacity he served until 1892, when he resigned. He is still a resident of Davenport. For some years he has dealt to a considerable extent in real estate, has accumulated a competency, and in his old age is comfortably situated. His wife died in May, 1891. Their family was composed of four sons, namely: John H., who forms the subject of this review; Lawrence, a farmer of Iowa county, Iowa, died in 1882; Dennis, a lawyer, died in Chicago, in June, 1884; and Jerry, a druggist of Davenport, Iowa,

At the time the Driscoll family came to Iowa John H. was about five years old. He attended the public schools of Davenport and also took a commercial course in the Bryant & Stratton Business College of that place, and in 1867 entered upon his railroad career. In August of that year he secured a position as fireman on the Rock Island road and served as such until October, 1870, when he was pro- moted engineer. In March, 1872, he resigned his position on this road and accepted one on the Union Pacific line. Later he was with the Central Pacific, with which he continued until March 27, ISSI, when he returned to the Rock Island, and has since been in the employ of this company, with headquarters at Stuart. He became connected with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in 1874, has ever since been an active member of the same, and during the past six years has represented divis- ion No. 184. When a strike or- difficulty of any kind arises he gives his whole time and at- tention to its adjustment. He has at all times had the confidence of his employers, and his business relations with the officers of the road have always been pleasant.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 125

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1360

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1360