Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 136

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

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Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Robbins were married January 6, 1820. Their children were as fol- lows: Lucretia, born November 14, 1820, died March 31, 1837, at Perry, Wyoming county, New York. Archibald, born May 2, 1822, died May 22 following. Thomas Hamilton, born

August 23, 1824, married Julia Liset, of Buf- falo, New York, April 6. 1847, and his children are Julia and Mary, both of whom are married and living in Erie county, New York. About 1859 he made a trip to California, and Jan- uary 16, 1861, was drowned in a flood that swept the section of the country where he was located. Susan was born January 20, 1827; she never married, and is now a resident of Waukon, Iowa. Alonzo Weeks was born July 8, 1829. He went to California in the early days of the gold excitement there, came home on a visit, and was returning by way of the Isthmus when he sickened on board ship and died November 2, 1851, and was buried at sea. He never married. The above five mentioned children were born at Dansville, Steuben county, New York. Samuel Boen, the next child, was born March 25, 1832; he married Alinda P. Smith, at Waukon, Iowa, March 20, 1859, and their children are: Charles Archibald, born April 30, 1860, and Anna Adarine, born December 4, 1862. Samuel Boen Robbins enlisted April, 1861, in Company A, Sixteenth United States regu- lars. In the fall he was transferred to Com- pany B. His regiment rendezvoused at Colum- bus, Ohio, and moved from there to Columbus, Kentucky, where he died in the service, Jan- uary 20, 1863. His son, C. A. ' Robbins, spoken of above, married Millie Travers, of Lansing, and is now living at Coin, Iowa, where he conducts a drug store. The other child, Anna Adarine, married Eugene Fuller, and resides at Fredericksburg, Iowa.

Alvan Egebert Robbins, the seventh child of Alvin and Temperance Robbins, was born April 2, 1834. He married Naomi May Goody- koontz, November 9, 1865, and his children are: Gilbert Goodykoontz, born August 23, 1866; Daniel Francis, born November 22, 1867; and William Henry, born July 6, 1876. His widow makes her home in Waukon, Iowa, residing with her sister-in-law, Miss Susan Robbins. Francis Hager, subject of this sketch, is the next child. John Henry, born November 24, 1842, enlisted at the same time

V. S. Thompson.

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RECORD OF IOWA.

and in the same company as subject of sketch. In February, 1864, he came home to recu- perate his health, but started to return before he had fully recovered, and died on the way at Fort McClellan, Davenport, Iowa, March 20, 1864. He never married. The last four named children were born at Perry, Wyoming county, New York.

Francis Hager Robbins, the subject of this sketch, and his brother, John Henry, enlisted in Company I, Twenty-seventh Iowa Volun- teer Infantry, August 15, 1862. These two defenders of the Union were mere boys, our subject being only twelve days past his twenty- second birthday, and his brother not being twenty until the following November. Like the American patriot, General Israel Putnam, they literally left the plow standing in the field to respond to their country's call. Our sub- ject's regiment rendezvoused at Dubuque, and was sent from there to Fort Snelling, Minne- sota, and on west to Mille Lacs, same State. They then moved southward to Cairo, Illinois, and participated in the fight at Memphis, Ten- nessee, September 10, 1863. They were at the capture of Little Rock, Arkansas, and were engaged in fights at Nashville, Ten- nessee, December 15-16, 1863; at Pleas- ant Hill, Louisiana, April 9, 1864, and at Blakely, opposite Mobile, from which point they moved to Montgomery, Alabama, and from there north, being mustered out of the service at Clinton, Iowa, August 8, 1865.

Mr. Robbins was promoted to a First Lieu- tenancy at Moscow, Tennessee, May 4, 1863. He commanded his company from November, 1862, to August, 1863, his superior officers being away or sick during that period.

When our subject entered the service he held an interest in the drug firm of S. J. Goodykoontz & Company, of Waukon, Iowa, and left his brother to look after it. On his return from the war the brothers bought out the other interests in the firm, and the name was changed to A. E. Robbins & Brother, which continued till May 1, 1881, when our subject sold out his interest, owing to poor 54

health. The following March he opened a real-estate and insurance office, which business he has kept till the present time. October I, 1889, he was made Postmaster at Waukon, and filled that position till January 13, 1893. He served on the school board for eight years, and in the fall of 1895 was elected Justice of the Peace on the Republican ticket. In 1869 he erected the Robbins building on the north- west corner of Main and Allamakee streets, the first brick building ever erected in the town for business purposes.

Our subject was married April 14, 1868, at Waukon, Iowa, to Miss Atthea Almeda Pottle, a daughter of William R. and Almeda Pottle. · Mrs. Robbins was born March 14, 1846, in New England. The children of Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Robbins are : Jessie Frances, Mabel Susan and Fred Archibald, - the last named being born January 29, 1884.

Our subject has always affiliated with the Republican party. He is a blue lodge Mason, having joined the Waukon Lodge in 1866. He is a charter member of the Waukon Lodge of the A. O. U. W. and of the Iowa Legion of Honor. He was one of the charter mem- bers of the John Stillman Post, No. 194, G. A. R., Waukon, Iowa, and has served as its commander for a number of years.

ON. WILLIAM GEORGE THOMP- SON, who is serving as Circuit Judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District of Iowa, and is one of the most able jurists of Iowa, makes his home in Marion, Linn county. He is a man of broad scholar- ship, an eminent lawyer, and an honored vet- eran of the late war, and in all the relations of life, both public and private, his career has been such as to command the respect and con- fidence of those with whom he has been brought in contact.

Judge Thompson was born in Butler coun- ty, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1830, and is a son of William H. and Jane (McCandless) Thompson, who spent their entire lives in But-

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ler county. On his father's farm he was reared to manhood, while the common schools af- forded him his preliminary education. At the age of nine years he became a student in the Witherspoon Institute at Butler, Pennsylvania, where he took a two-years course. He then entered upon the study of law in the office of William Timblin, of Butler, Pennsylvania, and was admitted to the bar on the 1 5th of October, 1853, passing an examination before the Hon. Daniel Agnew, then presiding Judge and later Chief Justice of Pennsylvania.

With excellent foresight Judge Thompson realized that the West was a good field of la- bor for a young man with his own way to make in the world. There was less competition and better opportunity in the newer settlements, and immediately after his admission to the bar he removed from Pennsylvania to Iowa, reach- ing Marion in the fall of 1853. Here he has since been continuously engaged in practice. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Linn county the year after his arrival, and later was chosen to represent his district in the State Senate for a term of four years. He proved an able member of the Assembly, giving an earnest support to all legislation that he be- lieved would promote the best interests of the general public.

After the breaking out of the Civil war, Mr. Thompson was commissioned Major of the Twentieth Iowa Infantry in 1862, and at once went to the front in defense of the starry ban- ner that now floats so proudly over the united nation. At the battle of Prairie Grove, Ar- kansas, on the 7th of December, 1862, he was severely wounded by a gunshot; but he could not stand inactivity when his country was en- dangered, and forty days later was again in the saddle at the head of his regiment. His colonel was an officer in the regular army, and was detailed for some special commission work soon after the troops reached the front. The Lieutenant Colonel was captured in one of the first engagements in which the regiment took part, and was held prisoner for a long time, so that the cominand of the regiment thus de-

volved upon Major Thompson for more than two years. He was in command at Aransas Post during the latter part of his service or until the fall of 1864, when he retired from the army.

On returning to the North, Major Thomp- son at once resumed the practice of law at Marion and built up a large business, securing an extensive clientage among the best class of citizens. He was also called forth in political duty and warmly espoused the principles of the party in which he so firmly believes. "He fre- quently delivered campaign addresses, and his services were much in demand in that direc- tion. He was chosen Presidential Elector at large on the Republican ticket, in 1864, and supported Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. Hewaselected District Attorney for the Eighth Judicial District of Iowa, serving in that ca- pacity for seven years, and his long continu- ance in the office indicates the satisfactory man- ner in which he discharged the duties. His ability as an advocate is widely recognized. He is a forceful, earnest speaker, his deduc- tions are logical, and he never fails to hold the attention of an audience. On the 13th of January, 1879, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Territory of Idaho, but resigned in April of the same year. He was elected to the Forty-sixth Congress on the Republican ticket, and on the expiration of his first term was re- elected, receiving 20,016 votes, against 11, 315, cast for the Democratic candidate, and 2, 114 for the Greenback candidate.

In 1885 he was elected to represent Limm county in the Twenty-first General Assembly of Iowa, as a member of the Lower House, and during the session he was chairman of the committee on reorganization of the judiciary of the State. He was appointed September 2, 1896, Judge of the District Court in and for the Eighteenth Judicial District, by Governor Jackson, to fill out the unexpired term of Judge Preston, who had resigned, and at the following November election he was without opposition nominated and elected to the same position for four years from January 1, 1895.

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RECORD OF IOWA.

The district is composed of Linn, Jones and Cedar counties. While firmly believing in his party the mere fact that a measure is advo- cated by Republicans does not win his ap- proval of the measure, which must be given as the outcome of mature reflection and sound judgment. His loyalty as a citizen is above question, and he labors as earnestly for the in- terests of his county, State and nation as when he followed the old flag on Southern battle- fields. In all his various positions he has made for himself a most honorable record.

On the 12th of June, 1856, Mr. Thomp- son was happily married to Harriet J. Parsons, daughter of Chester and Phoebe Parsons, of Marion, and a native of Elbridge, New York. They had two sons: John M., who was born May 24, 1875; and William Chester, who was born March 12, 1877, and died on the 12th of August, following. Mr. Thompson is an hon- ored member of the Odd Fellows Society, and is a Knight Templar Mason. He is a man of great force of character, of strong purpose, of honorable principle, and his record as a student, soldier, legislator, lawyer and judge forms a history of which he may well be proud.

J AMES MARTIN PHILLIPS, under- taker and dealer in furniture, Guthrie Center, Iowa, is foremost among the enterprising business men of this pros- perous town.

He was born in Erie county, Ohio, Oc- tober 1, 1853, son of Alpheus and Miranda (Kelley) Phillips, and through his father, who was born in New Hampshire in 1819, he de- scended from the early Puritans of New Eng- land; his mother was born in Pennsylvania in 1823. Alpheus Phillips and his wife were married in Ohio. In 1854 they came out to Iowa and settled on a farm near Marshall- town, where he carried on agricultural pur- suits for many years, and where now in his old age he is living retired. In their family were eleven children, of whom we make record as follows: Charlotte, wife of S. P. Shannon, a

farmer of Guthrie county, Iowa; William, a farmer of Marshall county, Iowa; Amos, a farmer near Glidden, Carroll county, Iowa; Julia Ann, who died in childhood; George, who is traveling in the West; James M., whose name graces this article; Helen, wife of John Coppock, is deceased; Almina, wife of Charles Mabie, lives in Chicago; Albert, a merchant near Pasadena, California; the next born died in infancy; Sherman, a railroad employee.

James M. Phillips was a babe at the time he was brought by his parents to Iowa, and on his father's farm in Marshall county he was reared. Until about six years ago he followed farming. Then he came to Guthrie Center and the next two years ran a meat market. Disposing of it, he bought an interest in his present business, in partnership with William Bates, whom he bought out soon after, and since then has owned the whole establishment and couducted the business under his own name. He carries a full line of furniture and undertaking goods, owns a handsome hearse, and does an extensive undertaking business.

Mr. Phillips was married on the 27th of January, 1878, in Guthrie county, Iowa, to Miss Maggie Porter. Her father, Andrew Porter, was a native of Ohio; and her mother, whose maiden name was Jane James, was a native of Pennsylvania. They were married in Ohio in 1850, in 1856 came to Iowa and located in Scott county, removed to Jasper county, in 1859, and in 1869 took up their abode in Guthrie county. They still re- side on their farm one mile southwest of Guthrie Center. In their family were seven children, namely: James Nelson, a physician and druggist of Missouri; Thomas, a furniture dealer of Guthrie Center; Lizzie, a member of the home circle; Mrs. Phillips; Cassie, wife of George Johnson, Guthrie Center; and Lucinda, wife of Manly Davis, a farmer residing five miles east of Guthrie Center. One child, An- drew, died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have three children: Herman, Myrtle and Harry.

In his political views Mr. Phillips is what

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is called an independent. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and are identified with various social organizations of the town. He maintains a membership in the K. of P. and both the sub- ordinate and encampinent branches of the I. O. O. F .; also of the Rebekah degree. Mrs. Phillips is a member of the Rebekahs and the Rathbone Sisters. Another organization with which Mr. Phillips is connected is that of the Guthrie Center Fire Department.

a ORNELIUS SCILECTOR STIL- .WELL, lawyer, Waukon, Iowa, was born June 26, 1838, in Holland township, Erie county, New York, his parents being Ezra Graves and Polly (Howe) Stilwell.

Ard Stilwell, grandfather of our subject, was born in Vermont and later moved to Al- legany county, New York, and probably died there about the year 1840, at an advanced'age. He was a farmer by occupation. During the latter years of his life he was an invalid, being afflicted with rheumatism. He was twice mar- ried, his first wife being Ann Fairchilds, a native of Vermont. Their children were: Harman, who married Harriet Jewell, their children being Chauncey, Ann, and Pardon. The second child of Ard Stilwell was Ezra Graves, father of our subject. The other chil- dren were Susan, Amos and Polly. Mr. Stil- well married for his second wife, Sally Merrill, and to them were born the following children: Myron, John, Sally, Anna, Hiram, David and Benjamin. Mr. Stilwell was of Scotch ances- try, and did service in the war of the Rev- olution.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, Calvin Howe, was born in the State of New Hampshire, June 10, 1768, and died at Por- tage, New York, December 28, 1853. He married Jemima Todd, July 31, 1796, who was born August 23, 1768; and she died De- cember 21, 1814. Their children were: So- phronia, born September 8, 1797; she married

Truman Blood, January 24, 1815, and their children are: Lemuel, born August 22, 1817, and married Margaret Waldo; Lucinda, born May 31, 1822, married James Humphrey, and her children are Hattie; Stephen, and Rollo; Laura, born March 27, 1824, married Luke Smith; Calvin, born April 6, 1826, married Alvira Bliss; Clarissa, born January 2, 1828, married John Platt, and their children are Maria, Clara, Gussie, Emma and Fanny; Sam- uel, born March 14, 1831, and died September 13, 1846. The second child of Calvin and Jemima Howe was Earl, who was born De- cember 20, '1799, married Elizabeth Lord, and their children are Sophronia, Calvin, Louisa and Earl. The next child, Almira, was born October 22, 1803, and died December 18, 1829; she married Levi Bragg and their chil- dren are Calvin and Solomon. Alonzo, born October 14, 1806; he married Betsy Dixon, January 1, 1829. Polly, mother of our sub- ject, was the youngest child by the first mar- riage.

Mr. Calvin Howe married for his second wife Eliza Wells, May 15, 1815. She was born October 4, 1787, and died March 9, 1856.

Mr. Ezra Graves Stilwell, the father of our subject, was born in Fairfield, Vermont, August 6, 1806, and died at Fulton, Rock county, Wisconsin, December 19, 1852. In early manhood he moved to Allegany county, New York, and later to Wyoming county, same State, where he lived until 1851. He then inoved to Janesville, Rock county, Wis- consin, and a year later to Fulton, where his death occurred. He was married May 4, 1828, to Polly Howe. Mrs. Stilwell was born April 2, 1809, at Alstadt, Cheshire county, New Hampshire; and she died March 27, 1892, and at that time was making her home with the subject of this sketch.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Stil- well are: Calvin, born January 4, 1829, at Castile, Wyoming county, New York, and died November 17, 1844, at Portage, that State. Ard Amos, born January 5, 1831, at Angelica, Allegany county, New York, is a carpenter by

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RECORD OF IOWA.

trade, and at present is living at Grand City, Iowa. . He was married in Allamakee county, Iowa, in 1866, to Miss Mary Peasley, and his children are Ida and Mary. Eliza Jane, the third child of Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Stilwell, was born at Machias, New York, June 7, 1833, and died at Waukon, Iowa, May 5, 1884; she married U. F. Lewis, at Fulton, Wisconsin, in 1854, and their children are Jessie N. and John Charles. Sophronia was born January 28, 1836, at Castile, New York, and is now living at Albany, Wisconsin; she married L. N. Lewis and their children are Laura, Frank, Arthur, Minnie, Ethan, and Marion, -the two last named being twins. Cornelius Scilector, the subject of sketch, is the next child. Hilas Harrison is the next child. Alonso Calvin was born April 1, 1845, at Portage, New York, and is now engaged in farming at Boulder, Colorado; he married Miss Mary Ann Davis, of Allamakee county, Iowa. Ezra Graves was born May 24, 1848, at Cen- terville, New York, and died May 26, 1850, at Canadia, same State.

Mr. E. G. Stilwell, father of our subject, was a millwright by occupation, and his son, Ard Amos, also learned the trade. The father built, repaired and operated mills. Politically Mr. Stilwell was a Whig, taking quite an inter- est in politics, but was never an office-holder. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was active in that organization.

After the death of her husband Mrs. E. G. Stilwell kept the family together until 1862, after which time she spent the remainder of her days with her children.

The gentleman whose name heads this mention, Mr. C. S. Stilwell, received his primary education in the public schools of New York and Wisconsin. Later he attended the Evansville Normal school, at which he gradu- ated in 1861. A diploma was issued by this school after the graduates had passed a severe examination under the State board of regents. The school was a part of the seminary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Stilwell had learned the carpenter's trade and followed

this occupation in the summer. The winters he devoted to teaching. From Evansville, Illinois, he moved to Albany, same State, where he became principal of the graded school for one year. He then moved to Stephenson county, where he taught for one year. In September, 1865, Mr. Stilwell came to Allama- kee county, Iowa, took an interest in a sawmill located in Linton township, which he held for three years. The first winter he spent in the county was occupied in teaching. He made a permanent residence in Waukon, Jan- uary 14, 1868, and accepted a position as deputy treasurer under his brother, Mr. H. H. Stilwell. In the spring of 1868 he was elected Justice of the Peace, which office he held for three years, and during this time he pursued the study of law in the office of Judge Granger, now of the State Supreme Bench. He was admitted to practice in the fall of 1870 in the District Court, and later in the United States District Court. In the fall of 1870 Mr. Stil- well opened an office in Waukon and practiced alone for six years; he then took in a partner, John B. B. Baker, under the firm name of Stilwell & Baker, and this partnership lasted for one year. The firm of Stilwell & Stewart was then organized and continued for two years, Colonel A. G. Stewart being the junior member in the firm. Mr. Stilwell disposed of his business to his partner and for the next year was practically retired. He then opened a law office which he has continued to the present time.

In addition to his law practice M. Srtil- well has given considerable attention to out- side affairs. He platted Shattuck's Fourth Addition to the town of Waukon, which com- prised a tract of about five acres. In 1877, being associated with Mr. Hosea Lowe, he purchased the old frame building located at the northeast corner of Main and Allamakee streets, fitted it up, and built an addition of 22 by 40 feet, the whole of which was im- proved with a brick veneering. In 1891 Mr. Stilwell became the sole proprietor of this property. During the fire of April 17, 1895,

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this building was swept away. Our subject immediately replaced it with a solid brick struc- ture, the dimensions of which are 22 by 74 feet, three stories high, and a basement added. This is to-day the finest building in the town of Waukon for business purposes. The lower floor is occupied by a general store conducted by Charles E. Stilwell, a son of our subject; the second floor by rooms and offices, and the third by a photograph gallery. In 1872 Mr. Stilwell built the residence which he now occupies, located at the corner of Court and Armstrong streets.

During his residence in Linton township he served as Justice of the Peace for three years. He was elected to that office at Waukon in 1885, and has had a continuous service since.

October 2, 1862, Mr. Stillwell was mar- ried, in Green county, Wisconsin, to Elizabeth Miller Bowen, daughter of John and Isabella (Stewart) Bowen. Mrs. Stillwell was born September 30, 1842, at Spring Hill, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and was left an orphan in infancy.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Stil- well are: Mary Frances, born December 13, 1863, in Stephenson county, Illinois. Harri- son john, born in Linton township, Allamakee county, Iowa, August 23, 1867, died January 19, 1885, at Waukon. Cornelia Isabella, born July 31, 1869, married F. A. Wildman, De- cember 27, 1892, and they have one child, Metta June, born June 1, 1894; Mr. Wildman is a teacher in the county. Charles Edgar, born September 9, 1871, is conducting a mer- cantile business at Waukon. Cornelius Howe, born November 4, 1874. Calvin Stewart, born October 1, 1877. Jessie Edith, born December 21, 1880; and Lewis Bowen, born April 22, 1884.

Mr. Stilwell was elected secretary of the Waukon & Mississippi Railroad Company at its organization in 1874, and served for one year in that capacity, during which time he was very active in the work done by that com- pany.

He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Wau-

kon Lodge; also of the Masonic fraternity. He carries insurance in the A. O. U. W. and. the Modern Woodmen of America. He has always affiliated with the Republican party, but has never sought office at its hands.

Mr. Stilwell is a man of very deliberate ac- tion. He believes in the motto, " Be sure you are right, and then go ahead; " and while slow to arrive at a decision, when it is once reached there is no swerving from it. His course of action once laid out is generally correct, and he moves straight to the point for which he is headed. It is owing largely to this fact that of late years he has confined his practice to office work,-conveyancing and collecting. A man of Mr. Stilwell's temperament acts as a governor to his more excitable, nervous fel- low-man.

ENRY ELVIDGE, Clerk of the Dis- trict Court of Winneshiek county, Iowa, was born in the parish of La- Colle, Quebec, December 29, 1854, and is a son of Isaac and Martha (Hough) Elvidge.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 136

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