Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 159

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

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The Captain is independent in his political views, though a life-long Republican until 1889. He is not affiliated with any of the social orders excepting the Grand Army of the Republic. His family are members of the Presbyterian Church.

J OHN G. CULVER, attorney and coun- selor at law, has won a place of promi- nence at the bar of Adair county, and now has a large clientage in Greenfield, where he makes his home. He was born in Cedar county, Iowa, January 3, 1851, and has always been a resident of his native State. His paternal grandfather, Gabriel Culver, was a native of England, as was his wife, and pre- vious to the war of 1812 they crossed the At- lantic to Canada. When the second war with England was inaugurated, Mr. Culver joined the British army, serving during that struggle. On leaving the British domain he took up his residence in Ohio, removing from Quebec to the Buckeye State, whence in 1837 he came to Iowa.

The father of our subject, Orace M. Cul- ver, was born in the Western Reserve of Ohio June 25, 1819, and by occupation was a farmer. He accompanied his parents on their emigra- tion to Iowa in 1837, and now resides at the old parental home in Cedar county, where he has lived for about fifty years. His father

was a hotel-keeper in the early pioneer days, carrying on a farm and "tavern " on the Ter- ritorial road between Muscatine and Tipton. In 1848, in the city of Tipton, Orace M. Cul- ver was united in marriage with Barbara C. · Harry, who was born in Lexington, Kentucky, January 9, 1824. Her father, John Harry, was a native of South Carolina, whence he went to Kentucky in an early day. He served in the American army in the war of 1812, and both the Culver and Harry families were rep- resented in the Civil war. The maternal grand- father married Miss Nancy Bell, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, belonging to the same family of which James Bell, the presi- dential candidate of 1860, was a member. Representatives of her family were prominently identified with the cause of the Southern Con- federacy.

Mr. and Mrs. Culver, the parents of our subject, are esteemed and honored people of Cedar county, and the mother, who departed this life on the 2d of May, 1895, was mourned by a large circle of friends as well as her im- mediate family. For forty-seven years she had traveled life's journey by the side of her husband, and was to him a faithful companion and helpmeet. They were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, of whom six are yet living. Cornelia A. is the wife of John A. Bolton, a retired farmer residing near Tipton, Iowa. John G. is the next younger. Alfred L. carried on agricultural pursuits near Nevin, Adams county, Iowa. Jennie P. re- sides with her father. Alva L. died in 1889, at the age of twenty-six years. Lucy A. is the wife of George Geary, a farmer living near Tipton, Iowa. William P. operates a farm near Carl, Iowa. Rosecrans is an agriculturist of Adams county, also living near Carl. Lin- coln died in infancy, and Blanche died in early girlhood.

On the old home farm John G. Culver was reared to manhood, and in his youth attended the public schools of Tipton, -the first free schools in the State of Iowa. He then en- tered the Iowa State University, where he

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pursued the studies of the scientific depart- ment from 1868 until 1871, when failing health caused him to abandon his text-books. On leaving college he turned his attention to the profession of teaching, and for eighteen months was principal of the city schools of Fontanelle. He then determined to take up the study of law and entered the office of Hon. G. F. Kil- burn, a prominent attorney of Fontanelle, and for several years thereafter was manager of Mr. Kilburn's office in Greenfield. He was admitted to practice in State and Federal courts in January, 1878, and has since engaged in the prosecution of his chosen profession, in the city which is still his home. He sustains the reputation of being an able lawyer, a good counselor, a forceful advocate and an able speaker, and is thoroughly devoted to his pro- fession. He possesses a fine law library, and his abilities both natural and acquired well fit him for successful practice.

On the 30th of May, 1874, Mr. Culver was united in marriage, in Tipton, Iowa, with Miss Emma A. Daniels, daughter of S. P. Daniels, one of the pioneers of Cedar county, who re- moved from Oberlin, Ohio, to this State about 1842. Mrs. Culver was educated in the Union school of Tipton and is the youngest in a fam- ily which numbered four sisters, the others be- ing Myra, wife of John F. Ellsworth, a resi- dent of Tama, Iowa, where he is engaged in the manufacture of paper; Martha, wife of James S. Ross, the editor of the Herald, of Eldora, Iowa; and Sophia G., wife of Fred M. Sterling, an architect of Sioux City, Iowa.

In politics, Mr. Culver is a stanch Repub- lican, takes a deep interest in the growth and success of his party, and his voice is often heard in an eloquent defense of its principles. For one term he served as County Attorney. Socially, he is a member of the Masonic fra- ternity, belonging to Crusade Lodge, No. 386, F. & A. M .; St. John's Chapter, No. 73, R. A. M.,'and Bethany Commandery, K. T. He is also connected with Greenfield Lodge, No. 375, I. O. O. F., of which he is Past Grand, and Garfield Encampment, No. 110, I. O. O. F.,

and is Past Grand of Greenfield Lodge, No. 199, K. P., while of the Masonic lodge he is Past Master and is again serving his lodge as Master. He is an adherent of the Congrega- tional faith, but his wife being a member of the Presbyterian Church he also allied himself with that organization. This worthy couple hold a most enviable position in social circles, and their friends in Greenfield are many.

ETER BATSCHELET ranks as one of the prominent early settlers of Pa- nora, Guthrie county, Iowa, where he has had his abiding place for a period of thirty-nine years.

Peter Batschelet was born in Berne, the largest canton in Switzerland, February 22, 1818, son of Peter and Elizabeth (Loffel) Batschelet, both natives of Switzerland. The senior Peter Batschelet was a farmer by occu- pation, and in 1834, accompanied by his wife and eight children, he embarked at Havre, France, in a three-mast vessel for America, and after a voyage of forty-seven days landed in this country. Upon his arrival here he directed his course to Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there to Madison, Jefferson county, In- diana, where he purchased a heavily timbered farm and established his home upon it. On that farm he spent the rest of his life, and died at the age of seventy years. He was a man of strong individuality, possessing many of the characteristics of the true pioneer, and in his religious belief was a stanch Presbyterian.

At the time of the removal of the Batsche- let family to America the subject of our sketch was sixteen years of age. He had received a fair education in his native land, and after their settlement in Indiana he rendered valua- ble assistance to his father in the clearing and improvement of the farm, and remained at home until he was twenty-two years old. At that age he engaged in teaming in Madison, Indiana. While in Madison, in October, 1841, he wedded Miss Eliza Hamilton, a native of Jefferson county, that State, and a daughter

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of Walker and Rebecca (Stover) Hamilton, both natives of Pennsylvania, Mr. Hamilton's birthplace being in Venango county, near the Susquehanna river. The year following his marriage Mr. Batschelet moved to Illinois, and was residing in that State at the time of the discovery of gold in California, when he became a victim of the gold "fever." In 1849 he was among the throng that made the overland jour- ney with ox teams to the Pacific coast, his route being by way of Salt Lake City and through the Great American Desert, and ninety- five days being required in making the journey. For over a year he worked in the mines, met with good success, and at the end of that time returned to his home in Illinois. After his re- turn he removed his family to Knox county, southeast of Galesburg, that same State, where they continued to reside until 1856. In 1856 he and his father-in-law, Walker Hamilton, and their families, came to Iowa, the journey hither being made in wagons and buggies and occupying sixteen days on the road, Guthrie county their objective point. Here Mr. Ham- ilton and Mr. Batschelet bought farms near to- gether, on which they settled, and Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton passed the rest of their lives and died on their farm. They had a son, Peter S. Hamilton, now deceased, who was named in honor of our subject, and was at one time one of the prominent business men of Panora. Mr. Batschelet's land purchase comprised nearly 400 acres. On this he erected a log cabin and the first year succeeded in breaking about 150 acres of the soil, and here for nearly forty years he has lived and prospered. The log cabin has long since given place to a comfortable frame residence, and other improvements from time to time have been made. His barns have rock foundations, his land is well watered by Coon river and the whole premises show the care and attention they have received. Re- cently Mr. Batschelet leased some of his land for a large tile manufactory. He has given eighty acres to each of his two sons and has in other ways helped all of his children. Seven of his eight children are living, namely: Mary,

wife of George Campbell of this county; Eliza Jane; Hannah, wife of Joshua Lahınan, Lee county, Illinois; Cynthia, wife of Charles M. Young, Guthrie Center, Iowa; P. W., and J. M. Batschelet, of this township; Emma, wife of Frank Plain, resides on a farm near Panora; and Maggie deceased. Mary, Emma, Hannah and Maggie were all successful teachers. The mother of this family died January 18, 1895, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a true Christian woman and loved by all who knew her.

Mr. Batschelet has always taken an active and commendable interest in local affairs, giv- ing his support to all movements intended to advance the temperance, moral and educa- tional interests of the community. For fifteen years he has served as a member of the School Board. Politically he is a stanch Democrat.

O R. J. W. BEAUCHAMP, Bedford, Iowa .- Ranking, as he does, among the foremost of Taylor county's lead- ing physicians, and being a native of the great State of Iowa and a son of one of its early pioneers and representative citizens, it is signally consistent that more than a pass- ing mention be made of Dr. J. W. Beauchamp, and an outline of his life is herewith presented. However, before speaking personally of the Doctor, we wish to refer briefly to his an- cestry.

It was many years ago that the Beauchamp family landed in America, having come hither from England. Further back than this its history cannot now be traced, but the fact that the name retains the French orthography is positive evidence that generations ago it be- longed to Bourbon, France. The Doctor's father, Levi Beauchamp, was born in Dela- ware in the year 1828, son of Joseph Beau- champ. When a boy Levi came west as far as Indiana and a few years later came on to Iowa, arriving here before the "Hawkeye State ". had been admitted into the Union, and enter- ing a tract of Government land in Davis coun-

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ty, where he still resides. He was married in Davis county to Miss Mary Jane Price, and reared the following children: J. W., whose name introduces this sketch; William and James, farmers of Davis county; Douglas, a practicing physician of Bloomfield, Iowa; and Misses Emma and Lizzie at home.

On his father's frontier farm in Davis coun- ty, November 7, 1851, Dr. J. W. Beauchamp first saw the light of day, and on the farm his early life was spent. After a course in Troy Academy, in his native county, he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Shelton, of Pulaski, Iowa, and subsequently entered medical college at Keokuk, where he gradua- ted in 1876. That year he located at West Grove, this State, and established himself in practice, soon attaining success and promi- nence. He remained at West Grove until 1891, with the exception of time spent in Chicago, where he further prepared himself for his life work by taking an advanced course in one of the leading medical institutions of that city. During the past four years he has been a resident of Bedford. Here he has built up an excellent practice, one of which any physician might feel proud, and not only as a professional man but also as a citizen of true worth does he occupy a high standing among the good people of the town of Bed- ford. While at West Grove Dr. Beauchamp served four years as Coroner of Davis county. He is a member of the Des Moines Valley Medical Society, and at this writing is presi- dent of the Pension Board of Taylor county.

Dr. Beauchamp was married in Davis county, Iowa, in 1878, on the 6th of Decem- ber, to Miss Melissa P. Ewing, daughter of William Ewing, deceased, who came to Iowa from Tennessee. She is a native of Center- ville, this State, and is a lady of culture and refinement. Their union has been blessed in the birth of three children, two daughters and a son, -Bertha, Lenore and Harry,-aged re- spectively thirteen, eleven and seven years.

Like most of the leading men throughout the country, Dr. Beauchamp has been initiated

into the mysteries of some of the popular secret organizations. He is a member in good standing of the F. & A. M., K. of P., and I. O. O. F.

ILLIAM Z. SWALLOW, one of the prominent farmers and stock-raisers of Dallas county, now living on sec- tion 16, Boone township, was born December 12, 1839, and is the eldest in the family of six children of Jonathan and Martha Swallow. The father was born in Richmond, Indiana, March 4, 1811, and the mother Au- gust 23, 1818. When a young man the former removed to Randolph county, Indiana, and there entered a farm on which he lived until 1849, when he came to Dallas county, Iowa. At that time there were but twelve houses in Des Moines, and their nearest neighbor was several miles distant. Mr. Swallow began the development and cultivation of the farmn, which he continued up to the time of his death, on the 21st of May, 1865. Several of his sons served in the Civil war; one son lost his life in the siege of Vicksburg, and another was taken prisoner by the guerrillas in July, 1863. He was then sent to Libby prison, afterward to Belle Isle, and finally to Andersonville, where he was exchanged in time to join his company and march with Sherman to the sea. At the close of the war he was inustered out in Wash- ington, District of Columbia, and has since been numbered among the leading citizens of Dallas county. He served for six years, --- from 1885 until 1891,-as Supervisor of the county.

Our subject was a lad of ten summers when, with his parents, he came to Iowa. He was reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier, sharing with the family in all the experiences and hardships of pioneer life. His educational privileges were necessarily limited, for the county was new and the schools somewhat primitive; but his training at farm labor was not meager, he aiding in the arduous task of developing the old homestead, and continued

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on the farm until the spring of 1862, when he offered his services to the Government, be- coming a member of Company E, Twenty- third Iowa Infantry. After serving for eleven months he was taken ill with the measles, aft- erward suffered an attack of mumps, and later of smallpox ! He was then forced to return home, and as soon as able he resumed work on the farm, having throughout his business career carried on agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. Upon his father's death he bought out the interests of the other heirs in the farm, and has since had entire management of the property, which he has steadily and con- stantly improved until it is to-day one of the most desirable places in Dallas county. He is now cultivating 200 acres of land, but his possessions altogether aggregate 480 acres. Upon his place he has a fine orchard and all the improvements and accessories of a model farm of the nineteenth century, but probably he is best known as a breeder of Poland-China hogs. For many years he has received the first and second premiums at the State and county fairs. In 1894 his entry-Ideal Black, U. S .- in the yearling class took first pre- mium and sold for $1,000. Another, U. S. Lady, took first premium, and Miss Young Golddust and Miss Seldom Seen took first and second premiums in the two-year-old class at the Iowa State Agricultural Fair of 1894. He owns the oldest drove in the State, and now has more than fifty fine specimens of the Po- land-China breed, including a full-blooded Ideal Black, U. S., which is registered under the name of Corwin King No. 17,071.

On the 11th of March, 1868, Mr. Swallow was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Robinson, a native of Pennsylvania, and to them have been born six children: George, born September 19, 1870, now a druggist of Des Moines; Charles, who was born March 24, 1873, and was married in December, 1891, to Miss Kate Feller, by whom he has one child; Mary E., born September 7, 1872; John F., born June 10, 1875; Sarah J., born January 13, 1879; and Oscar, born April 5, 1886.

Mr. Swallow was reared in the Quaker Church, but now attends the Methodist Church. He holds a membership in Sam Neil Post, No. 754, G. A. R., of Booneville, and takes a deep interest in its work and upbuilding. His po- litical support is given the Republican party, but he has never sought or desired office, pre- ferring to devote his time and labors to his business interests, in which he has met with signal success.

0 R. JAMES BAIRD BRENTON, de- ceased, the pioneer physician of Dal- las county, was born in Gallatin county, Kentucky, March 15, 1815. His parents were Rev. Henry and Esther (Baird) Brenton, both natives of Kentucky and the former of English and Scotch descent. The father of Rev. Henry Brenton served the Col- onies as a soldier during the seven years' war for independence and held a major's commis- sion. He was afterward killed at the door of his own home in Kentucky by Simon Gurty, the notorious outlaw who was leading a band of Indians against the white settlers. Rev. Henry Brenton and his brother Joseph were among the first settlers of Marion county, In- diana, and assisted in organizing the first Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis.

The Doctor received his primary education in the subscription schools of Marion county, and this was largely supplemented by private study. His medical education was acquired in the office of Dr. Rooker, of Indianapolis. He began the practice of his profession in Marion county, Indiana, in 1838. On the 12th of Sep- tember, 1853, he with several families, left the Hoosier State to find a home in the new State of Iowa. They came by team, arriving in Dallas county, October 14. On his arrival in this county the Doctor purchased a half section of school land and began its improve- ment and cultivation, in connection with the practice of medicine, having established an office in Adel, which at that time was a mere hamlet containing but few buildings. In those

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early days his rides extended as far as Des Moines, Jefferson and Winterset, subjecting him to many hardships and exposures, for which he was eminently fitted by nature with a vigorous constitution and untiring persever- ance. In 1863 he moved his family to Adel and continued in the successful practice of his profession until called away by death, Decem- ber 23, 1891.

Dr. Brenton was twice married. On the 22d of November, 1836, he married Elizabeth St. John, a native of Johnson county, Indiana, who died February 13, 1840, leaving one son, William Henry. On the 5th of August, 1841, he married Elizabeth Glenn, who was born in Kentucky, January 1, 1819. By this marriage he had six children, five of whom are living, namely: Archibald Glenn, a pharmacist of Plummer, Iowa; Clara J., widow of C. J. Ellis, of Adel; Andrew Thomas, a practicing physician of Sac City, Iowa; L. Almeda, who was a successful teacher for a number of years, and now lives with her mother; and James Millard, a resident of Des Moines. Mrs. Bren- ton, although nearly seventy-six years of age, is still quite strong, and resides at her pleasant home in Adel. On the 5th of August, 1891, the golden wedding of the Doctor and his good wife was fittingly celebrated; six. children, thirteen grandchildren and two great grand- children were present, while many people from city and country came to pay their re- spects to those worthy old pioneers.

He became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1856, and took an act- ive interest in that society. He cast his first presidential vote for William Henry Harrison, and remained an ardent Whig until the forma- tion of the. Republican party, after which he supported its men and measures. While he always took a lively interest in all public ques- tions, national, State and local, and labored earnestly for the support of Republican prin- ciples, he never sought or desired office for himself, preferring to devote his time and en- ergies to his profession and other business pur- suits. Probably no man ever lived in Dallas

county who was more widely known or highly respected. He was a man of fixed principles and strict integrity, whose whole life was gov- erned by conscientious motives. He followed the Golden Rule and walked in the light as he saw it, never wearied in well-doing, and when called to his reward he left to his family what Solomon said is better than great riches, "a good name."

EORGE S. DICK, superintendent of the public schools of Charles City, Iowa, whose ability as an educator is widely recognized, was born in Ox- ford county, Ontario, Canada, November 7, 1857. His father, Robert Dick, was a native of Scotland, and in that country was liberally educated. In his early manhood he crossed the Atlantic to New York city, where he re- mained for eighteen years. During that time he was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Anne Brown, a native of the Empire State and of Scotch and English descent. About 1855 he removed with his family to Canada, where he resided for eleven years engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1865 he became a resident of Iowa, settling in Linn county, where he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife. After three years' residence there he removed to Tama county, where he is now residing. He had a large family, numbering seven sons and six daughters, eight of whom are now liv- ing. These are John W., a farmer of O'Brien county, Iowa; Robert, a mechanic of Sanborn, Iowa; Mary E., now the wife of C. H. Bald- win, a farmer of Tama county, Iowa; Marga- ret E., wife of George McClung, a resident of Boise City, Idaho; George S .; Jessie B., wife of William Youell, a resident of Niobrara, Nebraska; David S., who is living in Hawar- den, Iowa; Findlay, a resident of Arkansas. Four children died in infancy or early child- hood; and William, a carpenter and builder of Cherokee, Iowa, died in January, 1890, leav- ing a wife and three children.

Superintendent Dick was a child of eight

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years when he accompanied his parents to this State. He was reared on a farm and acquired his elementary education in the country schools, where he was usually found at the head of his classes; so at the age of eighteen years he was competent to teach in the public schools of Tama county. For eight consecutive years he followed that profession, and during five years of that time taught in the graded school of Gladbrook. In September, 1884, he entered the Iowa State Normal School at Cedar Falls, and graduated there with the degree of B. D. in 1887, and the following year received the degree of B. S. His first school work there- after was in the capacity of principal of the New Sharon schools, a position he held for one year, when in 1889 he was offered and ac- cepted the more important and better paying position of superintendent of the Charles City schools. Here under his management are twenty-six teachers, occupying six school build- ings. Since his connection with the schools the growth of the city has made it necessary to increase the force of teachers from eighteen to twenty-six. The school course comprises twelve years' work, including three years' study in Latin, and the high school ranks among the best in the State, its graduates being admitted to the State University without examinations. When Professor Dick assumed charge of the schools here he was given $1,000 per annum. During the next two years he was paid $1,250, and in his seventh year he is now receiving $1,500. His elections to the position have al- ways been unanimous, and though he is a young man he ranks high among the educators of the State, and his executive ability gives promise that he will attain still greater suc- cesses in the future in the line of his profes- sion. Each year he spends his summer vaca- tions in institute work, and his services are always in demand in this direction. He does much private study.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 159

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