Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 167

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

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Paul Davis Hayward, Jr., was born in Kingston, Wisconsin, in 1849, attended Col- lege at Beloit, Wisconsin, and in 1870 lo- cated in Chicago, where for twenty. years he was connected with the paper business of that city, being for a time employed by the Rock River and J. W. Butler Paper companies, and later a partner in the Marseilles and Clark & Hayward Paper companies. He married Isa- bella Jackson, of Brockville, Ontario, June 7, 1882, and to them were born four children, three of whom are now living with their mother in Canada. He died at Brockville, Ontario, October 5, 1890.

Emma E., was born at Kingston, Wis-

consin, August 15, 1851, and now resides in Minneapolis.

Sarah V., was born in Kingston, Wiscon- sin, September 25, 1852, and is living at De- troit, Michigan.

Carrie L. was born in Kingston, Wiscon- sin, in 1857, accompanied the subject of this sketch to Waukon, in 1867, and was a student at Cornell College, Iowa, and Olivet College, Michigan. She was married at Waukon, Iowa, June 27, 1883, to R. J. Alexander, and they had four children, two of whom are living: Susie, born August 1, 1884; and Ruth, born March 17, 1895.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. A. M. May are: Frank Hayward, born in New York city, May 8, 1866: he is at present foreman of the Mankato Daily News, Mankato, Minnesota; Anna Laura, born August 4, 1867, in Floyd county, Iowa, married the Rev. G. N. Kenis- ton, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, No- vember 20, 1888, and died at Elkader, Iowa, April 29, 1890; Jessie Ella, born October 15, 1868, has been for several years the confiden- tial stenographer of the Washburn-Moen Com- pany, of Chicago; Robert Bruce was born June 20, 1870, married Lucy Taylor Stoddard, Oc- tober 4, 1893, and is now associate publisher of the Waukon Standard; Winifred, born Sep- tember 21, 1874, is now attending Cornell College, Iowa; Paul Davis, born March 18, 1876; Langford, February 5, 1878; and Marion, March 7, 1880. The three last named chil- dren are at home and attending school at Waukon.

Mr. May has been active in civic societies, being a member of the Masons, Waukon Lodge, No. 154; the I. O. O. F., Waukon Lodge, No. 182; and also Hope Encampment, I. O. O. F., No. 77; of the Legion of Honor; Diamond Lodge, No. 39, and of the G. A. R., the John Stillman Post, No. 194, he having served as Adjutant of the post for the past eight years. He was a charter member of the I. O. O. F., Legion of Honor, and G. A. R. societies at Waukon, Iowa. Mr. May claims to have been a Republican a greater number

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of years than any other man living in Iowa at the present time, or since the formation of the first Republican club of the country, the start- ing point of the great national Republican party, organized in the public-school house at Ripon, Wisconsin, March 20, 1854, by the indomitable efforts of Colonel A. E. Bovay, whose persistency, seconded by Horace Gree- ley, of the New York Tribune, gave the party its name, the first five organizing members be- ing Colonel A. E. Bovay, Jedediah Bowen, Amos Loper, Jacob Woodruff, and Abraham Thomas.

EMNON J. CARTER, attorney, Ossian, Iowa, was born at Waynes- ville, Warren county, Ohio, March II, 1850, being a son of Mahlon G. and Mary A. (Jackson) Carter. The Carters were originally from England. William Car- ter, grandfather of our subject, was a Quaker, a farmer by occupation, and lived in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He married Miss Headley, a Quaker lady of Pennsylvania.

Mahlon G. Carter, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Bucks county, Penn- sylvania, married in Philadelphia, and soon after moved to Warren county, Ohio. He returned to Philadelphia in 1851, where he ran a shoe shop, employing twelve men, his trade being that of a cobbler. July 4, 1856, he reached Winneshiek county, Iowa, and bought 100 acres of land from Samuel A. Duncan, paying him $500 for it. He lived on and farmed this land till his death, which occurred in April, 1869, he being sixty-nine years of age. The widow remained on the farm and worked it, with the help of her children, until 1874. She then moved to Ossian and made her home with our subject until her death, which oc- curred December 22, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. M. G. Carter were the parents of two children, as follows: Memnon J., subject of this sketch; and William Warren, who was born March 28, 1854, and is now proprietor of the steam roll- ing mill at Ossian. M. G. Carter was a Hicks-

ite Quaker, and a member of the Democratic party, although he took no active part in poli- tics. Personally he was of a nervous temper- ament, weighed about 175 pounds, and was about five feet eleven and one-half inches in height. On the mother's side of the house the ancestry is Scotch-Irish. The mother of our subject had no sisters and but one brother, Andrew, who was younger than herself.

Mr. M. J. Carter, whose name heads this mention, remained on the old home farm with his mother until September, 1874. He then came to Ossian and entered the general store of D. D. Rosa as clerk, where he was employed for six months. He now began reading law with Mr. G. L. Faust, of Ossian, as preceptor. After six months he accepted the position of Deputy Clerk at Decorah, the office of Clerk being then filled by A. W. Brownell, the only Democrat that ever occupied it. He held this position for two years, and during this time continued his law studies. January 23, 1877, he was admitted to the bar, after having under- gone a rigid examination conducted by Messrs. E. E. Cooley, C. P. Brown and C. H. Bullis, C. T. Granger, now of the Supreme Bench, being the District Judge. He was later ad- mitted to practice before the State Supreme and United States District Courts.

February 9, 1880, associated with L. A. Meyer, our subject started the Ossian Bank, a private banking institution, the firm name being Meyer & Carter. In May, 1882, it moved into its present quarters, and has since con- tinued to do business there. In September, 1890, Frank Figge was taken in as a partner, and the firm name changed to Meyer, Carter & Figge. In August, 1890, this firm, asso- ciated with Charles N. Flagler, of Lime Springs, Iowa, erected a brick building and started a banking business at that point, Mr. Flagler being put in charge of it. In January, 1885, our subject purchased the Ossian Bee from Henry Woodruff, that gentleman remain- ing as manager for the following eight months, when Mr. Carter gave his personal attention to. the paper and has since conducted it as a

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straight Democratic organ. It is an eight- page, patent-face publication, issued on Thurs- day of each week, and is the only paper in the town.

In addition to his other interests, Mr. Car- ter is the owner of a fine tract of farm land in Howard county, comprising 320 acres, which he cultivates through tenants.

Like his ancestors, our subject has also affili- ated with the Democratic party. He served on the State Central Committee as a member from the Fourth Congressional District for eight years. He was elected County Attorney in the fall of 1889, took office in January, 1890, and served his term of two years, being the only Democrat that ever held the office. In the race for re-election he was defeated by the present incumbent, E. P. Johnson, although he ran over 300 ahead of his ticket. In the late Democratic convention which met at New Hampton for the purpose of electing a Con- gressional candidate, our subject was a promi- nent figure and on the fourteenth ballot he tied the successful aspirant, Walt. H. Butler. Mr. Carter frequently serves on committees at the State conventions of his party, more particu- larly on committees on resolutions. He was Mayor of Ossian for ten years, and has acted as Treasurer of the school fund for the past thirteen years.

Our subject was married April 5, 1878, to Miss Mattie Baker Harvey, daughter of Ho- ratio Nelson and Martha (Baker) Harvey. She was born in Pennacook, New Hampshire, in June, 1855. Their only child is Ralph Waldo, born April 20, 1879; he is now taking a commercial course at the Upper Iowa Univer- sity.

Mr. Carter is a Freemason, and has served as Master of Arcturus Lodge, No. 237, for the past fourteen years. He is also a Knight Templar, of Beausant Commandery, Deco- rah; and a Shriner of the El-Kahir Temple, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He belongs to the Win- neshiek Lodge, No. 378, K. of P., at Calmar, Iowa, and carries insurance in the Modern Woodmen of America.

R EGINALD FITZHARDINGE BERK- LEY-PORTMAN was born on the manor of Staple-Fitzpaine, Somerset county, England, February 20, 1853, and is a son of the Hon. Fitzhardinge Berkley- Portman, by Frances Ann, nce Darnell, his wife. Mr. Portman comes of one of England's old families. The present Viscount Portman, is his first cousin.

Mr. Portman had a naval career marked out for him by his parents, which, however, was destined to be short, for in 1869 he met with an accident, rendering him an invalid. In 1872 he came to America, reaching Decorah, Iowa, in May of that year. The first year in this country he spent on a farm for the pur- pose of learning something of the industry as practiced here. In the spring of 1873, he pur- chased an interest in the Eagle Foundry, De- corah, being associated with Messrs. Horn and Clive, under the firm name of Horn, Port- man, Clive & Company. This firm did a general foundry business, and also had a machine shop in connection. It was dissolved in 1876. He then began the study of law and was admitted to practice November 1, 1878, was admitted to the United States Circuit and District Courts in April, 1883. He became a full citizen of this country in May, 1877, that being the date of his naturalization. He was appointed United States Commissioner, with office at Decorah, in January, 1886, and is still acting in that capacity. He was one of the original directors in the Citizens' Savings Bank, of Decorah, and is now vice-president of that · institution. In addition to his other business he handles considerable real estate. His law practice is principally in courts of chancery.

Mr. Portman was married November 6, 1878, at Decorah, to Mrs. Caroline S. War- ren, widow of Captain S. H. Warren, and daughter of John Stewart, of Jefferson county, New York. There are two children, -Fran- ces Catherine and John F. B.

Our subject holds himself independent in politics. He has been a member of the Epis- copal Church from childhood, and is at pres-

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RECORD OF IOWA.

ent an officer in the Decorah church. He served for a number of years as Justice of the Peace at Decorah, Iowa. He was chief En- gineer of the Volunteer Fire Department of Decorah, for three years, and organized the present hook and ladder company.

He was Master of Great Lights Lodge, No. 181, A. F. & A. M., Decorah; also Past Com- mander of the Beausant Commandery, No. 12. He is the Grand Treasurer.of the Grand Chap- ter of Iowa, and also the Past Grand Treas- urer of the Grand Commandery of the State of Iowa.

F RANCIS WILSON DAUBNEY, M. D., practicing physician, and Mayor of the city of Decorah, Iowa, was born June 28, 1856, on his father's farm in Pleasant township, Winneshiek county, Iowa, and is a son of Wilson and Lucy Ade- laide (Whittemore) Daubney.

William Daubney, grandfather of our sub- ject and the founder of the American branch of the family, was a remarkable man in many respects. He was born near Dunham, Lin- colnshire, England, in 1790; married Mary Wilson, and in 1824, accompanied by his wife and five children, emigrated to America, land- ing at Quebec, and shortly after came on through to Chittenden county, Vermont. He was a Methodist preacher and very zealous in his ministerial work, but depended entirely for a living on the income derived from farming, and pursued that occupation in the townships of Shelburn, Williston and Hinesburg, suc- cessively. After a residence of sixteen years in Vermont, Mr. Daubney and eight of his neighbors joined together for the purpose of coming West and laying a broader and firmer foundation for future success. Accordingly, in the fall of 1836, this little colony sent forward Mr. Daubney to select lands for them in the new and fertile Territory of Michigan. He located over 1, 200 acres of land for this party of emigrants, in Kalamazoo county, 160 acres of which, in section 17, Richland township,

was for his own home. Here he lived, and preached, and farmed the remainder of his life. He was married four times. The chil- dren by the first wife, nce Mary Wilson, were: Samuel, who died in Illinois; John, now living in Minnesota; Elizabeth, who married William Cummings and makes her home in Minnesota; Wilson, father of our subject; George, a resi- dent of West Decorah; Mary Ann, who died at sixteen years of age; Ellen, who married La- fayette Kimball and resides in Kansas; Sarah Jane, who married William Travis, and was living in Michigan at the time of her death; William, now deceased, made his home in Minnesota; and Emeline, the youngest child, died at twelve years of age.

Mrs. Daubney died the year after the home was changed from Vermont to Michigan, and was forty years of age. She was the loving wife, the mother of all his children, his main- stay and support during the darkest days of their life in England and for the first seventeen years of the pioneer life in America. Mr. Daubney returned to Vermont, married for his second wife Pomona Wilder, and brought her to the home in Michigan. She lived but two years after the marriage. The third wife was Mrs. Adeline (Powell) Wingate, a Vermont lady and widow of George Wingate, who had moved to Michigan with her husband. This union lasted for ten years, when it was broken by her death. The fourth wife of Mr. Daub- ney, Mrs. Ann (McFarland) Baxter, was the widow of Jonathan Baxter, and she survived her husband by ten years, her death having occurred in 1888.

As remarked in a former paragraph, Will- iam Daubney was a remarkable man. The accident of birth among the lowly, at a time when the poor of England were in little better condition than slaves, necessitated the spend- ing of his childhood, youth, and early man- hood at almost incessant farm labor. Many the days that he worked in the field, side by side with the woman that later became his wife, and received for such labor hardly the bare necessities of life.

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Being of an intensely religious disposition, Mr. Daubney early embraced the doctrines of Methodism, that religion which came as manna in the wilderness to the poor of England. . When but twenty years of age he began to preach, or exhort, and on coming to America he took charge of a circuit. Later he was made Presiding Elder, and was active in min- isterial work up to the time of his death. He never received any compensation for his serv- ices as a minister other than his accommoda- tion while traveling. In the early days of the church in America the congregations were far apart, and to cover the district of a presiding elder required much laborious travel. After locating in Michigan, Mr. Daubney invested to some extent in lands, which later enhanced in value as the country settled up, and placed him in comfortable circumstances. At the

time of his death in 1878 he was estimated to be worth $40,000, or more. He was always liberal with his means. When the Methodist church was built at Richland, he contributed $4,000 in cash, which was the bulk of its cost. He became a well informed man by his indi- vidual exertions, his advantages in youth amounting to nothing. On sectarian questions, and in general information, he was especially well informed and commanded the respect of men who should have been his superior.

Wilson Daubney, father of our subject, was born in Lincolnshire, England, April 28, 1822, not far from the city of Lincoln, and at pres- ent lives retired in Decorah, Iowa. He re- mained under the paternal roof until twenty years of age. In November, 1842, he came further west, to Chisago county, Minnesota, but did not locate. Returning east to Kane county, Illinois, he bought a farm of seventy acres in Hampshire township; here he resided for twelve years. He had previously visited Winneshiek county, Iowa, in 1842, and in April, 1856, he came here and located a tract of 240 acres of land in Pleasant township, 160 acres of which came direct from the Govern- ment and is still owned by Mr. Daubney. This land lay in sections 32, 28 and 27, the

bulk being in section 32. In the fall of 1858 he rented his farm and moved to Chisago county, Minnesota, where he farmed on a small scale and ran a boarding-house until the spring of 1861, when he returned to the home place again. In the fall of 187 1 he was called to the old homestead in Michigan, to take care of the place and look after the old people. He lived there until March, 1876, when he re- turned to his home-farm in Iowa, which he occupied until his removal to town, November 1, 1890.

He was married March 31, 1850, in Illinois, to Miss Lucy Adelaide Whittemore, a daughter of Thomas and Melinda (Cresson) Whitte- more. She was born in Utica, New York, October 27, 1821, and died at Decorah, Iowa, August 23, 1893. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Daubney are: Emeline, born in Illinois, May 31, 1852, and died April 6, 1868, in Iowa. Francis Wilson, the subject of this sketch; Jaines Walter, born in Minnesota, July 30, 1859, and is now in business in De- corah; Mary Edith, born in Iowa, May 6, 1864, is now living with her father.

Dr. F. W. Daubney, whose name heads this mention, attended public school and was for two years a student at Prairie Seminary, a Baptist institution located at Richland, Mich- igan. In 1876 he took the second year's course at the State Normal School located at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He began teaching in his eighteenth year and taught in all nineteen terms, extending over a period of eight years, and principally in the towns of Freeport, Frankville and Conover. Dr. Daubney began reading medicine in 1880, with Dr. G. A. Rogers, of Frankville, as preceptor. He took a degree from the medical department of the State University, March 7, 1883, and at once opened an office at Frankville, where he prac- ticed for four years, and then sold the practice in order to give further time to his studies. Our subject now entered the Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital of New York city, from which he took a degree March 5, 1888, after a six-months course. He then came to Decorah,

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and has since conducted a successful and rap- idly increasing practice.

Politically, he is a Republican. He is not a politician, but in the spring of 1895 he was urged to take the office of Mayor, and ac- quiesced more from a sense of duty than for any other reason.

Dr. Daubney was made a Mason at Frank- ville, Union Bond Lodge, No. 66. He now belongs to the Great Light Lodge, No. 181, A. F. & A. M., and to King Solomon Chap- ter, No. 35, R. A. M., Decorah, Iowa. He is also a K. T., being connected with Beausant Commandery. In Odd Fellowship he is a member of the Winneshiek Lodge, No. 58, Decorah.

Our subject was married September 2, 1880, to Miss Edith Lucinda Strayer, who was born October 28, 1860, and is a native of De- corah, Iowa. They have one child, Morris Wilson, born January 13, 1884.

Dr. Daubney possesses many of the char- acteristics which made his grandfather an ex- ceptional and prominent man in his day. The position which he occupies in society and his high standing in the medical profession are due entirely to his own efforts. He is a progressive man in every sense of that term, and is in line with the best element of the community.

O LE S. THOMPSON, retired mer- chant, Ossian, Iowa, was born on the farm Urevand, located near Chris- tiansand, Norway, March 23, 1840, his parents being Torkel S. and Rangnel (Lar- sen) Thompson. The parents of our subject, with six children, emigrated from the old coun- try in 1859, reaching Quebec in July of that year. They came on through to Winneshiek county, Iowa, and Mr. Thompson, Sr., started a blacksmith shop at Washington Prairie.

Mr. O. S. Thompson, the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, began life for himself on the arrival of the family in Iowa, and for the next seven years did ordinary farm work. He then entered the employ of Finn Brothers,

hardware dealers, Decorah, Iowa, and remained with them for six years, during which time he became proficient in the business. In the meantinie the parents of our subject had moved to Fayette county, Iowa, and Mr. Thompson now accepted a clerical position in the service of Mr. B. H. Ropes, of Eldorado, in order to be near the home folks.

In 1875 he came to Ossian, Iowa, and, as- sociated with H. Paulson, bought out the hard- ware business of D. D. Rosa, the new firm be- ing Paulson & Thompson. At the end of two years Mr. Paulson sold his interest to Hans Olsen, and the firm became Thompson & Olsen. January 1, 1882, this firm sold out to E. Schoonmaker & Co., and our subject started a hardware business of his own, which he has continued up to the present; the stock, how- ever, is now small, it being the purpose of Mr. Thompson to close out the business and retire to private life.

Our subject was married September 25, 1877, to Miss Laura Brenne Thompson, a daughter of Tosten F. and Christina Thomp- son: no relationship existed, however, between the two families. Mrs. Thompson was born in Norway, January 29, 1847. Her parents emigrated to Illinois in 1850. In 1854 they came to Iowa and located on a farm in Winne- shiek county. The children of Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Thompson are: Theresa Maria, born August 16, 1878; Theodore Elmer, born No- vember 14, 1880; Cora Ragina, born January 29, 1883; Anna Louisa, born September 10, 1885; Albert Johan, born March 6, 1888; and Ethel Olea, born March 25, 1892.

Mr. Thompson and family are members of the Lutheran Church. Our subject has been one of the most prominent factors in the coun- ty, in Republican politics, with which party he has always affiliated. He served as Township Clerk for two years, Township Collector for one year, City Treasurer for seven years, and is at present Township Trustee, in which capac- ity he has served for three years. He was ap- pointed Postmaster of Ossian in April, 1889, and served for four years.

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Mr. Thompson is a very pleasant gentle- man to meet, and impresses one as being a man of exactness and care in all his dealings. He is methodical in whatever he does, and for this reason he made one of the best Postmas- ters at Ossian that ever served the people. His polite and courteous manner, added to his other good qualities, endear him to his admir- ers, and make him respected by all.

S AMUEL HOLMES, a leading attor- ney of Hamburg, Iowa, and vice president of the Farmners and Mer- chants' Bank of this place, has been in Hamburg longer than any other active busi- ness man here, the date of his arrival here be- ing March, 1866. At that time the town con- tained only 150 people: to-day it is a second- class city.

Mr. Holmes was reared on a farm in the neighboring State of Illinois, and in his early life had but few advantages compared with what the farmer boy of to-day enjoys. As soon as he was old enough to be of any use on the farm he was permitted to attend school occasionally, and only during the short winter term; but he spent his odd moments in study, and after he was twenty-two he was a student for one term in the Granville schools, and still later spent two years in college at Wheaton, Illinois. On his return home he taught the district school where he had formerly been a pupil. In 1866 he left the old homestead in La Salle county, Illinois, and made the jour- ney across the country to Hamburg, Iowa, landing at this place in March, as above stated. He had previously decided upon the law as his profession, and had read law a short time be- fore coming West. Here he continued his studies for one year in the office of R. K. Crandall, after which he entered the State University, where he pursued a regular course and graduated in 1868. Immediately after his graduation he engaged in the practice of law, under the firm name of Crandall & Holmes. His other partnerships have been under the

names of Holmes & Simons, Dalby & Holmes, and Holmes & French, the last-named asso- ciation being dissolved some eight years ago. All have been among the strong law firmns of Hamburg. While Mr. Holmes has all these years conducted a general law practice, his forte has been in equitable actions, and during his career he has accumulated considerable property, now being the owner of valuable real estate in Hamburg, and having a fifty-acre fruit farm near the town. His connection with the Farmers and Merchants' Bank dates from its organization, in 1884. The first two years he was its president, and has since then occu- pied the position of vice president.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 167

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