Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 184

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

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Having thus briefly referred to the parent- age of Mr. Mattern, we come now to a review ·of his own life. He was reared on a farm in Hendricks county, Indiana, and lived there un- til 1880, since which time he has been a resi- dent of Iowa. He owns a good farm in Frank- lin township, Polk county, this State. In January, 1892, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Polk county, in which capacity he has since been serving most efficiently, his courage and nerve here standing him in good stead.

Mr. Mattern was first married April 15, 1874, to Miss Sarah H. Pinson, daughter of John Pinson, who bore him three children: William, Charles, and Carrie. William died in early childhood, and Mrs. Mattern departed this life August 21, 1889. She was a most es-

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timable woman, was a member of the Friends' Church, and was loved by all who knew her. In March, 1892, Mr. Mattern married Miss Susie E. Malone, daughter of John and Phœbe (Hannerger) Malone. They have one child, -- Florence. The present Mrs. Mattern is identi- fied with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Politically Mr. Mattern supports the Re- publican party. He has been initiated into the mysteries of the F. & A. M., I. O. O. F. and K. of P., and maintains a membership in good standing in all these orders.

AJOR THOMAS P. SPILMAN, Ottumwa, Iowa, has maintained his residence in this State for a period of nearly thirty years, and for the past fifteen years has been employed as buyer for John Morrell & Company, pack- ers. He is a man well known throughout this part of the State, and a biography of him will be read with interest by many.

Major Thomas P. Spilman is a " Hoosier " by birth. He was born in Decatur county, In- diana, June 11, 1845, one of the eleven chil- dren of John B. and Amelia (Percival) Spilman, both natives of Kentucky. Five of this large family are now living, -Thomas P., Dr. S. A., James H., Harvey M., and Dorinda R. John B. Spilman, the father, came out to Iowa in 1870 and settled on a farm in Highland town- ship, Wapello county, where he carried on agricultural pursuits the rest of his life, and where he died in 1876, at the age of fifty-six years. His wife survived him until 1881. She was fifty-seven at the time of death. Both were worthy members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and for a number of years he was a local preacher of that denomination. During the war he served a short time in the Union army, as a private in the Seventy-sixth Indiana; and he served two terms as Auditor of Decatur county, Indiana. Thomas Frank Spilman, the grandfather of Thomas P., was born in Kentucky of English ancestors, and was one of the pioneer Methodist ministers of 73

Indiana. He was a genial, kind-hearted man, was small of stature and lame, and was for many years engaged in the work of the minis- try, and *was the means of accomplishing a great amount of good. He died in Indiana, at about the age of seventy-two years. He and his wife had three children. Of our subject's maternal grandfather, Timothy Percival, we record that he was a native of New York, was of Scotch descent, and by occupation was a farmer. He died in middle life.

Major T. P. Spilman spent his boyhood days on a farm in his native county. He was in his 'teens when the great Civil war was pre- cipitated upon the country; his patriotic young spirit was at once aroused to enthusiasm, and at the early age of sixteen he enlisted in Coni- pany B, Fifty-second Indiana Volunteer In- fantry, in which he served nearly two years, being then discharged on account of physical disability. Upon the recovery of his health he re-enlisted, this time in Company A, One Hun- dred and Forty-sixth Regiment, and served until the close of the war. He participated in the battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh and in many skirmishes, and for his courage and faithfulness in service was promoted, first to the rank of Lieutenant of Company A, after- ward to that of Captain, and finally to that of Major.

The year following the close of the war Major Spilman came out to Iowa and settled on a farm in Highland township, in Wapello county, where he carried on agricultural pur- suits for eight years. In 1874 he was elected Sheriff, at the end of his term was re-elected, and altogether served four years, after which he resumed farming and was thus occupied until 1880. That year he entered the employ of the Morrell Pork Packing company, and has ever since been engaged in buying stock for this company. His business takes him over much of this part of the State and during the years of his connection with this company he has made a wide acquaintance.

September 10, 1866, Mr. Spilman was united in marriage with Miss Almira Randel,

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daughter of Benjamin and Miranda (Lathrop) Randel, and they have had three children, two sons and a daughter, -Thomas Hollady, John Mellville and Margaret. John M. died in Au- gust, 1891, at the age of twenty years. Thomas H. is a planter at Canton, Mississippi. He married Miss Nettie Norris and they have one child, Thomas P. The Major and his wife and daughter reside at their home on North Market street, Ottumwa.

He is a Republican, is allied with the best elements of his party, and has served one term as Alderman for the Second ward of Ottumwa. Fraternally, he is identified with the I. O. O. F. and G. A. R., and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a Steward.

ENERAL JAMES B. WEAVER. -- Prominent as a statesman and in po- litical and military circles, General Weaver, of Des Moines, is known throughout the nation. He was born in Day- ton, Ohio, June 12, 1833, and is a son of Abram and Susan (Imley) Weaver, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New Jersey.

His father was a mechanic and farmer, who during the latter part of his life served as Clerk of the District Courts for six years in Davis county, Iowa, and for eight years in Atchison, Kansas, where he died in 1886, at the age of eighty-three years. His wife died in 1885, at the age of seventy-nine. They were reared in the faith of the Society of Friends, but later in life became connected with the Methodist Church. The paternal grandfather, Henry Weaver, was a soldier of the war of 1812, and descended from honored Revolutionary stock. He had command of Fort Washington in Cin- cinnati, and remained in the service until the close of hostilities. For a number of years he filled the position of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Hamilton county, Ohio, and died at an advanced age. He had removed to that State in its pioneer days and became prominent in connection with Indian warfare,

and was noted for his fearlessness, his force of character and his commanding influence. The Weaver family originated in Germany, but emigrated to this country from England. The maternal grandfather, George Imley, was long a resident in New Jersey, came of a family of English manufacturers, and was also a soldier in the war of 1812.

The parents of the General had thirteen children, of whom eight are now living, as follows: Elizabeth, wife of Dr. Woodward, of Fort Scott, Kansas; Mary, wife of James Mc- Ginnis; Margaret, wife of Dr. H. B. Horn, of Atchison, Kansas; George I .; Theodore C .; Nancy, wife of George Taylor, of Atchison, Kansas; and James B.

General Weaver spent the first eight years of his life in the Buckeye State, and then was brought by his parents to Iowa, where he has since made his home. "Some men achieve greatness, some men are born great, and some men are born in Ohio," is a saying attributed to Chauncey Depew in one of his witty after- dinner speeches. General Weaver belongs to the first and last classes. His early surround- ings were those of moderate circumstances, but from a humble position he has worked his way upward until the nation numbers him among its prominent statesmen. He was reared on a farm and began his education in a log schoolhouse such as frontier settlements af- forded; but he early realized the need of an education and determined to pursue a thorough classical course. His abilities, talents and tastes seemed to call him to a learned profession, and hc studied law under the instructions of Samuel G. McAchran, of Bloomfield, Iowa, until the summer of 1853, when he crossed the plains with an ox team to California. He returned, however, in the succeeding autumn and con- tinued his law studies. In order to meet his expenses he secured a clerkship in a mercantile establishment of Edwin Manning, of Bona- parte, Iowa, who is now living in Keosauqua and ranks among the wealthiest men of the Des Moines valley. During this time General Weaver spent what is usually known as leisure

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time in continuing his law studies. In the meantime he formed a warm friendship for George W. McCreary, afterward a member of Congress, Secretary of War and United States Circuit Judge. Mr. McCreary was a Whig and Mr. Weaver a supporter of the Demo- crat party at that time, and they frequently met each other in debate on the Douglas bill and the Kansas troubles.

After two years' private study, Mr. Weaver entered the law department of Cincinnati College, and pursued his studies under the direction of such distinguished men as Delany Storer, Myron H. Tilden, Maskel E. Kerwin and others, being graduated in the spring of 1855 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He then returned home, entered upon the practice of his chosen profession and took an active part in the organization of the Republican party in this section of the State.

When Fort Sumter was fired upon and the South thereby declared hostilities against the Government, Mr. Weaver at once offered his services in defense of the Union, in April, 1861, enlisting as a private. He was elected First Lieutenant of Company G, Second Iowa Infantry, and immediately entered the active service. He participated in every march, skirmish and battle of that renowned regiment, -being never off duty,-scaled the heights of Donelson, and passed through the bloody scenes of Shiloh. The night before the san- guinary battle of Corinth he was commis- sioned Major of his regiment. The day follow- ing his colonel and intimate friend, James Baker, fell mortally wounded and this left Major Weaver second in command of the regi- ment, in the midst of an important engage- ment. By the first volley on the second day of the battle the Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Mills, was mortally wounded, and Major Weaver was thus left in command of his regi- ment, which he led triumphantly through the battle and the next day was unanimously re- commended as Colonel and at once commis- sioned. He commanded the regiment longer than any other officer and frequently had com-

mand of the brigade, a notable instance being the crossing of the Osstenalla river, where he laid the pontoons under fire and drove the enemy from the rifle pits. He had cominand of the post at Pulaski, Tennessee, during the winter of 1863-4, and in the spring started at the head of his regiment with Sherman on the march to the sea. For gallantry on the field he was brevetted by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. He con- tinued at the front, valiantly defending the old flag until the war was closed and he was hon- orably discharged.

General Weaver then returned to his home and resumed the practice of law in Bloomfield, Iowa. In 1866 he was elected District Attor- ney for the Second Judicial District and held the office for four years, when he declined a renomination. He also served as United States Internal Revenue Collector for the First Dis- trict of Iowa for six years, or until the office was abolished. In 1874 he was a prominent candidate for Governor before the Republican convention of Iowa, and was fairly nominated but was defeated through the manipulation of friends of other candidates who pooled their strength and nominated Samuel J. Kirkwood, the old " war governor."

In 1877 he left the Republican party on account of its attitude on financial questions, especially on silver. The following year he ran as a Greenback candidate for Congress from the Sixth Iowa District, and was in- dorsed by the Democrats and overcame 4,000 Republican majority, defeating his Republican opponent, Judge Sampson, by a majority of 2, 100. His record in the Forty-sixth Congress is known to the whole country. His memora- ble debate with General Garfield and the thir- teen weeks' struggle with Speaker Randall for recognition, in which Mr. Weaver was success- ful, brought him prominently before the pub- lic, and in 1880 he was nominated for the Presidency of the United States by the National Greenback party, and made a can- vass which attracted the whole country and polled 357,000 votes, which was more than the

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combined vote of Peter Cooper, General But- ler and A. J. Streeter, who were candidates for the same office. In 1884 he again ran for Congress and was elected, defeating Hon. F. T. Campbell. In 1886 he was again elected in the race with Hon. John Donnell, but at the time of his fourth nomination in 1888 was defeated by John Lacey. From 1877 through every year without exception General Weaver kept up an active canvass in behalf of the prin- ciples of the reforin movement, which he ex- tended into every State and Territory. He has canvassed every State and Territory in the Union except Vermont, has spoken in Faneuil Hall and repeatedly at Cooper Union, New York. He has held many memorable debates, among them a debate with Attorney General Cutts, of Des Moines, Iowa, with General Gar- field on the floor of the House and many others while in Congress. In Philadelphia, in 1893, he met in debate Henry Watterson and Lieu- tenant Governor Woodford, of New York. His speeches are now extensively published as.ed- ucational documents. He is a man of broad mind, comprehensive, analytical, logical, and in debate is quick to note the strong and as- sailable points in an opponent's argument, and ready to meet them with a telling answer. In 1892 he was nominated at Omaha, Nebraska, by the People's party, for President of the United States, and made an active canvass from sea to sea and from the gulf to the lakes. He spoke extensively in twenty-nine States, delivered one hundred and fifty-two addresses during that canvass, most of them to immense out-of-door audiences. He received twenty- two electoral votes that were counted and two or three that were not counted on account of some technicality. He was the first presiden- tial candidate since Fremont that succeeded in getting into the electoral college.

Since 1892 General Weaver has been ex- tensively engaged in delivering addresses on subjects of reform through the North, South, East and West. In 1894 he was nominated for Congress in the Ninth District by the Pop- ulists and indorsed by the Democrats. He

made a very strong canvass and received several hundred more votes than the Democratic and Populist tickets combined, but was defeated in the general landslide which extended through- out the country. In the Fiftieth Congress, when Speaker Carlisle was presiding, he caused a deadlock in the House which continued for a week and thus compelled the passage of the Oklahoma bill. His unswervable attachment to any cause which he champions necessarily wins him very ardent friends and also makes him some very bitter enemies, but all acknowl- edge his fidelity to principle and honor him for it. His mental abilities are equaled by his splendid physical powers, and although now sixty-two years of age he never tires nor suf- fers from ill health.

The home life of General Weaver has been very pleasant. He was happily married July 14, 1858, to Miss Clara Vinson, a daughter of Cuthbert and Deborah (Sewers) Vinson. Her father belonged to a distinguished Maryland family, extensively engaged in marine traffic. Eight children have been born to General and Mrs. Weaver, three sons and five daughters. Maude, the eldest, is now the wife of Rev. Edward H. Robinson, of Denver. James B. is a member of the law firm of Gatch, Conner & Weaver; he married Miss Fay Atkins, and has one son, Eastman. Susan is the wife of H. C. Evans, who is at the head of the bureau of the Treasury Department at Washington, is the historian of the law department of Colum- bia College, and recently won the prize in a debate there. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have one daughter, Alice. Abram C. is a mechanic and electrician of marked ability in charge of an electric-light plant in Washington, District of Columbia. Laura is the wife of Albert Ketchunı, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, the son of the celebrated artist who designed the Soldiers' Monument now being erected in Des Moines. One of the medallions upon the monument is a life-sized picture of General Weaver. Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum have a son, Weaver. Paul, the next of the family, died at the age of three years. Ruth is the wife of Harvey M. Denney,

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of Des Moines, by whom she has a daughter, Helen. They make their home with the Gen- eral and his wife, as does the youngest daugh- ter, Esther.

General and Mrs. Weaver are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and she is a prominent worker in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Socially, he is connected with the Knights of Labor, the Farmers' Alli- ance and the Industrial Union. His political connection has been with two parties. His father was a Jackson Democrat, but he joined the Republican party, which he supported until 1877, since which time he has been connected with the Peter Cooper or Greenback move- inent, under whatever name it has been known. For ten years he edited the Iowa Tribune. He occasionally engages in law practice, and greatly enjoys his work in that profession, but it is lim- ited on account of his extensive reform labors. He is the author of two very valuable books, one entitled "A Call to Action,"-a work on general political reform questions, which has reached a large sale. The other is called "The Supreme Court of the United States," and is a critical examination of the decisions of the courts and their assumption of power in three important lines of investigation, coming down to the late decisions concerning the sugar trust, the Debs case and the income tax. He is the only author who has written extensively upon the Supreme Court of the United States, and his criticisms of that tribunal are so fair and just that they meet with the general ap- proval of the reading public in all parts of the country.

For the past five years General Weaver has made his home in Des Moines, and his pleas- ant, agreeable manner has won him a host of friends throughout the country. Only a man of superior ability could have attained the emi- nent position which he occupies to-day in the affairs of the nation. The success which has crowned his public career, and the intelligent and manly grasp he has taken of political re- form, indicates a power the influence of which will be felt for many years to come. His

strong sympathy and active co-operation with every movement for the benefit of the masses, and his broad and liberal spirit, guiding great and generous efforts, deserves recognition, and his honorable and irreproachable career have won the confidence of the public even though some are his political enemies.

ARTIN MELANDER, Chief of the Fire Department of Des Moines, was born in Christiania, Norway, June 7, 1860, and is a son of John and Bertha (Thompson) Melander, both of whom were natives of the same country. Their family numbers five sons and four daugh- ters, of whom five are now living, namely: Martin, John, Louis, Ella, wife of Thomas Robinson, of Rock Island, Illinois; and Ida.

The father of this family was a railroad man, employed on construction work. He came to America in 1866 and settled with his family in Des Moines, where he lived until his death, which occurred on the 14th of October, 1893, when he had reached the age of sixty- seven years. He was killed by being run over by a switching train. His widow still sur- vives him. They were members of the Lu- theran Church, and people of sterling worth, highly respected by all. In his native land Mr. Melander served as Constable for about ten years. The paternal grandfather of our subject died in Norway when a young man and little is known of his life's career. He had only two children: John and Ingar Peters, both now deceased. The maternal grand- father, Berger Thompson, was also a native of the Land of the Midnight Sun, and throughout his active business life followed farming. H died about 1890, when past the age of ninety years. His wife still survives him, making her home in Westfield, Norway, and has reached the age of ninety years.

Martin Melander was a child of only six summers when brought by his parents to America and therefore the greater part of his life has been passed in Iowa. He was reared

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in Des Moines, and acquired his elementary education in the public schools, after which he attended a night school. He was desirous of acquiring a good education, recognizing its importance in business life; and by experience, reading and observation he has made himself a well informed man. From early life he has been dependent upon his own resources. When about thirteen years of age he began to learn the butch- er's trade with J. B. Duff, and continued in the employ of that gentleman for about seven years. In the latter part of 1880 began his connection with the City Fire Department, he being elected foreman of the company at the first meeting, receiving at that time only part pay. In 1883 the reorganization was effected and the department then received full pay, starting with seventeen men. Mr. Melander was made a driver of truck No. I, and con- tinued in that capacity for two years, when he was elected captain of Hose Company No. 2, doing duty in connection with it for two years. He was then transferred to department head- quarters as secretary, and did all the building for the department and furnishing supplies. In March, 1891, he was appointed by the City Council as chief of the Fire Department of the city, having charge of eleven engine houses and fifty-six men. The department has three chemical engines and four combination chem- ical and hose and five hose wagons, together with about 12,000 feet of hose and twelve truck companies. They use the direct pressure of the Holly system of water works, and have one of the most efficient fire departments in the West, which is largely owing to the capa- ble management and careful supervision of its chief.

On the 23d of September, 1885, Mr. Melander was united in marriage with Miss Emma M. Carlson, daughter of Jonas and Martha Carlson. They now have one child, a daughter, Fern J. Mrs. Melander is a mem- ber of the Lutheran Church, and is a most estimable lady, who has the warm regard of all who know her.

Mr. Melander is an honored and valued member of the Odd Fellows' Society, the An- cient Order of United Workmen and the Inde- pendent Order of Red Men. By his ballot he supports the men and measures of the Repub- lican party. He has passed almost his entire life in Des Moines, and by strict attention to business has won his way upward, step by step, to the responsible position which he now so creditably fills.

RA M. EARLE, who is engaged in the practice of law in Des Moines, Iowa, as the senior member of the firm of Earle & Prouty, is a native of Ver- mont, his birth having occurred in Brattle- boro, on the 7th of September, 1849. He is the only child of Rufus and Marilla (Stoddard) Earle, who were also born in the Green Moun- tain State. The father was a farmer by occu- pation and died in the State of his nativity in 1868. His wife survived him until 1889, and was more than eighty years of age when called to her final rest. Mr. Earle had served as Captain in the State Militia. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Jacob Stoddard, was a farmer and Baptist minister, who died when about fifty years of age.

We now take up the personal history of our subject, which during the past seven years has been numbered among the legal practition- ers of Des Moines .. The days of his child- hood and youth were passed in Brattleboro, Vermont, and its public schools afforded him his elementary educational privileges. He aft- erward attended Central University at Pella. His physical training was received through work upon the home farm, and thus his younger years were passed. In 1872, when twenty- three years of age, he left the old home in the Green Mountain State and emigrated West- ward. In 1877 he was graduated at the Iowa College of Law at Des Moines, and at once opened an office for the practice of his chosen profession in Pella, where he continued for a period of ten years, when he came to this city.

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In 1891 he formed the present existing part- nership with S. S. Prouty, and they are to-day recognized as one of the leading law firms of the county.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 184

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