Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 32

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

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Charles Nourse, the father of our subject. was born at Frankfort, Kentucky, April 15, 1801. and was a teacher by profession. He taught school for fifty consecutive years, first in Maryland and afterward in Ohio, Kentucky and Iowa. He died at Reynoldsburg, Ohio, in January, 1880, having survived his wife many years. She died at Shepherdstown, Vir- ginia, in 1836, and on her mother's side was descended from the prominent Clinton family, whose name has been preserved in the family of our subject in honor of the grandmother.

Charles Clinton Nourse enjoyed the ad- vantage of a good education, received chiefly from his father's personal instruction. De- termining to enter the legal profession and make the practice of law his life work, he be- came a student in the law department of Transylvania University, at Lexington, Ken- tucky, where he was graduated with the class of 1850. Believing that the West furnished better opportunities for a young man just starting out in life with a business reputation to make, he came to Iowa in 1851, and opened a law office in Keosauqua, Van Buren county, where he made his home for seven years, coming to Des Moines in 1858. He has built up and maintained an extensive practice. In early life he laid the foundation for the sub- stantial success that has crowned his efforts by a strict regard for integrity, an earnestness of purpose and a determination to make the prac- tice of his profession, in the legitimate chan- nels of the law, the paramount object of his business career. A conscientious, painstaking

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preparation of all cases intrusted to him and their able management in court has character- ized the professional work of Judge Nourse throughout his many years of practice, and has won for him the reputation of an able trial lawyer, while in general practice he takes rank among the best in the profession in his adopted State.

In 1853, in Lexington, Kentucky, the Judge was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca McMeekin. Their only child bears the name of Clinton C. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1864, was educated at Callanan Col- lege, and the State Agricultural College of Iowa, and is now an architect by profession, doing business in Des Moines. In June, 1889, he wedded Miss Elizabeth Behring, of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The Judge and his wife have been lifelong members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and are among the most promi- nent and highly respected citizens of the com- munity.

The Judge was instrumental in the organi- zation of the Republican party in Iowa in 1856, and has since been a stalwart advocate of its principles. He has been honored with various public offices, having first held office in Iowa, in August, 1852, when he was elected public prosecutor for Van Buren county. He was Clerk of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1853-4, and in 1856-7 was Secretary of the Senate. In 1860 he was elected Attorney General of Iowa, and so capable was his ad- ministration of the affairs of this office that on the expiration of his two-years term he was re- elected. In 1865 he was appointed Judge of the Fifth Judicial District of the State, but after being on the bench six months he re- signed and returned to the practice of law, in which he has met with marked success. As a statesman, public official or jurist he has alike won the commendation of the public .and the respect of all. He has been an active, earnest advocate of the cause of temperance and the cause of prohibition, and gives his support to all measures or interests which are calculated to prove of public benefit. His prominence in

his adopted State is shown by the fact that in 1876 he was chosen by the Governor of Iowa to deliver the centennial address at Philadel- phia. The address was a masterpiece of ora- tory and history, a condensed account of the early settlement of the State, its topography, resources, progress, politics and educational facilities; and the State published 20,000 copies of this address for general circulation. In 1877 the degree of Doctor of Laws was con- ferred upon Judge Nourse by Simpson Cen- tenary College. He is a fluent speaker, earnest and entertaining, at the same time logical and instructive. A ready thinker, well posted on all topics of the day and an interesting conver- sationalist, and always a favorite in any society. He has a mind subtle and refined and inclined to be judicial in its nature, capable of hearing both sides of the question and drawing correct conclusions. His long residence and upright life have made him one of the prominent and esteemed citizens of his adopted State.

J OHN JACKSON WILLIAMS, through his extensive real-estate interests, has been prominently connected with the upbuilding of Des Moines. He has been an important factor in the development of the city, and its progress has been mate- rially advanced through his well directed efforts. His career illustrates most forcibly that success is assured to those young men who possess the necessary qualifications, such as ambition, indefatigable energy, steadfastness of purpose and integrity. For nearly forty years he has been connected with the history of Iowa's capital and has seen Des Moines de- velop from a rude Western town, containing a few log cabins and fewer frame houses, to a city that would be a credit to the long estab- lished States of the East.

Mr. Williams is a native of Ohio, born near Smithfield, in Jefferson county, May 14, 1834, and is the only child of Alexander and Mary (Jackson) Williams. His father was born on the Emerald Isle, July 3, 1806, and was a son

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of Joseph Williams. His grandfather was a Welshman by birth, and removing to the north of Ireland was there inarried and reared a fam- ily. Joseph Williams, having arrived at years of maturity, was married and with his family crossed the Atlantic to the New World in 1808, taking up his residence in Pennsylvania. Four years later he enlisted for service in the war of 1812, as a defender of his adopted country, and in 1820 he became a resident of the Buck- eye State, where he lived for many years, his death occurring at the advanced age of eighty- one.

Alexander Williams lost his mother when twelve years of age, but his father was again married, and his stepmother bestowed upon him all the care and attention which his own parents could have given, and he continued at home until twenty-three years of age. He then began to learn the trade of a millwright, and in 1832 became the owner of a small flour mill in Jefferson county, Ohio, which he oper- ated for six years, when he sold, preparatory to removing to Gallia county, that State. He was there extensively engaged in milling, carry- ing on operations in that line for seventeen years in connection with the cultivation of the farm.

Desiring to see the West he made the trip through central Iowa, in 1856, and was de- lighted with the beautiful Des Moines valley and the surroundings and prospects of the city of that name, so invested to a considerable extent in real estate. He continued his res- idence in Ohio, however, until 1859, when he purchased the water power and a dilapidated mill on the river and became a permanent resi dent of this place. With the aid of his son John he rebuilt much of the dam across the Des Moines river and erected a flouring-mill at the corner of First and Center streets in West Des Moines, which they successfully operated until 1873, when the father retired from busi- ness. His remaining years were spent in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest, and he passed away May 20, 1878. His support was given to the men and measures of the Republican party from its organization, and prior to that

period he was a Whig. His wife, who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, December 17, 1805, of Irish and Scotch descent, was a con- sistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and died in that faith January 13, 1862.

The childhood of John Williams was quietly and uneventfully passed in attendance at the common schools of the neighborhood or in work on his father's farm, or in the carding and flour mill. Thus he learned the business. When he had completed the common-school course he entered an academy and later took up the study of law. After two years reading he was graduated at the Cincinnati Law School with the class of 1860, and then en- tered into partnership with his father in the milling business, this relation existing between them until the retirement of the senior partner in 1873.

Mr. Williams was married on the 25th of September, 1860, in Gallipolis, Ohio, the lady of his choice being Miss Cornelia M. Cating, who was born June 18, 1842, in Gallia county. She is of Irish and Scotch lineage, and a daughter of John and Isabella (Rogers) Cating. Her father was a progressive, practical farmer and was a leading and influential citizen of the community in which he made his home. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, as follows: Mary B., Jennie C., Cornelia M., Minnette, Gertrude, who died in infancy, Ida L., Alice W., John A., who died in infancy, and Alexander.

In politics, Mr. Williams is a stalwart ad- vocate of Republican principles, and has three times served as Alderman of Des Moines, tak- ing an active part in whatever pertains to the welfare of the city. His wife holds a member- ship in the Presbyterian Church, and both have many warm friends in the community. For thirty-six years he has been a resident of Des Moines, and to-day is one of its most valued and honored citizens and representative busi- ness men. He is extensively engaged in real- estate dealing, handling none but his own property, and his development of the property has been of inestimable value to Polk county.

D.Hvaton

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RECORD OF IOWA.

0 ANIEL HEATON, who is a worthy representative of the monetary inter- ests of southwestern Iowa, and a capable financier, is now proprietor of the Adair County Bank, of Greenfield. This bank was organized in 1875 and opened its doors for business on the Ist of January, 1876. The original stockholders were Daniel Heaton, S. Lyons, William Heaton and James P. Heaton, and the organization was effected un- der the name which is still retained. It was the first bank in the county, and supplied a long-felt want. Our subject became its sole proprietor in 1887, and then built for its ac- commodation the present fine building which it now occupies. He conducts the largest bank- ing business in the county, for the firm finan- cial basis on which the institution is established and the known reliability and integrity of the proprietor have secured a very liberal patron- age.

Mr. Heaton is a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania, born May 10, 1842, and is a son of William and Mary (Hedge) Heaton, who were also natives of the Keystone State. The father was born August 24, 1815, was reared as a farmer, and carried on agricultural pur- suits throughout his entire life. In 1862 he removed to Douglas county, Illinois, where he became the owner of 1,600 acres of rich land, most of which was purchased from the Gov- ernment. This he improved, making it a valuable property, and later acquired a large tract in Madison county, Iowa, on which he resided for some ten years. He then sold his Iowa home, and returned to Illinois, where he now resides, his home being near Newman, Douglas county. He has been very liberal to his children, giving them most of his land and thus enabling them to start well on life's jour- ney, but still retaining a fine home for himself. He has always carried on farming and land speculating and has been very successful in his undertakings, working his way upward from a position of limited circumstances to one of affluence. He and his wife are connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics 13

he was a Democrat, but is now independent. His wife was called to the home beyond in 1886.

Mr. and Mrs. Heaton became the parents of eleven children: Samuel, who was engaged in sheep-raising in Kansas until his death; Daniel, of this notice; Abigail, wife of R. N. Wiley, of Rogersville, Pennsylvania; James P., who carries on farming in Douglas county, Illinois; Maggie J., wife of Samuel Lyons, also a farmer of Douglas county; Morgan, a retired farmer now living in Norton, Kansas; Abner, a resident farmer of Madison county, Iowa; Jes- ter H., who is living in Enid, Oklahoma Ter- ritory; Mary A., wife of Eli J. Daines, of Illi- nois; and three now deceased.

Daniel Heaton spent the days of his child- hood and youth in the usual manner of farmer lads, and acquired his education in the com- mon schools of Clarksville, Pennsylvania. He came West to Illinois in 1860, two years prior to the removal of his parents to that State. He was married April 29, 1869, to Ella M. Hoover, a native of Attica, Indiana, and a daughter of James Hoover, who still resides in Attica, where he has been prominently identi- fied with public affairs for many years. Three children have been born to our subject and his wife: Effie M., now the wife of E. H. Bickford, cashier of the Adair County Bank; William E., who is also connected with the bank; and Elmer Ray.

Mr. Heaton and his wife began their do- mestic life upon a farm in Douglas county, Illinois, where he owned 240 acres of land. He also engaged in business as a dealer in agricultural implements, and continued his residence there until 1875, when he came to Iowa and engaged in the banking business, as before stated. His public spirit, progressive- ness and liberality have been manifest in his life here, and his efforts toward advancing the material interests of Greenfield are widely recognized. By promoting individual pros- perity he has advanced the city's upbuilding, and is one of her most valued residents. He now owns eight buildings around the public square in Greenfield, and about a dozen resi-

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dence properties in the city, and also has valu- able farming lands in Kansas and Nebraska. When he became sole proprietor of the bank he erected a fine block, the first floor of which is occupied by two stores and the bank, while the second floor is used for office and dwelling purposes. The building is steam heated, lighted by electricity, supplied with water- works, and is a modern brick structure, erected of the best material, and no expense was spared to secure excellent workmanship. It is without exception the finest business building in the State, and would be a credit to any city of the West. Mr. Heaton was also one of the organizers of the Exchange Bank of Fontanelle, and is its president. He is the inventor and patentee of "Heaton's note case and tickler," which is now manufactured in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a valuable aid to any bank. He has been signally fortunate in all his ventures, and is a shrewd, capable business man, whose advancement has been rapid and steady, and whose present high po- sition is due to his industrious habits and strict business integrity.

Mr. Heaton is a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine, and be- longs to the subordinate lodge of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is fond of travel, which proves his chief source of recreation. He now has in his possession a cane made from the vertebrae of a shark which he captured in Tampa bay, Florida, while on one of his excursions. He also assisted in the capture of a sawfish fifteen feet in length and weighing 870 pounds, the body of which is mounted and preserved in the historical rooms at Des Moines, Iowa. He is a pleasant, genial gentleman, of broad and liberal opinions on al! subjects. He has hosts of friends who delight to do him honor, and his kindly nature and his strict fairness in all business transactions are constantly making additions to the list.

January 29, 1896, Mr. and Mrs. Heaton sailed for Italy, spent most of the winter in Rome, but visited many places of interest in Europe.

EV. ROLAND CHARLES MOUL- TON, pastor of Moriah Congrega- tional Church, of East Des Moines, Iowa, is a native of Maine, born in Bethel Hill, on the 30th of May, 1836. His paternal grandfather, David Moulton, was a native of New England, and was of English and Welsh extraction. His father, Perkins Moulton, was a farmer in early life and after- ward engaged in teaching vocal and instru- mental music. He was born in Tamworth, New Hampshire, and married Hannah Moul- ton, who was a cousin and also a native of the Pine Tree State. In the family were nine children, -three sons and six daughters, -of whom the Doctor is the fifth in order of birth and the only survivor. His brother. Frank- lin C., served as a Captain of Company B, Third New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war.

During his early childhood Doctor Moulton removed with his parents to Boston, Massa- chusetts, where his boyhood days were passed. He attended the public schools and was gradu- ated at the high school of that place. He then entered Lewiston (Maine) Academy, and hav- ing determined to enter the ministry was grad- uated at the Sedgwick Theological Seminary in 1861. On completing his education he joined the Union army. Aroused by a spirit of patriotism he responded to the president's call for troops to aid in crushing out the rebel- lion, and became a member of Company B, Tenth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Henry Briggs, and was assigned to the army of the Potomac. He took part in the first battle of Bull Run, and was also in the engagement at Wilson Creek, Missouri. On the organization of his company he was elected First Lieuten- ant, and in 1862 was promoted to the rank of Captain, in which capacity he served for three years, leading his men in many a gallant charge and inspiring and encouraging them by his own bravery and fearlessness. When hos- tilities had ceased he received an honorable discharge.

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Captain Moulton returned to Boston, Massa- chusetts, where he spent two years in school and then entered upon his ministerial labors, being ordained in the Methodist Protestant Church. His first pastorate was at Williamsburg, Penn- sylvania, after which he had charge of the church at Hollidaysburg, Blair county, Pennsyl- vania, and then received and accepted a call from the church in Youngstown, Ohio. His next service was as pastor of the Second Methodist Protestant Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and then his duties called him to the West. He continued his pastoral duties in St. Louis, Missouri, and also spent eight years in Chicago, Illinois, as pastor of the First Meth- odist Protestant Church, after which he be- came engaged in missionary work, traveling through the Southern States for several years. He succeeded in organizing churches in a num- ber of cominunities which were much in need of religious instruction and training.

On his return to the North Dr. Moulton went to Chicago, and after a short time was sent by his conference to Lodora, Iowa, whence he went to Bennett, this State. In the mean- time he had changed his religious affiliations and entered the ministry of the Congregational Church. February 1, 1891, he went to Run- nell's, Polk county, Iowa, at the request of Dr. A. L. Frisby, pastor of Plymouth Con- gregational Church of Des Moines, and organ- ized a Congregational Church at that place, remaining its pastor until it was thoroughly established. It has become a prosperous con- gregation, having a fine brick church and a parsonage, with a regular settled pastor. In 1891 he was called to Des Moines, and on the 28th of May, 1895, was installed as pastor of the Moriah Congregational Church, one of the strong and influential churches of the city. He is a man of ripe scholarship and broad general information, and has long been a very thorough Bible student. His views therefore are the result of careful deliberation and sound judg- ment. In the pulpit he is an orator, -a fluent, earnest and forcible speaker, who has the power to move his audiences by logic, by

pathos or by reason. He appeals to the intel- lect as well as the heart, and is recognized as one of the able members of the Congregational Church.

In 1891 Dr. Moulton was joined in wed- lock with Mrs. Mary E. Smith, widow of Hon. F. C. Smith, of Lodora, Iowa. She is a cul- tured lady, presiding with grace and dignity over her husband's home. He has erected a fine residence at 1429 East Grand avenue, with all of the modern improvements, and through- out the community they are held in the high- est esteem. In his political views, Dr. Moulton is an unswerving Prohibitionist, a leader of his party in Iowa, and was the candidate for the office of State Treasurer in 1894. He owned some valuable farming and city property, and is a good business man as well as one of the eminent ministers of the Congregational de- nomination.

J OHN PUTNAM EVANS, general fore- man and assistant trainmaster for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company at Chariton, Iowa, and a man whose genuine worth entitles him to the high- est regard of his many friends and acquaint- ances, is a native of Indiana, his birth naving occurred in Hamilton county, on the 7th of October, 1846. He is one of the eight chil- dren of Samuel W. and Jane (Diller) Evans, of whom six are yet living. One brother, Samuel W., died in the ariny. He enlisted in the One Hundred and First Indiana Infantry and was killed at the battle of Chattanooga, thus giving his life for the country and the cause which he loved. The father was a native of Brown county, Ohio, born in 1813, and was a tailor by trade. He followed that trade in early life and also traveled extensively. He was married in Indiana, in March, 1843, and then resumed work at tailoring and at school- teaching, spending several years in this man- ner. He then engaged in the sawmill business until 1864, when he sold out and removed to Iowa, locating in Brighton, Washington county,

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where he has since made his home. He is an earnest, energetic man, of great force of char- acter, uncommonly well informed and a man of strong political convictions. He was for many years a noted political speaker and wielded a powerful influence in support of whatever he believed to be right. The paternal grandfather of our subject, John Evans, was born in New Jersey and lived to the age of eighty-nine years, while his wife reached the advanced age of ninety-eight years. Their remote ancestry were natives of Wales and emigrated to this country prior to the Revolutionary war.

John P. Evans spent his boyhood in the State of his nativity, and at the age of eight- een started out in life for himself. He was first employed in a sawmill by his uncle and during the year of his service there earned the lumber used in the construction of his father's fine residence. He early developed an interest in machinery and for a time ran a stationary en- gine in a flouring mill in Washington county, Iowa, after which he became the engineer in a large factory in Oskaloosa. His connection with the railroad began on his removal from Oskaloosa to Burlington, where he secured a position as a locomotive fireman on the Bur- lington & Missouri Railroad. Not long after- ward he was promoted to the position of en- gineer and sent to Red Oak, running from that place on the Burlington & Missouri Railroad for six years. He was then removed to Cres- ton, Iowa, and ran from that place until the fall of 1882, when he was transferred to Chari- ton and appointed locomotive foreman, having charge of all the men in the motive-power de- partment at Chariton and on all the Chariton branches. This position he has since held, and the confidence which his employers repose in himn was shown by the fact that in 1890 an added responsibility was placed on his shoul- ders by his appointment as trainmaster, having charge of the trainmen on the road and switch- men in the yards for the St. Joseph branch, of 146 miles, the Grant City branch of fifty miles, the Indianola branch of thirty-three miles and of the yards at Chariton. Mr. Evans began

in a humble position and by steady advances has worked his way upward to the position of responsibility which he to-day fills.

It is a well known fact that with the large railroad corporations no unfaithfulness or in- efficiency will be tolerated, and that only fidelity to duty and competent service wins promotion. His long continuance with the road and his promotion is therefore the highest testimonial that could be given of Mr. Evans' loyalty to the company's interests. He thor- oughly understands the business which he is called upon to superintend, and can therefore intelligently direct his men, whose confidence and respect he has in a high degree. During his fourteen years' service as an engineer he never ran through but one switch, a fact of which he may well be proud. At the time of General Grant's return from his trip around the world, Mr. Evans was in charge of the engine which pulled his train from Omaha to Creston, and which had been decorated for the occasion at an expense of $300. While running from Red Oak Mr. Evans distinguished himself by an act of. heroism which will never be forgotten, saving the life of a little child at the risk of his own. While making the run down the road at the rate of thirty miles an hour, he saw what he first supposed was an animal upon the track, but soon the suspicion flashed upon him that it was a little child that was playing between the rails all unconcious of his danger. To save the young life was his first thought and with such a man to think is to act. Reversing his engine, he climbed to the front and from the point of the cowcatcher sprang to the track, dashed forward twenty- one feet, caught the child and started to jump. He was partially thrown by the engine into a place of safety, while the train passed on, at the rate of fifteen miles an hour ! The child, however, was saved, and a few weeks sufficed to restore Mr. Evans to his usual health, and the brave man quietly resumed his duty, as though nothing out of the ordinary course had happened; but such heroic deeds never die and Mr. Evans' heroism is remembered by many.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 32

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