Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 41

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

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Mr. Penick, however, has not entered mili- tary life, giving up his hopes in that direction in compliance with the wishes of his parents, who desired that he should engage in some less hazardous pursuit. Accordingly he returned to his home in Chariton, and entered the bank- ing house of Manning & Penick, as assistant cashier, and is to-day acceptably filling that po- sition. The Bank of Chariton, for such is the name of this financial institution, is one of the most solid moneyed concerns of the State. It was organized under the banking laws of Iowa, and its charter makes the proprietors individu- ally responsible for all deposits. The solidity of this institution cannot be questioned when it is known that W. C. Penick, of Chariton, and Edwin Manning, of Keosauqua, have pledged their individual fortunes as a guarantee to their patrons. The bank has done an ex-

tensive business since its organization in 1876, and has steadily grown in popular favor. Ed- ward Penick, brother of our subject, has been the manager of the business as the very effi- cient cashier. The establishment has handled millions of dollars and in its extensive transac- cons not a dollar has been lost.

The business ability of the popular assistant cashier is equal to his superior qualifications in other lines. Unlike the man of genius, he is equally developed, not developed in one line alone. Should he enter the army he would doubtless win prominence there; in commercial life he will attain success; he would be equally fortunate in professional circles, for he has the mental capacity that would enable him to pass on the highway of life many who were travel- ing along the same course. He is pleasant and genial in manner, kindly and courteous in dis- position, and in Chariton there is no more highly esteemed young man than Harry O. Penick.

A LBERT E. DENT, a leading mer- chant of Chariton, whose progressive and enterprising spirit have made him one of the most prominent business men and valued residents of this city, is a na- tive of Ohio. He was born on the 9th of Oc- tober, 1852, and is one of the six children of William Y. and Jane (Chynoweth) Dent. The father was born in Ohio, in the year 1832, and in that State lived and died. Throughout his business life he followed contracting and build- ing, and was an active, energetic man, who met with fair success in his undertakings. He was broad-minded and public-spirited, and was ever to be relied upon to further any move- ment for the benefit of the community in which he lived. For some years he was an efficient member of the City Council, and in his early days was an abolitionist of pronounced views. It was not strange then that on the organization of the Republican party, formed to prevent the further extension of slavery, he became one of its ardent advocates, and con-

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tinued to follow its banner throughout his re- maining days. He died in October, 1894, at the age of sixty-two years. His wife, who was born in Maryland, and whose parents caine from England, still survives her husband.

Albert E. Dent, the subject of this review, lived in his native State until twenty-three years of age. At the age of thirteen he started out in life for himself, and to various occupa- tions devoted his time and attention during the five succeeding years, when, at the age of eighteen, he secured a clerkship in a store, continuing that occupation in Ohio until 1875.

Mr. Dent then came to the West, locating in Chariton, Iowa, where he engaged in farm work for a year. He next entered the employ of David D. Waynick, as clerk in his store, and continued to serve in that capacity for six years, or until 1882, when he went to Cam- bria to engage in mercantile business on his own account. His industry and frugality sup- plied him the capital and for nearly two years he conducted a store in Cambria, after which he returned to Chariton, and entered into partnership with his former employer, Mr. Waynick, who understood and appreciated his business ability. The relationship continued until 1886, when Mr. Dent became sole pro- prietor, and the firm at the present time is A. E. Dent & Company. He is engaged in business as a dry-goods and boot and shoe merchant, and has one of the largest and best stores of the kind in this locality, the enter- prise being one of the most successful in Char- iton. He has a uniformly large patronage, and the services of some six employees are re- quired in the store, which is complete in all its appointments. The senior partner is well known as one of the most popular merchants in this section of the State, and his business ability, sagacity and honorable dealing have been the means of securing to him an exten- sive trade.

Mr. Dent was married in September, 1879, to Miss Orilla A. Waynick, the eldest daughter of his former partner, David D. Waynick. Her father was a native of Guilford county,

North Carolina, born March 13, 1827. He came West in 1849, and located on the present site of Chariton, although at that time it possessed neither name nor inhabitant. He was employed as a salesman in one of the first stores ever opened for business in Chariton, and for many years was successfully connected with its mercantile interests. On his arrival here his capital consisted of only $45, but as the result of habits of industry, sobriety and thrift he was soon enabled to enter into busi- ness on his own account and was prospered in his undertakings. At the time of his death he was one of the honored and substantial busi- ness men of Chariton, well known "and highly respected by every old resident of Lucas coun- ty. In the early years here he was very active in organizing the different townships, estab- lishing schools and churches, and while so em- ployed filled various offices of trust and respon- sibility. Among these were the offices of County Assessor, Superintendent of Educa- tion, City Alderman and others. He served as Postmaster of Chariton during the war and acted as distributing agent for the soldiers who went from this locality. He was married September 2, 1852, to Martha E. Sherer, of Osceola, Iowa, and they had a large family of children, of whoin the living are Orilla A., Inez M., Nellie J., Fred M. G., Frank D., Stella E. and Carl R. Mr. and Mrs. Dent have two children, -- Daisey A. and Blanche. Mr. Dent has always been recognized throughout this community as one of the pub- lic-spirited and progressive men of the day. He served for two terms on the City School Board, and also two terms as a member of the City Council, and takes a commendable inter- est in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community. In politics he has always been a Republican of pronounced views, and in church matters is a consistent and working member of the Methodist Church, with which he has been connected for the past twenty years. He is specially interested in Sunday- school work, and for the past eleven years has served as superintendent. Socially, he is con-

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nected with the Knights of Pythias fraternity, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is pre-eminently devoted to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having held every posi- tion within that order in Chariton, while in 1894 he served as Representative tothe Grand Lodge.

0 RLANDO ALBERTO CUMMINGS is the genial proprietor of the Union Hotel, of Oelwine, and no more pop- ular citizen can be found in the county than this gentleman, whom every one speaks of as a wholesouled, broadminded man, and whose many excellent qualities well entitle him to the high regard in which he is held.

He was born in Wellington Square, in Can- ada West, near the headwaters of Lake On- tario, and was the eldest of the four children of Mark Crooker and Elizabeth L. (Gage) Cummings, both of whom were natives of Canada West, although the Cummings family originally lived in New Jersey. During the greater part of his life the father engaged in hotel-keeping. When our subject was a year old the parents removed to Niagara Falls, where he was reared up to the age of eighteen years, at which time the family came to Iowa, settling on a farm near Hampton, Franklin county. For five years, Mr. Cummings of this review, aided in the cultivation and im- provement of that property. Tiring then of the monotonous routine of farm life, he estab- lished a restaurant in Hampton, which he con- ducted for five years, meeting with fair success in that work. On the expiration of that pe- riod he sold out and came to Oelwine, where he managed the Great Western Railway Hotel and lunch rooms for nine months. He then assumed the management of the Union Hotel, bought out the former proprietor, Mr. Wisner, and has for three years conducted there the leading hotel of the city. He has refurnished the hotel and provides everything possible for the entertainment and comfort of his guests. He seems specially adapted for this business, being of a genial aud social temperament and

kindly disposition, and his house is a great favorite with the traveling public. He is a man of known integrity, of genuine reliability and has the regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact.

On the 26th of December, 1872, Mr. Cum- mings was united in marriage with Miss Ida M. Loss, a native of Madison, Iowa, and a daugh- ter of Lucius Loss, a respected farmer of that locality. She was educated there and in Hampton, Iowa, and for twenty-one terms successfully engaged in teaching school, rank- ing among the competent educators in this section of the State.

In politics, Mr. Cummings is a Republican, and served for two years as Road Supervisor while living on the farm. He is a warm friend of civic societies and the benevolent and help- ful principles which underlie most of these or- ders. He belongs to the Benevolent and Pa- triotic Order of Elks, of Waterloo; the Modern Woodmen of America; and Windsor Lodge, No. 71, K. of P., of Hampton; also to Hamp- ton Lodge, No. 216, I. O. O. F. In 1886, while in a stone quarry, Mr. Cummings met with a serious accident. He fell to a depth of twenty-seven and a half feet and in the fall fractured five ribs, two being loosened from their attachment to the vertebrae. For seven months he lay in bed and then he learned to value to the full extent the kindness of his brothers of the Odd Fellows Lodge, who came and with loving hands and tender care min- istered to his wants, relieved his suffering in all possible ways and brightened and gladdened the wearisome hours of his confinement, re- lieving his wife of all the arduous and wearing duties of a sick room. With gratitude he will ever remember this kindliness and no one is more willing to perform a similiar favor for others than Mr. Cummings. Generous and kindly he takes a deep and sincere interest in the welfare of his fellow men, and many a traveler has reason to remember his pleasant sojourn at the Union Hotel in Oelwine. His religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

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J J. C. BOWER, one of the popular and highly respected citizens of Chariton, is a native of the Keystone State. He was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1862, and is a son of Francis M. and Agnes (Cree) Bower. The father was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born in 1833, and continued his residence in the State of his nativity until 1870, when he came to Iowa. During his active business life he followed farming. Locating in Appanoose county, he resided there until 1891, when he laid aside all business cares and came to Chari- ton, where he died in May, 1892, from la grippe. Of a strongly religious nature, he was during life an ardent adherent of the Cumber- land Presbyterian faith. His wife also was a Pennsylvanian by birth and a daughter of Judge James and Esther (Jennings) Cree, of Greene county, Pennsylvania, the former an eminent jurist and one of the representative men of his day. The Bower family was founded in America at an early period in the history of this country.

Mr. Bower of this review was one of two children, and was only seven years of age when brought by his parents to Iowa. In his boy- hood he attended the common schools of the neighborhood, remaining at home until twenty- one years of age, when he left the parental roof in order to begin life for himself. He spent two years in Kansas engaged in teaching school, and then returned to the Hawkeye State, where he embarked in the drug busi- ness, following the same in Centerville, Iowa, for two years. He then removed to Osceola, where he spent the succeeding year engaged as a clerk in a drug store.

Since 1890 Mr. Bower has been a resident of Chariton, and is one of its most highly es- teemed citizens. Being a natural musician and possessing a deep love for music, the se- quence was that he was attracted toward the music business, and since his arrival here he has been dealing in pianos and organs, having an agency for the entire State, with head- quarters and sales-rooms in Chariton. He has

the management of some seventy-five agents in different parts of Iowa and is doing a large and increasing business, resulting from his en- terprise, industry and sound judgment. He is a thorough student and deep lover of inusic, and his services along this line are in frequent requisition. He has been connected with vari- ous bands, and is now the leader of the choir in the Presbyterian church, of which he is a member.

In his political relations our subject has always been a Republican, and is deeply inter- ested in the growth and success of his party, although he has never been a politician in the sense of office-seeking. He is an earnest mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is serving as one of the officers of Chariton Encampment. His genial temperament and cordial manner render him one of the most pop- ular citizens of this place, and his genuine worth makes him a valued friend.

In December, 1886, Mr. Bower led to the marriage altar Miss Addie L. Horner, a native of Iowa, and one of the seven children of Sam- uel Horner. Her parents are both now de- ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Bower have two inter- esting little daughters, -Edna L. and Marie B.

R G. ARNOLD, Supervisor of Warren county, was born near Cleveland, in Summit county, Ohio, September 21, 1841, one of a large family of children of Wesley and Anna (Towsley) Arnold. The father was born in Herkimer county, New York, in 1803. During his childhood the family moved to Chautauqua, where he lived until twenty-four years of age, and from that time until 1861 he resided in Summit county. The remainder of his life was spent in Warren county, Iowa. In early life Mr. Arnold be- came a skilled mechanic, but later followed agricultural pursuits. He was an active, en- terprising and successful man. In political matters he was an Abolitionist in early days, and afterward became a Republican, strongly imbued with the party spirit. For many years

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he was an earnest member of the Methodist Church. His death occurred in 1884, at the age of eighty-one years. The grandfather of our subject, Wesley Arnold, Sr., was a native of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and the family ancestry is traceable to the early Colo- nial days in that State.

R. G. Arnold, the subject of this sketch was but nineteen years of age when the family came to Iowa. In August, 1862, he enlisted for service in the late war, entering the Thirty- fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Company F, under command of Colonel G. W. Clark. Mr. Arnold took part in the first Vicksburg cam- paign, where the brigade met with a severe loss. Their next engagement was at Arkansas Post, where they took 5,000 rebels, and his regiment was sent to Chicago with the prison- ers, this assignment being considered a reward for gallant service in the field. Later they took part in the Vicksburg campaign, and, after the evacuation of that city, went to Yazoo. The regiment next went down the river to Mobile,. where they took the rebel forts and participated in the reduction of forts Gaines and Morgan at the mouth of the Mobile bay. From Mobile they went to Texas, and later were at the taking of Spanish Fort. Mr. Arnold was then engaged in guard duty until discharged September 5, 1865, having served for more than three years, and took part in many of the most severe engagements of the war. Our subject also had three brothers in the army, one of whom, Henry S., died in the hospital.

About thirty years ago Mr. Arnold pur- chased the place where he now lives, and has added to it from time to time until he now owns about 850 acres of valuable land. In ad- dition to agricultural pursuits, he has been en- gaged in stock-raising on a large scale for many years, often handling from 80 to 100 head of cattle yearly. In political matters he is a stanch Republican, with the courage of his convictions. In the fall of 1891 he was elected to the position of County Supervisor, re-elected to the same office in 1894, this showing the es-

timation of his character and ability in which he is held by the citizens of Warren county.

Mr. Arnold was married March 20, 1870, to Anna Black, a native of Ohio and a daugh- ter of Benoni Black, a native of Connecticut. Their remote ancestry were of French de- scent. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have three chil- dren: Arthur, Hazel E. and Homer G.

a APTAIN EVAN D. BRYANT, a farm- er, ex-County Treasurer and one of the well known and highly respected citizens of Warren county, Iowa, was born near Indianapolis, in Hendricks county, Indiana, October 28, 1833. He was the third of eight children born to Silas and Nancy (Tinch- er) Bryant. Five of the children are now liv- ing, namely: Mary Jane, wife of A. P. Keeney, of Indianola; Evan D., the subject of this sketch; Fannie S., now Mrs. John S. Jones, of Las Animas, Colorado; Sallie, wife of Wesley Johnson, of Danville, Indiana; and Nancy E., now Mrs. Estep, also of that place. The father, Silas Bryant, was born in Ken- tucky in 1802, and he resided there until twen- five years of age, removing thence to Hen- dricks county, Indiana, where he spent the re- mainder of his life. He was a farmer and stock-raiser by occupation, had a long and successful business career, and was a broad- minded and public-spirited gentleman. Mr. Bryant was a devout Christian from early manhood, and during his entire life his ener- gies were largely devoted to religious matters. For many years he was a local minister of marked ability and influence, and for a long time also he was a zealous member of the Masonic order. Mr. Bryant departed this life June 12, 1872, at the age of seventy years; his wife died a few years afterward. The first American ancestors of the Bryant family came to this country in early Colonial days; settling in Virginia.

Edwin D. Bryant, the subject of this sketch, spent his early life in Indiana. August 20, 1861, he joined the "boys in blue," enlisting

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in the first three-years regiment, the Seventh Indiana, that left the State, going out as First Lieutenant of Company H. They were first under fire at Greenbrier mountain, later at Winchester under General Shields, was en -- gaged in fighting "Stonewall " Jackson, joined the Army of the Potomac and took part in all the battles engaged in by that army. The day before the battle of Port Republic Mr. Bryant was promoted to the position of Captain of his company, and in that fight he was wounded by the bursting of a shell, which killed and wound- ed seventeen men. Mr. Bryant was struck by a ball in his right side, fracturing two ribs and was imbedded in his side. It was subsequently extracted, and is still in his possession, a striking memento of a marvelous escape from death. A few weeks afterward Captain Bryant joined his regiment, and from that time on was always found in the discharge of his duty at the head of his company, never again having lost a day from active service. He was not again seriously wounded, although many times exposed to the chances of battle. He par- ticipated in the second battle of Bull Run, Rappahannock Station, Chancellorsville, An- tietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor, Chickahominy, Petersburg and many minor engagements. Captain Bryant's company was a part of the First Brigade, First Division of the First Army Corps, and known as the "Old Iron Brigade." When leaving the breast-works at Petersburg to start for home his company showed nine muskets, the remainder of the company being sick, wounded, in hospitals or dead. Captain Bryant was mustered out of service September 7, 1864, at Indianapolis, having honorably and ably served his country in the field for more than three years, a record to which his descendants can point with pride for generations after Captain Bryant shall have "gone over to the silent majority."

Returning home, he spent the winter in a long needed rest. In April, 1865, he located in White Oak township, Warren county, Iowa,

where he has since made his home. An ener- getic, broad-minded business man, Captain Bryant has always been successful in his business ventures. He now owns a fine farm of nearly 400 acres in sections 21 and 22, all under fence, with a stream running through the entire place, making it a valuable stock farm. He has made a specialty of that occupa- tion for a number of years. Captain Bryant is recognized as the ablest auctioneer of this entire region, possessing a magnificent phy- sique, added to a genial manner and a wit which is irresistible. He averages fully 100 sales per year in this and adjoining counties. Captain Bryant is one of the most widely known and highly respected men in this part of the State.

In political matters, he is an earnest and uncompromising Republican. For many years he served as School Director, and in 1878 was elected to the position of County Treasurer, serving in that capacity with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the county for the full four years of his incumbency. In his social relations. the Captain is a member of the I. O. O. F., having joined that order in 1856, and has been an earnest worker in the same for forty years. He recently became a member of the A. O. U. W.

In 1869 our subject was united in marriage with Sarah Samantha Robison, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Robert and Mary (Trimble) Robison, also natives of that State. The father is deceased, but the mother still survives. Samuel Trimble, the grandfather of Mrs. Bryant, is also still living, aged nearly 100 years. Mr. and Mrs. Bryant have six chil- dren, viz .: Nancy Ellen, Charles Edgar, Silas Robert, Mary Belle, Evan D. and Nellie May.

. EORGE D. HAWORTH, Palmyra, township, Warren county, Iowa .- The Haworth family are numbered among the earliest settlers of this region of Iowa. Samuel Haworth, the father of George D., came out here as early as 1846,

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the date of his arrival being June 6, and on South river in Warren county he selected his place of location. He was a native of Tennes- see, born in the year 1797, and when a young man left his native State and removed to Ohio. He made his home in Ohio and Indiana until his removal to Iowa, as above stated. Only a short time before his settlement here this land had been purchased from the Indians and many of the Red men were still in this vicinity. Subsequently, when the survey was made, Mr. Haworth and the other settlers who had taken claims about the same time, had their claims rearranged and adjusted satisfactorily and secured title to the same. Here they built their cabins, set about the work of reclaiming the wild country, and by their rugged, self- sacrificing lives paved the way for advanced civilization. In those early days the settlers of this community were obliged to go 100 miles to mill, over into what is now Washing- ton county. Mr. Haworth was one of the most active and public-spirited men of the pioneer settlement. He assisted in organizing the county, and was School Fund Commis- sioner as long as that system of management of the school interests maintained, having charge of the sale of school lands among his other duties. Here he lived until 1868, when he died, at the age of seventy-one years. He was, in politics, a Henry Clay Whig, strong and earnest in his convictions; and his religious belief was that of the Society of Friends, of which he was all his life a stanch and active member. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Haines, was a daughter of John and Lydia Haines. The . Haines family were natives of North Carolina, emigrated from that State to Ohio in 1811, where the parents spent the rest of their lives, each dying at a good old age. Mrs. Haworth was born in 1800, and at the time of her death was well along in years.

George Haworth, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Virginia in the year 1750, and while yet a young man removed with his family to Tennessee, a few years later, in

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 41

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