Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 82

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

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Mr. Smith was married February 23, 1886, to Miss Sarah E. Wright, a daughter of W. A. and Amy M. (Hicks) Wright. She is a native of this township. Their union has resulted in the birth of three children, viz .: Jennie D., born November 6, 1886; the second child died in infancy; and Mary R., born June 18, 1891.

Mr. Smith has been identified with the Re- publican party ever since he became a voter, his first presidential vote having been cast for R. B. Hayes in 1876. Frequently he has been elected to fill local offices of trust and in every position to which he has been called he has tendered prompt and faithful service. His first official service was in Richland township in 1883, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy. The following year he was elected Clerk of Richland township and filled the same accept- ably until 1886, when he resigned and removed to his present location. He is now serving his second term as Assessor of Belmont township. During his incumbency of this office he took

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the State census. In educational matters he has for several years taken a deep interest, has been a member of the School Board and has served as its secretary and president. He has been initiated into the mysteries of Freema- sonry and maintains a membership in good standing in that order. Few young men of Belmont township have a wider acquaintance or are held in higher esteem than is John D. Smith.

ON. LA VEGA G. KINNE, one of the leading members of the Democracy of Iowa, and Judge of the Supreme Court, was born in Syracuse, New York, November 5, 1846. The paternal grandfather, Zachariah Kinne, was a native of Connecticut, and removing to New York in an early day in the history of that State entered land from the Government and developed a farm that is now embraced within the city limits of Syracuse. At Fayetteville he reared his family and lived to an advanced age, hav- ing passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey when called to the home beyond. He was a prominent and influential citizen of the community, taking an active part in the de- velopment of the region, and all who knew him respected him for his genuine worth. He had ten sons and two daughters who reached years of maturity and reared families of their own. The father of Judge Kinne, Æsop Kinne, was born in New York, carried on agri- cultural pursuits as a means of livelihood and died in Syracuse about 1871, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife died in 1865, when about fifty-five years of age. She bore the maiden name of Lydia Beebe, was also a na- tive of the Empire State, and both Mr. and Mrs. Kinne were members of the Baptist Church. Their family numbered six children, of whom three sons and a daughter are still living, namely: Isaac B., David N., Mrs. Lydia D. Jones, and La Vega G.

The early life of Judge Kinne was passed in the State of his nativity and he acquired a good

common-school education in Syracuse. The years of his manhood have largely been de- voted to the practice of law. He began pre- paring himself for this field of labor by study in the law office of the firm of Sedwick, An- drews & Kennedy, all prominent in public life. Seeking a broader field of usefulness, in 1865 he started Westward and took up his residence in Mendota, Illinois, where he secured employ- ment in an agricultural-implement establish- ment, and at the same time continued his law studies until 1866, when he entered the Uni- versity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, being grad- uated in the law department of that celebrated institution in the class of 1868. He imme- diately began practice in Mendota, Illinois, and in September of the following year went to Toledo, Tama county, Iowa, where he re- mained until March, 1894, continuously en- gaged in the prosecution of his chosen profes- sion, with the exception of about five years when he was on the district bench.

On the 23d of September, 1869, Judge Kinne was married, in Peru, Illinois, to Miss Mary E. Abrams, daughter of Nathaniel J. and Eliza (Evans) Abrams. Two daughters have been born to them: Lillian and Hettie. Mrs. Kinne is a member of the Congregational Church, and the Judge is connected with the Knights of Pythias at Toledo.

Judge Kinne is one of the most prominent members and active workers in the ranks of the Democracy, and has frequently been the candidate of his party for public office. For five years he was District Judge of the Seventh Judicial District. He was elected in 1886, held the position for two years, and in Novem- ber, 1889, was elected to fill the vacancy which was caused by his own resignation. He was afterward renominated and elected for the full term. The first time he received a majority of seven, the second time of 356 and the third time of 1,000. His increasing majorities well indicate his ability, his personal popularity and the confidence which is reposed in him. On the bench his dignified demeanor, his thor- ough fitness for the position and his able

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charges to the jury commend themselves to all. For seven years he has been one of the lecturers in the law department of the State University in Iowa City, and for two years he has delivered lectures before the Iowa College of Law at Drake University. He has always been a man of deep research and there are few more thoroughly informed men in the legal profession throughout the country than Judge Kinne. The man who wins prominence at the bar of Iowa must be the possessor of more than ordinary ability, for some of the brightest minds of the legal world are here found. He must have as a foundation a broad general knowledge, to which must be added a thorough understanding of law, keen perception, logical reasoning and forcible argument. Then all must begin on a common plane and rise to eminence through persevering industry and ability or fall back into the ranks of medioc- rity. The Judge's enviable reputation is well deserved, as it is the reward of merit alone.

In 1894 Judge Kinne was elected as one of the commission of three to act on the question of uniformity of law in the various States. He is president of the State Bar Association, and while practicing in Toledo he edited for a time the Tama County Liberal. In the councils of his party his opinions are received with defer- ence, and for about four years he has served as secretary of the State Democratic central committee. In 1876 he was a delegate to the national convention which nominated Samuel J. Tilden, and in 1884 was a delegate at large to the national convention. In 1881 he was the Democratic candidate for Governor, being defeated by 50,000 plurality. Two years later he was again nominated, and succeeded in re- ducing the Republican majority to 23,000. Local offices have also been filled by him, and during the early days of his residence in Iowa he served as Mayor of Toledo, and was chair- man of the School Board and City Attorney. He is a member of the Prairie Club, a literary organization of Des Moines. He is public- spirited to an eminent degree, and has always done much for the national interests and for

the general welfare of his resident community. In all the relations of life, whether as lawyer or Judge, in social circles, as a private citizen or a public official, his course has been such as to commend him to the highest regard of all.

J AMES Mc GOWEN .- The dual strains of the sturdy Scotch and Irish lines have, as united, produced a distinctive type, which is recognized and designated as the Scotch-Irish, and this type is one that has played an important part in the history of the American republic, its characteristics being the vitality and alert mentality of the Irish and the sturdy integrity, the indomitable perseverance and the strong pragmatic abilities of the Scotch. To such a source does the subject of this review trace his origin, and it is a lineage in which he may well take pride, while incidentally the hereditary traits have unmistakably con- served his success in temporal affairs. Mr. Mc Gowen, who is the honored president of the Taylor-Mc Gowen Bank, at Bloomfield, is known as one of the representative and most influential citizens of Daviscounty, with whose interests he has been conspicuously identified for almost an half century, and there is mani- fest propriety in directing attention to the salient points in his career in this publication.

A native of the State of Kentucky, Mr. Mc Gowen was born near the city of Maysville, Mason county, on the 16th of September, 1821, being the son of John G. and Jane (Quinn) Mc Gowen, the former of whom was born in Mason county, Kentucky, and the latter in Fleming county, the same State. The father of John G. Mc Gowen was a native of Scotland and was one of the pioneers of Kentucky. The maternal grandfather of our subject was James Quinn, who was born in Ireland, and who was a relative of the re- nowned Bishop Quinn, of Ohio.

In the year 1825 James Mc Gowen accom- panied his parents upon their removal to Cler- mont county, Ohio, and there they remained until 1832, when they removed to Rush county,

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Indiana, and after a short time to Shelby county, the same State, where the death of our subject's father occurred in the year 1834. James was in order of birth the fourth in a family of ten children, -five sons and five daughters,-of which number five still sur- vive, -four sons and one daughter. Two of our subject's brothers maintain their residence in Davis county, both being prosperous farmers. The third brother, Joseph, is a resident of Colorado, while the sister, Sarah A., is the wife of William E. Sargent, of Centerville, Appanoose county, Iowa. The mother died in Bloomfield in August, 1878, aged seventy-six.

James Mc Gowen passed his boyhood days in Rush county, Indiana, receiving such edu- cational advantages as were afforded by the district schools. He was deprived of a father's care while he was still a mere boy, and as he was one of the elder children much of the care of the family was placed upon his youthful shoulders. He assumed the duty with true solicitude and with that earnestness which has been characteristic of his fulfillment of every duty throughout his entire life. In October, 1850, the widowed mother removed with her family to Iowa, locating at Fairfield, the county seat of Jefferson county, where they re- mained until 1854, when they came to Davis county and took up their abode on a pioneer farm, located at the edge of the present site of the thriving little city of Bloomfield. Here they finished a frame house, which was being built and which was the best dwelling in the county at that time. The farm comprised 1 1 5 acres, and had been purchased of James H. Cobb. On this place our subject began gen- eral farming operations upon his individual re- sponsibility, and soon afterward enlarged his sphere of action by dealing in live-stock and by gathering up cattle for other individuals who were engaged in feeding and fattening stock for the markets. In this line of oper- ations Mr. Mc Gowen undoubtedly laid the foundation for his exceptional business success, and he continued in the stock business, in con- nection with his general farming, until 1873,

having shown that discrimination and execu- tive capacity which almost invariably yield re- turns. In 1873, having accumulated a con- siderable amount of money, he began oper- ations in a more purely financial line, by extending loans to those who were engaged in stock-raising or in the handling of cattle, his intimate knowledge of this branch of industrial enterprise giving him assurance that such loans were safe and conservative. As his resources increased Mr. Mc Gowen made judicious in- vestments in Iowa farming lands, and here his keen business acumen was again brought into evidence, as is shown in the subsequent appre- ciation in the value of such realty. He had now gained a position of prominence as one of the substantial capitalists of Davis county, and his interest in the welfare of the locality has ever been shown in his retaining the same as his basis of operations.

In 1891 Mr. Mc Gowen associated himself with others in the organization of the Taylor- Mc Gowen Bank, of Bloomfield, and he was simultaneously made president of the institu- tion and has ever since presided as its chief executive officer, directing its affairs with that marked ability and according to the high prin- ciples of business honor and integrity which ever eventuate in gaining the confidence and support of the public. A general banking busi- ness is conducted, and the institution is known as one of the solid financial concerns of the State. Mr. Mc Gowen still retains possession of a magnificent farm of 800 acres, in this county, and, though he has maintained his residence in Bloomfield for some years past, he still has the active supervision of his farm- ing and stock-raising industries, which are of extensive order. Much of his farm is devoted to pasture, and he raises large numbers of fine · cattle annually, as well as other lines of live stock.

In national and State matters our subject is strongly arrayed in the support of the Demo- cratic party and its principles, but as to local affairs he is independent, casting his ballot for those men whom he considers best fitted for

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the respective offices. In religion he is a de- voted member of the Presbyterian Church, and contributes liberally to its support. His appreciation of justice is such that his life has been one in which there has been no swerving from the strict line defined by absolute integ- rity and honor, and while he is charitable in his judgment of his fellow men, still he expects and exacts the justice that he accords. He has thus gained and retained the confidence and the high esteem of the people of this sec- tion, where he has labored so long and so well.

In June, 1863, was consummated the mar- riage of Mr. Mc Gowen to Miss Mary Carson, of Shelby county, Indiana, the daughter of Joseph G. Carson. They are the parents of three children, namely: Cora, wife of C. H. Cronk, of Bloomfield; Mary B., at home; and James W., a successful farmer of this county.

J ACOB LOHR McKLVEEN, of the firm of McKlveen Brothers, extensive deal- ers in lumber, coal, etc., at Chariton, Iowa, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the 12th of May, 1837, and is the second son and child in the family of Henry and Catherine (Lohr) Mc- Klveen, a full family history of whom is given in connection with the sketch of Dr. McKlveen on another page of this work.

Our subject remained in his native county until a young man of twenty, acquiring his education in the public schools and aiding in the labors of the farm. At the age of twenty- three he left home to try his fortune in the West with its broader and more unlimited op- portunities, and took up his residence in La Porte, Indiana, where he engaged in carpenter · and joiner work, having previously learned the trade in the neighborhood of his boyhood's home. As a contractor and builder he carried on business for twenty-seven years and was decidedly successful in his undertakings, his excellent workmanship insuring him a liberal patronage.

On leaving Indiana Mr. McKlveen took up

his residence in Iowa, establishing himself in Chariton in the spring of 1866 and at once be- ginning operations as a contractor and builder, to which business he devoted his time and at- tention until 1884. Here again he worked up a good trade and on all sides stand evidences of his thrift and enterprise in the shape of sub- stantial buildings. In 1884 he embarked in his present line of business. His experience in handling building materials enabled him to proceed intelligently in the selection of stock from the very first, and he has therefore been very successful, for his fair and honorable dealings and his earnest desire to please his patrons have secured him a good trade. For sixteen years his brother Samuel was associ- ated with him as a contractor and builder, and together they began operations in the new un- dertaking, under the firm name of McKlveen Brothers. They handle all kinds of building materials, coal, tiling, fencing, etc., having a well selected stock valued at $8,000, and take rank among the leading merchants in their line in this part of the State.

Jacob L. McKlveen was married in La Porte, Indiana, February 12, 1863, to Miss Helen Friedel, a native of Saxe-Weimar, Ger- many. She came to America with her parents when a maiden of sixteen years; and her father, Dr. Robert Friedel, located for the practice of his profession in La Porte, Indiana, where he died thirty-five years ago. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sophia Leberl, also died in La Porte, about twenty years ago. Mr. and Mrs. McKlveen had five children, but only two are now living. Henry died at the age of five months; Bertha is now the wife of William Schreiber, a well-known resident of Chariton; Catherine is now a student in Des Moines College, where she has spent four years. She completed the high-school course of Chariton and was a teacher in the grammar department of the schools of this city for some time; Margaret died at the age of twelve years; and Robert died at the age of four.

Mr. and Mrs. McKlveen, likewise their children, are members of the First Baptist

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Church, of Chariton, and he takes quite an active interest in social affairs. He is a mem- ber of the Odd Fellows Society, in which he has attained to the encampment degree, is a Past Grand and a Past Grand Patriarch. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias. He is a life-long Democrat, and is a recognized leader in the councils of his party. For two terms he served as Alderman of Chariton and labored industriously for the best interests of the city. He has led a busy life, and his gen- uine worth, his honorable dealing and his fidel- ity to duty have won him the confidence and good will of all with whom he has been brought in contact.

ROFESSOR EDGAR U. LOGAN, principal of the college of commerce in the Western College, of Toledo, Iowa, has for three years served in this capacity, and has made the department of which he has charge to rank with the best busi- ness schools in the State. He was born in Dallas county, Iowa, September 23, 1870, and is a representative of one of the honored pio- neer families of that locality, his grandparents having located there in 1849. His parents were Alex M. and Hulda A. (Adams) Logan, both natives of Ohio. The former lost his mother during his early boyhood and came to Iowa at an early day. He took up his resi- dence in Dallas county, casting in his lot with its early settlers, and in the work of develop- ment and progress he has ever borne his part. He is a carpenter by trade, and now makes his home in Van Meter. Both he and his estima- ble and faithful wife, whom he married in Dal- las county, are consistent members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and their residence was ever the home of the pioneer ministers. They were active in the organization of several Methodist churches in that locality, and have ever been prominent in the advancement of the cause of Christianity-untiring workers in the Master's vineyard.

The maternal grandfather of Professor Lo-

gan was a man of influence and prominence in Dallas county, and in his pioneer days fre- quently made political and public speeches. Several of his sons were soldiers in the Civil war, and one died in the service, giving his life in defense of the Union. Several representa- tives of the family were prominent in official life, and one of the number, Rev. T. D. Ad- ams, was a well-known minister of the United Brethren Church.

Professor Logan, of this review, was reared in Van Meter, and after his graduation in the high school of that city engaged in teaching. He was not, however, content with his educa- tion, and resolved to secure better advantages. He had no money save what he earned him- self, and in order to pay his tuition he worked at the carpenter's trade with his father during the months of vacation, and also spent some eighteen months as cashier in the employ of the Chicago & Van Meter Coal Company. His earnings here, in addition to his wages as a teacher, enabled him to continue his studies as he desired.

Mr. Logan pursued a commercial course in the Western College, and on its completion was graduated with the class of 1890, winning the degree of Master of Accounts. He then resumed teaching in the country schools of Dallas county, and was thus employed until securing a position as teacher in the grammar department of the schools of Van Meter, which he resigned in order to take charge of the college of commerce in the Western College, of Toledo. During the three years that he has been connected with this institution he has greatly improved the course and raised the standard of scholarship, so that its graduates rank equally well with those of any commercial school in the State.

In 1892 Professor Logan was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Bailey, of Van Meter, a young lady of culture and refinement, and their union has been blessed with one child, Bessie. They hold membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church, are deeply inter- ested in its work, and in the community where

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they live have made many warm friends. Mr. Logan takes quite an active interest in civic societies, holding membership with the Masonic Lodge of Toledo, and the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias societies of Van Meter. The same enterprising spirit and courageous purpose which enabled him to secure an educa- tion in the face of great difficulties, has already secured for him considerable prominence as an educator and will bring him still greater honors in the future.

S ANFORD S. BROWN, who is num- bered among the very earliest pioneers of Warren county, has seen Milo, his adopted home, develop from a bleak and wind-swept prairie to its present populous status. Before the section was settled he has seen it swept by the fast flying tongues of fire which swept it clean, and the following year has seen it again blossom out in grass and wild flowers.

Mr. Brown was born in Highland county, Ohio, January 9, 1824, a son of Booker and Cassander (Clearwaters) Brown. They were the parents of ten children, five of whom are now living, namely: Nancy, wife of John Springer, of Green county, Wisconsin; Sarah, wife of William Ostrander, also of that coun- ty; Frances, wife of Thomas Morton; Rachel Jane, wife of William Kline, of Brockton, Tay- lor county, Iowa; and Sanford S., the subject of this sketch.

Booker Brown was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, but in early life he moved to Highland county, Ohio, and when Sanford S. was a babe of eighteen months he located in Vermilion county, Indiana. There he raised his family, and Sanford attended the log-cabin schools of his district. He recalls as his first teacher a Mr. Leek. In 1842 Booker Brown founded a home in Territorial Wisconsin, in Green county, that being before Wisconsin knew aught of railroads. or telegraph lines. There he spent his declining years, having been called to the spirit world in 1848, the year that

Wisconsin was admitted to the sisterhood of States.

December 17, 1863. Sanford S. Brown, the subject of this sketch, responded to the call sent out by Abraham Lincoln, and enlisted in Company K, Sixteenth Wisconsin Volunteer In- fantry. He followed the fortunes of his regi- ment, engaging in many skirmishes, and was under the shells of Forrest at Columbus, Ken- tucky. Mr. Brown was afflicted with rheu- matism, which greatly incapacitated him for service, and which constantly grew worse in the Black river country in Mississippi. He spent forty-eight hours in the hospital at Mound City, was then transferred to Jefferson Bar- racks for two months, and next spent four and a half months in the hospital at the capital city of his adopted State. He was on crutches for about seven and a half months, and often suf- fered excruciating pain. Mr. Brown was dis- charged from Madison hospital just one year and two days after his enlistment. He re- turned with his family to Iowa in 1865, mov- ing into the house, in Otter township, from which he emerged at the time of his migratory tour into Wisconsin. In 1880 he came to Milo, spending the first year on a farm near the city, after which he disposed of his place and moved into the town. Mr. Brown was a member of the first Council when J. F. Goode was Mayor of the city. He has always taken an active part in any enterprise for the up- building of Milo, and his life has been one surely worthy of emulation. In his social re- lations, he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post, No. 275, of Milo. Polit- ically he was first a Whig and afterward a Re- publican, and twice supported our martyred president, Abraham Lincoln.

February 28, 1850, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Levi and Sarah (Peck) Morgan. Mrs. Brown was born in Jefferson county, Tennessee, but accompanied her parents to Iowa in 1837, lo- cating near Mt. Pleasant, in Henry county, where the Indians were more numerous than the whites. She received her education in the

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 82

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