Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 83

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

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Rev. Das. Skoley.

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RECORD OF IOWA.

most primitive of log school-houses, with roughly hewn benches, and sheets of greased paper to allow daylight to be seen. She met Mr. Brown in Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1845. Our subject and wife have had six children, three of whom still survive, namely: Lydia Ann, wife of B. A. Manley, the popular man- ager of Stewarts' lumber, grain and hardware interests of Milo; Sarah Cassander, wife of Melville J. Stitt, who has also been associated with the Stewarts' interests; and John W., born November 26, 1858, in Otter township, Warren county, is a painter of this city. He has studied theology, and has been a minister in the Methodist Church. The deceased chil- dren are: Alice Jane and Mary Frances and Rachel Ellen (twins). Mary Frances, wife of William P. Johnson, died aged twenty-one years, leaving two children,-Alice Bell and Elizabeth Anı. Mr. Brown is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mrs. Brown was raised in the Quaker faith.

R EV. JAMES FOLEY, pastor of St. Patrick's Church, Roman Catholic, Stuart, Iowa, is a native of county Carlow, Ireland, born in the town of Tullow, on the 15th day of August, 1852. His childhood and early mature years were spent in his native town. When a child he entered St. Patrick's monastery in Tullow, pursuing his studies there until he had com- pleted the full classical course, when he en- tered Carlow College at eighteen years of age. His studies there were directed along the lines of moral and natural philosophy, theology and the sacred Scriptures. Six years were spent in this-one of the oldest institutions of learn- ing in Ireland. Carlow College was estab- lished in 1783, for the purpose of educating young men for the priesthood of home and foreign missions, many of whom have found a useful sphere of labor in America. During the last years of Father Foley's collegiate course, he filled the honorable position of Sen- ior Prefect in Carlow Lay College.

At the completion of his course there he was ordained to the priesthood for the diocese of Dubuque, on the 10th of June, 1876. Though deeply imbued with the love of his native land, he bade farewell to friends and home and sailed for America September 15, 1876. He was appointed by Bishop Hennessy as assistant pastor in Des Moines, where he remained until his promotion as pastor of Stuart, on August 25, 1877. As the pioneer pastor he came here in the days of his youth to a new and undeveloped loca- tion, to build it up and "to grow up with the country." There are few priests in the State who have grown up to so high a measure of esteem and reverence as Father Foley has at- tained amongst all classes in his mission; and whilst the land has rapidly progressed from wild prairie to highly cultivated fields, dotted everywhere with happy homes and prosperous hamlets and villages, Father Foley has also been assiduous in instructing and visiting his people, and largely instrumental in inducing many good Catholic families to build their homes in this favored spot.

At his arrival here in 1877 the mission com- prised nearly all the counties of Guthrie and Adair. Mass was occasionally celebrated at different points, but the principal stations at which congregations were organized were: Stu- art, Guthrie Center, Adair, Bridgewater and Bayard; and the number of Catholic families found here at that time comprised twenty-four at Stuart, sixteen at Adair, fifteen at Guthrie Center, twelve at Bridgewater, and eight at Bayard. In ministering to the spiritual wants of these people so widely separated the reader can readily imagine the amount of labor and exposure endured, and the extent of spiritual zeal which would prompt such an undertaking. The roads at this time in this new country were not permanently established, and in winter time were often obscure; yet the rigors of the wintry blast were not tempered, even to one on a mission of humanity.

In 1877 Stuart had only a very small church, incumbered with some indebtedness.

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Renting a cottage for temporary residence, Father Foley began his pastoral duties amid many discouragements, yet in a short time the church was relieved from debt. The next step was the building of a parochial residence, which was admirably planned, and of such ap- propriate design that it is an honor to the par- ish and to the diocese. Year by year the ef- forts to embellish and improve were renewed; the church was twice handsomely enlarged and now measures 32x90 feet, with an additional large extension, having sacristy and gallery, the whole being neatly finished and artistically decorated. The altars, vestments and orna- ments have been lavishly provided; there is seating capacity for the entire congregation; and a sweet-toned bell of 2,000 pounds daily reminds the parishioners of their spiritual ne- cessities even though they may be engaged in a struggle to provide for their temporal wants. Ample and well selected grounds have been provided and tastefully improved with trees and verdure. A half square has been se- cured to provide for a Sisters' school site, when a school becomes feasible, and all this has been accomplished with the greatest harmony and good will, and with strictest attendance to in- struction, prayer and all the most edifying spiritual ministrations of his holy vocation. Guthrie Center has always enjoyed the full measure of Father Foley's careful attendance: It is the county seat, a beautiful little city; they have a neat, well-kept church, and have their priest with them at regular intervals on. Sundays and on many other occasions of extra feast days; but the congregation does not grow as rapidly as others, because the tendency of Catholic families in a new country is to choose their homes where the priest resides.

Adair, in Adair county, twenty miles west of Stuart, claims Father Foley as the first priest who came and said mass amongst them. The country is very rolling and looks almost mountainous as the eye sweeps from ridge to ridge in every direction, with an unobstructed view of five miles and more. Here Father Foley gathered his little flock in vacant rooms

or residences, then took the public-school room, which on Sunday he divided with the Methodist congregation, the one celebrating the divine mysteries "up stairs," while the other conducted their meeting at the same time "down stairs," -- all in brotherly harmony. But in 1882, under the direction of Father Foley, the Catholics built their own church, at a cost of about $3,000.

This parish is the place where Father Foley can speak of sick calls. It is the congregation of magnificent distances, and his graphic de- scription of a sick call 'mid blizzard or cyclone will equal the most thrilling incidents in the lives of the missionaries of fifty years ago. On July 4, 1893, Right Reverend Bishop Cosgrove kindly remembered the people of Adair and sent them Rev. John F. Kempker, as resident pas- tor, who is still with them, an able teacher and contributor to the literature of the church.

Bridgewater, under the direction of Father Foley, included all the southern half of Adair county and part of Cass county. Some forty families were scattered here and there over this vast field, the three principal points for celebrating mass being the German colony four miles north of the town of Bridgewater, Fontanelle and Greenfield; but within the last few years this field was detached and placed under charge of the Benedictine Fathers' of Creston. Bayard congregation was relinquished in 1882 into the charge of the pastor of Perry.

All of these several fields of labor were at- tended faithfully by Father Foley until the ex- tension of railroads or the building of new ones rendered it possible for others to reach the fields conveniently, and hence Father Foley is justly remembered by those people as the one who ministered to them in their dire necessities, and his name will ever be revered by them.

He has been a member of the Bishop's Council for six years, and is prominently con- nected with the Irish National League of Iowa. For the last ten years he has been treasurer of this organization, and thousands of dollars have been faithfully transmitted by him to the parent society across the sea.

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RECORD OF IOWA.

The wonderful growth and prosperity of the Stuart mission is therefore due to the in- defatigable labors of Father Foley, whom the people of every nationality and every creed recognize as a gentleman of boundless useful- ness and purity of life. He is not only useful as a wise and trusted pastor, but in the ordi- nary affairs of life he always finds time for a friendly greeting and a helping hand. The in- fluence of such a life spent in a community is of incalculable value to the rising generation, whatever their religious training may be.

ILLIAM WALLACE JUNKIN .- The correlation of the individual or specific with the general or compo- site history is so intimate that a consistent treatise on the history of any com- munity or nation must have its basis in the tracing of the biographies of those who have conferred dignity and honor through their personal character and personal accomplish- ment. There is particular pleasure in revert- ing to the more salient points in the career of him whose name initiates this review, for he is not only a pioneer of the State of Iowa, but has the distinction of holding priority, in point of consecutive service, as the oldest editor in the State, and as a man who has wielded an important influence upon public affairs. Mr. Junkin, who is editor and publisher of the Fair- field Ledger, is one of the pioneers of Iowa, dating his advent therein back to 1844.

A native of Wheeling, West Virginia, Mr. Junkin was born on the 26th of January, 1831, being the son of Joseph and Sarah (Rambo) Junkin, the former of whom was born in Penn- sylvania, on the 20th of October, 1788, and the latter in the same State, June 3, 1790. Their marriage was solemnized December 20, 1808, and they became the parents of six sons and five daughters, namely: David Finley, who was born February 12, 1810, married Harriet Walker, November 13, 1834, and his death occurred on the 8th of September, 1844; Elea- nor, born September 24, 1811, became the

wife of James Gibson, and her death occurred in 1848; Joseph, born May 2, 1813, died August 14th of the succeeding year; Joseph, the second of that name, was born February IO, 1815, wedded Mary M. Cotton November 8, 1836, and is now a resident of Red Oak, Iowa; Nancy Galloway married Robert S. Hunter, May 3,- 1836, and is living in New- castle, Pennsylvania; John George, born Feb- ruary 19, 1819, died October 19, 1837; Sarah Margaret, born June 16, 1821, became the wife of George W. Clutter, who served as Cap- tain in the Mexican war, and died July 16, 1857, after which his widow, on the 21st of September, 1865, became the wife of Rev. Frederick A. Shearer, and is now living in Ash- land, Virginia; Mary B. F., born February 24, 1824, died June 13, 1833; Narcissa Doddridge was born April 2, 1826. and on the Ist of March, 1849, became the wife of James Shriver Beck, of Fairfield, Iowa; Matthew Johnson, born May 16, 1829, passed away a few years since, at his home in Fairfield, his marriage to Ellen E. Moorman having been consummated March 15, 1855, and her death having oc- curred in 1869; and William Wallace, the im- mediate subject of this review. The father died July 22, 1857, and the mother on the 17th of April, 1865, -- both in Fairfield.

Our subject accompanied his parents upon their removal to Iowa, in the spring of 1844, and the family located in Lee county, where they remained until the following year, when they removed to Louisa county, when they came to Jefferson county, in 1845. Two years later they took up their abode in Fairfield, where the honored parents passed the residue of their days. William W. received his pre- liminary instructions in the mysteries of the "art preservative " as a typesetter in the office of the Wheeling Argus, published in his native city, and upon locating in Fairfield, in the fall of 1847, he entered upon an apprenticeship in the office of the Iowa Sentinel, which had been established in Fairfield that year by A. R. Sparks. In the summer of 1848 Mr. Sparks sold the paper to Ezra Brown and R. B. Pope,

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and incidental to the change our subject was thrown out of employment; but through the kindly offices of Mr. Sparks he secured a posi- tion in Des Moines, with Colonel Barlow Granger, and in June, 1848, he aided in issu- ing the initial number of the Star, the first paper printed in the capital city of the State. After remaining for several months in Des Moines Mr. Junkin returned to his home in Fairfield, and during the winter of 1848-9 he found employment in the office of the Ottumwa Courier, which was published by Street & War- den, and in November of the latter year he accepted a position as compositor in the office of the Fairfield Ledger, which had been es- tablished only a short time previous by Or- lando McCraney. He continued his associa- tion with the Ledger until the spring of 1851, when he went to Richmond, Virginia, where he was for two years employed in the State print- ing office. On the 16th of May, 1853, he re- turned to Fairfield, and ten days later became associated in the publication of the Ledger, having purchased of A. R. Fulton, the proprie- tor at that time, a half interest in the plant and business, the incidental consideration being $450. He now entered upon that career of responsibility and consecutive application which has brought him success and high honors in the years that have since elapsed. His as- sociation with Mr. Fulton continued until Au- gust 14, 1854, when our subject became the sole proprietor of the enterprise. The paper was made to be a true exponent of the interests of this section, maintained a progressive policy and gained the support of a representative class of people throughout Jefferson and ad- joining counties. Alert and enterprising in his methods, Mr. Junkin advanced the interests of his paper by making material improvements in equipment and facilities and by keeping in pace with the rapid advancement made in the settlement and industrial progress of this part of the State. August 8, 1868, he formed a partnership with Ralph Robinson, receiving $2,500 for a half interest in the business, and this alliance was continued pleasantly and

profitably until January 5, 1875, when Mr. Robinson retired, receiving $4,500 for his in- terest, -thus showing the appreciation in the value of the office, to which power presses and other improvements had been added until the plant represented a financial valuation of $9,000. On the retirement of Mr. Robinson, our subject's eldest son, Charles M. Junkin, became co-manager, bringing to bear not only the practical experience which he had acquired under the careful direction of his father, but the discerning knowledge gained while in the Government printing office at Washington. On the 26th of May, 1878, he was admitted to partnership in the business, and the present firm of W. W. & C. M. Junkin was established. The Ledger has maintained a distinctive pres- tige and popularity, and has never flagged in its earnest advocacy of all wise and politic measures conserving the best interests of the public, and in its political functions it has wielded an unmistakable influence and has been a power in molding public opinion in this section of the State and in thus incidentally furthering material prosperity.

In his political adherency Mr. Junkin is vigorously arrayed in the support of the Re- publican party and its principles, and he has been an important factor in the councils and work of his party in the State, his acquaintance- ship with the leaders in the political affairs of the State and nation being of wide extent and his efforts being held in high estimation. The Ledger, under his effective management, has become one of the leading papers of Iowa, and is always reliable in its devotion to the inter- ests of the Republican party. On the 22d of April, 1889, Mr. Junkin was appointed In- spector of Indian Agencies, under the adminis- tration of President Harrison, being one of five employed in that department of the public service. The position is one of great responsi- bility and trust, and from the nature of the duties involved reflects credit upon those se- lected for the office. While actively connected with the campaign work of his party, Mr. Jun- kin never consented to be a candidate for office,

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as his newspaper business demanded his time and attention until his son had become suffi- ciently experienced to assume its management. His name has been prominently mentioned in connection with high official preferments, among which is that of the State Senatorship from his district, -an office for which he is distinctively and peculiarly eligible. All worthy public enterprises enlist his sympathy and sup- port, in which connection it may be stated that he was especially active in aiding in the erection of the new edifice of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Fairfield, having been the recognized financial leader and manager of that important undertaking. His liberality in that direction, as well as in the support of the public library and the encouragement of rail- way construction and other enterprises calcu- lated to benefit his city and county, has always been in excess of his means. As a journalist Mr. Junkin shows in his editorial utterances a terse and vigorous style, a mature judgment, and the power of assembling facts in a concise and logical form which can not fail to appeal to readers. He is known as one of the fore- most in the newspaper fraternity of the State, and as a citizen he commands the respect and high regard of a large circle of acquaintances and friends.

The marriage of Mr. Junkin was consum- mated on the 14th of September, 1854, when he wedded Miss Elizabeth Patrick, daughter of William and Amy (Morris) Patrick. Mrs. Junkin is a native of Ross county, Ohio, and has been a resident of Fairfield since 1847, when she accompanied her father on his re- moval to this place. Our subject and his wife are the parents of four sons and four daughters, of whom we offer brief record as follows: Charles Monroe, who was born in Fairfield on the 18th of May, 1855, is associated with his father in the publication of the Ledger; May, born August 19, 1856, was united in marriage to Nathaniel McGiffin, May 16, 1877, and is now residing in Montana; Gertrude, born Sep- tember 7, 1858, was married January 3, 1878, to W. W. McCrackin, president of the Silver

Bow National Bank, of Butte, Montana; Vir- ginia, twin sister of Gertrude, is the wife of J. B. Swinburne, editor of the Humboldt Kos- mos, at Humboldt, Iowa; Amy, born Febru- ary 5, 1862, is the wife of Rev. J. F. Hink- house, of Lenox, Taylor county, this State; William David, born April 13, 1864, is a clerk in the railway mail service; Paul Sheridan, born August 12, 1867, is a practical printer, until recently was employed in the Ledger office, and is now editor of the Sioux County Herald, Orange City, Iowa; and Robert Tup- per, born June 23, 1871, is now editor of the Rock Rapids Reporter, Lyon county, Iowa.

R OBERT H. STARR. - The lawyer has been and is a pre-eminent factor as touching the economical conditions of the nation, and the legal profession is one that opens up the field for honest and earn- est endeavor and for a career of honor and use- fulness. The subject of this sketch is recog- nized as one of the representative members of the bar of Van Buren county and as a man of unswerving integrity. Into his life history en- ter many points of interest, for he has been actively concerned in various business pursuits, has rendered the valiant service of a loyal sol- dier of the republic in the hour of his country's extremity, and traces his lineage through a long line of American ancestors, notable for indus- try, intelligence and sterling worth. Mr. Starr is the senior member of the well-known law firm of Starr & Calhoun, of Keosauqua, and is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of the place.

On the 16th of April, 1840, Robert H. Starr was ushered into the world, the place of his nativity having been Berks county, Penn- sylvania. His father, James Starr, was also a native of the old Keystone State, having been born in Chester county in the year 1805, the son of James Starr, Sr., who was the son of Moses Starr, who was the original American ancestor, having been driven from Ireland dur- ing the troublous period when Oliver Crom-

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well was at the zenith of his power. The an- cestry of our subject on either side is found to have been of the noble faith maintained by the Society of Friends, or Quakers. The father of Robert H. was a tanner by trade, and in later years he devoted his attention more par- ticularly to farming, having also been for some time engaged in hotel-keeping. He lived to attain the advanced age of eighty-nine years. In the year 1829, according to the ceremony of the Quaker Church, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Phœbe Hilles, who was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, being the daughter of Robert Hilles, who was also of a prominent Quaker family. After their mar- riage the young couple settled in Berks county, Pennsylvania, where they remained until the death of the devoted wife and mother, in Sep- tember, 1850, after which the father of our subject removed to Lewis county, Missouri, where he remained until the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, when he removed to Clark county, the same State, where he passed the residue of his life, his death occurring in 1894.

The early boyhood days of our subject were passed in Pennsylvania, where he attended the public schools, and later continued his scholastic discipline in Stark county, Ohio, completing his studies at Alliance, that State. He began his business career as a clerk in a mercantile establishment, and was thus em- ployed for three years at Winchester, Colum- biana county, Ohio. In July, 1861, he went to McHenry county, Illinois, and there joined the brave boys in blue who were being mus- tered into the service of the Union, enlisting as a member of Company K, Thirty-sixth Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Gruisel com- manding. The regiment was sent to join Gen- eral Fremont's forces in southwestern Mis- souri, and participated in a number of en- gagements, afterward taking part in the engagement at Corinth, Mississippi, May 31, 1862. The following summer our subject was assigned to garrison duty, and in September of the same year he was sent to Cincinnati, and

was one of those concerned in the raid made by Kirby Smith. In October, 1862, Mr. Starr went to Louisville, Kentucky, and there be- came a member of what was subsequently known as the Army of the Cumberland, and he participated in all of the engagements of that army until May 17, 1864, when he was severely wounded by a gunshot in the right leg, and was discharged on a surgeon's cer- tificate of his disability, January 6, 1865. He then returned to Clark county, Missouri, where he engaged in the mercantile business, contin- uing operations in this line until 1867, when he was elected Treasurer of the county, in which capacity he served one term. He was thereafter engaged in farming for a few years, having in the meanwhile devoted as much at- tention as possible to the study of law, being determined to devote his life to that profession. In 1874 he secured admission to the bar, at a regular session of the circuit court at Kahoka, Clark county, Missouri, and within the same year he came to Keosauqua, Iowa, and en- tered vigorously upon the practice of his pro- fession, his ability and discrimination soon gaining him distinctive prestige, which he has signally increased during the succeeding years, having retained a large and representative clientage, -his practice extending into the lo- cal, State and Federal courts.

In 1892 Mr. Starr admitted to partnership in his professional business his son, James P., and this association continued for two years, when James accepted the position as Deputy County Clerk, whereupon Mr. Starr formed his present professional alliance with J. C. Cal- houn. In his political adherency Mr. Starr has always rendered a stanch allegiance to the Republican party, and during the times leading up to the late war was a pronounced and un- compromising abolitionist. In his fraternal re- lations he is identified with W. C. Harper Post, No. 79, Department of Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic.

The marriage of our subject was consum- mated November 24, 1865, when he was united to Miss Mary C. Smith, daughter of

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Peter and Hester Smith, of Clark county, Mis- souri, and they became the parents of eleven children, of whom all but one lived to attain mature years, their names and order of birth being as follows: Phœbe H., Julia E., James P., Belle, Ida, Bethel, Anna, Vie, and Charlie and William, who are twins.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 83

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