USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 54
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schools, of kindness to animals, and the protection of bird life, will have a marked influence for the betterment of the next generation. Nothing is more natural than the thought that those who have a taste for the beautiful, and are willing to make an effort and, if necessary, a sacrifice to attain it in their sur- roundings, have a better conception of their relation to their fellowmen and to society than those who look only to the gratification of selfish ends; and it is now certain that children brought up under favorable and ennobling in- fluences are much more likely to become useful and high minded citizens than those who are brought up in crowded, ill-cared-for and neglected homes. Most states, in their laws, are giving thought to this feature as an element of better government, and there is no doubt there will be a large increase in sentiment along that line in the coming generation. That should not be taken as finding fault with the pioneers, who did the best they could, but is a good reason why the present, and coming, generations should carry this work fur- ther for their own benefit, and the benefit of those who may come after them.
A conspicuous example of the development of "outdoor art," along the foregoing lines, is "Linden Park," at West Union, Iowa. This is regarded by good judges as one of the beauty spots of Iowa, and has been so de- scribed and illustrated in many newspapers and magazines. Linden Park is the residence of J. W. Bopp and Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Whorley, and has a background of a beautiful natural grove of linden trees, from which the grounds take their name. It is very artistically laid out, with lovely trees and beautiful lawns, and a great many well-kept, beautiful hedges of various kinds of evergreen trees. Mr. Bopp and Mr. Whorley have increased the beauty of the place by the planting of many hundreds of shade and ornamental trees, and there are many excellent cement walks to all the buildings and other parts of the grounds. There is a fine private system of water works, with many hydrants for use on the lawns, and the greatest profusion of flower beds and flowering shrubs. The arrangement of the lawns, shrubbery and flower beds, and many of the trees and walks; are due to the superior taste . and skill of Mrs. Whorley, who has a natural aptitude for that kind of work and an exceptional taste in harmonizing colors and the arrangement of plants and trees. She has designed many unique arbors and hedges and shady nooks, and a profusion of vines which soften the angles and the outlines of many of the buildings. She has her own greenhouse for the care of many of the tender plants, and her work has been an inspiration to many others who have made beginnings in a similar way. The entrance to the grounds is through two sets of large iron gates and beautiful iron grill work, with large old
EVENING SHADOWS, AT LINDEN PARK;
ACROSS THE LAWN. AT LINDEN PARK.
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English style cement gate-posts, which will be a monument to their builder for many years to come. The long and winding driveway is bordered with fine large trees and cut-stone curbing, and all the fences about the grounds are made with woven wire and steel posts. They are a source of delight to the many visitors and an inspiration for those who admire the beautiful and artistic. While it may not be possible for every one to have grounds like "Linden Park," which has many natural advantages, all of which have been developed and brought to their best, yet there is no doubt that grounds like these are a strong factor in aiding others to undertake the development of out- door art in a limited way. Another example of the making of a farm home- stead beautiful and attractive, is the Bopp family homestead, which was taken by Michael Bopp and his wife from the government as raw prairie, and which has remained in the family up to the present time. Mr. Bopp had been a gardener and vintner on the Rhine, and brought with him many good ideas in the laying out and up-building of an ideal homestead. The large and com- modious buildings were well arranged for a family homestead, and during his life-time it was, without a doubt, one of the best-kept-up places in the county.
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W. A. Toy
BIOGRAPHICAL.
HON. WILLIAM ALLEN HOYT.
True biography has a more noble purpose than mere fulsome eulogy. The historic spirit, faithful to the record; the discerning judgment, unmoved by prejudice and uncolored by enthusiasm, are essential in giving the life of the individual, as in writing the history of a people. Indeed, the ingenuous- ness of the former picture is even more vital, because the individual is the national unit, and if the unit be justly estimated the complex organism will become correspondingly intelligible. The world today is what the leading men of the last generation have made it, and this rule must ever hold good. From the past comes the legacy of the present. Law, art, science, states- manship and government are accumulations. They constitute an inheritance upon which the present generation have entered, and the advantages se- cured from so vast a bequeathment depend entirely upon the fidelity with which is conducted the study of the lives of the principal actors who have transmitted and are still transmitting the legacy. This is especially true of those whose influence has passed beyond the confines of locality and per- meated the state life. To such a careful study are the life, character and services of the late Judge William Allen Hoyt pre-eminently entitled, not only on the part of the student of biography, but also of every citizen who. guided by example, would in the present wisely build for the future. In studying a clean-cut and distinct character like that of the subject, there is small use for indirection or puzzling. His character was the positive ex- pression of a strong nature, and a partial revelation of his sterling qualities, prolific application and eminently successful life will be secured through a pe- rusal of this brief tribute.
William Allen Hoyt was born in the little town of Cleveland, Oswego county, New York, on the 16th day of April, 1844, and was the son of Charles and Mary (Allen) Hoyt. He received his preliminary education
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in the public schools of Oswego county and early decided to make the pro- fession of law his life work. To this end he read law for some time in Oswego, and then entered the law department of Columbia University, New York City, where he was graduated in 1866 with special honors. Much of his youth, and especially during the period of his preparation for his life work, was spent in the home and office of his uncle, Judge William Allen, a distinguished lawyer and eminent jurist of New York and the author of "Allen's New York Reports." After graduating from the law school, Mr. Hoyt became connected with the law firm of Scudder & Carter, of New York City, with whom he remained until 1871, when failing health compelled him to seek a more congenial and favorable climate. He located in Fayette, Iowa, and at once entered upon the active practice of his profession, which was continued without interruption, other than his official services on the bench, until his death. Mr. Hoyt at once attracted the attention of the bar throughout northeastern Iowa, for his knowledge of law was as thorough and extensive as that of any man in the state. In 1878 Mr. Hoyt formed a professional partnership with H. P. Hancock, of West Union, the firm main- taining offices at West Union and Fayette. His abilities were quickly rec- ognized and he was twice chosen attorney for Fayette county. . He had already given valuable service to his city as councilman and mayor and par- ticularly in the capacity of city counsellor. In 1889 he was nominated on the Democratic ticket for the position of judge of the thirteenth judicial circuit and, although the district was normally Republican, he was elected. Prior to this he had been appointed and served an unexpired term of two years, his record on the bench giving him marked prestige and an enviable reputation throughout the district, and beyond. On the completion of his regular term of four years, Judge Hoyt consented to again make the race, but in the ensuing election he was defeated by a very small majority. In 1887 Judge Hoyt became connected with the Bank of Fayette, of which he was chosen president, and also became a stockholder in the bank at West Union. He was an able financier and business man and became possessed of considerable farm land. For many years he was associated with A. J. Duncan in the law and the real estate business, in which they met with the most pronounced success. Judge Hoyt's comprehensive knowledge of the law and his sound judgment made him a valuable citizen and to him were referred practically all difficulties in municipal affairs. In 1875 Judge Hoyt became a member of the board of trustees of Upper Iowa University, with which he was identified for many years, and during most of the time he served as secretary of the board. On him the college authorities largely
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leaned when confronted by doubtful circumstances or knotty questions. The reliance placed on him by his associates in financial circumstances is shown by the fact that when the Bank of Fayette was changed from a private bank to a state bank he was made its first president, retaining the position con- tinuously until his death. He was also counsellor for the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, and was considered a safe and sound adviser in any affair.
Judge Hoyt had many stanch friends in all the northern counties of Iowa, regardless of creed or party, because at all times he was a courteous gentleman to rich and poor alike. His eminent fitness for the bench is shown in the fact that fewer of his decisions as judge were reversed by the supreme court than those of any other judge in Iowa. He was a good citizen, a faith- ful husband, a loving father and a true friend. He was eminently just and fair in all his dealings. He was reserved and retiring in his disposition, yet fearless and steadfast in his defense of what he believed to be right. He was generous in his treatment of others, yet he tried to help men help themselves. He cared nothing for personal display, seeming absolutely devoid of per- sonal vanity. He knit men to him with cords of the strongest friendship, which stood the test of time. He loved the social hour with friends, but most of all he loved the quiet of his own fireside, where he showed himself an ideal husband and father. His death occurred on May 28, 1903. following an operation for cancer of the stomach. When in the valley of the shadow of death, he turned instinctively to the Bible, which had been his constant solace during health, and when recovering consciousness after the operation the first words he murmured were the Lord's Prayer.
On October 23, 1872, during the second year of his residence at Fay- ette, Judge Hoyt married Elma L. Marvin, a native of McHenry county, Illinois, and the daughter of Asahel E. and Phoebe (Knowles) Marvin. These parents were originally from Livingston county. New York, near Rochester, and in 1865 they moved to Fayette county, Iowa, where the father became a well-known and successful carpenter and contractor. He died in 1892. His widow now makes her home with her daughter. Mrs. Hoyt, and is in her eighty-ninth year. To Judge and Mrs. Hoyt were born four chil- dren, namely : Allen Fitch died at the age of one year; Blanche died at the age of six years; Katherine, who became the wife of John Budd, of Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania, is the mother of two daughters, Elizabeth and Willa Hoyt; Elizabeth M. is the wife of L. J. Ayer, of Chicago, and they have one daughter, Katherine.
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Politically, Judge Hoyt was closely identified with the Democratic party, and he never swerved in his allegiance, though he was not at any time offen- sively partisan. Religiously he was a member of the Congregational church at Fayette since 1871. He was an earnest and liberal supporter of this society, as he was also of the Upper Iowa University, taking at all times a deep and abiding interest in religious, moral and educational objects. Fra- ternally he was a member of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, in which he was identified with Pleiades Lodge, Ansel Humphries Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and the commandery of Knights Templar at West Union. In 1899 Judge Hoyt received from the Upper Iowa University the degree of Doctor of Laws, in recognition of his sterling character and eminent abilities. Mrs. Hoyt, who still resides in the old home in Fayette, is a woman of refinement and culture, whose graces and pleasing personality have endeared her to a host of warm and loyal personal friends.
Judge Hoyt stood admittedly in the front rank of Iowa's distinguished professional men, possessing a thoroughly disciplined mind and keeping in close touch with the trend of modern thought relating to his profession. He ever maintained his high standing, never descending beneath the dignity of his profession nor compromising his usefulness by countenancing any but honorable and legitimate practice. The apparent ease with which he mounted to his commanding position in the legal profession marked him as the possessor of talents beyond the majority of his professional brethren. and, being a close and critical student, he experienced no difficulty in sus- taining the high reputation which his professional abilities and marked suc- cess earned for him.
HON. WILLIAM LARRABEE.
The career of ex-Governor William Larrabee is too familiar to the people of Iowa, and especially of Fayette county, to need any encomium on the part of the biographer, a mere statement of facts being deemed sufficient to show that he. as the representative of a sterling old family, has endeavored to per- form his duty at all times as he saw and understod the right, without court- ing the plaudits of his fellow men. His genealogy is traced to the French Huguenots who came to America early in the seventeenth century.
Adam Larrabee, the father of William, was born March 14, 1787, and was one of the early graduates of West Point Military Academy, and during the war of 1812 ( March I, 18II) he was commissioned a second lieutenant,
HON. WILLIAM LARRABEE.
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promoted to captain of his company February 21, 1814, and on March 30th following, at the battle of Lacole Mills, during General Wilkinson's campaign on the St. Lawrence river, he was severely wounded in the lung, but finally recovered. He married Hannah G. Lester, who was born June 8, 1798, and died March 15, 1837. Captain Larrabee reached the age of eighty-two years, diving in 1869.
William Larrabee, of this review, was born at Ledyard, Connecticut, January 20, 1832, being the seventh child in a family of nine children. His boyhood days were spent upon a farm and he early became familiar with hard work in the fields, attending the neighboring schools during the brief win- ter months until he reached the age of sixteen years. He made the best use of his limited advantages and taught school during the winter months of the next two years. He was not to be discouraged by obstacles, one of which was the loss of his right eye when fourteen years of age by the accidental dis- charge of a gun. The homestead was only two miles from the seashore, and in those days it was the custom for boys in New England to follow the sea. William's three oldest brothers had chosen this occupation, while the fourth remained upon the home farm. Believing that better opportunities awaited him in the Western states than in his home country, young William, in 1853, made the long journey to Iowa, locating in Garnavillo, Clayton county, where his older sister, Mrs. E. H. Williams, had previously located. He taught one term of school at Hardin, and during the three following years he was em- ployed as foreman of the Grand Meadow farm of his brother-in-law, Judge Williams. In 1857 he purchased a one-third interest in the Clermont Mill, at Clermont, Fayette county, becoming sole owner of the same within three years. He operated this mill until 1874, when he sold to S. M. Leach. When the Civil war began he offered his services, but was rejected on account of the loss of his eye. Being informed that he might be admitted as a commissioned officer, he raised a company and was elected as first lieutenant, but was re- jected for the same disability.
After selling his mill Mr. Larrabee again turned his attention to agri- culture, and also started a private bank at Clermont. He started a nursery on his farm and carried it on for several years.
Mr. Larrabee was always more or less interested in political matters, but his active political career did not begin until 1867. He was reared a Whig and when the Republican party was organized he at once identified himself with the same and has never changed his views, remaining loyal to its prin- ciples. The only public office he had filled prior to the date mentioned above was that of secretary of the school board. In the fall of 1867 he was elected
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to represent Fayette county in the state Senate, and being re-elected to the same office from time to time, he served continuously for a period of eighteen years, having been always nominated by acclamation, and for several years the Democrats made no nominations to oppose him. During his long service in the Senate, Governor Larrabee was a member of the ways and means com- mittee, and it is said that he never missed a committee meeting, and many of the important measures passed by the Legislature owe their existence or present form to him. He won the reputation of being a persistent worker for what he believed to be the best interests of his constituents.
In 1881 Mr. Larrabee was a candidate for governor, but Governor Sher- man's forces having already been well organized, he was too late in entering the contest. But he received the nomination in 1885 and was subsequently elected the state's chief executive, having been inaugurated January 14, 1886, and re-elected in 1887, and his record as the twelfth governor of this great commonwealth was such as to win the commendation of all classes, being always alert for the best interests of the state. After he was governor he published a valuable work dealing with the history of transportation, and entitled, "The Railroad Question," issued in 1893. In 1898 he was made chairman of the board of control in charge of public charities and penal in- stitutions for Iowa, which position he resigned in 1900. He was president of the Iowa commission to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904.
Governor Larrabee's' domestic life dates from September 12, 1861, when he married, at Clermont, Ann M. Appelman, daughter of Capt. G. A. Appelman, long a well known citizen of this county. Seven children have been born to the Governor and wife, Charles, Augusta, Julia, Anna, William, Fred- eric and Helen.
HON. LEVI FULLER, M. D.
Hon. Levi Fuller, M. D., a leading citizen of Fayette county for nearly fifty years, was born August 14. 1824, at Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. He was the eighth child of a family of eleven children and the only son who grew to maturity. His father, Capt. Elijah Fuller, was born December 9, 1787, at Surry, Cheshire county, New Hampshire, and died January 5, 1880, at West Union, Iowa. He was eighth in direct line from the Pilgrim Edward Fuller, who, with his wife, came in the "Mayflower" in 1620 and landed at Ply- mouth, Massachusetts, his line being, Edward, Samuel, Samuel, Barnabas,
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Samuel, Joshua, Levi, Elijah. He married Matilda Newcomb, born May 10, 1790, at Leyden, Massachusetts, died May 11, 1862, at West Union. She also was a lineal descendant of the Pilgrims. The blood of Governor William Brad- ford and Edward Fuller of Plymouth Colony were united in the marriage of Matilda Newcomb and Elijah Fuller. Jerusha Bradford, daughter of Thomas Bradford, son of Major William. Bradford, son of Governor Wil- liam Bradford, married Hezekiah Newcomb. Matilda Newcomb was a lineal descendant of this union.
Elijah Fuller's father, Levi Fuller, and three brothers, Samuel, Joshua and David, were in the Revolutionary war. Joshua was killed at the battle of Bennington, Vermont. Levi was a member of Capt. John Grigg's com- pany, Col. Alexander Scammel's New Hampshire regiment, Continental Army, at the age of sixteen years. He enlisted at Walpole, New Hampshire.
Elijah Fuller was captain of a company at the time of the war of 1812, but was not called into service. In 1818 he was a member of the New Hamp- shire Legislature. His wife's father, Hezekiah Newcomb, was a member of the Massachusetts Legislature continuously for eighteen years.
Dr. Levi Fuller, of this review, had many marked characteristics that might be attributed to his Pilgrim ancestry. In early life he attended the academy at New Castle, Pennsylvania, after which he began the study of medicine and in due time entered upon the successful practice of his pro- fession. He came to Stephenson county, Illinois, in 1846 and practiced his profession at Rockgrove several years. On May 13, 1845, he married Jemima Elizabeth Tipton, born June 3. 1826, who was his loved companion until her death, February 1, 1899. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Shade) Tipton, of Howard. Center county, Pennsylvania. She was a woman of rare judgment, artistic tastes and strong religious convictions. Her health was poor for many years, but she always was cheerful and made home pleasant. Their home for many, many years was the stopping place for the itinerant ministers, who always received a warm welcome. To them were born three children, William E., born March 30, 1846: Matilda Jane, born May 17, 1848, died August 6, 1851 : Mary Elizabeth, born June 9, 1850, died December 7, 1851.
Doctor Fuller came to West Union, Iowa, in April, 1853, and practiced his profession for a time, but soon entered into general business. He opened up a hardware store in West Union, in May, 1854, the first in the town and county. In 1868-9 he and his son, William E., owned and operated the West Union Bank, the only bank in the county, which was sold to S. B. Zeigler and afterwards merged into the Fayette County National Bank. For many
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years Levi Fuller was engaged in active brokerage business and buying and selling lands. He laid out three additions to West Union and erected many buildings.
Mr. Fuller was a Whig and a Republican. His first Presidential vote was cast for Taylor in 1848. He was in the convention that nominated Lincoln in 1860 and attended most of the subsequent national conventions of his party. He represented Fayette county in the Legislature during the war, serving through two sessions on important committees and being es- pecially active in enacting legislation to raise money during the war period. His judgment and counsel was sought by Governor Kirkwood during the trying war period. Governor Kirkwood tendered him the command of a regiment of Iowa troops, but he declined as he had no military training. The Governor commissioned him a surgeon in the Thirty-eighth Iowa Volunteers. Before going to the regiment, President Lincoln appointed him to the im- portant office of United States collector of internal revenue for the third district of Iowa, composed of twelve counties. This position he held until November, 1865, when he resigned, he having filled this responsible posi- tion with honor to himself and his county. He collected many million dollars to aid the government in its extremity in putting down the rebellion.
Following the "Grasshopper raid" in northwestern Iowa, Doctor Fuller was one of the three commissioners to distribute the relief appropriation of the Legislature for seed, performing the duty with his accustomed thor- oughness and fidelity and returning back into the state treasury about one- third of the amount appropriated. This is a rare incident in the history of the state. In the later years of Doctor Fuller's life he became deeply inter- ested in the subject of education, partially due, perhaps, to the confidence re- posed in him by the people of the independent district of West Union, who for eighteen consecutive years kept him a member of the board, most of the time as president. It was a matter of congratulation with the teachers and pupils that one of his last public acts, within a few days of his death, was to make the rounds of the grades, inspecting the work in each and addressing the pupils in words of wisdom fitting and appropriate to those who were to Le the future men and women of West Union.
For about twenty years he was president of the board of trustees of the Upper Iowa University and all familiar with that institution of learning are free to credit to his sagacity and conservative business management much of its later success. He gave freely of his means to assist the University. The Methodist church at West Union was the constant subject of his fostering care and he assisted liberally in the building of all the churches in West
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