USA > Iowa > The United States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self made men, Iowa volume > Part 78
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| chusetts, on the 23d of March, 1803. Alpheus mar- ried Miss Caroline Bunce, by whom he has had ten children, seven boys and three girls; four of the boys and one girl are now living.
Alpheus Morse has ever been foremost in the ad- vancement of every worthy enterprise, and to a well-stored mind may be added unfailing health, which has enabled him to be an ever active man among men.
He has served two terms in the legislature of Massachusetts ; elected there by large majorities, at a time when actual merit and acquirements were essential to an election.
He has ever been a devoted christian, and for over thirty years was senior deacon in St. Mary's Episcopal Church at Newton, Lower Falls. So per- fect has been his health that in all these years he never missed a service in his church.
Alpheus and his wife came west in 1866, residing two years in Chicago, and then removed to Geneva, Kane county, Illinois, where they now reside.
George A. Morse was born at Weston, Massachu- setts, on the 4th of October, 1827. He attended school at Weston in the winter months until he was seventeen years old, working upon his father's farm during the summer months.
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Not liking this employment, his father secured him a position in the employ of Grafton and Co., Washington street, Boston, where he remained for six years; at the expiration of which time he mar- ried Miss Caroline Merrill, of South Hampton, New Hampshire, and immediately came to Galesburg, Illinois.
In a short time after reaching Galesburg he ob- tained employment with a Mr. Charles McClellan, of Peoria, with whom, however, he remained but six months. Returning to Galesburg, he worked at in- creased pay for one Silas Willard, who kept a gen- eral country store. Here he remained one year, and returned to Peoria and reengaged with Mr. McClelland, with whom he remained one year, at which time he was induced to accept a proposition from Mr. Willard, at Galesburg, to go to Wethers- field, Illinois, to superintend the building of a store or warehouse at that place, becoming a partner with Willard.
The Central Military Track railroad was project- ed about this time, of which Mr. Willard and Dr. Bunce were directors. The road was to run through to Wethersfield, and hence the construction of this building. There was no habitation in this place (the lumber had to be drawn at least thirty miles over the wild prairie to build the house with); how- ever, our young scion of a Puritan race worked vig- orously, and March, 1853, found him ready to stock the same with a general stock of merchandise. In the subsequent year the railway had reached the place which was then called Kewanee, now of five thousand inhabitants.
This business was continued profitably for four years, when Mr. Willard died at Galesburg and the whole affair was sold out; Mr. Morse remaining at Kewanee and engaging in grain and banking busi- ness till the fall of 1864, when he closed out his business matters and moved with his family to Chi- cago.
The cause of education has ever been an incen- tive to unusual exertions on the part of both Mr. and Mrs. Morse. Possessed of good education themselves (particularly the lady, who had been a teacher in the grammar school of Boston), they were ever actively employed in the furtherance of every scheme for the development of popular education. During their stay at Kewanee both had given ear- nest attention to the cause of education, and to the formation of Sabbath schools and the institution of public worship.
On leaving Kewanee for Chicago the Henry coun- ty "Dial " thus speaks of Mr. Morse :
Mr. George A. Morse and family leave to-day for Chicago to take up their permanent residence in that city. In the departure of Mr. Morse the town loses one of its most worthy, liberal and public-spirited citizens-a true christian gentleman in all the relations of life. Though still a young man, he is one of the oldest pioneers of our town, having built the first store and the first dwelling in it that were erected after it was laid out. He has been identified with its business and improvements ever since, and has extended to all moral and social enterprises, in which the public were interested, an open and liberal hand. We trust he will real- ize his best anticipations in removing to the great city.
Arrived in Chicago, Mr. Morse made a copartner- ship with his brother Albert, under the firm name of A. Morse and Co.
Here he remained for five years, and then retired from the firm and began a prospecting tour through- out Iowa and Nebraska, looking for the best point to settle for the establishment of a store for the buy- ing and selling of all kinds of grain and flaxseed, and for the sale of agricultural implements. The result of all this prospecting determined him to settle in Corning, Adams county, Iowa. The before-men- tioned Military Track road became incorporated in- to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy road when it reached Burlington. The Burlington and Missouri River railway had commenced building a road from Burlington to the Missouri river. Construction trains alone were run over the road from Afton to Corning and westward at this time, so Mr. Morse came to Corning upon a tie train, and soon commenced build- ing a warehouse and residence. Corning at this time contained less than one hundred inhabitants. When this warehouse and dwelling were but partly built Mr. Morse returned to Chicago for his family, this time there being a caboose attached to the freight train from Burlington to Corning. This was Mrs. Morse's second experience in the frontier life of west- ern civilization. This was in 1869. Mr. Morse's idea in settling here was that there were but very few in- habitants, and he deemed it advisable to "pitch his tent " in a country with a future to it, there to live and share its growing prosperity. The natural pre- sentment and surroundings of Corning were all that could be desired. His ability to judge of its future was learned in his pioneer life in Illinois. By the strictest attention to business, rigid economy, and the self-sacrificing exertions of his wife, our young merchant laid. the foundation of his future lucrative business. As there were no schools in Corning to which Mrs. Morse could send her children, she de- termined to open a school in a part of her husband's
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wareroom. This school the lady conducted for a year, at which time a grammar school had been in- stituted, the result of Mr. Morse's persistent efforts in this direction. Here Mrs. Morse was induced to teach, and at the same time raise the grade of the school, having done which the lady retired at the end of six months, and opened a private school at her own house, with fifty scholars, which she con- ducted successfully, teaching the higher branches for two years.
In a few years the yield of wheat and other grains began to be bountiful. By the strictest adherence to fair dealing with the farmers, Mr. Morse has built up for himself a large business. In 1876 the coun- ties of Montgomery and Adams conjointly sent one representative to the general assembly of the state. The choice of nominee for this campaign belonged to Adams county, and, unknown to him, his farmer friends had determined to place their interests in his hands, and therefore nominated and elected him to the sixteenth general assembly of Iowa. During this session the state was redistricted, and Adams and Montgomery counties were each to send a delegate to the general assembly. In 1868 Mr. Morse was again nominated for delegate, this time receiving forty-three out of fifty-three votes on the first ballot, and was elected in October, 1877, by two hundred
and twenty votes, a very large majority. Mr. Morse is one of the most trustworthy of representatives. His large business concerns bring him continuously in contact with agricultural interests, whose wants he fully understands, and is very active in furthering their interests by wise and wholesome legislation.
But every sunshine has its shadow. The hand of death has dealt heavily with this family. They have lost two sons and one daughter by scarlet fever, and one boy, fourteen, who, having first passed a very successful examination for admission into the high school of Chicago, was drowned while bathing in Lake Michigan near Douglass Grove. They have now two sons and two daughters living.
Mr. Morse has now a very large business built up upon the sure foundation of fair dealing with all men. He is essentially the arbiter of his own good fortunes, and worthily bears an irreproachable char- acter, not only among his fellow-townsmen, who now number nearly two thousand, but throughout Adams and adjoining counties.
He was educated and brought up an Episcopalian.
He was originally a whig in politics, and deposited his maiden vote for General Taylor. Subsequently he adopted the republican creed and voted for J. C. Fremont, and has ever since been a strict adherent to the fortunes of the republican party.
REV. CHARLES E. BROWN,
LIME SPRINGS.
T 'HE subject of this sketch, now representing Howard county in the general assembly, was born in Augusta, Oneida county, New York, on the 23d of February, 1813. He was the son of a Baptist minister, Rev. Philip P. Brown, who was a pioneer in central New York, and who died in September, 1876, at the age of eighty-six years. The maiden name of Charles's mother was Betsy Dickey, a de- scendant of the Dickeys who with other Scotch- Irish emigrants settled in Londonderry, in southern New Hampshire, more than two hundred years ago.
Philip P. Brown moved to Smithfield, Madison county, in 1814, and there the subject of this brief sketch lived on a farm until eighteen or nineteen years of age. Subsequently he took a scientific course in Madison University ; graduated from the theological department of that institution in 1838; preached four years at Norway and Warren, Herki-
mer county, and in May, 1842, crossed the Missis- sippi river, and since that date, with the exception of a few years, has made Iowa his home. He organ- ized a church near Maquoketa, Jackson county ; soon after became pastor of the Baptist churches at Davenport and Rock Island, with his residence at the former place ; a little later was pastor at Le Claire, Scott county, and Maquoketa; in 1857 removed to Vernon Springs, and Howard county has been his home most of the time since that date, he holding a pastorate until 1876. He removed from Vernon Springs to Lime Springs in 1870. He was the first superintendent of schools in Howard county, and was on the county board of supervisors one term.
Early in 1865 Mr. Brown became chaplain of the 3d regiment United States Heavy Artillery, Colonel Kappner, commander, stationed at Memphis, Ten- nessee, serving one year.
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He was elected to the general assembly in Octo- ber, 1877, and at the session convening the next January was placed on the committees on railroads, suppression of intemperance, institution for the edu- cation of the blind, soldiers' orphans' home, state university, and hospital for the insane.
Representative Brown was in early life a strong anti-slavery man, voting for John P. Hale for presi- dent in 1852, and has been a steady and firm ad- herent to the republican party since its origin. He cherishes his political and religious sentiments with equal sincerity, and is guided by a clarified judgment and a clear conscience in all the duties of life. No truer man lives in Howard county.
The wife of representative Brown was Miss Fran- ces Lyon, of Little Falls, New York ; married on the 26th of September, 1838. They have had five chil- dren, and lost two of them; Benjamin P., their eld-
est son, was drowned in boyhood in the Maquoketa river, near the city of Maquoketa; George L. was killed at the age of eighteen, while coupling cars, at Saint Paul Junction, Minnesota ; Charles P. is United States revenue agent at Ottumwa, Iowa; James D. is railroad-station agent at Lime Springs ; and Willie C. is train dispatcher for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company, with location at Burling- ton, Iowa. All three are young men of much prom- ise. Mrs. Brown is a true christian mother, and is well rewarded for the pains she has taken in aiding to rear the family of sons.
Mr. Brown has been a successful preacher and pastor. While at Davenport and other places nu- merous accessions were made to the churches which he served, and the work which he has done during the last twenty years in Howard county will be a lasting memorial of his solid worth.
HON. JACOB S. RICHMAN,
DAVENPORT.
J
ACOB SCOTT RICHMAN, attorney and ex-
district judge, was born at Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, on the 11th of March, 1820, and is the third son of Evert Richman and Mary nee Scott. His father was regularly educated for the Methodist ministry, and was for a number of years a clergy- man of that church; but the necessities of an in- creasing family, as well as the desire for a fixed local home, led him to seek other pursuits, and he accordingly commenced the study of law. Mean- time he was for several years clerk of the house of representatives, and afterward associate judge of the court of common pleas of Perry county, Ohio, though he was never admitted to the bar. He was a man of studious habits and high intellectual en- dowments; took much interest in current social and political questions, and not unfrequently gave his views to the public through the press.
He was a distinguished Freemason of the order of Knights Templar; had many warm friends, and was highly esteemed by those who knew him best. He died at Somerset, Ohio, in the thirty-seventh year of his age, and was buried by his brethren of the Masonic fraternity, who erected a fine monu- ment to his memory.
The mother of our subject was of Scotch lineage, a woman of much force of character, prudent, faith-
ful and religious in the best sense of the term; al- beit, she eloped with her husband and married con- trary to the wishes of her parents. She managed, without much means, to bring up a family of six sons and one daughter (an eighth child, son, died in infancy), preparing them, by her counsel and guid- ance, for useful and honorable stations in life. Her influence upon all her children was controlling ; with them she was peerless. She died in 1873, in the seventy-seventh year of her age.
The Richman family is of Holland origin, the name being originally Ryckman, and is so spelled still by one branch. The great-grandfather of our subject came from his native country and settled in New York city about the middle of the eigh- teenth century. His son, John Ryckman, the grand- father of our subject, was born at Hackensack, New Jersey, on the 11th of March, 1767; learned the business of cabinet making, and settled in New York city, where he acquired means to build one or two houses in Duane street ; he afterward moved to Paterson, New Jersey, where he owned some property, and embarked in the tannery business. He subsequently removed to Ohio, then a wilder- ness, where he lived to a good old age, and died near Zanesville on the 17th of January, 1842.
J. Scott Richman received a common-school edu-
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cation in the county schools of Bucks county, Penn- sylvania, to which place his mother removed after the death of his father. He worked on a farm till the age of fifteen, and afterward for three years was clerk in a country store.
At the age of eighteen he came west, and for a short period he halted at Knoxville, Knox county, Illinois, where he commenced his legal studies, bor- rowing books from Mr. C. K. Harvey, then practic- ing law in that city. Removed to Muscatine, Iowa, in 1839, where his elder brother, John W. Richman, resided and kept a wholesale grocery house, and in the same year was admitted to the bar; after which he opened an office in Rochester, Cedar county, Iowa, but followed the county seat to Tipton, and in the autumn of 1840 removed to Muscatine, where he formed a copartnership with Hon. S. C. Hast- ings, who was afterward a member of congress from Iowa for the practice of law, which continued with marked success until the appointment of Mr. Hast- ings to the supreme bench of Iowa in 1847. After this he practiced alone in Muscatine.and adjoining counties until 1855, when he formed a copartner- ship with his brother, D. C. Richman (elsewhere sketched in this volume), his former pupil, under the style of Richman and Brother, which continued until 1863, when our subject was appointed judge of the seventh judicial district of Iowa. This posi- tion he retained until May, 1872, when he retired from the bench in order to form a partnership in the law practice with E. E. Cook, Esq., of Davenport ; the firm is still in successful operation.
In politics, the judge was raised an old-line whig, from which he naturally drifted into the republican party. He has never been much of' a politician in the accepted sense of that term, but he manifests great interest in the current questions of the day, and generally takes one side or the other very de- cidedly, which he maintains as decidedly. He held the position of chief clerk of the house of repre- sentatives of Iowa during one session.
He was also a member of the convention which framed the first constitution of the State of Iowa in 1846. He was likewise a member of the house of representatives of the state at a special session held in 1856, and has held some smaller offices, besides being judge of the seventh judicial district of Iowa for about nine years. He is not a member of any religious denomination.
He was married on the 16th of November, 1842, to Miss Calista A. Hannaman, daughter of R. L ..
Hannaman, Esq., of Knoxville, Illinois, with whom he has lived very happily. Although many years an invalid, his wife is one of the most amiable of her sex, and for pure goodness of heart, thoughtful and unselfish care of others, has but few equals. They have two sons grown up, Evert F. and Clayton S .; the former has adopted the profession of his father, and the other is an officer in the United States navy, both possessed of fine talents, high literary attain- ments, and destined to honor and usefulness.
Judge Richman is of rather a metaphysical turn of mind, of quick perceptions, strong analytical powers and remarkable penetration; has not been very fond of study, but has read considerable, and has a most tenacious memory. While on the bench he has often got at the solution of a knotty point with rare intuition, and made clear what seemed doubtful and uncertain to the counsel by a brief re- mark. He gave very general satisfaction as a judge, and discharged his duties with great ability. He is a man of remarkable firmness and decision, exer- cising perfect control over his passions, and yet with- al is quick and sensitive. As an advocate, he can state a point clearly in fewer words than the gener- ality of attorneys. At times he has been known to be caustic and bitter toward opposing counsel and their clients ; he usually makes a strong argument, and is quick to perceive, utilize or turn to advan- tage unexpected developments in the trial of a case. His chief force as a writer and speaker is clearness and condensation. He can hardly be called an ora- tor, yet he is forcible and peculiarly interesting ; rarely indulges in quotation, but when he does so it will be found to be very apposite. He has a high ideal standard, and the fear of falling short of it has doubtless prevented the more frequent use of his pen in the literary department.
In 1854 he delivered a lecture in Muscatine, en- titled " Utilitarianism," which exhibited careful thought and deep research. It was highly appreci- ated, and by general request was printed in pam- phlet form for circulation. He is a profound thinker, and can speak with great vigor when forced to the platform, but ordinarily he is a man of few words. He makes strong friends, but has very few intimate ones of choice, but these he will defend, when as- sailed, to the last extremity. He is of a remarkably peaceful disposition, but when driven to the wall his assailant had better "look a leedle out," as the Dutchman said, for some one is likely to get hurt.
He delights in all sorts of public entertainments
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and gatherings, from the most grave and profound literary lecture to the most fantastic negro-minstrel performance; this is so well understood in the com- munity that he is always expected at public enter- tainments.
He was one of the early settlers of Muscatine, and has been intimately identified with its history and interests up to the time of his removal to Daven- port, and has taken an active part in all its public enterprises. Although naturally inclined to be in-
dolent, yet he has accomplished a vast amount of work ; when once aroused and interested, he goes onward with great celerity, and produces desired results in a brief space of time.
He has had large experience in his profession ; very few important cases have been tried in eastern Iowa, where he has been accustomed to practice, with which he has not been connected, and the present firm of Cook and Richman have an exten- sive and lucrative practice in all the courts.
HON. LLOYD SELBY,
CORYDON.
O NE of the most successful business men and prominent citizens of Wayne county, Iowa, is Lloyd Selby, a merchant in Corydon since 1856. He was born in Licking county, Ohio, on the 26th of November, 1833, and comes from an old Maryland family. His father, John Selby, a mechanic in his younger years, is living with his son in Corydon, and is now in his eightieth year. The mother of Lloyd was Clarinda Herrick, whose father died in Janes- ville, Wisconsin, a few years ago, aged ninety-three years.
Lloyd had a very ordinary common-school educa- tion. At fourteen he was employed in a store at Johnstown, and he has made the commercial busi- ness his life-work. When of age he left Licking county, came to Corydon, Iowa, and has here been in trade twenty-two years. He has carried on farm- ing and stock-raising by proxy while merchandising, and is no doubt the best business man in this vicin- ity. He has three well improved farms in Wayne county, others in the states of Missouri and Kansas,
and is a heavy stockholder in the Wayne County Bank, located at Corydon, which is the county seat. He has been its president since its organization in 1875. He has one of the best homesteads in the county, one-fourth of a mile east of the city limits, and is a hospitable, christian gentleman.
Mr. Selby was elected state senator in 1873, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hon. M. Read, and served in the fifteenth general assem- bly. doing good work on four or five committees. He has been quite active at times in the Corydon school board, and has held other local offices, being a practical, energetic and serviceable citizen, ready for any work that will advance the interests of the town or county.
He is a Royal Arch Mason; a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a man of pure and noble qualities of character.
In January, 1862, he was joined in wedlock with Mrs. M. L. Miller, daughter of James May, of Penn- sylvania, and they have two children.
HON. THOMAS MITCHELL, MITCHELLVILLE.
S OMETHING more than a year before the terri- tory now embraced within the county of Polk was, according to the treaty stipulations made by the United States government with the Sacs and Foxes, opened for settlement, the subject of this sketch, who is now one of the oldest and most highly re- spected citizens of that county, located twelve miles east of Fort Des Moines, entered a claim and built
a comfortable log cabin, which was used as a hotel for a number of years. He was at that time in the prime of youthful manhood, having been born on the 3d of March, 1816, among the granite hills of Claremont, Sullivan county, New Hampshire, where his early life was spent acquiring those sterling traits of character for which the sturdy sons of New Eng- land have so long been noted.
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His father, William Mitchell, was born near Bos- ton, Massachusetts, and moved to Claremont when about twenty-three years of age. He was of Scotch- Irish descent, as was also his mother, whose maiden name was Dolly Blake, who was a native of Hamp- ton, New Hampshire. When young Thomas was about sixteen years of age his father died, leaving a large family with little means of support. He soon obtained work on a neighboring farm, where he con- tinued to labor for about seven years, completing his limited education by attending district schools in the neighborhood.
He started west in November, 1839, and spent the first winter in St. Charles county, Missouri, and in the following March removed to Fairfield, Jefferson county, Iowa, where he continued to reside about four years. In April, 1842, he was elected one of the commissioners of Jefferson county, and served for two years, when he again removed and located at the crossing of Camp Creek, then Indian county, where he has since continuously resided. In 1846 he helped to organize Polk county, and was in the fall of that year elected its first sheriff. Two years later he ran for representative, the district contain- ing thirteen counties, but was defeated by Manly Gifford, of Jasper county. He was, however, in 1857 elected to represent Polk and Jasper counties in the
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