USA > Iowa > Boone County > The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing biographical sketches war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of Boone county etc. > Part 70
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Keigley of Douglas township), Mannie S. and Martha L .; have lost one: Lucinda A.
COOK, L. D., the oldest resident merchant of Boone county and one of its best business men; was born in Edgar county, Illinois, in 1831; his early life was that of a farmer boy; he removed to this county in February, 1856, and since that time it has been his home, and for twen- ty-two years he has been among the leading business men and most suc- cessful financiers; he deals in gen- eral merchandise and since his resi- dence has dealt to some extent in lands and achieved success as a deal- er, whether in merchandise or real estate; he took the first drove of hogs from this county to Keokuk and was thirty days making the drive; he is a practical, efficient business man, with high notions of honor and integrity; he has been twice married; first to Miss Belle Thomas, in 1858; she was a native of Bowling Green, Indiana; Mrs. C. died in 1875, leaving one child: Horace T .; lost one: an infant, Grace C .; he married for his second wife Clara Benjamin, March 14, 1877; she was born in Ohio.
COOPER, RICHARD, engineer of the Lower Vein Coal Company; P. O. Boonesboro; was born in Duckinfield, England, March 29, 1842, and at the age of seven years he was placed an apprentice at en- gineering; he served as an appren- tice for seven years and as an engin- eer in that country at various estab- lishments, including coal, gas, cut- lery, etc., until September, 1868; he then came to Shellsburg, Wisconsin, where he was master-mechanic for the Mount Hope Lead Mines until the following April; in the next July he was employed with Bank- ropt, Lawrence & Co's Coal Works until September, 1869, when he went to Petson, Pennsylvania, work- ing for the Petson Almira Coal Co.
in 1870; in 1877 he came from there to this county, where he was em- ployed with Layne & Canfield until June, 1879, when he entered upon his present engagement; Mr. Coop- er is a thorough engineer, perfectly competent and reliable; he was married in England December 28, 1862, to Miss Elizabeth Bartle, a native of England; they have eight children: Anna E., Martha J., John H., Sarah and Albert living, and three deceased: Rachel, Lillie and Emma.
CRAWFORD, C. A., teller of City Bank, Boone; was born in Polk county, Iowa, on the 5th day of October, 1852, and after a short residence in Southern Iowa and Missouri came to this county in 1866 and settled in Boonesboro, where he attended school; in 1869 he became an employe in Sherman's Bank and remained until the sus- pension of the bank in 1876; he then went to Jessup, Buchanan county, and lived there one year and returned to this county; he was married in 1872 to Miss F. E. Gip- ple; she was born in Erie county, N. Y.
CRARY, J. R., of Crary Broth- ers, dealers in hardware, stoves and farm machinery, Boone; was born in Pierpont, St. Lawrence county, New York, in 1837, and was raised there until 1857, and then removed to Chicago, Illinois, and remained there ten years; in 1867 he came to Boone, and in company with his brother, established their pres- ent business, in which they have been very successful, and the firm has the reputation of being enter- prising and honorable; Mr. Crary was married in 1867 to Miss Jessie West, of Livingston county, New York; they have a family of two children: Bessie and Archie.
CROOKS, G. W., attorney, Boone; over thirty years ago when the last remnants of aboriginal
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tribes were preparing to leave for their new hunting grounds farther west and the vanguard of civiliza- tion came pressing forward to occu- py the goodly hunting grounds just vacated, a family by the name of Crooks located in the present limits of Boone county; among the most prominent members of this fami- ly and one of the most distin- gnished citizens of Boone coun- ty, is G. W. Crooks, Esq .; he was born in Clay county, Indi- ana, July 22, 1836; in 1845 he emigrated with his parents to Iowa, first locating in Jefferson county, and two years afterward again removing to this county; here young Crooks was engaged in the hard work of opening up a farm; he followed the business of farming till June, 1863, when he was appoint- ed to fill out the unexpired terin of the county sheriff; at the general election the following fall Mr. Crooks was elected to fill the office which he was then occupying by appointment; he was re-elected in 1865, 1867, 1869 and 1871, having been elected for five consecutive terms and occupying the office of county sheriff for more than ten years; during this entire time he discharged the duties of his of- fice with such care, integrity and ef- fectiveness, that his character. both as a private citizen and public of- ficer, was never tainted by the breath of suspicion; near the close of his last term of office Mr. Crooks, by the advice of friends, determined to study law; he was admitted to the bar in 1873 and immediately en- tered upon the practice ot his pro- fession; in 1877 he was elected to the General Assembly, as a repre- sentative from the forty-second dis- trict; since that time he has been actively engaged in the practice of his chosen profession; he is a mem- ber of the firm of Kidder & Crooks, one of the leading law firms of cen- tral Iowa; Mr. Crooks was married
in 1860 to Miss Rebecca Nutt, who is a native of Indiana, and at the tine of her marriage was a resident of Polk county, Iowa; they have two children living: William H. and John S .; one daughter, Hannah C., died some years since.
CROSS, ISAAC N., farmer by occupation, Boonesboro; was born September 4th, 1827, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania; resided in that State until 1855, when he came to Iowa, settling in this county, where he preempted 160 acres of land in Dodge township; May 28th, 1857, he was married to Miss M. E. H. Keiglez, who was born April 14th, 1817, in Greene county, Pennsyl- vania; they have two children: Ara- bella (now Mrs. Henry Davis); and Sarah E.
CROUSE, JOHN F .. farmer and stock-raiser; Sec. 18; P. O. Boone; was born in Tuepingen, Wurtem- berg, Germany, December 13th, 1828; he was raised there and came to America when twenty-four years of age, and learned the carpenter's trade in New York and followed it for four years; he then went to Dan- ville, Pennsylvania, and worked in a rolling mill; from here he removed to Williamsport and engaged at his trade; then came to Story county and put up the first building in the present town of Ontario, where he resided till he came to this county in 1858 and settled on Big creek and came to his present farm, which now consists of 235 acres in 1864; he was married in Germany in 1852 to Miss Catharine C. Myers; they have a family of eight children liv- ing: Sophia, Sarah, Kate, Caroline, Mary, John, Frederick and Charles; they have lost four: Frantz, an in- fant, Frank and Flora.
CULVER, E. C., contractor and builder, Boone; was born in Wilkes- barre, Pennsylvania, in July, 1845, and lived there until six years of age; was then taken by his parents
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
to Indiana, where he was raised; he learned the trade of carpenter and removed to Chicago after the great fire of 1871; after remaining in that city some time he removed to Kan- sas, but not being pleased with the country he removed to Boone coun- ty December 23d, 1874, and has since followed his chosen occupation; he built the Presbyterian church and high school building and others of less note; he married Miss V. J. Spray in 1869 ; she is a native of Ohio; they have two children: Char- lie and Willie; Mr. C. enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-second Indiana infantry during the late war, and served until the regiment was mustered ont.
CUMMINGS, W. H., of the firm of Cummings & Fox, dealers in agricultural implements, Boones- boro; was born in Caledonia county, Vermont, August 7th, 1833, and was mostly raised there, working on a farm and attending school winters; his father was extensively engaged in the tanner and currier business there and young Cummings assisted a portion of his time; not having a taste for that occupation, upon ar- riving at manhood, he went to paint- ing in 1854 and followed the same until 1856, when he came to Boones- boro and here established himself in his chosen calling until May 21,1861; he then enlisted in company E, Third Iowa volunteer infantry, serving with that regiment until the expira- tion of his term of service and was discharged June 15th, 1864, having participated in the following battles: Shiloh, Hatchie River, Siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Mississippi, and many others, besides numerous skirmishes; he returned home and engaged in the gunsmith business, which he carried on till 1868 and then entered upon his present enterprise, which has been carried on extensive- . ly; their manufactory consists chief- ly of cultivators and plows of all
descriptions; he was married in Oc- tober, 1857, to Miss Sarah Fox, a native of Caledonia connty, Ver- mont; their family consists of two children: William and Nellie.
CUMMINGS, ALFRED, farmer; Sec. 15; P. O. Boone; was born in Sandy Hill, New York, January 21st, 1833, and in 1855 came to this State and located in Fairfield, Jeffer- son connty; in February, 1857, he came to this county and has lived on his present farm, which consists of 80 acres, for thirteen years; October 10, 1861, he was married in this county to Miss Prudence Remming- ton, a native of Ohio; they have a family of three children, two sons and one daughter: Charles R., Ella J. and Alfred R.
DET ETARR, DR. THEODORE, physician and surgeon, Boone; among the many worthy physicians who have made their home in Boone county, no one is deserving of more favorable mention than the subject of this sketch, who is now the oldest resident physician in the county ; he was born in Franklin county, Indi- ana, on the first day of January, 1827, and was principally raised in Tippecanoe county, Indiana; being raised on a farm in a sparsely settled portion of the State, his early ad- vantages for receiving an education were none of the best, his instruction being limited to the commoner Eng- lish branches, but he made the best use of his opportunities and at the same time formed a taste for the profession of medicine; he com- Inenced the study of medicine, which he continued three years, and at- tended a course of lectures in the Evansville Medical College; he came to this county in 1854, and engaged in the practice of his profession in Boonesboro; since his residence in Iowa he has had a large and exten- sive practice,meeting with uniformly good success; he has pursued his chosen calling with untiring zeal and
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DES MOINES TOWNSHIP.
energy, and has ridden hundreds of miles to minister to the wants of the suffering, without any expectation of pecuniary compensation, and his charity work has been greater, per- haps, than any physician in the county; during the war he assisted in recruiting company D, Thirty- second Iowa infantry, and was com- missioned captain; the regiment was in many hard fought battles, and at the battle of Nashville Dr. DeTarr lost his right leg; he was retained in the service until the close of the war; after he was mustered out, he returned to his home and resumed the practice of his profession; he was married to Miss Margaret E. Noble (sister of Rev. J. H. Noble, a prominent minister of the M. E. church), in November, 1853; she was born in Cincinnati, Ohio; their family consists of five children: David A., Leola A., Willie T., Bertha E., Nellie M .; David A. graduated with honors at the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and is now finishing his medical education at the same uni- versity.
DALE, R. F., of the firm of Dale & Farrow, attorneys, Boone, was born in Putnam county, Indiana, January 20, 1857, and was raised there his time being divided between attending school and assisting in the management of the farm; lie read law and graduated from the law de- partment of the State University in June, 1878, and received a certificate to practice in the Federal courts.
DALE, SAMUEL, mason, con- tractor and cooper, Boonesboro; was born in Wayne county, Ohio, Feb- ruary 22, 1837, and when seven years of age removed with his pa- rents to Indiana, residing there until 1857; he then started for the West, spending some two years in the Ter- ritories, where he was engaged in butchering and trading; in 1862 he came to Boonesboro, but only re-
mained for a short time, and in 1864 took up his permanent residence in the place; he was married in April, 1863, to Miss Mary Williams; she was born and reared in Henry county, Indiana; have three chil- dren; Orra (14 years of age), Rover (4 years old), and an infant; since residing here he has had the contract for the mason work on several im- portant buildings of the two towns, among which is a school-house in Boonesboro, two in Boone, John A. Hull's residence, the large mill and elevator in Boone, and McFarland's bank building -- in fact, he has been largely engaged in the contracting of most of the substantial buildings of the towns; since 1872 he has been extensively engaged in cooper- ing, doing all the work for the two businesses, besides a great deal of other work; Mr. Dale is one of Boone county's most driving and en- terprising business men.
DEERING, DR. A. A., Boone; was born in Waldo county, Maine, and raised there; he was educated at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary; having made choice of medicine as a profession, he entered the office of Dr. John Benson, an eminent phy- sician, and commenced reading with him as preceptor; he attended med- ical lectures in the Maine Medical School connected with Bowdoin Col- lege, and was graduated from that institution in 1868; he came to Iowa the same year and settled at Moin- gona, and has been actively and suc- cessfully engaged in practice since that time; in October, 1878, he changed his residence to Boone; he is a member of the Central District Medical Association, and is secretary and treasurer of the same; his repu- tation as a physician is excellent, and he attends to his business with great promptness; he married Miss M. E. Clift in 1870; she was born in Middletown, Vermont; their family
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consists of three children: Charles C., Albert B. and Judson W.
DORAN, GEORGE, farmer; Sec. 34; P. O. Boone; was born in Pennsylvania, March 14, 1814, and when five years of age his parents moved to Ohio, settling in Tnscara- was connty; was there educated in the common schools, and at the age of nineteen years learned the brick- mason's trade, which he followed for about ten years steadily, and has worked at it some since; in 1856 he came to Iowa and located where he has since resided, owning 96 acres of land; was town trustee of this town- ship for twelve consecutive years, and in October, 1869, was elected coroner of this county, a position he now occupies; in 1872 he was the Republican candidate for representa- tive of this county, but was defeated by a very small majority; while liv- ing in Ohio he was, in 1836, elected coroner of Tnscarawas county, was deputy sheriff, and also for four years held the position of deputy treasu- rer; has been twice married; first April 16, 1837, to Mary. A. Cribbs, of Ohio; she died August 31, 1843, leaving two children: Thomas and Andrew J., both living; was married again September 16, 1844, to Miss Lydia Steelsmith, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania; they have six chil- dren: Sarah A. (wife of Wm. R. Dyer), Angeline and Julia M., liv- ing, and three deceased; Mr. Doran's eldest son, Thomas, was a member of the Seventh Ohio infantry ; was in the memorable bayonet charge at the battle of Winchester, West Vir- ginia, and was severely wounded in the foot by a bayonet in the hands of the rebels; he was sent to the hospital, and while there was de- tailed as chief clerk to the surgeon- general, where he remained until the expiration of his three years service; he then returned home and made a short visit, after which he returned to Ohio, and through his own merits
was appointed as chief clerk of the war commissioner's office of Ohio, then in charge of General Whitmore; the General having resigned, Thomas was appointed by Governor Cox to that position, which office he held until all of Ohio's war claims were settled; he then went to Australia, where he resides at present; An- drew J., the next oldest son, was a member of a California regiment, and served for three years, doing duty on the frontier and along the Rio Grande river; at the expiration of his term of service he returned to San Francisco, and there clerked for the Union Pacific R. R .; he was sent to China as the agent of the com- pany, where he remained for six months, buying Chinamen at the rate of $16 per head, and sending them to this country to build the railroads of the company; on his return he accepted the position as geologist to the California Exploring and Mining Company, and remained with them for nine years; he is now connected with some of the finest gold and silver mines in Arizona, and has been extremely successful.
DOUGHERTY, JOHN, farmer; Sec. 13; P. O Boone; was born in Ireland in 1829, and was raised there nntil nineteen years of age, and then emigrated to the United States in 1847, and settled in Pennsylvania; he lived also in Delaware and New York, and came to Boone county in 1862; he owns a farm of 120 acres; he married Miss Mary O'Neil in 1854; she was also born in Ireland; they have five children: Michael, Anna, Maggie, John and Thomas.
DOW, CHARLES E., Boone; the subject of this sketch was born in Hillsborongh county, New Hamp- shire, June 15, 1834; when 18 years of age he went to railroading, run- ning from Concord to Boston; he remained there until 1857, when he went to Chicago and was employed on the Northwestern road until 1877,
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with the exception of three years served in the army; he filled various positions from brakeman to conduc- tor, occupying the latter position for eleven years; he left the road in 1877, and most of the time since has been engaged in his present business; at the outbreak of the war he enlisted from Chicago in battery B, serving three months; he was afterward in the Eighth and Ninth Illinois infantry regiments, serving until the close of the war, during which time he participated in all the battles in which his regiments were engaged; was mustered out at the close of the war as orderly sergeant of his company; he was married in November, 1868, to Miss Gennette Wright; they have one child: Eva.
DOWNING, A., editor; was born in Carroll county, Illinois, March 11, 1838; in 1852 removed to Bureau county, same State, and there en- gaged in business, which he followed till 1861, when he enlisted; he was promoted to the office of first lieu- tenant and served for over three years; during his military career he was with his regiment in various parts of Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee, and took part in many of the arduous campaigns and hotly contested battles of that region; he was present at the first sale of lots at Boone Station, purchasing at that time the lot on Story street, where ke soon after erected a two-story frame building; this was the first business house erected in Boone, and the grocery store which he opened during the same season was the first business enterprise of the place; ear- ing in the year 1866 a post-office was established at Boone and Mr. Down- ing was appointed postmaster, the of- fice being located in his building; in 1869 his term of office expired, and after the lapse of eight years he was again appointed postmaster, which office he holds at the present time; beside the office of postmaster Mr.
Downing has filled two other offices since coming to Boone county, that of county treasurer and mayor of the city of Boone; in 1872 he be- came connected with the Boone county "Republican," by purchasing a half interest in that enterprising journal; since his connection with the "Republican" that journal has rapidly grown in ability and import- ance, and it is as a newspaper man that Mr. Downing is widely and fa- vorably known throughout the State; he was married in 1861 to Miss Mat- tie J. Gibson, who is a native of Ohio; they have one child: Sum- ner.
DYER, S. R., of the firm of Webb & Dyer, attorneys, Boone; is a na- tive of Lockport, New York, and was born in 1846; he accompanied his parents to Fulton county, Illi- nois, in 1858; here he was raised and educated; having made choice of law as a profession he prepared himself and was admitted to the bar in Clinton, Iowa, in 1869; he came to this county in 1872 and since that period has been actively engaged in hir chosen calling.
E BERSOLE, C. A., recorder of Boone county; was born in Columbus, Ohio, October 23d, 1843, and lived there with his parents un- til they removed to this county, lo- cating in Boonesboro, then a mere hamlet ; there our subject was raised and when fourteen years of age en- tered the printing office of the " Boone County News," where he remained about two and one-half years; he was then engaged with his parents in the wheelwright and carpenter's trades, until at the call of his country, he enlisted, Angust 11, 1862, in company D, Thirty-second Iowa infantry, remaining with that regiment until the close of the war, participating in the following bat- tles: Little Red River, where he re- ceived a terrible wound, a ball pass- ing through the right lung: after
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
his recovery, he was engaged in the battle of Brownsville, Arkansas, on the Red river expedition, and was discharged at Springfield, Illinois, Angust 3d, 1865; returned to this county and engaged in the lumber business at Bass Point, which he followed for about ten years; in 1875 he turned his attention to farm- ing in Jackson township, but his friends and acquaintances recogniz- ing his ability, he was elected re- corder of the county and has filled that office to the entire satisfaction of his constituents; he was the only Republican elected on the ticket, but received a majority of 672; was mar- ried September 21st, 1866, to Miss Mary M. Gillett; she was born in Indiana, but raised in this county; they have four children living: Alberta E., William H., Bernard A. and Howard C.
ELSEY, THOMAS R., farmer and stock-raiser; Sec. 26; P. O. Boone; was born January 13th, 1826, in Winfarthing, Norfolk coun- ty, England, and came to America with his parents in the summer of 1836, landing in Quebec; they moved directly to Theresa, Jefferson coun- ty, New York, where they settled and bought a farm, and there he was educated in the common schools; in December, 1847, he was married to Harriet H. Brown, whose parents lived in the town adjoining Win- farthing in England; she was born June 22d, 1826; they came to Amer- ica at the same time, and in the same ship and had known each other from childhood; after their marriage they lived at Providence, Rhode Island, for two and a half years and then moved to DeKalb county, Illi- nois, and bought a farm of 100 acres, living thereon for one year; on ac- count of sickness, they sold ont and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1851, and in 1856 they went to Binghamton, Broome coun- ty, New York, and there bought a
house and lot; for seven years they resided there and then in the spring of 1863 they came to this county and township and bought a farm of ninety acres on section 26, and have lived here ever since.
EMMERT, GEORGE A., cooper and brewer by trade, Boone; was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, De- cember 1, 1826; in 1852 he emi- grated to the United States, locating in New York City, and there fol- lowed coopering for some two years; after working at his trade in various eastern States for a number of years he came West in 1857 locating in Cedar Rapids, where he resided some ten years and then went to Marion; resided there four years and, in the fall of 1868, came to Boone and is now the pioneer in his business, having been longer in the business in Boone than any one now residing in the town; in September, 1862, he was married to Miss Gusta Baughman; have one child: George; Mr. Emmert is a man who is highly respected by those with whom he comes in contact, being a whole- souled representative of his race.
ENSIGN, DR. H. D., Boone; was born in Lake county, Ohio, on the 4th day of May, 1844, and was raised there on a farm; he received good educational advantages in his youth at the public schools, which he supplimented by attendance at Madison Seminary; during the war he enlisted in the Fourteenth Ohio independent artillery and served three years; after the close of the war he came to La Salle county, Illi- nois, and engaged in the drug busi- ness; while prosecuting this busi- ness he formed a taste for the medi- cal profession, and commenced his studies with Dr. Ralph N. Isham as preceptor; he graduated from the Chicago Medical College early in 1875 and until December, 1875, was connected with the marine hospital, and then came to this county, where
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