The history of Dubuque County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., Part 116

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical
Number of Pages: 964

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

temporarily stunned, and none in the building killed ; he has been Supervisor several times and held other township offices ; he has been identified with the entire develop- ment of Cascade; he is the largest stockholder in the Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western Narrow Gauge Railroad, and has been a Director from its organization, and was at one time Vice President and Treasurer. For several years, he has not been con- nected with any. church, but his wife is a member of the M. E. Church, to which he also contributes, and he has aided in the erection of all the churches in the city. He has a farm of 800 acres in Jones Co., just south of and adjoining the city ; there are three tenant houses on the farm, and his own residence is first-class in all its appoint- ments. He is a conservative Democrat, but supported the Government through the war, believing with Douglas that then there could be only two parties-patriots and traitors. He is earnest, social, tireless ; attends closely to his varied interests, and is regarded as the leading business man of Cascade.

DICKSON BEATTY, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Cascade ; born in Tyrone, Ireland, Dec. 17, 1832; at the age of 13, with his parents, James and Agnes Beatty, and three brothers, Alexander, John and Benjamin, came to Dubuque Co .; they had been preceded in the migration hither by his two brothers, James and David, and three sisters, Margaret, Sarah A. and Esther ; from residences in Pennsylvania, Mississippi and New York, the family finally all collected here, and settled on adjoining farms in Dubuque and Jone : Cos. At the age of 26, with no capital except forty acres of wild land, the subject of this sketch started in business for himself, and since then, with clear head, industrious hands, and ceaseless energy, has worked his way into the possession of a handsome competence and the control of an exceedingly flourishing business ; has 461 acres of land in Secs. 17, 25, 26, 34, 35 and 36; his business is most largely dairy- farming and stock-raising, is thoroughly well managed, brings him a fine income, and he owes no man a dollar. In religion, a Baptist; in politics, a Republican. He was mar- ried in 1854 to Miss Ann J. Barton, who came here at an early age from Ireland with her parents, James and Margaret Barton ; they have ten children, as yet all members of the pleasant home circle-Henry, John, Margaret J., James D., Lizzie, Sarah, Ulysses S. G., George W., Mabel A. and Frederick.

GEORGE BENEDICT, druggist, Cascade; born Oct. 7, 1850, in Cayuga Co., N. Y .; his father died when George was quite young, and ever since he was 12 years old he has " paddled his own canoe;" came West with his mother in 1866, and settled at Winnebago, Ill., and worked on a farm until 20, then attended school two years; and afterward taught two years; in 1874, he engaged in the drug business in Winnebago, which he continued three years. On the 4th of October, 1876, he mar- ried Miss Cora Moore, formerly of Massachusetts ; they have one daughter, born Feb. 28, 1879, named Tolie Narcissa. In the spring of 1877, he located at Cascade, and purchased the drug establishment of Dr. Francis, and his is now conceded to be the leading drug store of the city. Himself and wife are Methodists, and he is a Trustee and Steward in the M. E. Church ; is a member of the Ancient Order of United Work- men ; and is a reliable Republican ; is deservedly popular both in social and business circles.

THOMAS J. CHEW, Cascade, is a son of Samuel Chew and Mary Sabins, and was born Dec. 6, 1806, at New Haven, Conn .; his father was Captain of a mer- chantman, and young Thomas, at the age of 18, shipped as a " boy," and, for eight years, followed a seafaring life, during which time he has visited the most noted islands and cities on the globe. He was first mate, for three years, before leaving the service, in 1832; he spent a few years in Allegany Co., N. Y., and, in 1836, went to Franklin, Mo., and afterward located in Licking Co., Ohio ; in each State, he engaged in farm- ing ; in the spring of 1845, he came to Whitewater Township, Dubuque Co., Iowa, and settled on a quarter-section of land now in limits of Cascade, where he has since resided ; in 1847, he bought his present homestead of Arthur Thomas and J. W. Sherman. The same season, he purchased the Cascade Mills of J. W. Sherman and the Alvin Burt estate ; in 1851, his mill was destroyed by a freshet, but he imme- diately rebuilt on an enlarged and improved plan ; the mill is now rented to William

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Moore. He was married, in Dubuque, April 23, 1851, to Mrs. Margaret A. Carter, daughter of Nathan S. Bemis ; they have no children of their own, but, in 1858, they adopted Miss Fannie O'Neill, who is still with them ; he built a saw-mill near his flour- ing-mill in 1856 ; it is still in service, and is now rented to Thomas Crawford ; his fine stone residence, on the hill east of Cascade, was completed in April, 1861; since that date he has not engaged in severe manual labor, but has leisurely superintended his farming and other property interests; he was influential and liberal in securing the building of the Cascade & Bellevue Narrow Gauge Railroad, which was completed in January, 1880 ; the depot and railroad grounds are located on his land, in the grove north of his residence. He has been a Republican ever since the formation of the party, and still takes a deep interest in political affairs. Mrs. Chew is an acceptable member of the Presbyterian Church ; Mr. Chew was early trained as an Episcopalian, . but is quite liberal in his religious views. He is a benevolent, public-spirited and valued citizen ; he is temporate and moral-a friend to the needy and to every good ·cause.

JAMES L. CONLIN, merchant, Cascade ; born 12th of August, 1846, in Lexington, Ky .; in 1858, he, with his mother and step-father, came to Whitewater Township, and they bought eighty acres of land, which is still owned by the family ; his father died when James was but 3 years of age; from 1864 to 1869, he was in the harness business ; for the last eleven years, he has carried on a large general grocery establishment in connection with sale of liquors. He was married the 23d of January, 1871, to Miss Annie Finn, by whom he has had three children-Genevieve, John Thomas and Mary Sebena. Does not aspire to office, but takes an active interest in local politics ; is a reliable Democrat. Himself and wife are members of the St. Mar- tin's Catholic Church ; his is conceded to be the best-patronized grocery establishment in Cascade.

CRAWFORD BROS., general merchants, Cascade; the senior member of the firm, Benjamin F. Crawford, who was born Oct. 15, 1840, in County Monaghan, Ireland, came with his parents in 1850 to Niagara Co., N. Y .; in 1852, came to Jones Co., Iowa, and his parents bought 280 acres; he worked on the farm until 1875, when he and his brother bought the general merchandise store of M. Snyder, in Cascade ; Benjamin and his brother John still carry on the business under the firm name of Crawford Bros .; they are the sons of William Crawford and Betsey McGlone, who are dead. The family, on their arrival in Iowa, invested all their means in land, but have prospered in farming and mercantile business, always meeting their obligations on time at par. The parents were both Protestants, as also are the sons, but the latter are not identified with any denomination. John was married in 1877 to Miss Susan Reed, and has a son named William ; Ben is still in the delectable land of singlehood; while in Jones Co., Benjamin was Assessor two years, and Town Clerk six years, being elected by the votes of both parties ; he is now Senior Warden of the Cascade Lodge, No. 127, A., F. & A. M. Is a conservative Democrat; the firm own the store which they occupy and also have eighty acres of timber land in the adjoining county, also three acres and two dwellings in Cascade; the business of this popular firm is not excelled by more than one establishment in the place, and the Crawford Bros. have an excellent reputa- tion for courtesy and fair dealing.

THOMAS CRAWFORD, Postmaster, Cascade, is the son of Thomas Crawford and Ellen Stewart, and was born on the 16th of December, 1826, in Belfast, Ireland; both of his parents were Scotch, and he never heard a word of Irish spoken, and never ate at a table with an Irishman until after coming to America ; his father was a manufacturer of fine lawns, and he returned to Glasgow and resumed business there when young Thomas was 8 years of age; before he was 18 years old he had learned the trade of boiler-maker, and in 1844 he came to this country and located in Thompsonville, Conn .; he stayed there a few years, during which time he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner ; afterward, he lived in Hartford, and other towns in Con- necticut until 1854, when he came to Cascade, and for several years was a master- builder ; many of the finest residences and business blocks in this city and vicinity

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attest his skill as an architect; he is still in demand whenever plans for a nice building are to be drafted. He was married in Thompsonville, Conn., in June, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of Alexander Hamilton, formerly of Scotland; they have no issue. His commission as Postmaster was from Gen. Grant, in 1870, and has con- tinued without renewal to the present date; he carries on the manufacture and sale of furniture; his patronage extends many miles, even to cities in an adjoining county ; he was in the army, enlisting in the early history of the rebellion, and served until dis- abled by disease. His earliest instincts were in sympathy with the principles of the Republican party, and for years he has been a radical stalwart; his wife is a mem- ber of the Baptist Church, but he, at present, is not connected with any church ; he is strictly moral. and is an esteemed and popular citizen.

GILBERT DEAN, farmer, Sec. 24; P. O. Cascade; born in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, Aug. 1, 1823 ; came to Dubuque Co. in July, 1842; has 120 acres of land in a beautiful location, and is bringing fine results from it; he assisted in the preservation of the Union by faithful service for three years, as a soldier in Co. I, 21st I. V. I .; was engaged in battles of Magnolia Hill, Baton Rouge, Black River, Mobile, the siege of Vicksburg, etc., etc., being wounded by a shell during the siege of Vicksburg, and did honorable service until mustered out with his command at the close of the war. Religion, Adventist ; politics, Republican. He was married in February, 1867, to Miss Emeline Gillott, a native of Lorain Co., Ohio; they have five children living-Arthur Curtis, Sarah Myrta, Bertie Joseph, Mabel Elizabeth, Olive May; one son, Ernest Claire, has died.

SAMUEL DEAN, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Cascade; born in Ohio Nov. 25, 1821; came to Dubuque Co. in 1842; his parents, Joseph and Sophia Dean, removed hither at the same time; the father died about 1857, the mother about 1872; Mr. D. was emphatically a pioneer here, most of the settlement of Cascade Town and Town- ship having been made since the time of his settlement here; has a good farm of 160 acres. Politics, Republican, varied to vote for " best men," regardless of party. Resi- dent with Mr. D. is A. P. Hamil, born in Jones Co. Sept. 13, 1851 ; has lived most of his life in Dubuque Co .; is engaged in farming with Mr. Dean. Is a member of the Baptist Church, and of the Republican party. His parents, A. P. and Mary J. Hamil, were early settlers in Cascade, where the mother yet resides ; the father, A. P., died in 1862. In September, 1874, Mr. Hamil was married to Miss Elizabeth Morrison, a native of San Francisco, Cal .; her father having died there in her infancy, her mother removed here immediately after ; Mr. and Mrs. Hamil are blessed with two pleasant children-Melvin P. and Earle J.

SYLVESTER DEAN, farmer, Cascade; son of Joseph Dean and Sophia Fay; was born on the 4th of May, 1842, in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio ; he, with his parents and family, came to Cascade in July, 1842, and settled on land which is still owned by the family ; before he was of age, he learned the trade of a plasterer, but his main occupation has been that of a farmer ; after opening a farm and getting it under good cultivation, he built a house, and then it was "not good for man to be alone," there- fore, on the 9th of December, 1851, he married Miss Catherine Lathrop, daughter of Deacon Anson E. Lathrop, formerly of Cascade; they have had six children-Minnie S., who married Robert M. Ewart, County Superintendent of Schools for Delaware Co., Iowa; Albert E., graduated from Hopkinton College and is now Principal of the public schools at Strawberry Point, Iowa ; Charles S. is teaching in the home district; Emma A. is attending school in Manchester, Iowa ; Williard E. and Mattie M. are living at home. He has over two hundred acres of land well improved, and is now living on the same farm, and in the same house where he took his wife at the date of their marriage. His wife is a member of the M. E. Church, but he is not connected with any church, although he contributes to support moral and religious institutions ; he is a straight

Republican, and works for the success of the party. He has never been engaged in litigation, either as plaintiff or defendant; is a kind neighbor and a good citizen.

HENRY DEHNER, Cascade ; is son of John Dehner and Mary Kounnatz, and was born July 15, 1813, in Hoancoler, Germany; his father was a farmer ;

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Henry was 21 years of age the day in 1834 when he landed in Baltimore from Bremen, with his parents and all their family of seven children ; they traveled west- ward by emigrant wagon, without sleeping in a house until settled on a rented farm in Greene Co., Ohio; he remained with his family until past 32 years of age; they removed, in 1836, to Carroll Co., Ind., and bought 900 acres, mostly timber land ; for the money paid for this wild land, they could have bought 200 acres where now stands the city of Dayton, Ohio ; they stayed in Indiana nineteen years, clearing the woodland and making farms; the father died in 1838, but the sons continued many years to carry on the farm. He was married on the 7th of January, 1847, to Miss Eve Mary Ken- ner, daughter of Joseph Kenner, of Berlin, Shelby Co., Ohio ; they have had six chil- dren, three of whom are now living-John B., Sophia H., Joseph, Mary Ann, Henry L. and Stephen D .; of these, Stephen, John and Joseph are dead ; Stephen was born July 4, 1857, and died of diphtheria on his fourth birthday, and the two older brothers died of the same disease within three weeks of same date. After his marriage, in 1847, Mr. Dehner took charge of the entire home farm until 1854, when he bought in Cas- cade where he now resides; he owns 379 acres; the three remaining children live at home ; his only surviving son, Henry, is serving his second term as Justice of the Peace for Cascade Township, and is a very worthy young man. Mr. D. has served twenty years as Township Trustee, but says he dislikes office, as he is fully occupied in attend- ing to his own business. When on his farm in Indiana, he drew a load of wheat 120 miles to Chicago, and sold it for 50 cents per bushel. He has been the victim of num- berless accidents, such as falls, runaways, etc .; has been bruised, crushed, lacerated, and with dislocated limb, but is still cheerful and active. He never sued a man, neither was he ever sued. He is a faithful member of the St. Mary's German Catholic Church ; is a conservative Democrat ; is a kind, genial gentleman, and a highly respected citizen.

A. FAIRBURN, farmer, Sec. 24; P. O. Cascade ; born in Scotland Jan. 26, 1824 ; came to Dubuque Co. in 1860; has a farm of 185 acres, grandly adapted to stock-raising, to which branch of industry, more particularly sheep-raising, Mr. Fairburn is giving much attention ; inclination makes this a favorite branch with him, his ances- try in Scotland having, for a long time, been shepherds ; his prudence and intelligently directed energy have given him success in all his undertakings. Religion, Baptist ; politics, Republican. He was married, June 30, 1848, to Miss Jennet Aitchison, also a native of Scotland ; they have five children living-George, married, lives in Fonda, Pocahontas Co .; Agnes, now Mrs. Bell, of Monticello ; Isabella, now Mrs. Parker, of Alta, Buena Vista Co .; William A. and Jennie; two children died in infancy.

WILLIAM H. FRANCES, M. D., Cascade; was born in County Armagh, Ireland, on the 19th of November, 1824; at 16, he began the study of medicine at Tanderagee; at 18, he took one course of lectures in the medical department of Trinity College, Dublin, and, in his 21st year, spent a term in Kings College, London. In 1847, he located in New York, and in April, 1848, was married to Miss Ann J. Manhaa, who died in 1852; by this union he had three children, all of whom are dead. After spending a short time in Detroit and Chicago, he in 1856 settled in Des Moines, and opened the first drug store on the east side of the river ; this did not prove a paying investment during the revulsion of 1857. He was, for some time, connected with the Missouri Medical College; his American diploma is from this college. In 1861, he came to Dubuque Co .; spent one year in Dyersville , then settled in Cascade, started a drug and general merchandise store, and continued his practice ; in 1876, he sold his business and gave up his practice, in order to devote his energies in the interest of the Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western Railroad ; the initial organization of the old company was in August, 1877, at which Dr. Frances was present ; he has been a Director from the first, and was Secretary until the trans- fer, in May, 1979, to the company now constructing the road ; the Doctor has had an unconquerable faith in the success of this enterprise, which has truly " come up through great tribulation;" he resumed his practice after the above transfer. His second wife is Miss Sarah V. Walters, of Baltimore, to whom he was married at St. Louis in 1861. He has a homestead, a business block and twenty lots in Cascade. He was raised an

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Episcopalian, and was instrumental in the erection of an Episcopal Church here in 1871. He is Chairman of the Town Republican Committee ; his first vote was for Gen. Winfield Scott, in 1852, and he has voted for all the Republican Presidential nominees since that date. He is social, energetic and liberal.

JOHN GEARHART, farmer, Sec. 4; P. O. Worthington ; born in Penn- sylvania Oct. 23, 1827 ; came to Dubuque Co. in 1849; has a farm of 225 acres in Secs. 3, 4 and 6; in addition to farming, he carried on, until the last four or five years, his occupation as a stonemason, being greatly assisted by his family during this time, in the management of his farm. Religion, Reformed Church ; politics, Demo- cratic. Mr. G. was married, March 10, 1853, to Miss Lavina Fogleman, of Pennsyl- vania ; they have eight children-William H., John C., Lydia S., Charles R., Edwin W., Jacob F., Bertha J. and Rosa Lovina.

WILLIAM GROGAN, son of Bernard and Margaret Grogan, was born March 26, 1850, in Onondaga Co., N. Y .; he is a brickmason and plasterer by trade ; he moved, with his parents, to Jones Co., Iowa, in 1855; he commenced business for himself about 1868, after serving an apprenticeship with his father, and, in January, 1879, located in the town of Cascade, Dubuque Co., where he has continued to follow his trade. He was married, the 20th of January, 1879, to Miss Katie Conwell, the only child of John and Alice Conwell ; they also reside in Cascade.

REV: FATHER JOHN P. HENNESSY, Cascade, son of James Hennessy and Winnifred Gleesan ; was born June 28, 1847, in the County of Tipper. ary, and in the archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, Ireland; until 15 years of age, he was with his parents, who were farmers, and at that age he began a preparatory course for college at the Jesuits' Seminary in Limerick ; at the age of 19, he entered his diocesan college at Thurles ; he spent eight years in this college, taking the full class- ical and theological course ; he came to Dubuque Oct. 8, 1874, and his first appoint- ment was in Allamakee Co., Iowa, where he remained but a year, and his second charge was that of St. Martin's Church at Cascade, where he has since remained ; his pas- torate includes fully 150 families ; the St. Martin's congregation have a parochial school with an enrollment of nearly one hundred children, taught by six Sisters of the B. V. M .; it was established in 1869, and is provided with a spacious, three-story brick building ; the church was erected in 1867, and is of stone, neat, commodious and within is richly ornamented, and will seat 600; they have a comfortable brick parson- age adjoining the church. Father Hennessy, during his pastorate, has secured a sweet- toned bell, weighing nearly a ton, and has made other substantial improvements. He is not identified with any political party, and does not interfere with, or in any way dic- tate to, his congregation in regard to their political action. The pleasantest relations exist between him and his people, and the general public.

REV. JAMES HILL, retired Baptist minister, of Cascade ; is the son of W'm. Hill and Sophia Hawkins, and was born on the 6th of December, 1822, in Ched- dar, Somersetshire, England ; he was apprenticed, until 21 years of age, to the draper and general store business. After attaining his majority, he was an assistant in a mer. cantile establishment in Bristol, England, until 1849, when he came to America and settled in Dubuque, where he remained until 1854, when he located in Cascade, which has since been his home. He was married in Cheddar, England, in July, 1848, to Miss Sylvia Brown, daughter of James Brown, of Nicholston, Devonshire, England. On his arrival in Cascade, he purchased and began improving a quarter-section of land where his homestead now is, and at the same time preached to people in the region round about this settlement ; most of his ministry have been without money or price. Through his efforts, the Baptist Churches at Epworth and Worthington were gathered, organized and supplied with places of worship ; he was also a liberal contributor to Cascade churches. In 1862, he raised seventy-two men for a company of volunteers, and Capt. David Graves completed the company, and it was enlisted in the 21st I. V. I .; he was elected First Licutenant, and served in that position until just after the fall of Vicksburg, when he was called to the chaplaincy of the regiment by the unanimous choice of privates and officers; before the close of the war, he was well known in that division as the " Fight- ing Chaplain ;" he preached several times every week, and religious revivals were not

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unfrequent in his regiment. On his return at the close of the war, he resumed his mis sionary labors in this vicinity. In 1857, he built a fine brick residence in the suburbs of Cascade; it is situated upon a commanding eminence, and his attractive grounds give evidence of cultivated taste. His wife was his efficient co-laborer until her death in March, 1874; from 1872 to 1877, he was Pastor of the Baptist Church at Cascade ; has now a regular appointment at Worthington, but still resides on and superintends his farm. The plain east of his dwelling was an ancient Indian burying-ground ; relics have been frequently found, and a full length skeleton of an adult Indian was exhumed not long ago. This vicinity was a favorite camping-place of the roving tribes, and until within a score of years, some made annual pilgrimages to these hunting-grounds and resting-place of their departed heroes. In 1878, Mr. Hill was made a Director of the . Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western Narrow-Gauge Railroad, and was then elected Vice President, and early in 1879 was the President, but afterward resigned in favor of O. F. Wyatt, who, in connection with J. F. Joy and George Runkel, are now construct- ing the road ; he was for one year connected with the Cascade flouring-mills. In Sep- tember, 1874, he married Mrs. Angie Potter, daughter of John V. McCune, of Belle Plain, Benton Co., Iowa ; he has no children. He has been a conscientious and active Republican from the earliest existence of the party, and during his entire life has been an enemy of oppression and slavery of either black or white, and early prophesied that the rebellion would be the death of American slavery. His friends nominated him for the Legislature from this stronghold of Democracy, and he ran 700 ahead of his ticket, but, of course, failed of an election. He is candid and benevolent, and well known for his unostentatious deeds of charity. His wife ably seconds his labors. He is emphati- cally a self-made man; his culture, literary and theological, is the result of devoted study at home in connection with his daily labors. He is not bigoted in his views on religious, social, or general questions which divide mankind, but acts in the spirit of Chalmer's beautiful sentiment : " In essentials, unity ; in non-essentials, liberty ; in all things, charity."

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The history of Dubuque County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., Part 116

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Number of Pages: 964

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical
Number of Pages: 964