USA > Missouri > Jackson County > Kansas City > A memorial and biographical record of Kansas City and Jackson County Mo. > Part 24
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0 R. J. W. BOWMAN is one of the prominent residents of Kansas City who has gained a high repu- tation as a leading physician and a man of ability in his profession. His resi- dence here covers a comparatively short period, -little more than a decade,-yet he
has demonstrated his right to be numbered among the proficient representatives of medical science, and the public attests his trustworthiness by a liberal patronage.
Dr. Bowman was born near Toronto, Canada, September 5, 1846, and is a son of Samuel and Ann (Marr) Bowman, the former a native of Cheshire county, New Hamp- shire, while the latter was born in Milton, Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish parentage. The father descended from old Puritan stock, and representatives of the family have been prominent in various walks of life. Two of the maternal uncles of the Doctor, Joseph and Phineas Marr, were noted Presbyterian ministers. The father of our subject ran away from home when a young man to learn the tanner's trade, and after serving an apprenticeship in Perry, New York, he crossed the boundary line into Canada at Niagara Falls. Fixing his residence near Toronto, he worked at his trade until he had accumulated a little capital, when he established a tannery of his own, which he operated for a number of ycars, very successfully. He left home with twenty-five cents in his pocket, but he pos- sessed a resolute courage and determination, and his energy and enterprise brought to him success. He accumulated considerable property, including a farm near Toronto, Canada, on which he made his home until his death in 1866. He served as justice of the peace for many years, and was at one time active in political affairs, but was never an office-seeker. While residing in Canada, Joseph Marr was sent as a Presby- terian missionary to that section of the country, and while thus engaged was visited by his sister, Ann Marr. It was in this manner that Mr. Bowman, father of the Doctor, met the lady whom he made his
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wife, going to Pennsylvania for that pur- pose. They had eight children, four of whom are still living, namely: Samuel A., who resides on the old homestead in Canada; Dr. J. W .; Charles A .; and Mrs. N. A. Hughes, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Bowman was reared in Canada, where he acquired his education, and at the University of Toronto was graduated with the class of 1867, completing the medical course. He was but seventeen years of age when he began the study of medicine, and had therefore completed the full four-years course in the year that witnessed his en- trance into manhood. Immediately after his graduation he came to the United States, locating in Watsontown, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1875. During that time he was appointed and served as a local surgeon of the Pennsylvania & Erie Railroad.
In 1875 Dr. Bowman returned to Can- ada and located on the St. Clair river, op- posite St. Clair, Michigan, about sixty miles above Detroit, where he engaged in practice until 1884. He served as a member of the local board of health and also associate cor- oner of the county within that time. In 1884 he came to Kansas City a perfect stranger, but beleving it to be an advantage- ous field of labor, owing to its rapid de- velopment, he sold his property in Canada and here established an office, since which time he has been successfully engaged in practice in Jackson county. He now has a good business, which is well merited.
Before coming to the city Dr. Bowman was married, in 1883, to Miss Mary A. Van Valzah, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in whose family there were twenty-five physi- cians. She is also a relative of General Montgomery, who fell during the assault on
Quebec. By their union have been born three daughters, -Margaret V., having died in infancy. The others are Henrietta Marr and Catherine Van Valzah.
The Doctor and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church and Mrs. Bowman is a member of the Daughters of the Revo- lution. The Doctor also belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and is connected with the Jackson County Medical Society. He is the professor of the principles and prac- tices of medicine and medical examiner for life insurance in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Kansas City, Kansas, and is the medical examiner for the Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company, the Fidelity Mutual Life Association of Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania, the United States Life Insurance Company of New York, the Bankers' Life Association of St. Paul, and several others of less importance. In June, 1895, he was elected a member of the city council of Kansas City, and is chairman of the sanitary, hospital and workhouse com- mittees, also a member of the committees on finance, streets, alleys and grades, and of the water committee.
R. JOHN DAY WOOD, president of the Bank of Independence, In- dependence, Missouri, has occu- pied this position during the past nine years and is recognized as one of the leading business men and progressive spirits of the place.
Dr. Wood was born in La Fayette county, Missouri, February 15, 1843, and is a representative of a family long resident in this country, their history being traced from Missouri back to Tennessee and thence to the " Old Dominion." John Wood, the
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Doctor's grandfather, was born in Virginia. At an early period he emigrated to Tennes- see, being among the pioneers of that state, and it was there that his son, Isaac H., the Doctor's father, was born, reared and mar- ried, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary B. Satterfield. In 1838 the family left Sum- ner county, Tennessee, and moved over into Missouri, making settlement in the southern part of La Fayette county. Here Isaac H. Wood became a leading citizen. Prior to the civil war he served as state senator, representing the district in which La Fayette county was at that time embraced; and he also occupied other public positions. His death occurred October 28, 1877, on the farm where he settled on first coming to the state. His wife, Mrs. Mary B. Wood, sur- vived him until January 26, 1894. They were the parents of nine children, namely: Lamissa J., John D., Fannie E., Joseph, Madison G., Mary, Clara, James F. and Maggie L.
John D. was reared in his native county, and there received the principal part of his education. He attended Chapel Hill Col- lege, afterward was a student in the Mis- souri College, at Lexington, and for inore than a year attended the sessions of Central College at Fayette, in Howard county. In 1862 he began the study of medicine under the instructions of Dr. A. B. Hereford, one of the prominent old physicians of La Fay- ette county, and in the fall of the following year entered the St. Louis Medical College, where he graduated in the spring of 1865. After his graduation he formed a partner- ship with Dr. Hereford, his former precep- tor, and commenced the practice of his profession at Mount Hope, La Fayette county, where he remained one year. His next location was at Pink Hill, in Jackson
county. Here he continued until 1877, when he relinquished the practice of medi- cine and went to Colorado. A year later we find him in Montana, where he spent the next four years in buying and shipping cat- tle to the eastern markets, and after this spent two years in Comanche county, Kan- sas. After these years of sojourn in various portions of the west, he came again to Jack- son county, Missouri, and in the fall of 1 886 organized the Bank of Independence, of which he has since been president.
Dr. Wood was married in 1872 to Miss Jennie F. Wood, who departed this life January 23, 1890. She was a daughter of the late Robert H. Wood, a native of Ten- nessee, and for some years a resident of Jackson county, Missouri, where he died. He was married the second time in 1892 to Mrs. N. E. Vincent.
For five years of his residence in Inde- pendence Dr. Wood has figured as a mem- ber of the city council, where his influence has been directed in a way that has been beneficial to the city. Indeed, he is a man of more than ordinary business enterprise and push, and as an advocate of public im- provements can always be relied upon. For many years he has been a member of the southern Methodist church.
YMAN ADAMS BERGER, one of the best known physicians in the state of Missouri, is a western man by birth and interests, and is a typical representative of the progressive spirit of this section.
He was born in Lebanon, Illinois, on the 22d of November, 1853, and is a son of Dr. Adolph and Cecelia (Adams) Berger, the former a native of Worms, Germany, and
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the latter of Kentucky. The father was a graduate of the Heidelberg Medical College and came to this country in 1848 during the uprising of the students of that justly cele- brated institution. He located in Lebanon, Illinois, where he immediately entered upon the practice of medicine, and his superior ability won recognition by a liberal patron- age. Fame and fortune rewarded him and he was known as one of the most eminent physicians in the section of the state in which he located. He is still living in Leb- anon, but is now retired, enjoying the rest which he has truly earned. He was promi- nent in public and political affairs but cared nothing for office. The family numbered eight children, four of whom died in infancy, while one sister died at the age of thirty years. The surviving members are Lyman A .; W. E., cashier of the Jefferson Avenue Bank of St. Louis; and Albert L., an attor- ney of Kansas City and county auditor of Wyandotte county.
Dr. Berger, whose name introduces this review, spent his childhood days under the parental roof in Lebanon, and completed his literary education in McKendree College, at which he was graduated in 1871. He now determined to enter the medical pro- fession, for which nature seemed to have destined him. He early displayed special talent, which was developed by thorough study and close application. He pursued a course in the St. Louis Medical College, and was graduated with the class of 1874. He immediately began practice in Trenton, Illi- nois, where he continued two years, when on account of failing health he sought a home in the west, practicing for about two years in Idaho City, Idaho. In February, 1880, he arrived in Kansas City, where he has since engaged in general practice, work-
ing his way steadily upward until he is to- day recognized as one of the most eminent members of the profession in the state. In 1887 he went with his father to Europe and took a special course in obstetrics in Berlin and Vienna. For ten years he has been the sole medical attendant at the Home for the Aged, and is chief of the staff of the German Hospital. He occupied the chair of hygiene and clinical medicine in the Uni- versity Medical College, and for eight years has been professor of obstetrics in that in- stitution. He is the obstetrician at All Saints Hospital, and established the first obstetrical dispensary in the University Med- ical College, this being the first in the United States. He has also been secretary of the faculty of that school for seven years; in 1890 was secretary of the State Medical Society of Missouri, and in 1891 was first vice-president of the Pan-American Medical Congress, in the section on obstetrics, at Washington, District of Columbia. His repu- tation partakes nothing of a meteoric char- acter: it is the legitimate outcome of a skill and ability that have resulted from earnest application, thorough study, deep investiga- tion and devotion to his chosen calling.
He has been twice married. In 1871 he wedded Miss L. E. Dausman, by whom he had four children, three yet living, namely: Haidee F., Lillie J., and Grace. The mother died in 1876, and in 1879 Dr. Berger mar- ried Mrs. E. Eldon, of Syracuse, New York. She is a cultured and educated lady, and is a member of the Episcopal church.
The Doctor is a valued member of the Masonic fraternity, -a Knight Templar and a Mystic "Shriner." He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and several other so- cieties, and is the medical examiner for the endowinent rank of the Knights of Pythias,
In The
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the Knights of Honor, the Modern Wood- men of America, and the National Life Insurance Company of Vermont. In manner he is ever courteous and genial, and has a large circle of friends who have been won both through business and social relations.
ON. JAMES M. JONES, the pres- ent efficient mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, is well known in social and professional circles, and a brief review of his life is here submitted.
He is a native of New York, his birth occurring March 9, 1861, in Prospect, Oneida county, in that state. He is, there- fore, thirty-five years old, and is yet inside the line that marks the apex of man's intel- lectual and physical powers. From his youth he had a predilection for the law and an inordinate fondness for books, and with that pertinacity which has marked his actions thus far in his career he persistently held to the purpose of obtaining an education.
When five years of age, his parents re- moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where his boyhood was passed. His progressive spirit was early manifested by the rapid advance- ment he made in his studies, passing quickly through the grades of the public schools, and at the early age of eighteen years he gradu- ated, with high honors, at the State Normal School at Oshkosh. The confidence the people of Oshkosh had in him at this youth- ful age is attested by their selection of him to assume the principalship of the city schools. Oshkosh then had 25,000 people, and was the second city of importance in the state. It was, indeed, a recognition of ability rarely extended to one so young, and so well did the young professor discharge the duties of the responsible position that the
board was unanimous in continuing him at the head of the schools, which position he ably, justly and efficiently filled for four con- secutive years; and to this day the people of Oshkosh speak in terms of highest praise of the ability he displayed in the government and management of its educational interests.
But young Jones had aspirations. The law had been the dream of his early life, and to that end, while attending schools and teaching, his leisure hours had been devoted to solving the problems of Blackstone. He had now sufficient funds to defray the ex- pense of obtaining a legal education, and the time seemed propitious for the start; so he resigned his position, much to the public's regret. Immediately thereafter he entered the Columbian Law College of New York city, where he took the full course, and was graduated well up at the head of a large class. Returning to Oshkosh he was ad- mitted to the bar in 1885, having passed a most creditable examination.
Deciding that Kansas City was the com- ing city of the great southwest, and that a brilliant future awaited it, he determined to cast his lot here, and forthwith he came. He was at once admitted to the bar here, opened an office and soon had a lucrative practice. In 1886 he entered into a law co-partnership with his elder brother, George L. Jones, under the firm name of Jones & Jones, which is still in existence.
In the spring of 1894 the municipal af- fairs of the city were in a deplorable con- dition, and the better class of citizens, irre- spective of party, decided that a "house- cleaning " was necessary, and that efficient men should be elected to fill the various offices of the city. To that end a commit- tee of seventy prominent citizens was organ- ized, of all parties, by whom Mr. Jones was
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unanimously endorsed for the office of police judge, and the endorsement of the commit- tee was quickly followed by his nomination for that place at the republican primaries. At the polls he won a signal victory, receiv- ing the largest vote of all the candidates in the field, his popularity again being attested by no uncertain sound; and his conduct dur- ing his two-years term upon the bench re- ceived the words of warmest commendation and praise from both press and people. In
the discharge of duty he is courageous, per- sonal fear being unknown to him, and in an incredibly short time he succeeded, while upon the bench, in breaking up the tough gangs which infested the city, and exter- minated the "crap" and "policy," games, which like barnacles seemed to have a life grip upon the city.
His enviable record as police judge caused him to become the favorable cynosure of all eyes, the pride of his party, and the logical republican candidate for mayor of the city in the spring of 1896. His great pop- ularity and the confidence reposed in him was pointedly attested by the fact that with one acclaim he was accorded the mayoralty nomination at the hands of the republican party without any opposition whatever, and after a most heated and exciting cam- paign, developing intense public interest, the Judge was elected mayor on April 7, 1896, for a term of two years, by a large plurality over Henry C. Kumpf, his democratic op- ponent. Although now only in the full morning of his administration as mayor, he has already developed that restless energy, fearless courage of conviction and sound judgment so pre-eminent in his personal qualifications, and which presage for him a brilliant career as chief executive of this giant city of the southwest,
Careful study has developed a well- trained mind, a perfectly balanced judgment, fearless courage and an obstinate regard for right and justice. A natural student, fond of reading and study, inclined to literary pursuits, an easy writer and speaker, strong in his friendships, he has gathered about him choice books and a legion of faithful friends who delight in doing him honor. Alive to the wrongs of suffering humanity, he is gen- erous and active in his efforts to improve the conditions of the wronged and afflicted. Honest and upright, he despises sham and hypocrisy, and none are quicker than he to discern the "cloven hoof" of villainy. Judge Jones has in his political affiliations been a lifelong republican, always taking a keen interest in decent politics, but prior to his election as police judge he never sought or held office. He is a genial gentleman to meet, of pleasing address, always companion- able and entertaining, a sound lawyer and an able parliamentarian. That honors still greater await the Judge at the hands of his friends and party can safely be predicted.
He was married in 1888 to Miss Ada T. Towson, a native of Georgia. They have one son, Wayne Towson. The Judge is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica. He is a Unitarian in religious senti- ment and a member of that church.
ALTER BALES, deceased, was one of Kansas City's most hon- ored pioneers. Long before the Indians had left this locality for reservations further west, when land was wild, the prairies unbroken, he settled within what is now the corporate limits of the city and became identified with its up-
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building and interests. For more than half a century he was an important factor in ed- ucational, business and political circles, and no man in all the community was held in higher regard or had the confidence of the people to a greater degree than Walter Bales.
He was born in east Tennessee, Febru- ary 10, 1803, and was a son of John Bales, who lived and died in that state. There our subject grew to manhood, and made it his place of abode until about twenty-eight years of age, when he started westward, reaching his destination after some weeks of travel in a wagon. He drove a four-horse team, of which he was very fond, and throughout his entire life he manifested a great love for good horses. While on the way they camped at night, traveling from early dawn till dark. They brought with them all their household effects and stock. Mr. Bales first located in the east bottoms, where he lived one winter. There he formed the acquaintance of Sarah Johnson, and their friendship ripening into love, the young couple were married, on the 3d of June, 1832. The lady had come with her father to Jackson county in October, 1825, and was therefore one of the very first settlers of all this region.
After his marriage Mr. Bales removed with his bride to where is now the junction of Fourteenth street and Bernard avenue. At this time all the country was very wild, the plains were unbroken by the plow, and the Indians had a trading-post on what is now the very heart of the city. The land, however, was cultivable and yielded rich re- turns for the care and labor bestowed upon it. Mr. Bales purchased property of his father-in-law, paying $1.25 per acre for his claim, and ten acres of the original tract is yet in possession of his family. For many
years he carried on agricultural pursuits, transforming the wild prairies into rich and fertile fields, and his well directed efforts brought to him a comfortable competence. As the population of Kansas City greatly increased, land values in consequence rose rapidly and his property commanded high prices.
In the development and upbuilding of the city Mr. Bales took a very prominent and active part. To no man in Kansas City are the schools more greatly indebted than to Mr. Bales. He became deeply interested in educational matters as the town grew and was trustee and district clerk for about twenty-five years, doing most of the busi- ness of the schools and promoting their in- terests in all possible ways. He also served as magistrate for more than twenty years, meting out justice to all alike without fear or favor. He was the soul of honor and integrity in business and public life and his name was above reproach. He took an active interest in political affairs, was an extensive reader and was thoroughly well in- formed on all the questions and interests of the day. He was a warm admirer of Henry Clay, and in the early days supported the whig party, but at the time of the war trans- ferred his allegiance to the democracy. He also served as county judge for about seven years, discharging his duties with a prompt- ness and fidelity that won for him high commendation.
Although Mr. Bales was called into pub- lic life to a great extent his interests clustered around his home, and he would never accept an office that would force him to be away from home for any considerable period. His domestic ties were the strongest that he acknowledged, and it seemed that he could not do too much to promote the welfare and
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enhance the happiness of his family. He left to them not only a fortune obtained through honorable business methods, but also the priceless heritage of a good name. Before his death he divided all his money and property equally among his six children. He passed away July 8, 1887, respected alike by young and old, rich and poor.
There is in the laborious struggle for an honorable competence and a solid career of the business or professional man, fighting the every-day battle of life, but little to at- tract the idle reader in search of a sensational chapter; but for a mind thoroughly awake to the reality and meaning of human ex- istence there are noble and immortal lessons in the life of the man who, without other means than a clear head, a strong arm and a true heart, conquers adversity, and toiling on through the work-a-day years of a long career finds that he has won not only wealth but also something far greater and higher, -the deserved respect and esteem of those with whom his years of active life placed him in contact. Such a man was Mr. Bales. His wife also won the love and confidence of those whom she met, and was to her husband a faithful companion and helpmeet. She possessed a remarkable memory, and at the time Mr. Bales was school trustee she could remember every child's name and his age after being told once. She died May 12, 1893.
In the family were the following chil- dren: John, of Belton, Missouri; William, of Kansas City; Samuel H .; Walter, also of Belton, Missouri; Mary E. and James E., both of this city. This is one of the best known families of Kansas City, and their name is inseparably connected with its his- tory. All have taken a deep interest in the upbuilding of the community, in the pro-
motion of every enterprise calculated to prove of public benefit, and at the time of the war people who became frightened felt safe if they could get refuge in the house of Walter Bales; and his home was open to all.
R. WILLIAM WHITTAKER is a well known and eminent reg- ular physician who has success- fully practiced in Kansas City since 1885. He is a native of Ireland, born at Ballina, on the west coast of the island, March 3, 1841, and is a son of Dr. William and Frances (Crofton) Whittaker, natives of the Emerald Isle. To them were born six children, three of whom are now living: John Henderson, the distinguished surgeon general of the English army at the Royal Hibernian Military School, Phoenix Park, Dublin; Dr. William, our subject; and Frances, wife of Rev. John R. Mills, rector, county Limerick, Ireland.
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