USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 12
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On the 30th of September, 1903, in Deadwood, South Dakota, Mr. McGahey was married to Miss Grace Logan, by whom he has a son, David M., Jr., born September 14, 1906. Their religious faith is that of the Episcopal church and in his political views Mr. McGahey is a republican. While never seeking nor desir- ing office, he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. His attention is chiefly concentrated, however, upon his business interests and he is today one of the well known men in insurance circles in Omaha.
GEORGE ANDREW ROBERTS.
Situated in the midst of a great agricultural district, Omaha has naturally become a most important grain center, and a prominent representative of the grain trade at this point is George Andrew Roberts, whose operations are carried on under the name of the George A. Roberts Grain Company, of which he is the sole owner. He was born upon a farm in Saline county, Nebraska, February 14, 1874, a son of Stephen Scotten Roberts, who was born in Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, in 1834. Removing westward to Illinois, he was married in that state to Lydia A. Bainter and in 1873 they came to Nebraska, settling in Saline county, where the father died in 1903. He is still survived by his widow, who is now a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska. At the time of the Civil war he espoused the cause of the Union and enlisted in Company G, One Hundred Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry, with which he served for three years on southern battlefields. He always maintained pleasant relations with his old military comrades through his membership in the Grand Army post at Dorchester, Nebraska.
At the usual age George A. Roberts became a pupil in the country schools of Saline county and afterward attended the public schools of Dorchester but had no college training. In the school of experience, however, he has learned many valuable lessons and is now a practical and well informed business man, alert and enterprising, his intelligently directed efforts having brought him to a position of prominence in business circles. He embarked in the grain trade on his own account at Angus, Nebraska, in 1890 and for more than a quarter of a century,
Tto Al. Roberto
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ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
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therefore, has been active in that line of business. Seeking the broader field of labor offered by a larger city, he came to Omaha in 1909 where he now conducts extensive operations in the grain trade as the sole owner of the George A. Roberts Grain Company. He has ever been watchful of indications pointing to success and has always possessed the courage to venture where favoring oppor- tunity has pointed out the way. Opportunity is but a promise-an indication, and many there are who fear to utilize the chance offered, but grasping eagerly every legitimate opportunity presented, Mr. Roberts has advanced steadily step by step in his business career until he stands today among the most prosperous represen- tatives of the grain trade in Omaha, with unsullied business integrity that equals his material success. He has also made investments in other important business enterprises but is not active in control, feeling that his grain interests make ample demand upon his energies.
On the 22d of June, 1904, in Dorchester, Nebraska. Mr. Roberts was united in marriage to Miss Olive H. Wilhelm, a daughter of Jerry Wilhelm, who served in the Civil war as a member of an Illinois regiment. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have one daughter, Lydia Elizabeth.
Politically Mr. Roberts is a republican and while never an office seeker neither has he ever been remiss in the duties of citizenship but aids and supports all plans and projects for the general good. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he belongs to the Happy Hollow Club and to the Athletic Club of Omaha. His religious belief is indicated in his member- ship in the First Methodist church, in the work of whch he takes an active and helpful part. One who has long known him and who is himself a prominent citizen of Omaha says that throughout his entire career he has ever been the same courteous and genial gentleman that he is today, devoted to his family, active in the work of the church and enjoying the respect and friendship of all who know him.
SIDNEY DENISE BARKALOW.
With the history of Omaha the name of Barkalow has been associated almost continuously from the beginning and in many phases of the city's development the family have been active participants. A native of Ohio, Sidney Denise Barkalow was born in Warren county, November 23, 1844, a son of Benjamin B. Barkalow, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. He was edu- cated at the place of his nativity and there remained until November 5, 1856, when, at the age of twelve years, he accompanied his parents to Omaha, where he became a pupil in a school conducted by Howard Kennedy, who was the first superintendent of schools in this city. At a later period he pursued his studies for a short time in Washington University at St. Louis. In his youthful days he was employed for a brief period in the office of an express company at Omaha and also in the Woolworth book store and in the latter connection gained a knowl- edge of the business to which he largely devoted his life.
He embarked in business on his own account when a youth of but sixteen years by opening a small book store and news stand on Farnam street, near Thir- teenth. In 1865, in connection with his brother, Derrick Vail Barkalow, he entered into a contract with the Union Pacific Railroad Company for the sale of newspapers, periodicals, candy, books and other articles on the trains of that line and the brothers were on the first train which went west from Omaha. As the railroads of the west spread out their business expanded. In the early days they enjoyed a liberal patronage in the sale of Indian curios and relics, including polished buffalo hoofs and horns, and as the years passed their business steadily increased. In 1870 D. V. Barkalow went to Cheyenne to operate the western division for the company, their interests extending as far as Ogden, while S. D.
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Barkalow remained in Omaha. They carried on business under the firm style of Barkalow Brothers-a name which became a household word in Omaha and throughout the west. At one time they operated extensively over various western railroads and attained to a position of leadership in their line of busi- ness. On the 14th of December, 1914, their interests were incorporated under the name of the Barkalow Brothers' News Company, of which S. D. Barkalow became the president, R. V. Barkalow vice president, Denise Barkalow secre- tary-treasurer and George H. Schnell, general manager. The company still maintains news stands in depots at Council Bluffs, Omaha, Columbus, Grand Island, Kearney, North Platte and Cheyenne, Nebraska; at Greenriver, Wyom- ing; at Ogden, Utah; at Kansas City, Topeka and Junction, Kansas; at Fort Worth, Texas ; and at Sterling, Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
At Fremont, Nebraska, on the 19th of February, 1879, Mr. Barkalow was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Lawrence McNamara, who was born at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a daughter of Rev. Dr. John McNamara, who was born in the north of Ireland and when a young man came to the new world. He was well known as one of the pioneer missionaries of the Episcopal church in Mis- souri, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska and he carried the gospel into those regions when travel involved many hardships and difficulties, 'all of which, however, he bore uncomplainingly because of his devotion to liis church. He married Sarah Banks Gould, who was born in Sandusky, Ohio, during the temporary residence of the family there but when six months old was taken by her parents to their old home in New York city. Mrs. Barkalow attended school in Wisconsin and completed her education at Brownell Hall in Omaha. By her marriage she became the mother of three children: Sidney McNamara, now deceased; Denise, living in Omaha; and Caroline Lawrence.
Mr. Barkalow held membership in the Omaha Club, the Happy Hollow Chib, the Omaha Country Club and the Commercial Club and was also a mem- ber of the Pioneers' Association of Nebraska. He was a faithful member of Trinity Cathedral and for thirty years served as one of its vestrymen. He gave loyal and generous support to the church and did everything in his power to promote its cause. In matters of citizenship he was most loyal and public- spirited and his cooperation could be counted upon at all times to aid in further- ing projects for the public good. At the same time he was a man of most domes- tic tastes, finding his greatest happiness at his own fireside. With the exception of one year he maintained his residence in Omaha from 1856 until his death, which occurred on the 29th of May, 1915, or for almost a half century, and throughout the entire period the course which he followed was such as com- mended him to the confidence, high regard and goodwill of all with whom he came in contact. He lived to see wonderful changes, for at the time of his arrival the city was a straggling western frontier village. He witnessed its trans- formation into a modern metropolis with all the advantages known to the modern city and his contribution to the work that was wrought was indeed valuable.
PAUL L. MARTIN.
Paul L. Martin, dean of the Creighton College of Law at Omnaha, was born upon a farm in Crawford county, Iowa, April 4, 1881. His paternal grandfather, James W. Martin, was a native of Ireland but emigrating to America, became a resident of Crawford county, Iowa, where he passed away in 1889. His son, James W. Martin, father of Paul L. Martin, was born in Dewitt, Iowa, in 1859. He wedded Hulda Catherine Chapman and they now reside in Omaha, where he is successfully engaged in the real estate business.
Paul L. Martin acquired his early education in the public schools of Man- ning, Iowa, supplemented by study in the Holy Family parochial school of Omaha
PAUL L. MARTIN
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and a course in Creighton College, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1900. In preparation for a professional career he entered the law department of Harvard University, which numbers him among its alumni of 1905. The same year Creighton College conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. After leaving Harvard he was for two years associated with the law firm of Hall & Stout, of Omaha, and in 1907 he was called to the position of secretary of the Creighton College of Law. Two years later he was advenced to dean of the department and has so continued, bending every effort toward making this one of the best law schools of the middle west.
On the IIth of September, 1906, in Omaha, Mr. Martin was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Inez Neu and to them have been born five children, Paul James, Bernard Aloysius, Clarence Jerome, Mary Catherine and Gertrude Mary.
As indicated by his professional connections Mr. Martin is an adherent of the Catholic faith and he belongs also to the Knights of Columbus. He has been an earnest supporter of many plans and projects for the public good. In this connection he acts with the Commercial Club, of which he is a member, in its efforts to promote Omaha's civic standards and extend its business relations. His social nature finds expression in his membership in the Harvard Club and his professional connections extend to the Omaha Bar Association, the Nebraska State Bar Association, and the Association of American Law Schools. For several years he was a member of the committee on legal education of the Nebraska State Bar Association, prepared several reports of the committee and has taken an active interest both locally and nationally in raising the standard of the bar. As a member of the Association of American Law Schools he has been one of the leaders in the extension of the standard law course from three to four years.
HENRY HAUBENS.
Henry Haubens, president of the Lion Bonding & Surety Company, organ- ized in 1907, has throughout an extended period been a prominent representative of financial interests in Omaha. He was born in Gonningen, Germany, in 1855, a son of Andrew Haubens, whose birth occurred in the same place in 1818 and who there passed away in 1866.
In the schools of the fatherland Henry Haubens pursued his education. He was graduated from the seminary in Esslingen, Wurtemberg, in 1876, and in 1881, when twenty-six years of age, crossed the Atlantic to the United States. He made his way at once to Omaha, where he taught German in a private school for about a year and a half. On the expiration of that period he entered the Omaha First National Bank as clerk in the counting department and there con- tinued for three years, after which he took up the business of railroad contract- ing, organizing the firm of Haubens, Shelton & Company, of which he became the president and so continued for about three years. He then purchased an interest in the brewing firm of Storz & Iler and in 1890, when their lease on the brewery expired, Mr. Haubens organized the Omaha Brewing Association, of which he was made vice president and so continued until 1907. He then sold his interest in that business and organized the Lion Bonding & Surety Company, of which he has since been the president. This company is capitalized for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and has done an exten- sive business in the ten years of its existence, a liberal clientage having been won. Mr. Haubens is also owner of the business conducted under the name of the Omaha Folding Machine Company and thus his interests have become extensive and important, making him a prominent figure in the business circles of the city.
In September, 1887, in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Haubens was united in mar-
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riage to Miss Emily Vatter, by whom he had two children, Emil Victor and Walter William, born in 1892 and 1895 respectively. Both sons and the mother died in Omaha in 1902.
In his political views Mr. Haubens maintains an independent course and has never been an office seeker, preferring to concentrate his energies and attention upon his business affairs, his close application and unfaltering energy resulting in the attainment of substantial success.
EDWARD MACKENZIE WELLMAN.
Edward Mackenzie Wellman, for twenty-two years an active practitioner at the Omaha bar, was born in Viola, Iowa, April 8, 1870, a son of Samuel Mac- Kenzie Wellman, who was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1839, while his father Dr. Wellman, was a native of England. Coming to America he settled in Connecticut, where he practiced his profession throughout his remaining days. At the time of the Civil war Samuel M. Wellman enlisted for service in 1861 as a private of the Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which the late President James A. Garfield was commander. With that regiment he served for four years, rising to the rank of captain, and on several occasions he was wounded. In 1865 he removed westward to Iowa and was married in Viola, in 1866, to Elizabeth Anna Marshall, who was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. He removed with his family from Iowa to Howard county, Nebraska, in 1879 and during the last twelve years of his life filled the position of postmaster at Elba, Nebraska. He died in the year 1913, while his wife passed away in 1911.
Edward M. Wellman, after attending the district schools of Howard county, continued his education in the normal schools at Fremont and at Bloomington, Nebraska, thus securing a good literary education to serve as the foundation upon which to upbuild the superstructure of professional knowledge. In preparation for the practice of law he attended the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1894, and for a year he taught school in Howard county, Nebraska. In June. 1895, he came to Omaha, where he entered at once upon the active practice of his profession and has since continued a member of the bar. Advancement in the law is proverbially slow, yet no dreary novitiate awaited Mr. Wellman. His legal powers and talents soon gained him recognition and his clientage has long been an enviable one. In 1898 he was made president of the firm of Charles E. Walters & Company, publishers of Walters Legal Directory since 1892.
On the 15th of June, 1897, in Scotia, Nebraska, Mr. Wellman was united in marriage to Miss Ida C. Cook, daughter of Thomas W. Cook. To them have been born three children, Helen Elizabeth, Philip Mackenzie and Edward Samuel. In politics Mr. Wellman is a democrat but does not care to turn from professional to political activity and concentrates his attention upon his law prac- tice, his devotion to his clients' interests being proverbial. Fraternally he is a York Rite Mason and, the social amenities of life making appeal to him, he is now a member of the University and Happy Hollow Clubs.
ELLERY HILL WESTERFIELD.
Ellery Hill Westerfield, who since his admission to the bar in 1896 has practiced law in Omaha, was born in Monmouth, Illinois, January 13, 1870, and is a descendant of a family of Holland origin. The name was originally Van Westervelt and the immigrant ancestor was Lubbert Lubbertsen Van Wester- velt, who came to the United States from Holland in 1660. He was accompanied
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by his brother and they were the only two on the vessel who paid money for their passage. The great-grandfather, Samuel Westerfield, emigrated to Ken- tucky, but his last days were spent in Ohio. It was in Preble county, Ohio, that Jacob Reeder Westerfield, the grandfather of E. H. Westerfield, was born, as was also the father, James Westerfield, whose birth occurred in 1830. While he was not an enlisted soldier in the Civil war, he was in the government service in the south as a wagon maker. In 1855, at Knoxville, Illinois, he married Esther Moore and for many years the family home was maintained at Mon- mouth, Illinois, where the father passed away in 1893. The mother afterward came to Omaha, where she spent her last days.
Ellery Hill Westerfield attended the public schools of his native city and afterward entered Monmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1893 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, while subsequently his alma mater con- ferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. He studied law in Washington University of St. Louis, Missouri, from which he was graduated in 1896, and immediately after he opened an office in Omaha, where he has since remained, giving his entire attention to his professional interests. He has a faculty for careful, accurate analysis which is one of the indispensable elements of success- ful law practice. His trend of reasoning is clear, strong and logical and he masters the points in his case, bringing all to bear upon the decisive point of contact. He also has commercial interests as a director of the Ralston Furniture Factory, of which he was one of the incorporators.
On the 9th of October, 1901, in Omaha, Mr. Westerfield was united in mar- riage to Miss Elizabeth Edwards Orange, daughter of John B. Orange. They have four children, namely: Esther Moore, Elizabeth Orange, Herbert Ellery and Helen Genevieve.
Mr. Westerfield gives stalwart support to the republican party, although never an office seeker. The rules which largely govern his life and shape his relations with his fellowmen are indicated in the fact that he is a member of the Presbyterian church and a Scottish Rite Mason. He was a commissioner to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church at Columbus, Ohio, in 1907 and was moderator of the Presbytery of Omaha in 1915. He belongs to the Com- mercial Club and therefore is an actve supporter of those forces which make for public improvement and progress in his city, and his social nature finds expres- sion in his membership in the University and Happy Hollow Clubs.
ERNEST ANSON CONAWAY.
While Ernest Anson Conaway is one of the younger members of the Omaha bar, he has already attained a position that many an older practitioner might well envy and his possession of those qualities requisite to advancement insures him continued professional success. He was born in Corning, Iowa, January 12, 1883, a son of Alexander Campbell and Marilla (West) Conaway. The father was born in Canton, Ohio, in 1842 and about 1866 removed westward to Iowa, being married in that state. He had previously served as a soldier of the Civil war, enlisting in 1861 in a regiment of Ohio volunteer cavalry, with which he remained throughout the period of hostilities, rising to the rank of captain. He and his wife are still residents of Corning.
After attending the public schools of Corning, Ernest A. Conaway began prep- arations for the bar, believing that he would find law practice a congenial voca- tion. He was graduated from the Omaha Law School with the class of 1912 and the same year was admitted to practice, after which he opened an office in Omaha and has since concentrated his attention upon his professional duties. He is occupying the same suite of rooms with Hon. B. S. Baker, and although he has been connected with the profession for but four years and advancement at the
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bar is proverbially slow, he has already made a good start and he possesses many of the qualities indispensable to success, including comprehensive knowledge of the law, indefatigable industry, shown in the careful preparation of cases, and a ready analysis that enables him to reason from cause to effect.
On the 10th of October, 1908, in Omaha, Mr. Conaway was united in mar- riage to Miss Jean Houston Huntington, by whom he has two children, Dorothea Jean and Ernest Anson, Jr. Mr. Conaway exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party. Fraternally he is a Royal Arch Mason and in religious faith is an Episcopalian, taking a very active and helpful interest in the church work.
JOHN ALBERT McSHANE.
John Albert McShane, capitalist, lumberman and political leader, has left the impress of his individuality not only upon the history of Omaha but of the state as well and throughout this section of the country is spoken of in terms of admiration and respect. His life has been so varied in its activities, so honorable in its purposes and so far-reaching and beneficial in its effects that it has become an integral part of the records of Omaha. He left the home farm when a youth of twenty-one years, acquainted only with such experiences as come to the farm bred boy, little dreaming that he was eventually to become a most prominent figure in commercial circles.
His birth occurred upon a farm near Lexington, Ohio, in 1850, and he is a representative of a family of Irish origin. His paternal grandfather, James McShane, spent his entire life in County Armagh, Ireland, and there the father, Thomas McShane was born in the year 1806. In early manhood he came to America, settling in Ohio, where he wedded Alice Creighton, a sister of the late John A. Creighton, long a distinguished and honored resident of Omaha. It was in the year 1883 that Mr. and Mrs. McShane became residents of Omaha, where their remaining days were passed, but the father was not long permitted to continue his residence here, his death occurring in 1885. His wife survived him until 1891.
Reared upon a farm in Perry county, Ohio, John A. McShane attended the district schools and later concentrated his attention upon the work of the fields until he reached his majority, when he resolved to try his fortune in the west and made his way to a cattle ranch in Wyoming. He spent three or four years in that state, becoming interested in ranching in connection with Edward and John A. Creighton. The year 1874 witnessed his arrival in Omaha and for two and a half years he was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad Company. At the end of that time he accepted the position of manager of the lumberyards of W. J. Young & Company and was so employed for about three years. He later assumed the management of a Wyoming ranch of many thousand acres, upon which were herded many thousand head of cattle, but while he was in charge until 1883 he continued his residence in Omaha. At the end of that period he sold his ranch interest to the Bay State Live Stock Company of Boston, of which he became manager, so continuing until 1887, when he went to Washington as a member of congress. In the meantime-in 1884-he had been elected to the presidency of the Union Stock Yards Company, Ltd., of Omaha, and so remained until 1894. In 1887 he was elected to the presidency of the Union Stock Yards Bank, which position he filled until 1896. Since that time he has been much interested in lumber in Texas and in 1903 organized the McShane Lumber Com- pany, of which he has continuously been the president. This company is operat- ing extensively in lumber and as its head Mr. McShane displays marked executive ability, initiative and enterprise. It does not cover the scope of his activities, however, for he is the president and principal owner of the Creighton-
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