USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 22
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EMILE M. F. LEFLANG.
Emile M. F. Leflang, a capitalist of Omaha, who for forty years was promi- nently connected with banking interests and with the grain trade in Nebraska, is now living retired save for the supervision which he gives to his invested interests. His life record is an illustration of what may be accomplished by the man of foreign birth who recognizes the opportunities offered in the new world and utilizes them for advancement, making his efforts count for the utmost along legitimate lines of business. Mr. Leflang was born in Denmark in 1850. His father, Andrew W. Leflang, also a native of that country, came to the United States in 1864 and established his home in Illinois, where he remained until 1867, when he came to Nebraska. Soon afterward he removed to Omaha but his last days were spent in Idaho, where he passed away in 1915.
Emile M. F. Leflang pursued his education in the schools of Haderslev, Denmark. He has continuously resided in Omaha since 1908 but has long been a resident of Nebraska, having for forty years been prominently connected with banking and grain trade interests at Lexington, this state. There he developed a business of extensive proportions in both lines and from time to time
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made judicious investments in property until his realty holdings are now exten- sive. He is also president of the Lexington Mill & Elevator Company and the president of the Wyoming & Nebraska Telephone Company. In the manage- ment of his business affairs he has always displayed keen sagacity and sound judgment. He is a man of unfaltering purpose, strong, persistent and resource- ful in carrying forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes and at all times conforming his business interests to high standards of integrity as well as enterprise.
On the 15th of April. 1913, in Lexington, Nebraska, Mr. Leflang was united in marriage to Miss Anna Cole, a daughter of David Cole, a veteran of the Civil war. By his first marriage, which occurred in 1872, Mr. Leflang has a son, Arthur Charles, who was born in Lexington, Nebraska, in 1876, and is manager of the Lexington Mill & Elevator Company.
Mr. and Mrs. Leflang are identified with the Presbyterian church and he also has membership in the Omaha Club and the Happy Hollow Club. He votes with the republican party and his interest in community affairs is indicated in his membership in the Commercial Club, which has for its object the upbuild- ing of the city, the expansion of its trade relations and the upholding of its civic standards. His life record should serve to inspire and encourage others, showing what may be accomplished when there is the will to dare and to do.
JAMES C. BUFFINGTON.
James C. Buffington, president of the Guarantee Fund Life Association of Omaha, has made steady progress in the insurance field since taking his initial step in that direction in 1890. He was born in Columbus City, Louisa county, Iowa, in 1866 and is a representative of the old Buffington family of Virginia of English extraction, his grandfather being James Quincy Buffington, a native of the Old Dominion. His father, David S. Buffington, was born in Ohio in 1842 and wedded Nancy Ann Getts, a native of Pennsylvania. She passed away at Chariton, Iowa, in 1902, and Mr. Buffington, surviving for a number of years, died at Columbus Junction, Iowa, in 1913.
In the public schools of Chariton, Iowa, James C. Buffington began his educa- tion but was the eldest of a family of twelve children and it seemed necessary that he early provide for his own support. His textbooks were therefore put aside and he began to learn the harness maker's trade under the direction of his father, following that pursuit until 1884, when he was appointed deputy county auditor and treasurer of Lucas county, Iowa, which position he filled until 1890. He then received an appointment to a position in the interior department at Wash- ington, D. C., where he spent about a year, when he resigned, giving up a position paying eighteen hundred dollars a year to enter the insurance field as a represen- tative of the Bankers Life Company of Des Moines at a salary of nine hundred dollars per year. He recognized the fact, however, that the latter offered better opportunities for steady advancement, and thus looking beyond the exigencies of the moment to future conditions, he made the step which has brought him eventually to his present place of prominence in insurance circles. He remained with the Bankers Life at Des Moines for ten years and then resigned the cashiership to organize the Guarantee Fund Life Association of Omaha, of which he became the secretary and manager. The business of the company was developed largely through his individual efforts and in 1912 he was elected to the presidency and so continues. He has thoroughly acquainted himself with every phase of insurance and has wrought along resultant lines, the ramifying interests of the company now covering a broad territory and interlacing in a financial network many states.
On the 31st of October, 1899, at Des Moines, Mr. Buffington was married
JAMES C. BUFFINGTON
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to Miss Mae Griffis, daughter of John P. and Lorinda (Woods) Griffis, the former now deceased. The two children of this marriage are Ruth and James C. Mr. and Mrs. Buffington belong to the First Methodist Episcopal church and his political belief is that of the progressive party. He is identified with the Com- mercial Club, which indicates his interest in the welfare and upbuilding of the city, and to its projects for the public good he lends active aid and cooperation. He also belongs to the Happy Hollow Club and the Omaha Athletic Club, while fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason and an Odd Fellow. Both he and his wife are widely known and have gained many warm friends during the thirteen years of their residence in Omaha, while in business circles Mr. Buffington has attained that success which is the legitimate outcome of intelligently directed effort prompted by laudable ambition.
HOWARD KENNEDY.
Howard Kennedy, deceased, was the founder and promoter of a real estate firm which under the name of the Alfred C. Kennedy Company is still occupy- ing a foremost position in real estate circles in Omaha. He became a resident of the city in a pioneer epoch in its development. He was born in Lansingburg, New York, August 14, 1832, a son of George W. and Anne (Combs) Ken- nedy, both of whom were natives of Baltimore, Maryland, the former born in 1797 and the latter in 1800. Reared in the Empire state, Howard Kennedy pursued his preparatory course in the Kinderhook Academy at Kinderhook, New York, and later attended Williams College. He early took up the profes- sion of teaching and came to Omaha in 1859 to accept the position of the first superintendent of the Omaha schools. Omaha was then a straggling western frontier village and gave little evidence or promise of its future substantial growth and development. Following the Civil war. Mr. Kennedy became receiver of the United States land office and since that time the family has been closely connected with the handling of Nebraska real estate. He had returned to the east in the meantime, remaining in that section of the country during the Civil war, but in 1866 again came west with his family, establishing his home at Nebraska City, at which point he performed the duties of receiver of the United States land office. He afterward went to Lincoln, where he aided in platting the city and sold the first town lot there. In 1869 he again arrived in Omaha. For seventeen years Howard Kennedy was identified with the land department of the Union Pacific, which gave him comprehensive knowledge of the real estate market and land values. Desirous that his labors should more directly benefit himself, he then turned his attention to the farm mortgage business and after- ward extended the scope of his interests and activities to include real estate, rentals and insurance. About 1900 the business was organized under the firm style of Howard Kennedy & Son, his associate being Alfred C. Kennedy, who was then admitted to a partnership by his father. Howard Kennedy remained an active factor in the management and control of the business until his demise.
On the 20th of September, 1860, in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, Mr. Kennedy was united in marriage to Miss Margaret A. Long, a daughter of Jacob and Charlotte (Verner) Long. They became the parents of three children, as fol- lows: Alfred C., who married Miss Elizabeth H. Leisenring and for his second wife chose Miss Jessie C. Godso; Howard Kennedy, who wedded Mary R. Cunningham; and Ethelwynne, who gave her hand in marriage to William W. Grigor.
The death of Mr. Kennedy occurred on the 18th of April, 1905, when he was in the seventy-third year of his age. He was a man of fine personal appear- ance and the sterling qualities of his nature measured up to the standards of his physical manhood. His life was ever guided by high and honorable prin-
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ciples that found expression in straightforward business dealing and recognition of his duties and obligations to his fellowmen. He was a devoted Presbyterian. The First Presbyterian church of Lincoln was organized in his home and he was elected its first ruling elder. After his removal to Omaha he was honored with the same office in the First Presbyterian church of Omaha and served in that capacity until his death. He was an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity, attaining the Knights Templar degree in the York Rite and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and from about 1875 until 1882 he served as a mein- ber of the Omaha school board. His life was characterized by unfailing courtesy and kindness.
WILLIAM SIMERAL.
William Simeral, a member of the Omaha bar concentrating his entire atten- tion upon the practice of his profession, was born in Dubuque, lowa, December 10, 1863, a son of James Montgomery Simeral, who is mentioned at some length in the sketch of E. W. Simeral on another page of this work. In the schools of Omaha William Simeral pursued his studies. He afterward determined upon the practice of law as a life work and after a thorough study of the principles of jurisprudence was admitted to the bar and has since followed his profession, gaining distinction and success by reason of his close application and the thorough- ness and care with which he prepares his cases.
On the 23d of November, 1914, at Papillion, Nebraska, Mr. Simeral was united in marriage to Miss Pauline J. Berkeley, a daughter of Junius Berkeley, a prom- inent attorney of Boulder, Colorado, and direct descendant of Governor Berkeley of Virginia.
Mr. Simeral is a Catholic in religious faith. His military experience covers service as a member of Company L of the First Nebraska Militia in 1879-80. In his political views he is a republican but the only office which he has ever held is that of deputy county attorney of Douglas county in 1888. He has never sought political preferment, concentrating his energies upon his professional interests, his ability making the name of Simeral a recognized force at the Omaha bar.
JOEL N. CORNISH.
The life record of Joel N. Cornish compassed a period of eighty years, for he was born in Rome, New York, May 28, 1828, and was called to his final rest on the 7th of June, 1908. His father was Allen Cornish, a son of Josiah Cornish and a representative of an old English family, the ancestry being traced back to Samuel Cornish, who on the 27th of October, 1692, arrived at Plymouth, Massa- chusetts, from Cornwall, England. He married Susannah Clark, who was a granddaughter of Thomas Clark, mate of the Mayflower. Thomas Cornish, great-grandfather of Joel N. Cornish, served with the militia in the Revolutionary war and he was the father of Josiah Cornish who followed the occupation of farming. His son, Allen Cornish, resided at Lee Center, New York, where he built an iron foundry, and became prominently identified with the industrial development of that region.
Joel N. Cornish was a graduate of the State Normal School at Albany, New York, and afterward took up the study of law in Utica and in Rome, New York, reading in the same law office as Roscoe Conkling. Eventually he was admitted to the bar and located for the practice of his profession in Iowa City, Iowa,
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where he soon won a notable reputation as an able and successful attorney, his fame spreading all over that territory. In 1877 he organized the First National Bank of Hamburg and remained at the head of that institution until he came to Omaha in 1888. As a banker he never lost a loan nor ever had to realize on a mortgage security for one. Upon coming to Omaha he accepted the presidency of the National Bank of Commerce and continued in active and helpful connec- tion with the banking and business enterprises of the city for a long period. He became a member of the first board of directors of the old Midland State Bank and he was a director of the Carter White Lead Company. He was also a member of the Real Estate Owners' Association. He displayed sound judgment in all his business affairs, his opinions being based upon broad practical experience and keen insight.
Mr. Cornish was married in Cuba, New York, to Miss Virginia Raymond and they became the parents of two daughters and two sons: Ada, who became the wife of J. H. Hertsche; Anna, who married Joseph M. Metcalf; Albert J., judge of the supreme court of Nebraska; and Edward J., president of the National Lead Company of New York.
Colonel Cornish was a typical representative of his Cornish ancestors. He was broad-shouldered and about six feet in height, being a splendid representative of the pioneer settlers of the west. He was independent and self-reliant, early learning to depend upon his own resources and labors. In 1862 he was appointed draft commissioner for his congressional district with the rank of lieutenant colonel of cavalry and later he was commissioned by Abraham Lincoln a colonel of the Iowa cavalry, in which rank he served with honor. During the war he was stationed at Des Moines and also served as governor's aid de camp and provost marshal. He afterward became brigade quartermaster with the rank of colonel under presidential appointment.
Through the period of his residence in the west Mr. Cornish was connected with many of its most prominent men. While he was studying law preparatory to practicing he used the law books of Samuel Kirkwood, governor of Iowa, who kindly loaned them to him. He was a man of great strength of character, wise and just, always well poised and well balanced.
DAN W. SHULL.
Dan W. Shull, whose operations in the field of real estate have contributed in substantial measure to the improvement and development of Omaha, has been identified with the history of this section of the state for many years, beginning in the early pioneer times and continuing down to the period of modern develop- ment and progress. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1840, near the historic Gettysburg battle ground. His father, Jacob Shull, came from Pennsylvania to Omaha in 1856, making the trip from Pittsburgh by boat to St. Louis, thence by the river to his destination. He lost everything that he had while en route, for the boat sank. Turning his attention to farming in this locality, he thus spent eight months, after which death called him to his final rest in 1857. His wife, Mrs. Susanna Shull, came to Nebraska in 1857 and the family home was estab- lished on the land which the father hand entered. They had five children, but only two are now living: Dan W .; and Mrs. Kate M. Jackman, also a resident of Omaha.
Dan W. Shull was a youth of sixteen years when his father died. To provide for his support he began the operation of a ferry for the Nebraska Ferry Com- pany, being one of the oldest pilots on the river. For eighteen years he operated a steamboat on the river from Fort Benton to St. Louis, and for about five years was a pilot on the Missouri. He is today the last survivor of the old pilots who were identified with navigation interests in that period when much of the travel
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was by water, long before the era of railroad building into this section of the country began. Later Mr. Shull took up his abode upon the homestead farm which his father had entered in 1856 and which he had managed to retain only after a big legal fight. The value of this property increased as the city grew and developed and the land was needed for the extension of Omaha's corpora- tion limits. He then turned his attention to the real estate business and platted the one hundred and sixty acres of land which he owned, laying it off in Shull's first and second additions, which he personally handled, organizing the Shull Land Company. They expended about fifty thousand dollars in getting this into shape but realized a handsome return on the investment, for land values rose quite rapidly owing to the demand for city property. Mr. Shull built a home at Twentieth and Pierce streets and also erected many other structures. For many years he devoted his entire attention to real estate activity but is now living retired, enjoying a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves.
Mr. Shull was married forty-five years ago to Miss Margaret Stevenson, who came to Omaha in 1856 with her father, Alexander Stevenson, who was a native of Scotland. He was one of the early ferrymen of this part of the state, operating the first ferry at Florence. In later years he turned his attention to farming and was very active along that line for a considerable period. He died in 1915, at the notable old age of ninety-two years. In his family were three sons and two daughters who are yet living: John, Orson, Joseph, Mrs. Shull and Mrs. Minnie Gibson. To Mr. and Mrs. Shull was born a son Harry Roy, who passed away at the age of seven years.
In his political views Mr. Shull is a republican and fraternally he is connected with Omaha Lodge, No. 39, B. P. O. E. He and his wife are members of the Douglas County Pioneers Association. There is no phase of the city's early development with which he is not familiar and he has comprehensive knowledge of the various important points in the history of this section of the country. He has lived to witness many changes since the old days when he piloted boats on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. In those early days Omaha was a straggling western frontier village surrounded by broad prairies starred with a million wild flowers in the summer seasons. The most farsighted could not have dreamed of the changes which were to occur. Mr. Shull has witnessed a notable trans- formation through the intervening years and is justly proud of what he has done toward the development of the great western metropolis as Omaha has been converted into a splendid commercial center, with its ramifying trade interests reaching out into all parts of the country.
DANIEL L. SHANE.
Fifty years have been added to the cycle of the centuries since Daniel L. Shane took up his abode in Omaha in August, 1866, arriving by boat from St. Louis after having made his way to the middle west from Boston, Massachusetts. He was born March 15. 1835, in London, England, and in his childhood days crossed the briny deep to the new world, the family home being established in Massachusetts. In his boyhood, youth and early manhood he followed the sea and he also learned the mason's trade and became connected with a business of that character in Omaha. At that time there were no available houses in this city and Mr. Shane had to wait for the completion of a cottage then being erected by George Francis Train. He took an active part in promoting early building operations in this city and soon became a contractor. He was associated with different men in this undertaking, being for a time a member of the firm of Shane & Jackson. He continued active in the building business up to the time of his death and in fact was superintending the construction of the new courthouse when called to his final rest. He also superintended the old courthouse and
DANIEL L. SHANE
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erected many of the famous early structures of the city. The last large building which he erected was the Brandeis building. Among the important business blocks which he constructed were the Paxton block and the Omaha National Bank building and on all sides can yet be seen evidences of his skill and handiwork.
Mr. Shane was married in Boston, December 25, 1863, to Miss Lydia Collins, a native of the state of Indiana, who survives him. To them were born five children, of whom two are living, Wallace O., teller in the Omaha National Bank, and L. Estella.
Mr. Shane had reached the age of seventy-seven years when on August 10, 1912, he passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Shane united with the First Baptist church in 1871, and he held a number of offices in the church, including that of trustee, in which he served for many years until his death, being the oldest trustee at that time in point of service. Mrs. Shane is the oldest living member in point of years of membership in the church. Mr. Shane was a public-spirited citizen, interested in all that pertained to the general welfare yet not active in politics. Outside of business he preferred to concentrate his attention upon his home, for he was a man of domestic nature and found his greatest happiness at his own fireside. Coming to the west at the period of its early development, he was closely associated with the improvement and upbuilding of the city for many years and his name is therefore inseparably interwoven with its history.
PETER FRENZER.
In the passing of Peter Frenzer July 15, 1912, Omaha lost one of its best known and most respected pioneer citizens-a man who for fifty-six years had resided in the city, witnessing its development from a frontier village into a great western metropolis. He was born .in Guthenthal, Prussia, Germany, on the 24th of April, 1831, and there spent the first fourteen years of his life, after which he was brought by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Frenzer, to the new world in 1845. The family home was established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and there Peter Frenzer was reared to manhood. While a resident of that city he learned the trade of carriage and wagon making, thoroughly mastering the work in principle and detail. He was afterward employed in a wagon shop in Chicago until 1856, when he determined to cast in his lot with the early settlers of the little village of Omaha and accordingly established himself at his trade here, coming by boat from St. Louis. In 1858 he entered into partnership with Charles J. Karbach and the two men did an extensive business in wagon making and repairing for several years, for at that time, while Omaha was nothing but a trading post, it was also the place where the California gold seekers outfitted for the long journey across the country and their services as wagon makers were in constant demand. At length Mr. Karbach withdrew from the partnership, after which Mr. Frenzer continued the business alone for a time. Later he formed a partnership with Julius Rudowsky for the conduct of a lumberyard and they continued in that business for several years, Mr. Frenzer carrying on the yard alone after his partner withdrew. Another field of his business activity was the sand trade, in which he engaged from 1885 until 1893 in partnership with Jacob Tex. In the latter year he withdrew from active com- mercial interests and thereafter to the time of his death devoted his attention to the management of his property interests and investments. Whenever oppor- tunity had offered he had purchased property and had improved his holdings from time to time by the erection of substantial buildings. He was the owner of the Frenzer block, an office building at the corner of Fifteenth and Dodge streets, and of much other valuable real estate in the city.
In early manhood Mr. Frenzer wedded Miss Catherine Leist, who passed away in Omaha on the 5th of June, 1905. His death occurred on the 15th of Vol. II-10
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July, 1912, and he is survived by four children : John N., Joseph P., Mary C. H. and Lucy C., all residing in Omaha.
Mr. Frenzer belonged to the Catholic church and in politics he was an active democrat but never an aspirant for office. He was one of the leading members of the Douglas County Pioneers' Association and his warmest friendships were found perhaps among those with whom he had been associated from the early days of Omaha's development. There was no phase of the city's growth and progress with which he was not familiar through fifty-six years of the city's existence. He had indeed witnessed a notable change as the tiny frontier town grew and developed into a city, his memory forming a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present.
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