USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
WILLIAM D. BROWN.
No history of Omaha would be complete without extended mention of Wil- liam D. Brown, who came to this section of the country on the 3d of June, 1850. He was born in Kentucky on the 19th of February, 1813, and afterward became a resident of Illinois, where he resided until he established his home in Iowa. He first located in Mount Pleasant, Henry county, of which county he was elected the first sheriff in 1837, and from that point removed to Fort Des Moines. He started westward, however, with the intention of going to California but on reaching this section of the country established his home in Council Bluffs and aided in laying out the townsite of Omaha. He saw that there was money to be made in operating a ferry across the Missouri river to aid the emigrants en route for California and Utah. He believed that there was more money to be made in that way than in hunting gold on the Pacific coast and accordingly he established the Lone Tree ferry, so called because of a solitary tree near which he landed his boat on the Nebraska side of the river. He operated this ferry under a charter obtained from the commissioners of Pottawattamie county, Iowa, and the undertaking proved very profitable to him, so that he continued active therein from 1850 until 1854. At the same time he engaged in the hotel business in Council Bluffs, becoming half owner of the Bluff City House. But the beautiful site across the river impressed him and he and some others on the 23d
326
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
of July, 1853, became the organizers of the Council Bluffs & Nebraska Steam Ferry Company. Their intention was to secure the townsite of Omaha as soon as Nebraska was organized as a territory, which occurred May 23, 1854. Mr. Brown then became one of the original townsite owners of Omaha. He had previously been a pioncer resident of Galena, Illinois, and of Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and wending his way westward, he became an active factor in the upbuilding of the new city. In 1854 he took up his abode on land that is now within the city limits and in time became a very large property holder here, giv- ing his attention to his real estate after abandoning his ferry. He was the owner of several valuable farms and Brown's Park of South Omaha was named in his honor.
Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Martha Patterson, of Indiana, who survived him until March, 1888, and they became the parents of three daugh- ters and a son: Helen A., who became Mrs. Alfred Van Camp and is now de- . ceased ; Mary R., the wife of Alfred Sorensen; John; and Mrs. Emma N. Mackenzie.
Mr. Brown had great faith in Omaha and was active in everything that pertained to its welfare and the community lost one of its most valued citizens when at the early age of fifty-five years he passed away on the 3d of February, 1868. He was a man of very strong character and left the impress of his individuality for good upon the community and he gave an impetus to the pioneer development of the city which has not yet ceased to be felt. His name is closely interwoven with the records of Omaha, which in a measure stands as a monument to his business foresight and his public spirit.
JOHN N. BALDWIN.
Death often calls from our midst those whom we can ill afford to lose, and thus it was when John N. Baldwin passed away, leaving a vacancy in the ranks of the legal profession and in the citizenship of Omaha that it has been most difficult to fill. He was in the prime of life when called from the scene of earthly activities on the 19th of April, 1908. He was born in Council Bluffs, July 9, 1857, a son of Caleb and Jane (Barr) Baldwin. His father was a distinguished lawyer and jurist of Iowa who was born near Washington, Pennsylvania, April 3, 1824. He had reached the age of twenty-two years when he became a resident of Fairfield, Iowa, and while residing there for a period of eleven years he served as prosecuting attorney of Jefferson county and later was elected judge of his district. In 1857 he became a resident of Council Bluffs and two years later was made a member of Iowa's supreme court for a four years' term, serving as chief justice during the last two years of that period. He then resumed the private practice of law and ever maintained his position as one of the distinguished members of the Iowa bar. In 1864 President Lincoln appointed him United States district attorney of Iowa, which position he filled until after the assassi- nation of the president. In 1874 he was made a member of the Alabama claims commission by President Grant and so continued to serve until his death on the 13th of December, 1876.
His son, John N. Baldwin, was a worthy successor of his distinguished father. After mastering the branches of learning taught in the schools of Council Bluffs he became a student in the State University of Iowa at Iowa City in 1873, devot- ing three years there to collegiate work. In 1876 he entered the Columbia Law School at Washington, D. C., and after a year returned to the Iowa State University, in which he completed the law course by graduation with the class of June, 1877. His initial professional step was made as junior partner in the law firm of Rising. Wright & Baldwin, his associates being A. J. Rising and Hon. George F. Wright. His ability was soon manifest in his careful and capable
327
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
handling of his cases. The senior partner of the firm retired in 1880 and the firm then remained Wright & Baldwin until 1889, when George S. Wright, son of George F. Wright, was admitted. The death of the father occurred on the 13th of December, 1906, but Mr. Baldwin maintained his professional association with the son until his own death. In 1904, however, he removed from Council Bluffs to Omaha, in which year he was made general solicitor for the Union Pacific Railway Company. A contemporary writer has said of him: "Mr. Bald- win was recognized as one of the ablest lawyers in the middle west. He was retained in connection with much important litigation. He was one of the counsel in the suit of James Doyle vs. James F. Burns, one of the most famous cases heard in the courts of Iowa. His firm represented railroad companies in Council Bluffs and throughout the west and his ability and experience in rail- way litigation led to his appointment as general solicitor for the Union Pacific on the death of William R. Kelley, who held that place, and in that capacity Mr. Baldwin continued until his demise. having in the meantime removed to Omaha to better facilitate his work. He was thoroughly informed in all departments of the law and was particularly capable in the field of corporation and railway law, his ability in that connection winning him wide recognition throughout the middle west. Although he established his home in Omaha, he continued an active member of the firm of Wright & Baldwin of Council Bluffs. He was an orator of rare eloquence and his services as a public speaker were in con- stant demand during political campaigns. He was always active in politics, taking a leading part in every campaign, and he was selected to present the name of Senator William B. Allison, of Iowa, to the republican national con- vention in St. Louis in 1896 as a candidate for the presidential nomination."
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in December, 1878, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Baldwin and Miss Lilla G. Holcomb of that city, and they became parents of a daughter and a son : Genevieve ; and John N., who was admitted to the bar in 19II and is now a member of the firm of Keegan & Baldwin with offices in the World-Herald building in Omaha. Mr. Baldwin was deeply interested in all the vital questions and problems of the day affecting the welfare of city, state and nation and he supported many measures which were advanced for the upbuilding of the cities in which he lived. He was famous as a toastmaster, in which connection his gifts of oratory and his rare wit had full play. He pos- sessed a most genial nature and he won the warm friendship of all with whom he came in contact. His life was purposeful and resultant and he achieved that distinction which comes only in recognition of superior talent and ability.
RALPH B. WELLER.“
. Ralph B. Weller is engaged in the lumber business at Omaha as president of the firm of Weller Brothers, in which connection he is active in the control of one of the extensive and important commercial interests of the city, for their volume of trade has reached large proportions. He was born upon a farm in Richard- son county, Nebraska, in 1870, and is a representative of an old Pennsylvania family, his grandfather, Frederick Weller, having spent his entire life in West- moreland county, that state. It was upon the old homestead farm in Pennsyl- vania that his father, Henry D. Weller, was born and reared and ere leaving Pennsylvania he was married to Miss Mary J. Campbell. At the time of the Civil war he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting in 1861 in the Eleventh Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of hostilities. He was mustered out with the rank of first lieu- tenant, being in command of his company at the time of the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. He participated in the Grand Review in Washington, D. C., where the victorious Union army marched down Pennsylvania avenue, over
328
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
which was suspended a banner bearing the words: "The only debt which the country owes that she cannot pay is the debt which she owes to her soldiers." In 1869 Henry D. Weller came to Nebraska and for a time was identified with agricultural interests in Richardson county. He took an active interest in local and state politics and was called to represent his district in the Nebraska general assembly, where he did much to shape legislation during that period. He died in 1910 and is still survived by his widow.
Ralph B. Weller attended school at Stella, Nebraska, and in 1889, when a youth of nineteen years, came to Omaha. Through the intervening period he has been identified with business interests of the city, gradually working his way upward, each advance step bringing him a broader outlook and wider oppor- tunities. In 1903 he embarked in the lumber business at Nebraska City but in 1907 removed the general offices of the company to Omaha and in January, 1914, the business was incorporated under the style of Weller Brothers, with R. B. Weller as president; D. C. Weller, vice president; A. W. Weller, treasurer; and F. M. Weller, secretary. They control an extensive trade in lumber and building materials and the progressive policy of the house insures a continued success.
On the 17th of June, 1896, in Omaha, Mr. Weller was united in marriage to Miss Clarissa M. Wilhelmy, a daughter of the late John F. Wilhelmy. Their children are four in number, namely: Ruth W., Frederick H., Dorothy L. and Robert A. Mr. Weller is a loyal supporter of the republican party and his inter- est in the city's upbuilding is shown in his membership in the Commercial Club. He is an active and prominent member of the English Lutheran church, serving as a member of the council and also as treasurer of the synodical missionary and church extension committee of the Nebraska Synod. He takes a most active and helpful interest in the work of the church, doing everything in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence, and at no time has he allowed his business affairs to so monopolize his attention as to preclude the possibility of his cooperation in work for the moral progress of city and state.
COLONEL MATHEWSON T. PATRICK.
Colonel Mathewson T. Patrick, who contributed to the upbuilding of Omaha through his real estate operations, passed away in this city, February 21, 1899. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 7, 1834, and was quite young when the family removed to Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His parents were John and Matilda (Erskine) Patrick, the latter a native of Windsor, Massachusetts. The father, too, was born in America although both of his parents were of Irish birth.
Colonel Patrick acquired his education in the common schools of Uniontown and became a merchant of that place, where he remained until 1856, when, at the age of twenty-two years, he came to Omaha. Here for a short time he was connected with the lumber trade and was always active in the affairs of the city. He obtained a grant of eighty acres of land from the government, extending from Patrick avenue and Saunders, now Twenty-fourth street, to Maple street, and on this he platted sixty acres, selling it as town lots. With the growth of the city the value of his property largely increased. He also had other realty holdings in Omaha and from time to time he erected houses on his land, thus con- tributing in substantial measure to the improvement of the city.
At the outbreak of the Civil war Colonel Patrick, aroused by a spirit of patriotic devotion to his country, raised and organized Company A of the First Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry, and upon its organization in August, 1861, he was elected and afterward commissioned captain of one of the four companies of this cavalry. With his command he was ordered to St. Louis barracks and under
COLONEL MATHEWSON T. PATRICK
331
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
war department orders these companies were consolidated with four companies of cavalry from Minnesota, three from Iowa and one from Illinois, the newly formed regiment being called the Fifth Iowa Volunteer Cavalry. Of this com- mand Mr. Patrick was commissioned lieutenant colonel. After being drilled at Benton barracks the command was sent to Fort Henry and to Fort Donelson. Later the regiment garrisoned these two forts in company with infantry regiments and were engaged for scouting duty in western Tennessee. Subsequently the command moved to the front and participated in various battles extending from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Colonel Patrick commanded the brigade under General Rousseau in the raids through Alabama and Georgia and in the vicinity of Chat- tanooga and Atlanta. He was a brave and fearless officer. His was never the command of the tyrant to go but the call of the leader to come and his own loyalty and fearlessness inspired his men with much of his courage. He retired from the army with honors and received from his commanding officers, Generals George H. Thomas and Rousseau, letters which highly commended him for his bravery.
Colonel Patrick was afterward appointed agent for the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, which position he filled for a few years, and from 1869 until 1873 he was United States marshal for the territory of Utah. In 1876 his brother, A. S. Patrick, and a Mr. Salsbury became associated with him in operating a stage line from Sidney, Nebraska, to Deadwood, Dakota, at that time a very important line. He sold out to Mr. Salsbury in 1878 and later he and his brother operated a stage line from Rock Creek on the Northern Pacific Railroad to Forts McKin- ney and Custer on the Yellowstone river. While thus engaged Colonel Patrick maintained his residence in Omaha. He owned a large farm near Fremont, Nebraska, and the P. K. ranch near Sharon; Wyoming. His broad and varied experience made him thoroughly familiar with pioneer life and development in the west. He lived upon the frontier and his activities contributed in substan- tial measure to the work of general progress and improvement.
At Worcester, Massachusetts, Colonel Patrick was united in marriage on the 16th of August, 1881, to Miss Eliza S. Burdett, a daughter of Charles Burdett, author and critic. The children of this marriage were: Rose Howard, who died in infancy ; Mary Jessie, who has also passed away; Edith Mathewson, now the wife of Myles Standish, of Omaha ; and Marjorie Erskine, who is deceased.
Colonel Patrick was a stalwart republican in his political views, and the Masonic fraternity found him a worthy exemplar and follower of the craft. His entire life was guided by patriotic devotion to his country and when he passed away in 1899 Omaha lost one of its earliest settlers, for he found only a little village when he left the east and made his way to Nebraska in 1856. From that time forward until his death he contributed in many ways to the upbuilding and development of the district in which he located and Omaha numbered hin among her honored and worthy citizens.
JOHN G. ROSICKY.
John G. Rosicky, president of the National Printing Company and president of the National Building Company, had as the basis of his business advancement thorough educational training, supplemented by laudable ambition and unfalter- ing determination, and thus it is that he has come to the head of the two important business enterprises in which he is now a controlling factor. Omaha claims hint as a native son. He was born December 1, 1881, his parents being John and Mary (Bayer) Rosicky. The father was born in Humpoletz, Bohemia, and after his arrival in this city wedded Miss Bayer, a native of Klatovy, Bohemia. It was in 1867 that he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, arriving in Omaha in 1872. The following year he was put in charge of the Bohemian
332
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
weekly paper known as the Pokrok Zapadu, which was established by the late Edward Rosewater. Mr. Rosicky purchased the paper in 1874 and conducted it continuously until 1900, when he sold out. He established the Hospodar in 1895 and it is today the paper of largest circulation among Bohemian publications in the new world. In 1901 he began to publish the weekly Kvety Americke, which three years later he consolidated with the Osveta, which was first published in 1884. The new publication became known as the Osveta Americka and in September, 1916, the name was changed to the Kvety Americke, under which it is still continued. Mr. Rosicky remained an active factor in the publication of these papers until his death, which occurred April 2, 1910. His widow survived until August 15, 1912, when she, too, passed away in Omaha.
In the schools of his native city John G. Rosicky pursued his early education and afterward spent two years as a student in the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, Ohio, where he pursued the electrical engineering course. Through the succeeding thirteen years or until 1910 he was employed by the Nebraska Telephone Company and in January of that year he became president of the National Printing Company, which had been organized by his father in 1872 under the name of the Pokrok Zapadu Printing Company. This was incorporated in 1889 as the National Printing Company and Mr. Rosicky succeeded to the business on the death of his father in 1910, becoming president of the company. The Kvety Americke has a sworn subscription list of twenty-five thousand seven hundred and eleven and the Hospodar of thirty-one thousand and eight. The latter is America's only Bohemian farm paper and it has a wide circulation among the Bohemian speaking agricultural class throughout the entire country. Every department of the business is thoroughly organized and the wide circula- tion of these papers make them an excellent advertising medium. They are therefore accorded a liberal advertising patronage and, moreover, the papers have special representatives in various sections of the country obtaining sub- scriptions and advertisements. The business has been thoroughly developed along the most progressive lines and the work instituted by his father is now being ably conducted and broadened by John G. Rosicky in keeping with the spirit of modern progress. He is also the president of the National Building Company and in that connection controls important business interests.
On the 2d of April, 1905, in Omaha, Mr. Rosicky was united in marriage to Miss Emily B. Maystrick, by whom he has two children, Mary Bertha and John. Politically Mr. Rosicky is a republican. Fraternally he is connected with the Woodmen of the World, the Western Fraternal Bohemian Association and the Tel Jed Sokol Association. He is likewise identified with the Commercial Club and is a progressive, enterprising business man of the city, thoroughly alive to the opportunities in newspaper publication, and the wise utilization which he has made of his time and talents has brought him to a creditable place in journalistic circles.
NEWELL JONES, M. D.
Thorough training in schools of recognized standard in America, supple- mented by study abroad, has admirably qualified Dr. Newell Jones for the duties of medical practice, and in Omaha, where he now resides, he has won success, especially in the field of children's diseases, in which he specializes. He was born on a farm near Malvern, Iowa, October 1, 1881. His father, Norvel Jones, was born near Galesburg, Illinois, in 1846 and there enlisted for service in the Civil war, going to the front with the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he remained for about six months. He was a son of Daniel Jones, a native of Canada, who spent his last days in Galesburg, Illinois. In early manhood Norvel Jones wedded Ella Mason, who
DR. NEWELL JONES
335
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
was born in Sweden, and in 1887 they removed to Madison county, Nebraska. The father is now a resident of Galesburg, Illinois, but the mother has passed away.
Dr. Jones acquired his early education in the country schools of Madison county and afterward attended the public schools of the city of Madison. Later he pursued a course in pharmacy at Highland Park College in Des Moines, Iowa, but made this only an initial step for other professional training, entering the Illinois Medical College at Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1905. He then began practice at Central City, Nebraska, where he continued until 1912, when, in order to further equip himself for his chosen life work, he went to London, where he pursued his studies for a year, specializing in diseases of children, in which he displays much more than ordinary skill.
On the 4th of September, 1907, in Grand Island, Nebraska, Dr. Jones was united in marriage to Miss Winifred Reynard, her father being the late Rev. John Reynard, a Presbyterian minister. They have two children, Frances and Reynard Newell.
Dr. and Mrs. Jones hold membership in the Westminster Presbyterian church, in which he is serving as an elder and in the work of which church he takes an active and helpful interest. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and he belongs to the Athletic Club of Omaha. His time and attention, however, are principally devoted to his professional interests and that he keeps abreast with the trend of modern thought is indicated in his membership in the Omaha-Douglas County Medical Society, the Missouri Valley Medical Association, the Nebraska State Medical Association, the American Medical Association and the Central States Pediatric Society. He possesses a ready sympathy that enables him to quickly understand his patients and to, win the confidence, goodwill and faith of the children whom he treats. His work in that field has been particularly successful and his skill has carried him far beyond the point of mediocrity to a place where he enjoys a most deserved reputation as a successful physician.
FRANK J. BURKLEY.
Frank J. Burkley, president of the Burkley Envelope & Printing Company, has throughout most of his life been actively connected with the printing and newspaper business and along the line of orderly progression has made steady advancement until he is now at the head of a growing and profitable business concern of Omaha, his native city. He was born October 24, 1857, of the mar- riage of Vincent and Theresa (Stelzer) Burkley. The former was born in Germany in 1818 and came to the United States in 1837, at which time he estab- lished his home in Columbus, Ohio, where he engaged in the clothing business until 1855, when he came to Omaha. For a quarter of a century he was a rep- resentative merchant of this city, being widely known as proprietor of the Morn- ing Star Clothing House, which was first situated on Farnam, between Tenth and Eleventh streets. There he built, owned and occupied the first two story brick business block in Omaha. Later he removed to Farnam, near Thirteenth street, and a picture of his establishment is one of the illustrations in this work, a large star in front of his business house indicating the name under which he conducted his interests. He was very prominent in the public life of the com- munity as well as in commercial circles and served as a member of the first school board of Omaha and also as a member of the city council. He was like- wise chosen to represent his district in the first territorial legislature of Nebraska and thus he left the impress of his individuality in large measure upon the history of the state and its development. His political allegiance was always given to the democratic party. In Columbus, Ohio, he married Theresa Stelzer, a native of
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.