USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 82
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GRANT PARSONS
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work in principle and detail and his efficiency places him, in the foremost rank among the builders of his city. He came to Nebraska with a cash capital of five dollars and, moreover, he was an entire stranger in the state. His success is therefore attributable entirely to his own efforts and worth and he may indeed claim the proud American title of self-made man.
On the 12th of November, 1889, at St. George, West Virginia, Mr. Parsons was united in marriage to Miss Frances L. Dietz, a native of that state and a daughter of John H. and Virginia ( Bowman) Dietz, representing an old Vir- ginia family of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. The father still survives, but the mother has passed away. On her father's side the family history has been traced back to the old Van Mater family, who received from King George a grant of land in the Potomac valley of Virginia, a part of which is still in the possession of the family. Among her ancestors was Colonel Abraham Bow- man, of Randolph county, Virginia, who fought with the Continental troops in the Revolutionary war, and another ancestor, Lieutenant Felton, served in the British army as a member of the staff of General Cornwallis. Her great-grand- father Minear served in the War of 1812 and her father was a soldier in the Union army, enlisting when but eighteen years old and remaining at the front until the close of the war in 1865. To Mr. and Mrs. Parsons have been born five children, namely . Alice, who is the wife of Roy B. Tedrow, of Omaha ; Marion, who gave her hand in marriage to William J. de Winter, of Omaha ; Neal D., who died in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, in March, 1916; Marjorie ; and Dorothy.
Mr. Parsons maintains an independent course politically. Fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to St. John's Lodge, No. 25, F. & A. M., and also to the Knights of Pythias fraternity. He has an interesting military record cover- ing nine years' service as a member of Company E of the First Nebraska Regi- ment of the National Guard, his company being a Fremont organization. In club circles he is well known, belonging to the Commercial and Seymour Lake Country clubs. His religious faith is that of the Unitarian church, in which he is serving as a trustee. In trade circles he is well known as a member of the Omaha Builders Exchange, of which he is a past president, and as a member of the Nebraska Master Builders' Association, of which he is now serving his second term as president.
NATHAN PHILLIPS DODGE.
Nathan Phillips Dodge, a citizen of Omaha and prominent in the real estate business in that city, was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, March 24, 1872, a son of Nathan Phillips and Susie (Lockwood) Dodge. His father, Nathan P. Dodge, came with his father, Sylvanus Dodge and brother, Grenville M. Dodge, to Nebraska in 1855 from Peabody, Massachusetts, and settled on the Elkhorn river just northwest of Elk City. Their cabin near the crossing of the Elkhorn was the last white man's habitation on the transcontinental highway until Salt Lake City was reached. Later, on account of the depredations of the Indians, the family had to abandon the homestead and seek safety in Council Bluffs, where they made their permanent home.
After attending the public schools of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nathan P. Dodge spent two years as a pupil in Williston Seminary, at East Hampton, Massachusetts-from 1887 until 1889-and in the fall of the latter year entered the Phillips Exeter Academy, at Exeter, New Hampshire, where he also studied for two years. From 1891 until 1894 he attended Harvard University, win- ning the Bachelor of Arts degree, and then, entering upon the study of law, at- tended the Harvard Law School from 1894 until 1897. For three years thereafter he practiced his profession in Boston with the firm of Hutchins & Wheeler. Vol. II-34
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The year 1900 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Dodge in Omaha and he became manager of a company which was organized by the stockholders of the Omaha Savings Bank to liquidate that institution, which closed its doors in 1896. After a few years he acquired a controlling interest in the Midland Guaranty and Trust Company, one of the leading abstract and title companies in Omaha, and took active charge of the business, in connection with which he gradually built up a real estate business under the name of N. P. Dodge & Company. Extending his operations in the real estate field, Mr. Dodge in 1907 began the purchase and development of resident tracts or additions to Omaha and other cities, and the business has been increased and extended until now the company has nearly seventy real estate subdivisions in about fifty cities of the United States, extending from Maine to Wyoming and from North Dakota to Texas. In addition to his interests in that connection, Mr. Dodge is a director of the Council Bluffs Savings Bank, president of the West Lawn Cemetery in Omaha and the Walnut Hill Cemetery of Council Bluffs, is vice president of the Dodge-Wallace Company of Council Bluffs and is a trustee of the estates of N. P. Dodge, Sr., and General Grenville M. Dodge.
In June, 1907, at Brookline, Massachusetts, Mr. Dodge was married to Miss Laura C. Whitney, daughter of Henry M. Whitney, granddaughter of General James S. Whitney, of Massachusetts and a niece of William C. Whit- ney, of New York city. Her father is one of the leading business men of Boston of the last generation. Mr. and Mrs. Dodge have become the parents of two children: Nathan Phillips Dodge III, born October 5, 1910; and Laura Whitney, born September 24, 1914.
Mr. Dodge is a prominent republican. He has served on the county and state central committees and was president of the Hughes Alliance for Nebraska in 1916. He was elected a member of the house of representatives for the term of 1905 to 1907 and by reelection was continued in the office for four years. He was also a member of the state senate from 1913 until 1917, and was a delegate at large to the repubican national convention of 1916. Mr. Dodge is a Consistory Mason and member of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs also to the Omaha and University clubs of Omaha and the Harvard Club of New York.
VALENTINE JOSEPH PETER.
Valentine Joseph Peter, publisher of the Tägliche Omaha Tribune, the only German Daily published in Nebraska and in fact in a district covering several western states, was born at Steinbach, Bavaria, Germany, on the 24th of April, 1875, his parents being George and Katharine (Welzenbach) Peter, who came to this country in 1889 and located with their family at Rock Island, Illinois.
Valentine J. Peter was at that time a youth of fourteen years. From early manhood he has devoted his time and energies to newspaper publication. When twenty-four years of age he purchased the Volks-Zeitung, a semi-weekly paper of Rock Island, Illinois, on which he had previously worked. He had also been city editor for three and one-half years of the Tägliche Peoria Sonne of Peoria. Illinois. For eight years he successfully published the Volks-Zeitung at Rock Island and then removed to Omaha, where he consolidated all of the German papers-the Westliche Presse, the Omaha Tribune, the Nebraska Tribune and the Post Tribune into the Tägliche Omaha Tribune, with a weekly issue. The new publication further absorbed the following weekly German papers: the Staatsanzeiger, of Des Moines, Iowa ; the Biene, of Fort Dodge, Iowa ; the Nebras- ka Staatszeitung of Nebraska City, Nebraska; the Germania, of Bloom- field, Nebraska; the Volksblatt, of Westpoint ; and the Zeitung, of Fremont. The Tägliche Omaha Tribune is recognized as one of the most widely circu-
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lated and influential German dailies in the country. Mr. Peter also owns the Freie Presse at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and the Volksblatt at St. Joseph, Missouri, which are important German weeklies. His newspapers are independent in politics.
On the 26th of April, 1905, at Rock Island, Illinois, Mr. Peter was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Reese, born in New York City, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Rudolph Reese, now of Omaha but formerly of Davenport, Iowa. Theodore R. Reese, father of Mrs. Peter, is one of the best known German musicians and composers in the United States, having charge of the German musical organizations of Omaha. He was formerly director of the German Opera Company of New York, was for many years director of the Sängerbund of the Northwest and is now director of the Nebraska Sängerbund. By her marriage Mrs. Peter has become the mother of seven children, six sons and one daughter.
Mr. Peter is a member of the Omaha Athletic Club, also of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and numerous German social and benevolent organiza- tions. For the past eight years he has been the president of the German- American Alliance of Nebraska. He is recognized as one of the successful German publishers of the country. The Tägliche Omaha Tribune is regarded as one of the principal successes in the German publishing business of the country · in late years.
JOHN SPEAR BRADY.
The pleasure of successful achievement rightfully belongs to John Spear Brady, for along well defined lines of labor he has advanced until he now occu- pies a leading position in commercial circles in Omaha as the vice president of the McCord-Brady Company, wholesale grocers. He was born in Ohio county, now West Virginia, May 30, 1848, a son of William Perry Brady, a grandson of John Brady and a great-grandson of Captain Samuel Brady, who was an officer of the Revolutionary war and served as captain of scouts in western Pennsyl- vania during the Indian wars. To a still more remote period the ancestry is traced, the founder of the family in the new world being Hugh Brady, who was of English birth and came to America during the latter part of the sixteenth century, his death occurring in 1732. During his connection with the American army in the Revolutionary war Captain Brady was closely associated with General Washington and during the latter part of his identification with the government service was captain of scouts. During all of the years of his connection with government service he never received nor would he accept any remuneration for the aid which he rendered his country. His son John figured prominently in civic affairs and for years was a member of the Virginia legislature. A man of high ideals, patriotism was numbered among his marked characteristics and he was ever regarded as a most true and loyal citizen.
William P. Brady, like his ancestors, became a tiller of the soil and in West Virginia was prominently known as a successful planter and slaveholder, at the time of the Civil war losing the greater part of his fortune. Following the close of hostilities he removed with his family to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he resided to the time of his death. In early manhood he wedded Anna Mary Vance, a native of Pennsylvania and a representative of one of the old families of that state.
John S. Brady was one of a family of eight children and on account of the conditions brought about by the Civil war he received but limited educational opportunities. After the removal to St. Joseph, Missouri, he was employed in the wholesale grocery house of Nave, McCord & Company, of that city, entering that establishment in 1866 as an office boy. He filled various positions with
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credit and ability until 1879 and then became a junior partner in the firm of McCord. Brady & Company, of Omaha, Nebraska, when the present business was established. On the reorganization and incorporation of the business, which has since become the McCord-Brady Company, Mr. Brady became vice president and in that capacity has since continued. From his earliest connection with the company he has taken an active and helpful part in promoting its interests and much of the success, especially of the Omaha house, is due to his efforts, his able management and his keen sagacity. The other officers of the company are : William H. McCord, president; F. J. Hoel, treasurer ; and Charles L. Deuel, secretary. This company has one of the largest wholesale grocery establishments of the west, its business extending over ten states, and they employ two hundred and fifty people. The building has a floor space of two hundred and fifty thousand square feet and occupies an entire half block, from No. 719 to 723, on South Thirteenth street. It is admirably situated, having railroad switches which furnish splendid, shipping facilities, and the growth of the business has rivaled that of the parent house in St. Joseph, which is one of the leading houses of the kind in that state.
In St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1881, Mr. Brady was married to Anna Elizabeth Gore, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Dr. J. Allen and Zerelda (Vaughn) Gore. They have become the parents of two children: Bess, now the wife of Thomas L. Davis, cashier of the First National Bank of Omaha ; and Hallack McCord, who is connected with the St. Joseph house.
Mr. Brady holds membership in the Omaha Country Club, the Omaha Club and the Omaha Commercial Club. He also has membership with the Sons of the American Revolution and he is a member and vestryman of All Saints' Church of Omaha. While his start in the business world was a most humble one he is now one of the strong financial factors of Omaha and a moving spirit in that business enterprise which is upbuilding the city.
THOMAS P. REDMOND.
Thomas P. Redmond, secretary and general manager of the Burgess-Nash Company, owning and controlling one of the important department stores of Omaha, was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, March 22, 1869, his parents being Patrick and Frances (Dunn) Redmond, both of whom were natives of Ireland. Coming to Canada with his parents at the age of six years, the father was there reared in the vicinity of Kingston, where the home of the Dunn family was established, when Frances Dunn was a little maiden of but five summers. Having arrived at years of maturity, these two were married and in later life Mr. Redmond entered the employ of the Canadian government, serving in an official capacity for forty years, in which capacity he was serving when he died in 1904 at the age of sixty-nine. His widow is now living with a daughter, Mrs. Winfield T. Hayden, in Brooklyn, New York, enjoying the very best of health at the age of seventy-six years. For a time she made her home in Omaha with her son. Thomas P. Redmond. In the family were seven children, two of whom have passed away. The others are: Mrs. Catherine Murray, living in Denver, Colorado; Thomas P .: Mrs. Winfield T. Hayden, of Brooklyn, New York; Joseph, residing in St. Louis, Missouri; and Augustin, holding a prominent position with the Railway of the Canadian Government.
In early life Thomas P. Redmond attended school in Canada, and after his textbooks were put aside, he secured employment in a mercantile store in Kingston as errand boy. This is where he first received his early training that has so fitted him for his work in the retail department store business.
After having acquired what he thought was a sufficient knowledge of the busi- ness, and having always been anxious to make the United States his home, he de-
THOMAS P. REDMOND
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cided to go west. His first stopping place was Pueblo, Colorado, which did not offer him the opportunity he was looking for, and he then went to Denver, where he secured a position as salesman with the A. Z. & H. Z. Solomon Company. He was with them less than one year, when he was promoted to the important position of New York buyer for this firm. This was in the early 'gos. Denver at that time was beginning to feel the effects of the panic, which occurred in 1893, and before the panic struck Denver he was offered a position as buyer with the D. J. Hennessy Company, of Butte, Montana. He became general manager for that firm, and it was through his persistent efforts after he had taken charge there that the present large office and store building was erected by the Anaconda Copper Company.
On the 26th of April, 1896, Mr. Redmond was, united in marriage to Miss Anastasia M. Kane, a daughter of Richard and Mary Kane, pioneer settlers of - Butte, Montana. Her father was one of the men who discovered the Anaconda copper mine, now the richest copper field in the world. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Redmond: Thomas P., who was born in Butte, Montana, in 1898, and is now attending Creighton University ; and John E., who was born in Butte in 1902 and is attending school in Omaha.
Mr. Redmond remained in Montana for eight years, and came to Omaha in 1900, wishing to give his children the benefit of educational opportunities that are secured in Omaha. He originated the O'Donohue-Redmond Company, which operated and owned all the dry goods departments in the Bennett Company, which occupied the store now owned by the Burgess-Nash Company. He has the distinc- tion of being a pioneer in the department store world south of Farnam. Instead of the beautiful buildings that now surround the Burgess-Nash Company, there were high hills with residence property on them. He and his partner, Mr. O'Donohue, continued in business in the Bennett Store for five years, when the departments were taken over by the new organization of the Bennett Company. Then the Brandeis firm sent for Mr. Redmond, and offered him the position of superinten- dent for the Brandeis Stores. He acted as general superintendent for the Brandeis Stores for a little over seven years with unqualified success.
When Mr. Burgess and Mr. Nash organized the present Burgess-Nash Com- pany, they offered Mr. Redmond the position of secretary of the Burgess-Nash company, and general manager of the store, which he accepted. Through his able and efficient management he has made this store one of the best paying institutions in this section of the country. He is absolutely in charge of all departments and his word is law in the establishment. He has inaugurated regularity and system throughout the various departments, and at ten o'clock each morning, a meeting is called with every department manager in attendance, various subjects being then discussed and suggestions made for the betterment of all. At his suggestion have been made many of, the alterations and improvements of the store, which have made it a most beautiful and attractive mercantile emporium. He has recently visited Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, St. Louis and other leading cities to gain ideas of their progressive commercial methods with a view to introducing them into the Omaha establishment. He is a thoroughgoing man of magnetic personality and is continually working for the betterment of the service in the establishment of which he is now directing head.
A contemporary writer has spoken of him in this way "Good nature, tact, understanding of human nature, method, tenacity, painstaking, care for details- these are qualities which make Mr. Redmond one of the most thoroughly reliable store managers in this section of the country."
In politics, he is a democrat and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He belongs to the Omaha Athletic Club, Field Club and Omaha Club. He also belongs to the Commercial Club of Omaha, and for several years was one of its active executive members, being chairman of the railway committee.
He has been a leader of numerous enterprises for the betterment of retail trade conditions, particularly in the development of the Omaha Retailers' Association. He was one of the original organizers of this body, and remains an active member,
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and was the first chairman of its board of directors. While chairman of the rail- way committee, he worked very hard for the betterment of the train schedules of the surrounding country to bring to Omaha the big retail out of town business that it now enjoys. Mr. Redmond is one of the best known men in the middle west. Since his advent to Omaha, he has been an active figure in Omaha business affairs.
On March 23, 1913, when the disastrous tornado struck Omaha, he was one of the first to go into the devastated district, and help to give temporary relief, and the morning after the tornado, he attended the meeting that was called by the Commercial Club in the executive chamber of the City Hall, and was one of the volunteers that offered his services to the Commercial Club and the city for the relief of those who had suffered through this disaster. Those that are familiar with that time remember that it was night and day work for those men who gave their services then. Mr. Redmond was given charge of station four, and was told to go out and find a place most convenient to the sufferers in that particular com- munity, and he located his headquarters at Thirty-third and Cuming streets, in a house that was moved many feet from its original location. This took his entire time for three weeks of night and day work away from his business before they were able to turn the station back to the general committee that was in charge of the work.
Mr. Redmond's life has been very active for the betterment of Omaha ever since he took up his residence here. He works along practical lines, and his labors have been resultant, far-reaching, effective and beneficial.
JOHN H. HARTE.
John H. Harte, an Omaha contractor, has every right to be classed with the pioneer citizens of Douglas county, for he has resided within its borders almost continuously since 1865, witnessing the many changes which have occurred and the transformation that has been wrought in bringing city and county to their present state of development and prosperity. His birth occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, August 27, 1854, his parents being Frederick and Johanna (Roesink) Harte, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Holland. They were married in Louisville, Kentucky, where the father arrived at the age of eighteen years and the mother when a little maiden of seven. In time Frederick Harte became a well known and successful contractor of Kentucky. He visited Nebraska in the sum- mer of 1865, making his way by steamboat to Omaha with the intention of locating, but his death occurred on the 17th of October of that year before he had time to carry out his plans. His widow long survived him, passing away in 1911, at the age of seventy-nine years. In the family were four sons and a daughter. The family carried out the plans formulated before the father's death of removing to Nebraska, but in the spring of 1866 the two younger boys and the daughter returned to Louisville, Kentucky. In 1877, however, they again became residents of Omaha. John H. Harte is the eldest of the family and the others are: A. C., who is now one of the county commissioners of Douglas county ; H. G., still living in Omaha ; William, who was manager of the Drexel Hotel of Omaha and died in June, 1901 ; and Amelia, who passed away in 1883.
John H. Harte acquired his early education in the schools of Kentucky but his privileges were somewhat limited, for at the age of twelve years he began to earn his own living by farm work in Douglas county. He spent five years in that way and in 1870 turned his attention to the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for three years. He was next employed on the construction of the Sarpy mill under Thomas Wright, who after the completion of the building had Mr. Harte remain with him to adjust the machinery, and this led to his learning the miller's trade. Three years afterward he became head miller and remained there for seven years in that capacity. He then resumed work at the carpenter's trade and for thirty-
JOHN H. HARTE
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three years he has been engaged in business as a contractor, during which period he has erected many of the largest and most modern residences of Omaha, together with many of the most important public buildings, including the Kountze Memorial church, the Brandeis building, the high school, the Rose building, the Gordon Van & Storage Warehouse, the Omaha Medical College of the University of Omaha and the Lincoln Hotel at Lincoln, Nebraska. He has put up four telephone build- ings, also the Studebaker building, the public library, the Child Saving Institute, the synagogue, the Woolworth building, the Northwestern freight terminal, the gymnasium at Bellevue College, the power house and many residences in various parts of the state.
On the 22d of May, 1883, Mr. Harte was married to Miss Margaret E. Drexel, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Drexel, Omaha pioneers of 1855. The mother is still living at the age of eighty-four years. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Harte are four sons and a daughter who are yet living, while two sons have passed away. Louis H. attended the University of Nebraska and is in business with his father. He married Miss Elizabeth Henderson. Edwin C. is a graduate of the Iowa State Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa, and is now manager of the McGregor thoroughbred stock interests at Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Lucy C. is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. Herman D. attended the Omaha high school and is now in the employ of the Midland Glass & Paint Company. William D. is attending high school.
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