KERR, JOHN, Proprietor of Manchester House, corner Delaware and Madison streets; was born in Ireland and emigrated to this country, first settling in Pittsburgh, but after one year came to this country and engaged in his present business. His rates to transients are one dollar per day. In connection with the house is a commodious barn, where people will find good protection from the storm and feed for their horses at the lowest possible prices.

ROBINSON

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     ROBINSON, JOHNSON, Farmer, Sec. 20; born in Ireland, Dec 14, 1829; came to this country when about 20 years old, settling in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he married Mary Anderson in April, 1855, who was born in Ireland, Nov. 15, 1833; came to this country from Pittsburgh Nov. 3, 1854, settling in Prairie Township and was the third settler  in that township; came to his present farm of 205 acres in 1865. While living in Prairie Township, four of their children died in one week.

RYAN

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     RYAN, DENNIS, Attorney at Law and Notary Public; was born in Salem Co., N.J., Aug. 9, 1846; his parents, Patrick and Margaret Ryan, emigrated from Ireland in 1844; and moved from Salem to Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1850, and moved from there to Iowa City, Iowa, in 1852, where Dennis attended a Catholic school until Oct., 1855, when his parents moved to Buchanan Co., Iowa, where Dennis had to be content with a country school; in 1862 he went to St. Louis, Mo., and enlisted in the Civil Engineer Corps and was sent from there to Duval's Bluff, Ark., and there raised to the rank of Second Lieutenant in October of that year under Capt. Windle of the 21st Ill. Inf., under command of Gen. Shilor in the 7th Army Corps; on April 13, 1875, he was honorably discharged and came back to Delaware Co.; stayed a short while and went to Ottawa, Ill. where he attended school until the fall of 1867, when he returned to Delaware Co., and improved a farm, and worked the same for three years; then went to Chicago and worked at the carpenter trade; returned again to Delaware Co., Iowa, and commenced the study of law in the office of Griffin & Crosby, on Dec. 3, 1875, and was admitted to the bar on March 6, 1877, and is now permanently located at Manchester, Iowa.

HOGAN

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

    HOGAN, JAMES, Farmer, Sec. 20; P.O. Manchester; owns 160 acres, valued at $30 per acre. Born in Ireland, in 1825, came to Chicago in 1847, to Dubuque Co., Iowa in 1855, and to this county in 1859. Married Miss Ellen Henrick, May 12, 1855; she was born in Dublin March 27, 1833. Have eight children- Catharine, born March 31, 1857; William and John, May 29, 1858; Francis, Jan 10, 1860; Andrew, Jan. 17, 1862; Mary A., Feb. 11, 1865; Elizabeth, March 13, 1872; and Ellen, March 20, 1875.

TIERNEY

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     TIERNEY, CATHARINE MRS. Sec. 7; P.O. Manchester. Owns 160 acres of land valued at $25 per acre. Born in Pa., in 1830. Married John Tierney in Jan., 1851; he was born in Ireland, in 1823, and came to New York State about 1839. They moved to this county in 1857; have six children- Joanna M., born Nov. 5, 1852; Thomas E., April 2, 1854; Margaret, Jan. 9, 1856; John, June 2, 1859; Francis G., April 9, 1861; and Wm. L, Feb. 9, 1863. Mr. T. was one of the early settlers of Manchester, and did much to aid in the growth and development of that city; was engaged in the mercantile business, and died April 14, 1864, beloved and respected by all who knew him.

BARR

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     BARR, HENRY, Farmer; Sec. 7; P.O. Edgewood; born in Ireland, June 27, 1817; came to Canada in 1842 and to this county in 1867; owns 240 acres of land; was married in Canada in 1853, to Eliza J. Morgan; she was born in Ireland, Nov. 17, 1834; her parents emigrated to Canada when she was an infant; have ten children living- Henry, Kate, Mary, Matilda, Amelia, Ann J., Richard M., John A., George W., and Bertha D., lost one- Lizzie E., died Sept. 13, 1874; the two elder daughters are teaching in this county; Mr. B. has been School Director two years and Road Supervisor several years; all are members of the M.E. church.

FITZPATRICK

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     FITZPATRICK, JAMES, Farmer; Sec. 28; P.O. Greeley; born in Ireland, Jan 6, 1830; emigrated to this country in 1848 by sail vessel to New York, then by rail and stage to Pittsburgh; from there to Galena, Ill., via steamboat, thence to this place in wagon, drawn by yoke of oxen; commenced here in the wild prairie; owns 240 acres of land; was married in 1861 to Huldah Foley; she was born in Canada May 14, 1845. They have nine children living- James, Michael, Julia, Alice, Ellen, Thomas, Dennis, Mary, and infant not named. Lost three- Edward, Catherine and one infant; belong to the Catholic Church.

KENNEDY

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

KENNEDY, CORNELIUS, Far. and Marble Cutter; S. 2; P.O. Colesburg; born in King's Co., Ireland, April 2, 1811. While young he went to Liverpool, Eng., where he learned his trade, followed it till 1851, generally contracting; was married in 1839 to Mary A. Lindsay. She was born in Ireland Dec. 1, 1824; went with her parents to England when an infant. They emigrated to the United States in 1851, and to this county in 1853, and settled where he now resides. Owns 160 acres of land here and property in Delaware County. Have ten children living- James, John, Cornelius, Benjamin, Mary J., Elizabeth, William, Anna M., Sarah R., and Eveleen. Patrick, the eldest son, was a member of Co. G., 12th Ill. Inf., was wounded at the battle of Shiloh; died at Keokuk April 26, 1862. John is principal agent of the educational department of Harper Bros.' publishing house, New York. Cornelius and Benjamin are in the law school, Iowa City.

BARR

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     BARR, JAMES H. Farmer; Sec. 6. P.O. Edgewood; born in Ireland May 31, 1826; emigrated and settled in Canada West, where he remained until 1855; engaged in teaching the Normal School.

BARR

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     BARR, WILLIAM, Farmer, Sec. 20; P.O. Manchester; born in Ireland Dec. 22, 1825; came to Canada in 1847 and in 1849 he emigrated to Kane Co., Ill., remaining five years; married Ann Brunskill Oct 22, 1856; she died April 28, 1873; they came to this county in Dec, 1856; first settling in this township; children by first marriage are David W., born Jan 1, 1858; Mary E., Feb. 4, 1860; Lenora A., Aug. 17, 1862; Charles T., April 8, 1866; married Mary I. Kezerta Dec. 9, 1876; she was born March 9, 1829; Ida A. Kezerta ( Mrs. K.'s daughter by first marriage) was born Sept. 28, 1856.

DOYLE

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     DOYLE, HENRY, Farmer; Secs. 4 and 5; P.O. Forestville; born in Ireland in 1826; he emigrated to the United States of America in 1837, making his first settlement in Renessalaer Co., N.Y.; in 1842 he came to Chillicothe, Ross Co., Ohio, where he served an apprenticeship at the cabinet business; in 1847, he came West and settled in Galena, Ill., where he married Henrietta J. Dunn April 15, 1852; she was born in Johnson Co., Ind., April 12, 1834; in 1853 they emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, returning to Dubuque in 1857, where he was engaged in the cabinet business; in 1862, they came to this county, and in 1875 settled on their present farm, consisting of 160 acres, worth $7,000. William, born Jan. 29, 1853; Martha L, born April 20, 1856; Hettie, born Aug. 8, 1860; Emma May, born March 13, 1862, are the names and births of their children.

DONNELLY

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     DONNELLY, PATRICK, Farmer; S. 28; P.O. Nugent's Grove, Linn Co.; owns 400 acres, valued at $10,000; born in Ireland Dec. 15, 1832; came to America in 1853; lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., till 1855 when he came to DeKalb Co, Ill; remained there till 1859, when he came to this county, where he has since resided. He is one of the enterprising men of this township, being amongst the foremost in every good work, and especially devoted to the cause of education; has held the office of Justice of the Peace for ten years; married Julia Smith June 29, 1855. She was born in Ireland April 4, 1833. The children living are William, Mary, James A., Susan A., Harriet, Thomas, Patrick J., and Julia; is a Democrat and Catholic.

McELLIGOTT

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     McElligott, James, Farmer; Sec. 10; P.O. Tower Hill; owns 290 acres worth $7,250; born in Ireland Dec. 25, 1828; came to America in 1848, and to this county in 1857; married Ellen Behan, a native of Ireland, in 1858; they have seven children - John R., Kate, Mary, Patrick, William, James and David; is a Catholic and Democrat.

LENNOX

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     LENNOX, W.H., Farmer; Sec. 27; P.O. Nugent's Grove; owns 80 acres, valued at $2,500; born in Ireland, Sept. 1, 1820; came to America in 1832 and settled near Montreal; was seven years in the British army, engaged in the Canadian rebellion, and held the office of Lieutenant when discharged; came to this county in 1857 and settled on his present farm; p married Sarah Burgess Oct. 17, 1858, in this township, Rev. Geo. Gemmell performing the ceremony. Mrs. L. was born in Stark Co., Ohio, April 12, 1827; their children are Sarah E., born Oct. 9, 1859; Susan, March 22, 1862 and Jesse, Dec. 3, 1866; is a Republican and Presbyterian. Mrs. L. is a member of the Methodist Church.

PATTON

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     PATTON, JOSEPH, Farmer; S. 25; P.O. Nugent's Grove, Linn Co.; owns 160 acres worth $4,000; born in Ireland, Feb. 11, 1824; came to America in 1853, and to this county in 1862; married Margaret Hawks in April 1857, who was a native of Ireland; she died  April 1, 1867; married Jennette Read Aug. 4, 1867, who was born in Lucas Co., Ohio, Aug. 20, 1844; his children by the first marriage are, James, born July 7, 1858; John, March 11, 1860; Mary Ann, May 3, 1862; Ellen, Sept. 24, 1863; Margaret, Oct. 25, 1865, died March 11, 1878; and Joseph, born March 31, 1867; his children by the first marriage are Emma, Jan. 2, 1871, died March 7, 1872; Scott, July 4, 1873, died March 26, 1878.

SMITH

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     SMITH, CHRISTOPHER, Farmer; Sec. 33; P.O. Nugent's Grove, Linn Co.; owns 160 acres valued at $3,200; born in Ireland November, 1832; came to America Oct. 15, 1851, and to this county April 7, 1866; married Mary A. White Oct. 29, 1859, who was born in Ireland; their children are Edward, born June 20, 1862; Susan Aug. 12, 1864; Maggie, Dec. 1, 1868; John, April 1, 1870; and Kate, March 12, 1872; is a Democrat and Catholic.

SEARIGHT

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     SEARIGHT, QUINTIN, Farmer; Sec. 10; P.O. Tower Hill; owns eighty acres, worth $1,600; born in Ireland in May, 1834; came to America in 1852, and settled in New York, where he remained three years; then moved to Pittsburgh, Penn., where he resided till 1870, when he moved to this county. Married Martha Baxter April 8, 1867, who was born in Ireland May 3, 1834. Is a Republican and Methodist.

DUNLAP

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

     DUNLAP, THOS. B., Farmer; S. 11; P.O. Hazel Green; owns 220 acres, valued at $5,000; born in Ireland Oct. 10, 1839; came to this county in 1857; married Miss Rose Speers Oct. 15, 1867. She was born in Ireland Oct. 14, 1846. They have three children- Alexander E., born Aug. 4, 1868; Elmira J., Oct. 29, 1870; and Robert J., Oct. 7, 1873; enlisted Aug. 22, 1862, in Co. K, 21st I.V.I.; participated in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, capture of Mobile, and was honorably discharged July 15, 1865; is a Republican and Protestant.

HEALY

The History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1878

    HEALY, PATRICK, Farmer, S. 29; P.O. Manchester; born in Ireland in 1798; emigrated from Connaught to America, landing in New York in 1828; lived in Connecticut until 1857, when he came to this county and town. Has three children living, and have lost seven. Names of those living - Thomas H., Bridget and Margaret. One son enlisted in the late war, and was killed in the battle of Iuka. Has eighty acres of land.

HARRINGTON

NORTHWESTERN IOWA, ITS HISTORY AND TRADITION VOLUME II 1804-1926

Among the men who are closely and prominently identified with the financial
interests of Sioux City, none takes precedence over Thomas F. Harrington, who
has long been recognized as a man of more than ordinary business capacity and
acumen and who has contributed in a very large measure to the prosperity and
commercial advancement of this community.  Mr. Harrington was born near Cedar
Rapids, Benton county, Iowa, in 1857, and is a son of William and Bridget
(Guinan) Harrington, both of whom were natives of Ireland.  They emigrated to the
United States with their families at the respective ages of eighteen and thirteen
years, settling in Ohio.  After their marriage they came to Iowa, locating
first in Iowa City, Johnson county, and subsequently in Benton county, where
they were among the pioneer settlers and where William Harrington followed the
occupation of farming for many years.  Subsequent to the death of his wife he
retired and moved to Cedar Rapids, where he spent the remainder of his life.

Thomas F. Harrington pursued his early education in the public schools of
Benton county and continued his studies in Tilford Academy at Vinton.  At the age
of nineteen years he came to Woodbury county and engaged in teaching, his
first school being four miles northwest of Kingsley.  He taught through five
winters and then bought a farm three miles east of Moville, which he operated for
three years, when he again engaged in school teaching and county work for
about three years.  On the expiration of that period he purchased another farm
near Kingsley, to which he devoted his attention for seven years, and in 1900 he
came to Sioux City and for four years was connected with the Lockwood Land &
Emigration Company.  In 1904 he formed a partnership with Ed M. Hunt, with whom
he operated in the land business under the firm name of Hunt & Harrington
until 1907, when the partnership was dissolved.  Mr. Harrington continued in the
land business independently until 1911, at which time he sold his interests to
James F. Toy and became associated with the Farmers Loan & Trust Company and
the Farmers Trust & Savings Bank.  He served as vice president of the Farmers
Loan & Trust Company for two years.  About 1912 the Farmers Trust & Savings
Bank was made a national bank and the name of the institution was changed to
National Bank of Commerce, of which Mr. Harrington soon afterward became the
president, in which capacity he continued until the fall of 1914.  At that time
Mr. Harrington and his associates organized the Continental National Bank and
the Continental Mortgage Company and he was made president of both corporations.
 In 1921 the Continental National Bank was merged with the Sioux National
Bank, of which Mr. Harrington is vice president.  he is president of the Leeds
Bank of Sioux City and was formerly interested in a number of country banks.  In
all these relations he has shown superior capacity in financial matters and
in business circles of this community he is highly esteemed as a man of high
ideals and progressive principles.

In 1884, at Kingsley, Iowa, Mr. Harrington was married to Miss Maria O'Leary,
daughter of Patrick O'Leary.  They are parents of the following children: 
Anna, who is the wife of E. J. Culligan, of St. Paul Minnesota; Mary, who is a
graduate of the University of California and who is now in the service of the
Continental Mortgage Company of Sioux City; Vincent, a graduate of Notre Dame
College, who was a member of the 1924 Notre Dame football team and who is now
teaching and coaching in Columbia University of Portland, Oregon; Thomas F.,
Jr., who is identified with the Leeds Bank of Sioux City; Gerald, a graduate of
the Sioux City high school; and Zeta.

Politically Mr. Harrington is a democrat and he belongs to the Knights of
Columbus.  He is also a member of the Sioux City Golf and Country Club, the
Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia Luncheon Club.  Unassuming in manner, but
genial and friendly in his social relations, he is widely acquainted and is
deservedly popular in all the circles in which he moves.

EGAN

Portrait and Biographical Album, Wapello County, Iowa, published by Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1887

     CAPT. TIMOTHY EGAN, of the firm of Moriarty, Egan & Co., transacting an extensive wholesale grocery business in Ottumwa, Iowa, is a native of the Empire State, having been born in Lewis County, near Booneville, on the 1st of January, 1838. He is the son of Timothy and Margaret (Tierney) Egan. Timothy Egan, Sr., was a native of Ireland, possessing all the generous characteristics of the Celtic race, and while a young man emigrated to the United States and became a contractor on the Black River Canal. He possessed fine abilities, and had received a liberal education. The parental family included eight children, four of whom are living, the record being as follows: James, of Syracuse, N.Y., during the progress of the late Civil War, enlisted as a soldier of the Union in the 35th New York Infantry, and served until the close; Edward, of Salt Lake City, is owner of the White House Hotel, and has been an extensive cattle dealer, having now accumulated a competency; Ann became the wife of Lawson Cunningham, of Sterlingville, Jefferson Co., N.Y., and Timothy is our subject. The father died in Jefferson County, N.Y., in 1849; the mother is still living in Ottumwa, at the advanced age of seventy-nine years.
     The subject of this biography received his early education in the district schools, and remained with his parents until after he had attained to years of manhood. In 1861, the late war then being in progress, he enlisted in the 35th New York Infantry, becoming a member of Company F, and was first stationed with his regiment at Elmira, N.Y. A short time afterward they were ordered to Arlington Heights, where the regiment assisted in building the forts, and young Egan engaged, with his comrades, in the various battles and skirmishes which they afterward encountered. They marched to Manassas, where they found a detachment of the enemy under Gen. Patrick, and thence, returning to Alexandria and Fredericksburg, participated in the first engagement and were the first to open fire. They afterward met the enemy at Rappabannock and Culpeper, Va., where they covered Gen. Banks' division, and wound up with considerable skirmishing. Subsequently they engaged in the battle of Bull Run, and were then sent to Maryland and went into the fight at South Mountain, where George Reno was killed; thence to Antietam, where the regiment lost heavily and where Mr. Egan was wounded with a piece of shell in the groin, and received a bullet in the left foot and calf of the leg. He was confined in the hospital at Georgetown, and after an absence from his regiment of four months, rejoined it at Hatchie River. After various other engagements they proceeded to Fredericksburg, where occurred the last general engagement of the regiment, their term of service having expired. Mr. Egan returned to Jefferson County, N.Y., and raised Company C, of the 186th New York Volunteers, of which he was commissioned Captain, this being the fall of 1863. He, with his command, was assigned to the 5th Corps under Gen. Warren, with which they remained until the close of the war. Capt. Egan was present at the grand review in Washington, and was mustered out as a Captain at Sackett's Harbor, after which he returned to his native county.
     In March, 1866, Capt. Egan decided to visit the western country, and accordingly crossed the Father of Waters and came in to Iowa, locating in Ottumwa, where he was employed by the marble firm of M.B. Root & Son, with whom he remained until the following year. In 1868 he purchased a stock of hardware, and associated himself in partnership with Mr. Harper, and they engaged in trade under the name and style of Egan & Harper. They were soon afterward burned out, but fortunately were insured to the full extent of loss. The firm then purchased the interest of Mr. William Doggett, and was re-organized, becoming Egan, Harper & Co. In 1881 Mr .Egan sold his interest and the following year established the present business.
     Capt. Egan was married in Jefferson County, N.Y., near Watertown, in 1868, to Miss Mary Benoit, who was a native of Northern New York. They be came the parents of three children, of whom one only is living- Alfred T. They occupy a pleasant home in this city, and Mr. Egan, socially as well as in a business point of view, is reckoned among the leading citizens of the county. He is essentially a self-made man, and self-educated, only enjoying the privilege of three months' schooling when a boy of eleven years old. His education was completed while in the army, by studying nights and whenever opportunity occurred. He is Republican in politics, and has filled the various local offices in his township. He is at present Alderman from the Fourth Ward, and socially a member of Cloutman Post No. 69.

POLLOCK / POLK

Harlan, Edgar Rubey. A Narrative History of the People of Iowa.  Vol III. Chicago: American Historical Society,  1931

p. 86

     JEFFERSON SCOTT POLK. Time gives a perspective which often serves to heighten the fame of an individual when at closer range public judgment does not give definite and accurate accounts of work accomplished and its far-reaching results. Jefferson Scott Polk is one whose names shines with brighter luster on the pages of Iowa's history as the years go by, and it is seen how far-reaching was his opinion and how sound his sagacity in relation to the duties of the state and its upbuilding. His work was of a character that contributed in full measure to the development of Iowa along lines which have worked to its greatest good, and, moreover, there were in him substantial qualities of manhood and friendship which endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. The humblest found him approachable and the greatest recognized in him a peer. Such were the characteristics of a man to whom Iowa owes a debt of gratitude for his efforts in her behalf.
     There was back in him a long line of Irish ancestry, traced down from Baron Sir Robert Pollock, of Ireland, son of Sir Robert Pollock, of Scotland. The second son of Baron Sir Robert Pollock, of Ireland, served as an officer in Colonel Porter's regiment under Cromwell and when he established the family in America, in 1672, he changed the spelling of the surname. On the voyage to the new world he was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Magdalen Pollock, a daughter of Colonel Tasker, proprietor of Broomfield, Castle and Moneen Hall, estates on River Foyle, near Londonderry. Further history of the ancestry of Mr. Polk has been written by a contemporary biographer as follows: "Colonel Tasker was a chancellor of Ireland and had two daughters, Barbara and Magdalen. The former married Captain Keys and they went with the army to India, where he accumulated a large fortune. Later they returned to Ireland, and their descendants still own Broomfield and a part of Moneen. The younger daughter, Magdalen, became the wife of Colonel Porter, who died soon afterward, and later she married Colonel Porter's friend, an officer in his regiment, Captain Robert Bruce Polk, with whom, as stated, she came to Maryland in 1672. There she died in 1727, leaving Moneen, bequeathed to her by her father, to her youngest son, Joseph Polk, whose daughter, Ann Polk, was married in 1754, in Sussex County, Delaware, to Daniel Morris, Jr., and became the mother of Rhoda Ann Polk, the wife of Ephraim Polk III, so that in two distinct lines the ancestry is traced back to Captain Baron Robert Bruce and Magdalen (Tasker-Porter) Polk. Their son, Ephraim Polk, of Somerset County, Maryland, and his wife, Elizabeth Williams, were the great-great-grandparents of Jefferson Scott Polk. His great-grandparents were Ephraim Polk II and Rhoda Ann Morris, also of Sussex County. His parents were Jehosephat and Sallie (Moore) Polk. The family were strong adherents of the Scotch Coventanters and strict Presbyterians.
     "Ephraim Polk III moved with his family from Sussex County, Delaware, to Scott County, Kentucky, in November, 1783, after marrying Rhoda Morris, who was a relative of Robert Morris, the Philadelphia financier and patriot who saved Washington's army from starvation at Valley Forge during the hard winter of 1777, and by his business genius financed the Revolution. In the ranks of that barefooted, suffering host at Valley Forge was Ephraim Polk, who in the preceding September had taken a number of horses from Delaware to the army and after their delivery joined Colonel Williams Wills' Philadelphia regiment, later the Third Continentals of Pennsylvania. He served until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
     "Because of Indian warfare and the continued persecutions of the savages Kentucky was still known as the Dark and Bloody Ground when Ephriam Polk settled in Scott County. In 1814, while preparing to join Jackson at New Orleans, he died. He had a family of eleven children, nine of whom reached adult age, married and reared families.
     "The fourth child was Jehosephat Polk, who was born in 1800 and became one of the most prominent men and successful farmers of his state. He was a man of wonderful industry and business activity and was extensively engaged in raising hemp, on which he won premiums at the World's Fair in New York. Losing his fortune by paying security debts for kinsmen, he afterward became manager of R.A. Alexander's great Woodburn stock farms, in which service he died. He was for many years an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He married Sallie Moore, and Jefferson S. Polk was the fourth of their family of six children. The eldest son, Marcellus M. Polk, was a leading attorney at the Kentucky bar, while another son, James E. Polk, was for years a prominent wholesale merchant of Cincinnati."
     Jefferson Scott Polk, whose name introduces this review, was born in Scott County, Kentucky, February 18, 1831. He attended the public schools and was graduated from the college at Georgetown, Kentucky. His early preparation for the bar was made under the direction of R.L. Cable, of Georgetown, who was afterward head of the Rock Island Railroad Company at Chicago. Mr. Polk continued his studies in Transylvania University at Lexington and following his graduation was admitted to the bar, in March, 1854, and entered upon the active work of the law in partnership with his brother Marcellus at Georgetown. The same year - on the 25th of January - Mr. Polk had been married in Georgetown to Miss Julia Ann Herndon, daughter of John Herndon, a prosperous planter of Scott County Kentucky, and a representative of one of the old Virginia families. Following the removal to Kentucky the Herndons took active part in the civil and military affairs of Scott County and participated in the contest with the Indians during Wayne's campaign in the War of 1812.
     Attracted by the growing opportunities of the West, Jefferson S. Polk removed to Des Moines, Iowa, which at that time contained a population of about one thousand. He at once opened an office and for a year engaged in law practice and in the real-estate business, improving his opportunity for judicious investments in property, which, increasing in value, became the source of considerable wealth in later years. he had been a resident of Des Moines for three months ere his first client came to him and then his fee was but fifty cents. After a year he was admitted to partnership with the firm of Crocker, Casady & Polk, and for an extended period the firm occupied a conspicuous place at the bar of Central Iowa, being connected wit hmost of the important litigation of that period. When General Crocker joined the Union forces, in 1861, the firm style of Casady & Polk was assumed, and when, twelve or fifteen years later, P.M. Casady withdrew from the practice of law Mr. Polk was joined by F.M. Hubbell. Concerning his early professional career, one of the local papers said at the time of his death:
     "As a young attorney Mr. Polk soon made his mark. He was quiet, gentlemanly, and studious, and at the same time watchful of his clients' interests and ready for legal fights of any kind. he was of tall, straight figure- a giant in stature- of abundant health and of tireless vigor, physically as well as mentally adapted to the work of hewing and shaping great business enterprises. He had a strong will and tenacity of purpose and was accustomed to follow boldly the course his own judgment pointed out. He became one of the greatest lawyers of the state and had no superior among the members of the Iowa bar of that day. His great force as a pleader in court, the clarity of strength of his illustrations, were demonstrated in a dramatic way only a few months ago when he appeared in court himself in defense of his company."
     For a quarter of a century the law firm of Polk & Hubbell practiced successfully at the Polk County bar, and occupied a place of leadership, but opportunities in other directions also attracted them and their efforts became a potent force in the development, upbuilding, and improvement of the city. They became owners of the Des Moines water works, and other business interests gradually precluded the possibility of law practice. In this connection a contemporary biographer has written:
    "The history of his undertakings in business lines is practically the history of the industrial development of Des Moines. In 1867 he was associated with Mr. Hubbell and other companies in organizing the Equitable Life Insurance Company, which for over forty years has held the confidence and the faith of the public and is one of the strongest financial institutions of the state. It was the pioneer in the field of life insurance in Iowa, and as secretary of the company for fourteen years Mr. Polk largely directed its affairs. Three years after the organization of the insurance company Mr. Polk with F.M. Hubbell and B.F. Allen, incorporated the Des Moines Water Works Company, with a capital of three hundred thousand dollars, and secured a city franchise in 1871. The plant was at once constructed, mains were laid to all parts of the town and the residences of Des Moines were supplied with water by the Holly system, and the city became the possessor of a water supply of unsurpassed purity. Mr. Polk was prominent in the management of the company's affairs until 1889, when he withdrew.
     "His name is perhaps most widely known in connection with the development of electric and steam railway properties. He was the promoter of the street railway system of Des Moines, which had its beginning in 1866. He practically financed the undertaking, although there were associated with him F.M. Hubbell, W.B. White, and M.P. Turner, the last named superintending the construction and the securing of the franchise. Under that franchise the present consolidated system of the city has operated. An ordinance was later passed permitting the company to equip its line with electric power. The first track was narrow gauge and extended on Court Street, then the principal business thoroughfare, from the courthouse to the foot of Capitol Hill. Two years later Messrs. Polk and Hubbell sold their interests to Doctor Turner, but twenty years later Mr. Polk again became prominently connected with the railway interests of Des Moines. In 1888 he secured a charter for the Rapid Transit Company to operate their cars by steam, cable or the Patton system on all streets, but the work undertaken in this connection was unsuccessful. In the meantime, Mr. Polk built a line on Walnut Street, from the Chicago Great Western crossing to the fair grounds, a team locomotive furnishing the operative power for years. A more gigantic task, however, awaited Mr. Polk and was successfully accomplished by him. This was the consolidation of all the car lines under one management in 1889. From the time he embarked in the project until his death he devoted his splendid business talents to extending and improving the railway system to meet the constantly increasing demands of traffic. As the city grew the street railway kept pace with it. He substituted electricity for horse motive power and gave to Des Moines the second electric railway in the United States and the fastest railway service in the country, hesitating at no expense and carefully investigating every device invented for its improvement. At the time of the consolidation of the railway interests in this city there were ten lines, all having the right to charge a five-cent fare. He combined these under one system, instituted a plan of transferring whereby one might ride for twelve miles for a five-cent fare, introduced the vestibule cars that the motormen might be protected from the weather and at length secured a contract from the United States Government for carrying the mails on the Des Moines street railway lines. Since 1895 all the cars have been equipped with letter boxes into which mail can be placed at any street crossing and no matter what its speed, a car must be stopped to receive it. Within twenty-five or forty minutes from the time a letter is posted it has been carried into the central waiting room and thence to the postoffice. No other city in the country has similar service.
     "Mr. Polk's was a mind that dealt boldly with each problem and when the era of electric lines dawned he did not falter to secure the means with which to extend lines radiating from the city in every direction. He was instrumental in building the electric line from Des Moines to Colfax, twenty-three miles in length, and some other lines were projected and built to Granger, Boone and Ames and later between Des Moines and Fort Dodge, a distance of eighty miles. The construction of interurbans made necessary immense financial resources, but Mr. Polk met the contingency that arose as he had years before met and over come similar obstacles in enlarging and amplifying the street railways of the city. At the time of his death he had plans under way for the construction of interurban lines to Indianola, Winterset and Newton. ' The street railway of Des Moines,' said one of the papers, 'is the monument he left to commemorate the work he performed in the upbuilding of the city in which he made his home for fifty-two years. It will abide and endure as one of the giant enterprises of a man whom the citizens love an honor and to whom they owe very much for the splendid advancement of the city in the march of modern progress.' (George B. Hippee and Mr. Polk continued to operate the street railways until the properties were sold.)
     "At different times, especially in the twenty years' interval in which Mr. Polk was not engaged in the building of urban and interurban railways, he gave his attention to the construction of steam railroads. He was the builder of the Des Moines & Minnesota Railway, which became a part of the Chicago & Northwestern system. He began that project in 1874 and in 1881-82 he built a narrow gauge line to Waukee and with others extended it to Panora and Fonda, with a branch from Clive to Boone. In later years this became a part of the Milwaukee system. During the same period the syndicate built the Des Moines & St. Louis road from Des Moines to Albia and also organized and built the Des Moines Union Railway, a connecting transfer line between all the trunk lines in this city, with side-tracks to a large number of factories. It was Mr. Polk who secured most of the right of way and subsidies for the Keokuk & Des Moines Railway, now the Des Moines Valley division of the Rock Island system. He was connected with the building of railways, steam, urban or interurban, up to the time of his last illness. He was always a busy man, and although his wealth would have long before his death permitted him to retire he remained a factor in the management of the extensive and important interests in which he was connected."
     By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Polk there were born seven children, only two of whom still survive: John Scott, deceased, who wedded Miss Maud Haskit; Harry H., who married Alice Kauffman; Mildred, the wife of George B. Hippee; and Sarah J., deceased, who became the wife of Albert G. Maish. Three children, Mollie, the first born, Lutie, the third in the family and Daniel the fifth, passed away ere the father's death. Mr. Polk established a beautiful home, called Herndon Hall, in honor of his wife's people, on Grand Avenue, and it became the center of a warm-hearted and generous hospitality, while at the same time the fortunes of wealth and culture were presented.
    Mr. Polk's activity ever took cognizance of the opportunities and possibilities of Des Moines, and his patriotism was expressed in practical efforts for the benefit and upbuilding of the city. He showed his faith therein by his investments in real estate and he lived to see the city grow from a population of one thousand to nearly eighty thousand. When the Civil war broke out he proved his loyalty to the Union cause in many ways. He had been reared in the faith of the Democratic party, yet he recognized that Abraham Lincoln was to be the leader of the people in the sanguinary struggle between the North and the South and gave generously to support the soldiers at the front. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Union Home Guards, May 28, 1861, and he never faltered in his advocacy of the federacy. He was a worker in behalf of temperance and of all forms of morality, and he gave generously to the support of almost every church of Des Moines, while his gifts to benevolent and charitable projects  were most liberal. It has been ofttimes said that persons can best be judged not by their treatment of their equals but their inferiors or those who are in their service. Judged by this standard the character of Mr. Polk is well established. There were in his employ about five hundred people, who found him a most considerate, just and kind master. He felt in them a personal interest and gave to them personal aid and friendship. When he felt that his life was drawing to a close he asked that some of his old and trusted employes should  act as pallbearers at the funeral service. Death called him on the 3d of November, 1907. Perhaps no better estimate of his life and character could be given than by quoting from an editorial, which appeared in a Des Moines paper:
     "Jefferson S. Polk, capitalist, financier, lawyer, philanthropist, good citizen and friend, is no more. He was a man of gentle mold. While sagacious and practical in business, he never lost sight of the finer and nobler side of life. He was domestic in his tastes to a high degree. Home, wife, children, friend were always first in his thoughts. He loved his books and his magazines and the cozy hours with them in secluded nooks. He was a man of gentle mold. While sagacious and practical in business, he never lost sight of the finer and nobler side of life. He was domestic in his tastes to a high degree. Home, wife, children, friends were always first in his thoughts. He loved his books and his magazines and the cozy hours with them in secluded nooks. he was a great lover of nature, and in his quiet walks in the groves and fields he found sweet companionship with God's emblems of life and death and resurrection. In him all the nobler and loftier and purer attributes of humanity were so rarely blended that all the world could point to him and say, 'There is a man.' Death came to him too soon. At the age of seventy-seven years he was moved from life's activities. Meeting with an accident nearly a year ago, he received injuries which proved stubborn and incurable and finally pressed him into the tomb. he had planned great enterprises. His fine brain had conceived mammoth industries and dreamed of lofty achievements. He was to make Des Moines a great interurban center, with steel arteries reaching out in every direction over prairie and woods and into villages and hamlets throughout the fertile State of Iowa. No man has ever lived in our midst who has been a greater public benefactor than Jefferson S. Polk. All the time he has been the same kind and gentle citizen and friend. He insisted on perfect courtesy on the part of his employes toward his patrons, and many men have been dismissed by him for lack of civility to women and children. Such a man as Jefferson S. Polk cannot die without leaving a vacancy in society. Grief for his departure is not confined in the circle of his home. It reaches out into the community and heads are bowed and hearts are wounded in thousands of other homes in our midst. The business world will miss him. He was always a valuable adviser, and his judgment on the practical affairs of life were lofty and clean and he placed the standard of manhood high and distinguishable. And he fitted his daily life to his ideals. The name he leaves behind is the best monument that can be reared to his memory. No marble shaft, however stately, can so grandly honor him as the record he has left on the tablet of human remembrance. He has passed away with the dying year, crowned with honored hairs of silver, a life of busy and fertile hours, love of family, respect of friends and a name unsullied by scandal or the taint of mean and polluting deeds."
     In his beautiful oration Dr. J.A. Wirt said: "Mr. Polk stands out preeminently as Des Moines's benefactor. He had faith in the city and believed in her future. His liberal hands, though often covered, caused the charitable institutions of the city to pulsate with new life. he was a friend alike to the rich and the poor. I could not attempt to fathom the depth of his mental capacity. In him were combined the profound thinker, the strong writer, the close reasoner. He was stamped with a pronounced individuality, rugged, simple, honest. He was quick to recognize a sham and as quick to condemn it. He acknowledged real worth and showed his appreciation of it, which is manifest in the long service of many of his employees.
     "He was characterized by that southern chivalry that always respected an honest and open adversary. He was a student in the truest sense, not only of books, for he found sermons in brooks and stones and trees. He was aesthetic in his taste, a lover of the beautiful, and the art gallery had for him great attractions. The Bible was one of his principal textbooks. He enjoyed the study of the Word which bore particularly upon childhood and had compiled from the Scriptures a Bible for children. He loved children and appreciated that book which contained the truth that would bless childhood. He was firm but kind. Those who knew him best loved him most.
    "The purpose of life is to afford opportunities for physical, mental, and spiritual development. These opportunities slip away from the sluggard. They tauntingly play before the dreamer but they surrender to the individual with high purpose, undaunted courage and indefatigable determination. He who will take the time, make the application and industriously set himself to solve the problems, gets out of life its sweetest honey. Mr. Polk as a boy fought a good fight when, amidst difficulties and reverses, he continued at school, where he laid the foundation for his future usefulness. His record is an inspiration to every young man who will honestly endeavor to solve the problem of life.
    "He believed that God set the solitary in families. He honored and held sacred the family relations. It was here that Mr. Polk was at his best, as all good men are. The dearest placed to him on earth was the place he called home, and it was in Herndon Hall that he was his true self. His conception of a home as described in the Shadows and Memories of Herndon Hall is exquisitely poetic. The architect may build a house and shelter you from the storms without but the home is made by its occupants of human love and human sympathy. Take from the house these necessary ingredients and it ceases to be a home. His attachment to his children is expressed in these words: 'While Herndon Hall stands overlooking Des Moines, the beautiful city of our adoption, it is deserted by all save an aged father and mother who look and long and weep for the return of their children without the consolation vouchsafed by the Lord to Rachel...Home must sooner or later become to the aged an oratorio of the memory, singing to all our after life melodies and harmonies of old remembered joys.' "
     The influence of such a life as that of Jefferson Scott Polk can never die. His work was of stupendous magnitude in its relation to material progress. His record was an inspiring example of justice, charity and consideration for those in his employ; of humanitarianism as expressed in generous assistance where need was manifest; in citizenship where his patriotism and devotion to the city of his adoption knew no bounds; and most of all in his home. It were well if all who knew and honored him while he was yet an active factor in life would hold to the high ideals concerning home which was expressed to his family: "Love, my dear ones, begets love. As you love your children so will they love you. Get, I beseech you, in close touch with your little ones. Get your arms around them, press their dear little hearts up to yours and keep them there. Do not let business or other pleasures cause you to neglect this duty. Your children's love for you is worth more to you than gold or diamonds, and your love to and for them is the proudest legacy you can leave them. These memories, these shadows, these dreams of loved father, mother and home will do more to make of your children good men and women, good citizens, and good Christians than all other influences combined."

MORIARTY

Portrait and Biographical Album, Wapello County, Iowa, published by Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1887

     Edward Moriarty, senior member of the wholesale grocery firm of Moriarty, Egan & Co of Ottumwa, is one of the leading and most enterprising citizens of Wapello County. The firm with which he is connected carries on an extensive business and is regarded as one of the most substantial in this section of the State.
     Mr. Moriarty is a native of Portsmouth, Ohio, and was born Feb. 17, 1842. His parents were Morris P. and Mary (Pheney) Moriarty, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to America in about 1835. After coming to this country Morris Moriarty became engaged as an employe in the construction of railroads and afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits at Agency City, Iowa, and at Ottumwa. He was stricken down in the prime of life, dying in 1863, leaving his widow and a family of seven children mainly dependent upon the eldest son, our subject, for their support. This duty Mr. M. fulfilled in the most admirable manner, providing generously for the education of his brothers and sisters, who are now highly respected members of society and occupy their rightful position among the cultured people of this vicinity. In the meantime he did not neglect his own education, and after an attendance in the primary schools entered St. Joseph's College in Perry County, Ohio, where he pursued a thorough course of study and subsequently attended Sinsinawa Mound College, in Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1862, at the age of twenty years. The year following he came to Ottumwa and established himself in the grocery business, meeting with success from the start, and by his straightforward business methods, and courteous demeanor towards his customers, secured a large and profitable patronage. In 1875 he retired to Red Oak, Montgomery County, and, associating with him one of his brothers, commenced dealing in groceries at wholesale and was attended with the same success which marked his first business venture. Seven years later, in 1882, he organized the present firm at Ottumwa and which, conducted by the business methods which Mr. M. had heretofore so successfully pursued, has become one of the leading houses of its line in this section of the State.
     The marriage of Edward Moriarty and Miss Helen O'Keefe, of Plattsmouth, Neb., was celebrated Feb. 7, 1877, and of this union there have been born four children, three of whom are living, viz: Edward, Morris, and Leo. They occupy a handsome residence in this city and are surrounded by all the comforts and luxuries which a cultivated taste and ample means afford. Their dwelling is equipped with all the modern improvements - gas, hot and cold water pipes, bath, etc.
     Politically Mr. M. is Democratic and uniformly casts his vote in support of the principles of his party. He is prominently identified with the business and industrial interests of this community and contributes cheerfully of his time and means for the promotion of every worthy enterprise connected with the welfare of his city and county. He and his wife are both members of the Catholic Church.