Scott Co, Iowa USGenWeb Project
From Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by Harry
E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
The agricultural interests of this state were formerly well represented by Henry
Rohwer, who gave many years of his life to the tilling of the soil. He is now
living retired, however, in Davenport, having passed the seventy-fourth
milestone on life's journey, so that he is well entitled to the rest that has
been vouchafed him. A great majority of Davenport's German citizens came from
Schleswig-Holstein, which province was also the birthplace of Henry Rohwer,
whose natal day was June 4, 1835. His father was Jochim Rohwer. His mother died
during his early childhood, which was spent in Germany. After attending the
public schools he began learning the shoemaker's trade, and in 1857 came to the
United States, for he had heard favorable reports concerning America and its
opportunities and hoped to acquire a comfortable competence more rapidly in this
country than he could expect to do on the other side of the Atlantic. Bidding
adieu to home and friends, he sailed alone for the western world, landing at New
York, after which he made his way to Davenport. He at first worked at his trade
in this city, being engaged in shoemaking until 1862, when he crossed the plains
to California with teams. it required three months to make the trip even at that
day. He remained for two and a half years on the Pacific coast and then returned
to the east by way of the Isthmus of Panama, eventually landing at New York
city. From that point he continued across the country to Davenport, where he
again engaged in shoemaking until 1882. He next turned his attention to farming
in Iowa, investing in eighty acres, upon which he took up his abode. The work of
tilling the soil then engaged his attention and he made his home thereon until
1906, carefully cultivation his crops and gathering large harvests. He then sold
out and returned to Davenport, where he has since made his home.
In politics Mr. Rohwer has always been a stalwart republican and he served as
township trustee for six years and also as school director in Crystal township.
Mr. Rohwer has been married twice. On the 17th of August, 1865, he wedded Miss
Catherine Barofsky, who died in 1885. They were the parents of eight children.
Julius, living in Ida Grove, Iowa, married Emma Vogt and they have seven
children. Gustave, now located in Moline, married Emma Corth and has seven
children. Theodore, whose home is in Schleswig, Crawford county, Iowa, is
married and has seven children. Henry is married and is located in Seattle,
Washington. Amanda is the wife of Fred Fick, of Ida county, Iowa, and has one
son. The other children died in infancy with the exception of George, who passed
away at the age of twenty-two years. For his second wife Mr. Rohwer chose Whipke
Stelk, whom he wedded in April, 1887. She was the widow of John Stelk and by her
former marriage had four children: Anna, the wife of R. A. Madison, of Ottumwa
county, Iowa, by whom she has one child; Emma, the wife of Rudolph Meinert, of
Davenport, by whom she has one child; John, at home; and Charles, who married
Gusta Weis and lives in Virginia.
Mr. Rohwer belongs to the association known as the Old German Pioneers. Coming
to the new world soon after attaining his majority, he readily adapted himself
to changed conditions, made haste to master the language of the people and
acquaint himself with American customs and habits. In all of his business life
he has displayed the energy and perseverance characteristic of the German people
and, improving the opportunities which to him seemed to point to success, he
eventually reached a position among the men of affluence in Scott county and is
now numbered among the substantial citizens of Davenport, where he makes his
home, his leisure being devoted to those pursuits which afford him recreation
and interest.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "History of Davenport and Scott County" by Harry
E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
John F. Roth is one of Scott county's native sons and has always been loyal to
her interests and her welfare. He is a prominent farmer of Rockingham township,
where he owns one hundred acres of rich and well cultivated land. His birth
occurred in Buffalo township, September 14, 1862, his parents being Peter and
Julia (Fischer) Roth, who were early settlers of this part of the state. The
father came to Scott county when a boy of fourteen years and he and his wife
lived here until called to their final rest, Mr. Roth passing away when about
seventy-three years of age. In their family were seven children: Frank, of
Muscatine county; Anna, the wife of Charles Winn, of Muscatine county; Mary, the
widow of Mr. Comstock, of Cambridge, Illinois; John F., the subject of this
sketch; Ferdinand, a resident of Rock Island; Edward, living in Buffalo
township; and Minnie, who lives in Illinois.
John F. Roth who has been a life long resident of Scott county, acquired his
education in the district schools and afterward learned the trade of a
stationary engineer. Later he removed to Davenport, where he lived for several
years, following that line of business. In 1897, however, he resolved to make a
change and bought his present homestead, upon which he has made numerous
improvements. Here he carries on general agricultural pursuits with good
results. His fields bring forth rich harvests as the reward of his energy and
labor and the place presents a neat and attractive appearance, which is the
result of the earnest efforts and unfaltering diligence of the owner.
On the 21st of February, 1888, Mr. Roth was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda
Garner, a daughter of Phillip and Susan Garner, who previously lived upon the
farm now occupied by Mr. Roth. Her father was born in Huntingdon county,
Pennsylvania, May 15, 1829, and was there reared. On coming to Scott county in
1865 he settled in Lincoln township, where he purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land. His time and energies were devoted to the further improvement of
that place during the eight years in which he resided thereon. Later he removed
to Rockingham township, where he bought an improved tract of land of two hundred
acres, making his home there until his death, which occurred on the 11th of
November, 1897. In early life he had learned and followed the carpenter's trade,
but after coming to Scott county devoted his attention to general farming and
was very careful in the management of his place and won substantial results as
the reward of his industry. In Blair county, Pennsylvania, he married Miss Susan
Acker, who was born in that county, April 5, 1832, and died on the 1st of
August, 1895. In his political views Mr. Garner was an earnest republican but
never held or desired public office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon
his business affairs. Both he and his wife held membership in the Reformed
church while in Pennsylvania and after coming to Scott county joined the
Lutheran church. In their family were six children, of whom four are yet living:
Annetta, the wife of John Jacobs, a resident of Rockingham township; Belle, who
is the widow of R. S. Garner and lives in Rockingham township; Mrs. Roth; and
Harry, who makes his home with his sister, Mrs. Roth. The two children of the
family now deceased are Frank, who died at the age of twelve years, and Arilla,
who passed away at the age of eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Roth have no children of
their own but have reared an adopted daughter, May. Their home is a most
hospitable one, ever open for the reception of their many friends. Both have
long been residents of the county, for Mrs. Roth arrived here in her girlhood
days and Mr. Roth has always resided within the borders of the county. In
business he is reliable and is developing his place along lines of modern
scientific farming and practicing the rotation of crops and other methods which
have produced substantial results in the agricultural development of the county.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clark Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
Edgar H. Ryan, although he is now retired from manufacturing interests, with
which he was long identified, is still financially concerned in many important
business enterprises which have direct bearing upon the progress and commercial
development of Davenport. His industry and keen perception have enabled him to
make his way steadily to the foremost ranks of the city's distinguished and
honored business men, in which connection he is justly entitled to definite
mention in the annals of Iowa. He was born in Warren county, to definite mention
in the annals of Iowa. He was born in Warren county, Indiana, January 13, 1851.
His father, Edgar Ryan, Sr., was a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred
near Columbus on the 10th of June, 1820. When a young man he went to Indiana,
where he engaged in farming and stock-raising, in which undertaking he was quite
successful. In the fall of 1855 he came to Davenport, where the following year
he was joined by his wife and children, the family home being since maintained
here. The father engaged in the wholesale grocery business in the old Burrows
& Prettyman block on the river, under the firm name of Ryan & McCarn.
During a flood, while working to remove his goods to a place of safety, he
contracted a severe cold which resulted in his death in June, 1857. Although the
period of his residence here was of comparatively short duration, during that
time he gained the good will and respect of his neighbors and business
associates and had every promise of a successful career. He was married in Ohio
to Miss Celinda Osborn, a native of Columbus, Ohio, who died in January, 1895.
She had been a resident of Davenport for many years and following her husband's
death had carefully reared her family of five sons.
Edgar H. Ryan, the youngest of the family, was but five years of age when the
mother and her children joined the husband and father in this city. Here he was
educated in the public schools and at the age of twenty-one years became a
recognized factor in the business circles of this city as proprietor of a hat,
furnishing goods and fur store at Second and Main streets. There he remained
until 1885, when he withdrew from that field of labor to engage in the grain
business and for eleven years was a partner in the Bosch-Ryan Grain Company. He
next turned his attention to manufacturing interests, engaging in the
manufacture of Portland cement at Iola, Kansas, with the principal office of the
company at Davenport. After a successful and active business career in this
field he retired in January, 1906, but still has many financial interests and
investments, including farm lands in Nebraska, Minnesota and Kansas, and large
land holdings in Mexico, the supervision of which makes him a busy man. In 1888
he erected the Ryan building, now known as the South Putnam building. He has
long been interested in Davenport real estate, becoming a member of the
Davenport Real Estate Company, and has laid out many additions and done much to
improve the city. He is also interested in banks and industrial concerns and his
sound judgment constitutes a valuable feature in the prosperous control of these
undertakings. Opportunities which others pass by heedlessly he recognizes and
utilizes and his intelligent and well directed activity have brought him
prominently to the front in relation to the business life of the city whereon
Davenport's growth and development rest. He is now the secretary and treasurer
of the Davenport Real Estate & Town Lot Company, which has laid out Park
Lawn in its first, second and third additions, also the valuable tract north of
Central Park and Cook's Home addition. For fifteen years he was the secretary
and treasurer of the Davenport Safety Deposit Company.
In June, 1873, Mr. Ryan was married to Miss Ella Coleman, a daughter of Thomas
Coleman, a prominent banker of La Fayette, Indiana, and they have one child,
Julia, The family home is a fine residence on Brady street. Mr. Ryan has lived
to witness remarkable changes in the city, which was a small town of
comparatively little industrial or commercial importance at the time of his
arrival here. His father's home was on Seventh and Brown streets and the
business center was largely along the river. Taking his place in commercial
circles when he attained his majority, Mr. Ryan's activities have since been of
a nature that have contributed in substantial measure to the city's business and
financial growth as well as his individual prosperity. Fraternally he is
connected with the Masons, attaining the Knight Templar degree in the commandery,
and he is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. Politics have little interest for
him, for he has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business
and by industry, close application and determination he has become one of the
foremost citizens of Davenport.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by Harry
E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
O. C. Rogers, engaged in the practice of medicine in Davenport since 1892, was
born in Pennsylvania on the 11th of February, 1860. His father, William Rogers,
was likewise a native of the Keystone state and a representative of the medical
profession. He visited Scott county in the '50s, carefully looked over the
situation and then returned to the east. The memory of the pleasing western
country, however, remained with him and at length proved an irresistable
attraction, so that in 1862 he returned with his family and took up his abode in
this county. He continued to practice in Slopertown until the early '80s, when
he removed to Pleasant Valley, where he remained for two years and then came to
Davenport, passing away in this city in 1892. He married Sarah Conklin, also a
native of Pennsylvania.
The country schools afforded Dr. Rogers his early educational privileges, while
later he had the benefit of instruction in the Davenport high school. Desiring a
professional career, he studied medicine in the office of Dr. H. L. Bawden, of
Davenport, who directed his preliminary reading, while subsequently he attended
the Iowa State University. He next entered the Creighton College at Omaha, from
which he was graduated, and when seven years had been devoted to practice at
Pleasant Valley, Iowa, he removed to Davenport in 1892 and has since been
engaged in general practice in this city.
In 1889 Dr. Rogers was married to Miss Mary B. Finefield, a native of Iowa, and
unto them have been born two children, Bertha and William. Having spent
practically his entire life in this county, Dr. Rogers is well known and has
made many friends during the years of his residence in Davenport.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
A picture of Mr. Richardson is included with this bio. To view his picture
please return to the Main page and click on Pictures/Documents section of the
site.
David N. Richardson was born in Orange, Vermont, March 19, 1832. He was reared
on a farm and completed his education by two terms at an academy. He taught
school when eighteen years of age and later entered a printing office in
Illinois, where he learned the trade. In 1854 he came to Davenport, Iowa, where
, in company with James T. Hildreth and George R. West, he purchased the
democratic newspaper establishment and began the publication of the Daily Iowa
State Democrat. Here for nearly forty years Mr. Richardson was engaged in
conducting one of the foremost newspapers of Iowa. He was for many years a
regent of the State University and was untiring in his efforts to make that the
foremost educational institution in the state. He was also one of the original
members of the state commission to plan and erect the Iowa Soldiers' Monument,
serving until the work was completed. During the period of eighteen years, in
which Mr. Richardson was a regent of the State University, he was one of its
most intelligent and effective promoters. It was an often expressed desire of
his to live to see our State University equal to any in America. That
institution never had a more devoted friend or more useful officer.
Mr. Richardson was a graceful and accomplished writer and one of the ablest of
Iowa editors. He became an extensive traveler in foreign countries and his
letters descriptive of the lands and cities visited were of absorbing interest.
His acquaintance with the public men of Iowa was very wide, and although he was
a life-long democrat and an active and influential leader in his party for more
than forty years, he won and retained the confidence and personal friendship fo
his political opponents everywhere. He died on the 4th of July, 1898.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
No history of Liberty township would be complete without mention of George
Lueders, the present mayor of the town of New Liberty, who is well known in
financial circles as the cashier of the German Savings Bank. He claims Germany
as the place of his nativity, his birth occurring in Holstein on the 30th of
January, 1861. A son of Michael and Lena (Brade) Lueders, the parents were both
born in Holstein, Germany, the former on the 4th of March, 1828, and the latter
on November 12, 1831. They came to the United States in 1875, making their way
direct to Davenport, Iowa, where they resided until 1887, and then came to New
Liberty. The father had been a musician, playing in a band in both the old
country and after coming to Iowa, and was thus engaged until he entered the
hotel and saloon business, with which he was connected for some time. Later he
withdrew from active life and returned to Davenport, where he spent his
remaining days in retirement. He passed away on the 11th of January, 1899, while
his widow died November 3, 1909, having four children, namely: John, a resident
of Madison, Wisconsin; Christ, whose death occurred in California about ten
years ago; Lena, the wife of H. B. Arp, of West Liberty; and George, of this
review.
George Lueders was a lad of fourteen years when he came with his parents to
America, and his education, which had been begun in the schools of the
fatherland, was completed in the common schools of Davenport. After laying aside
his text-books he was engaged as a farm hand for a few years, and then for ten
years assisted his father in his hotel and saloon business in New Liberty. At
the expiration of that period he inaugurated a live stock, lumber and farm
implement business at this place, becoming an extensive dealer in those
commodities, in which connection he continued until he became identified with
the banking business in 1905. In that year the German Savings Bank of New
Liberty was organized, with W. Treimer, president, J. C. Bolte, vice-president,
and Mt. Lueders as cashier and general manager, which office he has held since
its inception. The bank was capitilized for ten thousand dollars, while its
annual statement for 1909 shows deposits amounting to more than one hundred and
sixty thousand dollars. Its safe, conservative policy recommends it to the
judgment of the public, and has made it one of the sound and reliable moneyed
institutions of the township. Its steady and rapid development has been due in
no small measure to the efforts of Mr. Lueders, who in the capacity of cashier
has proven a most capable official who, through his ability and fidelity to the
interests of the house, has won the esteem and confidence of his fellow
officers, and by his unfailing courtesy and promptness in the discharge of his
duties has become popular with the patrons of the bank.
It was on the 24th of October, 1889, that Mr. Lueders was united in marriage to
Miss Alvina Roehlk, a native of Scott county, born on the 24th of June, 1871.
She is a daughter of Hans and Bertha (Giese) Roehlk, who were both born in
Holstein, Germany, but now make their home in New Liberty. Fraternally Mr.
Lueders is identified with the Knights of Pythias lodge at Bennett, and also
holds membership in the camp of the Modern Woodmen of America at New Liberty,
being an active and exemplary member of both organizations. Politically he
exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the
republican party, and has served as justice of the peace for the past five
years. At the incorporation of the town of New Liberty, which occurred in 1909,
his fellow townsmen manifested their regard for him in electing him mayor, in
which office he is now the incumbent. In the discharge of his duties in that
capacity he is proving a worthy official, justifying the trust reposed in him by
his fellow citizens and fulfilling every obligation that devolves upon him with
the same spirit of thoroughness and fidelity that characterizes his business
career. A man of resourceful ability, constantly watchful of opportunities, he
has seized legitimate advantages as they have arisen and has never hesitated to
take a forward step when the way was open. Fortunate in possessing ability and
character that inspired confidence, the simple weight of his character and
ability has brought him into positions of trust and responsibility, and he ranks
high among the well known and valued citizens of Liberty township.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
There is perhaps no other man in Davenport who has done as much toward the
improvement of the streets and the building of good roads as has John A. Littig,
who for the past seven years has given his time to construction work along this
line. In the paternal line he comes of French descent and his great grandfather,
Peter Littig served as an officer under Napoleon in the battle of Waterloo. His
son John was the progenitor of the family in America. His family included Peter
N. Littig, who became the father of our subject. The latter lived on a farm just
outside the city limits in Davenport township, and is one of the oldest pioneer
settlers of this section of Iowa. After residing on his farm for many years he
removed to Davenport, where he now lives practically retired although he assists
his son in the management of his business interests merely for pastime. He
wedded Miss Erma Fidler, who died in 1902.
John A. Littig was born on the home farm in Davenport township, the date of his
birth being June 8, 1872. At the usual age he was sent to the common schools and
during the periods of vacation he rendered assistance to his father in the work
of the fields. After completing his studies in the common schools he pursued a
course in Griswold College, after which he engaged in teaching for three years.
Subsequently he engaged in the creamery business for a time but eventually
returned to the home farm and assisted his father in its management until seven
years ago, when he came to Davenport and took up the work of contracting, being
the first to institute the building of roads by contract in Scott county. He
began on a small scale, doing all the work himself, even driving the team in
grading. He has continued in this line of activity to the present time and has
already gained a reputation for high-grade work. He has always been interested
in good roads and while advancing his own personal interests, he is at the same
time doing an important work for the community at large.
Mr. Littig was married on the 3d of October, 1900, to Miss Josephine Anderson, a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Anderson, of Moline, Illinois. Three daughters
and two sons grace the home of Mr. and Mrs. Littig, Marion V., Earl C., Cloyd
E., Inez C. and Marie A. Fratenally Mr. Littig is affiliated with the Elks and
he and his wife are communicants of the Episcopal church, in the work of which
they take an active and helpful interest. The family home is a modern residence
at No. 223 West Thirteenth street and it is noted for its generous and
warm-hearted hospitality. In everything, Mr. Littig has been eminently practical
and this has been manifest not only in his business undertakings but also in
social and private life.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
Prominent for many years among the mill operators of the Mississippi river were
James E. Lindsay and John B. Phelps, who as Lindsay & Phelps were for nearly
forty years connected with the manufacture of lumber at Davenport.
James Edwin Lindsay, the subject of this sketch, was born at Schroon, Essex
county, New York, April 12, 1826. His ancestors came from Scotland in 1731 and
settled at Argyle, New York. His great-great-grandfather was Donald Lindsay, who
was interested in the grant which was extended to Laughlin Campbell and was one
of the hundred founders of that early Argyle community. His training between
1826 and 1847 terminated with one year's schooling in civil engineering at
Norwich, Vermont. His father was a hotel keeper, farmer and lumber manufacturer
combined. Young Lindsay worked at measuring and the hauling of logs at his
father's mill, a water power affair propelled by the old style "flutter
wheel." This sawmill was facetiously called the "Thunder Shower
Mill" on account of its utter inability to operate unless a frequent rain
would kindly fill the small creek dam from which it drew its water power. Young
Lindsay was in a atmosphere that was apt to make him a lumberman and included
among his neighbors Israel Johnson, the inventor of the much used "mulay"
saw, and Philetas Sawyer, the long time prominent lumberman and for many years
United States senator from Wisconsin. Logs in those days measured about two
standards to the log, a standard, according to Dimock's rule, being measured on
the basis of thirteen-foot log, nineteen inches at the top end. They were made
up of perhaps twenty-five percent clear at fifty dollars a thousand; twenty-five
percent second clear at forty dollars; twenty-five percent select at twenty
dollars; and twenty-five percent common, worth fourteen dollars. Before his
twenty-first birthday anniversary young Lindsay already had some experience in
the logging business in partnership with his brother-in-law John Tompkins. The
firm was named Lindsay & Tompkins and existed for four years.
In the fall of 1856, the year he was thirty years old,he came west, and with his
savings and what had been entrusted to him, secured about seven thousand dollars
worth of lands through land warrants in the Black River Falls (Wisconsin)
country.
In March, 1861, Mr. Lindsay located permanently at Davenport, Iowa, and his
Black river timber was logged and rafted to Davenport, where it was sawed into
lumber by the thousand at the mills at that place. He had formed a partnership
with E. Harris, of Queensberry, New York, the understanding being - as above
referred to - that Mr. Lindsay was to come west and look about and take an
interest in whatever looked most favorable. The absolute trust of his partner in
Mr. lindsay's judgment seems to have colored his subsequent career. He had not
only his own interests to further but also had absolutely in his keeping the
interests of another. This tended to make him conservative, and he has always
beena a conservative man. This conservatism, however, should not be misjudged,
for he has ever had an agressive and enthusiastic confidence in the future
values of timber lands.
Later in 1861 Mr. Lindsay secured a lease of the Renwick mill in Davenport.
Shortly afterward John B. Phelps bought Mr. Harris' interest and the firm became
Lindsay & Phelps, and it has so continued - barring its incorporation in
1890 - for nearly fifty years. In 1866 Lindsay & Phelps built a mill at
Davenport. It started with a circular saw; a gang saw was added in 1867, at that
time the only gang mill in this section of the country; and later, in 1880, a
band mill was added and other necessary machinery for a more modern plant. The
mill at Davenport continued in operation until the close of the season of 1904 -
a period of thirty-nine years. The corporation of Lindsay & Phelps Company
is still being maintained, the present officers being J. E. Lindsay, president;
R. E. Lindsay, vice president; Fred Wyman, secretary and treasurer; and George
F. Lindsay, assistant secretary and treasurer. John B. Phelps, Mr. Lindsay's
long time partner, died in July, 1900.
Mr. Lindsay's confidence in pine timber was of the broader kind, and as early as
1882, with his close friend and associate, C. R. Ainsworth, of Moline, Illinois,
he personally located the first holdings of the Lindsay Land & Lumber
Company in Arkansas. Perhaps it may be due to Mr. Lindsay and Mr. Ainsworth that
they be called the pioneer northern lumbermen in Arkansas, and surely they were
among the earliest to purchase timber lands in that section. The company's first
officers were J. E. Lindsay, president; C. R. Ainsworth, vice president; J. B.
Phelps, secretary; William Renwick, treasurer. The late Hon. D. N. Richardson, a
newspaper man and close associate in those early days of investment in the
south, asked Mr. Lindsay in conversation one day, "Is there a chance for an
outsider to put some money in your southern timber company, Mr. Lindsay?"
"Not for you, a newspaper man," was the reply, "for it takes long
patience and years of constant outgo of money to work out a proposition of this
kind, and you how are accustomed to annual dividends would lack the 'sand' to
stay with such a proposition." Without hesitancy Mr. Richardson replied,
"We have the sand and only ask you to make the opportunity." Mr.
Richardson went in and up to the time of his death that quality of sand first
shown was ever apparent.
Resulting from Mr. Richardson's enthusiasm later came the Richardson Land &
Timber Company, with D. N. Richardson as its first president. The present
officers are J. J. Richardson, president; Fred Wyman, vice president; and M. N.
Richardson, secretary and treasurer. The directors are J. E. Lindsay, Rebecca
Renwick, J. J. Richardson, Fred Wyman and J. B. Richardson. This company made
purchases in little River, Dalls, Sevier and Howard counties, Arkansas, and
later extended its operations into Mississippi. At one time its holdings
amounted to one hundred and fifty thousand acres in Arkansas. At this time it
owns nearly fifty thousand acres in Mississippi.
In 1884 when Renwick, Shaw and Crossett went north to Cloquet, Minnesota, and
organized the Cloquet Lumber Company with George S. Shaw as its manager, Mr.
Lindsay and Mr. Phelps became members of that company, Mr. Lindsay now being a
director.
The big trees of the Pacific coast next attracted Lindsay & Phelps'
attention and, associated with Weyerhaeuser & Denkmann and the Richardson
interests, they organized the Sound Timber Company on December 23, 1899. The
officers are J. E. Lindsay, president; Fred C. Denkmann, vice president; George
F. Lindsay, secretary and treasurer; and with F. Weyerhaeuser, Joe R. Lane and
M. N. Richardson from its board of directors. This company owns something over
fifty thousand acres of fir, cedar and spruce in Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom and
king counties, Washington, and Lane county, Oregon.
Interest was again directed to the south in 1901, and Mr. Lindsay, with
Weyerhaeuser & Denkmann, the Laird, Norton Company, Dimock, Gould &
Company, and the Richardson interests, formed the Southland Lumber Company on
May 4 of that year, for the purchase of timber lands in Louisiana. Its officers
are: F. E. Weyerhaeuser, president; F. C. Denkmann, vice president; George F.
Lindsay, secretary and treasurer; Fred Wyman, assistant secretary and treasurer.
The directors are F. Weyerhaeuser, E. P. Denkmann, H. A. Ainsworth, J. E.
Lindsay, F. S. Bell, F. H. Thatcher, Fred C. Denkmann, Calvin Ainsworth, Joe R.
Lane, M. N. Richardson and Fred Wyman. The present holdings are in southwestern
Louisiana and approximate one hundred and thirty thousand acres of longleaf
yellow pine.
The Southern Lumber Company of Arkansas was organized January 28, 1902, by
Weyerhaeuser & Denkmann, Dimock, Gould & Company, the Richardson
interests and J. E. Lindsay, purchasing the holdings of the Lindsay Land &
Lumber Company, previously referred to, and has at the present time a sawmill in
active operation at Warren, Arkansas, and seventy thousand acres of shortleaf
yellow pine. The officers are F. E. Weyerhaeuser, president; E. P. Denkmann,
vice president; George F. Lindsay, secretary; Fred Wyman, treasurer; N. H.
Clapp, Jr., assistant secretary and treasurer and general manager. The directors
are F. Weyerhaeuser, C. H. Ainsworth, J. E. Lindsay, F. E. Weyerhueuser, E. P.
Denkmann, Calvin Ainsworth, Joe R. Lane, Fred Wyman and M. N. Richardson.
Mr. Lindsay is still active in business, keeping in touch with the affairs of
the companies with which he is connected, and spending several hours daily at
his office. Local enterprises have always received the strong support of Lindsay
& Phelps, and Mr. Phelps was before his death, and Mr. Lindsay now is,
identified with many local organizations.
Mr. Lindsay married in 1858 Mary Helen Phelps at Schroon River, Essex county,
New York. Three children were born of this union; Ralph E. Lindsay; Mrs. Fred
Wyman, who died in 1905; and George F. Lindsay. Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay have two
grandchildren, Edith Helen Wyman and Edwin Blair Lindsay.
Mr. Lindsay has always manifested a deep interest in the religious and
charitable institutions of the community. He is identified with the Baptist
church, having been one of its most loyal supporters for many years. His
interest in young men was evidenced by his liberal contribution to the Young
Men's Christian Association.
The results of environment are very apparent in a man of Mr. Lindsay's
character. Long years of association with kindly mother nature as exemplified in
her vast forests have intensified in him those ingerent qualities which are
characteristic of the grandest forest growth. Their physical qualities find
their counterpart in his mentality - strength of purpose, uprightness of
character and those other admirable traits which are typified by the giants of
the forest and th stalwarts among men. He has a minute knowledge of lumber and
logs which always he is glad to share generously with his friends and of which
they partake with the utmost confidence in his judgment, notably in his home
city, the center of a great lumber interest, where and in the adjoining cities
of Rock Island and Moline between the members of the Lindsay & Phelps Lumber
Company and all competitive lumber and logging interests in the three cities Mr.
Lindsay's thorough knowledge and sterling character are well known and highly
honored.
While of a modest and retiring disposition, one's first impression of Mr.
Lindsay, unconsciously conveyed by him, is that of personal dignity; yet he is
always approachable. He is never hasty in judgment and his decisions are always
the result of intelligent deliberation. Perhaps the only voluntary exercise of
his innate qualities that needs restraint is his ready generosity, his practical
sympathy for misfortune. In the sense that makes the characteristic a strongly
commendable one, he is one of the most conspicuous figures in the lumber
industry of the middle west.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
Mrs. Cathrina Lage, who resides at No. 1445 West Third street, is the widow of
Jochem Lage, who was one of the early German settlers of Scott county, and she
also belonged to a family who came here among the pioneers. She was born in
Holstein, Germany, August 1, 1843, a daughter of Claus and Anna Weise. Her
father died when she was very young and her mother married again. In 1852 the
family emigrated to America and, landing at New Orleans, ascended the
Mississippi river to Davenport. Her stepfather remained for a time in Scott
county and then removed to Clinton county, Iowa, where he bought a tract of farm
land upon which he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives.
Mrs. Lage grew to womanhood in Iowa and became very conversant with agricultural
methods, for when she came here in the early days there was much to be done and
a large share of the work fell to the daughters of a family. On the 26th of
June, 1864, she gave her hand in marriage to Jochem Lage. He was born in
Holstein, Germany, October 24, 1838, and was about nine years of age when in
1847 his parents, Henry and Anna Lage sailed for America. Choosing the southern
route, they landed at New Orleans, whence they took a boat up the Mississippi
river to St. Louis, Missouri. They remained in that city a few months and then
came to Davenport. In Cleona township, Scott county, Henry Lage, bought eighty
acres of prairie land, on which he built a small house and made other
improvements, living there until his death in 1858.
Jochem Lage continued to live with his parents, assisting his father in the farm
work and later assuming some of the responsibilty in the operation of the
homestead, until he married. Then he and his wife started housekeeping upon
eighty acres of land adjoining the parental place, which had been given to him
by his father. He resided there eight years and then he removed to Davenport,
where he engaged in the real-estate business, to which he devoted his attention
profitably for a number of years. He died January 24, 1892, having witnessed in
the forty odd years he had been a resident of Scott county the great development
of its agricultural possibilities and participated in the growth of Davenport
from villagehood to a flourishing commercial center.
Mrs.Lage became the mother of nine children, as follows: Henry, who is married
and lives in Richmond, Missouri; Laura, who makes her home with her mother;
Emma, who is the widow of Amiel Fick and has three children, Laura and the
twins, Harry and Hattie; Otto and Louisa, both at home; Clara, the wife of
Joseph Nadler, of Moline, Illinois; Hugo, at home; and two who died in infancy.
Having experienced many of the hardships of pioneer life in her youth, Mrs. Lage
derives added pleasure from the comforts she now enjoys, and from the knowledge
that her several children are well established in their respective positions in
life. In politics Mr. Lage was a democrat.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
There are a few men who pass from this life that leave behind them among their
friends a sense of such uniform sorrow as did Rudolph Lange when he was called
to the home beyond. He had for many years been a resident of Davenport and his
good qualities had endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. He was born
in Kassel, Germany, March 7, 1832, and acquired his education in that country,
where the period of his minority was spent. He was a young man of twenty-two
years when in 1854 he bade adieu to the fatherland and sailed for the United
States, landing at New York, where he remained for a brief period. He then
started westward, going first to Pittsburg, where he continued for a time, and
later proceeding ro Fort Madison, Iowa. Soon afterward he removed to the
vicinity of Burlington and while there residing was united in marriage to Miss
Caroline Schlapp, thus laying the foundation for a happy home life. While there
residing he established and conducted a grocery store until the latter part of
the '60s, when he removed to St. Louis, where he remained until 1870. In the
latter year he came to Davenport and soon acquired the interests of Henry
Knoepper and George H. Schlapp in the Arsenal Brewery in East Davenport. About
1872 the firm of Koehler & Lange was formed and the operation of this
brewery was continued by the firm until they sold out in 1896 to the Davenport
Malting Company. The business was carefully conducted along systematic lines and
the enterprise, diligence and close application of Mr. Lange contributed in
large measure to their success.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lange were born three children: Emil, who is now living in Los
Angeles, California; Adelia, the wife of Dr. H. Pape; and Ella, at home. Mr.
Lange erected a fine residence on Fulton avenue, which is occupied by his widow
and daughter, and he delighted to dispense its hospitality to his many friends.
He was quiet and unostentatious in manner, but those who came within the circle
of his friendship found him a genial, courteous and considerate gentleman, while
in his own home he exemplified the spirit of an ideal husband and father. He
held membership in Damon Lodge, No. 10, K. P., and also in the East Davenport
Turner Society. He never courted favor and probably never weighed a single act
of his life in the scale of public policy but he had high standing among the
business men of the city, and at his death which occurred December 18, 1897,
left no enemies. His political allegiance was given to the democracy and he was
a public-spirited man in that he endorsed and supported all measures and
movements for the general good.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by Harry
E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
Among the older members of the Davenport bar who won well merited fame and
distinction during the thirty-five years of his practice in the courts of Iowa
was James T. Lane. While the practice of law was his real life work, his strong
and forceful nature, broad minded and intelligent appreciation of the real
values of life brought him prominently before the people in other connections
and he became widely known in fraternal, political, social and church circles.
He was born March 16, 1830, at Freeport, Pennsylvania. His father was proprietor
of a general store and the son assisted him as clerk behind the counter and in
other ways through the period of vacation and after school hours until seventeen
years of age, the remainder of his time being given to the acquirement of an
education. He was ambitious, however, to enjoy better educational privileges
than had here been afforded him, and with an elder brother he entered the
university at Lewisburg, at that time a Baptist institution of note. It required
six days to make the journey from Freeport to Lewisburg by stage coach and
canal, for such was the primitive method of travel at that time. Mr. Lane was a
close and apt student, a lover of books, quick and able in debate even in his
school days. He eagerly embraced the advantages which were offered him and
acquired a knowledge that constituted an excellent foundation upon which to
build the success of his later life. Following his graduation he returned home
and, with the desire to make the legal profession his life work, spent two years
in Butler, Pennsylvania, in reading law under the direction of General Purviance
afterward attorney general for the state.
Admitted to the bar, Mr. Lane came to Davenport, February 23, 1854. He was a
passenger on the first through train from Chicago to Rock Island, which was then
the western terminus of the road. At once he opened an office and for
thirty-five years continued in active practice here. In the spring of 1855, he
returned to Butler, where he married Annie J. Reed, whom he brought as his bride
to Davenport. They became the parents of a son and daughter. Joe R. Lane, the
former, is a prominent member of the Davenport bar, while the latter was Mrs.
Iles. With the added stimulus of having a home to provide for, he bent every
energy toward building up a good practice and recognized that this must be done
by making his professional labor of value to his clients. He was very careful
and ernest in the preparation of cases, was always accurate in the application
of a legal principle and in debate was strong, forceful and logical. In 1856 he
was appointed city attorney, which position he filled for a year. Later other
political honors were conferred upon him. On the 4th of September, 1861, he was
nominated by the republicans of the county for representative to the state
legislature and was elected. He served during 1867 and 1868 as county attorney
and the following year became a member of the school board, his incumbency
continuing through 1871. He also took a keen interest in education and was the
champion of every measure which he believed beneficial to the interests of the
schools. In 1873 the republican state convention nominated him as one of the
eleven presidential electors and in the campaign that followed he took an active
part, as he always did, for he was ever an active, loyal and stalwart supporter
of the principles in which he believed. In the same year President Grant
nominated him for the position of United States district attorney for Iowa, the
duties of the position being at that time much more onerous and important than
at the present. During his term of office he was called in to the federal courts
all over the state and his reputation was heightened by the able service which
he rendered and the comprehensive knowledge of law which he displayed. As United
States district attorney he gained valuable experience and wide acquaintance
that proved of inestimable benefit to him as he continued in the practice of his
profession.
The law partnership of Davison & Lane was formed in April, 1873, and
continued until November 1, 1889, when it was dissolved by the withdrawal of Mr.
Lane on account of impaired health. He died March 19, 1890, in Denver, Colorado,
and throughout Davenport there swept a feeling of intense regret and sorrow. He
had practiced law in this city for more than a generation. He was a man of
notable mental and physical strength and utilized his time and his talents not
only for the promotion of his individual interests but for the benefit of the
general public as well. He was recognized as one of the leading republicans in
the state and his opinions always carried weight in the councils of his party.
As an orator he displayed an eloquence that never failed to leave its impress
upon his hearers, his speech frequently thrilling those who listened to him, his
ability in this direction proving a potent force in his addresses to the jury.
He was always kind and courteous to his professional brethren, considerate of a
witness and deferential to the court, believing that the dignity of the law
should ever be sustained.
For over thirty years Mr. Lane was connected with nearly all of the
organizations which had for their object the improvement or betterment of
Davenport. To mention these in detail would be to give a history of the state.
Suffice it to say that all who are familiar with the annals of the state know
how important and valuable a part he took in its upbuilding. He was a prominent
and helpful member of the Baptist church and an enthusiastic, exemplary Mason,
becoming one of the earliest members of Davenport Lodge, A. F. & A. M. When
Fraternal Lodge was organized he became one of its charter members and was
elected its first worshipful master. He was also a member of Davenport Chapter,
No. 16, R. A. M., and a Sir Knight of St. Simon of Cyrene Commandery, K. T., of
which he was past commander. He was also made deputy grand commander of the Iowa
Commandery and acted as a delegate from this state to the triennial conclave at
San Fransisco in 1883. All these varied interests brought him a large
acquiantance and it is said that he knew personally every prominent man in Iowa.
When death claimed him he was mourned as a great lawyer, as a distinguished
political leader, as an exemplary brother of the Masonic fraternity and more
than all as a good man. He manifested the qualities that have come to be known
as those of a practical idealist, for, while he labored to secure the adoption
of measures and projects which represented the highest standards, he knew how to
use the means at hand for the accomplishment of this purpose. His integrity in
no relation of life was ever called into question and the simple weight of his
character and ability carried him into most important and prominent relations.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
George W. Leamer, long connected with agricultural interests, is now living
retired in Davenport but is still the owner of eighty acres of fine farm land in
LeClaire township. His life of well directed energy and thrift has brought him a
creditable measure of success, while his fidelity to upright principles has
gained him the respect of his fellowmen.
Mr. Leamer was born in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1830, and has,
therefore, passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey. His parents, George
and Mary (Seibers) Leamer, were both natives of Pennsylvania and of German
descent. The father was a farmer by occupation and both he and his wife spent
their entire lives in the Keystone state. Their son, George W. Leamer, pursued
his education in the schools of his native county and through the periods of
vacation worked with his father on the farm and continued to aid in the
cultivation of the fields of the old homestead until he came to the middle west
in 1856, settling in LeClaire township, Scott county. More than half a century,
has since come and gone and he has witnessed many changes as this district has
become thickly settled and all of the improvements and advantages of the older
east have been introduced. He was influenced to choose this county as a place of
residence from the fact that he had two older brothers living here, one of whom
bought the farm for Mr. Leamer. After cultivating his land for a year Mr. Leamer
returned to Pennsylvania and was married in 1857. Immediately afterward he
started back with his bride, whom he had wedded on the 4th of June. She bore the
maiden name of Elizabeth Jane Smiley and was a daughter of William and Jane
Smiley, of Pennsylvania. Arriving in Scott county, they began their domestic
life upon a farm which was a tract of eighty acres, only partially improved. Mr.
Leamer continued to cultivate that farm until 1886 and in the interim purchased
other land, for he prospered as the years went by and in the course of time
acquired a comfortable competence that now enables him to enjoy a well earned
rest. His life has been one of diligence and industry and his success has come
as the merited reward for earnest, honest labor.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Leamer were born four children. William A., who lives upon the
old homestead, married Anna Shellenberger and they have five children: Herbert,
Lillian, Mildred, Cecil and Duane. Emma is the widow of George Reid. Jennie died
at the age of one year. Bertha J. is the wife of L. W. McCowen of Davenport, by
whom she has three children: Ethel, Russell and Eugene. Mr. and Mrs. Leamer
celebrated their golden wedding in June, 1907.
Mr. Leamer has served as a school director and has always been a champion of the
cause of public education. He has been a lifelong member of the Baptist church,
in which he has served as deacon and has ever been loyal to its teachings. His
life has been a busy, useful and honorable one and his sterling qualities have
gained him the respect and good will of all who know him.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by Harry
E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
The name of Frank J. Peto deserves place on the list of Davenport's honored dead
because of the fact that he was a reliable and progressive business man, long
connected with the wholesale and retail saddlery trade of this city. The growth
and development of a community does not depend upon a single individual or even
upon a few but upon the aggregate efforts of the many, and by his diligence,
determination and intelligent effort Frank J. Peto not only won success for
himself but also contributed his full share to the work of general advancement.
He resided for many years at No. 424 West Eighth street. He was one of
Davenport's native sons, his parents, Frank J. and Louisa (Dames) Peto, having
been early citizens here. In fact the father was one of the first settlers of
the town and aided in promoting its early progress. At the usual age Frank J.
Peto was sent to the public schools and after putting aside his text-books
joined his father in business and was associated with him up to the time of his
death. They conducted a wholesale and retail saddlery enterprise and the
excellence of their product insured them a ready sale on the market. Moreover,
their business methods were such as would bear close investigation and scrutiny,
the firm enjoying high reputation for reliability.
On the 18th of March, 1901, Mr. Peto was united in marriage to Miss Laura Wiese,
a daughter of Fred and Christiana (Schnock) Wiese, who, as the name indicates,
were of German lineage. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Peto was blessed with two
children, Alice E. and Camilla. Mr. Peto was popular and prominent in local
fraternal organizations, holding membership with the Knights of Pythias, the
Modern Woodmen of America and the I. C. M. A. He was a man of even temperament,
of social disposition, of genial and kindly nature and at all times was
considerate of the rights and privileges of others. These qualities won him high
regard and in Davenport, the city of his residence, he had a circle of friends
almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by Harry
E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
Mathias Proudfoot was for many years identified with the agricultural interests
of Scott county but is now living retired, having in former years accumulated a
good farming property of two hundred and forty acres, lying in Lincoln, Le
Claire and Davenport townships. He is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Cambria
county, May 24, 1834, and is second in order of birth in a family of seven
children, whose parents were Richard J. and Rebecca Proudfoot. In 1861 the
father removed with his family, numbering wife and several children, to Scott
county and located a farm in Lincoln township, this tract now being owned by our
subject. The father erected a good house and outbuildings on the place and in
due time had his fields in a cultivable condition, each year harvesting good
crops. The farm continued to be his home throughout his remaining years. Both
parents lived to be eighty years old and were highly respected in the community.
Three of their children died in infancy, while the others are: Richard, who has
also departed this life; Mathias, of this review; Eliza, the wife of Thomas
Douglass and a resident of Wyoming, Iowa; and Emeline, the wife of J. W. Baker.
Mathias Proudfoot was reared in the Keystone state and acquired his education in
the public schools. In his early manhood he learned the carpenter's trade, which
he followed for a time in the east. In 1861, when a young man of twenty-six
years, he came with his parents to Scott county and became identified with
farming. His father purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, which
constitutes a portion of his present acreage, and after this came into his
possession he added one hundred and twenty acres more, so that he now owns
altogether two hundred and forty acres, located in Lincoln, LeClaire and
Davenport townships. For many years he gave his entrie time to the operation of
this land and has become a very successful man. He recently put aside business
cares and makes his home with his sister Mrs. Baker. However, he still owns his
land, which he rents.
Mr. Proudfoot was married in May, 1884, to Miss Eliza Walker, a daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. William Walker, of Scott county. Her death occurred ten years later.
Mr. Proudfoot votes with the republican party but is not active in public
affairs. He has led a busy, energetic and useful life and his labors have been
rewarded by a competency that enables him to withdraw from active business.
Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer
From "Vol 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" by
Harry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago
Written by: CHARLES HICKLEN PRESTON
Those best acquainted with the early history of medicine in Iowa will agree that
no one man has done more to advance the standing of the profession in the state
than Dr. W. F. Peck. Setting a high mark for individual attainment, making his
own name as a surgeon second to none in the west, he was at the same time
far-seeing and active in the furtherance of measures for the collective
advancement of his calling. He did the effective organizing work and largely
influenced the legislation which gave the university its medical department; he
was among the foremost in procuring the medical license law and board of medical
examiners; his counsels live in the state board of health, State Medical Society
and State Orphans'Home; and Iowa' efficient railroad surgical service, in which
work this state was a pioneer, was organized by him.
Washington Freeman Peck was born in Galen, Wayne county, New York, January 22,
1841. His parents, William H. and Alida (Hawes) Peck, both natives of the Empire
state, were, the former of English and Scotch, the latter of Dutch descent. His
great-grandfather, Nathan Peck, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and a
descendant of Deacon William Peck, a London merchant who, with his wife and son
Jeremiah, came to this country on the ship Hector in company with Governor
Eaton, John Davenport and other stanch Puritans, arriving in Boston in the
spring of 1637. The next year Deacon William and his associates founded the New
Haven colony, and Jeremiah became the first teacher in the New Haven collegiate
school.
Mr. Peck, though lacking the advantages of a general education, beyond that to
be obtained in the common schools, was a tireless student in the school of life.
By keenly observing and diligently applying the lessons there learned he
accomplished results beyond those achieved by most college graduates, and the
degree of A. M. later conferred on him was exceptionally well earned.
He was graduated from Bellevue Hospital Medical College in the spring of 1863,
with the highest honors of his class, being the first student to matriculate in
this the first medical college in the land to successfully combine clinical with
didactic teaching. During his three years at medical college he secured,
together with lectures from the foremost professional celebrities of the day,
three months' service each in the hospitals on Blackwell's and Randall's islands
and eighteen months of invaluable experience in the wards of Bellevue. Also,
just before graduating, he availed himself of a trip as ship surgeon to Havana
and back, and at the close of his Bellevue service entered Lincoln General
Hospital, Washington, D. C., as a contract surgeon. Here he did good work and
made valuable acquaintances until, weakened by an attack of pneumonia, he was
compelled to resign from the very arduous duties of the place in May, 1864.
While treating a neglected gunshot wound during his service in Washington he had
the misfortune to infect his right index finger, resulting in permanent
anchylosis. A'less courageous man might have been disheartened; but he was
thankful to escape without the threatened loss of his hand, and the crippled
finger learned to do excellent work.
Returning to the parental home at Clyde in his native county, he allowed himself
only a few weeks for recuperation, then set his face to the west and arrived at
Rock Island, June 9, 1864, in his twenty-fourth year and ready to work. This
place he had chosen as his prospective field of labor, but after inspecting both
towns he was better pleased with Davenport across the river. Here he fitted up
an office on Third street near Brady, making a sleeping room of his
"sanctum" and taking board at the old "Burtis." By July 2d,
as his journal records, he had taken part in a consultation; had joined the
"Hawkeye Club;" was about to affiliate with the local Masons, having
taken the Master's degree as a student; and, was able to write: "My office
business up to date has paid my expenses." Thus promptly did he become
identified with the community his name was to honor.
Though barely out of his teens when he began hospital work and study in the
great city his jounal of that period plainly reveals the traits which marked his
character through life. Fully realizing that right success means persistent hard
work, together with habits conservative of bodily health and strength, he chose
"Success" as his motto and, yielding to no indulgence, losing no
opportunity and sparing no effort, he bent all his energies to attain it.
Working early and late in the wards and at study, that he might find time for
clinics and such lectures as he selected to attend; never avoiding but rather
courting work; planning, even scheming, for additional tasks; eager for the
additional knowledge and training they would afford; perfecting his hand on
every occasion in minor surgical manipulations; always ready to assist in, or
himself to conduct an operation; losing no opportunity to make post mortem
examinations and carefully to note their impressive lessons, he reaped much
fuller returns from his student years than if, mostly retiring, or allowing
himself to be pushed aside, he had done only the work needed to obtain his
diploma.
Keenly alive to the stirring news and events of the day, both on the field and
in the halls of congress, Dr. Peck's deepest interest was still in medical
affairs and medical men. Self-assured but unassuming, he made good use of his
almost daily association with the foremost lecturers and surgeons of the land.
Such men as J. R. Wood, the Motts and the Flints; Hamilton, Sayre, Parker and
Smith; professor Silliman, of Yale, and Drs. Gross and Pancoast, of
Philadelphia, took an especial interest in the bright, energetic youth, and he
suffered no needless reticence to deprive him of the full advantage of his
association with them. He did not neglect social duties, however, exchanged
frequent letters with mother, sister and brother; visited relatives and friends
in the city; heard a sermon when he could; enjoyed a play now and then, and
indulged rarely in a friendly game of whist.
His student days over and a successful career as a surgeon opening up brightly
before him in the west, Dr. Peck returned to his native state at the end of his
first year of practice and was united in marriage, September 18, 1865, to Miss
Maria Purdy, of Butler, Wayne county, New York, who became his ever efficient
helper thereafter to the close of his life, and who, with one daughter, Mrs.
Henry Vollmer, of Davenport, survives him. Another daughter and an only son died
in early youth.
In 1866 Dr. Peck was made secretary of the Scott County Medical Society, became
its president a few years later, and in 1876 was elected to the presidency of
the State Medical Society, thus rapidly advancing to the front rank of his
profession. He became an active member of the American Medical Association,
served as its vice president and was honored with the chairmanship of its
surgical section, being also chosen a member of the American Surgical
Association, an organization whose membership is limited to one hundred.
The story of Dr. Peck's surgical and educational work was well and concisely
told in an article prepared for the "Bigraphical History and Portrait
Gallery of Scott County, Iowa," 1895, by the late Dr. W. D. Middleton, his
first student, his life-long friend and and associate, and his worthy successor
as dean of the medical faculty of the State University of Iowa. Dr. Middleton
writes:
"To the educational work of the profession Dr. Peck at once addressed
himself with the ardor of an enthusiast, and to him the state of Iowa is
indebted for the medical department of its state University an institution which
reflects credit on its founder and upon the great state by which it is fostered
and supported. In 1868 he conceived the idea of building up a medical college in
Iowa which would afford facilities for the first-class education of young men
desiring to enter the medical profession, and in order that the institution
might be established upon a permanent basis, he determined to make it a
department of the State University at Iowa City. He first laid his plans before
Judge John F. Dillon, now of New York, then a distinguished citizen of
Davenport, and sucured his hearty cooperation. Then, in June of 1869, a
comparatively unknown young man, he presented himself before the trustees of the
university and proposed the creation of a medical department. He came before the
board unheralded but full of the subject with which he had to deal, enthusiastic
in his expectations and eloquent in his appeals for liberal treatment of his
profession by the officials of what should be a university in fact as well as in
name. Surprising as it may seem he carried the board with him, and the
preliminary steps were taken toward the establishment of the medical school. in
those days, however, the university was poor, and from the day it was founded
the medical department was in financial straits. An organization was not
effected, or at least perfected, until 1870, and this was accomplished in the
face of difficulties of the most discouraging and perplexing kind. When the
organization was finally completed Dr. Peck was made professor of surgery, and
became dean of the faculty and the executive head of the department of medicine.
Then came the struggle to secure the needed assistance from the state
Legislature, to overcome hostility engendered by professional rivalry, and to
carry on at the same time a work which would compel recognition and approval of
the project. At another city in the state a medical college had been established
at an earlier date, calling itself a department of the State University and with
an ambition to be recognized as such. The charter of the university, however,
precluded such recognition of an institution not located at Iowa City, and the
plan proposed by Dr. Peck was the only feasible proposition for connecting a
medical course with the university course. Nevertheless new antagonisms and
sectional jealousies were aroused to such an extent that at times the
advancement of the project seemed almost hopeless. Year after year the struggle
continued, and the indomitable will power, the high courage and ceaseless effort
of Dr. Peck contributed more than anything else to final success. Supported by a
loyal and competent faculty he made the medical department an institution which
commanded the respect and admiration of all those who were interested in the
general upbuilding of the university, and by and by the opposition to it ceased,
appropriations for its maintenance were freely made, and its founders realized
the full fruition of their hopes."
In this connection the Hon. John P. Irish, then one of the University board of
trustees, now naval officer of customs at the port of San Francisco, who was an
active co-worker in the project of the new school, and without whose efficient
aid it would probably have failed, writes:
"The real founder of the medical department of the State University of Iowa
was Dr. Peck. The suggestion of the foundation came from myself, * * * I made of
its (the University's) interests a specialty in the legislature and secured for
it the first appropriation that it ever received from the state treasurey."
In working for this appropriation Mr. Irish had in view, as he says, the
establishing of both a legal and a medical department of the university, rightly
reasoning that through them he would enlist for it the sympathy and support of
most of the influential men of the state.
"Something over fifty thousand dollars" was voted and the law
department, under Chancellor Hammond, was started in 1868. Later "the first
concrete action" was taken toward the establishing of a medical department
when Dr. Peck, Mr. Irish and Professor Gustavus Hinrichs met in Mr. Irish's
office to discuss the project. The outlook was not an encouraging one. There was
no money in sight, a faculty had to be secured who would serve without pay, and
the determined opposition of the Keokuk Medical School had to be met. It proved
a strong opposition, both in the legislature and throughout the state, and
"the early years (of the department) were passed in storm and
tempest." But Dr. Peck was a fighter, and he was ably seconded. From the
legislature of 1870 Mr. Irish secured a second appropriation of sixty-three
thousand dollars, and by the most strenuous effort prevented the passage of a
proviso that none of it should be used for the medical department. The victory
was won; but, as Mr. Irish declares: "There would have been no medical
school but for Dr. Peck. It was founded in his professional zeal, his enormous
capacity for work, his command of the art of persuasion, his sleepless
vigilance, his right intutions and his spirit of scrifice."
To quote further from Dr. Middleton's article:
"Soon after he came to Davenport Dr. Peck was made local surgeon of the
Rock Island Railroad Company. At that time the company had no organized medical
department, nor is it probable that any such department was connected with a
western railroad, if indeed any of the railway corporations of the country had
progressed to that extent. The work which came to Dr. Peck, however, as local
railway surgeon was well done; so well that it commended him to the great and
constantly growing corporation, and in 1875 he was designated to act as
surgeon-in-chief of the company and to him was assigned the task of organizing
its medical and surgical department. To this task he addressed himself with an
energy and tenacity of purpose which precluded the possibility of failure,
evincing an executive ability of as high character as his professional
attainments, and the result was the organization of a medical department of the
Rock Island Railway Company, which is today pronounced by competent judges the
best and most efficient organization of its kind in the United States. As chief
of this department Dr. Peck had on his surgical staff during the later years of
his life, nearly one hundred surgeons located at different points on the lines
of the railway company, and his personal attention was given to a vast amount of
surgical work. His labors in this field gained for him wide distinction, and
when he summed up the results of his experience and observation in a paper read
before the American Medical Association, while acting as chairman of the
surgical section of the association, his paper was published in all the leading
medical journals of America and also in the pricipal medical journals of Europe,
translated in numerous foreign languages.
"With the extension of his practice, with surgery as his specialty, the
character, of the operations successfully performed by Dr. Peck attracted
attention and made him famous not only among his professional brethren but among
the people at large. As early as 1882 he had successfully performed the
operation for the relief of appendicitis. * * * * * It is not known that Dr.
Peck (whose modesty was a distinguishing characteristic) ever made any claim of
originality of method in this operation, but the statement of other eminent
physicians is to the effect that the operation was the first of the kind
performed in the United States. * * * * In 1886 he went abroad to find that his
fame had preceded him, and that physicians, scientists and public officials in
the old world were by no means unfamiliar with his name and achievements. At
this time he spent six months in study and travel on the continent, and in
England, Scotland and Ireland; and in 1890 he again went abroad as a delegate to
the International Medical Congress held in Berlin, and to the British Medical
Association, which met at Birmingham."
Of Mercy Hospital, Davenport, and Mercy Hospital, Iowa City, Dr. Peck was the
honored founder and trusted adviser. Having secured for both the efficient
management of the Sisters of Mercy, he served till his death at the head of
their medical boards. Of the former institution which, almost equally with the
university medical department, stands as a monument to his professional
philanthropic zeal, the story is an interesting one. Almost at once on coming to
Davenport he was impressed by the need of some better provision for the sick and
the injured, especially among the friendless poor, and he enlisted the aid of
prominent citizens - among them John L. Davies and C. S. Watkins, members of the
county board of supervisors, in a movement to secure the establishment of a city
hospital. They were successful to the extent that the board authorized the
purchase of a building located at Eighth and Brown streets to be used for the
purpose; but this action was later rescinded. Dr. Peck then sought to induce
Father Borlando, head of a Chatholic institution at Georgetown, D. C., to
establish a Sisters hospital here. Borlando came, but, after due consideration,
decided against the project. Soon after, however, the Sisters of Mercy from De
Witt proposed to open an asylum here for the insane paupers, then kept in the
poor house. Dr. Peck saw his opportunity and offered his gratuitous services,
with those of an associate medical board, for the conducting of a general
hospital, thus securing for the city an institution which has now no superior of
its kind in the west. At his suggestion it was located on the ground purchased
in 1867 by Father Pelamourgues, of blessed memory, for the Sisters of The
Immaculate Conception.
Mr. Watkins, who was one of Dr. Peck's earliest patrons and friends, in
Davenport, and who contributes in substance, the above account of the origin of
Mercy Hospital, gives also an interesting picture of the man as he knew him. His
general conversation and all his energies, writes Mr. Watkins, were in the line
of his profession. He took, or seemed to take, little interest in politics,
business or religion. Without egotism he loved appreciation, but was most
concerned to win self-approval. Easy to be imposed on in money matters and
giving little thought to personal profit, "I have never in all my
experience," says Mr. Watkins, "met with any one so completely and
practically a friend of humanity as Dr. Peck." He would pick up deformed
children on the streets, advise their parents as to what might be done for them,
and care for the little unfortunates, often regardless of recompense of expense.
The sick and suffering poor, if worthy, always found in him a friend; he would
give them his best services freely and seek to lighten their afflictions even
when overburdened with troubles of his own. Although by contact with the world
he developed a husk, as it were, which was not always so easily opened, he
remained, to all who knew him in those earlier days, "the genial,
kind-hearted and truly affectionate Dr. Peck."
In 1888, over-taxed by the demands of his large practice and his extensive
charitable and educational work, his health began to fail, and by the summer of
1891 he was obliged to retire from active life. Made professor emeritus of
surgery on his resignation from the medical department he had founded, it was
hoped he might be long spared to give it his counsel; but, his health continuing
to fail, he died at his home in Davenport, December 12, 1891.
The writer of this sketch spent some months in Dr. Peck's office when first
starting in practice in Davenport, assisting him in caring for the first
sufferers of the cholera epidemic of 1873 and enjoyed his friendship thereafter
to the close of his life. Having known him thus intimately I do not find the
warm words in his praise above quoted to be in any way too strong - he deserved
them all. He had his enemies, it is true, and they found in him a good fighter.
Determined and courageous but always fair, having engaged in a just cause he
spared no one who stood in his way to "success." Though giving little
time or thought to general business matters he yet knew how to bind to him loyal
friends who cared for his interests as their own. His power to attract and
interest young men especially was phenomenal, and under his inspiring leadership
many adopted and followed up the laborious paths which conduct to honor and
success in the medical profession. Though always ready with his best services
and sympathy for the afflicted he held it right to charge roundly for good work,
where there was abilitly to pay, and he generally made sure of his fees in
advance, especially from those belonging to the profligate or dead-beat class.
With little use for new remedies as a rule, giving comparatively little medicine
of any kind, indeed, prescribing only when the indications were plain, and then,
for the most part; single drugs, he inspired a confidence and cheer in his
patients which were better than medicine, and which made his very presence in
the sickroom curative. He was sometimes accused by those less careful and less
courageous than himself, of cutting ruthlessly for the sake of cutting. No one,
I think, could have been less deserving of this accusation. His first care was
always to consider well both the need for and the probable outcome of an
operation. These decided in its favor he went ahead fearlessly and did his best.
But he would often decided against operations which others less considerate and
less skilled in diagnosis were quite ready to undertake. Born to, and loving his
profession, he strongly opposed any lowering of its ethical standards, and gave
the hand of fellowship only to those he esteemed worthy. Too busy to be a great
reader (save from the page of living pathology ever open before him), even the
medical books and journals - the best of which he kept always about him - would
often accumulate unread on his table. Genial socially, loved and respected by
all classes, there was yet a certain reserve, amounting almost to hauteur, about
him which prevented his becoming the hail-fellow well-met so common in the
medical profession. Of medium height and build, his decided step and voice,
sharp but kindly blue eye, and commanding presence proclaimed him the leader in
any assembly he attended, and he was seldom absent from and important council of
his fellows. His short fifty years were crowded full of achievement. May Iowa be
blessed with many more such workers.