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MRS. FANNY
PETERSON.
Mrs. Fanny Peterson, well known in Avoca and
Pottawattamie county, was born in Montgomery county,
Indiana, on the 13th of February, 1831, her parents
being Carson and Mary (Taylor) Wood, the former
a native of North Carolina, and the latter of
Georgia. In their family were twelve children,
of whom seven are yet living, namely: Mrs. Peterson;
Nancy, the wife of Joseph Moore, of Dallas county,
Iowa; John, living in South Dakota; Lucinda, the
wife of Isaac Reed, of the state of Washington;
Almeda, the wife of Lorenzo Hall; and Thomas and
William, who are in Mexico. It was in the year
1843 that Carson Wood came to Iowa, settling first
near Des Moines and afterward he removed to Greene
county, this state. Later he became a resident
of Missouri, where his last days were passed,
but his wife died in Pottawattamie county, Iowa.
Fanny Wood was a maiden of twelve years when
she came to Iowa with her family. She was reared
under the parental roof and in 1852, when twenty-one
years of age, gave her hand in marriage to Henry
H. Peterson, a native of Maine, who was of English
and Irish descent. He was the youngest of a family
of fourteen children and arrived in Iowa in the
early '40s. The marriage was celebrated in Dallas
county and three years later Mr. and Mrs. Peterson
became residents of Pottawattamie county, where
he purchased a tract of land, on which he built
a log house fourteen by sixteen feet. It had a
puncheon floor and a puncheon door and there was
one window in the little cabin. They
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occupied this primitive dwelling for several
years and at that time Mr. Peterson had to haul
all of his crops to Council Bluffs, which was
not only the nearest market but also the nearest
trading point where they could obtain supplies.
It required from three to four days to make the
trip, according to the condition of the roads
and the weather. Many hardships and difficulties
incident to frontier life were borne by this worthy
couple, but they possessed strong purpose and
indomitable courage and the years brought pleasing
changes in the pioneer conditions. As time passed
Mr. Peterson bought more property, becoming the
owner of large landed interests, having two hundred
and sixty-five acres, and his widow still has
in her possession one hundred and forty-two acres
of the land which they first purchased on coming
to the county more than a half century ago. This
farm is situated on section 21, Knox township
and is a valuable property, bearing little resemblance
today to the wild and unimproved tract of land
which came into their possession. It is now a
valuable farm, supplied with all modern equipments
and indicating in its excellent appearance the
careful supervision which is given it.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were born eight children,
of whom six are yet living: Fanny Jane, now the
wife of Winfield Scott, a resident of Avoca; William
C., who is a widower and lives with his mother
and daughter Cecil on the old home farm; Charles
M., now in Canada; Mary, the wife of M. L. Gordon
of Iowa; Almeda, the wife of Charles True, whose
home is near Avoca; and Minnie, at home. Mr. and
Mrs. True had two sons: Harold A., who died September
17, 1907, and Warren C., at home.
The husband and father died May 16, 1897. A happy
married life of forty-five years was vouchsafed
to Mr. and Mrs. Peterson and during this long
period they shared with each other its joys and
sorrows, its adversity and prosperity, their mutual
love and confidence increasing as the years were
added to the cycle of the centuries. They knew
what it was to be denied many of the comforts
known to the older east, for during their pioneer
experiences in Pottawattamie county it was difficult
to secure supplies which are now considered an
essential feature of every home. Much that the
farmers lived upon they raised and they were dependent
upon their own labors for various articles of
utility in the home. Neighbors, however, in those
days were very kindly and were willing to help
each other and there were many pleasures to be
enjoyed that are unknown at the present day. Mrs.
Peterson has long witnessed the growth and development
of the county and may well be mentioned among
its worthy pioneer ladies.
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Thomas J. Maloney, the well known cigar and tobacco
dealer of Council Bluffs, was born in Warsaw,
Illinois, September 4, 1861. His father was Thomas
J. Maloney, a native of County Tipperary, Ireland,
where he was born in 1822. He emigrated to America
in 1848 and located in Vincennes, Indiana, where
he was a railroad contractor for many years. He
removed
866
to Warsaw, Illinois, at a later period and there
he was engaged in the same business up to the
time of his death, September 4, 1886. He was married
in New York in 1849 to Margaret McGraw, who passed
away in Council Bluffs in 1906. This worthy couple
were the parents of four children: John, deceased;
William, of Omaha, Nebraska; Thomas J., the subject
of this sketch; Mollie Maloney, of Council Bluffs.
It was in the district schools of his native
city that Thomas J. Maloney received his early
education and was there reared until he attained
his majority. He had the advantage of attending
the Gem City College, at Quincy, Illinois, and
made the most of his opportunities while there.
In 1883 he came to Council Bluffs to accept a
position as clerk in the Bechtel Hotel on Broadway.
He was in this position, as well as others, up
to the year 1895, when he entered the cigar business,
in which he has since been engaged. He has built
up his present excellent business from a small
beginning by means of honest methods.
In 1889, in Council Bluffs, occurred the marriage
of Thomas J. Maloney and Dean Lentzinger, Their
union has been blessed with two children: Emma
M. and Gladys. Mr. Maloney, though attending carefully
to all duties of his business, has never been
remiss in his duties as a citizen. He is a stanch
democrat and has served as alderman from the second
ward, a position in which he gave such satisfaction
that he was re-elected, He is prominent in a large
number of fraternal organizations, holding membership
in the Maccabees, Eagles, Knights of Columbus,
Improved Order of Red Men, and he is state vice
president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of
Iowa. Mr. Maloney is a self-made man and as such
has acquired distinction for stalwart character
and sterling worth, He is much honored by a large
circle of friends and well deserves all of the
esteem in which he is held.
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In a careful review .of the history of this country
it becomes a noticeable fact that the German-American
element in our citizenship has been a strong and
beneficial one and that a large percentage of
our best citizens are of German birth or trace
their lineage to the fatherland. Of this class
Rudolph Lehnhardt is a representative. His father,
James Lehnhardt, was born in Holstein, Germany,
March 19, 1798, and in 1856 came to the United
States, after which he engaged in the butchering
business in New York city. About 1860 he removed
to Iowa, settling in Buffalo, Scott county, where
he devoted his time to the raising of sheep. After
making his home in the town of Buffalo for a few
years he removed to a small farm which he purchased
in that locality and there resided up to the time
of his death, which occurred on the 5th of February,
1877. His wife, Mrs. Doris Lehnhardt, survived
him for about twelve years, making her home among
her children until her own demise on the 14th
of May, 1889. The father was three times mar-
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ried, Mrs. Doris Lehnhardt being his third wife.
By that marriage there were five children but
Rudolph Lehnhardt now alone survives.
In his parents' home the subject of this review
spent his boyhood days and in the common schools
acquired his education. When nineteen years of
age he started out in life on his own account
and for two years worked by the month on a farm
in Scott county, afterward going to Iowa City,
where he was employed as a farm hand for five
years. He made preparation for having a home of
his own by his marriage, in January, 1887, to
Miss Christina Wesfall, of Iowa City, whose parents
came to this state from Mecklenburg, Germany,
in an early day.
In the spring following their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Lehnhardt came to Pottawattamie county and
for six years lived upon a rented farm but their
economy, frugality and industry during that period
enabled them to secure capital sufficient to purchase
their present home farm in 1893. It comprises
two hundred and forty acres of rich and productive
land situated on section 31, Lincoln township,
and is a valuable property, lacking in none of
the accessories of the model farm of the twentieth
century. Moreover, the home has been blessed with
four children: Frederick, now a resident farmer
of Lincoln township; Harry, who cultivates a portion
of his father's farm; Albert, deceased; and Elmer,
at home.
Mr. Lehnhardt votes with the republican party
and is in thorough sympathy with its principles
and purposes. He has served for the past fourteen
years as road supervisor and for the same period
as treasurer of the school board. His long continuance
in these positions indicates the trust and confidence
reposed in him and that he is worthy of this trust
is a widely acknowledged fact. Matters of public
concern are of interest to him and his co-operation
can always be counted upon to further any movement
for the general good. In his business life he
has been very prosperous, yet there is no esoteric
phase in his career. On the contrary he has secured
his success by honorable methods which neither
seek nor require disguise and he is now justly
accounted one of the leading and representative
farmers of his community.
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William H. Burkey is engaged in the cultivation
of his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, constituting
the northeast quarter of section 34, Layton township;
and operates his father's farm adjoining, which
also embraces one hundred and sixty acres. He
is diligent, practical and progressive, and his
labors result in the production of large crops
annually.
A native of Clinton county, Iowa, he was born
June 22, 1872, and is a son of David Burkey, of
whom mention is made on another page of this work,
in connection with the sketch of John B. Burkey.
He was but an infant at the time of the removal
of the family to Pottawattamie county, and it
was here that he was reared while the public schools
afforded him his
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educational privileges. Through the periods of
vacation and after his school days were over he
remained at home, assisting in the labors of the
farm and gaining that practical experience in
the task of plowing, planting and harvesting which
well qualified him to take up farm work on his
own account at the time of his marriage.
That important event in his life was celebrated
February 24, 1897, Miss Sarah J. Allen becoming
his wife. The young couple located on the farm
which has since been their home-the northeast
quarter of section 34, Layton township, and the
care and labor which he has bestowed upon the
fields find evidence in the rich crops which he
annually garners. He purchased this farm the winter
prior to his marriage and in addition to this
place he cultivates his father's farm of one hundred
and sixty acres, adjoining his own farm on the
east. He is extensively engaged in raising cattle
and during the past two years he has been feeding
his own cattle for the market.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Burkey have been born three
children: Fern Lewis, Rachel Arlene and Howard
David. Mrs. Burkey is a member of the Methodist
Protestant church and Mr. Burkey attends its services
and contributes to its support. In politics he
is independent and has never been an office seeker.
He finds in his home, family and farm interests
sufficient to claim his time and attention and
in the community is numbered among the substantial
and respected citizens.
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William B. Fisher, whose liberal patronage as
proprietor of the Franklin Printing House, of
Council Bluffs, is well merited because he conducts
one of the leading establishments of the kind
in the city, was born in Anamosa, Iowa, on the
3d of October, 1861. He represents one of the
oldest families of Ohio, his grandfather, Joseph
Fisher, having been born in that state in 1786.
In early manhood he, too, became a resident of
Iowa, settling in Anamosa, where he died in 1884,
at the very venerable age of ninety-eight years.
In connection with his son Darius he conducted
a mill, was also proprietor of a wholesale and
retail dry-goods store and carried on a hotel
business. They were very prominent and influential
business men of their locality and contributed
in large measure to its substantial development
and prosperity.
Darius Fisher, father of our subject, was born
in Iowa City, in 1835--some years before the admission
of the state into the Union--and died at Atlantic,
Iowa, in 1887. He was at that time one of the
oldest pioneers of the state, having for more
than a half century witnessed its growth as it
emerged from pioneer conditions to become one
of the leading commonwealths of this great Union.
He was reared amid the wild scenes and environments
of the frontier and as the years passed did his
full share in bringing about public progress.
In October, 1860, he was married in Anamosa, Iowa,
to Miss Frances Zair Simmons. They became the
parents of two sons,
869
the younger being Charles S., who is engaged
in the printing business in Kansas City, Missouri.
The mother is still living and is now the wife
of D. R. Olmsted, of Council Bluffs.
William B. Fisher was only five years of age
when brought to this city by his parents. Here
he was reared, acquiring his education in the
public schools, which he attended to the age of
sixteen years. He then began learning the printer's
trade in the office of the Bugle, a weekly paper,
where he worked for three years, and later he
secured a situation in the Globe office, becoming
foreman there. He was with the Globe until 1884,
when he was made foreman of the Nanpareil, a daily
paper, with which he was connected far seven or
eight years. In 1890 he established a job printing
office, which he has since conducted with constantly
growing success. He turns out an excellent grade
of work and keeps in touch with the progress which
has characterized the printing business.
In 1887, in Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Fisher was united
in marriage to Miss Grace A. Whittlesey, and they
have two children, Cecil May and Helen Childs.
Mr. Fisher belongs to the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias fraternity,
the Modern Woodmen camp, the Fraternal Order of
Eagles and the Typographical Union. He has twice
been a delegate to the state and twice to the
national conventions of the International Typographical
Union, and in 1885 he was elected a delegate of
the Missouri Valley Union of the western branch
of the International Typographical Union. His
political views are in accord with the principles
of democracy where national issues are involved
and he is recognized as one of the leaders of
his party, serving as chairman of the Council
Bluffs democratic central committee for several
terms. His strong individuality and marked farce
of character well qualify him far the position
he occupies in political circles, while the perseverance
and close application that he has manifested in
business well entitle him to the success he has
gained.
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No other man of Dr. Walter's years can claim
that he was wounded on the battle-field of Gettysburg,
but although only six years of age at the time,
he sustained injuries there, from the effects
of which he has never recovered. The family home
in which he was born an the 6th of May, 1857,
stood at the outskirts of the city in a district
which was included within the battle-ground, and
[and] on the second day of the engagement which
raged around his home, the house was several times
pierced with cannon balls. The family fled far
safety to the basement but the Doctor, then a
venturesome boy of six years, escaped his mother's
notice and made his way outside of the house,
where he was struck in the left leg with a minie-ball
that shattered the bone and has caused a slight
lameness all his life. The mother, soon missing
her young san, started in search of him and took
him back to shelter but it was months ere he had
recovered from the injury. Three
870
of his mother's brothers, soldiers of a regiment
of Pennsylvania Cavalry, were engaged in that
battle. In the meantime, his father, George Walter,
was serving as a soldier in the Union army. He,
too, was born at Gettysburg, his natal year being
1828. At the time of the Civil war he became a
private of a regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers,
in which he served until mustered out in 1865
with the rank of second lieutenant, the war having
been brought to a successful close. He participated
in various engagements, including the battles
of Antietam, the Wilderness and a number of others.
He was married to Miss Catherine Herring, and
many years later they removed to Seward, Nebraska,
where he now resides. He has been interested in
farming during the greater part of his life. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Walter were born eleven children,
nine of whom reached years of maturity, namely:
Martha V., now the wife of William Gilliland,
a resident of Oregon; William H., who died in
Chicago in 1906, leaving two sons and three daughters;
Margaret, the widow of John Stoops and a resident
of Fairfield, Pennsylvania; John F.; Josephine,
the deceased wife of Thomas Baldwin, of Milford,
Nebraska; Charles D., of Lincoln, Nebraska; George
W., living in Wahoo, Nebraska; Rutherford Hayes,
also a resident of Seward, Nebraska; and James
Garfield, whose home is in Illinois.
Dr. Walter remained a resident of Gettysburg
until about fifteen years of age and in the meantime
acquired his preliminary education in the public
schools there. He afterward went to Philadelphia,
where he spent two and a half years in school,
subsequent to which time he spent eighteen months
in traveling through the west with his father.
He then settled down with his parents at Fairfield,
Pennsylvania, where he lived for a year of more,
when the family removed to Chicago, there residing
until a removal was made to Seward, Nebraska,
where the father and mother .have since resided.
Having determined upon the practice of medicine
as a life work, John F. Walter became a student
in the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia,
from which he was graduated in the class of 1884.
He then located for practice at his old home in
Fairfield, Pennsylvania, but in 1887 he came to
Iowa, settling at Little Sioux, where he remained
for two years. He was afterward a member of the
medical fraternity at Persia, Iowa, for two years,
when, seeking a broader field of labor, he came
to Council Bluffs in 1892 and has since here engaged
in practice. He soon demonstrated his ability
to cope with the intricate problems that confront
the physician and as the years have gone by he
has built up a large practice, making him one
of the successful physicians of the city.
Dr. Walter was first married in Chicago in 1883,
to Miss Anna M. Buhrer, and they had one child,
Mabel, who was born in 1886, and is now the wife
of Glen Walters, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri.
On the 7th of January, 1907, Dr. Walter was again
married, his second union being with Lulu E. Sherer,
a daughter of J. S. Sherer, of Council Bluffs.
The Doctor belongs to the Independent Order of
Foresters, the Knights of the Maccabees, to the
Modern Woodmen camp and to the Improved Order
of Red Men. He has a wide social, as well as professional
acquaintance,
871
and in each line has gained favorable regard
and won many warm friends. By reading and investigation
he has kept in constant touch with the work of
the profession in its onward march and has ever
performed his duties with a sense of conscientious
obligation, at the same time having strict regard
for the ethics of the profession.
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August Louie is now practically living retired,
supervising his invested interests, which includes
a fine cattle ranch in Colorado. He makes his
home in Council Bluffs, which is far distant from
the place of his nativity, for he was born in
Lunevilles, Lorraine, France, December 7, 1847.
His father was John B. Louie, a native of Bononinile,
France, born in the early part of the nineteenth
century and in his native country he was a construction
timber contractor. Coming to America he settled
at Joliet, Illinois, in 1854, and after more than
a third of a century there passed he removed to
Council Bluffs in 1887 and died in this city in
August, 1902. His wife died in 1863, aged fifty-one
years, when her son August was but sixteen years
of age. Her maiden name was Catherine Michel.
August Louie acquired but a meager education
in the country school& near Joliet but later
attended a night school in Chicago. Having put
aside his text-books he engaged in the confectionery
and catering business and in 1874 he removed to
Council Bluffs, where for many years he was connected
with Alphonse Metzger in the catering business
on Broadway. In this he was very successful, a
liberal patronage being accorded the firm, so
that year after year his financial resources increased.
In 1900 he withdrew from the business, being succeeded
by his son, Gustave Louie. He has an interest
in a large cattle ranch in Logan county, Colorado,
and has spent considerable time during the past
seven years in looking after that enterprise but
has severed all business connections with Council
Bluffs.
Mr. Louie was married September 26, 1876, at
St. Joseph, Missouri, to Miss Leontine Cellone,
who was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, June 4, 1857,
and is of French parentage. Her father, Pierre
Cellone, was born in Marseilles, France, devoted
his business life to the manufacture of shoes
and several years ago passed away. His wife bore
the maiden name of Virginia Victoria Henri and
was born in Nantes, France, March 12, 1835. After
losing her first husband she became the wife of
Bernard Edward Campardon at St. Joseph, Missouri,
in August, 1869. He was a native of Garos, France,
born March 2, 1838, and died in Council Bluffs,
January 6, 1878, while Mrs. Campardon passed away
in this city in 1901.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Louie has been born a son,
Gustave Alexander, whose birth occurred July 19,
1877. He was educated in the common schools of
Council Bluffs, finished a course at Notre Dame,
Indiana, in the class of 1893 and in 1896 was
appointed a member of the Missouri river commission,
on which he served for five years. He then became
his father's successor in
872
the general catering business as a member of
the firm of Metzger & Company at Nos. 523-5-7
West Broadway. In 1906 the firm erected the largest
and most up-to-date baking establishment in the
west at No. 516 Mynster street. The output of
this concern includes four thousand loaves of
bread daily, besides large amounts of cake and
other bakery goods, employing about twenty people,
Gustave Louie was married in Council Bluffs, August
7, 1899, to Miss Maybelle Bouquet, a daughter
of Paul and Mary Bouquet, early settlers of Council
Bluffs, Her father is a real-estate dealer in
Omaha. The daughter was born in this city July
9, 1877, was educated in Council Bluffs and is
a graduate of the high school of the class of
1895. She holds membership in the Presbyterian
church and in the Order of the Eastern Star, and
Gustave Louie belongs to the Masonic fraternity
and to the Elks lodge. Unto him and his wife has
been born one child, Leontine Marie, born in Council
Bluffs, December 4, 1901,
Mr. Louie and his son with their families reside
at No. 601 Mynster street, this beautiful property
being owned by August Louie, who also has considerable
other realty interests in Council Bluffs. Both
he and his son are republicans in politics. He
deserves much credit for what he has accomplished,
his advancement in the business world being attributable
entirely to his own labors, He has brooked no
obstacles that could be overcome by determined
purpose and unfaltering energy and as the years
passed by he utilized his opportunities to the
best advantage, making a creditable name for himself
in industrial circles and winning the success
that now enables him to live retired without denying
himself any of the comforts of life, while at
the same time he is provided with not a few of
its luxuries.
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ALONZO KNIGHT.
Alonzo Knight, living on section 33, York township,
follows farming and. stock-raising with good success.
A tract of two hundred acres of land responds
to the care and labor which he bestows upon it
in rich harvests which are cultivated with the
latest improved machinery, Mr. Knight is numbered
among the old settlers of Iowa, having come here
in the early days of its statehood. He settled
in Fremont county in 1852 and thirty years later
established his home in Pottawattamie county,
where he has since lived.
A native of Illinois, he was born in Adams county,
November 24, 1848, his father being William S.
Knight, whose birth occurred in Georgia. When
a young man he made his way northward and settled
in Adams county, Illinois, where he devoted his
time and energies to farming for a number of years.
He then removed to Iowa, locating in Fremont county,
where he bought land and carried on general agricultural
pursuits for some time. Subsequently he removed
to Mills county, where he again located on a farm,
and he still makes his home there-a hale and hearty
old man of eighty
875
eight. His wife, however, died in Mills county
some five or six years ago.
Under the parental roof upon the home farm in
Fremont county, Iowa, Alonzo Knight was reared.
Although his advantages were few, owing to the
fact that his youth was spent in a pioneer district,
he has made good use of his opportunities through
life. He attended the common schools for a brief
period during the winter months, while throughout
the remainder of the year he was busy with the
work of the fields, assisting in planting in the
early spring time, in the cultivation of the crops
in midsummer and in gathering the harvests in
late autumn. While his school privileges were
limited, he has learned many valuable and practical
lessons in the school of experience. He remained
with his father on the old home farm until he
had attained his majority and then, ambitious
to secure a home of his own, started out in life
on his own account.
As a companion and helpmate for life's journey
he chose Miss Amanda Chapman, who was born in
Missouri but was reared in Fremont county, Iowa.
Their marriage was celebrated in that county in
April, 1872, and they began their domestic life
on a farm in that county. Mr. Knight cultivated
a tract of rented land for a number of years in
Mills and Fremont counties, working steadily toward
that day when he should become the owner of a
farm. The year 1882 saw the realization of his
hopes, for at that time he came to Pottawattamie
county and purchased eighty acres of raw prairie
land. He had had liberal experience in farm work
and with characteristic energy he began the development
of this place, which he brought under a high state
of cultivation. He first built a little house
and then broke and fenced his land, turning the
sod on many an acre. As the years passed he cultivated
and further improved his original eighty-acre
tract and later added another eighty acres. His
next purchase of forty acres made him the owner
of his present excellent farm of two hundred acres
which has been brought to a rich state of fertility
by the care and labor which he is continually
bestowing upon the fields. His residence, which
is commodious and attractive in its style of architecture,
occupies a natural building site. In front is
a broad and well kept lawn adorned with shade
and ornamental trees. In the rear stands a large
and substantial barn and various outbuildings
which are required for the ample shelter of grain
and stock. There is a large orchard containing
a variety of fruit and the place is indeed a model
farm, lacking in none of the accessories and equipments
which are common to modern, progressive agriculture.
In addition to the tilling of the soil he makes
a specialty of raising, feeding and fattening
cattle and hogs for the market and both branches
of his business are proving to him a good source
of income.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Knight have been born two daughters:
Maud, now the wife of J. A. Craft, one of the
active and prosperous agriculturists of York township,
who owns a neat and well improved farm; and Edith,
the wife of E. D. Barnes, who owns and cultivates
a farm in York township.
Since his years won for him the right of franchise
Mr. Knight has bean a stalwart advocate of the
republican party, casting his first presidential
ballot for General Grant in 1872 and his last
for Theodore Roosevelt. He has never
876
sought or desired office for himself, as his
time has been fully occupied by his business affairs,
yet he is not remiss in the duties of citizenship
and has given tangible aid to many movements for
the public good. He may truly be called a self-made
man, for he started out in life empty-handed and
has worked his way upward through strong purpose,
able management and keen discrimination in business
affairs, supplemented by untiring industry. He
has witnessed the remarkable transformation of
Iowa during the last fifty-five years from a wilderness,
swamp and wind-swept prairie until it has become
one of the leading states of the Union-foremost
in the production of corn and almost equally prominent
in other business lines. His upright character
and genuine worth have gained him the unqualified
regard of many friends and of all with whom business
or social relations have brought him in contact.
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Charles R. Tyler is now living retired in Council
Bluffs but in former years was actively associated
with its manufacturing and commercial interests.
He has made an excellent record as a business
man and citizen and as such is entitled to representation
in this volume. He was born in Rockford, Illinois,
on the 9th of March, 1848. His father, Charles
J. Tyler, was born in Shelldrake Point, Pennsylvania,
while his grandmother was there on a visit to
his grandfather, Oliver Tyler, who was serving
as a soldier of the war of 1812. Charles J. Tyler
was reared in Seneca county, New York, and at
the age of nineteen years went to Chicago, where
he arrived in 1832. He had previously been employed
by an Indian trader in Michigan and from that
state made his way to the little village on the
lake. The city had not yet been incorporated and
only a few houses and stores clustered in the
vicinity of the river front, serving as a nucleus
of the great metropolitan center seen to-day.
This was before the era of railroad building and
transportation and Mr. Tyler for years was superintendent
of the famous old Frink & Walker stage line,
operating stages between Detroit, Chicago and
Dubuque, Iowa. He acted in that capacity until
the building of the railroads caused a suspension
of the stage coach business. He then went to Rockford,
Illinois, where he resided for a number of years,
and in 1865 removed to Omaha, Nebraska, where
he resided until his death in 1902. He was in
the Civil war, enlisting as a volunteer in defense
of the old flag and serving as aide on the staff
of General S. A. Hurlbut. Following his removal
to Iowa he engaged in business as a dealer in
live-stock and met with a fair measure of success.
He had been married in Rockford, Illinois, in
1842, to Miss Elizabeth Greenlee, and they had
five children, two of whom died in infancy, while
George died at the age of twenty-five years. Those
still living are: Charles R., of this review;
John G., who is purchasing agent for the Utah
Construction Company in California.
Charles R. Tyler was reared to the age of eighteen
years in the city of his nativity. Entering the
public schools when a lad of six, he there acquired
877
a good English education. . Leaving home in 1866,
he entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad
Company serving in various capacities for ten
years. In 1878 he went to San Francisco, where
he remained for three years, acting as bookkeeper
most of the time for Ben Holliday, Jr., son of
Ben Holliday, the famous overland stage magnate
of the early days. The son was a stock broker
and member of the San Francisco stock exchange.
In 1882 Mr. Tyler came to Council Bluffs and purchased
an interest in the Crystal Mills, continuing in
the business for twenty-three years. His long
connection with the enterprise indicates that
success attended his efforts. He prospered as
the years went by and with a handsome competence
acquired from his business he retired in November,
1905, having sold his share in the mills. He is
still financially interested in some leading business
concerns of the city, being a director of the
Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Company
and also a director of the Omaha: & Southern
Interurban Company.
On the 19th of November, 1881, in La Salle, Illinois,
Mr. Tyler was married to Miss Jessie Armour, a
daughter of James Armour, a great grain operator.
Mr. and Mrs. Tyler are prominent socially, the
hospitality of the best homes of the city being
freely accorded them. Mr. Tyler affiliates with
the Masonic fraternity and with the Benevolent
&,Protective Order of Elks. He is a vestryman
of St. Paul's Episcopal church and is a member
of the library board of Council Bluffs. His interest
extends to many public affairs and movements,
which have direct bearing upon the welfare and
progress of the state. He is a democrat in politics
but is not interested to the extent of seeking
or desiring office as a reward for party fealty.
His life has been one rather of business activity
and he is possessed of that executive force and
determination which have enabled him to win success
in face of the competition which is always to
be met with in the commercial world.
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