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Engineering in its various lines has become a
marked necessity of our twentieth century civilization.
The colleges have recognized this and have instituted
thorough courses in these lines and can scarcely
supply the demand for well equipped engineers.
Prominent in this profession is the gentleman
whose name introduces this sketch-one who has
served as city engineer in a most satisfactory
manner.
Mr. Etnyre was born in Oregon, Illinois, in 1866,
and there received his preliminary education and
was reared to manhood. Recognizing the trend of
the times, he took up a course in civil engineering
at Cornell University, from which he was graduated
with honor in 1888. He located at Council Bluffs,
where he has since followed his profession. In
1894 he was elected city engineer and has served
in this capacity ever since, except the years
1896 and 1897. Mr. Etnyre has never made a sinecure
of his office but has always fulfilled its duties
with honor; He has a spirit that, while devoted
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to his resident community, is liberal enough
to recognize and appreciate advancement and progress
in any other part of the world. He was popular
as a young man and in his more mature years has
won the esteem and confidence of all with whom
public or private life have brought him in contact.
He is a member of the Masonic order, the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Elks, and is active
in the local ranks of the democratic party.
An important event in his life took place in
Council Bluffs on December 21, 1903, when was
celebrated his marriage to Isabel Paterson, a
daughter of William L. and Mary E. (Wallace) Paterson.
One son has blessed this union, Samuel Rice Etnyre.
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In financial circles in Pottawattamie county
the name of W. C. Stuhr figures as a prominent
representative of banking interests, for he was
one of the promoters and organizers of the Farmers
Savings Bank of Minden, in which he is now serving
as cashier. His life record is as an open book
to his fellow townsmen and the citizens of the
county; for he has always lived here, his birth
having occurred in Minden, September 11, 1879.
His father, John P. Stuhr, was one of the early
settlers, leading farmers and respected citizens
of the county. He served as a soldier of the war
of the rebellion, rendering valiant aid to the
Union cause, and after the close of hostilities
he became a resident of Pottawattamie county and
was prominent in public life. Here he was elected
and re-elected sheriff of the county, serving
for two or more terms. At the present writing
he is ,a resident of Nome, Alaska, where he has
made his home for ten years. He was a practical
business man of Pottawattamie county for years
and reared his family here.
W. C. Stuhr spent his boyhood in Minden and
supplemented his early educational advantages
by study in the Avoca high school. He later went
into the German American Bank and was b90kkeeper
for James Hunter, holding a position in that bank
for eight years. In 1904 he assisted in organizing
the Farmers Savings Bank, of which he has since
been cashier. The bank is now one of the substantial
institutions of the county. In fact it is one
of the popular moneyed enterprises and has a large
bank deposit, exceeding now the sum of one hundred
and twenty-five thousand dollars. The bank is
owned and controlled by a stock company, the president
being Peter Langer, one of the well known business
men of Pottawattamie county, mentioned elsewhere
in this work. Mr. Stuhr has thoroughly acquainted
himself with the banking business in every particular
and is thus well qualified for the conduct of
the business interests which are now in his care.
On the 10th of October, 1902, Mr. Stuhr was married
in Minden to Miss Ethel L. Wishart, a native of
England, who was born and reared in Bristol. There
is one son by this marriage, Phil C. Stuhr. The
parents are
590
both consistent and faithful members of the Congregational
church. Mr. Stuhr affiliates with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and is a charter member of
Minden lodge, of which he is now serving as secretary.
He originally joined the lodge at Shelby but demitted
to the organization with which he is now connected.
Politically he is identified with the republican
party and takes a deep interest in community affairs
but has never sought or desired office. He finds
that his time and attention are fully occupied
by business cares and his close application, unfaltering
diligence and determination constitute a strong
element in the successful conduct of the Farmers
Savings Bank. He has many friends here, who have
known him from his boyhood to the present time
and the salient characteristics of his business
career and his private life are such as have gained
for him the warm regard of those with whom he
has been brought in contact.
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DONALD MACRAE,
JR., M. D.
One of the most prominent and successful practitioners
of Council Bluffs is Dr. Donald Macrae, Jr., who
limits his work to surgery and has performed many
difficult operations that have justly won him
fame. He was born in this city January 24, 1870,
and here spent the days of his boyhood and youth,
his elementary education being acquired in the
public schools. Later he attended Lake Forest
College at Lake Forest, Illinois, and Morgan Park
Military Academy at Morgan Park, that state. He
was next a student at the University of Iowa at
Iowa City for two years, and then entered the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he
took up the study of medicine and was graduated
in 1891 with the degree of M. D.
Returning to his native city, Dr. Macrae here
engaged in general practice until after the outbreak
of the Spanish-American war. In 1898 he was appointed
first lieutenant and assistant surgeon of the
Fifty-first Iowa Volunteer Infantry and was sent
to the Philippines, where he was in active service
for eighteen months as assistant surgeon. At the
end of that time he resigned and returned home.
Again taking up his residence in Council Bluffs,
he resumed the practice of his chosen profession,
but has since devoted his attention to surgery.
He is to-day recognized as one of the ablest surgeons
of the city and his practice is large and remunerative.
On the 19th of November, 1891, Dr. Macrae was
united in marriage to Miss Mary Virginia Miller,
of Omaha, a daughter of the late Harry C. Miller,
and to them have been born two children: Marion
and Donald.
For ten years Dr. Macrae was professor of anatomy
in the medical department of the University of
Nebraska at Omaha, but has recently resigned that
position, though he still occupies the chair of
clinical surgery in the same institution. He has
acceptably served as secretary of the Missouri
Valley Medical Society; as vice president of the
Iowa State Medical Society; and president of the
Council Bluffs Medical Society. Besides these
different organizations he belongs to the American
Medical Association; the Pottawattamie
593
County Medical Society; the Western Surgical
and Gynecological Association; the Southwestern
Iowa Medical Society; and the Iowa Clinical Surgical
Society. In 1901 he was made first vice president
of the National Society, which was organized while
he was in the Philippines. He now holds rank as
major and surgeon of the Fifty-sixth Regiment
of Iowa National Guard.
Socially he is a member of -the Masonic order,
the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. Popular as a citizen,
the Doctor has been called to public office by
his fellow townsmen who recognized his worth and
ability and he is now most acceptably serving
his second term as mayor of Council Bluffs, giving
a progressive and businesslike administration
that has won the commendation of the best people
of the city. He has also served on the school
board and never withholds his support from any
enterprise which he believes will prove of public
benefit.
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Mrs. Elizabeth T. Davenport is residing with
her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. C. M.
Maynard, at No. 27 North First street in Council
Bluffs, having for many years lived in the city.
Her parents were Samuel and Rachel (Test) Swanner,
the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the
latter was born in New Jersey, September 12, 1803.
They came west with the Mormons at an early day
and established their home with them in Pottawattamie
county. Mr. Swanner settled on a farm east of
the city and resided there until the Mormons started
westward, when he joined them and went with them
to Salt Lake City, his wife remaining here with
her daughter, Mrs. Davenport. He continued in
Salt Lake City for several years but died in 1880
in Chillicothe, Ohio. Mrs. Swanner was well-to-do
and made her home in the dwelling now occupied
by Mrs. Davenport up to the time of her death,
which occurred on the 22d of November, 1888.
Mrs. Davenport has been married three times.
She first gave her hand in marriage to Fred Lord,
who was killed a few years later, in July, 1853,
at Traders' Point, Iowa, leaving her one daughter,
Ella, now the wife of W. O. Liscomb, a resident
of California. After losing her first husband
Mrs. Lord became the wife of D. Washington Griffey,
of Covington, Kentucky, who came to Pottawattamie
county at an early period in its development and
resided here for several years, being recognized
as a leading and influential citizen. He served
as deputy county clerk under William Turner for
some time and was active in the public life of
the community at an early day. In 1852 he went
west and in 1861 joined the army there, serving
throughout the period of the Civil war. When hostilities
had ceased he returned home and died in Dakota
City, Nebraska, about ten years ago. There were
two daughters by that marriage: Frances, who is
the wife of Clarence M. Maynard, who was born
in Des Moines in 1856 and is a son of William
Maynard, a former postmaster of Council Bluffs,
who was a pioneer business man here and established
the Nonpareil, then the only paper of the city,
becoming its
594
first editor in 1857. He had resided a short
time in Des Moines, where he engaged in the printing
business for several months. With this exception
he lived in Council Bluffs continuously from May,
1856, and here died in February, 1876. At the
time of his death he was compiling and publishing
the first directory of Council Bluffs. His son,
Clarence M. Maynard, is now engaged in the printing
business in Omaha but he and his wife and family
reside with her mother, Mrs. Davenport. Mr. and
Mrs. Maynard have two children, Mignon .J. and
Rachel M. The latter is at home, and the former,
a graduate of the State University of the class
of 1907, is now a teacher of Greek and Latin in
the college at Decorah, Iowa. Dora Griffey, the
second daughter, is the deceased wife of John
G. Bohn, a barber of Council Bluffs, and .unto
them were born three children: Lizzie, Frank and
Thomas.
After the death of Mr. Griffey his widow became
the wife of Taylor Davenport, a native of Illinois,
who came west in 1870, settling in Council Bluffs
with his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Zacharias
Davenport. The father and son were both railroad
contractors and engaged in work in the west on
the Union Pacific and other railroads. They afterward
went from Iowa to Mexico, where they were engaged
in railroad construction and later they proceeded
to Denver, where both the father and mother died.
Taylor Davenport continued in railroad contracting
in the west and south, and died in Texas in 1889.
The only child of that marriage died in infancy.
Mrs. Davenport is well known among the pioneer
residents of Council Bluffs, having resided in
this city since 1847. She owns an attractive home
at No. 27 North First street, where she is living
with the Maynard family, and four generations
have been represented in this home. Mrs. Davenport
has intimate knowledge of the leading events in
the history of the city and has been an interested
witness of its growth and development through
more than four decades.
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John Bennett, cashier of the State Savings Bank,
and more or less prominent in political circles,
having been called to several public offices,
in which he made an excellent record, is a native
son of Pennsylvania. He was born in Allegheny
City on the 16th of July, 1832, and is a son of
James and Catherine (Runyen) Bennett. The father,
who was a native of Ireland, died in 1834, and
the mother was born in Pennsylvania and passed
away in 1837. Thus John Bennett was left an orphan
.at the early age of five years and was reared
in Cincinnati from 1839 until 1851. During that
period he acquired his education but had opportunity
to attend school only three years, as he was early
forced to start out in life on his own account.
He began work in Cincinnati, when but twelve years
of age, and during his youth was largely employed
in a hardware store there.
Thinking to find better opportunities in a district
beyond the Mississippi, he made his way to western
Missouri, where he lived for two years and in
April,
595
1853, came to Council Bluffs. Here he has since
made his home, covering a period of fifty-four
years. He sought and obtained a clerkship, which
position he filled until 1857, when the careful
husbanding of his resources made it possible for
him to embark in business on his own account.
He then opened a lumberyard, which he conducted
for five years and again he engaged in clerking
for five years, or until 1867, when he established
a grocery store, which he carried on for four
years, or until 1871. In January, 1872, he was
elected county auditor and filled that position
for ten years. He was also for four years county
treasurer and proved a capable official, the duties
of his office being discharged systematically
and with an ability that won for him the high
commendation of all concerned. He retired from
office as he had entered it, with the confidence
and good will of the general public, and in March,
1888, he accepted the cashiership of the State
Savings Bank, which position he has since filled,
becoming well known in financial circles of the
city. He is a popular official, always courteous
to the patrons of the bank and at the same time
most loyal to the interests of the institution.
In 1868 Mr. Bennett was married in Bentonsport,
Iowa, to Miss Charlotte Dunning, and unto them
have been born two daughters: Georgia B., the
wife of Louis Zurmuehlen, of Council Bluffs; and
Gertrude B., the wife of Fred B. Empkie.
Mr. Bennett is a Mason, in hearty sympathy with
the teachings and tenets of the craft. In politics
he is a republican and for many years has been
well known in political circles, his opinions
often proving an influencing factor in local politics.
He is one of the oldest residents of the city
in years of connection with its interests and
Council Bluffs has found in him a helpful friend
whose labors in its behalf have been far-reaching
and beneficial.
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August Sundell, one of the active and successful
farmers and stock raisers and breeders of Neola
township, lives on section 17, where a farm of
one hundred and twenty acres pays tribute to the
care and labor he bestows upon it. He arrived
in this county when a young man of twenty-three
years, his birth having occurred in Sweden, August
5, 1858. There he was reared to manhood amid the
environments of agricultural life while spending
his boyhood on the old home farm. His father,
Andrew Sundell, was born and reared in Sweden
but died when August was but eleven months old.
His widow long survived him and reared her family.
August Sundell enjoyed the advantages offered
by the common schools of Sweden and also spent
one year as a pupil in an English school in Nebraska.
In early life he began work as a farm hand, receiving
fourteen dollars per month for his services. He
was thus engaged for several years or until his
labors had brought him sufficient capital to enable
him to engage in business on his own account.
In March, 1889, in Omaha, Nebraska, he was united
in marriage to Miss Jennie Johnson, who spent
her girlhood days in her native
596
country--Sweden. After their marriage they settled
on the farm which Mr. Sundell purchased near Underwood.
He there had one hundred and twenty acres of land,
which he cultivated for two years, after which
he sold that property and rented for a year. About
1892 he purchased the place upon which he now
resides. Some improvements had been made upon
it and he began to cultivate the soil with his
characteristic thrift and diligence. He has since
tilled the fields and also raised and fed hogs
and cattle, his live-stock interests being an
important source of income to him. What he possesses
he has gained through his own labor and may truly
be called a self-made man.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sundell have been born four
children, Anna, Elsie, Roy and Ruth, all of whom
are yet under the parental roof. In the community
where they reside the family enjoy the warm friendship
of those with whom they have come in contact.
Politically Mr. Sundell is a democrat, interested
in the work of his party and active in its support.
He was elected and served as township trustee,
also as a member of the school board and has been
a delegate to the county conventions. Fraternally
he is connected with Neola lodge, I. O. O. F.
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James G. Bradley, the well known city electrician
of Council Bluffs, was born in Phillipsburg, New
Jersey, May 1, 1858. In the common schools of
his native city he acquired his education and
at the age of twenty he removed to Troy, New York,
where he lived for two years. The tide of emigration
was then moving westward with great force and
to his observing mind were shown great possibilities
for business advancement in the west. Consequently
he made his way to Council Bluffs where he has
since lived and where he has won distinction both
in his public and private life. In 1884 he was
appointed superintendent of the fire and police
alarm telegraph department of the city and held
that office for nineteen years and seven months.
It is only necessary to consider his term of office
to be sure that he gave entire satisfaction. He
was given an opportunity for rest for two years
but in April, 1906, the city felt that once more
they must have his efficient service and the city
council accordingly gave him his present position.
In 1892, Mr. Bradley was united in wedlock, in
this city, to Bertha A. Vogeler, a daughter of
G. A. Vogeler. One daughter has blessed this union,
Adelaide A. Mr. Bradley is a member of the Masonic
order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Elks, the Modern Woodmen and the Woodmen of the
World. His political affiliation has always been
with the republican party and he has taken an
active part in its campaigns since the time that
he attained his majority. He has always undertaken
with energy anything that would increase the prosperity
of the city and add to the comfort of its inhabitants.
His life has been a success and he uses his opportunities
to the advantages of the community. For twenty-nine
years he has been an active factor in advancing
the city of Council Bluffs and during that entire
time has
597
so conducted all of his affairs as to command
the esteem, confidence and respect of all classes.
Personally he is sociable, ever willing to accord
to anyone the courtesy of an interview, and although
his career has not been filled with thrilling
incidents, probably no biography published in
this volume can serve as a better illustration
to young men of the power of honesty and integrity
in insuring success in public office.
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