|
Black Hawk County >> 1904 Index
History of Black Hawk County, Iowa E Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton. J.
D. Easton, president
of the Iowa State Bank, and treasurer of the Board of Education,
is a prominent and successful business man of Waterloo.
Mr. Easton
was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1851, and came to America in 1871.
Landing
in New York, a youth of 20 years, Mr. Easton soon became associated
with business enterprises, and 17 years were spent by him in the
great metropolis, during which time he was engaged in the wholesale and
jobbing dry goods business.
In 1889 he established himself in Waterloo,
and for the past 11 years has been engaged in the banking business.
The
Iowa State Bank, of which Mr. Easton is president, is one of the leading
financial institutions of this locality.
The other officers are:
Emmons Johnson, vice-president, and George N. Garrettson, cashier. The board of directors includes these prominent and representative
men: Emmons Johnson, Claus Junge, H. J. Lichty, E. E. Manhard, A. C. Bollinger,
Walter E. Johnson and J. D. Easton. Mr.
Easton is actively interested in all local enterprises and is a prominent
factor in many of them.
He owns a pleasant home in Waterloo and
has an interesting family.
He is a member of the Congregational Church.
He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Ascalon Commandery,
K. T., and is also connected with the Elks and Knights of Pythias,
all of Waterloo.
The explanation of the city's wonderful prosperity
is found in the fact that here may be found a number of capitalists
and public spirited men like Mr. Easton. J. D. Easton was married in December, 1902, to Marion Louise Johnson, eldest daughter of Emmons Johnson, of Waterloo. Mr. Easton has one son, James Gordon Easton, born October 31, 1903. Edgar A. Evans, who has been prominently identified with the fire insurance business in Waterloo, Iowa, since 1893, is probably one of the best informed insurance men in this part of the State. He was born at Honesdale, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1853, and is a son of Robert and Isabella (Livingston) Evans. The father of Mr. Evans was born in Dublin, Ireland, but was reared and educated in Liverpool. He learned the tailoring trade there and was 20 years old when he crossed the ocean to America. After some years he settled at West Union, Iowa, where he and his wife still reside. He married Isabella Livingston, who was born in New York City, and they had 10 children, of whom six survive as follows: Edgar A.; George; Louis; Frank, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, for the past 15 years an engineer on the Illinois Central Railroad; Carl, a clothing merchant of West Union; and Henry, who is associated with his brother in the insurance business. Mr. Evans was four years old when his parents removed to West Union, Iowa. He obtained his preliminary education in West Union and Clermont preparatory to entering Upper Iowa University at Fayette. After completing his education, he engaged in teaching for 12 terms and then embarked in a fire insurance business at Clermont, which, in 1893, he transferred to Waterloo. Mr. Evans represents all the old-line, reliable companies, and handles great risks. He is thoroughly posted concerning insurance matters, and was one of the organizers of the Machinery Mutual Company, of Waterloo, of which he was the first president. He was also one of the organizers of the Property Mutual Company, of Waterloo, of which he has been secretary every since its incorporation. On December 25, 1895, Mr. Evans married Mrs. Isabella (Bunnell) Horton, who is a daughter of A. C. Bunnell, a prominent citizen, and at one time county treasurer of Black Hawk County. Mr. Evans is not at present actively engaged in politics. During his residence in Clermont, he served for some time as city recorder. Fraternally, he is a Mason, at present being junior warden of the Blue Lodge at Waterloo, and is past noble grand of the Odd Fellows.
|