Past and
Present of Dallas County, Iowa
Chicago: The S. J. Clarke
Publishing Company, 1907.
D
William F. Davenport has a beautiful and attractive home
standing in the midst of a fine farm on section 23, Walnut township. The
property is valuable and productive and comprises two hundred acres. The
dwelling is supplied with all city conveniences, including hot and cold water
and furnace heat. It is lighted by acetylene gas and is tasteful in its
furnishings. In the rear stand good barns and outbuildings for the shelter of
grain and stock, and these in turn are surrounded by well tilled fields, the
green of early spring promising golden harvests for the autumn.
Mr. Davenport is a native of Providence, Rhode Island,
born on the 8th of March, 1860. He was brought to Dallas county when a lad of
ten years by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Davenport. The father was also a
native of Providence, where he was reared, and after attaining his majority he
there wedded Sarah Douglass, who was also born in that city. By trade he was a
carpenter and was identified with building interests in Providence until 1865,
when he brought his family westward to Chicago. There he was connected with
building operations for five years, on the expiration of which period he came to
Dallas county, Iowa. Here he bought one hundred and twenty acres of land where
his son now resides and on which he made home, giving his time and energies to
the further development and improvement of the property, which he brought under
a high state of cultivation. In the family were two sons, William and Frank.
William Davenport was reared under the parental roof and
has never left the old homestead since the family came to Dallas county in 1870.
He was at that time a lad of ten years and he was trained to the work of the
farm, which has been under his immediate care since 1890. The father spent his
last years here and died in 1902, at the age of sixty-five years, while the
mother passed away in 1890, at the age of fifty-three years.
William Davenport had been married on the 5th of July,
1888, to Miss Maud Coons, a native of Adel and a daughter of Kane Coons.
Following his marriage Mr. Davenport purchased his brother's interest in the old
homestead and has since added eighty acres to the original tract, so that he now
has an excellent farm of two hundred acres. The entire place is well fenced and
drained. He has laid over eighteen hundred rods of tile and has brought the farm
under the highest state of cultivation, so that the fields, now rich and arable,
annually bring forth large crops. He has remodeled the house until he has a most
comfortable and pleasant home and everything about the farm is indicative of the
spirit of the progressive owner. He raises and feeds cattle and hogs, shipping
several carloads each year. In all of his business affairs he is alert and
enterprising, meeting with the measure of success which always rewards earnest,
persistent and well directed labor.
Mr. and Mrs. Davenport had one child whom they lost in
infancy. They are members of the Christian church of Grimes and are greatly
esteemed by a large circle of warm friends. In politics Mr. Davenport is a
republican and is serving as township trustee, and is also a member of the
school board, of which he is now serving as treasurer. Educational and moral, as
well as material interests, receive his endorsement and co-operation, and his
labors in behalf of public progress have been far-reaching and effective. Well
known in the county where he has resided from early boyhood days, he has a wide
acquaintance here and has won a uniform trust and good-will be reason of a life
which in all of its phases has been straightforward and honorable.
Henry H. Davis
The great majority of men who win a goodly
measure of success start out in life empty-handed. They learn the lessons of
experience and as the years go by they place a correct value upon diligence,
perseverance and industry. It has been these qualities which have made Henry H.
Davis one of the substantial citizens of Dallas county, within whose borders he
has resided since 1878. In former years he was closely associated with its
farming interests but now he is living retired in the enjoyment of the comforts
and some of the luxuries of life. He was born in Franklin county, Vermont, March
22, 1842, his parents being Warner and Laura Ann (Fay) Davis, who were likewise
natives of the Green Mountain state, both born in Franklin county. The father's
natal year was 1805 and his life record covered a period of seventy-one years.
His wife, however, died at the age of sixty-six. In their family were three sons
and three daughters: Rancil F., who is married and resides in California; Helen
A., the wife of D. C. Joslyn, living in Kansas; Mary Jane, the wife of Henry
Fadden, whose home is in Vermont; Henry H.; Carrie M., the wife of A. N. Hamlin,
living in Perry; and Byron O., a merchant of Greensborobend, Vermont. The father
devoted his entire life to farming and thus provided for his family, retaining
his residence in his native state until called to the home beyond. His life was
in harmony with his professions as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church
and in politics he was a democrat who advocated the principles set forth by
Jackson.
Henry H. Davis was provided with liberal
educational privileges, attending school in Chittenden county, Vermont, and
Albany, New York, and later becoming a student in Bryant & Stratton Business
College in Albany. In his younger years he worked upon the home farm and he
afterward conducted a dairy farm on his own account for about a year. At the
outbreak of the Civil war he went to work for R. W. Spaulding and R. W. King,
who were sutlers, and, thus he was with the army for about two years, spending
one winter at Brandywine station, Virginia. He afterward returned to Vermont and
was then married, the lady of his choice being Miss Dora M. Thompson, whom he
wedded May 1, 1865. She was born in Vermont and was a daughter of F. F. and
Currence (Kenyon) Thompson. Mr. and Mrs. Davis traveled life's journey together
for twenty-seven years and were then separated by the death of Mrs. Davis on the
23d of February, 1893. On the 14th of November, 1899, Mr. Davis wedded Mary S.
Gardner, a native of Delaware.
After his first marriage Mr. Davis conducted a
dairy farm in Chittenden county, Vermont, for about two years. He then went west
to Knox county, Illinois, settling near Galesburg, where he carried on farming
for about four years, after which he returned to the Green Mountain state. A
little later, however, he again became a resident of Knox county, Illinois,
where he followed farming until the spring of 1878, when he came to Dallas
county, Iowa, settling seven miles east of Perry. There he lived for four years
and in 1881 he bought a farm a mile east of Perry, upon which he resided until
1893. The rich prairie land of this state was converted by him into productive
fields, from which he annually gathered good harvests, and his capable
management of his business interests and his well directed labors brought him
the prosperity that had enabled him to live retired during the past fourteen
years, or since 1893. While leading a busy and active life in connection with
his farming interest, Mr. Davis has always found time to devote to the interests
of citizenship and has ever stood for public progress and improvement. He has
served as township trustee for six years and as assessor for eight years, being
called to these offices as the candidate of the republican party. He was made a
Mason in Vermont in 1872 and demitted to become a member of Otley lodge, No.
299, A. F. & A. M., at Perry. He also belongs to Palmyra chapter, No. 86, R.
A. M.; to Girard commandery, No. 59, K. T.; and to Za-Ga-Zig temple of the
Mystic Shrine at Des Moines. He is in thorough sympathy with the teachings and
tenets of the craft and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of
Masonry, which is based upon mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness. While
there have been no exciting chapters in his life history they are many lessons
which may be gleaned therefrom and may be profitably followed, for his record
proves the worth of character and also demonstrates the power of integrity and
activity in the affairs of business life.
John M. Dawson
John M. Dawson is a successful farmer living on section
14, Colfax township. He displays excellent business qualities, is resolute and
determined, active and energetic, and carries forward to successful completion
whatever he undertakes. He is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of
rich and valuable land, constituting one of the fine farms of his part of the
county, and so widely and favorably is he known that no history of this locality
would be complete without mention of his life.
Mr. Dawson is a native son of the middle west, his birth
having occurred in Milo, Bureau county, Illinois, on the 20th of January, 1860.
His father, Elias H. Dawson, was born June 25, 1829, in the state of
Pennsylvania. He married Sidonia Maple, who was born May 27, 1832. They became
early settlers of Illinois, where they resided until 1878, when they removed to
Greene county, Iowa. The father secured two hundred acres of wild prairie land
and at once began to till the soil and bring the fields under a high state of
cultivation. He is still living upon that farm but the mother of our subject was
not long permitted to enjoy her new home, for her death occurred in January,
1879.
There were four children of that marriage: Clark V., who
is living in Kennedy, Iowa; John M., of this review; Adam B., who resides in
Owensville, Indiana; and William H., whose home is in Greene county, Iowa. Since
losing his first wife Mr. Dawson has been married again, his second union being
with Jane Thaler. Two children have been born of this marriage, Marion and Mabel,
both at home. Throughout his entire life the father has carried on general
agricultural pursuits and yet gives supervision to his farm although he has
passed the age of seventy-eight years. His life has been useful, active and
honorable, and he commands the good-will and confidence of all with whom he has
been associated.
John M. Dawson was reared in the usual manner of farm
lads. He worked in the fields when not busy with his text-books and early became
familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He
continued with his father until twenty-one years of age, when he started out in
life on his own account. He first earned his living by working as a farm hand by
the month, but one year spent in that way was enough for him and he determined
that his labors should more directly benefit himself, so he began cultivating
rented land and thus carried on agricultural pursuits until he had earned a sum
sufficient to enable him to purchase forty acres in partnership with his
brother. Afterward he sold his Illinois property and came to Iowa in the spring
of 1886. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land, on which
not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made, save that a small house and
a little barn had been built.
In the meantime Mr. Dawson was married on Christmas day of
1884 to Miss Ellen Stever, who was born March 7, 1866, in Milo, Bureau county,
Illinois. She has been to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's
journey and while he has carried on the work of the fields, she has carefully
managed the household affairs. Her father, Henry Stever, was born September 6,
1828, in Northampton county, Pennsylvania. Her mother, who bore the maiden name
of Mariette Libenguth, was born March 17, 1832, and was also a native of the
Keystone state. They went to Illinois in 1863 and Mr. Stever purchased one
hundred and forty acres of land in Bureau county, which he at once began to
cultivate and improve, placing the farm under a high state of development. He
lived upon that property until 1883, when he sold his interest in Illinois and
came to Iowa, casting in his lot with the settlers of Dallas county. Here he
purchased land in Colfax township. He was quite successful and by hard work,
capable management and judicious investment, he became the owner of large land
holdings in Dallas county. In 1896 he gave up active work and removed to Adel,
Iowa, where he and his wife are now living retired. His intense and well
directed activity in former years brought to him a handsome competence, so that
he is now enabled to enjoy the comforts and some of the luxuries of life without
recourse to further labor. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stever were born seven children:
Sarah, the wife of George Britton, now living in Oklahoma.; Katherine, the wife
of Orlando Dickson, who lives in Dallas Center, Iowa; Marietta the wife of I.
Lombard, who is located in Cripple Creek, Colorado; Henry, Jr., who is married
and lives in Lawrenceville, Iowa; Nathaniel, who married Minnie Bates, and died
when twenty-seven years of age; Mrs. Dawson; Melinda, the wife of I. M. Kennedy,
who is living in Colfax township.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dawson have been born five children and
the family circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of death: Clarence married
Edith Snyder, by whom he has one son, Harold, and they reside with his father.
Ivan is at home. Sylvia is the wife of Hammond Deform, a resident of Dallas
county, Iowa, and they have one daughter, Vera. Cora and Ruby, the younger
members of the family, are at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Dawson had been married only about two years
when they came to Dallas county and settled upon a quarter section of land in
Colfax township, of which not an acre had been placed under the plow. There were
many trials and hardships to be borne in developing the farm and Mr. Dawson
says, "there were many blue days," but he persevered, although in the
early years he would gladly have sold out and returned to Illinois if he could
have found a purchaser. By hard work, honesty and good business ability, he has
transformed that wild land into a beautiful Iowa farm and as his financial
resources have increased, he has added to the property until he now owns two
hundred and forty acres on which he lives and three hundred and twenty acres in
Oklahoma. He certainly deserves much credit for his success as he started out in
life empty-handed. Earnest toil has been his lot but this has been guided by
sound business judgment and supplemented by keen sagacity until he is now
numbered among the substantial agriculturists of the community, and his life
record proves what may be accomplished when one has the will to do and dare. Mr.
Dawson has served as a school director for a number of years and the cause of
education finds in him a warm friend. In politics he is a republican and
although he has never sought nor desired office he has always been true and
loyal in matters of citizenship. Of genial manner and social disposition, it is
a pleasure to meet and know him, and his life record should serve as a source of
encouragement and inspiration to others for it proves that success is ambition's
answer.
REUBEN H. DE LA
One of the most enterprising citizens who has helped to make Dallas county what it is today is Reuben H. De La, the subject of this sketch. He is one of the leading pioneers of Dallas county, who owns and operates a farm of two hundred and eighty acres and is a prominent stockraiser. He dates his residence in Iowa from the year 1855 and in Dallas county from the year 1872. His birth occurred in Jackson county, Ohio , on September 30, 1847 . He was the son of John and Ellen (Dawkins) De La, both natives of Jackson county. They owned and operated a splendid farm in that vicinity for many years. In 1855 they removed to Iowa , settling in Appanoose county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of ten children, the subject of this review being the fourth.
Reuben H. De La acquired his early education in the district schools of his native county, where he attended in the winter and worked upon his father's farm during the summer season. This latter enterprise gave him a practical schooling which has been of great benefit to him in the business which he has followed. For nine winters he taught school in his native county and in the summer worked upon his father's farm. His time was divided between these two enterprises but in 1869 he bought two hundred acres of what is his present place and paid six dollars an acre. Agriculture therefore became his chosen vocation. For one year he operated this farm and then built himself a house, to which he has since added until it now contains all the comforts with which the citizens of our agricultural districts are now blessed. He was also the owner of land in Perry, which he improved. He has built all the buildings upon his place, has taken an interest in making it beautiful by setting out shade trees, has broken the prairie, laid many rods of tiling and fenced the entire farm. Little by little he has been able to add to his original purchase as well as to improve his place. In 1890 he bought eighty acres of adjoining land on section 15 and now owns two hundred and eighty acres of splendid farming property. For the last few years he has been feeding shorthorn cattle. For several years Mr. De La rented his farm and took up his residence in Perry, where he built several houses and improved the town property which he held. For four years he was engaged in the monument business with C. D. Oldham and for one year he was interested in selling land in and about Fargo , North Dakota , but his farm still seemed to him more like home than any place in the world and to this home he returned, since spending his time here. He now raises Hereford cattle and Poland China hogs and feeds and markets from five to seven carloads a year.
By his first marriage Mr. De La had five children, all of whom have received college educations. On the 27th of June, 1905 , he married a second time -- Mrs. Sophie Braman, of Perry , Iowa .
In his political relations Mr. De La is a republican in all that pertains to national affairs. Locally he exercises his right of franchise for the man and not for the party. Education has always found in him a warm friend and for ten years he was the treasurer of the schoolboard. He has served as justice of the peace for two years, has been prominent in local political affairs, having served as delegate to many county conventions, where he has frequently been chairman. He is a Master Mason, belonging to the blue lodge at Perry. In religion his opinions are best represented by the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he an active member and while living in Perry he was church steward. Though having attained his sixtieth year Mr. De La is still active in everything that tends to the betterment of county, having been identified with all public improvements in the same, as well as in Adel and Perry. Whatever he has undertaken he has carried forward to successful completion. This reputation has made him a man on whom his friends can always depend and from whom even his enemies would receive full justice. He has never allowed personal feelings to influence him but has always had an eye to the public good. He began empty-handed and it must be a great satisfaction to him to feel that what he has accomplished has been due entirely to his own effort. He is well and favorably known throughout the county, where a host of friends are not only willing but eager to testify to his sterling worth.
A. D. Dickey, who owns and operates a well improved farm of one hundred and
sixty acres, situated on section 18, Lincoln township, is a native of
Pennsylvania, born in Oil City, June 5, 1858, a son of David D. Dickey, who was
likewise born and reared in the Keystone state. He was there married to Margaret
Hayes, also a native of that state and the father was there engaged in business.
He later removed with his family to Sterling, Illinois, operating a ferry boat
at that place, and there his death occurred several years later.
A. D. Dickey was reared in Whiteside county, Illinois, and acquired his
education in the Sterling schools. Coming to Iowa he first settled in Crawford
county, where he spent five years, and there with a breaking plow he broke
several hundred acres of wild land. Later he removed to Dallas county, where he
operated a threshing machine for several seasons. After some years spent in
Dallas county he once more returned to Whiteside county, Illinois, operating a
tract of rented land there for eight years. Later he bought the farm but after a
few years disposed of that tract and returned again to Dallas county and in 1901
purchased his present homestead property. He is here engaged in general
agricultural pursuits and likewise raises pure-blooded shorthorn cattle,
Scotch-top and Poland China hogs and standard bred horses, having sold five very
fine animals. He is practical and progressive in his methods of labor and thus
is meeting with gratifying success.
Mr. Dickey was united in marriage, July 8, 1888, to Miss Mary Eveland, a
daughter of H.A. Eveland, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. They
have become the parents of ten children, four sons and six daughters, all of
whom survive and are enjoying good health. These are David D., Harmon E., Edra
C., Nelson R., L. May, Eunice E., Viola P., Daisy M., Alice C. and Mary L.
Mr. Dickey gives his political support to the republican party and during his
residence in Whiteside county served as township clerk and also served as a
member of the school board. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
having joined the order at Yale. He likewise affiliates with the Modern Woodmen
of America and the Mystic Workers. Mrs. Dickey is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Mr. Dickey began life empty-handed but through his own energy
and perseverance and the assistance of his estimable wife he has accumulated a
goodly competence and is today numbered among the progressive and enterprising
men of Dallas county.
Claude A. Diddy, proprietor of a modern and up-to-date drug store of
Redfield and one of the town's leading and public-spirited citizens, was born in Boone
township, Dallas county, Iowa, on April 15, 1870, being a son of John W. and Arminta
(Willis) Diddy.
Mr. and Mrs. Diddy became the parents of five children, four of whom
yet survive: Claude A. of this review; Cad, a commercial salesman for a chemical
company in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Frank, who is associated in business with his brother,
Claude A.; and Myrtle, the wife of A.G. Anderson, a resident of Jolley, Iowa. Three
sons and son-in-law are all registered pharmacists.
Claude A. Diddy was reared at home, supplementing the early
education which he acquired in the Perry public schools by attendance at the Adel high
school. On completing his education he entered a hardware and grocery store in Adel
as a clerk, and in 1887 entered the drug store of J.L. Simcoke at Adel, where he learned
the drug business. In 1889 he passed the state examination and was duly registered
as a pharmacist. Mr. Diddy then came to Redfield and for four years was employed in
the drug store of D.A. Freed, purchasing the business from his employer in 1893. In
1902 he built a new, modern business block, one of the best in the town, and is now
conducting an extensive and successful enterprise, have by this honorable dealings and
modern business methods won a patronage that has made his establishment a source of
gratifying prosperity to him. His business interests, however, are not confined to
one line, for he is a half owner in the Redfield Publishing Company, publishers of the
Redfield Review, and is also one of the stockholders in the Smith Produce Company.
His interests are thus varied and important, making him one of the leading business men
and citizens of the community.
In 1893 Mr. Diddy was united in marriage to Miss Lena Binns of
Redfield, by whom he had one child, Keith W. In June, 1903, he was called upon to
mourn the death of his wife, who had ever been a faithful companion and helpmate to him
and who had won many friends by reason of her kindly, helpful spirit and her devotion as a
wife and mother.
In his political affiliations Mr. Diddy is a republican, and has
served as mayor and also as a member of the town council of Redfield. He is
public-spirited to an unusual degree and gives freely of his time and money for the
promotion of any movement or measure which will advance the general welfare and
aid the material prosperity of the town. Fraternally he is connected with
Wiscotta Lodge, No. 158, A.F. & A.M.; Redfield lodge, No. 135, I.O.O.F.; and Redfield
lodge, No. 346, K.P. A young man, Mr. Diddy possesses the enterprising spirit of the
west which has been the dominant factor in producing the wonderful development of this
section of the country. Brooking no obstacles that honest effort can overcome, he
has steadily worked his way upward until, having long since left the ranges of the many he
today stands among the successful few.
John W. Diddy is numbered among the pioneers of Dallas county of
1853 and is a veteran of the Civil war, being classed among the valued soldiers whom Iowa
sent to the front in defense of the stars and stripes. He now makes his home in Perry,
where he is engaged in the mercantile business with his brother M. L., but for many years
he was an active factor in the agricultural life of this part of the state.
A native of Indiana, Mr. Diddy was born in Elkhart county, March 8,
1845, his parents being Levi and Sarah Ann (Burns) Diddy. The father, a native of
Pennsylvania, was married in that state. He lived for some time in Indiana, and in 1849
came to Dallas county, taking up land from the government. The family did not become
residents of the state at that time, however, for the father returned to Indiana, where he
remained until 1853, when he came with his wife and children to this county. He then
located on what was known as the Judge Burns farm, four miles north of Adel, his wife
being a sister of Judge Burns. The first home of the family was a little log cabin, but
later Mr. Diddy built a more commodious log house and in after years built a frame
residence. He was one of the early pioneers of Dallas county and took all active and
helpful part in its development as it emerged from frontier conditions and took on the
evidences of a modern civilization. He continued to carry on general agricultural pursuits
until 1860, when he removed to Adel. He was justice of the peace in the county seat up to
the time of his death and in an early day he was stage line agent and also express agent
at Adel. Throughout his entire life he suffered from ill health but he made the best use
possible of his opportunities. He belonged to the Christian church, was a member of the
Masonic fraternity and in his political views was a whig. He died in Adel, at the age of
sixty-three years, while his wife passed away in Perry, when sixty-five years of age. In
their family were ten children, eight of whom are yet living, namely: Sarah E., the wife
of John G. Howe, a resident of Los Angeles, California; John W.; Mary E., the widow of
James Piatt, and a resident of Perry; Marion L., who married Hattie Tyer and after her
death wedded Rosa Gilroy; Alonzo, who married Rachel Robbins and is living in Perry; E.
J.; Rachel, the wife of Samuel E. Carroll, an editor of Iowa City, Iowa; and Nettie, the
wife of O. Williams.
John W. Diddy was a youth of eight years when he came with his
parents to Iowa. He attended school through the winter months and worked on the home farm
during the summer seasons until the 9th of August, 1862, when at the age of seventeen
years he enlisted at Adel as a member of Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment of Iowa
Volunteers, for three years, or during the war. He took part in the Atlanta campaign, was
in the battles of Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Buzzard's Roost, also in the
engagement at Allatoona Pass, where the Union troops held the pass although with great
sacrifice of their own men, not more than one hundred of the Thirty-ninth Regiment being
fit for active duty after this engagement. Sherman was at that time on Kenesaw Mountain,
giving them the signal to hold the fort for he was coming. General Corse was in command at
the scene of action and the regiment to which Mr. Diddy belonged was badly cut up. The
commander, Colonel Redfield, gave up his life in this battle. From Allatoona Pass the
regiment went to Rome, Georgia, after following General Hood down the river for one day.
Later they were with Sherman on the march to the sea through Atlanta to Savannah, thence
proceeded to Columbia, South Carolina, on through North Carolina to Raleigh and to a point
thirty miles from that city, where Johnston surrendered, Mr. Diddy's company being on the
picket line at that place. Subsequently the troops proceeded to Pittsburg, to Richmond, to
Fredericksburg and on to Washington. Mr. Diddy was detailed for service in the
quartermaster's department at Sisters Ferry, Georgia, and was discharged at Arlington
Heights, being mustered out of the army at Clinton, Iowa, June 5, 1865. He saw much
arduous service, experiencing all of the hardships meted out to the soldier on the field
of battle.
When the war was over Mr. Diddy returned to Dallas county, where he
spent about a year and then went to Warren county, Iowa, where two years were passed.
Following his return to Dallas county he located at Thornburg's Mill, where he remained
for two or three years, when he took up his abode on a farm eight miles east of Adel and
engaged in general agricultural pursuits. After five years there passed he removed to
Perry, where he lived for two years and then again engaged in farming on a tract of land
west of Perry. In 1884 he was elected sheriff of Dallas county and removed to Adel,
entering upon the duties of the office, which he discharged so promptly and faithfully
that he was re-elected in 1886 and again in 1888, serving for six years as sheriff and
retiring from the office as he had entered it, with the confidence and good will of all
concerned. In 1891 he came to Perry, where he has since engaged in merchandising, being
regarded as one of the leading business men of the city.
Mr. Diddy was married in 189 to Miss Arminta Willis, who was born in
Indiana. She lost her parents when very young, and came to Iowa to live with her aunt and
uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Thornburg. After her death Mr. Diddy was again married, his
second union being with Nettie Albin, who was born in Dallas county and was a daughter of
Moses and Louise Albin. There were five children by the first marriage: Maud, who died at
the age of thirty-five years; Claud, who is engaged in the drug business at Redfield,
Iowa; Cad, who is western salesman for an eastern wholesale drug house and makes his home
in Minneapolis; Frank, who is with his brother Claud at Redfield; and Myrtle, the wife of
Guy Anderson, a resident of Jolly, Iowa. Unto the present marriage have been born three
children, Harry, Louise and Dorothy.
In politics Mr. Diddy has always been a stanch republican. He served
as a member of the city council for three terms and in that position, as in the office of
sheriff, he made a most creditable record. He holds membership with Horeb lodge, No. 408,
I. O. O. F.; Perry encampment, No. 115; and Atkins lodge. He belongs to the Christian
church and is a gentleman whose salient characteristics are such as to commend him to the
good will and trust of all with whom he comes in contact. In business he has been
reliable, in public service trustworthy, and in the immediate circle of friendship he has
displayed those qualities which win warm and sincere regard.
S. S. Dilenbeck
S. S. Dilenbeck, a well known banker and real-estate dealer of Perry,
Iowa, was born in Jefferson county, New York, April 6, 1845. He was a son
of Abram and Barbara (Baum) Dilenbeck, both natives of New York. They
passed away in Henry county, Illinois. While living in New York Abram
Dilenbeck was engaged in the milling business. He removed to Henry county,
Illinois, in 1854, when that country was very wild and the deer roamed in
large herds over the prairies. The family were of limited means but by
industry and thrift they were enabled to purchase one hundred and sixty
acres of wild land, for which they paid eight dollars an acre. Mr.
Dilenbeck was a supporter of the republican party and was known as a
"black abolitionist." He and his family were devoted members of
the Methodist church. In the family were five children, three of whom are
now living: Myron, a resident of Henry county, Illinois, who enlisted in
an Illinois volunteer regiment and in the second battle in which he
participated became almost totally deaf, so that he was discharged because
of this disability; Mrs. Charlotte Houghton, of Henry county, Illinois;
and S. S., the subject of this review.
S. S. Dilenbeck was educated in the common schools and at the high
school in Geneseo, Illinois. Because of impaired eyesight he was obliged
to give up his studies when only seventeen and he began working on a farm
for thirteen dollars a month. Not satisfied with this, he sought for
something that would put him upon a more substantial basis and devised the
plan of buying eighty acres of land from his father, on which he was to
make payments as he was able. So successful was he in this venture that it
was not long until his farm was paid for and he was able to add eighty
acres more to his original purchase. He brought his farm up-to-date in
every particular, employing the most modern methods in his agricultural
work. For fifteen years he continued and at the end of that time had a
well stocked farm with fine buildings and was enjoying the returns of
abundant crops. He was offered a price which well repaid him for the labor
he had expended upon this piece of land and he accordingly sold his farm.
He lived for some time in Geneseo and then removed to Ida Grove, Ida
county, Iowa. He had made extensive land purchases in Ida and in Sac
counties and became identified with the real-estate interests of this
section. Soon after his removal to Ida Grove he became associated with the
banking interests, assisting in organizing the First National Bank of that
place, of which he became assistant cashier and director. Later he and his
associates added branches at Holstein, Battle Creek, Sioux City, Cushing,
Castana and Danbury, erecting new buildings for each one of the branches.
When he had put these institutions on a sound paying basis he disposed of
his holdings in them and organized a private bank at Arthur, Ida county,
Iowa. In addition to his interests in the banks he had become the owner of
six hundred and forty acres of land and after seven years at Arthur, Iowa,
he sold out his banking interests and came to Perry, Iowa, where he
continued his real-estate deals and where he has accumulated a fortune in
this line of business. He has never entirely given up his banking business
but bought a controlling interest in the Citizens State Bank of Perry and
has been its efficient president ever since. His real-estate operations
have put him in possession of eighteen hundred acres of land in Iowa.
Mr. Dilenbeck was married, December 25, 1868, to Geneva L. Seaton, the
daughter of William and Malinda (Williams) Seaton, of Bureau county,
Illinois. Mrs. Dilenbeck's grandparents were pioneers in the days when the
Indians were numerous and demanded their share of the pioneers'
provisions. This made their journey of eighty miles, which they were
obliged to make in order to reach the mill, one that was fraught with
danger on every hand. We talk about the simple life today but these good
people out of necessity led a life of simplicity of which we have scarcely
dreamed. They ate out of wooden dishes and the grandmother baked her bread
in the fireplace on old hoes and shovels, which she scoured for that
purpose. They kept a half-way house between Princeton and Seatonville and
in that way were widely known. William Seaton, the father of Mrs.
Dilenbeck, was born in Indiana, while his wife was a native of Putnam
county, Illinois. He came to Illinois with his parents, who were
Kentuckians, when he was a mere boy, and passed away in 1853. His widow
later married Joseph A. Pinnell but she passed away while on a visit to
Rhode Island, on April 8, 1891. To Mr. . and Mrs. S. S. Dilenbeck have
been born three children: William Otis, who died at the age of four years;
Arthur A., who passed away at the age of two, and B. C., who was born at
Edford, Illinois, is now cashier of the Citizens State Bank of Perry and
whose sketch appears on another page of this volume.
Mr. Dilenbeck is a stanch republican but has never cared to hold any
office, preferring to devote his time to his business interests. He and
his wife are members of the Methodist church, which Mr. Dilenbeck joined
at the age of thirteen. He has always led the life of a sincere, Christian
man and though he has amassed a fortune he is modest and unassuming but
very pleasing in manner. From a boy he has been quick to see the future
value of property and has been patient in holding his land until an
advantageous price could be secured. The property in his hands has always
been of benefit to the county or city in which it was located, for he
improved every piece of land he buys and is eager to assist in all that
advances the growth of the city. Though this has added to the value of his
holdings, that has not been his primary aim, for he is public-spirited to
an unlimited degree. He is much admired by a wide circle of friends, who
realize that he has earned his way to his present position by his own
unaided efforts.
Watson P.
Dills
The ranks of the veterans of the Civil
war are fast being disseminated and all honor should be paid to the
surviving heroes of that long and sanguinary struggle which saved the
Union intact and laid the foundation for the greatest republic on the face
of the globe. Among the "boys in blue," now living in Iowa
is numbered Watson P. Dills, who at the time of his enlistment made his
home in Indiana. Immediately after the close of the war, however, he
came to Dallas county and is identified with its farming interests as the
owner of an excellent tract of land of two hundred and forty acres in
Beaver township.
His birth occurred in Shelby county,
Ohio, on the 6th of November, 1836. His father, John Dills, was a native
of Kentucky, where he spent the days of his boyhood and youth,
subsequently removing to Shelby county, Ohio, where he followed farming.
Securing a tract of unimproved land there, he cleared it and developed a
farm, which he converted into an excellent property. He was married
in that county to Miss Agnes Moreland, a native of Pennsylvania, and they
became the parents of six children while still residing in the Buckeye
state. Later they removed to Indiana and established a home in
Putnam county, where Mr. Dills again secured and opened up a new farm,
continuing to make it his home until he was called to his final rest. His
wife survived him for some years.
Watson P. Dills was reared in Putnam
county, Indiana, and early took up the task of improving the home farm. He
continued to aid his father in the cultivation and development of the
fields until be had attained his majority, and during that period he was a
student in the public schools of the neighborhood. After the
outbreak of the Civil war he offered his services to the government, first
going to the front with the Forty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a
teamster. He was in the south for six months, largely in Kentucky
with General Buell's division. Later he returned home and in 1863
re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company A, Seventy-eighth Indiana
Volunteer Infantry for sixty days. He went south to Kentucky,
was taken prisoner at Uniontown and subsequently was paroled, after which
he returned home.
It was in February, 1865, that Mr. Dills
was united in marriage to Miss Jane Johnston, a native of Parke county,
Indiana, and a daughter of Samuel H. Johnston, one of the early settlers
of Parke county. Mr. Dills came through with
teams to Iowa in the same year and located on land which he had previously
purchased in Dallas county. The farm is situated on section 32, Beaver
township, and was at that time all wild and unimproved, but he built a
plank house and with characteristic energy began to turn the furrows. Soon
the sod was broken and the first crops were planted. He commenced here
with one hundred and sixty acres of land but later bought an adjoining
tract of forty acres. He made a change in his original farm,
however, by selling off eighty acres and buying one hundred and sixty
acres more. Subsequently he bought an improved place of seventy
acres, upon which he lived until 1901, when he removed to the town of
Minburn and since that time he has disposed of his seventy-acre farm.
His son has built a good house on the old home place, also a substantial
barn, granary and cribs. Mr. Dills has likewise tiled and fenced his land
and has a fine farm, which is indicative of his progressive spirit and the
energy that he ever displayed in his active farming interests. He
bought a lot and built a good residence in Minburn, which he now occupies,
and although he started out in life empty-handed he is today a substantial
citizen of the county with excellent property holdings.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dills has been born
one son, who is yet living, Edward P., who operates the home farm.
He wedded Nora Mortimer, a daughter of William Mortimer, and they have two
children, Leslie and Vera.
Mr. Dills is a democrat, having
supported the party since he cast his presidential ballot for Stephen A.
Douglas. While living on the farm he was township trustee for several
years and has been a member of the school board for several years.
His wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. They can relate many
interesting incidents of the early days when Dallas county was a pioneer
district, for they have lived here for forty years. They have seen much of
the land reclaimed for the uses of civilization, the wild prairie being
converted into productive fields, while churches and schools
have been built and towns and villages have sprung up, containing all of
the business interests and evidences of a modern civilization.
E. W. Dingwell
For many years the veterans of the Civil war alone received the
gratitude of their country for military prowess but in more recent years the honors have
been divided with those who fought in the Spanish-American war. This number includes
E. W. Dingwell, now an enterprising and able lawyer of Adel, Iowa. A native of
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, he was born on the 17th of July, 1872, his parents
being Elisha and Louisa G. (McKay) Dingwell. The father was born on Prince Edward
Island, May 18, 1821, and died on the 12th of March, 1904. His wife was also born in the
same locality, February 1, 1825, and passed away June 16, 1905. They were married on the
28th of February, 1850. The father was a ship builder and was associated in business with
his twin brother, William, for about twenty-five years. The brother lost his life at
sea, going down on one of his own ships. In the fall of 1872 Elisha Dingwell removed to
Auburn, Illinois, and in 1873 became a resident of Lakeside, near Chicago, where his last
days were passed. In the family were nine children, of whom the following are
living: Jane C., the wife of H. R. Norris, a resident of Marshalltown, Iowa; Ellen, the
wife of John Morton, of San Mateo, California; Louisa, the wife of W.G. Lemay, living in
Chicago; William H., who married Elizabeth Stupey; James H., who married Martha Stagg; and
E. W. of this review.
Brought to the United States in early childhood, E. W. Dingwell was
educated in the public and high schools at Marshalltown, Iowa, and
at Western College at Toledo, Iowa. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar at
Marshalltown in October, 1899. In the meantime, however, he had seen
active service in the Spanish-American war. His patriotic spirit being aroused, on
the 26th of April, 1898, he enlisted in Company H, Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteers, and for
two years, or during the war, and was mustered into the United States army at Des Moines.
The troops went, to Jacksonville, Florida, thence to Savannah, Georgia, and
from that point by steamer to Havana, Cuba, where the Spanish flag was flying. The
regiment remained in Cuba from the 21st of December, 1898, until the 19th of April, 1899,
and when they withdrew the stars and stripes were floating over the island. On the
13th of May, 1899, he was discharged at Savannah, Georgia, and mustered out.
Mr. Dingwell then returned to Marshalltown, Iowa, where he engaged
in the practice of law, there remaining until his removal to Adel on the 17th of March,
1900. He became a member of the firm of Cardell, Giddings & Dingwell, with offices in
Perry and in Adel, Mr. Dingwell having charge of the office in the latter place. In
July, 1900, he bought out the Adel office and has since engaged in practice alone.
He has gained a distinctively representative clientage and his ability to solve the
intricate and complex problems of the law has been frequently demonstrated in the careful
and able manner in which he has conducted his cases and applied the law thereto.
Mr. Dingwell is a member of Adel lodge, No. 80, A.F. & A.M.;
Tyrian chapter, No 37, R.A.M.; Friendship lodge, No. 96, I.O.O.F.; Adel encampment, No.
93; and Sunbeam lodge, No. 73, of the Order or Rebekah. His political allegiance is
given to the republican party. He manifests at all times the same loyalty to his
country that he displayed when he followed the old flag to Spanish soil and aided in
overthrowing monarchical rule there. He stands for progress and improvement in all
things and his influence has been an element in the advancement of his adopted city in the
last few years.
John Dooley, who departed this life, leaving behind the record of an honorable, active and useful career, was born in County Tipperary , Ireland , December 23, 1834 , and died on the 31st of August, 1899 . His parents were John and Hannah (Cosgriff) Dooley, also natives of Ireland , in which country the father followed agricultural pursuits. They were members of the Roman Catholic church. Their only child, John Dooley, was reared in his native country to the age of eighteen years, when in 1852 he sought a home in the new world, taking passage on a sailing vessel which weighed anchor at Liverpool, bound for New York city. After spending a brief period in the east he came to Iowa in 1854, settling at Des Moines , where for twenty years he was an active factor in its industrial circles as superintendent of Youngerman's brickyard. In that capacity he made the brick for the first brick building erected in the capital city and also had supervision of the manufacture of the brick for the first state capitol. That he was most loyal to his employer and most capable in his position is indicated by his long continuance therein. In 1883 he came to Dallas county, settling in Spring Valley township where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which he erected a comfortable residence. Later he bought eighty-five acres and subsequently another tract of one hundred and tell acres. At one time his landed possessions aggregated about four hundred acres and in connection with the tilling of the soil he bred good grades of cattle. In his agricultural life he prospered, acquiring a handsome competence that enabled him to leave his family in very comfortable financial circumstances.
On the 5th of May, 1862 , was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Dooley and Miss Margaret Graney in Des Moines . She was born in county Kerry , Ireland , June 23, 1835 , and was a daughter of John and Mary (Callana) Graney, who were likewise natives of County Kerry , Ireland , in which country her father followed farming until his later years. He died in that land at the age of eighty-four and his wife at the age of eighty-two, both passing away in the faith of the Roman Catholic church, of which they were communicants. They had become the parents of seven children, of whom three survive: James, now living in Perry; Mrs. Dooley; and John, a resident of Des Moines . Mrs. Dooley came to this country on a sailing vessel in 1852 in company with her two brothers, James and John, and after a voyage of eight weeks and two days they landed at New Orleans, thence proceeding up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Madison, Indiana, and afterward by rail to Iowa City, Iowa, which was then the terminus of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. From that point they proceeded by stage to Des Moines, crossing the river from East to West Des Moines by the ferry. Mrs. Dooley thus became one of the early settlers of Iowa , having for fifty-five years made her home in this state.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dooley were born seven children but two have passed away. Those still living are: Hannah, the wife of Anderson McLees, a conductor on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, living at Rock Island, Illinois; Mary; Timothy; Margaret, the wife of Lee Talbert, a conductor on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, making his home in Perry, and Edward, who is engaged in the drug business in Perry.
Mr. Dooley served as road supervisor for a number of years and was always interested in community affairs, giving his aid and co-operation to many movements and measures for the public good. He was a communicant of the Roman Catholic church. He never had occasion to regret his determination to seek his home in the new world, for he here found the business opportunities which he sought and which when utilized brought him to a place of affluence and enabled him to leave his family a good estate. Moreover he left to them an untarnished name and he is yet remembered in Perry and in Dallas county by many friends.
Downey Brothers [Michael Downey
and Timothy Downey]
The proprietors of the Prairie Grove Stock Farm, Michael and Timothy
Downey, are numbered among the worthy citizens of Dallas county. Together
they own four hundred and forty acres of well improved land, located on
sections 25 and 26, Lincoln township, and here in addition to carrying on
general agricultural pursuits they are engaged quite extensively in
raising stock, raising as high as four carloads of stock each year, this
being shipped to the city markets, where they command a, high price. They
were born on the Emerald isle and come of a long line of Irish ancestry.
Their father, Cornelius Downey, died in Ireland, and the mother then came
with her children to the new world, the year of their emigration being
1855. The sister of Michael and Timothy Downey is Catherine, the wife of
Cornelius Downey and resides in Dane county, Wisconsin. Upon arriving in
the United States the mother at once made her way to Rock county,
Wisconsin, where the sons grew to mature years. She passed away in Dallas
county in 1892, and her remains were interred in the Catholic cemetery at
Perry.
In 1872 Michael and Timothy Downey came to Dallas county, purchased a
tract of raw prairie and with a breaking plow they broke the land, planted
the fields and in due course of time gathered rich crops as a reward for
the care and labor which they bestowed upon the fields. They added to
their original purchase as time passed and their financial resources
increased until their place now embraces four hundred and forty acres of
rich farming land. They have placed all of the improvements which are here
seen, these including good substantial buildings and well kept fences, and
they also set out a grove and have made it an attractive and productive
property. At one time they operated a threshing machine, doing work
throughout the county, but now give their entire time to their farming and
stockraising interests. They raise high grades of cattle and hogs,
shipping about four carloads to the city markets each year, and they have
sold about five thousand dollars worth of products from their place.
Politically they are democrats and Michael Downey has filled a number
of township offices, having served for six years as township trustee,
while for several years he acted as road supervisor, and he has likewise
served as a delegate to county conventions. The brothers were reared in
the Catholic faith and are communicants of that church in Perry.
Downey Brothers possess the sterling characteristics so dominant in the
Irish race--energy, diligence and perseverance, and although starting out
in life empty-handed they have availed themselves of the opportunities
which Dallas county offers to ambitious young men and have steadily worked
their way upward until they are now numbered among the extensive
landowners of this section of the state and are a credit to the land of
their adoption.
Frank C. Downey, one of the well known merchants of Dallas county, now
serving as postmaster of Dexter, was born here on November 10, 1873. He
was reared under the parental roof, supplementing his early education by a
course in the Dexter high school and the Dexter Normal College. Mr. Downey
has been reared in the mercantile business; working from his boyhood days
in his father's store. In 1905 be became a partner in the business, which
is known to the public as Downey's Department Store. The excellent
business and executive ability of our subject have contributed in large
measure to the success which has attended this enterprise, making it one
of the largest and most reliable mercantile establishments of the county.
On December 6, 1900, Frank C. Downey was united in marriage to Miss
Annott Nelson, a native of Vermont and a daughter of Robert J. Nelson, who
is now living retired. To this union has been born one child, Margot.
Mr. Downey is a stanch republican in his political views, and in 1897
was appointed postmaster of Dexter by President McKinley, having been the
faithful and proficient incumbent in that position ever since. He is
recognized as a representative and enterprising citizen of his community,
and is widely known by reason of the large mercantile establishment with
which he is connected. His business methods have ever been such as neither
seek nor require disguise, being at all times straightforward and
honorable.
|
