Webster County

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Webster and Hamilton Counties, Iowa.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 113 Adams Street, Chicago. 1888.

D

Daniel Daniels, section 10, Webster Township , is a representative of one of the most numerous and well-known families in the county. He is a native of Crawford County , Pennsylvania , born December 15, 1820 . His father, Abraham Daniels, was a native of New York , and went to Crawford County with his father when a small boy. The family date their residence in America from a time prior to the Revolutionary war. Abraham Daniels married Christiana Thurston, a daughter of a Revolutionary soldier. Early in life he was a circuit rider of the Methodist church, but later engaged in farming. He died in Crawford County at the age of sixty-three years. The mother afterward married Ellis Mercer, with whom she came to Webster County , and died in the fall of 1877. The family consisted of seven children, four sons and three daughters, Daniel being the only surviving son. Of the daughters, Lucy Ann is the wife of Clarke Hall; Joanna is the wife of Wilson Whittlesey, of Jackson County, Iowa, and Jemima is the wife of _____ Stair, of Crawford County , Pennsylvania . In 1847 our subject moved to Bureau County , Illinois , where he lived until 1854, when he came to Webster County in company with David T. Ewing and bought land on sections 8 and 10, Webster Township . He then returned to Illinois , and in the fall moved his family to this county, and has now been a resident of the county thirty-four years. In the interval between his first coming and the time he moved his family to the county his brother David came, and in 1856 his brother William, and finally in 1868 his brother Henry. William settled in Homer, and afterward moved to Ames , where he died, and where his family now lives. Henry settled in Washington Township , where he died in the fall of 1884. Settling here in the early part of the history of the county, Mr. Daniels has been closely identified with its growth and development, and has become widely known throughout the county. In politics Mr. Daniels is a strict adherent to the principles of the Republican party. He and his wife are members and liberal supporters of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married in Illinois to Mary Ann Bennett. They have a family of eight children – William H., Lucy Ann, Charles N., George B., Alfred L., Mary A., Flora E. and Amelia J.

David M. Daniels, one of the pioneers of Webster County, was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, October 18, 1833, and was there reared. His father, Abram Daniels, died in 1847, and thus at the age of fourteen years he was left to fight the battles of life without a father's counsel and aid. When a young man he went to Bureau County , Illinois , and there, December 9, 1852 , he married Miss Sarah Clark, a daughter of Joel Clark, who now lives in Sumner Township , this county. In the spring of 1854 Mr. Daniels brought his family to Iowa , and entered land in Webster Township , Webster County , which he improved and made his home until the spring of 1868, when he settled on section 20, Washington Township , on the place known as the McBride farm. He was one of the representative men of his township, and filled most of its public offices. He was a man highly esteemed in his community, and his death was a loss that was hard to fill. In politics he affiliated with the Republican party. He was a member of the Odd Fellows order. He died April 2, 1885 , leaving a wife and eleven children, eight sons and three daughters – Lawrence, Joel, Stella, Emmet, Cynthia, Betsy, D., Edgar, Frank, Hartley and Earl. Three children died in infancy. Mr. Daniels left a fine farm and pleasant home, where Mrs. Daniels and her six youngest children reside.

A. M. Delano, proprietor of the Fort Dodge marble works, was born in Rushford, Allegany County, New York, and when sixteen years of age went to Quincy, Illinois, and in 1870 came to Fort Dodge, and in 1871 became established in his present business, in company with his brother, the firm being A. M. & F. M. Delano. Changes were subsequently made and in 1883 our subject became sole proprietor. He carries a full line of both imported and American marble, and manufactures monuments and head-stones. He is a practical workman and also employs three journeymen; his annual sales amounting to about $6,000. Mr. Delano enlisted in the war of the Rebellion in 1862 and was assigned to Company I, Twenty-eighth Illinois Infantry, and participated in the battles of Shiloh , Corinth , Vicksburg and Jackson , Mississippi . He is a member of Fort Donelson Post, No. 326, G. A. R., at Fort Dodge . He was married in Pike County , Illinois , to Sarah E. Mosier, of Louisiana , Missouri . They have four children – Kate, Alfred C., Homer L. and Arthur L. Mr. Delano is an honorable, upright man, and one of the representative citizens of Fort Dodge . In politics he is a Republican.

Jonathan Prentis Dolliver

The subject of this sketch was born near Kingwood, Preston County , Virginia , February 6, 1858 . He is the son of a Methodist minister, Rev. J. J. Dolliver, well known in the West Virginia and Ohio Conferences. His mother belonged to a prominent Virginia family, being a niece of the late William G. Brown, of Kingwood, West Virginia , and a sister of the Hon. John J. Brown, of Morgantown . At an early age Mr. Dolliver gave evidence of that genius and precocity of mind, which combined with industry, have secured for him the eminence and success he has attained. He was educated, so far as the schools educate, at the University of West Virginia , which institution he entered when he was but ten years of age. From this school he graduated with high honors in 1875, being the youngest member of his class, and the youngest alumnus of the institution at that time. During the first three years of his college course, in company with an older brother, he walked daily from his home, a distance of four miles, to attend the regular sessions of the school. Always a student he yet found time for all the recreations and amusements open to college boys; was foremost in sports and pastimes, and always a favorite with his mates. Fishing was a sport in which he indulged even to the neglect of weightier duties, and for him to spend an entire afternoon along the banks of the far-famed Monongahela, dividing his time between translating Caesar's Commentaries and applying the principles of Walton's Art of Angling, was no uncommon thing. After leaving school two years were spent in teaching and studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1877 and entered upon the practice of law in 1878, at Fort Dodge , Iowa , where he has since resided. During his residence in Iowa Mr. Dolliver has gained a national reputation as a political orator and popular lecturer. He has been repeatedly honored by his State, while at his home he has drawn around him a wide circle of devoted friends, who testify uniformly to his high character, intellectual ability, and many qualities of head and heart that have endeared him to his neighbors and associates. In the career of J. P. Dolliver there is much to inspire every ambitious young man, who, without the aid of wealth or influential connections, aspires to make for himself a place and name in the world. From poverty and comparative obscurity, by dint of hard labor, scrupulous living, sterling integrity and a wise use of God-given powers, J. P. Dolliver has risen to a position of influence and to fame in an incredibly short period of time. He is now the Republican nominee of the Tenth Iowa Congressional District and cannot fail of an election. When a few months ago the Republicans of Iowa met at Des Moines to place the name of Senator William B. Allison before the country as their choice for presidency, J. P. Dolliver was the eloquent young lawyer who made the chief speech of the occasion; and Mr. Dolliver's name and fame with Allison's was spread broadcast over the whole land. He was also honored by being made permanent chairman of that convention, and furthermore by being elected as a delegate at large to the National Convention at Chicago in June. Four years ago, when James G. Blaine made his triumphal speechmaking tour through the Eastern States, Mr. Dolliver was one of the chosen few who had the honor of accompanying the great leader, and frequently he addressed the multitude from Blaine's car. On returning to Fort Dodge , his home, after this successful stumping tour in the East, Mr. Dolliver was given an ovation such as is seldom accorded to young men; the whole town literally turned out to make his welcome an almost royal one. Mr. Dolliver is yet a young man not having reached his thirty-first year. His success so far in his profession, and as a politician and as a man, gives promise of a career of wide and distinguished usefulness.

David D. Douglass, section 34, Otho Township, was born in Madison County, Ohio, February 5, 1824, a son of Andrew C. Douglass, who was born near Lexington, Kentucky, May 22, 1786, of Scotch parentage, his father, James Douglass, coming to America when a young man. He subsequently moved to Ohio, where he spent the last years of his life. Andrew C. was the youngest of a large family, all of whom have passed away. He grew to manhood in Ohio, and there married Elizabeth Casady, a native of Virginia, but reared in Greene County, Ohio, a daughter of Michael and Mary Casady, natives of Ireland. Andrew C. Douglass in early life worked at the blacksmith's trade, and later engaged in farming in Ohio. He moved to Indiana, where he lived several years, and then moved to Webster County, Iowa, and lived with his son David. He died May 24, 1864, and his wife died June 17, 1866, in her seventy-seventh year. They were the parents of eleven children, ten of whom grew to maturity and six are now living, David D., being the only son, and he and his sister Margaret, wife of Noah Cunningham, of Sumner Township, are the only ones residing in Webster County. David D. Douglass was reared in Noble County, Indiana, and there married Margaret E. Beem, who was born in Union County, Ohio, March 18, 1833, a daughter of John and Sarah Beem, her father a native of Alleghany County, Maryland, born in 1805, and her mother of Ohio, born March 21, 1810. In 1842 Mr. Beem moved to Noble County, Indiana, and in 1854 to Webster County, Iowa, and made this county his home until his death, November 15, 1885. His widow still lives on the old homestead. Of a family of seven children, five are living, Mrs. Douglass; W. C., of Lehigh; Ralph, of Sumner Township; Mrs. Ellen Marsh and John Q. In the fall of 1854 Mr. Douglass came to Iowa and entered the land on which he now lives and two years later moved the family to their new home. The land was entirely unimproved, and here they have lived and labored and made for themselves a beautiful home. They have a family of five children – Marion; Adda, wife of Austin Tennant; Andrew C.; Sarah E., wife of Frank Ashford, and James N. Three children are deceased. Two died in infancy, and John D. aged seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Douglass are among the esteemed citizens of Otho Township, and during their long residence here have been numbered among its representative citizens. In politics Mr. Douglass is identified with the Democratic party. He and his wife have long been members of the Congregational church.

Francis B. Drake, section 2, Clay Township , is one of the representative citizens of the county. He was born in St. Lawrence County, New York, July 27, 1832 , a son of David B. and Caroline ( Wilson ) Drake, natives of Vermont and New Hampshire , respectively. The Drake family trace their ancestry to the Puritans of Massachusetts. The grandfather of our subject settled in Addison County , Vermont , when a youth of nineteen years and lived on the farm where he first settled until his death, which occurred at the age of ninety-six years. David B. Drake was a woolen manufacturer, and when a young man went to St. Lawrence County, New York, where in connection with carrying on his manufacturing business he cleared and improved a large farm. He was a man of great energy and perseverance, and was usually successful in what ever he attempted to do. He had a family of three sons and three daughters, two sons and two daughters now living. The daughters, Harriet L., now Mrs. Thomas Taylor, and Anna L., live in St. Lawrence County, New York. One son, Isaac, is a successful physician of Malad City , Idaho , and the other, Francis B., is the subject of our sketch. Francis B. Drake was reared in his native State, and in his youth assisted his father in his various occupations. When he was about fourteen years old his father leased his farm and from that time he worked in the factory when not in school. He was given good educational advantages, attending for some time the academy at Pottsdam, and when twenty years of age engaged in teaching. In 1854 he came to Iowa and entered a tract of Government land in Webster County , on section 30, Otho Township . However he did not settle on his land but instead went to Davenport and the following winter taught school. In the spring of 1855 he assisted in selecting the swamp and overflowed lands of Tama County , Iowa , and in the summer of 1855 was appointed by the County Judge as one of the commissioners to select the swamp lands of Webster County , which at that time included Hamilton County . And in the spring of 1858 settled on section 28, in Otho Township, where he lived until August, 1866, when he bought the farm where he now lives, which at that time was wholly unimproved, all around him being wild land. He now has a good farm of 250 acres well improved, the results of his years of industry and good management. He is one of the prominent citizens of the county, where he has lived for over thirty years. He has held all the township offices and in 1857 was appointed county surveyor. He was the first postmaster of Otho postoffice, which position he held for several years. He was married April 16, 1857 , to Caroline E. Hart, daughter of Norman Hart, an early settler of Otho Township . In early life Mr. and Mrs. Drake became members of the Congregational church, and have ever been prominent in Christian work. He has always taken an especial interest in Sunday-school work and has officiated a number of years as superintendent, and has also assisted in the organization of a number of schools in the county. He is always ready to help further the cause of any enterprise that has for its object the advancement of either the material or moral interests of the county. In politics he is a Republican and an ardent supporter of the principles of that party.

John F. Duncombe is a name familiar throughout Iowa , and one that is indelibly written in this city's book of remembrance. Coming to Fort Dodge some thirty-two years ago he became the pioneer lawyer of this then frontier village. His manhood was then in its first dawning, but from the very outset he evinced a warm zeal for the town's upbuilding, and what he together with his companion workers have accomplished the fame of the city to-day voices an eloquent answer. As for his personal achievements, his toil's reward has been grateful and prolific, but no citizen of Fort Dodge – it is a common concession – has oftener or with readier generosity turned his wealth into channels of public enterprise. Born October 22, 1831 , in Erie , Pennsylvania , he received his collegiate training at Allegheny College , Meadville , Pennsylvania , and at Centre College , at Danville , Kentucky , taking diplomas from both these high-grade institutions of learning. He now read law in his native town with Marshall & Vincent, at which place he was admitted to the bar, and for one year there engaged in practicing. But in 1855 he answered the beckon of the western star empire and we find him locating in Fort Dodge and beginning the practice of his profession; and as to the recognition of his talents by the public, the legal and political history of this section from that time recite a series of legal trophies and public honors that might well be the pride of any man. In 1857, when the news of the Spirit Lake massacre reached this town, we see the young attorney active in raising troops for a campaign against the Indians, and as a part of the battalion of brave men who left Fort Dodge one morning in March of that year we see the subject of this mention the Captain of Company B.

In 1858 he wedded Mary A. Williams, daughter of Maj. William Williams, the patriarch pioneer of Fort Dodge .

In 1859 he was elected to the State Senate from the senatorial district then composed of one-fourth of the entire State. He has been a member of the Lower House twice, and has attended four general and three special sessions. In 1872 he was chairman of the Iowa delegation to the National Democratic Convention at Baltimore . He has been sixteen years a regent of the State University , and is still one of the regents. He was appointed by Governor Geer Capitol Commissioner, but declined. He has been seventeen years attorney for the Iowa division of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and still fills that position. He is also attorney of the Mason City and Fort Dodge Railroad Company; also attorney for the north part of the Des Moines and Fort Dodge Railroad Company, and attorney for the Cherokee and Dakota Railroad Company; practicing in over twenty-five counties in the State.

It is a matter proverbial and a bright fact in this man's career that he has made the advancement of Fort Dodge an active principle of his life work, and it may be said that his public energy and liberality have carved his name on most of the institutions of which the city is proud. It was Mr. Duncombe, who in conjunction with C. B. Richards, developed the coal mines at this place, and also at Boone. Mr. Duncombe now fills the office of secretary for both the Fort Dodge Coal Company and the Rocky Fork Coal Company of Wyoming Territory . The Duncombe House is another testimonial to his public spirit, and it is a matter of community acknowledgement that his individual efforts and support were strenuously employed in all the enterprises of winning railroads for Fort Dodge , and in fact this is ever repeated in all movements that augur good to the city.

Mr. Duncombe and wife have five children, namely: William E., Charles F., Mary J., Gertrude and John Augustine.

We find Mr. Duncombe to be a charter member of the chapter and commandery of the Masonic fraternity in this city, and also a Scottish-rite-33 rd degree Mason.

The position Mr. Duncombe now occupies at the bar of the State, the office of honor he has filled, and the frequent solicitation of the people of Iowa to have him become a candidate for some of the highest offices within their gift, bespeak words in this man's favor of no uncertain tone. But though Mr. Duncombe's time is fully engrossed with his professional duties and vast personal properties he has never relaxed his efforts for the success and supremacy of the principles of his political faith, and the weight of his influence is inflexibly dedicated to Democracy. And thus we conclude the brief memoir of a man whose life is a party of the history of Fort Dodge , and whose name is synonymous with that of the city.

E. M. Dunning, proprietor of Dunning's livery and feed stables, Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been identified with the business interests of the town since 1874 His barn is located on the north side of the market square, and there may be found any style of single or double carriage and horses to suit the most fastidious, both for riding and driving. Mr. Dunning is a gentleman of fine business qualities and this added to his genial and accommodating manners, makes him a successful manager of his business. He was born in Kenosha County , Wisconsin , November 21, 1847 , a son of C. P. and Rachel (Gardenier) Dunning, who were early settlers of that county, coming originally from Buffalo , New York . When our subject was fifteen years old he enlisted in the war of the Rebellion and served three months. He embarked in the livery business in Ripon , Wisconsin , when seventeen years of age, and continued the business there until coming to Fort Dodge . Mr. Dunning is a member of Fort Donelson Post, G. A. R., the Knights of Pythias, and has taken the commandery degrees in the Masonic order.

Martin Dwyer, section 18, Badger Township , is one of the prominent citizens of Webster County . He is a native of Ireland , born in Tipperary County , in March, 1833, a son of William Dwyer. His mother died in Liverpool , England , and in 1847 his father left the old country, and with his family sailed for America . They located in Cayuga County , New York , where the father died in 1853. The family consisted of seven children, three sons and four daughters. Martin Dwyer remained in New York until 1857, when he came to Iowa and settled in Webster County . He lived in Fort Dodge about a year and then settled in Pleasant Valley Township , buying a tract of timber land which he improved and made his home until the spring of 1872, when he sold his farm and bought the one where he now lives. While living in Pleasant Valley Township he was one of the school directors, and took an active part in assisting to organize the township into a separate municipality. He is a quiet, unassuming man who has never been an office seeker, preferring to devote his time to the cultivation of the soil, at which he has been successful. He owns a nice farm of eighty-five acres, all under cultivation. He had but limited educational advantages, but is a great reader, especially of the public press, and keeps himself well posted on all subjects of general interest. He is not in any sense a politician nor an adherent to any party. He began life a poor boy and the property he has acquired is due to his industry and honorable dealing. He was married August 7, 1854 , to Miss Ellen Peters, also a native of County Tipperary , Ireland , who came to America in 1849. They have one daughter, Mary, who was married January 6, 1879 , to Philip O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor died on board an Atchison, Texas & Santa Fe train near Garden City, Kansas, when on the way to California for his health. Mrs. O'Connor has had three children, two sons and one daughter, only one of whom is living, Martin, born January 4, 1880 .