1882 Biographies
from the
History of Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties, Iowa
by W.E. Alexander; Western Publishing co.; Sioux City, Iowa; 1882

'B' surnames


All of the biographies in the Allamakee co. section of the book were transcribed by Roxanne Barth and Phyllis Peterson.
Some of the biographies, those with close ties to Allamakee co., but from the Winneshiek co. section of the book, have been transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall.


Willard Bacon, P. O. Village Creek, farmer, sec. 22; son of John and Betsey Bacon; born in Orange Co., Vt.; learned the carpenter and joiner's trade in early life; went to Massachusetts in 1843, where he engaged in house building for three years; then engaged in railroad bridge building for several different companies, and was for six years in the employ of the N. Y. & H. H. R. R. Co. In 1855 he came to Allamakee Co., Iowa, and purchased his present farm of 140 acres, at the head of one of the branches of Village Creek, it being mostly bottom land, and very productive, and upon which he has good buildings, pleasantly situated and sheltered from the winds. Mr. B. was married to Miss Harriet Poore, of Vermont. They have three children: Idelia, whose husband's name is Aldrich; Wilhimena and Hattie. pg 477


John Bakewell (deceased), whose portrait appears elsewhere, was born in Worcestershire, England, in 1820. When he was thirty-four years of age he immigrated to America. The first year he spent in the eastern portion of the U. S., and then came to Illinois, where he lived until January, 1850, when he came to Allamakee Co., immediately procured lands and engaged in farming, which he continued until the time of his death, which occurred April 29, 1879.

His first year in Allamakee was a rather unfortunate one, as he lost the greater part of his stock by their straying away the first winter, and he was unable to recover them until the following fall; but by hard work and good management he became one of the wealthiest farmers of Allamakee Co., and highly respected by all who knew him. He married Sara A. Hunt the same year he left England. She was also born in England. They have seven children, who have all reached maturity, and who are well situated, financially. pg 469-470, portrait pg 669


H. T. Ballman, P. B. Postville; farmer, sec. 8; owns a farm of 270 acres, valued at $25 per acre. He was born in Muskingum Co., Ohio, in 1835, his parents emigrating to this county in 1855, remaining here till their death. His father died in 1870, and mother in 1874. Mr. B. was married to Miss Adaline V. Minert in 1859. She was born in Indiana. Their children are Benjamin F., Emma L., Daniel G., Lillie E., Henry S., Jennie A. and Harry B. They have lost two, Alice L., and Charles E. He is a member of the M. E. church. pg 474


Charles Barnard, proprietor Waukon Nursery. This well-known gentleman was born on the Isle of Wight, and on the farm now occupied by Queen Victoria's summer residence; but when he was about eighteen months old his parents (Thomas and Mary Barnard) emigrated to the U. S. and settled on Wheeling Island, in the Ohio River. Here Thos. Barnard started a nursery, and soon commenced teaching his son the rudiments of fruit growing. About 15 years subsequently the family removed to Belmont Co., Ohio, and then run a market garden for the city of Wheeling. Here the subject of this sketch, in 1845, was married to Miss M. Balderston, who died in 1856, leaving three children, Mary G., now Mrs. W. R. Hanscom, of Monona Co., Ia.; Emma J., now Mrs. R. O. Manson, of Sibley, Ia., and Chas. O., of Monona Co., Ia. In 1857 Mr. Barnard was married to Narcissa P. Newport, and in 1865 removed to Iowa and settled in Waukon, where he at once engaged in the nursery business. In 1869 he married Deborah D. Spaulding. Mr. B. having spent his entire life in growing trees and fruit, is one of the best posted men to be found in his line of business. He is what may be called a strictly practical man. His views differ greatly from most nurserymen, but his success proves that his judgment is in the main correct. He does not believe in pruning trees, and to substantiate his belief he can show many trees in his nursery, which have been allowed to grow according to the dictates of nature's laws. He has a Concord grape vine planted in 1863, but which for two years was trampled down by cattle, since which time it has been cared for by Mr. B., and although it has never been touched by a pruning knife, or fertilized, it now has five branches, each forty feet in length. It has stood the weather at 44 degrees below zero, and for a number of years has grown from 200 to 1,000 pounds of grapes annually. He now has about twenty-five acres of nursery, and the largest stock of fruit and ornamental trees in this section. pg 472-473


T. H. Barnes, M. D., a pioneer physician of 1855, is a native of the Buckeye State, where he was born in 1832. He was reared on a farm until the age of 20, when he turned his attention to medicine, graduating at the Iowa State University in 1855, He then settled in Allamakee Co., and has since been a citizen of said county, with the exception of a few months, when he resided in Clayton Co.

In 1861 he organized Co. K, 5th Iowa, which was the first company of Allamakee Co.; and in July 1861, Co. K, 1st Cav., with which he served until Dec. 16, 1864, when he resigned on account of physical disability, and was mustered out with the rank of captain. He then returned to Waukon, and has since continued his profession. He has also spent some time and considerable money in experimental farming. In 1881 he built the first silo for the State of Iowa, which he has proved a success. He has also represented his district in the legislature one term. Dr. Barnes was married in 1854 to Miss Julia A. Orr, who died in 1859, leaving one daughter. In 1862 he married Marion E. Ferris, and now has one son and two daughters. pg 471-472


John C. Barr, P. O. Box Waukon, farmer, Hanover township, owns 400 acres of land in sec. 22. He was born near Glasgow, Scotland, in January 1816; came to the U. S. in 1850, stopping at Dubuque, Iowa, where he was engaged in mining until the spring of 1856, when he moved to his present farm. He was married Dec. 13, 1838, to Miss Katie Allen, who died Feb. 24, 1881. He has four children living, James M., Samuel S., Robert and Mary A., and has lost by death four, Thompson, Elon, Jennette and Catharine. Mr. B. is a member of the M. E. Church. pg 479-480


Englehart Bartheld, P. O. Lansing; farmer, sec. 2; son of Henry and Elizabeth Bartheld, born February 18, 1833, in Germany; emigrated to the U. S. in 1853, stopping with friends at Cleveland, Ohio; worked at the carpenter and joiner business. In 1855 he came to Allamakee Co., still continuing to work at his trade most of the time. He married Miss Elizabeth Englehorn in 1858; she was also a native of Germany. He purchased his present farm in 1859, and moved onto it in 1861. He now owns 200 acres, well improved and conveniently and pleasantly located. Mr. Bartheld's children are Julius, Lizzy, Katie, Fred and Englehart. He has served as assessor and trustee of his township several years, and to the entire satisfaction of his many friends. He is a member of the A.O.U.W. pg 479


John M. Barthell, farmer, sec. 19, Makee township; P. O. Waukon; a pioneer of Winneshiek Co., and at present one of the most prominent farmers of Allamakee Co. He was born in Germany in 1830, emigrated to the U. S. in 1848, and lived in Rensellaer Co., N. Y., until 1851. He then came to Iowa and settled in Glenwood township, Winneshiek Co. In 1856 he was married to Miss Martha Page. He then continued farming in said county until 1866, since which he has resided in Allamakee Co., and now owns over one thousand acres of land. The children are Sarah, John and Johnathan (the two latter being twins), Anna, (now Mrs. Louis Steinbach), Charley, George, Michael, Minnie and Bennie. pg 472


F. Barthold, Village Creek, born in Germany in 1828, came to America in 1847, and settled in Ohio; thence to Iowa in 1854, settling in Linton Township, moved to Lafayette Township in 1859, and located at Village Creek. Mr. B. has held the office of Justice of the Peace for fifteen years. In 1852 he married Miss Summermann, of Cleveland, O.; they have six children living. pg 470


E. B. Bascomb, proprietor of livery and feed barn, was born in Newport N. H. in 1833. He came to Iowa in April, 1855, and located at Lansing, and was engaged in contracting and building until the breaking out of the rebellion, when he enlisted in Co. K, 5th Iowa Infantry, being the first man to enlist from Lansing. He was in a number of battles, some of the prominent ones being Booneville, Island No. 10, New Madrid, Corinth, siege of Corinth, Iuka, Fort Gibson, battle of Vicksburg, Mission Ridge and others. He served until the close of the war, and returned to Lansing and embarked in the lumber trade. He sold his business in 1871 to his partner, Mr. S. O. Smith, and for some time there after was contracting with the railroad company. He has since been in various businesses, buying and selling grain and livestock, and for several years was a dealer in drugs and medicines. In 881 he purchased his present stock of livery of Huffschmidt and continues to manage the same. He married in 1855 Miss Mary Rogers, who was born in Goshen, N. H.; they have two children, Mary E. and Ada. pg 478-479


Samuel Baumann, P. O., Lansing, was born in Switzerland in 1828, came to America in 1851 and settled in Lansing, and is now engaged in farming and burning lime. He married Christine Sideler in 1858, and they have twelve children. pg 470


L. O. Bearce, dealer in harness, etc., is one of the early pioneers and prominent businessmen. He was born in Maine in 1840, and in 1852 came to Allamakee Co., and lived on a farm until fourteen years of age, when he commenced work at the shoemaker's trade. This he followed three years, when he turned his attention to harness making. In 1864 he formed a partnership with G. H. McClasky, and has since been engaged in the manufacture and sale of harness, saddles, etc., being associated with several different partners at different intervals until January, 1882, since which time he has conducted the business alone. Mr. Bearce was married in 1871 to Miss Fannie E. Hall, of Evansville, Ind. They have two children, Leslie R. and Roger. pg 471


L. M. Bearce, Clerk of the Courts, was born in Maine in 1837. He removed from there to Massachusetts, thence in 1852 to Iowa, and settled near Waukon in this county. He subsequently engaged in the mercantile business in Waukon. In 1880 he was elected to his present position. He married Maria Israel, a native of Pennsylvania. They have two children, a son and a daughter. pg 473


Jeptha Beebe, post office, Waukon; farmer, section 8; son of Hezekiah and Sarah Beebe; born in Chemung County, New York. His parents moved to La Grange County, Indiana, in 1837. In 1850 he emigrated to Crawford County, Wisconsin, where he engaged in lumbering till in 1853, he came to Allamakee County, Iowa, locating at Waterville, and purchased the corn cracker mill of Riley Ellis, to which he added a saw mill the same year. His brother, N. A. Beebe, built a gristmill in 1854. Soon after it was completed, he became a partner in the gristmill with his brother, but soon sold his interest to Mr. J. Spooner, continuing the sawmill till the fall of 1857, when he sold out his brother, N. A. Beebe, and purchased a farm two miles and a half west of Rossville. Soon after he engaged as contractor of a stage line, from Prairie du Chien, Wisconisn, to Chatfield, Minnesota. The route being discontinued in 1858 by order of James Buchanan, through the Postmaster General, which left him with a large amount of stage property on his hands which he then took to Kansas, and securing another stage line soon after traded his interest for a steam saw mill, some fifteen miles south from the Topeka, which took fire and was burned in 1860 with quite an amount of lumber and logs, all being a total loss. He re-built the mill and sold to other parties, and came back to Allamakee County and rented the saw mill at Waterville one year; then rented a farm near Rossville for one year, and then bought a saw mill on the Yellow River, which he ran till 1867, then sold out and turned his attention to farming. In the spring of 1869 he purchased his present farm. Mr. B., upon his return from Kansas to this county, found himself $3,700 in debt, all of which he has paid. He was married to Miss Mary A. Coffman, in 1854. She was also a native of Pennsylvania. They have six children: William E., Henry H., Leon E., Laura M., Edith A. and Edna E., and have lost two-Lottie S. and Alden S. Mr. Beebe has served as Justice of the Peace in his township and is a Greenbacker in politics. pg 475-476


John C. Beedy, P. O. Waukon, farmer, sec. 13; owns 80 acres of land, valued at $40 per acre. He was born in 1835 in Piscataquis Co., Me. In 1850 he went to Natic, Mass., where he commenced learning the shoemaker's trade, continuing about a year, after which he was engaged on the sea in vessels doing a coast trade up as far as Nova Scotia, during summers, and at his trade during winters. In 1857 he immigrated to Iowa and located in Makee Township, this county, and in 1862 came on to his present farm. He married Miss Angie Gaslin, of Maine, in 1857. She died in 1876, leaving him with a family of seven children. The children are: Arthur, Leroy, Edgar, Angie, Cora, Nellie and Albert. He was again married to Mary Ryan, 1878, by whom he has three children: Lizzie, John and William. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. pg 476


N. J. Beedy, mayor of Postville, was born in New York in 1826; learned the carpenter and joiner trade in early life, emigrated to Winnebago Co., Ill., in 1850, and in 1852 to Allamakee Co., Ia., engaging in farming and working at his trade. In 1865 he came to Postville and engaged in the grain and produce business till the spring of 1881, when he retired from active business. He has served as councilman, and is now serving his second term as mayor and county supervisor. He married Mary E. Barnes, of New York, in 1850. She died in 1867. He was again married to Lucy Hall, also a native of New York, in Nov. 1869. He has three children by his first marriage, Fred, Ida M. and Carrie F., and one by his second marriage, Mabel. He is a member of the A.O.U.W. pg 474-475


C.D. Beeman is known by all as one of the leading businessmen of Allamakee County. He established his present business in November, 1874, erected his large and commodious store building (which is located in the west part of Waukon) in 1879 at a cost of $5,000, and now carries a stock of general merchandise to the amount of $18,000. Mr. B. Was born in Madison Co., Vermont, in 1827, came to Allamakee Co. in 1849, and settled in Jefferson Township, where he was engaged in farming until he engaged in his present business. Oct. 6, 1853, he married Sarah A. Martindale, a native of New Hampshire. The children are C. M., C. A., Irvin, Fred L., and Bertha. pg 471


Peter Beiber, farmer, sec. 29, Makee; P. O. Waukon; a native of France, born November 3, 1835, emigrated with his parents to the U. S. in 1854. He first lived at Freeport, Ill., eleven months, then came to Allamakee Co., and settled in Center Township Here he worked at the blacksmith trade for several years, and Dec. 26, 1865, was married to Sophia Krumme. In 1868 he purchased a farm and commenced tilling the soil; removed to his present farm in 1874. The children are Sophia, Lena, Emma, Katie, Peter and Philip. pg 470


Hilton Belden, blacksmith, was born in Wyoming Co., N. Y., in 1829. At the age of thirteen he commenced work at his trade with his father. In 1853 he was married to Miss Mary Quick. In 1856 he came west, and after residing two years in Fillmore Co., Minn., came in 1858 to Waukon. He followed farming three years, when he again resumed his trade, and has since continued the same. The children are Florence, Cora, Kate and Julia. pg 470


Henry Bensch, carpenter and builder, was born in Prussia in 1832, came to America in 1852 and settled in Galena, Illinois, where he remained until 1855. He then removed to Lansing and since then has been engaged in the above business. He has been a member of the County Board three years, and has also been overseer of the poor for the past ten years. He married Lena Fry, of Guttenburg, Germany; they have eight children, Julia, Henry G., John, Edward, Charles, Emma, Matilda, Mary. pg 478


H. J. Bentley, dealer in jewelry, watches, clocks, etc., was born in Freeport, Illinois, in 1853. He came to this county in 1858 with his father (Jas. Bentley, whose biography appears elsewhere). He married Jennie Reed, a native of New York. They have one son. pg 473


H. J. Bentley, dealer in jewelry, watches, clocks, etc., was born in Freeport, Illinois, in 1853. He came to this county in 1858 with his father (Jas. Bentley, whose biography appears elsewhere). He married Jennie Reed, a native of New York. They have one son.pg 473


James Bentley, one of the oldest resident preachers, was born in England in 1816, emigrated to the U. S. in 1842, and soon entered Jubilee College, near Peoria, where he was ordained as an Episcopal minister in 1847. His first parish was at Warsaw, Ill. In the spring of 1857 he came to Iowa and located in Allamakee Co. He was the first preacher at Lansing. In 1859 he founded the Waukon parish, of which he had charge for many years. Rev. Bentley has been for a number of years in the employ of the American S. S. Union, first as district agent, then as State agent of Iowa, and afterwards as State agent for Kansas. He is at present missionary-at-large in Allamakee Co. He was married in 1850 to Miss Cox, and they have two children, Henry J., of Waukon, and William C., of New York City. pg 472


A. Bernatz & Bros., proprietors Evergreen Flouring Mils, Ft. Atkinson. A. Bernatz, the senior member of the firm, is a native of Germany, and Geo. Bernatz, the junior member, of this county. Their parents came to the U.S. in 1849 and settled in Rochester, N.Y.; came to Prairie du Chien in 1852 and to McGregor in 1855, and engaged in the brewery business, which they sold and went to Smithfield, Allamakee County, and bought the flouring mills; from there they came to this county, bought the Addicken flouring mills, on the Canoe River, northeast of Decorah, and run the same two years; then bought the Riceford mills at Houston, Minn., also built a mill in Fillmore County, Minn., known as the Newburg mills, and the same year built the Chaska flouring mills, near Minneapolis. They sold their Minnesota mills and came to this place in 1875; had bought the Evergreen mills in the fall of 1874, and have conducted the same ever since under the firm name of M. Bernatz & Son, until the fall of 1882, then under the above name. The mill is 40X50 feet, three stories and basement, situated on Turkey River; is fitted as a merchant mill and does merchant work only; has a capacity of 125 barrels; is fitted with five run of buhrs, one set of rollers, bran duster, purifier, and all the necessary machinery for a first-class mill, and gives employment to five men, besides the proprietors and cooopers. It is probably the only mill in northern Iowa that runs steadily the year round as an exclusively merchant mill. Power is given with four Leffel water wheels, equal to 100-horse power. pg 560, Winneshiek co. biographies


John Beucher, farmer, section 5, P.O. Ridgeway; owns 170 acres of land valued at $25 per acre; was born in Germany in 1833; is the third son of Joseph and Catherine Beucher. At the age of 21 he left Germany, came to America, and settled in Galena, Ill. After a residence there of some years, he came to Io., and located in Allamakee Co., but in 1876 came to Winneshiek Co., and bought a farm in Lincoln tp., where he has resided since. He was married in 1860 to Miss Anna Werhan, a native of Germany, and has seven children, Julius, Henrietta, Emma, Netta, Mary, John and William. pg 656, misc. Winneshiek co. bios


M. Beucher, Postville, dealer in hardware, stoves and tin ware, also proprietor of billiard hall; born in 1830 in Germany, emigrated to the U. S. in Aug. 1854, and located in Allamakee Co., following farming for nine years, after which he engaged in his present business. He married Miss Louisa Koevenig, a native of Germany, in 1861; they have one son, Joseph. Mr. B. is a member of the A.F. & A.M. and A.O.U.W. pg 474


Charles C. Blumm, post office, Rossville, dealer in general merchandise and manufacturer of harness, and was born in Germany, April 29th, 1848, near the River Rhine. His parents immigrated to the United States in 1850, stopping at Toledo, Ohio, where his father died of cholera in 1854. The following year, in 1855, the family came to this county, locating at Rossville. In 1865, he went to Prairie du Chien and engaged to learn the harness maker's trade, working at that till the latter part of 1866, when he returned to Rossville and opened a harness shop, continuing but a short time, when he closed out his business and spent about a year traveling and working at journey work. He returned to Rossville and purchased the homestead of his mother and again opened a harness shop, soon after adding groceries, and, in 1873, dry goods. In December 1876, he formed a co-partnership with Jas. M. Ross, adding drugs, which continued till February 1880, when he purchased Mr. Ross' interest. He was married to Miss Mary Sencebaugh, May 30th, 1875. She was a native of West Virginia. Their children are Charles A. and Daisy P. They have lost one son, Robert H. Mr. Blumm is a member of the I.O.O.F. pg 475


Philip Bockfinger, part proprietor of wagon and carriage factory, was born in Froechweiler Alsace, Germany, in 1831. He learned the trade of wagon maker in Niederbron, and in 1852, came to America, and his first location was in Cincinnati, Ohio; thence to Galena, Ills., and in 1856 he came to Lansing and established his present business in company with Mr. Boeckemeier. They are extensive manufacturers of wagons, plows, etc., the business amounting to about $50,000 annually. They employ about thirty men. Mr. B. was married to Magdalana Wetzel, also of Germany; they have seven children. pg 479


Edward Boeckh, was born in Baden, Germany, in 1827. He came to the U. S. in 1848, and settled in New York, where he lived until 1854, he then removed to Dubuque, and in 1857, came to Lansing. In 1868 he erected a large foundry and machine shop, of which he has been a part owner. He married Paulina Kemdt, also of Germany; they have five children, Louisa, Herman, Julius, Edward and Mina. Mr. B. has been alderman five years, and is at present a member of the school board. pg 478


D. H. Bowen, M. D. This promising young physician was born in Green Co., Wis., in 1850. His youth was spent in rural life, during which time he received an academic education, also taught school, and at the age of 22 turned his attention to the study of medicine, first reading with Dr. R. Broughton, of Brodhead. He subsequently entered the Rush Medical College, where he graduated in February 1876. He then came to Allamakee Co., where he practiced until 1880; then attended a course of lectures, and in the fall of said year came to Waukon, and has since been in partnership with Dr. J. B. Mattoon. Dr. Bowen was married in February 1877, to Miss Hettie Burns. They have one child, Albert Sidney. pg 470-471


J. D. Brennan, merchant, Village Creek, is a native of Allamakee Co., and son of Eugene Brennan, one of the old settlers of the township. Mr. B. was born in 1855, received a good education, and taught school until engaging in his present business in 1882. In July of the same year, D. J., a younger brother, became a partner in the business. Mr. Brennan was married in 1880 to Miss Mary J. Mooney, of Lafayette Township, they have one son, Eugene. pg 470


James Briar, P. O. Box Rossville; farmer, sec. 27; son of James and Margaret Briar; born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., in 1839, where he remained till, in 1855, he came to Iowa, stopping in the northern part of this township. In August 1862, he enlisted in Co. A, 27th Ia. Inf., participating in most of the battles in which the company was engaged, till the close of the war. He then returned home, and was married the same year to Miss Sarah Gates. She was born in Decatur Co., Ind.; they have seven children: Wm. H., Samuel D., Joseph A., Julia A., James E., Charles S. and Delia M., and have lost one daughter, Eliza. Mr. B. moved to his present farm of 160 acres in 1876. It is a good farm, well improved, with good buildings upon it, and worth $40 per acre. pg 476


Theodore Brockhausen, was born in Detmold, Prencedom Lippe, Germany, in 1833. He came to the U. S. in 1851, and in 1854, settled at Lansing, and has since been a member of the firm of Nielander & Brockhausen. During the severe winter of 1856 he was mail carrier from Lansing to Prairie du Chien, and from Lansing to Portland Prairie. He was married in 1863 to Miss Mary Schierholz. pg 478


George H. Bryant, County Treasurer, was born in Otsego County, N.Y., in 1837, came west in 1863, and located in Lansing, and for five years was employed as a clerk. He subsequently engaged in the boot and shoe trade, which he continued until elected to his present position. He married Martha Dennis, a native of Indiana. They have one son and three daughters. pg 473


James Bryson, of Jefferson Township, was born in Perthshire, Scotland, August 1802. Has always been a prominent man wherever he lived. Was an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, as also in Connecticut, where he located, after four years in Canada. In his native country his occupation was running a linen factory, and after coming to America was overseer of woolen mills. Settled in Paint Creek Township in 1850, where he held various township offices, and represented that and Jefferson Township in the Board of Supervisors at different times. Was the first representative from Allamakee Co. in the State Legislature. He was a man of firm and just character, and in his prime took an active part in reforms. Was a strong Abolitionist, and a personal friend of John B. Gough and others. In 1824 he married Miss Margaret Scott, who died in 1873, at Rossville. She was of an exceedingly good family, had received a very liberal education, and was a remarkable woman. When they came to this country they had four children living: Elizabeth (now dead), Isabel, John S. and Jane. Four children were born after reaching this country: William, died before the war; James, of Chicago; Alexander, of Ackley; and Margaret, who married John Henderson. James and Alexander were in Co. I, 27th Regt. Io. Vols. pg 477


John S. Bryson, farmer, sec. 17, born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1831, and was brought to Canada West in 1836 by his parents who removed to Connecticut in 1840, but returned east to York State, whence they came to Iowa in 1850, and located here on the 11th day of May of that year; and on the 15th of the same month John assisted in breaking the first sod in what is now Paint Creek township, where he now owns 240 acres. Later in the summer the first gristmill in Allamakee Co.-A simple corn-cracker-was put in about four miles below Mr. Bryson's place, and he run this most of the time during the first eight months. At the first election of Township Officers in April 1853, Mr. Bryson was elected constable, and has since served four years as township clerk. Was also secretary of his school district for some time; and has enjoyed the confidence and esteem of his neighbors to such a degree that he has at various times been appointed to such trusts as administrator of estates, guardian, trustee, etc. Mr. Bryson was one of the real pioneers of Paint Creek Township, and has been closely identified with its history. Mr. Bryson was married Jan. 11, 1865, to Miss Tilde O. Rema, a native of Norway, whose family settled in this township the same year with the Brysons. They have five children, Margaret S., Tilde L., James, Ida G. and John R. pg 477-478


Michael Buggy, the junior member of the firm, Holahan & Buggy, was born in Ireland in 1840, came to the U.S. in 1854, and lived at New Haven, Conn., until 1862, during which time he learned the blacksmith trade. He then came to Iowa and resided at Decorah until 1864, since which time he has resided at Waukon. He was married in February 1862, to Miss Mary Ann O'Neil, then of Waukon, but a native of Boston, Mass. They have six children: Mary A., John F., Richard, James, Willie and Michael. His religion is the Roman Catholic. pg 502


Richard Buggy, blacksmith, is a native of Ireland; born in 1841; came with his parents to the U. S. in 1854, and settled at New Haven, Conn., where he learned his trade, and in 1866, he came to Iowa and settled at Waukon, but subsequently traveled over a great part of the west and northwest. He was also in the employ of Holohan & Buggy for several years. In September 1877, he opened his present business and has since been doing a blacksmith, wagon and general repair works. He has eight children, Nellie, Maria, Richard, Edwin, John, Charlie, Eliza and Michael. His religion is Roman Catholic. pg 479


W. N. Burdick, editor and publisher of Review, was born in New York in 1837, and in 1839 his parents immigrated to Kane Co., Ill.; thence to West Union, Fayette Co., Iowa in 1852, where he followed farming till 1856, when he engaged in a printing office at Decorah, and subsequently at Cresco for a short time, when he again resumed farming for two years, and then engaged in the mercantile business. He served as postmaster at Cresco nearly seven years. In 1873 he purchased an interest in the Winneshiek Register, at Decorah, and soon after the whole interest. In 1875 he sold out and purchased the Review, at Postville. He married Amy E. Halsted in 1860. She was born in Ohio. They have three children, Edward L., Albert E. and Arthur S. They have lost two sons. pg 474


J. H. Burhans, of the firm of Burhans Bros., proprietors of the Burlington House, Postville, was born in 1831, in Otsego Co., N. Y.; emigrated with parents to Rock County, Wisconsin in 1845, from there to Ossian, Winneshiek Co., Iowa in 1855, and in April, 1857, moved to Clayton Co., the roads being blocked with snow, it having been a very severe winter. In the fall of 1862 he enlisted in Co. L, 6th Iowa. Cavalry. Their operations were confined to the northwest, protecting the frontier from the Indians. He was discharged in October 1865, returned home, and was mostly engaged working at his trade, carpenter and joiner. In 1876 he came to Postville, still following his trade. In the winter of 1882 he purchased the Burlington House in company with his brother, J. W. Burhans. He married Sarah A. D. ----, a native of Connecticut, in 1854; they have one son; John D. Mr. Burhans is a member of the Masonic Order. pg 473-474


James W. Burhans, of the firm of Burhans Brothers, proprietors of the Burlington House, Postville, was born in Nov., 1824, in New York, came to Rock County, Wisconsin, in 1845, remaining till 1865, when he returned to New York, and in 1868 moved to Camden, Missouri, where he engaged in farming six years; after which, in company with a brother, he engaged in general merchandising. In the winter of 1882 he came to Postville and engaged as above. He married Miss Mary M. Davis, of New York, in 1848. She died in Missouri in 1873, leaving one daughter Ella E. pg 473


W. H. Burtis, retired farmer, post office, Waukon; farmer, section 8; son of Henry and Mary Burtis; was born October 11, 1825, in the district of Prince Edwards, Canada. He learned the shoemaker's trade in early life, at which he worked principally, till 1847, when he came to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he worked at his trade during the winters, and farmed during the summer. In the fall of 1859, he went to Lake County, Illinois, where he remained till 1868, when he came to Allamakee County, Iowa, stopping in Ludlow township till 1876, he came to Rossville, where he now resides. He was married to Miss Louisa Ross, October 5, 1869. She is a sister of O. A. Ross, and was born in Pennsylvania. Mr. Burtis owns a farm of 120 acres three miles from Rossville, also seven acres within the village of Rossville; his wife also owns a farm of 80 acres some three miles from Rossville. pg 475


Fred A. Burton, grain buyer, born in Rhode Island in 1851, came to Iowa and to Makee Township in 1854, and became a resident in Waukon in 1868. Mr. Burton was engaged for several years in buying grain in the markets at Lansing and Postville in this county, and in DeSoto, Wis., as well as at his home in Waukon. In September 1880 he assumed charge of A. & T. McMichael's grain elevator at Waterville, where he has since been constantly employed. pg 478


Wm. Burton (deceased), farmer, was born in Rhode Island in 1813. Came to Makee township in 1853, and bought a farm of 80 acres on Makee Ridge, 3 1/2 miles from Waukon. The following year he brought on his family, comprising the following children: Theodore W., Lewis, and Fred A., the two latter of whom are now living. In 1868 he became a resident of Waukon, where he remained until his death, 1879. Mr. Burton was married in 1837 to Miss Marcella Nicholas, who was born in Rhode Island in 1815, and still resides in Waukon. pg 470


Jacob Butz, farmer, owns 120 acres of land, valued at $20 per acre; was born in Indiana in 1856, and is a son of Theobolt Butz; came west in 1866, and settled in this tp. He married Emma Reinhardt, who was born in Allamakee Co. They have one child, Edward. pg 551, Winneshiek co. biographies, note: the township is not given

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