Kinne, Warner C 1840-1904

KINNE, UNDERWOOD

Posted By: Geo Clinton (email)
Date: 5/10/2016 at 16:47:15

January 29, 1904 - Storm Lake Pilot Tribune - W.C. Kinne, one of the oldest, most prominent and highly esteemed business men in this part of Iowa, died very suddenly at his home in this city, Thursday January 28, of heart disease.

The announcement came upon our citizens like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Tuesday previous to his death, Mr Kinne appeared to be in his usual health and attended to business matters as he always had done. We are informed, however, that Wednesday he complained of having severe pains in the region of the heart.

He retired Wednesday night not feeling very well and in the morning after Mrs Kinne had arose she heard him groan while yet in bed. She asked him if he was sick and he said no but "I have terrible pains in my chest". She asked him if he wanted a physician and he replied "not just now, send for Mr Root, he will rub me and perhaps that will be relief." He had reference to M.L. Root of the bath parlors. Mr Root arrived about 7:30 and found Mr Kinne walking back and forth from the bedroom to the dining room apparently suffering intense pain.

He then threw himself down on the bed and Mr Root lost no time in rubbing the chest and specially round the heart where the pain seemed to be located. This afforded some relief but Mr Root soon discovered that his efforts in this direction would prove useless as the limbs of the sufferer were becoming cold and pulsations of the heart less frequent. Dr Nusbaum was summoned but before he arrived, Mr Kinne breathed his last with his devoted wife, his son Roy, and Mr Root by his side.

The funeral will be held at the Lakeside church next Sunday afternoon at 1:00 o'clock under the auspices of the Masons fraternity.

Warner C Kinne was born in the town of Northville, county of LaSalle, state of Illinois, Feb 28, 1840. He moved from there with his parents when quite young to Iowa county, Wisconsin, near the town of Avoca.

He was united in marriage at Avoca on the 26th day of January 1862 to Miss Rowena K Underwood, who with three sons, Frank, Warner, and Roy remain behind to mourn his loss.

For two years after their marriage they lived on a farm near Avoca. They then moved to La Salle county, Illinois within a short distance of the place where Mr Kinne was born. Here they resided for two years and then again moved to Wisconsin, locating near the town of Wyoming, after living here about 6 years they came to Buena Vista county in 1870 and settled on a farm in Maple Valle township.

They farmed 3 years and then moved to Storm Lake and engaged in the mercantile business buying out the firm of Wirick and McCune who were then located in a frame building where Marten and Luhman now are. Mr Kinne associated with him in this enterprise, George Marshall, a former old time resident of Storm Lake and who now lives at Omaha. This partnership lasted for about 1 year or while the business was conducted in the frame building above referred to.

During this time Mr Kinne made preparations for the erection and in fact did erect the north half of the brick block wherein his large store is now located. As soon as his building was completed he moved his stock of goods into it and operated here for 2 or 3 years one of the largest general stores in this part of the state. He then sold out his stock but maintaining the ownership of the building to George Stetson & Sons, who in turn sold out to A.L. VanAlstyn. Mr Kinne afterwards bought him out and owned and conducted the business himself until the time of his death.

In 1892 he built the south half of his brick block which is one of the finest structures of the kind in the city. Here he had his dry goods and clothing department and in the north half the grocery and boat and shoe department.